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VOLUME 31 • ISSUE 379 OCT 2026 F R A N C H I S E

O P P O R T U N I T I E S

A V A I L A B L E

PUBLISH YOUR OWN FISHING MAG OCTOBER 2026

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The Magic Starts in October

his is the time of year I live for, especially for o!shore bottom fishing of numerous species. This year is going to be di!erent, however, thanks to regulations that have completely shut down our gag grouper fishing. October, November, December, and the first three weeks of January are the absolute apex of gag grouper fishing. In my opinion, flawed science and highly extrapolated data are the reasons we are now facing a zero creel limit for gag grouper for the rest of the year. The situation with the Atlantic’s American red snapper is just as bad. Divers report having to wait for the Americans to get out of the way before they can shoot other target fish, and hook-andline fishing is o! the chart. It’s common to catch and release 20 red snapper per trip, yet we are legally forbidden from keeping a single one, at least for the moment. Where did they get the data to justify shutting down and keeping the American red snapper fishery closed? I would love to take these decision makers out on the water, or show them the underwater video footage captured by my diving friends, because it completely contradicts

2 NATIONAL

OCTOBER 2026

TIM BAREFOOT

the flawed data they are using to make decisions. Despite the regulatory headaches, the beauty of October through January is the gags and snapper will be literally right up on the beach. Last year, some of our best trips were within eyesight of the beach and we caught a serious number of fish. The larger male gags are starting to congregate on the inshore edges now in anticipation of the females coming soon. They will gather enlarged numbers on traditional spawning grounds that typically have good bottom and schools of bait, like cigars and sardines, and the little known fact of it is the same places will hold squid. I always say, “Find the bait … find the fish!” Yes, it’s important to find pretty bottom with some type of structure. If nothing else, look for live bottom and vegetation, but the ultimate scenario is finding big stacks of bait right on top of it. Let’s face it. That’s where your fish are going to be. You wouldn’t hang around in a place with nothing to eat, and neither will they.

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It’s a simple recipe this time of year to catch everything on the bottom. I always make sure to grab two boxes of frozen cigar minnows and whatever live bait we happen to have in the traps at the marina. But one of the best things you could possibly do is put one person on the Sabiki when you get to where you’re going. In addition to the frozen cigars, catch some live snappers or live cigar minnows and/or sardines. A live sardine on the bottom has a life expectancy under five seconds. It’s easily one of the most e!ective baits, especially when attached to a Crab Decoy Jig. The beauty of the shallow water gag and American red snapper fishing in the fall is that almost none of the fish are injured with bladder inflation. You can release them at the side of the boat and they will take o! immediately back to the bottom healthy and unharmed. The biggest problem we have now is the sharks are on to us. Wherever we stop, they hear the trolling motor and the fish struggling, so they come to it. Chances are pretty good you’re going to get a gag bit in half. When that happens, you need to move right away, otherwise you’re just feeding the sharks. They start gathering in numbers - we’ve seen as many as six or eight full grown sharks under the boat at one time. Here’s your sign…it’s time to move. Above all, take your kids out on the water, let them experience these amazing resources, and teach them to be good stewards for the future. To learn more tips and techniques from Tim Barefoot, visit barefootcatsandtackle.com.

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AUTUMN IN APPALACHIAN BROOK TROUT COUNTRY

By Devin Davenport

hen people think of autumn in the Smoky Mountains, they think of crisp,cool mornings, bluebird skies, and the leaves changing into striking yellow, orange and red hues as they begin to fall. What many don’t realize, is that a spectacle just as remarkable is taking place under the surface as well. Southern Appalachian brook trout in autumn put on a show as they prepare for their coming spawn, which usually occurs in mid to late October. As the season approaches, larger brook trout begin to boast the most vibrant colors that they will have all year. Their fins and bellies turn bright orange. Fish also produce more pronounced red dots, blue halos—and aggressive attitudes. This is all in an attempt to attract a suitable mate. It is the best time of the year to catch one of the prettiest fish in North America. Brook trout are the only salmonid species native to the Southern Appalachian region, and a fish that has lost 70% or more of its historical native range. This is primarily due to logging in the 18th and early 19th centuries, as well as the introduction of non-native fish such as rainbow and brown trout. While they are not typically picky eaters, they can be di%cult to find, as they inhabit only the coldest, cleanest, and highest-elevation creeks in Appalachia. Over 99% of native Appalachian brook trout never reach 8 inches in length, so finding a truly large Appalachian brook trout is a real feat for most fly anglers in the Southeast. There are also some areas with stocked brook trout in the southeast, and even these fish in the fall can boast some very impressive colors, and o&en are greater in size. Appalachian brook trout are most o&en found in tributaries that exceed 3,000 feet in elevation. They inhabit creeks so thick with rhododendron that casting room is o&en very limited. They exist below this, but the best place to find them is above 3K as high water temperatures in the late summer months can play a huge role in their existence. In most areas brook trout are found, food sources can be scarce. Bug life is limited the higher

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OCTOBER 2026

up you go, and the fish are opportunistic when a fly or lure is presented in a natural manner. The purest way to target a brook trout is with a dry fly, such as an Elk Hair Caddis or Parachute Adams. These flies have withstood the test of time and are a staple when it comes to rising brook trout. It’s a beautiful sight seeing a large, orange brook trout rise from the depths to crush a fly on the surface. Flies such as pheasant tails and prince nymphs are also very productive. One of the best ways to target larger brook trout is with a small streamer or spinner, as they will attack smaller fish that come within range. They are a remarkable fish and we are lucky they still have some strongholds in the Appalachians. Devin Davenport, (@appalachian.trout on Instagram) grew up fly fishing in the Southern Appalachian mountains. He primarily fishes for wild trout, smallmouth bass, musky, and other fish found in western North Carolina and East Tennessee. While he lived in South Florida for several years and loves saltwater fishing, he now resides back in the mountains of East Tennessee.

