Month: October 2023
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October 2023 – Freshwater
BY: Tim / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
Fall in Florida is an amazing time of year. With the water temperature currently at 75 degrees it really helps getting the largemouth bass active. This is typically a dryer month which means that the water level will drop around a foot or so. With a little less water, the threadfin shad will start to school in the open water, typically just off the 3-6 ft flats where it connects to deeper water. This is an ideal situation for us to throw an array of lures and still yield success. For my clients, right now I suggest Junebug Texas-rigged worms, Phantom Shad Whopper Ploppers, or simply flukes. However, through the years I have learned that confidence in the ability to work a lure correctly is extremely important, and it is always a good idea to ask clients what lure they typically use, and accommodate accordingly. As far as live bait, golden shiners always give us the most consistent chance to catch fish year round. It’s very common that many expert fisherman have come to love the results using the live shiners. With the weather being wonderful, and the bass being active, the fish are ready to bite! Thank you for reading and we look forward to seeing you on the water.
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October 2023 – Saltwater
BY: Tim / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
Fall in Florida is an amazing time of year. With the inshore water temperature currently at 75 degrees, and the offshore temperature at 70 degrees, many species move up in to shallower water. October is typically a dryer month which really puts an emphasis on tides. Tidal movement has been key, and most of the time the falling tide has been the most favorable condition. Inshore on the Gulf side, thanks to the freshwater inflow of the Little Manatee River, Palm River, and Alafia River, the red tide typically halts before entering Tampa Bay. With that, we have focused on fishing the Gandy Bridge, the Howard Frankland Bridge, the Weedon Preserve, and the Double Bayou Pass. Inshore on the Atlantic side, red tide has yet to enter the Indian and Banana Rivers so we have been targeting where the water piles up on windy days. Year-round, live shrimp give us the best opportunity to catch speckled trout, redfish, snook, jack crevalle, flounder, and snapper. However, this month it seems as though our clients have really enjoyed catching the bonnethead sharks! For artificial lures, Berkeley Gulp shrimp and crabs have been a go to for us for a long time. Rigged with a circle hook or 3/8 jig head, bouncing the lures have yielded trout, ladyfish, and snook. Offshore, when the seas have been smooth, trolling ballyhoo has resulted in some kingfish and barracudas even though we mostly bottom fished. Catches included were snapper, grouper, porgy, grunts, and bigger sharks. Thank you for reading, and we look forward to seeing you on the water!
