November is the time Anglers start looking for flounder in Sebastian Inlet and most start targeting the fish the weekend of Thanksgiving. Along with flounder, there are plenty of snook, redfish, mackerel and jacks in the Inlet and willing to feed. With the grass beds coming back from Melbourne to Sebastian, The inshore flounder and trout bite along with a redfish bite should be decent during the month depending on cold fronts.
Anglers looking for flounder in Sebastian Inlet will be using finger mullet along the edges of the channel and along the shoreline where there is a sand/rock bottom. The last few years, shore bound anglers have had better success with the bigger fish than the anglers in boats. Rig the mullet on a 4/0 VMC circle hook on 15-20lb leader tied to a swivel 12-18 inches above the leader. Use a sliding sinker above the swivel heavy enough to feel the bottom in the current.
Anglers fishing artificials can use bucktails or DOA Cal Paddle tail baits rigged on 1⁄2 ounce jigheads and drift the sandy bottom of the inlet and catch a bunch of flounder, but the average fish will be much smaller than the fish caught on live bait.
If it’s trout and redfish you are after, look for finger mullet or other baits along the mangrove shorelines or spoil islands from Malabar to Sebastian and work those areas with Rapala Skitterwalks or Twitchin Raps or if you prefer soft plastics, use a 1⁄4 ounce DOA Shrimp or a 5” DOA jerkbait and work them slow on the drop offs of the islands or pitch them up into the mangrove trees. Keep the presentation slow with the cooler water temps.
Anglers can also target pompano, bluefish and mackerel in the Indian River Lagoon, in Sebastian Inlet and just outside the inlet along the beaches. Doc’s Goofy jigs, DOA Shrimp and Mirrolure Lil Jons are all good baits for those species. You will lose baits to the mackerel and blues but you can cover a lot of water and have a lot of success with artificial baits.
[easy-social-share]