By: Capt. Dave Stephens
November on Charlotte Harbor can be a crazy month, as this is a month I like to refer to as a transition month. This is the time of year that a lot of fish are in transition from the flats to deeper water. As the water temps begin to drop most of the game fish begin to move to areas in deeper water, or areas closer to deeper water. The main species I am referring to is snook. During the winter months, snook spend most of their time in or very close to deep water. Lucky for us we have endless miles of residential canals, creeks and two main rivers that flow into Charlotte Harbor. Locating fish in these areas is the same in about any other situation. First you need a food source, bait such as shrimp, small crabs and minnows work well. Then you will need to locate a structure to hide in for cover, and finally you will need a good current flow. If you can find areas that have these benefits, you will find fish! Not only will you find snook, you will find juvenile reds and trout. Also, if you would rather toss some artificial baits, this is a great time of year to do so as the water cools the bait becomes harder to locate. If your usual fishing holes don’t seem to be producing as they usually do, try looking at some deeper water areas. Don’t be afraid to get outside that comfort zone and give it a try!