Boca Grande fishing report for October 2023. The fall in Boca Grande consists of cold fronts and shorter days. This begins to cool the water off from 88 to approximately 78 degrees. Therefore, this drop in temperature sets the fish in motion for their Fall to Winter seasons patterns.
On The Flats
1. Snook will be starting to move from the beaches toward the back country and rivers. The fishing for them has already improved. Fly of choice for Snook is poppers and baitfish patterns. The cooler water temps (higher oxygen content) helps them to fight harder and survive easier,
2. Redfish are beginning to school up in the Charlotte Harbor, Boca Grande area and schools of the big spawners will be be moving in and out of the Gulf to their yearly thing on the grass flats and nearby channels.
3. Our Speckled Trout are fishing great right now, and will continue to get better as it cools more. They like poppers too, makers them a lot of fun to catch.
4. There are a few Tarpon still around but as the cold fronts keep coming their numbers will dwindle. They will be missed! Babies can be found year-round but can be tough to find and catch. These fish can be landed on an 8 wt. fly rod and can be tremendously fun. Here is the Rod I recommend. TFO Link
5. By-catch, gotta love ’em! Jacks, Ladies, Spanish Mackerel, Keep your Rod bent in between finding the “gloried species”. They are also no less fun to catch! This time of year big schools of Jacks can be found on the flats. They can be seen gobbling up bait schools (which are scattered throughout the harbor area). Jacks are a great way to save a boring day. Jacks can be some of the best fighting fish on the flats. The larger they are the harder they pull. Keep an eye out for Schools of Jacks.
