WATKINS
• Ultra-Lightweight Construction
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T2C-MTCSK
TC-FBCSK
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Jay Watkins is our January cover angler, displaying a very healthy late-fall speckled trout. Jay says, “Fish like this represent the importance of catch and release. This fish is going to be truly special in two more years, if released to continue spawning and growing.” We agree 100%, Jay. And thanks for your leadership in helping conserve the resource.
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January Issue Highlights
HELLO 2025!
Here we go again, a brand new year full of brand new opportunities. I have to admit that I’m pretty excited. Let’s take a look.
First up would be the promise of a stronger national economy. Polling data indicated that the economy was the single most important issue with voters during the recent election. Consumers have been on edge for several years and rightfully so. Inflation took a big bite out of discretionary income; and naturally, this caused lots of folks to rein in their spending habits. No surprise, outdoor recreation was one of the hardest hit sectors. Hopefully, with a new administration and the promise of new economic policies, 2025 will be a better year for folks to be able to afford more tackle and associated gear purchases, and more time on the water.
Next would be the fishing itself. Speckled trout are the most popular and most soughtafter saltwater species in Texas. Mother Nature dealt this fishery a cruel blow on Valentine’s Day 2021; lots of fish died during that icy blast they named Winter Storm Uri and the fishery is finally
showing solid signs of recovery. Without a doubt, restructuring the bag limits helped, both the emergency measures and definitely the current 3-fish daily bag. Thank you, TPWD. I also want to recognize the efforts of the recreational anglers that put the resource ahead of killing all the law allowed every time they went fishing the past three years. I do not believe the recovery could have occurred so quickly without this. 2025 is already off to a good start and looking to be a very good year overall. Many thanks for the CPR effort, you’ve done a wonderful job!
Now for the fun part; plan a party and invite all your family and fishing buddies. Plan it right away, hopefully the day will be cold and too windy to fish, so you won’t miss anything on the water. The plan here is to get everybody in synch with their fishing schedules for the New Year. Don’t be the guy or group that waits till the last minute to book the guides or lodges you want to fish with, and either cannot get a date or end up with one that’s not very fishy. The solunar calendar is a great tool for selecting the best dates. If nothing else it’ll be a heck of a good reason to throw a party.
So there you have it folks. I cannot help but think 2025 is going to be a good year. We should have a few extra bucks in our pockets and the fishing is going to be better. Let’s all make a resolution to fish more in the New Year!
Clay Hafner with a good looking East Matagorda trout!
2024 RECAP
New Era…New Approach
STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN
My three clients and I idled away from the marina just before dawn. It was a crisp late November morning, two days after a cold front. Prior to the front the trout we’d been catching were somewhat scattered over a large area of this particular oyster reef because of the unseasonably warm weather. Despite them being spread out there were enough of them to enable us to work small slicks and pods of surfacing mullet to eventually pick off 30 or 40 solid ones each day. As we made our way across the bay the wheels in my brain were turning more RPM’s than my Suzuki outboard. I knew that the recent front would likely concentrate these previously “scattered” fish, but I also wasn’t sure what kind of mood they would be in after gorging ahead of the front. Were they just going to be hugging the bottom in these bluebird high-barometric pressure conditions? In most cases this would be the expected outcome but, as always, we had several other variables to consider.
Prior to this particular cold front we had not experienced a significant front. Tides had been extremely high due to prevailing stiff east winds and low barometric pressure. Additionally, our salinities were high, even up in the far reaches of rivers and bayous. White shrimp and other forage species were stacked up just waiting to get flushed out by the first true norther. The stiff northwest wind did just that. Furthermore, our fish felt the water temperature drop triggering their instinctive need to feed.
Back to that morning…As we idled near the deep edge of this particular reef I could smell trout. I couldn’t see the slicks because there wasn’t a breath of wind. I immediately killed the big motor and lowered the trolling motor. We picked off six or seven trout up to 5 pounds while casting into a giant sheet of glass over this vast reef. Then a very light northeast breeze caused a ripple on the surface. About a hundred yards off my starboard bow I noticed a small slick but it was near a crab trap, so I didn’t think much of it. Within minutes another slick popped up 10 yards from the first one and the smell of watermelon filled the air. “Guys, reel in!” I said as I quietly trolled into position to set up on the slicks. The closer we got the more slicks emerged. We had slicks popping for at least a hundred yards ahead. We all tried to keep count but the action was insane. We all agreed that the final tally was likely around 150 trout to just over 6 pounds. I remember our baits of choice that morning were 5” Limetreuse Bass Assassins. The action took place while drifting a large well known reef in East Galveston Bay. The year was 2011 and at that time we thought we had millions of trout.
Now let’s fast forward to present day. As much as I would love to go find and work slicks on that particular oyster reef I know it would be a waste of time. I know because I’ve tried it many times. Then one day I came to the realization that I was forcing the issue and it simply wasn’t going to happen. That ship had sailed. Moving forward I eventually realized that using my God given senses to help me find fish would give way to fishing structure, and in most cases that structure would be man-made. My bottom machine would become as useful a tool as my eyes used to be. Are we still catching fish in our bay? Absolutely! We’re just having to do it a different way. Do we still have those 150 fish days? Not too many, but we do have quite a few 20 to 40 fish days, and 50 nowadays is career stuff especially to the younger fellas. There is most definitely hope.
Overall 2024 provided us with solid results in both Galveston and Matagorda Bays. While the Galveston Bay System showed some
improvements in trout numbers, the fish certainly weren’t on every street corner but we did experience a slight uptick in the number of three- to four-year old trout, which is very encouraging. I run quite a few trips in East Matagorda every year and I feel like they have a healthier trout stock, especially in terms of older fish as we’ve definitely released more trout in the 22- to 25-inch range. It’s also been my experience that despite the absence of seagrass beds in recent years, we’re still able find fish over natural oyster beds and along spartina-lined shorelines. We can still find fish using our eyes. In other words, if an area in East Matty looks fishy then most of the time it is. Here’s a list of some of my key observations from the Galveston Bay Complex for 2024:
• I always prefer drifting open water oyster reefs and working slicks, especially during the summer months. However, focusing more on structure such as crushed concrete erosion control walls, wells, and
Taylor Wooten with one of his giant open-water reds!
Frank Mistretta switched gears on the fly to trick this nice West Bay redfish!
Kent LeMonte got in on the redfish action after an awesome morning of trout fishing!
t was a great big-trout day for Darin Hittle while drifting slicks and muddy streaks over live oyster reef structure in East Matty!
other types of structure provides more opportunities nowadays.
• Rollover Pass being closed seems to have had a negative impact on East Galveston Bay, especially the far east end. Closing a “fish pass” leading in from the Gulf never made sense to me. Efforts are continuously being made up and down the Texas Coast to open passes while this important pass got closed.
• We continue to see fewer large schools of slot reds and more schools of oversized redfish, especially in the open bay. This holds true even during the winter months.
• Record amounts of fresh water flowing from the Trinity River into Trinity Bay resulted in extremely low salinity levels for months on end, especially during our main trout spawning months. This system is once again loaded with small trout with most ranging from 10 to 14 inches. The issue of annual fresh water inundation continually makes it difficult to re-establish a resident trout population in this particular part of our system.
• Seagrass beds are coming back in some parts of West Galveston Bay, which is very encouraging. I’ve also found several areas along shorelines with new oyster growth. Our wade fishing has been better and I think the addition of shoreline habitat plays a
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Redfish Madness!
significant role in that.
• Our winter trout fishing in recent years seems to be better in smaller nook and cranny areas, especially near bayous, back lakes and canals. Finding success while drifting open-water color streaks along the middle of West Galveston Bay hasn’t occurred in quite some time.
Overall, I’ve definitely seen an increase in the numbers of trout in the Galveston Bay System but we still have a long way to go. We have no problem catching trout here, we just can’t always catch them the way we used to or in the areas we did in years past. When all is said and done live oyster reefs are the driving force of a healthy fishery, especially for the bay systems from the Coastal Bend to Sabine. Our estuaries hang in the balance as they are constantly being impacted by human activities and environmental factors but, overall, I observed many positive signs in 2024. Happy New Year and let’s make it a great one!
STEVE HILLMAN
CONTACT
Steve Hillman is a full-time fishing guide on his home waters of Galveston Bay. Steve fishes the entire Galveston Bay Complex, wading and drifting for trout, redfish, and flounder using artificial lures.
Phone 4 09-256-7937
Email captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com
Web w ww.hillmanguideservice.com
mart anglers base decisions on proven principles, relying on conventional wisdom, hoping to hedge the bet in their favor. On average, this basic strategy works much better than making random decisions. Elite anglers recognize the need to play the percentages most of the time, but they also understand when to scrap conventional strategies and methods in favor of things which superficially seem counterproductive.
Most of the time, some subtle shift in the prevailing conditions creates the need for relying on unconventional wisdom. Elements which can negatively affect the bite-rate include changes in the strength and direction of tidal movements, wind shifts, and other sudden changes in the weather. In many cases, one of these elements spurs an abrupt downturn in the bite-rate and signals a need to change some aspect of the method, in order to keep the bites coming. In other instances, morphing weather and celestial elements generate higher potential, which anglers can maximize by deploying strategies which might appear counter intuitive.
Altering strategies and methods in any way requires anglers to fight against the tendency to resist change and embrace the need for change. Recognizing a need to change also requires anglers to accurately assess the potential bite-rate in a given
Unconventional S
Unconventional Wisdom
STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN
situation. Making good predictions about the willingness of fish to feed from moment to moment plays a huge role in consistent productivity. Knowledge of how various stimuli affect the fish and their activity levels provides the foundation for this skill set.
For instance, all savvy anglers know cold weather affects cold-blooded creatures negatively. When the icy fist of winter punches hardest in the dead of winter, enticing fish to strike sometimes means slowing presentations down to a crawl. Especially when fish sit on the bottom and stop actively searching for food, making them strike at lures becomes quite difficult, and in worst-case scenarios, nearly impossible.
A basic truth applies then, presenting lures supremely slowly, so they pass close in front of the fish and stay there for a measurable amount of time becomes the only way to urge reaction strikes. This conventional wisdom relies on sound logic applied to a truth related to how cold water temperatures affect fish: cold-stunned fish sitting on the bottom will not readily rise to chase after something passing quickly over their heads.
Perhaps because of the simplicity and clarity of the logic inherent to such a situation, some anglers come to believe slow presentations ALWAYS enhance the potential for enticing negative fish to strike reflexively. Take fish found in extremely hot water, for
instance. I hear anglers, even really accomplished ones, say slow presentations work best to encourage negative fish to strike in this situation too. “The fish are like us. They’re sluggish and sick of the heat. The only way to make ‘em bite is to give ‘em an easy target.”
While this mantra does make sense superficially, it sometimes runs counter to the realities associated with urging negative fish to strike in hot water. In hot water, also often in water of moderate temperatures, fish strike out of reflex much better when something zips quickly through their cone of influence. Presenting lures quickly and erratically, using speed bursts and pauses, often produces strikes at a much higher rate than working them slowly, with steady rhythm, when the fish become inactive in warm water. I’ve found this truth particularly applicable in spring and summer, while moderate winds chop up the water’s surface.
Accordingly, I almost always experiment by changing the speed, cadence and rhythm of my presentations while a fast bite starts to wane when I’m fishing in water of moderate to hot temperatures, say above 65°F or so. Especially in summer, after an easy bite on topwaters early in the morning becomes more difficult, I’m often able to continue earning blow ups by using speed in the presentations with small plugs like Spook Juniors. This scenario reinforces the main point of this piece; seemingly unconventional tactics often turn things around for anglers who stand in the midst of plenty of suddenly negative fish.
This sometimes involves another strategy which goes against the grain for most people. We all know casting downwind usually makes more sense than casting into the wind. Lures cast downwind land farther away from anglers than lures cast into the wind. Longer casts generate more bites; in some cases, like on flats covered by clear, shallow water, sneaking close to the fish proves difficult, necessitating long casts to reach any fish.
So, when wading, most anglers consciously set up their efforts to allow for making casts with the wind to work perceived productive parts of the area. Obviously, anglers drifting to cover water benefit
from casting ahead of the moving platform and working parts of the area before the boat passes over them. But, in some situations, the conventional wisdom which supports the idea of casting downwind gets turned upside down.
I recall a scenario which developed for me and two clients in the Port O’Connor area many years ago to support the truth of the previous statement. While wading one of the main mid-bay chains of reefs, we struggled to get any bites for several minutes, until I realized the tide had begun moving from north to south across the oyster-studded humps. I knew my sinking Paul Brown Lure wouldn’t work well if I cast it downwind, using the light north wind on my back. Pulling some lures into a current proves ineffective, especially slow-sinking twitch-baits. Knowing this, I turned and made a relatively short cast into the wind, so I could work my Fat Boy in with the current.
On the first cast made upwind, I caught a trout, then another on the second. I explained what I’d learned to the men standing with me, noting the likelihood most of the fish finning in the depths of the gut in front of us had their eyes trained northward, into the moving water. To their credit, my customers did attempt to follow my lead, but they had difficulty executing upwind casts. Scoffing at the lack of distance they earned with their efforts; they almost immediately began allowing the breeze to spin their faces back around to the south. Within no more than three or four casts, they had their backs to the wind, casting far downwind then retrieving their lures against the current and catching nothing.
Essentially, they chose comfort over catching, because they failed to accept the ephemeral yet significant value of casting into the wind. Several environmental factors can enhance the value of casting upwind over casting downwind. Most often, diminishing winds and shifts in wind direction play a role in these scenarios. People who always cast with the wind on their backs sometimes exit a potentially productive scene because they wrongly assume no fish swim within their reach.
