January 2024

January Fishing

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ABOUT THE COVER Mark Garland is our cover angler, proudly displaying a beast of a Baffin Bay redfish that he landed while fishing with Capt. Chris Elliott. Mark tricked the big red with a KWigglers Ball Tail Shad and released it to fight again for another lucky angler. The length was documented at 49 inches and a replica mount has been ordered to preserve the memory of a great angling accomplishment.

JANUARY 2024 VOL 33 NO 9

CONTENTS

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

8 Breaking Down 2023 Steve Hillman 12 Winter’s Duplicity Kevin Cochran 18 Cold Weather Fishing Can Get HOT in an Instant Chuck Uzzle 22 Winter Time Trailer Maintenance Joe Richard 48 No Boat; No Problem!

Cory Byrnes 50 Update from Trout Tagging Texas Chris McKinley

28 Let’s Ask The Pro Jay Watkins 30 Shallow Water Fishing Dave Roberts 32 TSFMag Conservation News CCA Texas 36 TPWD Field Notes Jessica Geiskopf & Grant Maresh 40 Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

Eric Ozolins 44 Mostly Sight-Fishing Jake Haddock 61 Science & the Sea UT Marine Science Institute

8

28

WHAT OUR GUIDES HAVE TO SAY

56 The View from Matagorda 58 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays 60 Hooked up with Rowsey 62 Wayne’s Port Mansfield Report 64 South Padre Fishing Scene

58

4 | January 2024

Bink Grimes Shellie Gray David Rowsey Wayne Davis Ernest Cisneros

REGULARS 6 Editorial 52 New Tackle & Gear 66 Fishing Reports and Forecasts 68 Catch of the Month 70 Gulf Coast Kitchen

70

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HOW TO CONTACT TSFMAG: PHONE: 361-785-3420 FAX: 361 792-4530 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, TX 77983 WEB: www.TSFMAG.com PHOTO GALLERY: photos@tsfmag.com PRINTED IN THE USA. Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published monthly by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, Texas 77983 l P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 © Copyright 1990 All rights reserved. Positively nothing in this publication may be reprinted or reproduced. *Views expressed by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine contributors do not necessarily express the views of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

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EDITORIAL

ALL HAIL 2024!

We at TSFMag want to wish all our readers the happiest and most prosperous of New Years! Lots of things come to mind as a new year rolls in; some folks concoct elaborate lists of New Year’s resolutions. Why, I have no clue, because they almost all end up being forgotten in a few weeks.

I can, however, recommend a great resolution for this year, and that would be to make plans to fish somewhere on the Texas coast you have never tried before.

Personally, I have set my sights on Sabine Lake. For whatever reason, and despite View The Video numerous invitations, I have yet to wet a line Open Camera & hover in these border waters. Oh, I’ve been all over over QR Code. When Louisiana; why I never visited Sabine on the link appears, tap to open in YouTube. way over there is nothing to be proud of, and I plan to fix that.

January Issue So, which bay system will you resolve to Highlights fish this year? Have you been to the Lower Laguna? South Padre Island or Port Isabel could be the perfect setting for a family vacation. If you think it’s too far to drag your boat, hire a guide to take you and the kids for a half day, then spend

6 | January 2024

the afternoon on Texas’ most beautiful beaches. There’s tons of things to do down there.

What about Baffin? Wouldn’t it be cool to land your personal best trout from one of those rock-studded shorelines? There was a time when fishing there was too remote for many to consider. No more! It’s hardly more than an hour boat ride nowadays from Corpus Christi, and there’s certainly plenty of family fun to be had there.

Your own list of new places to fish this year could be long or short; the point I’m trying to make is that you just need to do it. And make it a family trip. The kids will love you for it.

Moving along, even though it might seem I’ve been beating this to death, but…what may well be your last chance in a long time to help shape the future of Texas’ spotted seatrout fishery will become reality in a few weeks. The TPWD commission will meet January 24-25, 2024. In their meetings this past November they instructed Coastal Fisheries staff to hold public meetings in early January to inform the public of their intent to revise seatrout regulations to include a three fish bag limit with retention slot of 15-20-inches. I encourage all who are able to attend one of these meetings and provide input. You can also participate via email or their comment portal…either way your voice needs to be heard.

January is a great fishing month; be sure to take a youngster!

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Breaking T

he year started off with patches of decent sized trout congregated in their typical winter haunts over scattered shell and mud bottom near deep water.

Wading and drifting both Galveston and Matagorda Bays were productive for trout and reds. January has always been a good month for larger trout and January 2023 was no different. Both of our biggest trout for the month came in the first ten days of January. One of my clients caught a 6-pounder in East Matagorda on January 6th while we were drifting mud streaks over scattered shell in 4-foot depths. Three days later I caught a 6 ¼ pound speck in Galveston Bay drifting over mud and shell in 3 ½ feet of water.

Both fish came on 5-inch Chicken-On-A-Chain rattail Bass Assassins.

That day in East Matty was a microcosm of most of my trips down there.

We caught 55 trout that day and 8 slot reds. 25 of the trout ranged from 17 to 26.5 inches while the other 30 measured 15 ½ to 16 ¾ inches. This was still during Texas Parks and Wildlife’s freeze-related emergency regulations of 3 trout at 17- to 23-inches. For anyone who thinks rods and reels don’t have an impact, just look at the number of “just under” trout that were caught during that period. Galveston was not part of the emergency rule. Most of the legal specks we caught here were 15- to 17-inches with

Down 2023 STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN

How can your day go wrong when it starts out with a sunrise like this? Hello 2024!

a handful 20- to 22-inchers in the mix. A typical Galveston trip in January was 15-30 trout with half of them in the legal range. Guess how long the majority of the throwbacks were. If you said 14 to 14 ¾ inches you would be correct. It’s funny how that works.

In February I ran about half of my trips here in Galveston and the other half in Matagorda. Overall results were less consistent compared to the month before, but the quality was above average on our Matty trips.

Weather played a major role as it always does. We caught fewer trout overall in both bays but also fewer undersized fish. One of our best days was on February 7th in Matagorda. I had one client that day. It was a couple of days after a pretty big cold front. Mornings were still very chilly, and tides were super low during the first half of the day. As we do quite often this time of year, we met at noon with plans to fish the incoming afternoon tide, hoping our fish would pull in tighter to the warming shorelines as dusk approached. Our plan came together beautifully. We caught over 30 trout and reds with the largest trout measuring 27 inches and the majority of the reds ranging from 25 to 28 inches. Most of the action took place within a two-hour window between 4:30PM and 6:30PM. We caught them on MirrOlure MirrOdines and Corky Devils wading in waist deep water over soft bottom near deeper water. As the bite began to wane, we

Gregg Pratka released this solid 24-incher on a recent Galveston Bay trip. Would love to see more trout in this age class!

switched over to Top Dogs and Skitter Walks and drew agitation strikes to trick a few more before it finally faded.

I had several other days similar to the one on the 7th but the other one that stands out the most was on February 24th when we had similar results but we were drifting instead of wading. Solid oyster reef in 4 to 5 feet of water was the ticket on that particular day when we caught trout to almost 7 pounds and reds to 27 inches on Bass Assassins and MirrOlure Lil Johns.

Our results for March were almost a carbon copy of February for both bay systems with the exception of two things. We wade fished more and we caught more slot reds, especially in Matagorda. There were a few days where redfish saved the day. I split time between here and there. The quality of trout overall was solid, just nothing to write home about. Our drifting trips were spent primarily over late winter/ early spring staging areas around shoreline ledges, coves and small finger reefs while chunking soft plastics. When wading we focused on back bays, bayou drains and coves where most of our better fish came on Texas Custom Lure’s Double D’s and Borboleta LeLe’s. Our biggest trout of the month was caught in East Matagorda on March 27th on a small patch of shell near a bayou drain. It measured 25 inches.

By the time April rolls around I’m finished running to Matagorda until the fall. I was only able to run 14 trips (9 wading and 5 drifting) in this particular month because of late cool fronts and high winds, but the ones I did run yielded good results by April standards. Our best trip was April 18th when we were wading West Galveston Bay. I had two awesome clients with me and we landed 35 legal trout to 6 ¼ pounds, 2 upper slot reds and 2 big flounder while wading guts with windinduced color streaks holding concentrations of mullet, glass minnows and shad. Rat tail Assassins, Lil Johns and Double D’s were responsible for all of the fish. Drifting was not as fruitful for the month mainly because of the wind. We had a few decent drifting trips where we caught 12 to 15 legal fish but I also had a couple of duds where only a handful of fish were caught. Wading is typically more productive than drifting in March and April.

10 | January 2024

Chris Tressler with his first-ever redfish, and a good one at that!

May seemed to be our last hoorah before the big summertime blow.

After two months of high winds everything seemed to come together in perfect fashion. It got calm. Our tide runner trout started coming into the bay and we had quite a bit of fresh water coming down the Trinity River which created a little bit of a stack up. In addition, our fishing is pretty much always good during May because forage species are getting larger, water temperatures are rising and fish start feeding more frequently because their metabolism is increasing with the water temperature. We had many 50 and 60 trout mornings before 9AM before pulling off of them to go find redfish. None of the fish were big compared to years past but many were in the 17- to 21-inch range and very fat from gorging on all the newly hatched shad. I did catch one 5-pound trout on May 1st. It wasn’t long but it was very chunky. This is typical for Galveston Bay in May. Soft plastics, LeLe’s, Double D’s and Super Spook Jr’s were our go-to baits as we waded and drifted shelllined shorelines and coves.

The first week of June was similar to May. It was excellent fishing. We had just started catching good numbers of trout over mid-bay reefs while working slicks. Then, on June 11th the southwest wind started blowing. I only ran 8 trips over the next 20 days of the month. This was very unusual for June in Galveston Bay but anyone who knows anything about our bay knows that every major part of the complex lies on a northeast/southwest axis, which means that a hard wind from either of those directions offers no protection. This creates a chocolate milk situation making it very difficult to catch fish on lures.

Most of June, all the way through mid-September, presented us with these challenging conditions but I was able to make enough adjustments to pull a rabbit out of the hat most days. As I mentioned earlier, the southwest winds had most of the bay torn to shreds but there were a few areas holding decent enough water (and fish) to make it worth the effort. Wading these areas saved my bacon on these windier days. Wading in thigh to belly deep water over sand while chunking tails yielded us 15 to 20 fish most days. On the rare calm days, we would venture out onto mid-bay deep shell and well pads

Todd Overmeyer with a typical Galveston Bay trout for these days.

to catch good numbers of trout on tails, Rat-L-Traps and 52 Series MirrOlures. However, those days were few and far between.

I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to October through December more in my life! It started to cool off and catching started getting easier. Cold fronts and rainfall cooled the water temperatures, which spurred bait migrations and subsequently created trout concentrations. Fishing became easier and easier with each passing front. This pattern held true all the way through November. Surface slicks were not as prevalent as they were during the warmer months, but we were able to focus on funnel points such as marsh drains and bayou mouths with plenty of visible bait activity.

Lots of trout were caught during these months but nothing with any real size. Most of our trout ranged from 15 ½ inches to 20 inches with some 21s and 22s in the mix. Our two biggest trout during this time period were 24 and 25 inches. A wide variety of baits were used as we waded and drifted shallow shell-littered flats near deeper water to catch our fish. Soft plastics were king. MirrOdines and Corkys tricked the larger specimens.

To summarize, 2023 was very similar to 2022 here in Galveston Bay in that we caught large quantities of barely undersized specks mixed in with fewer numbers of legal ones. My estimation is that our overall ratio for the year was about 50/50 with the majority of the keepers being less than 3 years old. My assessment of East Matagorda is a tad more positive as we were able to catch quite a few trout in the 3- to 5-year age classes with an occasional 6- or 7-year-old female in the mix. The emergency trout regulations that were in place south of FM 457 (sunset date was August 31, 2023) for almost two years

View The Video

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

Johnny Giusti with a nice CPR flounder. Flounder population seems to be strong these days.

was a real shot in the arm for our trout spawning biomass, as was the intent. The large numbers of trout that measured just under 17 inches that were allowed to stay in the system and spawn was proof of this. I believe new statewide slot limits (15 – 20 inches or 16 – 20 inches) that are currently being discussed will greatly benefit our fishery and eventually provide us with older age classes of trout down the road, barring any natural disasters. In addition, salinities for both bays maintained at a level conducive to healthy spawning April through September, and even into October. With regards to redfish, we caught twice as many slot reds in East Matagorda compared to Galveston. Galveston Bay continues to be overrun with schools of oversized redfish.

Some folks may wonder why I give a recap of each year’s fishing in my January article. My reasons are twofold; I feel that it’s important to look back and understand where our fishery has been so we can get an idea of where we may be headed, and then discuss any possible changes that could improve our fishery. The other reason is that I feel like it is our responsibility as contributors to this fine magazine to offer some insight into our daily and monthly routines as patterns change so that our readers can hopefully gain enough knowledge to enjoy more successful days on the water. I wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. Cheers!

STEVE HILLMAN

CONTACT

It took me a few minutes to land this 42-inch beast. No shortage of these things these past couple of years in Galveston Bay.

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 409-256-7937 Email captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com Web www.hillmanguideservice.com

TSFMAG.com | 11

Winter’s I

n the coldest month, Old Man Winter exerts influence on the efforts of Texas coastal anglers in two main ways. When people choose to fish for speckled trout with artificial lures, January’s challenging weather patterns generally provide barriers to consistent productivity. When the stern face of Jack Frost glares across choppy waters, the potential for catching speckled trout drops down to nearly nil for a while.

Inevitably, though, after a lull in which cold-stunned fish can’t or won’t quell their appetites, a vigorous bite occurs.

When hungry trout begin snapping at everything vaguely resembling food, anglers on the scene find the catching easy. In such a scenario, Jack’s friendly face seems to smile on people who make the effort to get out on the bays, during a time when others prefer hunkering down behind brush in a duck blind, or maintaining a vigil on a game trail, hoping to harvest the buck of a lifetime. Significantly, the conditions which provide optimal opportunity to catch numbers of trout and specimens of epic size vary somewhat from one end of the state to the other.

On the lower half of the coast, in places like Baffin Bay, where shorelines

Duplicity STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

oriented east to west offer insulation against the chilling effects of brisk north winds, the best bite often occurs as soon as conditions moderate enough after the passage of a strong front to allow anglers to safely target the fish. The exact timing of the frenzied feeding period depends on two main factors: the severity of the front and how well the fish are acclimated to cold temperatures. Surely, colder minimum air and water temperatures in the wake of a blue norther will extend the duration of the shut-down. If severely chilling values come after a warmer than normal start to the cold season, the same truth will apply.

