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Hooked Up: November 2013
This big 10.25 pound trout is what drives me and my clients for the next seven months. Contact me if you want to be a part of it.
Personally, November is a struggle for me. I mean it is really a grind of a month for a man that gets pulled in so many directions. As if figuring out and catching big trout is not enough work, now we have to contend with quail and deer season, not to mention college football. There are just too many decisions and balancing so many passions really becomes a lot of work. If you think I am joking, I am. November may be the greatest month of the year to be a outdoorsman (or a college football fan). I love everything about it.
For the big trout enthusiast, November has the potential to be the first month of quality trophy trout fishing. Everything will hinge on cold fronts, how long they stick around, and what they do to the water temperature. The water temperature plunging into the 60s and mid-50s is the key to get things really rolling. The last two winters have proven warmer than normal, which translated into November being more of a "transition" period. Long term forecasts are for us to have a cooler winter this year. I'm optimistic that it will happen, and we can get a head start on the big trout.
Because we have no crystal ball to look into regarding cool fronts, there will have to be two approaches to November fishing. If the water does cool down, trout are going to start moving onto the muddy flats that lace the Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay. They will be active and gorging themselves to put on winter weight for the leaner cold months that will have less and less baitfish for them to feed on. Chances are that you will catch some real pigs, and possibly a lot of them, if you can find the right flat with an adequate food source to sustain them. If November stays on the warm side, the fish will remain scattered out on all types of structure, mixed depths, etc. The one constant will be a food source. Find the food, and you have most of the battle taken care of.
All of the traditional "hot spots" are going to get their normal pressure, and then some. If you want to stay away from other fishermen, a change of mindset will bring you some solitude and quality catching. Focusing on deep guts than run through spoil islands is a great start. Spoil Islands that have deep dropoffs versus tapered descents are also great focus areas. If you happen to locate the guts and drops that have grass growing on the floor, you are really doing yourself some good. One of the most underutilized structures in the Upper Laguna for the trout grinders is the natural gut known as Emmord's Hole. The broken, grassy edges of the this natural contour line will be jammed up with quality fishing in November; however, some of it has to be done out of the boat, as it too deep to wade in most areas.
On that same line of thought, the grassy dropoff known as Rocky Slough offers a very similar scenario, and should be a big-time producer. Rocky Slough can be waded but it is a tricky wade considering the rocks that you have to contend with. The Power-Pole and Motor Guide is a great option here.
For those of you who must wade (me included), I would consider areas like Big Grassy, the Badlands, the natural gut in the Meadows, Compuerta Pass, potholes on the King Ranch Shoreline, and the spoil islands in the Upper Laguna. Any and all of these areas have the potential to be big-time producers in November, but they are not all going to be good every day. A huge part of being successful is taking the time to scout, using the appropriate lure for the conditions at hand, and having a food supply to keep the trout in the area.
The versatile 5" Bass Assassin is always in my starting lineup to find the fish. MirrOlure surface plugs are right next to them when it comes to finding them in ideal conditions (active bait). MirrOlure's Paul Brown Original (Corky) is the big closer when the water temperatures get down and stay there. I love and trust them all to be successful.
If you want to be part of "Something Big," contact me and let's save you a date.
Remember the buffalo. -Capt David Rowsey
For the big trout enthusiast, November has the potential to be the first month of quality trophy trout fishing. Everything will hinge on cold fronts, how long they stick around, and what they do to the water temperature. The water temperature plunging into the 60s and mid-50s is the key to get things really rolling. The last two winters have proven warmer than normal, which translated into November being more of a "transition" period. Long term forecasts are for us to have a cooler winter this year. I'm optimistic that it will happen, and we can get a head start on the big trout.
Because we have no crystal ball to look into regarding cool fronts, there will have to be two approaches to November fishing. If the water does cool down, trout are going to start moving onto the muddy flats that lace the Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay. They will be active and gorging themselves to put on winter weight for the leaner cold months that will have less and less baitfish for them to feed on. Chances are that you will catch some real pigs, and possibly a lot of them, if you can find the right flat with an adequate food source to sustain them. If November stays on the warm side, the fish will remain scattered out on all types of structure, mixed depths, etc. The one constant will be a food source. Find the food, and you have most of the battle taken care of.
All of the traditional "hot spots" are going to get their normal pressure, and then some. If you want to stay away from other fishermen, a change of mindset will bring you some solitude and quality catching. Focusing on deep guts than run through spoil islands is a great start. Spoil Islands that have deep dropoffs versus tapered descents are also great focus areas. If you happen to locate the guts and drops that have grass growing on the floor, you are really doing yourself some good. One of the most underutilized structures in the Upper Laguna for the trout grinders is the natural gut known as Emmord's Hole. The broken, grassy edges of the this natural contour line will be jammed up with quality fishing in November; however, some of it has to be done out of the boat, as it too deep to wade in most areas.
On that same line of thought, the grassy dropoff known as Rocky Slough offers a very similar scenario, and should be a big-time producer. Rocky Slough can be waded but it is a tricky wade considering the rocks that you have to contend with. The Power-Pole and Motor Guide is a great option here.
For those of you who must wade (me included), I would consider areas like Big Grassy, the Badlands, the natural gut in the Meadows, Compuerta Pass, potholes on the King Ranch Shoreline, and the spoil islands in the Upper Laguna. Any and all of these areas have the potential to be big-time producers in November, but they are not all going to be good every day. A huge part of being successful is taking the time to scout, using the appropriate lure for the conditions at hand, and having a food supply to keep the trout in the area.
The versatile 5" Bass Assassin is always in my starting lineup to find the fish. MirrOlure surface plugs are right next to them when it comes to finding them in ideal conditions (active bait). MirrOlure's Paul Brown Original (Corky) is the big closer when the water temperatures get down and stay there. I love and trust them all to be successful.
If you want to be part of "Something Big," contact me and let's save you a date.
Remember the buffalo. -Capt David Rowsey