Coastal Angler Magazine | September 2023 | Greater Orlando Edition

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This is a hard time of year for most Southern trout anglers. Water temperatures are warm all over, and most of our trout shing has slowed way down or is just plain over for a bit.

Here in East Tennessee, we are currently bringing 5- and 6-weight y rods and dri shing topwater poppers for spotted and smallmouth bass on several local rivers. We are catching some nice sh, and we’re also catching very good numbers, all on top.

It’s like hopper shing, just on the warm-water side of things. e bass are happy and should be looking up for the remainder of the summer through October, depending on water ows and weather.

It’s a nice change of pace for a bit, with many sh being in the 15- to 16-inch range and averaging a pound and a half or two, with shots at larger sh on any given dri . Giant pumpkinseed bream will also come up and hammer a popper on occasion.

If you’re getting into the bassy side of things, I recommend 2x leaders, 5- and 6-weight rods and your favorite color poppers. e occasional pop and twitch is just a way to say hello to let them know it’s there and see who comes up.

If you want to catch some hard- ghting sh and have a fun day on the water, give us a call before it’s over.

Contact Hiawassee River Guides at (423) 208-8602. See their website at http://hiwasseeriverguides.blogspot.com/.

Home of world class fishing on the beautiful Watauga Lake, rugged Doe River and designated trophy trout stream, Watauga River

Fall Snook

AND THE MULLET MIGRATION

By Nick Carter

Fall is a ne time to be an angler on the Florida coast. e summer crowds dwindle as the summer heat begins to taper o , and snook season opens Sept. 1 ahead of the mullet run.

Capt. Adam White, of St. Lucie Flats Fishing on Florida’s Treasure Coast, said this time of year o ers good snook and tarpon shing in his area. Whether he’s shing bridges at night or inshore structure during the day, there are a lot of snook to be caught around Fort Pierce and a lot of places to catch them.

“From the beach to the inlet, the bridges at night and the seawalls during the day, there’s a lot

of di erent places to sh for them,” he said. “You’ll only get four or ve bites per spot, and if you don’t get a bite in 10 minutes or so, leave. I don’t let grass grow under my feet.”

Run-and-gun tactics make for fun shing, with spurts of activity between quick boat rides. Capt. White said he can’t guarantee a one- sh-perperson snook limit because the 28- to 32-inch slot is a small window, but he said anglers can expect consistent action from under-slot snook or a shot at a big over-slot sh.

Inshore, White likes light (up to 15-pound)

spinning rigs for pitching live baits to currentswept structure, such as mangrove islands, spoil bars and docks. Snook are strong, and a decent one will take you for a ride on light tackle.

e best shot at a big snook is out in the inlet, where White will anchor up and drop baits to the bottom in hopes of just three or four bites over the course of a trip. e payo might be a snook in the 35- to 38-inch range with an outside shot at a 40-incher. ese sh might weigh 15 to 20-plus pounds.

Live bait is the best bet, and snook will eat whatever is available at the time. Live mullet or croakers are White’s preferred baits, and he doesn’t shy away from using bigger 5- to 8-inch baits, which even small snook will hammer.

Anglers who prefer arti cials will nd good action at night at the bridges. White suggested lipped-plugs like the Bomber Windcheater, which has a good mullet-like pro le in the 4 ½-inch size. Another great lure is the locally made so -plastic umper Shrimp. Rig one on a jig head with enough weight to get it down and work it slowly across the bottom.

As for the annual mullet run, when predators hound millions of mullet pushing south to spawning grounds o south Florida, White said he likes the front end of the migration. O St. Lucie County, the shing is best around the second week of September, when mullet begin trickling into the shery. Once the migration is full-blown, there are so many bait sh in the water that it’s hard to get sh to notice your bait.

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chinook are Running in the Pacific Northwest

By Nick Carter

Right now, there’s a migration gearing up in the Paci c Northwest. Chinook salmon are staged to push up out of the cold Paci c and into the inlets and coastal rivers of Washington, Oregon and Northern California. Just like they do in the famed Alaskan runs, big king salmon are making a nal return to the spawning grounds where they hatched to begin the next generation before they die.

With his father, Trevor Pelland, has shed these runs on the Hoh and Sol Duk rivers of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula since he was 8 or 9 years old. His dad was doing it before him. It’s an annual event with a time window that runs from August through December, depending on the particular drainage along this long stretch of coastline. e allure is large, hard ghting sh that are delicious seared, grilled or smoked. It’s a shing tradition that existed since long before Europeans arrived on the continent.

Fall runs are famous in places like the Columbia, the rivers that feed Tillamook Bay and others. Chinook push into the main stems and larger tributaries of many coastal rivers and as far up them as the water will allow. Pelland said backtrolling plugs tempts these big sh in the rivers. He’s caught 20-, 30- and 40-pound kings,

which proves it works.

In Oregon, District Fish Biologist Robert Bradley has watched these runs dwindle in recent years. He said the sheries are still worthwhile and draw anglers from all over, but that size and numbers of sh have been falling since at least 2015, due to ocean and environmental conditions. He said the projections for this fall are well below average.

“ e draw is the size of the sh,” he said. “Historically, you could see 60- and 70-pounders, but you could still reasonably expect to catch a 20or 30-pound sh. An average is probably 10 to 15 pounds.”

e states have been hatching and releasing chinook salmon smolt for decades to coincide with the natural progression of sh moving out to sea. Bradley said chinook spend one to ve years growing up in the Paci c o British Columbia and Alaska. e hatchery sh and wild sh return with similar survival rates, but not many of the stocked sh spawn with the wild group. He said most hatchery sh return to the hatchery.

e stocking does give anglers something else to sh for. Hatchery reared chinook have clipped adipose ns and don’t count toward a wild sh limit in most sheries. e seasons and regulations can be confusing and vary widely

from place to place and year to year, but one wild chinook per person, per day is the norm. Check the regulations before you go or hire a guide who knows.

e runs ramp up when fall rains spur the sh to push upriver into the current, Bradley said. In some places, the coho salmon and chinook runs coincide. Make plans now, because runs on most rivers peak in mid-October.

For up-to-date information on Oregon’s salmon sheries, go to myodfw.com.

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BOWFIN An Overlooked Adversary:

By Emily Hanzlik

sh to introduce me to shing with light lines in search of line-class records. With bursts of energy and jumps during the ght, landing them takes a bit of skill.

Bow n are similar in appearance to non-native snakeheads; however, they are brown in color. ese sh can also be tinted green or red, depending on their region. Bow n have a long dorsal n that extends more than half the length of their back and a long cylindrical body to burrow in the mud. eir tails are rounded, and just before the tail is a red and black eyespot that serves to confuse predators. An average bow n weighs between 5 and 7 pounds; however, they can grow up to 21 pounds.

Bow n prefer the hottest and muckiest water they can nd. ey thrive in water with dense plant life, which helps them stalk prey and nd hiding spots. e Everglades o er plenty of bow n habitat, and they love swampy backwaters of bayous and canals.

In oxygen-poor, shallow, standing water, bow n can breathe air from the surface. ey have extra blood vessels in their swim bladder, which acts almost like a human lung.

ere are many ways to go about shing for bow n. e most common method is to cast dead bait, like bluegills or sardines, and wait. Usually, no weight is needed since they live where there is little current. Just match the size of your hook to the size of the bait.

