This time of year, the weather can be rough, but brave souls are rewarded. Here are some options for late-fall action from around the country.
Bottomfish Off Boston
Boston, Massachusetts, is a winter wonderland in November, and hardy anglers are rewarded with tasty holiday dinners. Pete Santini at Fishing Finatics says to bundle up and fish Stellwagen Bank for haddock and cod. He recommends a Santini Pelican Green Rig. “Bait the rig with squid or clam and use a 16-ounce silver spoon in place of a sinker,” he advises. Santini recommends fishing on a headboat with features like heated handrails and cozy bunks to combat the cold and wet. Inshore, tautog and hold-over striped bass are the best options. “All the pilings and rocks from Everett to Charlestown and South Boston hold blackfish,” he says. Pull ’tog from structure with a ’tog jig baited with a crab or sea worm. Striper anglers catch hold-overs by casting plugs or trolling tube lures around river mouths and the Amelia Earhart Dam.
Sight-Fish Carolina Reds
“As the water temperature drops, the water gets clearer and it’s easier to spot redfish swimming in the shallows,” says Graham Cotter at Southern Drawl Outfitters in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Cool water and passing cold fronts encourage redfish to school up, creating perfect conditions for sight-fishing. Scheduling requires a low tide and a bluebird sunny day. “Take advantage of the three or four days between cold fronts,” Cotter says. Fish two or three hours on either side of the low tide. When he spots reds, Cotter casts a Z-Man Kicker CrabZ on a ⅛-ounce weedless jig head. In clear water, he favors a natural crab color with red or gold flake. For fly anglers, Cotter recommends an 8-weight rod with a 9-foot, 20-pound-test leader and a 3-inch swimbait fly.
Texas Surf to the Rigs
David Williams at Roy’s Bait and Tackle Outfitters says late-fall fishing in Corpus Christi, Texas, happens inshore, offshore and from shore. Inshore anglers are excited about black drum joining the ubiquitous redfish and sea trout. Anglers use shrimp or Fishbites to score black drum. “Trout and reds are looking for a slower presentation with suspending twitchbaits or soft plastics,” Williams says. Offshore anglers fish overnight at the floating oil rigs for yellowfin tuna to 100 pounds. “At night they fish cut bait and diamond jigs around the rigs,” Williams says. During the day, yellowfin spread out and anglers turn to trolling or change targets to bottomfish while keeping an eye out for breaking tuna. Keep spinning rods rigged with topwater lures in case tuna surface. But you don’t need to leave the beach for good fishing. Pompano fishing heats up for anglers swinging long surf rods to cast bottom rigs baited with mole crabs.
Cali. Fish/Crab Combo
San Francisco, California-area anglers count the days until the dungeness crab opener. Junior Qasemi of Berkeley Marina Sportsmans Center runs combo fishing and crabbing trips. “We drop the gear on the way out, then fish for lingcod and rockfish all day.” On the trip back, they retrieve the gear and split the catch. A big determiner of the season’s success revolves around groundfish regulations. Since fisheries managers have opened up California bottom fishing (both inshore and offshore), Qasemi says anglers can expect easier fishing and a shorter trip. Past seasons with only offshore waters open to bottomfishing meant a longer run to the fishing grounds. To fish the bottom for rockfish, anglers use two-hook dropper-loop rigs with squid strips or live anchovies. To focus on trophy ling cod, Qasemi recommends a larger live bait such as a sardine or a 7-inch swimbait on a heavy jig head. At the end of the day, anglers can expect a limit of bottomfish and crab.
