COASTAL FOCUS: MID COAST

: : by Capt. CHRIS MARTIN

Cool Tactics for Trout

ALTHOUGH THEY ARE PRETTY busy places to be most other times of the year, our local San Antonio Bay and Matagorda Bay systems can become very laid-back during the winter.

About the only folks around are the locals and some die-hard coastal anglers who know that trophy speckled trout season doesn’t end with the first ice on the boat windshield. For those willing to dress warmly and brave the sometimes-harsh elements, there are big trout to be caught all winter long on our mid-portion of the Texas coastline.

January can bring some extreme cold snaps, so air and water temperatures are two things coastal anglers need to pay close attention to when fishing for cold-water trophies. Speckled trout are vulnerable to cold-weather extremes and must evacuate shallows when the air temperatures begin dropping below the 50-degree mark.

Deep-water locations are less impacted by sudden drops in air temperature, so January trout anglers will do well to focus on area drains, sloughs, bayous, and holes comprised of water depths ranging anywhere between 8 to 20 feet deep.

Depth is a key ingredient for catching wintertime trout because the deeper layers of the water column tend to remain much warmer than the upper portion of the water column. This warmer water attracts baitfish, which also attracts the trout due to their need for an ample food source that will help them survive throughout winter.

So, depending on the weather, anglers will generally find the trout in deeper holes in our marsh areas, especially on colder days this month. If we happen to experience an unseasonal warm front in January, which sometimes happens, anglers can often catch some very big trout in water as shallow as two to five feet deep.

Our chunk of the Texas coastline offers a lot of these shallow water areas, which warm quicker during these warm fronts, and therefore invite the fish to move up into the shallows to feed. With a good tidal movement and substantial baitfish near the surface, anglers may find that these bigger trout will routinely hit top water lures.

Baits such as the Skitter Walk and Jr., the Super Spook and Jr., and the She Dog have all been good producers on these big wintertime trout.

If you are able to catch some warmer weather this month, you may be able to locate some great trout fishing in many of the back lake areas out on Matagorda Island. On warmer January days, anglers can often find trout concentrated in these shallow, marshy lakes and ponds.

They also provide adequate protection from whatever nagging wind you may be dealing with. On a falling tide, you can often find a good bite while fishing the mouths of the bayous.

Also, try any drains emptying water out of the lake and into another body of water. On a rising tide, place your efforts on the opposite side of the mouth of the drain or bayou and look for any bait activity, whatsoever.

Because January is typically cold, and because the trout will be lurking in deeper water as a direct result, many anglers may choose to throw soft-plastic lures rigged on 1/4 or 1/8-ounce jig heads. Hop these baits across the bay floor as you try to imagine the lure leaving a brief trail of mud behind it on each hop.

The trout are going to be fairly lethargic under these colder conditions, so remember to slow your bait retrieval to a snail’s pace. Once you believe you’re reeling slow enough, slow it down some more.

Twelve-pound-test line is sufficient with these plastic baits, and darker colors are most commonly preferred during the colder months. Some of the high producers are shrimp tails, bull minnows, and sand eels in colors such as Texas Roach, Morning Glory, Plum/ Chartreuse, Motor Oil, and Strawberry/White.

Safety is always top-priority, so remember that running aground is a really easy thing to do in January. You’ll most often be fishing on a winter tide, and the water can drop quickly, leaving you stranded. You might be on the trout in a lake somewhere and suddenly realize there is much less water under your boat than when you first got there.

Typically, there’s also a lot more real estate uncovered during winter months that provide additional hazards while underway in a boat, so please take your time and be careful.

Contact Capt. Chris Martin at bayflatslodge@gmail.com