Mansfield Report: November 2025

Greetings from Port Mansfield! Well, it’s November, which means that quite a few fishermen will be exchanging their fishing gear for hunting equipment. This is always a welcoming time for me simply because boat traffic and fishing pressure will slow down quite a bit. Twenty years ago, fishing pressure really tapered off during this time of year but those days when you saw fewer than a half dozen boats a day on the bay are over.

Aside from that, the seasonal change from fall to winter has begun and within the next month or so it should have transitioned fully. About the time we are zipping up our Simms waders for the first time is about the time you can count on fish also knowing winter has arrived. Generally speaking, by Thanksgiving, everyone starts wearing waders for the next four to five months.

We have enjoyed a stellar year of fishing thus far to say the least. Back in late September we found reds schooled up nicely and bait strung out for miles on the flats. Big trout were also cruising the flats and often while bringing in a redfish you could see several trout sparring each other over the lure hanging from the redfish’s mouth. Depending on the winds, or lack thereof, during the fall trout and reds stayed on the sand flats until about 11:00am and then, just like clockwork they started to fade off into deeper water. If it was cloudy and breezy the fish stayed up on the flats a little longer but by noon it was over.

November is an excellent time to catch them on topwaters and that has been the ticket so far through fall. The fish are just so eager to eat tops when we have cooler temperatures. Additionally, our floating grass is becoming more tolerable so there is less frustration when working surface lures.

As cool fronts start to make their way to the LLM more consistently you can expect fish to start eating more and start to pack on some weight. This is just the start for what is to come as it relates to trout packing on winter weight. This is a perfect time to start thinking about baits with a little bigger profile. The KWigglers 4-inch paddletail and Wig-A-Lo come to mind. As noted earlier, topwaters will not disappoint and can often be fished all day. It seems like I catch myself throwing tops most all day, especially if it is calm. With a good rod and reel setup, such as the G2 Green Rod by Fishing Tackle Unlimited and a Shimano Metanium baitcast reel rigged with Fins XS 20lb braid you can cast a mile. On good days I have been able to almost spool my reel on a cast. Not to mention the lightness and sensitivity of the entire setup.

Even if fishing seems easy, you should still watch the concentrations of bait and how they are behaving, current lines, and fish activity in general. Recently I was fishing next to another angler and pointed out “ripple” water and “slick” water. We were throwing Mansfield Knockers and I suggested to focus more on the “ripple” water, which I explained had a tad more current. Sure enough, the fish were holding in that zone. They were impressed and so was I, but it made sense, and it worked. Point being is to keep your head on a swivel and pay attention to your surroundings while out on the water.

We had a fairly good snook season, with over thirty hooked and 15-20 landings. We caught one over ten pounds, and a few others nearly that big. Several were tagged for our partners at Harte Research Institute. Hoping for a few recaptures; if you happen to catch a tagged snook, or any tagged fish for that matter, please get the tag number, measure and weigh the fish, and then release it again. So much can be learned from tagging and recapturing a tagged fish.

In closing, we had a great Texas Women Anglers Fish Camp in late September where six women anglers spent three days taking their fishing skills to the next level. Take a look at Maritza in the photo below and tell me you don’t see pure happiness.

Hoping to be able to do a little recap of my Brazilian Peacock Bass adventure next month, so stay tuned for that.

Remember, fresh is better than frozen.