There's something oh so sweet about early fall-a time of year most people overlook. Summer break comes to a close and school begins again. Weekdays present some of the most serene sights with almost no boats on the water, and seriously, just loads of fish still chewing hard. Along with some absolutely fantastic fishing has come the realization that our snook populations took a nasty hit by Mother Nature. These poor fish are showing up in a few places, and though they aren't completely wiped out, they are still on life support. Hopefully Mother Nature will give them a break this winter-they could certainly use one!
INSHORE fishing for snook is optimal during the low-light hours of the early morning or evening, but especially at night on the full moon. With the strong freshwater releases out of Lake Okeechobee, make sure you continue looking for them on the beaches and on the barrier islands until some cooler weather barges in.
The flats fishing is going to start getting really exciting with our redfish. Early fall is when our copper-clad crab-crunchers bunch up and do there thang! Beautiful balls of schooling redfish can be found on the bars of Pine Island Sound. Approaching these fish quietly and feeding them with a long cast will help you get multiple hookups before the school spooks. A super-fun technique we love to use on these fish when they are really schooled up is to take a Zarra Spook with no hooks and use it to tease up the fish. Once you get the hot feed going, whip a streamer fly right in there behind it. Eight-weight fly rods with a floating line and a tan and white deceiver will do the trick.
Another awesome fish that is still going to be around for several more months is the silver king. These tarpon have stayed in our bays and rivers in huge numbers for an unusually long time and we predict we will be releasing tarpon until late November this year. They've been blasting free-lined finger mullet while we're drifting around the passes on the outgoing tides.
OFFSHORE fishing for cobia and big mangrove snapper are what's for dinner this fall. We have some sweet spots that are really popular with the pelagics. Dropping a hand-sized pinfish on a 2-ounce egg sinker down to your favorite nearshore wreck will no doubt get you bit and doubled over the gunwale in no time! Some of these fish are real jumbos, so fish for them with at least 50-pound PowerPro on a heavy-action rod. They aren't usually known to run to the wreck for safety, but a big fish has a tendency to go deep and do big circles, which means he has a good chance of finding that rigging line on that shrimp boat down there.
On these same wrecks, oversized mangrove snapper to eight pounds can be caught if you're sneaky enough. Fish for them on 20-pound PowerPro with an 8-foot, 25-pound fluorocarbon leader and a small shiner on a #2 hook. Drift it back through the chum line with maybe a few split shots, and tide willing, you will knock them out.
Now that the kids are in school and we are only a few months away from a brutal winter, come look us up for some great fishing and good times with tight lines!
Captains Chris and Lacey Rush
September and October are two great months to fish the Everglades National Park. Daytime air temperatures will average around 91 in September, and 87 in October. Water temps will hover around 86 in September, and 81 in October. Typical to our summer months, September heats up by midday and the bite will drop off. We should still get some storms early in the day, which will cool things off a little and produce an early-evening bite. October shows a much-welcomed cooling trend, which will help prolong the bite throughout the day.
We are seeing some fantastic schools of large live bait pour into the area. The influx of bait is nature's way of telling the fish it's time to fatten up, because believe it or not, fall is on its way.
If live bait is your thing, the large thread herring and pilchards are here and they are following the tides. They will be close to the shorelines at high tide, and will be out just a little deeper during the low tides. Follow the tide line looking for the birds and you will be rewarded with the best bait around. If you cannot get on the bait in a reasonable amount of time, look for some nice 4- to 6-inch finger mullet near shore for some fantastic snook candy.
Snook are around and in good numbers. The big mommas are feeding on a strong, out-going tide around the outside barrier islands. They will begin their move to the inside this time of year, and can also be targeted around the "close in" back waters, before heading way back in the late fall. Try those live baits for your best numbers. Artificials are always fun and Gulp! Shrimp, DOA Baitbusters, and a good topwater plug will produce.
The trout are around the shallow grass flats in good numbers. The key to catching them is to hit your favorite spots during the last hour or two of the incoming tide. Most of your bites will happen in the 3- to 5-foot depth range. They will hit artificial baits just as well, if not better, than some live baits. I prefer a 3/8-ounce buck tail jig that has a little flash in the hair. If you have some shrimp, put a tiny piece on the jig hook and the smell will drive the trout insane.
Fall is one of our best seasons for consistent reds. It's hard to beat the sight of tailing reds in the calm waters around an oyster bar! I prefer to fish for them with live pilchards or thread herring, either naturally on a circle hook, or under a popping cork. Live shrimp work well under a popping cork, too. Of course, many artificials are equally good. I really like a Gulp! new penny shrimp on a 3/8-inch red jig head, or a gold Johnson Spoon.
Tarpon are still around, more so in September than October, although not in as many numbers as early summer. The big gals will be out feeding on the outside bays and flats early in the morning and again late in the afternoon. Naturally, they are looking for ladyfish, thread herring and pilchards. My choice is to live line one of these delicacies out to them on a nice stout spinning rod. If you can sight fish the tarpon, artificials will also work well. I like a large soft plastic bait like a DOA. Juvenile tarpon can be targeted in the back rivers and will generally take a shallow running C.A.L. jerk bait.
