By Capt. Brent Bensmiller
It’s been a tough bite lately with all of the freshwater run-off and algae blooms up and down the coast. It looks like many species of fish are taking a huge hit in our area. We can only pray that our government makes the necessary changes with Lake Okeechobee releases in the near future or things may soon change for the worse. The good news is, there
are still plenty of places to get on some solid fish if you know where to look!
With the beaches and bay out of the question for the time being, you need to focus on areas furthest from them. If you go further inland and fish in the brackish water, you will find the fish. Typically, we find plenty of snook hanging in these areas during September, but I believe we are currently seeing them in greater numbers due to the red tide. You want to focus on fishing the river mouths and choke points as fish will be staging up around them, looking for anything that swims by. Don’t
overlook weirs as well. Loads of big snook will stage up just underneath these falls, eagerly awaiting anything that drops down and into their path. If you like to use live bait I would recommend using shiners, bluegill, or Mayan cichlids.
You can purchase shiners at some bait shops or put in the work by catching the bigger baits on light tackle or by using a cast net. One of my favorite ways to catch bluegill and Mayan cichlids is on a fly rod. Tie on the smallest black fly you have and you will get plenty of action. Load up your bucket with these baits and take them to your favorite backwater spot to get the attention of the bigger fish. Throwing flukes and doa terroreyz in the rootbeer color will get the job on the smaller fish.
If you still need to get your saltwater fix, head down to the Ten Thousand Islands. We fished this area in August and didn’t see any signs of red tide. The bite was nice with reds, snook, and trout in the mix. It’s also a great area to get away from everyone and only come across a few boats throughout the day. I hope you guys can find some new fishing holes and techniques making the best of this red tide for now. Tight lines!