Stick to the Main Lake in January

I always have mixed feelings as I prepare to write my January article. It seems the world is spinning faster and faster and time is speeding up with it. I never know where it all went and I’m always reluctant to start a new year. However, I was able to see some beautiful parts of the world and caught a few fish along the way. For that, I’m thankful.

Also of note, I believe that we’ve had some great conservation wins along the Gulf Coast this year. Here recently, TPWD closed some middle coast oyster reefs to protect them from being over harvested. As we all know, oysters play a key role in keeping our bays and estuaries healthy. On the other end of the coast, Florida has finally got some much needed support to help with their water quality improvement efforts. Biscayne Bay has been plagued with agriculture and industrial runoff which creates massive red tide algal blooms that have resulted in large fish kills. Another win for our neighbors in Louisiana, LDWF enacted a 45-day closure of their flounder fishery to conserve flounder stocks during the spawning migration in an effort to boost the population. It’s great to see other state agencies taking action and for that, we are thankful!

Alright, enough of that, let’s move on to fishing! So far we have had a pretty good early winter season and as long as we don’t get any major freezes, I’m all for it. When it comes to talking about some of the better months to fish, January doesn’t get the recognition that it deserves. It may be cold and downright bitter some days, but I have learned a number of things during this time of the year. One of those being not going back into the marsh and sticking to the main lake instead.

During the winter months, fish tend to do things a little differently but they still follow a pattern. They are mostly trying to do two things: stay warm and eat. Sensing the seasonal drop in water temperatures, they will instinctively stage near deeper water where it tends to stay a few degrees warmer. However, on warmer days when the sun is shining, you can find fish making their way toward shorelines in their search for an easy meal. The thing is that they will never venture too far away from deep water so this is where the main lake shoreline comes into play.

When riding around looking at the shoreline, it seems that it all looks the same and can be puzzling at first for where to start. One of the first things I look for are bayous that connect the marsh to the main lake. I will start a few hundred yards before it and slowly work my way to it, and then past it about the same distance. I’ve always found these areas near the bayou mouths to be productive, in general. Other areas I like to focus on are any inconsistent pieces of shoreline. For example; points, pockets, smaller marsh drains, etc. These little differences will tend to hold more than a straight shoreline.

The other great thing about this time of year on the main lake is the water clarity. This provides a perfect opportunity to sight-cast fish as they come strolling down the shore. More importantly than that and especially on the upper coast, is that it gives an angler the opportunity to visually see the contour of the bottom. I have learned where small patches of reef and scattered shell exist that I would likely have never noticed. I discovered a large shell hump one day that I marked and returned to fish this past summer and the effort paid off handsomely. It was holding fish just as I had been hoping.  

When it comes to sight-casting these fish, just about any lure will work. Typically this time of the year though, they are chasing mullet or any other finfish that might be available. I have found that on days when they may tend to be sluggish, a Chatterbait or Rat-L-Trap will put off enough vibration to encourage them to take a swipe at it. A few years back my brother and I finished our trout fishing for the day and decided to cruise a shoreline in hope of finding some redfish. Being just a bit lazy, we decided to try sight-casting reds along the shoreline with the Corkys we had tied on. They got destroyed and proved to be a costly day lure wise, but getting to watch a big redfish completely inhale a Fat Boy is truly an awesome sight!

There are plenty of fishing opportunities in January and the whole month can be a spectacular time to be out on the water – weather permitting. If you do decide to go, be sure to dress appropriately and keep an eye on the weather forecast. Being on the water is not the place you want to be when a strong norther blows through. I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and got to spend some time with family and friends. Cheers to the New Year!