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A recent news item about a rare melanistic, solid-black alligator gar caught my eye. The headline trumpets, “Internet calls it terrifying!” It turns out that some unidentified person on a social media site somewhere apparently used that word. Sensationalism never sleeps.

In fact, I’ve seen other popular-media reports dealing with the Southeast U.S.-native predator, particularly those based in the United Kingdom, that seem to find a way to slip in words like “terrifying.” A recent headline from a news report in The Mirror was titled, ‘Monster’ fish with razor-sharp teeth that could attack humans escapes as lake is drained.

Run for the hills! Turns out that officials were draining a lake after a two-foot gar had been spotted, all in an effort to get rid of the “monster.”

Granted, a little two-footer wouldn’t inspire much fear in the U.S., but gar of six to eight or more feet in length, with alligator-like snouts and jaws lined with sharp teeth could easily make the unenlightened reluctant to dangle a toe in waters where they’re found — which is throughout Southeastern states, in coastal bays and estuaries, in lakes, and far up into rivers.

But dangle away. There has never been a single confirmed report of an alligator gar going after a human. That’s not terribly surprising. These horrific monsters are in fact generally pretty lethargic. They eat what they can catch, with the proviso that it’s small. Their needle-like teeth are designed for grabbing prey but not for biting off pieces. So they go after what they can swallow: small fish, turtles, and sometimes small aquatic mammals and birds. Alligator gar wouldn’t see anything as large as a human as a food item and, not being inherently aggressive, would avoid or ignore such a thing in its home waters.

NEXT READ: Check out more interesting Fish Facts about a host of different fish species.

The only real risk that alligator gar pose to humans comes when anglers attempt to land or release big ones. Texas Parks and Wildlife puts it this way:

“While landing, unhooking, and releasing a bass or crappie requires relatively little preparation, doing the same for an alligator gar takes a plan. Fish should be landed using a rope lasso, large net, or cradle. They should be kept on their stomach on the ground or boat deck in an area free and clear of debris or equipment. Anglers should use tools and wear cut-resistant gloves when removing hooks. Never stick your hands in the fish’s mouth and stay clear of the powerful tail. If released, the fish should be sent back head first. Finally, be careful! These fish leave behind a very slippery coating of slime that can cause slips and falls. Be prepared to clean your boat deck after landings, or land fish on the river bank.”

While this prehistoric species has never threatened humans, the reverse is hardly true. In many areas, populations of alligator gar — slow-growing, long-lived and spawning infrequently — have been decimated, in part by habitat damage but often by wanton harvest. “Harvest” is probably not a good descriptor since often, state governments encouraged citizens — especially bowfishing enthusiasts — to kill alligator gar to help rid their waters of these nuisance trash fish which ate up all their valuable game fish. Most would end up on shore to rot. (Edible and apparently quite good, not many anglers have ever bothered.)

But times change, and have changed nowhere so much as in Texas. No state has as great a population of alligator gar and, these days, the state intends to keep its gar populations healthy. In the past decade or so, the species has grown a following among anglers, who now travel to the state — particularly the Trinity River, which has the greatest population of the largest gar — to fish for these giants, supporting several guided operations that target the big boys. (Actually the big girls: Any gar much over four feet is female.)

At the same time, studies have proven that alligator gar pose no threat to game fish. Sure, they’ll eat the occasional bass or crappie, if they can catch one, but more often they’ll take rough fish such as carp. Moreover, Texas lakes with some of the state’s most abundant and prolific bass populations are also home to large numbers of alligator gar, further evidence that the species has no impact on game fish numbers.

Where state officials encouraged anglers to kill gar, these days most states have strict limits. To wit:

• In Florida, there’s no alligator gar retention without a permit
• In Alabama, one per day
• In Mississippi, two per day
• In Arkansas, one per day no more than 36 inches, with larger fish released unless a lucky angler has one of the 200 trophy tags for alligator gar available each year
• In Texas, one per day in most waters, with a requirement that any gar kept must be reported. In the Trinity River, however, no gar more than 48 inches may be harvested without a permit. The state intends to keep that unique trophy fishery healthy
• The only state with no limits of any kind on alligator gar: Louisiana

Texas, by the way, holds claim to the IGFA all-tackle world record, a 279-pounder taken from the Rio Grande in 1951. But alligator gar do get larger: a gar taken by a commercial fishermen (not intentionally) in Mississippi (2001) weighed in at 327 pounds. That 8½-foot giant would likely have been 50 to 70 years old.

The post Fish Facts: Will Alligator Gars Attack Humans? appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

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A redfish is like a bull in a Texas rodeo. They are rough and rowdy, and they’ll eat just about anything that won’t eat them first. They can be caught in mere inches of gin-clear water, and if that doesn’t work, they can be found around offshore oil and gas platforms in 30 to 50 feet of water. Anglers can target them with a tiny fly-fished popping bug in the morning calm and then toss big topwater lures later the same day along shorelines. 

Depending on the day, redfish can act like a carp, bonefish or another fish entirely. Soaking dead bait on the bottom is a proven tactic, but so is sight-fishing with artificials. Redfish are strong, tough and a hoot to catch, which explains why they are so popular among anglers in Texas.

Wade-Fishing Is a Texas Tradition

Three of us bailed out of Capt. Charlie Paradoski’s center-console boat along a flat called Green’s Bayou located off Matagorda Island in the middle Texas coast.

“We probably need to spread out and cover some water, look for bait, and be on point for tailing or waking reds,” Paradoski said. “If you get into a school of reds, wave everybody into the action.”

The water was as clear as mountain air, and the sun was just beginning to shine as I glanced over my shoulder. Just like clockwork, there was Paradoski hooked up, rod bowed over and waving us into a pod of reds he had waded into. We were all slinging topwater lures. One of the best and most productive over the decades has been a chrome-and-blue Super Spook Jr. It looks exactly like a finger mullet on the surface and has a side-to-side movement that drives reds crazy. Paradoski reached over and latched on to about a 25-inch red, and sure enough, I could clearly see the chrome-and-blue lure dangling from the mouth of the satisfying catch.

Diverse Feeders

Redfish will eat just about anything. While cleaning a bull red years ago, I found a spent shotgun shell in its stomach. That’s why fishing specifically for reds is so much fun along the Texas coast, which spans more than 350 miles. Along all that shoreline are wide-open bays, lagoons, islands and estuarine lakes. The thousands of sand pockets and grassy flats are perfect habitat.

