South Padre: November 2026
Tyler Mills tricked this beast of a redfish with a Z-Man PaddlerZ in the Sexy Penny color.
The month I’ve been looking forward to is finally here. Weatherwise, November is a transitional month. If history repeats itself we will see two to three cold fronts, with at least one bringing a significant drop in air and water temperatures.
One reason I love November, aside from excellent fishing, is that we get to wear our waders again. My Simms G4Z waders provide exception comfort each day I wear them – usually from Thanksgiving to Easter. Simms G4Z has a waterproof front zipper that makes getting in and out of them a snap.
Another reason I like November is the excellent fishing it brings. Like a bear preparing for hibernation, fish will instinctively feed more often and for longer periods this month. Not that they’re going to hibernate, but the same as the bear, Mother Nature has them fattening up for winter.
Redfish action has been phenomenal through late summer and early fall, with lots of tailing activity in skinny water. It’s unusual for the tailing action to last that long into the fall season, and it’s certainly been a blast seeing their tails waving above the surface. Here in November, with more favorable water temps we can expect the reds to stay shallow and continue feeding most of the day. Mullet is always one of the main forage species but they will also be quick to gorge on shrimp and crabs.
As mentioned earlier, November usually brings one good cold front that drops air and water temperatures enough to affect where the reds will hold. The cold weather doesn’t stay long, but when it is present, you can find redfish retreating temporarily to deeper water. However, as soon as the weather moderates they will return to their normal patterns.
One of the baits we’ve had considerable success with is Z-Man’s Kicker CrabZ. If you have never tried this bait, I recommend it for targeting redfish. It has a lively, fluttery tail action, tends to work well in the bottom of the water column, and really looks like a crab. Other Z-Man baits I like in this season are the MinnowZ, Scented PaddlerZ, and the Diezel MinnowZ.
Trout fishing remains outstanding in the Lower Laguna and, surprisingly, we continue to see unusual numbers of large trout. Reflecting on the last couple of months, we have now caught more big trout in the hotter months this year than in the entire winter season that preceded it. Like the redfish, the first good drop in water temps will put the trout on feeding binges that usher in the cold weather trophy trout season we wait for all year.
Winter temperatures here on the Lower Laguna Madre are typically not as severe as those seen on the Upper Coast and weather usually begins to moderate a few days after a frontal passage. That said, trout will remain relatively shallow for the next couple of months, except during one or two cold fronts that move through South Texas.
Where to target bigger trout? The edges of ICW spoil banks frequently hold bigger trout in November. Also at this time of year, you can run into larger trout up on the sand on the east side of the ICW. Grass flats with scattered potholes are always, and always will be excellent areas to hook a large female trout. Keep in mind that the colder it gets, the more they tend to congregate in larger numbers. So, in the first part of this month, you might find the bigger trout scattered, but as the air and water cool toward the end of November, you will find the larger trout tend to bunch up.
For the smaller to keeper-size trout, the ICW is always a good place to find a bunch of them. Working the edges of the drop-off to about ten feet into the channel usually yields plenty of bites and hookups. During the hotter months, it seemed trout were all stacked up in the ICW, but now a different pattern will materialize as the water temperature cools down. A more consistent, any-time-of-day bite will come from grass flats, the sand, and shallow sand bars.
Be aware that the worst place to learn your waders have leaks is on a cold morning when the big trout are biting like piranhas. I suggest getting them out as sooner as you read this and test them in a swimming pool if you have one, or perhaps jump in a friend or neighbors.
In whatever you do this winter, hunting or fishing, may you practice good conservation. If you harvest fish, remember that fresh tastes best. Just don’t go into hibernation!
