It’s more than just tricks and treats this October. The waters may be starting to settle after another phenomenal mullet migration this year, and even though the temperature is cooling off, the offshore fishing is just heating up. As the southerly winds of summer switch to the north, all species in the Atlantic start to make their way back down the beach.
Mahi-mahi are some of the first to arrive, with quality fish typically migrating down the offshore side of the Eight Mile Reef, all the way out to 1500 feet of water. I prefer to troll while I’m targeting mahi, unless it’s super calm, in which case I opt to zip around (run and gun) looking for places to deploy a few live baits for short periods of time and then on to the next spot. Look for pieces of float, weed lines and color changes as well as birds feeding and even fish jumping, giving away their hiding spots. This year there has been a tremendous amount of sargassum weed, so I’m betting if you put the time in, and run the distance, you’ll probably find some big mats to try. Even though dolphin are the target species on these run and gun missions, you want to have a lighter rod with a shrimp and jig ready for triple tail hanging around the debris.
October offers a range of other species too. There’s a good chance at stumbling across a wahoo, and there are plenty of kingfish around still, so don’t be caught out there without some wire to put out if you start getting clipped off.
Last year we had an excellent swordfish bite in October and November and we even caught a few during the day on conventional rod and reel. This used to be an electric reel game during daylight hours, but with the recent evolution in tackle we have been able to target them in a more traditional way, Mano a Mano! So you better eat your Wheaties if you don’t want the help of an electric. If you’re interested in checking one of these incredible fish Off your bucket list, please give us a call to book your Off The Chain sword fishing adventure.
Also, as the winds switch to the north, grouper along with other bottom fish will start to slide back down the coastline giving us another few months of opportunity to bag a grouper dinner before season ends.
Check out Capt Rocky’s report for a more detailed look at the reef fishing off the Treasure Coast and I hope your next trip on the water is Off The Chain.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Scott Fawcett
Off the Chain Fishing Charters
Phone: (772) 285-1055
Email: fishscottyf@bellsouth.net
www.offthechainfishing.com