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PRO FISHING TECHNIQUES

Specks of the Smokies

By Capt. Michael Okruhlik

GAME PLAN

PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES®

AN OCTOBER

ctober is one of my favorite months to !sh the coast. Cooler weather makes a day on the water more comfortable, boat traffic begins to thin out, and the bays and marshes come alive. Trout, red!sh, and flounder are feeding on shrimp and !n!sh, and it is not uncommon to !nd all three in the same area. My October game plan starts before I launch the boat. Satellite imagery is a great tool for locating shallow coves connected to drains, bayous, or small cuts. I look for areas with shell, grass, subtle depth changes, and a drain that is still open rather than sanded in. Once I arrive, I slow down and look for bait. A promising shoreline without bait usually does not hold my attention for long. Outgoing tides are my !rst choice because moving water concentrates bait and !sh. Mouths of drains are obvious places to start, but do not overlook bends, narrow sections of a bayou, points extending into a bay, or cuts through a reef. Anything that increases current or funnels bait can create a feeding area. I will occasionally start with a topwater, but most of the time I have a durable paddle tail tied on. A smaller paddle tail helps match the young bait common in the marsh, while a 4-inch version is a dependable choice on open flats. I rig it weedless around grass and other cover or use a jig head in cleaner or deeper water. A paddle tail lets me cover water quickly, and its vibration helps !sh locate it. Add a built-in rattle and the lure gives !sh another reason to investigate. Before changing colors or lures, I change my retrieve. Red!sh often respond to a steady retrieve. Trout may prefer an erratic twitch-twitch action. For flounder, I keep the lure close to the bottom with the rod tip down or to the side and use !rm twitches that make the lure dart forward without jumping too high. Around a drain, I concentrate casts along the edges, bends, and small washouts where flounder can wait in ambush. Fish do not read !shing articles, so none of these rules are absolute. Let the bait, current, structure, and strikes tell you what to do next. Enjoy the cooler weather, try a different approach when the bite slows, and take a kid !shing. Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor and owner of Knockin Tail Lures® — knockintaillures.com.

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OCTOBER 2026

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By A. deGruchy ctober is a great month to chase black!n tuna in the Florida Keys. The weather starts to change a little, the bait gets moving, and the offshore bite can get really good. Black!n are one of those !sh that can turn a slow morning into chaos pretty quickly. Once you !nd them, it is usually fast action, hard runs, and a lot going on at once. Around the Keys, we usually start looking around deeper wrecks, offshore structure, current edges, and anywhere bait is getting pushed around. There are plenty of deeper wrecks and arti!cial reefs scattered off Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon and the Lower Keys that can hold black!n. You do not always have to be right on top of the wreck either. A lot of times the !sh will be moving around the area, especially if there is good current and bait nearby. Birds are always worth watching too. If you see birds dipping, bait getting pushed up, bonito going crazy or flying !sh getting chased, there is a good chance something is feeding underneath them. Trolling is one of the easiest ways to cover water and !nd !sh. Small feathers, skirts, diving plugs, and other smaller tuna-style baits all work well. Black!n are fast !sh, so you can keep the boat moving and still get plenty of bites. We like to spread the baits out behind the boat and work around an area instead of just trolling in a straight line all day. Once you get a bite, circle back through that same area because where there is one black!n, there are usually more. If birds are working, try not to run straight through the middle of them. Work the edge, keep the baits in 4 FLORIDA

OCTOBER 2026

clean water, and let the !sh come to you. Vertical jigging is probably one of the most fun ways to catch black!n. If the !sh are holding deeper around a wreck, drop a jig down and work it back up fast. Sometimes they will eat it deep, and other times they will follow it halfway back to the boat before crushing it. Savage Gear jigs are a great choice for this style of !shing because they drop fast, have a good pro!le, and are easy to work through the water column. Current plays a big role in what size jig we use. If it is ripping, go heavier. If the current is lighter, you can !sh something smaller and get a little more action out of the jig. The biggest thing is keeping it moving because black!n usually want something fast. For this kind of !shing, we like a PENN Authority spinning reel matched with a Carnage III rod. It is a solid setup for jigging, casting, or throwing a bait at !sh that suddenly pop up on the surface. The Authority has plenty of drag for a hard-running tuna, and the Carnage III has enough backbone to put real pressure on the !sh. That matters a lot in the Keys because getting the tuna to the boat is only half the battle. The sharks have been bad, especially around some of the deeper wrecks. You can hook a perfectly good black!n, !ght it halfway up, and then suddenly everything changes. Sometimes you get the head, sometimes you get half a tuna, and sometimes you get absolutely nothing back. It is frustrating, but it is part of !shing these areas right now. The best thing you can do is put pressure on the !sh and get it to the boat as quickly as possible. This is not really the time to play a tuna

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for 20 minutes if you can help it. Once the sharks !gure out what is going on, they can make !shing the same spot pretty tough, so if you start losing multiple !sh, sometimes the best move is to leave the area and !nd another school instead of feeding the sharks all afternoon. Having a heavier setup like the PENN Authority and Carnage III really helps because you can pull harder and shorten the !ght. One of the best parts about !shing black!n in October is that you do not have to stick with one method. Start trolling and cover some water. If you !nd !sh around a wreck, drop Savage Gear jigs. If they suddenly start blowing up on bait, grab a spinning rod and start casting. Things can change quickly, so having a few rods rigged and ready makes a big difference. October can be a really fun month offshore in the Florida Keys. The black!n are fast, they !ght hard, and when you get into a good school, the action can be nonstop. Just make sure you get them to the boat before the sharks do. Follow all of deGruchy’s adventures at @bean_sportfishing on Instagram and YouTube.

