Alpha and Omega Fishing Charters

Fishing Charters Charlotte Harbor Florida

October 2024 Fishing Report

Hello fellow anglers October once again and the migration should begin. This month stone crab season opens to the public on October 15. Check the regulations in your area. In the past we would go SCUBA diving at midnight to get the first harvest. Some people take the time to get crab traps and register them to catch them. They are really good to eat, the way you buy them at the store they are already cooked. This happens at the fish house. But if you harvest them yourself you need to cook them ASAP. Don’t let them sit in the fridge over night or in your cooler. So, I bring the water to a boil and drop your claws in and bring it back to a boil for 3 minutes. Get them out of the water so you do not overcook them. As soon as you do this you need to put them in ICE water to stop them from over cooking. It pulls the meat away from the shell on the inside, so it makes it easy to pull the meat out after you crack the shell. Okay, it is easy for me to remember this date because my son Justin’s birthday is on the 16th. Also, this month the king mackerel may start their migration south along with the Spanish mackerel. To find these guys you need to spend some time on the water and or keep close watch up and down the coast as to where they are. You may troll for king mackerel or use live bait thread fins or scaled sardines, even dead frozen ones. I like to bottom fish and set up a rod or two for mackerel. I like to use a 30 lb. class setup with a single strand wire leader 30lb. And I use braid line with a long 30lb. mono leader. Like a fly rod but with some wire. I use a float /bobber about 6ft. from the hook. Put this rod out the back of the boat and let it back about 30 yards. Then start bottom fishing for some snapper porgies, and as you reel these fish up to the surface, they will be spitting everything they have in their tummy trying to get rid of the hook in their mouth. This creates an underwater chum slick that will attract the king mackerel. And keep your drag on the bonus rod a little loose so the hook doesn’t get ripped out of their mouth as they start to run. They do have the nick name smoker for a reason. This will give you time to get the other poles out of the water and put away. Then you can attend to the bonus rod. My personal best is 33lb. 48in to the fork. And I like them on the grill. I cut them into steaks and soak them in teriyaki overnight, taste like more. Also, this month the reds should be schooling up inshore and create a fun time if you find the big schools that all they want to do is eat so they can migrate offshore to breed. Here in S.W. Florida we call it Red October and they live up to their name. In the past Mark Sosin fished in Bull Bay and caught our reds and nicknamed them pit-bull red fish. Reds can be almost anywhere there is bait to eat, sand holes with cut bait along the mangroves with live bait or lures. Spoons and jigs with soft plastics. There should be some speckled sea trout on the grass flats looking for a meal. Popping cork and a shrimp always seems to work just fine. I like to drift over these areas and if you get two on at the same time anchor and fish around the boat for few minutes and see who is hungry. If not, move on. So, if you would like to come along with Capt. Bart Marx give me a call 941-979-6517 or e-mail me at captbart@alphaomegacharters.com And if you are new to the area and have a boat and need some training on our local waters, I can do that too. I call this a training session we use your boat your equipment and you learn where to fish and where you can take your boat without damaging things. So give me a call and I will get you hooked up. And always remember singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{