Upper Laguna Madre

Reported by CAPT. RICHARD THOMPSON

Mother Nature Chills Out

 

MOST MORNINGS DURING this time of year we feel like kings and queens of the bay as we find ourselves all alone on the islands and shallow flats along the shorelines, as if we own all this vast beautiful water system. This description describes the scenario perfectly about fishing this time of year as most of your outdoorsmen are chasing their dream whitetails and we are left alone to chase our trophy trout. We saltwater anglers have waited patiently for the temperatures to start cooling off. The kiddos are now busy in extracurricular activities and sports as their poor parents are being dragged behind them across the state and sometimes nation, and the peace that surrounds us is in full swing.  

The most important change that occurs this time of year is Mother Nature producing low cool fronts and a few cold fronts and we take absolute advantage of this barometric pressure transition because below the water what you don’t see, are big game fish that are really hungry and are ready to eat what you are about to feed them. We want to ensure we capture this transition for you to the best of our experience and others that have come way before us and their methods that are tried and true. You can’t expect to be victorious if you don’t know what you don’t know. I particularly find this time to be one of the fondest as I have caught some real bruisers in my time and want to make sure I set you up for success just like my mentors did for me. 

As these fronts start rolling in more frequently and colder water temperatures start dropping and your shrimp and pinfish move out of the bay system, it’s time to start keying on your critical signs and patterns. 

Cold fronts offer new opportunities to target big trout and even bigger reds.
(Photo: Richard Thompson)

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Last year I wrote about the four signs that we really focus on and practice every time we are on the water. Not to be too repetitive, however, I feel like these are the keys to catching a really big trout and of course you can be pretty confident that really big redfish can be caught by watching the signs and performing the same process.

The first sign is one of the most important, which will line up the remaining three signs. The bottom. The presence of shells in the mud and grass is the ideal bottom as it warms up quicker when the sun comes out and it holds warmer water where your bait fish will congregate. 

The second sign is mullet, as it is the prime food source this time of the year. As the water temperature cools, the mullet are not nearly as active. Just one flip of a mullet is a good sign that you have mullet in the area and most likely trout are not far behind.  

The third sign you have to key in on are your major and minor feeding times which will tie into your tidal movement. Trout typically will feed during these hours of the day and more so during a summer pattern where they will feed throughout the entire day. We use a free app called hunting and fishing pro. We check it the night before, so we make sure not to be driving around scouting when the major and minors are going on. 

The final sign is deeper water access for these fish to seek refuge as the temperature drops during a front rolling through. 

Krystal and I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones and a very Merry Christmas! We encourage you to look us up, reach out, and we will help you give the gift that keeps on giving and the best present ever…a Trophy Trout mounted on your wall.