Otto Hough (Facebook @myhometownfishing) says, ”Think nearly all anglers would agree, it certainly didn't seem like Fall over the waters of the Big Bend this past weekend on into midweek. Even with cool morning starts, it quickly got almost downright summertime hot by midmorning each day as the winds diminished by lunchtime on into the evening hours. Trout and reds were caught, but much anticipated strong bite going into this past weekend was far from overwhelming, due in part to the bathtub water temps being registered along the Big Bend coastline almost as soon as that sun got above the horizon. What is sorely needed, in my opinion is a legitimate "cold" front passing over the Big Bend waters to push the mercury down a handful of degrees to help stimulate the Fall bite.
Sadly for weekend anglers, the elevated backside winds currently in the NWS Marine Forecast for Friday out of the northeast, then shifting from the east Saturday, then slipping down out of the southeast by Sunday morning may reduce totally enjoyable fishing conditions a smidgen. There just might be some foul utterances occassionally generated by the aggravting winds. Still, if working the skinny water early the breeze shouldn't be too bothersome, but expect a moderate chop by midday. Hopefully, the predicted east/southeast winds during the special "weekend" red snapper won't hamstring anglers who will be wanting to make the run well outside into waters ranging in depths from 80-100 feet while chasing red snapper. It may get a little bouncy each day this coming weekend, but not unmanageable for diehard anglers in the bigger boats.
Still present are the floating grass mats/lines that drifting with the tides across most of Apalachee Bay, making the use of topwater and slow suspending hardbaits an aggravation in some areas when targeting the trout and reds. Working softbaits down in the water column under the grasses, either straight lined on a Texas rigged five jerk shad on a 1/16th oz. weighted worm hook or under either an Equalizer or Cajun Thunder on an 18 to 24 inch leader has been a productive technique when floating grasses are present. Outside, those floating grasses are also severely limiting slow trolling opportunities for the gags. When the grasses are present, think about jigging up the gags with a one and half ounce 3/0 white bucktail jig rigged with a nose hook seven inch glow Z-man jerk shad. If cooler water temps do ever get here, those grasslines, inside and outside should begin to diminish, much to the liking of all anglers.
Take note, there's a change in the Flounder season. As of midnight Friday, October 14th, the last day of Flounder season in Florida waters will begin, lasting for a month and a half till December 1st. Don't slip up! As much as it hurts, put those tasty fish back in the water to spawn until December 1st arrives. They aren't worth a $500 FWC opportunity!
With somewhat elevated winds in forecast for Friday morning, use some nautical smarts while checking the buoy and Weatherstem readings before venturing too far from the hill. Wear an auto-inflatable PFD when the big motor is purring. Preferably, wear one the whole time on the water to maximize safety, especially when fishing alone. Be safe, be smart while boat wisely to enjoy all Apalachee Bay has to offer. Just FISH!
Captain Russ Knapp (850-653-5072) reports, “Well folks, the weather forecast for the weekend doesn't look too bad with forecast winds 10 to 15 knots from the East and seas at 2 to 3 feet with no rain. However, as Capt. Clint will tell you beware of an East wind as the seas are often higher than they are forecasted to be can give you a bit of a surprise. Tides at the Cut this weekend feature a 5 AM high tide at 1.9 feet followed by a 1 PM .2 low on Saturday, while Sunday has a 6 AM 1.8 high with a 2:30 PM .3 low.
Not meaning to jinx things, but fishing in the bay should be quite good this weekend now that the hurricane weirdness has cleared out and we are past the full moon. Capt. Dan Fortunas (850 980 0101) reports fishing the flats in 4 feet of water with a Gulp bait on an 1/8oz jig head hanging 18' under a Cajun Thunder has produced good numbers of nice Speckled Trout. If you cast net some live bait or pick up some finger Mullet at the local tackle shop, you should be able to find all sizes of Redfish hanging around the Cut as well as some good eating Flounder. The oyster flats just West of the low rise in the SGI bridge are well stocked with Silver Trout and Whiting that won't pass up a bit of fresh Shrimp or a "fish bite" on a small circle hook fished the bottom. The key issue to all these fishing spots is that the tide needs to be moving, my good friend and mentor Capt. Del Gray always be a big fan of fishing the first rise of an incoming tide.
