Sebastian River
Sight casting to rolling tarpon in the Sebastian River can be explosive in October. Live finger mullet flipped to rolling juvenile tarpon generally bring vicious surface strikes that eventually turn into tarpon hook ups. If you prefer artificials, small mullet shaped topwater and suspending plugs will not go unnoticed. Fly rodders should also throw finger mullet patterns on floating and intermediate lines. Snook numbers will continue to rise in the Sebastian River, as post-spawn fish return from the inlet and ocean. The bridges and oyster bars early and late in the day with live mullet and topwater, then around and under the docks while the sun is overhead with D.O.A. shrimp and jerkbaits, is a sound snook game plan. Keep your eyes open for schools of big jack crevalle that enjoy rounding up schools of mullet in the lower Sebastian River.
Indian River Lagoon
The flats of the central lagoon will be at their best in October. Trout and reds will be in the shallows all day long hunting the masses of mullet that have already begun to invade the lagoon. Find the bait and find the fish is a general rule that is especially true in October. Although live finger mullet will be very plentiful, artificials will allow you to cover much more area and may be the better choice. Topwater plugs reign supreme in the fall, with jerk baits and suspending plugs, like the MirrOlure Catch 2000 Jr., possibly being even more productive but not as fun. Jack crevalle of all sizes will keep anglers busy between trout bites. The occasional snook will surprise anglers on the flats, but most of the inshore snook will be setting up ambushes along mangrove shorelines and around docks. D.O.A. shrimp and jerkbaits fished in, around and under the cover will draw strikes from linesiders of all sizes.
Sebastian Inlet
October is a prime month to fish the world-renowned Sebastian Inlet. Snook fishing day and night will peak out in October. Redfish, mostly oversized, will join the snook between the jetties for the “fatten up” before winter binge. The snook and reds spread throughout the inlet giving anglers more areas to fish and they also seem to become less picky about what live bait they eat. Croakers are never a bad choice, but pigfish, shrimp, pinfish and mullet will all draw strikes at the right time and tide. Night time will find live baiters floating the channel under A1A bouncing bottom, while plug and jig anglers will be on their favorite rocks east and west of A1A.
Nearshore Atlantic
The fishing along the beaches can be explosive in October. Tarpon will school outside Sebastian Inlet, as long as bait stays available. Live mullet, greenies and even pinfish pitched at pods of rolling fish will bring strikes. Jigs, plugs and flies can also do the job when the bite is on. Spanish mackerel should show up in hoards from the beach out to five miles, wherever the glass minnow are hanging out. Spoons, jigs and flies are all you need to fill the cooler with Spanish in the one-to-ten-pound range.
Tight lines!
FORECAST BY: Capt. Gus Brugger
(772) 360-6787
www.WelcomeToSebastian.com
