Reports & Forecasts: November 2023

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
James has finally come off the Gulf after chasing silver kings throughout the summer and into the early part of the fall. He’s back to fishing in the bays now. “I like November. To me, September and October are kinda tough, transitional type months. The patterns don’t really get set like they do in November. This month, the fishing can be good in a bunch of different types of locations. Areas around drains on main bay shorelines produce well on falling tides. We usually have plenty of action under working birds, and the wading can be really good too, in coves and lakes and on flats with some deep water close by. We have good luck throwing topwaters this time of year on some days. I generally go back to the old Top Dog this time of year. Something about that low thumping sound, as opposed to the raspy ping of lures like the She Dog and She Pup seems to work better in cooler water. I’ve also been having good luck lately on a slender soft plastic made by Bass Assassin, the Saltwater Assassin Lit’l P&V. It works great for wading, but it’s best when thrown out of the boat, in a little deeper water.”

Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Jim predicts the fishing will be good in upper parts of all the Galveston Bays this fall, after a long, hot, dry summer. “Even with the big rains we just got the last couple days, there’s no runoff. The ground was just so dry. The water is salty all the way into the upper reaches of the bays right now. Once this strong front comes through and a few more follow, the fish will move shallow for good, and we’ll be able to catch ‘em wading more of the time. It’s a great time to fish shorelines close to drains and even in the bayous and back-lakes once that happens. We’ll have excellent catching, and as long as the water stays salty in all parts of the bays, people will be spread out, which is a good thing. I’m also anticipating excellent duck hunting when the season starts in the South Zone the second weekend of the month. The opening weekend is always pretty good. We’ll have plenty of birds. If we get some cold weather soon after the season opens, the shooting should stay fast, but if we get a prolonged warm spell, the action can slow down.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Randall expects to be fishing out of the boat most days in November, which is a good thing, given that he has just taken delivery of a new one, built for him by JH Performance Marine. “This new boat is a beast! It’s the BX253 model, powered by a 350 Suzuki TRP. I just love it. We should be casting at working flocks of birds most days in November. It’s generally the peak of the shrimp migration in the area around San Luis Pass. When we’re targeting trout schooling under gulls, we throw soft plastics most of the time. Best ones seem to be Norton Sand Eel Juniors on relatively heavy jigheads, up to quarter-ounce. They’re like bullets, easy to cast long distances, which is definitely a plus around the birds. The natural colors like Tequila Gold work well when the water is pretty, but Salty Chicken works better if the water is a little murky. We do throw topwaters when working this pattern some of the time. On some days, doing so seems to allow us to cull some of the bigger trout out of the schools. I favor Skitter Walks with some gold and orange on them this time of year.”

Matagorda Bays | Capt. Glenn Ging
Glenn’s Guide Service - 979.479.1460
www.glennsguideservice.com
“Our fall fishing should continue to be productive throughout the month of November. I look for redfish action to remain steady, with schools of slot-sized fish prowling the open bay as well as in the back-lakes and along shorelines with ample amounts of grass close to the bank. Trout fishing should continue to be good. We’ll have plenty of fish feeding under the birds, and we should also have good luck wading shell reefs and bay shorelines. On the days with strong winds, fishing in the river and diversion channel is best, barring any big influxes of freshwater runoff. In November, the fish are aggressive, so many options work well, in terms of which lures produce best. Soft plastic paddletails and jerkbaits on jigheads are deadly this month, as usual. Vudu Shrimp and Bass Assassin Lit’l P&Vs under Coastal Corks are also highly effective. I like Root Beer, Bourbon, Tequila Gold and Pumpkinseed colors to mimic the shrimp that the fish are normally gorging on in the fall. Our topwater bite should be exceptional on the better days. Autumn is a great time for the floating lures. And, live bait will continue to work well, though it’s rarely needed this time of year.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
“We’re finally experiencing a good stretch of fishing in our local bays. We’ve finally had some big tides roll in, and lighter winds have allowed the catching to take off. Redfish have been all over the bays. We’ve been catching plenty in the local rivers, trolling shorelines and throwing 3” Gulp! Shrimp under popping corks. Back-bay shorelines with plenty of shell reefs are holding solid numbers, too. In those locations, we’re fishing live shrimp about a foot under popping corks. The marshes are loaded with reds when tides are high, and Norton Bull Minnows in Pearl/Pumpkinseed have been working best in there. Trout fishing has picked up in places with sandy, grassy bottoms, with lots of solid keepers coming to hand on green/chrome She Dogs and White Ice DSLs. Flounder fishing is getting better in drains on mud minnows and live shrimp. Strong falling tides have provided the best action for the flatfish. Bird activity should kick off soon, as we start to get cooler weather, East and South Bays, along with Turtle Bay, are for sure hot spots to fish in the fall when the shrimp migration cranks up in earnest. We usually key on egrets and other wading birds to locate productive shorelines when that happens.“

