Report: As expected, the month of October brought some of the best fishing to our area this year.  Flats full of life were the main target during my charters. Two of my clients had such outstanding days that they both booked additional trips before going back home.  Michael from the UK had a workout one day catching a total of 6 snook and one fat redfish on the Heddon Spook Jr in bone color.  He even bought a couple of these lures to take home and try them in freshwater.

On a different trip, another Michael, this one a missionary working in Honduras, had a very special request:  “I want to catch fish that can pull some drag”.  Day 1 he released 4 snook, 1 red, and a few trout.  The next day he fought 2 reds, a couple of snook, and the occasional small trout.  Besides the Spook Jr, we also used a ¼ oz Johnson Silver spoon.

A pleasant surprise came on a trip to the beach looking for kingfish, which ended up being one of the best days ever for tarpon fishing.  Normally, tarpon will travel south looking for warmer waters and they aren’t our target species this time of the year.  However, this day was one to remember forever.  Large balls of glass minnows and schools of a variety of baitfish:  pumpkin seeds, threadfins and skipjacks were being attacked ferociously by large tarpon.   The final tally was 6 fish “jumped” and one released kayak side.

Needless to say, I had to go back the next day so I called my good friend and photographer Adrian and invited him to go fishing with me.  We paddled to our destination just before sunrise.   After catching a few pieces of live bait we waited for the tarpon, a.k.a. Silver Kings to show up.  Weather conditions were perfect and in a matter of minutes the “madness” began for the second day in a row.  The results were similar to the previous day with a few fish “jumped” and two fish released.  One of them was the first tarpon ever caught by Adrian out of the kayak.

For November, we are expecting the snook to start moving from the flats towards creeks and rivers if the water temperatures drop to uncomfortable levels for them.  Redfish should remain abundant on the flats as they are more adaptable to cooler temperatures.  As for trout, the bigger ones will make their appearance in potholes and along flat edges.  Last but not least, kingfish will be patrolling our beaches from Clearwater to St Petersburg in search of food before continuing their migration south as the water temps go below 75 degrees.

If you want to be a part of exciting adventures like the ones described above,  book your trips early through my website www.makokayakfishing.com or by calling (813) 453-3066.