Hi Gang, this is an actual forecast as to what I hope and expect to happen this month in fishing the northern regions Indian River Lagoon
At the time of my writing this forecast it is mid-August and I’m convalescing from a recent surgery to my shoulder. As a point in fact I’ve not been on the water for a bit. Still, September is historically when our breeding redfish population gets busy with making our future redfish population.
The redfish breeding season is typically most active in September and October. Some fish will get an earlier start while some will linger into November. There are no hard and fast rules as to exactly when, where or how often an active spawn will take place. It is common belief that New Moon and Full Moon phases dictate the most activity. I personally believe this to be true even in our land-locked and non-tidal area.
Typically the fish spawn at or near sundown with the ritual taking as long as it takes. I doubt any feeding takes place during the spawning activity and I doubt the fish are very interested in feeding for a while after they have finished. Rest assured, by sunup they are hungry and rested.
Sunup after a major spawn can be an awesome fishing experience if the fish can be located. If the water is calm finding an aggressive school is fairly simple. Look for monster sized fish blasting the surface as they feed on mullet. Finding less aggressive fish might mean covering miles of water until they give their location away.
Of course, having a good idea as to where to start will simplify things and allow us to stalk to the group quietly. Tossing a top-water plug past a group of unaware and hungry giant redfish can be a most explosive experience! Try to fish along the outer edges of these schools in an effort to not spook all of the fish at once.
Be aware of their wandering tendencies. While you may find post-spawn redfish rafting motionless early on in the day they will not stay that way. Once hunger sets in and they develop an aggressive attitude they will actively search for a meal. Too, once a fish or two are hooked from a laid-up school expect the group to move… a lot. Unless a moving school finds an interesting food source on the bottom (crabs maybe) they’ll likely hunt for schooling mullet and the mullet will typically be on the move.
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