As founder of the popular community of trophy speckled-trout enthusiasts known as Speckled Truth, Chris Bush yawns at fish that cause most anglers to fight an irrepressible urge to wet their waders. The Holy Grail for trophy-trout diehards is a 30-inch fish, a true log of a lifetime, a fish that many anglers strive for, fully knowing they’ll likely never achieve. In his fishing career, Bush has landed six of them, and he’s got the pictures to prove it. So it took me less than two seconds to reply affirmatively when the San Antonio resident asked if I wanted to come to his home state and tag along with him in a quest to add another notch to his wading belt. 

A regular at the Texas coast, Bush said the absolute best place to do it would be Port Mansfield in the winter. So eight months in advance, we put some December dates on the calendar, and Bush lined up area guide Capt. Joe Prado to ferry us.

I’ve got four decades of speckled trout fishing experience, and two decades ago wrote a book on the topic, but nearly all of my pursuits have occurred in the marshes of south Louisiana, an area that produces numbers of fish that beggar belief but doesn’t offer a realistic shot at a 30-incher.

In fairness to my home state, I did catch my PB (personal best) there — an 8-pound, 8-ouncer — but that was during a five-year run of absolutely ideal conditions in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That fish, a remarkably rotund 28-incher, fell for a Norton Mud Minnow on Calcasieu Lake. I’ve caught some 24- and 25-inch fish since, but nothing approaching 30 inches.

Bush and I had agreed to fish two days in Port Mansfield, and when the dates for our trip arrived, we couldn’t believe our good fortune. A hard cold front blew through two days prior, leaving in its wake partly to mostly cloudy skies with absolutely no wind. Prado had scouted in preparation, and picked out an extensive grass flat with maybe a foot of water between the surface and the tips of the seagrass. We donned waders and fanned out across the flat.

It wouldn’t take long for the hopes and dreams I’d spent eight months conjuring in my head to be dashed. To my left and right, Bush and Prado were catching plenty fish, and a significant percentage of those were over 5 pounds with a handful over seven. I was catching as many fish as they were, but my trout were significantly smaller, and I seemed to be a magnet for redfish, nothing but a time-waster when you’re targeting big trout.

Only a foolish guest thinks he knows more than his hosts, so I studied Bush and Prado, whose cadences were markedly different but seemed to be equally productive. At various times, I tried to mimic each, but my results stayed consistent — lots of reds and small trout. My biggest of the day were a couple of 4-pounders — certainly not slouches, but not what I had driven 10 hours for, particularly when 28-plus-inchers were clearly in the area.

That night, I racked my brain trying to figure out what I was doing differently than the two much more experienced Texas wade fishermen who put on an absolute clinic. I vowed to keep trying different cadences on our second and final trip to the flat, but unfortunately, I got more of the same — except in addition to the reds and small trout, I caught two black drum and a sheepshead.

At a certain point, I wanted to snap my rod in two because Prado and I had wandered off shoulder to shoulder, casting to the same water, and within a 45-minute stretch, he subdued five fish over 7 pounds. I caught nothing anywhere close.

Then Prado gave me a lesson that would completely change my fortune. The hot bait of the trip was a MirrOlure Soft-Dine, a lure with which I’d had very little experience, and Prado offered that I was fishing it too slowly. Indeed, on maybe 10 percent of my casts, I’d come back fouled with grass, while Prado never did. He told me to twitch the lure almost as fast as possible and intersperse random short pauses — but so short that the lure would never fall more than four inches below the surface.

It felt quite unnatural to me, but I took the guide’s advice, and I’ll be forever grateful I did. Almost instantly, the size of the trout I was catching grew noticeably, and finally, with only 30 minutes remaining on our final day, I felt a hard thump, set the hook and knew instantly I hadn’t hooked a redfish.

Large trout sometimes fully breach the surface, but often, they’re so big, they can’t. The best they can do is emerge halfway, shaking their massive maws in what every angler hopes is a futile attempt to throw the lure. The ever gracious Bush, who had been pulling for me to catch a big one like I was a Make-A-Wish kid, saw the bite and the initial eruption, and rushed over, ready to stick a Boga in the fish’s mouth.

His first attempt was a swing and a miss, but the exhausted fish had little left in the tank. It circled back, and Bush clamped the prongs of the tool around the fish’s bottom jaw. It pulled the Boga to more than 7 pounds. Although it wasn’t a 30-incher, and wasn’t even my biggest trout ever, it was the biggest I’d caught in almost two decades, and made the trip more than worth it.

Bush said he regularly stresses to his followers the importance of fishing Soft-Dines almost impossibly fast when wading shallow flats, and the difference it makes was reiterated to him with my experience. That may be elementary to Texas wade-fishing veterans, but those traveling to the state in hopes of catching a big one should definitely keep it in mind.

