Cool Temps, Hot Bites
Capt. Larry Pentel
September 30, 2009
Destin - Saltwater Fishing Report
The first real cool front of fall came through night before last. While we have had some good fishing here lately it should just get better as the annual Fall migration starts in earnest.
I have mainly been surface fishing (trolling)the past couple weeks as the bite has been fantastic with the Kings and Spanish along with quite a few bonus fish thrown in. We had a 40# cobia follow a hooked king up to the boat one day and then just hang out around the boat long enough to get a bait in front of him. Quite exciting and a great treat for this time of the year (I'm sure he tasted good on the grill too.). Still have been Mahi around with a couple of rather memorable catches- One trip I just had 2 folks and we had boxed our 6 kings and were off to bottom fish when we ran across a pretty big grass line 5 miles off the beach. I put out a couple of live baits and didn't even get to the first big patch of grass before the mahi were all around the boat. We stayed for an hour and a half catching fish as fast as I could bait a hook. My folks kept our limit and we released the rest. I figure they boated between 50 and 60 fish! Another morning I got a call from an old friend with a house on the bluff in Seagrove. He said he was looking at what appeared to be an over-turned boat about a mile offshore of his house and would I go check it out. We ran over and sure enough, an old upside hull that had been floating for quite some time. There was a school of 7 good size Mahi living around it and we managed to jump all 7 of 'em getting 4 to the box. Always a treat to find the big ones up on the beach!
Been a lot of sailfish up in shore as well. I have seen several and we had a couple bite but haven't been able to boat any or had a trip where I could spend the time to target 'em. My son ( Capt William Pentel) came over from Indian Pass though, borrowed a friend and his 16 foot skiff with a 25 horse motor and ran a mile out and landed one around 7'!
As in all fishing the bite doesn't last forever though. Yesterday morning was the first cool, dry high barometer day of the fall and I had a tankfull of big live baits and just knew it was going to be another easy day of limiting out on Kings with my charter. I took 'em to the spots where we had been getting all the bites and the fish had gotten lockjaw with sudden weather change. I changed tactics and we bottom fished a bit catching lots of triggers with a handfull being of keeper size. Went back to trolling some different spots and hooked a couple of BIG fish, one of which completely dumped a TLD 15. With about 15 feet of line left on the reel I ran the fish down and my (first time) female angler was able to land a very nice Tuna within 3 miles of the beach!
Quality off the Beach
I think I have the camera back working again with the pic from yesterday. i took pics of lots of great catches the past week that just didn't turn out. Next report should have more "show" and less "tell"
The cooler temps should get the big smoker Kings coming in as well. October is usually the month we see the 40 and 50# fish up in close. I just put new line on several TLD's and am fixin' to tie up some more leaders!
Been great reports from the inshore boys as well. The redfish are chewin' as well as the trout. My son ran up near the Pass yesterday and they limited out on Black Snapper as well as having some nice flounders. No excuse to not go fishin' !!! The weathers great , the fish are biting and the summer people are back up North ! Turn this computer off and go!
Capt Larry Pentel
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