I also enjoy throwing lures for bow n, and frogs and swimbaits will grab their attention. Savage Gear makes great bluegill and frog imitations. Fish lures around and on top of vegetation to draw bow n out. O en, you’ll be surprised by other species like bass, gar and cat sh.

Bow n, also known as mud an overlooked native species that freshwater anglers owe it to themselves to take a closer look at. From sight to just leaving out a dead bait, bow game and will always put up a fun, strong Bow n were the seeking out IGFA records at the age of 12, and I have 10 current bow n records in the book. ey were an amazing

My personal favorite method for bow n is sight casting with a y rod. ey prefer slow-sinking white ies that you can drop right on their faces. I like to kayak into extremely shallow areas. Most of the time, they sit in the silt or in the weeds. ey don’t spook easily, so you can mess around with them and convince them to bite.

e IGFA all-tackle world record bow n weighed 21 pounds, 8 ounces. It was caught in South Carolina in 1980.

Emily Rose Hanzlik holds 62 IGFA world records in various categories. She hails from West Palm Beach, where she has a part time Bow n Guide Service as well as shing classes for Jr. Anglers. Find her on social media @emilyhanzlikoutdoors.

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Snappin’ SupperUp

By Astrid DeGruchy

The Florida Keys attract anglers from around the world. While there are many species exciting sport sh, a variety of snappers are particularly popular because of their abundance, striking colors, thrilling ghts and delectable taste. Here’s a quick look at some Keys favorites.

1) Yellowtail Snapper: At the top the list is the iconic yellowtail snapper. Renowned for their vibrant yellow tails, these snappers live on reefs and wrecks. Catching one can be exhilarating on lighter tackle, as they are speedy and tenacious ghters. When grilled or fried, their delicate, aky meat is a culinary delight that perfectly embodies the taste of the Keys.

2) Mangrove Snapper: e well-loved mangrove snapper is a prized

catch in the Keys. With cool colorings and a distinctive dark stripe across their eyes, these snappers are known for a willingness to strike various baits. Anglers who venture into the shallower water in pursuit of mangs are rewarded with erce battles and the satisfaction of landing a delectable dinner. ese can be found in the backcountry and o shore areas.

3) Mutton Snapper: Mutton snapper hold a special place in the hearts of anglers. Residing around deeper wrecks and reefs, these snappers are highly sought a er for remarkable size and avorful meat. eir pink-like coloration, coupled with a distinct black spot they use as a false eye, adds to their allure. Anglers o en recount tales of adrenaline-pumping battles while trying to reel in a trophy-sized mutton.

4) Lane Snapper: Lane snapper are lively and energetic. With brilliant reddish hues and striking yellow lines along their bodies, these snappers captivate the eyes as well as the shing rod. Lane snapper are voracious eaters, making them eager participants for anglers. ey might be small, but their sweet and tender meat brings joy to every sh lover’s palate.

5) Cubera Snapper: e cubera snapper aka, “El Diablo,” awaits in deeper waters surrounding the Keys. Occasionally caught in excess of 100 pounds, they are the largest snapper species in this part of the world. Anglers targeting cubera snapper should employ heavy tackle and stout gear to overcome the intense ghts these brutes o er. Landing a trophy-sized cubera is a feat that will test your strength and your gear.

Whether you’re shing for the acrobatic yellowtail, maneuvering through the backcountry for cra y mangrove snapper, or testing your strength and skill against the mighty cubera, the opportunities for unforgettable shing experiences are endless in the Keys.

Tune in to the latest episode of Bean Sport shing TV on YouTube.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BEAN SPORTFISHING

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Three Florida Bass Fisheries Named Top 10 in the Nation

Each year, Bassmaster Magazine releases its list of the Top-100 bass lakes in the nation. For 2023, Florida landed three lakes in the top-10 of this prestigious list. For anyone who bass shes, it comes as no surprise that the Sunshine State annually ranks as one of the top largemouth states in the entire country.

Bassmaster is the o cial publication of B.A.S.S., which is an enormous tournament organization with branches that hold bass tournaments and tournament series all over the nation. To compile the Top-100 list, editors scour tournament data from the last 12 months and mine data from state wildlife agency programs like Florida’s TrophyCatch.

O.H. Ivie Lake in Texas was named the best bass lake of the year for the second year in a row thanks to an almost unbelievable string of giant bass that have come from this Colorado River impoundment. An incredible 15 bass heavier than 13 pounds came from O.H. Ivie and were registered with the Texas Sharelunker program over the last year. e largest was a 17.03-pound monster.

Texas grows big bass, and so does Florida. Coming in at No. 5 on the list, Fellsmere (Headwaters), Stick Marsh and Kenansville Lake, were grouped into a single shery. Fellsmere led the

way with an awesome 73 largemouths heavier than 8 pounds reported to TrophyCatch over the last year. Fellsmere’s largest was an 11-pound, 8-ounce sh. Stick Marsh, which has been drawn down for habitat enhancements and is kayak only, produced two TrophyCatch sh, including a 9-pound, 6-ounce sh. Kenansville pitched in with seven 8-plus pounders, including a 13-pound, 10-ouncer.

Orange Lake weighed in at No. 8 in the top-10 list. is should come as no surprise if you are a regular Coastal Angler/ e Angler reader. Orange Lake has been in the headlines a lot recently, with four 13-plus-pounders including a giant 14-pound, 1-ounce sh that to-date is the largest Florida bass of the year. Orange Lake produced 50 TrophyCatch sh heavier than 8 pounds over the last 12 months. Seventeen of those were heavier than 10 pounds.

e “Big O” slid into the No. 10 spot of the best bass lakes in the nation. is historic heavyweight has solidly rebounded as one of the country’s best bass sheries. Okeechobee’s Roland Martin Marine Center Series events have produced some astounding sacks for tournament anglers. In June, Coastal Angler/ e Angler reported on a singleday event that produced 20 30-pound ve- sh limits. It took 36.82 to win, and a 29-pound sack

didn’t even crack the top 25. ose are some of, if not the best, tournament numbers we’ve ever heard of.

To see the entire list, visit www.bassmaster.com.

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MORE DAYS ADDED TO FALL GULF SNAPPER SEASON

Adding to the previously announced fall season, Florida anglers will get an additional 17 days to harvest red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico this fall. e additional harvest dates will be every Friday through Sunday in September, Labor Day and anksgiving Day. is is on top of the previously announced season, and brings the 2023 season to a total of 87 days, the longest combined season since the state assumed management of Gulf red snapper.

“

e Gulf red snapper season brings anglers from across the country to enjoy this recreational opportunity,” said FWC Executive Director Roger Young. “Being able to extend the season 17 days will allow additional access and opportunities to all who want to experience the Fishing Capital of the World.”

ose shing from private recreational vessels in state and federal waters of the Gulf and charter

vessels without a federal reef sh permit that are limited to shing in state waters, will be able to participate in the 2023 Gulf red snapper season. e fall season now includes every Friday–Sunday throughout the months of September, October and November as well as Labor Day and anksgiving Day. See the updated fall season dates below:

• September 1–4 (Friday–Monday of Labor Day Weekend)

• September 8–10

• September 15–17

• September 22–24

• September 29–October 1

• October 6–8

• October 13–15

• October 20–22

• October 27–29

• November 3–5

• November 10–12

( Veterans Day Weekend)

• November 17–19

• November 23–26

( Thanksgiving Weekend)

For more information, go to MyFWC.com.

