SURF & PIER

Wow, what a November! I can only hope the surf temperature stays above 65 degrees a little longer. The Pompano bite has been off the chart for weeks leading up to this month. The trout, drum, bluefish and redfish have also been very plentiful. Fresh dead shrimp has been the bait of choice for all the species. Remember, every fish in the surf will eat a shrimp. Only use store-bought frozen shrimp as a last resort. If you want to target pompano, whiting, black drum and redfish, you’ll want to switch to clams. Each of these four species has a special set of skills. They have crushers in the back of their throats, that allows them to swallow clams. The small donax, aka periwinkle, aka coquina clams, are always in our surf. That makes them a staple diet, especially when the water temp drops.

Since the mullet run is long gone, this month is a good time to switch over to blue crabs for bait. The big redfish will eagerly swallow a half of a blue crab. This is the best time of the year to cut the crab body into ten pieces, making crab knuckles. The biggest pompano of the year are here and headed south. All of my pompano over six pounds, have been caught on crab knuckles. They have also been caught late in the year when the water is way too cold to swim in. That 64 to 68-degree water is prime conditions.

Get out and get them quick before the cold water of January sets it. Tight lines, and I’ll see you on the beach!  Just look for the flag!