Hooked Up: February 2025

I’ve been back in full swing of things since after Christmas following my fall hunting hiatus and I think I have my head right now...no longer daydreaming of hanging from a tree with a bow in my hand. Blessings! I have many!

Anyone with even the tiniest amount of salt in their veins knows February is among the upper echelon of trophy trout months. Fishing during February has been discussed, written about, and fought over since I came into the game in the 1980s. I don’t know if every story you’ve heard is true, but most include some real-life experience and likely grew from there. One thing rings true, though, trout are big and fat right now and they gather in places where comfortable wades can be made and the potential for a “best day ever” is not only within reach, it’s quite possible to achieve.

Throughout the 90s and up to about 2010, the numbers of large trout we caught on a daily basis was something I that would likely get me accused of being a liar. But, if you’re age 50 or older, you might have seen it firsthand and can vouch for me.  

As luck would have it, I was in my mid-20s and had a day job that allowed tons of evening and/or morning fishing. My little Mowdy scooter or Majek 20V was a big part of the landscape on any given day of the year, but especially during the winter and spring months. Seeing the same few boats over and over again was routine. I rarely knew who was behind the wheel but, like me, they were out there a lot. Over time I would eventually get to know them through chance meetings at a gas station or loading the boat in the dark at C&W Marina in Flour Bluff. A couple of my favorites have passed now, Capt Doug Bird and Capt Johnny Mendleski. Those guys left a great legacy and example on these waters and one that I hope I personify while floating my Haynie along behind me on a long wade. In full disclosure, it’s not always easy to keep your composure with some of the shenanigans and selfish behavior that takes place by lots of folks that ought to know better, and a few that just have no clue.

This leads me into my next point about what you may expect over the next couple of months as the pattern will not change all that much. As previously mentioned, the big trout are in water that we are comfortable in, meaning relatively shallow. In a perfect world we would be able to access these fish quietly and have the joy of catching them for months but, realistically, we now have to contend with the human element and its effect on fish movements.  

Yep, I sound like a broken record on this subject; but facts are facts. As long as we have guys running miles and miles of shorelines and flats in hopes of spotting fish, although it is super rare to catch big, smart fish immediately after skipping a prop across their nose, those waters are ruined for every other angler trying to make a productive wade or drift. Contending with Mother Nature and having a rough day is one thing, but this manmade spoilage by a few that want instant results without putting in the effort to pattern fish while not taking others utilizing the same water into consideration, is just about the most selfish thing I witness out here.  

And you guessed it; if you aren’t getting that bite early on your first shoreline wade, you better be planning on getting a lot deeper to catch them after the “bay angels” come flying by, ten feet above the water in their lofty perches. I promise you, that’s where they have been run off to – deeper, safer water. I mean, seriously, how many times would someone have to run a buzzsaw over your ear before you said, “I’m out of here?”

If all of that came off as being negative, it was not my goal. My point is simply that you have to be aware of every condition around you to be successful out here nowadays. With tournament season in full swing this month and several months coming, this type of behavior will unfortunately be prevalent. You are going to have to be realistic and adapt to be successful.

Remember the buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey