Sun is shining and the weather is easy. The current flats and nearshore shallow water fishing in the lower Florida Keys couldn't be much better for the month of November. Juvenile tarpon and snook are bunching together. Redfish can be found in their more overlooked locations. Large bonefish are making a strong appearance on a few select flats. And the permit, oh the permit, I sometimes think there is just more and more of them around each year. Aside from the more prized sport and gamefish, good numbers of sea-trout, pompano, jacks, and large barracuda can also be found in the lower Keys backcountry right now. The word variety pretty much sums it up, and with large snapper filets to go home with, it is currently a great time to fish the flats and backcountry of the lower Florida Keys and Key West.
Weather is a factor for this time of year and it does dictate what is within a possible fishing realm. Warmth and light winds open up the entire spectrum, while cool air frontal conditions will somewhat limit you to the more aggressive predatory species. Good news is, future weather conditions appear to be quite mild, and it looks like we have at least another month or so of stable water temps and conditions, which means great gamefish potential. The cool and crisp air that upcoming months will produce make for very desirable conditions for both angler and fish.
For those who enjoy the sport in artificial lure fishing, the next few months offer great potential here as well. Sebile lures and their ultra realistic designs fool Florida Keys fish like no other. With a wide variety in design and color, Sebile has certainly found a niche in saltwater lure fishing. The action I see from these lures makes it hard to use any other while on the water. Lure fishing the many backwater areas of the lower Keys offers a very unique and exciting opportunity where action is plentiful. The next few months offer the best potential for this.
Fly-fisherman can expect good action from a variety of species during our upcoming months as well. As stated before, if the air temps are mild and the wind speed is low, I have seen this time of year out perform our Spring months in respect to variety. If high winds do prevail throughout a day, plenty of sight fly fishing potential for large barracuda, juvenile sharks, and redfish exists on any windy day near mangrove shorelines hidden from the wind. I often prefer the days I am forced to explore the seemingly endless amount of sheltered shallow water areas of the lower Keys, you will never see more scenic fishing ground.
I have plenty of availability for the next few months and I always enjoy showing people our productive fishing potential during a more overlooked time of year. Slots are running low for next year's sport and gamefish season, and for all of those onboard I'm looking forward to it. Check out http://keywestflatsfishing.cc for more info, thanks for reading.
