Aripeka to Longboat Key
Includes Hudson, New Port Richey, Anclote Key, Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Clearwater, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Anna Maria Island and Bradenton.

Oct. 3-5

West Central

Feeling “fallish” is part of the October experience here in West Central Florida. While the calendar says it’s fall, and we’re seeing some cooler weather, we’re also seeing an abnormally high water situation that is not indicative of this time of year, and it’s been affecting inshore fishing in backcountry waters.

OFFSHORE

The king is coming! Scattered reports of kingfish on the move is a normal thing, but when you hear about it this early, with smokers involved, you have to think early. Capt. Rick Rodriguez of the Gulf Grouper out of Hernando Beach reported a good action this week just about everywhere they dropped anchor, but it seems the bite is steadily moving in toward the shallows. Rodriguez reported a southerly migration of scaled sardines and other baitfish. It’s a normal progression this time of year, but when they dropped anchor to fish the bait pods for grunts, grouper, and mangrove snapper over 3-pounds, he said it was hard to get a bait down before a bonito, Spanish or king mackerel would grab their offering. One trip he fished this week resulted in over 30 grouper in just 8 feet of water while fishing jigs and Yozuri plugs. While the majority were undersized fish, that migration to the shallows has begun, and over the next month expect that action to sizzle!

Stone crab season is just a little over a week away, and around the 5th of the month, traps will go into the water. Last year’s banner stonie season brought smiles for crabbers. Dining hotspots like the Cedar Key Seafood House, (the Freezer to locals) in Homosassa specializes in fresh caught seafood of all kinds and stone crabs are a favorite there. Along with traps going into the water, consider all that fresh bait in the traps and the luring scent trails that go along with them. The scent is enough to begin drawing baitfish to the area along with predators.

To the south, nearshore waters between New Pass and Point of Rocks off Siesta Key have been holding good numbers of bonito, large Spanish mackerel, small kings, and barracuda, according to Capt. Bob Smith out of New Pass Bait Shop. Spotting bird action has been the key for Smith when looking for pelagics. Live bait and artificial lures are both working well for him.

INSHORE

Higher than normal tides have allowed snook and redfish to work their way back up into the mangroves to feed for entire tide phases. On some tides, the fish never came back out. You could hear fish popping well back into the bushes but you couldn’t reach them. Until we get a front or something to change the pattern, we could be stuck with mediocre fishing. Open water fishing for trout has been good. Anglers working grass flats off Pinellas Point are scoring some nice specks on DOA Deadly Combos and Berkley Gulp Shrimp. Trout season in the South Region, south of Fred Howard Park, closes the end of this month for a two month period.

Cobia have been hitting the range markers in Tampa Bay and anglers tossing a live pinfish or an eel imitation are having a good shot at these fish. The edges of the Ship’s Channel coming into Tampa Bay have been productive for gag grouper and mangrove snapper lately. A hot bite for mangos around the center span of the Skyway produced fish to 3-pounds on live shrimp and small scaled sardines.

Capt. William Toney out of Homosassa said trout fishing has been hot! Limits of specks to 4-pounds are not uncommon. Before heading for some redfish, anglers fishing with Toney brought 25 legal sized trout to the boat. MirrOlures, CAL Shads, Berkley Gulp, and DOA Deadly Combos have been top producers here.

FRESHWATER

Cooler weather has been turning bass on at Lake Tarpon. Early morning action for anglers tossing buzz baits and spinner baits has produced bass to 4-pounds near the northwest corner of the lake.

Do you want to catch The Big One? Florida Sportsman Magazine Radio Live!, airing Saturdays from 8 to 9 a.m. on 1040 AM is beefing up the signal and going to a new frequency. WWBA 1040 AM radio will now be found at 820 AM on your dial with a macho 50,000 watts of power, pumping out information for you weekend warriors. No station in the market can boast more power, and Captains Ray Markham and Gary Folden remain at the helm bringing you live, on-water reports from the areas top guides and anglers and simulating on both 1040 and 820 as the transition takes place. So make the switch on your pre-set button for all the action. ‘Til then…catch ya later!

Capt. Ray Markham (941) 723-2655 home (941) 228-3474 cell E-mail: flatback@tampabay.rr.com

By Capt. Ray Markham |  flatback@tampabay.rr.com
| 941-723-2655

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