Reports & Forecasts: December 2023

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
James considers December to be a great month for targeting trout in the Galveston Bay complex. “Once we have enough cold weather to establish winter patterns, people who know what they’re doing will find the fishing more consistent. We normally see an end to the shrimp migration by December, certainly by the middle of the month. When that happens, and the trout switch to a mostly mullet diet, fishing can be more predictable. In West Galveston Bay, where the water often runs really clear during winter, the trout bite can be best at dusk and in the dark hours, except out in the middle of the bay. In the deeper water, the bite is often good in muddy streaks in the clear water, especially in places where plenty of mullet are seen flipping and swirling. Most people throw soft plastics at those fish, but old school 51 and 52M MirrOlures work great, too. Best way to work them is by pointing the rod at the water and pulsing it gently while reeling. Wading is often good too, late in the afternoons, on reefs and around drains, with topwaters and twitchbaits, during warm spells.”

Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Jim had experienced steady results when fishing in the days prior to giving this report. “Fishing is good bay-wide, right now. You can catch ‘em wading and also out of the boat. We’ve still had birds working recently, mostly over small fish, but if you find ‘em close to the shorelines, the trout are often bigger. Same is true the first day they start working after a front. Once the weather warms up, seems the bigger trout move back into the shallows, probably looking for mullet. Once we get into December, we’ll still have lots of patterns to choose from. We’ve got fish in the bayous, on mid-bay reefs, and along shorelines, when it’s warmer. We also got a big push of ducks with this last front, so I’m looking forward to a great opener. And, there are mourning doves everywhere right now. We got a bunch in from the north right after the first season ended. The second split opens December 15th, which is a bit earlier than some years, so action might be fast once it reopens.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
The colder weather we normally have in December simplifies the patterns somewhat for Randall in the area around San Luis Pass. “The shrimp are mostly gone once December comes around. In some of the warmest years, we might have some left at the beginning of the month. So, if we see working birds, we won’t ignore them. Normally, though, the fishing for trout is best in water too deep to wade. We mostly work areas at least six feet deep, where there’s a fairly muddy bottom overall, with some scattered shell. We like to fish mud streaks in the water and lots of rafted mullet. Best bite is on Norton Sand Eels rigged on relatively heavy jigheads, which allow us to keep them close to the bottom. We look for cormorants, pelicans, and diving terns when fishing this pattern. During warm spells, fishing for the bigger trout and the redfish gets better in the back-lakes and coves. In those places, we focus on stretches of shorelines where we find wading birds like herons and egrets, and we like to wade, throwing topwaters and slow-sinking twitchbaits.”

Matagorda Bays | Capt. Glenn Ging
Glenn’s Guide Service - 979.479.1460
www.glennsguideservice.com
Glenn says, “In December, we begin to move from fall patterns into winter patterns, as cold fronts intensify, dropping both tide levels and water temperatures. The last of the shrimp are leaving the bays now, and our fish will transition to a diet of mostly finfish. Barring any heavy rainfall the action in the Colorado river will heat up. I like throwing Bass Assassin paddletails and curly-tails rigged on 1/4- to 3/8-ounce jigheads for river trout and redfish. Chicken on a Chain, Fried Chicken and Texas Roach are all good options. Wadefishing in East Matagorda Bay will also heat up this month and the hunt will be on for trophy speckled trout. Slow-sinking twitchbaits like MirrOlure’s Paul Brown Fat Boys and Soft-Dines are good options in places with mostly mud bottom and scattered shell. The redfish will be most active in knee-deep guts cutting through the shallow flats on the south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay. Dark paddletails rigged on light jigheads are often the ticket for some solid pulls from the prowling reds.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
“We’ve had phenomenal fishing recently in the Tres Palacios Bay system. Trout fishing has been great under birds and over shell pads in 3-4 feet of water. Fishing the birds, we’ve been throwing Down South in Purple Reign and Magic Grass on 1/4-ounce heads. When drifting shell, we’ve been throwing live shrimp about three feet under popping corks and catching solid 15-18” fish. Redfish action has been great; we continue to have huge tides giving access to remote places. Our best bite has been coming on grass edges and shell points on live shrimp rigged about a foot under popping corks. Many redfish we’re cleaning are full of grass shrimp and small crabs. Night fishing has really taken off on local piers with solid sand trout up to 14” and some keeper trout up to 17”. Best bite has been from about 4 to 6 a.m., with most catches coming on pearl/pink and pearl/chartreuse Norton Bull Minnows rigged on 1/16-ounce jigheads, worked from dark areas into the lights. Fishing should continue steady in turning basins, local rivers, and on flats close to deep water.”

