Pullin Drag Charters
Happy Fall and Happy Fall Fishing!
While August and September brought plenty of stormy afternoons, we expect a calmer October with cooler waters and weather. The annual mullet run is in place and the bait is plentiful so it’s time to take advantage of hungry aggressive fish and amazing bite action. Snook, tarpon, redfish, cobia, jack crevalle, and even sharks will be abundant around large schools of migrating mullet. While it’s easy to fill the livewell now, we will be seizing every opportunity to target some of the highly-prized trophy fish in our Fort Pierce waters.
Bottom fishing is still a top go-to strategy, with snapper and grouper high on the salty grocery list. We’ll target them at the 50- to 100-foot reefs using a chum bag and throwing some cut bait behind the boat to tempt big, energetic feeders. Lanes, mangroves, and mutton are being reported regularly. Mangroves bite fast so be ready to set your hook and reel fast, always using enough weight to keep your bait on bottom. With plenty of sharks in the area, it can be challenging to land fish on deck, so stay alert and work hard. Sharks like to eat fish, too, especially after you do all the work! Sharks have been around for millions of years, but there appears to be more now with the Treasure Coast being home to several species, including bull, nurse, lemon, sharpnose and sandbar sharks. If sharks show up, we don’t let up— we move to another spot and finish catching dinner.
Snook and tarpon will be relying on easy mullet meals as they move across our area. These top game fish can be fun for a personal best, and both are excellent, acrobatic fighters. The snook bite has been strong since the opening on September 1, with plenty of slots heading home for the dinner table. Remember to use good catch-and-release techniques for those over and under slots.
We also keep an eye out for the fall mahi migration which can produce some big fish as they start heading south to warmer waters. I recommend trolling live or dead mullet for mahi, but naked or skirted ballyhoo generally produces bites too. Mahi are really exciting to hook for their famous intense jumps, runs and tail-walking.
Since it’s October, we wish everyone a great month catching wicked monster fish! Also, it’s a perfect time to enjoy our favorite local haunts like DeBrooks Fishing Corner and my home base, the historic and scary good Little Jim Bait & Tackle. Take a kid fishing…it’s nothing but treats when they’re Pullin Drag!
Capt. Bo Samuel
Pullin Drag Charters
(772) 971-6661
captainbofishing@gmail.com
