Capt. Rick Grassett releases a cobia caught on a DOA TerrorEyz in the Coastal Gulf in a previous October.
This should be a good month for snook. They should be on the move this month as they move away from passes and along the beach to inside waters towards their wintertime areas. They should be staging around docks and bridges in the ICW and on shallow flats. Live bait anglers should score with live shrimp around docks and bridges or pilchards in shallow water. I like smaller lures and flies around docks and bridges, like DOA Shrimp or my Grassett Snook Minnow fly and larger profile lures and flies on shallow flats, like DOA Baitbusters or my Grassett Flats Minnow fly.
Reds will be plentiful on shallow flats during October. The large schools that roam the flats during August and September will break up into smaller schools. You may find them in potholes or along sand bars when the tide is low or along mangrove shorelines or around submerged oyster bars when the tide is high. You may also find large trout in many of the same area as reds this month. You may be able to sight fish on shallow flats or if you can’t see them, focus on mullet or bait schools to find fish. The same lures and flies used for snook in shallow water will also work for reds and trout in those areas. In my opinion it’s important to protect larger trout, which are usually female breeders.
You should also find trout on deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay where blues, Spanish mackerel or pompano may be mixed with them. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift on deep grass flats. I like a clear, sink-tip fly line with a baitfish fly pattern on deep grass flats. Spin fishing anglers should do well with a live shrimp under a popping cork, DOA Deadly Combos or CAL jigs with a variety of tails. You should find the most variety and action on deep grass flats.
Pat Beckwith, from Sarasota, with a Spanish mackerel caught on a fly in Sarasota Bay, both cauht and released while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett in a previous Oct.
Tarpon will still be an option this month although by the end of the month they have often moved to other areas. I find juvenile tarpon in creeks, canals and in the ICW early in October. Spin fishing anglers should connect with DOA Shrimp or TerrorEyz and fly anglers should score with small baitfish fly patterns.
There should be good action in the coastal gulf in October. With stone crab season opening the middle of the month, there is plenty of structure in the form of crab trap floats in that area. Look for tripletail and cobia around crab trap boats and look further away for bird or surface activity to find little tunny (false albacore) or Spanish mackerel. I like to fly fish for albies and tripletail. Spin fishing anglers should do well with a live or DOA Shrimp, CAL jigs with paddle tails or a DOA Baitbuster for cobia. Full regulations and details for all species can be viewed at www.myfwc.com.
October is usually a great month. I like to fish the coastal gulf for false albacore and tripletail when conditions are good. There should also be good action on shallow flats with reds, trout and snook and you should still find juvenile tarpon this month.
Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by industrial, agricultural and residential runoff, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!
Rick is the owner of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc. He's a full time fishing guide and outdoor writer based in Sarasota, FL. He’s been guiding since 1990 and is an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing guide here at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, the 2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year.
This should be a good month for snook. They should be on the move this month as they move away from passes and along the beach to inside waters towards their wintertime areas. They should be staging around docks and bridges in the ICW and on shallow flats. Live bait anglers should score with live shrimp around docks and bridges or pilchards in shallow water. I like smaller lures and flies around docks and bridges, like DOA Shrimp or my Grassett Snook Minnow fly and larger profile lures and flies on shallow flats, like DOA Baitbusters or my Grassett Flats Minnow fly.
Reds will be plentiful on shallow flats during October. The large schools that roam the flats during August and September will break up into smaller schools. You may find them in potholes or along sand bars when the tide is low or along mangrove shorelines or around submerged oyster bars when the tide is high. You may also find large trout in many of the same area as reds this month. You may be able to sight fish on shallow flats or if you can’t see them, focus on mullet or bait schools to find fish. The same lures and flies used for snook in shallow water will also work for reds and trout in those areas. In my opinion it’s important to protect larger trout, which are usually female breeders.
Capt. Rick Grassett releases a cobia caught on a DOA TerrorEyz in the Coastal Gulf in a previous October.
You should also find trout on deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay where blues, Spanish mackerel or pompano may be mixed with them. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift on deep grass flats. I like a clear, sink-tip fly line with a baitfish fly pattern on deep grass flats. Spin fishing anglers should do well with a live shrimp under a popping cork, DOA Deadly Combos or CAL jigs with a variety of tails. You should find the most variety and action on deep grass flats.
Tarpon will still be an option this month although by the end of the month they have often moved to other areas. I find juvenile tarpon in creeks, canals and in the ICW early in October. Spin fishing anglers should connect with DOA Shrimp or TerrorEyz and fly anglers should score with small baitfish fly patterns.
There should be good action in the coastal gulf in October. With stone crab season opening the middle of the month, there is plenty of structure in the form of crab trap floats in that area. Look for tripletail and cobia around crab trap boats and look further away for bird or surface activity to find little tunny (false albacore) or Spanish mackerel. I like to fly fish for albies and tripletail. Spin fishing anglers should do well with a live or DOA Shrimp, CAL jigs with paddle tails or a DOA Baitbuster for cobia. Full regulations and details for all species can be viewed at www.myfwc.com.
Pat Beckwith, from Sarasota, with a Spanish mackerel caught on a fly in Sarasota Bay, both cauht and released while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett in a previous October.
October is usually a great month. I like to fish the coastal gulf for false albacore and tripletail when conditions are good. There should also be good action on shallow flats with reds, trout and snook and you should still find juvenile tarpon this month.
Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by industrial, agricultural and residential runoff, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!
Rick is the owner of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc. He's a full time fishing guide and outdoor writer based in Sarasota, FL. He’s been guiding since 1990 and is an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing guide here at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, the 2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year.