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Chasing the Fall Feed T he days may still be hot now, but the nights will begin to cool as fall moves closer. Water temperatures that have been in the 80’s and 90’s slowly drop, and bass start changing their behavior. This seasonal transition can create some of the best opportunities of the year to catch a true monster. During the summer months, many of the biggest bass spend a lot of their time around deeper structure, offshore cover and areas where they can !nd cooler, more comfortable water. As we move toward fall, bait!sh become the key. Shad begin moving, and bass know that an easy meal is available. When I see that transition starting, I want a bait that can imitate those shad and give me the ability to cover water. That’s one reason I developed the Bloom Shad with Bait Cave Customs. Making its debut at ICAST 2026, the Bloom Shad is designed to imitate a natural shad pro!le while giving me plenty of versatility. I can !sh it around grass, brush, docks and other cover, or work it through areas where bass are actively feeding on bait!sh. When the bass are roaming, I want something I can cast, retrieve and cover water with while still having the ability to slow it down when I !nd a productive area. It has quickly become one of my favorite soft plastics to utilize when I’m looking for quality !sh. One of the biggest keys during this transition is paying attention to the bait. If I !nd shad around

By Bait Cave Customs Pro Joey Bloom

points, creek channels, grass lines or the mouths of pockets, I know there’s a good chance bass won’t be far away. I also pay close attention to changing water conditions. Fall rains can raise lake levels, push fresh water into the system and move bait!sh into newly flooded cover. When that happens, some of the biggest bass in the lake will take advantage of the opportunity to feed up. I like to start shallow when conditions tell me the bait is there, but I’m always prepared to move deeper if the bass haven’t followed the bait!sh yet. The transition isn’t always predictable, and sometimes the best !sh can be caught by checking

several different depths until you !gure out where the bass are positioned. For me, the biggest lesson is to follow the food. Bass don’t have a calendar telling them it’s fall— they respond to water temperature, weather and, most importantly, the movement of their prey. When those !rst signs of fall begin showing up, I’ll have a Bloom Shad tied on and I’m going to be looking for that one area where the bait and the big bass come together. That’s when the summerto-fall transition can turn into some of the most exciting !shing of the entire year. Follow Joey Bloom on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube at Joey Bloom Fishing. The Bloom Shad will soon be available at batcavecustoms.com.

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OCTOBER 2026

FLORIDA 7

The Fall Kingfish Migration is Coming! A s summer fades and cooler water begins pushing south along the East Coast, one of the most exciting migrations of the year is about to get underway. King mackerel are on the move, and October can be prime time for chasing them. Known as king!sh or “smokers” to anglers, king mackerel are built for speed. They are powerful predators that spend much of their time chasing bait!sh along the coast, and their seasonal movements are closely tied to water temperature and food availability. NOAA Fisheries says kings prefer water warmer than about 68 degrees and migrate north during the summer before heading south for the winter. For East Coast anglers, that southbound migration is what makes fall so special. North Carolina’s Division of Marine Fisheries notes that king mackerel move inshore along beaches and near the mouths of inlets and rivers during the summer and fall. The !sh follow concentrations of bait such as menhaden, mullet, thread!n herring and sardines, and feeding kings can sometimes be spotted skyrocketing through schools of bait on the surface. That makes October a great month to start watching the water. From North Carolina and South Carolina

By CAM Staff

through Georgia and Florida, king!sh can show up anywhere from nearshore structure and arti!cial reefs to the edges of bait schools farther offshore. A moving body of bait is often a better clue than simply !shing a particular piece of bottom structure. Trolling remains one of the most popular ways to target them. Live bait such as menhaden, cigar minnows and other locally available bait!sh can be deadly, while dead ribbon!sh and arti!cial lures also have their place in the fall king!sh arsenal. And when a big king decides to eat, things can get exciting in a hurry. The fall migration also brings tournament anglers out in force. King mackerel support a substantial recreational !shery and are a favorite target in tournaments throughout the Southeast. For anglers planning October trips, the key is to follow the bait and watch the water temperature. Kings migrate south as conditions change, so the !sh that are showing up off one area early in the month may be considerably farther south later in the season. The good news is that the migration stretches along a huge portion of the Atlantic coast. And somewhere between the beaches of the Carolinas and the waters of Florida, the next big smoker is already on the move.

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COASTAL ANGLER North Central Florida/Nature Coast

OCTOBER 2026 EDITION

Find Your Outdoors Here!

Cary & Lynn Crutchfield

North Central Florida Nature Coast Staff

ALACHUA, CITRUS, COLUMBIA, DIXIE, GILCHRIST, LEVY, MARION, SUWANNEE

Cary Crutchfield

OCTOBER

s I write tonight in late September, I can hardly believe (Dare I say it?) that we have had almost no activity in the Atlantic this hurricane season. God bless El Niño. The occasional rain is very welcome, and even though the Suwannee is still quite low, it is rising a bit. The big negative, is the puddles in the swamp, providing environment for mosquito reproduction. Thank goodness the Love Bugs are gone—at least until next May. This month’s recipe, page 2, is Grouper Florentine, fancy name for grouper with spinach. It is delicious, fast, easy and perfect for company. New advertiser last month, Hog Island Boat Works, selling custom boats in Lecanto. See page 13. Our guides would love to hear from you. If you have fishing questions, they have answers. Also, please thank our advertisers and the folks at the location where you picked up your copy of Coastal Angler, the world’s greatest FREE fishing magazine. Dr. Kevin McCathy, who writes FLORIDA WATERWAYS, turns 86 on October 15th. You might want to send him a Happy Birthday email and thank him for writing for us since March 2012. See page 3. Flu season is right around the corner and Covid never left. Cary and I will get our shots next week. Discuss it with your medical advisor. Stay smart, stay well and stay alive.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN Lynn Crutchfield Co-Publisher Coastal Angler Magazine of North Central Florida/Nature Coast

