by Capt. Matt Mitchell
August and September are always the slowest months for my business. I really enjoy this downtime and getting to go fishing with my wife on days I’m not booked, because the water is our happy place. That time is almost over, and it’s time to get back to work. By mid-October, it’s like a switch flips, and after a few trips a week, I’m suddenly busy again. I consider myself very lucky that I get paid to go fishing and spend my days on the water.
Although snook season has been open for more than a week, most of my clients have wanted to target redfish. This redfish bite has been, hands down, the best in town and will stay that way through October. I’m catching redfish all over the sound, with action on the bars and flats and all the way back into mangrove creeks.
On these windy days, the many creeks of the Ding Darling have been amazing—deeper creeks on the lower water than the mangrove shorelines on the higher tide. The key for me has been using tail-hooked pinfish, as they seem to catch more redfish than shiners. It seems the pinfish stays closer to the bottom, where the redfish want to feed.
Another good way to catch the many redfish we have is to soak cut bait on the many bars we have. This time of year, hungry schools roam these bars, and when they come by, it’s all hands on deck. These fish will eat almost anything, though cut bait can be cast farther, soaked, and doesn’t hang on the bottom like live bait. Both Red-Light Shoal and Captiva rocks are just a few of the many bars these redfish roam over the next month.
As I run around the sound, it’s hard not to notice how much life is all around. Birds, bait, and fish feeding are all part of our fall pattern. This activity will only get better, as this change of season marks the start of the major bait migration we see every year in Spring and Fall. Watching everything come alive makes for exciting times on the water for the next few months. Having rods for everything and being ready for whatever comes our way makes for some memorable days on the water.