There’s not much to report with Hurricane Ida running up the gulf followed immediately by a cold front resulting in a very windy week. My boat never hit the water and fishing reports were hard to come by. As the weekend approached, the weather was looking good so fishing and fishermen should get back on track.

Now that were into the middle of November and the holidays are approaching, it’s time to take a look at fishing over the changing of seasons. Inshore, the big three (snook, trout and redfish) are all catchable; however, trout, the most popular of the three, are catch-and-release only until the first of the year.

Snook are on the move leaving their warm weather homes and heading to their winter retreats. Look for them hanging around drop-offs near oyster and sand bars and also under the mangroves of island points with deeper water. At night, lighted docks, piers and bridges will hold fish and as it gets cooler, look for them to get stacked up and feeding around the illuminated water.

Redfish are breaking up from the big schools over the past few months and will be more wide spread. Look for them in all the same areas as snook and expect to catch both together. It’s also a great time to take advantage of the low tides that occur this month and look for tailers. The most productive flats have deep water not too far away and lots of life. Look for sting rays, mullet and other small fish and wading birds, all a good sign of an active flat. Schools of smaller reds well also start to show up in the oyster creeks throughout the area.

As mentioned, trout season is closed. There are plenty around over the deeper grass flats, sand potholes and around oyster bars, just carefully release them.

This should be the time when gag grouper really start showing up inshore and near shore. Don’t be surprised to catch a few grouper while snook fishing along deeper shorelines. Look for them over the ledges in the passes and under nearby docks and any other submerged structure. Some nice fish are already coming from under the Sanibel Causeway; there is a lot of structure there that could hold a lot of nice fish. But beware; there are also plenty of huge goliath groupers under the bridge that love to feed on hooked grouper. Off the beaches there should be plenty of gags in depths from 20 to 40 feet of water. The proven method is to cover ground by trolling large diving lures over the scattered limestone ledges that parallel the shore. Artificial reefs are another place worth giving a try. Along with grouper you can expect snapper, mackerel and a variety of other fish.

Mackerel, both kings and Spanish, will continue to move down the coast. Look for birds gathered and dipping to the water as the feeding fish push bait to the surface. Also offshore watch for tripletail hanging under any type of floating debris and cobia should start piling up around offshore structure.

Sheepshead will start their inshore march as the water cools down. The larger fish will move both inshore and near shore. Look for them around structure and oyster bars. Good catches of pompano are possible along bar edges in four to eight feet of water, along the beaches and on both the bay and gulf side of the Sanibel Causeway over the grass/sand bottom. It’s still possible to hook into a late season tarpon as they are still relocating for the winter. Don’t be surprised if a big silver king explodes on small bait intended for pompano or trout, as they are scattered all about.

I know we didn’t cover all the species — you don’t realize the variety of fish we have until you start writing them down. The holidays are fast approaching and the water is cooling and along with it comes some new fishing opportunities. And for those who eat oysters, we have some of the best anywhere, you just got to wait for the water to get cool to fatten them up. If you’re thinking about getting oysters make sure to go to www.myfwc.com and check for closure due to red tide or other toxins in the water before you go.

If you have a fishing story or photo that you would like to share or for charter information, please contact us at (239)283-7960 or www.fishpineisland.com. Have a safe week and good fishin’.