Reports & Forecasts: February 2022

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com – 409.935.7242
In February, James prefers wading as much of the time as possible, with a focus on catching some of the bigger trout in the Galveston Bay system. “Wading works great on lots of days in February. In West Bay, days with a steady flow of southeast and east wind push plenty of water onto the shorelines, and the mullet and trout often move into the shallows. Fishing in the afternoons can be really good in such scenarios. If the water's stupid clear, fishing late in the afternoon and right around dark can be better than fishing during the bright part of the day. Old school 51M MirrOlures work great on steady, straight retrieves for wading anglers, and the MirrOdines and other slow-sinking twitch-baits attract plenty of attention from the trout too. Of course, after fronts roll through and blow the tide out, the fishing is still better out in the middle, just as it is in the other winter months. Out there, we look for muddy streaks in the clear water, also areas where we see lots of mullet jumping. 52M MirrOlures and Bass Assassin Sea Shads on light jigheads work well for fishing out of the boat.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service – 409.996.3054
In February, Jim mentions a kind of shift in the fishing. At least in most years, this is the case. “In a typical February, we usually start the month off fishing in ways that are typical for December and January. Meaning we stay in the bayous and marshes a lot, throwing at the fish in the deeper holes. We also focus on shorelines adjacent to where drains empty the marshes into the main bays. When the tide level falls really low, this can be a great plan. We fish out in the middle a lot too, around the main reefs, keying on mud stirs and places where we find plenty of bait. Fishing is often best during the warmest parts of the days. But as we get to the end of February, the weather is normally warmer more of the time, and the pattern shifts over to a focus more on wading. As we get close to the beginning of March, we do best on days when the tide is fairly high and the wind is blowing steadily, with a lot of east in it. We catch 'em good in the afternoons, then, along shorelines in both East and Trinity bays.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 – 979.864.9323
February is a great month to fish in the bays and estuaries around San Luis Pass, Randall says. “With very few shrimp in the bays, we focus mostly on finding mullet, which the trout and reds mainly feed on in February. When the weather is nice and warm, finding concentrations of mullet in big rafts can be necessary. When it's colder, finding just a few can lead to the mother lode. In almost all cases, we're fishing around oyster shell this time of year, sometimes near full-fledged reefs, other times, over a muddy bottom with some shell scattered around here and there. Both Norton Sand Eel Juniors and Bull Minnows work well in such places. Normally, we rig them on light jigheads, either eighth or sixteenth-ounce, when we're wading, and slightly heavier ones when we're fishing out of the boat and/or when it's windy. When possible, normally meaning when tides are high and water temps are warm for winter, we'll be doing some wading, throwing slow-sinking twitch-baits like Paul Brown Lures to try and catch some of the bigger trout. Topwaters work well at times too, usually when we see lots of mullet jumping around us.”

Matagorda | Bay Guide Service
Tommy Countz - 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037
Tommy regards February as one of the top months for fishing the Matagorda area. “The place to be for most folks is the south shoreline of East Bay. Lots of big trout come out of that part of this bay system this time of year, many of them caught on Paul Brown Lures in the afternoon hours. If the tide is lower, fishing for big trout in East Bay can be better close to the ICW, or out in the middle. If we're drifting, we're throwing paddletails on fairly heavy jigheads and keeping them close to or in contact with the bottom. Finding some kind of dirty water is the key to locating the fish out there. Ideally, the wind allows for making long drifts through a mud streak. Patience is a key on all these kinds of fishing. We also have fish in the river and in the Diversion Channel, especially when it's cold. In those locations, throwing lures like Hogie split-tails works great, on heavier jigheads, to deal with the depth and the currents. Over in West Bay, fishing for reds can be outstanding, with good topwater action when it's warm, better luck on spoons in the guts when it's cold.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com – 979.240.8204
Despite well above average temperatures lingering well into the coldest season, fishing remains great in our local bays lately. We've been fishing places we normally use during the fall and finding plenty of fish in them. Our trout have been holding over shell and mud in three to five feet of water along area shorelines, and we're catching them best using three-inch white Gulp! shrimp dangled about two feet under popping corks. Our topwater bite has been good during the warmest weather, with SkitterWalks in pink/chrome and pearl producing best. The redfish are still schooled up and chasing shrimp. We're throwing small paddletails like Cajun matrix shad in natural and clear colors rigged on eighth-ounce heads for best results. The reds are also taking topwaters some of the time, mostly ShePups in pink/chrome and chartreuse/chrome. On the local piers, fishing at night has been fantastic for fat sand trout and small keeper specks. H&H speck rigs in glow shad have worked the best by far. On good nights, we're catching two fish at a time. The best nights have been in the middle of the week, either early or late, when foot traffic on the piers is light.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service – 361.983.4434
Lynn mentions several keys to catching fish in the Port O'Connor area during the last full month of winter. “We like to focus on areas with a good mix of mud, grass and scattered shell on the bottom. Most of the best areas have ample shallow parts, but lie close to deeper guts or deeper basins, where the fish can retreat when cold weather comes. Normally, on outings this time of year, we wait until the middle of the morning to head out, so the sun can heat up the shallows some. Most of our best bite happens in the afternoon hours in February. One of the best scenarios of all happens on a sunny afternoon, when the tide starts moving out late in the day, spilling warm water out of the coves, through the drains and into the main parts of the bays. The action can be awesome for bigger than average trout and plenty of slot reds in a scenario like that. If the weather's warm enough, and water temps rise into the sixties, topwaters will work well, but more of the time, we're throwing slow-sinking twitch-baits and working them with the current, or at least crossways to the current, for best results.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
With the cast and blast season winding down and ending, Blake gets back to fishing more of the time in February. “We have had a good winter catching both trout and reds so far, and normally, February is a great month to target both species in the bays of the Coastal Bend. If we're after reds, we usually find our way into the back lakes and marshes, where we spent plenty of time hunkered down in duck blinds in recent months. By February, I've done so much running around in the air boat in some of these areas that I have a really good idea where to find some schools of reds. If we're after trout, we spend more time fishing along shorelines in the main bays, in places close to where drains funnel water into and out of the backwater areas, especially in areas with muddy bottoms and some reefs, or at least scattered shell on the bottom. Topwaters will work great at times this month, especially on cloudy or foggy days during warm spells, but we catch better on soft plastics more of the time. I'm never without my trusty dark Norton Sand Eels with chartreuse tails.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata – [email protected] – 361.563.1160
Wading is the best plan for anglers targeting big trout and reds in the Corpus Christi area in February, and wearing ForEverLast RayGuards is a must, since the stingrays tend to occur in the same places as the desired fish. Low water temps during the nights this month tend to drive fish into deeper holes and guts, but they move back into shallower water during the day as the sun warms things up. The fish tend to move quite slowly this time of year, and I like to do the same, creeping along and making lots of long casts, covering all the water around me as thoroughly as possible. I use slow retrieves, basically dragging Bass Assassin Die Dappers or four-inch Sea Shads on eighth or sixteenth-ounce heads right on the bottom. On windy days, I increase the size of the jighead to quarter-ounce, to keep the lures low in the water column. I focus mostly on areas with scattered potholes and grassy edges. Braided lines and fluorocarbon leaders help in the detection of light bites. Sight-casting both red and black drum on sunny days in the shallows with shrimp-flavored Fish-bites is another way to make February outings pay.

