It's getting closer to October and the usual traffic is lining up on the channel edges to target the spawning Reds. All the usual spots are producing good fish. If you're new to this kind of fishing, head towards the Little jetties and look for the boats on the channel edges. 35-40 foot of water is typical but there are spots where you can catch them in 25 foot of water. The baits that produce a consistent bite right now are a combination of Cut Bait(Mullet, Lady Fish, Jacks, Blue Fish etc...) or Blue Crab. Live baits still work but not nearly as well as they did in June and July. Go prepared and bring a mix of baits. Last week the Reds only seemed interested in Crab. Sunday came around and they wouldn't touch crab anymore. They shifted to only wanting cut bait. That's how it goes. Go prepared and you'll put you're family and friends on a huge Bull Red.
I've been playing around with a new fish release alternative to venting. I picked up a Fish Saver(made by "Roys Electric Reels") from Strike Zone and tested it out on a few Reds on Friday. I've posted a picture of how the device works rather than try to explain the set up. Initially, I went with a 100 foot cord attached to a Cuban Hand Spool as a way to get the rig down but DON'T DO IT! This method is extremely time consuming and exhausting to retrieve. It costs a bit more but I'm using an old 6/0 Senator(spooled with 50LB braid and mounted on a kite rod from now on. A Down Rigger(as Steve Sea Snake suggested) would be another great way to use the Fish Saver if you already have access to one.
The down side to using a Fish Saver is ripping current. I found it very difficult to use in the raging flood tide currents we've been dealing with. You would need some serious weight to keep the hook from pulling when attempting to send the device down in these conditions. It does still work but the process is a bear.... During slower tides however, the Fish Saver worked out well.
The Slot Reds are biting good in The Inlet. Toss a live Mullet or Pogy up against the rocks via a Flat Line or Jig head and you'll find plenty of them. The Out going tide produces good fish on the inside rocks and the incoming tide produces best on the outside tips and/or rows. You get a lot of slightly over slot Reds mixed in with them as well. As tempting as it may be to use light tackle, During the summer months, I would go with medium/heavy spinning tackle to get them in fast. The sharks are pretty bad at times and the faster you can get the fish to the boat, the better.
The Tarpon are in the Inlet hammering the Mullet schools. We've been hooking them but can't seem to get them to the boat. There are a lot of larger ones out there.
I got the opportunity to fish with some of Tampa's finest, Captain Billy Clyde and Captain Jason Stock. Jason is a known and accomplished guide that specializes in giant Permit. If you've ever considered heading south to check off that bucket list fish, he's the man. #jmsnooky. Captain Billy is the co-host of Fishing The Flats and has been wanting a big Jacksonville Bull Red for quite some time. I was happy to put him on his personal best. We had a blast.
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Danny Pardue