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On Galveston: March 2014
Capt. Chance Angel with 8.8 lb winter speck.
I don't know about everyone else but I've had enough winter and more than ready for spring to arrive. Winter fishing is fine when you get a few days of stable weather between fronts, but one front after another with all the misting rain and downright nasty wintry mix of weather is starting to get old. Unless you are able to get there between fronts on the few decent days we've had in-between, it has been brutal.
Considering the conditions, we've had some beautiful trout caught in the Galveston Bay Complex this winterand quite a few here lately.
Traditional wintertime big-fish baits like original Corkys and Fat Boys, your Tidal Surge Maniac Mullets, and various soft plastic baits in darker colors have been the best for big fish here of late. The good old MirrOlure 51M and 52M series have been pulling some good fish off the flats with a mud-shell mix bottom.
The bigger trout are definitely holding near shell along dropoffs where a gut or ledge is present. Oyster shell is best but clamshell dumps or knuckle shell are holding good fish also. Rivers and bayous are holding fish over ledges and bars during warming trends and freshwater inflow has not been a problem as spring approaches.
Some years, when we see a lot of runoff as spring approaches, we can only dream of fishing these patterns, but so far so good. If you've got a pattern that is producing, stick with it and pray these water conditions hold up.
The redfish have been thick in marsh area lakes and bayou mouth flats. Stay shallow for redfish right now. The catfish trotliners have been getting stripped clean and torn-up by redfish in the top end of Trinity Bay. This time of year is traditionally awesome for blue cats in the upper reaches of Trinity Bay, there just seems to be as many or more redfish as catfish this year.
The Tri-Bay area has been red-hot for trout along deeper dropoffs and guts with a mud-shell mix bottom on dark soft plastic baits on light jigheads.
West Bay has been producing solid to big trout near north and south Deer Island and Confederate Reef for waders throwing Corkys, Maniacs, and MirrOlures.
The top end of East Bay has also been yielding some nice trout for waders working shallow mud-shell mix bottom on high tides days with an outgoing tide near drains.
Dickinson Bayou has been producing specks and redfish all winter, including Moses Lake.
Clear Lake channel has also been holding some solid fish all winter.
Upper bays like Tabbs Bay, San Jacinto Bay, and Burnett Bay have been really good here of late with several trout being caught in the 28 to 30 inch class on Corkys and Maniacs over shallow towheads and mud-shell mix dropoffs. These shallower back bay water temps are ranging about 5 to 7° warmer than the surrounding main bays. That's why they're holding the bait and the better fish right now.
If the weather continues to be colder than normal these patterns will not change unless we have a major rain event. Good fishing and always remember to check that weather forecast, no matter how pretty it is when you leave the dock.
Considering the conditions, we've had some beautiful trout caught in the Galveston Bay Complex this winterand quite a few here lately.
Traditional wintertime big-fish baits like original Corkys and Fat Boys, your Tidal Surge Maniac Mullets, and various soft plastic baits in darker colors have been the best for big fish here of late. The good old MirrOlure 51M and 52M series have been pulling some good fish off the flats with a mud-shell mix bottom.
The bigger trout are definitely holding near shell along dropoffs where a gut or ledge is present. Oyster shell is best but clamshell dumps or knuckle shell are holding good fish also. Rivers and bayous are holding fish over ledges and bars during warming trends and freshwater inflow has not been a problem as spring approaches.
Some years, when we see a lot of runoff as spring approaches, we can only dream of fishing these patterns, but so far so good. If you've got a pattern that is producing, stick with it and pray these water conditions hold up.
The redfish have been thick in marsh area lakes and bayou mouth flats. Stay shallow for redfish right now. The catfish trotliners have been getting stripped clean and torn-up by redfish in the top end of Trinity Bay. This time of year is traditionally awesome for blue cats in the upper reaches of Trinity Bay, there just seems to be as many or more redfish as catfish this year.
The Tri-Bay area has been red-hot for trout along deeper dropoffs and guts with a mud-shell mix bottom on dark soft plastic baits on light jigheads.
West Bay has been producing solid to big trout near north and south Deer Island and Confederate Reef for waders throwing Corkys, Maniacs, and MirrOlures.
The top end of East Bay has also been yielding some nice trout for waders working shallow mud-shell mix bottom on high tides days with an outgoing tide near drains.
Dickinson Bayou has been producing specks and redfish all winter, including Moses Lake.
Clear Lake channel has also been holding some solid fish all winter.
Upper bays like Tabbs Bay, San Jacinto Bay, and Burnett Bay have been really good here of late with several trout being caught in the 28 to 30 inch class on Corkys and Maniacs over shallow towheads and mud-shell mix dropoffs. These shallower back bay water temps are ranging about 5 to 7° warmer than the surrounding main bays. That's why they're holding the bait and the better fish right now.
If the weather continues to be colder than normal these patterns will not change unless we have a major rain event. Good fishing and always remember to check that weather forecast, no matter how pretty it is when you leave the dock.