Rick Davidson (grassflats2@yahoo.com), Editor
"The RedManiac"
The fishing at Steinhatchee is greatly improved this month, especially for inshore fishing. Early in the month, even before scallop season ended, we noticed a dramatic number of baitfish on the flats and the return of good-sized trout to the flats. Captain Tommy Thompson and I each landed trout over 5 pounds this month fishing in shallow waters with topwater plugs. Midway through the month, the fishing remained a little inconsistent, but by the end of the month, the flats were packed with glass minnows, pinfish, finger mullet, and whitebait…. and with those fish that eat them. Schools of predators have been charging through the flats with surface hits everywhere. Jacks, ladyfish, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel are moving through the area, joining the trout and redfish that stay on the flats to provide some fantastic fishing. Additionally there are large schools of slot-sized redfish in shallow areas if you’ve got the knowledge of the local area and a shallow-draft boat. Offshore, we’re continuing to wait for a little more drop in water temperature, but things are definitely improving with good solid grouper catches in as little as 25 feet of water.
I’ve included a few pictures from my trips. From early in the month, Doug Barrett with a great combo…a 4 pound trout and a 5 pound redfish; a common sight on the flats right now, a school of baitfish being eaten by trout, redfish and others; Capt. John Peyton with a nice redfish caught at the end of the month; a nice cobia picked up in some deep cuts; and although I rarely keep fish, a couple of great dinners in this cooler.
Here are our guide reports for September:
Captain Rick Bouley, www.naturecoastflatsfishing.com
September has definitely turned the fishing around in the Steinhatchee area. Large schools of baitfish have moved closer to shore followed closely by a very aggressive and diverse group of predators...Spanish mackerel, bluefish, jack crevalle, cobia, sharks, ladyfish, reds and trout can all be seen attacking the schools of bait just off the shallows on the lower stages of the tide. Sightfishing in the extreme shallows has been quite spectacular throughout the falling tide across the full moon tides, with large pods of 5 to 8 pound redfish eager to eat a fly when approached with a healthy dose of stealth. These fish are very spooky and will blow out if you alert them to your presence in any fashion. The fly that I have found most effective for these fish is a foam lipped "Gurgler" style fly in Tan or Chartreuse, tied by my good friend Reb Stewart, a Steinhatchee fly fishing enthusiast. It works best when "twitched" in short strips of 6" or less. If you are using spin tackle for sight fishing, try your favorite "topwater" walk-the-dog type lure, but be careful about your presentation; be sure not to land too close to the fish or you can kiss them goodbye. As far as speckled trout go, they are everywhere; you have to be extremely unlucky to stop anywhere that looks interesting and NOT catch a limit of slot-sized trout. I am including a few photos from the last week’s fishing trips.
Captain Tommy Thompson, www.flanaturecoast.com/capttommy
I hate to admit it, but I've been almost too busy to fish this month! As many of you know, I also write and just finished a stint as President of the Florida Outdoor Writers Association. We had our 2007 Conference in September, and the planning for the event really kept me busy (My July 2006 Florida Sportsman feature, "Scouting for Scallops" did win a First Place in the annual excellence-in-Craft competition.). However, I did manage to get in a few charters and a good trip with our fearless editor, Rick Davidson.
As the water cooled, the close-to-shore bite was unbelievable. 'Everyone' says that topwater lures are only good during the early morning or late afternoon. That's 'BS'! Reds and nice (to 5#) trout aren't interested in what time it is if they're trying to fatten up for winter. If you fish shallow like I do (in 1 to 2' of water), keep quiet, make long casts (7' rods and 10# PowerPro line), and you'll get lots of explosive strikes. If the fish start 'short striking' the topwater lures (Skitterwalks or Super Spook Juniors), consider the topwater bite to be over and try a spinner bait, a spoon, or a slow-sinking plug like the MirrOlure Catch 2000, MirrOdine, or MirrOminnow. Just be careful not to snag your lure on the rocks.
The fishing's only going to get better as we get into October and the water cools more. Watch for bait schools and jumping mullet and use them as markers for the predators. If there's no bait, there will be no game fish!
Scott Mitchell and his brother-in-law caught these fish, along with many more, in less than two feet of water on a quick-moving falling tide.
OCTOBER 2007 FISHING FORECAST
We can look forward to continuing improvement in offshore fishing this month. This fall the kingfish migration has been a little late, and the Spanish mackerel have not been as plentiful through the summer, but this will change during October. Areas of hard bottom in as little as 15 to 25 feet of water will hold schools of baitfish and attract kings and mackerel. Trolling spoons, diving plugs such as Stretch lures or large feather jigs with or without whole dead bait (cigar minnows work particularly well) at 4 knots or above can help you cover a lot of water and locate fish. For larger kings, you’ll have a better shot slow fishing live bait with stinger hooks once you locate fish…small blue runners, pogies and large pinfish will all work, so you’ll need a good functioning live well. Meanwhile, grouper will become active in shallower water as well. For known spots, especially those with bottom relief, trolling followed up by bottom fishing with frozen bait, usually squid or sardines, will be the way to nail some gags and red grouper. Inshore fishing will continue to be exciting and productive. Spanish mackerel will increase on the flats, so you can expect to lose a lure or two unless you’re rigged with wire leaders. Fish suspending lures such as the MirrOlure MirrOdine or Catch series in water depths around 4 feet, while in the shallows use topwaters such as the Rapala Skitterwalk or Storm Chug Bug. On the deeper flats, switch to standard 52M Mirrolures. Using Gulp plastics (shrimp, jerk baits, or cut bait) has become a standard way of fishing the flats. Rig them on a 3/8 oz jighead, under a Cajun Thunder cork if less than 4 feet and fish them on the bottom without a cork in deeper water. In all cases, look for areas of patchy grass and sand, rocky structure, or cuts through the flats. While there are fish in the acres of pure solid grassflats, larger fish find it easier to ambush their prey over patches of sand. Areas out in front of Bull Cove, Rocky Creek, west of Hardy Point, and in front of Dallus Creek will be great areas to start. October will be a great month. For specific information, come by the Ship’s Store at Sea Hag marina. You can get an up-to-date fishing report and everything you will need for fishing our area--live bait, including pinfish and shrimp, all kinds of frozen bait and chum, terminal tackle, and a great selection of inshore and offshore lures.
