The Winds Of The Fall

by Capt. Sutton

This is the beginning of the windy season here in So. Florida. The beginning of October is the start, and the ending is a lifetime away in late April/May. To those of us who opt for the flats boat that is a dream to pole in eight to ten inches of water, this is the bumpy season. The season of the rough runs across Biscayne Bay in the afternoons with the winds whipping up and a two to three foot chop between you and your trailer.

The only good part of the whole scenario is the winds cool off the flats and the bonefish begin to school. As the water temperatures fall out of the eighties the bonefish get more and more comfortable. The ideal temperature range for bones is between 76 & 78 degrees. As the winds turn the water and the fall rains help cool off the flats the chances of a South Florida Grand Slam increases two fold.

The permit of the summer are still around in good numbers and the bonefish start to feed much more aggressively. The Tarpon are "the dirty end of the slam" as most of the guides say during this time of year. Knowing where to find some juvenile tarpon is the key to obtaining a grand slam for your anglers. I keep watch on a few deep cuts next to mangroves all summer .... just to have the chance to clean up on a chance to slam in the fall. The young tarpon hold in areas that provide cover and a good source of food as well as the snook in the summer in Biscayne Bay, and that means under the cover of mangroves. You will find the spots if you look real close, look under the edges of the mangroves that are bordered by flats that get only one to two inches deep during the lower stages of the tides. Here is the sanctuary that will keep them safe from fisherpeople and the other threats from hawks and eagles from above. Also it is here the bait fish will have to retreat from the outgoing tides.

This years is showing the presence of many more permit that we have seen in a number of years. I have sat on the fingers of Cutter Bank and in one day, shown twenty permit to an angler who has only seen twenty in their fishing career here in So. Florida. Ten chances to make a good cast is a great percentage when you are dealing with the permit. Most of the time you have a second and a half to make the perfect cast or the fish sees your motion .... or the push of the boat alerts him ... or just his uncanny senses tell him to evacuate the area. This is where having a hull designed for poling where they swim is a must. A quiet and shallow drafting hull is my most important tool on the flats.

Just remember one thing "if you don't use your boat at least once a month ... it is cheaper to hire a professional guide to fish with ...... and a lot more productive ......." This I agree with totally, especially with the cost of the new hull designs. There are a few inexpensive hulls out there ... but remember ... you get what you pay for.

As for what I have been using to catch the top three ... the best is always live bait. A couple of dozen shrimp and a few crabs will make for a great chance if you can interrupt the paths of our prized bonefish and permit. Throwing a crab at a snook or a tarpon that is hiding in the shadows of some mangrove roots will produce a lighting strike also, but if you don't have the stick to keep him out he will have you tying new knots in a hurry. Always remember to use the fluorocarbon leader materials when fishing clear waters due to their ability to be invisible. I use Seaguar, and have been for many years, and have seen a major increase in hook up rates since. In my opinion, Seaguar seems to be the best fluorocarbon that I have used.

On the fly we have been having good luck with the Borski's style flies. His fur shrimp and the various combinations that you can tie from this pattern has been very productive. There is a new pattern variation called a  "Qua" that has been working very well for the permit. It is a crab variation with a spawning sac of orange at the bend of the hook. Always tie them in weedless .. and use fluorocarbon as material for this. You can go to my web site for the tying instructions of a brown crab and in the next month I will add the "Qua" variation.

Well, tight lines and quick releases .....

Capt. Dave Sutton