Winter Reds - plentiful and predictable - but you gotta know where to look!

We spend about 90% of our time in Espiritu Santo and San Antonio bays; Saluria Bayou to Ayres Dugout and all of Matty Island are our primary haunts. We enjoy the distinct privilege of living in the middle of a super rich estuary that features the best of many worlds. Pass Cavallo makes up our unofficial eastern boundary and affords communication with the Gulf of Mexico. Matagorda Island is riddled with thousands of acres of saltwater lakes, sprawling saltwater marshes, and literally hundreds of miles of bayous and twisty creeks. And if that's not enough, the Guadalupe River- one Texas' finest, enters at the head of San Antonio Bay. I've searched all up and down the coast; if there's a better red drum fishery it must be in Heaven.

By now you're probably already asking yourself, "If the area he's talking about is so wonderful, why would we have to know where to look, why don't the reds just jump in the boat?" A fair answer should probably go something like "While it is not nice to call all fishermen liars, it would be safe to wager that most will embellish a tale." So with that said, I probably should give you a few pointers; after all, within this mid-coast maze of bays, lakes, and marshes there are basic conditions and patterns that cause certain locations to be the favored winter residence of nearly all the redfish in the bay. Let's run through them.

First would be the tides, or as is quite often the case; lack of tide. What we're talking about would be both water level and the current we associate with normal ebb and flow. Wintertime flows are usually some of the weakest we see all year. Couple this with weather systems from the north that push water out of the bays and we can expect to see areas that are absolute honeyholes in other seasons reduced to bare mud flats. Upon the arrival of a powerful norther, there is a large "push up" of water on the south side of the bays. This water finds its way into the back lakes and marsh areas, but not for long. As soon as the winds subside, the water falls back out and remains out until a significant southerly flow brings a good incoming tide through the pass.

The place to be when all this is occurring depends which part of the cycle you are fishing. On the "push up" I like to work the areas on the "inside" of the lakes. Any channel, boat lane, or bayou that connects a lake to a bay can hold fish, and the "inside" is the place to be when the currents (celestial or wind-created) are pouring in. During spring, summer and fall when natural tidal flows are stronger, the increased water levels in the backcountry can last for weeks and this disperses fish widely. During winter though, the push up will not usually last much more than a day or two. Do not waste your time scouring the entire lake, fish the areas most affected by the temporary inflow. Likewise, when the water is pouring out, you need to be "outside", or as I like to term it, "out front." More on this later.

Another condition we need to consider in this season is water temperature. Now the reds are definitely more winter-hearty than trout, but they too show a strong tendency for nestling down into deeper, muddier holes whenever the mercury tumbles overnight. I like to carry a food thermometer in my wading jacket. Unless the flats are 50-degrees and above, don't even waste your time in skinny water 'cause the reds likely won't be there or they won't feed until things warm up. Instead, let's head to the bayous, marsh drains, and other small channels. What we're looking for are deep holes, the kind that occur in bayou bends and sometimes where a drain enters the bay; preferably with soft mud bottoms. Often, the water in these deeper locales will be anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees warmer than the surrounding flats. Use your thermometer and find them, then work them over to see if they're holding fish.

If mud is good; muddy-shell should be rated excellent. Areas with scattered to fairly thick clumps of triple and quad oysters standing in soft mud can be awesome for holding winter reds. Pay particular attention to the channels and drains that have reefs in them, there are at least a dozen along Matagorda Island's north shore. These reefs thrive because there is a frequent flow of fresh water in these areas. Remember that mullet, shrimp, crabs and oysters all thrive in low salinity environments. Even though there is no inflow such as we associate with a river or freshwater stream, there is still the runoff from the island which feeds through these drains, thus sustaining these crustaceans. Forage becomes scarce in winter, and the few morsels that are out there remain close to cover. By and large the seagrasses of warmer seasons are gone now; oyster shell makes good cover happy hunting!

Another seasonal condition, or maybe we should call it a pattern, would be feeding behavior. Winter obviously means cooler water and cooler water means reduced metabolism in cold-blooded creatures. Reduced metabolism will require the fish to feed less frequently; don't waste your time fishing when they're not likely to eat. They're going to do it when Mother Nature says to do it, not because we're poking a lure in their face, so go coon some oysters or mark some reefs you haven't seen before until it's time. Pick your times according to events that govern the natural world and don't forget your thermometer. Consult your solunar tables and be there during moonrise, moon-over and moonset. Don't get all pushed out of shape if your buddy is late; we do way better in the afternoon during winter than in the early part of the day.

I mentioned earlier there is a distinct time when "out front" is the place to be. Let's pretend for a few minutes that the tide is super low so low in fact that there isn't enough water in the marsh and back lakes to cover our wading booties. Guess where all the redfish that would normally inhabit the backcountry might be hanging out? If you guessed the bay shore you got it right, but how should you go about finding them and fishing for them?

Well, hopefully you paid attention when I told you about the channels, bayous and marsh drains, because the fish that are temporarily displaced from the backcountry will surely hold nearby. Some folks with shallow running boats will elect to "burn" the shorelines and the schools will be easy to spot any time the water is clear. This will not win you any popularity contests though so it's better to park a short distance from the drains and wade up or perhaps drift in or use your troll motor. Another high-probability zone would be the deeper shoreline guts near these drains you know, the ones with green water and a slight remnant of last summer's grass still clinging in the bottoms of them. If you're still unsure which gut I'm describing, pick the one with the most crab trap floats. The crabbers are pretty sharp; they don't waste time putting traps where there are no crabs. Redfish love crabs happy hunting!

Now all we need is a quick discussion of wintertime lures and presentations. I really have to chuckle every time some brand new guide or other fishing wannabe climbs up on his soapbox to deliver his version of the "low and slow" or "here's what you have to throw" sermon. Funniest of all perhaps are the folks who say, "Those reds won't touch a gold spoon in winter, they don't like that cold metal in their mouth." Or my all-time favorite, "Redfish won't hit a topwater until the water's at least 60-degrees." There are surely exceptions to every rule, but the best general rule I've found for winter redfish is this, "Find the school - throw the same lures you throw in any other season - if the bite is on they'll hit 'em just like it's summer." Worry first about finding them, the rest is usually pretty easy!