As we begin our transition into winter and the mullet run comes to an end, both redfish and sea trout will begin to shift their feeding habits on the shallow water flats of the Indian River Lagoon System from finfish to crabs and shrimp. To improve your odds of success when targeting inshore species on the flats, downsize baits, slow down your presentations, and target areas of sea grass. Switch to shrimp and crab imitation lures like the 3” DOA Shrimp or the DOA Crab. A small jerk bait fished slowly along the bottom will imitate shrimp too.
The numbers of tripletail and cobia out of Port Canaveral and Sebastian will increase as water temperatures cool. The easterly winds of the Atlantic carry in flotsam laden with micro shrimp and crabs. DOA Shrimp and small jigs tipped with live shrimp work well for tripletail lurking in the shadows of the flotsam. Look for weed lines keeping the sun to your back, and always remember to have a medium heavy rod rigged with a one-ounce buck tail jig ready to throw to any cruising cobia.
November is also one of the best months to target snook and flounder at Sebastian Inlet. In addition, large flounder and oversized redfish have begun to show up on the Port Canaveral buoy line and in the inlets of Ponce De Leon and Sebastian, and their numbers will increase as the flounder begin their seaward migration out of the lagoon.
Last but not least – the tailing black drum and redfish will make an appearance on the flats of the Banana River No-Motor Zone. When targeting black drum in the zone, concentrate your efforts on the deeper edges of the sandbars that parallel the west shore and in the middle of the lagoon.
