September Horseshoe Beach
September is here which means scallop season is almost over. It ends the 10th so if you still want to get your hands on a few you can find plenty in our area. The stretch from Pepperfish all the way up to Steinhatchee has them. I would key in on the 3 to 5ft range. If you run across deeper potholes I would look hard around them. I was picking up 5 and 6 at a time in some of these 6ft holes.
The redfish are still going strong south of Horseshoe. You need to be up and going early if you want to get the drop on these guys though. Once it hits the heat of the day they slow way down. You can catch good fish on artificial baits like the Zman scented streakz or Mirrolure topwater plugs. Once it gets hot you are going to have to switch up to cut bait which means you are going to have to weed through a pile of catfish.
The trout are out in 5 to 6ft of water where it is a little cooler. A Zman trout trick in the fried chicken pattern has been putting up some good results the past few weeks. Bounce the bottom with this bait and you will get bit. If you can get around all the floating grass you can also pick up a mirrolure mirrodine. This is a slow moving suspending twitch bait. You will figure out the cadence these fish are looking for. Most strikes will come on the pause.
Another species you can target is a triple tail. They have been hanging out just south around the clam leases. If you can spot on floating around the pvc poles pick up a Zman scented shrimp or a live shrimp and just get it close. These are great to eat so they are defiantly worth tracking down.
Until next month, have fun, be safe and take your kids fishing. If you want to take a trip in our area give me a call and lets go catch some fish.
Capt. Craig Spitznogle
www.floridaflatscharterco.com