Reports & Forecasts: February 2024

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
In February, James mentions two things which work well in his area, with the weather determining which is best on any given day. “The action picks up when we’re wading this month, if we have warm weather for a few days in a row. Normally, warm February weather is associated with southeast winds, which tend to push the tides to higher levels, filling the coves and putting the right amount of water on the shoreline flats. Wading can be good for both trout and redfish in this kind of scenario, especially during the afternoon hours, with the tide moving in. The topwater bite and the bite on old-school hard baits like 51M MirrOlures are often good then. If we have colder weather, and more northerly winds, the tide level tends to be low. Cold water temperatures and low tides can dictate fishing out of the boat at times this month. When we’re fishing out of the boat, in the muddy streaks, we do throw 51 and 52M MirrOlures some of the time, but soft plastics like the Assassin Sea Shads work better for most people. They need to be rigged on jigheads which will keep them close to the bottom.”

Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Jim said the fishing had been decent over recent days and weeks when we talked, but that things were changing somewhat, due to a series of rain events. “We’ve got freshwater running down all the bayous right now. There have been plenty of trout in those places, but they’ll probably be pushed out by all this runoff. Most likely, the fishing will fall apart in the backwater areas and along the shorelines in the backs of the bays, but it should pick up out in the middle and in the parts of the bays closer to where the salty water comes in through the ship channel. I expect the wading on both the south and north shorelines of East Bay to be good in February, especially if we have relatively high tide levels. And the catching should be good around the main reefs out in the middle too, when winds are not blowing too hard. February is one of those months when the bite is often best late in the afternoon, or even in the first couple of hours after the sun sets. People who know how to get around safely can maximize the catching by being on the water during these timeframes.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
When Randall submitted this report, the weather had put a damper on the fishing at times. “It’s been a little tough lately. We’ve had some really low tides, which has basically taken wading out of the mix. We have been catching good boxes of fish at times, working areas out in the middle of the bay, where the bottom is a mix of mud and shell. Best bite has been on Norton Sand Eels rigged on 3/8-ounce screw-lock jigheads, worked close to the bottom, short-hopping them and ticking the shell at times. We’ve had lots of rain and runoff, so the water’s somewhat dirty and stained. In this situation, darker colors tend to work best. Black Magic has been a good one lately. If the weather continues to be cold, and we have low tides lingering into February, fishing out of the boat on soft plastics will continue to be the best option. But, if the weather warms up, and we start to get more southeast winds to push the tide back in, wading will become a better option, especially if catching some of the bigger trout is the goal. Normally, wading around reefs and on back-bay shorelines is good in February.”

Matagorda Bays | Capt. Glenn Ging
Glenn’s Guide Service - 979.479.1460
www.glennsguideservice.com
The fishing in Matagorda has stayed pretty consistent and productive, and I look for February to provide some really good days of catching, if historic trends hold. East Matagorda Bay should cough up some big speckled trout this month, especially for waders, but some will be caught out of boats too. Wading with suspending plugs and soft plastics is the name of the game, focusing in places with a bottom consisting of a mix of mud and shell. Drifting deeper areas with shell on the bottom should also continue to produce, mostly for people throwing soft plastics. There have been some good catches of redfish recently over in West Matagorda Bay by folks fishing the deeper guts and drains along the south shoreline. Mostly, they’re throwing paddletails rigged on light jigheads and focusing on small grass beds along the edges of the guts, sometimes tight to shorelines and around points in the coves. The Colorado River continues to produce some nice catches of trout, with a few redfish mixed in. Soft plastic jerkbaits rigged on heavier jigheads like quarter-ounce have produced quite a few limits of both trout and redfish along the drop-offs lately.

