SURF & PIER

This is the month, the one month of the year when you can count on catching fish in the surf zone! Whether from the pier, or the beach, this is the month to get your string stretched! The water temperature is dropping, and the mullet-run that started in September is still on-going.

The most important thing to remember this time of the year, is matching the hatch. As long as there is mullet in the surf, then fish with mullet. All of the predator fish will be on the inside, and outside of the first sand bar. It does not matter if you use fresh chunks, or frisky live-finger mullet, something will munch your bait. It could be redfish, bluefish, ladyfish, shark, tarpon, trout, flounder, or a lot of other species. A small 3/0 circle hook will get the job done for most fish. I like to use a sinker slider rig with a 15-inch dropper of 30 lb. mono. For big reds and tarpon, I step it up to a 7/0 with 100 lb. mono.  On the top part of the sinker slider, I use six feet of 100 lb. mono.  This technique is very helpful when sliding a big fish up in the wash, for a quick picture, before releasing.

It was a crazy summer, for the fact that we caught pompano all summer long.  I guess that not all of them were up for the long trip to the OBX of North Carolina. Now, is the time to catch the big ones that do not come back until the water gets cold in the Carolinas. For these tasty hard-fighting members of the jack family, rigging is simple. A two-hook double dropper rig is the best way to go. A 2/0 circle hook will get the job done for a two- pound pomp, a five-pound black drum, or a twenty-pound redfish.  All three of those fish, plus the tasty whiting, will all strike a double dropper rig, tipped with fresh bait.

Great bait, equals great fishing. When you hit the surf zone, you should have multiple baits. The go-to baits are FKS. aka fresh killed shrimp, live sand fleas, live clams, and blue crab knuckles. The live shrimp, soon to be FKS, you’ll buy at the bait store. No water needed, just a plastic container to keep them out of the ice. The sand fleas, you’ll have to catch at the beach. Your favorite seafood retailer can supply the live clams and blue crabs.

Remember, with all four of these baits, match the hatch in size. A one-inch by half-inch piece, is all that it takes. The fish are munching on fleas and donax clams, both smaller than a quarter.  Go now, and go often, because it doesn’t get any better than Octoberfish! Cheers!