Trophy Trout Tips, Techniques & Locations texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout Since light-tackle angling began along the Texas coast, the redfish and speckled trout have been the king and queen of inshore fishing. Although redfish may be the favorite among the rank-and-file Texas coastal fisherman, when it comes to trophy fish aficionados, the speckled trout reigns supreme.
Perhaps it is because there are fewer 'sow' specks than 'bull' reds. Maybe it's due to teh fact the majority of trophy redfish are taken in deeper water in passes and along the beachfront while gator trout patrol the shallow flats and back lakes in bays across Texas. Whatever the reason, true trophy trout are considered a valued catch. In fact, there are revered by modern day coastal anglers as much as silver and gold was prized by the pirates who once plied these same waters.
Although arguments remain as to which Texas bay system is tops for trophy trout, big fish chasers agree - if you are on a trophy trout treasure hunt, you need to be on the Texas coast during spring.
Although much of the information you need to take trophy trout in Texas this spring is the same from one end of the coast to the other, there are local nuances. For instance, fishermen from the Lower Laguna Madre to Sabine Lake can expect most big trout to be found over muddy bottom through late spring, when they will begin to transition to sandy bottom areas. However, in the Lower Laguna, these mud flats are often covered with grass, whereas in Matagorda fishermen will be keying on shell and mud.
Another constant for spring big trout is water depth. Whereas the Lower Laguna averages a few feet, Galveston Bay has several areas of 15 feet or more in depth. But, when looking for big trout this time of year, fishermen on each of these bays will be fishing between knee- and waist-deep.
So, though much of the 'generalities' related to your trophy trout treasure hunt will remain constant, guides in every Texas bay have their own 'tricks' for taming trophy trout. Here's a few nuggets of advice from some of the best big trout guides in the Lone Star State. Although each guide is referring to how they fish their own bay system, a good deal of this information relative along the entire Texas coast.
Lower Laguna Madre South (Port Isabel/South Padre Island) - “When I'm looking for big trout during spring, I really like fishing those slick calm days when it gets foggy in the afternoon,' said Capt. Eddie Curry. 'When we have that happen, I'll be throwing big topwaters over on the west side. Big trout will be stacked up over the muddy bottom flats and the reduced visibility as a result of the fog will allow for a good topwater bite all day long.”
Lower Laguna Madre North (Port Mansfield) - “The key to finding these trout is finding mud,” advised Capt. Bruce Shuler. “That mud soaks up the heat and keeps the water a little bit warmer. For that same reason, I'll also spend a lot of time fishing the inside (east side) of the spoil islands, because they get more hours of sunlight and the water holds a little warmer on that side. Later in the morning and in the afternoon, you also want to look for those trout to get up on the flats and sun themselves”
Baffin Bay - “In the morning, we'll be fishing the deeper drops or mud or rocks with deeper water drops,” Capt. Jim Onderdonk said. “Areas like Starvation Point, East Kleburg, or Los Corrales are good areas to concentrate on during February. They have plenty of structure, mud bottoms and a combination of shallow and deep water kind of close to each other. Although we start out deep, as the sun comes up, we start working shallower. Depending on the day, we may work as shallow as knee deep.”
Upper Laguna Madre - 'When I'm looking for big trout in the Upper Laguna, I want three things - shell, green water, and mullet,' claimed Capt. Allen Sifford. 'You find those three ingredients together, there will be big trout in the area. You just need to have the patience to fish the area thoroughly. I usually like throwing topwaters. If you're throwing live bait - shrimp or croaker - once you start catching some fish, switch to a topwater. A lot of times there are so many smaller fish down deep fighting for the live bait that the bigger trout will kind of hang off to the side. But, if they're there, you can usually get 'em with a topwater.'
Port Aransas/Aransas Pass - 'I'll be fishing the shallow flats when I'm looking for 30-inch-plus specks,' offered Capt. Tom Hall. 'I will throw some topwaters, but once the shad show up in the bay, I'll start using live shad. When I'm fishing shad, I'll anchor up on grass flats with mud bottom in less than two feet of water. Then, I'll use a single hook - no weight, just the hook - and fish that shad over the grass. Often times, I'll start the day throwing topwaters. If I happen to have gotten a lot of blowups, but missed fish, in an area early, I'll go back to that same area later on with shad.'
Rockport - 'When I'm fishing for big trout, I'll concentrate in the back end of the bays,' said Capt. Jeff Steckler. 'The key is finding mullet. Even if you see bait that's not being pushed by fish, it's a good sign. Brown pelicans are also a good key. Anything you see that indicates there is bait in an area is a good sign. So, we'll run through likely spots looking for bait. When we find bait, we'll get out and wade.'
Port O'Connor - 'The water will be warming up a bit (during spring), so those trout will start moving off the mud and start getting up on the grass flats,' stated Capt. Lynn Smith. 'But, even though those fish will be moving up a little shallower, they still be staying pretty close to deep water. The best scenario is to find a shallow flat with some deeper guts intersecting it. Then, fish the shallow water adjacent to the guts.'
Matagorda - 'I'll be wading knee-deep mud in East Matagorda Bay,' said Capt. Bill Pustejovsky. 'Spring is a good time to catch big trout and I don't know any better way to catch big trout than wading knee-deep mud along the shorelines. The only thing that would change that is if we get some really low tides. When that tide drops out, those trout leave the shorelines - they're gone. Under that situation, the only way to catch them is to work the deeper mud and shell in the middle of the bay.'
Galveston - 'You can catch some really big trout wadefishing the shorelines in the Galveston complex,' said Capt. Michael LaRue. 'The key to finding these fish will be finding bait. You don't have to find lots of bait, but you need to see at least a few mullet moving around. If you're wading for 15 minutes and don't see at least a couple baitfish swirling or jumping, you need to get back in the boat and move.'
Sabine Lake - 'If we have a good, strong incoming tide during spring, it will push those shrimp in from the Gulf,' Capt. Randy Foreman stated. 'When that happens, those fish really turn on - especially on the south end of the lake. When they're (shrimp) here, glow is the color you want to throw.'
Regardless of what part of the Texas coast you're fishing, there are a few lures that should be considered standard issue when chasing trophy trout. For starters, big topwaters such as the Heddon Super Spook, MirroLure Top Dog and Bomber Saltwater Grade Walkie Talkie will produce solid specks from Sabine to South Padre. And, although it's seen relatively little use on the Texas coast since its release last year, the DOA BFL has quickly become a favorite trophy trout offering for those who have given it a cast.
Surface plugs aren't the only lures that will produce gator trout in Texas this time of year. In fact, a large percentage of trophy trout hunters prefer slow-sinking baits. The B&L Mfg. Corky is hands down the favorite slow-sinking plug from the mid-coast north. However, Mirrolure's Catch 5 and Catch 2000 also see their share of action. In Texas' two ultra-salty bays - Baffin and the Lower Laguna - these baits often have a difficult time sinking and performing as designed. In these waters, the DOA Baitbuster is a nice midrange baitfish imitation.
Soft-plastic fishermen have their choice of productive lures as well. Soft-plastic jerkbaits such as the DOA CAL Series jerkbait and Brown Lures' Devil Eye are among the most popular. DOA's 4-inch shrimp is a deadly lure for sight-casting to individual fish or into potholes. And, over the past year or so, swimbaits such as the YUM Money Minnow have been increasingly popular among the big trout clique.
Although there are no guarantees when chasing trophy trout, spring is the most opportune time for finding double-digit fish. Like any treasure hunt, a successful trophy trout treasure hunt boils down to a few simple ingredients - finding the right general area, using the right tools and having the patience to stick with it until the treasure reveals itself.
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