Coastal Fishing Connections Newsletter - 11/5/2018

Mother Natures' Fury Before The Fall Feast

Every year, fishing presents opportunities to make connections and to give back to the community. Unfortunately bad things happen but it's amazing to see how anglers' pull together and help those in need. Between the deadly Red Tide and the devastation from Hurricane Michael, Florida had one of their worst Octobers' on record. Over the past few weeks, countless volunteers stepped up to load trucks full of food, water, bleach and other necessities and to go over and help with the cleanup. Local Alabama fishing groups, Saltwater Finaddicts, The Alabama Fleet and ACFA each delivered truckloads of goods!

This month, Team Early Detections', Hallie J Burnett shares what fishing means to her some of the opportunities it has allowed her to give back.

"October came and went with a flash! This month has been filled with activities, some that were planned and some not. I was honored to have the Florida Pro Redfish Series host the first One Woman PRO GO Live Tournament. We raised money for Friends In Survival and Hope, awareness for cancer patients, and women’s professional redfishing. That is a normal October for me. It’s my busiest month and one that I look forward to every year. Team Early Detection’s mission is to raise awareness through professional fishing about the importance of early detection in the fight against cancer. Additionally, we strive to raise money for Friends In Survival and Hope, Inc. (F.I.S.H., Inc.) to be able to grant F.I.S.H. Wishes to individuals diagnosed with cancer and other terminal illnesses.

This October, however, dealt the Florida Gulf Coast a historic blow when Hurricane Michael came ashore on October 10, 2018, leaving many of my favorite fishing towns leveled, lives lost and most of my charter captain friends unemployed during one of the best redfishing months of the year. They will rebuild, they will overcome and they will be better than ever but it is going to take time. I dedicated two weeks to the recovery efforts including a 20 hour round trip boat ride on a 48 foot sportfisher to deliver supplies to the first responders in Apalachicola, FL that was completely cut off after Hurricane Michael came ashore. We then delivered two more truck loads to Mexico Beach, FL and while tournament fishing was put on hold I finally headed to Louisiana (after a direct order from my husband to take a break from disaster relief and all of the stress it added) for the Inshore Fishing Associations Redfish Tour’s Championship in Hopedale, LA.

I logged more than 250 miles on the water in the four days I pre-fished. The water was extremely high and the fish were either pushed back into the grass or are laying in deeper water. I had extremely good luck with Berkley Gulp under a popping cork laid up against the grass line and a Hall’s HD Spinner Bait rigged with a SHU SHU Craw for the deeper water.

The fish were scattered, which is unusual since this is normally the time that the reds are starting to school up. Every pond I fished had a wide variety of fish sizes, everything from juveniles to just over the slot bulls.

As October came to a close, I look back with thankfulness for all that Mother Nature provides us and with disdain as she destroyed some of the best fisheries in the world. Florida has been hit with not only a record-breaking hurricane but also an epic Red Tide. However, as an eternal optimist and an avid outdoorsman I look forward to what the beautiful fall weather holds in store as we enter November. Be safe out there and TIGHT LINES!"

News, Notes and More!

This upcoming weekend SFEEF will host the Marsh Madness Inshore Fishing Tournament. Registration will take place at the BlueGill Restaraunt on Friday November 9 and weigh-in will take place there on Saturday, November 10th.

Email your photos coastalfishingconnections@gmail.com to have an opportunity to be featured on one of our social media outlets.

Also, subscribe on our website at www.bentoutfittersfishing.com to receive these reports as they come out. Please leave comments at the bottom of the blog after reading and let us know if you find the information interesting and helpful.

MeMe's Coastal Delights by Melinda Ellis

It's been a minute, but she's back in the kitchen with a delicious recipe. If you've been on the water over the past month, you have had an opportunity to fill your freezer with enough redfish try this recipe.

Cajun Blackened Redfish

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, melted

• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/4 cups Italian-style salad dressing

• 4 fillets red drum

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on low heat; cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the cayenne pepper, black pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder and salt. Set aside

3. Dip the filets into the melted butter, then coat with the seasoning mixture

4. In a large skillet over high heat, sear fish on each side for 2 minutes or until slightly charred

5. Place in a 11x7 baking dish and pour the Italian dressing onto each filet. Cover baking dish and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until flaky and tender.

Coastal Fishing Forecast And More

During the past month we saw one of the worst disasters in recent history and an outpouring of community support for those affected. Hurricane Michael made history as one of the most powerful and damaging storms to ever make landfall in the USA but the falling temperatures brought much needed relief to local residents.

Over the past few weeks, we have been through a couple of cold fronts. Those fronts sent the black fish packing but has heated up the speckled trout and redfish bite. That trend will continue as the speckled trout continue to work their way up Mobile Bay and into their winter river homes.

October and November provide a great opportunity to break out the Fairhope Rattle popping corks with Egret Vudu shrimp, Pure Flats Lil Slick, Overcast Lure Companies artificial offerings and Matrix Shad. Just this past Sunday, Captain Kevin Olmstead of Point Clear Fishing Adventures and Captain Billy Howell of Bent Outfitters Fishing had an opportunity to host Team Daiwa for a fun morning of fishing. Daiwa offers an affordable wide variety of quality product options for every angler.

Over the next few weeks, shallow flats should provide a great opportunity to break out the hard baits and

jigs. The most consistent speckled trout bite over the past month has been around flats on western side of

Mobile Bay leading into Mobile River and up the river itself. Fish have started to show up in Dog and Fowl

River as well. Weeks Bay and the rivers on the eastern side of Mobile Bay have provided great opportunities

to catch redfish. Along the ICW and in Orange Beach the redfish bite continues to be on fire.

Winter Fishing is just around the corner, so get ready to get your grub on!

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Summary

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Regardless of the forecasts, the avid anglers and boating enthusiasts will find a way to get their fix. Just a friendly reminder; have all your safety gear up to date, be safe and courteous and but most of all keep those rods bent!

If you are planning a vacation to the area and want to take advantage of great fishing, cruise the bay or islands, there are plenty of options for you. Special thanks to all the contributors for this report. We look forward to keeping you informed each week of what's happening on the water.