North Pinellas, Stewart Ames

Fall is simply a great time of year to fish, largely because of the diversity of species available to be caught. Any time around the full and new moons, redfishing should be strong.  Look for fish along mangrove shorelines, around near shore structure such as docks and oyster bars and around spoil islands in the inter-coastal waterway. Mullet activity should always be noted as, although redfish are not always found with mullet, chances are if redfish and mullet are in the same general area, they will be together. Present baits into the thickest part of the mullet school and let them sit.  It usually doesn’t take long if redfish are there.

Snook, although more scattered now, still represent a viable fishing option this month.  Stragglers will still be found out on the beach…others have started their move inside and may already be found up in residential canals and in protected bays, bayous and creeks.  A bait well “stuffed” with whitebait is generally the best recipe for success as heavy chumming will identify the exact locations of these fish.  Chances are good that, once a snook surfaces to eat a free one, it will come back for another cast to the same spot with a hook in it.  Average fish size is generally smaller but, that’s not all bad this time of year as many fall snook locations have a lot more structure, and large fish have a much better chance of ending a battle there.

Off the beach, snapper, mackerel, grouper and other species will move in to populate near shore reefs.  The variety of fish that can show up on a given day might number over a half dozen, with larger species like cobia, barracuda and shark making occasional appearances.  Bait schools over rock is a great place to post up.  Anchor over these areas, drop a chum block, chum aggressively and wait and see what appears.  One thing is for sure, something always will. Good luck and good fishing.

Captain Stewart Ames