Contributing Writer Capt. Alex Moran
SpiritFly Fishing Charters
Harken to the howl of the hounds from the northern hills on this brisk night. They will come swift under the light of the new moon (lack thereof that is). Were we to be settled further north we should be privy to alarms sounded by dried fallen leaves cracking under foot, but it is not so in this region, for they descend upon our swamp soaked lands in search of respite beneath a gleaming sun near sand covered shores. On each full moon you will find them, lurking in the shadows between bars from Cape Coral to St. James city, nay even Bokeelia. Fear not, for the neon signs will show you the way to safety, and cold ale. Stay in the light, the wolves of Northerngaard gnash at happy hour cocktails like jack crevalle amidst a guppy hatch on a rare warm late December morning as the sun rises above dew laden mangroves, just before a brisk wind changes the air and the herons leave their evening roosts, knowing what mayhem will befall in the coming months. Hold fast friends, our lines will knot fall.
Alright, all joking and stupid horror buildup aside (it is October after all) the snowbirds will be coming down this month to check in on their homes and ponder as to why they don't live here full time (this place RULES!). For any of you folks reading this and coming down to enjoy the sun for the next few months, feel free to enjoy some quiet local haunts on Matlacha and Pine Island (don't miss out on Street Eatz & Ale) if you're in the mood for a killer burger. Side note for the uninitiated, if you're heading towards Pine Island and only smell low tide, you're in the right place. Follow the fiddler crabs, baby!
This could be the last month of the year to nab yourself a big poon if you play your cards right. It would benefit you to have at least one larger rod on board incase you stumble upon a honey hole. Catfish tails, or mullet under a float can't hurt, especially since this time of year a bunch of folks want to bring their grandkids down to take a boat ride. "Free bait catchers" never sounded so good. The real star of the show for the next couple of months is our redfish.
Which as I stated last month, I'm quite excited for, especially given the amount of reds I ran into all summer while chasing tarpon. Myself and guide friends were flabbergasted, bewildered and downright flummoxed but I have a good feeling for the upcoming calendar. There are plenty of snook around on the flats and creek mouths until the first big cold front comes in but until then get yourself a big "linesider" for the Instagram! Also you may find an errant cobia while you're jigging for all three of these species, you never know. Back to the redfish.
During October we'll start to see big schools of redfish coming in from the gulf. Most of these fish are that perfect 20"-30" range we see throughout the year and a few times each fall I'll see pods of 300+ fish. It's pretty neat having a big copper wave coming down a sandbar at you.
For whatever reason there aren't many bull reds in our estuary, but my theory is that they reach a certain size and then end up going offshore and up to Louisiana so they can get fat on gumbo before they end up on the YouTube videos that the drone hipster kids are putting out nowadays. In all seriousness, I really don't think we have many that spend their whole lives in this estuary. Every now and then I'll hear of guys running their skiffs a mile or two offshore on slick calm days and running into schools of bulls but that's few and far between. Definitely something worth taking note of, however.
Generally, I'll see these schools bouncing between and along sandbars in the harbor (Charlotte). With any luck you'll see them far enough off as you're running that you can cut them off as they ride the tide.
This phenomenon basically looks like a really large agitated school of mullet pushing headwakes, much in the way that a bowling pin turned ass end forward and pulled just under the surface would. If you encounter these fish on the flats the action can be red hot, and generally any well presented fly should get the eat as the fish start to get competitive, especially in skinny water while they're trying to maximize the short feeding window on that particular tide. The skinnier water often calls for weed guards, even on the most lightly weighted flies so make sure you have some in your quiver. I like all black, tan, and white in my box, but you wouldn't be wrong to have some schminnows tied up with rootbeer chenille and a tan craft fur tail on a #1 hook.
When I can't locate big schools of redfish I'll turn to the backcountry to sight fish singles/pairs laid up or slowly cruising shorelines. As I approach a bay I like to look for mullet or small baitfish in the calm areas out of the wind. Usually you'll find most of your love along the mangroves but as the tide bottoms out and the sun gets high you'll see everything move into the middle. Whenever I see a school of mullet I'll have my anglers make a cast or two at them because there's always a chance of a sneaky red hanging out below them to dodge the ospreys.
Many of the back bays littered around the harbor have really small changes in bottom contours that will take time to learn, but when you do get comfortable with an area you'll often find the fish on these slight depth changes. At dead low tides, especially 0.0 or lower I'm always keeping an eye out for tailing reds. They can be very subtle at times but it's worth looking for. If you get a cast to their faces and they don't spook you've got a good chance at getting the eat. That makes for some heart stopping fun and is about as cool as it gets here on Pine Island.
If you find yourself in a bay and the tide begins to come in I'd focus on the shorelines by the entrance where the water is coming in. They're either going left or right so take your pick and be ready to nab one of those copper critters. The shorelines on the outside of the bays are another good option depending on what the wind and sun are doing, but that's all situational and you'll have to figure that out on the day of (that's the fun part anyways). As the water gets higher the fish will move deeper into the mangroves and it's time to change plans and look atop sand or oyster bars. Lunch and a beer aren't a bad option either though!
When targeting reds specifically I like to have rods set up with flies of various sink rates. I'll always have one rod rigged with a topwater fly (such as a gurgler or some variation of it), one with a suspending fly like a deer hair slider or an EP baitfish pattern (you can never go wrong with the everglades special), and then another rod with an intermediate tip and a lightly weighted bead chain eye fly for the deep water scenarios. An 8wt is more than sufficient for dragging these guys to the boat and away from the sharks that have been harassing my boat the last few months. Keep your leaders simple (7ft 40lb - 4ft 20lb) and go have some fun. If the fish in the back get fussy I'll toss an 18" section of 15lb material on and that usually does the trick.
If anybody wants to take a spin on the water, talk fishing, learn some casting stuff, how to grill with open flames, fake your way to playing guitar in a band for five years, or where the best burger joint in St. Louis is just shoot me a call, text, or email. Let's get out there!
Capt. Alex Moran
Spiritfly Fishing Charters
SW Florida
