Fall fishing is here.

Fall is upon us in southwest Florida, and it is one of my favorite times of the year to be fishing. The arrival of cooler air and water temperatures is a welcome change from the heat of summer.

The weather change also beckons the return of our hard charging pelagic species. If we turn our sights just a few miles from the white beaches we’ll see huge schools of Spanish Mackerel, and their giant cousins the King Mackerel, crash through tight shoals of Herring and Sardines with jaw dropping speed and aerial acrobatics. Along with them come large schools of Lil Tunny, a member of the tuna family. Tunny are famous all over the US as pound-for- pound one of the toughest (and most fun!) fish to fight on light tackle.

Meanwhile in the shallower waters of the bays, the Bull Redfish make their ferocious comeback from the offshore migration. These fish will school up tight and move along grassy flat edges and around oyster beds demolishing any bait fish or shrimp in their way.

Fall is an exciting time to be on the water here on the Sarasota Gulf Coast, so get out there and experience it for yourself!