Summer is over and its finally fall in Florida! The temperature begins to drop around this time of year, making this season ripe for inshore fishing. Our inshore waters are a paradise for anglers, offering year-round opportunities for anglers to catch snook, redfish, tarpon, and more. This is a great time to be on the water here in South Florida, but success depends on understanding seasonal patterns influenced by water temperature, tides, fish spawning, and weather. The most noticeable change during this transition is the gradual cooling of surface water temperatures. While summer’s blazing sun heats the Gulf and nearshore waters to uncomfortable levels for many species, the subtle temperature drops of early fall trigger a chain reaction throughout the marine ecosystem. Surface temperatures that peaked in the mid-80s during July and August begin their slow descent, creating the perfect conditions for increased fish activity.
Yesterday, @rovster and I headed over to Chokoloskee for a day in these changing conditions. Launching at 0600 to avoid an anticipated crowd, we noted the water temp to be 79 degrees–the lowest I’ve seen in quite some time. The day got off to a fast start as we waited in the marina basin for a little daylight. Danny hooked up several times on small snook along the shadows of the Outdoor Resorts boat docks.
We headed out of Rabbit Key pass to search for rolling tarpon on a large flat near the outside. The sun rise in the eastern sky was just starting its transition from dark blues and purples, to warm yellow, oranges and reds as we posted up. While we spotted a tarpon or two rolling on the surface, no shots were offered on this day. So, we moved on.
An early morning low meant the bights out front could be good for sight fishing as the flats started to flood. We picked up several snook before the water levels got too high and the winds picked up, prompting us to head back to the Chatham River and head into the backcountry to spend the rest of the day.
Danny had the hot hand in the backcountry, catching over a dozen snook (including a bucket mouth that measured just a tad under 30"). We also caught a hefty jewfish, a Mayan Cichlid, and a ladyfish or two!
Note the ugly hat and socks that Danny was sporting. I have to note that he caught the big snook on a DOA paddle tail, in GARNET AND GOLD. GO SEMINOLES!
