Fall is Finally Arriving!

So far, we haven’t had typical fall weather here in the Tampa Bay area, but it’s coming. Above normal temperatures have kept the water in the mid-70’s. Usually, by now the water temperature on the grass flats is in the low 70’s to upper 60’s. Once it reaches those temperatures which should be by this weekend, my tactics will need to change.

Snook are still open to harvest until the first of December, so take advantage of it. My clients are still catching plenty of snook. Some are in the slot 28 to 33 inches, but most are just under or over the harvest slot. Oscar Santana and Kinh Shiau fished with me earlier this month and Oscar caught and released a 34” snook unharmed. It turns out, Oscar had never fished before and this snook was the first fish he’s ever caught. Unbelievably, he continued to out fish Kinh during the rest of the charter. Talk about beginner’s luck, now Oscar is ruined for life…

The redfish action continues to please, but now I’m encountering mostly rat reds. I don’t have a problem with that because they’re still fun to catch and if you never have, they’re a blast. Riley found that out himself recently when he caught his first redfish. If we happen upon a school of small redfish and you’re hoping to take one home for dinner, I move on in search of lager fish. They’re still around, I just have to do a little looking.

Seatrout, out of all the inshore species, remain the most dependable, as far as, fish for dinner. It’s been a banner year for seatrout, and I look for that trend to last right through the end of the year. With all the baitfish hatchlings we’ve had this year, the seatrout are not only plentiful, but they’re also fat. So much so, I find myself measuring more fish than normal because of their exceptional weight, just to find out they measure a ¼ to ½ inch short and have to go back in the water.

Patience is key when seatrout fishing. I don’t just anchor up in a likely spot and give it only 10-15 minutes. I also do some live bait chumming. When fishing in an area with a good tidal flow, chumming will draw fish to my boat. Doing so overtime also brings in the big boys. Fish have a knack of knowing when other fish are feeding and don’t want to be left out. Chumming is like ringing a dinner bell!

As for Spanish mackerel, there are still a few around, but I’m not catching as many as last month. It’s also been very windy lately, so I haven’t ventured out to some of my favorite spots in the middle of the bay. Spanish mackerel usually stick around in Tampa Bay until the water temperature starts reaching the mid-60’s. Then you occasionally catch a few at the power plant outflows.

The shark fishing has slowed also, but I’m thinking it’s only temporary. Once the water starts cooling off sharks will move toward the power plant outflows too.

Afishionado, “Adventures in Fishing.”

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