Moving into October we will continue to target schools of redfish in shallow water. If I have the choice, I would start at the bottom of a low tide and locate the schools. As the tide begins to rise, the fish will push very shallow and work their way through these areas to feed. Often this is the window where you will find the fish inverted, exposing their large red broom tails above the waterline. What a sight it is. They appear to be waving at you like an old friend trying to get your attention.
The snook fishing will pick up pace this month as the water slowly cools. Bait is very abundant this time of year, so finding swaths of small sardines will usually yield snook. We will catch many snook while we are looking for the redfish, making them a thankful by-catch.
Best of the Rest October
Other targets in October include mangrove snapper, which are on the tail end of the spawn but still very active. They can be found just about anywhere, from the shallow flats to well offshore. I like the big structures in about 20 feet of water. These reefs and wrecks will hold great numbers of fish and big specimens.
Gag grouper inside the bay will start to pick up this month as well. While it may peak in November, the bigger gags will be active and feeding heavily on big pinfish. This is also a great month to catch them on artificials. Sometimes it takes some dialing in to find out when the bite it, but when it’s on it’s usually strong.
October is a diverse transition month. Inshore will be great, offshore great, pelagics, etc. October is one of those months where you can catch every fish our area has to offer. I recommend targeting something specific but be ready for anything out there.
Capt. Kyle
