11/16/16 November Fishing in Islamorada

November is rolling by and it is finally feeling like winter here.  Temperatures have been in the 70s during the day and we’ve had a few mild fronts (we are having one right now) where it’s been getting in the 60s at night.  This brings the most significant changes to our fishery as things cool off.  Spanish mackerel have been in the gulf and I’ve been doing a good bit of fishing for them.  The action is hot and heavy with a lot of larger size fish back there.  We’ve also gotten a few cobia and permit on some wrecks out there, plus the occasional triple tail off the crab pot buoys.  In the backcountry, snook, redfish, and black drum fishing is getting better and better.  This fishing can get very good when we have the hard cold fronts of winter.  Sometimes those fish get stacked up after a good cool off, and you can sit and catch ’em one after another for a good period of time.  While it’s not an every day occurrence, you can bet we will have the conditions over the next few months once in a while.  Out on the ocean side the patch reefs are just alive with fish.  Porgy, snapper, grouper, and hogfish are the usual suspects in those areas.  Hogfish are one of my favorite eating fish and if you taste one, you’ll soon agree!  Anyways it’s a great time to come fishing in the keys, if you are down here drop me a line and let’s get out on the water!

Capt. Rick Stanczyk

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