Page 109 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2020

OCTOBER
“October is probably one of the best months in the entire year to sh,” proclaims Ronnie Daniels with Fisher-Man Guide Services in Pass Christian. “Waters are cooling and white shrimp are starting to move. That triggers aggressive feeding. Most inshore species feed heavily upon shrimp.”
The marshes between the Pearl River delta and Waveland o er some of the best red sh action on the Mississippi Coast. Anglers can also sh the marshy tributaries feeding into Bay St. Louis or the Back Bay. The Pascagoula River delta also holds excellent red sh populations. During a falling tide, red sh often wait at the mouths of marshy drains and other tributaries. Dropping water levels pulls bait sh, shrimp, crabs and other morsels from their hiding places into open water. Red sh position themselves at the mouths of these drains to ambush anything owing toward them. “In October, I like to sh a falling tide around the mouths of bays or bayous coming out of the marshes,” Daniels advises. “The falling water draws bait out of that marsh. That’s where red sh are going to set up to get that bait.”
Anglers can use many techniques to catch red sh around these drains in the fall. Some favorites include spinnerbaits, spoons and topwaters, but a popping cork provides one of the easiest and most e ective ways to sh. A popping cork rig consists of a
oat holding up a natural or arti cial enticement. When an angler jerks the rod, the bait ies upward, exactly what a live shrimp would do to escape from a big red sh. In addition, the surface commotion caused by the cork simulates a sh striking prey. That attracts the attention of other sh.
Anglers can sh unlimited live, fresh or arti cial temptations under popping corks. Most people use live shrimp or bait sh, but anglers can also use fresh dead shrimp, cut bait, crabs or various soft-plastic shrimp or minnow imitations. “I also like to sh a popping cork
around the relatively new structures between Bayou Caddy and the
mouth of East Pearl River,” Daniels recommends. “There was a project to place rocks a short distance o the shoreline to rebuild the marsh. About every quarter mile, there’s an outfall in that rock that creates mock bayou mouths. Those rocks create incredible structures for holding bait and sh.” Daniels shes openings between the rocks during strong tidal movements. People could spend all day running from opening to opening catching a variety of sh. Besides red sh, the catch might include speckled trout, sheepshead, black drum, ounder and other species.
Young children and novice anglers would enjoy this simple type of shing. Anything that swims in Mississippi waters might grab a live or dead shrimp. Whether shing a shrimp on the bottom or under a popping cork, no telling what might bite.
“To a child, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a cat sh, a croaker or a big red sh,” Daniels remarks. “When something grabs that bait and the child feels that tug on the line, that youngster’s face lights up. That’s world-class shing to them!”
Fisher-Man Guide Services
228.323.1115 www.ms sherman.com
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
October 2020 | 109
Captain Robert Brodie of Team Brodie Charters and two red sh he caught in Biloxi waters.