SFR Confessional: I kinda hate November

Sorta fishing-related
Novembers and really November thru February were what made me decide to move from Ocean Shores back home to a bit south of Seattle. You likely don't know rain like I know rain. Edit to add wind. So much wind.

Down there this weekend. We had fun in the rain.

Oyhut is a nice little place.
 
I find that every month offers a veritable cornucopia of recreational options best suited to whatever weather conditions occur...
QFT

For the rest of you...

What's with the November sucks for bass sentiment? Had my best day (albeit dirt baggin) of the season on the 1st.

Followed on the 2nd with my best coho day on a non blown out river.

Looking forward to some chum action and what I think is the best month for my favorite Central WA and OR lakes.

If La Nina does it's thing, lift served skiing at the local hill should be open before Thanksgiving.

A lot to like about the month if you look.

Not to be a complete contrarian, I agree the lack of daylight hours is a bummer.
 
I used to really dislike winters in the PNW until I discovered SRC fishing. Winters from shore or the boat on the sound though sometimes cold, really brighten my mood. We also start winter with a warm weather vacation and end it with one as well. Hawaii and Costa Rica trips are on the horizon, split by warm fires and TV catch up. I also get to sleep more with less fishing options and take better care of myself exercise and diet wise. I see winter as reset mode for spring and summer.

I could definitely live without soggy wet yards with hidden poo mounds though. My backyards is sloppy from November until the grass starts filling out in the spring. Regardless of weather it seems.
 
Last edited:
In September last year I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. November brought ADT. Along comes March/April this year and 28 doses of radiation. Last month I was given a clean bill of health: no cancer. I LOVE November and the other 11 months as well.

Last night a south wind with heavy rain blew across the bay pelting this little beach cottage with rain, sand, eelgrass, conifer needles and other sorts of debris. Then the power failed. Ocean Shores is AWESOME in November.
 
Novembers and really November thru February were what made me decide to move from Ocean Shores back home to a bit south of Seattle. You likely don't know rain like I know rain. Edit to add wind. So much wind.
Well I’m sitting at the kitchen table in our son’s place in Oak Harbor. The wind is ripping here. Tried to visit a fishing buddy and my former boss in Sequim today, but the Coupeville/Port Townsend ferry has not been operating in these conditions.

I love November in Eastern Washington. Fall fishing can be great and upland bird hunting is good most years.
 
Mouth of the Deschutes is deserted and still plenty of fish around generally sunny...
I’m with Rob on this one. Still some steelhead around, and the trout are still keyed on eggs.
 
I think it's a pretty standard view that NOV is the worse month in the NW. March can stink too.

No backpacking
No Dayhiking
No Climbing
No much gardening or yard stuff to do or be rewarded by
Poor fishing
No Skiing
Bad biking

Generally 35 and raining.
 
I move south to southern Nevada in Late Sept...so Nov here is the end of triple digit temps...get to watch my football team lose in person...and usually go to HI or Tahiti in Nov when it's best for big bones...

So, I kinda like November...
 
Mid October/November used to be the start of fishing season for me. Busy during the summer, git out and all, but no opportunities for multi day stuff, or travel.
Really can't muster up hate for an entire month, too broad a brush at this point. Now individual days in a month, no problem there.
;)
 
I'm not saying there aren't any reasons to like Nov in the PNW. Some of you have obviously got cool stuff still going on.

But I also think it depends a lot on where you are located. My rivers are blown, my bass lakes are closed, there's no real SRC action in my zone, steelhead are a myth at this point, ~40-45% that the ski area will open this month (10 year average), and we get hammered here by the fall storms.

That said, it is neat to hear what folks in other PNW areas are up to. Genuinely happy to hear from those of you who are still out having fall adventures.

Meanwhile, it's gusting to 55mph and dumping rain up here...
 
Creek fishing is done
Rivers CAN have fish, but are often blown out
Flooding
My solutions to fight the dreariness include



I 100% agree with
I’m a fan of Team November since it is my favorite month to fish for searun cutts by a wide margin.
and
I also get to sleep more with less fishing options and take better care of myself exercise and diet wise.

Plus I am in a group of fishing club buddies that chip in to stock a private lake at a resort and fish it once or twice a month until June.
 
Meanwhile, it's gusting to 55mph and dumping rain up here...
Lol

Sun is out, calm, no rain.
What started out as a shitshow turned into a nice Fall day here...hell it's 60⁰ out and very pleasant.

But then again...
Quilcene is widely acknowledged as God's Country...as well as being the center of the known world....but that part can be said about anyplace on a round planet.
😄
 
November is weather dependant. Some late Summers can come in with the rains, and Coho are still around on some systems. But just as likely the rivers will blow and you'll be stuck inside. Cross over the mountains to the east side and you'll get stuck there by a freak snowstorm (don't ask me how I know this o_O) I agree with the others who suggested November is a good month to get outta town. Mexico/Hawaii are decent options. I'm in Texas right now visiting the inlaws. It's in the upper 70s and if the tornados/hail don't hit us I plan to do some golfing at the local links and also hit a local lake for some surface action on jumbo ditch pickles. Waiting for the toilet flush take or just watching the wake as they zero in are two of my favorite things. Dirtbaggery fishing this year as I didn't pack my 9wt.
 
November seems to be that time of the year when some are predisposed to post inconsequential drivel on the inner tubes.:cool:
 
Novembers and really November thru February were what made me decide to move from Ocean Shores back home to a bit south of Seattle. You likely don't know rain like I know rain. Edit to add wind. So much wind.
Lincoln City, where we lived on the OR coast, averages 82" of rain a year, frequently gets more, and one hella soggy winter of non-stop storms (including one with 95 mph winds) and flooding rivers we recorded 109"... by the end of that winter even the mold had mold on it.

And just 30 miles east of that location is Laurel Mountain, considered the wettest spot in OR, which in 1996 recorded 204" of annual rain.
 
QFT

For the rest of you...

What's with the November sucks for bass sentiment? Had my best day (albeit dirt baggin) of the season on the 1st.

Followed on the 2nd with my best coho day on a non blown out river.

Looking forward to some chum action and what I think is the best month for my favorite Central WA and OR lakes.

If La Nina does it's thing, lift served skiing at the local hill should be open before Thanksgiving.

A lot to like about the month if you look.

Not to be a complete contrarian, I agree the lack of daylight hours is a bummer.
After our Pagan xmas of the Winter Solstice (about December 21st) one can enjoy the slowly increasing length of daylight hours...

And if we could get rid of the total DST blasphemy I'd be a happy camper....but I suspect a concerted effort by mankind to solve climate change is about as equally likely to occur.
 
Back
Top