By Capt. Brian Caudill

Posted 9.12.09

Hello Friends. I hope this finds you all well. It has been a long hot summer. School has started back, travelers are back at home and Snook season opened. It all goes hand in hand every year. There will be great fishing action this fall if you know where to find it. Keep reading and I'll clue you in without giving away all of my secret spots, of course.

Let's start with those ever popular Snook. All summer they have been concentrated around the points of all the passes and on the beaches in my area. They are still there and getting smarter every day. We have had to be real sneaky and downsize our tackle to get the bite. Long casts of a sardine on a 1/0 hook and 25lb. leader has been the key. Handfuls of chum baits can also help tremendously to get them going. The early incoming and later part of the outgoing tides have worked best. The slot is 28 - 32 inches with a pinched over tail, and 1 per person for the taking. Please don't ignore the rules set to protect this valuable and fragile resource. We love our Snook and want to see them thrive.

Snapper fishing has been excellent. I am talking about the Mangrove Snapper. The reports of Red Snapper catches are great too but they are currently out of season. i have been downsizing to 15lb leader and a small 1/0 or even a #1 hook. Hiding the hook in your bait is the best way to trick them. Chumming heavily will bring them to a swarm off of the bottom as long as they are in the area. I have been hitting the close reefs like Clearwater, Dunedin and some other numbers I have close by. Be ready to get taken to school by some other predators like Grouper, Sharks and Cobia. Sometimes the lighter tackle can land one of these bigger guests.

Trout over the grass flats are still reliable. The deeper edges along the sand and grass have held the keepers in the 15 - 18 inch range. Moving tide is best, in or out. Be sure to use a dehooker of some kind to handle the smaller Trout. They are fragile and need some TLC.

Redfishing was getting frustrating there for a while. They are now starting to move in again for their spawn season. Large fish have been caught around the jetties and inshore around the spoil islands. These are way oversize 32 - 40 inchers! They are foraging the flats looking for Pinfish and Crustaceans. Cut bait will attract Reds, especially an oily offering like Mullet or Mackerel. The Redfish schools are getting larger too. there have been good numbers stuffing the mangroves on high tides. You have to be persistent, searching for them along long stretches of the bushes. Once you see one or two scoot back in the bushes turn around and set up there with some cut baits. Live Pinfish work great as well, skipped into the shadows.

Well that is my report for this month. Call or e-mail to reserve your special day on the water. It is starting to feel a tad bit cooler out here.

Let's go Fishing!

Capt. Brian Caudill
Phone: (727) 365-7560
http://www.captbrian.com/
Email: brian@captbrian.com