Favorite Wintertime Structure for Big Trout

I had a group recently who wanted to know what my favorite type of structure was for big trout. I didn’t have to think long and started with the statement that it would depend on the bay system and time of year I was fishing. One of them then chimed in with; “Well, what about wintertime?” That question led to this article.

The wind direction that morning was NE at 15, the air temperature was 49°, with 57° water temperature. Due to the wind direction and velocity during the night, I had decided to fish the northern portion of Aransas Bay. I like the possibilities our North Country provides in the types of bottom structure available as well as multiple areas that provide protection from strong northerly winds. I don’t like dead-low tides, but during frontal passages, hard-falling tides will sometimes produce outstanding fishing conditions.

Since we were fishing post-front and the water was still somewhat off-color and the tide still falling, I wanted to fish the scattered shell between the finger reefs of Carlos Bay and Cedar Reef. I like the clumps of shell that are scattered throughout the bellies between the fingers and along the outside edges of these reefs. What the scattered clumps of shell allow fish to do is blend in with the bottom and still stay somewhat suspended. When the water is moving over these shell clumps, larger trout can stage in the moving water and ambush prey as it is forced across the shallow guts between the fingers, and also the tops of the reefs themselves.

It can sometimes get too cold (in my opinion) to work areas with strong moving water but this was not the case on this day. I always explain to my anglers the importance of moving slowly when working shell. The noise we can create while crunching our way around a reef will spook fish. I try to position myself along edges or shallow drop-offs where the shell is more scattered, so I don’t make as much crunching noise. Drifting or using the troll motor to get as close as you feel comfortable is also an option.

I typically have a fairly good idea of the location the trout will be staging due to the number of years logged in these areas. Hurricane Harvey and overfishing by the oyster industry changed the production of the reefs, as well as the location fish are likely to stage. Noteworthy is that within the short span since the closure of oystering in this area I am already seeing a rebound in game fish production and the growth of the reefs. It’ll take years but we are well on our way.

When fishing the scattered clump shell areas, we must always be aware of lure location during the cast and retrieve. The reasoning behind this is that the trout are suspended around the clumps in the moving water and will often times simply rise up and hit the lure but not make much of an effort to chase the lure down if the lure is missed. Understand, they are not aware that it is a lure, they believe it is a fish of some type. If they knew it was a lure they would not try to eat it. I tell people all the time that the fish don’t know the lure is not real food until they get it in their mouth. Those few seconds when she has it and is trying to decide what it is is our window of opportunity. What we do in the next few seconds will make or break us but that is a whole other article.

It is also very important to understand lure drift when fishing moving water that meets fixed structure. The crowns of the reefs as well as the individual pieces of scattered clumps of shell do not move, so understanding where the current is going to take the lure is important, but it is even more critical that we establish where we need to cast to continually allow the current to take the lure.

Many years ago I had a sportswriter out for a morning of fishing with a few of my good clients and I had to explain this process to him so that he would be able to place the lure in an area up-current, that would create the proper drift down-current, to allow the lure to end up where the trout were staged. Inches can make or break the cast, as well as the speed at which we work the lure. It is still very rewarding for me to see anglers mastering this technique.

Throughout the morning we eased along the edges of the deeper guts between the finger reefs. Solid trout to nearly four pounds were encountered in areas where the current was increased due to the narrowing of the fingers or the change in contour of the reef fingers. Anytime we can find small hooks or doglegs in a reef there will be some fish some of the time.

As water moves into the bend of the reef it slows briefly before speed is increased as it moves over shallower waters. This slight decrease in current speed is a terrific area for larger trout to lie in ambush. On this day we stood in one small area up-current of a small hook in the reef and landed about ten solid trout. I had to bark a few times to those that were trying to push forward but they took it well and ended up understanding the need for being patient and waiting for the trout to reload in the area as fish were taken from it.

I explained as we stood there that if they looked around, they would be able to see other small areas along the fingers lying ahead that would likely also be holding fish. Remember, these fish are holding over the deeper water along the edges of the reef where scattered shell clumps are present versus the packed shell that exists on the fingers of the reef.

A few days ago I was in a small cove in one of our back bays, fishing a large area of scattered clump shell over soft, muddy bottom. In this situation, the clumps of shell are the only structure that the trout can set up on and try to blend into. Mullet were present but not active, so we had to be very patient and not push through the area to avoid blowing a potential bite. About an hour later I started noticing small mullet flipping at the surface. Just so you know, flipping mullet trump jumping mullet in my book. I instructed the guys to cast, when possible, to the areas where they saw a mullet flip. Within a few minutes we were hooked up with our first good trout. Throughout the remainder of the day, we slowly probed the area staying with the bait and steadily catching trout. The combination of the clump shell over the muddy bottom and a food source in place was the key to success.

Something to keep in mind here and often misunderstood; mullet are filter feeders and are attracted to softer mud bottom that is their food source in the colder months. Trout follow the mullet (food source) which is why they are often found over softer bottoms – contrary to the popular belief that they inhabit these areas because the water is warmer over mud. Yes, some areas of dark muddy bottom will create warmer water temperatures, but it is my experience that if there is no food available there will be few trout in the area. When we add scattered clumps of live oyster to the muddy bottom, the food sources that mullet are looking for are increased, I believe. That would be a great question for Dr. Greg Stunz.

 So, what lures do I throw when working these types of areas? Honestly my lure selection does not vary too much no mater where I am fishing. Saying that, I find that I can do most everything I need to do with a few Custom Corky Fat Boys, a Custom Corky Floater, a few Custom Corky Soft Dines, a Double D, and some MirrOlure 5” Provokers or Lil John XLs.

Many times I will start with a Lil John or Provoker so that I can get the lure low in the water column when water temperatures are below 53°. Soft plastic can be the best locater baits when we are faced with cold nights and heavily overcast skies. If I am seeing lots of bait activity I am probably going straight to a Double D or a Fat Boy, and working them more aggressively than many would believe might be effective in cold-water situations.

If I am receiving bites I will stay with the suspending/semi-floating lures all day. If the bite drops off and I am still seeing signs that bait is present, I will then go to soft plastic and start varying the speed of my retrieve and the action I impart.

Today the trout wanted our Boogie Man Soft Dine with a slow but deliberate lift-twitch-fall sequence. I vary speed until I can dial into how aggressively they want the lure presented. Toward afternoon the Soft Dine bite faded as the wind began to calm and the bait became less active, but we were still able to make them eat a soft plastic. I used what I call the dusting method to get the most bites. We would lightly dust the lure along the bottom all the way to the edges of the scattered shell, and then twitch the bait straight up off the bottom. The trout were holding tight to the shell clumps and as soon as the bait came near the shell we got bit. Good trout at that, some pushing 4 ½ pounds.

The pattern in the area we are fishing will change throughout the day, due to changes in the weather and current conditions, be they wind or tide generated. Be prepared to adapt. I find that I seldom leave an area once I establish it to be holding good trout.

In the winter months I believe it is imperative that we allow the day to develop around us . Do this and you will catch fish that you might not have known were present, and numbers that could shock you. When you hear stories of large numbers of large trout being caught, you might not want to believe the story. I promise many are true and all of the anglers that achieve this level of fishing allow the pattern to develop around them.

Happy New Year!