The middle of November was witness to a week of heavy storms then followed by a week of huge daytime tides. The result was stained and choppy water that tempered the trout bite. With the water clearing as I write this, expect fishing to return to its normal late Fall excellence.  Make sure to treat yourself to some fishing with family and friends as the holiday season begins!

Redfish were less affected by the aforementioned poor conditions than the trout. Artificial lures remain the theme. While fishing in skinny water and on the flats, we also continue to trend to more delicate presentations. The flutter hooks that I had been using with weights on the shank have been replaced with weightless hooks. I’ve been reducing the size of the plastic lures I have been throwing as well. When sight casting to redfish, try to lead the fish by a few feet and bring the lure across its nose. Hitting the fish with the lure will more than likely cause it to spook and flee instead of drawing a strike. While not as prolific as in the summer, we are still finding “tailing” fish up in the grass. When redfish are rooting in the weeds for crabs and other crustaceans, their noses are to the ground while their tails wave above the water. Besides being an amazing sight to see, tailing fish are engrossed in digging up food and more approachable than a fish just cruising along. You can literally toss a lure right next to a redfish while its nose is in the dirt. When it raises its head, a little twitch of the lure and it’s on! Gulp! 3” crabs are an excellent choice and are very effective. You may need to add a small split shot weight a few inches above the hook so that you can cast a good distance when it is windy.

Trout are growing bigger every day as they continue to gorge on the shrimp and other bait fish that now fill our waters. When conditions have displaced the trout from your usual fishing holes or you find them already occupied by fellow anglers, trolling can be a very efficient method of locating new fish. We will traditionally troll 1/4oz. jigheads with different color plastic paddletail grubs. Throwing the lure a good distance behind the boat, drive along banks covered with oyster beds and other structure paying special attention to creek mouths and cuts in the bank. The goal is to find a speed that keeps the lure swimming close to the bottom but not so low as to repeatedly get hung up and stuck. Clearly, having a trolling motor makes this a much easier exercise, but it can be done while running a boat’s engine. If you are running your engine, you may want to try trolling your lures even farther behind the boat to account for the noise possibly putting off the fish. Kayakers will find that they have the perfect vessel for this tactic given its stealth. Remember to set the drag on your reels lightly not only so you can detect a soft trout strike but also so if you do snag the bottom you will not immediately break off the lure.

See you on the water!