The post After a Texas Trophy appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Spotted seatrout. Speckled trout. Specks. No matter the name, this inshore species is one of the most popular game fish on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. The IGFA all-tackle world record, caught on May 11, 1995, by Craig Carson at Fort Pierce, Florida, weighed a massive 17 pounds, 7 ounces. Behemoths like that are rare, but many light-tackle anglers dream of catching a true trophy pushing double-digits sometime during their lifetime. So we asked three experts to tell us what they do and look for when targeting that specific bucket list prize.

Catching Gator Florida Seatrout

“Growing up fishing the Indian River Lagoon, I got pretty spoiled. It wasn’t unusual to catch a dozen fish over 10 pounds every season,” says Capt. Ed Zyak. “This is where the world record was caught. There are still big fish left, just not in the numbers as before. It really depends on where you are, though. On Florida’s southwest coast, a 7-pounder is a really good fish. But I still get really excited breaking that 10-pound mark.”

Zyak looks for out of the way places near Ft. Pierce that don’t get a lot of traffic, preferably on a new moon. Small shallow spots adjacent to deeper water, like the backside of a bar, are the focus of his attention. He prefers to get out of the boat to wade on the last of the falling and first of the incoming tides, which concentrates the bait. Zyak watches for telltale signs like minnows stacked up, the presence of big mullet, birds feeding and water funneling through the zone.

“Figuring out water flow is important,” Zyak says. “I’ll often kick up a little sand to gauge the current. You have to adjust the presentation according to the conditions, but typically I’ll cast a jerk bait or shrimp up-tide and let it sweep parallel to the bait, using a twitch-and-short-pause retrieve. The strikes usually come on the pause. I’ll stand still and pick a spot apart for an hour. The seatrout settle down and forget you’re even there, especially with long casts. That requires confidence and patience. You’re not trying to catch 30 fish, you’re looking for one or two chances at a trophy and that means a slow, methodical approach.”

Florida Seatrout Fishing Gear

Here’s what Capt. Ed Zyak, of Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, recommends:

• Favorite Months: April & May
• Rods: 7.5’ Medium spin rod with extra fast action
• Reels: 4000 class spin
• Line: 10-pound braided line, 30- to 40-pound test fluorocarbon leader
• Lures: 3-inch shad or paddles tails; 1/4-ounce artificial shrimp; Shimano Coltsniper topwater plugs
• Bait: Live pilchards
• Tip: “Patience and silence are the keys. Slow down, pay attention to the conditions and pick a spot apart.”

Giant Gulf Coast Spotted Seatrout

“I didn’t actually weigh any of my three biggest fish,” explains Capt. Richard Rutland. “I measured and released them as quickly as possible. If it takes two hands to pick one up, that’s a big seatrout for the central Gulf. They’re usually pushing 30 inches and up to nine pounds.”

Rutland often finds big cooperative fish in early December. He targets the tidal rivers off Mobile Bay where the deeper channels offer sanctuary from the cold. As the sun warms the adjacent flats, the trout will come up to warm and feed in the shallows. In deeper water he cranks the reel slowly and steadily with an occasional twitch to add action to the lure.

April and May are the big spawning months and Rutland prefers to fish right before or after the full moon when large females are active. His three warm-water zones are grass flats, oyster bars/shells and sand bars along the beach.

“I’m always wading whenever I can,” he says. “It’s much quieter and stealthy, so you have a better chance. I’m also more aggressive with my presentation when it’s warm. I’ll whack, whack the lure, let it flutter and then repeat at a faster pace to trigger reactionary strikes.”

Rutland says the weaker tides aren’t as much a factor in his region, as long as the fish have enough water to feel comfortable. If he’s in the boat with clients, he aligns with the wind and current to drift and reach prime zones with long casts.

Rutland’s go-to lure is a soft-plastic jerk bait made by PureFlats. The Slick has a long tail rigged with an Owner swimbait hook plain or slightly weighed. Natural colors top the list, but he will switch to brighter patterns for contrast in cloudy water. For live bait, it’s croakers, finger mullet or small menhaden free-lined on a 2/0 kahle hook.

“You have to be very, very patient to target big fish,” he adds. “You might only get four or five bites all day long. Catching one is a waiting game.”

Gulf Coast Seatrout Fishing Gear

Capt. Richard Rutland, of Dauphin Island and Mobile Bay, Alabama, recommends:

• Favorite Months: Second week of December, April & May
• Rods: 7.5’ baitcaster with soft tip and action
• Reels: 3000 class baitcasting reel
• Line: 30-pound braided line with 15- to 20-pound fluorocarbon leader
• Lures: Pure Flats The Slick jerk bait with Owner 4/0 Beast worm hook
• Bait: Live croaker, finger mullet
• Tip: “It’s always about distance and not alerting the fish. I try to cast as far as I can to cover more water and discern feeding patterns.”