During late fall, there is a strong migration of reds from the bays and into the Gulf of Mexico. Conversely, there’s also the spring run of reds. Red drum dependably make a pit stop along the jetties and gorge on shrimp, crabs and mullet riding the spring tides into the bays. Guides will take their customers out to the mouths of the jetties to tap into some excellent topwater action on bull reds.

 “Some of the best fishing is during the spring at the mouth of the Port O’Connor jetties. As the water flows into West Matagorda Bay, the bull reds will be churning up the surface and feeding heavily on a variety of baits. When everything is right, the gulls, frigate birds and pelicans will be right on top of the surface-busting reds. It’s a wild day of sight-casting to big reds. It’s mostly catch-photo-and-release fishing.”

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

The great thing about chasing reds is they are user-friendly fish. Throughout the summer and fall they can be caught on the flats in shallow water. Some of the best action takes place on the Laguna Madre down in South Texas. It’s a shallow, hypersaline lagoon roughly 120 miles long. The lagoon’s many grassy flats and clear-water shorelines provide legendary sight-fishing for reds.

One of the favored tactics on the Laguna is to ease over the flats in a poling skiff. One angler is on the poling platform and another is on the bow. Typically, the person on the elevated platform will push the boat along and look for reds feeding on shad, shrimp, worms and crabs. The tactic is classic spot-and-stalk fishing. Anglers might get 25 to 30 shots at reds during a day on the flats. It’s the perfect fly-fishing adventure. You see the target fish, get the line in the air and, when everything is right, drop a fly within a few feet of the red. Sight-fishing is an addictive way of fishing, and can be done with spinning or baitcasting gear as well.

The Land Cut

Guide Steve Ellis has been fishing on the Laguna Madre for decades. One of his best tactics is to make the run from Port Mansfield to the land cut, which is about 25 miles long. It’s around 100 to 150 feet wide, with a shoreline covered with aquatic vegetation and sand and mud potholes.

“I especially like fishing the land cut because it’s some of the best clear-water fishing on the Laguna Madre,” Ellis says. “I’ve got two towers on my boat, which allows the anglers to see fish like tailing reds in the clear water. It’s classic topwater-fishing. But tying on a weedless 1/4-ounce gold spoon is a proven tactic.”

Reds are definitely not shy about pouncing on a topwater lure. And they will do it with gusto. When you set the hook, they don’t lollygag around either. They head out like a freight train. One of the newest topwater lures to come along in years is the D.O.A. PT-7. This soft-plastic lure comes rigged with a double hook pinned up against the side of the lure. Reds love to ambush mullet in grassy areas, and that is where the PT-7 works like a charm. It can be fished over or in the grass and will draw some pretty flashy blowups.

Not-So-Secret Hotspots

One of the best areas to consistently find redfish is along the Intracoastal Waterway, which goes from one end of the Texas coast to the other. When I was working as a fishing guide, it was at the top of my go-to list for finding and catching reds. Quite often, the reds would be tailing while feeding on worms and crabs in about a foot of water.

The most consistent place to find reds just about year-round is along the jetties. Two of the best are in Sabine and Port O’Connor. When a moving tide comes in or goes out, slot and bull reds will stack up and feed heavily on mullet, shrimp and crabs. Here, what a lot of anglers do is bait up with a fresh dead mullet chunk. Mullet are easily caught in a cast net. The mullet chunks are fished on 3/0 Kahle hooks on a Carolina rig. When the red picks up the bait, it doesn’t feel the tug of the weight.

At the Port O’Connor jetties, the trick is to hold in place with a trolling motor and chum the water with diced Spanish sardines. The best water depths are anywhere from 15 to 30 feet deep.

Rockport, located between Port O’Connor and the upper end of the Laguna Madre, is where the guides will fish channels and flats adjacent to the many islands. A captain will usually have a good supply of pinfish and mullet. Once the guide positions the boat on a likely location, he chops up small chunks of fresh dead chum and fan-casts them out. Next, about six to seven rods are baited up, cast out, and placed in rod holders. It doesn’t take long to start getting bites.

Drift-Fishing the Flats

One of the more popular options on the Laguna Madre is to set up drifts over the miles of grass flats. A drift sock slows the boat’s progress and helps it stay on a specific area. The best lures are soft baits from makers such as MirrOlure, D.O.A., Berkley Gulp! and Z-Man. Rig them on a 1/8- or 1/16-ounce jig head.

One thing is certain: There is definitely no shortage of reds along the Texas coast. These hard-fighting and tasty fish can be caught just about anywhere you find salt water. 

Read Next: Targeting Redfish in Louisiana

Hot Spot: The Land Cut

The “land cut” waterway, which connects the Upper and Lower Laguna Madre, can best be described as remote. The cut is roughly 25 miles long and located in the middle of nowhere, but it has some of the best fishing along the lower Texas coast. 

Laguna Madre is really two bays divided by miles of mud and sand flats. The northern bay, about 40 miles long, is known as the Upper Laguna Madre, and the area south is the Lower Laguna Madre. Upon completion of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in 1949, the upper and lower portions were permanently joined by what is known today as the land cut.

In addition to serving as a navigable channel for boat and barge traffic, the area is fantastic for redfish and speckled trout. The big advantage to fishing the cut is that you’re protected from the wind—it offers clear-water flats along the shoreline, and sight-casting to reds and plugging for trout are favorite tactics. 

To reach the south end of the cut, you have to launch your boat at Port Mansfield, followed by a 20-mile run. From the north end, put in at Bluff’s Landing Marina in Corpus Christi. From there, it’s about 33 miles to the cut.

