September fishing has been great, and there’s no reason to think things will slow down much in October. As the cold fronts start to move through, we should continue to see good action in the Indian River Lagoon and along the nearshore beaches from Melbourne down to Sebastian Inlet. The biggest factor will be the wind and how rough the seas get behind the fronts.
The mullet run is in full swing, and when the weather cooperates, the beaches are definitely the place to be. There should be plenty of Tarpon, Snook, Sharks, Jack Crevalle, and Kingfish around, all following the schools of mullet and looking for an easy meal. For Snook and Jacks, work the trough that runs parallel to the beach. When targeting Tarpon and Sharks, live bait fished around the outside edges of the bait schools is hard to beat.
The Rapala X-Rap Long Cast in the size 14 will be a great choice when working around the mullet schools. I also really like the Rapala CrushCity Paddletails and DOA Baitbusters during the mullet run. Both can be very effective when the fish are keyed in on the bait.
Inshore fishing should be really good throughout October, with Snook, Redfish, and Trout providing plenty of action around the flats and mangrove shorelines. Live bait will give you the best chance at consistent action, but don’t overlook topwater early in the morning. Rapala CrushCity Jerkbaits, Mooch Minnows, and Paddletails fished on 1/8- to 1/4-ounce jigheads should also produce well.
Flounder should be another good option inshore this month. As long as there’s plenty of bait around, anglers should have a good shot at finding fish in the 2- to 6-pound range throughout the lagoon and around the inlets. I like fishing the mangrove shorelines with DOA CAL jigs or 4-inch jerkbaits rigged on VMC 1/4-ounce jigheads. Fish them slowly along the shoreline and pitch them back underneath the mangrove roots.
Docks and spoil islands are also worth spending some time around when looking for Flounder. The X-Rap Twitchin’ Minnow is a good hard bait to work around these areas. If you prefer live bait, finger mullet will be your best bet, although live shrimp can also work well.
The creeks from Melbourne south to Sebastian should continue to hold plenty of gamefish as long as we don’t get too much rain. There should be a lot of mullet around, which means the Snook and Tarpon won’t be far behind. Concentrate on docks and oyster bars that are holding good amounts of bait. Start out with topwater baits early in the morning, then switch over to subsurface baits as the sun gets higher.
Snook should be plentiful throughout the creeks, while Tarpon will spend more time in the deeper channels. With plenty of bait around and cooler weather starting to move in, October should be a great month to get out on the water.