For a host of reasons, November prevails as one of the most productive months to fish Florida’s east coast. It’s the season of the mullet, with waves of baitfish (black and silver mullet) migrating south through the lagoon and along the beaches. Currently the inlets are jam-packed with bait increasing the diversity of species one can expect to catch. Along with this seasonal migration come the cooler temperatures and an influx of predators on a quest for warmer waters and an opportune meal.
As the water temperatures cool, look for the near-shore bite out of Port Canaveral and Sebastian Inlet to heat up. When the seas allow it, look for cobia and tripletail along the Port Canaveral buoy line, and on weed lines both inshore and offshore. Also, the cooler waters will trigger the snook and tarpon bite both along the beaches and in the inlets.
On the lagoon flats, redfish and sea trout will begin their transition from finfish to shrimp and crabs as the mullet run wanes near the end of the month. Also, as the water levels begin dropping and the water cleans up, tailing redfish will become more common and sight fishing improves. When you’re in this situation, nothing beats a well-presented DOA Shrimp or 3” DOA CAL paddle tail as these tailing fish are targeting smaller baits.
