By Capt. Jamie Thrappas, Yellow Dawg Fishing
September marks the start of my favorite time of year to fish this area.
The mullet run kicks off, snook season opens, summer crowds thin out, and those are just a few reasons why I love fall fishing. While the weather is still hot, the trick to success is fishing early mornings or late afternoons and planning your trips around tide swings.
I like to start the month targeting big redfish in the inlet. To do this, you’ll need healthy live mullet, especially early in the season. If you’re marking fish but they won’t bite, try cutting the mullet into chunks. Later in the month, if the mullet run is thick and they start ignoring them, switch to halved blue crabs for better results.
For daytime snook, I focus on tide changes, especially the high to outgoing tide. I like to rotate through different baits to see what they’re keyed in on that day. Mullet, pinfish, and croakers are all solid options and usually get the job done. One of my favorite fall tactics is dock light fishing during outgoing tides. Free-lined shrimp are my go-to bait for this style of fishing. Just remember to dress for the bugs: mosquitoes can be thick, but it’s worth a few bites to land a slot or trophy line-sider.
Lastly, let’s talk tarpon. In September, they’ll be stacked in the inlet and along the beaches, blowing up on mullet schools. I love throwing big live mullet into the frenzy, but lately I’ve also been using large paddle tails with great success.
If you’ve never fished in September, I highly recommend it. Want to experience the action? Give me a call, and as always, if you see us out on the water, don’t hesitate to say hello!
