Fishing With Jack Frost

by Capt. Chris Martin
January 24, 2010

Wintertime fishing is a source of many good memories for a lot of coastal anglers, and marks some of the very best days of my professional fishing career. But even beyond recent years, I can still remember some quite successful cold weathered fishing outings from my boyhood days. You see, I was one of the fortunate ones whose dad had me fishing just about as soon as I could walk. I was introduced to the sport while using the basic green Zebco setup, but soon advanced to the level-wind class by mastering the art of casting artificial baits using the classic red Ambassadeur 5000 rig, by Abu Garcia. And what a rig it was. Over the years I became so comfortable with that setup that I could almost consistently place a lure inside a metal bucket at thirty yards. But that’s a story we can talk about at another time, perhaps. For now, let’s get back to cold water trout fishing. Even as a kid I would bundle-up in layer upon layer of warm clothing in order to brave the coldest times of the year out on the water with my Dad. We would drift the boat across deep water holes that held shell pads and other brief, yet seemingly un-noticeable, rises in the bay floor. The cold water fish usually came from the deep water just adjacent to the down-current side of the shell pad, or whatever type of structure we happened to be fishing at the time. Another favorite wintertime technique of his was to locate heavily-grassed areas along deep channels. He would place the boat almost at the bank of the channel thereby allowing us an ample casting range along the drop-off leading to the depths of the channel. We caught many a cold water fish this way, but at times it took a lot of intestinal fortitude and patience. You see, I learned at a very early age that fishing during wintertime meant you weren’t allowed to reel-in your lure just as fast as your little hands could turn the handles on the reel. Nope, if you wanted to catch fish when it was cold, you had to fish slowly (and I do mean slow).

Some folks say things never change. And as for wintertime fishing, they’re probably right. I still maintain, to this day, that if you’re going to be successful in cold water, you’re going to have to slow things down – your retrieve, your wade, and your casting pattern. So, next time you’re out on the water on a bone-chilling day, look for that one deep hole consisting of some known structure that you can slowly work your favorite bouncing plastic bait across. Another thing that seems to remain constant is the claim that it is imperative that the deep area in which you stop to fish must have an available supply of mullet. Many old salts will tell you that they won’t even stop the boat in a wintertime area if they don’t see mullet action. They’ll tell you that even though the preferred depth of water is inviting to the large trout, the large trout will look elsewhere unless there are large baitfish readily available. So, if you happened upon a nice catch the day before in a prime wintertime spot, but today the fish appear to have moved, don’t be alarmed. Weather patterns nudge fish from particular locations and baitfish may have been relocated by wind and tide. The relocation of the food source can be very subtle, yet illusive. Look within close proximity of where you fished yesterday, and more times than not you may just find that the fish have not moved far at all – look for the baitfish.

Winter months along our mid-coast region offer hit and miss opportunities for even the most avid trout enthusiast. Some of January’s prevailing weather conditions often dictate whether we even have a chance to get out on the water. This year’s cold weather has already been somewhat stronger than recent years, and we will probably find that the fish will no longer wish to linger in the shallows, not even during the warmer parts of the afternoon. The wintertime trout will be forced to go deep, and we will note trout successes primarily over shell and shell/mud mixes while offering plastic tails and darker selections of the Norton Sand Eel Junior. It’s only a guess of mine, but I predict that this month and next may mean that we may not experience the quantity of fish that we have previously grown accustomed to as of only a month ago, but that the size of the wintertime fish will not be affected in the least, meaning we may be in for some rather impressive catches of some really large wintertime trout. If you can plan to fish the days between the cold fronts and are able to take advantage of the calmer winds, you should find the fish if you setup a session or two atop or amidst your favorite shell pad or reef. But, if you’re still looking for that one catch-of-a-lifetime, don’t give up just yet, as the months of February and March aren’t far off either.
I hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas holiday. It will soon be time to put the guns away as the end of another hunting season rapidly approaches, and all of us here at Bay Flats Lodge wish you and yours a Happy New Year and an even better fishing season in 2010. Additionally, we want to remind everyone of the 2010 Winter Fishing Special for the months of January, February, and March when you and your guest(s) can fish at Bay Flats Lodge on San Antonio Bay and receive the Winter Fishing Special package at a tremendously discounted rate. In years past these dates have moved fast, so call 1-888-677-4868 to inquire or to book your spot early. Remember to practice CPR, “Catch, Photo, and Release”, whenever possible on trophy Trout and Reds…Guide Chris Martin, Port O’Connor/Seadrift region. www.BayFlatsLodge.com …1-888-677-4868