November’s “Best Bet”
Cooling Water Temperatures Trigger Spectacular Speckled Trout Fishing!
By Terry Newsome
The record flooding and lingering effects of Hurricane Irma combined with the severe Nor’easter that raged for 5 days in early October had a major impact on tide levels and water conditions throughout Northeast Florida. However, even with poor visibility and lower salinity levels in the lower St. Johns River, flounder fishing rebounded extremely well in mid-October as record numbers of “doormat” sized flatfish were caught from Blount Island to the Mayport Jetties. Several coastal anglers reported catching huge numbers of flounder near the Mayport Ferry slip under docks and near structures along Heckscher Drive. In fact, one group of anglers (with plenty of finger mullet) caught over 40 flounder in one tide phase! Extremely high tides and murky water conditions in October had a negative effect on local speckled trout fishing in recent weeks but surprisingly the trout “bite” has improved substantially in the past few days in the lower St. Johns River, Intracoastal Waterways and in the Pine Island Area just north of St. Augustine.
Solid numbers of big “doormat” flounder and bull redfish will be caught throughout the month of November as local gamefish return to their normal fall feeding patterns. Look for big schools of slot-sized redfish, yellowmouth trout, black drum, croaker and bluefish to also aggressively feed as water temperatures continue to drop. There are several excellent options in November for local anglers to enjoy quality fishing… however, I feel that your BEST BET for this month is speckled trout fishing!
TIPS FOR CATCHING SPECKLED TROUT
I absolutely LOVE to fish for speckled trout and the month November marks the official beginning of “trout season.” There is NO DOUBT the most sought-after inshore saltwater gamefish in Northeast Florida (and beyond) is the spotted seatrout (locally referred to as “speckled trout.”) Speckled trout are more abundant in Northeast Florida than anywhere else in the state! Even with a thriving trout population in our region, the slot limit for speckled trout in the State of Florida is: “more than 15” and less than 20” inches in length.” (The state record for speckled trout is 17-pounds 7 ounces!) You may possess one trout over 20” included in your daily bag limit of 6 speckled trout per harvester per day. However, there is NO LIMIT on how many speckled trout you can CATCH (and release.) This is good news for sport-fisherman (like me!) In fact, last November I enjoyed several fishing trips where I caught between 10 and 30 speckled trout fishing from the BANK with a simple float rig and live shrimp! One of my favorite bank-fishing “trout spots” is just a few hundred yards west of the Joe Carlucci Park and Boat Ramp (near the mouth of Sister’s Creek.)
Carefully watching and monitoring weather patterns this month will be one of the keys to your success. Periodic cold-fronts (“cool-snaps”) sweep down from the north frequently in November and quickly pass over Northeast Florida. These brief weather “changes” combined with cooling water temperatures trigger “pre-winter” behavioral patterns. In mid-November, speckled trout begin to congregate in larger schools and spend much of their time in the upper reaches of major saltwater tidal creeks and along the banks of the Intracoastal Waterways. Look for huge numbers of yellow-mouth and speckled trout “up the creek” in deep bends and holes this month. Once you locate a school of trout, you can usually catch (and release) huge numbers of quality fish. Bright-colored “swimming” plastics, jig-head shrimp (or mud minnow) combination and “slip knot” float rigs are your best bet for locating and catching speckled trout.
“SLIP-KNOT” FLOAT FISHING METHOD
Casting for BIG TROUT at first light with top-water lures, swimming tail soft baits or suspended hard baits (like the Rapala Skitter V Series or Bomber Pro-Long A Watermelon Pearl) is extremely exciting and one of my favorite methods for catching trout in the 3 to 5 pound class. However, I prefer to use the “old-school” time-tested method of using live shrimp with a barrel-cork float rig. A “slip knot” float rig is simple to make and easy to use. I recommend using a 7 to 7 ½ foot (medium to light heavy) graphite spinning rod (…the low-cost Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Rod series is an excellent value.) You will also need a good quality (4 or 5 bearing) spinning reel as well (Penn and Okuma are excellent brands) or a bait-casting reel (Abu Garcia Ambassador 6500 Series.) I prefer to use 17-pound test quality monofilament line (Berkley Trilene XL Smooth Casting CLEAR) with a 14-pound monofilament leader (to prevent losing your entire float rig if get snagged on the bottom.)
To get started, thread your monofilament line through your rod guides and tie-on a pre-manufactured florescent green or orange “slip knot” (made by Eagle Claw) then slip on a small stopper bead. Make sure the stopper bead is small as the larger beads have larger holes that tend to be problematic if your “skip-knot” passes through the bead hole. Next, thread your line through a 10” to 12” barrel float and tie your line to the “top-side” of a 1 ½ to 2-ounce barrel-sinker or “trout-sinker.” Then, attach a 18” to 24” leader to the bottom swivel of the barrel sinker. Finally, tie on a #2 wide-bend bronze hook (or a #4 Kahle hook.) Trout fishing with a float rig will enable you to modify the depth of your live bait (using the “slip knot”) to locate the school of fish you are targeting. Be sure to anchor at least 30 feet from your “trout drop” then simply let your float rig drift back to your “spot” (the edge of a shell mound, drop or deep hole in a creek bend) and adjust your depth until you get a strike.
Trout can be caught at different depths usually in 6 to 12 feet of water. Most of the time, the trout are holding just off the bottom. Once you have located exactly where the fish are holding and feeding, you can enjoy quality fishing with a fish finder bottom rig, soft plastic lures or whatever method you prefer! Finding clear water and “local” native live shrimp will be key elements to your success. Be sure to hook your live shrimp on as far forward (on the “horn”) as possible to ensure the shrimp swims naturally. Once you experience the THRILL of watching your barrel float disappear at lightning speed, (knowing that you have a hooked up with a big speckled trout…) you will be hooked on “slip-knot” float fishing for life! Hope you catch a ton of speckled trout this month and enjoy the great outdoors!
With over 25 years of corporate experience as a writer, director and producer, Terry Newsome has personally filmed and produced over 100 outdoor television shows and instructional fishing videos internationally. He is an avid coastal angler and is a former co-owner of Pine Island Fish Camp on the Intracoastal Waterway near St. Augustine, Florida.