Offshore forecast
This month, you'll find what you're looking for
By DAVE MISTRETTA
Published October 3, 2003
October is the month we have been waiting for. Cold fronts start to blanket the state, triggering all sorts of action. Water temperatures drop toward the magical 70s, luring game fish from deeper water. Grouper, sharks, cobia, kingfish and Spanish mackerel ... the possibilities are endless.
On Oct. 15, the season for harvesting stone crab claws begins. Thousands of crab buoys will dot the coastline as commercial crabbers try to haul in the lucrative claws. You can't ask for a better chum slick. Fresh mullet and grouper carcasses are used as bait in the traps, saturating the water with fish oil. And the ropes and buoys provide a temporary haven for bait. Small schools of pinfish and blue runners stick around the devices trying to avoid bigger predators. Each day will bring a few more kingfish until the invasion hits full force by Halloween. Sharks (which have had a strong presence this summer) can be found near the chum slicks for a few weeks until cooler temperatures force them south. Cobia also will make their final appearances, mostly along the beaches.
Bait schools already are building up along the shore, making it easy to fill live wells. Threadfin herring, horse minnows and large schools of pinfish are there for the taking during daylight. By using sonar, anglers can load the cast nets. You'll also find plenty of Spanish mackerel ravaging these schools.
Last fall the tarpon bite was as good as it gets the first two weeks of October. Glass minnows were bunched up along the beaches off Indian Shores south to Redington Beach. We averaged three silver kings a day during a two-week period. Drifting through the bait schools was the key. This year, it looks like the same thing will happen since bait is abundant along the same beaches. Rig with pinfish, threadfin herring and pilchards suspended about 6 feet under a float.
This is the month for tournament anglers to practice. A few outings at the start of the fall kingfish run could put you closer to the winner's circle come November. The kingfish won't be as thick this month, but there are enough to get your drag screaming and knock off the rust (so to speak). Each push of cool air will bring more kings south. Offshore waters have been productive for kingfish the past two falls. The artificial reefs hold good numbers, but there are other alternatives. If Spanish sardines settle around the 50-foot mark, like they have the past two seasons, there will be plenty of kings to go around. We have worked a single bait school for days, catching our limit easily. You'll usually find the bait hiding on the sandy bottom rather than the traditional hard-bottom areas. Sardines camouflage themselves by blending in with the sand, but the kings still find them.
October can bring some of the best grouper fishing of the year for both rod anglers and spearfishermen. With the water temperature so tolerable, the day can be maximized with numerous dives in shallow water. Each push of cool air ushers in not only kingfish, but grouper. Rock ledges will be replenished with every front, and water of any depth will produce. It just depends on how far you want to go.
Island hopping
Giving you more of what you're here for
Boat smart
Fishing this month
John's Pass lures snook, anglers
Photo tips for Great Catch!
Radio rules
Updated state fishing regulations
Freshwater reportLake Toho remains big on bass
Inshore forecastSpots heat up as the water cools
Offshore forecastThis month, you'll find what you're looking for
