October is one of my favorite months for throwing artificial lures around Ocean Isle Beach. Bait is widespread from the marshes all the way out to the beaches, and as the water starts cooling down, redfish, speckled trout and flounder come out of the lethargic summer pattern and are much more willing to chase a lure.
Boat traffic and fishing pressure also fall off a cliff compared to summer. There are fewer boats running the ICW and creeks, and the fish haven't been getting beat up all day or seeing the same lures thrown at them over and over.
Most of my October inshore lure fishing is around marsh banks, oyster bars and docks. The five lures below cover everything from aggressive fish that want to chase a moving bait to pressured or post-front fish that need something slower and more subtle.
October is also prime time for trophy bull red drum around the inlets here in the Carolinas. That's a different style of fishing and usually involves bait rather than artificial lures, so I'm keeping this list focused on slot-sized redfish (18–27 inches), speckled trout, and flounder that I'm targeting with artificial lures.
Quick Look: My Top 5 October Inshore Lures
| # | LURE | COLORS I LIKE | RIG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ | Smelt, Redbone, Midnight Oil |
1/4 oz Texas Eye Jighead or a 1/4 oz ChatterBait Jighead |
| 2 | MirrOlure MirrOdine 17MR | Hot Pink Back/Chartreuse/Silver, Blue Back/Chartreuse Belly | 24–36" of 20 lb fluorocarbon, loop knot |
| 3 | Z-Man TRD TicklerZ | Houdini, Smelt, Drew’s Craw | Z-Man ShroomZ or NedlockZ, 1/5, 1/6 oz |
| 4 | Strike King Redfish Magic | New Penny, Avocado, Pearl | 24–36" of 20 lb fluorocarbon, palomar knot |
| 5 | Z-Man PrawnStarZ | Natural Shrimp, Fried Chicken, Laguna Shrimp | Fish alone or with a popping cork |
Not sure which inshore lure to start with in October? Start with the Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ on a texas-eye jighead as a search bait to locate fish; use the Strike King Redfish Magic when you want more flash and vibration in stained water; use a MirrOlure MirrOdine 17MR when targeting trout; try the Z-Man TRD TicklerZ when fish are pressured or shut down; and lastly, try the Z-Man PrawnStarZ for a slower, more realistic presentation.
Top Redfish Lure: Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ
If I had to start October with one lure tied on, the Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ would be hard to beat. There is a lot of bait inshore this time of year, and a paddletail gives me a simple baitfish imitation that I can cover water with around marsh banks, oyster bars and docks.
My favorite color is Smelt, with Redbone and Midnight Oil rounding out my three October choices.
Most of the time I'll rig the DieZel MinnowZ on a 1/4 oz Texas Eye Jighead and fish it with a steady, medium-speed retrieve. I don't try to make it complicated. Cast it into a likely area, get it moving and let the paddletail do its job.
Another way I like to fish the DieZel MinnowZ is on a 1/4-ounce Z-Man Eye Strike Skirtless ChatterBait jighead. I especially like this setup when I'm fishing stained water. The ChatterBait adds noise and vibration that helps fish find the lure when visibility is limited, and it can draw strikes from fish that might not notice a quieter paddletail.
I've got a separate guide on how to fish a swimbait inshore that goes much deeper into how I fish lures like the Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ.
Top Trout Lure: MirrOlure MirrOdine 17MR
The MirrOlure MirrOdine 17MR earns its spot on this list because October is prime time to start getting serious about speckled trout.
Unlike the moving baits on this list, the MirrOdine gives me a suspending presentation that I can work and then leave sitting in the strike zone. That ability to pause the lure can be especially effective on trout.
Two colors I like are Hot Pink Back/Chartreuse/Silver and Blue Back/Chartreuse Belly.
The MirrOdine comes ready to fish. I just add a 24–36-inch section of 20-pound fluorocarbon leader and tie it directly to the MirrOdine with a loop knot.
I already have a full guide on how to fish a MirrOlure, so I'm not going to repeat all of that here. If you haven't fished one before—or haven't had much luck with one—that article covers how I work the MirrOdine 17MR and some of the little things that make a difference.
Z-Man TRD TicklerZ
Not every October day has fish chasing bait all over the place.
After a front, in clear water, in skinny water, or anytime the fish seem lockjawed, I'll go in the opposite direction and slow things down with a Z-Man TRD TicklerZ.
My October colors are Houdini, Smelt and Drew’s Craw.
I pair the TicklerZ with a Z-Man ShroomZ or NedlockZ jighead, generally from 1/5 to 1/6 ounce in skinny inshore water. If I'm dealing with more current, I'll go heavier when I need to.
The biggest mistake with this lure is trying to do too much with it.
I'll fish it with a slow drag-and-pause or hop-and-pause retrieve. Sometimes it's hop, hop, pause. Either way, I'm fishing it slowly, methodically and steadily.
During the pause, leave it alone.
