When the weather window of opportunity is open, anglers often experience great days for Texas Big Three.

Story and Photography by  Danno Wise

By November, autumn has arrived along the Texas coast and, actually, is quickly yielding to winter. In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, the first few fronts have pushed away seasonal visitors – both aquatic and land-based. As a result, there are fewer fishermen on the water and the focus of those who are is squarely back on the “Big 3” of the Texas coast — speckled trout, redfish and flounder. But, there is a dramatic transition of fishing patterns for these species in Texas bays during this time, meaning fishermen need to be flexible and ready to adapt to frequently changing conditions in order to consistently be successful this month.

During November anglers can expect to experience a little bit of everything when it comes to conditions. On any given day, fishing can be like fall or winter. It can pendulum back and forth between the two as fronts pass and weather conditions change.

Anglers can still have great conditions for sightcasting or they may experience spring-like winds before and during fronts. Fish may be found on skinny flats or in deep holes and channels. Really, fishing in November is more reliant on weather than just about any other month of the year.

Because of this, November can provide anglers with memorable days on the water as well as a lot of blown out days because of the frequency and severity of fronts. However, a consistent pattern of fronts moving through the coast generally begins to emerge by month’s end. At that point, anglers can plan and time their trips around fronts, with the best fishing usually occurring a couple days after a front has passed and lasting until the next front is about to push through.