SWS Planner: Texas Gulf Coast Redfish Action

• When: Summer and fall
• Who: The following guides specialize in Texas redfishing:
  • Middle Texas Coast: Capt. Charlie Paradoski, charlieparadoski.com, 713-725-2401
  • Lower Laguna Madre: Capt. Eric Glass, @captainericg, 956-434-1422
  • Galveston Bay: Capt. Jim West, 409-996-3054
  • Sabine Lake: Capt. Jerry Norris, 409-718-8782, sabinefishing.com

SWS Tackle Box

• Rod: Sarge Custom Rods, such as Ma Deuce, Smooth Dog and Boss
• Reel: Lew’s Speed Spool
• Line: 8- to 20-pound Fins Windtamer braided line
• Leader: 5-foot section of 17-pound-test Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon leader 
• Topwaters: Super Spook Jr., D.O.A. PT-7, MirrOlure C-Eye Skin Series twitchbait
• Soft Baits: D.O.A. C.A.L. Shad Tail, Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ, MirrOlure Soft Shad

The post Targeting Redfish in Texas appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

The cat is out of the bag. South Texas waters, once the best-kept secret in the tarpon fishing world, are getting increased attention from silver king chasers, many of whom now consider the Lone Star State a great alternative to Florida for testing their mettle against the formidable adversary with conventional or fly tackle.

Last summer was one to remember, according to Capt. Brian Barrera, who guides out of South Padre Island and led his clients to 66 catches of tarpon up to about 240 pounds, the most he has ever recorded in a single season.

“It was an incredible run, and a lot of the fish were big,” he says. “It’s not unusual to catch a lot of the smaller tarpon, but the big ones were here in good numbers last summer, even a few going over 200 pounds.”

Texas Hotspots

Tarpon fishing is good along the Texas coast most summers. Some of the best takes place around Galveston, but the jetties at Port O’Connor on the middle Texas coast provide reliable action during July, August and September. Most tarpon at the Port O’Connor jetties fall in the 40- to 50-pound range, while their Galveston counterparts are bigger, frequently in the 100-pound class or above.

Galveston tarpon guides primarily resort to trolling lures, like a Coon Pop, or fishing live mullet. Off the Port O’Connor jetties, your best bet is to fish live shrimp or croakers under a float. However, fly-fishing is a great option too. Just ease along the jetties with the trolling motor and look for tarpon rolling close to the rocks, where they forage for baitfish and shrimp. 

Fly-fishing guide Tom Horbey says he spends quite a few days in August and September at the end of the Port O’Connor jetties, fishing slow-sinking streamers in the current. And while he dedicates much of the time during charters to sight-casting to rolling fish, Horbey also looks for tarpon in back bays, where he has encountered heavyweights in the 160- to 200-pound class the past few years.

South of Port O’Connor, the roughly 70-mile stretch from the Port Mansfield jetties on down to the South Padre Island jetties is where the finest tarpon fishing in Texas occurs. That’s precisely where Barrera concentrates his tarpon efforts during summer and early fall.

Search and Seizure

“On a typical day of fishing, I’ll work the jetties and the surf, if it’s calm,” Barrera says. “If we’ve got 2- to 3-foot seas, I can cover about 35 miles looking for tarpon. I’ll run the surf, then come back in the Intracoastal Waterway for a smoother ride.

 “I’m constantly looking for signs of tarpon,” he says. “Diving birds are always good, but even if I see a single mullet jump, I’ll go to it. I also look with binoculars for the silver flash of rolling tarpon, and use my electronics to pinpoint them underwater.

“I like to move along the jetties with the trolling motor, using the side scan on my Humminbird Solex to find tarpon underwater. That allows me to locate the fish and stay with them as we troll or cast lures,” continues Barrera, who also stakes out or hits Spot-Lock on his Minn Kota to intercept schools. 

The Migration

Longtime tarpon guide Capt. Tim O’Brien says the great tarpon fishing along South Padre Island began about six years ago. “The fish migrate from the Mississippi River Delta starting in March and April, and end up along South Padre Island for much of the summer and early fall. As the water temperature drops below 75 degrees, the tarpon move down south to Tampico and Veracruz, Mexico, some 340 miles away.”

O’Brien says the tarpon fishing will continue through October and sometimes into November, depending on how many cold fronts pass through the region early and how long the water temperature stays in the 70s.

Baits and Rigging

At the peak of the tarpon run, Barrera fishes lures and both live and dead baits, mostly in the surf, in water about 20 feet deep. His preferred live baits for the jetties are pinfish—which can be caught in traps set out around boat docks—and live mullet procured along the jetties with a cast net. For dead baits, he likes ribbonfish and mullet. 

Barrera fishes either live or dead baits on 4/0 to 13/0 circle hooks, depending on size, with 14 inches of fluorocarbon leader, 50- to 80-pound for the smaller tarpon, and 100- to 130-pound for the bigger fish. Thin wire hooks placed through the lips of a baitfish deliver the most hookups, he claims. 

O’Brien favors artificials for conventional tackle, particularly 9- to 14-inch Hogy lures, and finds the best colors are black and white. “We rig them on swimbait-style jig heads,” he says, adding that the D.O.A. Bait Buster deep runner is another good lure. “We fish them on 30-pound Power Pro, with 2 to 3 feet of 60- to 100-pound leader tied to the braid with an FG knot. 

“Another option is free-lining croakers, pinfish and live shrimp, or fish them under a cork,” explains O’Brien, who believes that, if you’re into big tarpon, big croakers rigged on a 7/0 hook are the best way to go.

Read Next: Fishing South Padre Island, Texas

Fly Flinging

“On the other hand, it’s tough to beat sight-casting to these fish with a fly,” O’Brien says. “We use 10- to 12-weight rods and, since we often target rolling tarpon, the fly needs to be fished about 10 feet in front of the fish.

“For the most part, tarpon here weigh from 60 to 80 pounds, but we do have some big ones. My personal best weighed 180 pounds. I caught it on a Zonker (rabbit strip) fly while fishing the Port Mansfield jetties,” he says. “However, a giant weighing 212 pounds was caught on a Whistler fly off Boca Chica Beach, on the south side of the South Padre Island jetties, the general area where we scored 17 tarpon in one day, my best to date.” 

One of the top tarpon fishing adventures of my life was with Capt. Eric Glass, a longtime fly and light-tackle guide in Laguna Madre, who says the granite jetties at Brazos Santiago Pass and East Cut are good places to try and jump some fish on fly. He prefers a 10- or 11-weight rod for the job. 

Tarpon prowl the outskirts of large schools of scaled sardines, bay anchovies, gulf menhaden and herring gathering in the area. And the local fly-rodders have had consistent success at dawn and dusk casting 3- to 4-inch baitfish imitations tied on 1/0 to 3/0 hooks, always keeping an eye out for pods of rolling fish in the vicinity. 

