October will be a many layered sandwich of seasonal dynamics that will energize the near coastal ecosystem. The forces of nature will combine this month in the form of substantial masses of bait fish that shall heed the call to migrate to and through our nearshore waters. Pelagic and resident fish species will tow behind the influx of these huge masses of bait and track them to our offshore doorstep. Provided that an offshore weather window is user friendly, the anglers of Martin County will be able to intersect a wide variety of saltwater species throughout the water column.
King and Spanish mackerel along with other top water species can be found in better numbers this month as they circle up schools of live bait along current edges, temperature contours, and over top of reef structures. Solid populations of snapper will populate the deeper footprint of these reef areas as several species will continue spawning sessions this month. Mutton snapper have congregated at increased numbers over the last couple of weeks along reef lines from 50 to 90 feet of water and hopefully this trend will continue through this month (Mutton snapper must be 18-inches in overall length to be a “keeper”. (Check state and federal regulations by downloading the FishRules App at https://fishrulesapp.com/ for your mobile device).
Other members of the snapper family will be found along side of their mutton cousins. Lane, vermilion, and mangrove snapper will inhabit similar reef zones and help to color the fish boxes of October.
Cobia sightings will not be uncommon this month and will be seen swimming along with turtles, manta rays, and sharks. Be jig ready for spontaneous interactions with hungry cobes. Large gag and red grouper will also avail themselves during these days as they sit on their bottom dwelling thrones and challenge athletically inclined anglers to extract them from their underwater kingdoms. Also, the potential for tropical weather systems will be a wild card game changer for overall fishing this month, as these low pressure systems interact with our offshore playing field. An already overactive hurricane season will have all eyes on the tropics this month. With this in mind, keep your fingers crossed, knots tied tight, and pray for red skies at night.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Rocky Carbia
Safari I
Pirates Cove Resort and Marina
4307 SE Bayview St. Port Salerno, Florida
Reservations: (772) 334-4411
www.Safari-1.com
