Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i Florida Sportsman

Good ol’ redfish. After Florida made them a gamefish in 1989, taking commercial pressure off, their populations recovered. By the late 1990s, reds seemed to be everywhere. New subcultures of anglers, entire sectors of the tackle and boating industries, grew up around the renewed abundance of a hard-fighting drum that seems perfectly engineered as a sportfish. Whatever largemouth bass give us, redfish match and exceed. Never mind the fact that reds can top 50 pounds! There’ve been dips, however. Where I live, on the Indian River Lagoon, redfish are presently catch-and-release only. I have to remind myself of that fact now and then, as reds are one of those “take for granted” species that seldom have us swiping for our Fish Rules app. I mean, the slot limit, 18 to…

G. LOOMIS IMX PRO GREEN RODS Over the years, G. Loomis IMX graphites have always been sleeper hits for saltwater flats fishing—crisp actions in the 7-foot-and-change range, incredibly light and responsive in the hand, but packing surprising power for delivering lightweight lures. This year, G. Loomis launches the IMX-PRO GREEN series focused squarely on inshore fishing. Nine rods range from a 6-foot, 8-inch medium light/fast action to a 7-foot, 6-inch heavy/extra fast action. Guides are Fuji K frames with Alconite inserts. Cork handles for classic feel and reliable grip. MSRP ranges from $400 to $430. www.gloomis.com COLUMBIA PFG FORCE XII ODX JACKET AND BIB Columbia has a great solution this year for mid-weight, breathable, active-fit foul-weather gear: the new PFG Force XII Jacket and Bib featuring the company’s innovative…

HUNTERS DEDICATE a lot of effort to achieve the opportunity to take a game animal. When the chance presents, often only for a brief instant, the shot needs to be perfect. There is no time to be unsure about the ideal target location. The most reliable and reasonable organs to target are the heart (and/or the great blood vessels exiting or entering the heart) and the lungs (providing both right and left lungs are compromised). True, brain shots, spine shots, and shots that hit the carotid artery, jugular vein, abdominal aorta, or a femoral artery will prove quickly lethal, but these are small targets and hitting them can involve a degree of luck. The eating apparatus comprises most of the head, so, when the brain is selected as a target,…

As reported in this month’s feature article on page 54, tournament records suggest multi-year cycles in Gulf kingfish abundance, and overall stability. That said, many anglers are concerned that landings of both king and Spanish mackerel have dropped to worrisome levels in recent years. The Gulf Council has made a priority of finding out why, but scientists need new data before any conclusions can be drawn. It’s well-established that eastern and western Gulf stocks of mackerel have different migratory routes. What is worrisome is that landings are declining Gulf-wide from Florida to Texas. Some Texas fish migrate all the way to Florida, but how many is unknown. We do know that many Texas mackerel migrate to Mexico for the winter. Texas landings may have dropped for other reasons, like a…

This was written after a difficult and frustrating July morning, chasing redfish on very shallow flats in the Indian River Lagoon. The water at this spot ranges from a foot deep to too shallow to float my antique Ocean Kayak Drifter. The bottom is soft and dark, often covered with a wiry, filamentous alga. If the fish aren’t showing any body parts above the surface, they are nearly invisible, even in this skinny water. When the fish show themselves, they do so in one of four ways: • TAILING: The tail breaks the surface while they feed on or in the bottom; • CRUISING: The fish are swimming in water shallow enough that they make a visible wake, letting the angler know their position, speed, and heading (which is subject…

If you are one of the few that missed the movie Avatar, then you haven’t seen the floating islands of Pandora. A recent trip to Panama took me to those “floating islands,” as that’s the only way I could describe the scene. Most of the islands are really just pinnacles rising from the ocean floor. Some rise up out of the water as rocks covered with trees, some just to the surface and some tops can be 200 feet or more below the surface. The fishing is as diverse and impressive as the setting. Our days out of Panama Nautical Club on Isla Boca started with breakfast at 5:30 a.m. then down to the dock by 6:30 to board one of the four boats and fishing by about 7:00. The…

