(Member Cody Carlson with a nice King.) 

Season Change is Upon Us  

By Cpt. Cliff Budd 

Fall is a good time of the year; it may be my favorite for a few reasons. One of my favorite taste and smells are pumpkin specialties everywhere you go, for a limited time, in our great country.

Fishing in the fall is when we usually say goodbye to the summer species like snook, tarpon, bonito, bull sharks, bigger tuna and cubera snappers. But the fish that start showing up are the small baitfish and mullet. They start their annual run south with all the predators like jack, tarpon, spinner, sharks, snook, bluefish, and some mackerel, following and feeding on them along the way. The mullet run comes in waves. Here on one tide, gone the next. Mackerel and kingfish can be really good targeted species, and so are mutton snappers. Keep in mind that every day is different. Most pros spend their time working on boats, tackle, and equipment to make sure everything is shipshape for the upcoming fishing season. Water temperatures will start to drop which will bring us some inshore-fish such as ladyfish and the tasty pompano. Large live shrimp are at the tackle shops and may soon be the jumbos soon when the water temperatures lower a bit more. I like using big live shrimp for bait--- everything that swims seems to eat shrimp. Be safe, be legal, and have fun.

Capt. Cliff Budd can be reached at (561) 262-1617 www.seacretspot.com