Mullet runs, duck hunting are upon us
This month is a special time for saltwater anglers and waterfowl hunters.
The annual fall mullet run comes to South Florida at the end of September, and the early duck season is Sept. 17-25.
For many local fishermen, the mullet run is their favorite time of the year because it offers some of the region’s best fishing. Late September and early October are when schools of mullet migrate south along Florida’s beaches and through the Intracoastal Waterway before heading offshore to spawn.
That journey is routinely interrupted by snook, jacks, Spanish mackerel, sharks, tarpon, bluefish and other species that take advantage of the mullet concentrations for an easy meal.
Anglers fishing off the beach from the surf, piers and boats, as well as in rivers and canals, can have memorable catches when mullet are running.
Sometimes mullet schools are there when you arrive and never leave. Sometimes the baitfish are there and gone. And sometimes you have to wait for hours for them to show up. But when they do, they will quickly make the long wait worthwhile.
Fishing the mullet run works with lures or live or dead mullet. A fiveeighths-ounce Krocodile spoon is highly effective for surf fishing. In canals and rivers, it’s hard to beat a DOA shrimp or a hard jerkbait that imitates a mullet.
Knowing where and when the mullet are running is essential. In the old days, before cell phones, all you could do was go to the beach and hope the mullet were there. I knew a mullet run fanatic who had friends at several different beachfront condos who would call him when they saw mullet schools from their balconies.
Having reliable sources saves time and gas money. I had a friend who would call to say the mullet were running off Jupiter. When we would arrive and not see any mullet, I’d learn that the mullet were there the previous afternoon.
After hanging out for hours in the hopes that a new school would show up, we headed home, driving south along the beach. Amazingly, we spotted a mullet school, parked and hiked down to the surf with our tackle. Already there, catching bluefish, were several of my friend’s buddies, who all said they were just about to call him.
I didn’t care because I was too busy catching some bluefish of my own, which I like to fillet, leaving the skin on, and either broil or grill. That also works for Spanish mackerel, which have a more delicate flavor.
For duck hunters, the early teal season is their first hunting opportunity since the regular season ended in January, which is why they put up with the heat and mosquitoes in South Florida’s marshes this time of year.
Teal migrate south early, which is why there is a September season. From Sept. 17-21, hunters can take teal and wood ducks. The limit is six ducks, but only two wood ducks. Only teal can be hunted from Sept. 22-25 and the daily bag limit is six.
The regular duck season opens Nov. 19, so the early season gives hunters time to repair or replace everything that they forgot about at the end of last season, such as leaky waders, shot-up decoys, rusted shotguns and sputtering boat motors.
You might also need to work on your shooting at a sporting clays course and stock up on bug spray. I learned a valuable lesson after an early season hunt with Jim Rechkemmer of Fort Lauderdale, who put his keys on a floating dock back at the boat ramp. When a boat wake sent the dock up and down, the keys slid into the water. Rechkemmer didn’t have a spare key for his tow vehicle, but luckily his hunting buddy stripped down, went into the murky water and found the keys.
One of the best places to hunt blue-winged and green-winged teal are the stormwater treatment areas in western Palm Beach County. Hunting is by permit only. Starting this season, permit holders who don’t show up for morning STA hunts will be replaced on a first-come, first-served basis by hunters who apply for and receive standby permits through weekly online drawings.
Getting a standby opportunity does not guarantee an individual will get to hunt. Those who receive a standby permit will know where they are on the standby list so they can evaluate the likelihood of replacing a no-show hunter. Standby hunters who show up but are not needed to replace a no-show permit holder can stay at the check station and replace hunting parties as they leave the area.
Online drawings for standby opportunities for STA early duck hunts are Sept. 13 and 20 starting at 6 p.m. for Friday hunts, 6:15 for Saturday hunts and
6:30 for Sunday hunts at www.gooutdoors florida.com.