Reports & Forecasts: February 2019

Lake Calcasieu Louisiana
Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268
We enjoy fishing in the month of February because it offers many opportunities on our estuary. For big trout, lots of trout, also redfish and flounder, February is a great month. Many big trout will be caught throughout the estuary this month, most of them by folks wading in less than three feet of water. Slow-sinking lures like Paul Brown Originals and MirrOdines work well when targeting larger trout. If you’re looking for lots of trout, hit the reefs in depths of about five feet. Work the area thoroughly with soft plastics on light jigheads (like sixteenth-ounce) as well as MirrOdines. A slower sink rate triggers more bites in the last parts of winter. Redfish will still be present along the banks and at the weirs, with tide movement becoming more of a factor due to rising water temperatures. Outgoing tides will become imperative for catching reds. Flounder usually start their spring migration back to the marshes around Valentines Day. When fishing for them, remember to maintain contact with the bottom. Gulp! is always a good choice for the flat fish.

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
James says the time for wading is now. “I did quite a bit of boat fishing in December and early-January. We were catching limits, but having to cull through lots of little fish to get 'em on most days. We did have some real nice fish in some of the canals when it was cold. We caught 'em in depths from twelve to about fourteen feet, lots of three and four pound trout. Lately, we're wading almost all the time, and the average size of the fish we're catching has been really good. We're throwing slow-sinking lures like Paul Brown FatBoys, MirrOlure Catch 5s and SoftDines, also doing really well on the white Bass Assassin Sea Shads, on light jigheads. On the colder days, we're fishing everything low and slow. When it warms up like the past couple days, and water temps hit the 60-degree mark, we're also catching pretty good on topwaters like SheDogs and ShePups. These things will continue to work throughout February and into the early part of the spring. Wading is the way to go, especially if you want to catch some of the bigger trout.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Monitoring the weather buoys has given Jim plenty of information about the freshwater flowing into the Galveston Bay System. “Much of the bay is fresh right now. We do have some salty water in parts of East Bay, and we get some into the bays when the tide comes in, but overall, it's fresh and fresher. This makes for tough fishing in some places, and easy fishing in others. I'll be cranking the fishing back up in earnest when February rolls around, after winding down a busy hunting season. I will be wanting to wade as often as possible, keying on shorelines adjacent to the mouths of bayous leading into the open bay, and also in the bayous themselves. A really effective plan this time of year is heading out late in the afternoon and fishing through the sunset and into the early parts of the night. The fish are more active when the water temperatures are up, and this effect lingers a while after nightfall. When we're fishing this way, we mostly like to throw lures which look like small fish, either twitch baits or topwaters, since big trout eat little fish.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Freshwater runoff has made things tough in some parts of Randall's area, but he's still been having good days on the water. “We've been catching best on Norton Sand Shads in lime green on most days. When the fish are acting kinda finicky, we're doing better on the Sand Shad Juniors in clear with silver glitter. We're rigging these on three-eighths ounce jigheads. When the tide is high, we're catching our best fish on Brown Lures, unless the water warms up to about 65 degrees or more. Then the topwater bite goes off pretty good. Best topwater lately has been the old standby chrome/blue Super Spook. In February, I'll be doing some of these same things, wading and throwing twitch baits and topwaters, but I'll also be working the deed reefs, throwing Norton Bull Minnows on quarter-ounce heads. Color depends on the water and the sky, but chicken on a chain works almost all the time. The key to making that pattern work is to find concentrations of mullet. Once you locate the rafted bait, the bites follow close behind.”