When the trout feed ravenously during prime windows of opportunity in winter, catching them using conventional tactics becomes easy.
Bo Blackard caught this and some other beautiful trout in low-light conditions early on a January morning, using a dark Paul Brown Fat Boy.
Of course, moving to a new spot can certainly be appropriate when the catch-rate is slow enough in a place. Conventional wisdom correctly indicates the insanity of remaining in a place when the biterate falls to zero. For this legitimate reason, many anglers look for a better place to fish if and when they find copious amounts of floating grass in a place. Certainly, floating vegetation profoundly hinders the efforts of anglers, once it covers enough of the water’s surface.
I recall another day many moons ago, when I and my old buddy Jesse Arsola waded together on the flats adjacent to Baldy, in Yarbrough Flats. I’d been catching some pretty big trout in the area in the days prior to our trip down that way, but when we arrived, we found gnarly rafts of grass obscuring the prime potholes where most of the action had taken place. Undaunted, we began trying to work our topwaters and Paul Brown Lures through the sweet spots anyway. I quickly became frustrated, making long casts and watching my lures almost instantly rake up wads of grass, then wasting lots of time and energy reeling in to remove the strands. My wise friend taught me something then. “Don’t cast so far. Find a hole close to you in the raft of grass, then make a short cast to the far side and work your lure through it. You won’t be able to work it all the way in, but you won’t waste so much time reeling in to get grass off it.”
Both of us caught several solid trout using the tactic, one I’ve successfully deployed many times in the years since then. Sometimes, making shorter, targeted casts produces much better results than
making longer, less focused ones. This is true when numerous structure and/or cover elements lie within reach of a wading angler. Repeatedly and rapidly firing lures at nearby sweet spots often produces more strikes than mindlessly flinging them as far as possible downwind and working them all the way in. Kevin Van Dam effectively utilizes this strategy from the deck of his bass boat, quickly executing many short casts and fast retrieves to cover all the sweet spots in an area, using his trolling motor to move among them. Wading coastal anglers can do something similar, making short, intelligently placed casts at nearby structures and using their feet to slowly cover water.
Many other examples verify the value of unconventional wisdom deployed in clever ways. In order to take advantage of seemingly backwards ideas, anglers must remain alert to how ever-changing conditions create an almost constant need for adjustments. Sometimes, a tiny change pays giant dividends. Just as one letter changes exiting into exciting, a singular choice can transform the fishing into catching.
KEVIN COCHRAN
Kevin Cochran is a long-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has created several books and dvds on the subject. Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus Christi Bay to the Land Cut.
Jason King made an unconventional decision and left biting fish to find better ones on the day he caught this and several other big trout.
Arsola fished with
ZMan’s new Prawn StarZ has been a hit so far this winter. Fantastic shrimp replica that’s super durable and lifelike.
Not the Same Old P
ractice makes perfect. Getting the reps in. Routine. All things that lead to getting stuck in a rut or doing the same thing to a point where you can’t see anything else around you. For as long as I have been writing I have done my best to stay away from the predictable stuff. You know what I’m talking about, the seasonal articles full of clichés and buzzwords we’ve all heard a zillion times. Well, this is not one of those articles. In an effort to bring some new things to light and stay away from worn out topics like “the year in review” or “a look ahead to 2025” style of articles, let’s look instead at a few things that can make an impact on how successful you can be as an angler.
I have no reservations or hesitations saying that I probably utilize more spinning gear than any other contributor to TSFMag, period. An inventory of my tackle not too long ago revealed at least a 60/40 slant toward spinning tackle versus baitcasters, maybe even 70/30 by now, and that trend looks like it will continue for me going forward. I am always amazed at how few Texas fishermen utilize spinning gear and how so many paint the picture that those who do use it are somehow inferior to those who don’t. Spinning gear tends to be looked at as the gear you give a rookie or a kid because they can’t handle the big boy baitcaster equipment. Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, the spinning reel is an invaluable tool that makes anglers not only more well-rounded but also more successful in more than a few situations. Perhaps the best example of this would be how Dickie Colburn single-handedly revolutionized the way we approach flounder fishing. Dickie was a huge proponent of spinning gear and the piles of flounder and crappie he amassed over his lifetime are proof positive that it works.
As long as we are talking about spinning gear, it seems almost criminal to not mention using lighter line. It’s always been a given that an angler gains an advantage in sensitivity when they downsize their line. The thought of giving up line strength seems like a losing proposition to most anglers, and if we were talking about straight monofilament I would 100% agree, but I’m talking about braided line. When braid first entered the fishing world most anglers went to the side of the spectrum that allowed them more strength on the same sized diameter mono that they had been using forever. For instance, if you had been a 15-lb mono fan and you went to 15-lb diameter braid, you all of a sudden were basically using line with strength equivalent to 50-lb mono. That school of thought works, I won’t disagree, but let’s go to the other end of that spectrum and see what happens. Let’s just say you had the same 15-lb mono on your reel and wanted to downsize; you
STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE
could put 8-lb diameter braid on your reel and be able to increase your line capacity and effectively be using the strength equivalent of 30-lb mono, so you gained a significant advantage all the way around. I really like doing this with my spinning gear because it allows me to chase bigger fish, knowing I have both the line capacity and line strength to go after oversized opponents with otherwise undersized gear.
Another piece of underutilized gear that many saltwater fishermen tend to discount or not take full advantage of is basic electronics on their boats. The average saltwater fishermen looks at depth, speed, temperature, and some sort of mapping feature or GPS capability. All of these functions improve your odds and increase your safety but there is still more to gain from your fish finder. For the most part, saltwater anglers are looking for a spot and not looking for fish, especially inshore anglers. Offshore folks have long been aficionados of electronics as they dig around in deep water for structure holding fish or bait. New technology such as Forward Facing Sonar units and more powerful transducers are changing the way many anglers attack their water. Once you get comfortable with the technology an entire new world opens up, especially for the folks probing around in deep water. I am a firm believer that if you can master the art of fishing deeper water, you will always have a place to go, a solid pattern to fish, and very little competition because the average
fisherman gets lost when the water gets deeper than say six feet. Spend some time learning your electronics or even upgrading them so you can see what you’ve been missing down below.
One last thing to add to our list of overlooked and underutilized tools and techniques would be forcing yourself to learn a new technique or try a method you don’t normally employ. So many anglers get locked into fishing a particular way with the same baits in the same spots over and over, hoping to achieve success on a consistent basis and that’s just a pipe dream. As an angler you must evolve and be able to adjust to the factors you are confronted with each day on the water. If the conditions dictate you should use Method A in certain water and you decide to use Method C instead, don’t be disappointed if you go home empty-handed at the end of the day. By forcing yourself to learn a new technique or fish water that you may often overlook you can expect to learn some valuable information, both good and bad. I have on several occasions just wandered into areas that I never dreamed of fishing for whatever reason and stumbled onto some quality fish, only to find some sort of hidden structure that I never would have thought was in that area. Even in those times where I went into an area and didn’t immediately find fish, I used the knowledge that was gained at a later time to go back there and actually find fish. The point is that from time to
Art Wright with a beautiful coppercolored redfish that ate a ZMan Mulletron fished on light braided line.
Sometimes you just can’t get away from them.
Here’s a 25-pound Barred Pargo; courtesy of smaller diameter Suffix braided line on light spinning tackle.
Brent White pulled this beautiful Golden Pompano from a small piece of structure we didn’t know existed until we found it by cruising and scanning bottom.
time you must be willing to do some different things if you want to continue to evolve as an angler.
As we head into the coldest months of the year we will certainly see extreme low tides that will uncover areas and structures that never see the light of day under normal conditions. Winter is a fantastic month to explore and mark new areas that may pay big dividends later on when conditions are more favorable. When you get out in a new area to wade, pay attention to the bottom composition and contour. When you drift an area with ultra-clear water that comes during the winter months, make mental notes when you see anything out of the ordinary, good or bad. I know for me personally I love to see that gin-clear water because we don’t get that type of visibility very often here on the Upper Coast. I have found small patches of shell while making those long winter drifts that I marked on my GPS and found to be holding fish during the spring and summer months. Discovering these hidden gems is often a highlight of both those tough winter days on the water and successful days in the spring when using the information you gained.
As always, with the colder temps we experience during the winter months, please remember to be extra cautious while on the water.
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It goes without saying that a PFD is a must and it may make the difference between life and death in extreme situations. A bag with an extra set of dry clothes, a thermal blanket, and towels is also a good idea to bring along in case someone does go overboard. Communicating with someone to let them know you are on the water and a general area where you plan to be in case of bad weather or other incidents is another good idea as well. The winter can be a great time to fish and also a bad time, so plan accordingly and don’t take chances.
I hope each and every one of you have a blessed and prosperous New Year. Enjoy your time on the water and please take a kid fishing whenever possible.
CHUCK UZZLE
CONTACT
Chuck fishes Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes from his home in Orange, TX. His specialties are light tackle and fly fishing for trout, reds, and flounder.
Phone 409-697-6111
Email wakesndrakes@yahoo.com
Website wakesndrakes.com
Hazards to Running Fast Boats
STORY BY JOE RICHARD
Arecent article caught my eye about CTE brain damage to Navy crewmen who run fast boats in the ocean. For example, when they’re told to deliver Navy Seals to a certain place 50 miles away in six foot seas in one hour, they follow orders. Unfortunately, many of the boat drivers are getting brain damage from repeated wave shocks. There have been debilitating symptoms and even suicides.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain disorder likely caused by repeated head injuries. It causes the death of nerve cells in the brain, known as degeneration. CTE gets worse over time. The only way to definitively diagnosis CTE is after death during an autopsy of the brain.
It’s a rare disorder that is not yet well understood. CTE doesn’t appear to be related to a single head injury, but is related to repeated head trauma, often occurring in contact sports or military combat. The development of CTE has been associated with second impact syndrome, in which a second head injury happens before previous head injury symptoms have fully resolved.”
This leads me to wonder about the Southern Kingfish Association (SKA), whose anglers can now exceed 70 knots in heavy wave conditions. Most of their crews ride near the stern and sprawl on beanbags, to lessen the wave shock. Others near or including the driver, sometimes wear neck braces or even helmets. The best fishing spots are well known, sometimes 100 miles away, and often the first boat there catches the winning kingfish. When the chips are down and the money good, they really run those boats and then have to return for the 5:00 p.m. weigh-in. It’s certainly not for everyone and the few speed runs I have made with them are counted as my worst boat rides.
The 23-foot class of boats in the SKA may have taken the worst beatings of all.
After our pleasant and adventurous summers in the 1980s during kingfish tournaments, when boats were much slower and you could spend three days and two nights offshore, there was no need to hurry. In my first tournament, I actually had to work at the office until noon. We didn’t arrive at our destination oil rig off Louisiana until after dark. In a 21-foot boat with one engine, you’d better believe we took our time.
Three days out there was so long, we could take naps, go swimming or scuba diving, and snapper fish at night when the triggerfish were asleep. (They were a real problem, back then). When another boat saw us diving and surface with a big snapper, the Galveston kingfish tournament promptly outlawed all snorkel gear, not even a mask on the boats to untangle floating rope tangled in a propeller. You get my point; they were great trips.
Not so for today’s go-fast kingfish boats that cost a fortune, some of them with four engines. Tournament directors are loath to cancel an event, especially the big ones on the Atlantic coast with up to 1,000 boats, and so off they go. Kingfish are actually caught around Atlantic jetties and off the beaches, so not everyone “puts the hammer down” like the U.S. Navy. But many fishermen still do, getting slammed over and over. Some of these guys a few years ago were getting sponsors and fishing a dozen or more weekend tournaments annually. And they really took a beating. A recent tourney this past summer in Florida had 700 boats, and first prize was an offshore boat worth $360K. You can bet there were plenty of heavy-handed boat drivers, that day.
I fished on three different SKA boats at speeds up to 70 miles an hour, and that’s about as much fun as staring into a hurricane, even in calm seas. The worst trip, aboard a 31-foot Fountain from Georgia, the owner would light a cigarette, floor the engines and never looked back. Seas were five feet high. I hung on for dear life behind the rod rack, standing up. We hit a wave so hard, the chum bag on deck, tied to the center console, hit the T-top ceiling and exploded ground up fish pieces all over us. Then I was knocked to the deck with a slightly sprained neck, bouncing from one hard object to another. It was either regain your feet, or keep pinballing on deck. It was absurd. The driver never looked back and if you went overboard, too bad.
Another time off Key West in January, always the SKA’s first annual event, we had great weather and did some pre-fishing. However, a norther was due on tournament day. I wisely bowed out, and the next day brought NW gusts up to 40 knots. Not sure how many boats made it back, but I heard my friend’s boat returned in 12-foot seas with a treble hook buried in someone’s forearm. It was too rough to remove the hooks.
This sort of activity compares so poorly with our
Fishing in choppy conditions. Not fun, running wide open in these seas.
Kingfish tournament boats check in before heading out. At least the wind isn’t blowing on this day.
Bigger kingfish tournament boat with plenty of bow to cut through the swells and chop.
halcyon days of the 1980s.
On shore, hanging out with these SKA crews, I’ve also seen odd behavior, just like with the Navy fast boat guys. I saw two fishermen, at least 45 years old, duke it out behind the motel in front of the kingfish crowd. Smack! Smack! The shorter guy wound up fishing with a black eye. This isn’t hard evidence the guys had CTI, however. Tournaments have always attracted the A-type personalities.
The hard-running Georgia captain was polite on shore, but on game day he was…quite different. He berated his 12-year old son for dropping a bundle of frozen ribbonfish, as we walked to the boat at 5:00 a.m. Once on the water, he yelled at his wife all morning like she was a Labrador retriever who wouldn’t fetch ducks. By lunch time, as we flew over whitecaps along that coast (the beach there at St. Petersburg in Florida was lined with motels and beachside bars), I briefly considered bailing out, swimming ashore, order a serious beverage or two, and grabbing a taxi back to my car. The day was that bad.
