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| November |
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| Fall
Fever! |
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| Fall
has arrived and it brings shorter days and cooler temperatures
along with schools of bait. If you’re a live bait fisherman,
this is probably your favorite time of year for fishing in
Florida Bay. There are acres of finger-mullet, pilchards and
sardines around the bay right now. If mullet is your bait
of choice, look for the large patches of muddy water which
are filled with those “candy” sized mullet. The
pilchards and sardines can be found on grass flats adjacent
to creeks and canals. Ripples on the water and flashes of
silver will give away the location of the schools. I hang
a block of Just Right Chum over the side of the boat to attract
the pilchards and sardines within cast-netting range.
As a reminder, Everglades National Park does not allow the
use of cast-nets larger than 8 feet. A good net for pilchards
and sardines is an 8’ with ¼” mesh size.
For the mullet, use a larger mesh size to ensure the net will
sink before the mullet slip out from underneath.
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Fishing
has been great in Florida Bay the past few weeks and I look
for this trend to continue through November into December.
Look for schools of bait and the feeding fish won’t
be very far away. There have been good numbers of snook, redfish
and tarpon caught around these schools. I have been doing
well using a finger mullet hooked in the back with a Hank
Brown HookUp Lure. Then fire the mullet right back into the
school and hold-on for the bite. Also, if you find mullet
moving along a shoreline, take some time to work up and down
the shoreline with the push pole or trolling motor. Many times
the fish will use the shore as cover from predators as they
move in and out of the bait schools to feed. The normal 10
lb set-up is sufficient for use with small mullet and pilchards.
This is a great opportunity to tie on a 3/0 circle hook to
ensure that your catch will not get gut hooked after attacking
the bait.
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This
is also my favorite time of year to get in some night fishing.
As those mullet schools move through creeks and passes the
snook and tarpon will be on the prowl. They like to sit in
an eddy or current break where they expend less energy as
they wait for the bait to be swept by in the current. You
will know when the fish are feeding and where because they
will be creating quite a ruckus on the surface as they inhale
the finger-mullet. The snapper bite has picked-up as well
with some of the biggest fish of the year being caught in
inshore waters at night. Pilchards and sardines are slower
and easier for the snappers to eat. If you only have mullet,
cut up chunks and use them attached to a chartreuse HookUp
Lure for the best results.
This is also my favorite time of year to get in some night
fishing. As those mullet schools move through creeks and passes
the snook and tarpon will be on the prowl. They like to sit
in an eddy or current break where they expend less energy
as they wait for the bait to be swept by in the current. You
will know when the fish are feeding and where because they
will be creating quite a ruckus on the surface as they inhale
the finger-mullet. The snapper bite has picked-up as well
with some of the biggest fish of the year being caught in
inshore waters at night. Pilchards and sardines are slower
and easier for the snappers to eat. If you only have mullet,
cut up chunks and use them attached to a chartreuse HookUp
Lure for the best results. |
Offshore
Report
On the offshore scene the arrival
of fall means a transition from mahi-mahi fishing to sailfishing.
As the cold fronts push through South Florida waters the sailfish
bite will continue to pick-up. Most anglers in the keys choose
20 lb spinning gear to pitch live baits at tailing sails.
Be sure to use caution when handling these fish at boat-side
while unhooking them. A good tip is to always keep your palms
facing towards the fish incase she swings here bill it will
not slip through your fingers and gorge you. There will also
be good numbers of kingfish showing up around the reefs along
with good numbers of wahoo just outside the reef. In order
to get the wahoo fired-up try high speed trolling red and
black lures along the offshore side of the reefs along the
upper keys. On those nasty days, find an area with good bottom
structure and drop down some live baits for the grouper and
mutton snappers. You will need sufficient tackle to prevent
the grouper from returning to their holes and breaking you
off. This will require a stiff rod matched with a conventional
reel that can apply ample drag to stop these freight trains.
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Til’ next time, Tight Lines and Light Winds…….
Captain
Lain
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