The trolling bite in Destin during November is not the best. The water temperature is cooling off, and the Spanish and king mackerel are migrating back south.
At the beginning of the month you may find yourself catching a few Spanish and kings here and there, but it dies off quickly.
This month when throwing a live bait out its best to start switching over to a mono leader and get away from the wire leaders.
This time of year you can still find bonita all over. Its best to catch them trolling lures, and you may even stumble upon a black fin tuna. Trolling live bait will also produce bonita, and a possible blackfin, and this time of year you may see a sailfish here and there but it is not very common.
The bottom fishing in November tends to be very productive. The main target for bottom fishing is vermilion snapper.
Vermillion snapper are one of the best eating fish in the Gulf of Mexico, although they are not the hardest fighting fish, they are still a good little fight. Most of the fishing for vermilions is done over a natural bottom, on two hook rigs. The bait used for these fish is usually squid, bonito chunks, or salted mackerel.
White snapper are usually caught while fishing for vermillion snapper as well.
Grouper fishing this time of year can be more productive than other months. Red grouper and gag grouper are usually open, and are a very fun fight and an excellent addition to the dinner table. These can be caught fishing over a good active bottom, and caught with big live or dead baits. These fish tend to hang out close to the bottom and like to eat larger baits then make a dash towards the bottom, so its important to get them up a few cranks before they break the line!
Another fish often targeted in November is triggerfish. They are typically caught in the same way as vermilion snapper. Triggerfish can be tricky though. They have lots of small and very sharp teeth, so that bite may be hard to feel, but when you hook a big keeper you’ll be sure to know!
If you are looking to go fishing during the month of November then jump over to the Book Now page to see the details including our prices.
Don’t forget to check out our boats that we have for you to go fishing in Destin! Be sure to have a look at the Destin, Florida October Fishing Report if you are planning an October fishing trip to Destin, Florida anytime soon.
