Fall is in full swing and the cooler temperatures are slowly bringing down the water temps and the fish are on the move. Fall is such a great time to fish here in Tampa Bay. There are a lot of different species you can target on any given day. Fish seem to be very active and hungry in preparation for the colder winter months.
Fall tides can be really strong and you get a wide variety of water levels from extreme high tides to negative low tides. That is why the fish are always on the move and it can often be tricky to keep them dialed in. They move around a lot from the mangrove shore lines, to out on the flats, and then all the way out on the edges of flats or tucked back into the creeks and canals. Staying on the fish can be a lot of work, but if you find them, they are almost always read to chew.
We will start to get more and more cold fronts leading into the winter months. The water will slowly start to get cleaner and the fish will start seeking areas where the water temps are more enjoyable for them. The bait fish will eventually leave the flats for deeper water and fish will alter their diets to more crustaceans like shrimp and crabs. Everything seems to be 2 to 3 weeks later this year than in past years. Crazy weather patterns have had a lot to do with that, but the fish are still out there. We didn’t get the push of small fry bait like we did in years past. A lot of fish that follow the fry bait didn’t show up in great numbers this year as in the past, but there still plenty around. Fish like Jack Crevelle and the smaller Tarpon numbers were not what we are used to seeing.
Redfish should be starting their spawn as usual, but like everything else it seems to be delayed a bit as well. Look for redfish to start to really school up and push out on to the flats and creeks mouths. On negative tides search for accessible deeper pockets on the flats, out on the edges of flats or back in the creeks and canals. Dock fishing can also be productive and it’s a great option when the weather doesn’t allow for normal operation. There is almost always a place you can go to get out of the elements if you’re willing to go.
Snook bite will remain consistent throughout the remainder of the fall. They will push out on the flats to warm themselves and follow the tides in and out of the creeks. Moving water will always be better for a consistent bite. Snook can be lazy and will often let the food come to them. Some of the biggest snook I have caught have been in late fall and early winter up in the creeks.
Trout fishing is starting to heat up and I’m happy to see more and more trout around. The artificial trout bite has been great. Not a lot of big fish, but plenty of small trout and fish on the smaller end of the slot limit. Great things to see in our area and hopefully we will consistently have the bigger trout like we did when I first moved here in 2017. Trout will stage in the deeper pockets adjacent to creeks and canals and off deeper oyster bars and channels. You find one trout you can typically find a bunch. 1/4 oz jig head with a 3”paddle tail or curly tail will always be a great way to find and catch trout.
One of my favorite fish to target this time of year is Triple Tail. These delicious fish can be found all around Tampa Bay and off the beaches. Most people associate triple tail with crab pot buoys, but you can find them on the larger channel markers as well as on pilings with deeper water around. They won’t always be on the surface so dropping a bait to the bottom can greatly increase your chance of hookup. Triple tail love shrimp but they will also eat white bait. I like to cut the tail off of the bait and put a split shot to slowly sink the bait under the buoys and down the anchor chains or down to the bottom of the pilings. Looks for anything of substantial size floating on the surface of the water or even dense weed lines. These can be magnets for hungry triple tail. Plan on burning some gas when looking for these fish but often you can luck out and find multiple fish on the same structure. Triple tail will also hand down by the crab pots so don’t be afraid to drop a bait down and wait for them to bite.
Sheepshead will also start to really show up as the water temps drop. Fiddler crabs, and mud crabs are the best bait of choice. A small piece of shrimp will also work well. A stout j hook and a split shot are all you need when targeting these fish, but be ready the bite is quick so you have to react fast. Typical places to look are reefs, rock piles, dock piling and deep seawalls. Scraping of barnacles can really attract the sheepshead. Make sure you have plenty of extra bait as sheepshead will quickly steal your bait.
November also kicks off the start of great sight casting opportunities for tailing redfish. Always keep an eye out for them to show themselves to you. Nothing gets your heart racing than approaching a tailing redfish or even better a school of tailing redfish! A tailing redfish is a hungry redfish. If you’re looking for a Tampa Bay fishing charters now is a great time to go! Fishing is fun!