We left the marina in search of Big Trout in Nueces Bay just outside of Corpus Christi. Tony D was on camera and we were ready to make a TV show showcasing Winter Fishing. Rich Gidrey and my great friend Palmer of Bulverde Taxidermy were ready to get some Rod Bending Action !!
This time of year can yield Big Trout, really….…. Big Trout. We knew that the tide chart did not look favorable but we were determined to get out there and find some fish. Look at the lack of tides on the tide chart attached, look at Jan 28th. We really want hard falling and rising tides like shown on Jan 8th thru 10th. Those days show really good moving water compared to our day, the 28th.
We went out and found that we did truly have “Slack Tides”. We had also another tough condition; we had crystal clear – Gin Clear – Water. Some anglers see this as great since they can see the fish better and sight cast to them. In reality, that is true but that also means that the fish can see you very well too. Another thing to consider is that bait-fish will typically not be in clear water, they will find stained water or other hiding places. Clear water means that they are vulnerable; no one wants to be vulnerable. We covered a lot of water with the trolling motor and seemed to only find clear water. It proved really tough conditions.
We used top-water and suspending baits as well as soft plastics with lead gig heads. We, as a team, caught 4 fish, and we fished hard for 7 hours. We thought that we would, find them in big numbers when we found them….problem was, we never found the big groups of fish.
Anglers Notes---
Okay, we knew that we had conditions stacked against us. We also knew that we wanted to show fishing in tough conditions can produce fish and make a great TV show. Our plan was to keep moving to find the water that held fish in big numbers. In reality, they have to be grouped up in big numbers somewhere in the Nueces bay or up the Cuts and Bayous in the back-bay.
In a perfect world, we could show viewers that tenacity pays off if we were persistent. Today showed us that we were only 3 guys in one boat. We could only cover the water that one boat can cover.
Tides can mean everything; moving water will bring bait fish to game fish waiting strategically on the flats or near cuts. We had a tough day on the water today but we did give it a chance. Fishing can be challenging, take the challenge and get out there. We will get them next time.
Thanks for your time and I’ll see you on the water.
Dave
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