Inshore Fishing Report
Our annual fall mullet run has brought along some great fishing inshore over the past few weeks. Snook, Tarpon, Jacks, Sharks and a variety of predators have been putting on a show feeding on the schools of bait. We have had very strong numbers of mullet schools pushing through our area and we should continue to see some schools continuing to push our way as we get into October as there have still been steady reports of schools north of us. Mullet schools have been prevalent throughout the day, but it seems the best of the action has been at night and early in the morning with the bite slowing down a bit as the sun gets higher. For those that are targeting Snook, the low light conditions will play to your advantage as the Snook will use the shadow lines from dock lights and bridges to ambush the mullet or whatever bait is pushing through. Making your bait stand out in the school is key to getting the bite when the bait is prevalent, many anglers will prefer artificials such as paddle tails, jerk baits and top waters depending on the situation that you are fishing. Don’t be afraid to use bigger profiles as well as surface baits that make commotion on the surface to make your presentation stand out. Fishing your lure on the edge of the bait pods can result in more bites as well. Some of the most popular artificials we have been selling this month have included; NLBNs, JYG Pro SWYMs, Hogy Pro Tail Paddle Tails, Yozuri Crystal Minnows, Fingerlings, Top Knocks & Hydro Pencils, Rapala Xraps & Skitterwalks. If you do prefer fishing a live mullet, adding a small cork to slow the bait down or trimming the tail fins will give your bait a more injured presentation making an easier snack for the fish. For those Snook fishing inshore during the day, there has still been action. Locating schools of bait in areas such as canals, on seawalls, along mangrove lines or near any ambush point or structure will be keys to your success. This is one of the best times of year to fish the sea walls even if you aren’t seeing any bait around. Larger mullet in the 6-10” range are one of the best bait choices if you’re hunting for big Snook. You will want to keep that mullet tight to the seawall for the Snook as when the bait comes off the wall a few feet you will start running into more Jacks.
There have been a lot of Tarpon around inshore with a lot of them being in the triple digit class! Look to find them up by the power plant, around the bridges, in the crossroads, in the inlet as well as up in the North Fork. Fishing larger live mullet, floating crabs around the bridges or using mullet heads on the bottom for some of the lazier fish are all effective options for those looking to use natural bait. Those targeting them with artificials have had success throwing larger swimbaits and straight tails such as the 8” NLBNs and larger Hogy Protails. The purple or black colors have been some of the hottest models for those Tarpon fishing.
For those who want to catch a Redfish, we see them quite often around the Stuart Causeway in October. They can be caught with shrimp on a jig head, cut mullet and live Croakers. You may run into some Black Drum as well fishing shrimp on a jig head around the bridges this time of year as our Black Drum fishing starts to heat up. Those fishing the flats to the north have had success catching Snook, Trout, Redfish and Tarpon. Pitching lures like DOA Cals or Thumper Shrimp into the pockets of the mangroves is an effective strategy. You can also fan cast out on the flat with either top water plugs before the sun gets high or cover water with a DOA CAL. If you are heading to the north, stone crab season opens up in October and that means everyone will be putting out their traps. All those crab trap buoys are great areas to look for Triple Tail. We typically see better numbers of Triple Tail caught after stone crab season opens up. You can free line a shrimp or fish one on a jig head and pitch it to them if you see one. As we begin to get some cool fronts and north winds which we usually start seeing in late October, we will begin to start seeing some of our migratory fall/winter fish making an appearance such as Sheepshead, Black Drum, Croakers, Spanish Mackerel, Pompano and Bluefish. October always brings us a nice variety of opportunities inshore with the mullet run and early signs of some of our migratory fall/winter fish!
Offshore Fishing Report
The surface bite offshore has been pretty good to close out the month. The Mahi fishing really picked up! We didn’t really see any giants, but plenty of 8-10lb gaffers around and the majority of the fish were in schools meaning a little Mahi Mayhem for those that ran into them. Steady reports have come in from Ft. Pierce to Jupiter for those targeting Mahi. Along with the Mahis, we’ve had Sailfish, Blackfin Tuna, Skipjack Tuna, Kingfish and some Wahoo around. You’ll see a lot of boats switch over to trolling either ballyhoo or artificials this time of year to cover more water. If you are trolling ballyhoos, it’s never a bad idea to put a skirt or something like a Flash Witch, Sea Witch or even an Ilander over a few baits in your spread. Looking for the right condition is still the key to getting your surface bites whether it be a color change, temperature change, weedline, piece of debris or signs of bait in the water. Utilizing a planer is also never a bad idea to get your bait down to cover more water, those running a planer also tend to have better luck running into a wahoo. You will also see a planer may grab the attention of a school of Mahis down a little deeper and it can get them to come up and checkout your spread of baits. Utilizing live baits is still an effective strategy this time of year when you find yourself in the right zone! The Blackfin Tuna bite has picked up again out at Pushbutton Hill. Anglers have found success catching them on live baits as well as trolling ballyhoo and feathers. We’ve had some shrimp boats that have been anchored up offshore and if you time it right to when they are going through their catch and dumping over the bycatch, it can turn into a feeding frenzy. You can find Mahi, Blackfin Tuna, Cobia and a variety of species feeding on what they are putting back in the water. You can cast jigs, troll around them or pitch live baits into the action.