SWS Tackle Box: Spinning and Baitcasting

• Rods: Shimano 8-foot Teramar XX spinning and G.Loomis 7-foot heavy-action IMX Pro Blue baitcasting, or equivalents
• Lures: Coon Pop; Hogy Original 14-inch in black or white; D.O.A. Bait Buster in brown, root beer or glow, and TerrorEyz in root beer or glow
• Line: 80-pound braid and fluorocarbon leaders; 50- to 80-pound for smaller tarpon, and 100-to 130-pound for the large ones
• Reels: Shimano Saragosa 10000 spinning and Tranx 400 baitcasting, or equivalents

SWS Tackle Box: Fly-Fishing

• Rod: 9-foot, 10- to 12-weight
• Reel: Large arbor models with good drag and 250-yard capacity
• Line: Tarpon or saltwater taper in floating, intermediate or slow-sink, depending on the situation; tapered 9- to 12-foot leaders with 50- to 100-pound fluorocarbon bite tippet
• Flies: Hackle or rabbit-strip baitfish imitations in 3- to 5-inch sizes tied on 1/0 to 3/0 hooks

The post Texas Tarpon Hotspots appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

GULF COAST COBIA ON FLY

As target species go, cobia rank among the most cooperative for the fly angler. Their curiosity often betrays them. And because they frequently travel in packs, competition for every meal makes the fish more aggressive and less discerning, so they can be caught on a variety of flies, from poppers to streamers.

Although they rarely do so, cobia have been known to jump in their attempt to rid themselves of the hook. But even when they dont, the brute strength they display during the fight makes them a formidable adversary.

GULF COAST COBIA SEASON

PEAK SEASON

Cobia usually show up along the Texas and Louisiana coasts in June, and hang around through October. At times they can be found in the bays around gas wells, beacons, wrecks and navigation buoys. It’s not unusual to see them feeding near the surface along jetties. But most cobia are caught offshore around a variety of structure, fixed, like oil rigs and anchored shrimp boats, and adrift, like weed lines and other types of floating debris.

Along the Gulf coast, these fish are most abundant during the warmer months. Back in June of 2005, I plucked a monster that weighed 53 pounds and change from a school we found hanging around a group of oil and gas production platforms. That fish became the Texas state fly fishing record cobia, which still stands.

As I recall, not only did that school of ling refuse to leave the oil rigs we were fishing, they kept swimming right up to our boat. Catching some wasn’t a problem. The trick, however, was to place a fly in front of the trophy fish mixed in with a bunch of smaller cobia. After catching and releasing three of the smaller specimens, I finally managed to land a fast sinking Bonehead fly right in front of a heavyweight. I twitched the 4-inch streamer about three times, and the big cobia slurped it up.

CHUMMING AROUND SHRIMP BOATS BRINGS COBIA WITHIN RANGE

TROPHY HUNT

Some of the heaviest ling seem to hang around anchored shrimp boats. During the offshore shrimping season, the boats pull their nets at night, then anchor and cull the bycatch at dawn. When the culling is going on is when ling are most likely to show up. Once there, they often hang out in the shadow of the big boats all day. One way to draw them out is to chum. Once they start feeding on your chum, you can drop a fast sinking streamer in the mix and expect to hook up. Of course, if it’s a trophy cobia you’re after, be selective and single out the larger ones when you are ready to cast.

10- TO 12-WEIGHT RODS ARE IDEAL

CHOOSE YOUR WEAPONS

It’s usually best to pursue cobia with two 10- to 12-weight rods. One set up with a floating line, the other with a sink tip line. Matching both lines with short 6-foot leaders enables you to pick up and make another cast quickly whenever your presentation misses the mark, or when a fish moves or refuses the fly, which, luckily, doesn’t happen that often. A bite tippet is recommended, but since cobia lack big sharp teeth, 50-pound fluorocarbon is enough to endure any battle. If the water happens to be very clear and the fish appear uncommonly wary, step down to 40- or even 30-pound.

THE REWARD WHEN IT ALL COMES TOGETHER

BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS

Cobia gravitate toward structure and they rarely shy away from a boat, even when the motor is running. At times they will eat just about anything you drop in front of them, in fact, I actually had one attack an anchor line float. Nevertheless, there are days when these fish can be as persnickety as an educated Yellowstone rainbow trout.Then, it pays to shut off the motor and lead the fish by 10 feet or so with your casts to avoid spooking them. It’s always a good idea to keep some bait chunks cut and ready to toss in the water to spark some action when the cobia hang around but refuse to comit.

POPPERS WARRANT EXCITING SURFACE ACTION

RECOMMENDED FLIES

One of the most exciting ways to catch them is with a big popper. I make my own out of Styrofoam. A big two inch foam head and a bucktail body on a 2/0 hook is deadly. Top colors are chartreuse-and-white, yellow-and-white, red-and-white, and olive-and-white. But cobia also fall for baitfish patterns, especially weighted ones that sink fast, like a 4-inch Clouser Deep Minnow in an olive-and-white, orange, or lemon/lime.

LARGE BAITFISH PATTERNS ALSO DO THE TRICK

BAITFISH PATTERNS TOO

Large Deceivers and various other large baitfish flies, like the Sardina fly and Enrico’s Blueback Herring, designed for tuna, kingfish and other offshore and nearshore species, work well for cobia. Blue back with a white and silver-flash belly is a good color scheme.

DON’T FORGET SOME EEL IMITATIONS

CARRY SOME EEL IMITATIONS Cobia love eels, so a few eel patterns should always be part of your fly arsenal whenever you target cobia. Black, purple, and neon colors like chartreuse and orange are tops.

TRY SLIDERS WHEN COBIA ARE UNCOMMONLY WARY

The post COBIA ON FLY appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

While it’s possible to luck into a bragging-size trout now and then, catching trophies consistently takes skill and a thorough knowledge of the fish’s habits and habitats. Three inshore experts who tally numerous heavyweights every year detail the secrets to their ongoing success with hefty spotted seatrout from Florida to Texas.

Plug Fishing for Speckled Trout

Many trout fishermen are jig casters, but when big trout are the target, Eddie Cabler, trout tournament top gun from ­Jacksonville, ­Florida, loves plugs. He’s lost count of the trout weighing over 6 pounds he’s caught. But he remembers ­landing three over 10 pounds, including a 32-inch behemoth that hit the 12-pound mark on the scale. He favors MirrOlures in natural color schemes that best imitate baitfish native to northeast Florida.

