November is one of my favorite months to fish. Spanish mackerel and kingfish are on their trek south, and grouper are moving to shallow depths to forage. The only drawbacks to this time of year are the passing cold fronts.

Fronts will move entire groups of mackerel and bait out of an area. This means that fish that were in one area before a front probably will not be there once the weather settles. The ideal weather scenario is for a high-pressure system to settle in for a week or more, allowing the water to clear and the fish to set up in one area. The recent passage of numerous fronts has made it difficult to predict where the migratory species will be.

All reports indicate that a large number of king mackerel are well to our north; so, if the weather will cooperate, we could have a fine Thanksgiving spiced with some decent fishing. If the seas are calm, look for bait schools to tip you off to the whereabouts of the kings.

My recent outings from Clearwater indicate that grouper are holding in good numbers from 40 feet on out to all depths.

Regarding grouper, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission conducted a final public hearing on a proposed rule to increase the minimum size limit of gag and black grouper to 22 inches total length for recreational harvesters in Gulf of Mexico state waters and approved the rule to go into effect Jan. 1. The 22-inch law has been in effect in federal waters for some time.

- Gary Folden charters the Strike Zone out of Clearwater Municipal Marina. Call (727) 585-8544

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