Mansfield Report: November 2026

Greetings from Port Mansfield! I wish I had better news. Although my recent reports have remained cautiously optimistic about what lies ahead, fishing has remained relatively slow for us—especially for big trout and upper-slot redfish.

As you may recall, July through September, we faced stronger-than-normal winds, extreme heat, and almost no rain. Aside from a few scattered showers, the summer and early fall remained hot and dry. These persistent conditions left fish sluggish, inactive, or deep beyond wading anglers’ reach. The exception was smaller fish, particularly trout, which remained somewhat consistent.

That said, we have had—and continue to have—good days when we catch quality fish, but overall fishing has been bleak. I have encountered several small schools of redfish that would not take a lure; they simply swam past as if feeding was not on their agenda. As you know, that is unusual because we expect to see several fighting for the lure. Not every school behaved this way, but enough did to make it worth noting.

So, how have I been addressing this issue? Well, for one I am dialing in on micro-zones, and I like to call it “fishing on a dime.” When I have a small group of say two anglers, we focus on tiny honey holes where I know fish are present and we work hard to try and get them to eat. Truth be told some of these are snook trips, so they are in a category of themselves. I started figuring this out by personally capitalizing on clear, calm days in these zones and visually looking for those fish. This has proven that fish are present because I can see them. Recently, I stood on a topographical lip with scattered grass beds and observed what appeared to be a 25-inch trout co-mingling with big snook, along with a sprinkling of redfish. Prior to seeing that fish were present I worked the area thoroughly before walking into the zone. I actually caught a 21-inch snook, so my hopes were high prior to easing up to the sweet spot. Once there I saw all I needed to see.

That “research” helped me work my anglers into the “right” spot and got me through some fishing trips. Executing in this fashion at least got the guys some shots at a few quality fish.

An example of late September results: I manage a big corporate fishing group that consists of 25 guide boats – three anglers per boat – all artificial lures. On average, each boat came in with three fish per day. Some had more; some boats zeroed. This was coming into a full moon, which is generally considered a better than average fishing period. So, that ought to tell you how tough it’s been.

Now for my optimistic side to come back out. We have experienced a fair amount of rainfall which was so desperately needed. Along with the rain we have had a hint of cooler weather which dropped temperatures some. Here’s hoping these slight changes will trigger some more productive fishing opportunities real soon.

We have no shortage of bait, which is everywhere, and I know gamefish are roaming within the same areas, so I am confident things are fixing to fire off. My approach away from micro-zones will shift as soon as I confirm that those broad, wide flats have “active” gamefish cruising on them. A five-degree dip in water temperature would be a big help toward getting things headed in a better direction. At that point it will be topwater time in a big way, so much so that you won’t be able to get that lure away from the fish. This will be what every angler I know has been waiting for. Every species except snook will be in the game during November. Snook will have already jumped on the southbound train where they will hold through winter, near and within the depths of the Brownsville Ship Channel.

I truly appreciate the anglers who stuck with me during the long and tough summer grind, and also those that accepted my recommendation to reschedule to a later date and hopefully better fishing. To sum it up, we had a fairly tough summer with a few great days in between.

In closing, believe it or not we are approaching Christmas and it’s not too early to start thinking about a special gift for the angler in your family. When considering a rod, you might think about the G2 Green Rod by Fishing Tackle Unlimited – they are tough to beat for sure.

Until next time, remember fresh is better than frozen.