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Hooked Up: October 2009
October...Time to bring it all back together.
Sitting here on Sunday morning to write this article, I cannot help but notice the activity taking place outside my window. The clouds are grey and heavy, the doves are "coo-cooing" in the oaks and squirrels are frantically burying pecans for winter. Although afternoon temperatures are still in the nineties, I think it is safe to say that fall is approaching.
October is a favorite month for many up and down the coast. Cool, calm mornings, birds slapping at scattering baitfish and shrimp, fall equinox tides, and sporadic north winds dropping water temperatures to put the large trout into full winter mode all contribute to the season.
For me, October is not only a great time to be on the water, it is also prep time. It kind of reminds me of back to school, the mad rush to get ready for that first day of class. This is when I make sure I have crossed every T and dotted every I. Being prepared is essential for success when fishing anywhere and it has become a ritual of mine to go through everything with a fine-toothed comb. This includes having Mac at Chris's Marine do a complete run through on the big Mercury, switching trebles on topwaters and Corkys, organizing loose and half bags of Bass Assassins, setting up wade boxes for different scenarios we may encounter, cleaning and re-spooling the Daiwas, airing my trusty Simms waders, and seating reels on a half-dozen new Waterloo rods. To heck with the school analogy, I think the feeling may be more similar to a kid's anticipation of Christmas.
In the midst of all of this preparation, we still have to get some fishing done and just about anything can happen during October. Baitfish will be hedging toward winter patterns and seeking traditional migration routes to deeper water. It will not be in full swing unless we are slammed with a couple of serious frontal passages but, like us, they too are making preparations for winter. Unlike the upper coast, we do not have a lot of marsh drains and creeks for the bait to dump out of, but we do have a lot of natural contour to the bay floor, as well as the ICW. Intersecting the ICW are hundreds of manmade and natural cuts that will channel baitfish right into a predator's mouth. This is some of the easiest fishing someone will ever have a chance at. The upper lagoon itself has a natural and deep contour line that runs from Pita Island to the Bottleneck (near ICW 157.) Many of the baitfish will be traveling along this line. Generally too deep to wade fish, this drop-off is custom made for drift fishermen and the troll motor crowd. Note: I am not big on fishing birds in the Laguna and Baffin, as they just do not produce the quality of fish that the upper coast fishermen get to experience, but October and November are the exception for me. If you see gulls slamming the water, you would be well advised to check it out.
My preferred method has always been wade fishing. Considering the bait migrations, I will set up along the many spoil islands from Bird Island to the Land Cut. The ideal islands will be the ones that have significantly deeper depressions or channels that lead to the ICW. These are great areas for bait to pass through and predators to setup for easy kills. If the floating grass is not too bad, topwaters should dominate as the lure choice for larger trout. If you are more into the numbers game, go with a 1/16 oz. jig and a 5" Bass Assassin (which will undoubtedly also produce hookups with big sows.)
There will be schools of mud apes, AKA redfish, around all the aforementioned areas gathering up to make their annual migration. Many of these schools will frequent the islands; however, some of the largest schools will be in 4 to 6 foot depths. Unless you have eyes like Capt. John Mendleski, do not expect to see these fish at 200 yards in five feet of water. You can get close enough to possibly see them if you pay attention to what is happening above the surface. Look for areas that have high concentrations of large mullet clearing the surface or areas where pelicans routinely hang out, frequently adjusting position in increments of twenty to thirty yards to dip hapless bait. Approach slowly and quietly and look for the school to wake the surface. In many cases a passing boat will be all it takes to lift the whole school making them as obvious Megan Fox waving a flag of surrender at you. Now who wouldn't notice that?
In closing, my regular clients are already booking dates from November through late spring (Thanks!) but there are many great dates yet available. I look forward to the beginning of the new trophy season, ribbing old friends, and making new ones. If we have not fished together, and you are thinking you will do it this season, I encourage you to contact me early to reserve your dates. I look forward to hearing from and fishing with you all.
"Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish too much handling will spoil it." Lao Tzu
"Set 'em Loose." Capt. David Rowsey
October is a favorite month for many up and down the coast. Cool, calm mornings, birds slapping at scattering baitfish and shrimp, fall equinox tides, and sporadic north winds dropping water temperatures to put the large trout into full winter mode all contribute to the season.
For me, October is not only a great time to be on the water, it is also prep time. It kind of reminds me of back to school, the mad rush to get ready for that first day of class. This is when I make sure I have crossed every T and dotted every I. Being prepared is essential for success when fishing anywhere and it has become a ritual of mine to go through everything with a fine-toothed comb. This includes having Mac at Chris's Marine do a complete run through on the big Mercury, switching trebles on topwaters and Corkys, organizing loose and half bags of Bass Assassins, setting up wade boxes for different scenarios we may encounter, cleaning and re-spooling the Daiwas, airing my trusty Simms waders, and seating reels on a half-dozen new Waterloo rods. To heck with the school analogy, I think the feeling may be more similar to a kid's anticipation of Christmas.
In the midst of all of this preparation, we still have to get some fishing done and just about anything can happen during October. Baitfish will be hedging toward winter patterns and seeking traditional migration routes to deeper water. It will not be in full swing unless we are slammed with a couple of serious frontal passages but, like us, they too are making preparations for winter. Unlike the upper coast, we do not have a lot of marsh drains and creeks for the bait to dump out of, but we do have a lot of natural contour to the bay floor, as well as the ICW. Intersecting the ICW are hundreds of manmade and natural cuts that will channel baitfish right into a predator's mouth. This is some of the easiest fishing someone will ever have a chance at. The upper lagoon itself has a natural and deep contour line that runs from Pita Island to the Bottleneck (near ICW 157.) Many of the baitfish will be traveling along this line. Generally too deep to wade fish, this drop-off is custom made for drift fishermen and the troll motor crowd. Note: I am not big on fishing birds in the Laguna and Baffin, as they just do not produce the quality of fish that the upper coast fishermen get to experience, but October and November are the exception for me. If you see gulls slamming the water, you would be well advised to check it out.
My preferred method has always been wade fishing. Considering the bait migrations, I will set up along the many spoil islands from Bird Island to the Land Cut. The ideal islands will be the ones that have significantly deeper depressions or channels that lead to the ICW. These are great areas for bait to pass through and predators to setup for easy kills. If the floating grass is not too bad, topwaters should dominate as the lure choice for larger trout. If you are more into the numbers game, go with a 1/16 oz. jig and a 5" Bass Assassin (which will undoubtedly also produce hookups with big sows.)
There will be schools of mud apes, AKA redfish, around all the aforementioned areas gathering up to make their annual migration. Many of these schools will frequent the islands; however, some of the largest schools will be in 4 to 6 foot depths. Unless you have eyes like Capt. John Mendleski, do not expect to see these fish at 200 yards in five feet of water. You can get close enough to possibly see them if you pay attention to what is happening above the surface. Look for areas that have high concentrations of large mullet clearing the surface or areas where pelicans routinely hang out, frequently adjusting position in increments of twenty to thirty yards to dip hapless bait. Approach slowly and quietly and look for the school to wake the surface. In many cases a passing boat will be all it takes to lift the whole school making them as obvious Megan Fox waving a flag of surrender at you. Now who wouldn't notice that?
In closing, my regular clients are already booking dates from November through late spring (Thanks!) but there are many great dates yet available. I look forward to the beginning of the new trophy season, ribbing old friends, and making new ones. If we have not fished together, and you are thinking you will do it this season, I encourage you to contact me early to reserve your dates. I look forward to hearing from and fishing with you all.
"Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish too much handling will spoil it." Lao Tzu
"Set 'em Loose." Capt. David Rowsey