For as long as I can remember weâve called October Sharktober because of the September and October storms that tend to stir the ocean up, also bringing with it copious amounts of the Atlantic sharp nose sharks. They often will be so abundant that you canât keep a line in the water. Surprisingly though, they are almost like eating a pork chop if taken care of properly. My son loves them and calls them âShark McNuggetsâ. You are allowed two per boat with no minimum size limit. The secret is to cut the tail off as soon as you catch one to bleed it out. I fillet and cut them into small nuggets and batter fry them.
Thereâs still some great fishing in October, itâs just a matter of finding clean water to fish. Mostly you are going to be fishing the 85 feet to 90 feet depths. This will be your best chance to find clean shark free water. Last year, we had some good catches of cobia, some mangrove snapper as well as lane and vermilion snapper.
For those fishing close to shore 30 feet to 50 feet, we should start seeing some early season Spanish mackerel and bluefish migrating south down the beach. Thereâs always fun action when they show up and they are easy to catch trolling small spoons, jigs, or medium running lures like Yo-Zuri minnows. I recommend a light wire like a #3 to keep from getting bitten off. A 40-pound fluorocarbon leader will produce more bites, but you can expect to lose a few of those pricey little lures to the toothy fish. So, look for cobia on the bigger 10-to-15-foot ledges in 85-to-95-feet. And look for the birds diving on bait from the beach out to 50 feet to attract Spanish mackerel and blue fish.
Expect Atlantic sharp nose sharks to be plentiful everywhere. I find itâs a good time to use some of those hooks that got a little rusty sitting in the box. You wonât mind losing 40 or 50 of them like you will a box of good ultra-points, LOL! If youâve never eaten shark, try one it might surprise you.
As always be courteous to your fellow boater. You never know when you might need a tow. âFish On Gotta Go!â
FORECAST BY: Capt. Terry Wildey
Big Easy Fishing Charters
Phone: (772) 538-1072
Email: captwildey@bellsouth.net
www.bigeasyfishingcharters.com
