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Reports & Forecasts: Dec 2012
Lake Calcasieu Louisiana
Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268
Calcasieu should be great. We are starting to catch some really nice trout throughout the estuary. West Cove and Joe's Cove are starting to produce some numbers of five to seven pound fish. We've caught nothing huge yet, but they're on the way. By December, we will find most of our big trout on flats and on reefs in less than four feet of water. On colder days, fish them slowly with Corkies and MirrOdines. On warmer days, when the sun is high, try topwaters in shin deep water worked very slowly. Also try floating Corkies. Redfish will be plentiful on the east bank and at the weirs. Look for slicks along the bank, and this will show you where the reds are. Keep in mind that it could be trout, so be very cautious and quiet when approaching. Redfish love Gulp! lures, and they usually produce well, but if it's extremely cold, try cut mullet or dead shrimp to entice a bite from the lethargic fish.
Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
November was starting off with a bang when James gave this report. We're crushin' 'em, just crushin' 'em. Have had limits of trout every time for the last 9 or 10 trips. Lots of quality fish coming in too, in the 25 to 27 inch class. Not many over 7 pounds, but plenty of 5 and 6 pounders. We are wading more now, and we've caught some fish that way, but we've been catching most of the bigger trout in water that's barely too deep to wade. Just trolling along in depths of about 4 feet. Best bite lately has been on 10W40 Bass Assassin Sea Shads and also the purple/chartreuse color. I've been catching fish on a white/silver Top Dog Junior on days when the topwater bite is good. We've also been on some big schools of reds, mostly oversized fish, up to 44 inches. Right now, there are multiple patterns producing, everything from wading up shallow to fishing deep water in the middle. If this is any indication of what we can expect in December, it should be awesome. Wading is usually great towards the end of the year.
Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Hunt when the weather's bad, fish when it's good. This is the rule I live by in December, Jim says. Actually, once the water cools off, the clarity tends to stay a little better, even if it's kind of windy. So, there are a few more days when the fishing is worth the effort. We've been doing real well lately when wading. It's a typical fall pattern, The upper parts of Trinity, Upper Galveston and East Bays are all full of fish. Some of the trout are big. I had a reliable report of a trout close to 30 inches caught on the north shoreline of East Bay just the other day. It bit a Corky right at dusk. Fishing is predictably better late in the afternoon and into the evening this time of year. I will often adjust my charter times to take advantage of the good late bite, leaving the dock around eleven or so in the morning and fishing into the early part of the night. The birds are working already, and that should continue too. There are plenty of school trout under the flocks, and some herds of reds too. Speaking of birds, we've got plenty of ducks, and that brings me back around to my rule. I'll be hunkered down in a blind calling ducks when the weather's nasty.
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Fishing had been excellent for redfish in the days prior to Randall submitting this report. We've got lots of reds right now, and they're easy to catch. They're shallow and we're seeing them before we cast to them much of the time. I believe you could catch some with a cane pole at times! Just yesterday, I saw and caught a fish that wasn't more than 10 feet off the bow of the boat. It was fun to watch it strike. The trout fishing is starting to pick up too, and it should only get better as it gets colder. We do best in the upcoming months when the cold weather makes the patterns more predictable. Strong fronts will push the shrimp out of the marsh; we're already seeing some signs of that. Moving shrimp means working birds. We'll target our trout in a little deeper water if it's cold, meaning waist-deep or so. Normally, toward the end of December, we'll start fishing the open-water areas in depths of 5 to 10 feet, focusing on areas with shell scattered on a muddy bottom.
Matagorda | Tommy Countz
Bay Guide Service -979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037
As always, the Matagorda area offers plenty of options for fishing in the month of December. Mostly, our fishing is weather-dependent this time of year. Normally, in the first couple of weeks of December, we'll have working birds and we'll target the flocks. That's already under way. Later in the month, when we're fishing in East Bay, we'll make long drifts in the middle, looking for muddy streaks in the water and throwing heavier jigheads to tickle the shell on the bottom. Bright colors work best out there. If it's colder and windier, we'll fish the river more often. I think we might be on the verge of one of the best years in there in a long time. We're already catching some quality trout up north of town. When fishing that pattern, we'll use MirrOlures and soft plastics in bright colors, normally on three-eighth ounce jigheads. Controlling the boat with a trolling motor and keeping it away from the ledges is a key to catching. Another great option is working the coves in West Bay for reds when the tide is really low after a front.
Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
Fishing has remained consistent in our local bays for all species of fish. We have been catching lots of fish by drifting over shell with live shrimp or Gulp! products rigged about two feet under popping corks. Redfish from twenty to twenty four inches, black drum from sixteen to twenty inches, flounder from sixteen to eighteen inches, and some good-sized sand trout up to sixteen inches have been filling our boxes. December will have us focusing on shorelines with lots of mud and shell and targeting schools of mullet. The number one key to wintertime fishing in my opinion is finding bait; when you find mullet jumping, stop and fish around them, and you will likely catch some good fish. Some of my favorite lures for wintertime fishing are suspending baits such as Paul Brown Fat Boys and MirrOlure Catch 2000s. Slowly pulling these lures over scattered shell and waiting for the tell-tale thump" is one of my favorite ways to fish.
Port O'Connor | Lynn Smith - Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434
Fishing between the fronts this month, Lynn prefers to leave the dock later and stay out into the afternoon hours. We'll be wading flats with a lot of muddy areas, focusing on spots with some scattered shell on the bottom. Normally, we won't leave the dock until 10 o'clock or so. I like to let the heat of the day warm the flats up a little before we head out. We'll be throwing a lot of slow-sinking twitch baits like Paul Brown's Original Lures. They work well when slowly wobbled through the soft potholes. If the bite is slower, we'll use dark soft plastics mostly. My favorite colors are red shad and pumpkinseed/chartreuse. We rig them on light jigheads this time of year, since we're usually wading and fishing somewhat shallow. Our target will be big trout, but we will also expect to catch some reds while we are fishing these patterns. As always in winter, we'll fish areas which are close to drop-offs. The trout seem to want to be close to the safety of the deeper water when it's cold.
Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Cast and blast season will be in full swing throughout December, and Blake will be busy using both the shotguns and the rods and reels. I'll be hunting ducks in the mornings, mostly in the back lakes fairly close to town in Rockport. We'll fish our way out when the shooting stops. Sometimes, the fishing is good in the deeper parts of the lakes, especially for reds. If it's colder, some of the holes in the bayous produce well. Normally, I like to fish areas with a soft bottom this time of year, but if it's warmer than usual, I will still target areas with a lot of sand and grass. Mostly, we'll throw Norton Sand Eels in pumpkinseed/chartreuse and plum/chartreuse. I'll also spend some time throwing topwaters in knee-deep water during the warmer periods. Overall, it looks promising on all fronts. The trout fishing has been steady all year, and this is usually one of the best months for the big fish. And we are starting to see plenty of ducks now that we've had a couple of significant cold fronts.
Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata [email protected] - 361.563.1160
Looking at my fishing logs for the last couple of years for the month of December, I see that the weather here was not seasonably cold, windy and rainy. The weather was actually mild, except for a few short periods of cold temperatures. During those cold snaps, the water temperatures did get pretty cold, but only for a few days. If the weather is the same again this year, the trout will prefer depths of three to four feet with soft bottoms and/or dark, grassy bottoms with adjacent shallow areas which have a mixture of sand and gravel. When the fish are in this deeper water, I like to use the eighth-ounce Spring Lock jigheads rigged with morning glory/chartreuse Bass Assassin Die Dappers or Berkley Gulp Ripple Mullets. If the bait fish move up in shallow water, the trout will follow, and I will switch to bone diamond or pumpkinseed/chartreuse Bass Assassins and sixteenth-ounce jigheads. My logs also show there will probably be many reds and black drum on shallow, sandy flats wanting to eat the shrimp or crab-flavored Fish Bites being offered.
Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961
Joe says his fishing efforts, preferences and strategies will largely depend on the weather in December. If it's a cold one, I'll be staying around the edges of the channels, targeting redfish, trout and flounder with soft plastics cast along the main drop offs and ledges. The main channel of the ICW will produce fine, as will many of the shallower ones which intersect it, like those on both sides of the JFK Causeway. Remember to match the jighead size to the conditions, using lighter heads when winds aren't blowing as hard, and heavier ones when it's windy. If the weather is warmer, I'll be working shallower water on the flats adjacent to deep holes like Emmord's and Beacroft's, hoping to locate drum, trout and redfish. Normally, we will be able to see the fish if they move into the shallows, since the water is clear much of the time. If so, catching them on soft plastics reeled steadily in front of their noses is usually possible. Catching them on flies is not too difficult some of the time.
