The fishing in Sebastian Inlet in November was been very good due to the normal than usual weather and the abundance of bait in our area. The daytime bite for snook and redfish has been great on live bait during both tides. The bite will change as the colder temps move in but we have unseasonable warm weather predicted till early December. The evening/night time bite for Snook, Redfish, tarpon and sharks will be strong the night of and a few nights after a cold front comes through. Bucktail jigs, Rapala XRaps, hogy paddle tail lures will all catch their fair share of fish. The nights with the worst weather will be the best nights to fish, strong NE winds and rain will turn the bite on for several hours. Along with the gamefish, action will also be steady with jacks, Bluefish and ladyfish in the inlet during the daytime and night!
The flounder fishing has been pretty good in the lagoon and in the inlet with several fish in the lagoon to 7lbs caught lately and fish to 9 lbs in the inlet. Fish the lagoon with 3/8 ounce jighead with a DOA Paddle worked slow along the mangrove shorelines that have bait around them. In the inlet use finger mullet or mud minnows and rig the mullet on a 4/0 VMC circle hook on 15-20lb leader tied to a swivel 12-18 inches above the leader. Use a sliding sinker above the swivel heavy enough to feel the bottom in the current. Fish the edges of the channel and along the rocks that line the south and north shorelines.
Pompano have been in the lagoon and in the inlet but the warmer than normal water temps along with the dirty water have made it harder to target them. When the temps cool down a bit and the water cleans up, the fish in the lagoon and in the inlet and should be easier to catch. Target areas with moving water around spoil islands or sand bars inshore or fish the inlet and along the beaches just south of the inlet with jigs, shrimp or sand fleas. The Pompano will be working the bars looking for shrimp, crabs or small clams washing over the bars. Best artificial baits are Doc’s Goofy jigs or soft plastics such as DOA Shrimp and the Mirrolure Lil Jon on a ¼ ounce jighead.
Anglers looking to get out of the wind can fish the creeks from Sebastian to Eau Gallie during the December cold fronts. Jacks, ladyfish, trout, snook and redfish will all move into the creeks and provide plenty of action. Anglers can also find good numbers of black drum and mangrove snapper in the creeks to provide action during the winter on live bait.