Starting Nov 1 2011
Tarpon Fishing frenzy of mullet run nearing an end
Tarpon Fishing frenzy of mullet run nearing an end
The seasonal north-to-south migration of mullet and other baitfish
along the Southeast Florida coast — and the predators that follow them
— might be nearing its peak, with only a few more weeks left before it
fizzles.
Rainy low-pressure systems, followed by last week’s first strong cold
front of the season, have drawn huge schools of black and silver
mullet, pilchards, sardines, mojarra and other bait out of the
estuaries of the eastern seaboard and sent them streaming south.
Chasing and chowing down on them are tarpon, shark, snook, redfish,
bluefish, mackerel, jacks and others. More blustery weather is
forecast for the Southeast Florida coast this week, so the bait run
should keep coming.
Palm Beach light-tackle guide captain KC said he can’t believe more
fishermen aren’t taking advantage of these no-brainer fishing
conditions.
“I called a couple charters and said, ‘if you don’t get 20 tarpon
bites, you don’t have to pay,’ ” he said.
In a huge frenzy of schooling mullet Friday night,he said he and his
customers had 40 shots at tarpon.
“Palm Beach Inlet is like a pile-up spot where mullet wait till night
to run across the inlet so they don’t get annihilated by jacks,” the
guide explained.
The bait run tends to lull between weather fronts, leading some
anglers and guides to call it inconsistent or sporadic.
“It’s been more like a trickle with no real peak to it,” captain Kc,
who charts the annual migration on his /mullet run page, said Monday.
“Usually, about November, it’s over. Hopefully we get a new blast
coming through.”
One of the best spots in the region to take advantage of the annual
mullet run is at Sebastian Inlet, accessible by boat or on the jetty
at Sebastian Inlet State Park.
Following last week’s cold front, hordes of pier anglers at the park
hooked up to snook, redfish, black drum and other species attacking
school after school of silver mullet that poured south along the beach
and seemed to bump into the jetty on the outgoing tide.
Catching bait was no problem for anyone. Hoop nets, bridge nets, dip
nets, and five-gallon buckets worked almost as well as cast nets in
capturing all the mullet most anglers would need for a day of fishing.
Captain Kacey Karas made one throw of his cast net near the Sebastian
River bridge, and filled it so full that he had trouble hauling it
aboard his skiff. Then He and a customer made repeated drifts along
the edge of the inlet with live silver mullet dangling below one-ounce
sinkers, scoring seven hook-ups. But none of the mystery fish stayed
on the line. However, two anglers in a boat anchored on the northeast
side of the inlet nearby got a half-dozen snook and the same number of
reds. They kept two slot-sized snook to eat, but the reds were way too
big to keep.
Miraculously, no one seemed to be pestered by jacks or ladyfish.
He said sometimes during the mullet run, huge redfish will cartwheel
on the surface, behaving like snook and tarpon chasing bait. But none
of that aberrant redfish behavior was evident Friday.
KC, who fishes from a small boat, is hoping some of the massive
schools of mullet will make a right turn at Sebastian Inlet and head
into the Indian River Lagoon, where waters are calmer than in the
ocean. However, recent heavy rainfall has dampened that prospect.
“I think the mullet run will go into November,”KC said.
“Whether the mullet will come in is a question because of all the
fresh water in the lagoon.”
Exactly when massive schools of bait will appear along South Florida
beaches can be hard to pinpoint. But He recommends anglers cruise up
A1A in their cars and look for huge dark spots in the water a couple
of hundred yards long with pelicans and terns diving on them.
“It’s happy bait time,” he says in one of his popular You Tube videos.
“Right on the beach.”
along the Southeast Florida coast — and the predators that follow them
— might be nearing its peak, with only a few more weeks left before it
fizzles.
Rainy low-pressure systems, followed by last week’s first strong cold
front of the season, have drawn huge schools of black and silver
mullet, pilchards, sardines, mojarra and other bait out of the
estuaries of the eastern seaboard and sent them streaming south.
Chasing and chowing down on them are tarpon, shark, snook, redfish,
bluefish, mackerel, jacks and others. More blustery weather is
forecast for the Southeast Florida coast this week, so the bait run
should keep coming.
Palm Beach light-tackle guide captain KC said he can’t believe more
fishermen aren’t taking advantage of these no-brainer fishing
conditions.
“I called a couple charters and said, ‘if you don’t get 20 tarpon
bites, you don’t have to pay,’ ” he said.
In a huge frenzy of schooling mullet Friday night,he said he and his
customers had 40 shots at tarpon.
“Palm Beach Inlet is like a pile-up spot where mullet wait till night
to run across the inlet so they don’t get annihilated by jacks,” the
guide explained.
The bait run tends to lull between weather fronts, leading some
anglers and guides to call it inconsistent or sporadic.
“It’s been more like a trickle with no real peak to it,” captain Kc,
who charts the annual migration on his /mullet run page, said Monday.
“Usually, about November, it’s over. Hopefully we get a new blast
coming through.”
One of the best spots in the region to take advantage of the annual
mullet run is at Sebastian Inlet, accessible by boat or on the jetty
at Sebastian Inlet State Park.
Following last week’s cold front, hordes of pier anglers at the park
hooked up to snook, redfish, black drum and other species attacking
school after school of silver mullet that poured south along the beach
and seemed to bump into the jetty on the outgoing tide.
Catching bait was no problem for anyone. Hoop nets, bridge nets, dip
nets, and five-gallon buckets worked almost as well as cast nets in
capturing all the mullet most anglers would need for a day of fishing.
Captain Kacey Karas made one throw of his cast net near the Sebastian
River bridge, and filled it so full that he had trouble hauling it
aboard his skiff. Then He and a customer made repeated drifts along
the edge of the inlet with live silver mullet dangling below one-ounce
sinkers, scoring seven hook-ups. But none of the mystery fish stayed
on the line. However, two anglers in a boat anchored on the northeast
side of the inlet nearby got a half-dozen snook and the same number of
reds. They kept two slot-sized snook to eat, but the reds were way too
big to keep.
Miraculously, no one seemed to be pestered by jacks or ladyfish.
He said sometimes during the mullet run, huge redfish will cartwheel
on the surface, behaving like snook and tarpon chasing bait. But none
of that aberrant redfish behavior was evident Friday.
KC, who fishes from a small boat, is hoping some of the massive
schools of mullet will make a right turn at Sebastian Inlet and head
into the Indian River Lagoon, where waters are calmer than in the
ocean. However, recent heavy rainfall has dampened that prospect.
“I think the mullet run will go into November,”KC said.
“Whether the mullet will come in is a question because of all the
fresh water in the lagoon.”
Exactly when massive schools of bait will appear along South Florida
beaches can be hard to pinpoint. But He recommends anglers cruise up
A1A in their cars and look for huge dark spots in the water a couple
of hundred yards long with pelicans and terns diving on them.
“It’s happy bait time,” he says in one of his popular You Tube videos.
“Right on the beach.”
Bud Karas