LOL! Years ago during a really crappy autumn filled with tropical systems, wind and rain one of my friends referred to October as Suktober. It was a very tropical period weather wise, really couldn’t do anything but stay home wishin’ we were fishin’!
Historically speaking, October is a really good time to be fishing the flats. It’s actually one of if not the best month of the year to fish for bonefish. Cooling water temperatures and great tides seem to really get these fish moving around all throughout the day. Maybe a heavy fall feeding before winter returns in a couple of months.
Why is October such a turbulent time? One reason is we are still in hurricane season and some years, October has been pretty active with tropical waves and storms. Another reason is we start experiencing cold fronts. Now we don’t get the big drops in temperature yet, but the stronger fronts that do manage to make it all the way down here will give us the harder north winds and of course rainy conditions.
There is also this fascinating phenomenon where a tropical system will spin up at the tail end of these early cold fronts. This is when we get multiple days of stormy weather and inches of rain in short periods of time.
To add to the fun we get huge king tides during the autumn months. It’s amazing how it all seems to come together at the worst times. Huge high tides, strong southerly winds and massive amounts of rain equals one hell of a mess!
Thankfully it’s not always terrible. We have had some gorgeous Octobers in the past and hopefully this year will be another one. I think we’ve had enough tropical weather over the last few years to last a bit.
October is a transition period, coming out of the hot summer months and rolling into the cooler winter months. As stated above, the water temperatures will be dropping into a more favorable range for the fish we like to chase on the flats.The air temperatures are also at a reasonable level. It’s way more comfortable now, doesn’t feel like I am melting as soon as I step foot out the door.
Bonefishing will be spectacular this month with the really fun days occurring during the mornings with super low incoming tides. Schools of tailing and waking bonefish can be found feeding in literally a few inches of water. It’s tough fishing as the bones can be very skittish but man it is fun.
Tarpon are plentiful too during this time, especially when I can find the bait balls. There’s usually a lot of bait (pilchards and glass minnows) around just have to find ‘em and be able to fish the areas.
Most of the bait I find is on the ocean, as long as it is relatively calm or at least not a straight south wind, it will be fishable. If not, plenty of babies in the backcountry to play around with.
Last but not least, permit. This has been one the best years for me finding permit on the flats in a long time. If that trend continues, October should be really good especially with the big tides we will get on the ocean.
Just need that sun to be shining so I can see them in the deeper water or at least fish the areas where I can find them tailing. As long as we have decent weather I think it’s gonna be really good.
If we can get the good weather in conjunction with great tides this month, we will have some pretty epic days of fishing on the flats.
Also, if you are traveling to the Keys, room rates are usually a bit lower during the autumn slow down and the island is way less crowded. Except for that week later in the month when the circus (Fantasy Fest) comes to town. But outside of that it’s crickets.
Capt. Mike Bartlett