SALES EDITING & PRODUCTION Lynn Crutchfield

GRAPHIC ARTS & DESIGN Kathleen Stemley

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dr. Kevin McCarthy Noel Kuhn Capt. Jason Clark Capt. Katie Jo Davis Capt. Tommy Derringer Capt. Andrew Fagan Capt. Jonathan Hamilton Capt. Dallas King Capt. Pat McGriff Capt. Brent Woodward

CONTACT INFORMATION Crutch@CoastalAnglerNCF.com 352-542-0356

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Local Fishing Forecasts Monthly Recipe

Photo by: Suwannee River Water Management District

GROUPER FLORENTINE (FOR TWO)

Thank you to The Crab Plant for the grouper. Visit their Fresh Seafood Market or enjoy Cooked Seafood to go. You are welcome to sit at their table and view beautiful Kings Bay while you enjoy your delicious, freshly prepared meal, watching manatees, dolphins, pelicans and boats. Or, you can carry it home; your choice. Open Tues-Thurs 10:00-5:30, FriSat 10:00-8:00. 201 NW 5th St. Crystal River 352-795-4700.

DIRECTIONS

INGREDIENTS

Season grouper with • 8 to 10 grouper cheeks salt and pepper. Put flour or 2 fillets COOKING in plastic bagDIRECTIONS and add the • Salt and pepper grouper. Shake gently, until • 1/3 cup flour. grouper is covered with flour. • 2 tablespoons oil Heat oil in large skillet • 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add • 1 small onion, finely grouper to pan and cook 2 chopped to 3 minutes, until golden. • 2 cloves garlic, Flip and cook another 2 to minced 3 minutes. Remove from • 1 bag fresh spinach skillet and set aside. • 1/2 cup heavy cream In same skillet, reduce • 1/4 cup grated heat to medium and add the Parmesan cheese butter. Add onion and sauté • 1 tablespoon lemon until translucent, about 2 to juice 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute until fragrant. Gradually add spinach to skillet, stirring constantly, until it wilts. Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. Simmer for a couple of minutes until cream reduces slightly and thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon creamy spinach onto plates and top with cooked grouper. Drizzle any emailing juices from skillet over the grouper. Lynn Crutchfield, Co-Publisher Coastal Angler Magazine of North Central Florida 2 NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST

OCTOBER 2026

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FLORIDA WATERWAYS German POWs at Lake Geneva, Florida By Kevin McCarthy

aving recently watched a YouTube video about German POWs, sent in the 1940s to camps in California and Florida (https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkXeF8OFbzE), I learned what a role Lake Geneva in North Florida played in the World War II era. The video tells the story of how German and Italian soldiers, captured in battles around Tunisia in 1943, were sent to British internment camps, before being shipped to America, to spend the rest of the war in places like California By Dr. Kevin M. and Florida. McCarthy Some of the German POWs were sent to Camp Blanding and nearby camps in Florida. The prisoners were greatly surprised at how decent their prison guards were, providing them with nutritious meals and even letting them exercise outside in the warm sun. All of that, was far different from the way that German soldiers back in Europe treated their prisoners, especially the Jewish prisoners, who often met their death in gas chambers. Some of the prisoners at Camp Blanding were taken to Lake Geneva, a small community southeast of Keystone Heights. The peaceful community was settled around a natural lake, that was over one thousand acres in size. The waterway in Clay County is about thirty miles northeast of Gainesville and is very popular for swimming, boating, and fishing. The prisoners had been told that American soldiers were weak, lazy, cruel, and heartless. POWs sent to camps in this country had expected the worst, but were pleasantly surprised at the kindness of their guards. The prisoners had to pick oranges in the nearby groves, work that greatly helped American farmers who had lost their day workers to the draft. The prisoners were actually paid eighty cents a day in prison scrip that could be spent at the local canteen. The prisoners worked eight hours a day, with rest periods built into the schedule. They received good medical care and were not beaten, tortured, or executed. The American guards followed the 1929 Geneva Convention that regulated how prisoners were to be treated, including the provision that prisoners were to receive the same food, medical treatment, and conditions that the nation’s own

Camp Blanding

Map showing POW camps

POW camp drawing

Map with arrow for Lake Geneva

soldiers received. After working in the orange groves for a week, Monday through Friday, the guards sometimes took the prisoners by truck to Lake Geneva, where the Germans could swim and relax on the beach. The outings at the Florida lake were like others throughout the state and throughout the whole country, outings which were a far cry from the concentration camps back in Germany. It would be nice to know if any of those POWs in Florida ever returned to the state after the end of the war. For sure, those prisoners who returned home to war-torn Germany must have had very favorable stories to tell of their time in the Sunshine State.

