South County Inshore & Freshwater: Sept. 2020

By Capt. Patrick Smith Contributing Writer

Carly Johnson caught a goliath grouper three times her size.

Hi guys, it has been a crazy summer with great fishing, brutal heat, and mixed weather. September always feels the hottest, but the upcoming changes make it ok to deal with. The main thing we’re looking forward to is the mullet run. It can start any day in September depending on hurricanes and weather and can go all the way through October. Now is the time to start looking for small pods of mullet and you will find all kinds of good stuff following close behind. The rig is simple, I use a heavy spinning rod about 4 to 5 feet of 60 to 80 pound leader, and a nice big mullet pinned to an 8/0 circle hook. Cast it out and hang on. Tarpon, jacks, snook and sharks will all be in the feeding frenzy.

Michael with a world class sightfished permit!

Freshwater is hot and the fishing can be decent early and late, midday water temps tend to skyrocket and shuts the bite down. Live bait and large slow moving jerk/crank baits are the best for a shot at peacock bass. For largemouth, I would suggest fishing a big worm really slow on the bottom.

Six year old Wright caught a clown knifefish big enough to hug.

Get out there, get tight, and remember to drink plenty of water.

Capt. Patrick Smith

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