Some cold weather usually has started to arrive, and the fish have pushed into their winter haunts and patterns by November. It’s probably one of my favorite times of the year to target Red drum, Speckled trout and Black drum. As we get into cold weather I’m throwing 17MR MirrOlures, Storm Shrimp and a variety of swim baits and concentrating on a little deeper water on cold mornings for specks and warm mud bottom in the afternoons. The popping cork really shines in November as well. I like to use 4Horsemen oval corks with a 1/8-ounce jig head. I usually fish a Saltwater Assassin curly tail on the jig head. Every creek and bay in coastal NC has potential in November. Especially if there is some 4’+ deep water close by. They can be picky some days on color and presentation, so take your time and fish slowly.
I get real excited about the Red drum in the winter. We have Reds holding on stumps and structure in the creeks and a biomass of fish on the beachfronts most years. Schools will break off these biomasses and come inside the salty marsh areas and hang around for days and weeks. The water is clear and the sight fishing really ramps up. I like to throw a 1/8-ounce weedless swim bait hook with a 4” Saltwater Assassin Sea Shad at these fish. 1/4-ounce spoon will get the job done as well. One word of advice though, DO NOT GO PRESSURE these fish daily. I see that mistake happen every single year with some of our guides. Find 7 or 8 different groups of fish to bounce around to. They are always ready to bite if you do that.
I will be throwing cut shrimp to the Black drum and they can be found almost anywhere, but, finding them can be tricky. Docks on the ICW, way up the creeks and rivers in stump fields, deep oyster rock and low current areas all can and will hold them. Lots and lots of casting and moving is involved in finding the blacks. Once you find a few areas, those areas will usually produce year after year. I like to use side scan while looking for the blacks. They can’t hide from that.
CAPTAIN ALLEN JERNIGAN
