Mansfield Report: February 2025

Greetings from Port Mansfield! Hoping everyone enjoyed a splendid Holiday season. What a joy to be able to spend the Holidays in such a wonderful place as Port Mansfield, one of the best fisheries left in the entire world. With that said, let us pray the landscape of Port does not change too drastically and we can balance growth with conserving the resources the LLM provides.

February, which many of you already know, is prime time for trophy trout and I am confident there will be some personal-best fish coming to hand for some lucky anglers this month. As of this writing our water temp has only dipped to the mid-50s a couple of times and then rebounded quickly. Not exactly what I like to see this time of year but at least a glimpse of what is out there. When we witnessed these brief declines in water temperature the fish responded right on queue. Trout (and reds) have packed on weight appropriate to the seasonal conditions. That said, if the water stays cold enough for long enough, the fish will gradually keep adding weight. Wintry weather is key this time of year and how it relates to fish being their heaviest. In addition to what could be termed “cold weather weight gain” females will soon become even heavier with developing roe beginning mid-to-late March and continuing into April.

Water levels should be lower than the year-round normal and despite having miles of shallow flats there are still opportunities within those flats. There are low-lying bottom contours within the flats that hold these big fish, both during the cold snaps (so long as it’s not critically cold) and warming trends. Some of these areas within the flats might be as small as a big pothole while other areas could be one hundred yards or more in circumference. Most of these can be located relatively close to deeper drop-offs or even the ICW. These areas are key when targeting big fish.

I have mentioned in the past parking my boat and not cranking the motor until time to come home. This would likely be when working such areas. You see, fish will either be holding there or transitioning in or out depending on the temperatures. I believe it possible to catch them coming, going, or even holding within these smaller but deeper zones.

If I’m confident fish are present and the water temperature is 63° or warmer, I’ll try to get them on a topwater. If that doesn’t work, I will slowly roll a Wig-A-Lo on a 1/16 or 3/32-ounce jig through the zone. If the bite is a “slight tick” but the fish are heavy, I assume they are in a holding pattern and will begin to dissect the zone thoroughly because the fish are not feeding actively. If the Wig-A-Lo is not getting the love it deserves I will switch to a Ball Tail Shad or a Darter suspending hardbait. Each bite will tell me what mood the fish are in. If I start getting hard thumps on plastics or suspending baits I will often switch back to a topwater. This usually occurs when the water temperatures are on the rise.

As I noted above, the big fish bite can often be very light, which emphasizes having gear that is sensitive enough to detect it, while also having the power and backbone to get a solid hookset and manage heavy fish. The G2 Green Rod by Fishing Tackle Unlimited is hard to beat in this situation. These rods are also reasonably priced for just about any budget. Aside from the G2, the original Green Rod is still a workhorse that provides exceptional quality with an even friendlier price point. You also need a superior quality braided line such as American Fishing Wire’s Quatro, topped with a fluorocarbon leader. I am still a huge fan of Shimano reels but there are certainly some other excellent tools available in today’s market.

Wrapping up, I would like to remind everyone the Houston Fishing Show will be held February 12-16 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. I hope you can find some time to swing by the FTU booth where I know we will have the G2 rods available. I also encourage that you check out the Mansfield Knockers and KWigglers there under the big FTU tent. Most of their Pro Team should be present, which makes it a perfect time to renew acquaintances, ask questions, and grab a few essential items at show discount prices.

Until next time… Remember fresh is better than frozen.