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OCTOBER 2026

Tents at Camp Blanding

Lake near Camp Blanding

Kevin McCarthy, the author of “Suwannee River Guidebook” (Amazon, 2009), can be reached at ceyhankevin@gmail.com. NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST 3

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nshore the redfish and snook bite has been descent! Redfish and snook have been feeding on the plethora of live baits we have in our bays, and the number one target is finger sized mullet. Small mullet are very plentiful and work perfectly fished on a 1/8 oz. or ¼ oz. jig head around the spoil banks or outer points. This month, you will have plenty of success. A good cast net and a good livewell is key to catch and keep these baits healthy for fishing. Offshore, the mangrove snapper bite has fired up and we will continue to hammer these big 2 to 5 lb. mangrove snapper over any high relief structure in 20 to 50 feet of water. A live shrimp freelined on a small jighead in the color of pink or white will get the job done on these pesky good eating critters. Good luck and tight lines! Ebb Tide Guide Service Capt. Andrew Fagan | 352.818.8927 Instagram : @capt_redfishdrew

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OCTOBER 2026

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all exc brutal get int let’s fa Insh the big along snook use sh of late ladyfis bigger Nea fire off cool d Thi to hit stay hu it’s ins opinio year to

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OCTOBER 2026

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KATIE JO’S NATURE COAST ADVENTURES

all is in the air, and I am so excited for it! After a fairly brutal summer, it is finally time to get into our fall fishing patterns and let’s face it, the fish are hungry! Inshore fishing is fired up with the big seatrout moving back in along with massive schools of snook and redfish. Typically, I use shrimp for everything, but as of late, large chunks of fresh cut ladyfish, has been the ticket for the bigger fish. Nearshore fishing is also going to fire off. As the water temperatures cool down, the fish move closer in. This time of year, is my favorite to hit the water and the fish tend to stay hungry all day long. Whether it’s inshore or nearshore, in my opinion, it is the best time of the year to go catching! Captain Katie Jo Davis KD OUTDOORS FiSHING CHARTERS 772-882-8932 www.fishcrystalriverflorida.com

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OCTOBER 2026

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CEDAR KEY

ey anglers, I'm gonna keep this one short a day sweet. It's one of the best times of year to target redfish, snook, and trout. The redfish spawn is wide open and its absolutely amazing right now. We are easily catching 30 to 40 on just a half day trips, and they are loving cut mullet. Snook are in season and they can be caught right by the redfish on cut bait as well. They are one of the best happy accidents to catch. Trout are all over the flats right now, with most of my groups getting their limits in the first 90 minutes. So get on out here, and come enjoy this fall bite. Until next month stay safe out there. Capt. Jason Clark In The Slot Fishing Charters 352-639-3209 www.intheslotfishing.com

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OCTOBER 2026

NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST 11

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Aaron Griner of Alapha, Georgia with a nice trout.

s of late, trout have really picked it up, with limits of trout on my last few trips. The Gulf 's water temperature was 81 to 83 degrees last trip out, so things are trying to settle into more regular patterns with the cooler water. We are still using live pinfish for our trout and reds mostly because of the floating grass. However, when we are fishing for black sea bass, we are tossing Saltwater Assassin's Sea Shads and 5-inch shads in a variety of colors, such as Panhandle Moon, Pink Ghost, Stinky Pink, Chartreuse Glow and Chicken-on-a-Chain. I prefer the 1/4 oz. jighead by Assassin in the Electric Chicken color. Eight to twelve feet has produced the bsb, with a few keeper trout mixed in, even this late in the summer. I have fished the earlier part of the incoming for bsb, then moved in for trout and reds during the last third of the incoming tide. Two and a half to three and a half feet, seems to be the ticket on the trout and reds. If I forgo fishing for the bsb, I will start my trout fishing early in the tide in 4.5 to 5.5 feet of water.

ey guys and gals. I hope everybody is having a great start to fall. Temperatures are finally starting to give us a little bit of relief and water temperatures are starting to drop as well. The red fishing has been the best it’s been all year, which is to be expected for this time of year. When you find them, you’re in them, and it’s not hard to find them. Throwing a lot of cut bait, live shrimp, pretty much whatever. Trout fishing is slowly getting better as well. I expect bigger girls to just keep

moving up. I ran a trip the other day, and we caught four over-slot trout. We are throwing popping corks with any kind of natural paddle tail. This is your yearly reminder that we also run duck hunts. I’m starting to see some flocks, offshore, and up in the oyster bar basins. Until next time, keep it Reel Native! Capt. Brent Woodward ReelNativeFishing.com 352-284-5514

Aaron again with a 30 spot redfish, 15 on a side!

I would expect some real changes in October and look forward to a few cool fronts to shift the floating grass out so we can throw some plugs. Keep your fingers crossed, and maybe we won't have to wait till November to catch some on top. Meanwhile Let's Go FIshing! Call or text me at 850-838-7541 or email me at onemorecast1953@gmail.com Pat McGriff dba One More Cast

12 NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST

OCTOBER 2026

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Nine-year-old Brady Largey caught this 31-inch redfish in South Ozello. He chose a pin fish for bait. Happy Birthday Brady.

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OCTOBER 2026

NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST 13

HOMOSASSA

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ctober is such a great month to be on the Nature Coast! We should still be seeing decent redfish schools in the area. Remember, these mature fish are migrating and should be treated with care and respect. Most of these fish will be over size, so get a quick picture and quickly get them back into the water. Look for these schools to float in with incoming tides around the outside points or keys. Also, look for jumping mullet. One of my favorite ways to catch these fish this time of the year is on a 1/4 ounce gold spoon. Top water plugs can be a lot of fun as well. If you are throwing bait, shrimp rigged on a 1/16th ounce DOA jig head, or a free lined pin fish can produce. Fly fishing for redfish this month can be super successful as well. You need to be there when these fish are floating in and throw shrimp pattern flies or baitfish flies. Fall trout fishing is one of my favorites. Look for yellow bottom with rock grass from trout key bay, outside St. Martin Keys and all the way down to Chassahowitzka.

all is in the air, and I couldn’t be happier! This month is an inshore anglers dream with snook, redfish and trout, all being targeted successfully! With waters temps dropping slightly, it will move the inshore species around quite a bit! Redfish will be easing off the western islands and starting to push more towards the creek mouths. During this transition, I like to fish areas with hard bottom points, with a lot of water flow adjacent to mangroves. The more cover the better. Find all that, plus mullet in the area, and it will be game on. A live pinfish or a hunk of ole stinky cut mullet will get the job done! If you like artificial, you can get bit well on the classic gold spoon! Trout are making a slight move back east as well, staging up in the flats just outside the creek mouths. The start of the incoming tide is my favorite in 4 to 5 feet of water. Patchy grassy bottom is key! The classic popping cork with a live shrimp, works great. During an east wind, where there’s not much floating grass, I like to throw a topwater for them! Either a Zara spook or a Rapala skitter walk. The white or bone color in the murkier water, seems to produce the most strikes! Don’t get discouraged if you find lady fish, where there’s lady fish, there’s trout! Snook are around their normal fall haunts and are biting well. A big fast live bait on a hard bottom point or trough, gets the job done. For you artificial guys a fast-moving swim bait is hard to beat. Keep the boat quiet and remember, they can feel you a long way off.