Trophy Texas Seatrout Fishing

“Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay are hyper-saline systems that grow huge fish,” says Capt. Joe Farah. “But those fish are also very aware of their surroundings, so any boat noise or pressure wave puts them on alert. So whether you’re wading or drifting you have to stalk quietly and not give away your presence.”

Farah keys in on specific types of habitat when targeting large trout. He concentrates on small areas, usually 300 yards in size or less, quick access to deep water for escape, mud and sand, seagrasses and shell.

“I always watch for baitfish and birds. Terns, laughing gulls and heron will be after finger mullet. Pelicans will focus on shad, while sand pipers are looking for clams and eels. Find all those and you’ve got a big trout buffet.”

Farah prefers to cast into the wind, since resting trout will be facing the wind and current. That approach keeps him in the fish’s blind spot and brings the lure into their vision, where they can assess and kill the prey.

In February and March he typically throws a 5.5 jerk bait with 1/16-oz. jig head in tequila sunrise, dark black and red for fish warming in the shallow grass. In November, as the water starts to cool, there’s a late spawn and he switches to a rainbow trout-colored swim bait with 1/8-oz. jig to mimic the shad. He adds large topwater plugs to the mix in the spring and fall.

“You have to make every cast count. That’s why I use plugs in bright colors to track and detect any swipes or blow-ups. But I work them extremely slow, with short pauses to let them sit and roll in the waves to mimic an injured, dying bait. It often takes three minutes to retrieve a lure. The idea is putting a victim in the hunting zone. A trophy trout is extremely smart and wary. If something doesn’t look right, Old Google Eyes is going to say, ‘Nope, not this one.’”

Texas Seatrout Fishing Gear

Capt. Joe Farah, of Baffin Bay and Laguna Madre, Texas, recommends:

• Favorite Months: February, April, May, November
• Rods: 7’ medium fast spin
• Reels: 3000 class spin
• Line: 15-pound braid with 30-pound-test monofilament leaders for stretch
• Lures: MirrOlures or Heddons in bright colors for visibility; 4-inch swim bait in rainbow trout, jerk shads in natural colors with 1/16- to 3/8-oz. short shank jigheads
• Bait: Live shrimp under popping cork in the spring, summer months live croaker and piggy perch
• Tip: “Trophy trout fishing is like hunting. You don’t catch big ones catching numbers. You have to concentrate on spots that only hold big fish.”

The post Get Stealthy to Catch Giant Seatrout appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

There’s no shortage of coastal spots to wade fish for Texas seatrout. Places you can drive to in a truck and hop out. Areas you can only reach with a custom Texas sled. Just get past the initial hurdles of access and spot-finding, and fishing in waist-deep waters is a blast.

“The intimacy wade fishing brings is why it’s my preferred method,” says Capt. Travis Power, of Lone Star Guide in Matagorda, Texas. “When you’re wade fishing, you can literally feel the bottom type, depth changes and structure. It’s easy to miss stuff or not fully understand it when in the boat. Also, you can’t be any closer to the action than actually being in the water.”

Wade fishing allows anglers to catch fish that boaters can’t. Point-blank. Time and time again, it pays to get out of the boat. Experienced waders love spots inaccessible by boats — an area getting blown out by an over-enthusiastic boater is a pain in the ass.

“What makes Texas trout fishing so different from Louisiana or Florida is the bottom type and depth,” says Power. “Use a boat, like my Shallow Sport, and it’s great to go farther and cover more ground to reach your best wade fishing spots.”

Power has fished extensively in the upper and middle coasts, from Galveston to Port Aransas There are two types of waters he fishes often. “I like introducing people to wade fishing and that’s when I’ll fish hard sand near a drop-off or cut, or a sandy grass flat,” he says. “It’s a lot easier for people to get a grip on wade fishing when it feels like walking on the beach.”

Hard bottom is definitely preferred, although Power tries to hit as many varied habitat types as possible if he’s fishing on his own, including shell bar reefs and workable mud flats.

“My preferred setup is a casting rod and reel, pocket full of lures, and a 5- to 8-foot stringer clipped to my board shorts,” he says. “Less is more. I don’t even like wearing shoes unless the shell is thick.” Power even produced his own stringers, with 5-footers for kayakers all the way up to 20-footers for anglers scared of sharks.

The best time to go wade fishing is whenever you have a free day — different spots produce each month of the year.

