Now that Nestor has washed through and we’ve experienced our first autumn cold front, maybe the fish will settle into a new routine. With daylight hours decreasing and water temperatures dropping, the seasonal visitors will be heading south while the resident game fish hit the bait buffet in anticipation of leaner times ahead.
Shrimp are moving out of the marshes and pinfish, finger mullet, sardines and mud minnows are still thick. The top water bite has been off the last week or so; floating grass on the surface only compounds the problem. Hopefully the storm dispersed most of the grass and the cooler temps will renew the surface action. If you see mullet jumping or schooling, a noisy plug is always worth a few casts, anyway. Adding a squirt of Pro-Cure mullet gel would increase the attraction.
There have been plenty of trout coming to the net. The majority are just below or right at 15 inches, however. A few keepers are being boated, but not like it should be. If the Fish & Wildlife Commission goes ahead with some of the trout proposals, populations should rebound. Soft-plastic jerk baits with a nose hook or touts and shrimp lures under a popping or clacker cork are producing the most strikes. Depths range up to six feet, but the fish will be moving closer to the hill every day.
Flounder are staging around creek/river mouths, sandy pot holes, oyster bars and other pinch points. Fan-cast the area before moving on. If you catch one flattie, others will be in the vicinity.
A few will be lingering, but Spanish mackerel, pompano, tripletail, sharks, cobia and tarpon are not long for Big Bend parts. They’ll either be starting the trek south for the winter or heading offshore into the Gulf where water temperatures are more moderate.
The weekend forecast continues to look better and better. Winds will be clocking around but at tolerable levels. The likelihood of rain is dropping too, but tote the foul weather gear just in case. Tides will be very favorable with Sunday’s new moon. Lows will be around daybreak with nearly four feet of incoming water by mid-afternoon. Expect a decent feeding window early and then a very high activity period from lunch until the tide crests. This is the last weekend of the extended recreational red snapper season, so expect plenty of traffic at the area ramps. The St. Marks Stone Crab and Monarch Butterfly Festivals are being held Saturday, so it’ll be a busy time at the coast. Let’s hope Mother Nature cooperates with sunny skies and calm seas.