These fish are coming from offshore this time of the year and they like noise! Fish will respond well to a DOA popping cork followed with 20 to 24 inches of fluorocarbon to a 1/16-ounce jig head rigged with a Mirror Lure Little John in glow or watermelon red flake. The secret to fishing the cork rig is to give it time in the pause 2 to 3 seconds at least. The jig needs to fall down to their zone. Fish for snook on the outside points with good water flow. DOA 5.5 CAL in glow nose hooked with a 3/0 J hook will get the job done. As the water cools down, these fish will move to the east. Near shore rocks will be producing plenty of groceries for your dinner table. Expect to catch plenty of decent sized mangrove snapper, grunts and mackerel. Shrimp on a jig head will keep the rods bent. Great fun for the kids! As always stay safe and tight lines. Capt. Stump, Jonathan Hamilton 352-403-2073 www.homosassafishingcompany.com

God bless and tight lines Captain Dallas King Pirate Flag Charters and Tours 352.601.8460 www.pirateflagcharters.com www.crystalriverfishingpros.com

14 NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST

OCTOBER 2026

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OCTOBER 2026

NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST 15

ST. AUGUSTINE

t’s time to find the mullets! No, not the one on the back of your Uncle Ron’s head… the fish that school up and run through our area waters this time of year. Our fall mullet run is one of the best times of year to get outdoors and do some fishing. Cooler air temperatures and hungry predatory fish, means fun for everyone on the water. The best areas to fish will be easy to find right now, where you see the mullet, you’ll also find redfish, trout, flounder, and just about anything else you want to catch. All those fish will be lurking just underneath the mullet schools looking for an easy snack. There are countless numbers of lures, both hard and soft plastic, that do a great job of imitating a mullet. This month is great to go the top-water plug route and use a Berkley J-Walker or Cane Walker. Both are great “walk the dog” type plugs, that even the shyest redfish or trout can’t resist this time year. If you want to go subsurface, try the soft plastics from Saltwater Assassin, like their Elite Shiner paddle tail. It looks just a like a mullet and can be fished weedless or on a traditional jighead. Along with the influx of mullet to Northeast Florida, comes our fall flounder run. Some of the best catches, both in numbers and in size, come in the fall. The fishfinder rig is the go-to for many anglers, looking to catch some flounder. It consists of using about 12 inches or so of leader, attached to a swivel with a barrel weight above the swivel. You want to use enough weight to hold the bottom, and a hook sized accordingly to the size of mullet or minnow you’re

using. Another favorite rig is a Saltwater Assassin jighead, in either 1/4 or 3/8 oz with a finger mullet pinned to it. The jighead rig allows you to fish without getting hung up as easily on structure like oysters and rocks. The inlets will come alive this month. Big bull redfish will be schooling up in the deeper areas of St. Augustine Inlet and Mantanzas inlet. A blue crab or mullet on the bottom will get their attention. If it doesn’t get too chilly, there will also be some tarpon around the inlets, feeding on the bigger mullet schools, so make sure to have a bigger rod ready to go for those monsters. If you missed out on the flood tides last month, don't worry. You still have plenty of days in October to find some tailers. Redfish and sheepshead will still be tailing away looking for crabs, snails, and just about anything that hangs out in the grass. Any small soft plastic paddle tail or shrimp imitation, will work well for the reds. I like the Saltwater Assassin Elite Shiner, rigged on a weedless hook. The Elite Shiner has a little slot on the top of it that allows the hook to lay just below the surface of the plastic. Then, the lure can come through even the thickest of grass patches. This will also be a great time to toss an inline spinner bait, like the Saltwater Assassin Mac Daddy Spinner. It has all the thump to lure the redfish out of even the thickest grass.

SURF & PIER

ctober is indeed my favorite month of the year! Why? The water temperature is dropping, the days are not as hot, and the pompano have returned from their summer vacation in North Carolina. The height of the pompano run will be sometime between mid-October and midNovember. The biggest ones seem to tolerate colder water better. So, we may have them around until December 1st, or until the water drops below 64 degrees. The rigging is easy. The double dropper rig has many names such as Pompano rig, Bruno rig, Mortician rig, Sea Mullet rig and so on. The Mortician rig is my number one. I tie the main line with 50 lb. mono and the droppers with 30 lb. mono. They are finished with Eagle Claw L197 2/0 circle hooks. I also prefer “naked rigs,” which means, no beads and no floats. Fifty-one years ago, I caught my first pompano with naked J hooks. Last year, I saw underwater videos of pompano biting the floats instead of the bait. Since going back to no beads and no floats, my catch rate is just as good if not better! Now the baits: Live sand fleas, aka mole crabs, are number one. However, sometimes they prefer clams, shrimp, blue crab, calico crab, ghost crab or ghost shrimp. My best advice is get more than one bait and see if there is a preference that day. If you cannot catch live sand fleas, the combo of Fishbites flea flavor, and a small piece of fresh Capt. Tommy Derringer shrimp can be money! www.InshoreAdventures.net 904-377-3734

