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Catching Speckled Trout, Redfish and Flounder on the Eastern Shore with Captain William Manci in November

By: John Phillips

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Editor’s Note: Captain William Manci of Eastern Shore Outfitters, guides and fishes on the Gulf Coast and the Eastern Shore area of Mobile Bay. This month, he’ll tell us what we can expect to catch inshore.

Question: William, what kind of inshore fishing can we expect this month?
Manci: This month, the inshore fishing will be really good. Speckled trout, redfish and flounder move up into the rivers all along the Gulf Coast in November. We’ll be catching fish in the Mobile River, the Tensaw River, the Blakely River and the Apalachee River. The fish will be holding near points and some of the deeper holes in the river, as well as along bottom changes.

Question: What do you use to catch speckled trout in the rivers?
Manci: I generally use 3-inch grubs in the electric-chicken color. I like a 3/8-ounce lead head on 8-pound-test line with spinning tackle.

Question: How do you fish the grubs?
Manci: I like to put the grubs about 3 feet under a popping cork. I’ll generally pop the cork twice and then let the grub settle. If I don’t get a bite, I’ll pop it two times, let it sit still for about 15 seconds and then repeat the same action. Typically, the trout will take the bait after you pop it, when it’s settling. But I have had trout attack just as I’ve been popping the cork and in-between the first and the second pop. The size of the school usually determines the aggressiveness of the trout. When there’s more fish in the school, the trout tend to bite more aggressively.

Question: How big are the trout you catch?
Manci: They generally will measure from 16 to 24 inches. Cooler weather causes the trout to start leaving the bays and move into the rivers. Too, there are more shrimp in the rivers at this time of year.

Question: What is your favorite river to fish?
Manci: I like the Blakely River because it has many points and cuts. In a morning of fishing during November, we often can catch 40 to 50 trout per person, but we only can keep 10 per person.

Question: Where do you find your redfish this month?
Manci: The redfish will be up the river mixed-in with the speckled trout, holding on structure like pilings and tree tops. When I’m fishing for redfish, I’ll usually tip my grub with a piece of dead shrimp. Typically, you catch redfish bottom-hopping your jig, but I’ve also caught redfish on a popping cork. Many times the redfish will be holding in shallow water. So, even though you’re fishing with a popping cork, your jig will be close to the bottom. My jig usually will run from 6 inches to 1 foot off the bottom.

Question: How many redfish do you expect to catch in one day of November fishing?
Manci: We’ll usually catch 10 to 12 per person, and we can keep three per person.

Question: Will you be catching any white trout at this time of year?
Manci: You often will catch a few white trout, but the white-trout fishing is generally the most productive in October but starts to taper off in November. However, there will be good numbers of flounder up the rivers this month. We generally catch flounder when we’re fishing for redfish because flounder hold on the bottom where the redfish are concentrated. I fish for flounder with a grub tipped with a dead shrimp or a bull minnow. When I’m fishing with a bull minnow, I’ll use a No. 2 Kale hook and a split shot about 10 or 12 inches up the line. Fishing piers, docks, tree tops and the middles of the rivers often will pay-off in big flounder dividends.

Question: Do you ever see any working birds at this time of year?
Manci: Yes, we do. The trout will move under the schools of shrimp and start pushing the shrimp to the surface where the birds can dive on them and eat them. If you spot birds diving and picking up shrimp off the surface of the water, you can be sure there are flounder under those shrimp.

To fish with Captain Manci, call 251-269-7463, or visit www.easternshoreoutfitters.org.