Hurricane Irma brought some changes to the Mosquito Lagoon in the Beginning of September. The water level reached an eight-year high and was nearly two feet higher than pre-storm levels. The storm also brought numbers of finger mullet into the lagoon that have not been seen in years.
As the mullet schools make their way south with the cold fronts, the summer species like the tarpon, jacks, and snook, will leave with them. Staying behind will be the redfish, seatrout, and black drum which will be our primary targets throughout the winter. If the cold fronts are mild or late to arrive, fish will still be feeding aggressively on live mullet or lures imitating them. For the windy or cloudy days that will become more frequent as winter approaches, I like the 5.5” DOA CAL lure rigged weedless. This lure also does an excellent job of fishing in the areas with lots of floating grass. For sight fishing, the three-inch CAL on a jighead is a great finger mullet imitator and the size of the jighead can be adjusted to match water depth and weather conditions. The exposed hook allows for a better hookup ratio as well. Treble hook plugs are often difficult to use due to the grass and are also more damaging to the fish. Switching the hooks out to a single trailing J or circle hook helps keep it weed free and is much safer. Soft plastic topwater lures such as the DOA PT-7 are completely weedless and cast a mile.
If the water levels are still high, take advantage of the accessibility and fish some of the backwater areas off the beaten path. Take care running on plane in these areas, watch for abandoned crab traps and hurricane debris. These areas have some of the nicest grass flats and are the best place to find tailing redfish.
