Fishing Report

Fall has arrived with cooler weather and shorter days. But don’t put your boat away yet because we’re about to experience the best fishing of the year! Fishermen can continue to find success with live bait but artificial lures should become increasingly effective. Make some time to get out on the water, you won’t regret it.

Redfish have been hungrily eating cut and live bait fished on the bottom. Menhaden and mullet are pervasive in our waters and can be easily netted. We’ll rig the bait on a size 3/0 circle hook paired with a carolina rig. You can use this under docks as well as on the flats. Just put the rod in the holder and wait for the reel to start humming as the fish hook themselves.

Artificial lures have really begun to produce for trout and the traditional paddle tail design has been awesome. I’ll use a 1/4oz. jighead and tie a loop knot to give the lure even more action. Vary your rate of retrieve as you prospect for pockets of fish. To make your lure even more compelling, try putting a piece of shrimp on the hook. You can use pieces of frozen or live shrimp and it will put a scent trail on your lure that is hard to ignore.

Even as artificial lures become more effective, keep tossing those popping corks. Mud minnows, live shrimp and artificial shrimp have all been working well when suspended about 18″-24″ below the cork. Redfish and trout alike will eat these baits as they pass by riding along in the water column. Corks have been working best fished along grassy banks at mid and high tide.

See you on the water!

Could there be a better time of year to fish? There are so many species available to target and so many different ways to fish for them!  Anglers will always find something exciting to do on the water. As the days become progressively warmer, fishermen will want to fish early before the heat of the day arrives.

While the large schools of redfish have now broken up, you can still find pods of dozens of fish roaming the flats and grass banks. In order to get their attention, we have been using baits that leave a hearty scent trail in the water. Cut menhaden or cut mullet are all effective choices.  Try using size 3/0 circle hooks and just let the fish hook itself.

This season we have been catching many more “keeper” trout (over 14”) than in recent years. While popping corks are a great option, we’ve also been fishing mud minnows on jigheads. These jigheads allow us to get our bait in front of fish holding in deeper pockets. We use 1/8oz. jigheads and make sure to vary the rate of our retrieve. Bumping your bait along the bottom can be deadly.

As always, sharks are pervasive in our waters during the summertime. Cracked blue crab and menhaden are great for bait but chunks of fresh cut bluefish and ladyfish work very well too. Look to fish drop-offs where there is a sharp change in water depth. As a pleasant surprise, you also stand the chance to find a large bull redfish at the end of your line!

There will be a number of significant high tides in the evening this month. As redfish access areas usually unavailable on normal tides, fishermen can see the backs and tails of redfish as they put their noses in the mud to forage for crabs. These tides are called “tailing tides” and provide awesome sight casting opportunities. Watching a redfish explode in skinny water when you set the hook is truly a sight to behold.

See you on the water!