The Best Time of Year The fall fishing pattern is finally here. We are over the extreme heat, and we've also been getting a lot of rain that is helping to cool down the water. If you are a fair weather fisherman now is the time to start making plans. Between now and mid-November is my favorite time to fish. The temperatures are nice and the fish are very active. The speckled trout are starting to school in their fall spots. There will be some big ones caught during the next three months: four to seven pounders. Last year at this time we caught a bunch of 'em. There will also be plenty of 14 to 17 inch trout in the bigger schools. You can catch a limit in an hour on the good days. Even on the slower days in fall you won't be disappointed. There's a lot of action. This is also a great time of year for catching redfish. Sometimes the reds will run in the same spots as the specks, but there are some redfish hotspots I like to hit on every fall trip. The finger mullet are everywhere and are a favorite prey of the big trout and reds. We will be using the finger mullet and pogy for live bait as long as they last. Then sometime in October the pogy will migrate out of the river and the mullet will grow a little too large for bait, so we will switch back to live cocohoe minnows. All of the above are excellent live baits. Artificial lures are also a hot item in fall. We will use a lot of jigs on teh smaller trout and top water to catch the big ones. If you are an experienced fisherman and can walk a top water lure you don't want to miss out on these next several weeks.