Padre Island National Seashore
Billy Sandifer - Padre Island Safaris - 361.937.8446
December is the month of the Florida pompano along the PINS beaches. Pink or green Fishbites combined with a thumbnail-sized piece of fresh dead shrimp will produce the best catches. Pompano are delicious and the most expensive food fish in North America and are usually grilled or baked in aluminum foil. Big whiting and slot and oversized redfish will also be in very good supply along with lesser numbers of black drum and sheepshead. Sharks are hit and miss during the winter months; with various species available when they are present. Each year is different concerning their presence and it cant be second guessed. There might be a trophy trout or two but be ready for a long day grinding it out with 51 and 52 MirrOlures of various colors. Speed limit is 25 mph. Beach driving is not dependable and will change often. DO NOT go down-island if you know there is a cold front due or in progress. Fish the calm periods between cold fronts. Happy Holidays!
Port Mansfield | Terry Neal
www.terrynealcharters.com 956.944.2559
Its easy to get discouraged when late summer fishing reports are all gloom and doom; but I say its Mother Nature protecting the fishery. Its a natural cycle. The pressure is now much reduced and the fishing is better by the day. We are getting beautiful mornings with almost no wind. Of course we need a little breeze to put a ripple on the water. (Never satisfied.) Late-fall and winter will give us great fishing but you have to catch the northers right. South Texas usually has mild winter weather and the fish will drop off to deeper water as the water temps begin to cool, then back up on the flats as it warms up. Target them where the flats drop away to waist-deep. Wader season is here. Check for leaks before you go and also that no critter has made a home in there. December and January are great for cast-n-blast, bring a shotgun and bag ducks in the morning and catch fish in the afternoon. Its all about fun and making memories. Keep what you will eat; release the rest.
Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Janie and Fred Petty www.fishingwithpettys.com 956.943.2747
This is the time of year we love to fishthe bay is practically empty of boat traffic, compared to other months. Its like getting a Christmas present from all the deer hunters who are in blinds instead of out on the water. This is also the season when schools of big reds have just spawned and are hanging out close to the passes. Trout are putting on their winter weight and trophy catches are possible when conditions are right. Freddy says, Catching fish on artificial lures is exciting and requires a certain level of skill. When casting in shallow water, its important to get it out there away from the boat, because fish can see you. They also have a lateral line on the side of their body thats like sonar, so they can feel the boat approaching and will move around it. We use light spinning reels with Power Pro fifteen-pound test braided line, on a seven foot medium-action rod to pop Berkley Gulp! shrimp under Cajun Thunder corks. United, we can stop open bay dredge disposal.
Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268
Calcasieu should be great. We are starting to catch some really nice trout throughout the estuary. West Cove and Joe's Cove are starting to produce some numbers of five to seven pound fish. We've caught nothing huge yet, but they're on the way. By December, we will find most of our big trout on flats and on reefs in less than four feet of water. On colder days, fish them slowly with Corkies and MirrOdines. On warmer days, when the sun is high, try topwaters in shin deep water worked very slowly. Also try floating Corkies. Redfish will be plentiful on the east bank and at the weirs. Look for slicks along the bank, and this will show you where the reds are. Keep in mind that it could be trout, so be very cautious and quiet when approaching. Redfish love Gulp! lures, and they usually produce well, but if it's extremely cold, try cut mullet or dead shrimp to entice a bite from the lethargic fish.
Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
November was starting off with a bang when James gave this report. We're crushin' 'em, just crushin' 'em. Have had limits of trout every time for the last 9 or 10 trips. Lots of quality fish coming in too, in the 25 to 27 inch class. Not many over 7 pounds, but plenty of 5 and 6 pounders. We are wading more now, and we've caught some fish that way, but we've been catching most of the bigger trout in water that's barely too deep to wade. Just trolling along in depths of about 4 feet. Best bite lately has been on 10W40 Bass Assassin Sea Shads and also the purple/chartreuse color. I've been catching fish on a white/silver Top Dog Junior on days when the topwater bite is good. We've also been on some big schools of reds, mostly oversized fish, up to 44 inches. Right now, there are multiple patterns producing, everything from wading up shallow to fishing deep water in the middle. If this is any indication of what we can expect in December, it should be awesome. Wading is usually great towards the end of the year.
Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Hunt when the weather's bad, fish when it's good. This is the rule I live by in December, Jim says. Actually, once the water cools off, the clarity tends to stay a little better, even if it's kind of windy. So, there are a few more days when the fishing is worth the effort. We've been doing real well lately when wading. It's a typical fall pattern, The upper parts of Trinity, Upper Galveston and East Bays are all full of fish. Some of the trout are big. I had a reliable report of a trout close to 30 inches caught on the north shoreline of East Bay just the other day. It bit a Corky right at dusk. Fishing is predictably better late in the afternoon and into the evening this time of year. I will often adjust my charter times to take advantage of the good late bite, leaving the dock around eleven or so in the morning and fishing into the early part of the night. The birds are working already, and that should continue too. There are plenty of school trout under the flocks, and some herds of reds too. Speaking of birds, we've got plenty of ducks, and that brings me back around to my rule. I'll be hunkered down in a blind calling ducks when the weather's nasty.