Kingfish tournaments don’t happen every day, though. What about fishing guides on the windy Texas coast? Some of those guys fish more than 200 days a year, on a coast where the SW wind can blow for two months for no reason. The bay guides fight wave chops while standing, and suffer other ailments over time besides brain trauma. Offshore boat captains have it worse with bigger waves, day after day. They don’t need to beat their clients, and don’t if it can be helped. Back in the day the offshore charterboats ran slower, the Bertrams at 20 knots or so, saving on fuel consumption.
Today’s go-fast offshore charterboats, run by young captains, often
charge clients for fuel and they’re eager to get out there, banging through waves while their clients sit way back on beanbag chairs. That head-snapping pace could be taking a toll on these captains. And there is no proof of brain damage while they’re still living.
Texas marlin tournaments back in the day often called for returning to dock each evening, after dashing out a minimum of 50 miles offshore. If there were 10-foot seas, too bad. Some of the yachts limped back with broken fly bridges. What those rough seas did to the crews, injury wise, is unknown. They had to be the toughest billfish tournaments in this country, and many others. Some boat owners quit that scene and moved their boats to the quiet Pacific, where the swells might be 50 yards apart, in countries like Costa Rica.
There’s no head banging, down there.
JOE RICHARD
CONTACT
Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arthur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast. He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida Sportsman’s book and assistant magazine editor. He began guiding out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, New Revelations. Available at Seafavorites.com
Decker
STORY BY BILLY SANDIFER
Editor’s Note…
Billy Sandifer is no longer with us; he lost his struggle with advanced deterioration of his central nervous system several years ago due to exposure to Agent Orange during service to his country in South East Asia. Billy was a faithful contributor to this publication for nearly fifteen years. Billy was a great storyteller, self-taught naturalist, and devout conservationist. His love of Padre Island National Seashore and desire to conserve its many wonders led to his founding of the Big Shell Beach Cleanup and Friends of Padre. His friends referred to him as the Padre of Padre.
I miss Billy; the hours-long phone calls and visiting his home in Flour Bluff. It occurs to me frequently that many of our current-day readers never knew him, never had the pleasure to read his articles, never had the benefit of his knowledge and mentorship.
I have decided to remedy that situation by re-publishing some of his works from the early 2000s right up until he had to give up writing several years ago. Billy was truly one-of-a-kind; rough as shark’s hide and tough as a badger in some ways, yet very kind and courteous to his fellow man in so many more. I trust you will enjoy these. -Everett Johnson
The heavy fog the weather service had predicted never materialized and the night was crystal clear. There was no moon and the Big Dipper appeared so close it gave me the impression that I could just reach out and grab it by the tail, give it a big yank and straighten it out. The wind had laid off at dark and the sea had calmed to two rows of two foot surf, alive with dancing emerald phosphorescence. Mother Nature’s nocturnal light show in the surf zone is one of the greatest wonders of coastal Texas.
There was a chill in the night air that seemed to be creeping into my tired ol’ bones. The fire was not a large one but it had a grand set of glowing coals and I positioned my chair where I could enjoy watching them and the phosphorescence. I was the only human on the last 55 miles of Padre Island National Seashore and the realization of my solitude brought peace to me; as it always has. The call of Brother Coyote sounded in the stillness and I savored the sound as a special treat as it is rare to hear his cry above the wind so typical on Padre. As I stared into the coals I got to somehow thinking about Decker. Len Decker and I shared fires and fished together for fourteen years prior to his death in 1992. Len was a veteran of numerous tours in South East Asia with the Airborne Rangers and he was the surviving, original platoon sergeant on Hamburger Hill. He was quick to laugh and quick to fight and we took turns getting each other into and out of trouble of various sorts until he died. His family and I shook his ashes at the 25-mile post in the Big Shell.
My mind immediately went back to a late February day twenty-six years past, down south of the Port Mansfield jetties, on South Padre Island. Len and I had set up a shark fishing camp on the beach south of the jetties. Dickie and Mary Spenser had joined us in their small camper trailer. Temperatures were in the 60s during the day and 50s at night and the wind was minimal but the water was the color of chocolate milk for 400 yards offshore. Five foot breakers covered the nearshore bars.
Neither of us could succeed in getting a bait across those bars, even with minimal inflation in the life raft, and the water was icy cold. We donned knee-high wet suits and swim fins and left just enough air in the life raft to keep the shark leader, sinkers and bait afloat. We each held on to the life raft and leader with one hand and paddled with the other while kicking with the swim fins – very effective actually.
When we saw a really big wave approaching we would go underwater and use our bodies as ballast to hold the life raft steady and we were both amazed at how well it worked and how quickly we could cover distance working together. We cleared the muddy water and stopped to catch our breath and evaluate the situation about 600 yards offshore.
We were debating whether to drop the bait or continue farther when I felt the sandpaper skin of a shark drag across my right calf. Momentarily I felt it rub across the calf of my left leg. I never said a word or let on what happened to Len at all. I felt pretty sure of what was going to happen next and it was simply too good of an opportunity to spoil it prematurely.
He got to fussing about my taking so long to make up my mind and we were looking at each other across the raft. All at once his eyes got huge and he lunged straight up in the air about two feet and yelled. No sooner had he settled back down into the sea than he repeated the entire maneuver, and when he came up this second time he looked at me and screamed, “Think porpoise! Think porpoise!”
I said, “My God, Len, a dolphin has skin as smooth as a baby’s butt and this guy is sandpaper city.”
By that time both of us had laid the upper half of our bodies across the life raft and were doing our best to extend as much of our legs and swim fins as possible into the air behind us.
“Len,” I said, “It appears this shark is hungry. If it’s ready to eat lets feed it the bait we brought out here rather than various of our body parts.”
I slipped back down into the sea while explaining my plan. I let the bait and about seven feet of cable leader down into the water beneath me and then wrapped the cable around my left hand three times. We talked about the dangers of my hand getting fouled in the cable and I told Len I would just have to risk it.
I took a death grip on the life raft with my right hand, planning to set the hook with my left. Once the shark was hooked I would let the leader go and join him lying crossways on the raft. We would then vacate the area ASAP.
rig on the beach, waving his arms wildly.
We arrived on the beach and I unceremoniously cranked in a 6’ 4” sandbar that was far too small to be sporting on the heavy tackle. I grabbed my three pound shop hammer and thumped it between the eyes for five minutes, reward for having scared us so badly. Dickie butchered it so everyone could have fresh shark steaks for supper.
That evening at supper it smelled good enough to eat and everyone seemed to be enjoying it. Somehow though, I no longer had any taste for shark meat. I took my plate up on a sand dune and watched the full moon come up over the eastern horizon and pondered the situation. How lucky Len and I were that one or both of us weren’t injured or killed. How it could just as easily have been a large and more dangerous species of shark rather than a sandbar. How I have spent so much of my life hoping a shark doesn’t eat me and, then when it doesn’t, I repay it by thumping it between the eyes with a hammer and eating it.
Somehow there was something terribly ironic and ludicrous in the whole scenario and I realized that, for me, such actions were no longer appropriate.
And so, by the light of a full moon, I cut a treaty with Brother and Sister Shark. If they would not eat me I would not eat them. For twentysix years now the sharks and I have kept that agreement.
Fishing is about so much more than simply catching. Fishing is
STORY BY BILLY SANDIFER
On the night of 20 May, Larry “Flakman” Flak and four other men were killed near Houma, LA when their 24-foot boat collided with a barge in darkness. Larry was a well-known petroleum engineer, currently living in Conroe. Larry was among the experts who battled the oilfield fires in Kuwait with Boots & Coots during the Gulf War. He was a longtime saltwater fisherman, always outgoing, who befriended many up and down the Texas coast. One of my favorite memories will always be Larry inviting me to join a small group and fish Lake Guri, Venezuela for peacock bass. It was an awesome experience that I could never have been able to do without his generosity. He will be missed and remembered by many. His family is in our prayers. Fair skies and smooth seas, Larry.
Then David Rowsey calls and tells me about Brother Mike McBride being hit by a stingray and having very serious complications set in. Later I learn a second angler had the same thing happen the same weekend wading the East Cut at Port Mansfield.
These three incidents cause me to think, “Well, Mother Ocean, you sure are playing hardball here lately.” And then I am instantly reminded that “here lately” just does not apply. Mother Ocean has always played hardball and always will.
I think this is the second time Mike has been hit. I’ve been hit three times. Mike cleaned the wound immediately and got some antibiotics as soon as possible but infection had already set in by the time he saw a doctor. He thought everything was going to be OK. I never went to the doctor and continued working the remainder of the day in two cases. I have some permanent scar tissue and nerve damage in my left foot which troubles me now and then but I was lucky and Mike wasn’t. But I think there is more to it than that. I think the danger from infection from such encounters increases as time goes on. While
talking to Mike on the phone this morning he asked, “Billy, what ever happened to the time when we jumped into the water to soak and help cure our injuries? Saltwater soothed and helped heal wounds and now it’s the exact opposite.”
He’s right, that’s the way it was in my youth, but I fear those days are gone forever. Texas water temperatures rising three degrees in sixteen years in our bay systems could certainly be involved and there is no doubt agricultural and chemical runoff into them has an impact but, the bottom line is that it is totally out of the question to expose cuts or any open wound to the water without running a grave risk nowadays.
During the past eighteen years I have presented many seminars and lectures and one of the things I always relate is how a guy once asked, “What is the first thing a beginner needs to learn to catch big fish the way you do?”
I tell the audience of my reaction to the gentleman’s question, looking him straight in the eye, I replied, “The first and most important thing you have to learn is that no matter how much you may love Mother Ocean, you must realize that she couldn’t possibly care less if you live or die. Every split second, all of her children kill each other to survive and she doesn’t take sides. She cannot. For if she favored one over the other, the system couldn’t function. So before you bite it off, you better make sure you can chew it.”
I don’t think Mike McBride and I actually chose to live the life we live. It is a need to be on the water that we cannot escape. I think we were born to it and the same goes for many of the other writers for this publication, many who read it and some who may not. We are children of the sea and we are born to fish. It’s some primeval DNA thing, but it does not come without a price. That price is often paid when we grow complacent to the dangers we face. We forget that all of Mother Ocean’s children must never drop their guard for even a few seconds lest we become victims.
Few fulltime fishing guides are in a financial position to buy health insurance or pay for doctor visits every time they get hurt. We are not even going to talk about the time a 100-pound bull shark I had tagged and released turned and charged, hitting me at top speed while raking four of its front teeth from my ankle, up my leg, and all the way to my chin. I soaked the wounds with Epsom salt for two nights and went right on fishing daily until the wounds turned purple with red streaks, swelling to twice normal size overnight and beginning to seep. Nah, we’re not even going to relive that memory.
We all know the many dangers of boating at night. Anyone who hasn’t hit an unseen object is bound to sooner or later if they continue running in the dark. I already have, so I am now a good deal more cautious than I once was.
As far as the stingrays; the first step toward reducing the probability of suffering a serious hit is to purchase and wear good stingray protective footwear. Next is sliding your feet; even when wearing the boots and leggings. Never drop your guard. Interestingly, Mike said he was standing still when he was hit.
You should also carry quality antiseptic ointments on your boat and have antibiotics available. Use them immediately if you are hit by a ray or hardhead. Any open cut should be kept completely dry and out of the water. Some of us have little choice but to continue working with injuries, but you can rest assured that I immediately treat them and then apply a waterproof bandage coating. I make it a practice to re-apply the bandage coating throughout the day and I am not sure they are 100% effective but this is what I do. Best thing to remember; do not wade with any open wound – period.
Stingray wounds are extremely painful and the potential for
infection can be life-threatening. Seek medical attention as soon as possible. The last week of May the phone finally started ringing with customer bookings for the first time this year and it was as long overdue as was the inch of rain we received at the same time. I came as close to going broke as one possibly can in mid-March due to a lack of charter business. During this period I had the occasion to speak with a lifelong pal who is a fulltime bay guide. He asked how business was going and I told him.
He said, “Billy, I could book you twenty charters a month but you know what they want; they want to throw live croakers and keep full limits of trout.”
Personally, I do not care what someone uses for bait. It’s the killing of ten solid trout per day per person that I cannot accept. I thanked my friend for the genuinely kind offer and that I appreciated it deeply.
I promised myself years ago that I would never make short-term personal gain a priority over the wellbeing of the resource. My impression is that we are going to see extremely heavy use of our resources this summer on both the bays and the beach. The number of visitors on PINS during weekends is presently overwhelming and, truth be told, is already crippling fishing success and I believe it will only get worse.
It is so simple to me; the size of the pie remains the same while the number of people holding out their plates is skyrocketing. The only solution is smaller individual helpings. The bite is on and the weather has moderated. Take time to enjoy it while it is here for this too shall pass.
If we don’t leave any, there won’t be any. -Capt. Billy Sandifer
ESCAPE
On Texas’ only tropical island, anglers can catch their limit from the jetties, in the bay or out in the Gulf. Scan and plan your escape today.
Author with a great late-fall specimen; hoping this is a sign of great things to come this winter.
JAY
WATKINS ASK THE PRO
CORKYS: THE ART, SCIENCE & MYSTERIES
In this month’s article I am going to talk about why I believe Paul Brown lures, or Corkys as most folks refer to them, seem to be most effective during the cooler months of the year. However, before we get any deeper into the perceived seasonal effectiveness of these lures, I believe it is important to recognize that there are more than a few accomplished anglers who use them yearround with considerable success. Personally, while I have always been mostly a fall and winter Corky guy, over the past several years I have also begun thinking about using them during the warmer months.