But sometime before conditions moderate enough for most people to think of them as advantageous for fishing, the trout will begin feeding again, often with ravenous appetites. This renewed hunger isn’t likely felt only by fish in the southern parts of the state in such situations, but some specific locations in the bays in these places provide anglers better opportunity to target the fish than those in the northern half of the state. When temperatures rapidly decline in January, many of the trout temporarily retreat to relatively deep water and sit on the bottom to wait out the cold snap.

Beau Blackard caught this primo trout just after daylight on a cold January morning while fishing with the captain.

On the Upper Coast, this generally means they move into the open basin of the bay or into the Intracoastal Waterway. In a place which offers anglers a chance to wade in the shallows while casting into the edges of the swag or along the edge of the ditch, anglers can execute slow, subtle presentations in ways which allow them to catch the trout as soon as they start feeding again after a strong shutdown.

Additionally, because many of the bays in the southern half of the state aren’t fed by rivers which deposit lots of suspended sediments in them, the water retains better clarity under the effects of strong winds, particularly in places tight to north-facing shorelines.

Anglers attempting to target trout in open basins on the Upper Coast while north and northwest winds still crank at speeds above 15 knots face a much more daunting task. Effectively executing presentations close to the bottom from the bouncing deck of a boat or while standing on a mid-bay reef in mucked up water proves difficult or impossible for many; most don’t even try such a plan.

Consequently, many Upper Coast trout anglers wait longer after a strong frontal passage to return to the water, in some cases likely missing out on the best opportunity the event created, but without any obvious way to solve the dilemma.

Lower Coast anglers have an advantage over their friends up north in such situations. Anglers who outfit themselves properly to cope with the potentially deadly effects of frigid water and winds and who venture back out as soon as conditions allow sometimes find themselves in situations which arguably made some specific spots in Baffin Bay and both the Laguna Madres famous. The precise timing of the hot bite which happens after a cold snap can be difficult to predict, for sure. Certainly, it can occur under the cover of night or early in the morning, despite a persistent myth which touts the warming rays of an afternoon sun as its genesis.

This said, warm afternoon temperatures do indeed create a 14 | January 2024

Caleb McCumber with the smaller of two impressive fish he caught on a January wade with the captain, soon after strong north winds abated somewhat.

predictably sweet scenario for anglers targeting trout in Texas in January. Especially on the Upper Coast, when the tide first gushes back in and fills the bays after a bitter blast of cold air drains them, the jaws of the trout will generally start snapping. If this incoming tide occurs right around dark two or three days after a front drove the water out and water temperatures into the low-fifties or lower, anglers can expect to catch plenty of trout, including some of the biggest ones in the area, in places where a mix of shell and mud covers the bottom in shallow areas close to the swag, or around mid-bay reefs.

A similar situation often plays out on the western shorelines of the Laguna Madres in January, though the timing of the bite down south depends less on the strength of tide movements than it does up north. Many times, in the crystal clear waters of the hypersaline lagoons south of the JFK Causeway, trout swim out of the swag right at dusk two or three days after the passage of a strong cold front, snatching whatever food they can when they reach the shallows close to drains and grass mats on the bank. During these hours, especially when a big moon, either full or new, hovers close to the horizon, anglers in the know sometimes catch impressive numbers of trout exceeding 28 inches in length.

I have personal knowledge of several occasions on which individuals caught enough big trout to compile weights which totaled well over 70 pounds on the ten best fish, often with a dozen or more fish weighing in excess of five pounds to back those up. The key to taking full advantage of this pattern often rests on fishing through the gloaming, into the first couple hours of the night. The action can shift from zero to a zillion in an instant in such a situation, but doesn’t often do so until the fading light of day dims to a point where two anglers standing fifteen feet apart can’t see one another without the aid of a lamp.

Big trout living in clear water don’t feed actively under bright

TSFMAG.com | 15

The captain bundled up in layers to withstand the effects of brisk north winds on the day he caught this handsome trout.

View The Video

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

The captain defines and describes what he calls Absolute Number 2 16 | January 2024

rod, in the same time-frame, I’ve caught a trout measuring at least 27 inches on about 33% of the trips. To repeat, these stats rank second behind only February, for me, and they provide evidence of how Old Man Winter can certainly enhance the efforts of trophy trout hunters during the year’s coldest month.

Chilly weather is usually a key to better catching in January, for lure-chunkers dedicated to chasing trophy trout. Without some strong cold fronts and the low temperatures they generate, fishing for mature female trout in Texas in January often becomes slow and sluggish.

People who don’t like frigid weather, who don’t like to wade, and who don’t have reliable skills for selecting and deploying artificial lures might as well find other things to do in the New Year’s month.

Many of them have already made the decision to do so; they prefer hunting ducks and deer, or watching football instead of bundling up and heading to the coast to try and find the trout of a lifetime.

But those of us who prioritize fishing with lures and targeting the biggest trout in the bays of the Lone Star State can find ways to make Jack Frost smile more often than he sneers, if we time our efforts thoughtfully and fish with focus and patience.

KEVIN COCHRAN CONTACT

skies, in general. When they’re coming off a time when the cold has stunned them into an inactive state, this truth seems to carry the most weight. Anglers who fish the afternoon hours, then jump into the boat with just enough light to see things while they navigate back to the dock often barely miss out on the bonanza this predictable scenario provides. Regardless of the pattern in play, timing plays a key role in the success or failure of anglers targeting trout during Jack Frost’s favorite month.

For me personally, January ranks a close second behind February on the list of the best months for producing big trout. In terms of the fish I caught on my own rod, the first month of 2008 reigns supreme for me. On 14 outings that year, I managed to land 14 trout at least 27 inches in length, with four of those exceeding the 29-inch mark. My customers also had sweetly satisfying success that year.

As a whole, the group managed to land 53 trout over 27 inches, 30 of which stretched the tape to 28 or more. That’s a rate of over two trout meeting or exceeding the 28-inch mark per day of effort! Such a number pays tribute to the potential for catching big trout in this state’s southern bays in January.

Since 2007, when I began keeping detailed records of big trout caught on charters, my customers and I have managed to catch at least one trout measuring 27 inches or more about 70% of the time on January outings. More significantly, we’ve caught at least one fish weighing seven pounds or more over 35% of the time. On my own

Dragging a soft plastic slow, close to the bottom, Chad Goyen coaxed this splendid fish to bite on a calm, cool January day.

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.

TROUT TRACKER GUIDE SERVICE Phone Email Web

361-688-3714 kevincochran404@yahoo.com www.captainkevblogs.com

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TSFMAG.com | 17

No matter the weather, redfish will remain the top target this winter on Sabine.

Cold Weather Fishing CAN GET

HOT IN AN Instant STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

E

ach and every year I get the opportunity to meet fishermen from all over the state, many of whom have dreams just like all of us about catching a huge fish. Seasoned saltwater veterans know this time of the year is not for the faint of heart, and certainly not for the folks looking for instant gratification. Temperatures and foul weather make wintertime fishing as much of a waiting game as anything; waiting on tides and feeding periods to align so the show can begin. Many fishermen new to the sport have heard the stories about how fantastic the big trout fishing can be in the dead of winter but few of them actually know how to go about making it happen. For those of you wanting to get in on the cold weather action, here are a couple of things to consider.

If you are in the mood to do some fishing this month for perhaps that fish of a lifetime, you definitely need a double helping of patience. It is no secret that the lion’s share of big trout are caught by wade fishermen, this is a given in the big fish equation. The unknowns for most anglers are where to be fishing and when do they need to be there.

On Sabine Lake we have some areas that are especially conducive to holding big fish; they all have shell in common. Areas of the lake that have either clam or oyster shell are prime places to start the hunt for a big fish. Any decent concentration of shell will be a gathering place for baitfish and will also qualify as a good piece of game fish holding structure. Small patches of shell on or near shallow flats will not only hold bait, they will also hold warmth. Much like bass in the springtime, speckled trout will be more active in warmer and shallower water.

TSFMAG.com | 19

During the fall and winter months big trout become sluggish and less aggressive than normal due to cooler water temperatures…until it comes time to eat. Big trout will move up on shallow flats or shell reefs and seek out a “full meal deal” and then retreat into deeper water until it comes time to feed again.

Fishermen who can pattern movements like these major feeding periods can really cash in on some extraordinary fishing. And, this is where patience plays a huge role in the program.

Wintertime fishing for big trout is a game of stamina, endurance and patience. By logging many unfulfilling hours, casting big topwaters or subsurface mullet imitations, an angler can begin to interpret a pattern. For example, if you fish in the morning for a couple of days straight and have little or no success and then change to the afternoon Kamdyn Verrett hooks up with another very solid redfish. where you enjoy terrific fishing, you have are going and when you plan to return, this helps out considerably discovered a key element of a pattern. On good fishing days it is wise when the cavalry needs to be summoned for whatever reason. A to check out all the conditions and try to duplicate them next time out. little bit of preparation mixed with common sense will go a long way Tides, temps, and water conditions are extremely important factors to towards keeping you safe and getting you home. be considered, and these all play big roles in successful winter fishing.

In the coming weeks it will be imperative that you play the weather One thing that I’ve found while looking back on some successful in order to improve your chances of having a quality day on the days was the presence of moving water, incoming or outgoing tides were always helpful in catching fish while slack water conditions made water. Pre-frontal conditions with a falling barometer is certainly the obvious choice for a successful day on the it tough. It seems that if you could find a day water and should be at the top of your list of when the time between the tide changes was when to go. The post-frontal warm up is also short that the fishing on average was better, a great time to hit the water as fish become especially when the tides were changing from more active and begin to search for a meal. outgoing to incoming. Put all these factors Concentrating on shallower flats and breaks together with the presence of mullet or shad near deep water is a tried and true method and you have yourself a great shot at some that produces on a consistent basis for both super fishing. trout and redfish during the winter. Look for One huge word of caution to all anglers of all this pattern to hold up here on Sabine and skill levels is to be extremely careful during Calcasieu as we head into the New Year. your time on the water in the winter months I feel certain the redfish will be more because the cold water and air temperatures predictable as the temps stay cool, but I am can make for dangerous situations. The threat also always hopeful that the big trout will of hypothermia is real and if you are not once again make an appearance. The overall careful it can be life threatening. I have a very health of the trout population is on the good friend who narrowly escaped such a increase so I, like many other anglers, remain fate when his boat swamped in high seas; he hopeful that we will start to see some betterwas lucky after being in the water for over an quality fish on a more consistent basis. hour that another fisherman happened to see Wintertime fishing is by no means easy him and pulled him out. Had he been in the or predictable, but the rewards are well water much longer he would have been in worth the effort. This trend toward chasing serious trouble, quite possibly fatal. trophy fish can be a tough and grueling The number one rule during any trip on exercise that has captivated many really good the water is the use of a personal floatation fishermen from all over the state. Any and all device, don’t get in a boat without one. And, I Top quality tackle makes all the difference in destinations along the Texas coast will have also suggest wearing it. detecting light strikes during cold weather. their share of hardcore anglers out there Also, be sure you tell someone where you 20 | January 2024

chasing after the big one this month and Sabine will be no different.

Hopefully the big fish taken during this month will be respected enough to be released to fight another day, only time will tell. Until the weather and the months change the winter fishing program will be the best bet in town, try it out and see what the fuss is all about. I promise you this; if you are at the right spot when it all comes together you just may have one of those career days that helps you forget about the cold and makes a memory that will last a lifetime.

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Jace Lemoine and Kamdyn Verrett are all smiles after a great fight with this hefty redfish.

CONTACT

CHUCK UZZLE 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 Email Website

409-697-6111 wakesndrakes@yahoo.com wakesndrakes.com

TSFMAG.com | 21

Winter Time Trai

F

riends will confirm that I’m more careful with boat trailer maintenance than back in our youthful heyday, when we towed small boats from Port Arthur to Key West on many summer trips. We had few worries in those days; even hurricanes were scarce, happening only every 10 years or so. In preparation for these much anticipated annual road trips, we’d splurge and buy brand new trailer lights at Gibson’s, the kind with holes in them to drain water.

Install them on the single axle Dilly trailer before getting on the road. Not even a spare tire, much less checking the bearings or leaf springs.

ler Maintenance STORY BY JOE RICHARD

Boat returning to galvanized trailer. You want that trailer to be dependable late in the day when returning home.

The water was so salty in Key West that it burned the blisters on our toes (rubbed raw from dive fins) while launching the boat each morning. At the end of each day we’d car-wash the boat, costing a quarter, but somehow never thought about rinsing the trailer. As far as I remember, the trailer lights worked when driving back to Texas, but not much longer. They certainly didn’t work for the rest of the year, driving back and forth to Sabine Pass, which wasn’t a problem; it wasn’t far and we fished daylight hours.

These memories surfaced recently when our fishing club invited a guest speaker who owned a local boat trailer manufacturing and repair business. (His slide show wasn’t as exciting as the previous speaker, a snorkel diver, who’d accidentally speared a six-foot bull shark, thinking it was a ling). However, the trailer guy was more practical and left us thinking or worrying about the current state of our own trailers. When asked to identify the top most frequent problems encountered during his 40 years in business, it was a great reminder to prioritize trailer maintenance between fishing trips: Hybrid aluminum/galvanized trailer without leaf springs. > His top advice was to always rinse that galvanized bag where dust or sand won’t get inside. (Also advised: Get rid of trailer in fresh water after each trip to the coast. Backing it into a those rubber grease caps and tap on new Buddy Bearings). Bring river or freshwater lake certainly helps, as it submerges the entire extra grease. If bearings give out on the highway, a hub can be trailer, although he pointed out that even rivers have some salt switched out quickly. Do yourself a favor and let those bearings content and counting on brackish water is pretty much a joke. A squeal a little longer, and pull onto a side road or gas station. Ideally, car wash certainly helps, and don’t spare the quarters. If that’s not a grease gun should be applied to tire bearings once a month. available, he said some guys will run a yard sprinkler under their >In general, tandem axles are better than singles. If a tire blows, trailer when back at the house. Some guys actually worry about you can limp along on three tires. I their trailer rusting while they’re out did that once east of Lake Charles, a fishing; it can be a long day for a defective wheel took flight, and we trailer soaked with coastal water. So, limped that 25-foot Mako back to the they carry a serious spray gun and tall Lake Charles bridge, launching water tank in their truck to rinse the underneath and leaving a friend with it trailer immediately after launching while I drove the empty three-tire trailer the boat. Not sure how that works all the way back to the Pasadena factory on crowded Saturdays at the ramp, for a new wheel. Tandems definitely when any small delay will attract require more upkeep, including sarcasm and maybe an altercation. hydraulic brakes, but they are less likely >Cheap tires (thin tread) and to leave you on the side of the road. improper tire pressure are the >Just like tire tread, don’t skimp number one causes for boat trailer on waterproof lights. You want those breakdowns. The thicker the tire’s puppies working year after year. They tread, the better. More importantly, might prevent a wreck on the highway, having the correct tire pressure is or an expensive stop from the highway crucial. Boat tires are designed for patrol. (I was pulled over last year when much higher pressure than cars. my new waterproof lights unaccountably So, if your tire is designed to hold weren’t working). When I got out and 60 or 70 pounds of pressure, be jiggled the connection, they came on sure it’s filled to the correct PSI. You and the cop sighed and drove away. don’t want to drag that boat around Turns out that those common, four-way with a measly 30-35 pounds of tire trailer light plugs can dry out or capture pressure. Like we did to Key West. dirt. They need to be cleaned every >Also strongly recommended: couple of months, and grease added carry a spare tire with proper Hybrid trailer showing rust on the galvanized that conducts electricity (sold in small pressure AND wheel hub with part. Aluminum parts are still clean. packets at the nearest auto store; the bearings inside, sealed in a plastic 24 | January 2024

TSFMAG.com | 25

I keep mine in the back yard, so it’s easier to monitor things. Quite different from storing the boat on the coast, where it can rust for months without being seen. As we all know, rust never sleeps.