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
Fishing has remained consistent in our area lately, with all our focus being in and close to some of the deeper water. The harbor and turning basins have been the best areas for trout in these cooler months. Trout up to 18-inches have been holding in the deep holes and have been eating Norton Bull Minnows in pearl/chartreuse and Down South Lures in White Ice rigged on 3/8-ounce jigheads. The Tres Palacios, Colorado and Lavaca rivers have been good producers as well. We’re doing best in those places slow-rolling Down South Lures rigged on 3/8-ounce jigheads in Magic Grass and Avocado along the deep drop-offs. Deep bayous intersecting the rivers have been holding good numbers of redfish on falling tides. Fresh dead shrimp fished in the deeper holes have accounted for most of the bites. Once the sun comes up and warms the mud flats around the river mouths, the redfish have been cruising in small schools, chasing bait on the falling tides. Gold spoons cast out in front of these schools have scored lots of bites. As in all the colder months, locating bait, even a small amount, is usually the key to catching trout and redfish.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833
With deer hunting season over, Lynn will be back to fishing hard again. “This is a prime month to target some of the biggest trout in the area. Just like in December and January, we like to leave the dock late in the mornings and fish through the afternoon hours, while the sun’s warmth heats up the water to its highest point. Normally, we catch our big trout on slow-sinking twitchbaits like Fat Boys and the Catch 5, sometimes on topwaters. We focus on areas where we find small concentrations of bait below the surface if it’s cold, and lots of jumping mullet if it’s warmer. Most of the best spots this time of year have a muddy bottom, with some mix of grass and shell scattered around. The fish often bite in shallow water, sometimes knee-deep and shallower, but the deep water usually isn’t far from where we are catching. If the tide falls out to really low levels, we wind up fishing the edges of the drop-offs more, focusing on the transition between the shallow water and the depths. Soft plastics rigged on light jigheads usually work best on those days, at least to locate the fish.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Cast-n-Blast season ends this month, and Blake goes back to fishing full time. In most years, he makes the transition easily, able to return to targeting schools of fish he found in the air boat after hunting ducks. “Fishing is good in the coves and back-lakes this month, in the shallow parts if the tide is higher, in the guts and drains if it’s lower. We mostly catch reds in these places, but there are almost always a few big trout mixed in with them, or close to them. The fishing can be really good on main-bay shorelines too, especially if tide levels are low and an outgoing afternoon tide pulls warm water out of a back-lake or cove and dumps it into the bay. The bite is most often best on soft plastics like Norton Sand Eels this time of year, but on the best days, the bite on chrome and other topwaters can be great too. If the tide is low and the weather is calm for at least a couple days, fishing the mid-bay reefs can turn on. Out there, it’s important to fish the tide rips around the structures.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata | [email protected] - 361.563.1160
With the arrival of February, most of the hunting seasons are just about over, and more people will start to get serious about hunting for the trout of a lifetime, since this month is a great time to do just that. Usually, the water temperatures are pretty cold, so the trout will usually move into deep water during the night. Because of this, I normally start my days fishing along shorelines where flats about two to three feet deep lie close to drop-offs where the water is at least five feet or deeper. I like to fish with Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like Plum/Chartreuse, Trickster, Chicken on a Chain or Salt & Pepper rigged on an eighth or quarter-ounce Spring-Lock jighead. I will work these along the drop-offs and retrieve the lures very slowly along the edges and in the deeper water. Especially on sunny days, the shallow part of these areas will warm up and the fish will move up into the shallower water. Remember to retrieve the lures very slowly. Most of the bites will come in the form of a very light tap and this is where sensitive braided lines will help detect the bites.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez - www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230
The fishing in and around Corpus Christi can be fabulous in February, as historic events have shown. “We generally have great fishing for both trout and redfish this month,” Joe says. “If it’s warmer than normal, the fish usually show up in the shallows and stay there, making for some really consistent sight-casting opportunities. We see some of the biggest trout of the year in these situations, and with recent trends, that should be the case again this year, if we get long lulls between fronts and some relatively calm weather. If it’s colder, we’ll continue to target our fish in the vicinity of the ditches, including the ICW, and in deeper water along the north shoreline of Baffin and a ways off the west shoreline of the Laguna Madre. Fishing is usually best on soft plastics when it’s colder, and they work well for sight-casting too. If it’s warmer, the bite on twitchbaits and topwaters can be phenomenal at times. The boat traffic does pick up this month, so we’ll be looking for areas with relatively small crowds, where we can use stealth to our advantage. Overall, it’s a wonderful month to fish our area of the coast.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com
Rather mild winter weather has prevailed in Texas so far. With the up and down temperatures and possibility of fog, beach drivers will need to exercise caution and be especially alert when approaching beach camps. Surf water conditions remain favorable for pompano on warm, calm days. Traditional Fish-Bites and/or freshly peeled shrimp will be the ticket to catching them. Red drum should be in abundance, with increased numbers of slot-sized fish. Shrimp, mullet, and cut whiting will work well for reds. Trout fishing can be hit or miss, but any that are available in the surf will likely be large and healthy. Slot and oversized black drum should also be fairly abundant. Like with the pompano, shrimp and Fish-Bites will work well for this species. Large sandbar sharks can be very abundant, depending on water conditions. Sandbars are suckers for large whole whiting and sheepshead. Sandbar sharks are federally protected and must be released. If the water is warm, it will be possible to target large pregnant blacktip sharks and medium-sized bulls. Lower than normal winter tides typically provide nice driving conditions on most stretches of Texas beaches. The second and third days following cold fronts are usually quite productive for a variety of species.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431
Getaway Adventures Lodge - 956.944.4000
February is one of the months when we layer-up under our waders. Typically, we get fronts passing through without many days between them. So, the water temperatures will fluctuate accordingly. That said, keying on areas where at least some signs of baitfish are found is usually the key to catching. When in the boat, it pays to watch for areas with wading birds like herons and egrets concentrated in a stretch close to shore, or where gulls are loafing on the surface or hovering over the shallows. Using a device to measure water temperatures and fishing in the warmest water around is also helpful during cold snaps. Areas south of Port Mansfield that are dependable this month are West Bay and the Saucer area. Lures like Floating Fat Boys, Double Ds, MirrOdines and KWigglers Wig-A-Lo or Willow Tail are all proven producers in the cold. Up north, the west shoreline should be good, as will the submerged and exposed spoil dumps just south of the entrance to the Land Cut, especially on the east side of the ICW. The mid-thigh to waist-deep potholes from Dubbs Island to the old game warden shack can also be productive.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941
Fishing in the Lower Laguna has been very good, thanks to warmer than average winter weather thus far. Trout up to 20 inches have been steady, holding over grass and sand pockets on deeper flats. ZMan 4-inch StreakZ plastics in Sexy Mullet on 1/8-ounce Eye Strike Trout Eye jigs has been our go-to lure. Bait presence has been the major key to finding fish. Quite often we see both redfish and larger trout hanging right with the larger schools of mullet. Redfish action has also remained very steady for us on most trips. Good numbers of redfish have been holding on grassy flats in depths averaging one to three feet when the weather is warm. They tend to stage a little deeper along drop-offs on colder days following a front. The 4-inch ZMan StreakZ in Creole Croaker has been a reliable bait choice in clear water. Fast retrieves over sand pockets have helped entice reaction strikes. I expect these patterns will hold until colder weather arrives. If and when that happens, keep your head on a swivel for even the slightest signs of bait activity.