F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” He may as well have been talking about fishing.
When is the best time to go fishing? There are people who will point to all kinds of secret signs. Some guys swear by lunar cycles. Others will tell you that when the cows sit in a certain pattern is best (Yeah, I made that one up once … or twice). But the truth is, the absolute best time to be on the water is anytime you can during the fall.
Supporter Spotlight
Autumn. The combination of events that occur during this time of year makes fish do things that will not happen during any other timeframe. Let’s take a look at what’s going on and make some magic.
As before in this series, we will define when fall occurs, and we’re saying September through November. Yes, it can get cool in August and get things going, and sometimes we do see fall-like weather into December, but that is not usual.
Many years the season ends with a bang-up storm around Thanksgiving. I have spent many a turkey day feasting and watching the wind blow away the good fishing I had been sitting on. That’s the nature of fishing. But I have also had amazing action on Thanksgiving Day itself in the morning before festivities begin. The very reason the action is so great is because it can end just that quickly. The fish have to do what they need to do quickly.
In September, as water temperatures fall through the 70-degree range, speckled trout will begin to gather in creeks off bigger water systems that lead toward the ocean. They have been doing their thing, scattered around in smaller schools, or even in solitary, during summer. They know that in order to make it in the ocean, they need a number advantage. There are sharks waiting for them.
Luckily for the trout, Atlantic silversides feel the same way. You may know them as glass minnows. Trout call them “snacks.” There will be clouds of them, and trout will eat them nonstop when situations arise. Find them and you’ve done what was needed.
Supporter Spotlight
Primarily this will occur in channels that feed toward inlets. My favorite spots to fish were always where a creek would be obstructed or contracted in a way that cut the minnows’ escape routes. This could be a narrowing, or a creek that’s shallower on one side, and the most popular spots often have jetties or sea walls.
Probably THE most popular lure choice is a plastic-tail jig head. Seriously, just pick one. I will add that the 5-inch Zman Jerk Shadz were favorites of mine due to their high durability. But the same curly tails you have left over from 1979 will still get bites for you. That’s assuming, of course, that they still wiggle and aren’t dried up from sitting in the garage.
Cast and twitch. Try different colors. If your buddy is getting them on a different color, try that. Incoming tide is key. Often the fish will be snapping and then, just like that, it’s over with the end of the rise.
As we move into October the best ocean fishing of the year occurs. Spanish mackerel and bluefish schools can be seen that stretch to wherever. King mackerel fishing can be astounding at times. The peak is often around Columbus Day. Why? It just happens that way sometimes.
Bluefish and Spanish mackerel fans will want to have small epoxy jigs like The Gunslinger ready to fire. False albacore will be around sporadically. Be prepared to run and gun.
Use a bite leader for macks and blues, or the connection may be short lived.
Great action on red drum will happen all over. Until it starts to drop below 60 degrees, count on them to continue to react well to the same presentations that worked all summer. If you find them, they will give a good smack. Finding them will become the issue as the season progresses, they will get into tighter and tighter schools as it gets colder, making them progressively more difficult to find.
The end of October will see the big runs of false albacore make their appearance. We will see them chasing bait balls all along our coast, the epicenter being the Cape Lookout area.
The unique shape of our coast here provides sheltered water that favors both the fish and anglers. East-West beaches give shelter from prevailing North winds, in turn, multiple inlets close together give plenty of feeding opportunities as glass minnows get swept out. Make sure to get out at any opportunity with a mild north wind. Southwest blows kind of mess up the action. The days go by so fast.
Speckled trout begin moving toward the inlets. Being out there early to find a school right behind the break in the surf is a special thing. This is the time to get it all to yourself because many won’t be out there until they hear about it on the internet. Locals who know, can clean up in October.
November will often give us the absolute best fishing of the year on all the inshore glamour species. One thing I always looked forward to was the specks in the surf. If the wind is light from the northwest, get your waders on and get an early start. Even Fitzgerald couldn’t complain about this kind of repeat of the past when it involves a beautiful sunrise and trout-thumping plugs.
Of course, the absolute nirvana of the false albacore run is November. There were many days when instead of chasing schools around, we would just set up along the beach and a conga line would just dance toward us. This literally could occur anywhere. I remember one day casting from Bogue Inlet Pier in Emerald Isle with not a gull, a splash, or jumping fish in sight, and hooking 18-pounders on every cast on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Next day, we had a storm and it was all over.
When the weather was right, my buddies and I would pier fish on Thanksgiving morning for specks using a tandem rig of a Gotcha Plug and DOA shrimp. Get a limit early enough to get the turkey and potatoes going.
Fishing in fall can indeed be great. The bittersweet thing is that it is like a green light at the end of a dock, you don’t want to miss the chance. Spring is the promise of things to come. Summer is the fulfillment of that promise. Fall signifies the end. While winter holds different promises, it’s really just a way to get through to start over and beat on against the tide.