I peer around under the trailer and spray Ospho on visible rust. My leaf springs on the three-year old trailer recently looked like something from a sunken Spanish galleon, and this after I’d faithfully submerged the trailer in a freshwater river on every trip home from the coast.

Following the guest lecture I mentioned to a club member that I needed to switch out my leaf springs, and he showed up next morning, barely after coffee.

“What, today? My boat’s still on the trailer.”

“I’ll lift it off with my tractor. Follow me to the house.”

His big red tractor easily lifted the boat right off the galvanized trailer. In a short time it had new leaf springs, this time coated with axle grease. The axle itself was gently ground for light rust on the bottom, and a can of galvanized spray applied to the entire back half of the trailer. We added new grease to the bearings and with a block of wood and hammer, tapped on new Buddy Bearings. Bingo, ready for another road trip. Well, it’s a simple job when you run a smaller boat. And own a big tractor. Maintaining bigger trailers for offshore boats is more complicated.

What a life we live, launching in salty, corrosive water year after year. Countless people up north won’t even think about dunking their boats in saltwater. Even people with boats on Toledo Bend. To say they’re missing out on coastal fishing action would be an understatement.

Maybe it’s for the best; coastal boat ramps are crowded enough these days. With a galvanized trailer, I don’t mind sacrificing a pair of leaf springs every three years, which is their average lifespan in the salt. I can’t imagine a trailer lasting too many years.

However, I recently saw the exact model of bass boat we once pulled to Key West, a 1971 Glastron Beaujack.

With the original motor. Moved down to the coast from Wisconsin. That trailer would still roll, though it was painted white and pock-marked with countless rust holes.

A 50-year old boat trailer. I thought: Good luck, backing that trailer into saltwater for the first time. The frame could collapse within days.

Three-year old leaf springs, easily replaced.

Not everyone owns a handy tractor for replacing trailer parts.

26 | January 2024

JOE RICHARD

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

CONTACT

same stuff is used for battery connections). > Always carry a small toolbox with everything needed for maintenance or repair: tools, grease, extra bearing caps—everything a boat trailer could want.

As a result, I’ve made an early New Year’s resolution to use the next few months to raise the bar on my trailer maintenance regimen even more. And winter is the perfect time to do so. Pick a sunny weekend and where possible, launch the boat at a nearby location.

Getting the boat off the trailer makes inspection much easier, allowing one to climb inside the entire structure, peering from every angle. After a careful inspection, one can buy and switch out parts that are in need of repair or adjustment. Or, you could just leave the whole rig at the local repair shop where they can hoist the boat out of the way for repairs.

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TSFMAG.com | 27

J AY WAT K I N S

ASK THE PRO

FAVORITE WINTERTIME STRUCTURE FOR BIG TROUT I had a group recently who wanted to know what my favorite type of structure was for big trout. I didn’t have to think long and started with the statement that it would depend on the bay system and time of year I was fishing.

One of them then chimed in with; “Well, what about wintertime?” That question led to this article.

The wind direction that morning was NE at 15, the air temperature was 49°, with 57° water temperature. Due to the wind direction and velocity during the night, I had decided to fish the northern portion of Aransas Bay. I like the possibilities our North Country provides in the types of bottom structure available as well as multiple areas that provide protection from strong northerly winds. I don’t like dead-low tides, but during frontal passages, hard-falling tides will sometimes produce outstanding fishing conditions.

Since we were fishing post-front and the water was still somewhat off-color and the tide still falling, I wanted to fish the scattered shell between the finger reefs of Carlos Bay and Cedar Reef. I like the clumps of shell that are scattered throughout the bellies between the fingers and along the outside edges of these reefs. What the scattered clumps of shell allow fish to do is blend in with the bottom and still stay somewhat suspended. When the water is moving over these shell clumps, larger trout can stage in the moving water and ambush prey as it is forced across the shallow guts between the fingers, and also the tops of the reefs themselves.

It can sometimes get too cold (in my opinion) to work areas with strong moving water but this was not the case on this day. I always explain to my anglers the importance of moving slowly when working shell. The noise we can create while crunching our way around a reef will spook fish. I try to position myself along edges or shallow dropoffs where the shell is more scattered, so I don’t make as much crunching noise. Drifting or using the troll motor to get as close as you feel comfortable is also an option.

I typically have a fairly good idea of the location the trout will be staging due to the number of years logged in these areas. Hurricane Harvey and overfishing by the oyster industry changed the production of the reefs, as well as the location fish are likely to stage. Noteworthy is that within the short span since the closure of oystering in this area I am already seeing a rebound in game fish production and the growth of the reefs. It’ll take years but we are well on our way.

When fishing the scattered clump shell areas, we must always be aware of lure location during the cast and retrieve. The reasoning behind this is that the trout are 28 | January 2024

suspended around the clumps in the moving water and will often times simply rise up and hit the lure but not make much of an effort to chase the lure down if the lure is missed. Understand, they are not aware that it is a lure, they believe it is a fish of some type. If they knew it was a lure they would not try to eat it. I tell people all the time that the fish don’t know the lure is not real food until they get it in their mouth. Those few seconds when she has it and is trying to decide what it is is our window of opportunity.

What we do in the next few seconds will make or break us but that is a whole other article.

It is also very important to understand lure drift when fishing moving water that meets fixed structure. The crowns of the reefs as well as the individual pieces of scattered clumps of shell do not move, so understanding where the current is going to take the lure is important, but it is even more critical that we establish where we need to cast to continually allow the current to take the lure.

Many years ago I had a sportswriter out for a morning of fishing with a few of my good clients and I had to explain this process to him so that he would be able to place the lure in an area up-current, that would create the proper drift down-current, to allow the lure to end up where the trout were staged. Inches can make or break the cast, as well as the speed at which we work the lure. It is still very rewarding for me to see anglers mastering this technique.

Throughout the morning we eased along the edges of the deeper guts between the finger reefs. Solid trout to nearly four pounds were encountered in areas where the current was increased due to the narrowing of the fingers or the change in contour of the reef fingers. Anytime we can find small hooks or doglegs in a reef there will be some fish some of the time.

As water moves into the bend of the reef it slows briefly before speed is increased as it moves over shallower waters. This slight decrease in current speed is a terrific area for larger trout to lie in ambush. On this day we stood in one small area up-current of a small hook in the reef and landed about ten solid trout. I had to bark a few times to those that were trying to push forward but they took it well and ended up understanding the need for being patient and waiting for the trout to reload in the area as fish were taken from it.

I explained as we stood there that if they looked around, they would be able to see other small areas along the fingers lying ahead that would likely also be holding fish. Remember, these fish are holding over the deeper water along the edges of the reef where scattered shell clumps are present versus the packed shell that

Drew Donaldson tricked this one with a Texas Customs Double D.

exists on the fingers of the reef.

A few days ago I was in a small cove in one of our back bays, fishing a large area of scattered clump shell over soft, muddy bottom. In this situation, the clumps of shell are the only structure that the trout can set up on and try to blend into. Mullet were present but not active, so we had to be very patient and not push through the area to avoid blowing a potential bite. About an hour later I started noticing small mullet flipping at the surface. Just so you know, flipping mullet trump jumping mullet in my book. I instructed the guys to cast, when possible, to the areas where they saw a mullet flip. Within a few minutes we were hooked up with our first good trout. Throughout the remainder of the day, we slowly probed the area staying with the bait and steadily catching trout.

The combination of the clump shell over the muddy bottom and a food source in place was the key to success.

Something to keep in mind here and often misunderstood; mullet are filter feeders and are attracted to softer mud bottom that is their food source in the colder months. Trout follow the mullet (food source) which is why they are often found over softer bottoms – contrary to the popular belief that they inhabit these areas because the water is warmer over mud. Yes, some areas of dark muddy bottom will create warmer water temperatures, but it is my experience that if there is no food available there will be few trout in the area. When we add scattered clumps of live oyster to the muddy bottom, the food sources that mullet are looking for are increased, I believe. That would be a great question for Dr. Greg Stunz.

So, what lures do I throw when working these types of areas? Honestly my lure selection does not vary too much no mater where I am fishing.

Saying that, I find that I can do most everything I need to do with a few Custom Corky Fat Boys, a Custom Corky Floater, a few Custom Corky Soft Dines, a Double D, and some MirrOlure 5” Provokers or Lil John XLs. Many times I will start with a Lil John or Provoker so that I can get the lure low in the water column when water temperatures are below 53°. Soft plastic can be the best locater baits when we are faced with

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Wyatt Koricanek used a Coastal Marsh Soft Dine to connect with this one.

cold nights and heavily overcast skies. If I am seeing lots of bait activity I am probably going straight to a Double D or a Fat Boy, and working them more aggressively than many would believe might be effective in cold-water situations.

If I am receiving bites I will stay with the suspending/semi-floating lures all day. If the bite drops off and I am still seeing signs that bait is present, I will then go to soft plastic and start varying the speed of my retrieve and the action I impart.

Today the trout wanted our Boogie Man Soft Dine with a slow but deliberate lift-twitch-fall sequence. I vary speed until I can dial into how aggressively they want the lure presented. Toward afternoon the Soft Dine bite faded as the wind began to calm and the bait became less active, but we were still able to make them eat a soft plastic. I used what I call the dusting method to get the most bites. We would lightly dust the lure along the bottom all the way to the edges of the scattered shell, and then twitch the bait straight up off the bottom. The trout were holding tight to the shell clumps and as soon as the bait came near the shell we got bit. Good trout at that, some pushing 4 ½ pounds.

The pattern in the area we are fishing will change throughout the day, due to changes in the weather and current conditions, be they wind or tide generated. Be prepared to adapt. I find that I seldom leave an area once I establish it to be holding good trout.

In the winter months I believe it is imperative that we allow the day to develop around us . Do this and you will catch fish that you might not have known were present, and numbers that could shock you.

When you hear stories of large numbers of large trout being caught, you might not want to believe the story. I promise many are true and all of the anglers that achieve this level of fishing allow the pattern to develop around them.

Happy New Year!

May your fishing always be catching! -Guide Jay Watkins

C O N TA C T

Chantal Piefer with trout taken on Lil John XL.

Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 20 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 Email Website

361-729-9596 Jay@jaywatkins.com www.jaywatkins.com TSFMAG.com | 29

DAV E R O B E R T S

S H A L L O W W AT E R F I S H I N G

NEW YEAR OF FISHING Earlier this morning while heading to the boat ramp, an old familiar song came on the radio and I couldn’t help but sing along. Larry Joe Taylor’s “Third Coast” was blaring through my speakers as I drove and sipped my morning coffee. That song always reminds me of warmer days with the romance of being a beach bum and just lying around and fishing all day. One line of the song always seems to strike a chord with me; “If I ain’t sleeping, well I better be fishing.” If that doesn’t sum up this past year and something to strive for this year, then I don’t know what would!

When reflecting on the past year I am reminded of my accomplishments and also my failures. Most of my failures were small enough and thankfully I was able to take them in stride; well, sort of. This was a year when everything just seemed to wear out or break on me. If you own a boat or anything else with a gasoline engine 30 | January 2024

you already know what I am talking about; it all seems to happen at once. However, this is just part of many days on the water and certainly not the tallest hurdles in the big scheme of things.

As far as accomplishments, there were several that I am pleased to have been able to achieve. Without a doubt the greatest was being able to check off a top species from my bucket list – the roosterfish. What made this even more pleasing was that it came in one of the most pristine and picturesque places on the Pacific coast of Panama. Another great accomplishment was being able to guide a buddy to his first-ever redfish, and on the fly, no less.

I met Charlie through a mutual friend on a camping trip a few years back in the Colorado mountains. He grew up in Kalispell, Montana and learned fly fishing in the rivers and mountain streams up that way. Naturally,

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3 Websites Every Angler Needs To Use

Back to what Larry Joe was saying earlier, “if I’m not sleeping then I plan on spending any spare time on the water trying to learn something new…and encourage you to do the same.”

I will end this with another line from Larry Joe that I believe we all can relate to; “All in all, I’m doing pretty good, since I hit my third coast.”

C O N TA C T

our mutual friend and I told him all about coastal fishing and that he needed to get down south and catch some redfish. Well, it really didn’t require a lot of persuasion, plans were made and I met them at the airport this past summer in New Orleans and we headed to Grand Isle for a few days. His first fish was a beautiful 32-inch red, and then promptly set the bar even higher with his personal best 40-incher. The high-fives and praise after he landed that first fish is indelibly etched into my memory. Words alone cannot describe how much I have grown to love showing people my side of the fishing world. Needless to say, I think he will be coming back again next year.

Moving forward to the coming year, I cannot be more excited about the opportunities that await.

One of these being the chance to target some better trout on Sabine Lake this year. I think it is fair to say that our Sabine trout fishery is the best we have seen since Hurricane Harvey in 2017. It is truly encouraging to witness the recovery after a series of several years of devastation from historic flood events. I have been seeing a few reports of some bigger trout being caught; no giants or wallhangers, but certainly some picture-worthy fish.

This is a great sign of things to come, just as long as Mother Nature will continue to work with us.

Another thing I plan on doing this year is getting out of the pressurized routine that has more or less become my norm and just go fishing. I often get stuck in my ways and think there is only one way to fish. And although, sight-casting redfish in the marsh is hard to beat, there are certainly other opportunities to catch fish. I guess this probably comes out of the kayak fishing mindset, where you can only access so much water, and you don’t pass any of it up. This past year I did exactly that and found a few new promising spots. I plan this year on stopping to fish every random point, pocket, and or other irregularity in our Sabine Lake shorelines from my skiff and also along the ship channel. A good number of these might prove to be a bust but if I can find one or two that hold fish reliably it will be worth it.

So, the new year is here and I could not be more excited about it. I am especially looking forward to wintertime fishing, fully expecting that it has potential to be the best we have seen in quite a few years.

I’m also excited to see what the warmer spring days while have in store for us as our trout fishery continues to rebound.