“My favorite time for wade fishing is fall and winter,” says Power. “I take the spring off because I think everyone needs an off-season. Summer time is the most popular.”

The post Texas Wade Fishing for Speckled Trout appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Lea Anne Powell’s already extensive resume has a new entry. Along with race car driver, TV host, competition angler, and cover model, she is now an official International Game Fish Association largemouth bass record holder.

Powell, of Lake Jackson, Texas, received official certification as the women’s 12-pound class record, having caught (and released) a 12-pound, 3-ounce jumbo at O.H. Ivie Lake in late February. The bass was her second personal best in 15 hours; she boated a 10.6-pound largemouth the previous evening.

Powell was fishing with her friend Dalton Smith, owner of Dalton Smith Guide Service, on his time off.

“We just planned on hanging out and having a good time,” she said. “We didn’t plan on breaking any personal bests.” Tossing a Strike King 10XD crankbait, Smith caught a bass they guessed was around seven pounds, then handed the rod back to Powell, who was soon connected to a 10.6-pounder.

“When she hit, the line just went soft,” Powell said. “I started winding and then felt pressure. I’m pretty sure everyone on that lake heard me, because I lost my mind. I was yelling and jumping.” Her previous best bass was 7.8 pounds.

The pair were back on O.H. Ivie the next morning. An impoundment of the Colorado and Concho rivers about 200 miles west of Dallas that gave up a 17-pounder this winter, the lake is stocked and fished hard. This time, Powell was using an Ugly Stik spinning rod, an old reel spooled with Seaguar Red Label 10-pound fluorocarbon, a Damiki jig head, and a small 6th Sense soft plastic swimbait (white with a chartreuse tail).

“We showed that bass a very small presentation, compared to what most people are throwing at O.H. Ivie,” she said. “It is stocked, but it is a giant body of water that is highly pressured.” Using a Garmin LiveScope from Smith’s tournament boat, the two could watch educated bass reject baits and then sidle up alongside some cover, seemingly spooked by the lure and finished feeding for the time being. “These big fish didn’t get big by being stupid,” she said.

The record fish put up the kind of tussle you would expect, forcing Powell to tighten and loosen drag during the fight as the bass bulldogged among sunken saltcedar trees. When it was finally in the net, the hook fell out of the fish’s mouth.

“We put her in the live well and had to take her to Elm Creek RV & Campgrounds, which had the certified scale,” Powell said. The bass went to the scale in a weigh bag, was measured and weighed, returned to the livewell, and back to O.H. Ivie. “She was released cleanly, and goes back to torment people who don’t know how to finagle big ol’ fish,” Powell recalled with a laugh.

Auto racing takes up much of Powell’s bio, but she’s also a self-described fishing fanatic. After losing both of her parents and a close friend in late 2014 and 2015, she took up fishing in, of all places, the Middle East, where she worked as a driving coach at the Yas Marina Circuit Formula 1 facility in Abu Dhabi.

“I met some locals and started fishing,” she said. “I had a natural knack for it and I just homed in on it. I don’t do much in moderation. I found both peace and excitement in it.”

The post Another World Record Bass Out of Texas appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Three anglers headed offshore on Friday, April 28, to fish the Perdido Rig, a deepwater spar in 8,000 feet of water, almost 180 miles east of South Padre Island, Texas. The experienced crew left Island Moorings Marina in Port Aransas, Texas, at 10 a.m. But weather forecasts were not favorable, with many offshore boats staying home. When the 31-foot catamaran didn’t return that night as expected, family members reported the boaters missing.

“This case highlights the importance of diligently checking the weather forecast and filing an accurate float plan with family members, including intended arrival times,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Josuah Chears-Stevens, command duty officer, Sector Corpus Christi.

Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi watchstanders received a notification at 10 p.m. of three overdue boaters. Watchstanders work the radios at Coast Guard stations and monitor calls for assistance. They also maintain communications with Coast Guard boats underway in the Gulf.

First, the Coast Guard contacted Perdido Rig personnel, who reported they saw the catamaran near the rig at 3 p.m. on Friday. That’s when watchstanders directed the launch of an HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi. During the search, the Ocean Sentry crew heard the boaters hail them on the radio, VHF-FM channel 16.

“The boaters then activated both the DSC distress alert function on their radio and their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB),” said a Coast Guard news statement.

Using location data from the alerts, the Coast Guard aircrew located the boaters’ position. The twin-engine turboprop aircraft found the vessel taking on water about 30 miles northeast of South Padre Island on Saturday. A 33-foot Special Purpose Craft–Law Enforcement (SPC-LE) boat, launched out of South Padre Island, also raced to the distressed boaters.