The snapper fishing on the bottom has been productive as well with Vermillions, Muttons and Mangroves around. The Vermillions have been out around Pushbutton Hill and can be caught on chicken rigs with squid. Make your grocery trip out to Pushbutton a whole lot more efficient and check out our electric reel selection here at the shop so you can get your limit quick! The Mangroves have been caught on the six and eight mile reefs as well as reefs and structure from 60’-110’. You can target the Mangroves with live pilchards, or with cut sardines. The Muttons have been around the six and eight mile along with the Mangroves as well as to the south at the Loran Tower in 60’-90’. Your best strategy for them will be fishing a long leader with either a live bait or a grunt plug. Along with the Snappers, there have been Red Grouper, Cobia, Sea Bass, Triggerfish and Amberjacks making their way back to the fillet tables. There has also been a pretty good permit bite offshore of the power plant at the boils on live crabs.
Surf Fishing Report
Those who were looking for the mullet run action from the beach definitely had some shots at action! A lot of anglers were able to take advantage of some great Tarpon fishing from the beach both on artificials and live bait. There have been Snook, Jacks, Sharks and a variety of other predators feeding on the schools as well. We’ve had some Pompano action over the past few weeks from the beach with some keepers hitting the sand. Last month there were a lot of shorts caught and this month the short fish have all been pretty close to being keepers. It is still pretty early for the Pompano so the fishing will only improve as we get into the fall. If you are fishing multiple rods, it is a good idea to stagger your casting distances to locate where the fish are feeding. EZ Flea, Electric Chicken Crab and Pink/Flesh FishBites have been producing bites along with sand fleas. These fish are coming from the north so don’t be afraid to hit some of the beaches to the north even up towards Vero if you’re looking for some Pompano action. There has been some good Permit fishing from the beach too and they can be caught the same way as Pompano. While it is tough to specifically target them, they have definitely been around. The beaches around the power plant will typically give you a better shot at hooking one, but they can be caught all over Hutchinson Island. There have also been some Whiting and Croakers mixed in for our surf anglers too.
Lake Okeechobee Fishing Report – Capt. Angie Douthit
With the upcoming “busy fishing season” just around the corner and almost daily rain and
possible tropical depressions that may still come our way the water level has hovered around
the 14 ft mark which still allows access to a lot of good fishing areas. The water clarity has been
really good pretty much all throughout the summer. While bass fishing lately, a lot of early
morning activity and early evening hours has been the most productive, fishing with both live-
bait and artificial lures. Lures that are catching bass are worms; swim baits/jigs; shallow crank
baits; top water lures; frogs and the flipping/pitching technique. Bream are still biting
in/around the beds using live crickets or worms. When fishing for bream with worms you’ll also
catch catfish, Mayan cichlids and Oscars which are tropical invasive fish but are great eating
from what I’m being told and prefer those over bluegill and crappie. Typically around mid/3 rd
week of October, depending on the weather leading up to that timeframe can be a good time
to keep a keen eye out for those bass and crappie making their way into the shallows, feeding
up as they go in preparation for the first spawn of the season. Now is the perfect time to call
me and book you’re fun-filled and productive day on the water at (863) 228-7263 or log onto
my website www.southfloridabassfishing.com to read more information with what’s included
with the trip; hotel recommendations (discounts available); one-person/Veteran trip discounts
also available; customers catches; past fishing reports; toll free number to purchase fishing
licenses, and etc. The main areas of the lake to fish have been ranging from Buckhead Ridge to
Tin House; North shore area such as Dyess Ditch/Harney Pond; some areas around Dupree bar;
Monkey Box; parts of Observation Shoal on down to the Blue Hole area. Color patterns for bass
are: Junebug/Redbug; White; Okeechobee Craw; Alabama Craw; Tilapia and black/blue. If
you’re launching on the West side at the Harney Pond Canal stop by Jack’s Big Water Bait &
Tackle store for all your tackle needs, drinks/snacks and even hats and shirts. A big thank you
to all my Sponsors: Mercury Marine; Toho Marine (St. Cloud, Florida); Gene Larew; Bullet
Weights; Real Magic; Road Runners; BnM Poles; Mid-South Tackle; Lews; Mega Strike; Gill; G-
Loomis; Pradco Brands and Rapala.
