Corky Time!

Winter patterns are now in place due to recent consistency in frontal passages and colder water temperatures. The most recent front dropped air temperatures a full thirty degrees. With these developments I have turned to throwing more suspending types of lures throughout my day. I have always believed that the best anglers allow the fish to provide the information needed each day to allow us to catch them. I will continue to rely on soft plastics like the MirrOlure Lil John XL and Bass Assassins to do some work for me but for the most part I will be searching for situations that will allow me to throw Custom Corkys, Custom Corky Soft-Dines and, of course, the Texas Custom’s  Double D Series of suspending, swimming and floating baits. These lure types not  only allow me to keep the lure in the strike zone longer but they often provide a reaction strike from fish that are not in active feeding mode. Yes, they are predators, and sometimes attack solely for the sake of attacking.

My personal view on the Corky bite during the winter months is the relative scarcity of 3- to 5-inch baitfish that trout prefer. Trout will definitely eat or attempt to eat very large mullet and even other trout when left with no other choice. Truth is that smaller baitfish provide for an easier meal to digest, which equates to less energy being expended. Conserving energy is extremely important during the harsh winter months.  I have seen many a big trout and redfish choked to death while trying to swallow a very large fish during the winter months. I am also not a believer that trout go to darker, muddy bottom in winter simply for warmth. I believe they follow the mullet, their primary food source to these areas of soft bottom because the food source for the mullet is more readily available in the mud. It is true that shallow, darker bottom will warm faster, but I am not of the belief that the trout seek out this type of bottom strictly for warmth.

This past week our water temperatures dipped to 46°, which led bay residents to stage deeper. For nearly six days we had zero in the warming department due to intermittent light rain and literally no sun to warm the waters during daylight hours. This often results in a shutdown in our production due to limited feeding periods and deeper feeding patterns. If you have met me you know I am short and it seems that age is shrinking me by the year. This forces me to fish shallower at times than I might truly need to be fishing. I know I could drift with the trolling motor and probably catch them but I am saving the drifting game for the gun lap stage of my career.

Our bay waters clear drastically when water temperatures are cold enough for long enough periods to reduce the suspended algae count, which can make for even tougher fishing days. An overcast sky helps as the water begins to warm but this did not happen during the past week. I personally struggled for a three to four day stretch but finally began to catch a few more trout as water warmed to 50° and above. Reds were also tough but we were able to find a few here and there. All of the fish were super heavy for their length, which is quite common with winter-run fish.

When we found an osprey or brown pelican hitting the water, even only one, we caught fish. I did not see a single mullet jump, push, swirl or flip for three days. When the water bumped up to just over 52° we began seeing some limited mullet activity. Everywhere we found this activity we caught fish, and occasionally a really good fish. These are the situations where  a Corky, Double D, MirrOdine, or Soft-Dine can greatly increase your odds of tricking some of the largest fish that might be in the mix with the large mullet.

The beauty of these lures is that they can be worked both fast and very slowly, depending on what the fish are showing us. No other lure in my opinion allows its sink or rise characteristics to become such an educational tool. Anglers that are savvy to sink rates and the timing per foot of descent are able to determine with considerable accuracy the depths in which the fish are staged at any particular time during the day or night. I don’t do night fishing anymore, never really cared all that much for it, which means I’m no expert in that department. I’ll leave that to guys like Mike McBride and John Gill, who in my book are far more versed in nighttime trout tactics.

On several occasions the past two weeks I have found great trout over shallow grass or scattered shell where a Custom Corky Fat Boy or Soft Dine was the absolute ticket to getting the big fish bite. The capabilities of the lure over the shallow structure were the total reason behind the choice of lure. Everyone knows that I am a huge fan of bass fishermen and my son Ryan has taught me tons in the way of choosing lures for the conditions in which the fish are holding versus throwing something you think might work. Corky fishing, as many refer to it, demonstrates this perfectly.

I by no means set out each day with only one style of lure in my box. I allow ALL the conditions of the day to dictate how I will select and present my lures. Expect the lure selections to change throughout the day, and be prepared to adjust when you notice the bite or even just the slightest change in the aggression level the fish exhibit. I throw MirrOlure products of all kinds, hard baits as well as soft plastics. I use 5-inch Bass Assassins, Custom Corkys and Soft Dines, Paul Brown Fat Boys, and in my redfish tournament days we threw gold, copper, silver, and even black spoons in super clear water. We threw Gulp when they wouldn’t eat anything else.

I steer away from baits with flimsy paddle-shaped tails, only because I don’t like taking time to change lures when perch have taken the tail off. Water time is critical when fishing and in tournament play it can make the difference between winning or not. IF you only throw one lure type you can only catch fish on that lure. This does not mean that this is the only lure they will eat or are eating, but it will be the only lure you will catch them on. I will step out and tell you that if that is your mindset, you have plenty to learn. I speak from experience and those that know my past will agree.

I have long been and still am a huge believer in soft plastics. I trust my skills with these types of lures and know that I am able to work the lure well enough to get bites most days. They can be terrific fish-finding tools as well. The trouble was that I was limiting my fishing education by limiting myself to one style of lure.

Cliff Webb would attest that I was not a good Corky fisherman when he met me. I was totally unaware of the many applications and situations in which the lure could be used. Likewise, Lowell Odom would attest that I was not a good 7M MirrOlure fisherman when he met me. It only took one day of getting my butt handed to me by each of these guys in tournament play to get me onboard with learning to use them. Both of these guys would also agree, I think, that I have and continue to work hard to become more versatile and increase my knowledge  of these two lure types over the past twenty-five years.

I was raised throwing 52M MirrOlure baits, back when we removed the eyelet from the top, filling the hole with Mom’s nail polish, and then screwing it into the nose before there was a 51M series. This allowed the bait to run shallower and created side-to-side wobble like the Custom Corky, Soft Dine, and Double D have today – swimming action that mullet and menhaden are born with. It has always been all about that slow wobble and light glinting from the reflective sides that so perfectly imitate a live baitfish. Put a lure with this action and reflective capability in the midst of larger baitfish and good things are about to happen.

Winter is definitely my favorite time to fish and since I have increased my knowledge of lure selection for the conditions of the day, my ability to predict with some level of accuracy my client’s percentage of taking larger trout and better numbers of large trout has increased dramatically. Catching one a day is great but catching multiple fish of that size is a totally different game. Becoming more familiar with a wider variety of lure styles and applications will definitely help with this portion of your game. I have the best lure sponsors in the world. They preach credibility. “Use what they are eating and tell the truth“…and we will be good with it whether it is our lure or our competitor’s.

Yes, it is definitely Corky time and there are few takes that shake fishermen to the core more than a good Corky bite. Just remember to keep an open mind and pay attention to the changes that occur during your time on the water. It is the subtle changes that we pick up on and adjust to that allow you to become that angler that lands multiple trout of 28- to 30-inches in a day of fishing.