Cast Sinking Plugs in Winter for Seatrout

In cold water, baitfish schools often go deep and the trout that prey on them follow suit. In addition, trout are not nearly as active when temperatures drop, says Cabler, so anglers must adjust their tactics accordingly. He advises to switch to sinking plugs and work them slowly. And use lots of pauses during the retrieve because most trout hit a lure just as it starts to move. “Sometimes fishing this way can be boring, but it’s deadly on big fish,” he warns.

Find Seatrout on Deep Ledges

Using a depth finder to locate bait schools and likely ambush spots for trout, Cabler often works water 8 to 12 feet deep, targeting drop-offs and ledges. “I want my plugs tight to a dropoff,” he says. “Use your depth finder to keep the boat near a ledge or rocky dropoff and make long casts parallel to it. Casting perpendicular to that ledge or drop-off is not as productive because your lure doesn’t stay long in the zone where big trout are holding.” He adds that, “if you find bait schools in deep water, work plugs around those areas and your big trout catches will improve.”

Drifting with Jigs for Trout

As a charter captain in Daphne, Alabama, Capt. Patrick Garmeson has learned that a hands-off approach he calls “do-nothing” fishing often produces the biggest seatrout. “We rig rods with H&H ⅜- to ½-ounce Sparkle Beetle jigs and make controlled drifts with an electric motor over likely areas.” Garmeson also shared that the rods are left in gunnel holders — not held by anglers — and no hookset is made. The jigs are left to bump along the bottom, and when a trout takes, the rod just bows and the angler picks up the rod to fight the fish. “We just slide along with the current, allowing the lures to bump bottom freely and the trout to take lures unimpeded. It’s a very natural lure presentation.” For this ­technique, Garmeson employs three to five jigs of varying colors, and he prefers outgoing tides running at 1 to 2 knots.

Seatrout Don’t Like Fresh Water

Sometimes in spring and summer, abundant rain pushes bait and trout well down rivermouths and out into the Gulf of Mexico, forcing anglers to keep moving to locate fish. “Saline content diminishes, and fish move to find the right mix of salt and fresh water,” he says. “Then it’s best to to work stretches about 300 yards long. If nothing hits, try a ­different spot.”

Bait Schools Attract Big Seatrout

Garmeson believes locating bait schools is essential to pinpointing big trout. Surface swirls or dimpling at the surface can lead to pods of mullet or menhaden, with trout nearby, but a sensitive fathometer helps locate deeper bait schools. “Pinfish, croakers, white trout, mullet, menhaden, shad and shrimp show well on sonar at mid-depths. Big trout usually are on the bottom, relating to the bait.” According to Garmeson, live shrimp and jigs produce well near the bait pods, and, at times, he opts for plugs such as a ½-ounce gold-and-black Rat-L-Trap or MirrOlure MirrOdine XL.

“Once water temperature reaches about 70 degrees — which is about May in south Alabama — I find trout on shallower flats of sand mixed with oyster shell,” said Garmeson. “But it’s got to be pretty salty; that’s an important key when water starts warming up.”

Catching Seatrout in Colder Water

When temperature of the water drops below 65 degrees, Cabler goes to twitch baits that have very little inherent action, and he insists those with rattles are more effective. He prefers the TTR and 52M series MirrOlures, again, in natural colors. Considering a 1 foot per second sink rate, Cabler uses the countdown ­method to estimate when his lure has reached the desired depth. And sometimes he’ll add stick-on weights to help a plug sink quicker.

Night Fishing for Seatrout

In summer, catching seatrout at night is a ­common tactic, but Jaynes targets 3- to 6-pounders, which he claims act differently than smaller trout. “I don’t fish near lights,” he says. “Lights attract bait and trout, but most fish are on the small side. Instead, I wade flats around spoil islands adjacent to the 35-foot deep Intracoastal Waterway. After the sun sets, heavy trout come out of that deep water to feed up on the shallows during moving tide phases.” For night duty, Jaynes has two ­favorites: an Egret 5-inch Wedgetail Mullet fished on a 1⁄8-ounce jig with a steady retrieve, and a Heddon Super Spook fished slowly, with lots of pauses to help big trout catch up to it.

Wade Fishing for Trophy Seatrout

Capt. Adam Jaynes, inshore guide on tidal ­Sabine Lake in the Texas-­Louisiana border, turns to wading during windy spring ­weather, when big seatrout are in skinny, clear water, to take hull slap and other likely boat noises out of the equation. “Big trout on Sabine are shallow in spring and are very skittish about noise, so wading is the best way to go,” he says. “Also, in a boat, it’s easy to drift over fish and spook them.”

Ideal Wading Water for Seatrout

Jaynes prefers the clear, salty water pushed in by incoming tides, and he works areas from knee- to waist-deep. “Wading in water in the high 60s to low 70s isn’t uncomfortable, and we catch many more fish of 4 to 8 pounds. I anchor my boat 100 yards from where I want to fish, and I concentrate on mud lumps, grass clumps and shell beds with lots of bait.” Jaynes also relayed that he and his clients wade with the wind at their backs, so it’s easy to make long casts and lower the odds of spooking trout.

Lures for Wade Fishing

When wading for spring mega trout, he selects one of three choices: an Egret 4-inch Kick A Mullet Jr. fished with a steady retrieve just below the surface, or with a twitch-twitch-pause action; a Heddon Super Spook worked with a constant walk-the-dog retrieve; a Paul Brown’s Fat Boy fished with a walk-the-dog action, or a twitch-twitch-pause.

Diving Birds Signal Seatrout are Nearby

Jaynes believes the easiest and best fishing for trout in the 3- to 6-pound range takes place in autumn. “That’s when shrimp pour out of tidal marsh creeks into Sabine Lake and big trout and redfish hammer them. Fish are under birds, and we slam them with small, flashy or brightly colored Egret 3 ½-inch Wedgetails rigged with 1⁄8- to ¼-ounce jig heads,” he says. Jaynes adds that, under birds, trout often are small, so it’s wise to keep moving, fishing different flocks of birds and bait schools to locate the big ones, usually in open water 6 to 7 feet deep. “Sometimes surface foam under birds indicates bigger trout feeding below the surface, and it’s not uncommon for heavy redfish to be in the mix.”

