Venice Inlet and the Gulf of Mexico
Capt. Dave Pinkham
November 1, 2006
Venice - Saltwater Fishing Report
November is a great month for fishing the Gulf
As we progress forward into the month of November fishing out on the Gulf of Mexico should be heating up as we shift into high gear of the fall kingfish run. The cooler air and water temperatures will help to push schools of king mackerel down the West Coast of Florida within easy reach of small boat anglers.
Other species of fish will also make a fresh appearance as the shortening days along with approaching cold fronts will create all sorts of activity out on the Gulf.
This is great time of year for fishing on the Florida Gulf Coast. With the heat of the summer behind us, just the fact of being out side can be a wonderful event. Add to this glorious weather the opportunity of hooking up with a big fish while you’re working on your tan and the term “Living in Paradise” comes to mind.
Following is a fishing forecast of what species anglers fishing out on the Gulf can expect to hook-up with this month.
- Kingfish and Spanish mackerel always seem to make a good showing in November and should be plentiful from just off the beaches on out to 100-foot of water. One way to locate some quick action is to look under birds diving down at the water. Often you may actually see either king or Spanish mackerel jumping and feeding at the surface. Live bait fishing with white baits and or trolling hardware such as silver spoons or lures will produce both of these species of mackerel.
- Blackfin tuna usually make a good showing in the fall. The best way to catch them is often to drift with free-lined live bait fish. Blackfin have large eyes which would indicate to me that they have good vision so use fluorocarbon leader material. To find schooling blackfin start looking at least 30 miles offshore. This time of year they can be seen jumping out of the water.
- Cobia will be migrating south along the coast all month long. The artificial reefs located up and down the coast are a good place to run across these big brutes. Live baits such as pilchards, grunts, pinfish, crabs, blue runners, and sardines will usually provoke hungry fish into hitting.
- Grouper fishing should pick up this month. More than likely the farther offshore you get the better. One reason for this is simply less fishing pressure on the fish as fewer anglers are able to get to them.
- Barracuda should be stacked up over many of the areas wrecks and artificial reefs until we get a major cold front. Once the water temperature drops, the schools of barracuda head south for the winter. Although they are often considered to be a nuisance, barracuda offer the sport angler an exciting battle with their high speed runs and their spectacular aerial jumping ability.
- Mangrove snapper continue to be a reliable catch on most any offshore structure. Usually the best way to catch them is by anchoring directly over the spot and dropping down rigs baited with natural baits such as cut sardines, squid, or shrimp. Other species of snappers such as lanes, muttons, and yellow tails will also be caught on the offshore reefs. Often the key to catching any of these different species of snappers is simply keeping gear and terminal tackle as light as possible. As with the local favorite mangrove snapper, any natural bait will work for all the snapper species
- Greater amberjack should start to make a better showing over the next month. As the weather continues to cool off these big jacks usually converge on the deeper wrecks. Revered for their size and strength, amberjack will test most any tackle, as well as the endurance of the angler.
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