Anglers fishing with Quiet Waters Fishing out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters in Sarasota, FL found action on the flats for snook, redfish, and seatrout. Pinches and points were good places to find fish on the flats in the beginning of November. Mirrolure Mirrodine XLs, Aquadream spoons, and soft plastic paddle tails on jigs were reliable choices for artificial lure enthusiasts. Fly Anglers found success fishing sandy shorelines and potholes with a modified clouser minnow and shrimp patterns.
Weather was a factor on recent trips. Fishing really came alive for Scott & Julia of Idaho when we fished before a front. We found willing snook and redfish bunched up over a sandy flat that was saturated with bait. Later we had more excitement when we found a larger redfish in a trough that we were able to sight cast to and hook. Fishing after the front was much harder work. Jim & Dave fished on a day after a full moon with high pressure and it showed. We moved plenty of fish, but they were sluggish, non-committal, and a bit out of sorts. Jim caught a very healthy snook on a modified clouser while fly fishing in the late morning. Redfish became more active later in the day and we brought a few boat side.
Snook
Snook were clustered up in smaller areas on the flats. We found larger fish solo, patrolling points or in buckets near depth transitions. Snook were extremely aggressive before the front moved in. The Aquadream ADL series spoon worked well on these aggressive fish. The Mirrolure Mirrodine XL was a highly effective bait for snook staked out at ambush points. High pressure pushed snook into deeper water at the beginning of the week. We did not see a snook of decent size in water shallower than 4 – 5 feet.
Seatrout
Smaller class size seatrout were in areas with deeper grass and fed aggressively. Larger seatrout were present in potholes in 3 -5 feet of water. Soft plastic paddle tails on jigs worked well. This is an ideal time of year to find gator trout in very shallow water. Using suspending plugs and topwaters in the morning can be a good way to find larger seatrout.
Redfish
Looking Ahead
Cold front cycles are beginning to take hold. We have not had a significant drop in temperatures yet, but we are cooling and the writing is on the wall. False albacore season is just about here. A few captains have reported catching their first ones, but it still remains early. Tripletail are still a good option around crab floats off of the beaches. Larger redfish have remerged on the flats and that is exciting news. As temperatures continue to drop, we should begin to see better action in brackish rivers, creeks, and the back country.
