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The Hunt For Reds In October

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 5, 2007

Redfish, fall and football; it's a hard combination to beat, and the only negative with all of them coming together is that anglers have to fit their redfish excursions around the schedule of their favorite teams; the Bulls/Noles/Gators (and maybe some Canes, too) on Saturday and the Bucs on Sunday.

Reds are definitely fish of fall; they are usually hard to find in summer, but as the days start to shorten, waves of the big spawners move into the larger bays from their usual home in the open Gulf of Mexico. Biologists say these schools sometimes number in the thousands, though they seem to split into smaller units, typically several dozen, as they move inside. The fish start popping up here along a rip-rapped inlet, there around the Skyway, then along the shipping channels, then over an inside artificial reef.

Areas beyond the bay also get good runs this time of year; the end of the spoil islands off Crystal River is a famed October redfish spot, as are Cape San Blas and Bob Sykes Cut, both in the Panhandle. The mouth of the St. Johns River also gets incredible fall runs. These areas attract schools of fish that average 20 pounds or more, with 40-pounders not unheard of.

The largest reds are typically taken in our area by anglers trolling jumbo plugs deep along the shipping channel for grouper. Another effective tactic is to fish a whole blue crab or a large chunk of fresh-cut mullet on bottom along the shores of the major passes, particularly on nights around new and full moons.

Giant reds are also often taken by anglers after early kingfish; the schools sometimes surface not far off the beach, turning acres of water red as the sun gleams off their backs. These fish hit pretty much anything, but the most spectacular bites come on big topwaters worked at warp speed.

Prowling The Flats

In general, reds found in deep water and in large schools are not intelligent. But when they split up and move to the shallows, they become smart, or at least wary of the wiles of fishermen.

The largest reds don't often prowl far up on the flats, though they may cruise the outer edge looking for baitfish. But fish of 15 to 18 pounds do go up 'on the hill' at times, and anglers fortunate enough to find some of these may be casting to tails the size of canoe paddles.

There are also a lot of fish that are not quite adults yet feeding on the flats in fall; reds don't mature until their fourth year, when they're typically 28 inches long. But fish from 15 to 30 inches often stay on the flats from fall through spring, and they continue to provide good fishing after all the larger fish have left for deep water again, usually in early November.

Some flats likely to produce include the well-known waters around Tarpon Key, the slough on the northwest end of Mullet Key (Fort DeSoto), the Bulkhead area east of Anna Maria, the shoreline along Rattlesnake Key north of the Manatee River, Mariposa Key north of the Skyway, the flats on either side of the Bishop's Harbor Slough, and most of the South Shore area from Port Manatee to the Little Manatee River. In Old Tampa Bay, the waters along the northwest shore are frequently productive, as are those off Double Branch and Rocky Creek.

Fishing for reds on the flats has become far more challenging in recent years because of heavy angling pressure, but it still can be highly productive. You're more likely to work several hours to catch three or four quality fish, rather than tying into a big school where you bail them by the dozen as in years gone by, but it's still a fascinating way to fish.

The Tactics Vary

Basically, by boat you drift or pole downwind, watching for any ripples, V wakes or protruding fins. Wade fishing is slower going, but less likely to spook fish. Once a fish is spotted, the trick is to ease into range and toss a lure well ahead of the fish, then let them swim close enough to spot it. Topwaters like the She Dog and Spit-n-Image work well, as do soft plastic jerkbaits, plastic shrimp and weedless spoons.

If the fish are easily spooked, many anglers find they do better by using a scented lure such as Berkley's Gulp. The processed bait is cast uptide of the fish and allowed to rest on bottom; the smell often attracts the fish to the bait. The same process works for using cut mullet, fresh shrimp or cut threadfins. Live sardines are also a deadly offering most of the time, though the baits become harder to find as winter approaches.

The size limit on reds is 18 to 27 inches, the bag limit one daily. This time of year, you might find it tough to catch one small enough to keep - but that's a nice problem to have.

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