Editor’s Note: Rob Kritzmire, owner of Rob’s Inshore Fishing, operating out of Romar Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama, says that November is one of the best fishing months on Alabama’s Gulf Coast.

Redfish

I fish under the bridge at Perdido Pass and out in the Pass and the Gulf of Mexico at this time of year. During November, the big pods of bull redfish begin to move down the beach at Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. These bull redfish will be anywhere from 1/2- to 1-mile offshore and usually will weigh from 20- to 30-pounds each. We find redfish by watching for the seagulls diving on baitfish. The big reds will be holding in 30 to 50 feet of water, and we’ll use large amberjack jigs to catch them.

These giant redfish will remain close to shore from now until the end of January. Some days, we’ll catch and release 20 to 25 of these monster reds, but you only can keep one per angler. We’re catching these fish on 15- to 20-pound-test line. If you’ll be coming down to fish for these big redfish, be sure to bring your video or digital camera with plenty of memory cards, because there will be a lot of rod-bending action and numbers of photo opportunities. Anglers from around the country come to Alabama’s Gulf Coast at this time of year for a fishing trip of a lifetime and to catch and release these monster-sized golden fish. Since we’re using light tackle, big redfish will put up a great fight, and they’re really a lot of fun to catch and release.

Flounder

The flounder are starting to pick up right now, and November is a really-good month for catching flounder. The big 3 to 5 pounders are due to come in the first of the month. We catch flounder drifting in the Pass and in deep holes off sandbars. The flounder will be taking bull minnows, shrimp and LYs. On a good day of flounder fishing, we’ll catch between five and 10 flounder.

Speckled Trout

At this time of year, we also catch big speckled trout around grass beds and on flats. Speckled trout are biting croakers, LYs, menhaden or Berkley’s Gulp! baits. The average trout we’ll catch in November will weigh 3 to 4 pounds with an occasional 5 to 6 pounder. On a 4- or a 5-hour trip, we’ll usually catch six to 12 speckled trout. Normally, I’ll fish inside Perdido Pass, but right now, large schools of pinfish have moved inside. So, we’ve found that by fishing in the Pass or just outside the Pass to get away from the pinfish that steal and eat our baits, we catch more quality fish in the deep holes.

Black Snapper

We’re also catching a phenomenal number of small black snapper (gray snapper) inshore during November. The black snapper has to be 12-inches long before we can keep it. On an average day of fishing, we’ll usually pick-up several black snapper, which are great fighting fish. If you catch black snapper that are big enough to keep, they’re also a delicious-eating fish. We can keep 10 of these snapper per day, per person. I have several spots where I can locate plenty of keeper black snapper for my clients.

Sheepshead

During November, large numbers of big sheepshead, great fighting and delicious-tasting fish, also start to appear in this area. Numbers of sheepshead will be around the Perdido Pass Bridge, out on the jetties and on the artificial reefs.

The good news about fishing Alabama’s Gulf Coast in November is our weather’s still fairly warm that month, which means we can target a wide variety of species and generally always catch fish. If the weather’s rough, we can move inside Perdido Pass and fish in protected waters.

To enjoy a great inshore fishing trip this month, come to Alabama’s Gulf Coast. We’ll have beautiful weather and plenty of fish to catch. All we need are fishermen to come fish with us.

Learn more about fishing with Rob Kritzmire by calling 251-980-1228 or visiting www.robsinshore.com.