November is a transitional time for fishermen along the Inner Banks. It’s definitely not the time to put your gear up for the season; instead, its time to adjust your tactics to make the most out of winter fishing patterns. In basic terms, four primary transitions, corresponding to all four major seasons, occur throughout the calendar year. In my opinion, several more subtle transitions occur within some of the seasons, but in November, anglers witness the the change from fall to winter, as we see the first major frosts of the year and the water gets more clear and cools down.
Remember that any of our four targeted species (speckled trout, redfish, flounder, striped bass) can be found anywhere at any time. There are no hard and fast rules in fishing! However, most of our fish, especially speckled trout, are generally moving from the river shorelines and outer bays, points, marsh islands, etc., onto the upper reaches and sections of the rivers, major creeks, and large bays with headwater creeks.
This fall, we have seen some amazing speckled trout and slot drum (18-27″) fishing. When the trout bite gets a little inconsistent, anglers can always beat the banks in search of the hard-pulling slot drum. One of my favorite techniques for targeting these fish is to use a popping cork. I rig a Cajun Thunder brand popping cork with an approximately two-foot 20-pound test flourocarbon leader. At the end of the leader, I use a 1/16-ounce or 1/8-ounce jig head and a Z-Man StreakZ or ShrimpZ in various colors, depending on the water clarity and color. You don’t need to use a heavier jig head, because typically you will be fishing in three feet of water or less. Lighter jig heads will give your soft plastic bait a slower, more realistic sink rate¸ which will, in turn, get more bites.
For the slot-sized reds, I also utilize many topwater baits throughout the day. I’ve discovered that if you can find some drum actively feeding around baitfish concentrations (basically, if you are getting bites on any type of lure and you see lots of baitfish activity in the immediate area you are fishing), grab a topwater “walk-the-dog” style bait and fan-cast the area. Throw the bait as close to the marsh grass or bank as possible and the strike will likely occur within five to ten feet of the bank. I prefer a Rapala Skitterwalk for catching the drum because it has a little more weight compared to other topwaters and the lure will stay in the water better after repeated blasts from aggressive drum.
I also am a big fan of spinnerbaits. Noise is a key factor in drawing strikes from hungry redfish in shallow creeks. The water is often murky and visibility (for the fish) is low; however, fishing a noisy, realistic bait in shallow water, whether it’s a topwater, popping cork, or spinnerbait, will increase your bites. I buy packs of single, gold Colorado style blades and attach them to a 1/8 to 1/4 ounce jig head (sometimes using a little heavier jighead to get bait closer to the bottom because the spinner seems to have a bouyant effect) with a Z-Man MinnowZ, which is a three-inch paddletail bait with superior action.
For speckled trout, I typically start everyone on the boat with something different and see what the fish key in on. I like to have one person throwing a popping cork with some sort of soft plastic (often a shrimp or jerk bait pattern), one person throwing a paddle tail (Z-Man MinnowZ paddle tail) on a 1/8- or 1/4-ounce jig head, one person throwing a topwater bait or some sort, and I’ll often throw a larger Rapala X-Rap to see if I can pick out a few bigger fish in the school. Often when you find the specs, there will be fish of various sizes mixed together, and your lure choice can often dictate the size of the fish you catch. I also like to throw a Mirrolure 52MR if we have enough depth and/or current to keep the lure suspended above the bottom. You can bet your bottom dollar that you’ll catch the nicer fish in the school on a larger hard bait than any other lure.
November is an excellent time for catching our Pamlico mixed bag, especially speckled trout and redfish. I encourage you to contact us at Tar-Pam Guide Service if you want to learn the area and how to target these fish. It’s loads of fun and you might discover your next passion in fishing the beautiful Inner Banks. For charter info, call me a 252-945-9715 or email at richard@tarpamguide.com. More info about our local fisheries can be found on my website at www.tarpamguide.com.
FORECAST BY:
Capt. Richard Andrews
Tar-Pam Guide Service
(252) 945-9715
www.tarpamguide.com
