October 2026 Backwater Fishing Report

3 days ago

2 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Man on a sunny beach holds a large fish and fishing rod, with children nearby and beach houses under a blue sky.

What to Expect

As summer wraps up and the fall season kicks in, the fishing will remain strong with more bait showing up with the mullet run, cooler weather and the start of clearer waters moving into October. This past month saw some incredible fishing on both the north and south side of the Ponce Inlet jetty. Schools of redfish and snook were taking their territory and the anglers were reaping the benefits!

On a clean no-wind morning, I met up with Sheriff Bill Levin (@OllBill) and we hit the north side of Ponce Inlet jetty and absolutely put a whopping on them redfish with multiple double ups and singles for a few hours. Bill ended up catching a 50-incher that weighed about 45 pounds! There were many boats out that day and everyone was on the slay. We used live croakers and mullet for our choice of baits. Can’t thank Sheriff Bill enough for the epic morning and tight lines!

Just south of the New Smyrna Beach Inlet, Ryan Rawson and his son Ryland have been on a tear catching snook and redfish off the beach. Interestingly enough, they have been using a jighead as the hook with live mullet. This makes sense as this method keeps the bait at the bottom where the fish have been lurking.

Looking Ahead to the Winter Fishing Season

This summer has been one for the records with so much snook and redfish just off the shoreline both in Daytona and New Smyrna. This coming winter is looking like a wet one, so it will be a pick-and-choose type of season for prime fishing. Let’s hope for the best!

Until Next Time… Cast Em…. Hook Em….. and Catch Em!