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

TSFMAG.com | 31

B y S h a n e B o n n o t – A d v o c a c y D i r e c t o r – C C A Te x a s

T S F M A G C O N S E R VAT I O N N E W S

PUBLIC MEETINGS EXPECTED IN JANUARY REGARDING PROPOSED CHANGES IN SPOTTED SEATROUT REGULATIONS As you may recall, Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) conducted public scoping meetings in October to gather input from stakeholders and constituents concerning spotted seatrout management options.

The meetings were held in Port Arthur, Texas City, Port Lavaca, Rockport, Corpus Christi and Port Isabel. A total of 275 comments were received at these meetings and via email. Additionally, on behalf of TPWD, Texas A&M University conducted a randomized email survey with over 10,000 saltwater anglers and 1,000 fishing guides, receiving 1,584 responses (see Figure 1 below).

wide bag and size limit on speckled trout to a 3-fish bag limit with a 15-20-inch slot size and allowance of one fish over 25-inches to be part of the 3-fish bag (see Figure 2 below). This proposed regulation change would provide the fishery with an estimated 26.7% increase in spawning stock biomass over the lifetime of a trout (78yrs), with the goal of recovering the fishery from recent declines and enhancing the fishery’s readiness to face specific challenges.

Figure 2: Texas Parks and Wildlife Proposal to Modify Coast-Wide Regulations for Speckled Trout.

Figure 1: Texas Parks and Wildlife Scoping and Survey Results on Trout Fishery.

After the scoping meetings, TPWD staff presented fisheries data and public responses to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (TPWC) at their November 2023 meeting. Subsequently, the TPWC discussed options for the fishery moving forward. If you’d like to view the work session on this agenda item, you can scan the QR Code provided below and scroll the timeline forward to 6:27:43. Observing the linked video, you’ll notice a significant amount of concern expressed regarding the effects of the 2021 freeze, elevated pressure on the resource, and the overall trajectory of the fishery. Most notably, for the past 3 years, spring gill net catch rates in the Matagorda and San Antonio Bay Systems have experienced ≥30% declines from the previous 10-yr mean. After much discussion, the TPWC directed staff to publish a proposal to modify the coast32 | January 2024

You can expect TPWD to hold public meetings along the coast to gather comments on this proposal, likely in the second week of January. Additionally, once the proposal is published, TPWD will accept comments online through their public comment portal and via email. CCA Texas will communicate the details of these meetings, opportunities for public input, and our position on this proposal after it is published. If you care to speak directly to the TPWC regarding this proposal, you may do so on January 25, 2024, in Austin at their scheduled meeting.

As we approach this opportunity to shape the future of the speckled trout fishery, it is important to keep a few things in mind.

• From 2013 to 2023, All-water Guide License sales have increased by 62%, from 1,060 to 1,720.

• From 2013 to 2023, Saltwater License sales have increased from 1.2M to 1.4M. • The Texas population has increased by nearly 4M

TSFMAG.com | 33

people since 2013 and is expected to reach 55M people by 2025.

• 2023 Spring Gill Net data shows that nearly every bay system is seeing recent declines in catch rates, with Matagorda and San Antonio Bays at an alarming 32% and 34% decrease from the previous 10-year average.

It is imperative that the angling public participate in this upcoming opportunity to have their voices heard, and as you do so ask yourself this question: Do you want the speckled trout fishery managed with a vision for the future or would you prefer the tides of circumstance to carry this fishery into uncharted waters?

Questions or Comments? Feel free to email me at shanebonnot@ ccatexas.org If you’d like to view the TPWC November 2023 work session on spotted seatrout regulation discussion, you can scan this QR Code and scroll the timeline forward to 6:27:43

CCA Texas Funds Another $154,606 for Conservation Efforts in November Meeting CCA Texas continued funding conservation efforts in 2023 by funding an additional $154,606 at its November Executive Board meeting. This brings total funding for conservation in 2023 to $5,854,606 to habitat projects, research, and equipment for TPWD Coastal Fisheries and Law Enforcement. $110,500 – TPWD Coastal Fisheries Internships CCA Texas continued its longstanding support of TPWD Coastal Fisheries interns by funding 17 interns for the 2024 year. These internships include eight fisheries management team positions, one each in Lower Laguna Madre, Corpus Christi Bay, Aransas Bay, San Antonio Bay, Matagorda Bay, Galveston Bay, and Sabine Lake ecosystem offices. Additionally four ecosystem resources team positions; one each in Corpus Christi and Dickinson, and two to be determined. One genetic research team position is funded in Palacios and four hatchery technicians, two each at Sea Center Texas and CCA/ CP Marine Development Center.

34 | January 2024

“Spotted Seatrout and the management of this species brings a wide variety of emotions and desires. Please be sure to participate in the January TPWD public meetings or send in your comments once meeting announcements are made in early January 2024, and help shape the future.

Do you want the speckled trout fishery managed with a vision for the future or would you prefer the tides of circumstance to carry this fishery into uncharted waters?”

$15,600 – TPWD Summer Game Warden Interns TPWD Game Wardens are the front line to the protection of Texas’s coastal resources. CCA Texas proudly continues its support of the TPWD Summer Game Warden Interns and has funded $15,600 that will be used to place six interns in the TPWD Game Wardens Summer Intern program. $28,506 – TPWD Game Warden Upper Coast Boat Motor & Night Vision CCA Texas continues to support the efforts to conserve the oyster resources of Texas. Recent funding was approved that will fund $21,000 to the upper Texas coast game wardens to purchase a new 250 HP Suzuki outboard motor and $7,506 for the purchase of night vision googles and the helmets and mounts for them. This equipment is critical in their continuous enforcement efforts and especially those under the cover of darkness when some of the most egregious violations take place.

CCA Texas looks forward to a successful 2024 and shares in the excitement of the local chapters as they all collectively make a difference in the conservation of Texas’s coastal resources.

TSFMAG.com | 35

By Jessica Geiskopf & Grant Maresh | Galveston Bay Fisheries Management, Dickinson Marine Lab

FIELD NOTES

GOODNESS GRACIOUS,

GREAT BALLS OF BAITFISH

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Texas’ coastal fisheries? For many anglers, dreams of catching beautiful Speckled Trout and Redfish spring forward. However, biologists of the Coastal Fisheries Division of Texas Parks and Wildlife think of how to maintain healthy populations of recreationally and economically important species so that they can be enjoyed by everyone. While directly monitoring gamefish populations is essential for good management, it is just as important to keep an eye on the catch rate trends of the key forage species that feed our favorite predatory fishes.

Studies conducted on the diets and feeding habits of important predatory species, such as Red Drum (Scienops ocellatus) and Spotted Seatrout (Cynocion nebulosus), have found that Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), Gulf Menhaden (Brevoortia patronus), and White Shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus) are a few of the key forage species available in the Galveston Bay ecosystem.

This article focuses on six years of catch per unit effort (CPUE) data collected for these three forage species in Galveston Bay using bay trawls. CPUE is calculated by dividing the number of individuals of a species caught by the amount of time spent or distance covered while using a specific gear type (typically calculated as catch per hour for bay trawls). Bay trawls collect everything from small invertebrates and juvenile fish to large adult

fish in the open water of the bays. It is important to note that sampling was not completed in April and May of 2020 due to COVID-19.

In the past seven years, the Texas coast has been impacted by two notable natural disasters. In August of 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall and brought an enormous amount of rainfall to Texas bays. Data from 2017 show catch rates of croaker and menhaden were less than half of what they were in 2016 (Figures 1 and 2 respectively), though menhaden catch rates are seemingly unrelated to Hurricane Harvey due to lower CPUE catches earlier in the year before the hurricane occurred. It is possible that the low salinities caused by a massive inundation of freshwater triggered fish to take refuge in abnormal areas that were not being sampled by bay trawls, though we have no way of tracking this.

Croaker catch rates continued to decline after Harvey throughout the remainder of 2017. Both species saw a quick rebound, with catch rates increasing again in 2018. While catch rates did drop for White Shrimp in 2017 as well (Figure 3), this was also seemingly unrelated to Harvey, as there was an increase in catch rates from June-November 2017.

In early 2021, the Texas coast was shocked by Winter Storm Uri. The multiple-day freeze event had major impacts on many types of wildlife, including birds, sea turtles, and both game fish and non-game fish. While Figure 1

36 | January 2024

TSFMAG.com | 37

the lower coast was more heavily impacted than the upper coast, Galveston Bay saw its share of mortalities from the low temperatures. While collecting bay trawl samples on February 20th, TPWD biologists recorded water temperatures as low as 5.4 degrees Celsius (41.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Like Hurricane Harvey, Winter Storm Uri had a varying effect on the aforementioned forage species.

Contrary to the minimal effect Harvey had on White Shrimp, the freeze hit this species quite hard, likely due to the species having a sensitivity to cold temperatures (Figure 3).

However, White Shrimp are prolific and short-lived, so the catch rates bounced back in 2022. Gulf Menhaden also saw a slight dip in numbers in 2021 (Figure 2), this is potentially due to juvenile menhaden having a lower tolerance to cold temperatures. More eyecatching is that the negative trend continued into 2022. On the other end of the spectrum, Atlantic Croaker (Figure 1) saw an increase in catch rates in 2021. This species is a winter spawner that moves offshore to spawn, so the bulk of the mature population were likely protected in deeper, warmer offshore waters during the freeze. Juvenile croaker and the portion of mature croaker that did not migrate to spawn likely saw very little mortality due to their extreme tolerance to cold temperatures. It is possible that Atlantic Croaker’s resilience to this freeze event and a sudden lack of competition from species that experienced larger mortalities have given croaker a chance to increase their numbers in recent years, as data shows catch rates have continued to rise.

Data from 2023 has not been included in these graphics due to the sampling season being incomplete at the time of writing this article, however, preliminary bay trawl numbers for Atlantic Croaker continue to show an extremely positive trend in 2023. After displaying a negative trend in catch rates in 2022, Gulf Menhaden populations suffered from multiple mass mortality events in the Galveston Bay – Freeport area during 2023. These species are relatively short lived and highly prolific. This allows them to bounce back quickly after natural disasters if the conditions take a favorable turn. With the interannual variability that is commonly observed in the catch rates 38 | January 2024

Figure 2

Figure 3

for these species, it is important to look at long-term data trends when assessing their populations.

It is no secret that the Galveston Bay ecosystem is ever-changing.

Forage species can be affected in countless ways, from natural disasters to natural predation to harvest by humans for bait or consumption. Though these species may be easily overlooked at times, they are a crucial part of the Galveston Bay system and a valuable food source for many of the game fish anglers love to catch in Texas’ delicately balanced bays.

Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or tpwd.texas.gov for more info.

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TSFMAG.com | 39

Aurora Ozolins speechless over a bull red she wrangled from the wintertime surf.

ERIC OZOLINS

E X T R E M E K AYA K F I S H I N G & S H A R K S F R O M T H E S A N D

SEA OF RED

In Texas, wise coastal anglers expect the weather conditions to run the gamut from calm and sedate to stormy, windy and rainy. At times, the weather patterns can become quite unpredictable, and markedly different from day to day. During the worst stretches of time, conditions render the surf not worth fishing for weeks on end. During the best, the surf zone becomes a kind of paradise, unlike any other on earth.

Through all this upheaval and uncertainty, one constant reigns supreme, in the form of a fish: the red drum. Many consider the red drum, or redfish as it’s known to most, as the true state fish of Texas. Redfish are found in the surf and the bays, around the jetties, in the channels, also in the marshes and back-lakes and even in some freshwater reservoirs. The iconic dot adorning the tail of the redfish serves as a symbolic reminder of its consistent presence from one end of the state to the other throughout all the months on the calendar.

Red drum are effective predators and mighty gamefish. As an angler who fishes primarily in the surf, I encounter them quite often. Depending on time of the year, the waters fronting the beach can hold giant schools of slot-sized specimens or an invading horde of over-sized bulls. Often, while I have baits out waiting for sharks to bite, I target redfish on relatively light tackle.

More often than not, when mullet are present in the 40 | January 2024

breakers, the reds are around, too.

As part of my regular routine, I try to get younger anglers hooked up with these strong, aggressive creatures. When I have kids on my charters, I make a point to have at least a rod or two deployed with live mullet, hoping for bites from reds. To see a youngster smile as they fight and land a 40” bruiser is priceless. More times than I can count, I’ve had clients remind me of the giant redfish I helped their kid catch.

Here in the Lone Star State, we’re fortunate to have a healthy fishery for this species. Wherever they’re found, reds prowl around looking for food, regardless of the conditions. Even when gusty winds whistle and send anglers on to other pursuits, redfish take advantage of the roiling water and feed. The turbidity created by strong winds and heavy currents provides these predators an advantage over the species they prey upon.

Reds can be targeted in the surf in a variety of different ways. In the warmer half of the year, mid-sized slot redfish are often abundant in the surf. When this happens, a few main methods work best for targeting them. Artificial lures like gold spoons work great when the water’s calm and clear, and schools of the reds are visible. The size of the spoon doesn’t seem to matter much, as long as it’s presented close in front of the fish. Soft plastics work well in this scenario too, especially Saltwater Assassins on

TSFMAG.com | 41

42 | January 2024

Oz with a bull from rough winter surf; he calls them Texas’ most iconic game fish.

to the efforts of CCA and other conservation organizations, the state elevated the status of the species to a sport fish, and put laws related to catching and keeping them into play. As an angler who’s proud to call Texas my home, I’m grateful these fish were saved, so they could thrive in our waters to this day; I think of the redfish as the most iconic fish in our great state.

C O N TA C T

quarter-ounce heads. Lots of color patterns will work, but I generally use ones with at least some chartreuse in the mix.

While these artificial lures and topwaters do work effectively at times, live finger mullet often produce more bites and require less effort to use, compared with making repeated casts with the plugs. If the mullet are running thick, catching them in a cast net is often easy. For keeper reds, mullet about five or six inches long rigged on double-drop leaders with 9/0 circle hooks work best.

Of course, other predators will attack and eat these little baitfish too. Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle and big speckled trout will all readily take live mullet. In order to sharpen the focus on the reds and diminish the threat of other fish taking them first, cutting the tail off the live mullet often does the trick. The reds seem to like the movements of the wounded mullet and/or the scent trail produced by Large bull on the sand just prior to release. the bleeding tail.

On the Upper Coast, the massive oversized bulls move in with a vengeance sometime in October or November, but my best days catching numbers of these brutes have all happened in December.

The mature breeders often measure more than 45 inches in length, some approaching the 50-inch mark. When schools of these trophy-sized fish move into the surf, they come with a purpose, often picking up anything they find, from dead shrimp to whole, live whiting.

Typically, these monsters are difficult to target in the surf with lures, but around the jetties, large swimbaits and other lures which mimic fish garner vicious strikes from them at times. Mature reds absolutely love large mullet, often preferring ones of a size our laws don’t allow keeping and using for bait at times. In these situations, using a hefty chunk of fresh whiting normally works just about as well as the mullet.