As a fisherman, few things get me more excited than the arrival of the fall migration and it’s happening right now in the South region. This annual event brings a surge of life to our waters, offering anglers some of the most thrilling fishing opportunities of the year. October presents a unique challenge, not in catching fish, but in deciding what to target. With so many species on the move and so many prime fishing spots to choose from, the toughest part might be narrowing down your options. Schools of migrating baitfish will give the offshore fishermen plenty of opportunities at catching snake kingfish (3- to 5-pounders), mahi mahi, false albacore, blackfin tuna, wahoo, sailfish, sharks and barracudas on or near the surface. Closer to shore, surf and pier fishermen…

And the cool off begins! October is the beginning of change in the Southwest region, as we begin our slow drop in daily temperatures cooling the water off. October is one of the best months to fish of the year. Typically, we’ll receive our first true cold fronts by month’s end. The first few cold fronts that reach us will bring a much-needed reprieve from the summer heat. These initial cool offs fire up all the fish in the area. The beginning of fall also begins the push of fish from the northern parts of the Gulf of America. As the water cools in the northern Gulf, pelagic fish species begin to push south to warmer waters. These pushes of fish will head down the Florida west coast until they…

Tourists may worship eternal sunshine, but true Floridians have had enough by October. We’re ready for cold fronts, overcast days and cool northeast breezes—and the fish are, too. When the water temperature in the Indian River Lagoon drops just a few degrees, it signals baitfish that it’s time to move. Pogies, threadfins, pinfish, pigfish and shrimp start a series of nightly migrations through the inlets. Snook—which may have been slow to feed during the September opener—go on a full-fledged feeding spree. Watch for the first good cold front—where air temps dip into the 50s—and head to Sebastian or Canaveral for the best snooking of the year. Not only are these October snook more apt to eat, but they’ve been fattened on mullet for two months and their marbled meat shows…

Fall is in the air and we are finally getting our first cold fronts. With that comes some exciting fishing inshore, nearshore and offshore. The redfish will be schooled up by the hundreds inshore and near the passes doing their annual spawn, and pelagics will move in with the cooler water to check out the beaches. When you get a good weather window, offshore can be lights out. If you are an inshore angler along the Panhandle of Florida, you should be dialed into the redfish bite this month. There are the obvious areas where these fish congregate, like the bridges and jetties in and around the pass. It’s hard to miss with the amount of guide boats that will be anchored up putting their clients on the “fish of…

My son, Austin Fogo of Englewood, had an easy question to ask his fiancée Mikaylah Chaffins: “Do you want to go fishing right after work?” Austin had one catch—his preferred tide offered a narrow window in order to target a chance at some world class tarpon fishing. Still, her choice was a no brainer. Mikaylah decided in a second. “Heck ya! Pick me up,” she told Austin. Only one problem. Mikaylah didn’t have any fishing clothes with her. No worries. Mikaylah simply kicked off her shoes and fished wearing her work dress. She just left her real estate office and boarded the boat. They left out of Eldred’s Marina in Placida. Austin quickly picked up a few pass crabs as bait. The hill tide approached, and full moon was on…

Unchecked nutrients, primarily phosphorus and nitrogen, are being dumped into our state’s 400-plus public lakes and rivers, and that is fueling out-of-control surface aquatic vegetation growth. Our state’s response to the supercharged growth? Instead of mandatory, enforceable laws limiting nutrients from entering the water, Florida spends millions of taxpayer dollars dealing with the aftermath by spraying toxic chemicals trying to control aquatic vegetation. The two state agencies primarily responsible for creating and prolonging this cycle of death are the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife and Conservation Commission (FWC). The DEP is responsible for managing the nutrient pollution, while FWC is the primary agency responsible for dealing with the subsequent explosive plant growth. This isn’t a new problem. Opponents to herbicide spraying have packed…

GIVE ME SOME 60-DEGREE water off Northeast Florida, which usually occurs from December through the first half of April, and you’ll find me happily on the hunt for one of the best-tasting fish in the ocean. There’s no easier way to catch black sea bass than a two-hook chicken rig on a traditional bottom fishing setup. “It’s almost never necessary to anchor. The bass you catch on the first couple drifts will be the biggest of the school.” There’s a few things you need to know about sea bass. The big “greenheads” are dominant males. The fish are spawning in the winter off our coast, and the males will congregate a harem of smaller females. The reason that’s important is because the males are dominant, they almost always feed first.…

