Where to Fish in October

In the event you might solely goal one gamefish species this month, what wouldn’t it be? That’s the query we put to 5 high skippers from Connecticut to Oregon. See what these consultants shall be out chasing in October.

Quicklook: Greatest Bets for Anglers in October

Northeast: Striped bass

Mid-Atlantic: Striped Bass

Southeast: Redfish

Gulf of Mexico: Snook

West Coast: Albacore

Northeast – Striped Bass Fishing

October marks the ultimate push of the autumn run of massive stripers in southern New England, with the bass feeding extra aggressively as temperatures drop. Connecticut-based Capt. Mike Roy says be prepared for a variety of sizes — anyplace from schoolies to 40-pound-plus monsters.

Roy favors the mouths of rivers and estuaries the place large colleges of stripers stage to intercept menhaden — juvenile peanut bunker and bigger grownup bunker. Aspect imaging helps him discover colleges of bass and bait. And, Roy says, preserve your binoculars useful. “That is the time of yr when floor blitzes change into a every day prevalence; glassing the seashores can reveal that exercise.”

His go-to topwater is a 7- to 9-inch spook-style bait equivalent to Shimano’s Splash Stroll on a 6000-size spinner (the Shimano professional favors the Saragossa) with 40-pound braid. However for casting round colleges of peanut bunker, he lightens as much as a 4000-size reel, such because the Stradic, with 15-pound braid and a 30-pound fluoro chief to solid 4- to 6-inch lures. His high smooth baits embrace a 5 ¾-inch Fin-S Fish or 7-inch Slug-Go. Small jigs just like the 42-gram Shimano Present Sniper “will get bit onerous across the floor feeds.”

Mid-Atlantic – Striped Bass Fishing

To most anglers who dwell round and fish Chesapeake Bay, striped bass are generally known as rockfish, and that makes this month — in line with famend information Capt. Steve Griffin — rocktober. It’s all about stripers in October, resident fish that run 18 to 35 inches.

October is certainly a transition month, Griffin says, as water temperatures within the bay drop. “We begin out the month within the shallows; by the top of October, we’ll be discovering rockfish schooled up on channel ledges, as peanut bunker are flushed out of river methods,” he says. Transferring tidal currents are necessary for achievement, with bass feeding finest round peak present. Some nice topwater motion could be readily available, largely for these fishing early or late in low-light circumstances.

Within the first a part of October, Griffin likes to work topwaters or, all through the day, Z-Man 5-inch Diezel Minnows. Later within the month, he’ll tie on a jig (weight/measurement various by depth and present) with a Z-Man eight-inch Streakz XL smooth bait. He fishes Shimano 3000-size spinners with 15-pound braid to a 25-pound fluorocarbon chief.

Southeast – Crimson Drum Fishing

By October, large bull reds alongside the Georgia coast have spawned and are actually intent on consuming, fattening up menhaden and anything they will get their mouth round earlier than heading again offshore for the winter, says Capt. Greg Hildreth, who fishes St. Simons and Jekyll islands.

Hildreth targets them by fishing across the shoals and bars off barrier islands seashores. Not surprisingly, his bait of selection is fresh-caught dwell menhaden, however when not obtainable, a bit of recent mullet will usually do the job.

“Look ahead to areas alongside the shoals the place the pogies are falling in or out with the tide,” Hildreth advises. He’ll anchor up — often in 4 to eight toes of water — and put out at the very least 4 rods. Be prepared as a result of “when colleges of reds come via, it’s not unusual to have all 4 rods go off!”

He makes use of Penn Authority spinners in a 6000 measurement with 65-pound braid tied to a few to 4 toes of 100-pound mono and a ten/0 Gamakatsu Kraken outbarb hook on a fish-finder rig with a three- to six-ounce pyramid sinker to carry baits on backside. Hildreth says the large reds often keep within the shallows till water temps fall into the low 60s, usually across the finish of October or early November.

Southeast – Snook Fishing

October is change-up time for Florida Bay snook. Capt. Jim Willcox says that, after spending the summer season alongside the Gulf of Mexico seashores of Cape Sable (southwestern most tip of the state),

“They’re transitioning again to the creeks and inside waters of the Everglades to spend the winter.” This transition that begins in September and continues via October is a superb time to intercept snook which, within the early fall, usually congregate in teams.

Wilcox appears for them alongside seashores and creek mouths from Flamingo to Everglades Metropolis. “The good factor about fishing them on seashores is that on a transparent day you’ll be able to see the bait spraying and the snook cruising inside a foot of the shore” to sight-fish them and see the strikes. Wilcox departs from Bud ‘n Mary’s Fishing Marina in Islamorada, usually touring up the state’s southwest coast, at occasions entailing a run of as much as 40 miles every method.

He usually equips anglers with spinning gear holding 15- to 20-pound braid, although bait casters are advantageous. Utilizing 40- to 50-pound mono chief, Wilcox favors chartreuse or white jerk baits equivalent to a 5-inch Berkley Jerk Shad. Wilcox reminds anglers that with snook a really gentle chew generally is a very large fish. “Crank earlier than you yank!” he says. When waters cool, he’ll add dwell shrimp to his arsenal. A lot of the snook are throughout the slot-limit measurement, however Wilcox seldom retains any, even inside open season.

West Coast – Albacore Fishing

By October, ocean fishing off northern Oregon and southern Washington is fairly useless; salmon are up in rivers and looking season is in full swing. However anglers good sufficient to understand the unimaginable albacore tuna fishery right here know higher.

Albacore fishing right here has gotten higher and higher, and fall is prime time says Capt. Del Stephens. Most anglers merely pull Clone or cedar plug lures to seek out the faculties, that are seemingly 40 to 50 miles out. Final yr, in flat climate in early November, Stephens discovered huge shoals of tuna simply 20 miles out.

Stephens takes a unique strategy to discovering the fish on the large ocean, beginning at dwelling the day earlier than. He screens sea-surface temperature and chlorophyll charts to seek out his spot. Odds are the tuna received’t present on high. “I’ll cease, have a few anglers drop iron and begin chumming,” he says. “Seventy % of the time, it’s a go on first cease; if not, I’ll often discover them inside a mile.”

Stephens docks at Ilwaco, Washington, which presents a dependable bait receiver for anchovies. Westport, simply to the north, is one other good jumping-off level for albies. Stephens makes use of typical gear with 50- to 65-pound braid for jig rods, however smaller reels with 30-pound braid (and 30-pound fluoro topshot) for fishing dwell baits. Though Stephens now not charters, he says there are many dependable skippers within the space.