October Inshore Redfish, Trout & Flounde

Inshore: Captain Patrick Kelly **hidden content**) reports that in September the tailing pattern for redfish should continue to be strong, but the lower tide bite should also get better and better. It was already good at the end of August, and fish were feeding on everything from shrimp to mud minnows to mullet to Gulp! baits around pretty much any structure including docks, oyster beds, and creek mouths. The black drum fishing should also continue to improve on shrimp, and more large trout will be caught as temperatures cool. Numbers were already strong at times during August. More keeper flounder should be caught on mud minnows and finger mullet, and migratory species like tripletail, bluefish and ladyfish should be around until temperatures cool. And the silver king, tarpon, will almost certainly continue to prey on schools of mullet and menhaden all month. Overall, by the end of August the fishing was getting really good, and for the next two months it should be flat-out excellent.

Inshore: Captain Patrick Kelly **hidden content**) reports that in late July young-of-the-year redfish showed up in droves, which provide a ton of action for anglers and also indicate that it should be a good fall for fishing. Anglers can still pick up some bigger fish in the creeks, particularly around creek mouths with oyster beds, but in August targeting tailing fish on the flats may continue to be one of the best ways to find a bigger grade of fish. July also saw good catches of trout on live shrimp, and the trout should only get bigger this month as we approach the fall. While legal fish are still relatively uncommon there have been more flounder caught this year than usual, particularly around structure, and a few good ones. At the rocks they expect to continue to catch lots of black drum this month, and with fiddler crabs you can also catch numbers of sheepshead. Later in the month more big sheepshead should be landed if there is a little cooling. Migratory species like jacks, tripletail and tarpon should be around until the fall and, finally, don’t overlook sharks which can provide a ton of action for anglers.

Inshore: Captain Patrick Kelly **hidden content**) reports that in July tailing redfish can be found on good flood tides when they are in the short grass eating fiddler crabs, and on moving tides fishing live or cut bait in areas where they ambush prey is a good bet. There should also continue to be a good bite on lower tides around docks and other structure. The trout bite turned on late in June and should continue into July, and fish will be caught on both live bait and imitation shrimp drifted around grass lines and in front of shell beds in clean, moving water. Rock close to the ocean has also been a trout magnet. There should also continue to be a good topwater bite for multiple species early, and jack crevalle and tarpon showed up in late June and should be around until the fall. Flounder fishing can be good with live finger mullet, mud minnows, or soft plastics, especially close to the ocean. Sheepshead are also around inshore, but generally they are on the small to medium side. Finally, keep your eyes open for tripletail in the rivers – especially closer to the ocean.