“The crew observed the three boaters bailing water out of the catamaran,” said the Coast Guard. “On-scene weather conditions were 10-foot seas with winds of 34 mph.”

The Coast Guard’s SPC-LE crew rendezvoused with the catamaran and escorted the men safely to Sea Ranch Marina on South Padre Island. No injuries or ailments were reported. 

The post Texas Boaters Rescued Off South Padre Island appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

MOST of the people were completely shocked, they couldn’t believe what they saw, said Capt. Tim Oestreich. All he could do was laugh about his customers’ reactions to the 676-pound bluefin tuna they caught on the 95-foot head boat Dolphin Express. But the crew running the Dolphin Express wasn’t surprised — the experienced anglers were ready for anything.

Gulf Coast Long Range Fishing

Oestreich operates an offshore headboat out of Port Aransas, Texas. On his extended 56-hour trips, the 16-angler party targets tuna by casting lures to floating oil rigs in 3,800 to 9,800 feet of water. On an average trip, the boat catches a limit of three yellowfin per person. “I probably land 1,100 tuna every four or five months,” Oestreich said.

In addition to yellowfin and blackfin tunas, Oestreich also catches marlin, wahoo and dolphin. To target blue marlin, he bridles a live blackfin tuna to a 130-class rod and freelines the bait behind the boat. That’s what he was doing when he hooked a massive bluefin tuna that made headlines and blew up fishing social media.

Rigged Up for Oil Rigs

Fishing at the Hoover Diana oil fields, about 130 to 160 miles from Port Aransas, Oestreich said the trip started rough with 6- to 8-foot seas, but the yellowfin tuna were biting. 

For tackle, the anglers use a 7-foot conventional rod and Accurate BOSS Extreme 600 two-speed reel. For spin fishers, a 7-foot, 6-inch spinning rod and PENN Slammer III reel is a good option. No matter the setup, anglers on the boat launch a Frenzy Flying Fish or Halco 130 lure into the rig lights.

Oestreich fills the Accurate with 500 yards of 65-pound PowerPro Maxcuatro and adds a 150-foot topshot of 80-pound-test monofilament. For the spinning rod, he uses 80-pound braid and three feet of 80-pound fluorocarbon leader.

Another tactic is chunking bite-size pieces of blackfin. “I probably cut up 60 to 80 blackfin each night,” Oestreich marveled. He fishes the chunks on a 7/0 Mustad semi-circle hook tied to three feet of 80-pound fluorocarbon. “If the tuna are really picky, I’ll go down to 50-pound fluoro leader and a 3/0 hook.”

A Big Bait Equals A Big Bite

While the party was playing with tuna, Oestreich used a 130-pound outfit to drop a live blackfin tuna behind the boat. He spools the reel with 200-pound braided line, a 300-pound topshot and 300-pound fluorocarbon leader. He attaches a 16/0 Owner hook to the end of the top shot and bridles the small tuna.

“The bait was in the water for 10 minutes when we got the bite,” he said. 

On the initial run, the big tuna dumped 800 yards of line. Oestreich puts the fish’s feat in perspective, “That’s almost a half mile straight down in about a minute.” 

As the fish dumped line, Oestreich figured he had 90 pounds of drag on the reel. “We were running hellacious drag,” he said. Each member of the party took turns reeling on the fish — some people would last two or three minutes before they gave up. “When one angler was done, I would call for fresh meat on the reel,” he joked. 

In 45 minutes, they had the fish to the boat, but the tuna took off again.

“You can’t chase a big tuna in deep water or you’ll fight it for hours,” pointed out Oestreich. Instead, he tried to get ahead of the fish, keep the line at an angle and keep the fish moving. He estimated he worked the tuna for two-and-a-half miles. In another 45 minutes they had it next to the boat.

But the tuna wasn’t done. With incredible pressure on the line and the rod in the rod holder, the tuna made a mad dash and snapped his 130-pound rod. Oestreich winced, “That rod cost $1,000.”

The fish was only 40 feet from the boat, so Oestreich jumped on the reel and what was left of the rod. Second captain Matt Murchinson took the boat controls. Mate Dan Haluzen worked the leader. And mates Patrick Simpson and Kurt Jackson manned the gaffs. Everything was under control and the big bluefin tuna was quickly subdued.

Landing a Big Bluefin Tuna on a Head Boat

How do you get a huge tuna onto a headboat? Oestreich was ready for that, too. He attached a snatch block to the tuna’s tail and ran the rope to the upper deck. “We had 8 guys pulling on the rope and the crew using gaffs to guide the fish into the side gate.”

Then they had another problem. The tuna was too big for the fish box, so the crew went to work. “We had to modify the fish box with a saw,” he laughed.

