By: Capt. Dave Stephens
October is normally the month when we begin to get a slight break from the intense summer hot weather. Don’t get me wrong, it is still going to be pretty warm, but the fishing is going to be on fire. October is by far one of the best months to fish Charlotte Harbor. The only month that competes is the month of April, but, we will save that conversation for next year. This is the time of year we have a lot of fishing activity going on, with schools of reds patrolling the flats. There are still a great number of hungry tarpons out in the harbor, and to top that off, we have snook moving back up into the north end of the harbor, and they are hungry. This is the time of year when our most prized game fish are beginning to put on their winter fat reserves. The only challenge is making the decision on what to target on a particular day out on the harbor. For the tarpon, they will be hanging around the schools of ladyfish that have migrated into the harbor. The summer hatch of bait has them on a feeding frenzy, and snook will do what they normally do, as you can find them in areas with good tidal flow. Areas such as deep point, creek mouths and staging around our many miles of residential canals. As mentioned, this time of year, the biggest challenge isn’t catching fish – it’s that tough decision what to actually fish for as the choices are plentiful! Fellow anglers, we are not out of storm season yet, so remember to keep an eye on the sky.
Capt. Dave Stephens
941-916-5769
www.backbayxtremes.com