Massive schools of bait fish have moved into our area signaling what should be the start to some terrific fall fishing.

   As I went out Passa Grille Pass this week it was full of ladyfish and jacks chasing bait fish. So full that when I threw the cast net on bait I caught a dozen or more ladyfish and jacks in my net along with the bait.

   There was no doubt where the bait and fish were because the birds were diving non stop in the feeding frenzy that was going on. Porpoises were also in the melee feeding on the bigger fish that were feeding on the bait.

   After we left Passa Grille Pass heading north we saw Spanish mackerel feeding and jumping the entire way to Blind Pass. Putting out a #0 spoon behind a 2 ounce trolling lead and a #1 spoon behind a #1 planer resulted in numerous double hook ups with good sized mackerel.

   We later anchored on some rocky bottom and chummed the big Spanish right behind the boat where we caught them on light spinning rods and live bait and then switched to artificials and caught them on jigs, spoons and top waters.

   Fisherman’s World reports big schools of redfish from the Cottee River to Dunedin. The hot spots have been oyster bars and hard rocky bottom. Mirrodines and Paul Brown lures have been the top fish getters over the shallow hard bottom and around the mangroves.

   I was a guest of Capt. William Toney this week in Homosassa as he filmed his “Nature Coast Outdoors” TV show. Toney and I left MacRae’s about 2pm and fished the incoming to high tide around the St. Martin Keys and Chassowhitzka Point using fresh cut mullet for bait.

   The northern facing, flat rock island points that had mullet schools on it produced fast action on slot sized redfish. After one or two stops we found a big concentration reds and caught them on almost every cast. Also included in the catch were keeper sized trout.