Matagorda | Tommy Countz
Bay Guide Service - 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037
Two main options work well for trout anglers in the Matagorda area this month. “In February, our big trout bite really kicks off. When we're targeting them, we like to key on areas on the south shoreline of East Bay, well up in the coves if the tide is high, in the backs of the drains. If the tide is lower, we'll move further out, around areas where the drains empty into the open bay. This time of year, the trout will often move into really shallow water. We key on mullet, searching hard for them; they don't move around too much in the cold water. We throw Paul Brown Lures mostly, since they work so well in the depths where we normally find the fish. If we're not wading, we usually drift areas near Raymond's Shoal. When doing this, we like to throw 51 and 52M MirrOlures, or soft plastics on relatively heavy jigheads, either three-eighths or quarter-ounce, since the fish often stay right close to the bottom. When tides get really low, we'll head to West Bay and throw soft plastics on light jigheads at the redfish stacked in guts on the south side.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
Extreme low tides and windy conditions have us scrambling to find a good bite. Trout and reds have been stacked in deep guts exiting the marshes and back lakes. We've been walking way into the back of these guts and fishing along the way until we find the fish. The best bite lately usually comes when the lure is barely picked up off the bottom, then you feel a good thump and fish on. DSL in chicken of the sea in clear water has been working great and Gulp! three-inch shrimp in root beer/chartreuse has been awesome in dirty water. The few days we've been able to drift and cover water, we've found a good bite over shell in three to five-foot depths, drifting Cajun thunder corks and white Gulp! shrimp. Night fishing has been spotty due to all the runoff from the river. The harbor and turning basins have held a few keeper fish, but percentages are low. February should give us a shot at some bigger fish. FatBoys in pearl/black are always good in our area in the winter months worked on relatively warm mud flats close to deep water.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434
Lynn expects excellent fishing for some of the bigger trout in areas with a muddy bottom and lots of grass in February. “The back lakes in Espiritu Santo and San Antonio Bays offer good potential for catching big trout this month. We'll key on some of the deeper areas in them, places where water flows into and out of the really shallow parts, especially where we find thick grass beds and a soft, muddy bottom. One of the keys is to locate rafts of mullet. If we see plenty of them in an area, we'll be persistent and make lots of casts around them, experimenting with depth of presentation and speed of presentation. For the most part, slow-sinking twitch baits work best this time of year, lures like the Paul Brown Lures, also the MirrOdines and SoftDines. On most days, the big trout will hit those. If the weather warms up, and we see lots of mullet jumping, we'll throw Super Spooks and other topwaters. Of course, we catch quite a few slot and oversized reds working these patterns, but the goal will be to catch some of the biggest trout of the year.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
With cast-and-blast season over, Blake expects to spend all his on-the-water time fishing. “I'll be looking for trout mostly. If it gets cold, we'll key on areas with a soft mud bottom mixed with some scattered shell and a few dark grass beds. When it's warmer, we fish the sandy, grassy shorelines more of the time. So, we like bays with some of both of these kinds of areas, like Mesquite, St. Charles and Aransas. I've been seeing lots of quality trout while running the shallows in my air boat this duck season, so I expect some excellent fishing in February. Those big trout can be hard to catch soon after you see 'em, but sometimes, they stay in the same areas for a pretty long time, so it's possible to go back later and catch 'em. Of course, there are lots of redfish in some of those same areas, and they provide plenty of action when the trout aren't biting. Lately, we've been doing really well on Brown Lures. I had stopped throwing them for a while there, but it didn't take me long to remember how effective they can be this winter.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata – [email protected] - 361.563.1160
