Captain Bob Bushholz
Jensen Beach, Florida
(772) 225-6436
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ALL YEAR LONG!!!!' | | Fishing Report for
November 8th, 2002
"November Forecast"
November is the month marking several changes
in weather, water quality and fishing itself. Air temperatures begin to
drop which in turn brings the water temperatures into the 70's. Look for
an increase in northeast winds, making the east side of the Indian River
the "target zone" for inland fishing. Our water quality has
taken a severe beating since June but should begin improving drastically.
(Just in time for the snowbirds.) It's a shame we cannot experience clean
water yearlong but Kevin Stinnett and the Indian Riverkeepers are on the
job and I hope everyone will get involved. For more information on Indian
Riverkeepers, call Kevin at 772-336-7284.
Into the River. Yes, trout season is closed until January. Like snook,
the resident trophy trout must read the newspaper being well aware of the
closed season and seem to taunt anglers by hitting anything that moves.
Topwater, soft rubber, or live shrimp, it doesn't seem to matter to these
guys, making it a perfect time to practice safe releases. There are
several things anglers can do to give the fish a better chance of
survival. First, crimp all barbs. You'll catch just as many fish while
minimizing damage when unhooking them. Wetting your hands prior to
handling any fish allows the fish to maintain its protective slime coat
and keeps the slime off your hands. Release the fish in the water, if
possible, avoiding nets, dropping them onto your boat deck or slinging
them out for a "deep six". Taking care of these fish now will
produce some great results in January.
Look for redfish along mangrove shorelines on the east side or in
shallow water along Indian River Drive on the west side. There are
numerous docks along Indian River Drive that hold plenty of fish, but
stealth is the key. Approach the docks slowly and quietly casting under
and along structure. I know a group of senior "snowbird" anglers
who go wading every morning, fishing this zone and they do well on trout,
snook and redfish. Expect and increase in ladyfish, jacks, Spanish
mackerel and bluefish which will show up anywhere and everywhere. Make
sure you have some wire leader in your tackle box in case you happen on a
school of blues or "macs". Using wire in this situation can save
a lot of tackle.
November's also a good time for flounder. They can usually be found
around structure or where there's a sandy bottom. Take a drive up to Fort
Pierce and fish the South Jetty with shrimp and trollrites. Cast out and
plant it on the bottom or slowly (and I mean slowly) retrieve along the
bottom. Remember, flounder regulations are 12-inch minimum and no more
than 10 per person. Personally I won't keep any flounder under 15 inches,
allowing the smaller ones to grow. Have you ever cleaned a 12"
flounder? It's really not worth the effort.
Snook will still be around, mainly inside around area bridges,
seawalls, and other structure. If the wind picks up, fish the bridges
where big snook will be pounding big baits. Snook really do like choppy
water and I believe it's due to an increase in oxygen levels. Flair hawks
and large live baits like a 9" mullet top the preferred list.
Pompano fever begins in November, lasting until March. From the
quarter bridge (southwest side) nothing beats a nylure jig on 10-12 lb.
test, vertically jigging along the bottom. These "pomps" like
clean water, so try the last two hours of incoming tide until the first
hour of outgoing. On the incoming tide, look south and you'll see a wall
of clean water heading toward you and there should good numbers of pompano
heading toward you too. If you're fishing from a boat there could be
pompano anywhere. My favorite areas are the crossroads, Sailfish flats,
near the quarter bridge (just outside casting distance of the bridge
anglers), channels running east and west (Indian Riverside Park, Anchors
Aweigh and Sundance) and finally around the spoil islands. I like to mix
up the tackle with Gulfstream's redfish and shrimp jigs, live shrimp or
sand fleas on triple-rigged kayle hooks. Just be aware of the manatee zone
when heading to the Sailfish flats (west of the House of Refuge). There
are two manatee zone signs in east and west line with the House of Refuge.
All water south of the signs to the Inlet is no wake, slow speed. It seems
to also be a favorite area for the Marine Patrol and Sheriff's boats to
monitor and hand out autographs, so keep it slow and avoid a stiff fine.
Heading into the surf, the blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano will be
the story all winter long. Macs and blues will be in close feeding on cut
bait along the bottom or. silver spoons, glass minnow jigs. Casting
anything shiny should result in a "whack". The pompano will be
out farther so it's a good time to break out the 13' rods. Sand fleas on
kayle rigs top the list. Even in the surf the pompano will be seeking
clean water. There are plenty of beach accesses, so find some clean water
and start fishing. Remember when fishing in Martin County, there's a
maximum of 2 rods per angler, while in St. Lucie County the maximum is 4
rods per angler. The pompano limit is 10 per person (no matter where
you're fishing) with a 10 inch minimum to the fork, and only one over 20
inches.
Anglers as far south as Miami will be heading to Peck's Lake for the
Spanish mackerel run. Peck's Lake is located two miles south of the St.
Lucie Inlet, about 100 yards from shore. The macs show up in November and
since the net ban they remain in the area well into the spring. You can
troll for them or cast a variety of lures. Spoons, Gulfstream flash jigs
and tube lures seem to produce the best results. Another option is
bullethead jigs tipped with shrimp. I've known anglers that will chum them
to the boat using glass minnow chum. Mono leader works the best, but
expect some cutoffs. To avoid cutoffs use a 6" thin wire leader. If
you've never seen the "mac attack" it's really a sight to
behold. If you don't like fishing in crowds you can still find these fish
closer to the inlet and using light tackle and allows them to run which is
a blast on 6-lb. test. Mackerel regs are 12" to the fork, 15 per day.
There's really no need to max your limit. Catch plenty but keeping a few
should be rule of the day. I've run several charters to Peck's Lake on the
Catch 22, sometimes catching over 50 a trip!! ( releasing most of them ).
The action is fast and furious and I've seen some very seasoned anglers
really get excited at this time of year.
Offshore, look for sailfish in 60' and deeper. When trolling double
hook-ups are common so if you've got a good spread, try to leave one line
in the water after hooking up the first fish. Dolphin will be hanging
around the weedlines starting at 60'. Dolphin fish grow extremely fast, so
leave the schoolies behind. Anything under 6 pounds is just plain greedy.
If we could get the charter boats in the Florida Keys to accept this
philosophy, the dolphin population would explode and there would be trophy
dolphin for everyone. There should still be plenty of kingfish inside 60'.
They'll hit trolled ballyhoo, live greenies or sardines. Finding live bait
can sometimes be tough, so don't waste the day in search of greenies when
you've got some perfectly respectable ballyhoo in the boat that will
attract the attention of almost anything offshore. You might even run
across a nice wahoo if you're running a line on a planer. Bottom fishing
should be good as long as the seas cooperate. The grouper bite may not be
the best, but it's a great time for some big mutton and red snapper.
November is a great month for fishing. Be sure to check the weather
before heading offshore. You'll find cleaner water and more species to
target. Have fun out there!.
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