During the cooler months, on days when the surf is blown out, I’ll take my kayak onto the back side of the barrier islands to target reds with lures. Cold weather often makes the action for these fish fast and furious. When temperatures drop low enough to temporarily stun the mullet, the reds have easy pickings. These times provide me a welcome change from the hot days soaking baits and waiting for sharks to bite; I enjoy paddling around in the shallows on mostly deserted flats, tossing lures, often at redfish I can clearly see.

Red drum are highly efficient predators, capable of surviving in many places, and through many natural disasters. A few decades ago, when Paul Prudhomme and other Cajun chefs began making blackened redfish popular in restaurants, a dangerous trend to target and harvest big schools of mature bulls in the Gulf developed. Thanks

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 Websites

oz@oceanepics.com oceanepics.com | catchsharks.com

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Sabine Versatile hunting shallow over oysters.

Photo by Carter Blackwell.

JAKE HADDOCK

M O S T LY S I G H T- F I S H I N G

THE WINTER GRIND When I think of what my fishing program looks like in January the first thing that comes to mind is preparation.

Preparation for all the possibilities a new year can bring.

Don’t get me wrong there’s some great days to be had out on the water this time of year, but being in the business of sight-fishing, January can certainly be slower than other months. So, with the bad weather days I’ll be doing all I can to prepare for what’s to come. These things include changing my outboards water impeller that was abused the previous year, spooling up new fly lines, tying leaders, putting new braid on spinning reels, and renewing insurance policies. Some tasks are more enjoyable than others, but all are necessary to keep this train on the tracks for another year.

On the other hand, when Old Man Winter spares us for a few days and the water temperature is allowed to rise, the sight-fishing and fishing in general can be phenomenal. It may take a bit more searching than other times of the year, but in January when you do locate the fish it is usually a very target rich environment. When searching for these winter holes keep in mind that fish are cold-blooded animals and seeking out areas holding warmer waters during periods of cold weather will likely yield higher success. These may even be some of the 44 | January 2024

same areas you fish during summer months but on the opposite tide. For instance, imagine a shallow sightfishing spot with close access to deep water. In summer those fish may be triggered to feed by an incoming tide that pushes cooler water from the deep into the shallow zone. Now in winter, fish staging in the same spot may feed on the opposite tide with the warmer water from the shallows falling on an outgoing tide. Now I know, if you’re like me you’re going to go fishing regardless of the tide, but it’s just something to keep in your mind while you’re putting a game plan together.

One thing I’ll be targeting a lot in January is shallow oyster shell. I can’t say for sure why fish like this type of structure during winter, possibly because oysters absorb more heat than barren bottom. What I can tell you is these zones of shallow mud and shell do hold lots of mullet when the temperatures and tides are low.

Therefore, redfish and sometimes large speckled trout won’t be far behind. When scanning these zones be sure to watch for an occasional osprey overhead. If you see the osprey diving regularly that’s a sure sign the mullet are in abundance and the area may be worth investigating.

Sight-fishing shallow mud and shell can be much more productive when you’re on the elevated deck

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TSFMAG.com | 45

Purpose Built Optics, previously branded under Hook and Bullet.

46 | January 2024

C O N TA C T

of a boat. Sinking in mud up to your knees while wading My bride with a respectable Casey and Chris Flake had a doesn’t leave much elevation pre-freeze trout. great outing on this winter day! for a good line of sight. And trying to operate a large flats boat with the trolling motor prop banging oyster clumps isn’t the stealthiest approach.

Under these conditions my alloy Sabine Skiff truly shines.

Being a flat bottom poling skiff constructed of aluminum, it allows me to not only fish ubershallow next to the oyster beds, but if there’s some scattered oyster in between holes I can fearlessly pole directly over the shell. Yes, it still sounds like nails on a chalkboard, enough to make you cringe, but it isn’t anything a little sanding and painting can’t fix down the road.

Another caveat of sightfishing during winter months is the limited amount of visibility. Now I could go off on a deep dive Optics. The first pair I tried, while the fit was perfect and were and spout all kinds of scientific facts about the tilt of the earth, but I’ll incredibly light, the color of the lens just wasn’t for me. After some save that for the scientists. Simply put, the sun just isn’t as bright this email exchanges with Mr. Bill Waller he suggested I try a new color time of year. There are fewer hours of daylight and the hours that we lens they were coming out with as it may be the color I was after. do have are often accompanied by lingering fog or high, wispy clouds.

That lens is now known as Green River. The lens features a slight This creates a lot of glare and bad sight-fishing conditions, but at the tent of yellow while still maintaining some tones of brown. It really flip of a switch it can be blue bird skies and pure sun. brightens things up underwater and creates great color separation.

In the past I would bring two pairs of glasses to combat this. One What I wasn’t expecting is that I can wear them in full sun or under pair being a regular amber lens and the other bright highlighter cloud cover with no eye fatigue. It has actually been the only pair yellow. The trick was to make it to the boat with both pairs so you of glasses I’ve worn since June of last year. The moral of this longcould swap glasses as the conditions changed. Sounds great, but sure winded story is that I now only bring one pair of glasses every day enough if I only made it to the boat with the yellow pair, it would be and don’t have to worry about the amount of cloud cover or lack pure sun all day. The eye fatigue afterwards for me was like staring at a thereof. The pair I’ve been wearing is the Deep Eddy frame with welding arc without a hood. So much so I even went to an eye doctor the Green River lens. Although advertised under their freshwater for the first time in my life, only to find out the blotches on my eyes lens category, they are a great option for sight-fishing saltwater in were UV damage. “But Doc I’m wearing the best glasses you can buy January… or any month of the year for that matter. for this sport,” or so I thought, anyhow.

In closing I’d like to thank everyone that came out to fish with me On the quest for better eyewear I came across Purpose Built in 2023. It was a fun year with some good days of catching. I hope we can sneak through this winter without any extreme weather like we received in 2021. As of writing this, it has been fairly mild with some much needed rain for our bay systems, so fingers crossed. If you’d like to fish with me in 2024 feel free to reach out and let’s put something on the books.

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 Email Website

713-261-4084 frigatebirdfishing@gmail.com www.frigatebirdfishing.com

TSFMAG.com | 47

No Boat No Problem!

STORY BY CORY BYRNES

T

he Texas coast offers an incredible range of fishing opportunities for anglers of all skill levels. Successful fishermen are the ones who are out on the water.

So, don’t let the absence of your dream boat keep you from getting out there with your family and friends to enjoy the outdoors, and wet a line. Here are three ways to get out there: walk-in wade fishing, bank fishing, and pier fishing, each with its unique opportunities and challenges.

Walk-in wade fishing Walk-in wade fishing is just as it sounds. However, over 93% of the land in Texas is privately owned,1 which can make finding a place to walk in difficult. There are still plenty of places where you can get access to the water, though. I approach finding a suitable spot to go fishing with a combination of these three things. To start, I google public access on the coast i.e., boat launches, beaches, and parks that dot the coastline of Texas. Second, I try to find out what kind of bottom the area has before making a trip. As anyone who has fished in the Galveston Bay area can tell you, there can be some seriously soft spots that make wading impractical if not altogether impossible. The Hook-N-Line maps have helped me narrow down the list of potential fishing areas and made my scouting/fishing trips more successful.

However, nothing beats local knowledge; asking the local bait shop can also yield some locations. Third, I use Google Earth. With Google 61st Street pier on Galveston Island is open 24 hours for fishing and crabbing and is right next to the beach.

48 | January 2024

Earth, you can at times see underwater structures like reefs, old piers, and bottom grasses. With that said I will generally go and fish at my chosen location for the first time during low tide. I want to see what might be in the water and I am better able to do that during low tide.

You are specifically looking for high-percentage structures like the ones I mentioned earlier. When wade fishing, you can be loaded to the gills with gear or take a more minimalist approach with just a couple of jigheads and some Saltwater Assassin plastics or popping cork.

You should not leave home without these: a quality pair of polarized sunglasses, neoprene socks, and a sturdy pair of reef boots. While good for fishing, oyster reefs are incredibly sharp and will cut through even the thickest boot. Unfortunately, not everyone leaves these areas in better shape than when they arrived, so I will also bring a small bag and pick up a bit of trash at the end of the day, so that future generations can enjoy the area. Wade fishing is great for beating the Texas summer heat and scratching that fishing itch.

Bank Fishing Bank fishing is not just for the freshwater angler. Occasionally, you run into conditions like a fast-moving current or soft bottom that won’t permit wade fishing. Bank fishing is a great way to turn a failed wading trip into a successful fishing trip. As always, you want to be fishing near some structure or natural land formation like a point or a flat with deep water nearby. The Texas City dike provides some great One of my favorite things is crabbing off the fishing pier.

Nick Fruit (Left) and Dakoda Dubrieo (Right) doubled-up on the bank of Texas City Dike.

High low rigs are an easy way to target various species. Adjust your weight type to deal with current and bottom conditions.

bank fishing because there are sections of flats all along it with deeper cuts just in casting range for the bank fisherman. For gear, I prefer a surf rod and open-face spinning reel. The added length of a surf rod helps to get the bait out to the edge of the flat where, during low tide, the reds and trout will cruise. I usually use a High-Low rig with either a sand anchor or pyramid weight. In recent years fishing drones have come on the market that drastically increase the range of the bank fisherman. There is a drone for just about every budget.

Many of them have cameras on them which opens a new and exciting way to sight-fish from shore for big fish.

Before buying a fishing drone you should consider the following. What is the total weight of your rigging? You should include in your calculations the bait weight and anything else that the drone will be carrying for the drop.

Are there any recovery options in the event it drops into the water before making it back to shore? This leads to the question, is it even waterproof? Advancement in gear and drones has made it so that the bank fisherman has just as good a chance as those on the boats.

Pier Fishing I have fond memories of when I was younger, going with my dad to the local fishing pier on a lake or on the coast; playing in the bait, eating junk food, catching fish, and seeing some of the weirdest animals pulled up over the rail. Fishing piers provide access to a whole host of species which keep the kids engaged and, when all else fails, the beach is not a bad place to kick your feet up and relax. Keep in mind this type of fishing will not get you away from the crowds. Piers are a popular spot no matter where you go, because they provide access to water you would not normally be able to reach otherwise.

A lot of casting and moving up and down the pier will likely get you tangled up in everyone else’s line. So, be a respectful angler.

This is the saltwater bobber game. You’re going to be soaking bait somewhere within the water column. With some regularity, you can expect to catch the following species on the Texas coast: Pompano, Redfish, Trout, Shark, Sheepshead, Gafftop, Mangrove snapper, and an assortment of bait fish. A High-Low Rig with a sand anchor or pyramid weight will catch almost all the species I mentioned. Pompano is considered one of the best-eating fish you can catch from the pier and surf. You may want to go to more specialized rigging to increase your odds of finding the fish you’re after. For example; a pompano rig

(left) A different presentation can help you target a certain species more effectively. (below) There is life right on the pilings of a pier. A Sabiki rig can save you a bit of money on bait and keep kids entertained.

for pompano, a Carolina rig for redfish, and High-Low with cut bait for Gafftop Sail catfish, and steel-leader rigs can be used if you’re chasing sharks. Try different rig types to dial in your fishing. Don’t think you have to launch the bait another hundred yards. The pier holds life right at its pilings. Catching fish is what keeps my son engaged and keeping him on fish, even baitfish, means he has more fun and will want to come again. You can take a light rod and a Sabiki rig and have a blast catching bait. My favorite thing to do is drop a crab net down with a chicken neck for crabs while I let the other baits soak.

That is part of the fun when fishing off the pier. You never really know what is going to end up on the end of your line.

With our busy lives we can’t always go fishing when the conditions are perfect, but whether you’re wade fishing, kicking it from a lawn chair on the bank, or a family fishing day on the pier, you will discover increased success and enjoyment just by being out there.

––––––––––––––––––––––––– 1 “Private Landowners and Listed Species” TPWD, https://tpwd.texas.gov/ huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/nongame/listed-species/landowner-tools. phtml#:~:text=Texas%20is%20a%20private%20lands,we%20enjoy%20in%20 our%20state.

TSFMAG.com | 49

UPDATE FROM

STORY BY CHRIS MCKINLEY

W

hat a year we’ve had! We at Trout Tagging Texas have been busy and a lot has happened since our last report published in this magazine’s July 2023 issue. We now have almost 80 angler volunteers from all across the state participating in the tagging and releasing speckled trout. Thanks to the efforts of these dedicated volunteers, we are happy to report that by latest count we have tagged and released 850 fish, ranging from to 15- to 31-inches.

Words alone cannot express my gratitude for the efforts of the fishing guides and recreational anglers who share a passion for their contribution to restoring the Texas speckled trout fishery that suffered so greatly during the devastating freeze of February 2021.

Tagging and recording the location of capture and length of these fish provides valuable data for state agencies and recreational anglers alike, for multiple reasons. On the fishing side of things, we are able to establish patterns, times, and conditions that show when the trout are more susceptible to eating whatever the angler tosses in the water.

TPWD can also gain knowledge from tagging studies to monitor populations of speckled trout by the numbers reported. It also shows migration trends from events such as excessive freshwater runoff, 50 | January 2024

drought, and of that terrible F-word – Freezes!

Thus far in early December we now have 23 tagged fish reported as being recaptured, with one of the 23 recaptured twice. Some of the data is showing growth rates ranging from 1/4” to 1/2” per month, depending on bay system. Several of the fish have moved from the surf to adjacent bays, and a fish tagged in the bay traveled at least 30 miles, only to be recaptured in the surf.

Most notably, one of the fish (Yellow Tag-892), was originally tagged on August 20, 2023 by Capt. Layton Ondrias. Yellow-892 was then recaptured by Capt. Jason Finley on September 30. Finley was in the middle of a wade when reporting this fish, and although he was unable to document the exact length, the recapture still provided very valuable information. Fast forward to November 12 when Yellow-892 was recaptured a second time by none other than yours truly.

If you had asked whether I thought we would accomplish a second recapture, I would have said the likelihood is very low. However, these events speak volumes that catch and release indeed works, and extremely well I might add. I am a firm believer that much of the rebound we are currently able to enjoy here on the middle coast is due directly to the efforts of the hundreds of anglers who have faithfully practiced catch and release since the freeze.

During the month of October we staged a small contest that we dubbed Falltober 23 to raise funds for purchasing tags and placing them in the hands of our volunteers. Big thanks to Chris Bush of The Speckled Truth for assisting and helping get those wheels turning. We had some really great prizes and guided fishing trips donated from our sponsors and guides. It truly amazes me how many people want to help grow this small project into something big and beneficial for everyone to gain knowledge of the resource. I appreciate everybody’s help and am pleased to have made so many great friendships along the way.

As for a tagging report from across the state, I can say that the volunteers of the upper and lower coasts have been putting in some serious work and are beginning to rival the tagging and release numbers that have been accomplished by those of

our original base of middle coast volunteers. Not to take anything away from our middle coast crew, as they have continued to report some really impressive catches.