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Trout fishing in southwest Louisiana and Texas really heats up at the start of summer, as giant fish migrate inshore to spawn, leaving themselves vulnerable to those who chunk plugs in key areas. The annual early summertime ritual goes off like clockwork, sending fishermen and fish, into a fishing and feeding frenzy.

Gulf Coast Seatrout Wade Fishing

For those willing to wade, the bite is bigger-and-better than for those confined to the casting deck. Local top-stick Mike Stegall: “The biggest trout are on the flats in the shallows looking for an easy snack—like menhaden, mullet and ladyfish.” The Port Neches, Texas, angler has been racking up heavy stringers at his hotspots on Big Lake and Sabine Lake. However, he explains, similar action can be found in Galveston, Baffin, Trinity, and Matagorda bays.

Stegall concentrates on sand and mud bars, and the low lying guts running between them. “Finding big sows is relatively easy if you pay attention; concentrate on slick spots over shallow bars on an outgoing tide. That’s where the largest concentration of fish will be.”

Stegall uses a 6-foot, 11-inch custom rod with a Shimano Curado 200 spooled with 30-pound braid. Stegall recommends fan casting with small, incremental longitudinal changes between casts. “A matter of a few feet to the right or left can make a world of difference. These fish bunch up, holding at a certain depth or along a specific contour line; you’ve got to figure out where they’re holding.”

Stegall’s go-to baits include Corkys and MirrOlures. These short, stout plugs have been Texas/Louisiana flats staples for decades, coaxing countless thousands of fatties into landing nets.

For color, Stegall says, “They’ll eat any color you throw—as long as it’s pink.” He casts these baits on a long line, with short, choppy rod-tip pops to locate feeding fish. Once he’s found fish, he swaps out to a Rapala topwater and a quick, crisp fleeing cadence, one mimicking frenzied baitfish.

The post Fishing Tips: Summertime Seatrout Fishing appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

The sun began its slow creep up from the horizon, sending rays of orange bouncing off East Matagorda’s ­clear-green waters. Capt. Bink Grimes didn’t have to acknowledge the beautiful irony before us as we walked out onto the deck of his newly constructed Sunrise Lodge. Today would indeed be a special spring day — especially one for rod-bending redfish action.

Walk This Way

Wade-fishing is as Texas as a good ol’ country song. From shallow, open-water sand flats to backcountry ­lagoons, anglers quietly depart from boats on a lure-chunking foot patrol, throwing everything from topwaters to ­plastics into schools of hungry fish. Grimes has honed both the technique and the timing; after all, he wrote the book on it: Wadefishing Texas, the source for fishermen up and down the Gulf Coast.

“We like to wade on the south shoreline of West Matagorda and work parallel guts that drop from knee-deep to waist-deep,” says Grimes. Matty — as the area is commonly called — is made up of two large bays, West and East Matagorda; in spring, both have strong neap tides that usher in clear, green seawater.

Riding those waves are bay anchovies. Commonly called glass minnows, anglers around here know they are really redfish and seatrout breakfast, lunch and dinner. Says Grimes, “We get that spring flood around spring break, and depending on how mild a winter we have, those glass minnows begin to show en masse.” The glass minnows pile into the shoreline grasses and guts for a game of hide-and-seek with predators. Redfish give themselves away with slicks and mud boils, but other species are in proximity, helping Grimes put his clients on forearm-burning action. “I get pretty excited when I see lots of pelicans divebombing because I know that the bait has arrived. Redfish will be close,” he says. “Real close.”

Weather or Not

Like Grimes, Capt. Ray Sexton has been guiding wade-fishermen for years. “Last season, I probably fished out of my boat twice. My clients prefer to wade because it is so much fun, and the success rate is high,” he says. ­Sexton looks forward to inclement weather. “I love it when we get those late-season fronts that drop air and water temperatures. Those events really get those redfish biting,” he says. He likes late-season fronts because the northeast wind pushes the bait and fish up along the long southern shorelines. “Glass minnows and mullet really get disoriented, and I like to be fishing in that.” As indication of his redfish prowess in inclement weather, Sexton released with his clients just the day before our arrival more than 100 fish in an afternoon. According to Grimes, both bays have been producing consistently good-size reds, and recently biologists have noted a real bloom. “The estuaries are holding healthy numbers of fish. Our numbers are strong and the fish are heavy, and we have seen a recent average of about 24 inches or six pounds on most trips,” says Grimes. He notes East Matty specifically. “We have seen big schools out in open water of East Bay. Typically we get more tidal flow because of the proximity of Mitchells Cut. With a good push of water from the Gulf, those redfish really pile up out in the middle,” he says. Grimes like to put his clients on good topwater action there too. “Something about East Bay — the fish just go crazy over topwaters,” says Grimes.

Both captains agree on lure choice: Bass Assassins in either a 4- or 5-inch Sea Shad in Chicken-on-a-Chain color work well. “When the water gets clear, I like Opening Night or Glow colors,” says Grimes. Both captains note consistent topwater action, especially when the reds get into a glass minnow eat-a-thon. Says Grimes: “It’s not uncommon to have redfish swimming all around my customers, between our legs and even running into us. It’s pretty special to see a herd of them coming and be able to pick apart the edges of the school with topwaters. Wade-fishing allows us to do that.”

Grimes prefers smaller topwater lures like MirrOlure’s She Pup in pink-and-chrome as well as Super Spook juniors in chartreuse-and-chrome. Redfish are nose-down predators rather than nose-up feeders like seatrout, so the hookup ratio is a bit better with the smaller topwater lures. “We all know redfish have a tougher time eating big topwaters, plus those smaller lures mimic glass minnows. But don’t get me wrong: The bigger ones crush the bigger topwaters.” And he is never afraid to go old-school on these ­shallow-water bruisers: “Nothing can beat the ­consistency of a gold spoon.”