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833
Lynn expects to be fishing a bit differently in November than he has throughout the prolonged heat wave of 2023. “Usually, in November, I transition in my fishing strategies somewhat. With the cooling water temperatures, it makes more sense to me to alter the timing of the trips most days. Especially if we have lots of dry weather and clear skies, we get the cooler nights and warm afternoons. In such a scenario, I prefer to leave the dock late in the morning and fish well into the afternoons. The bite is often best this time of year on shallow flats warmed up by a bright afternoon sun after a cold morning. We like to fish flats lying pretty close to deep water, where the fish retreat when temperatures plummet. Places with thick, dark grassbeds and a good mix of mud and shell seem best. We throw lots of slow-sinking twitch baits like Paul Brown Lures and Catch 5s this time of year, topwaters when the bite really gets going. This is a great time of year to target some of the biggest trout in the Coastal Bend bays; so I look forward to the Thanksgiving month with that in mind.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Blake loves this time of year as much as any other, with so many exciting outdoor options available to both anglers and hunters in the Coastal Bend. “I split my time between the marshes, the bays, and the fields this time of year. We have so much fun hunting ducks and doves and also fishing, of course. The cast-n-blast trips usually involve starting out in the back-lakes in a duck blind. We typically shoot until late in the morning, and then fish our way out. The marshes have been loaded with reds lately, and the catching is usually pretty fast and easy in some of the areas which are also good for duck hunting. We do catch some trout in the backwater areas too, but the trout fishing is normally a little better along main bay shorelines, often in close proximity to drains leading into the marshes, especially around reefs. Seems that we do a bit better in places with more mud and shell on the bottom than sand and grass once water temperatures fall into the fifties a few times and stay there. Soft plastics work best when we’re fishing those kinds of areas this time of year.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata | [email protected] - 361.563.1160
“The fishing continues to be good lately in the Baffin Bay area and in northern parts of the Upper Laguna Madre. With the hunting season about to start, the boat traffic will soon die down, so it will be quieter out on the water. Also, all the rain that we’ve had recently has helped perk things up in our part of the Laguna Madre. The water temperature cooling down will encourage the trout and redfish to remain in the shallows longer during the morning hours, giving us more time to fish for them in less than three feet of water. I’ll be using Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like Chicken on a Chain, Salt & Pepper/Chartreuse, and Opening Morning rigged on sixteenth-ounce SpringLock jigheads. Natural colored MirrOlure Catch 5s and topwater lures will also work well much of the time, as long we don’t have too much suspended grass in the water. Look for the fish in two to three feet of water along grassy edges and in and around potholes with gravel bottoms. Sight-casting will be producing many reds and black drum in less than twelve inches of water using shrimp-flavored Fish-Bites rigged on sixteenth-ounce jigheads.”