Overall, the fishing has improved since TPWD enacted the first set of emergency regulations to reduce limits and tighten the length slots.

Although the limit is currently back to the pre-freeze 5-fish limit and 15- to 25-inch length slot, it is up to us as anglers to police ourselves and leave the fishery in better condition for everyone to enjoy.

Please report any tagged fish you happen to come across. It is very important to the success of this project and you can earn some really nice incentives for doing so.

For anyone wanting to learn more or donate to the cause, please email me at: chris@ trouttaggingtexas.org

Many thanks to these fine folks who helped sponsor Falltober 23.

TSFMAG.com | 51

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opened. Tie one on and quickly change out your lures without having to re-tie, plus they enhance the action of your baits! Ideal for topwater, jerkbaits and swimbaits.They are also great for building various rigs and dredges. Pound test strengths include 25, 50, 75, 125 and 175 pounds. These American-Made clips are available in stainless steel or black oxide finishes. Purchase them at your local retailer or visit www.RoscoTackle.com for more information.

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Excel Command 183 Innovative and ultra-functional console with high windshield for maximum protection. Folds quickly, easily, and securely when not in use. An Excelleration™ Pad Hull virtually eliminates hydrodynamic drag for increased speed and handling. An extremely tough .160-gauge hull is standard. Sleek lines provide maximum interior space and design strength. A large casting deck provides plenty of elbow room for fighting trophy fish. Lockable rod boxes keep gear safely stowed. Other features include flip-up jump seats, livewell, integrated trolling motor bracket and 45-degree angle transom splash-well.

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Rattle-Snaker® The Z-Man Rattle-Snaker magically implants your favorite ElaZtech or other softbaits with rattle attractors or extra weight. Patented tool design allows for precision insertion of rattles and weights into the bodies of ElaZtech and standard soft plastic baits via stainless steel insertion needle and pushrod. Built-in storage compartment holds extra glass rattles (10 glass rattles included). Replacement rattle 10-packs also available, MSRP $4.99. Tungsten weights coming soon.

Surgical tubing needle guard prevents accidental harm. MSRP $12.99 – Tool and 10-pack rattles. www.ZManFishing.com.

Grunden Deck Boss 6” Ankle Boot The DECK-BOSS™ collection was designed to provide anglers with comfortable performance-driven footwear options that will outlast even the longest days on the water. We’ve prioritized a thicker insole to promote noticeable shock resistance and the anti-microbial cooling liner will ensure you leave the typical footwear stench behind. Built in razor siping helps move water out from under the shoe improving grip on wet surfaces and combined with a natural gum rubber outsole, you’ll be standing upright on deck all day long. Men’s Sizes: 8-14; Colors: Black, Deep Water, Monument Grey, Brindle, Capers -- Women’s Sizes: W5-W11 Colors: Sage Green, Glacier Grey, Parisian Blue, Opilio Red www.Grundens.com TSFMAG.com | 53

PA I D A D V E R T O R I A L JEB BASHAW

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT & PLANNING FOR TEXAS ANGLERS & OUTDOORS ENTHUSIASTS

Naughty or Nice—It’s That Time of Year!

Christmas and New Years are my favorite holidays. The weather has Chief Executive Officer cooled, the decorations are up and James E Bashaw & Co. inviting, everyone gets to wear their fall Securities and advisory services and winter clothes (waders included) and people just seem to be friendlier. offered through Independent Financial Group, LLC (IFG), a Neighbors and colleagues greet one Registered Investment Advisor. another with “Merry Christmas”, or Member FINRA/SIPC. Jeb & Co, “Happy Holidays” or just a simple, James E. Bashaw & Co. and IFG “Howdy, Y’all.” Even our inner humbug are unaffiliated entities. seems to take a break between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Telephone The best part of Christmas, aside 713-552-0505 Email from being with family and friends jbashaw@ifgrr.com and sharing the joys of the season, Address is being in the great outdoors.

5701 Woodway Dr Suite 330 Everything’s in season; duck, dove, Houston, TX 77057 quail and deer. And, of course, saltwater fisherman are all getting the chance to spend time with their family and friends pursuing their favorite activity. For me, I like wintertime fishing best. It’s quiet, there are a lot fewer anglers on the water, the bite is fantastic—and you don’t have to get up as early!

Yes, it’s a little chilly but once you start reeling in a speckled trout or redfish, your brain seems to forget that it’s only 50° and you’re standing in 56° water, with 10 mph north breeze.

One of my favorite trips years ago was taking my kids to Rockport to fish with longtime friend and fishing guide, Jay Watkins. As you know, Jay is a legend around Rockport and if he’s not on his death bed he’s out looking for trout. The date was December 28. I had earned a hall pass and decided to take a day away from work. The only proviso was that I had to be back in Houston by 7:00pm to attend a holiday party.

Never one to miss an opportunity, we left Houston at 4:00am and headed to Goose Island to meet Jay. I had bought the kids Cabela’s neoprene waders for Christmas with dual purpose—fishing and duck hunting. Like only dads can do, I tried my best to pack snacks and lunch for the day. For me that was usually bottled water, Gatorade, Cokes and Dr Peppers, oranges, turkey sandwiches, chips, candy and cookies. Sadly, stopping at Prasek’s isn’t an option when you leave Houston that early.

Arriving to Goose Island as scheduled at 7:00, the wind was howling, but off we went. I told Jay we had to be back at the dock by 2:00PM to head back to Houston—I’m pretty sure he thought my two kids ages 12 and 14 wouldn’t last that long. As the morning of wade fishing wore on, the fishing got better and better. Jay was gracious as a teacher; explaining to my kids why we were fishing in the areas he had chosen, and why we were using the lures he had given us. The kids were having a blast and the fish were biting. We had our limits by 1:00 and were headed back to the dock.

We got in the car and headed back to Houston; the kids sleeping in the back of the Suburban and me smiling all the way home. The kids traded their waders for church clothes; my son in coat and tie My son has and my daughter in a Christmas dress, and away we went to the grown a bit party. I overheard a woman asking my children where they got since the days their suntans. They explained that they were windburned from of that 4:00am trip to Rockport! fishing all day in Rockport. The woman almost didn’t believe them until they explained, they had left the house at 4:00AM to fish, caught their limits, and then returned to Houston for the party. She then asked, “You must really like fishing?” Their reply was, “Not so much in winter,” and my heart sunk. I realized that it had been pretty selfish of me to drag my kids away from their home and friends at a gosh awful time of day when they were out of school, just to fish with me. Then my son smiled and looked at the woman and said, “But we love being with our dad!”

The Holiday season is a time to be with family and friends. It’s a time to celebrate the coming of the Christ child. It’s also a time to review the past year, the personal and financial highlights and low lights, and to get ready for all the hope and promise a New Year brings. From me and my family let me be the first to wish you and yours a safe and Happy Holiday Season, and a very prosperous New Year. And as always, if I can be of any help in your investment planning, estate or college planning, feel free to reach out by email or phone.

Tight lines, Jeb Bashaw

54 | January 2024

Securities and advisory services offered through Independent Financial Group, LLC (IFG), a Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. Jeb & Co, James E. Bashaw & Co. and IFG are unaffiliated entities.

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BINK GRIMES

THE VIEW FROM Matagorda

It is a new year. A new block of vacation days…Another full month of duck season yet to go…365 days to make a difference…Hopefully only two months of winter remaining…

Certainly, fewer boats on the water.

M ata go r d a Fewer boats burning shorelines is good. Winter serenity is good. January fishing is good.

It’s cliché, but January fishing is all Bink Grimes is a full-time fishing about the weather. I apologize for the and hunting guide, freelance obvious, but it is so true. The weather writer and photographer, and drives the tides and water temps, the owner of Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay. tides and water temps drive the bite.

Toss in the position of the moon and your algorithm for success has even Telephone 979-241-1705 more variables. Really, keep it as simple Email as possible. Fish when you can fish. Go binkgrimes@yahoo.com when you can go. Learn from every Website wind, tide and lunar phase. matagordasunriselodge.com We all know Corkys are premiere wintertime baits – I love MirrOlure Soft-Dines, too. During mild winters, topwaters get the nod on those warm, clear afternoons.

By January, shrimp have left the bays and speckled trout adapt their diet to finfish. That’s when slow-sinking mullet imitating plugs like Soft-Dines and Texas Custom Corkys go to work.

Flipping mullet are tell-tale signs that specks could be in the area; however, even though you don’t see active baitfish, that doesn’t mean the fish are not there. Work baits ultra-slow since cold weather turns fish in to methodical creatures.

There have been many winter days when even a single mullet never showed its face and I caught fish. It is not a tell-tale sign this time of year. It helps, but it’s not make or break.

Never discount wintertime drift fishing in Matagorda, especially with low-tide winter water levels. East Bay is often 2-3 feet below normal in January, depending how hard the north wind blows.

Raymond Shoals, Boiler Bayou, Pipeline Reef and Cleveland Reef hold good fish during the winter; and, when tides are extremely low, shoreline trout and redfish move off the flats to these reefs in the middle of the bay.

For waders, locales receiving the most tidal flow often hold the

majority of schools – which means reefs and mud flats adjacent to the Intracoastal in East Matagorda Bay. Brown Cedar Flats, Chinquapin Reefs, Bird Island, Half Moon Reef and the Log are all proven winter spots holding healthy specks.

When the wind really blows, the Colorado River is waiting. Trout congregate in the deep, warm waters of the Colorado and if we remain in a drought, the entire river all the way to Bay City has potential.

Low tides in West Bay drain the delta at the mouth of the Diversion Channel and funnel all fish to the deep channel. Anglers drift across the channel with jigs and their favorite soft plastics. Most of the time we toss toward the shoreline and work the drop. But when we have trouble finding fish, we troll the middle of the river and bump the bottom until we find a school. The river drops from two, to five, to nine feet along the bank and the trout hang close to the drops, depending on the water temperature.

Nighttime fishing in January is also very popular. Piers along the river turn on lights at night to draw mullet, shad and shrimp. Often, some of the largest trout of the year are caught on the coldest nights.

Corkys, MirrOlure Soft-Dines and glow plastics worked gingerly through the water column excite lethargic fish.

Duck season continues through Jan.28 and if past campaigns are any indication, we will have a strong finish. Our marsh holds lots of gadwalls and full-plumaged blue-winged teal. If you are looking for a cobalt-headed bluewing for a mount, our marsh gives you plenty of opportunities.

Please consider catch and release when applicable. Every fish you give back is the potential for thousands of fingerlings spawned for the next crop. Trout taste good – enjoy them – but only what you need.

Consider never freezing another trout.

Let’s make 2024 a great one. Happy New Year!

For information on hunting, fishing, lodging, vacation rentals and coastal real estate, give Matagorda Sunrise Lodge and Properties a call or text.

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CAPT. SHELLIE GRAY

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

Out with the old and in with the new!

Off-colored water is most often created by wind-driven water currents Ready or not, the New Year is at our during winter, but remember that strong tidal currents will also create door. It’s hard for me to believe; not only dirty water on calm days. Look for water draining from back-lakes or is this the beginning of a new year but other areas along deeper ledges and shoreline guts. it also marks my twenty-second year With colder water temperatures, don’t be surprised if the fish seem of guiding full time here in the Port reluctant to accept your offerings. Colder water temperatures slows their Port O'Connor O’Connor/Seadrift area. Looking back, metabolism, causing them to feed with less aggression, and unwilling Seadrift I have witnessed many changes in our to expend as much energy to capture prey as in warmer months. If your middle coast fisheries. Closed flounder favorite lure isn’t drawing strikes, try a slower sinking bait or one that seasons, shutting down oystering suspends lower in the water column on colder days, such as the Paul Captain Shellie Gray was in many bays due to commercial Brown Corky Fat Boy or Soft-Dine made by MirrOlure. The Fat Boy can be born in Port Lavaca and has adjusted by bending the tail slightly downward to help it hover lower been guiding in the Seadrift/ overharvest, and reduced bag limits of in the water column. Likewise, bending the tail upward will help the Port O’Connor area full time several species of game fish, to name for the past 19 years. Shellie some of the more noteworthy. bait to rise in the water column with only a slight upward twitch of the specializes in wading for Now, if you want to point a finger, rod tip. Think of a pilot adjusting the ailerons of an airplane; that’s what trout and redfish year round Mother Nature herself is by no means bending the tail of a Corky does. These baits don’t take much effort on with artificial lures. innocent in the decline of some of our the fisherman’s part to make them appear like an injured baitfish. popular game fish species. However, I Waterloo’s highly-sensitive HP Lite is a great rod for working these Telephone would say that an equal, if not greater types of slow-sinking and suspending baits. Light twitches of the 361-785-6708 impact, on our fisheries has been greatly wrist during a slow and steady retrieve are all that is needed to make Email bayrats@tisd.net increased fishing pressure over the past them appear lifelike.

Website fifteen years. Texas Parks and Wildlife has Not to be confusing, but there will also be days when the slowwww.bayrat.com had to stay on their toes for sure, and sinkers will not work as well as a fast-action twitchbait. On days when Facebook while most of their regulatory measures I cannot entice a good bite with slow presentations, I will opt for a @captsgaryandshelliegray have been effective, there are some that lure that attracts reaction strikes. My go-to in this situation is Bass could still use some work. It has been reported that we could soon be Assassin’s scented Lit’l P&V. Its erratic action on a light jighead has to seeing a reduction in the speckled trout bag limit from five to three fish be seen to be believed. I like the Salt and Pepper Silver Phantom with per day. As a guide, I support this, as I believe a reduced limit could help Chartreuse Tail and Chicken on a Chain in clearer water, and Plum with our trout thrive and grow larger in the years to come.

White Tail in darker water conditions.

There are other changes that are happening right now in the way I wish everyone a wonderful, healthy, and prosperous New Year. May we will be fishing, due to the onset of winter weather. The thick all your fishing days be productive and remember to keep only the seagrass that typically grows in the back-lakes during the warmer ones you will eat fresh and let the others swim for another day. months has thinned out considerably, making some areas much easier to Marina Marshall got into fish. The cooler water temperatures a good trout bite with Bass Assassins’ Lit’l P&V. have also made for some gin-clear water conditions. If the wind blows there will be plenty of off-colored water to choose from but it’s the calm days between fronts that will have me searching for some murky water.

If you have ever fished in or around very clear water, you soon realize that while it’s pretty to look at it’s not the best for fishing. While we all know some of the different types of structures that we like to fish around, sand pockets, guts on shorelines and oyster reefs, but are you aware that off-colored water surrounded by clear water is also considered good structure in Kean Tonetti proud wintertime? Fish will use murky water to show off her big as camouflage during feeding, making redfish on a chilly day. it easier to ambush their next meal.

