Fall is bringing some changes. As air and water temperatures cool off a little bit, it adds more oxygen to the water making bass more active. In addition to that, the water levels are starting to drop, making for so prime time Bassin’. Look for bass to start the pull out from their deeper haunts on the flats and move into the canals, making them more accessible for anglers. They move towards the openings of the flats to the canals making them easy targets. As water levels drop in in the canals the bite will pick up big time as well. Look for those big girls to start to feed up in prep for the upcoming spawn.
The best way to locate fish are search baits. A search bait is a great way to coverage a lot of water. Choose one that you can cast over and over.
There are two categories of search baits.
In open water, use a bait with exposed hooks such as a crankbait, jerkbait or topwater plug.
In heavy cover, use a lure that can come through the grass, pads, timber and rocks are swim baits, swim jigs and frogs that are rigged weedless. When fishing your search bait, pay attention to the type of cover that you catch your fish off of. Before you know it you will have figured out a pattern. Once you figure out what they’re biting on, you can quickly move along and just start targeting those same types of cover. Always try to figure out what the fish are feeding on. Shad, bluegill or other baitfish, so you can match the hatch.
Here are a few of the baits working right now – Rattle traps, spinner baits, swimbaits, swim jigs, chatterbaits and hollow belly frogs. Giant 7 inch sinkos, worked through the grass are producing large fish.
Peacock bass fishing has been absolutely off the chain. Fish in the double digits are being caught. Peacock bass fishing has made a strong come back since 2010, when the colder than normal winter killed a lot of them off. I could honestly see South Florida becoming a peacock haven. The climate and conditions are perfect for them to thrive. Peacock bass are everywhere! Peacocks are on beds now. PLEASE put them back where you caught them. They produce thousands of fry which are our future fisheries. With that being said, there are monsters waiting to be caught. Be gentle so they can grow and bend your rod another day. Jerk baits, topwater, spinner baits, crankbaits and jigs are some of the best artificial baits, but he easiest way to catch them is live bait.
Help preserve our resources. If you are not harvesting your fish for food, make sure you check out the regulations and warnings for the area you are fishing in. Please carefully release them to fight another day. Let’s keep our waters and fishing holes clean of trash. If you see some and it’s not yours, please pick it up and throw it away. Let’s keep it clean for future generations to come.
Till next time, tight lines and bent rods.
Capt. Neal Stark
(954) 822-1481
Fishing with America’s Finest, Inc.
“Changing Lives One Cast at a Time.”
501(C)(3) Non-Profit Organization, FEIN #45-5494005
www.FishingwithAmericasFinest.org
fwaforg@gmail.com
American Everglades Guide, Inc.
www.AmericanEvergladesGuide.com
aeguideinc@gmail.com