Capt. Glyn Austin
September is the start of the Mullet run but the last two years have not been good as we had hurricanes Matthew and Irma to mess up the mullet runs. It is my favorite months to fish from Melbourne to Sebastian, the bait is plentiful and the Tarpon, Sharks Snook, Trout and Redfish are as well.
Along with the mullet run Snook season opens September 1 anglers will be out in droves trying to get their keeper fish. While most will target Sebastian Inlet, you can beat the crowds and up your odds by fishing docks and mangrove shorelines in the Lagoon from Melbourne to Sebastian and the focus on the many creeks as well. Live bait or artificials should work well early in the morning and late evening and live baits are preferable during the day. Pigfish, pinfish, mullet, greenies and croakers will all serve you well when targeting the snook. Anglers using artificial lures should start with skitterwalk topwater lures early and switch to Rapala Twitchin mullet and minnow as the sun comes up. If you like soft plastics, use the Storm 360 GT Coastal paddle tails or jerk baits. I like to put procure on my lures when fishing inshore to add some scent and help the bite. While Snook will be the primary target inshore, you can expect to get some of your biggest trout and a bunch of redfish this time of year on artificial baits as well when working the bait schools and mangrove shorelines.
When the mullet run gets into full swing, Tarpon, Snook, Sharks, Jack Crevalle, Kingfish will be following the schools of bait on teh beaches from Melbourne down to Sebastian and along the entire coast of Florida looking for that easy meal. Best bet is to use some of that live bait and fish the outer edges of the bait pods. The Rapala XRap Long Cast is size 14 will be an excellent hard bait to use when targeting the bait pods. I also like to use Hogy Eeels and DOA Baitbusters during the mullet run along the beaches. All of the above lures use single hooks instead of trebles which are better for the fish that you have to release and safer for the angler.
Capt. Glyn Austin
www.captainglynaustin.com
321-863-8085
Capt. Glyn Austin is a lifelong Brevard County Resident and full time inshore/nearshore fishing guide. Glyn runs a 23’ Shoalwater tunnel boat which is comfortable for up to 4 anglers and will let us get shallower than most flats boats for inshore fishing and offers a smooth dry ride when fishing the Inlet
and nearshore waters of
Brevard County.