58 | January 2024

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TSFMAG.com | 59

DAVID ROWSEY

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

Happy Holidays to all! I hope this article finds you with a food hangover versus the other kind so often associated with New Year’s celebrations. Thankfully, my only view of those days are reflections in the rearview mirror. It’s a good plan to guarantee more quality days of bow Upper hunting and fishing, and I seem to Laguna/ need even more of these as I get older.

Baffin Scoping meetings are coming up this month as final public input on what saltwater sportsmen would like to see in the speckled David Rowsey has 30 years trout fishery; how it’s managed, in Baffin and Upper Laguna and what it’s managed to provide.

Madre; trophy trout with Recommendations have already artificial lures is his specialty. been made to the commission and I David has a great passion for believe it’s a pretty safe bet that the conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish. new bag limits will be three trout per day between 15- and 20-inches. Most Telephone serious trout fishermen seem to be in 361-960-0340 full agreement.

Website The issue that many of us are www.DavidRowsey.com Email concerned with is that, the way things david.rowsey@yahoo.com stand right now, one of those fish can be longer than 25 inches. The 25 @captdavidrowsey inch rule is not written in stone, and can hopefully be revised to include NO trout longer than 20 inches until a trophy tag system can be implemented for the new license year beginning September 1, 2024.

From my viewpoint, this is what’s best for the trophy fishery and would insure that we would have minimal loss from any gains we have made since the freeze. This is all common sense stuff… I know, I know, I know, but sometimes things just have a way of complicating themselves when there are too many chefs in the kitchen. My take is just do what is best for the fishery and do it now. We can sacrifice a few summer months of killing to finally right the ship for the future.

Your input has never been more important and I hope all who read this will take the time to attend the scoping meeting closest to you…and recruit friends to do likewise. TPWD wants to hear from all users this month, before the commissioners meet in late January.

You can let your voice be heard at the scheduled scoping meetings or via email to Coastal Fisheries at cfish@tpwd.texas.gov. Also, follow the “Hot Topic” link on TPWD website where you can actually get 60 | January 2024

a letter “on the record” to the commissioners.

Trout fishing in Baffin finally started hitting its groove in December, albeit a small groove. A few solid days this fall were mostly trumped by days of grinding for every bite. It wasn’t always easy, but the work paid off to catch some stud trout in 5- to 7-pound range. I’m very confident that January through spring will bring some old school trophies to hand. I’m truly excited about this winter season.

Our biggest issue this fall and winter thus far has been the unusually high water levels – very abnormal this time of year in Baffin. Fat water always seems to scatter the fish. Sometimes shallow, but more often out deep beyond the tops of our Simms waders. And, for another Baffin and Upper Laguna anomaly, whenever shorelines are devoid of bait, look at any drop-off in about five feet of water and it will be stacked, for anglers willing to fish from the boat.

While we have been grinding steadily to catch a few fish where it’s shallow enough to wade, some of the local talent have opted to “run through the Cut” and find a higher-quality bite down Mansfield way.

That’s a long run from Corpus, but many do it daily for some better results, of late. Fishing in the Laguna Madre can be cyclical, especially in fall, and this pattern is not uncommon. Time and tails will change that soon enough.

Many of y’all call or text about what lures to bring on a charter.

My regular clients are probably disappointed at how lackadaisical I sometimes am about this, but thirty-five years of grinding have taught me to keep it simple and stick with the basics. My wade box will have almost no variation over the next few months. For soft plastic I go with Bass Assassin 5” rattails, floater-diver Double D, a MirrOlure lipped stickbait, and a couple of suspending lures such as Fat Boy or Original Corky Floater. Choose colors based on water quality and clarity; my personal preferences are natural-looking lures without chartreuse tails in clear water, darker shades in low light or stained conditions, and variations of white when the sun is high. Keep it simple!

Remember the buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey Mike Fry always seems to get it done in Baffin.

Not a coincidence… he’s a stick! Six and seven pounders released, caught on Bass Assassins.

Science and the

Sea

TM

A Full Moon Mystery Sometimes scientific discoveries answer questions scientists have wondered about for years, but more often, a discovery simply raises dozens of new questions to explore. For example, why on earth do dozens of female great hammerhead sharks gather at two atolls in French Polynesia around the full moon each summer? While we don’t know the reason right now, the observation opens the door to more research to uncover the mysteries of this severely endangered species.

Female hammerhead sharks have been observed in large numbers at two atolls in French Polynesia during the summer, coinciding with the full moon. This raises questions as to why they are congregating. Credit: Kevin Lino NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC/ESD Great hammerheads are typically solitary, so it’s especially noteworthy if many gather in one place. Yet that’s what scientists observed in the Southern Hemisphere summers of 2020 and 2021 around Rangiroa and Tikehau, two atolls in the Tuamotu archipelago of French Polynesia.

Biologists observed 54 female great hammerheads independently roaming the bottom of “hammerhead plateau,” about 150-200 feet deep. And at least 32 of these sharks have been visiting the same atoll for up to 12 years.

Although the sharks didn’t appear to interact with one another, their numbers were highest just before and after the full moon, suggesting some link between the lunar cycle and their reasons for visiting. The question is, what might that link be? Maybe brighter moonlight made it easier for them to hunt the ocellated eagle rays that gather to mate in the area each summer. Or maybe the hammerheads are attracted to the warmer water temperatures. Or perhaps shifts in the Earth’s geomagnetic field triggered by the moon’s waxing and waning somehow lure the sharks in, since some sharks may use the Earth’s magnetic field for navigation. Or, since they’re all females, could the area be a shark nursery? Scientists don’t have these answers yet, but asking these questions can help lead them toward even more discoveries.

www.ScienceAndTheSea.org

© The University of Texas Marine Science Institute TSFMAG.com | 61

WAYNE DAVIS

WAYNE’S Mansfield Report

Greetings from Port Mansfield! I pray everybody had a joyous Christmas along with best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year. Early-winter Port trout fishing has been promising, thus far. Trout and redfish here in the Lower Mansfield Laguna have responded predictably with the passage of each cold front. It always amazes me how quickly they can plump up this time of year but, Captain Wayne Davis has then again, this is the season we so been fishing the Lower often find mullet tails protruding from Laguna-Port Mansfield for over 20 years. He specializes their mouths…and they just tried to in wade fishing with lures. eat our lure. I’ve heard it said that if a trout thinks it can eat something they Telephone will try, and I believe it.

210-287-3877 I am often asked how I pick spots Email because, “It all looks the same.” Well, captwayne@kwigglers.com I guess that is true if you only look at the surface. However, it’s what’s under the surface that makes all the difference. I have spent many days wading the same hundred yard square area of the LLM, and every time find something different. It was not until recently that I finally came up with a satisfactory explanation for the saying: “Show me a change in bottom contour and I’ll show you a fish. ”You see, topography is key in fishing, especially in the LLM, which spans over 275 square miles of mostly grass flats.

I recently conducted a seminar during which I dialed in using Google Earth and picked apart about one square mile of the LLM that I have fished many times. By the last slide there were more colored lines, arrows, and hashmarks than you could imagine. Google Earth did not help me find it; it helped me explain it. But even this is not the full equation. We can now toss in even more variables, such as grassbeds, potholes, water temperature, and presence of bait. The bottom line is that my fishing equation that I often use to help point me in the right direction is getting bigger. Keep this in mind the next time you are out for a wade and looking for all the signs, including the ones under the surface.

Moving forward, we can expect cooler temperatures to start settling in, which almost always correlates with anglers needing to slow down. Not only in their wading but also in their lure presentations, not to mention the many lure options. So, that’s a mouthful right there that takes time to work through. Do not be so eager to jump up and move ten miles. Instead, be eager to dial in on an area and pick it apart. If you must move, so be it, but you might consider moving only a short distance. When I make a move, more often than not, it’s less than two miles, sometimes it’s a 100-yard reset that would result in just a minor depth change, or structure change such as more or fewer grassbeds. Variables while fishing are plentiful, 62 | January 2024

just do your best to pick the right ones.

As of late, depending on the water temperatures, we have had remarkable success on the KWiggler Wig-A-Lo in Bone Diamond and Plum/Chartreuse. Topwaters have also been productive during an uptick in water temperature, but slow rolling plastics over grass and letting them settle into potholes has been extremely effective for big trout. This was just the case recently when spouses (Mike and Phyllis Hawkins) came down after a long 12-year break from Port Mansfield and both caught their personal best trout. Phyllis stuck with the game plan, focused on potholes, working slowly and methodically, and it paid off. Kudos to her.

Our tides continue to remain somewhat higher than would be expected, given the frequency of the northers, but I expect this will change soon. When this happens I will be spending quite a bit of time in low lying swags of the LLM with darker bottoms. This is where most big trout will be holding before the water warms. As the water warms, they will be making their way to sunny flats and become more aggressive where topwaters may come into play. Again, it is best to have multiple arrows in your quiver while wading, that is why I carry two rods: one rigged with something completely different than the other. I can switch super-fast from tops to tails to anything in between. We can all be hardheaded when fishing, trying to force them to eat what we want them to eat, but at the end of the day it is their appetite, not ours.

Until next time, stay safe and remember fresh is better than frozen.

Phyllis Hawkins notched a new personal best trout recently after a twelveyear hiatus from Port Mansfield.

Phyllis’ husband Mike also set a new personal best with this fine specimen.

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CAPT. ERNEST CISNEROS

SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene

I want to begin by wishing everyone a Happy New Year! I hope it brings plenty of tight lines and remarkable experiences on the water for you.

Arr o y o Local rainfall during October and C ol o ra d o November amounted to almost ten t o Po rt inches, which is a good thing, and will I sa bel help keep the salinity level down in our bays. As of today, December 3rd, I would say our fishing success has A Brownsville-area native, thus far been pretty much typical for Capt. Ernest Cisneros fishes the Lower Laguna Madre from early winter. Fish patterns begin to Port Mansfield to Port Isabel. vary somewhat as we get into January; Ernest specializes in wading northers become more frequent and air and poled skiff adventures for temps remain colder for longer periods. snook, trout, and redfish.

As a general rule we don’t get as many days to fish in January because of this.

Cell 956-266-6454 During winter, what signs can lead Website you to productive days on the water? www.tightlinescharters.com I rely on birds more than any other indicators this time of year to point the way to fish – pelicans, seagulls, and the osprey. I look at it this way; humans will not remain very long in area where no food is available.

So, why should we expect our feathered friends to be any different?

Bait is not always visible on the surface during winter, but their keen vision allows them to see the bait lower in the water column. That’s why I rely on their presence and feeding activity to show me the way.

Another sure sign is mud boils. You’ve likely seen these but perhaps did not realize they are made by fish that get spooked when lying near bottom. They make a hard kick with their tail and it stirs bottom

Jeremy Rhodes tricked this trout on a Z Man StreakZ.

sediments. It often signals that they are not actively on the prowl and feeding, more likely resting and waiting for food to come to them. A slow-rolled lure usually works better than a fast retrieve whenever mud boils are prevalent.

Fish are cold-blooded, which means the environment regulates their body temperature. A water temperature gauge is essential in locating their preferred temperature. Once fish are located you can search for similar temps where another school might be staged.

Afternoon and early evening hours during days of warming trends can be most productive.

Another critical factor is weather conditions. If you viewed my December video, I discussed barometric pressure and how it affects feeding patterns. Well, it’s not only the pressure that affects fish; you must also consider wind speed and direction. Cloud cover can also determine where fish will stage. Fish tend to frequent shallow, clear flats more often with cloud cover than in sunny conditions.

As mentioned earlier, it has been an average winter as far as catching is concerned. Redfish seem to be thriving; lots of undersized fish out there, but also plenty in the low-twenties to middle-slot range. If you desire upper-slot or oversized reds; the East Cut or Brazos Santiago Pass would be my choice.

Sandy potholes can be like gold mines this time of year. Sometimes the fish prefer potholes of a foot or less, other times those of three to four feet. I believe it goes back to water temperature; shallow potholes warm sooner than deeper ones. Think of the water as their wardrobe; on warm days we wear lighter clothing, heavier clothing when it’s colder. I mentioned earlier the importance of a water temperature gauge. If your boat is not equipped with one you need to get one, even a handheld unit can be very useful.

Trout will become more predictable as water temperatures continue to decline; and they are more temperature sensitive than redfish. So, for the most part, trout tend to stage in deeper holes unless a warming trend lasts more than a few days. Remember this when targeting them.

I am excited for January to deliver greater numbers of six, to seven, and even some eight and nine-pounders in coming weeks. I hooked and fought one of the largest trout I’ve seen in several years recently… only to have her thrash and get loose right next to me. Disappointed?

You bet! But more than that I’m even more focused and determined.

In closing I want to commend JL Marine - Power Pole for introducing the MOVE trolling motor. I recently received and installed one my boat.

Its quietness, power, lightweight, and unmatched durability have all impressed me, especially its titanium shaft. The quietness of this unit has enabled me to get closer to fish without spooking them than I ever dreamed possible. If you are thinking of a new trolling motor you definitely need to check it out at your dealer and on their website: www.power-pole.com.

View The Video

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

64 | January 2024

TSFMAG.com | 65

FISHING REPORTS

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James finds the fishing in January productive when the weather’s right, sometimes by fishing out of the boat, occasionally by wading. “The fishing can be great in deeper water this time of year. West Bay can be really good in a winter when wet weather sends lots of water down the rivers and runs the fish toward the Gulf. In some years, we have really good luck fishing the muddy streaks in the clear water out around Green’s Cut. When that’s good, the wading can also be good around the reefs and spoil banks between there and the Galveston Causeway, especially late in the afternoons, when the tide is coming in hard. Fishing can also be good in some of the deeper areas in Lower Galveston Bay, between the Texas City Dike and the Causeway. Wading is almost always best on the second or third warm day after a front. If the tide comes back in good and fills the coves and lakes with water, the trout and reds will follow the bait into the shallows and we’ll catch ‘em good until the next front rolls through. On those days, MirrOlures and topwaters like She Dogs and She Pups often work best.”

Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 Jim was experiencing good fishing in the days leading up to giving this report. “We’ve been catchin’ ‘em pretty good since the weather got cooler. The fish have been in the bayous and out in the middle, in deeper water, so we’re fishing out of the boat. The bite has been good, if you know how to work your soft plastics right, to keep ‘em down where the fish are. I hear there are some good trout on the shorelines when the tide is high and we get some east wind blowing. Since the water’s still salty in both East and Trinity bays, the fish are in the upper parts of the bays, and the wading has great potential in situations like that. I’ll be starting up the hunting seasons again in the next few days. I have four fields right now that are full of doves. Since the cold weather hasn’t been freezing cold, they’re staying put, despite the rain. Plenty of food for ‘em right now. The duck hunting was decent in the first half, too, and I expect it to be as good or better once January gets here. It’s a great time to be an outfitter and guide.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 When fishing in the area around San Luis Pass in January, it pays to keep an eye on the weather, mostly meaning the temperatures, since cold water makes the fish stay in deeper water more of the time. “We like to fish out of the boat when it’s cold this time of year, targeting the fish in some of the deeper holes and basins. The best bite is on a slow retrieve with a soft plastic, keeping the lure in contact with the bottom at least some of the time. We like to throw Norton Sand Eel Juniors in colors like tequila gold and cayenne gold, rigged on 3/8 ounce Norton Screw-Lock jigheads. The colder the weather gets, the more important it is to keep the lure right near the bottom, moving at a snail’s pace.