Background: All the bay systems in Texas that have reputation for consistently producing trophy-class speckled trout have several things in common; higher and relatively stable salinity levels, longer growing seasons, primarily mullet-based food source, and less fishing pressure. For the record, I had a bit of a hard time with the less fishing pressure thing, due to knowing firsthand just how much fishing pressure all the areas that qualify as trophy trout systems receive nowadays. Also, and again for the record and definitely somewhat of an anomaly, I am informed that the Galveston Bay System produces the fastest growth rates of speckled trout; something I would have never thought could be true. For me, the key and most important of the four
ingredients mentioned above is the mullet-based food source; which is also the basis of my belief in the effectiveness of the Corky-style baits during winter months; which ironically arises not from an abundance, but a shortage of smaller mullet at that time of year. What we typically see in winter are mostly large concentrations of larger mullet. I remember back in the day when commercial fishermen in the Rockport area would cast net what they called “roe mullet” during the winter months along the barrier islands.
In fly-fishing, we see anglers matching the hatch with unbelievable creations of flies that represent different stages of insect life. Some bass fishermen and saltwater anglers throw big baits for big fish. The argument for me when this topic comes up on the boat is one that involves the size of the bait fish trout prefer, versus what they will eat (or try to eat) if they have no other choice.
Back when we used to keep lots of trout, stomach contents at the cleaning table revealed a distinct preference for mullet and menhaden that were three to five inches long. So, if matching the hatch is indeed a valid strategy, it certainly makes sense that wintertime trout display a marked preference for Corky-type baits at that time of year.
We could also base this seasonal preference upon
the aggressive manner in which trout tend to strike a Corky-type bait. If you fish very much at all, you have likely felt that distinct “KA THUMP!” My thought process is that the aggression is many times brought on by the shear excitement in seeing a bait fish of that preferred size. By having the luxury of being able to see trout eat a lure in many of the areas I fish, I recognize that type of aggression even when I am not able to see it.
One of the reasons that I personally don’t throw the Fat Boy in the summer months as much is that there are lots of choices in the size of the fish’s available food sources. To put it simply, three to five inch mullet and menhaden are common during summer, and I definitely see a decrease in the numbers of bites I receive on Corkys. Note, that I said “I.” This does not mean that this is the case for other anglers in other bay systems. I have friends that throw Fat Boys yearround with good success. I can also say that I do not have as much confidence in the big bait-big fish theory in saltwater that many anglers have. I cannot help but believe that the
reason for the increase in the production of the Corky-type lures during the colder months has more to do with the absence of the preferred size of bait fish.
Not many would disagree that the so-called Corky Thump is a real thing, and it is the reason so many anglers find themselves almost addicted to it. It is definitely hard to forget once it has been experienced. Which brings up another very interesting aspect of these baits – how is it that we can hardly remove them from the bag without bleeding, yet a trout can inhale one, bend it like a taco, and not get a hook in her? A trick to removing a Corky from the bag is to open the bag and fill it with water. The lure slides right out with zero effort. Thanks to Jay Ray for that little tip he showed me a few years back.
The way one works a Corky depends on the person. For the record, I work mine rather aggressively most of the time, with quick lifts and quick but short twitches as the lure falls, all while pretty much reeling slack constantly as it is created. I do dead-stick the lure from time to time, but break that cadence up with lifts and twitches.
Sam Garcia connected with a solid one – CPR!
In my mind’s eye, I want the lure to behave as though it is reacting to the presence of the fish that is looking at it, or following close behind.
Fish are cold-blooded animals and once acclimated to cold water temperatures can actually become quite active. I do not work my Corky slowly unless we have had a drastic drop in water temperatures within a 24-hour period, or unless the fish are obviously not wanting to feed and have sought the warmth of deeper water. Severe cold and deeper water positioning go together in short periods of extreme cold. Let the sun pop out and shallow waters begin to warm, and they are headed straight to these areas to warm up.
I fish with a lot of good Corky fishermen and see various ways in which many of them work their lures. I typically have my rod tip high in the first portion of my retrieve, but if the wind is strong I will lower it off to my right side and lightly twitch or bang my rod tip, creating a walk-the-dog action just beneath the surface. One can also use quick bursts of reeling to create a side-to-side wobble and swimming action that can be productive on calm days over heavy grass and broken bottom.
create a “dirtying” effect that provides opportunity for larger trout to feed in shallow water where bait fish remain plentiful due to warming trends between fronts. These trout might set up and live along slightly deeper drop-offs or other structural edges, but when the winds blow and the shallow waters become dirty, they will move shallow and use the dirty water as cover while feeding. Shallow water enables greater sensitivity through the trout’s lateral line and also a smaller zone in which to attack their prey. Both factors play in favor of the trout getting an easy meal.
I tend to work all my subsurface and suspending lures more aggressively than most might think appropriate during the winter months. This comes from years of observation that tell me that once trout have acclimated to the cold they can become seriously aggressive. As is quite often the case, though, this method works for me due to my confidence in the patterns I have observed over my years winter trout fishing.
Why do we fish shallow flats and coves during winter? The main reason is because this is where we typically find the primary winter food source for both trout and mullet. Mullet are filter feeders. The algae and plankton they feed on thrive in soft mud. Trout come to these areas looking for a warmup and an easy meal. So, basically, the trout are following the mullet and we are following the trout. It is true that the muddy bottom in shallow bay waters warms quickly and holds heat better than shallow areas with bright sandy bottoms, but it is not necessarily the warmth that attracts the mullet or the trout. Both species would likely be just as happy in areas of bright sand bottom, so long as a reliable food source remained in place. The same could be said for us as anglers.
Quite often during winter we see strong northeast winds that
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The same is true for periods when we have strong southeast wind prior to a frontal approach. The waters up shallow become dirty and here they come. It can be hard for many to gain confidence in fishing the dirty stuff but without a doubt, mine and Jay Ray’s career-best trout have come in water with almost zero visibility. I will purposely search for areas of dirty water with the proper bottom structure in bay systems that are predominately clear under normal conditions. Areas where dirty water meets up with cleaner water can be great to target after fronts have blown through and winds are subsiding. Last winter it seemed that when we located these types of water color changes along windward portions of the flats we found good numbers of quality trout hanging in the dirty stuff. As the waters cleared throughout the day, becoming clear by day’s end as the wind died, the trout in the flat become much harder to catch.
I was raised in a clear water fishery, so I have no issues with the clear stuff. I realize I need to wade slower, cast farther, use long leaders, clear-bodied lures, and be able to keep the lures from fouling the grass, while at the same time being able to barely tickle the grass edges as the lure enters and exits the potholes and scattered grass beds. Upper slot trout use the grass beds the same way they use potholes, and this can change from day to day or hour to hour. It is the anglers job to be able to interpret which one of the types of structures the fish are holding on. The best way to do this is by continually paying attention to where your lure is throughout the retrieve and by recognizing exactly where the strike was received.
I think this coming winter season is going to be really good for most anglers and I am looking forward to seeing some colder water temperatures and bigger trout for my clients.
May Your Fishing Always Be Catching -Guide Jay Watkins
CONTACT
Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 45 years. Jay specializes in wading yearround for trout and redfish with artificial lures. Jay covers the Texas coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi Bay.
Telephone 361-729-9596
Email Jay@jaywatkins.com Website www.jaywatkins.com
Shallow, clear, and calm… perfect conditions for the Custom Corky Soft Dine.
WATER FISHING
DOING IT YOUR WAY
As I sit here writing this article, I am up at my hunting lease in College Station overlooking one of our duck ponds. We finally got our first good cold front this week and as an outdoorsman, being happy is an understatement. My morning has been filled with birds circling the pond, bucks running around with their nose to the ground, and a pot of beans that I’m going to babysit all day. Life is good!
When I started to ponder what to write about this month, I knew exactly what I wanted to talk about. I have been saving this idea for a few months now and the January issue is perfect for people that are wanting to set some New Year’s goals.
Earlier this year, some buddies and I traveled to Colorado to fly-fish the Conejos River. While up there, we had some bottles that had a messages written under the cap and we always read them out loud. We finally got to one that said – Be proud of doing it your own way. That saying has stuck with me ever since and I know immediately there is a lesson in that message.
So, looking back at 2024, I realize that I have truly been blessed to have been able to take some great trips. I have been to Andros for bonefish, fly-fishing in
Colorado, went on a mule deer hunt in Idaho, rowed my buddies down the Green River in Utah, and poled the flats of the Chandeleur Islands. I’m proud to say that all of these adventures have been of the do-ityourself variety. Even though some of them might not have been the most productive in terms of connecting with the quarry we were seeking, the knowledge and experience gained is invaluable.
When it comes to putting a trip together, there are several aspects of going the DIY route that I would encourage you to consider. First, and a very major consideration, would be the cost factor. I’m sure most of you work for a living, however, doing a trip on your own will not exactly break the bank. The beauty of it is that you can go as cheap or as elegant as you might wish. I’ve made some trips where I decided I was going to pitch a tent and rough it for a few days while paying only a small daily camping fee at a state park. I have also had trips where we rented a cabin on the water with a lighted pier so we could fish all night. There is basically no wrong way. You might also consider inviting a few friends to share the expense of travel, food and lodging. On top of reducing the expense of the trip you will make some
DAVE ROBERTS SHALLOW
great memories with your friends.
Perhaps the greatest aspect of making a DYI hunting or fishing trip is the knowledge and sense of accomplishment that can be gained from it. There is a lot of preparation that can go into taking a trip and for me it all starts on Google Maps. Once you figure out a destination, it then starts with finding the areas that you want to target. You have to find an access point, boat ramps, trails and anything else that ensures you can get to the desired area with the least amount of difficulty. Along with looking at the map you will get a good feel for the lay of the land. Once you arrive, you will have a general idea of where everything is and this will definitely ease the learning curve involved with going in blind.
As you begin to fish, I always try to start with what I already know and tactics that I have confidence in. Apply them for the first half of the day and if things don’t work out for you, you can always change and adapt. Quite often you might be forced to try new or different tactics. When you do this, you can learn a lot about a fishery and put a new set of skills in your repertoire.
Sometimes, if my budget allows, I will hire a guide for a day and pick his brain about the fishery. If you decide to go this route, the trip shouldn’t be solely about catching fish. The things that you want to learn from them are fish patterns, lure selection, presentation, and navigation. One of the main concerns to be discussed should be where not to drive your boat when you get out there on your own and how to avoid any submerged hazards such as reefs or tree stumps of which the guide might be aware. From my experience, every guide I have hired has been more than helpful when it comes to sharing information to better enable me to be successful during the days ahead.
I guess that what I’m trying to say is that a DIY trip can be incredibly rewarding. Could you catch more fish by booking a full service lodge and being guided every day? Sure. Are they going to feed you steak and lobster paired with some fancy wine? You better believe it; that’s their business and they’re good at it.
However, there is also something
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very special about pulling up to a shrimp boat and getting five pounds of fresh-caught shrimp, or frying up your own catch of the day back at the cabin that can’t be matched. Especially when it’s you and a few buddies hanging around the tailgate of a truck with a few cold drinks, swapping tales of the day’s adventures, the ones you caught…and maybe even the ones that got away. I urge everyone to plan a DIY adventure in the coming year. Do it with a couple of good friends and go enjoy life.
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Knowing Your Low Tide Marsh
CONTACT
Dave Roberts is an avid kayak-fishing enthusiast fishing primarily the inshore Upper Coast region with occasional adventures to surf and nearshore Gulf of Mexico.
Email: TexasKayakChronicles@yahoo.com
Website: www.TexasKayakChronicles.com
By John Blaha
CCA TEXAS ENDS 2024 BY FUNDING OVER $1.24 MILLION FOR CONSERVATION EFFORTS
CCA Texas’ Executive Board closed out 2024 by funding over $1.24 million for conservation efforts on the Texas coast. CCA’s ability to fund conservation efforts is a direct result of the strength of the local chapters and volunteer efforts. These chapters and volunteers stepped up to the forefront to help make a difference up and down the Texas coast.
$110,215 TPWD Coast Fisheries Interns - CCA Texas has helped fund the summer internship program for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Coastal Fisheries Division for over 15 years. The Executive Board approved funding for $110,215 for the 2025 year. This funding will help provide the necessary funds for fourteen interns. These interns work closely with TPWD staff in the coastal fisheries ecosystem offices and hatcheries, gaining valuable experience and the opportunity for TPWD to work with potential future employees. Over the years, the original funding for four interns in 2009, has now grown to seventeen coastal fisheries interns. Many of these summer interns have eventually gone on to work for TPWD in the Coastal Fisheries Division.
$15,600 TPWD Game Warden Interns - In addition to funding interns for TPWD Coastal Fisheries, CCA Texas has nearly a decade of funding TPWD Game Warden Interns
also. In the November Executive Board meeting, funding in the amount of $15,600 was approved for six Game Warden interns in 2025. Like the Coastal Fisheries interns, this funding allows potential future Game Wardens to work closely with wardens up and down the coast, and for TPWD to work with potential wardens of the future. These interns’ experience gives them great experience for their resumes if they apply for the Texas Game Warden Academy in the future.
$51,004 TPWD Game Warden Equipment in Region IV Texas Game Wardens are the front line to the protection of our Texas coastal and inland resources. Wardens rely on organizations like CCA, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s (TPWF) Gear Up for Game Wardens, and other organizations to help supplement the necessary funding for equipment necessary in doing their jobs. CCA Texas has a long and proud history of supporting Texas Game Wardens. This funding includes:
• $5,070 for the conversion of one Mercury Verado 300 HP motor from a dual motor SafeBoat to a 25’ single motor patrol unit to be used in Brazoria and Matagorda counties. Budget constraints limit the ability to repower patrol vessels in a timely manner and this conversation will bridge that timing gap.
