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Fish Talk: November 2006
Michael Faichtinger with 26 1/2” trout kept to mount.
September phased out with good catches of trout and reds. The initial days of October rolled in a little slowly due to slack tides and warm temperatures. Checking water temperature out in the middle of the bay today, October 5, revealed 83 degrees not yet the cooling down trend we are expecting. Looking further into October and on to November, past records indicate promise of the best two months out of the year for catching good quality fish.
Our cool fronts should be in full swing by November while anticipating these fronts to hit by mid-October. As this cooling phase begins and our water temperatures drop down into the low-70's you'll see the shrimp begin moving from all the back lakes and tributaries eventually reaching the middle of the bay and shorelines. Expect birds to be working in both East and West Matagorda Bays as these shrimp hit their destinations.
East Matagorda Bay will likely be my continued stomping grounds but I won't rule out the Colorado River unless we receive an abundance of rain which would then make this river too fresh. The Colorado River, if fishable, can be a good place to catch trout especially if a norther is blowing and the water is blown out of the bays. In past years, I've found this river to be a haven for me when chased off the bay. You can turn a bad fishing day into a good one if you catch it right. You never know even by tracking exactly what our weather here in Texas will furnish. My advice is to use your noggin and pick your days carefully.
As I mentioned, I'll more than likely be perusing East Matagorda Bay on my fishing outings probably running all over the bay looking for bait or working birds. If you take this avenue and want to catch a few more redfish try using a heavier leadhead like a 3/8 ounce instead of a 1/4 ounce. Your reds are usually swimming below the trout.
On the other hand, if you decide to wade-fish instead of drifting or working the birds, try wading out in front of any drain coming from the south shoreline like at the Oyster Farm, Catchall Basin, Kain Cove, and other similar spots. Any drain should have a few fish and more than likely you will be fishing some birds yourself while wading. Fish follow the bait, and the shrimp will be falling out of the drains coming from the south shoreline.
My personal bait selection will include She Dogs in the 74 MR and 84 MR series and I really don't think the color will make a big difference so you can pick from the CH, 21, GRCCH, Bone, or 808 and still be successful. As for plastics, I'll choose Bass Assassins on a 1/4 or 1/8 ounce leadhead in Roach, Plum, Pumpkinseed, Red Shad, Truese Goose, or Opening Night. I won't rule out the new Shrimp Cocktail from Bass Assassin and I'll pick the Drunk Monkey, Electric Chicken, and Bone Diamond rigged 18-22 inches under a popping cork on a 1/16 ounce lead head or using just a leadhead fishing it like a Bass Assassin.
Hopefully, these tips will help you on the water and like I mentioned we're heading into some historically great fishing times so I can't wait to see how it all plays out. Be careful out there and God Bless. Capt. Bill
Our cool fronts should be in full swing by November while anticipating these fronts to hit by mid-October. As this cooling phase begins and our water temperatures drop down into the low-70's you'll see the shrimp begin moving from all the back lakes and tributaries eventually reaching the middle of the bay and shorelines. Expect birds to be working in both East and West Matagorda Bays as these shrimp hit their destinations.
East Matagorda Bay will likely be my continued stomping grounds but I won't rule out the Colorado River unless we receive an abundance of rain which would then make this river too fresh. The Colorado River, if fishable, can be a good place to catch trout especially if a norther is blowing and the water is blown out of the bays. In past years, I've found this river to be a haven for me when chased off the bay. You can turn a bad fishing day into a good one if you catch it right. You never know even by tracking exactly what our weather here in Texas will furnish. My advice is to use your noggin and pick your days carefully.
As I mentioned, I'll more than likely be perusing East Matagorda Bay on my fishing outings probably running all over the bay looking for bait or working birds. If you take this avenue and want to catch a few more redfish try using a heavier leadhead like a 3/8 ounce instead of a 1/4 ounce. Your reds are usually swimming below the trout.
On the other hand, if you decide to wade-fish instead of drifting or working the birds, try wading out in front of any drain coming from the south shoreline like at the Oyster Farm, Catchall Basin, Kain Cove, and other similar spots. Any drain should have a few fish and more than likely you will be fishing some birds yourself while wading. Fish follow the bait, and the shrimp will be falling out of the drains coming from the south shoreline.
My personal bait selection will include She Dogs in the 74 MR and 84 MR series and I really don't think the color will make a big difference so you can pick from the CH, 21, GRCCH, Bone, or 808 and still be successful. As for plastics, I'll choose Bass Assassins on a 1/4 or 1/8 ounce leadhead in Roach, Plum, Pumpkinseed, Red Shad, Truese Goose, or Opening Night. I won't rule out the new Shrimp Cocktail from Bass Assassin and I'll pick the Drunk Monkey, Electric Chicken, and Bone Diamond rigged 18-22 inches under a popping cork on a 1/16 ounce lead head or using just a leadhead fishing it like a Bass Assassin.
Hopefully, these tips will help you on the water and like I mentioned we're heading into some historically great fishing times so I can't wait to see how it all plays out. Be careful out there and God Bless. Capt. Bill