When the weather warms up, the wading can be good on some of the shorelines and in the back-lakes and coves. Since we don’t have many shrimp in the bays, the trout and reds feed almost exclusively on small fish, sometimes crabs. Slow-sinking twitch baits and topwaters work best when we’re wading. Drifting in depths around four feet can be good when it’s warm, too.”

66 | January 2024

ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

Matagorda Bays | Capt. Glenn Ging Glenn’s Guide Service - 979.479.1460 www.glennsguideservice.com “January brings about the urge to target trophy trout in many coastal anglers. The hunt will be on in East Matagorda Bay, with wading shell reefs and mixed mud and shell being the best bets. Some big fish will be caught by anglers drifting deeper areas with shell on the bottom, too. Lures which look like mullet, pinfish, shad and baby trout are the best options for trophy trout hunters, with Paul Brown Fat Boys being the most popular lures to throw. Soft-Dines, Double Ds, topwaters and various kinds of soft plastics also bring in their share of picture-worthy trout. In January, we have really good fishing in the Colorado River, as long as we don’t get too much rain and freshwater runoff. Drifting the river with soft plastics on heavier jigheads like 3/8 and 1/4 ounce produces best. In the river, I like to throw Bass Assassin 4” Sea Shads and Curly Shads more often than not. Lipless crankbaits like Rat-L-Traps can be effective as well, especially on warmer days. Redfish action should remain strong in drains and deep guts all winter. Cut mullet and shrimp are good options, but they’ll eat soft plastics and Gulp! baits too.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 “We’re having one of our best fall fishing sprees in a long time, catching trout and redfish just about everywhere. Trout fishing has been excellent on colder days in the deep holes of local rivers and harbors throwing 3/8 ounce heads rigged with Down South Lures in White Ice and Magic Grass. Slow-rolling the lures on the bottom of these deep holes has worked best, and we’ve caught some really solid fish. On the warmer days, we’ve been catching trout over shell and mud in three to four feet of water closer to deeper water, throwing Paul Brown Fat Boys in pearl/ pink, with some of the fish pushing 25 inches. Redfish have been thick in the rivers on the ledges and have been smashing Norton Bull Minnows in pearl/chartreuse rigged on quarter-ounce heads. On the calm days, we’ve been fortunate enough to troll the flats around the mouths of the rivers and sight-cast at some giants, which is about as good as it gets.

Night fishing has been awesome as well; all three piers in town have been producing quality fish, with the best lure being bone Soft-Dines thrown out to dark areas between the lights and worked into the light.”

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833 During January, Lynn likes to sleep in and take advantage of the warming rays of the sun when he’s running charters targeting trout and reds in the Port O’Connor area. “We don’t usually leave the dock early this time of year. I’d rather wait until late in the morning to head out, then fish my way through the warmth of the afternoon. One advantage this provides is letting us get a feel for what’s going on when we’re heading out to fish. We can usually tell if the bait’s really active, or if it’s not, because the daylight allows us to see everything. If we see a flat close to deep water which we’ve had success on in the past, and it’s covered up with jumping bait, we sometimes pull in to check it out.

That’s the key most of the time during the coldest months, fishing shallow flats with mud and grass and shell on the bottom, with deeper water nearby.

We do best throwing soft plastics on the toughest days, but we’re always hoping we can get some action on the slow-sinking twitchbaits, which produce some of the biggest trout of the year for us annually.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Blake will still be taking advantage of the numerous options available to sporting folks in the Coastal Bend in January. “Big duck season will be going on, and we’ll still be hunting doves at least in the first part of the month. The first half of duck season was good. We had lots of ducks. Not quite as many wigeon as we sometimes have, but plenty of others. And, we’ve had some more cold fronts since the break came, so we’ll likely have some fast shooting in January, at least on some days. The fishing has been really good too. We’ve caught some nice trout lately on topwaters, especially the brighter Spook Juniors with some chrome on ‘em. Typically, we start out our day hunting in the back-lakes, somewhere between Port A and Mesquite Bay. When the shooting stops, we like to chase reds in the marsh for a while, then work our way out to wade and target some trout on the main-bay shorelines, or some of the reefs in shallow water. The key to catching the trout is usually to fish in areas with some visible bait where there’s a soft bottom and some scattered shell.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata | rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 “With so many people ‘distracted’ by duck and deer hunting, the waters of the Upper Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay sometimes seem deserted during January. The fishing can be really hot while it’s quiet and the weather’s cold, though. The trout and redfish will spend some of their time in somewhat deeper water when it’s cold, often moving out of water shallow enough for wading during the night and then coming back into the shallows during the daylight hours. I like to start off throwing lures like Die Dappers in natural looking colors rigged on eighth-ounce heads when I’m wading the deeper water early in the day, then switch over to a sixteenth-ounce head when the water warms up some and we move shallower. If I’m catching fish steadily, and we don’t have too much suspended or floating grass, I’ll try my MirrOlure Catch 5s. Every winter, we catch some really big trout on those, especially when we see lots of mullet and other small fish moving around close to the surface or jumping in the area. If we have a day with bright sunshine and moderate winds, we’ll often finish our day with sight-casting drum in the shallowest parts of the lagoon.”

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez - www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230 In January, the coldest month of the year, the fishing is usually good when the weather’s nice, but knowing exactly how and where to fish makes a huge difference in catching or not catching. “On the warmer days, when winds die down, the fishing can be great in both the Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay this time of year. After really cold weather, the deeper parts of Baffin Bay near the north shoreline, in places around the Badlands and Cathead hold plenty of trout and reds.

While it’s still really cold, and water temps hover in the low-50s, the fishing is usually best out of the boat, in water a bit too deep to wade.

Once it warms up a bit more, and water temps climb into the mid-50s and above, the bite in the shallows gets much better. Most of the time, soft plastics rigged on light jigheads work best this time of year. The area around the northern entrance to the Land Cut is also productive after cold snaps, places like Summer House and The Gutters. In the Laguna Madre, the fishing is normally best late in the afternoons this time of year, unless it’s cloudy and warm.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins 361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com “On cold days, the surf may seem dormant, but on sunny, warmer days, the action can be steady. The Florida pompano run started early this year. For the rest of winter, any warm day with green water should produce numbers of pompano.

Peeled shrimp/Fish-bites combos on small 3/0 class hooks usually get ‘em. For surf trout, the calmer days with good water may produce some monsters for waders working slow-sinking twitchbaits or 52M MirrOlures at a slow pace. Redfish of all sizes will be in the surf. Mullet is the best bait for them this time of year, but cut whiting also works well. Remember, only mullet less than 12 inches can be used for bait until February 1st. This time of year, the surf can also hold plenty of black drum, which often bite when we’re targeting pompano or whiting with shrimp. Sandbars are typically the largest sharks we encounter this time of year, with some just over 7’ long. We also catch smaller Atlantic sharpnose and bonnetheads. Water temps at or above 60 degrees produce best for sharks. Fronts that drop water temperatures into the 50s will push the sharks and many other fish away from the beach.”

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge - 956.944.4000 “With strong fronts passing and north winds blowing, water levels are usually lower than normal in the LLM this time of year, creating danger for people who are unaware of navigational hazards or who don’t pay attention to the tide levels. South of town, West Bay is a great place to start, as are the submerged ICW spoils north of Bennie’s Island. On the east side of the ICW near Bennie’s, some of the deeper potholes produce well, as does the Saucer area. On the light wind days, the west shoreline from the Oak Mottes south always has potential, especially for people looking to catch big trout. One of the keys to catching the big trout in cold water is to do everything slowly, including the pace of the wading.

On some days, we won’t move more than 200 yards during the entire day when on good structure. Seems like many folks can’t resist the urge to cover lots of water, but that’s often counterproductive during January. The parts of Gladys Hole holding about two and a half or three feet of water can produce outstanding catches of both trout and reds, especially after strong fronts blow the water out of the shallows.”

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941 The recent cold snaps have driven water temperatures and tide levels down and kicked off the reliable patterns we find productive this time of year. We’ve been having success on most every trip, catching plenty of trout in some of the deeper potholes with a bright, sandy, gravelly bottom. Our best bite lately has been on 4-inch ZMan StreakZ in the sexy mullet color. We’re working the lures really slow, rigging them on quarter-ounce Eye-Strike Trout Eye jigheads. Best retrieve has been allowing the lures to sink to the bottom and stay within no more than a foot or so of it the entire way in. The redfish bite has also been great most of the time. We’ve found most of our fish in the deeper drains in the mornings, when the tide’s going out. But after the tide falls all the way out and starts to come back in, they’re biting best over a sandy bottom on flats covered by about a foot to three feet of water. Finding concentrations of active, jumping mullet is a key to finding the reds then. Best lure for them is again the StreakZ, but we’re catching the reds better on fast, erratic retrieves.

TSFMAG.com | 67

Thomas Trahan POC - 42” bull drum

Orlando Sauceda Saint Charles Bay- 18.5” flounder

Robert Rodriguez Offatts Bayou- 31.5” black drum CPR 68 | January 2024

Jordan Kolhoff Laguna Madre- 25” trout CPR

Jessica Riemer Matagorda- 23.5” redfish

Christina Garza Saint Charles Bay- 20” flounder

Ava Lexis Sabine Pass- 7’ spinner shark

Eric Slater Laguna Madre- 28.5” redfish

Emma, Analeigh, Arya, and Josie Matagorda Beach- blacktip shark

Ian Martinez Port Mansfield- redfish

Analeigh Turner Matagorda Beach - menhaden

Arya Vrana Matagorda Beach- blacktip shark

Scott Go!czynski Galveston Jetty- 26” speckled trout CPR

Panyotis Polumbus Lower Laguna Madre- 24” flounder

Photo Gallery Guidelines 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.

Rhea Lewis Lower Laguna Madre- 26.5” trout CPR

Nathan Vrana Matagorda Beach- trout TSFMAG.com | 69

PAM JOHNSON

Gulf Coast

Got ideas, hints or recipes you’d like to share?

Email them to pam@tsfmag.com or send by fax: 361 792-4530

January is one of the prime oyster months and to celebrate this, I am presenting a collage of some of my favorite recipes featured on these pages over the years. I hope you will enjoy some of them with family and friends. Bon Appetit!

Oyster Caviar Melt butter in pan and add leeks and shallot, sauté for two minutes. Add oyster liquor, heavy cream, half-and-half, mascarpone cheese, salt and pepper. Continue cooking about two minutes.

Place an oyster in baking shells. Spoon prepared sauce over each oyster. lace on bottom shelf in oven and broil until liquid begins to bubble and

Captain’s Oyster Chowder Place large Dutch oven over medium heat and fry bacon pieces until crisp, leave drippings in pot. Add olive oil, onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Sauté until translucent – stirring often. Add corn starch and mix evenly with veggies. Add chicken broth, butter, corn, parsley and potato chunks. Simmer until approaching boil, then add half-and-half. Heat to

Chipotle Baked Oysters Brown bacon and break into bits. Add onion and bell pepper, cook until onions are soft. Add chipotle peppers w/ sauce from can and garlic. Cook another minute or two, then add the heavy cream and cream cheese. Mix until cheese is melted and mixed. Add salt and garlic pepper and cilantro.

Trout and Oysters with creamy spinach sauce In large frying pan, melt butter and add onions, bell pepper, green onions and garlic.

Sauté until vegetables are translucent. Add spinach, chardonnay and heavy whipping cream.

Simmer until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from hea

Champagne Oysters Preheat your oven to 400°.

Heat your saucepot over a medium heat, and add the Champagne and chives bringing it to a boil. Allow the liquid to begin to evaporate until the Champagne has reduced by half.

While you wait for the liquid to reduce, place the oysters on half shells on a 70 | January 2024

Easy Oyster Rockefeller 1. Place frozen spinach in glass bowl and cook in microwave 4 minutes.

Drain and press out excess moisture. Place spinach back in bowl, add 1 tablespoon melted butter, shallots, parsley and garlic. Return to microwave and cook 2 minutes.

2. Shuck oysters and rinse. Scrub deep half of shells very carefully.

Fancy Oyster Soup 1. Strain oysters in colander and reserve juice.

2. Place diced potatoes in 2 cups lightly salted water in microwave-safe bowl and microwave 3 minutes on high. Check for al dente texture – do not overcook. Cook at additional 30 second intervals until desired texture is achieved. Drain and set aside.

LJ Guillotte’s Grilled Oysters ala ACME Anybody who’s ever been to one of Acme Oyster House’s famous restaurants has likely tried their grilled half-shell oysters, lathered in savory butter sauce and hot off the charcoal-fired grill. I have, and I must say they are delightful.

Good friend LJ Guillotte grew up east of New Orleans and is 100% Cajun to the bone. Always curious how ACME prepared their signature half-shell grilled

Oyster -Artichoke Soup In a 3-quart saucepan, melt butter and sauté shallots. When shallots are translucent add thyme, bay leaf and cayenne pepper. Add flour and whisk well.

Add broth, oyster water, artichoke hearts, salt and Tabasco. Bring to a boil.

Add oysters, whipping cream and parsley. Simmer on medium heat, partly covered, for five minutes.

Oyster BLT Appetizers Squeeze the mustard glaze in zigzag pattern on large platter. Spread ½ tablespoon bacon mousse on each toasted baguette slice. Place baguette on platter and top with one oyster, piece of lettuce, slice of tomato and shallot.

Squeeze a few drops of the three mustard glaze on each oyster.

Oyster Soup Bake bread according to instructions and place on rack to cool.

Drain and rinse oysters, set aside.

In large frying pan, combine chicken broth, green onions, and white pepper.

Bring to mild boil and hold 3 minutes, then add oysters. Cook 3-4 minutes or until oysters begin to curl. Reduce heat, add heavy cream and cheese, simmer

Oysters Bienville In large, heavy saucepan, sauté the 2/3 cup chopped mushrooms quickly in a small amount of vegetable oil. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, melt the 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and render the garlic and shallots, stirring frequently until soft. Add the diced shrimp, TSFMAG.com | 71

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING HOLES M ATA G O R D A B AY Speckled Trout / Redfish

Fin Tastic Coastal Charters

USCG Licensed Captain Stan Sloan

832.693.4292 www.fishfcc.com

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PESCADO PARK RV PADS & BOAT STORAGE

Baffin Bay

near Kaufer-Hubert Boat Ramp DAN WARD 832-860-4600 72 | January 2024

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