PORT O’CONNOR

Reported by CAPT. KIM GOULDEN

New Year, Same Fish Habits

 

 

THE PORT O’CONNOR area offers a strong winter fishery for speckled trout, redfish, black drum and flounder. The diverse structure and habitat of our protected back lakes and marshes can provide some hot action. 

With January comes consistently cooler air and water temperatures. Target species of speckled trout and redfish tend to be creatures of habit. 

Below are some tips that I hope will keep you consistently landing good fish this winter.

 1. Water Temperature 

While we can’t control water temperatures, we can be aware and use them to our advantage. 

In the coastal bend area, we are blessed with an extensive back lakes and marsh fishery. The bottom in these areas tends to be softer with a combination of soft sand and mud. These protected areas with softer terrain hold heat well from sunlight, whereas hard sand tends to allow the heat to escape at night. Bait fish will seek out this warmer, protected water and game fish will not be far behind.

With January comes consistently cooler air and water temperatures. Speckled trout and redfish tend to be creatures of habit. 
(Photo: Kim Goulden)

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Areas with hard sand and scattered grass beds will warm up quickly once the sun is up. Keep those in mind on days we have a warming trend. 

2. Bait Presence

Once our water temperatures sustain below 70 degrees, most of our summer baitfish and shrimp leave the shallow flats. Mullet becomes the major food source for our winter fishery. Because of this, I want to see some finger-sized mullet flipping before I commit to a wade. There needs to be something on the buffet for the game fish to hang around. 

3. Structure

With cooler water temperatures and mullet as the main bait source, focusing on the following areas should get you on your way to consistently landing fish:

Soft bottom

Protected water

Leeward drop-offs/depth changes

Windward coves

Pinch points: Guts in close proximity to marsh/back lake areas

Winter Fishing Tip: Present your lure through the entire water column, top to bottom. 

I hope you can find some time to fish the Port O’Connor area of the Texas coastal bend area this winter. Please be kind on the water and I hope to see you out there!