Capt. Rick Davidson, Editor (grassflats2@yahoo.com)
Fishing report September 2022
*At “press time”, Florida is in the sights of Hurricane Ian. Please be aware that Steinhatchee is a very resilient community, but please call the Sea Hag (352-498-3008) to check on conditions or possible tournament rescheduling.
The end of scallop season means cooler temperatures, fewer crowds, and more aggressive fish, and that’s certainly what we saw this month. Some exciting tournaments, some unusual catches, and great weather for most of the month. Amberjack season opened, the redfish bite has turned on, and trout are heading for the shallower flats. Here are some pictures from the Big Bend this month.
Click on any photo to see larger version!
Fishing Forecast for October
Big month coming up for tournaments, and with good reason. October is kind of like September, but better. Water temps will continue to moderate, fewer afternoon storms, less floating grass, the flats will populate with lots of trout, and redfish will begin their fall schooling pattern. It’s one of best months of the year, and we even have open red snapper season on the weekends of the 8th, 15th and 22nd. Amberjack stays open, and gag grouper season is open as well. Early morning will still be great around shorelines and oyster bars for redfish and larger trout; fish topwater or suspending plugs, although live shrimp will work as well. Fishing cut bait will work around oyster bars but you’ll be dealing with lots of catfish, stingrays, small sharks and pinfish. Schooling keeper trout will in clear water from 2 to 5 feet over mixed bottom with turtle grass and spotty sand patches. This is popping cork depth for trout, with live shrimp, Gulp baits, or jigs with soft tails. This time of year, areas around Sink Creek and just south of Rocky Creek to the south, and the Dallus Creek and Piney Point areas to the north are great places to explore. Offshore it’s a great month for grouper and those red snapper weekends over live bottom. We’ll have Spanish mackerel and kingfish migrating through with schools of bait; troll with Clark-type spoons or bucktail jigs; when you’re in schools of fish, changing out soft baits wastes time. It’s also a good month to set up on one of the nearshore bar areas (9 Mile Bank, Little Bank or One-way) and put out a chum block; you’ll have tons of fish around the boat within thirty minutes most of the time.
Plus it’s a huge tournament month. Here’s the lineup:
October 1: Hooked on Heroes- Take Veterans Fishing Event
October 8: Florida Elite Baseball Fishing Tournament
October 15: Fear the Spear Spearfishing Tournament (weigh-in at Fiddler’s Restaurant)
October 15: Steinhatchee Nauti-Girls Fishing Tournament (weigh-in at Community Center)
October 22: Florida Redfish Series
It’s one of the best months of the year for fishing, not as crowded, lots of accommodations and rental boats available, and great weather ahead…. come see us.