• $5,639 for eight Airboat Communication Headsets. Four new airboats were recently acquired and will be used for resource patrols and disaster response efforts. These resource patrols include enforcement in shallow marshes for commercial oystering and shrimping, recreational fisheries enforcement, waterfowl, and environmental issues. These headsets will provide Wardens a necessary communication system onboard while protecting them from the noise of the airboats.
• $8,400 for handheld thermal imagers. These thermal imagers are necessary tools for Texas Game Wardens to use for resource protection, water safety, and search and rescue. It is a common practice for those who violate resource laws to do so during the cover of night. This equipment allows the wardens to more easily detect illegal practices by the commercial fishing industry for flagrant violations such as shrimping, crabbing and oystering at night. With the thermal imagers, heat signatures of a boat can be detected up to a mile away, even in the darkest of nights. These imaging devices are also critical pieces of equipment in search and rescue efforts in the middle of the night. These imagers will be used primarily in Jefferson and Orange counties.
The TPWD Game Warden Intern program provides an excellent opportunity for potential future Game Warden Cadets to get valuable hands-on experience in the field. Photo Courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens.
• $30,767 for a Matrice M30T Drone. The Matrice M30T Drone will greatly enhance Texas Game Wardens ability to patrol the Gulf of Mexico and Texas bays for commercial and recreational fisheries enforcement. With its ability to cover large distances and capture high quality aerial footage, the drone will provide a bird’s eye view of activities in the patrol area. This will allow Game Wardens to respond more quickly and effectively to potential illegal activities in a patrolled area. This drone will also be equipped with a thermal camera to use in search and rescue operations as well. This equipment will be used primarily in Region 4 Gulf of Mexico and Bays.
$200,000 ($50,000 Annually) Operational Funding for Sink Your Shucks
In 2009, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi (HRI) created the Sink Your Shucks Program. This program has reclaimed and recycled over 3 million pounds of oyster shell since its creation, representing more than 45 acres of restored oyster reef in Texas waters. More than 2,000 community volunteers have participated in reef restoration events; and community events and school programs have engaged more than 5,000 citizens annually. CCA Texas’ funding will cover the remaining necessary funds not covered by an existing NOAA grant or charitable contributions for the next four years.
$40,000 Packery Flats at Kate’s Hole Parking Area Living Shoreline
The Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program (CBBEP) is currently developing a living shoreline that will protect the public access parking area and create habitat at the Kate’s Hole parking area. These funds will be used with $60,000 from the CITGO Caring for Our Coast program to enhance and protect this area.
$75,000 Kid’s Fishing Pier at the CCA Marine Development Center This funding will replace the old Kid Fishing Pier at the CCA Marine
Development Center (MDC) in Corpus Christi. This pier is used for community events and outreach activities held by the CCA MDC. This rebuild will take place in 2025.
$750,000 Mark W. Ray CCA Texas Endowed Directorship of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation Harte Research Institute Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi CCA Texas has been a long-time supporter of Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation (CSSC) Harte Research Institute (HRI) Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. Previous support from CCA has allowed CSSC to be very proactive, positioning the CSSC as the ‘go-to’ source for those seeking scientific information and advice regarding the management and sustainability of our saltwater recreational fisheries. This meaningful partnership promotes healthy and sustainable sportfish populations, ensuring long-term and robust recreational fisheries for future generations.
This $750,000 endowed gift from CCA will be equally matched, by an anonymous donor, to establish a $1.5 million permanent fund designated toward the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation. This fund named, “The Mark W. Ray CCA Texas Endowed Directorship of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation,” will be used to directly and solely support sportfish research and conservation.
This endowed gift offers financial security, stability, and the ability for CSSC to pursue long-term objectives such as groundbreaking research, conservation engagement, or other impactful initiatives without relying solely on fluctuating external funding availability – one of the current greatest challenges for CSSC! This gift would empower the CSSC with freedom to dream big, take calculated risks, foster innovation, and rapidly progress in the recreational fisheries arena. Over time, as this endowed fund grows, the impact multiplies and leaves an undeniable and perpetual mark on conservation and recreational fishing. The power of this gift lies in its ability to transform the Sportfish Center’s aspirations into reality and to leave a legacy that enriches sportfishing in Gulf of Mexico.
CCA Texas is excited to be a funding partner in this endowed partnership in honor of Mark W. Ray and looks forward to seeing the future efforts of CSSC.
An important component of
because it will attract and retain the highest quality leadership for this impactful position in perpetuity. This endowment will allow current funding to be directed to essential needs such as expanding research to address matters affecting marine sportfish and their conservation. Photo Courtesy of HRI / Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation.
The Sink Your Shucks program has reclaimed and recycled over 3 million pounds of shell resulting in 45 acres of restored oyster reef in Texas waters. Photo Courtesy of Kiese and Co.
the Sink Your Shucks program is community outreach. More than 2,000 volunteers have participated in reef restoration events, and more than 5,000 citizens are engaged annually through community events and school programs. Photo Courtesy of Kiese and Co.
The Mark W. Ray CCA Texas Endowed Directorship of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation is important
By Carey Gelpi, Ph.D., Sabine Lake Ecosystem Leader
FIELD NOTES
ACOUSTIC TAGGING RESEARCH ON COASTAL ALLIGATOR GAR
Alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula, is the largest freshwater fish species in Texas and one of the largest in North America. It is not uncommon for them to grow to 6 feet or greater and live past 50 years, as a matter-of-fact individuals that survived to be around 100 years old have been recorded. Fossil evidence has shown that modernday gar look very similar to their ancestors that evolved over 200 million years ago. In fact, fossilized gar have been found in the Permian deposits within Texas, so the alligator gar is truly a native Texas species. Gar were often targeted for removal until somewhat recently because they were misunderstood by anglers and management agencies and mistakenly considered a threat to sport fish abundance or even people due to their fierce appearance. Their total population size and geographical distribution has decreased greatly over the past century due to culling and habitat destruction, though high concentrations can still be found in southeast Texas such as the Trinity River and the Sabine Lake system.
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is studying the movement and habitat utilization patterns of alligator gar using acoustic tagging with the goal of best management and long-term protection of the species. In the Sabine Lake area, beginning in 2022 and continuing in 2023-24, alligator gar caught during TPWD routine sampling have been released with surgically implanted acoustic tags that record that fish’s presence when it swims close (within 1 km) to receivers
located throughout the Texas coast. These gar were tagged mainly within two general areas: the first was the Salt Bayou marsh located to the west of Sabine Lake; and the second was the Louisiana side of Sabine Lake (Figure 1). Ninety alligator gar have been tagged thus far with sizes ranging from 28” to 66” representing a mix of adults and juveniles.
Results from this study suggest that the Sabine Lake area has at least two groups of gar with relatively distinct home territories outside of which few individuals travel. For example, 89% of the gar tagged within the Salt Bayou area never left that marsh. There were however two exceptions of note including one individual that left Salt Bayou and travelled down the intracoastal waterway to Galveston Bay where it remained for 312 days before returning to Salt Bayou (Figure 2), which is a round-trip distance of at least 250 km. In another instance the gar left Salt Bayou for 130 days and traveled the extent of Sabine Lake including up the Sabine and Neches Rivers. Similarly, 96% of gar tagged in Sabine Lake never entered Salt Bayou but were recorded spending time along the Louisiana side of the Lake near and within its many bayous emptying the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, and also venturing into the Neches and Sabine Rivers that flow into the north end of Sabine Lake. A few gar traveled down to Sabine Pass, which opens up to the Gulf of Mexico, but that area was used infrequently, likely due to higher salinities.
The results of this study reaffirm similar findings from previous gar research that has found that most gar don’t move very far, however, there seem to be a few that will swim a much greater distance than the rest. This suggests that local populations of alligator gar consist of a mix of individuals where most will remain within a smaller territory while a few individuals will travel to new areas. The desire of a few gar to travel further than most may be evolutionarily advantageous by promoting gene flow of individuals inclined to explore new territory for better prey resources, environmental conditions, or improved spawning habitat.
Alligator gar spawning opportunities may occur just a
Figure 1. Receiver placement and alligator gar tagging locations in Sabine Lake and Salt Bayou.
few times over many years because of their unique needs for reproduction that include flooding across terrestrial vegetation, such as marsh grass or swamp understory, combined with water temperatures above 68° F. In addition, individuals are not able to reproduce until they have grown several feet in length, and because of this the overharvest of reproductively capable fish can result in long-acting, negative consequences for gar populations. As a result, management agencies are now trying to reduce the take of alligator gar, which has grown more popular over recent years not only for eating but also as a trophy fish. Texas regulations now include a one fish daily bag limit with potential closures to fishing during certain conditions when spawning is likely, as well as other area-specific regulations in Falcon Lake and the Trinity River. For information on limits please review the TPWD Outdoor Annual at https://tpwd. texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing/ freshwater-fishing/gar-closure
TPWD’s gar research is ongoing and has been expanded to include other coastal areas like East Matagorda Bay and Cedar Lakes. The internal acoustic tags that we’ve used will last several years, so if you happen to catch a gar with an external tag on their dorsal fin, please release that fish and call the number on the tag to report the capture location, as additional data will help us better understand their
movement patterns over time with the aim of better protecting and preserving this misunderstood species. Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or tpwd.texas.gov for
Figure 2. Movement path of one alligator gar from Salt Bayou to Galveston Bay and back.
ERIC OZOLINS
EXTREME KAYAK FISHING & SHARKS FROM THE SAND
BLISS TERING CHAOS
As we turn the calendar from 2024 to 2025, anglers begin a new annual campaign. In the coming weeks we’re likely to endure the coldest and most bitter conditions of the year. Typically, January mornings start out brisk; some days the air feels cold enough to chill us to the bones.
Some outdoor enthusiasts have changed their focus to hunting deer and ducks, but for anglers who aren’t bothered by the cold, this season fills us with a sense of adventure. Brutal, harsh conditions pump us full of excitement. The bleak elements bring a unique brand of beauty to our adventures and create scenarios which have rich potential for rewards.
Cooler surf temperatures potentially provide some fast action, particular for species highly regarded for their quality as table fare. Redfish, both slot and oversize, black drum and pompano inhabit the winter surf in great numbers. This seasonal change also brings in our largest wintertime predator—the sandbar shark.
When and if north winds get strong enough and turn the temperatures blisteringly cold, the trophy trout game kicks in on the back side of the barrier islands. With my
charter schedule more relaxed during winter I’m able to enjoy some adventures on my own. Whether I’m stalking pompano from the beachfront sand or wading chestdeep in frigid inshore waters, I find a way to catch some thrills during the year’s coldest month.
The tasty Florida pompano definitely capture the attention of many winter anglers that frequent the Texas surf. While not the largest fish in the sea, our pomps rank high on the list of most tasty. On some bluebird winter days the pompano run the coastline shallows in incredible numbers.
Since the state places no regulations on this species it’s quite possible some days to fill an ice chest with fresh fish. Simply making long casts with peeled shrimp and/ or Fish-Bites into the deeper guts usually proves effective for targeting them. On the more remarkable days, small groups of us have landed more than a hundred.
There are many ways to cook and preserve pompano. Many people like to smoke the fillets and vacuum seal them for freezing. I also wrap them in bacon and broil them whole in the oven. The succulent white flesh of a
Chasing mega-trout is one of Oz’s favorite wintertime pursuits – CPR!
pompano reacts well to many cooking methods and a variety of seasonings. In deference to this oceanic treasure, we should all harvest responsibly, keeping only what we really need and using all that we keep.
Another tasty fish also adapts well to the cold temperatures in the surf. It seems the lower the mercury drops, the more active the black drum become. Drum of all sizes will be quick to suck down a shrimp, which makes them easy to target. The cold also stirs the appetite of red drum that can often be very abundant in the shallows along the Texas beachfronts during winter.
Red drum can be seen cruising the surf in great numbers this time of year, presenting us with the chance to encounter the largest bulls we’ll see all year. On the best days, we get into numbers of oversized redfish, measuring more than 40 inches in length, and we fight them until our arms ache. I prefer using a large half-whiting for bait when targeting the bulls. A large mullet would also be ideal, but until February 1st, the use of mullet longer than 12 inches cannot be used as bait. I typically cast my mullet and/or whiting baits out impaled on 9/0 hooks. My leader of choice is the Catchsharks.com Drum Master leader.
are federally protected and therefore must all be released.
When surf temp dips in the mid-50s or colder, the bulk of the fish move to deeper water, slowing the action along the beachfront. On these occasions, fishing in the bays is a better idea. On some of the coldest days of the year, I launch my kayak to fish various spots where deep water lies close to shorelines. I sometimes beach the kayak and spend up to ten hours a day wading in pursuit of trophy trout. Few thrills compare with hooking and landing 30-inch specks in cold water.
This time of year, while most folks stay home cuddled in a cozy bed, I catch my Texas slam many times over. With a restless soul and an adventurous nature, I feel most at home when I’m trying to catch something. I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember.The Texas saltwater fishing scene is a true gem. Statewide, we have wildly disparate seasons and habitats.
The wintertime Texas surf can also provide productive shark fishing opportunity. Come December, many of our toothy creatures have moved farther out to sea, but when they go, our sandbar sharks move right in. Sandbars can be likened to blacktips on steroids. They have a menacing set of jaws similar to the famous bull shark, but with a broad, triangular dorsal fin. These sharks max out at roughly seven and a half feet, though a few larger ones have been caught.
