After a storm, hope for the quiet waters of October
Editor’s Note: Van Hubbard was up in North Carolina, on vacation, when the flood waters came up to his cabin. He came through the storm, only to find his house flooded here.
The bill came due for waterfront views.
Just some thoughts on the sustainability of living on our beaches and open-water views. Our Florida pioneers learned from the Native Americans that barrier islands were fun places to camp and play, but were subject to water and waves. As recently as the fifties, gulf-front property was the cheapest available. Locals understood the risks. Even waterfront canal property, like I live on, can flood and be a problem.
We all need to reevaluate our risk levels. This is the first time my home flooded in 40 years. Will it happen again? Yes. It’s just when and how bad.
This will leave our waters even quieter, if you can go fishing.
And if you can, it is a quiet time to enjoy some great backcountry fishing.
Things will be cooling down ever so slightly. This turns on the bite. Redfish are schooling up now, it is great to have a few to play with. Everything is hungry and feeding for winter. Baitfish are still abundant but will migrate south as waters get colder. While much of this information is understood by experienced anglers reading it through, you might pick up something useful.
We usually have a couple of moderate months in our fall transition season. October and November provide opportunities we want to take advantage of. With all the insanity of our economy and the elections, life requires a break. Even weekends can be fishable right now. The sandbar parties can get congested on weekends, but that’s what they like.
Our backcountry is as quiet as you are likely to ever see it. I can’t remember seeing fewer guides or fishermen on local waters. With school, football, hunting season and everything happening, our waters are solitary for most days. It’s more effort to locate fish in darker tannin water, but as the rains subside our estuaries clear up fast. Most rain events now are leading in fronts. Sight fishing is expected this time of year.
Our seasonal changes can be very subtle, but we are in transition. We notice earlier sunsets and gradually falling water temperatures. These signal our fish to feed aggressively anticipating more dramatic changes. I’m betting on cooler weather than in recent years and sooner. The animals seem to act like it. Watch for the white pelicans migrating into our area, signaling the arrival of real cold fronts.
Many anglers depend on live minnows today. They are “lures by God” to me, it’s hard to beat natural baits. That said, we used lots of lures before we discovered minnows. We have a huge selection to choose from and some have gotten very expensive. The details are like fine art. Pretty is more for us than fish. I’ve always preferred lures that I have developed confidence in. MirrOLures are examples proven by decades of perfecting lurers. They caught fish sixty years ago and are constantly improving. Top water is a favorite of many anglers. Their Top Dog comes in several sizes and colors. Consider the old match-the-hatch concept when choosing your offering. The rattles help fish lock in and locate our offerings.
Remember that redfish must roll over to inhale your lure, so slow down and keep reeling until you feel resistance before setting the hooks. If you jerk it away on the first attempt the fish must locate it again. Soft plastics are excellent options, darker colors in darker waters, lighten up on brighter days and clear water.
Gold spools are great in dark waters. Again, if you feel a bump keep reeling until it tugs before setting the hook. Note that many spoons like the Johnson Minnows have extremely long hook points, I choose to file this down for better penetration. Leave some barb, but reds have tough mouths, so penetration is important. Size matters. The trick for reds is to be sure you maintain contact with your lure and the bottom. Reds are bottom feeders and kicking up sand grabs attention producing results.
Trout are abundant and I like soft plastics here. They allow us to cover more areas to lock in schooling fish. Most fish now are small, and big trout eat small trout so keep moving if you want larger fish. Trout are especially delicate, so de-hooker devices will reduce your discard waste and help stocks recover. Many hard baits are great, but the treble hooks are hard on smaller release fish. The jig head soft plastic is easier to remove. Do not stay and feed dolphin if you expect fish tomorrow.
It’s prime time for our near-shore mackerel migration now. Both Spanish and kings are due to cruise through. If the weather and abundant baitfish cooperate, take advantage of this opportunity. Both are underfished and offer liberal bag limits. Mackerel runs used to be the biggest fishing season until the feds shut it down. It has never recovered business-wise, but the fish are here. We have many methods to fish macks, so ask at your local tackle shop for best bets. Maybe a future article?
Grouper are closed and everything can change rapidly, so I encourage you to download and use the app Fish Rules. It can save you headaches and money. We do have plenty of snapper to enjoy including red snapper on many weekends. Pay close attention to your app for dates. Lighter gear is best for most snapper. They are great eating, even better than grouper. When I first started to fish, all we could sell was red snapper. They got fished down and it shifted to grouper. Now anything you can keep has value if legal.
Watch the weather and plan your outing according to conditions. Fronts can blow up fast and conditions deteriorate rapidly. It can be dangerous before you can get back into protected waters. Do not risk the lives of family and friends for a few fish. Inside fishing can be a better choice, and very productive.
Capt. Van Hubbard is a columnist for the Boca Beacon. He began his Hook, Line and Sinker column in the 1980s for the Beacon. You can follow him on Facebook or at captvan.com
