The wind has finally let up! It has definitely been hotter, but the fishing has been so good that the staggering temperatures haven't even mattered. Each time a bait hit the water, we had a bite last week. The fish have been on the move the past few weeks because the water temperature dropped roughly 5 degrees. Many of the areas we are finding fish in are where they normally spend the fall season. The fall fishing season should be great with cooler weather and lots of fish to catch.
Although the tarpon bite wasn't awesome last week, they are still here. The full moon definitely made the tarpon bite a bit slow for a couple of reasons. The full moon made the big bait move and harder to find. It also changed the tide. At times the tide was going so fast that we had a hard time getting our bait down far enough for the fish to bite. Also, with the full moon, fish sometimes feed at night so they don't want to bite during the day. Although the odds were against us, we were able to hook three tarpon and boat one. We also fished for tarpon in the Manatee River to attempt to catch some of the smaller tarpon last week. Most of the fish we catch in the river are 10lbs to 40lbs., but boy did we get a surprise last week. We hooked a 150lb tarpon on 10lb test in the river and fought him for 20 minutes to 25 minutes. It was awesome to see this great fish dance on top on the water.
When the tide has been right, the snook bite has been great. The big fish are beginning to show up, but they do still not want to bite. Most of the snook we've been catching have been 20 inches to 27 inches, which is fun on light tackle. When the tide is right it is easy to get these fish into a frenzy. When the water temperature drops about another 2 degrees to 5 degrees, the big fish will turn on. Fall is going to bring some big snook.
Wow! What a redfish bite we've had lately. The fish aren't far from jumping in the boat or chewing the prop off of the boat, and most of them are too big to keep. The numbers of fish have been high and the size of them has been even higher. Having a 30 plus inch redfish on your line is great. Imagine it' the drag screaming and the rod bending. It doesn't get much better! The past few years, the fall season has brought a redfish frenzy, and I'm happy to see this year is going to be the same. Please visit www.castawaychartersinc.com and book your trip today!