11/16/16 November Backcountry Fishing Report

November is half way through and it's starting to feel a little like winter here in the Florida Keys.  We've had a couple mild 'cool fronts' so far, and just last night it dipped into the high 60s again and will be again over the weekend.  Normal for this time of year.  We had some nice calmer days though now the winds have kicked up again out of the north/northeast as the cooler air is moving in.  Fishing has been good overall though with a lot of the normal winter time fisheries starting to fire up.  The spanish mackerel have been around for a few weeks, it hasn't been super consistent yet for catching them but when conditions are right it has been pretty good.  Sometimes we've had to move around until we find the right colored water and falling tides have been optimum in the gulf.  There has also been a few permit around some of the wrecks out there we got one on each of the last couple trips out there.  Some nice cobias as well Dan last week got a cobia and permit on a wreck with me.  There was even a big 400 lb goliath grouper trying to eat our cobias and mackerels which was awesome to see!  Tripletails haven't been swarming but if you look we've been seeing a handful on the buoys, but not really worth riding around until you see them but if you are going from spot to spot, it's worth keeping an eye out.  Capt. Mike Bassett has also reported good gulf fishing described above, as did Capt. John Johansen.  In the backcountry the snook, redfish, and black drum fishing has been decent.  We got a few nice snook, reds, and a black drum in the last couple hours of our day the other day which was a great way to end it.  That should get better as things continue to cool off.  Usually right after the first good cold front we know things can really turn on for the drum and snook around some of the deeper creek areas.  Capt.  Jim Willcox has reported some good redfish fishing in the deeper creeks of cape sable.  Out on the patch reefs fishing is getting better too there have been plenty of porgies and variety of snappers.  Some hogfish are starting to be caught as well.  Capt. Bill Bassett had some nice hogs today plus a variety of the other mentioned fish, as did Capt. Perry Scuderi and Capt. Vinnie Biondoletti.  Capt. Clyde Upchurch had some good local fishing the last week, getting into plenty of rod benders (jacks, ladyfish, snappers) and even getting a few local snook and small barracudas as well.  Capt. Skip Nielsen reported some nice size mangrove snappers on some of the deeper patch reefs and a few mackerels out there as well.  Capt. Chris Daly has a nice snook and couple small tarpon fishing the other day in the backcountry.  There have still been a few tarpon around back there though that will likely start slowing down as the water temps drop into the lower 70/high 60 degree range.  

Capt. Rick Stanczyk