How does that saying go, when it rains it pours? The drought seems to be broken and now we’re looking at several stormy days ahead, including this upcoming weekend. The silver lining is the temperatures are cooling and the fall season is really getting underway.
The trout bite has been decent the last week. Most of the fish are holding in depths of three to six feet. Anglers are having to sort through plenty of undersize fish to find some legal ones. DOA 1/4-ounce shrimp in near clear, the 2.75 DOA shrimp in new penny and touts like the Sureketch style grubs are producing. The top-water bite has been off due to last Sunday’s full moon and the incessant floating grass that seems to be especially thick on the East Flats.
Redfish are prowling the shorelines and oyster bars. The bars in the mouths of the coastal rivers are always productive this time of year on moving water. Aqua Dream weedless gold and pink spoons will pinpoint the fish.
Flounder action is also picking up, along with black sea bass, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and tripletail. Big jacks are pounding the bait schools throughout the Forgotten Coast. There are still some cobia and sharks around, but they’ll skedaddle with the first real cold front. On Monday the water temperatures were in the lower 70s to start before climbing to 80 degrees by late afternoon. This week’s rain should push temps back into the 70s.