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NOVEMBER FISHING OUTLOOK >

Above: a nice 27.75" (ouch!) snook, one of four species taken on Maryanne's second day fishing. This one just missed the slot for a take home dinner, but a couple of redfish were not so lucky. Snook season will remain open until the end of the month and will remain closed until March 1, 2010. Don't miss out on the last opportunity of 2009 to take home a nice keeper Snook, one of the finest eating fish in Florida.

Above: Target species while fishing Boca Grande Pass, Charlotte Harbor and the near-shore waters of the Gulf of Mexico: (from top to bottom) Tarpon, Snook, Redfish, Goliath Grouper, Hammerhead Shark, Cobia, Red Grouper and Amberjack.

The true Fall season in Florida (I know the northerners love to laugh when I say "Fall") is very short, and should really be looked at as more of a transitional time rather than a "season". Fall inshore patterns revolve around the major target species moving and feeding in preparation for Winter.

Snook are moving from the beaches and passes and working their way back towards the creeks, canals, and rivers where they will spend most of the Winter. November is a great time to intercept these Snook as they feed vigorously both day and night on moving tides. Redfish no longer have to run and hide from the sun in the shade of the mangroves to avoid midday heat. Schools of nice over-slot Reds were already hammering the flats in October, and November should see this pattern continue. With the lower tides, cooler water, and decrease in prevalence of whitebait Redfish will increasing key in on bottom forage throughout November and into December. Big Trout, on the order of five to twelve pounds are already being caught and the best chances of the year to pull in trout of this quality will happen during November. All three of these prized game fish will be found around grass ledges, potholes, and around oyster bars. They will feed the best on moving tides, both incoming and outgoing. Look for the largest, fastest tide of the day especially if this tide coincides with early morning or late evening low light conditions for the best chance at great topwater action.

Though there are a few small straggler Tarpon around, they will dissipate as we enter November, but the good news is that beautiful Pompano are already coming to the boat as are some great Tripletail. November should see great numbers and an increase in size of both Pompano and Tripletail, both of which are always welcome guests at the dinner table. Pompano will be holding around the passes, shoals, and around good ledges with moving water while the best place to find Tripletail is under the myriad of crab pot buoys just off the beach.

BEST BETS FOR NOVEMBER

BACKCOUNTRY FISHING & SIGHT FISHING >

GOLIATH GROUPER FISHING >

NEAR-SHORE FISHING >

SHARK FISHING >

The November Nearshore action is nothing more than spectacular. King Mackerel have been moving into the area throughout October, November should see these fishing growing both in size and frequency. Twenty to Thirty fish days should be pretty attainable when the weather cooperates. Though the Fall run is somewhat smaller and shorter than the Spring run, Cobia also started making a terrific showing towards the end of October. The cooling waters of the Northern Gulf are pushing Cobia South for the winter, and November should bring a good number of full boat limits when Mother Nature allows us the chance to fish the nearshore reefs and wrecks. The combination of Cobia and Kings will give any novice a trial by fire on drag burning light tackle action.

'Kings' and 'Cobes' are not the only residents shallow Gulf structure this month. November will have nice keeper Gag and Red Grouper moving into shallow water, often within only a couple miles of shore. These great tasting denizens of the deep can be caught on both live and artificial baits alike. From trolling, to jigging, to drifting live baits, Gags will cooperate over any significant structure or hard bottom during November.

Rounding out the nearshore action are the massive schools of Bonito, Spanish Mackerel, 'Snake' King Mackerel, Jacks, and Bluefish. These roving hordes will be decimating schools of bait as it is flushed from the inshore waters towards the open Gulf. Its easy to spot these feeding frenzies. As if the crashing whitewater and fish flying out of the water, both predator and prey alike, wasn't enough, the clouds of cackling birds will be your tip-off. Any fast moving artificial will usually produce vicious strikes when these fish are in the feeding mood. Gotcha plugs worked fast with a sharp jigging action, mirrolure mirrominnow, mirrodine, and mirrodine XL, and the classic gold spoons and white bucktails will all produce. Remember these are extremely fast fish, and most people work their lures too slow. Faster IS always better when it comes to fishing in these frenzied conditions.

Sharks can often be found shadowing schools the of Mackerel and Bonito as the go on obliviously crashing schools of bait on their way south down the coast. Follow these schools, spend a little time preparing, collecting fresh bait, chumming, and properly presenting baits and you may just find yourself locked into battle with a prehistoric eating machine that is hell-bent on pulling you out of the boat! Shark fishing is normally a wait-and-see type of fishery, but not this month. Look for action packed evenings, and maybe even take a shot at some of the very attainable IGFA world records and make your mark on fishing history. These are not just heavy tackle bruisers either. Coastal sharks offer some of the most challenging, and rewarding light tackle fishing anywhere.

Goliath Grouper will still remain the kings in the waters surrounding Southwest Florida. The cool waters of winter are coming, and these giants know that this is their time to fatten up. This translates to a wide open bite on BIG fish if you hit the right spots on the right tide. Every year the largest concentrations of giant Goliaths found anywhere stack up within easy reach in just about any weather. If you are looking to challenge yourself against one of the toughest adversaries to be found, then the Goliath Grouper trip is for you. Few dedicated Goliath trips will see less than several big fish landed, and some half day trips see numbers as high as 20 fish landed. Growing to over 600lbs, the Goliath is the supreme king of near-shore structure and will be sure to provide you with a brawl you wont soon forget. We have been working on perfecting some new tackle and rigging techniques that we have developed from our Big Game experience that are proving to be the key to high levels of success on these Giants while also allowing us to run less drag pressure, making these Giants accessible to a wider range of clients. Don't be intimidated by what you see on Youtube and TV, you CAN handle these fish! Give it a shot and you are in for an action packed, knock-down, drag-out fight you wont forget. To quote many clients in the past: "Its the longest 5 minutes of your life!" Goliath Grouper - No fish, No Pay Guarantee!

There is certainly no better way to spend time with family, friends, or just to relax away from it all than fishing the pristine waters of Englewood, Venice, Captiva, Boca Grande, Charlotte Harbor, and the Gulf of Mexico. If you are looking for fantastic inshore or offshore action, day or night, then you have come to the right place. Book your trip with Another Keeper Charters and you can rest assured that you will not only enjoy great fishing with Southwest Florida's premier fishing guide and charter service, but you will also enjoy the company of arguably the friendliest Captain in the business!

See you soon!