Flounder: The Flounder bite has been exceptional with the cooler water temps. As a Destin Inshore Charter Fishing Guide, I look for at least two good cold fronts to push through the area in November, before I begin to target these fine eating flat fish. The cold fronts send the signal to the flounder that it’s time to move out of the bay. This is absolutely the best time of the year, to get your limit of 10 Flounder per angler. Baits of choice include live finger mullet and bull minnows. My preference for rigging these live baits is either Carolina Rig with a short 8 – 10 inch leader, or a half ounce jig head directly hooked to the live offering. With the Carolina Rig, make sure to allow the flounder enough time to grab your bait and turn it around in his gullet before setting the hook.

Sheepshead: The Sheepshead bite has turned on very nicely and as with Destin Inshore Fishing during this time of year, the movement of a couple of cold fronts typically signal these striped bait stealers to make their move toward the Mid-Bay Bridge and Destin Pass area. Baits of choice for these convict fish are live shrimp, fiddler crabs, and raw oyster. A Carolina or Texas rig will serve to help you claim your limit of 15 Sheepshead per angler.

Speckled Trout: The Speckled Trout bite has finally started to slow up a little, however, that simply means you must first take advantage of the sunrise or evening bite. You must also be willing to follow them to their deeper water wintertime hangouts, such as 15 foot plus water depths in muddy bottom bayous and creeks/rivers that feed the bay. Live baits such as live shrimp, finger mullet and pinfish will get the job done. The trout will become a little less active, so be sure to present your baits in a very slow manner. Artificial offerings like lead head jigs with a curly tail grub should be allowed to free fall to the bottom and slowly retrieved. As a Destin Inshore Charter Fishing Guide my first choice for artificial is the curly tail grub in Chartreuse color. The great thing about cold weather trout fishing, is that typically when you locate them, they will be in large groups, so be ready for the frenzy!

Redfish: The Reds have maintained their bite consistency throughout the Destin Inshore Bay and Flats. The slot reds have seemed to hold their positions on the Destin Inshore Bay Flats, with several Bull Reds being caught on those same Destin Inshore Flats. However, if Bull Reds are whatcha want, you just can’t beat the Destin Bridge and Destin Pass on an outgoing tide, for Bull reds in the 10 – 40 pound range. The slot redfish are eating the same live baits as the trout, and on some of my Destin Inshore Bay and Flats Charter Fishing trips my clients have knocked down some respectable redfish on Topwater lures.

While fishing with my clients for sheepshead, I like to call them in by ringing the dinner bell! Ringing the dinner bell is simply bringing a scraper or flat shovel to chum’em up by scraping the barnacles and oysters the sheepshead like to eat, off of the bridge/dock pylons. When you scrape the pylons, the sheepshead smell the fresh scrapings, and come a running to your area to eat. Once you get them eating, they will recklessly eat your bait without taking anytime to carefully examine it, and at this point just set that hook!

Until Next Month,
C’Mon, Let’s Go Catch’em Up!
Capt LW