St. Lucie Flats Fishing Charters
Steph with a nice trout caught with a popping cork and thumper shrimp.
September is one of the most anticipated months on the Treasure Coast, as the summer heat begins to ease and the inshore fishery starts its transition toward fall. Throughout the Treasure Coast, anglers can expect good opportunities for snook, trout, tarpon and a variety of bait-driven predators. Early-morning outgoing tides and periods of moving water should be especially productive, with bait becoming increasingly important as the month progresses.
Snook season is the big story for September. Recreational snook harvest reopens September 1 in the Indian River Lagoon management region after the June 1–August 31 closure. The season runs through December 14, with a one-fish-per-person daily bag limit and a 28–32-inch slot limit. While many anglers will be looking to put a legal snook in the cooler, September is also an excellent month for catch-and-release fishing. Snook will be transitioning away from their summer spawning areas and beginning to spread back into the lagoon, with mangrove shorelines, docks, bridges, deeper channels and current-producing areas all worth targeting. Live mullet, croakers and smaller baitfish should be productive, while topwaters, jerkbaits and paddle tails can produce aggressive strikes during low-light periods.
Trout should also provide steady action as water temperatures gradually begin to moderate. Look for them along deeper grass edges, sandy potholes and areas where current moves across the flats. Early mornings are ideal for topwater plugs, while soft plastics and suspending baits can produce throughout the day. On cleaner-water days, sight-fishing the shallow flats can be particularly rewarding.
Tarpon will remain an important part of the Fort Pierce fishery in September. Juvenile and resident tarpon can be found throughout the lagoon, while larger fish may still be encountered around the inlet, bridges and deeper channels. Live mullet, crabs and smaller baitfish are excellent choices when targeting larger fish, while smaller tarpon will readily attack artificial presentations.
As September progresses, keep a close eye on the bait. The mullet run will be knocking at our door this month. Schools of mullet moving along the shoreline can quickly turn an ordinary stretch of water into a feeding zone. The combination of falling tides, active bait and cooler mornings should make September an excellent month to fish the Fort Pierce area—and a great kickoff to the fall inshore season.
Capt. Adam White
St. Lucie Flats Fishing Charters
(609) 820-6257
www.stlucieflatsfishing.com
