Captain’s Corner: Dave Mistretta

The Tampa Bay Times

Cool  weather changes have arrived to our state. This has been much anticipated for anglers wanting to experience the fall migrations of many species. We have experienced small waves of  fish,  but the big push has yet to come. For years the water temps had to get below eighty degrees for it to really get rolling.  This cold front arriving, along with another push of cool air on Sunday, could be just what it takes to get the fall migrations moving.  The “magical seventies” is what We have always referred to our fall and spring runs, when water temps drop below eighty degrees.  It can produce  catches, sometimes of epic proportion.  Its been a long wait after such a hot summer.
     It looks like We will have our kingfish run all the way into December, if the cold fronts dont barrel down one after the other. It would be ideal if we could get a week  of calm conditions  between each  front. This will allow anglers to  enjoy the combination of cool weather and great fishing. 

Migrating fish do not look at calender’s to decide on  when its time to move. Its all about the water temperature. They dont always land where there is an abundance of bait either, but you can count on them being on the hunt. Any of the traditional hot spots could produce large kings by next week. Monitoring the water temperature is key. A few years back, the months of late November and early December were filled with  fantastic kingfishing.  The water temps were teetering at the 73 degree mark for about 3 weeks, keeping the migration in place.   Expect some gag grouper action as well in the shallower waters  as fall returns. They are more tolerable to the cooler water temperatures even  below seventies. Amber jacks will also start to move back in from the deeper waters as water cools. Cobia have already started to show up at many locations along the coast. some have been huge.