Hello, fellow anglers. October in S.W. Florida and it has been a crazy summer. Setting all kinds of records for heat in our area. I have lived in Charlotte County for over 60 years and only one other time do I remember it being so hot. It was the late 70”s and I was working on a cattle farm mending fence. The temperature was in the 100”s with the humidity and it was too hot to work . I am an outdoors kind of guy, and last summer I learned from my golden retriever ( Maverick ) when to go in the house where the A/C is on. So when I have been out in the boat it is hot and the fishing is just okay. The water has been over 85 degrees it seems since March. It does affect the fish they try and go deeper or under docks and tree limbs that hang over the water to create shade where it is a little cooler. Usually if the weather is good it allows those bull reds to sneak into the shallow water along our coast. From Lemon Bay to Estero Bay there should be schools of pin fish on the grass beds searching for food. So that starts the food chain, yup. With the crazy weather the schools of white bait have been in and out of the harbor several times over the summer. But if you are one of those anglers that spend 3or4 day a week on the water you may have seen some of these schools of reds. They are the big bull females that come to feed up to go back into the gulf to spawn. If you find them usually you cant catch one in the slot limit they usually are to big. Lots of fun to catch and release, in the past I have brought my fly rod and caught them over the limit on a fly rod. Yes it is fun to bring extra light tackle to have some fun , bring a 10 pound setup and catch some. Me and my friends in the past would wade fish with SCUBA diving booties, you catch one of those big red they will chase you to hide in the muddy water you are creating backing away from the mangroves. And I have had them run into your shins and it is like you got kicked in the shin with work boots. Yea that’s not fun but we got fish for dinner. And if you like to offshore fish the snapper and hog fish should be in the 40 to 60 foot range using crustations for bait, they both will eat live shrimp. The lane snapper should be plentiful between 50 and 80 feet I usually use frozen squid, sardines and frozen shrimp to get the bite started . Then if you have green backs or live shrimp when the bite slows down and that is the time to use live bait. And this is when the bigger fish will be harvester. Also if you are able to get out to the 90 to 100 foot range yellow tail snapper and muttons can be found. So if you would like to come along with Capt. Bart Marx give me a call at 941-979-6517 or e-mail me captbart@alphaomegacharters,com  I also go on customers boats for a training session. You and you fishing buddy so I am able to help with where you can take your boat and how to use the rods and reels you have already. I do this inshore and offshore too. Oh and always remember singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{