Offshore, it's another Red Snapper mini season weekend and Capt. Clint Taylor (850 980 0101) suggested that while they should be your primary target don't forget to put a flat line half way down with a large bait for the Amberjacks. After you limit out on Red Snapper break out the chum and lure some Mangrove Snapper up to the small pieces of squid, you're fishing on a #5 circle hook with a fluorocarbon leader. Capt. Clint says the Pelagic are close to leaving but still here so if things are slow or you need a break you might give trolling a try.
Tip of the week -- There are three anglers that are alive today only because of the skill of the USCG and a bit of good luck after their boat sank 25 miles off the coast of Louisiana last week. The boat wasn't equipped with an EPIRB and none of the men had a personal locating devise so their situation was unknown to the USCG until a family member called in to report them overdue. So here is the deal -- if you're going fishing offshore you must have an EPIRB or at least a personal locater on board and ideally a well-equipped "ditch bag "with both . EPIRB's are registered to your vessel and while they aren't cheap the cost has come down a lot in recent years and it could save your life and the lives of all on board. Remember, VHF radios and cell phone have very limited range and are not reliable offshore.
Capt. Kevin Lanier of KC Sportfishing Mexico Beach, Fl (850 933 8804) reports” Fishing this week has been interesting to say the least. Clear skies, a bright full moon, and a NE wind makes for a challenging day. Red Snapper was open this past weekend as it will be for the next few Saturdays and Sundays so, here is a cooler weather opportunity to get you a few more for the freezer. We do have a state water boat available for this fishery so contact us at kcsportfishing.com if you want to go with us.
The Snapper bite was good this weekend and should improve quite a bit by next weekend’s opener as we get further away from this full moon cycle. The water temperature was 77 degrees, so the fish are more active. In a few more weeks fishing should be incredible.
The King Mackerel bite has slowed but the Spanish bite is still good troll Mackerel trees with a Silver, Silver Horde Coho Killer.
Live Bait is plentiful around the buoys leading into St. Joe Bay. Lots of Pin Fish. Those will do you well for Grouper.
Inshore fishing is still good as well as those big bull Red Fish are making their annual fall visit to the area. Live Shrimp or Gold spoons are your best bet. The larger the shrimp the better.
Fishing will only improve over the next few weeks as long as the weather remains good, and we can get out.
Capt. Pat McGriff, of One More Cast guide service (onemorecast@gtnet.com) reports, “Trout fishing was great when the bite was on which was late on the falling tide for u and most of those I spoke to.
We fished the incoming tide Friday and had only 6 trout in the way too slick conditions. We couldn’t manage a drift all morning. We did catch 14 keeper reds keeping only 2 . Our trout came on live pinfish under Back Bay Thunmders from 4- 4.5 ft. while the reds were in less than 2.5 ft.
Decided to see if any Black Se Bass were around and put 14 keepers in the boat with six flounder ( keeping only 3 over 15”) bouncing Assassins “Butt Naked” 5” shads on Assassin’s 1/4 ounce Electric Chicken jigheads in 10 – 11 feet of water.
Saturday, it was slicker than owl poop, so we opted to start out fishing for bsb and kept 19 with 2 keeper flounder. The bait choice changed though as we caught them all on Assassin’s Sea Shads in the Pink Ghost pattern.
I decided to check the trout out when a breeze finally came up so from 1:30 to 3;00 p.m. we caught 6 nice trout to 21” and my crew was ready to come in.
Sam Shaw and his wife from Lake Park , Ga. had their limit of trout Saturday afternoon while fishing with live pinfish under Cajun Thunders in 4 –5 feet,
Kenny Mullins of Epic charters had a limit of trout late Saturday with live shrimp under Cajuns. Then Sunday, he fished shallow with topwater and MirrOdines and had his crew a limit of trout early on “one drift.”
Salt Strong coach Matt Lanier, (matt@saltstrong.com) tells us, ”Cool water temps are on us and there is some amazing fishing to be had in the inshore skinny waters right now!
