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Looking for a change of pace? Thinking about expanding your angling repertoire? Whatever the case - fly-fish the fall bait run for knuckle-busting encounters with many of Florida’s greatest game fish.

sk a local about fall fishing in South Florida, and they will immediately delve into the spectacle of “The Bait Run.” Their eyes twitch, hands shake and voices tremble as they try to explain the gravity of this seasonal migration. I call it “The Show” and even after watching it for several decades; I believe it to be one of nature’s true spectacles of predator versus prey. The excitement of this early fall natural phenomenon gets lost in the narration if you have never experienced it first hand. While all I can do is attempt to paint a picture with words, trust me when I tell you, nothing compares to finding yourself in the middle of a full-on baitfish blitz!

During the mullet run, slob snook are common Imagine with me for a moment; you have departed from any of Florida’s many inlets from Port Canaveral to Miami. You head either north or south. It really doesn’t matter. As you cruise the beach scanning for signs of life, you spot pelicans skyrocketing into what looks like a black cloud nearly a half mile long. As you close the gap between you and the cruising formation, the scene becomes more recognizable with countless mullet coming into focus. The predators taking full advantage of the abundant forage make themselves apparent as a trio of hungry tarpon simultaneously blast skyward, scattering the hapless baits in silvery waves. A shark fin suddenly pops up in the school, slicing a clean swath right through the center of the blackness.

 

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