Corpus Christi / Joe Mendez—www.sightcast1.com—361.877.1230
“After the freeze, the potential for catching monster trout isn't the same as it was in the good ol' days, but people still catch some big trout around here this time of year. In the clear water, it's even possible to sight-cast them at times. Best conditions for that occur on bright, sunny days when the water's warming up after a cold front. While winds still blow with medium strength out of the north, the glare on the water is reduced to nearly nothing, and seeing the fish becomes easier. Because their backs are dark, trout are easier to see over a bright bottom, meaning sand, mostly. When looking for them on the flats, anglers should focus on potholes which break up the grassy bottom. After seeing a big trout, the best way to catch it is often to throw a lure like a paddletail well past the fish, out in front of its face, then bring the lure slowly into its view, keeping it moving straight and steady. If a couple casts of that type don't produce a strike, changing up the speed with some starts and stops right in front of the fish can work to trigger a bite.”

P. I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361-877-3583 | Oceanepics.com
Our unpredictable cycle for the Texas surf continues into 2022. We started January with some of the warmest winter surf temps on record. The talk of the town is undoubtedly the incredible pompano bite. Waves and waves of the tasty fish keep flowing in after each cold front. I personally have been targeting them with Coquina Sunrise leaders from Catchsharks.com and shrimp, Fish-bites, or both. Areas with good water clarity produce best, and most of the fish come out of the second gut. Redfish of all sizes are also in the surf. Warmer days favor slot specimens; colder conditions, more oversized ones. Large baits like whiting or horse mullet tend to attract the attention of bulls. Black drum and sheepshead also readily bite shrimp in the surf this time of year. Big trout are close to the beach on some days. They take slow-sinking twitch baits, but have been biting silver Johnson spoons better on warm days lately. Expect both blacktip and sandbar sharks to be present during the coming month, the smaller blacktips more of the time, the bigger sandbars during cold snaps. As long as the water temps stay above 60, expect some solid surf action.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431
Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000
Though the weather has been warm so far this winter, we remember what happened last February. We have our fingers crossed we don't get another big chill like that, as it really took a toll on the trout population. During February, we tend to target our fish in places relatively close to deep water. South of town, we like to fish the Saucer, behind the cabins. Perhaps a better idea is to stay in the deeper waters east of Bennie's Island, all the way to the Pipeline. The potholes in that area tend to hold plenty of both trout and redfish when the weather's cold, and catching big numbers is possible on some days. From the Pipeline back to the East Cut also has potential, especially close to the deep waters of the Cut. West Bay has been slow lately with the low tides, and can be difficult to access in such conditions. Up north, the stretch between Butcher's and Corties has great potential; fish tend to hang on the break from the shallows into deeper water. The potholes around Jones Cut also provide fast catching at times. And in the first three months of the year, Gladys Hole produces great days.

Lower Laguna Madre—South Padre—Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com – 956-639-1941
While temperatures in South Texas remained so high throughout the early part of the winter, fishing proved a bit sluggish in the Lower Laguna Madre, but things have taken a turn for the better now that the water has cooled down somewhat. We've been targeting trout in about three to four feet of water, using KWiggler Ball Tails in colors like plum/chartreuse rigged on eighth-ounce screw-lock jigheads. Most of the fish are hanging around large sandy pockets on the bottom, which have been easy to see in the clear water. Best retrieves have been slow overall, with the lure making some contact with the bottom, occasionally hopped up and down with sharp twitches of the rod tip. We're catching better numbers of redfish than trout, focusing on shallow shorelines, where the water is less than two feet deep. On sunny days, topwaters are working well to get their attention, especially the bone-colored Spook Juniors. We have still been putting single hooks on them, to cope with the floating and suspended grass. When the fish stop blowing up on the topwaters, we're doing better throwing Willow Tails rigged on sixteenth-ounce heads and working them steadily over areas with grassy bottoms.