by Capt. Matt Mitchell
When clients ask me what my favorite month to fish is, the answer is always September. Not only is it a transition month, but there are so few boats on the water that the options are endless, and you generally have it all to yourself.
September marks the change of season for southwest Florida. Mornings have become a little cooler, and the humidity has dropped slightly. It’s certainly a subtle change, but our days are getting noticeably shorter. On the water, feeding birds and schools of bait, both on the beaches and in the sound, are getting more plentiful, which is a sure sign that Fall is not far away.
Open water fishing around the many schools of bait is a sure bet over the next few months. Now what’s on these bait schools can change day to day and from place to place. Lots of what we find feeding on the surface are ladyfish, Spanish mackerel, and jacks, though so much life attracts more life. These same bait-feeding frenzies also bring trout and often bigger fish like sharks and tarpon. Nothing is more exciting for a fisherman than seeing tarpon breach through these bait pods.
Snook fishing really fires off over the next month too as these fish begin to pack on the pounds before winter. After spending summer in the passes and on the beaches, these fish will be found in the middle sound on oyster bars along with many of the mangrove islands throughout the sound. As bait gets more and more plentiful, snook get really dialed in on shiners. Points and entrances to mangrove creeks with good water movement will really come alive.
Schooling redfish action will keep getting better through October. Both Redfish and Captiva passes can be non-stop redfish action. The old school method of drifting baits on both sides of the passes is a good way to locate these fish. Rig a pinfish with a 1/2oz sinker a few feet up the leader. Cast up-tide and let the bait bounce the bottom as the boat slowly drifts. Over the years, this method has caught more fish in the passes than any other way. We don’t see it used as much as it used to because of spot-lock trolling motors. Covering ground while drifting is the tried-and-true method to catch both snook and redfish in our passes.
With a few days off this week and a forecast for light east winds in the mornings, I plan to run down the beaches to the south toward Bonita. This area from Ft. Myers Beach all the way to Bonita Beach can have some amazing tarpon fishing this time of year. Although it’s a lot of water to cover, it’s about locating birds and bait. September tarpon fishing is as good as it gets, and once you locate these fish, they have zero pressure on them.
Capt. Matt Mitchell moved to Sanibel in 1980 and has lived in St. James City since 2000, when he started his fishing charter business. He spends over 300 days a year “living the dream” fishing. For questions and info: bookings@captmattmitchell.com
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