16 NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST

OCTOBER 2026

My biggest pompano, up to 6 lbs. 4 ozs., came late in the run when the water was colder. So set your drags light after you spike up. This will also help when the big over slot redfish crash your small bait. They are breeding in the inlets this month. When they finish, they cruise the surf, eating everything smaller than they are. November and December is prime time for surf reds. So, we will cover that more next month. Until then, go get some pomps, and tight lines. Noel Kuhn 43 years of surf fishing experience, surf fishing guide and long distance casting coach. Founding member of Florida Surf Casters club. 904-945-0660 www.TheSurfAngler.com

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FISHING THE FALL MULLET MIGRATION

By Skye Nowak

he Atlantic coast of Florida experiences one of the planet’s greatest migrations each fall: the fall mullet run. When millions of mullet push south in giant schools toward spawning grounds o! the southern end of the state, it presents an exciting prospect for fishing. It’s an event anglers anticipate all year long. The mullet run doesn’t have an official start or end date. Large schools of mullet, some being the size of three football fields, move south as temperatures cool. Tarpon, sharks, kingfish and redfish are just some of the gamefish that move with these pods. Most years the fishing is on fire in the months of October and November. Obviously, mullet is the bait to use this time of the year. I prefer freelining finger-sized mullet as pretty much everything will bite! I mainly fish inshore, so light tackle is the way for me. However it is important to be prepared to switch up, depending on the size and species of the game fish present. In the backcountry, I like a light-to medium-action 2000 size spinning setup to fish 10/15 pound leader to a 3/0 circle hook, using a simple loop knot, tying a FG knot or double uni to connect leader to braid (main lines) creating a true free line without the added weight of the swivel. The rigging is pretty much the same if needed to beef up for larger catches.

That being said, in a 2500 size setup I’ll fish 15/20 pound leader, but I’ll bump that up to 25/30 pound test on a 3000 size gear for bigger game fish. To fish with mullet, I simply follow the pods, casting to the outside of the schools, opening my bail to let the bait swim naturally. When you hit it right you’ll find yourself hooking up on nearly every cast. With species changing from one cast to the next. From snook to tarpon. Big gamefish tend to seek out isolated or injured mullet, which is exactly what your bait is. This backcountry lady angler enjoys sight fishing and scouting the marshes from the Tomoka Basin to Mosquito Lagoon along Florida’s central Atlantic Coast. I’ll target large breeder reds in the inlets, however I spend my days chasing snook, reds, tarpon, black drum, and sighting tails in our estuaries and marshes. This style of fishing is perfect for throwing artificials on light tackle. This time of the year any artificial that resembles a mullet will produce—swimbaits, Rapala X-Raps, Bomber Lures, Savage Gear Pulse Tail Mullets, LIVETARGET Slow-Roll Mullets, MirroOlure Suspending Twitch Bait Mullets and, my “go-tos,” the NLBN 3-3.75 paddletail jigs, K-Tails and 4to 7-inch mullets. (You can never go wrong with a good ol’ fashioned spoon!) Please remember that during the fall mullet run our breeder redfish are much more susceptible to being caught from beaches, boats, bridges, docks and piers. Handling them with care and releasing them safely is important to the future of our fisheries! The statewide slot limit is 18-27 inches, intended to protect the larger fish which are part of the spawning stock. Landing a larger redfish this time of the year is easy with the mullet running simply freelined, or drop one on a weighted rig to land that trophy! Before you experience that drag-pulling run you should be knowledgeable on how to properly handle and release your fish. In recent years, Florida has adopted management plans for redfish, and there are new regulations across nine di!erent zones. Anglers need to understand these regulations because they are intended to protect one of our iconic species in the face of habitat loss. Most of the state now has a one fish per person daily limit in the 18-27 inch slot. Some regions have two fish per vessel limit and others have a four fish per vessel limit. The Indian River zone, from New Smyrna Beach South Causeway to the Martin/Palm Beach County line (not including Locks Of Hatchy), is strictly catch-and-release only for redfish. Make sure to visit myfwc.com for your area’s regulations, as well as instruction on safe handling and release.

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PRO FISHING TECHNIQUES

3 BEST LURES FOR REDFISH

CAPT. MIKE SMITH

ou can !nd red!sh around oyster bars, grass %ats, mangroves, dock pilings, mud %ats and any other place where they can !nd crabs, shrimp, snails and !sh to eat. PRO TIP - Red!sh spend most of their lives looking down with their heads “literally” in the mud. &e best way to get their attention is with a lure that stinks and/or makes a lot of noise to maximize your catch. GULP SHRIMP - &at is why my number one lure choice for catching red!sh in every inshore scenario is the Berkeley Gulp 3” shrimp. I usually couple that lure with a 1/8 ounce jig head and a 20 pound leader. Cast it to your target and let it sink to the bottom. &en bounce it on the bottom back to you slowly and repeat. I think that many anglers !sh their jigs too quickly. You have to give the red!sh a chance to notice your lure and then come over and attack it. Another great technique is using a popping cork with 18 to 24 inches of line beneath the cork. You are using the same Gulp shrimp and jig head but you are dangling it just off of the bottom and popping the cork to get the red!sh’s attention. &is is a great combination because it lets the red!sh use its nose and its lateral line to !nd the bait. GOLD SPOONS- Gold spoons have been the gold standard of red!sh anglers for decades. &is simple lure catches the heck out of red!sh anywhere red!sh live. &ere are long time red!sh anglers who only use gold spoons to target reds. You will want to get a weed less gold spoon because you need to !sh them in the bottom part of the water column. &ey work the best when they are bounced on the bottom or when they are presented just off of the bottom. Cast your gold spoon and bounce it slowly on the bottom as you reel it back to you. &e spoons do not have any scent to attract the red!sh but they can see the %ash and feel the low frequency vibrations as the lure moves through the water. PADDLETAIL - A 3-inch paddletail catches just about every !sh that swims and it is very easy to !sh with. Red!sh prefer a slow and steady retrieve that bounces off of the bottom. Your best paddletail colors for red!sh are white with gold glitter for clean water scenarios or brown with gold glitter for dirty water scenarios. Choose a paddletail with lots of wiggle so the red!sh can feel your lure even if they can’t smell it. Bring the three lures mentioned in this article for your next red!sh trip and you will be very happy with your results. Go get ‘em. Capt. Mike Smith, owner of Fish Your Ass Off Charters, has been fishing the inshore waters, oyster bars and grass flats of Florida for more than 40 years. Reach him at (561) 339-2317, email: contact fishyourassoff.com or visit fishyourassoff.com.