While smaller than the majestic tiger shark, these predators are feisty and energetic. On the sand they can be extremely animated and flexible , so they must be handled with extreme caution. Deploying a fresh bait beyond the second or third breaker provides the best chance for an encounter with one of these frisky monster, who love to eat whiting, pompano and sheepshead.Importantly, Sandbar sharks
Our brutally hot, humid, triple-digit summer days present a particular set of fishing opportunities.Then, the cold winter bliss changes things significantly, offering other fishing opportunities to pursue. After mighty cold fronts push through, the calm that follows provides some of the best fishing of all. My winter beach charters are an absolute blast for anglers of all ages. Anyone interested in fighting an acrobatic Sandbar shark or getting a photo with a giant bull red before a healthy release should book a trip soon.
CONTACT
For the past decade Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been promoting shark catch and release and assisting various shark research programs. Eric offers guided shark fishing on Padre Island National Seashore. Also renowned for extreme kayak big game fishing, Eric is the owner of Catch Sharks Tackle Company.
Email oz@oceanepics.com Websites oceanepics.com | catchsharks.com
Oz and daughter Leah pose with a January sandbar shark prior to release.
Hunting flounder is a great late-winter activity…great table fare too!
Fine specimen of a wonderfully delicious Florida pompano.
NEGATIVE TIDE, NEGATIVE FISH, POSITIVE VIBES
If you’re reading this it means you survived 2024. The sight-fishing game along the upper half of the Texas coast was one of the most challenging I can remember–please excuse me as I exhale a sigh of relief. Here we live and die by water level. Note I didn’t say tide level. That’s because our water level is heavily influenced by wind and sometimes freshwater runoff. For many weeks at a time this past year the water level was what my friends and I refer to as a bastard tide. In other words, the water was at such a high level that we could not fish even our flood tide spots. While at the same time, neither could we fish spots conducive to tide at predicted levels, either. The fishing became very grindy at times to say the
least and I’m glad it’s in the rearview mirror. Pushing into the New Year, I am optimistic that some seasonally negative tides will hit the reset button on all things shallow. The fish can be particularly negative this time of the year as well. This is primarily because the game of sight-fishing requires sun, and more often than not in January, full sun means post-front high-pressure types of days. This translates to fish not feeding aggressively, and often times they’re sucked down to the bottom or negative, as we like to describe their mood . People that are only blind-casting can struggle in these types of conditions; whereas if you instead make it a visual game and use the right tackle, you can have some truly great days of catching.
For those throwing conventional tackle, I like to utilize a spinning rod for this specific scenario. Mainly because of the ability to present lighter baits at greater distances. It’ll likely be 7’ to 7’2” and on the lighter side of medium-light action. I like to use 10-pound braid with a 20-pound fluorocarbon leader. Lure selection for this situation can vary depending on their level of moodiness, but for the sake of staying on topic, we’ll say these are very negative fish. So, that being
Some of my most popular fly patterns for situations described are the Convict Killer (top) and Strong Arm Merkin (below).
said, I’ll typically skip the paddletails and use straight-tailed baits when using plastics. Baits such as, but not limited to Norton’s Sand Eel Jr and KWiggler’s Ball Tail Jr. Both of these baits are the right shape and size for the task at hand. Colors of choice are typically something very natural and close to the color of bottom I’m fishing.
Hair jigs like bucktails and Buggs Jigs also work very well for this application and are often my goto. They’re extremely lifelike under water and breath with the slightest bump of the rod. It’s the closest thing to fly fishing while still utilizing the simplicity of spinning tackle. While you can readily buy these from various sources, I prefer to tie my own as I have all the supplies to do so already, and quite honestly, they are very fast and easy to tie compared to some of the fly patterns I commonly use.
Jig selection is pretty straight forward. I prefer a classic white bucktail when fishing over lightcolored sandy bottom, and when fishing over muddy bottom as we often are around the marsh, I opt for the Buggs style jig, which is essentially a rabbit strip tail with a bit of flash and a rabbit strip collar. For these I use dark colors because we’re fishing over mud as mentioned, so black and purple, or olive and dark brown are standard.
With fly tackle under these conditions, I really like to stick with a 7-weight rod for a more delicate presentation. I know some people that scale down to even a 6-weight, but to each their own. My choice of fly line stays the same as I don’t swap over to “cold weather” line with a braided nylon core. While I’m not going to argue, it’s probably the better option for fishing in near-freezing temperatures as our fly fishing is typically best as the day starts to warm a bit anyway. So, I stick to my guns with tropic coated mono core fly lines all year.
Leader stays the same for me as well. Typically it’s a 9 foot 40/30/20 handtied leader, with the 20-pound fluorocarbon as the bite-tippet. I am a converted believer in the fluorocarbon leader thing. I had an instance a few years back when the water in the marsh I was fishing got clearer the further back I went and fish began short-stopping my clients fly. I snipped off the thick and opaque Hard Mason 12-pound (sorry Capt. Chris), and tied on a piece of fluorocarbon. The next
several fish inhaled the fly without hesitation. From that day forward Ande 20-pound fluorocarbon became the gold standard on my boat. In extreme gin-clear conditions, don’t be bashful to add a foot or two of 12-pound fluorocarbon to the end of your leader system.
As for fly selection, I’ve lately narrowed it down to a couple of choices for days like this. One is the Convict Killer and the other is the Strong Arm Merkin. Both are tied on a short shank hook and have small or extra-small lead eyes, but due to the materials of which the flies are tied, the extra-small has much more movement. Both flies found a place in my fly box originally for sheepshead but have since become my go-to for negative redfish year-round.
I could probably write another entire article on looking for good spots to fish on these types of days, but in short, I would say to start looking for fish signs much sooner than you normally would when approaching your fishing grounds. If you push a fish while running a route you’d normally drive right past…just stop! Fish it out for a hundred yards or so. You may have been about to run over a whole pile of fish.
With lower-than-normal water levels and temperatures, the fish might be scattered into channels and bigger lakes where you’d normally see large bay boats anchored or drifting. And because of the lower water level, those bigger boats won’t be around, as the typically 3-foot deep lakes are now 1-foot at best and riddled with large mats of oyster reef. As for me and my Sabine Skiff, that’s just where we will be hunting.
Until next time let’s make it a good year. Cheers!
Jake Haddock grew up in the back bays of Port O’ Connor where he developed a great passion for saltwater fishing. In his younger years he was a youth writer for this publication. In present day he enjoys guiding light tackle and fly clients in Galveston and occasionally Port O’ Connor.
Phone 713-261-4084
Email frigatebirdfishing@gmail.com
Website www.frigatebirdfishing.com
Jason with another red; this one on a jig and spinning tackle.
Jason Kuiken with a nice redfish caught on 6wt fly gear on a tough day.
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Matagorda
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THE VIEW FROM Matagorda
A pre-frontal day spent on a patch of scattered shell and mud in January can be epic with a gingerly sinking soft plug on the end of your line. However, few will give it a chance –probably because it is January, chilly, and all those vacation days were scooped up by the holidays.
It’s 2025. The opportunity will be there – you just have to put your right and left foot in a pair of waders and make a purposeful cast. January is lowtide winter fishing, so use the shallow water to your advantage. Sometimes waters are so low it is tough to find enough water to float duck decoys. So where do fish go when the wind has blown 20 from the north for two solid days and reefs are sticking three feet above the surface? Head to deep bayous and drains.
Everything in those back lakes has to flow through these locales when the tide falls. Many times the fish are still pretty warm even though the water is chilly. That means most of the fish are lying on the bottom in the mud.
Winter fish don’t bite every day. So if the catching is slow, find the silver lining in your day. Pay attention to those exposed bars and reefs that normally are hidden with normal water levels, and mark these fish magnets in your GPS for another day. I find new reefs
and guts every winter and use those spots in the spring when tides swell. Most guts I wade in January are over my head during May and June. Keep all that info logged in the brain and use it when tides fall to seasonal lows in winter and July.
Most of our trout hang close to the Intracoastal during a cold January and move back and forth from the shallows to the deep according to the thermometer and barometer. With that being said, the north shoreline of East Matagorda is the closest intercept point. Waders who want a good shot at a big speck on a moving tide should find a piece of shell from Boggy Cut all the way east to Bird Island and camp out with their favorite mullet-imitation.
lobes, and frigid boat rides.
I have become quite fond of a pink MirrOlure Soft-Dine. It seems if large trout are in the area, they can’t turn it down. That goes for all of the Corky family and large soft plastics rigged on lighter, 1/16 ounce jig heads.
Winter fishing calls for patience – large trout don’t bite every day. If they did, everyone would have one on the wall. Arms-length specks are like a heavyhorned buck, a six-foot tarpon, a banded greenhead or a dirt-dragging 11-inch Rio Grande beard.
The elusiveness of a heavy winter speckled trout is one thing you can’t order at your fingertips with free shipping. It takes time, effort, red ear
Yes, it is a lot tougher to score truly big trout these days, but chances are improving with sound conservation and catch and release. Every day we creep farther and farther away from the freeze of 2021 is another day of growing potential of our most prized coastal fishing resource.
Better days are ahead. I saw it in 2024 – our fishery is drastically improving with tighter limits and changing attitudes. Please keep doing what’s best for our bays and expect to see more quality and quantity in 2025.
Sunrise Lodge and Properties is a full service waterfront hunting and fishing lodge and coastal real estate company.
Science Sea and
the
World’s Largest Sea Creature
Take a moment to imagine what you think is the largest sea creature on Earth. How big is it? Are you thinking of the blue whale? At somewhere between 80 to 110 feet long, blue whales are about as long as an NBA basketball court, and, at 20 to 25 feet across, about half as wide as one.
But go bigger. Imagine a creature the size of two basketball courts, side by side, as tall as nearly two basketball hoops, and visible from space. It’s not a whale—it’s a single coral colony that scientists and filmmakers recently discovered in the Solomon Islands, an archipelago of more than 1,000 islands located about 1,100 miles northeast of Australia. At 105 by 111.5 feet, it’s the largest recorded sea organism to date, though larger undiscovered ones likely exist, given that about 5 percent of the oceans have been explored.
Many people may not realize that coral is an animal since it’s small and anchored in place. Corals live in colonies of hundreds of thousands of individual animals, called polyps. The polyps of hard corals secrete calcium carbonate that cements them together and protects them. Each polyp is a tiny, stout column with tiny tentacles that catch food and usher it into the mouth. But coral polyps also have a symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae. These algae live inside the coral and their photosynthesis provides the coral with nutrition in exchange for protection from animals that would eat the algae.
The massive coral colony in the Solomon Islands is a brown hard coral called Pavona clavus. It’s a bumpy mound covered in knobs, situated more than 30 feet deep and teeming with hundreds of other species. It’s estimated to be a hearty 300 to 500 years old. And although more than 40 percent of the world’s coral species are at risk of extinction, this coral appears healthy and resilient.
Scientists discovered the largest coral in the Solomon Islands, measuring roughly 105 by 111.5 feet. Photograph by Manu San Félix, National Geographic Pristine Seas
Port O'Connor Seadrift
Captain Shellie Gray was born in Port Lavaca and has been guiding in the Seadrift/ Port O’Connor area full time for the past 22 years. Shellie specializes in wading for trout and redfish year round with artificial lures.
Telephone 361-785-6708
Email bayrats@tisd.net Website www.bayrat.com Facebook @captsgaryandshelliegray
MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays
Most people, me included, look at the beginning of a New Year as a fresh start and a new beginning. And while many will be looking to make New Year’s resolutions, most anglers are viewing January as a time that can be challenging to fish but capable of yielding big results. I am often asked whether I fish during the coldest months and, if I do, is it any good? My answer is always a very resounding, “You bet I do, and it can be great if you plan appropriately!”
January is definitely a month when you really need to watch the weather forecast. Cold fronts become more frequent and some days can be pretty chilly for fishing. Arriving to the coast with northerly winds gusting 30-plus mph and super low tides can make for some very rough fishing conditions. But if you watch the forecast, you will find there will also be some pleasant days to be out on the bay.
The best window of opportunity to fish during winter is usually two to three days after a cold front has passed through. By this time the wind has usually calmed down to a more suitable level for easier fishing. The problem I often find this time of year is locating water that isn’t “too” clear. Yep, you read that right. Cooler water temperatures, less grass, lower water levels, and fewer microorganisms can make for some very clear water. Many areas will be like looking through an aquarium. You will find very few bait fish in these
Gary and I are very pleased and proud to become Brand Ambassadors for Southerly Fishing.
waters, and even fewer game fish.
When fish are trying to feed they look for some type of structure where their prey will be trying to hide. Grassy areas are normally good structure to fish but this time of year most of the submerged grass has died. Sandy shorelines with well-defined guts are usually a good go-to, but not now. Water covering sandy bottoms is typically cooler now, so fish are looking for darker, muddier bottoms that hold daytime heat a little better. Oyster reefs are very good areas to look for feeding fish but the best type of structure you will find me looking for during this cold time is off-colored water.
Off-colored water is where you will likely find not only greater numbers of mullet, but also the fish that like to eat them. The degree of color will vary from one area of the bay to the next. I do not shy away from murky or even muddy water when I find it. What will change depending on the clarity of the water is the color of my bait.
If I am fishing an area that is only slightly off-color I will stick with more natural-colored baits. By natural I mean something like Bass Assassins 4” Sea Shad in Mama’s Chicken or Chicken on a Chain. If I find water that is quite muddy compared to the surrounding area I will opt for darker colors like Magic Grass or Electric Blue/Limetreuse. Speaking of limetreuse tails, I will always opt for brightly colored tail when fishing off-colored water. Just remember, the darker the water the darker the bait.
Oklahoma angler,
Keep in mind that a slower presentation is usually best when trying to entice fish to bite in cold water. I slow my retrieve down to pretty much a bottom-bumping speed whenever there are no bites coming from the upper half of the water column. Slowsinking and suspending baits often work extremely well, too. Baits like the Corky Soft Dine XL or MirrOlure’s Catch 2000 are good options when a slower presentation is necessary.