When the late summer heat starts to fade and the north winds bring a crispness to the air, redfish start to go into their fall pattern. The redfish switch from generally deeper waters where they feed primarily on finfish, to the shallow flats where they hunt and ambush their prey which becomes more shrimp, crab and other crustaceans. This is one of my favorite times of the year. With the redfish feeding shallower, opportunities open up for incredible sight fishing on fly or light spinning tackle. Along Florida’s northern Gulf Coast, October through late February are my favorite months to target them. I was born and raised in the Florida Panhandle and grew up fishing inshore and offshore for everything that swims; however, there has always been something special to me…

I was thrilled when my youngest daughter, Elaine, said to me and my son Luke: “Dad, let’s book a trip to the Keys this summer and go fishing for some tarpon, redfish and snook!” When that elusive window of availability appeared, I booked a unit at the Kon-Tiki Resort in Islamorada and started getting the skiff and tackle ready. We would escape for a few days to Florida Bay and enjoy our mutual passion, flats fishing. When the day arrived, we started our three-hour drive from Stuart. On the road we drove through a monster thunderstorm that enveloped Miami-Dade County, but the weather cleared as we exited the highway in Homestead to see my favorite road sign: east to Biscayne Bay National Park, west to Everglades National Park and straight…

The unforgettable moment when Samantha Howell boated a 10-pound, 9-ounce bass while fishing with boyfriend Preston Smith in Central Florida, the two remained as silent as if in prayer. There were no words, she said, for her shock at its size and beauty. After weighing and photographing it for TrophyCatch, she held it in the water until it was fully revived, and to treasure the emotional experience. “I was gently holding her by her tail,” said Howell. “Her pectoral fins were moving, and she was breathing normally. She was all calm, and then with one big sweep of her tail, she was gone.” TrophyCatch didn’t directly lead to Howell catching her bass of a lifetime, but it did furnish a goal and motivation to achieve it: “I think the program…

As summer wanes and cooler temperatures from the north begin to push southward, the fishing in Florida starts to heat up. This time of year, anglers can expect a wide variety of species that move south following migratory bait schools and seeking the warmer temperatures during the cooler months. Two predominant species in the migratory mix are Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Mackerel and bluefish can be caught year-round, but during this time of year large schools of these fish push south and converge in the Ten Thousand Islands Region. Although they are completely different species, they share similar habits and can be targeted using the same techniques. Both species are well known for being extremely aggressive feeders and for being formidable foes on light tackle or fly. Both are quite…

Big changes are in the air for West Central region anglers. It’s the crisp, clean feeling in the air like those first fall days you can both feel and smell in the woods. It feels great after the long, hot summer we have just had, and fish feel the changes, too. We are on the back side of hurricane season, and with every cooler day, the chances of tropical weather diminish. The changes bring numerous species of fish that migrate through this area looking to feed on baitfish that hold in deeper waters just outside passes in our bays and estuaries. Spanish mackerel will become much more plentiful with each cold front, followed by king mackerel that show up on some of the deep offshore wrecks. The feeding frenzies will…

As much as I hate the never-ending oppressive summer heat, the early morning cool of most October mornings is certainly heaven-sent. In fact, if we can change the name of the Gulf of Mexico, why can’t we have two Octobers, and do away with August all together? There’s no such thing as a Northeast Florida outdoorsman who doesn’t have something to look forward to in October. The major changes for saltwater anglers is all about the mullet run. The first northeaster will start moving our shrimp, mullet, and every other marine animal out towards the ocean. Whether you like chasing shrimp in the river, largemouths under the freshwater stretches of the river, or trout, reds and flounder (at least until the Oct. 15 closure) this is the best time of…

COOLERS WERE LOADED, truck packed, just needed to trim up the motor... no dice. The inner mechanic went to work: Battery good, relay good, trim pump… not good, a pain of a fix on my particular outboard. Luckily, a friend loaned us his boat and saved our vacation, but this is when I knew it was time for repower. The engine on my 2004 Hell’s Bay Whipray was 21 years old, becoming one problem after another. Reliability just wasn’t there anymore. My boat is a technical poling skiff, specially designed for the shallow water fly and light tackle fishing I like to do. It’s powered by a 40-horsepower outboard. But even on a rig this simple, there’s background assessment and research to undertake before swapping out for a new powerplant.…

