hughey redfish

Cool weather is finally arriving, and so are the mullet! The mullet run is finally starting to make its appearance. Large schools of mullet of all sizes are starting to flood the surf. This is one of the best times of the year and is always home to a plethora of different species ranging from tarpon, snook, redfish, big sharks, jacks, bluefish, and all sorts of other species!

Although there is a ton of species gorging on mullet, it can be down right frustrating at times as you watch fish crashing bait and somehow avoiding yours, but with a little attention to detail and some change up you can have an awesome day! If you see lots of large mullet, try to throw something smaller, or maybe even a large lipped plug, worked very erratically. This is one time of the year where matching the hatch doesn’t always produce and making your bait stick out can entice a bite.

Another great method is cut bait fishing. Even with all the live bait available it never hurts to toss out a large chunk of fresh mullet, and often you’ll be rewarded with bigger fish. Although the sharks and bluefish are better at finding the cut bait, it’s definitely not impossible for a large snook, or tarpon to pick it up.

As for the river, the large redfish are starting to roam the flats more and more. They’e spawning along with black drum. Anglers can find these schools anywhere from 10-200 fish at times especially around the full moons. Look for fish in 2-5 feet of water on the outside of shallow flats and even deeper channels. My favorite bait for these fish is a 1.4 oz jighead with a 4 inch gulp shrimp, this is one time of the year that artificial actually can produce more bites on these larger fish.

Please remember these are our breeders and we need to handle them with great care. Get out and enjoy some fall fishing as winter will be here before you know it!