# November?



## grgrobards (Nov 15, 2011)

October has been pretty good for me. Last couple of weeks I caught 3 slot reds and seven nice specs. Also caught around a hundred mullet in my cast net this month. All but two of the specs were caught on top water, as were the reds. All specs were caught at the mouth of rivers and inlets as was the largest red. The other two reds were caught back up in slack waters. So what does everyone think November will be like?

Greg


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## grgrobards (Nov 15, 2011)

Nobody wants to share your insights for fishing next month?


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

Lot of broken will, with the way the wind turned out today. As far as November...I don't really expect to go much in the winter. If the weather turns out like it did last year, I'll be out there every weekend. Winter fishing is always a game time decision, for me at least.


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## Yaksquatch (Mar 23, 2009)

grgrobards said:


> Nobody wants to share your insights for fishing next month?


Patience young Skywalker!


Nov, Dec, Jan, and Feb can be great months for fishing with fish stacking up in their winter-time hang-outs and staying there all season long. However, it can also be a challenging time of year for 2 reasons:
1) You have to put in your time finding the winter-time hotspots since people DO NOT GIVE them away for free.
2) You gotta have some serious will power to get yourself out there in the cold some days.

Here are a couple guidelines for wintertime fishing:
1) Deep holes hold slightly warmer water than shallower areas
2) Thick muddy bottoms also hold warmer temps
3) Narrow choke points for tidal movement will hold fish better than other areas especially since winter-time tides are much lower than the rest of the year.
4) If you can find an area with all 3, then the fish WILL be there! The higher up the bay, the better.
5) Slow presentations are your best bet
6) Big baits, these fish are going to be lazy so you need to make it worth their while to strike. My favorites for soft plastics are the large size DOA CAL Jerk baits Zoom fluke magnums (5-7inches long). Super spooks at sunrise are also good but the window for topwaters is very short and usually lasts less than an hour so be on the spot BEFORE sun-up.

Good luck!
Alex


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## grgrobards (Nov 15, 2011)

That's some good info Yaksquatch and it agrees with articles I have been reading on-line. I hope to do more kayak fishing this winter than last. I seemed to have my best luck with soft plastic on 1/4 oz jig heads fished slowly on the bottom or just drifting behind the kayak occassionally lifting the rod tip and letting it sink back down. Saw quite a few Reds finning last year and even caught a couple. I'll be a little more careful in my approach this year.


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## Blake R. (Mar 17, 2009)

BIG reds, two FOW and sight fishing. That's my stuff.


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## jasonh1903 (Aug 6, 2010)

The sheephead are always good in the winter... and they taste way better than trout and reds IMO.


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## grgrobards (Nov 15, 2011)

I too love sheepshead. I didn't target them last year from the kayak and really don't know much about how to fish for them, but I guess I'll get ready to give them a try too. I really appreciate Alex's post. Been day dreaming about winter fishing all morning


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## Yaksquatch (Mar 23, 2009)

grgrobards said:


> That's some good info Yaksquatch and it agrees with articles I have been reading on-line. I hope to do more kayak fishing this winter than last. I seemed to have my best luck with soft plastic on 1/4 oz jig heads fished slowly on the bottom or just drifting behind the kayak occassionally lifting the rod tip and letting it sink back down. Saw quite a few Reds finning last year and even caught a couple. I'll be a little more careful in my approach this year.


1/4oz is a good choice, that's my first pick for jig size in the winter. Also, that's a great technique for covering water and locating fish during the winter. However, you may want to also have a rod rigged up with a 1/16th oz jighead for sightcasting to redfish. This can also help for fishing in deep water when the fish are so lazy that the heavier jig is just sinking too fast for em.

Sheepshead are a totally different ballgame. I can give you a description of how to fish for em but it won't make sense till you see it done in person. Look up Ollie Hurst, AKA Bloodywaters and offer him a case of beer or something in exchange for a sheepherding lesson!

Good luck!
Alex


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## Flatspro (Oct 3, 2007)

Can't wait to nail some fat sheepies the next few months!!! As far as reds and trout target deeper drop offs adjacent to muddy bottom flats. The darker bottom warms up faster. The great thing about winter time flats fishing is that you don't have to start at the crack if dawn. I like to get started around 7 fishing edges and drop offs with a soft plastic on a 1/4 oz jig head. Then like Alex said drop to a 1/16 oz and get up on the flat to sight fish, sometimes I even go weightless for a soft presentation. The fish in the cooler water are not as aggressive as they are in warmer water so slow down. The biggest mistake in the winter for people is fishing to fast. Good luck I hope this helps!