Redfish Regs

all is prime time for targeting red!sh, but rules and regulations vary by state and often change, so always check with your state’s official Fish & Wildlife agency for the most current rules before !shing. • Texas: 3 !sh, 20-28 inches; special regulations apply to oversized !sh. • Louisiana: 4 !sh, 18–27 inches. • Mississippi: 3 !sh, 18–30 inches, plus 1 over 30 inches. • Alabama: 3 !sh, 16–26 inches, plus 1 oversized !sh. • Florida: Generally 1 !sh, 18–27 inches. Indian River Lagoon is catch-and-release only, with regional differences elsewhere. • Georgia: 3 !sh, 15–24 inches. • South Carolina: 2 !sh, 15–23 inches. • North Carolina: 1 !sh, 18–27 inches.

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ometic recently premiered “The Voyage,” a new documentarystyle film chronicling the development of its award-winning DG3 Gyrostabilizer. Featuring engineers, designers, and innovators at Dometic Marine, the film provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Dometic challenged conventional gyro technology to deliver significantly faster spin-up times, 40% lower power consumption, and broader accessibility for recreational boaters. With their ability to counteract wave motion and reduce side-toside boat roll by as much as 95%, gyrostabilizers have the power to make recreational boating more comfortable and enjoyable whether fishing, cruising, or relaxing on the anchor. With its new DG3, Dometic set out to overcome common obstacles to gyro ownership, delivering industry-leading spin-up and spin-down times, greatly reduced energy consumption, electric actuators with active precession for faster response and better performance, and maintenancefree design. The technology behind Dometic’s DG3 is so groundbreaking, it won both an NMMA Innovation Award at the 2025 Miami International Boat Show and the Dame Design Award at METS Trade 2025 in Amsterdam. This new film shares how the Dometic Marine team overcame engineering and design challenges throughout DG3’s development. It also explains the “why” — how Dometic designers and engineers set out to make the benefits of gyro stabilizing technology accessible to more boats and boaters around the world. The Voyage was filmed and produced in and around Dometic Marine’s design and manufacturing center in Vancouver, Canada — where many of the company’s award-winning boating products were designed, manufactured, and tested in one of the industry’s most advanced facilities. “We recognized early on that we needed outside-the-box thinking and bold adaptations of our core technologies to truly take gyro performance

to a “Whole New Level,” said Dometic Marine Segment President Eric Fetchko. “For DG3 to be truly revolutionary in terms of spin-up time, power consumption, ride-smoothing performance, and durability, we had to achieve things that had never been done. This film takes the audience into our design room, factory floor and testing facilities as we create what will be the first of many gyro systems in the future,” added Fetchko. To learn more about Dometic’s award-winnning DG3 technology, visit your nearest Dometic Marine retailer or go to www.dometic.com.

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he International Game Fish Association (IGFA) tracks record !sh catches around the globe. Here are a few highlights from their newly approved world records. To see all newly approved IGFA world records go to igfa.org.

Lytle’s Weakfish Rowan Lytle was !shing Long Island Sound in Connecticut on May 14, 2026, when he landed this 25.19-inch weak!sh. With this !sh, Rowan has set the IGFA AllTackle Length Fly World Record for the species. &e record weak!sh struck his Clouser and was landed after a short !ght. He then recorded the length on his official IGFA Measuring Device before releasing the !sh safely.

Wroth’s Skipjack Tuna

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On April 3, 2026, &omas Wroth was !shing Rottnest Island out of Perth, Australia, when he landed this 10.4-pound skipjack tuna. With this !sh, &omas has set the IGFA Junior Men’s 4-kg (8 lb) Line Class World Record for the species. He was trolling aboard the “Natraliste” when the record skipjack struck his lure. He was able to boat the !sh after a 30-minute !ght and returned to the Fremantle Sailing Club for an official weight on a certi!ed scale.

Taylor’s Bonefish Laura Ann Taylor was !shing the %ats of Molokai, Hawaii, on April 30, 2026, when she landed this 8.9-pound Paci!c bone!sh. With this !sh, Laura has set the IGFA Women’s 6-kg (12 lb) Tippet Class Record for the species. After an exciting !ght, she was able to land the bone!sh that had struck her shrimp %y, record the weight on her certi!ed scale, and release it safely.

Nechuta’s Walleye

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On May 10, 2026, Carter Nechuta, age 16, was !shing Big Eau Pleine Reservoir when he landed this impressive 27.17inch walleye. With this !sh, Carter has set the IGFA AllTackle Length Junior World Record for the species. Carter landed the record walleye on a jerkbait. He was able to record the length on his official IGFA Measuring Device before releasing the !sh safely.

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Coastal Angler Magazine | North Central Florida / Nature Coast | October 2026 Edition