Can you believe the size of this years fall trout? It seems like the trout are bigger and fatter than ever! Cut bait has been the trick, fished in potholes or along the edge of almost any oyster bar in Matlacha. Cut shiners, threads, pinfish, ballyhoo it doesn't seem to matter. We have been using one or two rods with the "clacker bobbers" to pull the big fish in. Usually they end up picking the nearby cut bait off the bottom. The north end of Pine Island has the occasional blue fish mixed in while fishing potholes. The reds have been running mostly oversized and usually show up after we have boated several of the large trout. Using small light circle hooks has allowed 100% successful release of these spawning trout. Last Saturday a wayward Tarpon of nearly 80 pounds decided to eat a pinfish suspended under the cork fishing along the downside edge of a oyster bar no more than two feet deep! Evenings have been productive throwing top dogs and top dog pups. Color doesn't seem to matter much. Still think nothing beats a topwater strike! Not sure why you need two treble hooks on these... usually remove the front one with no noticable change in the hook up ratio. By the way, stopped and fished the docks in Matlacha after picking up a bag of ice and some more water at one of the many little bait stores. Lots of big snook hanging out under the shrimp boats if you can keep the catfish away long enough.... the snook were hitting on a slack tide, go figure right? If there is a more beautiful month on the water than October, I don't know when it is...