Sebastian Inlet to Eau Gallie Cswy. – September 2022

Greg from New Jersey with a big tarpon he hooked in Sebastian.

September is on of my favorite months to fish from Melbourne to Sebastian. The bait is plentiful and the snook, trout and redfish are as well. Snook season opens up and anglers will be out in droves trying to get their keeper fish. Our entire area from Melbourne to Palm Bay and Sebastian is a great place to catch snook as well as redfish, tarpon and big jack crevalle in September.

The mullet run should start late in the month and the threadfins and sardines will be on the beach nearshore as well. Tarpon, snook, sharks, jack crevalle and kingfish will be following the schools of bait 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 X-Rap Long Cast in size 14 will be an excellent hard bait to use when targeting the bait pods. I also like to use Hogy Eels and D.O.A. 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.

The mullet should also pour in the creeks from Melbourne down to Sebastian and the gamefish are sure to follow. No need to go way back in the creeks; anglers can fish the mouth of the creeks and around the many oyster bars and docks closer to the Indian River Lagoon. I use the same baits in the creeks as I use in the Lagoon during the bait run.

I like to focus on the flats, spoil islands or mangrove shorelines loaded with bait in the Indian River Lagoon from Melbourne to Sebastian in late September. My favorite bait to use is the Rapala Skitterwalk V, and the Twitchin’ Minnow and Twitchin’ Mullet are great subsurface baits for fishing the mullet run. If soft baits are your preference, D.O.A. C.A.L. 4” jerkbaits in the mullet pattern or rainbow trout work well, or the 4” jerk should do the trick also.

Capt. Austin’s grandson, Noah, with a blacknose shark (left) and a nice tarpon he caught and released himself!

Capt. Glyn Austin
Going Coastal Charters
www.goingcoastalcharters.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.

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