[dropcap]S[/dropcap]eptember is one of the months in the fall that keeps our hopes up while we are fishing in the Dog Days of August. Well, those Dog Days are gone now and September is here and, barring we get some dreaded hurricanes of the fall season, the fishing will now turn as hot as the weather in the previous month. September is the beginning of the transition period where the water starts to cool some and the days start to get noticeably shorter. This will all play into natureâs scheme of things and will trigger the natural instinct for the fish of the seas and backwaters to get fat, and get fat fast, for the cold months ahead.
Starting on the inside, in the creeks and rivers look for more citation- sized flounder to be caught in September. As their activity increases, the flounder size will also increase. Carolina-rigged mullet minnows and pogys are top-notch baits here, as is Berkley Gulp plastics and grubs rigged on lead heads with a good coating of Pro-Cure Bait Scents in mullet flavoring.
Red drum and speckled trout will be feeding up this time of year as well. They will be looking for mullet and the above-mentioned mullet imitations since there are so many mullet around this time of year. And, of course, every- one knows that if you can get live shrimp and you are not catching speckled trout with them, then most likely there ainât no trout where you are fishinâ!!!
Close to the beach this month will find the Spanish mackerel chewing on the Clark Spoons. Since the earlier baitfish have now gotten bigger, you might want to troll the size 0 and/or size 1 spoons at this time. King mack- erel will usually make a run later into the month nearshore on the heels of the migrating mullet. Natural baits like the mullet or pogys are the top baits for the king mackerel.
Offshore in September, the fishing is starting to get about as good as fish- ing can get. The bottom fish will be biting squid and cut baits now. I have found that if you will marinate your squid in Pro-Cure Bait Scents Squid gel it will create a slick in the water column and it really turns the fish on. Try it…I think you will be amazed!!
September is also a kick start month for the Gulf Stream. Head on out to the break and beyond, rig up some ballyhooâs on your favorite Laceration Lure Heads and hold on tight. You should be greeted with more anxious wahoo, mahi, and blackfin tuna as the month of September pushes us even closer to the ever awesome fall fishing here out of Southport/Oak Island, NC, as we are located on the southeastern part of NC at the mouth of the Cape Fear River.
If you have been putting off a fishing trip down this way all year and havenât had the time, well, if you can get the time now you will be able to go fishing in some of the best times that the season has to offer.
Thanks for taking the time to read my âFishing Forecast.â Be sure to take a kid fishing, and be safe on the water and May God Bless You All!