Once the fish was landed, the crew celebrated with hoots, hollers and high-fives, but the party was surprisingly quiet. Oestreich recalled, “I tried to explain to them they had just seen the biggest fish of their lives.”

Preparation Pays Off

The captain credits experience and preparation for making the catch. Two years ago, he landed a 760-pound bluefin on a private charter with one angler. “I’ve been doing this my whole life and the boat holds multiple state and world records,” he said. 

He also spent hours prepping gear and maintaining tackle. Keeping an offshore headboat operation running on all cylinders is a group effort. “Before each trip, the whole team is here pulling line off reels and tying leaders,” he said. “The weakest link is the fish’s face — as long as nothing goes wrong, his a** is grass.”

Oestreich says the bluefin show up off Port Aransas in March and stick around through April. The night they landed the 676-pounder they also released a fish he estimated at 500 pounds, plus they pulled the hook on a monster over 800 pounds. A few days after his catch, another boat brought in a 750-pound bluefin. This is Oestreich’s one and only bluefin for the season (Gulf Coast anglers are only allowed to keep one big bluefin each year).

READ NEXT: The Best North Carolina Bluefin Tuna Season in Years

The post The Inside Story Behind a Giant Texas Bluefin Tuna appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Most folks might believe you can only chase snook in the U.S. in the southern waters of Florida. That’s not quite true. The southern Texas coast also has snook, with some guides getting pretty good at targeting them.

Captain Brian Barrera, of South Padre Island, Texas, is coming off his best-ever snook fishing trip. “We caught 151 snook between four people,” he said. While those numbers are unprecedented, he has been averaging a dozen snook each trip.

Texas snook fishing is never going to pass up Florida snook fishing; most of Texas isn’t warm enough year-round, so the snook numbers and areas to catch them will always be limited. When Barrera isn’t targeting winter snook, he goes for redfish and speckled trout on the shallow flats of Lower Laguna Madre. “We’re limiting out, with plenty of over-slot fish released too,” he said.

Barrera says winter is the best time for snook and trophy speckled trout. As the water cools through January into March, snook congregate along deep channel ledges while the reds and trout move onto grass and sand flats.

To target snook, Barrera fishes waters as deep as 30 feet. Using his fishfinder, he looks for the thermocline where the warmer surface water changes to cooler deep water. “There is a 3- to 5-foot area where the fish are comfortable,” he explained. With side-scan sonar on his Humminbird finder, he can see snook hanging in specific depths of the water column. 

When he marks the fish, he works a 3-inch D.O.A. lures shad tail on a 3⁄8-ounce jighead. He works the optimal temperature zone by jigging the lure or using a fast retrieve.

Seatrout and Redfish Reign Supreme in Texas

On warm days, Barrera fishes for redfish and trophy seatrout on the extensive shallow bars and grass. “When the wind is light, we wade, but when the wind is blowing, I’ll drift in the boat,” he said. 

In the morning, he looks for fish on the grass flats near the west side of the bay. In the afternoon, he moves to the east side of the bay to fish sand flats behind the barrier islands.

On the grass, he looks for the fish to hang over open potholes waiting to ambush a bait. In the clear water over sand flats, he sight fishes for trophy trout and redfish. He uses ⅛- to ¼-ounce jighead and a 4-inch soft plastic jerk bait. “My favorite color is purple and chartreuse,” he said, emphasizing the chartreuse. For topwater, he likes a walk-the-dog style lure in pink mullet. 

Barrera expects the winter action to continue until spring. He says this is the time for trophy trout, with recent catches of seatrout up to 30 inches. “People come here to catch the trout of a lifetime,” he bragged. 

The post Texas Snook Fishing in Winter appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Texas is one of the few states where anglers have a legitimate shot of catching a double-digit largemouth bass. Part of that might be because of the state’s popular Toyota ShareLunker Program. As part of the unique program, recreational anglers can donate their heavyweight bass to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) for stocking efforts.

“If you catch a 13-plus-pound bass and loan it to us during the spawning period (January to March), you support our selective breeding program and will be recognized as a member of the Lunker Legacy Class,” says the program.

The idea is that if lunkers are spawned to help stock Texas lakes statewide, those genetically superior genes will be passed down to future largemouth bass and, hopefully, will produce more lunkers. The program definitely seems to be working as planned, with evidence spanning decades.

Two 13-Pound Bass Caught in Texas

This year’s first Lunker Legacy Class largemouth bass (weighing more than 13 pounds) was caught Jan. 15 by angler Tom Nilssen of New Braunfels, Texas, from O.H. Ivie Lake. His largemouth bass weighed 13.52 pounds.

