Hooked Up: February 2026

Here we are again, another trip around the moon as the kids say, and we are smack dab in the middle of everything trophy trout fishing. I hope y’all have made the time to get out and enjoy it, learned some stuff the old-fashioned way, and had some Irish luck sticking a big one. We have been blessed to bring quite a few to hand already in 2026 and are looking forward to many more.

This month marks five years since the devastating freeze of 2021. Living it and breathing it every day has been quite the ride since that killer event passed and all those trout came floating to the surface. I guess about the only analogy I can make that even comes close would be watching your house burn down and not being able to do anything about it—such a sick feeling. The same as a home going up in flames, we knew it would have to be rebuilt, and that’s what so many have been doing up front and behind the scenes over these past five years. Like any remodel, you work with the good bones, tweak things that need to be improved, and modernize to improve function—not only for you, but also for the market.

Any and all of my “scientific knowledge” comes from the end of my Waterloo rod, meticulously maintained journals, and real-life conversations with people in the water as much as I am. I have some strong relationships with real scientists who live and breathe fish and help keep my rev limit safely below redline—and who are willing to answer questions that lie way above my pay grade. They get all the questions I can’t answer in my own head, and I function as their eyes out there on the daily. These relationships are duplicated many times over between concerned sportsmen, guides, and scientists up and down the coast. The point in telling y’all this is that there is a vast number of people working for the betterment of the saltwater fishery. The passion involved is impressive, and I am forever grateful for it—especially where we now stand five years down the road.

So, what are we now seeing? This time last year it became very obvious we were starting to see consistency in catching trophy-class fish again—i.e., the 8-pound range. It’s been a slow roll to get to this point, and one that couldn’t come soon enough. 2026 has been about the same as 2025 thus far, with about a half-dozen or so additional. A positive trend for my boat, and I know others are seeing about the same.

Interestingly, our numbers were down slightly at the end of 2025 for “average fish,” although I would tend to blame that on December’s unusually warm weather. Honestly, we had some days during that month that were so tough I had to keep myself out of my own head so as not to sink the ship… figuratively.

Big change—January’s consistently cooler water temps and lower tide levels have finally put us where we need to be, and the results have been greatly improved catching. For all the struggles we had not only finding consistently solid trout, baitfish were equally hard to put your eyes on. I make the grand assumption that trout are like me and aren’t wasting time at any restaurant that’s out of food! The good news is January showed a vast improvement across the board, and I’m optimistic for February and the rest of spring.

One other phenomenon I’m seeing in our waters—something I’ve never seen the likes of—is the amount of live grass throughout all waters in the Upper Laguna and Baffin that are shallow enough to grow it. Almost a wall-to-wall carpet. Frankly, I’m not accustomed to fishing these waters like this—I actually prefer a 50/50 mix of sand and grass. With so much grass acting as a bottom filter, our waters are staying air-clear much of the time. I’m more of a milky-green fan when it comes to water clarity for catching, and this air-clear water can make the bite very tough in low-wind conditions. So… praise this wind when it comes, and what used to be an excuse not to go is now every reason you need to be out there.

Remember the Buffalo!
 —Capt. David Rowsey