Keaton Beach

#1 Billy Pillow with a fine flounder!
#2 Dave Farmer of Logan West Virginia

KEATON BEACH
Does it get any better than this? November traditionally represents a drop, in water temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees, which, when it occurs gradually, creates some of the best fishing of the year. Hungry trout and reds will attack almost every type of lure, bait, plug or plastic you throw at them. The Gulf water temperature, as it cools down throughout the month, will determine your best choice of artificial baits, lowering the metabolism of the fish as it drops.

Stickbaits will be on fire as the temps move through the seventies, next, lipped jerkbaits take first prize; followed by soft jerkbaits, with suspending hard baits taking up the slack, once water temps dip into the upper fifties. Of course, there is plenty of overlapping success with these choices; but if you don’t pull out a different plug/bait and experiment each trip; you could miss out on some of the finest fishing Keaton Beach has to offer.

The suspending family of hard baits made by L&S (MirrOlure) such as the Catch 2000s, Catch Juniors, 4 sizes of MirrOdines, and MirrOminnows are certainly the most versatile of these choice as they can catch fish in warmer water or cold water, while the floating hard baits will be mostly refused once the water temps move into the lo 60’s to hi 50’s, etc. If you are getting “short strikes” or no strikes on your stickbaits and lipped jerkbaits, it is time to switch over to the soft jerkbaits or the suspending plugs.

Remember to learn your drop time, by testing each plug in the water next to the boat, so you can “count down” your suspending baits to the proper depth before you “twitch” them thus triggering your strikes.

Soft plastic will catch tons of trout in November whether you rig up bouncing it on a jighead, put the jighead under an Original Cajun Thunder or fish the 5 inch Assassin Shads unweighted on a 5/0 Daiichi offset wormhook.

Don’t forsake your live bait rigged under a Back Bay Thunder as pinfish will still take trout early in the month, while the switch to live shrimp maybe necessary by Thanksgiving.

No matter what bait you choose, don’t miss out on fishing at Keaton Beach in November!
Pat McGriff dba One More Cast guide service for 28 years!
www.onemorecast.net
850.838.7541