Inglis / Yankeetown – September Fishing Report
Ah September, the beginning of autumn and it’s lovey cool weather. Ha, who are you kidding, it is still going to be hot, hot, hot! Don’t let the heat get you down; water temps will start to cool a bit this month, allowing the fish to perk up a bit from their sluggish routine.
This month, we have the long-awaited opening of snook season. Anglers near and far come to our shores to tackle this beast of a fish. The snook is a predator and will attack most artificial baits, along with a nice lively mullet, pinfish, or mud minnow. I prefer to throw the Yo-Zuri 3D Inshore Twitchbait in chartreuse or the Shimano Coltsniper Twitchbait in glow/chartreuse. These baits tend to get a lot of reaction from the young ones up to the big girls!
You can find snook in the Withlacoochee during early AM and later PM hours. The spoil islands, and any areas around rock that drop quickly, will hold snook. I would use at least 30 lb. fluorocarbon leader, as these fish are tough on line and can cut it easy with their gill plate. Make sure you have your snook stamp if you intend to keep a slot fish.
Reds, trout, and flounder will also start to gain a little momentum this month. The big bull reds will continue to comb the spoil islands. Trout will start to move in a bit from the deeper grass flats. Let’s not forget the sandy flat fish, the flounder. The flounder should be easier to locate this month on sandier flats. A Jim’s Jig and a mud minnow always does the trick for me!
Nearshore to offshore, will be productive will trolling for gags. Amberjack is open again; look for them around wrecks and artificial reefs. A large live bait or speed jig will do the trick for these strong fighting fish. Mangroves are on the spawn, look to catch these tricky fish around the full moon.
September can be friendly if you let it. If what you are doing is not producing, change it up a bit. You will be surprised sometimes on what a new bait or technique could produce. All the baits listed above can be found at Captains Cove Outfitter’s in Inglis. Please reach out to me at capterichasty@gmail.com with any questions you may have. In addition, check out We Be Tailing, live Wednesday night’s at 7:00, for more tips and tricks at the ShastyMcNasty Fishing Facebook page.
Capt. Eric Hasty
ShastyMcNasty Fishing LLC
www.shastymcnastyfishing.com
352-220-3206