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Team Of Year Winners and Classic 2nd Place Finish, Sean Cunningham & Anthony Courtney Colton Hayes with “Big Bass of the Season” trophy his 9.33 monster held up all season

Zach Temperly and Lee Redick “Classic Champs 2023” and “Big Bass” of the event

CL ASSIC TIME

Jolly Gator Bass Series –Official Classic Results 2023

With a packed house at Jolly Gator Fish Camp Bar & Grill the crowd gathered early to find a spot to see the crowning of the 2023 Classic Champions! With record breaking heat over 98 degrees in the shade we knew the bass bite and keeping them alive once caught, was going to be a challenge. When the teams of anglers started arriving at the 3pm weigh-in everyone was feeling the heat. The horrific air and water temps took a toll on both the anglers and their day’s catch. 13 teams qualified for this year’s Classic event and 12 teams competed for cash and prizes valued at over $9,000. The race for “Team of the Year Points Leader” was as close as ever and won on the last Tuesday evening by the team of Anthony Courtney and Sean Cunningham walking away with over $700 bucks for their efforts and some great gear donated by our presenting sponsor American Tackle in Oviedo. The prize for “Big Bass” of the season was won by Colton Hayes with his huge 9.33 river monster caught early in the season earning him $450 bucks, Colton and his partner Lauren Jowers also won $200 for the lightest weight on a 5 bass limit at a minimum 12” in length at 4.10 lbs.

Mother nature plays a big part in summertime events with these high temperatures. We do our very best to keep these bass alive and release them to fight another day. Congratulations go to Zach Temperly and Lee Redick for winning this year’s Jolly Gator Bass Series Classic.

Top 5 teams:

Zach Temperly and Lee Redick

1st 17.75 lbs.

Anthony Courtney and Sean Cunning Ham

2nd 17.69 lbs.

Steve Courtney and Steve Lester

3rd 13.47 lbs.

Paul Martin and Bobby Wills

4th 12.84 lbs.

Jim Brogdon and Travis Owens

5th 11.84 lbs.

Zach & Lee with 1st Big Bass of the Day 6.53 lbs.

Jim & Travis with 2nd Big Bass of the Day 4.73 lbs.

Hello Coastal Angler readers, SJA friends, and familiesSeminole Junior Anglers kick off another season of the Florida B.A.S.S Nation series and this year we start in Palatka on the St. John’s River Sept 9th and 10th. Our teams have some big shoes to fill as we are coming off club of the year for the second year in a row. The pressure is on!

September bass fishing in Florida should bring two things to mind. It is going to be hot on and in the water and another tournament season begins for SJA. This year we hope to have 10 teams of local High School youth who want to compete against the best bass anglers in the southeast. We fish one weekend a month from now till April, made up of two tournaments, one on Saturdays and one on Sundays.

While most of you anglers don’t have a “season”, we all know there are times of the year when the fishing is better. Bass fishing this time of year in Florida means the fish could be anywhere. Add that to the tidal waters of the St. Johns River and finding fish could be tricky for our SJA teams. Most central Florida lakes will produce fish in all depths and especially if you can find moving water. Some people think bass get lazy in the extreme heat, like the extreme cold and they will wait for the bait before they chase it down. It helps to be selective with your cast and make them count by putting your lure in selective spots where they might be sitting and waiting. Do not let the heat scare you from getting out there and fishing, but you might want to start early and finish up earlier than usual. The other option is to get out after the rain showers move through as that helps cool the air down but can also add additional humidity which could be worse.

As always, we want to thank our sponsors and if you would like to help keep these high school kids on the water, please reach out to seminolejunioranglers@gmail.com or visit seminolejunioranglers.org. We appreciate all the support! Hope to see you on the water,

Troy Bennett

Club Sponsors: Coastal Angler Magazine, AVID sportswear, Mud Hole Custom Tackle, Boat Tree Marina, Gumbo Wars, Bitters Bait and Takle, Oakley, Lowrance, and of course all our boat Captains.

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Water levels are up. The Florida cool down begins soon. Fish are behaving in their summertime patterns. Water temperatures will be the key to catching bass –they love cooler water during the daytime hours. The ‘bite’doesn’t last long- daybreak, moon over, moon under, and right before a storm are when they feed aggressively. Downsize your lures and mimic fish fry that are schooling. Rattletraps, crank baits, Senkos, and flukes will find fish. High water means the bass have lots of places to hide – look for small creek runoffs that have water flowing out. Start outside on each side of the runoff and work your baits with the current. Soft plastic colors for the river: 1) black with blue flakes, 2) black with light blue accent, 3) dark colors. Watch the afternoon storms, lightning is not forgiving!

Crappie season is almost here. The largest specks are usually caught in November, in the Shad and Crappie Derby but during September and October the word begins to slip out that slabs are coming in. Black Crappie are usually found jigging structure all along the river and near bridge and dock pilings in early season. Deep water in the bends and overhangingor fallen trees is a great combo for slabs. Try a white curly tail on a 1/8th ounce jighead, then drop to the bottom and jig it 3 times every 2 feet on the way up. Patience is key, run and gun fills the frying pan.

Catfish up to 20 lbs. and sunshine bass up to seven pounds round out the summer targets. Fish for cats with peeled fresh shrimp or red worms, and use just enough weight to hold the bottom. Look for sunshine bass (stripers) to bite hard plastic lures at the mouth of the Wekiva River and both the south and north mouths of Lake Monroe at sunrise.

When September arrives on the Harris Chain, we are hoping that the local temps will start to cool off. With the hottest temps on record of late, the water temp is in the high 80s to low 90s after noon. The bite all over the chain has been decent even with the high temps. Thankfully fish are warm blooded. September brings more breezy days and the beginning of fall with shorter days. Look for areas with any current from the breezes or running water from our afternoon rains. The fish have been grouping up and feeding on schools of bait. The low light conditions of early morning will be best until about 8 am or so. Get out on the water before the sun rises and on most days it will be worth it. Top water baits like the trusted Zara Spook, Devils Horse, and hard or soft bodied frogs have been producing explosive strikes from above average size bass at first light. Try the mouths of canals, both ends of the Dead River and areas with offshore hydrilla in Big and Little Lake Harris. Once the sun gets up try finding shell bars, humps,

eel grass all close to deep water. Lake Dora has several and they have been producing good numbers and sizes. As the sun gets high, switch to large deep running crankbait like a 6XD, swimbait or Carolina-rig with a large worm. Fish them slowly, once you catch one there are usually more in the area so work the area thoroughly. Flipping the heavy grass and mats with black-blue creature baits or Junebug colored plastic worms have also been producing bites during the hottest part of the day. The larger deeper docks located all around the chain have been producing keeper bites later in the day, target docks with shaded areas with breeze blowing in on them.

