Fall Fishing Opportunities

by Capt. John Sahagian

Fall is generally considered the slow season here in the Keys when it comes to charter fishing.  This is true only in regards to the volume of visitor traffic that the Keys experience.  As for the opportunities afforded the angler who ventures out this time of year, nothing could be further from the truth.  Whether you prefer inshore or offshore, there are plenty of fishing opportunities to keep everyone busy.

Inshore fishing really takes off in the fall.  While the opportunities to target the larger migrating tarpon have passed, the rest of the fishery is still available.  Juvenile tarpon in the backcountry are available along the mangrove shoreline throughout the Keys waters.  In the deeper harbors and channels, the local big boys are still plentiful.

The generally calmer waters and reduced boat traffic make targeting bonefish and permit easier than most of the rest of the year. Setting out early, and late in the day, will allow you to fish the cooler waters of the day for bones that are a bit more temperature shy.  The permit will tend to feed even through the heat of the day.

You do not need to get off of the water in the middle of the day, however taking a dip for a few hours and snorkeling around in the backcountry waters might just give you an opportunity to bring home a few lobsters for dinner.

Speaking of dinner, the majority of mangrove snapper are done with their annual spawning event out on the reef and have filtered back to their usual haunts on the Gulf side.  Mangrove and lobster are what I like to refer to as “Surf and Surf.”

If you have more of an affinity towards the oceanside of the Keys, there are opportunities aplenty for you too.  While a lot of the mangrove snapper have moved back to the Gulf side of the Keys, there are still plenty of snapper to target on the reef.  Both mangrove and mutton are done with their spawn and, along with a few yellowtails, are going to be easy to target on the patch reefs.  Of course, the majority of the yellowtail, including the larger fellows, are going to be found in deeper water.  If you have a school of yellowtail chummed up, you can bet the big bucks that there will be at least a few larger grouper waiting patiently for just the right opportunity to make a meal out of a wayward tail.

If you prefer the blue water, there are plenty of opportunities for you too.  Dolphin have started their return trip through the Keys and they tend to stay closer to shore this time of the year.  This is good news for your fuel bill.  Joining them are wahoo and the other mackerel, like king, cero and a few Spanish.  The sailfish and mackerel will be easier to target if we get an early front or two.  A bit of north wind will tend to concentrate these offshore fellows a bit closer to the reef.

The deeper wrecks should see less pressure this time of year also.  If you can manage to wrestle a few amberjack away from the sharks that have seemed to take up full time residence on the more productive reefs, you can have a great time with muscle busting fish.  Snapper, grouper, and almaco jack, to name a few, are also available near the bottom.

In mid-water look to tangle with a few blackfin tuna.  The vertical jig is the easiest way to get them going.  If you happen onto a baitwell full of live pilchards and can get a bit of live chum going, so much the better.  

Of course, if you are anything like me and suffer from “Fishing ADD” you can just get out there and target a bit of everything and just chalk it up to medicinal necessity.  Now, if I could just figure out a way for my health insurance to cover the expenses...

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