Fishing during January and February can be tricky to schedule but if you can plan your fishing trips around the weather you will see just how rewarding it can be. Honestly, I think all anglers should experience all the seasons here on the Mid Coast. Every season has its advantages and disadvantages but making an effort in each of them will make you a better all-around angler.
Before I close out my first article of 2025, I would like to share that Gary and I have accepted positions of Brand Ambassador with Southerly Fishing. Southerly Fishing’s mission is to provide anglers high-quality, purpose-built fishing gear for the coastal environment. All their products are rigorously tested to make sure they stand up to the harshest marine conditions. Engineered for the salt, designed for the catch. Please check them out at www.southerlyfishing.com.
Happy 2025 Everyone!
Justin Pace, had a nice surprise when he hooked up with this brute of redfish.
Upper Laguna/ Baffin
David Rowsey has 30 years in Baffin and Upper Laguna Madre; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty. David has a great passion for conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish.
Telephone 361-960-0340
Website www.DavidRowsey.com Email david.rowsey@yahoo.com
@captdavidrowsey
HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey
I love January. My largest trout came during this cold month. The weather was similar to what we’ve been seeing lately. Pretty warm overall and I ended up in a part of the bay I don’t usually frequent during January. I’d had no quality bites and was debating whether I should just head in. I had pretty much convinced myself the sky was too clear, the pressure too high, and almost zero wind. Sight-casting was difficult with the glare on the water.
A couple of brown pelicans were giving something hell as I approached the opposite shoreline of where I had been all day. In unison, they’d crash the surface and then immediately take flight, repeating the dive several times in less than a minute. Approaching cautiously I recognized a raft of mullet–more sign than I’d seen all day.
I anchored on the shoreline with the sun at my back and a slight breeze in my face. I had given myself about a 100 yard buffer to wade in, but quickly realized everything was moving away from me. I decided to
jump on the bank and close the distance to within 30 yards or so before sneaking back in.
No sooner than I had reached the bank, a large fish tail-slapped the muddy bottom and left a V-wake that had all the telltale signs of a trout. I made a long cast with a Fat Boy but the fish was spooked and only deflected slightly as it intersected with the lure. Typical!
Cranking the lure back, my thoughts were on the mullet school that was swimming away. Turning my head slightly I spotted something dark swimming toward me in the shallow water. I am blessed to still have great eyesight at 55, but I was only about 35 back then, maybe younger, and I could spot fish like an osprey. I immediately recognized it as a large trout.
The beach was sandy and my intention was to land the lure on the sand and quietly reel it into the shallow water and wait for the opportunity to work it slowly as she got within range of where she would see it, but subtly enough to avoid spooking her. Just as I was measuring it all up and about to go into my rod load, something off to the side in a little deeper water caught my eye. I paused as I was uncertain whether it was a trout. What I did know was that it was considerably larger than the one I was about to cast toward, which looked to be about an eight-pounder.
Convinced that the fish I’d spooked earlier was also a large trout, I decided to gamble on the unknown fish swimming toward me. I made the cast to my 2:00, off to her side enough not to spook her. I reeled the Fat Boy as fast as I dared and then let it settle to the bottom, thinking to give it a bump to draw her attention as she got closer. Fortune was on my side as she got into range. I raised the lure off the bottom and she quickly closed the gap, only to pause right before I thought she would eat it. Fearing she wouldn’t commit; I quickly raised the rod tip enough for the lure to barely break the surface as though trying to escape. Instantly she flared her gills and sucked it in.
When I set the hook she headed to my 4:00 creating slack that I needed to make up, but before I could do that she sensed me and did a 90-degree into the bay at full speed, with my drag screaming. Luckily for me, everything was in my favor and we did the dance until she seemed completely worn out. The Corky was out of sight in her mouth, so I knew I had good hooks in her and calmly walked her up on the beach.
As I approached her she had that look of defeat as I bent over and placed my hand on the side of her head to attach the Boga Grip. She was a giant! The Boga scale read a full 11-1/2 pounds. I let out a WOOHOO!...loud enough for the whole bay to hear me.
Holding her against my rod for a quick measurement, she looked to be all of thirty-one and a half inches. I popped the hooks and watched her glide off like she knew that was the next play. A day I will never forget, a story I’ve told many times, and one that is relived often in my head.
Remember the Buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey
Allen Williams of Lake Jackson with a recent 8-plus to add to his already long resume of trophy trout. One of my all-time favorites to share the water with. Allen was using a MirrOlure Heavy Dine XL 28MR. CPR…Of course!
Port Mansfield
Captain Wayne Davis has been fishing the Lower Laguna-Port Mansfield for over 20 years. He specializes in wade fishing with lures.
Telephone
210-287-3877
Email captwayne@kwigglers.com
WAYNE’S Mansfield Report
Greetings from Port Mansfield! Here’s to wishing everyone a Happy New Year. This is the perfect time to reflect on all the blessings 2024 provided and also what 2025 might have to offer. Aside from whatever you personally have to be thankful for entering the New Year, let’s reflect for a moment upon what we should all be thankful for from the fishing perspective.
2024 brought us a most welcome and proactive speckled trout management plan from Texas Parks and Wildlife–a plan that included public input, scientifically sound population survey and harvest data, recognized the current state of the fishery, and insures future sustainability–all while providing enhanced opportunity for anglers seeking trophy-class fish. You might even go so far as to include the potential for a new state record. Mother Nature was kind during 2024 and we experienced no significantly negative environmental issues so, all things considered, I would say it was a very good year.
Moving on to recent observations from the water… As one might imagine, things have shaped up nicely for what I believe could be an epic trophy trout season. We have already seen the signs and have already reaped rewards by landing some very solid fish closing in on the coveted thirty-inch mark, some pushing slightly more than eight pounds. I know what January can produce here in the Lower Laguna and am excited about it. I am hopeful of putting my anglers in the right place at the right time anytime between now and April.
Our water levels have receded some, and after hoping this would happen there was a period shortly after it did that I wished it hadn’t…and here’s why. When the water level was super high, I was able to locate some monster trout in areas where my boat would not float with normal tide levels and, truth be told, those fish were pretty easy to catch. This pattern held steady for several weeks. I figured that once the water fell out I would find them even more concentrated nearby, just out a bit deeper. Well, once the water fell out, I was probing in the likely areas, but those trout had other ideas and moved farther than I had guessed they might. It took me a while to figure it out but I stuck with the mission and found them. I was also able to garner a nugget of information for future use. I actually also believe the water temperature had something to do with my discovery as it also dropped some during that timeframe.
ticket. While we did manage to attract some topwater strikes, the old KWigglers Ball Tail Shad in Bone Diamond was the clear winner. I will keep that in mind for similar events in the future.
As we plug along this trophy trout season, I would expect (and hope) water temperatures will remain cool–in the 58- to 65-degree range–coupled with low ceilings cover and winds mostly between 8-15 mph, from either south/southeast or north/northeast direction. And, while we’re at it, let’s also hope that floating grass will not be an everyday issue. Should we get lucky and actually receive these or similar conditions, you can bet I will be slow-walking a Mansfield Knocker, just as I was last January when I caught that impressive 11pounder. Other lure choices are sure to include the KWigglers Darter and Wig-A-Lo tied to my FTU Gen II Green Rods.
I would also like to touch briefly on those not-so-pretty days we must also endure this time of year; the days of gusty northers pushing 25 mph and bone-chilling temperatures. During these times I like to discuss the realities of the situation with my clients, which more or less boil down to managing expectations as we make that difficult “go or no-go” decision.
Believe it or not, even with an obviously daunting weather forecast, some folks struggle a little bit in this department. Maybe it’s because Port Mansfield has such a great reputation for producing big trout on a regular basis. We have all been out there when we probably should not have been, however, every day is different and each should be analyzed accordingly. My best advise is to trust your guide and exercise your best common sense.
Again, I wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope it brings you happiness and great fishing.
Remember, fresh is better than frozen. -Capt. Wayne Davis
When we were “on” this pattern, believe it not, most of our fish were caught on plastics. Which came as somewhat of a surprise as I truly believed suspending twitchbaits would have been the better
View The Video Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.
Cory Hamman – An honest 8-pounder that taped 29-5/8 inches.
Jaxson Appel with a new personal best trout – 28-inches – just under 8 pounds on a Mansfield Knocker. CPR!
Arroyo Colorado to Port Isabel
A Brownsville-area native, Capt. Ernest Cisneros fishes the Lower Laguna Madre from Port Mansfield to Port Isabel. Ernest specializes in wading and poled skiff adventures for snook, trout, and redfish.
Cell
956-266-6454
Website www.tightlinescharters.com
SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene
Even when typing 2025 in the heading of this article it is hard to believe that another year has come and gone. I always heard growing up the saying, “The older you get, the faster time flies.” I now believe it to be true.
I will begin by relating several facts about our local fishery; one that was very puzzling and two that are very reassuring. Puzzling to me was that redfish became rather scarce in the lower end of the Lower Laguna for a short period several weeks ago. We searched far and wide and finally discovered them to be quite plentiful north of the Arroyo Colorado. Luckily, the trout took up the slack and kept our lines tight during all that searching. Big trout were, in fact, numerous and willing to eat; which was very reassuring as regards the future of the fishery. And while this may sound like a “fish story” we actually experienced a day when we spotted nearly a hundred trout in the twenty-four to thirty-inch range.
And now, even more reassuring, following the last couple of cold snaps, we are seeing more fish in the southern portion of the Lower Laguna. The redfish are back and will hopefully become even more plentiful as the water temperature continues to cool.
On colder days we have been targeting muddier bottoms, deeper holes near grass flats, and flats directly adjacent the ICW and finding good numbers of both trout and reds. I will also mention that these areas have been producing best during periods with tidal movement – in or out doesn’t matter – just so the water is moving.
Any time the redfish seem to be hugging bottom and not moving much, I have found the ZMan Big Ballerz in Plum/Chartreuse, Gold Fire and Beer Run to be very effective on 1/4-ounce Trout Eye jigs, worked slow near bottom. On windy days when a bit of vibration helps attract bites, I go with the 5-inch Paddlerz on the same jigs, which makes a great weedless setup.
Our trout fishery continues to show improvement. More frequent cold fronts will arrive in January, dropping air and water temperatures even more. This drop in temperature will improve trout fishing and should also dramatically increase the size of the catch.
water; edges of the ICW, and flats with quick deep-water access. Flats near the Brazos Santiago Pass or Mansfield’s East Cut are also excellent choices this time of the year.
When targeting trout, Z Man’s Paddlerz in Pearl, Beer Run, Sexy Penny, and Sexy Mullet in both the four and five-inch models are suggested baits. I would rig these baits with a Texas Eye or Texas Eye Finesse weedless hook.
Snook is another species worth targeting down here during the winter months. The winter snook bite can be either really good or slow and boring. If you hit it right, a trip of a lifetime is possible. So, when is it right? Usually, two to three days after a good cold front. Snook will be hungry, but you will need to target them in deeper water as they are especially sensitive to colder temperatures. Snook like to school up, so you will likely find more where you find one. But keep in mind when snook fishing, their window of opportunity is small because they can be picky eaters and will tend to feed only on moving tides. But the reward is well worth the wait.
Some of the best fishing is happening right now and will continue throughout the month. Yes, we will be at the mercy of the weather, but if you can brave the winter conditions, it will be well worth it. Be sure to dress warm, and wearing waders is a must if you plan to get in the water.
When it comes to waders I am quite biased and a longtime Simms guy. Check out their new G4Z waders coming out soon. The zipper front is the way to go, and once you wear them for one day, I’m betting you will never return to the conventional non-zipper style.
Happy New Year to all and best fishing. Remember to practice conservation of our fisheries as much as possible. The future is bright for our trout fishery and you can help make it better.
Remember that after a cold front blows through, let’s say a few days and things are beginning to warm up, look for trout to frequent the eastside sand flats. Trout will also begin to stage in potholes on grassy flats. During the colder periods they will shift toward deeper
View The Video Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.
Nick Villarreal with a nice winter snook. Snook fishing can be good this month, sometimes you just have to wait them out.
Charlie Chappell caught this doormat right where it was supposed to be. Released!
FISHING REPORTS AND FORECASTS from Big Lake to Boca Chica
Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
James mentions several historically productive patterns for targeting trout and reds in and around West Galveston Bay in the middle of winter. “We generally have really clear water in West Bay this time of year. Catching trout and reds in super clear water is tough, to say the least. We do best by focusing on areas with some color in the water. Most of our best fishing occurs out of the boat in January. We often catch easy limits if we find some dirty streaks of water between Mecom’s Cut and Carancahua Reef, in water around four or five-feet deep. Out there, Bass Assassin Sea Shads in bright colors work best if the sky is bright, darker colors if it’s cloudy. Old school 51M and 52M MirrOlures work well too. With them, we like to keep the rod tip pointed down at the water and reel ‘em in slow. A bit of rhythmic twitching can be good, but too much twitching of the rod tip is counterproductive. If the weather warms up, we might have some decent wading opportunities around the big reefs and spoil banks in parts of the bay close to the Causeway, especially late in the afternoons on warm, sunny days.”
Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Jim will still be hunkering down in the blinds to hunt ducks during January, and fishing some too. “We normally have some days with good conditions for duck hunting this month. Cold, nasty weather makes the ducks fly low, so it helps us pull ‘em into our spreads. Those kinds of days aren’t the best for fishing, but cold weather does make the fish somewhat predictable. When water temperatures dip down into the low-50s and stay there for a while, the holes in the bayous usually fill up with trout and redfish. In there, we target them on soft plastics mostly, matching our jighead size to the amount of current. The more current we have, the heavier the heads need to be in order to keep the lures down in the water column, where the fish are. Cold weather can also make the fishing better on main-bay shorelines adjacent to drains connecting the backwater areas with the bigger bodies of water. In this situation, which often occurs in the wake of a strong front, warm water gushing out of the marsh creates ripe potential for catching. In such situations, slow-sinking twitchbaits often work about as good as soft plastics.”
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Randall says the big temperature swings in January cause the fish to move around a lot, but also that he enjoys the challenges such things present. “We mostly fish out of the boat this month, focusing on places with some kind of change in the water, either a temperature gradient or a color change. Some of our best fishing happens where we find a seam between clear and murky water, or streaks of murky water in clear water. Generally, the fish will be found in the dirtier water. If the water’s gin clear, it usually needs to be over eight-feet deep in order to produce many bites. When we’re making long drifts, we throw mostly Norton Sand Eel Juniors in various colors, rigged on quarter-ounce Norton Screw-lock jigheads. During the prolonged warm spells, if they occur, the wading can become better. In those situations, we like to focus on small reefs and pockets of coves with a mix of soft mud and shell on the bottom and throw slow-sinking twitchbaits like Paul Brown Lures and Catch 5s. On some of the warmest afternoons, if we see lots of bait at the surface and/or jumping, we’ll break out the topwaters.”
Matagorda Bays | Capt. Glenn Ging Glenn’s Guide Service - 979.479.1460 www.glennsguideservice.com
As we get into January, winter sets in and trophy trout season is in full swing. Wading shallow shorelines and reefs with slow-sinking twitchbaits, soft plastics and topwaters is the name of the game. Best bet it to key on marsh drains and reefs holding mullet. Once it gets cold, any sign of mullet activity in a likely area is enough to justify some exploration. Paul Brown Lures are kings in the winter, but tails like Bass Assassin’s 5” Shad or Coastal Brew’s Darts will also produce bites from big trout. MirrOlure MirrOdines and Soft Dines, and Texas Custom’s Double Ds are also great options. Redfish action should heat up in marsh drains and deep guts on the shorelines this month. Gulp! lures dangled under corks are a great option for them, but live bait will work great too. The Colorado River is always a wintertime favorite for locals, so long as the water is relatively salty and clear. Look for trout and redfish in deeper holes when it’s cooler and up on shallower sand bars when it’s warmer. Soft plastics on quarter to three-eighths ounce jigheads are generally the best producers, though live shrimp work well too.
Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
Cooler weather and lower tides have kicked off our winter fishing in the Palacios area. We’ve had lots of good trout action in several locations, creating hope for the coming months. The three local rivers (Colorado/Tres Palacios/Lavaca) have been on fire recently. We’ve been trolling shorelines working ledges and bends throwing DSL lures in Magic Grass and White Ice rigged on three-eighths ounce jigheads for best results. The Palacios Harbor has some good fish in the deep holes, and we’ve been free-lining live shrimp on small split shots and slow bouncing Berkley Gulp! threeinch shrimp in the pearl color for best results. The redfish have finally come out of the backwater areas, with the low tides. They’ve been gorging on grass shrimp, which have also been flushed out of the marsh. We’ve been targeting the reds with DOA shrimp and eighth-ounce gold & silver spoons. Pier fishing on East Bay/1st Street pier has been fantastic since the weather cooled. The key to catching on the piers is timing. During the week, extremely early and late hours work better than crowded times. When fishing during January, it’s best to work holes with muddy bottoms, in places close to the deepest water around.
Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833
In January, Lynn likes to play the percentages related to the weather and also where the trout and redfish like to stay during the coldest month of the year. “This time of year, I like to wait until late in the morning to leave the dock, then fish my way through the warming trend of the afternoon. On most days, the fish bite better in the shallow water once the temperatures rise to their high point. This can happen right at dark on some days, since water warms up slower than air. One of the best patterns to fish during January involves a warm, sunny afternoon after a cold front has passed a day or two earlier. In this situation, the shallow water in the coves and back-lakes heats up faster than the deeper water in the main bays. When we have outgoing tides late on days like that, the warm water spills out of the lakes and coves through the drains connecting them to the bigger
bodies of water. So, the bite is often great in places like that. Overall, most of the trout and reds we catch in January are found in spots with muddy bottoms and scattered shell.”
Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
January is the last month of Blake’s favorite season of the year: the Cast-n-Blast season. “We’ll still be spending long days on the water this month, hunting during the early-morning hours when the ducks fly most, then fishing our way out of the marshes into the main bays. The best part of this is the fact that something is likely to be good, no matter what kind of weather we have. Windy, rainy weather can make the duck hunting better, while bright, calm, warm weather can make the fishing good. We have lots of reds in the back-lakes and other parts of the marshes this time of year. When the tide is high, they tend to roam around in the shallows, chasing bait along the shorelines. When the tide falls out, they become concentrated in the holes in the drains connecting the marshes with the main parts of the bays. Dark soft plastics with bright tails are by far the best lures for targeting the reds. On the toughest days, we sometimes resort to pulling out our Gulp! split-tails. Chartreuse and white seems to be the best color in those. Trout fishing is best around reefs in deeper parts of the bays.”
Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata | rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160
January is one of the best months to hunt for a trophy whitetail buck on the ranches of South Texas. Because this is so, many outdoor enthusiasts spend lots of time stalking through the bush or waiting for a big buck to walk within range of their blind. For those of us who love to target trophy speckled trout, this means relatively light traffic on the water. If the weather’s really cold this time of year, the trout and reds aren’t too active during the morning hours. They spend most of the long nights in water too deep for wading. But, sometime towards the middle of the day, they tend to move closer to the shorelines and the shallow parts of the famous rocky sand bars in the ULM and Baffin, and we’re able to catch them on slow-sinking twitchbaits and soft plastics. On the best days, with warming weather, topwaters like She Dogs work great too. Most of the time, the bite is best on Bass Assassin Die Dappers in natural colors rigged on eighth or sixteenth-ounce jigheads fished slowly, close to the bottom, in places with a good mix of rocks or gravel, grass and mud.”
Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez - www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230
During the dead of winter, one of the best plans for fishing in the Upper Laguna Madre includes staying on the water until the end of the day. “When the water is super clear in the lagoon, the fishing can be difficult during the day. The trout and reds become hard to entice into striking lures when they can see them so well. So, when the weather’s cold and the skies are clear, one of the best ways to cope with this is to fish late in the afternoon and into the early hours of night. This works especially well on the days when the coldest temperatures created by passing fronts begin to rise just a bit. Normally, this happens along with calming winds. In scenarios like this, the fishing for trout in the shallows on the west side of the ULM can be great right around the time the sun dips below the horizon, and the action often lasts for a while after nightfall. On the other hand, when the weather’s warmer and skies are cloudy, with medium southeast winds, fishing can be better during daylight hours, especially if we’re have heavy cloud cover and light rain.”
P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com
January and February bring the coolest water and air temps of the year.
On ultra-cold days, the surf may seem dormant, but on the nice bluebird days, there could be some welcoming action. The Florida pompano run should be in full effect. Any warm day with green water close to the sand should produce numbers of pompano.
Trout bite best in the surf with the same conditions in play. It’s possible to catch some real monsters on slow-sinking twitchbaits or slow-worked MirrOlures. Reddish of all sizes will be in the surf. Mullet is the best bait for them this time of year, but cut whiting works well also. Black drum will be around pending any extremely cold water temps. The largest available sharks are sandbar sharks, and the smaller Atlantic sharpnose and bonnetheads also provide some fun action. Water temperatures of at least 60° should provide the best potential for those hoping to catch some sharks. Any major cold front that drops the water into the 50s will push the sharks and many other species away from the beach and into deeper water. January can be peaceful and relaxing on Texas beaches. Light crowds make things enjoyable, and the bite can be rewarding.
Port Mansfield, Texas | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431
Getaway Adventures Lodge - 956.944.4000
In January, it’s important to keep three things in mind when heading out on the water to fish: cold fronts, water levels, and water temperatures. I continually see boats trying to fish areas they would in summer and fall months, but with the low winter tides, some end up running aground. Everyone should check the water levels at the boat ramp and think about how this affects their plans, especially when the water is cold after a strong front passes. In mid-winter, the mid-section of the Saucer is often an ideal location to try. Fishing is also good right by the edge of the ICW between the cabins. The deeper parts of the Pipeline area to south of the East Cut is another productive stretch. West Bay and the submerged bars north of Bennie’s Shack also produces plenty of reds and trout in post-front conditions with cold water and low tides. The area north of the East Cut around the Weather Station up to Butchers Island produces lots of fish too. Places with lots of potholes and water depths ranging from middle-thigh to belly-deep are best when it’s cold. Topwaters can be productive, but KWiggler’s Ball Tail Shads rigged on light heads work better on average.
Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941
Cool weather trends make both the people and the fish more comfortable. As long as we don’t get extremely cold weather, the fishing in January is often excellent. Lately, the trout fishing has been great. We’re finding the fastest action in water ranging from two to about four-feet deep. Grassy flats adjacent to deep water have held plenty of trout on most days. To figure out where exactly to fish, we’re keying on active bait and popping slicks. ZMan Big Ballerz four-inch lures in plum/chartreuse rigged on eighth-ounce Trout-Eye jigheads have been productive, especially when worked low and slow. The redfish bite has been good and only getting better as tides fall out for the winter. We’re finding the best numbers of reds on flats covered by less than two feet of water, mostly along main-bay shorelines fairly close to creek drains. ZMan DieZel MinnowZ in redbone rigged on eighth-ounce Texas-Eye weedless jigheads have worked best over the grass in the shallows. As temperatures cool more and the tide drops to its low point, the fish will become concentrated in holes with muddy bottoms, and they’ll be easier to locate. Making fish bite this time of year is often harder than finding fish.
Dylan Strahan, Jr. East Matagorda Bay - 19” trout
Merit Leahy Corpus Christi Bay - first bull red!
Roger Calandres snook CPR
Chasidy Gwaltney Packery Channel - 20” pb flounder!
Mike Morrill flounder & trout
Thomas Taylor East Matagorda Bay - 28.5” trout
Mike Gartner Oyster Creek - 19” pb flounder!
Lauren Shanks Padre Island National Seashore - 27” first keeper red!
First come – first published! Photos are judged on artistic merit and sporting ethic displayed. No stringer, cleaning table, or hanging board images allowed. Digital images only. Adjust camera to high or best quality. All images become property of TSFMag. Email to: Photos@TSFMag.com Include short description of your catch with name, date, bay system, etc.
Photo Gallery
Blake Leinneweber redfish CPR
Jayden Shive black drum & bonnethead shark
Reed Kempf Baffin Bay - 24” redfish
Joey Hagar Galveston South Jetty - shark
Cesar Vasquez Oso Bay - 22” redfish
Marissa Lamb Aransas Bay - 22” tripletail
In Memory of Esmeralda Reyes Trevino Fishing on Boca Chica Beach
Bill Pattillo Padre Island National Seashore - 84.25”tarpon
Got ideas, hints or recipes you’d like to share?
Email them to pam@tsfmag.com or send by fax: 361 792-4530
Gulf Coast
Quesabirria de Pato
So, what to do with all those ducks you were lucky to harvest this season? Here’s an incredible recipe that can be served as hors d’oeuvres or a main course at your New Years Eve party! This is not a quick recipe and will take some time, but it is well worth the effort when all these wonderful flavors come together. You won’t be disappointed! Many thanks to Andrea Beaver for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Note: This is a very large recipe intended to use up all those duck breasts you have stored in your freezer. It can easily be reduced proportionally to accommodate smaller batches of fewer duck breasts. Leftovers can be vacuum sealed and frozen for later.
INGREDIENTS
25 ducks (50 duck breasts) no need to pre-soak Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
50 HEB Mixla Tortillas (half corn half flour)
3 lbs Queso Oaxaca shredded
1 large onion chopped
2 cilantro bunches chopped
STOCK INGREDIENTS
5 quarts water
3 bay leaves
3 Tbsp powdered beef bouillon
3/8 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp cumin
3/8 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Dried Ancho Peppers
10-12 Dried Guajillo Peppers
6-8 Dried Arbol Peppers
1 ½ bulbs of garlic, peeled
1 large onion quartered
PREPARATION
Rinse duck breast and pat dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper on each side.
In a large frying pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, set heat to medium. Sear each side for two minutes. Place on cookie sheet and set aside.
To prepare stock use a large stock pot; set on medium heat, add water and all seasonings for stock.
Peppers need all stems and seeds removed.
Using the same frying pan you used to fry the ducks, add two tablespoons olive oil and sear peppers, garlic and onions. Once seared remove and add to stock pot, cook for about 15 minutes.
Using tongs remove all peppers, garlic and onions from stock pot and add to a large blender. Purée until smooth. Add back to stock pot. Add seared ducks and any juice from pan. Reduce heat and simmer for two hours.
Remove duck from stock pot with a slotted spoon; use a pair of forks to shred the duck breast. You could also use a food processer set to chop. Add shredded duck back to stock pot and simmer for another 2 hours.
Assembling
Strain the meat from the stock and place in a large bowl. Reserve stock.
In the same extra-large frying pan, add a small amount of olive oil and set to medium heat. Add additional olive oil as needed during the assembly process.
I like to assemble six birrias at a time. The ingredients should go together in this order:
Start by dipping the tortilla in the juice from the stock pot, add a small handful of cheese, meat, onions, cilantro, topped with another small handful of cheese. Fold in half and place in frying pan.
Brown on each side and then place on a large platter or cookie sheet and repeat.
Serve with reserved stock for dipping.
Yields – 50 Birrias
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