“In the past two years, O.H. Ivie has been a top producer of ShareLunker bass, so it’s not surprising the first Legacy Class Lunker of 2023 was caught in this reservoir,” said Natalie Goldstrohm, Toyota ShareLunker coordinator. “This catch was a great way to start off the season — we are very grateful that Mr. Nilssen decided to loan his fish to the Toyota ShareLunker program. With the help of anglers like Mr. Nilssen loaning their catches to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, we can continue growing bigger, better bass for future generations.”

The second noteworthy ShareLunker bass of the 2023 season was caught at 2,200-acre Lake Nacogdoches in east Texas by Jack York. His fish weighed 13.51 pounds and is also a Legacy Class Lunker. York’s bass is the 634 entry into the program that started long ago in 1986 with Mark Stevenson’s then-state record 17.67-pounder from Lake Fork.

Texas Lakes Produce Big Largemouth Bass

Last year, 24 Legacy Class largemouth bass were caught from nine Texas waters. That’s the most recorded since 27 were caught in 1995. But there are plenty of Texas waters growing enormous largemouth bass. A remarkable 75 public lakes have given up 13-plus-pound largemouth bass to anglers since the program began.

Earlier this year, before the 2023 ShareLunker program started, Kentucky angler Dalton Smith caught a pair of 14-plus-pound largemouths on the same day from O.H. Ivie Lake, located east of San Angelo.

Some of the state’s top lakes that annually receive stocking of genetically-superior bass from the Toyota ShareLunker program include lakes: O.H. Ivie, Sam Rayburn, Conroe, Austin, Travis, Palestine, Coleman City, Fork, Eagle Mountain and Tyler.

“It’s always great to see our genetic analysis reaffirm the efforts,” said Tom Lang, director of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. “On the other hand, when ShareLunkers aren’t related to previous ShareLunkers, it’s also valuable because those fish add more big bass genetic diversity to the effort.”

State biologists have learned plenty from genetic testing lunker largemouths over the years — they’re even able to detect Florida-strain largemouths that have been spawned and stocked out of TPWD hatcheries. In 2021, the program took in 23 bass. Nineteen of those tested were Florida-strain bass and held for spawning, leading to 18 successful spawns producing an estimated 270,000 fingerlings. In 2022, 217,000 genetically-superior bass fingerlings were spawned and stocked by TPWD.

Record-Breaking Bass in Texas in 2022

The Toyota ShareLunker program produced lake records twice in 2022 for largemouth bass at 950-acre Lake Daniel near Abilene, plus a new record bass at Fort Worth’s Eagle Mountain Lake and one at O.H. Ivie Lake too. The record 17.06-pound bass caught from Ivie was the heaviest in 30 years from Texas. Additionally, in 2022, the state had three bass each weighing more than 16 pounds recorded, and two others over 15 pounds.

“Our plan is to stock over 50 different water bodies with fingerlings all over the state, including some small urban bodies of water,” says Brian Van Zee, statewide stocking coordinator for Texas. “We’re also stocking plenty of fingerlings into some of the famed big lakes like Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend, Lake Fork and others. Looking out three, five, 10 years, the possibilities of catching giant Texas bass as a result of this program are really exciting.”

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Texas’ O.H. Ivie Lake, located in central Texas east of San Angelo, is one of the hottest waters in America for producing giant largemouth bass. The 19,000-acre impoundment was the fishing destination between Christmas and New Year’s Day for a pair of Kentucky bass anglers who trailered their boat as part of a roadtrip to catch the lake’s legendary largemouths.

Cole Logsdon, of Brownsville, Kentucky, and Dalton Smith, of Columbia, Kentucky, drove 15 hours to Texas to chase famed double-digit bass on the plentiful waters. The reservoir was formed in 1990 after damming parts of the Colorado and Concho Rivers. The lake boasts depths of more than 100 feet.

“We worked the lake for a little over two days,” Smith said, in a Facebook video post from the lake. “We just sort of rode around and looked at the lake the first day. But the second day, Cole caught and boated an 11.11-pound bass.

“The next day we went back and busted them, went to a spot where I caught a 5-pounder the previous day and then had a crazy fish catch. I got a bite from a giant, but I didn’t hook her. Then about five minutes later I hooked the fish on a 7.5-foot finesse (spinning) rod using 8-pound fluorocarbon line with a 15-pound test leader and a 2.7-inch [swimbait].”

Read Next: A Record 9.1-Pound Smallmouth Bass from Idaho

While standing in his boat on Ivie Lake, Smith detailed the wild five-minute fish fight that ensued. He worked the bass toward the surface, he says, but then it fouled and hung in a flooded tree beneath the boat.

“That’s when my buddy Cole took the (landing) net, laid on the boat deck, and we could see her down in the water, and after about 10 minutes he scoped the fish up in the net and boated the fish,” Smith described. “It was crazy.”