Back Bays and Bruisers in Boats

Juvenile redfish spend their first year inside Texas ­estuaries foraging on shrimp, crabs, menhaden, mullet and other species that seek shelter in the emergent coastal wetlands. The abundance of bait produces ­explosive growth rates, according to Jerald Horst, author of The ­Angler’s Guide to Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. By the age of two, females can grow to an average of nearly 28 inches and weigh close to nine pounds, while their male counterparts hit eight pounds. As the lunar effects of spring push fertile green water into the bays, Grimes ­pursues redfish into the back bays where they forage and grow. The back lakes of West Bay — ­Oyster Lake, Crab Lake and Mud Lake — become good areas to ­target them. “All the lakes come into play,” says Grimes. ­Typically he uses a sliding-cork rig to locate schools as he drifts across reef and structure. “We have been using MidCoast Product’s Nexus corks over the Bass Assassins. They work really well at locating schools.” The area is known as a fantastic bull red fishery as well. “We are able to catch really big bulls at our passes too, and fall and spring are incredible,” he says.

Bull reds come to the forage-producing passes like geese to wheat fields in these parts. While seasoned ­fishermen ­usually key in during fall (which is notorious for producing both larger fish as well as the greatest number of them), anglers sometimes overlook the spring big-fish run. Those in the know consider the full moon in April the start of a spectacular post-winter run of the bruiser reds. According to Grimes, the bull reds are abundant: “We fish the jetty of the Colorado River, and even though it’s somewhat shallower than other passes, we will make the short run to the Port O’Connor ­Jetty.” Grimes’ technique is typical and incorporates circle hooks on Carolina-rigged mono with egg sinkers up to 2 ounces. He likes fresh cracked crab or cut mullet. “The Port O’Connor pass is deeper. Typically I like to slow-drift or anchor in about 35 feet of water. The fish continue to move in and out of passes and estuaries through May and June as well, but by July, the fish scatter and school offshore,” he says.

Twice a Day

There is always something magical about a sunrise in ­paradise. As we relaxed after a full day of catch-and-release fishing, I recalled that amazing East Matagorda sunrise, soon to be rivaled by West Matagorda’s sunset. Here in South Texas, East and West Matagorda Bay anglers are honored to see it twice, especially when viewed from the deck of the Sunrise Lodge.

The post Matagorda Bay Texas Redfishing appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

While big-trout enthusiasts often head south for the winter, East Matagorda Bay sits tranquil, serene and ­crawling with some of the heaviest gator trout Texas has to offer. I know, Baffin Bay is one of a trio of trophy trout haunts in the U.S. And though not as sexy as the Laguna Madre, East Matagorda remains a milieu for heavy, hungry, wintertime speckled trout. Here are five terrain types that produce them.

Fishing Deep Reefs for Seatrout

It’s not just a wading thing. You can catch heavy specks over miles of shell lumps, humps, towheads and ­undulations found throughout the middle of the bay without ever ­getting wet.

“You have to find some streaky water,” says veteran guide Charlie Paradoski. “The trout aren’t in the clear stuff because the bait isn’t there.” Paradoski regularly catches ­two-foot-or-better specks by working four to five feet of water with soft baits and MirrOlures.

“Mullet are key in the winter,” he says. “When you see mullet jumping or flipping, there will be big trout in the area. This bay is famous for it.” In his 40-year career, Paradoski says he has seen many changes, especially in fishing tactics.

Making long drifts over rafts of mullet with rattling corks armed with Bass Assassins and Gulp! has been a boon for boaters. “I never owned a popping cork until about three years ago,” says Paradoski. “Now I don’t leave the dock without one.”

Wade Fishing Shorelines for Specks

Guide Lee Warmke wades the south shoreline for large trout in the afternoon. With numerous 30-inchers (the big leagues for big-trout chasers) under his belt, Warmke releases dozens of sevens, eights and way too many five-pounders to count.

“Most days I will throw plugs for big fish,” says Warmke. “But there have been other days when I am not getting many bites, so I switch to a soft plastic and start catching big ones.”

Boiler Bayou, Kain Cove, Oyster Farm and Hog Island hold solid trout since these muddy bottoms retain the sun’s warmth a bit longer throughout the day. Super Spooks, She Pups, SkitterWalks, Corkies, Maniac Mullets, Catch 5s and your favorite soft plastics get the job done.

Intracoastal Waterway Reefs for Spotted Seatrout

Locales receiving the most tidal flow often hold the majority of big schools. That means reefs and mud adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway on the north shoreline of East Bay. Chinquapin Reefs, Bird Island Reef, Boggy Reef and Half Moon Reef are all proven winter spots holding healthy specks.

By mid- to late December, most of the white shrimp have left the bays and speckled trout adapt their diet to finfish. That’s when slow-sinking mullet imitating plugs go to work.

East Matagorda Bay receives most of its tidal flow from the ICW, since there are no direct inlets from the Gulf of Mexico, aside from Mitchell’s Cut on the far east end of the bay.

The beauty of fishing in proximity to the ICW is that big trout hang out there for a few obvious reasons. The deep water is warmer in the winter, and when traditional winter low tides persist, specks slide to the greater depths until new water covers the shell.

“Even when the wind blows, those reefs on the north shoreline can hold clear water,” says Paradoski. “The entire bay could be blown out with muddy water, but the water clears in the ICW on the incoming tide, making those reefs fishable when nothing else is.”

Fishing Inshore Reefs in Texas

The beauty of East Matty is the hidden reefs smack dab in the middle of the bay. They are not really hidden anymore. Maps and GPS coordinates make them available to everyone. Long Reef, Three Beacon Reef and Drull’s Lump are big trout magnets but fished effectively only by wading.

“The tides get low, and all those big trout go to the middle of the bay,” says pro Tommy Alexander. “The mullet go to the middle and the trout follow.”

East Matagorda Bay oysters have long been cherished for their sweet, salty savor. Watch for oyster boats dredging shell; harvested reefs are especially good the next day when waters settle after being overturned by the raking.

“Most of the time, the best trout will be off the edge of the reef,” says Alexander. “Wade as far as you can without filling up your waders, cast to the deep water, and work the lure slowly along the mud and shell.”

Alexander says braided line is the difference between feeling a subtle winter bite and thinking the bait is hung on shell. “It’s winter, it’s cold, you are bundled up, and the fish don’t always thump it like they do during summer.”

Mud Flats Attract Seatrout

East Bay’s greatest depths are a little more than five feet at the highest of high tides. Since winter normally sees the lowest tides of the year, most of the bay runs three to four feet deep in December and January.

