by Darcie Arahil, Contributing Writer
After enjoying weeks of flat calm seas and windless days during our summer months, it’s finally time to say goodbye. The water temperatures will gradually be decreasing and slowly adjusting to the norms for the fall/winter months ahead. The falling sea temperatures trigger the natural instincts of the remarkable and renowned Mullet Run. The migrating mullet travel south along the Atlantic coast to the southern point of Florida, where they head offshore to breed and feed on grasses and algae. So, what does this mean? Every type of predator fish will be munching on mullet! As mullet migrate, they stay in large schools, making them irresistible to all predators including most pelagic fish! Immense amounts of mullet can be found throughout the ICW and in the surf, just look for big black masses in the water along the beach. Early mornings and late evenings are the best times to sneak up on a school of mullet and cast net your share of live bait.
TIP: anglers following the schools should cast out a live mullet towards the outside of the school and have your reel in the free line position. You should hook the mullet in the mouth or behind the dorsal fin to create tension and force the mullet to swim away from your boat and towards the school. If you cast the bait in the middle of the school, you have a much lower chance of catching the fish following the schools. Using this method, you will catch snook, tarpon, bluefish, jacks, redfish, barracudas, blacktip and spinner sharks, even kingfish within a couple hundred yards of the surf.
The wind will be blowing this month, so it’s time for you to dig through your stowed fishing gear and pull out the trident, kite rod and fishing kites! Dolphin, kingfish and wahoo can all be landed on the kite this time of the year. Plus, kite fishing brings an element of surprise, and you never know which species is going to eat your kite bait next. Keep in mind, mullet is an excellent bait to use while kite fishing! Also, an abundant number of wahoo will still be here during October, and you still have a good opportunity to catch one whether you are high-speeding, kite fishing, slow trolling or regular trolling. Good luck out there and get out when the mullet run is in full swing- it’s a BLAST!
Please be sure to check out my YouTube Channel “Darcizzle Offshore” for new fishing videos uploaded every week!