Fall fishing is sizzling

No fewer than five photos of fish caught on Southwest Florida's grassflats showed up in my e-mail inbox one recent afternoon.

The snook, seatrout and redfish — glistening in the autumn sunlight — each stretched across the legs of the kayak angler who had reeled them in.

Be you a kayaker or a powerboater, the point is this: Fall fishing is sizzling.

Historically, October is a revered month for catching reds. For full-timers who elect to take summer off from fishing due to the heat, your excuse is dissipating with each day the humidity nudges down a notch. Plus keeper-sized snook are, well, keepable now.

"October, November and December are great fishing times especially from a kayak," said Rob Phelan, an avid Fort Myers angler who loves to paddle. "To be quite honest, it is too hot in August and September to spend the entire day out in the kayak, not to mention the frequent storms that roll through at that time of the year."

Kayak fishing guide Josh Harvel of Cape Coral-based Yakin It Up Charters has a good forecast for when we flip the calendar later this week. "In October, the water temps run about 75, which is perfect for the snook fishing. Also, redfish go nuts in October, we have our first real low tides and the tailing redfish action will be hot."

JOHN PAENO / COURTESY PHOTO This dandy of a snook was caught on the grass flats off Pineland by kayak angler John Paeno of Calusa Ghost Tours. Harvel e-mailed me three photos of catch-and-release conquests from one day last week. Did I mention he got them all well before lunchtime? Who says fishing has to take all day?

Then there is John Paeno, a Pine Islander who, to my knowledge, would fish 24/7 if he could. Maybe he does, except when he's not busy guiding and telling stories via his Calusa Ghost Tours. His two snapshots included one snook from morning and one that appeared to be shot in the middle of the night. The guy is like a kayaking "snook whisperer," if there is such a thing.

Mark your calendar

You can join the fun at a few fishing tournaments coming up:

. The Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival's annual catch-and-release kayak/ canoe fishing tourney is set for just one month from now. The captain's meeting is Oct. 30 at The Prawnbroker in Fort Myers and fishing happens throughout Lee County waterways on Oct. 31.

Don't worry about it interfering with trick-or-treating duties or adult party plans. The fishing wraps up, cash and other prizes are given out and the event ends by mid-afternoon Oct. 31 at Randell Research Center and Tarpon Lodge in Pineland. It's $50 to enter and has enough categories that even kids and newbies can end up feeling like a winner. Check out details at www. CalusaBluewayPaddlingFestival.com

. The Chix-N-Stix Ladies Fishing Tournament will be held Dec. 4-5 at Fish Tale Marina on Fort Myers Beach. Teams can weigh in a "bucketload of fish," with 10 ladyfish per team, minimum 12 inches per fish. The heaviest bucket of fish wins it. Ladies must outnumber men on the boat. You can fish from shore, kayak or powerboat. Entry fee is $100 for women, $50 for men. Get details at www.chixnstix.net.

Sailing

If fishing is not your thing, maybe watching sailing is. Four sailing events mark the calendar in Lee County.

. Summerset Regatta is off Fort Myers Beach Saturday, Oct. 3, and Sunday, Oct. 4. This marks the first time the annual endof summer event sponsored by the CMCS Sailing Club has been bumped off Labor Day weekend on purpose, not because of a hurricane. Get details at www.cmcs-sail. org.

. River Romp Regatta is Oct. 17-18. It's a Junior Olympics event hosted by the Edison Sailing Center that you can watch from the River District or North Fort Myers, where they'll be headquartered at what most people call Yankee Beach at the base of the Caloosahatchee Bridge. Get info at www.edisonsailingcenter.org.

. The Diversified Yacht Services 2.4mR World Championships will be in downtown Fort Myers on the Caloosahatchee. The seven-day World Championships are scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, with the three-day National Championships proceeding on Oct. 26-28. Use the same Edison Sailing Center site to get those details.

— Betsy Clayton is a freelance writer based on Pine Island and also is Lee County Parks & Recreation's waterways coordinator. Contact her at boatingbybetsy@ yahoo.com.