Whiteys Outfitters Fishing Report Nov. 1, 2008
Offshore
With constant windy weather and rough seas, it has been really hard to get offshore and do some fishing the last few months. If by chance a window of nice weather comes along, take all of your best tricks and head east. Run out till the water cleans up and start looking for some weeds. The dolphin have been found around 130–150 ft. on trolled baits with the average fish 8-15 lbs. and up to 20 lb.+. Several Wahoo have been biting on the downrigger with a weighted mullet or your favorite cone head lure. The rough cooler water also makes for some of the best times to look for sailfish. The rough seas during the winter months seem to spread the bottom fish around to new holes and maybe rejuvenate an old favorite hot spot. Begin dropping baits in about 70 ft. of water and work all the way out into the 200 ft. range. The grouper and snapper should be hungry and will feed on anything you put on the hook live or frozen. Live baits has been very scarce along the shallow reefs, so you might want to spend some time the day before catching some pinfish or mullet for your trip offshore. Frozen sardines and squid are useful in the dirty water to attract a bite when nothing else is working.
Make the most of any decent weather and get out and bottom fish before the end of the year. With the new grouper regulations going into effect in 2009 the bottom fishing bag limits are taking a brutal hit. The new regulations propose a closed season on the grouper from Jan- April and the daily bag limit will be reduced to 3 grouper per vessel with only one gag grouper per boat. With tough economic times and higher costs of living, this is one more strike against the recreational fisherman.
Inshore
Trout fishing is hot in the early mornings on top water plugs like the Mirrolure 19MR series or a Mirrodine with a dark colored back either green or black. Redfish and snook are cruising along the flats and keeping with the trout too. As long as you see some schools of finger mullet on the surface, the fish will be close.
Keep a look out for the pompano skipping in your boat wake as your run the channels and leave the flats. Spin back around and go up from where you saw them, then drift back over the area throwing a small jig tipped with a shrimp or a sandflea to hook up.
Sebastian Inlet As the water cleans up, the Spanish mackerel have been showing up on the beaches. Large numbers are right off the inlet and will strike at any shiny spoon or got-cha jig sent their way.
The black drum are also hanging out on the north side of the inlet. Clams and fiddler crabs are doing the job and the fish seem to be ranging 5-10lbs. The redfish are feeding in the inlet most of the day and take most live baits. Any tide change seems to be producing a strong movement of bait, and that is the recipe to making things happen. Large numbers of pinfish are gathering in the inlet and heating up the snook action at night. Many of the snook are short but the numbers of bites are impressive. Most anglers are throwing 1.5 bucktails or a Berkley Paddle bait into the inlet channels or surf around the jetties. Remember the new snook regulations are 1 fish per angler and a 28-32 inch slot limit.
With cold weather here already, the flounder bite is starting to happen. A few 3 spot flounder have been landed and the larger summer flounder should follow soon. Finger mullet, mud minnows, small mojarras or shrimp will work well for the flounder. Also try jigging along the rocks with a light jig head tipped with shrimp or mullet in the shallower water along the south side. Although everyone wants that “Big Doormat” flounder, it is still going to be a few weeks before they feel the drop in water temperatures and start to move out of the river through the inlet at the change of tides. If the cold fronts keep coming, look for the bite to turn on around Thanksgiving. No one ever complained about a little turkey and fresh flounder!
Don’t forget to enter our Annual Flounder Tournament. The entry is $20 per person and runs form November 1 through Dec 31, 2008. You must enter prior to fishing. Just stop in the shop and sign up. The tournament is 100% payout. The prizes are First Place $100, Second Place $70, and Third Place $30 guaranteed. The purse will go up as more anglers sign up. This tournament is a lot of fun and a chance for expert flounder fisherman to put their egos to the test and see
Surf
The surf temperature has dropped with the last cold front and a few pompano are here. As the cold fronts continue to drop the surf temperatures the pompano numbers will increase. One good thing so far this year is that the sandfleas seem to be showing on the beaches right now and are a good size. Clams and fleas will be the best baits to target pompano and whiting. The bluefish already are here and have been biting for while. They seem to have showed up with the mullet in August and continued to stay. Try using cut bait on the bottom or cast spoons and jigs at the blues.
Get out of the house and work off some of that turkey dinner…. See you on the water!
Whitey's Bait & Tackle
321-724-1440
9030 S Highway A1a
Melbourne Beach, FL 32951
captstovall@whiteysonline.com
www.whiteysonline.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment