Hooked Up: November 2026
Dr. Tim Rudolph taking advantage of a congregation zone, where all the baitfish on two miles of shoreline are packed into one small area. Multiple big trout were caught along with this one.
I often wonder if normal folks get as noticeably affected by seasonal changes as we outdoorsmen? Although I still have a ton of outdoor time left in me, the truth is I’m closer to the end of my blessed outdoor career than the beginning, and most hot summer days make me think I’m absolutely done with anything that doesn’t involve AC. Saying that, I’m writing this from a bow blind while the hoofed activity is apparently over for the morning, while the temperature is flirting with the mid 50s for the first time this year.
Regardless, the first hints of cooler weather for the next seven or so months make me feel twenty-five again. Recharged, rebooted, and thinking about fish while I’m hanging from a tree. Life is such a blessing!
If y'all read my articles on the regular you know that I’m a man that loves everything outdoors from big trout, to bow hunting, to wingshooting, hunting artifacts, and whatever my small part may be in helping conserve all the above for the future. November is when everything starts coming together and makes all the efforts and sacrifices worth it. The anticipation of big trout, quail, and high-character whitetail hunting on the regular begins now.
Temperatures will have some consistency this month and will be holding in the 60s if history can be counted on. This is super important for the sportsmen that want to focus solely on big trout. As the water cools and the vast majority of the food supply have migrated into the gulf, you are going to see that a great deal of congregation will take place to predate on the limited bait supply in the Upper Laguna and Baffin. Many refer to this as schooling up, but it’s more out of necessity than safety found in a school. Basically, it’s the only store open in town after a big storm and you will find everyone there from the third grader to the mayor. Finding something to eat is a necessity. Trying not to be eaten is schooling.
We preach staying on active bait year-round, and the old saying, find the bait find the fish is not some worn out wife's tale. It really is the Golden Rule of fishing. Throughout spring and summer there can be so much perfect bait, on perfect structure, that it can become overwhelming. Winter fishing, starting this month, will see bait supply diminishing which allows us to really focus on smaller, tighter areas where we can concentrate on one good restaurant versus 500 taquerias.
November through February will be essentially the same type of scenario. The one major difference is that really cold days will push the bait off the drop-offs, and the concentration of predators will follow. I’m all about wade fishing and that’s really all I care to do, but when that cold scenario arises and you want to be the all-around fish catcher that’s always producing, you have to do it from the boat sometimes, in deeper and warmer waters. If you have the time, patience and flexibility to wait out the weather, the next best option, and my favorite one, is to wait for the sun to start warming the flats. Although those fish have been in deep water, they will migrate back to the shallows much faster than most folks even realize. I’ve caught some amazing fish with the water temperatures in the low 50s, when the best bite of the day came in knee deep water, at the end of a sunny day.
The next six or seven months comprise the peak of trophy trout fishing. We are now six years behind the 2021 Freeze, and things are certainly looking up as we could tell by the number of big fish we caught last season. Saying that, there is still a long way to get back to the glory days of the 90s and 2000s. We can all be successful in these pursuits if we are courteous to our fellow fisherman and respectful to the resource we have the privilege of utilizing any day we so choose.
Each passing year I see more bad habits that are becoming just a regular part of some new culture that is having such a detrimental impact on the fish, as much as other fishermen. Boats running shorelines in ridiculously shallow water, in-between waders, over drift lines, etc. Honestly, it’s pretty damn maddening to have the bite shut down across an entire flat because of some jackhat's entitled behavior, just to look cool and see fish that he cannot possibly catch after burning over the top of them.
Remember the Buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey