Hooked Up: December 2023

Seems like Decembers sneak up on me like they have a 50 mph tailwind. I know the clock is a little slower for y’all under 40, but for me they’re like falling asleep in August and waking up with the whitetail rut in full motion and the trophy trout bite getting started. Whichever this finds you enjoying… do it often and do it well.

Our fishing has been pretty rough of late; however, I just got my hopes up with a client popping a trout over 8 pounds. Almost three full years since the freeze and any trout of that class is like hitting the lotto. Getting one to hand this early in the season is, hopefully, a good indicator of what we have to look forward to in 2024. It’s also a testament to what tighter regulations can do for the fishery after such a great loss. So, big thanks to TPWD Coastal Fisheries for those emergency measures (recently expired) and all the sports that took it upon themselves to practice catch and release during this recovery time. We are making good progress, but a long way from the finish line. Keep up the solid work!

Coastal Fisheries just completed the first round of public scoping to account for not only the recovery of the fishery but, more importantly the future of it, considering the overwhelming number of users, Mother Nature, etc. The change in mindset from participants is pretty amazing, with 80% wanting the bag reduced from 5 to 3 trout. A small number want a 1-2 fish bag limit, which would push that 80% for greater conservation even higher. I’m so proud that TPWD is obtaining this info in an effort to manage our fisheries toward sustainable quantity and quality. Being an eternal optimist, I’m hopeful that positive action will be taken soon and we can get our fishery back to the old school numbers from not too long ago. If you were unable to attend a scoping meeting but would still like to be heard, Coastal Fisheries encourages comment via their online portal at: [email protected]

December is really the kickoff for me when it comes to trophy fishing. In fact, as I write this article, we have a big front blowing in with rain and temperatures in the high 40s. I certainly wouldn’t want to be in the water today, but this ugly weather is setting the trout up for what will eventually become more predictable patterns in their movements and staging areas.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, sustained cooler water temperatures will begin concentrating fish in significantly smaller areas. It is this time of year when rogue trout will be forced into smaller areas that are holding what baitfish remain present in the Laguna and Baffin. Warmer locales along miles and miles of shorelines, shallow flats with abrupt breaks into the protection of deeper water, and expansive spoil areas that offer a combination of all of that are going to be where my eyes will be focused before I ever consider getting out of the boat.

A water temperature gauge on your boat (or in your pocket while wading) is just essential this time of year, and the months ahead, as a 2° change can make all the difference in the world to where you will find baitfish that will lead you to bites. Giving credit where due, I read similar advice close to thirty years ago in an article that Jay Watkins wrote. It was a light bulb moment for me as a young grinder and one that has paid great dividends ever since.

As I have progressed as a saltwater angler for thirty-five years, the most important thing I have had to master is patience. Gone are the days that you could be having a mediocre bite, pick up and just move to the next great area. Chances are today that someone is already in it or a boat just ran through it. When I’m in such an area these days that has all the right stuff, I tend to grind it out long and hard for the best bites. There have certainly been days when this mindset bit me in the bottom but, more often than not, we get what we came for. This was especially true when tournament fishing was my bread and butter. I cannot tell you how many times that slow grind paid off in the last hour, or minutes, to take home a win. Patience!

Remember the buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey