Well the mornings this week seemed a little cooler letting us know that that fabulous fall fishing is upon us. This week off-shore yielded plenty of grouper up to twenty five pounds with a nice mix of snapper in the lot. I spoke with a gentleman out of O’Neill’s marinia on Tuesday and he reported good size wahoo out in 100’ of water due west of Egmont Key. The deep water wrecks are covered in Bonita, sharks big sharks and amberjacks both lesser and greater. I tell you the lesser amberjack is awesome table fare with some of the mildest whitest meat you’ll find and the limits are gracious.
Inshore, the snook bite has fired off in the typical summer/fall transition spots with a lot of big gals making their way back from the spawn. Reports of large schools of redfish are pouring in around the bay it seems a new school shows up about every week. Looking on the flats there are some huge I mean huge trout, not many but hopefully this is a great sign that our trout fishery has almost recovered from the red tide that happened a few years ago.
In the middle of the bay there are acres of Spanish mackerel from the beginning to the end of the shipping channel with large fish up to 7 pounds these fish are great for kids and grown ups alike. The inshore wrecks are and rock piles are still holding mangrove or grey snapper which ever you prefer to call them.
It seems the best bite has been early and playing out by mid afternoon with water temps approaching the high 80’s by that point. Be ready though, fall is just around the corner with promises of kingfish, and huge schools of redfish and the like, grouper are moving in closer and closer on each moon I promise it won’t be long.
Be sure to check us out on Saturday mornings on News Channel 8 at 6:30 am and on Sunday at 11 am for The Reel Animals Fishing Show and call in to 1040 am from 8-10am as next week we will be returning to WDAE 620 am The Sports Animal Sunday from 7-9 am where the Reel Animals Fishing Team got our start some nine years ago. So until next time, “Do yourself a favor and take a kid fishin’.”