The bass was quickly put in the boat’s livewell and the anglers raced over to the lakeside Elm Creek R.V. & Campgrounds. There, they grabbed a scale and weighed the fish at 14.69 pounds. The second big bass Smith caught that day scaled 14.27 pounds. In total, their top three bass of the trip weighed more than 40 pounds.

Smith’s Facebook video ends with him taking the lively 14.69-pound bass from the boat’s livewell, holding the massive fish out toward the camera and showing off his prize.

“We’re going to let her go, but we want to first shoot some more photos and get some measurements,” he exclaimed. “Let’s go baby — 14.69 pounds!”

Big Bass Highlights

• Dalton Smith caught 14.69- and 14.27-pounders
• Cole Logsdon boated an 11.11-pounder
• In total, their best three bass weighed more than 40 pounds

The post Two 14-Pound Largemouth Bass Caught in a Day appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The Texas coastline covers 367 miles, and as you can imagine, that’s one heckuvalot of water. Along the way, a few particularly prime estuaries, lakes and bays hold trophy trout. But here’s the kicker: The trout fishing, in general, is pretty much great from one end to the other. To limit your wandering, here are four recommended starting points to target big fish:

2. Sabine Pass

One of the more popular trophy-trout hotspots, Sabine Pass—at the Louisiana border—connects Sabine Lake to the Sabine jetties and the Gulf of Mexico. To be more specific, Lighthouse Cove, at the middle of the pass, is a true trout magnet.

My PR at this not-so-well-known jewel weighed just over 10 pounds. Caught her on a chartreuse-and-black MirrOlure Top Dog in 2 feet of water.

Topwater lures rule here. Tie on one of these three lures: a Top Dog, Super Spook Jr. or Rapala Skitter Walk. Best colors: bone, blue and chrome, and chartreuse and black.

What makes Lighthouse Cove so good for trout? Reefs, as in the oyster type. The reefs attract big-time numbers of mullet in summer and fall, and that attracts trophy trout.

3. Galveston Bay

Capt. Jim West has guided on East Galveston Bay for decades. When it comes to catching big trout, he’ll tie on a Top Dog and work it over some of the many reefs scattered throughout the bay.

“The trick is to work the Top Dog along the edge of the shell,” West says. “That’s where schools of mullet will be moving.”

To fish East Galveston Bay from a kayak, put in at Stingaree Marina about midway down the Bolivar Peninsula on the south shoreline. Cross the Intracoastal Waterway and make a right to find the mouth of Big Pasture Bayou.

The shoreline from Big Pasture Bayou west to Elmgrove Point is big-trout water. Use topwaters early, then switch to soft plastics.

Just so you know: After you fish, stow the boat and dine at Stingaree Restaurant on the water. The fried oysters and shrimp are way good, as is the boiled shrimp and grilled red snapper. Just the smell of this place will make you go mad.

4. Baffin Bay/Upper Laguna Madre

“It’s tough to beat looking for trout in scattered sand pockets,” says Baffin Bay guide Joey Farah. “That’s a perfect ambush area for trout—big trout.”

Farah says soft plastics do produce, but if he gets a chance, he’ll work a topwater lure. Trophy trout prefer mullet, so mullet imitations have taken plenty of gators. One of the all-time best and most popular topwater lures is a Super Spook Jr. in chrome and blue. Another is the MirrOlure Top Dog in bone or chartreuse and silver.

During warm months, shrimp proliferate. “That’s a perfect time to be fishing something like a D.O.A. paddle tail a foot or two under a popping cork,” he says. “One of the best out there, and one I use a lot, is a 4-inch D.O.A. Jerk Shad.”

Clear and red glitter and root beer and gold glitter top the color choices when fishing the clear tides.

5. Lower Laguna Madre

At the extreme south end of the Texas Gulf coast lies the legendary Lower Laguna Madre. The US portion of this ecosystem covers more than 120 miles of primo clear water. Here, sight-casting to trophy trout is at its finest.

Just recently, Austin Dishman and I hooked up at South Padre Island with Capt. Eric Glass, a fly-fishing and light-tackle guide. After putting us on all the redfish we could handle, he transitioned us to a wide-open flat in a backwater area with a good mix of sand and turtle grass. That’s good stuff for big trout.

Within a half-hour, Glass called the shot on what looked like a 7-plus-pound trout, easing along in a foot of gin-clear water. Dishman was on point with his fly rod and a No. 2 Clouser. He twitched the fly, and the big trout pounced.

The lower portion of the Laguna Madre produced the state record 15.6-pound trout for Bud Rowland in 2002. He spotted the monster feeding along a shell bank.

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