When we think of fall fishing here in Tampa, and in the state of Florida in general, we think of Redfish!! Fall is such a spectacular time to fish here in Tampa Bay. The weather is just wonderful, cool in the morning and not too hot in the afternoon. The water temps start to come down and the water clarity slowly starts to increase when the algae blooms lessen. The bait is plentiful and the fish are hungry, especially the redfish as they prepare for their annual spawn.
The Redfish spawn usual happens around October. The redfish really start to school up and make their way out on to the flats, passes, and off the beaches. The spawn takes a lot of energy out of these fish, and in order to maintain the fish have to eat a lot. On top of that the fish get really competitive with that I better get to that bait fish before you do mentality. They also will eat just about anything you put in front of them.
Redfish will pray on a wide variety of things. Their main diet consists of bait fish and crustaceans. Shrimp and crabs of any kind fall pray to these hungry redfish. Scaled sardines and pinfish as well as cut ladyfish are often the best baits this time of year. Like I said they will eat just about anything. Pipefish, seahorses, small horseshoe crabs, tube worms, eels, you name it and they will eat it. The size of the redfish can really vary this time of year. You never know when you’re are going to run into a school of rat reds, slot fish, or absolute bruisers. Either way Red Drum are spectacular to fight and beautiful as well. You can see some of out catchers here.
Targeting redfish can be done in a wide variety of ways throughout the fall. Live and cut bait seem to work the best. Moving water is also key to a good bite as well as water levels. On higher tides the fish will be tucked back in under and on the edges of mangrove shorelines. Chumming bait will draw these fish into striking distance. A well-placed cut bait just on the edge of the mangroves or under is never a bad idea. Redfish are very scent oriented and sometimes stinky cut bait really draws them out. On the lower tide the fish push out on to the flats and start foraging for food. If there are a lot of mullet on the flats, I tend to fish around those. Sometimes you will see a lot of mullet but there will be a gap here and there. That’s where the redfish lie. Soaking cut bait or live pinfish in the schools of mullet can be one of you better options. Patience is the key.
When the tides are at their lowest is when you can start looking for tailing redfish. They will be rooting in the grasses looking for pray and their tails will be sticking out of the water. A school of tailing redfish is probably the most exciting thing to see. That is when artificial lures are extremely fun. I use a lot of different lures to catch redfish. A ¼ ounce gold spoon is an incredible redfish bait. Not only can you throw it a mile and into the wine, but you can vary you speeds and even bounce it off the bottom. Paddle tail jigs are also great for catching redfish. DOA crabs and shrimp are spectacular lures for tailing redfish. The list goes on and on, like I said they will eat just about anything and if they are tailing, they are eating. Just be careful not to spook them.
Other fall festivities are snook and trout. The snook are still around and extremely hungry. Their bite slows down in the winter time so they are fattening up for the colder months. Snook tend to start making their way slowly into the creeks and canals and anywhere there is nice muddy or sandy bottom that will heat up quickly and retain the heat.
Trout as well push into the creeks and canals and can absolutely pile on top of each other. Nothing beats an insane trout bite. Artificial lures are typically suspending twitch baits and paddle tail jigs. A 1/8th oz jig head and a curly tail grub can be deadly. Small pinfish or white bait will also work incredibly well and don’t forget that a popping cork with a shrimp or small bait fish can be devastating for trout and redfish.
Fall is such a wonderful time to fish. I highly suggest booking a Tampa Bay inshore charter this fall. Don’t wait too long or the bite might change as quickly as the falling of the leaves. Call now 407-977-7650 or visit my website at www.tampafloridafishingguide.com.
