In late September we entered, our fall season began noticing cooler temperatures with less humidity. This makes it a great time to go fishing, because as the water temperatures continue cooling, the bite will continue to improve. What this means is that November should be an excellent time to escape the chill of the north or the heat of our Florida summers and schedule a fishing trip with Captain Woody Gore.
Having fished the Tampa West Coast waters for over fifty years, Capt. Woody offers a true professional full-time guided charter fishing service. Targeting some of our most sought after game fish snook, and redfish, spotted sea trout, cobia snapper, flounder, sheepshead, mackerel, tarpon, and inshore grouper.
As the days become less humid and grow more pleasurable you will be able to experience some of the best fishing in the “Fishing Capital of the World”…Florida.
Let’s Go Fishing This Month – Capt. Woody Gore
Snook season is open and greenbacks seem the bait of choice. We have also been catching them on cut bait lying on the bottom. Anglers using live bait should have no problem finding plenty of greenbacks, threadfins, or pinfish. It’s no unusual for a juvenile snook will chase down a greenback, but the larger fish are usually disinterested in pursuing any fast swimming bait. Instead, they seem content to take damaged or dead bait off the bottom. A simple technique I have been using to slow down my live bait is to break its back or cut off the tail fins.
If you’re an artificial lure angler topwater lures do well on an early morning grass flat. Topwater lures are loads of fun especially the unanticipated explosion, when least expected. My 
topwater choice includes MirrOlure’s Top Dogs, or 7M’s, then later in the day switching over to soft plastics on a jig head.
Redfish seem to be on every grass flat and are eating live and dead baits. We are catching plenty of nice size fish with many in the thirty plus range. Grass flats with broken bottom, submerged oyster bars and mangrove shorelines throughout the bay hold hungry Redfish. Greenbacks, dollar size pins, cut bait and patience do the trick.
On the other hand, if you are interested in something different, perhaps it is time to try artificial lures. Fall and winter are great times to use them. Artificial’s give the fish a look at something different, like color, shape and action or any one or combination of might entice them to strike. Some lures float, dive or suspend and usually require a learning curve, but that is half the fun. Fishing artificial lures is a talent, but one you will surely enjoy once you have mastered the techniques. It’s always been my experience that the best way to learn to fish artificial lures is never take live bait along; this way you will not tempted switch if you do not catch something right away. It’s called it fishing what you brought.
Spotted Sea Trout actions on the upswing with good reports when fishing strong tide days around deepwater flats. They are eating shrimp, pinfish, and greenbacks. Deeper flats, good moving water, and a popper cork or free lined greenback or shrimp prove deadly in catching nice Trout. In addition, some great action on calm days with topwater artificial lures like the MirrOlure 7M or Top Dog Jr.
Cobia can show up on the back of large Rays and Manatees. Check buoys and markers and keep an eye out when Mackerel fishing using a chum bag. Have a good rig ready because they tend to pop up at the most inopportune time… like when you are not ready. Many times, we have been fishing for mackerel and looked behind the boat to see one or two cobia hanging around the outboard.
Mackerel action should remain strong as long as we have bait. Look for the diving birds and you have probably found a school of mackerel, jacks, or ladyfish; also look for schools of threadfins or glass minnows and you will usually find the same thing. Try using 40# to 50# SeaGuar Fluorocarbon Leader with long shank #2 or #3 hooks. No need to go expensive on the hooks, you loose plenty. Free line the baits in the current with a #3 split-shot weight.
Black Tip Sharks are following the mackerel with schooling fish in the fifteen to twenty-five pound range willing to eat live bait. Rig like you would for mackerel and enjoy the fun on light tackle.
Mangrove Snapper have flooded Tampa Bay grass flats, bridges, markers and docks fishing with small greenies and shrimp should produce some nice sized fish often tipping the scales around the 1 to 3 pounds. Lighter Seaguar fluorocarbon leader, small slip sinker, a # 1 hook and you’re in business.
“Give Me a Call & Let’s Go Fishing” – 813-477-3814 Captain Woody Gore is the area’s top outdoor fishing guide. Guiding and fishing the Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, Bradenton, and Sarasota areas for over fifty years; he offers world class fishing adventures and a lifetime of memories.
Single or Multi-boat Group Charters are all the same. With years of organizational experience and access to the areas most experienced captains, Woody can arrange and coordinate any outing or tournament. Just tell him what you need and it’s done. Visit his website at WWW.CAPTAINWOODYGORE.COM, send an email to wgore@ix.netcom.com or give him a call at 813-477-3814.