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Fishing had been excellent for redfish in the days prior to Randall submitting this report. We've got lots of reds right now, and they're easy to catch. They're shallow and we're seeing them before we cast to them much of the time. I believe you could catch some with a cane pole at times! Just yesterday, I saw and caught a fish that wasn't more than 10 feet off the bow of the boat. It was fun to watch it strike. The trout fishing is starting to pick up too, and it should only get better as it gets colder. We do best in the upcoming months when the cold weather makes the patterns more predictable. Strong fronts will push the shrimp out of the marsh; we're already seeing some signs of that. Moving shrimp means working birds. We'll target our trout in a little deeper water if it's cold, meaning waist-deep or so. Normally, toward the end of December, we'll start fishing the open-water areas in depths of 5 to 10 feet, focusing on areas with shell scattered on a muddy bottom.
Matagorda | Tommy Countz
Bay Guide Service -979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037
As always, the Matagorda area offers plenty of options for fishing in the month of December. Mostly, our fishing is weather-dependent this time of year. Normally, in the first couple of weeks of December, we'll have working birds and we'll target the flocks. That's already under way. Later in the month, when we're fishing in East Bay, we'll make long drifts in the middle, looking for muddy streaks in the water and throwing heavier jigheads to tickle the shell on the bottom. Bright colors work best out there. If it's colder and windier, we'll fish the river more often. I think we might be on the verge of one of the best years in there in a long time. We're already catching some quality trout up north of town. When fishing that pattern, we'll use MirrOlures and soft plastics in bright colors, normally on three-eighth ounce jigheads. Controlling the boat with a trolling motor and keeping it away from the ledges is a key to catching. Another great option is working the coves in West Bay for reds when the tide is really low after a front.
Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
Fishing has remained consistent in our local bays for all species of fish. We have been catching lots of fish by drifting over shell with live shrimp or Gulp! products rigged about two feet under popping corks. Redfish from twenty to twenty four inches, black drum from sixteen to twenty inches, flounder from sixteen to eighteen inches, and some good-sized sand trout up to sixteen inches have been filling our boxes. December will have us focusing on shorelines with lots of mud and shell and targeting schools of mullet. The number one key to wintertime fishing in my opinion is finding bait; when you find mullet jumping, stop and fish around them, and you will likely catch some good fish. Some of my favorite lures for wintertime fishing are suspending baits such as Paul Brown Fat Boys and MirrOlure Catch 2000s. Slowly pulling these lures over scattered shell and waiting for the tell-tale thump" is one of my favorite ways to fish.
Port O'Connor | Lynn Smith - Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434
Fishing between the fronts this month, Lynn prefers to leave the dock later and stay out into the afternoon hours. We'll be wading flats with a lot of muddy areas, focusing on spots with some scattered shell on the bottom. Normally, we won't leave the dock until 10 o'clock or so. I like to let the heat of the day warm the flats up a little before we head out. We'll be throwing a lot of slow-sinking twitch baits like Paul Brown's Original Lures. They work well when slowly wobbled through the soft potholes. If the bite is slower, we'll use dark soft plastics mostly. My favorite colors are red shad and pumpkinseed/chartreuse. We rig them on light jigheads this time of year, since we're usually wading and fishing somewhat shallow. Our target will be big trout, but we will also expect to catch some reds while we are fishing these patterns. As always in winter, we'll fish areas which are close to drop-offs. The trout seem to want to be close to the safety of the deeper water when it's cold.
Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Cast and blast season will be in full swing throughout December, and Blake will be busy using both the shotguns and the rods and reels. I'll be hunting ducks in the mornings, mostly in the back lakes fairly close to town in Rockport. We'll fish our way out when the shooting stops. Sometimes, the fishing is good in the deeper parts of the lakes, especially for reds. If it's colder, some of the holes in the bayous produce well. Normally, I like to fish areas with a soft bottom this time of year, but if it's warmer than usual, I will still target areas with a lot of sand and grass. Mostly, we'll throw Norton Sand Eels in pumpkinseed/chartreuse and plum/chartreuse. I'll also spend some time throwing topwaters in knee-deep water during the warmer periods. Overall, it looks promising on all fronts. The trout fishing has been steady all year, and this is usually one of the best months for the big fish. And we are starting to see plenty of ducks now that we've had a couple of significant cold fronts.
Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata [email protected] - 361.563.1160
Looking at my fishing logs for the last couple of years for the month of December, I see that the weather here was not seasonably cold, windy and rainy. The weather was actually mild, except for a few short periods of cold temperatures. During those cold snaps, the water temperatures did get pretty cold, but only for a few days. If the weather is the same again this year, the trout will prefer depths of three to four feet with soft bottoms and/or dark, grassy bottoms with adjacent shallow areas which have a mixture of sand and gravel. When the fish are in this deeper water, I like to use the eighth-ounce Spring Lock jigheads rigged with morning glory/chartreuse Bass Assassin Die Dappers or Berkley Gulp Ripple Mullets. If the bait fish move up in shallow water, the trout will follow, and I will switch to bone diamond or pumpkinseed/chartreuse Bass Assassins and sixteenth-ounce jigheads. My logs also show there will probably be many reds and black drum on shallow, sandy flats wanting to eat the shrimp or crab-flavored Fish Bites being offered.
Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961
Joe says his fishing efforts, preferences and strategies will largely depend on the weather in December. If it's a cold one, I'll be staying around the edges of the channels, targeting redfish, trout and flounder with soft plastics cast along the main drop offs and ledges. The main channel of the ICW will produce fine, as will many of the shallower ones which intersect it, like those on both sides of the JFK Causeway. Remember to match the jighead size to the conditions, using lighter heads when winds aren't blowing as hard, and heavier ones when it's windy. If the weather is warmer, I'll be working shallower water on the flats adjacent to deep holes like Emmord's and Beacroft's, hoping to locate drum, trout and redfish. Normally, we will be able to see the fish if they move into the shallows, since the water is clear much of the time. If so, catching them on soft plastics reeled steadily in front of their noses is usually possible. Catching them on flies is not too difficult some of the time.
Padre Island National Seashore
Billy Sandifer - Padre Island Safaris - 361.937.8446
December is the month of the Florida pompano along the PINS beaches. Pink or green Fishbites combined with a thumbnail-sized piece of fresh dead shrimp will produce the best catches. Pompano are delicious and the most expensive food fish in North America and are usually grilled or baked in aluminum foil. Big whiting and slot and oversized redfish will also be in very good supply along with lesser numbers of black drum and sheepshead. Sharks are hit and miss during the winter months; with various species available when they are present. Each year is different concerning their presence and it cant be second guessed. There might be a trophy trout or two but be ready for a long day grinding it out with 51 and 52 MirrOlures of various colors. Speed limit is 25 mph. Beach driving is not dependable and will change often. DO NOT go down-island if you know there is a cold front due or in progress. Fish the calm periods between cold fronts. Happy Holidays!
Port Mansfield | Terry Neal
www.terrynealcharters.com 956.944.2559
Its easy to get discouraged when late summer fishing reports are all gloom and doom; but I say its Mother Nature protecting the fishery. Its a natural cycle. The pressure is now much reduced and the fishing is better by the day. We are getting beautiful mornings with almost no wind. Of course we need a little breeze to put a ripple on the water. (Never satisfied.) Late-fall and winter will give us great fishing but you have to catch the northers right. South Texas usually has mild winter weather and the fish will drop off to deeper water as the water temps begin to cool, then back up on the flats as it warms up. Target them where the flats drop away to waist-deep. Wader season is here. Check for leaks before you go and also that no critter has made a home in there. December and January are great for cast-n-blast, bring a shotgun and bag ducks in the morning and catch fish in the afternoon. Its all about fun and making memories. Keep what you will eat; release the rest.
Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Janie and Fred Petty www.fishingwithpettys.com 956.943.2747
This is the time of year we love to fishthe bay is practically empty of boat traffic, compared to other months. Its like getting a Christmas present from all the deer hunters who are in blinds instead of out on the water. This is also the season when schools of big reds have just spawned and are hanging out close to the passes. Trout are putting on their winter weight and trophy catches are possible when conditions are right. Freddy says, Catching fish on artificial lures is exciting and requires a certain level of skill. When casting in shallow water, its important to get it out there away from the boat, because fish can see you. They also have a lateral line on the side of their body thats like sonar, so they can feel the boat approaching and will move around it. We use light spinning reels with Power Pro fifteen-pound test braided line, on a seven foot medium-action rod to pop Berkley Gulp! shrimp under Cajun Thunder corks. United, we can stop open bay dredge disposal.