ST AUGUSTINE
It’s still hot out there–the fishing and the air temps, but Fall is coming. How do you still beat the lingering heat? Get out at first light, or wait for the last few hours of daylight, right around dusk. Those hours are typically the best times to catch the fish feeding this time of year. It’s a great time of year to toss top-water plugs inshore, during those lower light conditions, and along the beach, the tarpon will be feeding early and late as well.
One very important ingredient for catching fish this time of year, is to look for the bait. Whether it’s finger mullet, shrimp, or pogys–if you find the bait–you’ll find the fish. The bait can be easily located by looking for nervous water (small disruptions on the surface, similar to a very small boat wake). You can be sure that redfish, trout, and flounder will be hanging around the schools of bait, looking for an easy meal. Don’t overlook the banks along the ICW on the lower tide stages this month. A lot of the baitfish will come out of the creeks and hang along those ICW banks, especially the ones that have oysters scattered on them. Again, the bigger fish will be in close pursuit.
September brings one of the most unique and exciting ways to catch redfish on the First Coast. We will have some great “flood” tides this month and the reds will be up in the grass tailing away. You can use a trolling motor to scout out the best grass flats, but wading or poling your boat, is usually the most effective way to catch the tailing reds. Start looking for the fish before the tide gets too high (usually at least an hour or two before the high tide, depending on how high it will get). Small plastic baits, like those made by Slayer Inc. will work great in the grass. Rig your lure weedless on a Slayer Inc. Penetrator hook and try to present it well in front of, or past the fish, and then slowly drag it towards him. A direct hit to a tailing red will usually send him darting off the flat, like an out of control torpedo. Sometimes, they are so focused on finding food, that they seem to never look up to find your lure. That’s when a small glass rattle inserted into your soft plastic, or tied to your favorite fly, will do wonders to get their attention.
This month will still be good to look for the silver kings to be feeding early in the morning, on the bait pods just off the beach. Free-line a pogy around the bait pods and hold on. You’ll also find some big tarpon behind the shrimp boats in the by-catch slicks. If the tarpon don’t want to play, do some trolling along the beach for some line-screaming kingfish action (there will be plenty of them out there). There will also be plenty of smaller tarpon inshore in the canals and deeper creeks and flats. A back hooked free-lined finger mullet, a free lined select shrimp, or medium sized pogy, will all make for a great tarpon snack.