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Fall Fishing Forecast
Wow, what a fantastic year of awesome fishing. The majority of people
who spent time on the water will testify that this year may be the most
productive we’ve had in some time. This past spring set the pace with
an outstanding run of sailfish. Marinas resembled used car dealerships
with countless numbers of release flags flapping in the wind. All varieties
of fish stayed active and hungry, including a great migration of
cobia, wahoo, kingfish and all the popular reef and wreck dwellers. The
exciting spring action boiled over into the summer as the nutrient rich
blue water currents of the Gulf Stream provided some very impressive
dolphin catches and calmer sea conditions than most anglers expected.
The real bonus this past summer had to be the visiting schools of yellowfin
tuna. These dynamically shaped trucks surprised many fishermen
who ventured offshore, and tested the skills of numerous unsuspecting
dolphin hunters. Many anglers found themselves a bit under-matched.
The other saltwater Olympians that wreaked havoc were blue marlin.
They provided more than a handful of lucky anglers with world class
acrobatic shows.
If you’re a skinny water fisherman, then you know you too had equally
phenomenal opportunities to clobber monster tarpon in the shallows or
duel nasty bones on the flats. Let’s not forget the great summer run of
powerhouse permit, ravenous reds and electrified snook. By no means
is the fishing frenzy over, and don’t even think it’s time to put the rods
away and cover the boats. We can expect more dolphin to squirt through
the Florida Keys this fall, and as far as the tarpon are concerned, it seems
that they vacation here later and later with each passing year.
Being a full time charter captain and guide, I look forward to our offseason.
September is when things slow down a bit and we have a little
time to relax and regroup. We spend more days fun fishing and exploring
during this time of the year since fewer families are vacationing. Finally
fishing less than 8 days a week provides me an opportunity to work on
my tackle, equipment and accessories. Since these chores don’t require
month’s worth of attention, I often get to sneak out and pull on some fish
myself. Less boat traffic, fair weather and consistent fishing make the
fall a wonderful time of the year for both resident and visiting anglers.
During the fall, hard core sinker bouncers will get their fill of hard
fought battles. Kicking it off down south, the Tortugas and Marquesas
will swarm with life. Reef fishermen can expect to find balled up yellowtails,
muttons meandering through the sea fans and grouper occupying
coral encrusted caves.
Slightly higher up in the water column, cero mackerel make a point
to regularly visit bait busy areas. For all hell to break loose, add some
Bionic Bait or Tournament Master chum and enjoy. Quality double
ground chum will quickly get the party started. I use the oiliest stuff I
can find, especially if the chum is infused with Menhaden Milk. Don’t
forget to bring some shrimp. Devilish looking hogfish love them, and
we love hogs!
The lower Florida Keys are definitely a fun place to fish. Scattered
wrecks provide explosive fisheries for any number of species. The action
here can erupt at any time with muttons, groupers and big AJ’s hanging
in the wreckage while blackfin tuna, kings and the occasional wahoo
can be baited just below the surface. During the fall, you can count on
something chewing!
The middle Florida Keys will have a spark of their own, as migratory
baitfish settle in. Huge numbers of runners, cigar minnows and ballyhoo
dictate where larger fish concentrations will be held. For starters, look
for schools of yellowtail snapper balled up on your bottom machine. Any
grouper or larger mutton snapper in the vicinity will be hanging below.
A big grouper’s favorite past time is picking off careless yellowtails that
have wandered a bit too far into their territory. An angler in the know
would fish a live grunt or ‘tail right on the bottom!
Geographically, the upper Florida Keys may change a bit, but reef fishing
will be every bit as good. Anchoring in 60 to 70 feet over a solid
patch reef will produce consistent action. Head out even deeper for the
larger snapper and groupers.
If you’re venturing to the Gulf side of the Florida Keys, you can count
on a rewarding experience. The Gulf of Mexico houses tremendous
resources, though blindly fishing in such a large area may leave you
short of your expectations. High profile structure oriented areas such
as bars, rock piles and wrecks are the main targets you should focus
on. In particular, artificial reefs dotting the shallow Gulf side should be
flourishing with life. All of your usual grouper species are locals to these
communities. Headlining the area are monster goliath grouper. These
fish have huge, broad shoulders and remind me of diesel powered Mack
trucks! They’ll readily inhale any wiggling bait dropped to the fringes of
their lairs. Beefy conventional tackle is a requirement for even standing
a chance at stopping one of these runaway brutes. Don’t forget to fasten
your fighting belt and adjust your drag before dropping down.
