Shore Thing Fishing Report, 11/1/2023

November 1, 2023

With colder weather right around the corner, conditions will be changing - which gets fish on the move. You'll find them in the marshes, deeper holes, and the near-shore reefs.

- by Sonny Schindler, Shore Thing Fishing Charters

Captain Kyle Jarreau and Justin Jeffcoat with two huge bull reds (released) caught south of Bay St Louis.

The big cold fronts will be hitting this week. Thus far, the area’s high salinity and enormous amount of bait in the area have kept the fishing very good. This jolt to the water temperature will likely send fish into the marshy areas and the deeper holes.
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We are getting reports of big sheepshead coming in. This is great news, especially since this is very early for a big push of sheepshead. On windy days, you’ll have those tasty hard fighting critters close to home on the bridges and nearshore reefs – that’s good news.

Haley Easley, Jr. from Greenwood, Miss., with a hefty flounder he caught near Cat Island.

 
This past week, we have seen some incredible action on the gigantic bull reds that are still lingering. Most of the schools we have been fishing have been terrorizing the jumbo shrimp still in the Mississippi Sound and the Louisiana marsh. We have been using pelicans and terns to locate the schools. When you find them, the birds tell you which way they are pushing, and you try to get ahead of them or cut them off. It has really been a lot of fun.
 

Kurt Landry Forshag with a big speckled trout he caught in the Louisiana Marsh.

 
The game plan for speckled trout has been drifting over oyster reefs or shell bottoms in three to five feet of water. The cooling water temperatures should keep these fish on the move. One day, they will be on one reef, and the next day, they will be on another. Stick and move is the best game plan there. Give it five minutes or so, and you’ll know whether they are there. Moving water is also a big help.
 

Big sheepshead for a lucky angler out of Pass Christian.

 
The nearshore reefs along Hancock County should be a safe bet in this cooling water. The great thing about the nearshore reefs is you never know what you’re going to catch. Some days it’s black drum, others it will be speckled trout, and sometimes it’s redfish and sheepshead.
 
Just pay attention to your weather. When these big cold fronts hit, the wind and the seas are no joke. Try to fish the day before the front hits; the fish usually feed much more aggressively then.
 

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