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833
With the cooler temperatures of December, Lynn typically focuses more on midday and afternoon hours than mornings. “I prefer fishing the afternoon hours this time of year. The fish become more active and are easier to catch once the flats warm up after these cold nights. We do best in places with lots of grass and relatively soft bottom, usually in water less than waist-deep, but lying close to much deeper water, either of the open bays or some kind of channel. Finding bait is a key as it is at any time of year, but in December, even a few mullet jumping or flipping in an area can lead to some excellent catching. We do have a good topwater bite at times this month, but the action is steadier on soft plastics and slow-sinking twitchbaits. We often catch some of our biggest trout of the year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they seem to run fat, at least when they’re biting well and we’re able to catch them. This all assumes we’re having some cold weather, of course.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
By the time this reports gets into the hands of readers, Blake will be immersed in cast-n-blast season. “This is a great time of year to spend time outdoors in the Coastal Bend. We have so many fun options, and we can fit several into the same day’s outing. We normally start off the morning hunkered down in the marshes in a duck blind. We have an excellent variety of ducks in the marshes close to Rockport in any year, and with dry conditions inland, we might have even better diversity this season. Once the shooting is over, we normally spend some time targeting redfish in the nearby back-lakes and coves. If tides and temperatures are relatively high, we have good luck catching them in the shallows. If conditions are colder and tides lower, we find more reds in the deeper guts and drains. The bite is usually fairly steady, either way. The trout bite can be less consistent, but often productive on warmer days on grassy, muddy flats adjacent to the mouths of marsh drains.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata | [email protected] - 361.563.1160
Hunting season is now in full swing and with reduced boat traffic most days things have fallen really quiet on the water. December’s weather patterns typically include fronts arriving more regularly, with periods of several warm and sunny days between fronts. Water temperatures will fluctuate and it’s important to keep an eye on this when planning your fishing trips. If the water temp drops below 60° the best action will occur in deeper water on soft plastics fished slowly, close to the bottom. I like the Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like Trickster, Plum/Chartreuse, Salt & Pepper/Chartreuse and Chicken on a Chain, rigged on an 1/8-ounce Spring-Lock jigheads. When water temps rise above 60°, rigging with 1/16-ounce jigheads and fishing the shallows works best. This is also a good time to use the MirrOlure Catch 5 lures in colors BNSBO and CHBL. I like the deep thumping noise the rattles of the Catch 5 produce. I also recommend rigging with at least 20-inches of 20-lb fluorocarbon leader to prevent fish from seeing the line.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez - www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230
The most reliable December patterns in the Upper Laguna and Baffin revolve around bottom structure that provides shallow water adjacent to deep water. In many cases, these are found along the Intracoastal Waterway and connecting channels that run east and west. “We do well throwing at the edge of the ICW when it’s cold. The trout and redfish often suspend close to the ledge. Matching jighead size to conditions is critical when fishing this pattern. Heavier heads are necessary to keep the plastics close to the ledge when winds and currents are running stronger. When conditions moderate, meaning when winds die down and temperatures rise, we often do better targeting the fish on top of the sand bars and rocks which form the spoil banks, sometimes catching plenty of fish on grassy flats lying a short distance away from the ditch, especially in places where secondary channels shoot off to the east or west. These concepts also apply in the Land Cut and on the Kenedy Ranch Shoreline, where we do well throwing plastics around rocks lying close to the deep edge of the drop-off.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com
December is sometimes dicey in the surf; it can be excellent, but if we get an early arctic front things can fall apart. Slot red and black drum should be present in good numbers. Bull reds will also continue to roam the surf, feeding on mullet, whiting and crabs. Pompano action should remain steady, especially on calm days with clear water. Long-casting shrimp and Fish-bites will produce most of these incredibly delicious fish. Trout will be best to target on calmer days with clear water. Working slow-sinking twitchbaits will likely be the best plan. Most sharks will leave the shallows this time of year, but we will have sandbar sharks arriving to mate, some of which can push the 200-pound mark. Baits such as whiting, sheepshead and small rays are optimal for sandbars. It is important to note that this species is federally protected, and all must be released after they’re caught. Those desiring to harvest a shark should target the Atlantic sharpnose, which can make good table fare. Other late-season possibilities on the beachfront will be Spanish mackerel and jack crevalle.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431
Getaway Adventures Lodge - 956.944.4000
Cold fronts and nasty weather will likely complicate the planning of fishing trips this month. Once we get past Thanksgiving, we tend to receive strong fronts more regularly. Post-front, Gladys Hole is generally a great place to fish. In most cases, the middle section between the west shoreline and the ICW produces best. The area around the mouth of Little Bay can also be productive. The flats on the east side from Dubb’s Island to Butcher’s Island also hold promise, especially the potholes in mid-thigh to waist-deep water. Closer to Port, the area north of East Cut to slightly past the Weather Station can be another good producer, especially potholes in mid-thigh depths. South of the East Cut, at the transition line of sand to grass usually holds lots of solid redfish. Southwest of the pipeline, to the east of Bennie’s Island, the grass and potholes are home to plenty of fish. The Saucer area is a consistent producer during milder weather this time of year, and the area behind the cabins always has potential for trout and reds if the water’s not too cold.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941
Cooler weather, lower tides, and bigger trout is what we are looking forward to in the weeks ahead. Trout fishing in general has picked up quite a bit since the cold front in late-October. Best action has been in depths averaging 2.5 to 3 feet over grassy bottoms. Z-Man StreakZ in Sexy Mullet on 1/8 ounce Eye Strike Trout-Eye jigs have been steady producers. Working low in the water column helps avoid the smaller trout that are prevalent in many places. Redfish action has remained steady over the past several weeks. Early morning wades along shorelines showing bait activity have been a reliable plan for getting into a steady bite. Reds are currently taking Spook Jr topwaters; gold 1/8-ounce weedless spoons are a great back-up plan whenever floating grass becomes a problem. Redfish can often be found mixed with trout on grassy flats during late-afternoon when the wind kicks up. I expect these patterns should hold several weeks into December, barring any really cold weather arriving. Be sure to keep an eye on the weather forecast; things can happen very quickly this time of year.