The crappie bite will pick up towards the end of the month near Dead River, around the mouth of Haines Creek, and at both ends of the northwest corner of Lake Eustis. Use jigs tipped with a minnow for crappie. Vary the depth of your baits until you find where they want it. The deeper holes in big Lake Harris have been producing the best bites for crappie. Great ready for the 15th Annual Shad & Crappie Derby coming soon. Take a kid with youcrappies are great fun with light tackle and great on the dinner table. Watch out for the afternoon thunderstorms and stay safe.

Mullet Madness

By Captain Tom Van Horn

As we approach the backside of summer on Florida’s east central coast, shorter days, prevailing easterly breezes, and longer cooler nights signal the approach offall.All these signs are natural indicators signaling prey and predator alike that spawning season is over and its once again time to fatten up and return south to warmer waters.

September on the Space Coast serves as the most anticipated and predictable time ofthe year for anglers looking to find fish bunched up and feeding happily on finger mullet during their migration south. Silver mullet, snook, and tarpon are just a few of the tropical species offish migrating north up the Atlantic coast in the spring,spend their summers in the rich estuarine waters of the eastern seaboard fattening up and spawning all summer long,and then forming up for their mass migration south in the fall.

It’s hard to predict the magnitude and duration of the mullet run, but since the elimination of gillnets by Florida voters, their populations have exploded.As the baitfish and predators gather and begin to move south along the beaches and through the lagoons, the moon and tides cause them to move in pulses rather than a continuous flow.Therefore,locating schooling baitfish is the key to catching fish.One day a particular location will be loaded with bait and fish,and the next day they will be gone.When searching for schools ofbait fish,focus your attention on bait schools bunched up and under pressure in the shallow water and along the beach with your natural indicators being diving pelicans, terns and seagulls, wading shore birds, showering mullet schools and busting fish.

Mullet have an arduous life cycle beginning in the fall of the year when the sexually mature adults (roe mullet) gather in large schools, migrate south and then offshore to their spawning grounds along the Atlantic continental shelf.These aggregations remain in the spawning area from late October through January where the females release over a million eggs on multiple occasions.Once fertilized,the eggs hatch within a few days and the hatchlings are dispersed by the Gulf Stream up the eastern coastline from Florida to North Carolina and beyond.After spending the spring and summer in the coastal estuaries, the adolescent mullet exits their summertime estuarine home on their mass exodus south to the warm waters of south Florida.

On the Indian River, Mosquito, and Banana River Lagoons, look for slot redfish and sea trout to be shadowing schools offinger mullet working south through the estuaries, and for the larger redfish and sea trout staging in the deeper ambush locations like causeways,bridges,and points,were schooling baitfish are forced to leave the safety of the shallow flats.

With the hungry predators focusing their attention on finger mullet, anglers should be using both top-water and soft plastic lures matching the main food source. For the deep-water situation,the D.O.A.Bait Buster works well,and try the new D.O.A.4-inch shad around schools of large mullet in shallow water. Mullet are vegetarians, so as they move and feed,they are often shadowed by redfish and sea trout feeding on small

baitfish, shrimp and crabs flushed out by the larger mullet moving through the grass. Ifyou are fishing up shallow,tie on your favorite top-water plug and standby for some explosive action.

In and around the beaches, and inlets look for flounder, snook, jack crevelle, bluefish, Spanish mackerel,and oversized redfish ambushing migrating mullet along the beaches and jetties.The snook run has already started along the beach and will begin to pick up substantially just in time for the opening of snook season on September 1st. Remember,snook regulations are in effect with a one snook per day bag limit and a 28 to 32-inch slot on Florida’s east coast.Also watch for the larger redfish to begin forming up just outside inlets busting on schools offinger mullet forced away from the safety of the shoreline as they attempt to cross the open water or the inlet.All in all, time is ofthe essence regardless ofwhere and how you fish the mullet run,so gear up and hit the water before you miss the boat.

Snook from the Beach

The arrival of finger mullet is the surf is first indicator that the time is right, and like any other bait run, matching the hatch is important when targeting beach bombers. It’s significant to note snook are primarily nocturnal feeders,so fishing at dusk and first light are the most productive times.Staging in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar,snook will move into wash ofthe shore break to ambush baitfish. Consequently,a fast action medium heavy spinning rod equipped with a 4000 series spinning reel sufficient tackle,because there is no need to cast beyond the first sandbar. As for line and leader,I suggest a minimum of150 yards of20-pound braided line with a 40-to-50-pound fluorocarbon leader to counter the sharpness ofa snook’s gill plates.

Lure Fishing: When selecting a lure or fly, remember to match the hatch in size and color.It is also important when casting lures or flies to work the shore wash by casting parallel to the beach,as most snook are caught less than 20 feet from the water’s edge. Several lures that have worked well for me in the past are the Rapala X-Rap in silver and olive-green colors,or DOA’s Shallow Running Baitbuster,5.5” Big Fish Lure,Swimming Mullet or Terror Eyes.As stated earlier,wade out about knee deep,cast parallel to the beach,and use a steady slow retrieval as though your lure is a finger mullet swimming along the edge.

Bait Fishing: In many cases when fishing for beach snook, nothing beats a freshly caught live finger mullet,so be sure to bring your cast net,bait bucket and aerator.For my live bait rig,I start by tying on about 30 inches of40-pound fluorocarbon leader. Next,I slide on a one-ounce barrel sinker and tie on a #2 circle hook.I then finish the rig by adding a split shot to the line about 8 inches from the hook.This rig will allow the mullet to free swim, and as the tide carries your bait down current along the beach, you can walk along with it as the sinker slowly rolls down the beach, keeping it in the strike zone longer.

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CENTRAL EAST COAST

SEPTEMBER

11M 12:30 AM 0.85 L

6:49 AM 2.44 H

12:48 PM 0.53 L

21TH 12:52 AM 2.52 H

6:48 AM 0.5 L

1:47 PM 2.63 H

Miami, Government Cut (Approximate Times)

7:27 PM 2.58 H

12TU 1:14 AM 0.75 L

7:35 AM 2.54 H

1:31 PM 0.49 L

8:06 PM 2.67 H

13W 1:54 AM 0.65 L

8:17 AM 2.65 H

2:10 PM 0.47 L

8:41 PM 2.74 H

14TH 2:30 AM 0.55 L

8:56 AM 2.74 H

2:46 PM 0.46 L

9:16 PM 2.79 H

15F 3:04 AM 0.47 L

9:34 AM 2.8 H

3:20 PM 0.48 L

9:50 PM 2.8 H

16SA 3:36 AM 0.42 L

10:11 AM 2.84 H

3:54 PM 0.52 L

10:23 PM 2.77 H

17SU 4:08 AM 0.4 L

10:49 AM 2.85 H

4:28 PM 0.59 L

10:57 PM 2.72 H

18M 4:41 AM 0.39 L

11:27 AM 2.82 H

5:03 PM 0.67 L

11:32 PM 2.66 H

19TU 5:17 AM 0.41 L

12:08 PM 2.77 H

5:42 PM 0.77 L

20W 12:09 AM 2.58 H

5:59 AM 0.45 L

7:22 PM 0.98 L

22F 1:44 AM 2.48 H

7:49 AM 0.55 L

2:49 PM 2.59 H

8:29 PM 1.03 L

Cobia are out front! Get out there with your bucktails tipped with squid and look around - no place specific but the reefs are a good start. They have been swimming right up to the boat lately. Late in the day they have been surfacing on rays, sea turtles and free swimming. Cobes love some live bait.

