December Sight-Fishing Opportunities

Now, if you get as excited about sight-casting, or redfish in general as I do, then you know December can be double-edged sword. It can offer many great post-front days to chase reds, but can also have a number of days that keep you at the dock. Let’s focus on the better days, shall we?

The first thing I look at in December when planning a day of sight-fishing is the tide. We can have huge swings this time of year. Let’s focus on these scenarios, because the rest will start to fall into place on its own. I have seen flood tides last until Christmas, and I have also seen the tides 3- to 4-foot low the entire month. Then, of course, you have what we all call normal for the month. By looking at each of these we should be able to determine where to fish in any given bay system before we launch the boat.

Case one; the normal tide. In my thought process, a normal tide also means normal weather patterns, right? Typical daytime temps in the 70s to low-80s with ESE wind pattern, nothing out of the ordinary, with green to sandy-green water. To have conditions like this means winter hasn’t really shown up yet, and that’s fine. But what does this tell us about our bay system? It tells me there are going to be a good number of fish that are more or less relaxed and not skittish in areas with good visibility. They should be comfortable where they are at, eating routinely. Think of this as a continuation of your fall pattern. No big changes have occurred and we have been fishing the same areas for months.

Case two; the extreme low tide. This tide can be the most nerve-wracking, with sandbars and oyster beds showing everywhere, navigational awareness needs to be at the highest levels. At times it can be a white-knuckle ride all day long. Slow down and pay attention to your surroundings. Remember that green water is your deepest water, white and dark are shallow. But why did the water get this way? Usually a big cold front, or a few in a row several days apart drains water out of our bay systems. Any wind of a northerly direction tends to drive water out of the bays. The harder and longer they blow, the more water we tend to lose. Not only are the cold fronts in December draining the bays, but we must keep an eye on November as well. Watching it’s weather patterns should tell us what to expect for December water levels, especially in the first part of the month.

Right off the top of my head, thinking about this scenario, is the fact that our air temps should be lower than the upper 70’s, and we know the nights are usually chilly under these conditions. This makes sight-fishing a little easier, for the fact that our water is going to be clean to almost bathtub clear in some areas. We know that the micro-organisms that give our water that greenish tint cannot thrive in these cooler temperatures, so they die off and we are left with clear water. This usually starts to occur around the 70-degree water temperature mark, and becomes cleaner the longer we stay under 70 degrees. This is the part that makes sight-casting easier.

With colder temps in the mornings, fish will tend to linger along deeper drop-offs, or in creeks and drains. Which, most of the year, means reduced visibility with the prevailing water color and depth. Now that the fish have become exposed in these areas, slowing down your troll and making longer Power-Poled sets can be key, waiting for these fish to come up from the deep.

Post-frontal fish can be a little timid in their feeding. In my experience, smaller baits have done the trick, or even returning to the area later in the day when it warms up a bit. These deeper fish and others will use the heat of the day under the right conditions to get up as shallow as they can, a lot of times with their back out of water, crawling around chasing small crabs. Know that these fish can be very frustrating. Most of the time the slightest noise from the boat spooks them, or they tend to stay just out of casting range. I, as well as my clients, love sitting and waiting these fish out. Just watching them, with them not knowing we are near is a lot of fun.

Case three; the flood tide. This is the result of weaker late November fronts that come in with a light NE or ENE wind. These winds can actually push or hold water in our bays. It can also be the result of late tropical weather events elsewhere in the Gulf that have no direct impact on the Texas coast. Both scenarios usually mean temps are a little warmer than normal for the time of year. For this we can play the Case 1 strategy of normal tide levels, but with more options because of the amount of water in our bays. If the water levels stay up for a couple weeks, you will see fish tend to push into small isolated ponds that usually do not hold much water. In this case, we see them eating small grass shrimp and chasing small crab into the flooded salt grass. When this happens, I tell the clients we are going to get lost in the marsh, trolling slowly from pond to pond, usually picking up 3 or 4 fish in each location. We spend most of the day on the tower and trolling motor, not needing to make big moves.

Whatever the case may be for parts or all of December, one thing is for certain. If the conditions are played correctly, it can be a non-stop action kind of day. Just remember to pay attention to the weather (winds), they will tell you everything you need to know while planning a trip. Be safe out there, be mindful of others, especially the duck hunters who were out there long before we began sight-fishing the marsh during duck season. Respect their areas because we have a lot to choose from for fishing.