All people is aware of the Florida Keys are a well-liked winter escape. It’s logical — the farther south you go, the hotter it’s. However what many anglers miss is that this additionally applies to the southern coast of Texas. Actually, if you happen to take a look at a map, Texas dips even nearer to the Equator than Florida. The Lone Star State additionally provides some wonderful saltwater fishing, but it surely’s arguably most well-known for its trophy speckled seatrout. The perfect half is that the winter months aren’t a shoulder season for the heaviest hitters. February and March provide you with a few of the finest photographs at trout breaking the 30-inch mark.
My pal and proprietor of the looking and wading gear model Feral Ideas, Darren Jones, is a Texas native and former information. Regardless of the redfish, tarpon, and jacks that may be present in Southern Texas, Jones is a trout hunter by means of and thru. Should you’re on the lookout for an escape, he’s bought the within monitor on the winter scene. It’s world-class fishing, however there are some vital issues it’s essential to know.
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Entrance Loaded
Not like saltwater species resembling redfish, sheepshead, and snook that may transfer nicely offshore if water temperatures fall beneath acceptable ranges throughout the winter, seatrout are residence our bodies. 300 and sixty-five days a 12 months, Texas hotspots like Laguna Madre present targetable fish, and cooling waters get them fired up. Like many Southern coastal areas, nonetheless, climate is usually in flux throughout the winter months. Which means you want a little bit of luck in your facet to nail the timing.
“Fishing simply forward of a entrance will be one of the best,” Jones says. “I’ve caught quite a lot of large trout, together with my private finest, simply forward of a winter entrance. I’m fortunate as a result of I’m native, however I all the time inform folks coming down right here in winter from farther away, be ready to have not less than 4 days of fishing on the books. Should you land on the day of a entrance, the wind would possibly make it unattainable to get out, so that you’ll must let issues cool down earlier than you may even get on the water.”
Ideally, Jones needs to see water temperatures from the mid to low 60s into the excessive 50s. These will get the trout right into a winter sample and make their location a bit extra predictable. When the water cools, they’ll usually search out shallows with a darkish mud backside that retains extra warmth — and a entrance can put them there in a rush. Jones says water wherever from 6 inches to waist deep is most efficient. Your job is to come back ready for something from air temperatures within the 50s to 80s. Understand that the fishing is usually higher when the climate forces you to be rather less snug, particularly if you happen to’re wade fishing.
Focus Up
The Texas coast has practically 3,300 miles of shoreline, and all of it offers nice fishing. Jones factors out that regardless of the vastness of the coastal bays and estuaries, it shouldn’t be intimidating to out-of-state anglers pulling their boats down if boat can run in shallow water. One of many perks of fishing the Texas coast is the quantity of room to roam, however in winter, it’s useful to slim your focus.
“Catching massive Texas trout is lots like deer looking,” says Jones. “In the course of the winter, you’ll catch loads of them alongside the northern a part of the coast nearer to Galveston or Rockport. However in order for you a trophy, you need to be looking on the appropriate ranch. This time of 12 months, Corpus Christi south to Brownsville is actually the place you wish to be.”
In response to Jones, this stretch of coast has higher genetics for rising trout measuring north of 30 inches. The Decrease Laguna Madre additionally has the next salinity degree than the northern coast and a great deal of grass flats, which trout discover favorable. Provided that the southern a part of the Texas coast is sub-tropical, it would additionally rebound quicker from excessive chilly snaps.
Simply Beneath the Floor
One of many greatest benefits of chasing winter trout in Texas is that the fish aren’t torpid. Comparatively, southern lakes produce massive largemouths throughout the coldest months and the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi may give you photographs at redfish, however you’ll usually must decelerate shows to attach. Texas trout, in the meantime, stay in full assault mode, permitting you to aggressively work delicate plastics, subsurface plugs, and even topwater lures. Jones, nonetheless, says that whereas watching a trout smash a floor lure is a blast, it’s not essentially one of the best methodology for bagging a real goliath.
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“Jerkbaits just like the Rapala Shadow Rap are actually common within the winter,” he says. “You possibly can fish a bait like that in something from a foot-and-a-half of water to 4 toes of water as a result of it’ll dive however then float again up rapidly. You possibly can primarily fish it nearly like a topwater, however as a result of it’s not on the floor you get much more optimistic connections. Spooks and related lures are nice, however I name them heartbreak baits since you lose quite a lot of trout on them.”
Jones notes that fashionable lures like glide baits are additionally rising in reputation within the Texas trout sport. New lures just like the soft-plastic Berkley Nessie work very nicely as a result of you will get them to virtually hover in place over potholes and alongside flats drop-offs. The one hang-up with these baits is that they’re much less aerodynamic than extra conventional trout lures, which may make them tougher to ship to distant fish if you happen to occur to be coping with wind throughout your go to.
