Oct. 4, 2007

The fall is the time of year that I see more people fishing for our year round species than any other, mainly reds and trout. Perhaps this is because the weather is so nice or they know that the weather will turn uncomfortably cold in the coming months. Mostly though I feel that this is the time of year that they have a lot of luck.

These fish feed heavily with tons of bait throughout the summer and especially in the late months. Then a lot of this bait starts to disappear while these fish are still in the mode of gorging themselves. Also the cooler water helps these fish to be more active throughout the day. So you put those two things together and you end up with active foraging fish. Fishing popping corks with shrimp or Berkley gulp works quite well this time of year in and around any covered shell banks. Wherever you have seen flats that have held reds before you can bank on not only finding them there this time of year but also finding them with more of an appetite.

Sight casting with the fly or with spinning gear this time of year is in a transition. For the rest of October and early November we should still see tailing fish up in the grass. Especially with it being so warm so late into October. Then as things cool off more and the fiddlers get to deep in the mud to find tails, I like to sight cast to them on the mudflats, finding them chasing shrimp or rooting around for other items on the bottom during low tide. In these cases a shrimp pattern, like a CG Crafty Shrimp or an E-Z Body Prawn are perfect for a fly rod. Then a DOA shrimp, Berkley Gulp shrimp or a Red Ripper Spoon seem to work well on the spinning rod.

Get out there and fish. It is a great time of year to be on the water. Tight Lines, Capt. Tuck Scott

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