October is here – this is my favorite time to fish all year. The month of October has many significant meanings especially the changing of seasons, Halloween, football and my favorite, the “fall mullet run”! This fall mullet run consists of countless fingerling mullet that migrate from our region. Mullet are the top bait that predator fish such as trout, redfish, and snook feed on. As most locals know, catching these predator fish during this event can be amazing.
Anglers can expect the early morning bite to be its best in our inshore waters. Small noisy top water lures such as Heddon Saltwater Super Spook, Jr. (redfish or golden shiner colors) will work very well along the flats. When using this lure, anglers will want to follow a simple approach to target trout. Make long accurate casts to a targeted area and fish the bait as quietly as possible. This is especially important when fishing during calm conditions. Anglers will want to concentrate their time fishing near schools of bait fish. Retrieving your bait slowly with a “walk the dog” side to side motion will be ideal. Many trout caught will have an average length of 17 inches with some fish measuring 20 plus inches.
In addition, the snook bite will be very good. Snook will aggressively feed on mullet, live shrimp, pinfish, or bright colored scented jerk baits. Rigging these baits onto a 7-foot medium action spinning reel combo equipped with 20 pound test braided line and 25 pound test mono leader will work well. Snook have been known to feed along mangrove shorelines with steep drop offs, boat docks, and even bridge fenders that are lit up at night. Targeting them during low light conditions or at night under a full moon (October 5) will be best.