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez - www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230
During the Thanksgiving month, several productive patterns usually emerge in the Corpus Christi area, particularly in the Upper Laguna Madre. “We usually have enough cool weather to force the trout to retreat into deeper water during November,” Joe says. “When this happens, catching trout in the ICW and in the smaller channels connecting to it can often be easy. Gulls hovering over jumping shrimp along the edges of the main ditch often lead anglers to stretches holding plenty of fish. In many years, this means in the stretch between Chubby’s Island and the JFK Causeway. When the trout are in deep channels, the best way to catch them is to keep the boat in the ditch with the trolling motor and cast toward the sand bars on the edges of the channels. Soft plastics usually work best when working this pattern, and matching the jighead size to the amount of wind and current becomes a key to getting more bites, meaning using heavier heads in more wind and current, lighter ones in lighter currents. We usually have some good fishing in the shallows for reds and bigger trout on the King Ranch Shoreline this month too, especially when conditions are on the warmer side.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com
Much anticipated cool fronts are beginning to arrive. The mullet migration will be in full swing by the time this report hits the newsstands. Slot and bull reds will be available throughout the month. While tossing out mullet for reds, there is a chance a jack, mackerel, bluefish, or even a shark will pick up the bait. The farther south along the coast, the better the chance at a surf tarpon before they migrate out. Pompano should begin to show by mid-month. The first couple waves of pompano usually produce the largest specimens. Fish-Bites and shrimp are prime baits for pompano and drum. One of the most thrilling aspects of surf fishing this month will be jack crevalle storming the beach. While they will certainly take live mullet, the real fun is sight-casting for them with large spoons, topwaters, and swimbaits. They usually eat whatever they see. Pound for pound, jacks are among the strongest fighters we have in the surf. Blacktip and bull sharks will also be available in good numbers. We can also expect some of the largest tiger sharks of the year. Tigers are suckers for a bloody jackfish bait. Keep a keen eye on weather forecasts for strong cold fronts.”

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431
Getaway Adventures Lodge - 956.944.4000
“With the arrival of November, the weather will finally be cooling off. It’s not quite wader season yet, but it’ll be here before you know it. There might be a few mornings when we slip them on in late October, but not likely on a continuous basis. On light wind days, we will still be working the west shoreline or the spoil humps along the ICW, up north of port. Those headed south should check the spoils north of Bennie’s Island and the area behind the cabins near The Saucer. Topwater action should still be good at times, but a KWiggler Ball-Tail Shad on an eighth-ounce jighead is always a sure bet. Colors such as Flomingo, Bone Diamond, Mansfield Margarita, or Lagunaflauge produce well. On windier days, I recommend heading toward the east side. Areas such as Weather Station, Butcher’s Island or the old game warden shack would be good areas to target. Working water depths from mid-thigh to waist deep, with potholes and some mullet or smaller baitfish flipping around is the key. West Bay has potential at all times too. In the wake of strong cold fronts, Gladys Hole and the mouth of Little Bay are best.”

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941
“Fall fishing down on the Lower Laguna Madre has been good so far this fall. Tides being extremely high has made finding the fish difficult on some days, and our trout fishing can be a little spotty in light of this. Spoil islands near the ICW have been the best places to find trout on a consistent basis. Early in the mornings, a bone Spook Junior rigged with single hooks has been productive. Once the wind stops blowing, our most reliable soft plastic has been ZMan MinnowZ in purple with chartreuse tail, rigged on eighth-ounce Trout-Eye jigheads. A fast retrieve mid-way thru the water column has worked best to scratch out some strikes when the bite gets slow. Redfish numbers have been steady in back-bays and also along main bay shorelines. We’re finding the redfish schooled up and easy to locate on most calm mornings. We’ve been fishing shallow flats with grassy bottoms, using eighth-ounce Texas-Eye Finesse jigs rigged with ZMan Kicker Crabz in redbone. These work great when we’re fishing areas with heavy grass. Finding heavy concentrations of bait is an important key, since the redfish are gorging this time of year. Look for fishing to continue to improve as weather and water temperatures continue to cool.”