Greetings from Tru Luvin Fishing and Hagan Coastal Outfitters. This blog provides you with a front row seat to what Domenic and Ron are seeing on the water in Northeast Florida from our kayaks, as we chase inshore saltwater species, primarily using artificial lures. From time to time, we will include bonus reports from tournaments and fishing trips around the region as we travel. We want to keep you informed of what is biting, what lures are working for us and what gear has been helping us get on the fish.
Overall Fishing Report
November brought consistent Fall weather patterns that really got the fish into the groove of feeding up before Winter. The November bite was steady and strong with Redfish once again leading the way. We found the Reds hugging the grass lines on the higher tide cycles and warming up around structure, oyster mounds and mud flats during the lower tide cycles. Small shrimp are plentiful in the creeks and hungry Redfish are keyed in on them. The water has really cleared up without any measurable rain in November so sight fishing opportunities are presenting themselves.
Tactics That Are Working
Cool weather tactics are starting to consistently catch fish now. During the warmer months, fish are more likely to follow predatory instincts by chasing down faster moving lures. Now that we have established cooler Fall weather, the fish are responding to cooler water tactics. We found success using lures that the fish had to expend less energy to chase down and eat. This included the ZMan Prawn StarZ lineup of Shrimp imitation lures. One of the great features of this line of lures is that they run in sizes and configurations from two inches to five inches. This makes it easier to match your lure the size of the prey the fish are chasing in the water. Right now, we are seeing the Reds really key in on the smaller shrimp in our creeks so we would recommend focusing on the two- and three-inch size Prawn StarZ. You do not want to work these lures aggressively. Let the current do most of the work and simply lift your rod tip and let the lure slowly drop in the water column with the current. This provides the fish with the look of natural prey that they can eat without expending too much energy to chase. Being patient and not rushing your retrieves is key. Other effective lures right now include soft jerk baits and Ned rigs. Once again, do not overwork the bait. Work it slowly and let the current do most of the work.
Linda Netti Memorial Kayak Tournament
Domenic and Ron both fished the Linda Netti Memorial Kayak Tournament. This is an ecofriendly catch, photo and release tournament that requires the use of a measuring device and a unique token provided at the captain’s meeting. Donnie Leeper runs this charity tournament and raised over eight thousand dollars for the tournament beneficiary. The Two Titmice Foundation provides financial assistance to women who are battling breast cancer and will be presented with the proceeds. Domenic and Ron caught plenty of fish but could not quite crack the top 5. Congratulations to all the winners in the prize categories and to all the participants for raising money for a very worthy cause.
Lessons Learned
This month’s lesson came while fishing shallow water. Kayak anglers can’t always see the fish while sitting low on the water while also dealing with glare from the sun. However, there are signs you can observe to key you in to where the fish are holding. If you can’t see the fish, look for mud puffs or mud clouds below the surface as you travel through the shallows. They will be very noticeable and are often clumped in groups of two or three. Those are left by Redfish when they dart off after being spooked. Use that intel to dial in your lure presentations to them. If you see mud puffs at a consistent distance from the shoreline or structure, you know where the fish are holding. Cast further ahead, at that same distance from structure, to target where the fish are holding.
Tackle and Equipment
On the tackle front, Domenic and Ron both spent a lot of time successfully working with topwater lures this month. Even though the water has cooled down, we are both finding consistent success in the late morning and afternoon. Cloudy conditions are best, but we are having success in full sunlight as well. What we are doing is targeting low tide mud flats with lots of oysters. In many cases, you have no choice in these areas but to throw topwater lures because anything subsurface will get snagged or cut off on the oysters. We are finding Redfish holding in these areas as the shallow mud flats and oysters absorb sunlight and warm up the surrounding water later in the day. The Rapala Skitterwalk and Rapala Skitter V have both been working well for us.