October is a great month to get offshore and enjoy the cooler weather. It can be a windy month, but there will be great weather days, especially earlier in the month. The mullet run will be going strong all month. This means there will be solid action close to shore and around Sebastian Inlet. This is the best month to hook a giant redfish around the inlet. Also, large schools of reds can be seen migrating well offshore sometimes. Keep your eyes open for this amazing sight. You’ll think they are large jacks until you notice the water has turned red. Don’t turn your nose up at the large jacks either. There can be large schools of bruisers this month cruising miles off shore too. Early October is probably the best month for large tarpon along the beach in our area. Look for them busting big mullets along the beach and throw a large mullet in the melee.
Dolphin should be a good bet this month. The water is still warm and clean water and baitfish will keep the fish this side of the Gulf Stream. Trolling a typical dolphin spread in the Gulf Stream will catch fish this month. As usual, troll around the birds, weed lines and color changes. When the bite slows, one effective trick is to set out a chum bag and wait for the fish to come to you. Turn the engine off around a fishy looking area and put out a chum bag. Be patient and let the chum deploy for the better part of an hour. Drop a couple pieces of chunk bait in the water on a 6/0 circle hook and relax. Keep your eye on the water and have a live bait ready for finicky fish. A piece of single strand wire will catch the occasional wahoo. Watch out for the shrimp boats out in that 130 feet area. The black fins, bonito and other predators will swarm around them early in the morning as they release their by-catch. Try chumming with a frozen block or chunks in the general area of the boats to get the bite going again.
If you want to try for a home run, October is one of the top months for swordfishing in our area. When the weather turns stable in October, many experienced offshore anglers will take a chance on catching one of these delicious monsters. Night time fishing is preferred as the fish rise to the surface from the 1000 feet depths to feed. A rigged squid drifted at various depths is the traditional technique. Daytime fishing for swords has become more popular and usually requires presenting baits very deep. Gear, tackle and techniques are too much to cover here, but it suffices to say that heavy gear is required to do battle with one of these monsters.
Bottom fishing can be slow this month, but there are snapper to be caught. Mutton and mangroves can swarm pretty well around the full and new moon cycles, especially during early morning and night. There is some serious talk from South Atlantic Fish Management Council to open a red snapper season in 2018. A long-shot possibility is a short red snapper season in the remaining months of 2017. Keep your ears open for these seasons. There are plenty of big, beautiful red snappers that would love to come home to dinner if a season opens. Best of luck out there and remember when life gets hectic, stay calm and go fishing!
FORECAST BY: Capt. Randy Lang
Sebastian Gypsy Fishing Charters
Email: gypsycharters@gmail.com
Website: www.sebastianfishingcharter.com
