Bradenton Area Inshore Fishing – Captain Jim Savaglio, Inshore Slam Charters.
October – Weather this past month has been cooler and hurricane season is drawing to a close. Storm activity in September in the gulf aided in lowering the water temperature, and fronts which have been frequent in the early part of October have dropped the air temperatures and humidity as well. With all of theses changes it is not hard to believe that fall is approaching. A few mornings this past week with the temperature in the 60's, I dug to the bottom of my T-Shirt drawer and pulled out some long sleeves. Catching bait in the morning is not brisk by any means, but comfortable and cool enough to make a bird dog feel a little frisky. In November we will continue to see the temperatures decrease and the storms diminish but the fronts will likely be less predictable. This is a transitioning time of year and fishing with that in mind will bring success. The water temperature has dropped from high 80's to high 70's. Last month we were getting out of the boat to cool off, but now that fall is here, those of us from the south think the water is too cold to wade in.
The past month has seen movement of fish from the shadows of the shorelines, to away from the mangroves. Most days, we caught fish on the incoming and high tides, but the outgoing tide has been productive when it was strong no matter what time it is. So if you are an early riser or have insomnia, the outgoing tide might be for you. For the rest of us, during the day, the flats, deeper edges, depressions and drop offs have been holding fish on the incoming and highs.
It seems like I fished quite a few low tide days this month and stalking the redfish in the shallows requires wading, the use of a push pole, and or the use of a trolling motor. This approach has helped me keep my distance from the schools, as not to spook them and has yielded quite a few nice fish. My wife was ready to go after I mentioned catching some slot fish on consecutive days around Long Bar in Sarasota bay. My wife has always liked catching redfish more so than other species and suggested that she would like to catch a few of those reds. I could not say no, nor would I since for her it is a treat, and for me it's a chance to relax, have someone else drive the boat, help with the catching of the bait, and see what we could hook up. The redfish cooperated and gave us a good fight, mostly away from the shoreline, in the shallows and on dead and cut bait including threadfins and pilchards. We even managed a few flounder, grouper, trout, and mackerel. For my wife, she landed some nice fish and had a great time and for me I had a vacation for a few days in Sarasota.
The snook fishing should continue to get better over the next month especially on the stronger outgoing tides. The snook are beginning to eat and we have caught a few, but almost all of them below the slot and only one in the past month that made the slot.
The redfish will continue to build in numbers and will appear in the traditional of locations on the high tides around the Bulkhead, Emerson Point and the many areas of Fort Desoto.
The flounder fishing has not been on fire but we have caught a few here in the last few weeks including a nice 23 inch 5 pound fish which was a very welcome surprise. The flounder have been hitting live pilchards and have been found on the sandy bottoms.
As we head into the month of November the fish will begin to seek out there winter haunts. Start looking at those areas closer to the mouth of the rivers and in the many dock filled canals. Some of us will be thinking about the deeper water in the bay, and about the rock piles that exist. Grouper will be moving into the bay and hang in these areas with some frequency. Try dropping a big shrimp or live pinfish down to the bottom. Sheepshead and black drum will begin to appear again and make some of us go back to J hooks and practice patience as "feel is the name of the game" when trying to catch these tasty table fair.
If you want to book a charter in November, give us a call, but don't think about the first week in November because I'll be pheasant hunting in Kansas. Darn I better get out and practice, with a few rounds of sporting clays, I don't want to miss…………my hunting partners for the last 27 years can be unforgiving…………..813-477-7657 or 941-238-7597……..
Captain Jim Savaglio www.inshoreslam.com