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## Patriot (Jun 4, 2009)

Sheephead gouge...fish the bridge pylons and markers/structure. They eat crustaceans. Lve bait works best. Jigs can work if they are in feeding mode. 

Bait - fidler crabs, shrimp, mussels, sand fleas. 
Tackle - 20-40lb mono because of structure. Sharp hooks.

Method - Chum water to get them horney and then send your bait to bottom and then up a crank or two. 
There will be a very subtle tap then Mr Jailbird will start swimming off with your bait. Once you see the line move, set hook with strong upward movement. Do not set hook until you see line start to move. 

Sheephead are expert bait steelers. Hard shell baits help defeat them. Just be prepared to loose bait.


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## grgrobards (Nov 15, 2011)

I have been thinking about how to offer a softer presentation. I know I scared off reds that were finning last winter. The 1/16 oz jig makes perfect sense, especially if used on a larger body soft plastic baits. I'll pick some up this week. I fished for sheepshead with a friend in his boat last winter and we did pretty good, but we used crabs and shrimp out in some really deep water. Does anybody use artificials for the sheepies or do you need to use live bait? Really appreciate the insight on this thread. Thanks

Greg


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## grgrobards (Nov 15, 2011)

Didn't see Patriot's post before I made my last post. Seems like I remember someone else telling me they used jigs for Sheepshead. If I recall correctly they were using either white or chartruse grubs on 1/4" red head jigs. Does that sound about right?

Greg


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## Patriot (Jun 4, 2009)

Is pretty hard to get sheephead on artificials because they are grazers vice strikers. They are constantly nibling on barnacles and mussels so they are can be pretty picky. 

The only way I have seen anyone catch them on artificial was using a very small jig and chumming. The guy actually took a shovel and scraped the barnacles off a bridge pilling and let them act as chum. He moved from pilling to pilling do this. Seemed like a lot of work to me.

A live fiddler crab works great. If they are there, they will hit it. They are plentiful on the beach and in the baitshops.


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## Yaksquatch (Mar 23, 2009)

I caught one on a DOA shrimp once but I've never seen it happen again though. Small live shrimp, fiddlers, or sand fleas are the way to go. Small hooks and as little weight as possible, split-shots are my favorite. Light leader too, I usually fish 20lbs flouro but I've even had to go down to 12lbs flouro to get stikes on occasion.

Good luck!
Alex


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## oxbeast1210 (Jun 21, 2010)

Yaksquatch said:


> I caught one on a DOA shrimp once but I've never seen it happen again though. Small live shrimp, fiddlers, or sand fleas are the way to go. Small hooks and as little weight as possible, split-shots are my favorite. Light leader too, I usually fish 20lbs flouro but I've even had to go down to 12lbs flouro to get stikes on occasion.
> 
> Good luck!
> Alex


Pretty much what I do.


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## grgrobards (Nov 15, 2011)

Found a spot where the reds are stacked and finning. Brought home a 19" red caught with a topwater lure(my first November catch). The area I fished was thick with weeds so next time I go I'll have some weedless rigs ready.:thumbup:

Greg


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## Bo Keifus (May 9, 2012)

grgrobards said:


> Found a spot where the reds are stacked and finning. Brought home a 19" red caught with a topwater lure(my first November catch). The area I fished was thick with weeds so next time I go I'll have some weedless rigs ready.:thumbup:
> 
> Greg


Me too! I'd bet our spots are in the same general area. This will be my first winter fishing here in pcola but I've asked tons of questions and done my homework and I'm ready! Still don't know how to really go after the sheeps but i think ill be laying the smackdown on some specks and reds!


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## oxbeast1210 (Jun 21, 2010)

Sheep are easy fiddler crabs and pylings lol.


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## Rhenium (Sep 27, 2012)

How is the fishing around the I10 bridge pylings? I use to live right next to it and have caught flounder, sheepshead, and a couple reds right there. Im assuming since its winter fishing where it gets deeper is better. How far out is the shallow water along scenic hwy?


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

Rhenium said:


> How is the fishing around the I10 bridge pylings? I use to live right next to it and have caught flounder, sheepshead, and a couple reds right there. Im assuming since its winter fishing where it gets deeper is better. How far out is the shallow water along scenic hwy?


Very far out, at least in the areas I've been.


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## Caddy Yakker (May 21, 2011)

When fishing for sh1t heads braid helps a lot! I use 15 lb braid, 15 lb floro leader, very small hook and as little weight as possible. If you don't get a bite after a few drops move! I spend a lot of time finding the fish but once I do its every drop I get a bite!


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## grgrobards (Nov 15, 2011)

Yesterday afternoon 1 red 19". This
Morning 2 reds 20" and 22.5" plus 2 specs. November is pretty good so far. 

Greg









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