Best bets for September fishing

Report Date: August 16, 2004

Catchin? Report-October 2004-Crystal River/Homosassa, Fl.


As Labor Day marks the official end to another summer, football season kicks in, and the kids start back to school, it also marks the beginning of some of the best fishing in our area As the air starts to cool a bit, so will the water, and bring on the fall pattern of fishing. Trout and Grouper fishing will turn on, the Redfish will continue to be a main target of the flats and the migratory fish, like Spanish Mackerel, Cobia, King Mackerel will start to show up again. Some tarpon will still be around in the deeper holes in the rivers. Plus, you will still have a few weeks to get scallops before the season closes.
Hopefully, all the hurricane Charley?s will be gone for a while and the gulf waters will settle down.

Bill & Joyce Brant--Joyce's birthday Redfish!!!

Best bets for this month: Redfish can be found schooling on the inshore flats and around the spoil banks north of Crystal River. Look for rocky points, oyster bars, grass lines near mangroves to find most of your fish. Early morning and evening low light conditions are prime time for top water plugs like the Mirrorlure Top Dog. Plastic jerk baits like Saltwater Assassins and gold spoons fished over rocky cover on a moving tide works well too. Best color patterns are white, rootbeer, and black with gold fleck.
Here is a tip if you spot a group of reds and they won?t bite. Take some old shrimp frozen from the last trip, cutbait, or whatever you have (ladyfish is good cutbait) and cut up into quarter inch pieces for chum. Throw a handful out upcurrent from where the fish are holding and every five minutes repeat. Float or freeline your bait in with the chum and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Sometime fish like an appetizer too.

Trout will start to move into shallower water of 3-6 feet. Best bet is top water as mentioned above and twitch baits worked over grass beds spotted with sand spots. Cajun or popping corks with a Cotee jig and soft plastic grub or live shrimp or pinfish will catch you a limit of ol? specks. Big trout love to hang out on the edges of holes or drop offs, waiting for bait fish. To catch them, use a stealth approach or drift technique, light lines in the 6-10 lb class and long casts. Remember, they didn?t get big by being stupid. So, you have to outsmart them.

Offshore the grouper bite should be very good in depths of 40- 60 feet. Keep an eye out for Cobia and Kings as you head out and in. This could definitely make and average day into an exceptional one.

To our many friends who are new in the area, or if you will be visiting our area, one of the best ways to learn how to catch fish it, is hire a professional guide the first time out. All over our Sunshine State we are blessed with some of the best in world. Give me a call and I can recommend one for you. You will be glad you did.

Remember?.Take a youngster fishin?, cause a child?s smile and good day fishin? is the best medicine for whatever ails ya?.

Captain Ed Lewis
www.Redfishhunter.com /> 352-629-9684

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