# NE Florida fall transition



## MikeCockman (8 mo ago)

Over here in the big bend, I’ll start poking around my winter time holes to get a feel for what they are doing. If they aren’t there yet, then it’s a focus on the creek mouths and surrounding bars. Usually around mid to late NOV is when it gets to be full on creek/hole fishing. Once the temps and the big negative tides hit. I Also put more focus on the big trout more so than reds. A CPR 10 fish aggregate in a trout tournament last November I averaged 244” and landed solidly in 3rd if that gives you an idea of our winter trout size.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

SC- creeks are absolute fire right now, shorelines are good and fish are grouping up more and more on them.


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## JaxFishingAdventures (Dec 8, 2021)

Flood tides on the flats or low tides in the creeks. 
Are you fly fishing or spin?


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## FCanglr904 (Sep 26, 2021)

JaxFishingAdventures said:


> Flood tides on the flats or low tides in the creeks.
> Are you fly fishing or spin?


Haven’t ventured into the FLY world yet but definitely plan on it. Mostly lightgear 2500-3000 reels and arti’s after that hurricane came through a few weeks ago and got chilly water temp started dropping quick into the mid to low 70’s right now last trip out we spent 8+ hours poling through clapboard browns and a few creeks in sisters and didn’t see much figured they started moving out of the creeks in small numbers due to the water temp shock of that cold front after the storm.


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## JaxFishingAdventures (Dec 8, 2021)

FCanglr904 said:


> Haven’t ventured into the FLY world yet but definitely plan on it. Mostly lightgear 2500-3000 reels and arti’s after that hurricane came through a few weeks ago and got chilly water temp started dropping quick into the mid to low 70’s right now last trip out we spent 8+ hours poling through clapboard browns and a few creeks in sisters and didn’t see much figured they started moving out of the creeks in small numbers due to the water temp shock of that cold front after the storm.


I hit a flood last week and only saw one tail. I'm going again this Thursday. It's probably time to switch to lows. The hurricane washed away most of the crabs and the temp drop made the rest of them start their hibernation. The fish will likely be in the creeks or by the inlets now. 

If you have interest in fly fishing, check out the local fly club. We meet monthly and have an outing monthly if possible. Happy to answer any questions. I've been fly fishing almost a year. 
FCFF.org is the clubs website. 

I usually launch on Heckscher but I'm going to lunch at PV this week and head south towards Vilano.


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## FCanglr904 (Sep 26, 2021)

JaxFishingAdventures said:


> I hit a flood last week and only saw one tail. I'm going again this Thursday. It's probably time to switch to lows. The hurricane washed away most of the crabs and the temp drop made the rest of them start their hibernation. The fish will likely be in the creeks or by the inlets now.
> 
> If you have interest in fly fishing, check out the local fly club. We meet monthly and have an outing monthly if possible. Happy to answer any questions. I've been fly fishing almost a year.
> FCFF.org is the clubs website.
> ...


Yeah I did okay in the floods this year but wasn’t as active as I remember it being last year. Creeks produced well through the summer but that cold front changed everything up. Plan on going out Thursday to see what’s going on!

Will do! I don’t see fly in the near future for me currently but I can’t wait to learn.

I almost always put in at sisters creek on hecksure (the newer one) rarely I’ll go put in down at beach blvd marina and try my luck a little further south normally do okay but don’t know the area well enough just yet. North side is my home lol


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## windblows (May 21, 2014)

FCanglr904 said:


> Alright guys fall is quickly approaching and the water temp is falling quick up here in NE Florida.


Not so fast! We had that early cold front in mid-October followed by high pressure for what seemed like a couple of weeks. The fish were schooling and eating big time but now it's warmer again and they seem like they are spread out more. I typically try to avoid the flood tides once it gets past mid-November as I feel like they don't get on the flats the way they do in September. But, in any case, big mullet imitating lures seem to get their attention best for me right now


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## FCanglr904 (Sep 26, 2021)

windblows said:


> Not so fast! We had that early cold front in mid-October followed by high pressure for what seemed like a couple of weeks. The fish were schooling and eating big time but now it's warmer again and they seem like they are spread out more. I typically try to avoid the flood tides once it gets past mid-November as I feel like they don't get on the flats the way they do in September. But, in any case, big mullet imitating lures seem to get their attention best for me right now


Yup. We had a 10 degree water temp change in a little more than a week it shocked them and spread them out. Broke up the schools we had from what ive seen. ill be out scouting tomorrow on the pole for the afternoon low tide


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## Monty (Jan 10, 2018)

FCanglr904 said:


> Alright guys fall is quickly approaching and the water temp is falling quick up here in NE Florida. Thought it would be fun to see what other peoples tactics are this time of year to catch fish. Personally this time of year I’m not deep in the creeks often any more I start fishing creek mouths, rocks n docks, and running down shore lines. Feel free to input what you do!


One word -- Shrimp. Artificials just cant catch what a live shrimp can in the winter.


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## FCanglr904 (Sep 26, 2021)

Monty said:


> One word -- Shrimp. Artificials just cant catch what a live shrimp can in the winter.


I agree to an extent. For most id agree. There are more 'Advanced" tactics to make artificial work in the cold ( My go to is a ned rig or somthing texas rigged like a small fluke or a craw/ crab imitation. anything small and work deep holes and pockets. This can be done sight fishing in the colder months aswell) Just my .02$


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## Monty (Jan 10, 2018)

Hi. I fish Steinhatchee and Suwannee. This is really a tough time of the year for the Big Bend anglers. The flats are dead. The grass is "winter tore up" and there is no baitfish because the water is so cold. or 20 years I've been 100% artificial and my go to lures are a Gulp shrimp with a 1/4 ounce lead head. But I've fished 5-6x over the past 2 years on a friends boat and he uses nothing but live shrimp. Outfishes me 8-1 even in the summer. So I started buying shrimp. I went on a trip just before XMAS and I used artificals and another person used shrimp. We went back in the creek mouths off the Suwannee river. I caught 1 nice trout, the biggest of the day...he caught maybe 4-5 small reds and a nice flounder. We both caught 7-8 ladyfish. Slow day to say the least. He used nothing but shrimp. He fished in the front and I was casting to fished over water. I stuck with the artificals because there is no sense in both people doing the same thing. unless it works. We're into either run offshore and fish the reefs or for inshore, it's the deep holes in the warmer water creeks and rivers. 

I think south and central Florida anglers don't have the problem to the extent North Florida does.


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