For the shear battle of a lifetime, try landing a goliath on spinning gear. I
use a Penn 6500ss loaded to the gills with 20 pound PowerPro connected
to 60 pound leader material. Tie on quarter ounce jig head baited with a
pilchard, pinfish or jumbo shrimp. Pesky snapper will get a running start
at this rig but when Moby does get to your bait first, hold on for dear life
baby ‘cause you’re in for the fight of your life!
While visiting the Gulf, shiny jigs and spoons
rigged on short traces of light wire can be
worked above these same spots to pick off
Spanish mackerel, cobia and the possible bull
redfish.
Speaking of redfish, the Everglades flats remain
very busy with these brute members of the
drum family. Look for muddy pockets of activity
where mullet are being chased. Schooling
reds will bully and batter these helpless vegetarians.
In the heat of the carnage, reds will allow
anglers opportunities to get right into the strike
zone. Walking topwater stick-baits through the
busting fish should result in an immediate connection.
Soft plastics should also not get overlooked.
Make sure to fish depressions and pot
holes in the flats while keeping a keen eye open
for tailing reds picking off the bottom.
Whenever there is redfish action on the flats,
you can count on sneaky snook being close
by. As an alternative, try runoffs and creeks,
especially mangrove-shaded areas with heavy
tidal flow. Nighttime snook fishing is very
good, as these fish prefer to prowl after dark.
Think about illuminating your favorite fishing
hole. We’ve really enjoyed experimenting with
a HydroGlow light stick and have had excellent
results. This soft green light attracts swarms of
bait and shrimp. It’s like opening the door to a
bait buffet. Fish the edge of the light where the
fish will be popping.
Fishing the flats throughout the fall is also really enjoyable. Sight fishing
in the shallow crystal clear water is awesome. Like buoyant logs with
destructive smiles, ferocious cuda will travel out of there way to crash
agitating topwater plugs. Bonefishing will remain consistent. Large
shrimp make excellent projectiles to launch in front of schooling bones.
Try a quarter ounce pink Hank Brown jig on the hard bottom flats for a
thrilling experience with tracking bones.
On the Atlantic side, expect kingfish to be leading the madness on the
edge. They’ll be fired up and skyrocketing through schools of bait.
Bonito will travel through the same areas and will fill in the gaps.
Dagger toothed wahoo will get in on the fun and will quickly chase
down a speedo, runner or small ‘bullet’ bonito. Wahoo are as incredible
to eat as they are to catch. Their racing-striped bodies indicate they mean
business. Be sure to top off those trolling reels when targeting these
zebra painted rockets. I use Penn International 30’s for these guys when
dragging wire rigs, while high capacity 9500ss spinners will work well
for live baiting the hoos.
Keep looking east for sails when the cold fronts
finally approach and the water temperature has
cooled. Plan ahead and rig and repair tackle,
kites, and cast nets before the first reports.
Though we despise windy, harsh cold fronts,
they bring this fascinating fishery to life. The
end results are well worth battling sloppy sea
and brisk breezes. Besides, it’s still much,
much colder up north.
If you are new to live bait fishing for sails,
here’s a quick run down on getting started.
First, spool four 7500ss Penn spinners with
fresh 20 pound mono. Splice 10 to 12 feet of
50 pound leader using a double uni knot. Finish
things with a 6/0 live bait or preferably, circle
hook. A short piece of copper rigging wire can
be twisted around the reel seat to allow you
to fish an open bail without line pouring off
your reel. When a bait gets smashed, the copper
pin will trip and allow line to freely dump
back to the fish. The sailfish consuming your
tasty offering will feel no pressure and you’ll
have an easier time coming up solid. A several
second drop back is generally enough before
winding tight and striking. Before you know it,
you’ll be proudly flying your release flags on
your way back to the dock.
Well I hope you get in on all this fun, stay safe,
good fishing and stay bent baby!
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