Oct Fishing Report
Daytona Beach Area Fishing Report
TOMOKA BASIN, RIVER: This area is enjoying a tremendous snook catch, according to numerous guides and Gene Lytwyn at The Fishin’ Hole. “The fishermen are raving about snook they are catching in that area,” Lytwyn said. “I had one customer tell me ‘it’s like fishing in a paid pond’ when it comes to snook and tarpon.” Lytwyn said he has seen photos of snook weighing more than 12 pounds, which is well out of the slot. “The outgoing tide is the trick,” Lytwyn said. “Guys are working the shorelines with artificials and doing quite well.”
SURF, PIERS: This is like the “Tale of Two Cities.” The surf has been so rough it has chased most of the regulars off the beach. “It’s been a crummy week to go surf fishing,” said Tom Farnham of Your Rod & Reel. “The water is tossing and turning like a washing machine. The forecast looks much better later this week.” However, anglers are catching fish from all three area piers, led by the Daytona Beach Pier, located at the end of Main Street. “The pier is on fire,” Lytwyn said. “They are catching redfish after redfish and the majority of fish are keeper-sized. It’s been a real bonanza for those guys fishing off the pier.” Sprinkled in with the reds are whiting and bluefish. The Sunglow Pier reports catches of keeper trout and sheepshead. And pier anglers should note that Sunglow will close at 9 p.m. beginning on Thursday.
OFFSHORE: There have been very few boats leaving port in the last week because of the rough sea conditions. Jeff Burkhead at Fishin’ Cove Bait & Tackle in New Smyrna Beach said one charter boat went out Tuesday and it “got beat up pretty bad.” Adding insult to injury, the anglers caught only sharks and bluefish.
PONCE INLET, HALIFAX RIVER: In the relative calm of the inlet, fishermen continue to catch brute-sized redfish, good for a photograph before being released back in the water. “They’re catching lots of redfish in there, plus nice flounder around Disappearing Island,” Burkhead said. “Mangrove snapper are everywhere, but the bigger ones are in the inlet.” In the river waters near the inlet, Burkhead said redfish off the hook. “I have not seen so many legal redfish caught in a long time. They are catching quite a few in the 24- to 25-inch range.” Around the metro bridges Lytwyn said anglers are reporting catches of redfish, bluefish and jacks in the daylight, plus snook and trout at night.
MOSQ. LAGOON, INDIAN RIVER: Al Huffman at Lagoon Bait & Tackle in Edgewater said fishing has been tremendous, especially legal-sized redfish. “They’re catching reds all day long and trout at night,” he said. “We have big fish everywhere. The snook bite is so strong it’s hard to catch one in the slot.” Oak Hill Red shrimp, along with whites, were running under the full moon. “Most of the guys were netting on the outgoing tide at night,” Huffman said.
MATANZAS INLET, RIVER: Capt. Chris Herrera of palmcoastfishing.com said he is targeting redfish, which are plentiful with the high water levels and ongoing mullet run. “We’re catching our best fish in the last two hours of the outgoing tide,” he said. He said anglers in the area are catching 6- to 7-pound trout using pigfish or croakers for bait.
ST. JOHNS RIVER: Capt. Bryn Rawlins at Highland Park Fish Camp in DeLand sent in an email report. “Seeing decent catches of speckled perch coming in from Lake Woodruff,” she said. “Trolling with jigs has been the best method. Water levels are high which indicates we could have a great speck season ahead of us, once we see some cooler weather. Bass fishing is still strong using wild shiners on the St. Johns and surrounding lakes.”
Report is out of the Daytona Beach News Journal