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Falling Water Temps Bode Well For Fishermen

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 24, 2007

Fall fishing is as good as it gets this time of year.

With water temps continuing to drop and clarity improving the bite is on for numerous species.
Snook fishermen have another five weeks before the season ends Dec. 1, and this is a good time to hook big fish on the flats. These fish are in transition between the summer spawn and winter quarters, where they seek out the warmer waters of the mangrove backcountry and the headwaters of freshwater rivers.
Snook are structure-oriented fish and are not at home on the flats. They are here because this is where the most food is found in the fall months, and they will linger in the shallows until the bait leaves, usually around Thanksgiving. Snook are still primarily nocturnal feeders, so the best time to target big fish is around sunrise and sunset on a strong tide with lots of flow.

This is also prime time for redfish, as big schools of fish come into the Bay to feast on pinfish, crabs and sardines. Most of these fish are here into October. Then the big fish head offshore to spawn, but many remain on the flats all winter.

This is my favorite time to target redfish. As the water gets increasingly clear and the tides get extremely low with the approach of winter, the reds move away from the mangroves.

I like to fish the extreme low tides and look for fish over bare sand. That calls for a shallow draft boat or a pair of waders. Once the water temperature drops below 75 degrees, I prefer the dry comfort afforded by a pair of lightweight chest waders.

When redfish school up like this, they can get pretty finicky, particularly in clear shallow water. I start throwing RipTide's flats chubs at them on weighted hooks. The idea is to hop the lure across the bottom with lots of pauses.

If the fish refuse to eat the chub, I switch to 2-inch plastic crab. If they won't take the crab, a large live shrimp tail hooked on a jig head will usually do the trick.

Keli Emery e-mailed me with a recent report and said that bait was tough to find on the day she fished. She caught two redfish but overall, she said, things were slow.

Cobia should also be roaming the flats between now and December looking for an easy meal. These fish are aggressive and will hit a wide variety of live bait and artificial lures, but you have to make an accurate cast to catch them.

I don't think cobia see very well, and if your bait is more than 3 feet from a fish's nose, it tends to ignore it. Nor can you cast too close. Drop a bait on the fish's head, and it will likely spook. Once shut down, they stay that way.

Fred Everson is a Ruskin fishing guide. All South Shore fishermen and guides may submit information and photographs to be included in this column by calling (813) 830-8890 or sending an e-mail to ihuntsnook@aol.com.

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