September is beginning to cool the water and air temperatures down some. With that comes a fury of fishing opportunities. The bait will be on the flats and the target species will be a little anxious to feed more aggressively with the cooling. Redfish will be schooling up and wandering the flats and backwaters looking for food.
Redfish will be found many times by looking for the big pushes or wakes as these schools begin to forage in masses. The main idea for getting on to these is to try and pattern them according to tides and times. If the school gets past you, do not chase them. Just pull away from the area, move around them a good distance and get back in front. Cut pinfish, cut mullet or live greenies will work just fine on these fish. Once the bite begins, hold on because they will be very aggressive this time of year.
Trout will still be a good choice on the flats with artificial and live baits. Gag grouper opened up on September 1, and the inshore and nearshore bites will be amazing. It is a shortened season this year, so hurry and get your bite in. Pinfish work great for these fish on a 4/0 to 6/0 hook, 60# braid and 80# leader.
Snook season has also opened up. These fish will be cooling off with temperatures and be very hungry. Greenies are always the best bet for targeting and locating these fish. Make sure you catch plenty of greenies and chum some to find the points that work the best.
