September is a sleeper month in most people’s fishing calendars. Tarpon season is winding down. Bull Red season is ramping up. The kids are back in school. It’s still hot and it’s hurricane season.
Well the fishing is almost always fantastic in September if you can look past all of the above. I promise the Bulldogs will be OK if you miss a Saturday too!
All jokes aside, the inshore fishing is about as good as it gets this month. You usually don’t have to go long without a bite and all of the warm water favorites are still around. Plenty of Trout and Redfish are here right now but we still have some Flounder, Sheepshead, and Black Drum mixed in.
As the water begins to cool we’ll see a lot of the trash fish start to move out which means less bites but a more efficient use of your boat. The cooling water will also lead to cleaning water conditions and higher oxygen concentrations which makes for more aggressive Trout and Redfish.
We’ll also begin to see some very reliable bull redfish fishing. Look for a mullet run in the next 2 to 3 weeks and catch your bait while you can. Good bait makes all the difference as the big girls move into the river and onto the sandbars near the inlets.
When you can’t get your hands on mullet just bring some light tackle and dead shrimp. Fish on the bottom for whiting and bluefish and cut them into chunks for the bull redfish. Sometimes I will fish a bait rod in between bull red rods until I have enough to last the entire trip.
Tip! Use large circle hooks so that you can hook your bait all the way through and still have some hook exposed. You want to make sure that the bait is centered in the bend of the hook so that it doesn’t spin in the current. If your bait is spinning, you’re not likely to get bit.
REMEMBER!!! Try to handle the Bull Redfish with care. Boga grips are not a good idea as they hold the fish in an unnatural position that can cause internal damage. Grab the fish by the tail and support the belly and return to the water as quickly as possible. Releasing breeding redfish healthy is more important than releasing juvenile Redfish. They are the future of the fishery.
October dates are already filling up so make sure you get your day secured as soon as possible.
Tight lines!
TJ