This is a great month for wreck fishing. Use all your normal tactics from three-way swivels to knocker rigs. Live bait works the best. Use lighter tackle for more fun. Amberjack and every other species have been sitting right above the wrecks. The reason they have been sitting on top of the wrecks is because of the thermocline. Make sure to feel the lead sinkers when you reel up to confirm. You can also try anchoring and chumming. Use some lighter fluorocarbon for the

6:43 PM 2.5 H

12:54 PM 2.7 H

6:27 PM 0.88 L

September is the start of snook season. Snook fishing in the ocean is some of the best, especially when the fall mullet migration happens. Try fishing the surf and along the jetties. Usually, I fish along the shorelines and the jetties when I see the mullet exploding in those areas. You can also have tarpon, jacks, blue fish, Spanish mackerel, and sharks in the mullet schools so it can be a lot of action. Use finger mullet as bait caught with a cast net or purchased at a bait shop. The all-around line I use is 15-20# braid tied to a 30-40# fluorocarbon leader with a 3-0 J hook. Of course, if the tarpon are big and the sharks are around I will use wire on the sharks and heavier rods for the tarpon with 20-30# braid and 60# fluorocarbon downsizing my hooks to 6-0 circle hook. Underneath the finger mullet you can put a half ounce slip sinker or split shot to have a better chance at catching a flounder or

popping bug. I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing the popping bug get hit. Daytime anglers are catching good numbers fishing the shallow bedding areas. Bait of choice is crickets fished under a float.Another good area to fish is canals when the water is flowing, trolling will only trigger more bites. Crappie - Anglers are fishing open water for crappie using jigs tipped Anglers trolling jigs are catching good limits of crappie. The key is to find them

mangos and free line a chunk way back in the chum line. Mangos have been plentiful. Even the muttons have been surfacing. We should start to see the Mahi returning soon. If you get out and see a weed line it may be worth a shot to drop a ballyhoo back behind the boat.

The bunker live bait has been easier by the day to get. They have been in the port for a change. Although not as easy to get in the port you can find them on the beach near the steeple almost daily. Here’s the kicker, now that you’ve got the prime choice in bait, they don’t want it and want frozen bait. Yup, that’s right. So, here’s the lesson, try both, one dead and one live and see what gets hit. Who would’ve thought? If you can’t find the bunker, try the buoy cans. They have been holding sardines and a sardine will always get hit. Even when you don’t see much life on the ocean…Get out there and enjoy the water! If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to call us. www.firedupcharters.com

East Lake Toho - Bass fishing on East Lake has been good using artificial baits early morning. The best place to fish will be at the edges of the cattails. Then move to open water as the morning progresses. Most anglers are flipping open water pepper grass matts with good success. Fish the deeper edges of the grasswatermelon seed, Junebug, and

Panfish - Fish open water shell beds with red wigglers. If you are looking to fill the cooler for dinner, the open water shell beds are

bass trips which are typical for this time of year. The month of September is when to start thinking of booking your bass fishing trip, as the females start to feed up while they make their way into the shallows for the early spawn time. It’s also the time to book your fall crappie trip too. Good fishing areas: parts of the shoal; Dupree Bar; Dyess ditch and Horse Island and Indian Prairie. Tin house has been solid throughout the season for crappie, bass and bream, work your way up towards 3rd and 2nd point where you’ll find some bass feeding on the bedding bream. A few areas on Kings Bar have been good and

redfish because the redfish will also show up in the surf. Triple tail fishing will pick up with the change in the weather especially after it blows from the east for a while.

Fishing for redfish, trout, black drum, and snook heat up in September because of the finger mullet run and change of weather. Usually, we start having more rain and wind, plus the water level should start to rise. When the water is high, I like to fish the Indian River and the Mosquito Lagoon better than when the water is low. You have more places to fish, and you can fish in any kind of conditions. If you like to use artificial, try a light jig head with a paddle tail or a weedless spoon or jerk bait. I use 8-10# mono with tied to a 25# fluorocarbon leader when using artificial. If we have a lot of rain and run off, fish near drainage ditches or where culvert pipes are draining. Fish points of land and drainage pipes where the wind is blowing onto it.

To book you’re next fun-filled, productive and educational fishing trip call me at 863-228-7263 or log onto my website to check out the customers and their catches; hotel recommendations; guide rates and etc. Capt Angie’s sponsors are: Caymas boats and Toho Marine; South Tackle; Maui Jim; Gill; Bullet Weights; Road Runner; Real Magic; Tru Turn hooks; Mega Strike; Gene Larew; Pradco Brands and BUFF

Troy’s tip of the month: Use side scan sonar to look for snook and tarpon in the ocean - this should improve your fishing.

Miami Beach, Government Cut

The largemouth bass and bream bite is excellent - focus on the early morning and late afternoon timeframe. For my guide customers we fish a “split day” which is typically the crack of daylight until about 11:00 am then we head back to the ramp for lunch. We meet back at around 3:00 pm and fish until dark. This helps to avoid the hot mid-day heat and bass are more likely to be feeding in the early hours and before dark, which can make for some exciting top water action and schooling activity in the grass and out in open water not far off the grass edge for rattle trap and spinner bait bites.

Lures for this time of year can be frogs and swim jigs worked through the isolated grass clumps. Big worms worked parallel to a grass edge can produce the “bigger” bite. Also try pitch-

Kel’s Rod and Reel Moving to New Location

ing a creature-style lure or jig into thicker isolated grass clumps. If you want to brush up on your Carolina-rig and crank baits, head to the Kissimmee River where you’ll find rock ledges and good drop-off depths. The River is a goodplace to bream fish, the bream move right up onto the River’s edge to spawn and most beds can be seen on a sunny day. Live red wigglers and crickets is the best bait to use but don’t be surprised if you catch some smaller size catfish too.

I am always asked by people “when is the best time to fish Okeechobee”? I like October, November up to mid-December. The weather has cooled off, the first big wave of female bass are feeding up ready to go onto the beds. The rest of the winter and spring is great fishing too. Call or text Capt Angie at 863-2287263 or check out the new website www.southfloridabassfishing.com to book your trip. Capt. Angie’s sponsors are: G-Loomis rods; Lews; Gill; Maui-Jim; Mercury Marine; Real Magic; Pradco Brands; Mega Strike; BnM Poles; Bullet weights; Mid-South Tackle and Gene Larew.

After serving the Casselberry area for more than 3 decades, Kel’s Rod and Reel is moving to a new location in Longwood just 3 miles from their current location. Their new location is not far and easy to find, it is kind of just around the corner. From their current location just drive to 17-92 and take a right (northbound). Head 2 miles north and the new location is 1055 US 17/92 on the right. The new digs are in a stand-alone blue building just before you get to SR 434. Most of us have passed this location for years heading towards Longwood, Sanford or towards Bitter’s Bait & Tackle. The new building has larger space than the existing one, which will also allow the new ownership to serve its customers better with more space for repairs, parts inventory, etc.

Current owner Terri Cheatham is set to retire once new owner Rick Wilson is all dialed in with the new location and gets through the transition of location change. Kel’s new ownership will happen over the next year or so. Terri’s father started Kel’s Rod and Reel some 38 years ago, and Kel’s has been a local staple for Central Florida anglers.

