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Morning temperatures in the low seventies during the last week in September are a sure indication that the exciting, fall Tampa Fishing is just around the corner. Another event confirming this phenomenon is the massive bait schools that have begun to collect both right up next to the beaches as well as a few miles out. On some mornings, birds are diving over boilings schools of mackerel 50 yards long. Medium to large bonita are in the mix as well, mercilessly torpedoing these same bait schools. With all of this activity, the first kingfish have started to arrive and it will only get better. Tampa Fishing Guides will often start the day casting into these frenzies with small, heavy silver spoons. Once in the proper area, there may be 4 - 5 schools of fish to pick from. Race to the closest one with rod and spoon in hand, cut the motor, get up to the bow and fire away. Spoons should be retrieved as fast as possible without making the lure skip out of the water. To trigger the most strikes, impart action on the lure by jerking the rod as this will make the lure really flash. This fishing is pure entertainment. After warming up on a few Spanish mackerel, get a little more selective and look for the big boils as these will be 5 - 10 lbs bonita...great sport on an inshore rod. Aside from the size of the boils, a school of bonita will be identifiable by their "forward slashing" nature. These fish will travel almost on the surface for 3 - 4 feet as they push through bait, sometimes side by side with ten or fifteen of their compatriots. When approaching these fish, be prepared to work fast as you may only get one cast into them before they sound in search of their next bait pod. There is definitely some skill required in lure hooking these speedsters.
Once enough mackerel have been caught to fill the smoker, it's time to target the big boys. The standard approach on most Tampa Fishing Charters is to go to an area that is a likely kingfish hang out...any place that will hold decent quantities of bait... and anchor up. This area might simply be where numerous schools of threadfin herring are present as these baits are among their favorites. Drop a chum block, start spreading the whitebait liberally, both live and cut, and expect action within the half hour. If this doesn't occur, it's probably time to make a move as the chum slick should have spread out enough to bring fish in if they were in the vicinity. Although kingfish will certainly eat a standard sized pilchard, bring larger baits to keep the Spanish mackerel away. Tampa Fishing Guides know that blue runners, big threadfins, ladyfish, and mullet will all get the job done. Small Spanish mackerel are probably best of all but must be caught "on location" as they won't tolerate being either out of the water or in a live well for long. Rig these baits on a stinger rig with a #1/0 or #2/0 bait hook and a #4 treble hook. Leader strength should be 40 lbs test...up to 60 lbs to be safe. Malin hard wire steel leader or American Fishing Wire tie-able leader are both good choices. Rig these baits on a large bobber, or balloon, then drop them 30 - 40 yards "down slick" and wait for the screaming drag. By dropping these baits back a ways, anglers can still fish closer to the boat with light tackle for mackerel or, if over good structure, bottom fish for grouper, grunts, seabass or snapper. If planning on using this approach, use reels with lots of line capacity so that a big fish taking long runs won't require pulling the anchor and leaving the chum slick. On many Tampa Fishing Charters, everyone on the boat has forgotten about the kingfish line and are pleasantly awakened by the "drag music" when a quality fish eats the bait. Occasionally, this line will get hit by an untargeted guest like a cobia, spinner shark, barracuda or, if fishing shallow enough, a random grouper.
Another great option for October is redfish. Once again, the redfishing this last summer was a little challenging but most Tampa Fishing Guides expect a flurry of activity before winter's cold arrives. With strong tides persisting through this month, fishing on the better tide days should be productive. Fish will be found on oyster bars, along mangrove shorelines and in potholes on the flats. Cut baits, as well as bobbered live baits such as pinfish and pilchards will be a productive approach. Tampa Fishing for over-sized redfish (15 to 25 lbs) is also entering prime season. Finding these fish can be challenging but is always hugely rewarding as fish this size aren't dependably available in local waters. Four to five inch pinfish and grass grunts are excellent baits for these big bruisers for two reasons. big redfish like these baits and nothing else will eat them while waiting for the redfish to show up...unless a stray shark or late season tarpon rolling down the beach finds it. These fish frequent passes and rocky locations within a mile or two of shore...often times only tens of yards off the beach.
With gag grouper season closing on October 31st, near shore anglers may want to try their luck at some shallow water grouper while a few fillets can still be kept. The kingfish and mackerel action started a little early and the grouper may well follow suit. With the regulations being fairly restrictive this year, it is logical to expect Tampa Fishing for grouper inside of 25 feet will be excellent and that some legal fish are already residing in these depths. Use standard grouper tackle and live baits such as pinfish and large pilchards. Heavy spinning tackle ...30 - 40 lbs test...with free swimming or lightly weighted baits would be a good plan "B". Some Tampa Fishing Guides also have success dragging large lipped plugs over shallow rocks so as to cover a lot of ground. Whatever tactic is used, give it a try in the next 30 days or it's $20 a pound until the season opens again next year. Good luck and good fishing.
This Fishing Report was submitted on 6/5/2013 11:10:59 PM by and last updated on 6/5/2013 11:10:59 PM.
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