Cooler fall temperatures have finally arrived making for more pleasurable fishing conditions. The brisk morning air can make for a teary eyed run on the river but as the day progresses with a rising sun, clear blue skies, warming temperatures and little or no wind, you have no doubt as to why you got out of a warm bed to go fishing. Catch a few fish and you have the makings of a fishermen’s perfect day.
The colder air and shorter daylight hours will drop the water temperature making some fish species more active and others more lethargic. The fall run of flounder should begin and peak the week of Thanksgiving. Bluefish will invade the ICW causing for a lot of lost tackle due to their teeth. Sheepshead will gather around bridge and dock pilings feeding on the barnacles and also in the backcountry around oyster bars. Redfish will begin schooling in the shallows as the water temp drops. Trout will be abundant but will mostly be on the small side, look for bigger ones in deeper water and deep holes in the backwaters. The big tarpon will be gone but you may find some juvenile ones in the Palm Coast canals. Snook will move out of the ICW and into the back Palm Coast canals and into the deeper water of the Tamoka River. As winter moves in the fishing may become more difficult but if you put in the time on those mild clear blue days you will catch fish.
This past Monday I found one of those picture perfect days and traveled to St. Augustine to fish with Capt. Steve Holmes. Steve was gracious enough to show me places to fish for the Oldest City Red/Trout Tournament benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The day started out slow but as the tide began falling the fishing turned on. Steve took me up a creek where we found trout and reds. I had a couple of trout on the way in that I caught on a jig and had about another ten good hits. We then came upon an intersection where there was a lot of bait activity and fish were busting on them. We put the boat on the creek bed and began casting our jigs. On the first cast I landed a trout. On each of my next six casts I landed a fish. When it was all over I pulled fourteen fish from that hole. I totaled 21 fish from that one creek. I think I just might have to take my people back there during the tournament. By the way, the boat captains don’t fish during the tournament.
Roy Mattson of Roy’s Bait House reports that Nicole Marcelli had a 25” red and a 16” blackdrum using live shrimp. David James fished Tamoka Park for 2 blackdrum to 17 inches and 3 flounder to 17 inches. His fish were also caught on live shrimp.
Johnny Garrett at Flagler Beach Bait and Tackle reports lots of whiting, some flounder, blues, blackdrum and sporadic schools of Spanish mackerel being caught at the pier.
Jake Jaquish at Jake’s Highbridge Bait and Tackle reports that he and Johnny Garrett were out Sunday and had 16 snook with the smallest measuring 26 inches. There are plenty of trout and reds also being caught in the area.
Trout season is closed for the months of November and December south of the Flagler County line. You can not catch trout anywhere south of the county line and bring them back into the county and likewise you can’t catch trout in Flagler County and bring them back south of the county line.



Photo: Ted Szeremeta, visting from New Jersey, holds a blackdrum he caught on a live shrimp. Ted and his son Greg also had trout, mangrove snapper, redfish and ladyfish.