[dropcap]I[/dropcap]’m always excited about the month of September. The fish will start putting on the feed bag as fall is about to start. Large Flounder will start moving in from the ocean for the last 2 weeks and sight fishing for them starts. Speckled trout will be coming in and the fall bite on the inside will be on. Pompano will be on the inside as well as running down the surf zone of the ocean. Croakers and Pigfish will be on the bite in the sounds and waterway. It is another great time of the year to be fishing here.
Drum fishing the flooded marshes will be firing off this month. Look for wakes and tails for the sign that they are there. I like worm hooks that are rigged weedless for this fishing. Look in the direction that they are moving and cast a couple feet in front and wait till they get closer. Lifting and twitching the rod gets me the most hits. Fishing popping and rattle corks over the grass flats with live bait will constantly produce. Live Shrimp is king but Mullet and Menhaden will draw the bite also.
Flounder, will be on the banks feeding on the Mullets that are running the waterway at the end of the month. You will be able to find them by watching for them to air out as they attack bait. Now is the time I like to fish soft plastics that I rig in worm hooks. Shrimp pattern work well for this in a scented bait like Slurp or Blurp ( my favorite) and Gulp, DOA or any other bait that is scented. I like the Slurp shrimp because it tends to glide like a bait that has been hit. When you see a Flounder “air out” stop and start casting. Most of the time, it is not alone and you should be able to catch more than 1 in that area. I also use 20 floro for leader as most of the fish will be in the 4 pound + size, you will need it.
Speckled Trout spawning will slow down as we near October and they will start putting on the fat for the winter. Top water will help you locate them and they should eat it most all day. Other than live bait, MirrOlures (17 MR and 2000s (Use the 2000s when the fall Mullet run is in full swing) and 52M are my choice here) and soft plastic on small jig heads should do the trick for you. I look for current brakes and Oyster rocks to hold them.
Pompano: I look for them to run the waterway and river sub channels. Sometimes you will see them as you slowly move through the channels on the low tide. Yellow bucktails tipped with shrimp work well for them on the inside. Along the beach shore, sandfleas work great especially the one that are soft-shell or the ones that have eggs. Virginia Mullet as well as Flounder and much more will also eat them. Don’t cast to far out, the fish are feeding right behind the breakers.
Take the kids fishing now. Spot, Croakers Pigfish and more are running now. Keep it simple with a #1 gold hook with a 1/4 oz split shot along with a couple of bags of “Fishbites” or a box or 2 of Squid, the smaller the bait the better, bait stealers will have a better chance of getting hooked. Fish edges and tips Oyster bars as well as deep holes, this should yield many bits and if you aren’t getting bit, just move around till you do.
Have fun out there and remember that fall fishing is just around the corner. Be sure to watch out for the other guy as they will not be looking out for you.
Capt. Lee Parsons
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