If you own a fishing rod and reel, chances are you have been to Kel’s at some point for repairs or service. Not only do they work on most types of reels they fix fishing rods with new guides etc. They are the only Minn-Kota service center in Central Florida for repairs to your trolling motor or Talon shallow water anchors. Greg the head “Guru” and chief repair specialist has been there for nearly 3 decades too! His knowledge of trolling motors and shallow water anchors is beyond belief. To say he knows those products as good or better than the companies that manufacture them is an understatement. Having to take them apart and repair them daily, he knows what breaks and causes issues with each model. Having to repair the ones which come from the saltwater is even more challenging. The crew was not looking forward to the move, but they are super excited for a new change and more space. By the time this article is in print, the move will be complete, and re-opened for business in the last 2 weeks of July at the new location. Stop by the new Kel’s and say hello! Tell them you read about the move in Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando.

Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and West Lake Toho: With most of the hydrilla topped out this time of year, your best bet is to fish the edges of the hydrilla patches. Plastic baits are a good choice - Zoom trick worm, Flukes, and the Vibe are the most popular. The summer showers are producing flow out of shingle creek. Best bet is right at daylight. Goblins Cove has been producing very good quality fish. Most fish are hanging deep in the hydrilla patches. Another good area to fish is around the Mackinson and Paradise Island in the open water and look for schooling shad. Another good area to fish this month is shallow water shell beds. A lot of large bass will hang around the shell beds ambushing smaller bait fish.

Panfish - Kissimmee Chain: The shell cracker and bluegill are pretty much done spawning and have moved to open water shell beds. Live red worms or crickets are your best bets to catch them over the shell beds. For Crappie, fish the open water. Use jigs tipped with minnows and vary the depth until you start catching fish. Lake Marion seems to be the hot spot this time of year. The Alligator Chain of lakes have not been bad for crappie. Fish in the mornings in open water deep holes, trolling jigs tipped with a minnow. Crappie usually will be found suspended, just off the bottom.

Catfishing – red worms with split shot weights and 12-pound test and a medium action fishing pole should do the trick. Fish deeper water near the mouth of creeks or in the bends of the creeks and rivers.

Run mullet run! It is September and for kayak angler’s Central Florida wide there is only one thing our minds. One of the few instances where we can all feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning, and the fall mullet run is just that event for us. This yearly migration of our areas most prominent bait fish stirs the imagination with sheets of bait being predated by every manner of coastal fish you could find. The mechanics of this fall tradition are relatively simple and though you can not predict things of this nature with consistency it is well know that September is the time to get your mullet run fishing going in full force. The mullet run is a function of cooling temps in coastal states north of us. The relatively warm water liking mullets realize that their summer home of coastal Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia will become significantly cooler than they can endure over the coming winter. So with each passing cold front, and even though we wont feel that cool down or frontal action for some time to come, the mullet move. Pushing out of the bays and backwaters to the surf where they start their southernly migration to warmer South Florida waters. This mass exodus of prey has a predictable effect on every manner of gamefish in its path, its time to eat! Fattening up in the time of plenty to prepare for the coming cold season and scarcity of food. The influx of mullet will be seen in the lagoons to an extent, but the real action happens on the beach, inlets, and in Port Canaveral. Waves of mullet push south with ever increasing density and frequency throughout this month and into next. For many anglers Snook will be the star of the show for both fight and a visit to the kitchen for dinner. Tarpon, flounder, redfish, jacks, bluefish, Spanish Macks, and even kingfish will invade the near-coastal and beach waters looking to take advantage of the feast. Launching your kayak around the inlets, port and beach will get you into plenty of fishy situations! Take great care when fishing around Sebastian and Ponce inlet in kayaks as the currents are relentless. Port Canaveral is a great option with considerably less current but be mindful of the larger boat/ ship action often found there. Hitting the lagoon just inside of those flowing inlets can make for a great day of fishing too. Obviously matching the hatch and fishing with live mullet is a sure way to put a bend in your rod. One big tip on the live bait front would be utilizing a bit of weight to get below the hoards of mullet and make your offering stand out from the rest. To witness the raw nature of a mass prey migration confronting predators in wait is something everyone should see. National Geographic live and in person.

Monday September 4 –Labor Day - The staff of Orlando Coastal Angler Magazine hope our loyal readers have a happy and fun-filled day off from the grind at your normal Monday workday! Enjoy the day with friends and family out on the water fishing, boating or whatever makes the day enjoyable, just have fun and be safe while doing so!

Thursday September 14 - 5pm to 8pm, “Alive After 5” in Sanford - The staff of Orlando Coastal Angler Magazine would like you to join us for an evening of fun in downtown Sanford. This event is the second Thursday of each month downtown. Block Party on First Street! Don’t miss the chance for a fun night on the town.

Saturday September 30, October 1- Safe daylight until 3pm, Toho Marine Outdoors will be hosting their Elite OneMan Bass Tour Classic Event on the Harris Chain of Lakes launching at Buzzard Beach ramp on SR 441 in Tavares. 100% payback, 1 place for each 5 entries, $100 entry fee. For more info or to register call Jimmie Murphy at 352-789-5351 or visit Tohomarineoutdoors. com.

Thursday October 5 – Orlando CCA 35th Annual Fall Banquet & Auction hosted at a new venue, Winter Park Events Center located at 1050 W. Morse Blvd., Winter Park, FL 32789. Join us for an evening to celebrate and support Florida’s Marine resources. The

event starts at 6pm with open bar, catered dinner by Arthur’s Catering to follow at 730, Live Auction at 830 – 930pm, then all raffle prize winner’s postings. Ticket includes annual CCA membership, corporate tables available, for tickets or more info for contact Mandy Tuckus at Mtuckus@CCAFlorida. org

Saturday October 7th

–Noon till 4pm Gumbo Wars – Private Charity Event, Hosted at Fish on Fire Restaurant. Up to 20 cooking teams will be there to compete for the “Best Gumbo”. Tickets must be purchased in advance and attendance is limited. $45 per person gets you entry to the private charity event, all the gumbo you care to taste, live entertainment, and a Gumbo Wars t-shirt. This is a change from past years – visit Gumbowars.com for info. Lots of family fun, gates open at Noon, tasting and voting from 1pm4pm, awards to follow plus live music from Gypsy Elise. Proceeds go to local youth fishing organizations. Advance ticket purchase only, no tickets at the gate - visit Gumbowars.com.

If you have an event or meeting you would like included in the “What’s Hitting Around Town” column, send your details to: Phil Wolf phillip@ coastalanglermagazine. com. Deadline for inclusion is the 10th of the preceding month.

Gavin Nowak with a 23” Black Drum from NSB backwater

Wyatt Nowak caught this nice Redfish fishing with his brother in backwater’s of NSB

Hayden Wolf with “Biggin” he caught in a private pond in Chuluota

Andrew Jordan with a 6 lb. plus largemouth he recently caught in lake Yale using a ZMan crawdad frog

Summer’s End CAN BE

THE BEST!

With summer tourism starting to slow down, this month can be one of the better times to visit the Florida Keys. As demand for accommodations drop, so do prices around the Keys. Wait times are less, and charters have more availability for last-minute travelers.

