Thread: Thanksgiving Fishing

Hello Everyone, we usually come down to Gulf Shores around the first of October. This year though it will be the week of Thanksgiving before we make it down. I was just wandering how cool the weather will be by then and how good the fishing will be? Thanks

Late November is usually a good time to visit the pier.
Often the water temp is in transition with whiting and bluefish in abundance.
Other fish like pompano, speckled trout & redfish should be there as well.

Here are my perceptions about late November and whiting fishing. Cool is good. Some of the best mornings start off with a light frost. My advice is to stay away from the store-bought double-drop rig with a triangle weight in favor of a Carolina rig with as small of a weight as you can get away with for the current and wind conditions. My leader is 10-12 fluorocarbon and I retie/replace after about 4-5 fish. Feel for rough spots just above the hook at every opportunity. Slot redfish can be caught on the same rig as you use for whiting, but I upsize my tackle because redfish do not seem to mind a little larger leader size. Also, I often use whole, fresh-dead shrimp for reds. Cut bait (mullet, pin fish or "L-Ys") will also catch them. If you see a school of fish don't splash your bait down right on top of them. Cast past the fish and quietly allow your bait to achieve proximity to the fish. From there, just let them find it. Around Thanksgiving is a great time to fish. Wear layers, because typically you'll be shedding the outer ones as the weather warms during the morning. Typically, it's in the 40s or so starting out, warming to the 60s. but extremes can go 10 degrees in either direction, generally speaking.