Fishing Report September 24, 2025
Fall equinox marks end of summer, beginning of great fall fishing
As we settle into the third week of September, Anna Maria Island angers are asking themselves does the fall equinox effect the fish?
Although the fall equinox doesn’t directly affect fish, it can indirectly affect our fishing conditions by introducing shorter days and cooler temperatures.
As you know the fall equinox occurs when the sun crosses directly over the equator, resulting in equal hours of day and night. This also marks the beginning of shorter hours of sunlight in the near future and the northern hemisphere approaches winter.
And as of last week, we have seen some cooler weather, especially at night, yielding cooler water temps which should be triggering a reaction in the species we are targeting in the back country.
Species such as snook, that have taken a temporary residence along the beaches and passes for the summer to spawn, are now in feeding mode as fewer daylight hours instinctively triggers them to know cooler weather is in the not so distant future. You may witness schools of snook crashing large bait schools along the beach as they prepared to make their migration back to the flats where they will stage up for one last buffet before winter begins, and they retreat to the warmer waters in the back bays, creeks and canals.
Other species like trout and redfish are also transitioning as daylight hours decrease. Many trout will be following the bait schools throughout the bays and the Manatee River as they attempt to gorge themselves in preparation of winter. And redfish can be found in large schools on the shallow flats as they are joining together in great numbers to spawn.
And as the bait seems to be common denominator in this process, keep in mind that with multitudes of bait present migratory predators like Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, jack cravelle and bonita should begin frequenting these areas as they follow the bait in and out of Tampa Bay.
This will also mark their arrival of apex predators — sharks. Blacktip, sandbar and spinner sharks will be prevalent in our nearshore and inshore waters as they follow the macks and bonito looking for a meal.
So to answer the question of does the fall equinox affect the fishing the answer is yes.
In fact, we should see some explosive action in the weeks to come, which will result in some excellent fall fishing. And with cooler air temps and water temps being out on the water for extended periods of time should be more pleasurable as we don’t have to endure the grueling heat of summer.
On my Just Reel fishing charters, I’m noticing greater number of snook while fishing the flats around mangrove edges and oyster bars.
It is also noticeable that the fish seem to be more feisty compared to fish being caught a few weeks ago when the water temperatures were higher. Once hooked the snook are jumping numerous times and producing long drag-screaming runs. Spotted seatrout are quite abundant, although I feel that as daylight hours decrease they are dispersing slightly, causing them to be more elusive.
Schooling reds are being found on open grass flats and along mangrove shoreline. The fish on the open flats are being caught in good numbers while the fish along the mangroves are more of a random bite.
Finally, migratory fish such as mackerel, blue runners, ladyfish and cobia are being caught along the Gulf beaches around structure and bait schools.
