October is the start of some of the best fishing Florida has to offer. This month is usually when the reds start to get into the big schools. But last month the fishing was off the hook with reds. They were on just about every shore line you stopped at. It was not just in our region, there were schools all the way around the coast and up into Tampa bay.
Look in all the normal spots that you have seen redfish before, and you should be able to find those big schools of redfish that everybody talks about. One way to target fertile fishing grounds is to keep an eye on the birds at low tide, if the birds are feeding in the grass at low tide then it is pretty good bet that the fish will be their when the tide comes in. A good way to locate them in deeper water is to look for clear water that has mud clouds in the water. The muddy water a lot of the times is the reds down on the bottom feeding, yes sometimes its mullet. Just remember when you are fishing these big schools on the flats they can spook easy. The best bet is to power pole down in front of them after you find the school and wait for them to come to you. When fishing early in the mourning you can’t beat a topwater lure like the Top Dog or Skittter walk. Other artificial baits that work good are a DOA shrimp rigged weedless or a Cal jerk bait. If you are fishing with live bait, chumming the area will keep the fish around for a while just don’t over feed them. Make sure not to cast in to the middle of the pack, cast to the edges of the school and pick off the fish on the outside this will keep the fish in the area longer. When I fish with live bait, I like to us a 2/0 or #2 circle hook with 2’ – 3’ of 30 lb fluorocarbon leader line tide to 10 lb. braided line. The smaller braid gives you more casting distance sometimes that extra 20 - 30 yards makes all the difference in reaching the fish without letting them know you are in the area. Most of the ones that have been around are going to be close to the upper end of the slot limit. The legal size is 18” to 27” with a pinched tail. You will find over slot fish mixed in with some of the schools. There is also going to be schools of nothing but big fish this month, a lot of them will be found in deeper water. For these big fish it is best for the fish if you crimp the barb over on your hooks, this makes for an easy release and less stress on the big breeder fish that we want to keep healthy.
Other species to target this month are trout , snapper, snook and sheepshead. Trout fishing will just keep getting better as the weather and water temperature cools down. The trout should be found in 4-6 ft of water. Best bait is a DOA shrimp under a popping cork. All that you have to do is cast out as far as you can and just pop your line every 10 – 20 seconds if there is a trout in the area you will find him. Keep drifting an area until you catch one then power-pole down and work the area. Mangrove Snapper fishing has been steady, look around docks with deep water like in Gulf Harbors. A #1 circle hook works well with cut bait or small shrimp. When you find out what dock they are hanging around throw out a few small piece’s of bait to get their attention then send in the hooked bait. This is a great way to keep the kids busy. You also can target sheeepshead the same way. Other place’s to look for the sheep’s are around the rocks in front of Gulf Harbors or along the sea walls. These guys will keep getting more abundant as the water temperature drops also.
The snook will be moving closer to there winter time spots and they will be eating steady getting ready for the cold weather. You should start to see a big change in their pattern once we have the first cold snap.
Other species to target this month are trout , snapper, snook and sheepshead. Trout fishing will just keep getting better as the weather and water temperature cools down. The trout should be found in 4-6 ft of water. Best bait is a DOA shrimp under a popping cork. All that you have to do is cast out as far as you can and just pop your line every 10 – 20 seconds if there is a trout in the area you will find him. Keep drifting an area until you catch one then power-pole down and work the area. Mangrove Snapper fishing has been steady, look around docks with deep water like in Gulf Harbors. A #1 circle hook works well with cut bait or small shrimp. When you find out what dock they are hanging around throw out a few small piece’s of bait to get their attention then send in the hooked bait. This is a great way to keep the kids busy. You also can target sheeepshead the same way. Other place’s to look for the sheep’s are around the rocks in front of Gulf Harbors or along the sea walls. These guys will keep getting more abundant as the water temperature drops also.
The snook will be moving closer to there winter time spots and they will be eating steady getting ready for the cold weather. You should start to see a big change in their pattern once we have the first cold snap.
