ROCKPORT

Reported by CAPT. JARED McCULLOCH

New Year, New Tactics?

 

 

WHAT AN ODD START to the fall and following into winter. Tides staying high into the start of duck season. I can only guess that the birds were staring at their maps questioning why the back lakes looked so different! But late high water hanging out is only a benefit to fishermen. 

If you had been pulling hooks from a bunch of mouths in early November, most red fish caught had pretty sharp teeth. Signs of being fresh to the flats and back lakes meaning we are headed into a plentiful winter as they stacked up from the deep water. But now it’s January, the heart of winter. Low water, sparse grass, guts and ledges hold good fish. A simple cut mullet can quickly become your best friend if you’re staying in your boat. The water is cold enough that the majority of perch have retreated to deeper water, so your live shrimp stand a chance of finding the mouth of a tasty fish. Dirty water and shrimp go hand in hand especially around reefs. 

Everything from trout to reds, drum, even your smiling sheepshead are hanging out mid-day around a big reef. Play the tide charts to your benefit. Big drops force as many fish off the flats into guts and ledges. For the wade fishermen a lot can be the same. Working guts or deeper outflows from the back lakes with smaller slow sinking lures can be the cat’s meow. A simple day with low walking and excellent turnout. 

My favorite winter lure is a 3” D.O.A. C.A.L. in stark naked. Pair it with a short hook 1/8oz or 1/16oz for thicker grass. Slow retrieves, watch for the take on the fall instead of the twitch. Remember, the water is cold, and the fish won’t be as hyper, but they still want to eat. Don’t discount simple colored speck rigs. 

I have a group of guys that like to come down on short notice right after a hard front every year and all they throw are speck rigs from my boat and boy can they clean up. Just because it’s an outdated lure doesn’t mean it’s worthless. They figured out a good little combo of watching the weather this time of year and lures they really like to maximize their shot at phenomenal days of fishing. 

Finding a couple of scenarios you can repeat over and over can really maximize your fishing and cut down on the searching this time of year.

 

 

 

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