by Eric Henson
Fishing in September is not only my Birthday month but also one of my most favorite months of the year to fish although it is still one of the warmer months of the year. This month is generally full of life because it is the very beginning of the season change and the fish start to feed hard to get ready for the cooler months. Redfish are probably one of my favorite months for the larger redfish in our bays. Lots of over-slot fish will be grouped up eating just about everything in their sight. Look for large red balls of fish pushing huge wakes cruising the flats. First light I like to throw top-water lures like the Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil. Once the sun comes up a bit, I like to target them with Monster 3X X-TAILS on a weedless belly hook.
Redfish are pretty hardy fish but still handle these fish with care because these bigger fish are our future breeders. Tarpon are still around and still active. You can find them anywhere from beaches, bays, to backwaters. Don’t be surprised to find good size fish and numbers of them pushing around on the flats getting ready to make their next move. Handle these fish with extra care because the water temps are still very warm. They might not be as jumpy as in the beginning of the season because of the long spawning season but are still a lot of fun to catch. I prefer to use flies for these fish but, lures, bait, etc., can get the job done as well. Snook will be making their way back into the bays from spawning out on the gulf. They are also one of the many fish in the bay that will be gorging themselves to get fattened up before winter comes. They will be in big numbers in the passes and gradually making their way onto the flats. These fish are very aggressive so lures work great. A couple of my favorites are Yo- Zuri Inshore Series in black and gold and the Monster 3X X-SWIM. I ask everyone to please do their part and take care of our fish and our fishery in any way that you can. We all want Florida to continue to be the number 1 fishery in the US. And a big thanks to everyone who is already doing their part in Florida’s conservation. Tight Lines and Tight Knots to all! :)