November in Tampa Bay has been off to a great start. With the first batch of cold fronts pushing through the state, things have really cooled down on the water and the bite has been hot! Coming out of the summer months here in Florida, it can be some of the best fishing year around along with Spring. Water temps go from the upper 80’s and even 90’s on the dog days to the mid to lower 70’s once a few of the cold fronts come through. The fish can be like us in the heat, fatigued, staying in the shade cooling off, not doing much. Now that we have nice water temps from the fronts, the bite is taking off, producing high numbered catches on our trips! Some honey holes are producing numerous slams in one spot. Can’t complain when you are catching all 3 of the prized inshore fish without having to move a lot.
Bait is still very easy to get all over the flats with sizes varying, making a nice mixed well. The time change has the sun coming up a little earlier - first light showing up around 6:30am and thats the money hour to get your bait. Chumming while fishing can really spark up the bite but isn’t really necessary with the cooler temps, the fish are pretty active as it is and are willing to feed if the bait is presented in front of them.
The water has really cleared up from all the summer storms. As you go across the flats here in Tampa, you will see how clear the water is with a lot of life moving around. Bite has been productive on both the incoming and outgoing tides. Some spots better than others depending on the tide, but if you do your homework, you should be having success on the flats and up by the mangroves. Snook and Redfish have been getting caught off the mangrove lines not tucked all the way up underneath as the summer tends to have them. They are producing a wide range of sizes, mainly in the 20”- 32” range, with the occasional big fish coming through causing a great fight with a little chaos on the boat lol.
Trout have been showing up and that’s expected this time of year. As we get closer to winter, numerous schools of trout are gearing up for their winter holes and frisky to jump all over your baits. Whether you’re throwing live bait or artificial, they are a productive bite and showing up in all sizes. The Gator Trout (larger trout) will only get better as the water cools even more. Find yourself some clean water, which stated before is most of the Bay right now, healthy grass flats with potholes and edges to them. look for depths anywhere from 2’ to 4’ of water.
November has started off great with no signs of red tide anywhere IN the bay, so don’t hesitate to take your vacations and book your fishing trips. November is filling up, but we’ve got a few days still open, so give us call and let’s get you out to enjoy this beautiful weather and great fishing!