History shows that the month of February is a great month for catching big trout. Because of the colder water temperatures we typically experience at this time of the year, I’ll be looking for bottoms with a mixture of mud and gravel. Drifting in depths of three to five feet will work, but wading is going to yield greater success because the strategy allows for working the areas more thoroughly.  If you will be wading, do not forget to wear ForEverlast RayGuards to prevent hits from stingrays. Rig natural-colored Bass Assassin Die Dappers on eighth-ounce Spring Lock jigheads and work the baits with a very slow retrieve, bouncing them repeatedly along the bottom with short hops. When fishing with a slow-sinking twitch bait, I will fish with the MirrOlure Catch 5 in colors like CHBL or BNSBO because of their flashy, attractive hues and their noisy characteristics. Look for signs of fish being present by watching for mullet swirling, flipping or jumping and then work the areas slowly and thoroughly, making lots of casts.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230
Fishing for big trout and redfish in February is about as good as it gets for a lure fisherman in the Baffin/ULM system, Joe says. “When the weather is cold, and strong winds make controlling the boat difficult, wading is a much better option, especially along shorelines which offer protection from the wind. On these days, fishing lures low and slow is the ticket to a few bites from big fish. When conditions improve, working shallower areas of the lagoon and in more open parts of Baffin will also produce big fish.  On the warmer days, the fish will often stay in really shallow water, especially if clouds obscure the sun. Catching them on slow-sinking twitch baits can be pretty easy on some of these days. If lots of mullet are seen milling around on the surface and jumping, topwaters work well too. Some of the areas where many big trout have been caught over the years hold lots of reds too. This makes for exciting action, catching upper-slot and oversized reds mixed with trout reaching up to thirty inches or more.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361-877-3583 | Oceanepics.com
Warm winter weather has delivered above average surf fishing through the first of January. Water clarity has been favorable. Pompano fishing has been good nearly every day. Freshly peeled shrimp and Fish-bites are all you need. Fish-bites reduce the number of pesky hardheads. This time of year also brings abundant red and black drum, both slot and oversized. Black drum will hit your pompano baits, while redfish have been preferring cut bait. Speckled trout have been available on calmer days on MirrOlures, with some impressive specimens showing occasionally. In the shark department, expect sandbar sharks up to seven feet and maybe a bit longer. We will also likely have the smaller Atlantic sharpnose and bonnetheads. Winter surf water temps of 60° and warmer usually provide the best shark opportunity, as most will retreat further offshore during northers. A prolonged warming period in February has certainly been known to liven up the surf zone. Enjoy the uncrowded beaches, and if the conditions are just right, the surf bite may be on!

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431
Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000
Historically, February enjoys a reputation as a big trout month, but measured on the whole, I see it as more of a hit and miss situation for the average angler. Wade fishermen do well on slick-calm days between fronts, but the guys who prefer to remain in the boat and drift for bites tend to struggle with lack of wind. On days when wind is favorable, drifting the deeper water can be very productive. Whether wading or drifting, the best areas to target will hold lots of sandy potholes in the bottom grass. These can be found in West Bay, along the Pipeline, and also in the Saucer and Weather Station areas. Ideal soft plastics will be any of the KWigglers in bone diamond, pink flomingo, Lagunaflauge, and Mansfield Margarita on eighth-ounce jigheads. We sometimes see action on topwaters and floating Brown Lures when the wind is light to moderate. I prefer bone, pink, orange and black, in just about any combination. Finding bait isn’t always easy, so remain vigilant at all times. A single mullet flipping or a diving bird might be the only clue you get.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com – 956-639-1941
Fishing in the first half of January has remained very steady for us, even with chilly water temperatures from recent cold fronts. We’ve been sticking with soft plastics mostly, my current go-to bait is the KWiggler Ball Tail Shad on 1/8-ounce jigs and my best color has been Plum/Chartreuse. Our focus on most trips has been muddy shorelines with scattered grass and shell. Overall, the fish are preferring a slow-moving bait presentation. Trout running in the 3 to 4-pound range have been common. Redfish have been mixing with the trout along those mud and shell bottomed shorelines. The best redfish action is usually found a couple of days after a front when the southeast wind begins to blow steadily. Tides are running well below normal most days. Bigger trout have been holding in deeper guts as tides fall and usually the best ones can be found amid schools of redfish. Deep water east of the ICW has proven to hold a consistent trout bite no matter the conditions. I expect February to be more of the same as regards fishing patterns, hopefully getting even better for bigger trout. Come on out and see for yourself!