by Capt. Matt Mitchell
September has always been one of my favorite months to fish. Over the years, I have groomed clients to come in September, enjoy our fishery, and take in how quiet the islands are. Options are endless, though starting by chasing tarpon for an hour or two is never a bad way to start the day.
Finding birds on bait and feeding ladyfish is the telltale. Watching tarpon blitz through this mayhem gets the heart racing. This can happen anywhere from the beaches all through the sound. Though most of the tarpon are in the 30-60 pound range, they’re perfect for jumping over and over in a short battle. This bite will only get better until our first real cold front, usually around Halloween.
Redfish action has really picked up as our days get shorter and the water has finally gotten that summer tannin stain from the rains. During high water, I’ve been mangrove fishing using both cut pinfish and shiners. Once you locate these fish, the bait type doesn’t seem to matter. The Fosters Point area on North Captiva has been a go-to, but moving around has been key. One day they are on one point, then the next day they have moved a few hundred yards. Many times while red fishing this time of year, other reds will follow your hooked fish to the boat. Having another rod ready to cast often means double hookups.
The snook bite in and around the passes continues, with the lower water periods being the better bite for me. The low outgoing tide is my favorite for the past few weeks. Less water seems to bunch these fish up tighter on the docks, snags, and jetties. Drifting pinfish with a small weight is the old-school way, and it covers a lot of water and catches lots of fish. Rips and eddies can hold endless amounts of snook.
September is one of the best months to catch that grand slam of a tarpon, snook, redfish, and trout. Some of the biggest trout I’ve seen have come up as bycatch while tarpon fishing first thing in the morning. It just amazes me how big of a pinfish a trout can eat. The same bait schools that are getting crushed by tarpon and ladyfish also have big trout in them.
