Fishing Report- September 23, 2010
With water temperatures finally dropping into the low 80's and days growing shorter, Nature Coast fishing has been fantastic. Large trout that have been in the 14 foot depth are moving into shallow water. Mackarel and Bluefish have also shown up. A short piece of wire tied with a haywire twist on a 1/4 ounce jig with a swivel and a Berkley Gulp Shrimp will bring these fish to the boat. Early morning fishing has been the the trick for the trout in the 1-3 foot flats. Topwater plugs such as Rapala Skitterwalks, Mirrolure She Dogs and Storm Chug Bugs are working well. As the sun comes up, a little higher switch to suspending plugs such s the Rapala X-rap or the Mirrolures Mirrodine.
Redfish have been eating well on the incoming tide. Topwater plugs will produce early in the morning provided that there is good tidal flow. Cut pinfish and live white bait has been the choice of these Reds recently.
A Most Phenominal Day of Fishing
I will always remember the fantastic day earlier this week on a pleasure trip with my friend, Captain Josh Fritz, of Chase N' Tails Fishing Charters. Days like this only happen once or twice in a lifetime! We encountered an enormous school of Reds sitting in about 3-4 feet of water about 10 feet from shore. These fish were absolutely ravenous. We stayed in the same spot for three hours and caught 62 reds in the range of 25" to 36". We used cut pinfish and Greenbacks for bait. We had 15 double hook ups in a row. Schools of this size are normally on the move. This was so rare for them to stay in one area without spooking. Most fish were caught 30 feet from the boat. This day created a memory that will last a lifetime!