Fish are fired up with this cooler weather and the opportunity to catch fish right now is easier than ever with fish moving around so much.
Fish are feeding heavily with this Full Moon bringing good current flow and the temps dropping into the 60’s. The fish are stacking up in numbers at textbook ambush points. Points, drains, feeder creeks, and even docks with good current flow, are great places to look to target for our favorite inshore fish.
Trout will be looking for the depth changes and structure to associate to while feeding. Find the current coming around points and feeder creeks and creek mouths, and you can find the fish. Be sure to use the appropriate weight to get your bait down in the water column where those fish are and wait for the thump.
Redfish will typically hold shallower early in the mornings and move around some as the water temps warm up some in the afternoon, and with all the shrimp that is in the water now, a live or artificial shrimp (like the Salt Strong Power Prawn, or VooDoo Shrimp) is a great option.
Now that we are in the fall pattern these fish are dialed on larger presentations and baits, so larger size paddletails like the Salt Strong Bomber are great options as they do a great job of matching-the-hatch with the bait they are feeding on. An added bonus is when throwing big baits, you get BIG fish!
Topwater is still producing great in the morning and even into the afternoon, so be sure to throw those favorite topwater lures (Moonwalker, Skitter Walk, One Knockers) with that enticing walk-the-dog action for those big fish looking for an easy meal.
The Florida Redfish Series Kayak Tournament is coming up on October 22nd so be sure to get signed up now to secure your spot and come join us for some awesome action casing redfish in one of Florida’s best fisheries!
If you find yourself on the water and fishing in a spot where you haven’t gotten a bite for the last 15 minutes… it’s time to move. Keep looking for the 90/10 zone where those fish are holding. Don’t waste time in unproductive areas. The fish are moving and so should you!
To get the kids on some fish quickly, a live shrimp under a popping cork around creek mouths and grass lines is a solid producer of fish, and the best part is you never know what you’ll get because everything eats shrimp. EVEN ME!
If you plan on getting out this weekend, always make sure you check (and double check) your gear and the weather. But most importantly… STAY SAFE & HAVE FUN!
Capt. Randy Peart (captpeart@yahoo.com) reports,” Fishing at Econfina and Ochlocknee Rivers picking up, with good numbers of Redfish moving into the Ochlocknee. Also lots of Shell cracker and freshwater catfish being caught on Shrimp.
Grouper are being caught in 12 to 20 feet of water, try trolling a Rapala CD14 or CD18 around rocky areas about 4 to 5 mph and hang on. Redfish along the shoreline on gold spoons or spinnerbaits, also your favorite topwater will work.
Capt. Paul Tyre reports, “Wow what a exciting first week of October the water temperature has cooled down into the mid 60’s and the Bass biting! The Topwater bite has been explosive their week I had a great trip with Randall Miller from Destin Fl. He caught over 10 Bass in the 5 to 7 pound range all on Topwater the strikes were incredible!
The Hybrid / Striper fishing has been very good this week also and will get even better as we move into the Fall. I had a fantastic time with Tom Townly from Homer City Pennsylvania he caught his PB Hybrid!
When fishing for Hybrid and Stripers, the correct rod paired with a 6:2-1 reel is critical. On the business end of the A-rig, you can't beat the Bass Assassin 4” or 5" Sea Shad rigged on a Bass Assassin jig head.
For a Lake Seminole Fishing Adventure give me a call to check availability at 850-264-7534 , follow us on Instagram @ Capt.paultyrefishing or email me @ paultyrefishing@yahoo.com.
Otto B. fishing SAYS, “The bass bite on Lake Iamonia and Carr has been good this past week with the cooler mornings stimulating the bite. By midmorning each day, with all the bright sunshine, the aggressive strikes have some over the fringes of the pads where the fish are enjoying some shade. Remember, fish don't have lids to block out the sunlight, think cool shade. Both the Zoom Speedvibes and Z-man Fatty Z’s have been eliciting the attention of some quality bass when worked over the pads out into the coontail a little ways.