Captain's Report - November/December, 2005

by Capt. Dave Mistretta

Let's hope this month has more action than October. Termoiled weather combined with red tide made it quite a chore for all. If we can keep the cold fronts down to once a week, this month could bust loose.

November is a month to catch some action within ten miles of the beach. Gag grouper should be available at some point during this 30 day streak. We normally have the first pushes of gag grouper venture their way to the shallow waters of our gulf by now, but it simply hasn't happened. I have found in past experiences, when a migration is late, they will bombard the area overnight. The great news for now is that we can travel into deeper waters if needed. The overruling of federal closures in our gulf has now been suspended by a federal judge. This leaves the door wide open for angler options. There are concentrations of grouper in the 70 to 80 foot depths still to be taken. Expect small groups to travel eastward. After the severe drop in water temps, that pesky microorganism (red tide) should back off in its concentrations.

We will be able to count on the kingfish action to pick up. Bait has been a serious issue for many fishermen the past two weeks. If weather patterns cooperate we will see more schools of bait fish come our way. Reports of giant schools of threadfin herring have recently come from people fishing the Hernando county areas. These same schools of baitfish should slide their way down as each cold front moves thru. Some captains reported schools of blue runners and cigar minnows around the markers 5 and 6, near the whistler buoy. Even if the bait doesn't invade the area some rogue kings will swim their way close to shore searching for anything that wiggles. I assure you they will take a wide variety of bait fish, since food has not been abundant.

One thing we can count on is the annual mullet run that starts this month. A large mullet is considered kingfish candy too many, for a good reason. They are one of my favorite baits to put in front of a giant kingfishes mouth. Double stinger rigs are a must with these over sized baits. Often the attack is awesome since a big smoker will skyrocket after a mullet more than any live bait I have ever used.

Mullet are a bit sneakier than most baitfish when your trying to cast net them. Throwing in the dark is great tactic for catching these eye keen vegetarians. I like to shut the motor down and listen for the splashing sounds of the mullet as they leap from the water. If you listen carefully you can hear which way they are swimming and line up before throwing. They will often loiter around the pilings of docks that don't have any lighting. Hop from one dock to the other until hitting jackpot. The beach is also a great place to look. Mullet travel the swash channel in massive schools, no more than thirty feet from the shore. A Q- beam is the perfect tool for hunting mullet. One quick sweep of the search light will allow you to see the leaping fish. Don't leave the light on the fish too long or they will spook easily.

Numerous schools of Spanish mackerel are bombarding small fry bait at this time and should be around for most of this month. Most of the juvenile baitfish consists of Spanish sardine threadfin herring and pilchards. When you see the birds working all this commotion, be sure to investigate. Sometimes a giant smoker will be in their vicinity. One of their favorite food sources is a small Spanish mack. They won't last long on a baited hook if a hungry kingfish is nearby.

Last year at this time we had some decent action on many of the artificial reefs ten to twenty miles from shore. Cobias were making their last appearance before traveling south for the winter. It's common to see thirty or more fish in a single school hovering over these wrecks. If you are lucky enough to find bait fish on these same wrecks other fish can be taken. Bonito, kings, sharks and many other species could be present. Sometime you will have to down scale hook size to accommodate the bait that is over the wrecks. I assure you, abig fish will gobble up a tiny minnow if it's presented properly.

We are basically at the mercy of mother nature this month. If we gracefully slide into winter the fishing will exciting. Getting out a day or two after a front hits will normally bring some great results. As water temps drop to frigid cold temps in the shallower depths, it might be a good idea to fish a bit further offshore. Thank goodness we have some decent grouper fishing out in these now re-opened federal waters.

Captain's Report - November/December, 2005

by Capt. Dave Mistretta

Past Captain's Reports