The tentacles continue doing their thing without you working the rod, and Z-Man's buoyant ElaZtech material helps the bait stand up off the bottom while it's sitting still. That's a big part of what makes the TicklerZ effective on wary fish that won't commit to something moving quickly.
Resist the urge to work it hard. Sometimes the best thing you can do with the Z-Man TRD TicklerZ is nothing.
Strike King Redfish Magic
October usually isn't the month when I want every lure to be subtle.
There's bait everywhere, the water is cooling down and fish are often willing to chase. That's when I like a Strike King Redfish Magic.
My three color choices are New Penny, Avocado and Pearl.
The Redfish Magic works especially well in the off-color water we normally have around Ocean Isle Beach. It's a spinnerbait that puts a lot of flash, thump and vibration into the water, helping fish locate it even when visibility isn't great. I'll throw it around marsh drains and creeks, oyster bars and grass banks.
It's one of the easiest lures on this list to fish. You really have to work at fishing it wrong.
I'll usually start by fan-casting a likely area and slow-rolling it as a search bait. If the fish are aggressive, I'll start playing with retrieve speed and burn it faster. I also like stopping it for just a split second every now and then before continuing the retrieve.
That change can be enough to trigger a fish that's following the bait.
One little trick: when the original body on the Redfish Magic gets worn out, I like replacing it with a Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ. There's no reason to retire the whole lure just because the original soft-plastic body has been chewed up.
Redfish, speckled trout and flounder will all eat a Redfish Magic in October. And don't be surprised if a bluefish or ribbonfish decides it wants one too. We get both of them inshore during the fall.
Z-Man PrawnStarZ
October isn't all about chasing baitfish. Shrimp are still an important part of the menu, and the Z-Man PrawnStarZ gives me a couple of very different ways to imitate one.
My preferred colors are Natural Shrimp, Fried Chicken and Laguna Shrimp.
When I'm fishing a popping cork, I like the smaller 2.5-inch PrawnStarZ. I primarily use this setup on the upper part of the tide when I think trout are around or I'm specifically looking for them.
I'll generally have about 24 inches of leader below the popping cork, although the exact leader length depends on water depth. My retrieve is simple: pop, pause, with an occasional pop, pop, pause.
A suspended shrimp is extremely effective on speckled trout. Redfish will absolutely eat it too.
I don't use a slip cork for this presentation. For me, a slip-cork rig makes more sense when I'm fishing live bait such as live shrimp.
When I'm fishing the PrawnStarZ as a standalone lure, I prefer the larger 3-inch and 3.5-inch versions and fish them with their built-in weight. My setup is about 3 feet of 20-pound fluorocarbon leader connected to 20- or 30-pound PowerPro Super Slick V2 braid.
I'll fish the standalone PrawnStarZ around oyster bars, marsh banks and flats with a slow, methodical hop-and-pause or hop-hop-pause presentation.
It's also a good lure for sight-fishing when we get the opportunity. Our water is usually too dirty for traditional sight-fishing, but occasionally you'll see a tailing redfish or spot the wake of a fish moving through shallow water. You don't necessarily have to see the fish itself to sight-cast to it.
We also have a few areas with cleaner water. In my area, Saucepan Creek, which is just inside of Shallotte Inlet, tends to have clearer water than a lot of the surrounding area. I can generally only get in there on higher water, so I'm often fishing the PrawnStarZ along the grass banks there when I do.
I especially like the standalone PrawnStarZ when the water is somewhere between clear and moderately stained and the fish have gotten wary from fishing pressure. During our short flounder season, for example, it worked really well for catching reds and trout that had been heavily pressured for a couple of weeks.
Those are situations where slowing down and showing them a shrimp like the Z-Man PrawnStarZ can make a difference.
For these lures, I'm generally fishing the same type of light spinning tackle I use every day on my inshore charters. If you're putting together a setup specifically for this type of fishing, I've also put together my recommendations for an inshore rod and reel combo.
Frequently Asked Questions About October Inshore Fishing Lures
What is the best inshore lure for October?
That doesn't mean it's always the best lure on a particular day. If fish are pressured or shut down after a front, I'll often switch to something slower like the TRD TicklerZ.
What are the best lure colors for October inshore fishing?
That's why I've included several colors for each lure rather than telling you that you need one specific color to catch fish. Smelt is my favorite DieZel MinnowZ color, for example, but Redbone and Midnight Oil both have a place in my tackle box.
What is my favorite October lure for speckled trout?
If trout are feeding aggressively, they'll also readily chase the DieZel MinnowZ and Redfish Magic.
What is my favorite October lure for redfish?
Do I need heavy tackle for October inshore fishing?
Is October a good month for fishing artificial lures?
Bait is widespread, water temperatures are falling and fish are much more willing to chase than they were during the hottest part of summer. At the same time, summer boat traffic and fishing pressure have dropped dramatically.
That's a pretty good combination if you'd rather fool a fish with a lure than soak bait and wait.
Tight Lines,
Captain Harvey Wall
Salty Dawg Fishing Charters
September 15, 2026
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