Provided that the hurricanes are playing nice, September o ers a nice opportunity to hit the end of mahi season, or to enjoy a reef that’s less crowded than normal.

All the snapper shes are red up this time of year, but the most notable are the mangrove snapper. Mangrove snapper are spawning and there are epic catching days to be had before and a er the full moon. Knocker rigs or jig heads will snipe them o the bottom with just about any bait. Small live pin sh and ballyhoo are very e ective. When using dead ballyhoo, the whole bait can be dropped, or cut in half. Break the beak o and hook through the head side, or cut the tail o ever so slightly, and hook them through that cut, making sure the hook loops around the spine.

By Capt. Quinlyn Haddon

Sword shing is another great option right now. ere are still mahi to be found on your way to and from the swordgrounds, but not so many that you feel obligated to stop on every cluster of red-up diving birds. Fishing for sword sh can be a large undertaking for time, tackle and fuel, with a high skunk-out risk rate involved, so it’s always nice to have the chance at some other species along the way. Unlike in the middle of summer, when the ocean is alive with feasting mahi, you can actually make it out there without stopping every mile along the way.

Snowy grouper is closed, but deep dropping o shore is still a viable way to ll the cooler with rosies, tile sh, yellowedge grouper and barrel sh.

As we transition into the autumn shing season, many factors are at play for predicting our shery this month. Call a local captain to nd out the latest report, and come visit the Keys during the cheapest travel month of the year!

Capt. Quinlyn Haddon shes with Sweet E’Nuf Charters out of Marathon, Florida Keys. Contact her at (504) 920-6342, check out her website Quinlynhaddon.com and her social @captainquinlyn.

WORLD RECORD TROUT

CAUGHT IN PONTE VEDRA

A10-pound, 10-ounce seatrout caught in Ponte Vedra was recently certi ed as a new IGFA men’s 20-lb. tippet class world record.

e gator trout was caught on the Dr. Jay Wright on March 23.

Wright was shing with guide Matt Chipper eld of Chip’s Coastal Charters when the big girl ate a bait sh pattern. e sh was documented and weighed on IGFA certi ed scales to ll the world record category, which was previously vacant.

In an Instagram post, Chipper eld said he and Wright had been pursuing the record sh for ve years and gave the measurements for the huge ycaught trout. It was 30 inches long with a 17-inch girth. A er documenting, the big breeder female was carefully released.

“Catching a speckled trout of this size is special on any tackle. But doing this on y… it’s HARD,” wrote Chipper eld. “It requires discipline, patience and skill. Guiding “ e Doc” to this sh is a moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

Wright is no stranger to the record books. He holds several IGFA y tackle world records for seatrout. Along with this most recent 20-pound tippet record, he also holds the 12- and 2-pound tippet class world records for seatrout. His 2-pound tippet record was a 9-pound trout caught from Mosquito Lagoon in 2018. His 12-pound tippet record weighed 11 pounds, 8 ounces and was caught o Fort Pierce in 2007.

For more record sh, go to igfa.org.

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By Capt. Michael Okruhlik FLOUNDER

September is a new beginning of sorts when it comes to saltwater shing on the Gulf Coast. First, it is somewhat cooler, although some of our visiting northern neighbors might not agree. Many anglers nd themselves torn between other passions and obligations, some of which include school in session, weekend sporting events, dove and deer hunting, and the list goes on. ese activities thin the herd of boats on the water and opens the bays back up for those of us who focus all of our free time on the water.

is is de nitely noticeable at the boat ramp the rst weekend a er Labor Day, and I can’t wait!

Less boat tra c means shing the mouths of bayou drains is wide open. I avoid these areas for safety reasons when there’s heavy boat tra c. I just don’t like boats driving over my lines or waking me, which is what happens if you sh in a boat lane during peak season. I like drains in back lakes this time of the year, because they hold “the big three”: trout, red sh and ounder.

I will speci cally target ounder in these areas in September and early October. Since the spring migration, these tasty morsels have been working their way as far back in the marsh as they could get. With autumn around the corner, they start to congregate in these drains. Outside of the fall run, many anglers do not target these ground huggers. With the pressure light,

the ounder bite can be lights out for those who know where and how to target them. part is you might not see another boat all day!

An outgoing tide is optimal to stake out one of these drains. e tide carries bait out of the deeper bayou and adjacent marsh grass and sends it on a deadly path with hungry ounder fattening up for their winter spawn. When the bite is on, it is not uncommon to see ounder breaking free of the water’s surface chasing a meal. e time I witnessed this years ago, it took me awhile to gure out what was jumping. I will never forget that day!

Paddletail so plastics are my go-to in this situation. I like bright colors such as white lightning, chartreuse with glitter, or pearl with a chartreuse tail in a 4-inch or 3.25-inch bait. Keep the lure twitching along the bottom. Quick jerks with the rod tip pointing down activates the tail vibration and kicks up clouds of mud, which really grabs their attention. A so plastic with a tail rattle adds an extra attractant.

Get a jump start on your ounder x before the rst cold front and the long lines of anglers targeting them during the fall run.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES®

Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures®, and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.

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why get towing?

THEY KNOW FALL IS COMING

Tim Barefoot

Fish know fall is coming because of the reduction of daylight minutes in a day. e shorter days make a lot of species start a whole new pattern of activities. For example, the grouper complex will start the process of moving into traditional spawning areas. at migration mirrors the cigar minnows, sardines and squid. I’ve always said this and will say it again: Find the bait, nd the sh!

e cigs and sardines form large schools that attract a number of predators including kings and sail sh on the surface, and the big snappers and grouper will be on them as well. e shortened daylight hours become obvious during the middle of this month, when it triggers the “feed” to fatten up for winter and the spawn. Go to the traditional areas you’ve found bait in the past, and that’s a great place to start shing.

Another thing I’ve said in the past is: don’t go to a Chinese restaurant and order a pizza, meaning don’t drop baits that are foreign to sh that are working a school of cigs and sardines. Always have a couple boxes of frozen cigs and/ or sardines just in case you can’t nd the

bait. At least you’ll have bait that “matches the hatch” of what they normally eat.

I try to stay on the sabiki catching baits while everyone else on the boat is shing with grass grunts, sailors choice, cigs/sardines, etc. If you get on a big knot of cigs or sardines, it might be helpful to have two people on the sabiki lling the livewell. e best bait of all is whatever is there. Just put it right back down.

is is also the time of year to nd squid inshore, mixed in with cigs and sardines. If you have a live squid for bait, its life expectancy is under 10 seconds once it touches the bottom on a jig. It’s an instant bite, just like several other baits mentioned above.

e only problem I have with the live or frozen minnows is everything on the bottom will give them a whack, and you wind up catching a lot more snapper and smaller bass than if you use a larger live bait. We almost always have live pin sh from the marina that eliminate most of the trash bites. If you have a larger pin sh, grass grunt or sailor’s choice on the jig, nothing but larger bass, grouper, jacks and big snapper can put it in their mouth. I like to speci cally target grouper by putting the larger live baits down on the jig that eliminate the undesirable bites. Of course, this is a very attractive bait to the sharks, also. Every now and then you have to pay the “tax man” in a grey suit, but that’s just the chance I take. Check out some of the rigging and shing videos on the website or on youtube to see what I’m talking about.

