Reports & Forecasts: December 2022

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
James says the lingering hot, dry weather has improved the potential for catching in the upper portions of the Galveston Bay complex this fall. "Lately, we've been catching best in the northern end of Trinity. When the whole bay is salty, the fish move as far north as they can, anticipating the big fronts pushing all the bait out of the bayous, marshes and rivers, I guess. We have had some luck fishing in East Bay on the really good weather days. The fish over there are hanging around close to deep water too. We don't have many birds working yet, and I'm just now starting to catch a few trout with shrimp in their bellies, but the shrimp migration should start up any day now, and it might carry over into December this year. In some years, after a warm fall, the fishing under birds can be great in December. Other than that, I'll be keying on areas close to the mouths of bayous and drains as the year winds down. Normally, the catching is best on soft plastics and slow-sinking twitch baits this time of year. As always, moving water is a must. Late-afternoon hours often hold the best potential."

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Jim expects to be doing several different fun things in December. "I will be running some duck hunts, some hog hunts and some deer hunts. On some of those days, it will be a cast and blast thing. Fishing has been good lately. The backs of both Trinity and East bays have plenty of fish. The reds are pretty thick in the lakes lately. We've had some big bull tides. We're catching some trout in there with 'em too. You can catch 'em pretty much however you want. Topwater bite has been excellent. But you miss a bunch of fish, because the trout are running somewhat small, so they don't stick real good sometimes. The action should improve in other places by the time we get to December. It's a great month to wade some of the shorelines in the backs of the bays once the tide dumps out and the water cools down. Then, we catch some of the bigger trout wading in the late-afternoon hours, even staying out into the early parts of the night. Bite is usually best on twitch baits and soft plastics once that pattern develops. But we do have good topwater days late in the year too."

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Randall expects to be fishing in open water out in West Galveston Bay quite a bit in December. "Usually, by Thanksgiving, we have had enough strong cold fronts to push most of the fish out into the middle portions of the bay. When this happens, the fishing is usually best out of the boat. We key on areas with muddy streaks in the water, where we see rafts of mullet. Most of the time, we also find some terns, pelicans and cormorants in the area. When fishing this pattern, we use soft plastics like Norton Sand Eels mostly, rigging them on jigheads with enough weight to keep the lures pretty close to the bottom. Though this is the standard pattern in the early parts of winter, we also catch some quality trout and reds wading this time of year too, when the weather warms up some. Most of the best bite during the warm spells is around shell reefs. We catch most of our fish close to reefs, over a muddy bottom with scattered shell. Soft plastics on light heads work well for this plan, but slow-sinking twitch baits and topwaters draw the attention of the big trout better."

Matagorda | Bay Guide Service
Tommy Countz- 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037
Tommy mentions three main options for catching fish in the Matagorda area in December, each dependent on the weather. "When we have mild weather and light southeast winds, fishing out of the boat for trout in the middle portions of East Matagorda Bay can be great. We might have a few birds still working, but mainly, we key on muddy streaks in the water, and places where lots of mullet are jumping. When fishing this way, we throw soft plastics mostly, rigging them on jigheads heavy enough to allow us to maintain contact with the bottom. After a strong front passes through, and north winds are howling, the best bet is to head into the protected waters of the Colorado River. In there, we like to keep the boat in the deep parts and throw toward the edges, again mostly with soft plastics. Once the winds settle down some, we usually have low tides. That situation makes for great fishing in the coves and drains along the south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay. The low tides concentrate the reds in the guts, where we target them with spoons, soft plastics on light heads, twitch baits and topwaters, at times."

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com – 979.240.8204
The cooler temperatures we've had lately have kicked off some of the best fishing of the year. The reds have been thick in the local rivers, and on some of the bay shorelines, where they're chasing shrimp. In the rivers, we've been targeting them with live shrimp about three feet under popping corks, throwing around ditches, downed trees and rocks. When fishing bay shorelines, we've been throwing pearl and pumpkinseed/chartreuse colored paddletails for best results. Trout fishing has picked up some, with a better percentage of fish falling in the keeper slot. We're catching most of them on shorelines with lots of oysters on the bottom. White/chartreuse Gulp! shrimp rigged under popping corks have worked best for the trout. Fishing at night on the local piers has also been good, with lots of thirteen and fourteen-inch sand trout coming to hand. They're biting spec rigs in glow and pink. Sheepshead have shown up in the harbor in good numbers, around old pier poles and sunken sailboats. Fresh pieces of dead shrimp rigged on small J-hooks work best for folks who want to catch and eat some of these tasty fish. As with all winter months, smart anglers start with a search for bait activity.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434
Lynn expects to spend most or all of the month of December targeting big trout in the Port O'Connor area. "This is my favorite time of the year to go after the big trout. We like to start the day late. Most of the time, we don't even leave the dock until the middle of the morning. This is to let the sun heat up the flats a bit. Our best pattern for catching big trout around here involves finding some thick grass beds on shallow flats lying close to deep water. Once the sun heats up the grass beds and the surrounding muddy bottom, the big trout will move out of the depths and look for food around the grass beds. Most of the best areas have some scattered shell in the mud on the bottom near the grass beds. When we get some decent tide movement in the afternoon hours, under a bright sun, the potential for catching a big trout goes up significantly. On some of the warmest days, we do well on topwaters, but more of the time, we get more bites on slow-sinking twitch baits, like Paul Brown's Original Lure, which is my favorite."

Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service – 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Blake loves the Christmas month mostly because it's smack in the middle of cast and blast season. "This is a great month to start off the morning hunkered down in a brushed blind with a shotgun, calling at the ducks. We usually have a good variety of ducks in the Rockport area this time of year. Once the shooting stops in the middle of the morning, we pack up the hunting gear and grab the rods and reels. The fishing for both redfish and trout in the backwater areas where we hunt ducks is usually good in December. If the tide is high, the fish will scatter out and roam around some, so we key on bait to locate them, assuming we don't see them while we're moving around in the air boat. The bite can be good on topwaters during the warm spells, with higher tides.  When cold fronts come through and drop the tide levels and water temperatures, the fish usually retreat into the holes and guts in the marsh, and we target them in those places. Sometimes, the fishing is better on shorelines adjacent to the drains which connect the marshes to the main bays, especially when we're targeting trout specifically."

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata – [email protected] – 361.563.1160
In December, with the hunting seasons in full swing, the crowds on the water fall to some of the lowest levels all year. This makes for fun, quiet times for folks who venture out into the bays this month. With cooler water temperatures, the fish start slowing down some, but not as much as they do in the two months that follow. The fish tend to retreat into depths of at least five feet during the long, cold nights this time of year. While the sun rises, the shallows warm up, and the fish usually move toward the shorelines and the tops of the sand bars during the middle of the day, where it's easier to catch them by wading. This time of year, I like to throw Bass Assassin Sea Shads in colors like magic grass, opening night, salt & pepper/chartreuse and chicken on a chain rigged on sixteenth-ounce Spring-lock jigheads. These natural looking soft plastics draw the attention of both trout and reds. Best retrieve is usually pretty slow, maintaining regular contact with the bottom. If lots of floating or suspended grass becomes a problem, rigging the same soft plastics about fifteen inches under an Assassin Kwik Cork usually allows for coping well.

Corpus Christi / Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com – 361.877.1230
During the Christmas month, the fishing for trout and reds is often best out of the boat, Joe says. "We should have plenty of fish in the intracoastal waterway and in guts leading off the main ditch. When targeting fish in places like that, maintaining control of the boat and rigging soft plastics on jigheads of the proper size are critical. Most of the time, the best drill is to keep the boat out in the middle portions of a channel then throw toward the edge. On the warmest days, the fish often lurk right on top of the shallow sand bars lying beside the ditches. In colder weather, they usually retreat to deeper water, sometimes biting best at the bottom close to the face of the drop off. In relatively calm weather, with light currents running, jigheads as light as eighth-ounce will work, especially if the fish are on top of the bars. Stronger winds and currents dictate the use of heavier jigheads, up to a quarter-ounce or slightly more. Other areas which produce good catches of trout and reds this month include Emmord's and Beacroft's holes and the outer edges of the rock bars fronting the Kenedy Shoreline."

P. I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361-877-3583 | Oceanepics.com
Both red and black drum will be present in good numbers in the Texas surf in December. The oversized reds feed on mullet, whiting and blue crabs. Black drum feed mostly on crustaceans. On calm days, when the water runs clear, action with Florida pompano is usually excellent. Making long casts with dead shrimp or Fish-bites on 3/0 circle hooks provides the best chance at snagging some of these delicious fish. Catching trout in the surf this month is certainly hit or miss, but in some years, the action is incredible. The trout bite best on calmer days, when the water's clear. In the calmest conditions, slow-sinking twitch baits worked slowly work best. If the weather's warm, especially early in the month, expect a run of jackfish in the surf. They will take a variety of lures, and of course, live mullet. Big sandbar sharks should also be present. They'll take baits like whiting, sheepshead and small rays. Atlantic sharpnose sharks will be most abundant; they make fine table fare. Other possibilities include Spanish mackerel, bluefish and even tarpon. The macks and tarpon will readily take live mullet. All three species will bite lures like silver spoons and jigs.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431/Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000
This time of year, when the water cools off enough to motivate almost all of us to wear waders, the search for bait activity changes somewhat. During the cold season, the bait isn't as active, so anglers don't have to look for massive rafts of bait; seeing just a few signs of life can be good enough. Even a few mullet milling around and/or flipping at the surface should not be ignored. When drifting, the best bet is to keep the boat moving over the deeper potholes. Down south, areas like the Saucer and the Pipeline are good places to start. Up north, the deepest potholes close to the break around the Weather Station, Wagner's Bar, Jones Cut and the Game Warden's Shack produce well. When winds allow, wading the west shoreline north of town is always a good choice. Coming off strong north winds, the gut in the middle of Glady's Hole can be the best thing around. Sometimes, finding the fish takes patience, as they move up and down the edge in schools. Topwaters work well at times in December, but slow-sinking twitch baits are a better bet, as are soft plastics in natural colors like Flomingo, Bone Diamond, Pollo Loco and Lagunaflauge.

Lower Laguna Madre – South Padre – Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com – 956-639-1941
We have had good fishing in the Lower Laguna Madre lately, catching decent numbers of trout in three to four feet of water, mostly over a bottom of mixed sand and grass. Out in the deeper water, where the bottom has no grass, folks in their boats are catching a fair number of eighteen to twenty-inch trout mixed in with lots of dinks. KWiggler Mansfield Margarita Ball-tails rigged on quarter-ounce screw-lock heads have worked best for us when we're targeting the trout. Fishing for reds has also been steady, despite the bull tides, and should improve once the tide falls out for good. We've been catching most of our reds on shallow flats tight to shorelines, where the transition from grass to sand on the bottom creates a seam, or edge. Finding schools of mullet is the key to finding the reds. Early in the mornings, Spook Juniors in bone have worked great. Later in the days, KWiggler Ball-tails in plum/chartreuse rigged on eighth-ounce heads produce more strikes. Once the water cools down, we'll focus more on shallow flats with deep water close by, looking for fish to move into the shallows to warm up in the sun.