By: Capt. Andrew Bennett
Charter fishing is no doubt hard work, but I am thankful that I get to introduce people to a side of my hometown that they may not otherwise get to see, and often help them experience a day in the outdoors to always remember fondly. I know that I love my job because many times when I get a day with no clients booked for a fishing trip, I still wake up early, go catch bait, and fish alone or with a like minded friend. Recently on one such day, a friend and I used our “day off” to locate a large school of Redfish and experiment with different baits and fishing methods. We found a large school of fish and began catching and releasing the fish using nearly every bait we had available to us. We could not do anything wrong, they ate whatever we threw to them. Finally; as a joke, I put my hook in the plastic bottle cap from my drink and cast into the school, and to my amazement, a redfish ate it and was immediately hooked. After a brief fight I released the fish and had to laugh at the situation. Many times, the difference between success and failure as an angler is some small change in the way that the bait is hooked or the color of a lure or the rate of retrieval of a lure, or for some scenarios the fish demand a certain species of bait to match exactly what they are naturally feeding on. However; it is a welcomed change of pace to see the way that these late summer and early fall redfish, on some days, will eat nearly anything that could possibly be considered prey.
As a professional fisherman, I go to great lengths to know where the fish are and what they are eating at each time of the year. In my experience October is the best month for catching redfish in this area. Redfish enjoy an extremely large range including all of the Gulf states and many of the Atlantic states. Some of them migrate and some stay in the area as permanent residents. They tolerate freshwater well and have been caught in landlocked lakes, but are also caught sometimes offshore. Â They can be sight casted to as they tail in some shallow back water, or hooked as they migrate through the surf of the Atlantic. No matter where you have fished for them in the past, you owe yourself the chance to experience catching Redfish in the Tampa Bay area this time of year. The fishing pressure is lower than most months of the year, but many of the fish are feeding more than ever getting ready for cooler weather.
Blackened redfish is a delicious meal that is easy and quick to prepare, and because redfish can not be harvested commercially in Florida, catching them yourself is the most likely way that you will be able to experience this dish. Give me a call if you would like my help chasing your limit of October redfish.