South Padre: November 2025
I enjoy November for a number of reasons, but mostly because it’s wader time. It's time to break out the Simms waders that have been in storage since April. In this month's video, (see QR code) I provide some valuable information on Simms waders, including how to check for leaks and the steps for repairing them.
Come Thanksgiving, give or take a week, the water will have cooled enough that waders will be required for most folks. My personal threshold is seventy-one degrees. Your threshold may be cooler or warmer, but November is when waders become part of our daily gear.
November also marks the change from fall to winter. Our water temperatures ranged from the low to mid-eighties during early October and will decline steadily through November. We are warm blooded creatures and can add layers of clothing and waders. Being cold blooded, fish are not so lucky. They must relocate to areas where the water temperature better suits their needs, and always with a reliable food source nearby. Finding their winter hideaways will be the key to successful catching.
What should we be looking for? First would be concentrations of bait. Pelicans, seagulls, cormorants, osprey, and other water birds can help you find the bait. They will lead you to the bait and quite likely game fish as well.
The cooler water temperatures during November will trigger gorge-feeding, almost as though the fish know winter is coming and they want to pack on extra weight to get them through hard times ahead. Fish will tend to lie on bottom, resting between feeds. They scurry away quickly when disturbed, creating mud boils of bottom sediments. Mud boils on the flats are dead giveaways that fish are present. The more boils the more fish.
Historically, we experience one to two serious cold fronts in November, which push fish to deeper water. However, this effect is short-lived, as they soon return to their regular shallow-water flats. Later, in the colder winter months, water temperature plays a bigger role in where they will stage than any other influence.
Come November, look for good numbers of redfish holding on grass lines and potholes in thigh- to belly-deep water. Colder days may move them into deeper water. When they are staging deeper I recommend 1/4-ounce jigheads with ZMan Paddlerz in Pearl or Sexy Penny. The 4-inch Minnowz have also been producing well for us.
If you are struggling with hanging up on bottom grass I recommend the Eye Strike Texas Eye weedless jig head. Not only is it virtually weedless, its swiveling head adds more action to the bait. The swiveling head, combined with ZMan's soft ElaZtech bait material seems to encourage fish to hold on longer, allowing for more secure hook sets.
The overall pattern this month will have redfish moving between shallow and deeper water, depending mostly on changes in water temperature.
Our trout in the Lower Laguna Madre continue to show signs of significant recovery from the Freeze of 2021. We are seeing bigger trout on the flats than in the past several years, which is confirmed in our landings. Trout are more sensitive to fluctuations in water temperature, so their movements during the winter months, starting in November, are more frequent than that of the hardier redfish.
During November, look for trout to continue to stage along and near the ICW, deeper potholes and grass beds, and on shallow flats during warmer days. The good thing about colder weather is that it brings out the bigger trout in larger numbers.
Also during this month, trout will begin moving toward areas with softer bottom and easy access to deeper water. This is not to say they will abandon shallow water completely, but their forays onto the flats will be of shorter duration.
When targeting larger trout in clear, shallow water I will typically downsize to a lighter jighead for less disruption when it hits the water. I like lure colors like ZMan’s Beer Run and Pearl. In slightly stained water I will go with the Bigballerz in Plum-Chart, Gold Rush, or Troutcicle. I will rig these on Texas Eye jighead to provide as much lure action as possible.
Keep in mind that November brings shorter days, which can cause heavier feeding during daylight hours. Fall is a great time to be out on the water, the weather can be pleasant and the fish will be hungry.
Don't forget to check your waders for leaks. Be sure to check out this month's video if they need repair. Happy Thanksgiving and Best Fishing!