November is always an incredible month to be out on the water. This year, we’ve enjoyed mild temperatures and calm winds. The water is clear and cool and fish are on the move!
Look for redfish to be cruising the shallows during periods of low water. Key an eye out for wakes as the fish move, tails emerging from the water as they root around on the bottom looking for food or, since the water is so clear, simply spot them swimming around. I’ll rig small, soft plastic imitations of baitfish or shrimp and wait until I see fish to present the lure. There are times when I’ll make spot casts to features such as deep potholes, drop offs or patches of flooded reeds, but I prefer to wait until I actually see fish and then make a cast. You can learn a lot about a fish by watching how it reacts to the introduction of your lure.
Speckled trout are still scattered out across the grass flats and have been quite active lately. As cold fronts push through, these fish start making their way back into their typical late fall/winter haunts in muddy bayous or deep sandy holes around the bay. They sometimes get concentrated into these areas and, while you might feel covered up by small fish, don’t worry because there are probably big fish out there awaiting the patient angler who is determined to catch a trophy. Keep making small adjustments in bait, lure size and presentation until you find what sparks the interest of the bigger fish. Plugs, twitch baits and soft plastics are all extremely effective on specks.
The past few months have produced an abundance of inshore, shallow water red snapper throughout the bays. Most of my success has been in water 20-35 feet deep but I’ve landed legal-sized red snapper as shallow as 14 feet over a variety of structures such as bridge rubble, sunken boats, rock piles and submerged pipelines. Most legal fish are going to be between 16-20 inches in length; however, we’ve caught snappers up to 30 inches and over 10 pounds. These fish can be tough to land since you’re usually fishing tight to the structure so it’s important to get a good jump on them at the initial strike. I prefer a 30-pound medium action spinning outfit with a 30-pound leader and 6/0 circle hook, either flat-lined or rigged with as little lead as the current will allow. Big soft plastic jigs work surprisingly well but it’s tough to beat a flat-lined chunk of cigar minnow or squid.
Along the beaches, expect to find a variety of fish. Spanish mackerel, pompano, redfish, black drum and flounder are all in play right now. As the water continues to cool though, many of these fish will vacate the area in search of warmer waters. Just about everything that swims along the beaches can be caught on a jig of some kind, but soaking live baits is also productive.
If you have questions about what's biting, how to catch them or would like to book a trip of your own, then give me a call or shoot me an email. Tight lines!