Other fun targets are around feeding on all of the live bait in the area. For some drag-screaming action, you can usually get into some nice schools of mackerel, bluefish, large jacks, and ladyfish. If you aren't sure what to use, see Mike at Tall Tales Bait and Tackle in Naples and he will hook you up with what you need.
Tight Lines, and remember to make someone giggle today!
Capt Pete Rapps
September and October bring the start of fall. This means cooler weather, shorter days, and great fishing! September is still a very hot month, but it is the turning point for many species as they head into their fall patterns. This is truly one of my favorite times to fish.
Snook are one fish that I normally start targeting in September as they are just getting done with their spawn and start their journey from the beaches and spoil islands to the backcountry and flats. All that has changed due to the cold weather snook kill. Yes, we still have plenty of healthy snook, but the population has been hurt. I have targeted them less this year and tried to let them be so we can have a good stock for the years to come. I must stress that if you do catch these great linesiders, make sure you only have them out of the water for a minimal length of time, and that you handle them with care to ensure they will live to see another day.
One of my favorite species this month, which was not hit by this year's record cold temperatures, is the redfish. September and October are the prime months to catch big trophy reds. They are schooled up on the flats by the hundreds in search of just about any food you throw at them. In most cases, a trolling motor is a must for a stealthy approach. Good places to start looking for fish are at oyster bars, points, potholes, or good mangrove lines. Always try different techniques and bait. Fish are a lot like us because they don't eat the same thing every day. They like to eat a variety of foods, so make sure you try throwing more than just one choice.
My preferred tackle for redfish is a Daiwa Tierra 2500 spooled up with 10-pound Fins Windtamer braided line. Match this with an eight-foot Daiwa Coastal spinning rod for longer casts, and a 25-pound fluorocarbon leader with a 1/0 Daiichi Bleeding circle hook and you'll have the right tools for the job!
Going into the latter part of October is a great time to start sharpening your artificial skills for trout fishing. Once we see a few cold fronts and the water temperature starts to hit that mid 70-degree mark, the trout fishing in Tampa Bay really starts to go insane. Trout fishing is some of the best fishing there is. They are easier to catch, limits are laxed, and they love to eat artificial bait. If you're a novice with artificials then this is a great fish to start with. Two of my favorite baits to throw are DOA Shrimp and DOA TerrorEyz. DOA CAL is another great one.
When looking for good spots, just find a healthy grass flat and good tidal movement. I also like to target potholes. Remember, trout are very slimy and this slime is critical in protecting the fish, so try not to handle the fish you intend to release. A de-hooker makes this really easy to do and you should get one if you don't already have one. So, whatever you decide to fish for this time of year, I believe you will have a tight line and a bent pole.
Capt. Jason Prieto
This edition of GAFF brings world-class inshore fishing opportunities to the Charlotte Harbor estuary. You will find a multitude of species throughout this fishery that should be eager to take your bait of choice. Angling with artificials will be at its peak, with extended mornings highlighted by topwater explosions from tempted redfish and snook. Trout fishing will excel as well, as will fishing for large jack crevalle, Spanish mackerel, and plenty of others. For those who prefer using live bait, expect banner days on the open water flats and along mangrove shorelines.
My primary fall species to target are snook and redfish. Keep in mind that we did lose some snook over the winter and it is a good idea to have a quick photo-and-release plan in place when you catch them. What I'm doing on my charters to facilitate this is smashing the barbs on my Bomber Saltwater Grade Badonk-A-Donk topwater lures, which enables a quick release without harming the fish.
Good news: we discovered this summer-through daily observation and counting-that our snook population did not incur the fatality rate other localities did. It is yet to be determined if snook harvest season will open this fall, but we should get the FWC determination on the closure/opening very soon. I, for one, am fine with keeping the fall harvest season closed (which will be a year) to allow the species to fully recover and regain it prominence in our fishery.
Redfish will begin their fall push during this issue of GAFF. It is not uncommon to find an abundance of schooling redfish throughout the Charlotte Harbor estuary on any given day. Keep your eyes open for what looks like a "mullet school on steroids" because it's likely to be redfish. Cut ladyfish chunks are hard to beat, especially when tossed under a lively, green mangrove tree with plenty of cooler water moving underneath. Remember to use a circle hook when fishing cut baits. This prevents unnecessary gut hooking and increases your hook-up ratio.
My grandfather taught me as a boy that the best angler on the boat is the rod holder, and this is a perfect opportunity to use it. Soak your 1-inch cut ladyfish chunks and watch for your line to begin to walk away. This is the sure sign of a redfish chewing your bait as it unknowingly hooks itself on the circle hook. Another trick I like to use is trimming the tail off of live pinfish to slow them down when I use them for bait. Redfish are less likely to chase baits when it's hot and a tasty, slow-moving pinfish is the perfect bait to entice a strike.
Many species are well into their schooling migrational patterns. Keep your eyes open when running close to crab pot buoys for my fall favorite: the elusive tripletail. If you're fortunate enough to enjoy fresh tripletail for dinner, you will find it delightfully light, yet flavorful. FISH ON, FISH ON!Capt. Chris O'Neill
If you're looking for the best in fall fishing, give me a call. I specialize in family-friendly, world-class fishing adventures. The next three months offer some of the best artificial and topwater inshore fishing action available on the planet. Schools of hungry redfish and snook are waiting anxiously to eat your bait as they forage in preparation for their wintertime migrations.