The autumn season is officially in full swing and except for elevated winds, the weekend outlook is very promising. Bait is thick, the water is clearing and cooling and the fish will be chomping coming off Thursday’s full moon.
Water temperatures have dipped into the mid- to upper 70s. Although it’s still tinted slightly reddish or orange, it’s clear with visibility up to three feet. The floating grass is mostly gone, but the cannonball jellyfish are thick. So are the mullet, pinfish, ballyhoo and other bait.
Trout are being caught on topwater lures and subsurface in brighter colors to stand out. Glow and chartreuse have been big producers. DOA shrimp, Sureketch touts and Zman minnows are more good choices. The prime depths are four feet or less.
Find the mullet and you’ll find the reds. A mullet imitation surface plug will fool the drum, but it’s hard to beat a Aqua Dream weedless gold spoon. A CAL shad pinned to a spinner blade will also attract attention. Those same CAL shad tails, sans the blade, bounced along the bottom will tempt flounder.
For bigger game, there are still some sharks around, plus a few tarpon and cobia. Make sure you have heavy enough tackle for the job or the fight will be over before it really gets started.
Keep another rod handy with a small silver casting spoon with a trace of wire leader. The Spanish mackerel are thick and you’ll find ladyfish, bluefish and jacks in the mix. This is fast-paced fun action and all will really stretch a line.
Lows will occur mid-mornings through the weekend, with a good surge of incoming water (more than 3 feet) cresting by later afternoons. Expect periods of very high feeding activity the first hour or so after daylight and again the two hours before the high tide peaks.
This is the last weekend of the 2020 CCA STAR tournament, so be sure to log your entries in time. There are still no qualifying tagged redfish on the board. Hopefully some lucky anglers will score in the final hours.
Copyright 2020, Capt. Dave Lear. All rights reserved.