The biggest of big-trout catchers are waders. There is no ­substitute for stalking a muddy bayou with a mullet ­imitation and a sensitive graphite rod. Mud bottoms on the east end of the bay are my favorite winter ­hangouts for trophy specks. Boggy spots like Brown Cedar Flats, Catch-All Basin and the Duck Blind test your ­cardiovascular stamina but reward you with breathtaking, arm-length trout.

North winds, gray skies and low tides typify a Texas winter. For those willing to brave the chill and deal with red earlobes and chapped lips, plenty of big speckled trout roam the fertile waters of East Matagorda Bay.

Where Trout Go in Bad Weather

It doesn’t happen every year, but in past winters, the birds have worked in East Matagorda Bay through the middle of December. Look for laughing gulls spinning over trout pushing shrimp to the ­surface. Never discount a gull sitting on water either. Many times the birds can see the fish and are waiting for them to push the shrimp to the surface.

When the wind really blows, the nearby Colorado River saves the day. Low tides drain the delta at the mouth of the Diversion Channel and funnel all fish into the deep channel. Anglers drift across the channel with plum, black or glow soft plastics or troll with DOA TerrorEyz. Nighttime is even ­better under lighted piers as fish seek the warmth of the deeper river.

Texas Trout Fishing Tackle

• Rods: 6- to 7-foot Waterloo HP Slam Mag, Salinity, or equivalent
• Reels: Shimano baitcasters: Core, Chronarch or Curado
• Lines: 20-pound braid
• Leaders: 25-pound fluorocarbon
• Lures: Corkies, Maniac Mullets, MirrOlure Catch 5s, Bass Assassin Sea Shad and Gulp! Jerk Shad

The post Winter Spotted Seatrout Fishing in Texas appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

It was the bronze-skinned, blue-eyed blondes hanging from the roll bars of Jeeps that first brought my buddies and me to Crystal Beach, Texas, on the Bolivar Peninsula in the late ’80s, but it was the big, hungry speckled trout riding the tides that kept us coming back long after our adolescence faded into memory.

Armed with pearl and red-tailed tandem-rigged Creme Lit’l Fishies from Granny’s Bait Camp, we’d shoulder next to a dozen other anglers wading the edge of the pass. We’d toss the lures up-current into the deep channel of Rollover Pass and allow the tide do its magic. Thump — we’d set the hook and watch an angry speck bound to the surface, lashing its head from side to side. When the fishing was good, two or three of us would have one on at the same time — when it was great, a half-dozen of us would be bowed up simultaneously.

Behold, a wader was born.

The Best Tide for Wade Fishing

Water temperatures, tides, moon phases and baitfish activity, among other variables, determine when and where to wade. Fish swim from passes to channels to bars to spoil islands to grass, mud, shell and sand flats, but not necessarily in that order. Am I making sense yet?

The point is: Keep it simple. Read the tides and water levels, and adjust your game plan.

When tides are bloated, speckled trout scatter along flats in knee- to waist-deep water, often as tight as they can maneuver against the shoreline. Why? That’s probably where the Snickers-size mullet are.

Great spots are back lakes and extended bayous that run to secluded marsh ponds. I like working undulating sand and grass flats on an incoming tide, tossing to sandy pockets while trout dart from the grass in ambush.

When tides are below normal, fish fall off the shorelines or stage in deeper guts. You might have to shuffle to chest-deep water and cast to deeper drop-offs to find them.

In my home waters of Matagorda, I walk down the edge of a reef in the middle of East Bay and fan-cast on top of, along the drop-off next to, and in the deep water surrounding the shell bar. All three depths hold potential, depending on the tide. When you find the sweet spot, most often determined by baitfish, work it thoroughly.

Another solid low-water locale is the edge of the Intracoastal Waterway. The ICW extends from Sabine to South Padre Island and parallels some of the most prolific speckled trout estuaries in the Lone Star State.

I have caught some heart-pounders on the edge of East Matagorda Bay, and the number of trophy trout that have been duped by waders around the ICW spoil islands near Baffin Bay, Port Mansfield and the rest of the Lower Laguna Madre is well documented.

Wade Fishing Excels Over Boat Fishing

Waders negotiate terrain a boat could never reach without flushing every fish in the area. I might walk five steps and make five casts and catch a fish. Then I might shuffle for another first down and methodically cast to the point where sand and grass meet. My first, second, third and 10th casts may be met with a thump, and the fish will never know I am there, something I could never pull off from a boat.

And few things trump my bottlenose dolphin buddy swimming by to say good morning. We have waded together for a decade now, and it quickly identifies me as the guy who feeds it sand trout, probably by the creaking sound of arthritis in my knees and the agitating topwater I habitually throw.

I show my appreciation by feeding it, and it counters by keeping sharks off my stringer. Many people spend hundreds of dollars to swim with a dolphin; I guess they do the same on a charter with me.

Resting against a South Texas mesquite and rattling two old, brazen white-tailed bucks from the brush is the land version of a sunrise wade for long lavender-backed specks. There is a matchlessness of being eye to eye with wildlife in their own domain, and the first time you see a school of two-foot trout swim past your legs, you’ll know why we Texans like to get wet.

Cast Topwater Lures When Wade Fishing

To say I enjoy fishing a topwater plug is like saying my retriever enjoys a fresh rib-eye, but not everyone was made to throw a topwater.

Walking-the-dog takes practice, patience and pragmatism. I have been accused of force-feeding MirrOlure She Pups or Heddon Super Spook Jr. lures to stubborn specks, but trout sometimes don’t want my candy bar.

I stuff a pack or two of soft plastics in my front pocket these days, in case the fish are avoiding the surface. Some of my most impressive stringers have come while jigging and bumping the bottom.

That leaves the middle of the water column. You’ve heard of suspending lures, haven’t you? Rest assured, these baits still catch plenty of specks.

Texas Wade Fishing Tackle

• Rods: 6-footer, rated for 14- to 34-ounce lures; 8- to 14-pound line.
• Reels: Shimano baitcaster or equivalent casting reel.
• Lines: 20- or 30-pound braided line.
• Leaders: 25-pound fluorocarbon.
• Lures: MirrOlure She Pup, Heddon Super Spook Jr., and Bass Assassin Chicken on a Chain 5-inch Saltwater Shad and 4-inch Sea Shad.

The post Tips for Texas Seatrout Wade Fishing appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.