This easy one-pan dish brings together a nice variety of flavors and textures along with an easy cleanup. I use wood ducks, but most other wild ducks can be substituted. The secret to this single dish is cooking fresh pasta (you may never want to boil pasta again!) then sear the duck breast and remove it. That allows one to add the meat back later so that it doesn’t overcook. I like to gather fresh chanterelle mushrooms, but any fresh mushroom will do nicely. The truffles enhance the mushroom flavor and can easily be purchased reasonably online or at some specialty grocery stores. Truffle oil is also an option. Ricotta cheese acts as a light sauce binding the ingredients together. Serves two, double for four. DUCK PAPPARDELLE WITH MUSHROOMS AND…

It’s one of Florida’s most exciting redfishing opportunities: targeting flood tides in the Northeast marshes on foot or with a skiff. Dedicated flood tide anglers plan their moves by watching for the next full or new moon, or when a hard northeast wind pushes ocean waters into large expanses of spartina marshes. Back in these fields of grass, spotting a tailing redfish, then approaching within casting distance, is addictive. What does this fishing look like? At the Fernandina Harbor Marina, we loaded Jeremiah Joost Miller’s shallow water skiff with fly and spinning gear and were off. It was a perfect morning for fly fishing, with a light southwest wind and a flooding tide that would peak at mid-morning. The sky was without a cloud and a rising sun showcased a…

It’s pilchard time! If you read my column, you know how excited I get about pilchards, especially this time of year when fishing can get a bit stagnant. Pilchards give it that needed boost particularly with the black-fin tunas offshore. Some other places throughout Florida get pilchards year-round. In the Keys we get them in the fall and early winter, but sometimes we get lucky and get them through spring. In my personal opinion there’s nothing out there that can have such an impact on a fishing day as a live bait well full of pilchards. I get the bite going by getting over the spot or structure and chumming with the live pilchards. Before I even put a line in the water, I throw a few bat net scoops…

With the mullet migration still pushing bait through our region, the night bite around the bridges can be excellent and frustrating at the same time. It will often look like someone dropping bowling balls from the top of the bridge, as snook and tarpon blow up bait schools as they pass through the shadow line. The problem is, when there’s so much bait around, it can often be hard to get a bite. If you run into this issue, try a mullet head on the bottom, an old school tactic that will forever work. My tip is to get the biggest mullet you possibly can. You will want to cut behind the pelvic fin, then hook your bait in the stomach cavity right at the pelvic fins. We have some…

October weather this far north on the coast can certainly vary. Tournament anglers might be presented with a north wind and chilly whitecaps. Or, a pleasant day with glassy seas. These early cold fronts rejuvenate the fish after a long, hot (some would say cruel) summer. At this writing, coastal residents are hoping for a no-hurricane summer, if that isn’t asking too much. From my perspective, our three bottom-altering hurricanes last year ruined my best two spots, where now only an occasional saltwater catfish may show up. I’m personally hoping for cooler, cleaner (no floating grass) water to provide topwater action, when trout, bluefish and even mackerel will swat at topwater chugger-type lures. It’s great action, though not available where floating seagrass is dominant and hangs up on every cast.…

It’s great to be outdoors this time of the year. I like the fact that my shirt doesn’t stick to my back and there is a second chance for catching several gamefish before they head south for the winter. Pompano, Spanish mackerel and kingfish show up in their usual haunts and almost as a consolation prize for leaving are somewhat larger in size than in the spring. East Pass is a great place to catch both Spanish mackerel and pompano in October. Both species gather in the pass, especially on the St. George Island side of the pass on a rising tide. The best way to fish the state park side is from a boat since access through the park has been limited to walking or bike riding through deep…

Outreach programs to get kids on the water are well-established. But what about folks of advanced age? Twenty one percent of Floridians are seniors, and some 70,000 live in assisted living facilities. Dan Sardina, a Central Florida outreach specialist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), lays it out clearly. “For the past 28 years my target for fishing outreach has been kids,” he said. ”Fishing with my father-in-law over that period, I watched him go from independent to an angler who is willing to accept a great deal of assistance to get out of the house. Now 94 years old, he is always grateful to go fishing. I realized many senior citizens lack this opportunity. Then Todd Rowley of Orange County Parks and Recreation brought up the…