By Capt. Roan zumFelde
Wow, November is finally here and we get a little break from this heat. Fall fishing should be in full bloom and there will be all sorts of fish to catch. This is usually a great month for most species, fresh and salt. I love lake fishing this month! All the lakes in Florida should be on fire with the transition to cooler water temps. Canal fishing will be better, as long as the water is dropping and fish start transitioning into main canals and not still out on the marshes.
We are going to start out on Lake Trafford this month. Ski Oleski, at Trafford Marine, believes this is one of the best months of the year to fish on Trafford. Bass fishing should be in full swing and the bite will happen on the top. Flipping and pitching creature baits will be good midday but the mornings and the evenings belong to top waters. I especially like the oldies, like Devils Horse and Bangolure’s, something with a prop. Smaller Zara Spooks in the evening work well also. Fly fishing the lake this month will also be excellent. Small foam popping bugs and muddlers in white and yellow should wreck them. I also like to throw my HJB around heavy cover and swim it out into the open water for the larger bass. Make sure you are using a minimum of a 20# class leader and a 7 or 8 weight fly rod when fly fishing, you never know when the lunker of a lifetime will be lurking close by.
Okeechobee: Do not have to say much; the lake should be fishing great this month, water levels decreasing and fish getting more accessible to all fisherman. Fly fishing the lake should be excellent. Same flies as if you were fishing Trafford.
The Everglades Canals will be a tough one to forecast ahead. They are heavily dependent on how much water each has outside of the canals. What that means is; if the water is still deep in the marshes adjacent to the canals, then the fish will not be as concentrated in the canals as they should be. There will still be fish in the main canal, but they will be much harder to get a lure in front of because they will be further back into heavy cover. All the canals along I-75 should be getting very good as long as the water is receding into the canal system. Flipping and pitching worms are always the best baits, but you can catch them on just about anything in these canals. I mostly fly fish and small poppers are the ticket for bass, but if you want to target more cichlids, then I like small Wooley Buggers especially those with weighted heads.
This Month’s Spotlight is on the Golden Gate Canal System. The Golden Gate runs from north to south, from nearly Immokalee Road to Airport Pulling Road on the south end. It ties into the Coconut River and then out to the Gulf. Access points that you can walk to are somewhat limited, but any road that dead ends into this system can get you some access to the canal. You can also find some access points around a couple of the weirs that are on this canal and if there is water running can be very productive for bass, snook, and tarpon. Top water baits and crankbaits work well in these canals; they are usually kept somewhat weed-free. Species which are available in this canal range from bass, bluegill, cichlids, peacock bass, snook, and tarpon. A little leg work on your part will pay off, as you can find some great places to fish all along this canal system. Google Earth helps also.
Come visit Mike and me at Mike’s Bait House and Indian Pass Outfitters on Danford Street, next to Bayview Park in Naples and we can talk fishing. We carry a full line of tackle including: fly fishing needs and both saltwater and freshwater gear, food, drink, and bait. Thanks and good fishing. Roan z