See more from Tim Barefoot at Barefootcatsandtackle.com.

ALASKA STATE RECORD OUTWEIGHS WORLD RECORD

Alaska’s new state record shortraker rock sh was caught in late July. On uncerti ed scales at a remote shing lodge, it weighed 48 pounds, which would have crushed the existing IGFA world record by about 4 pounds. e angler, charter guide Keith DeGra , however, chose to preserve the meat by bleeding the sh instead of waiting to get an o cial weight on certi ed scales.

Days later, when DeGra nally got a certi ed weight in front of an Alaska Game and Fish representative, the sh weighed 42.4 pounds, which was good enough to set a new Alaska state record.

“It feels like the biggest accomplishment of my shing career,” DeGra said. “ is species takes time and dedication to drop down to such huge depths, and I spent a whole lot of hours and reeled miles of line trying to break this record, and it nally came to fruition.”

DeGra caught the sh from Prince William Sound on July 28 with his ancée and some friends from a rented boat. DeGra was shing 1,000 feet deep with a conventional (non-electric) Avet 2-speed 30/2 reel, a custombuilt Adventurous Custom rod built by Derwood Roberts, 3-pounds of weight, 80-pound braid and a circle hook baited with salmon and herring. e previous Alaska state record shortraker rock sh weighed 39.1 pounds. It was caught by Henry Liebman in 2013. e IGFA all tackle world record weighed 44.1 pounds. It was caught in 2017 by Angelo Sciubba at Cross Sound, Alaska, but it’s not recognized in the Alaska Game and Fish list. For more information, see www.adfg.alaska.gov.

Industry leader Dometic is o ering a “new turn” on steering for a whole new category of cable-steered boats that have o been overlooked when it comes to driving innovation.

Designed to integrate with a boat’s existing SeaStar cable steering system, new Xtreme Power Assist (XPA) steering provides smooth, e ortless electric power steering for a range of boats with single outboard motors from 90 to 200 hp. is makes it ideal for smaller ats boats, center consoles, shallow water open ski s and other coastal shing vessels that currently use mechanical steering.

Dometic’s XPA mounts easily to all outboard brands and works with all types of SeaStar mechanical steering (including rack and rotary,

need to replace the existing steering. Installing XPA requires only simple wiring and can be done by DIY boaters in about 30 minutes.

Once XPA is installed, the steering cable only turns the power assist unit—while an advanced electric steering actuator moves the engine load. is eliminates steering torque through the wheel and provides smooth, nearly e ortless steering at any speed.

While an ideal upgrade, this new system is being adopted by top boat builders as a factory standard feature or optional upgrade on new boats.

MOBILE BAY

ARE EASY PICKINGS

right, shrimp, crabs, ounder and more oat to the surface in the shallows, where people just scoop them up.

In one of his weekly columns, David Rainer, with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources explained these uncommon events: e event starts with an incoming tide with very warm, still water, followed by organic load that creates a situation that depletes the oxygen in the water. O en, jubilees follow an a ernoon rain shower and an easterly or northeasterly wind. e Mobile Bay National Estuary Program explains that phytoplankton also contributes to this phenomenon by consuming oxygen near the surface of the water. When the easterly breeze starts blowing, this creates a water current that causes the oxygen-poor water to migrate toward the shore. is has a corralling e ect, herding the bottom-dwelling species into the shallows. ere those species become so lethargic that people can just pick them up. ese events usually lasts two to three hours.

Because they are short lived and rare, jubilees are a source of excitement for some Mobile Bay families who send word out to friends and loved ones to drop what they’re doing and go collect some seafood. However, Rainer warned in his column that a jubilee is not a free-for-all. Normal size and creel limits remain in e ect during the phenomenon. Alabama Marine Resources Division Director Scott Bannon said most species survive to swim or scuttle away when dissolved oxygen levels return to more normal levels.

or most folks, a jubilee is an anniversary celebration, or maybe it’s a ambe dessert made with cherries. For people in the know on the Eastern Shore of Alabama’s Mobile Bay, a jubilee is a natural phenomenon that leads to ridiculously easy seafood. When weather, water and tidal conditions occasionally align just

In case you were wondering whether Mobile Bay’s jubilees are the result of climate change or pollution, know that they have a very long history going back to a time when bells would ring to sound the jubilee because locals were dependent on seafood to feed their families.

“Nowadays, it’s more of an interesting phenomenon that occurs in only two places in the world, Mobile Bay and Tokyo Bay in Japan,” Bannon said.

August and September are the best months to encounter an Alabama jubilee, but it’s not the kind of thing you can predict. You just have to be there and hope to encounter it… or have friends in the know on social media.

For more information, see Rainer’s detailed article on jubilees at www.outdooralabama.com.

ADCNR PHOTOS BY DAVID RAINER

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TYLER WOOLCOTT

If you aren’t familiar with it, a Carolina rig is when you put a bullet weight and then a bead on your line and then tie a swivel to the end. To the swivel, I use about a 2-foot section of leader and then a worm hook to put a bait on. is rig gets deep, and the leader with a weightless bait provides a more subtle presentation than a traditional Texas rig.

Obviously, you want to drag this rig around some sort of cover that bass are attracted to. I use it everywhere from Southern largemouth in deep grass to deep smallmouth on rock up north. With the weight clicking against the bead and the free action of the bait, this old-school rig still dominates a lot of tournaments to this day.

ere are two presentations I go for when choosing a so plastic to Carolina rig. I like either a bait sh or a craw sh. If the available forage is bait sh, I use a uke-style bait in a natural bait sh color. If the bass are eating craw sh, I like a Zoom Speed Craw or a Strike King Menace grub in green pumpkin or some type of brown or orange color. ese two baits have a lot of action and small bodies to keep the bait streamlined while dragging. My go-to hook is a 4/0 Hayabusa WRM956 wide gap.

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eptember is supposed to be the beginning of fall, but the reality— at least in the South—is the month is just a continuation of summer. Bass can be pretty tricky, but there are ways to target sh in cooler, deeper water. Dragging a Carolina rig is one of my favorites.You can play around with the size of the weight and the diameter of your leader line. In shallower 5- to 10-foot depths, a lighter weight can help your bait look more natural. I’d suggest ¼ to ½ ounce in that depth range. If you’re shing deeper water in 15 to 30 feet, shing a heavier ¾ to 1 ounce weight gets you down more quickly and allows you to cover bottom more e ectively.

I like the leader between my swivel and hook to be lighter than my main line because it’s less visible to the sh and allows better bait action. If I’m shing 15-pound mainline, I’ll use a 10- to 12-pound leader.

Carolina Rig Gear:

When using this rig, making long casts to cover water is a must, and being able to hook a sh at the end of a long cast is critical. For these reasons, I use a pretty long rod. My go to is a 13 Fishing 7’6” MH Omen Black Casting rod.

You’ll also need to pick line up fast with the reel to remove slack on the take. I use a 13 Fishing Concept A 8:3:1 reel, which eats up line quickly. Spool this reel with 15-pound Seaguar uorocarbon, and grab a small spool of 10- or 12-pound line for leaders.

Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament angler and guide. Check out his website at www.tylerwoolcott shing.com.

S

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DRAG A CAROLINA RIG

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