Winter Flats Fishing Tactics texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout January marks the middle of winter on the Texas coast. With water temperatures hovering around their annual lows, most fishermen look for trout and reds stacked along deepwater structure and channels. And, since most fish are holding in the more insulated deep water, this strategy usually pays off. However, dredging channels, deep reefs and other mid-bay structure isn't the only way to score boxes of redfish and trout during the chilly months. Keeping an eye on the weather and choosing your days wisely can find you fishing the flats instead of drifting deep water during January. If it suns, they will come Frontal passages are frequent during this time of year. However, their effects rarely last more than a couple of days. And, within a day or two of the frontal passage, you can expect to see some spotted ladies and bronze brutes out sunning themselves.   “After a couple of sunny days behind a front, we often find big trout `sunning' themselves on the flats,” said Capt. Bruce Shuler of Get-A-Way Adventures Lodge in Port Mansfield. “These fish act a lot like bass under these conditions. Their body temperature is down, so they get up in the shallow water and use the sun for warmth. But, even though they are warming up, they will still be very lethargic.” The key to catching these fish is knowing where to find them. “Although we regularly find fish on the flats in the winter,” Shuler continued, “I notice they are not as far back as they are in the warmer months. Most of the fish will be hanging on the flats that are located right up next to deep water. I always say to look for maximum vertical change with minimum horizontal change.” Port Isabel guide Capt. Steve “JR” Ellis agrees with Shuler's assessment. “We have some awesome sight-casting opportunities during the winter,” Ellis quipped. “You just have to pick your days. Give it a couple days after a front passes. Let the sun come out and water warm for a day or two before looking on the flats.” “Most of the time you will find these fish on flats running along deep channels,” Ellis continued. “They won't push way up on the flats, but this actually helps fishermen. You don't have to worry about covering as much water. Just stick to a narrow strip along the ledge.” Long-time Lower Laguna Madre guide Capt. Eddy Curry will also be working a narrow strip of flats after a frontal passage. “I believe the fish go deep when it is cold, but the reds will get up and `sun tan' on the edges of the flats a couple days after a front passes,” Curry said. “But, they stay close to the channel unless we have several days - a week or more - of warm weather.” Further up the coast, Corpus guide Allen Sifford has similar results when the conditions are favorable. “If we have several days of bright sun and light winds, the reds will get on the flats in two-feet of water,” Sifford offered. “The conditions have to be right, but when they are we have some great sight-casting.” Fishermen can even have good shallow water fishing as far up as Lake Calcasieu in Lake Charles, Louisiana in the winter. “We catch a lot of big trout this time of year,” stated Capt. Kirk Stansel of Hackberry Rod and Gun. “There will be plenty of fish working the deep water, but if you want a really big trout, I suggest wade fishing the shallow shorelines in the afternoon.” Why they come Water temperature keys fish location in the winter. Specks and reds spend the majority of their time in deeper water during this time of year because it is more stable. However, that doesn't mean it is always the warmest. “This time of year, a temperature gauge is invaluable,” stated Seadrift guide Capt. Gary Gray of Bay Rat Guide Service. “It is not unusual to find the water temperature 8 to 10 degrees warmer on the flats than in the open bay.” That said, this is not an early morning phenomenon. “It takes a bit to get that water warmed up,” Ellis advised. “So, if you want to fish the flats, stay in bed. There is no reason to be out there until the sun has been up a few hours.” Clear sand flats will also attract fish, but they are slower to warm, meaning the fish will hit the grass and mud flats first. Shuler uses this rule when selecting his winter flats fishing locations. “We have lots of nice sand flats around Mansfield,” Shuler said. “But, in the winter I concentrate on flats near the ICW with soft, muddy bottom. Since mud retains heat, these flats seem to attract fish a little more than those with sand bottom.” What to throw Lure selection is fairly simple this time of year - whatever it is, it needs to be big. “I will usually be throwing big topwaters, like Top Dogs and Superspooks,” Shuler said. “If it's a little cloudy, I'll throw black with a chartreuse head. If it's bright and sunny, I'll use bone. Ellis will also throw a big topwater, although he favors the Ghosts as his surface offering. However, the Port Isabel guide doesn't overlook the advantage of big soft-plastics. “I really like throwing the 5-inch Stanley Wedge Tail Mullet,” said Ellis. “It swims good and if you rig it on a 1/16 ounce head, you can work it extremely slow, even over shallow grass. I think that big tail helps keep it up over the grass and slows it as it falls. As far as colors, I keep it pretty basic. I'll throw either pearl/chartreuse or red/white.” Curry also likes the Stanley Wedge Tail in pearl/chartreuse. However, he will also be throwing the DOA Shrimp, a finesse bait designed to trigger strikes from finicky fish. “I throw the Wedge Tail when spot casting to reds,” Curry explained. “But when I'm fishing along the channel edges for specks, I toss the DOA Shrimp. It is absolutely deadly on specks this time of year.” Although he favors topwaters, Shuler won't hesitate to go subsurface either. Drawing on his extensive bass fishing background, the Port Mansfield guide always keeps a “back-up” rod rigged and ready. But, his subsurface plastics are most often hard, not soft. “I always keep two rods rigged this time of year,” Shuler said. “I'll be throwing the topwater plug on one, but will have a Catch 2000 rigged on another. If I see a fish swirl at and miss the topwater, I'll wait a few minutes then throw the Catch 2000 right back in the exact same spot.” Most often, Shuler says, the fish will still be willing to strike and can more easily inhale the suspending plug. Like Shuler, Stansel has developed a penchant for chunking slow sinkers to winter trout. “We fish the Catch 2000 quite a bit,” Stansel said. “But, I also like the new Catch 5. That plug in white/red head has accounted for a lot of our fish.” Slowly, slowly, slowly… “I really don't know if you can work a plug too slow during the winter,” Shuler said. “These fish will eat, but they are very lethargic. You have to give them time to get the plug.” In fact, sometimes no retrieve at all is necessary. “A lot of times, particularly over potholes, I'll just stop the plug and let it sit there,” offered Ellis. “You'd be surprised how many fish will hit a bait that is standing still.” Gray agrees a slow retrieve is in order. The Seadrift guide likes to wade fish while throwing Bass Assassins and Seashads on light jig heads. “I'll be throwing Bass Assassins on a 1/16 ounce head,” Gray said. This strategy remains the same for Gray whether he is working reefs for trout or back lakes for redfish. “You've really got to slow your retrieve down. Using a light jig head allows you to do that.” Your retrieve needs to be so slow, in fact, Ellis believes drifting is not an option. “Unless there is no wind at all, you will be drifting too fast to fish effectively,” he noted. “When working winter flats, it is best to get out and wade or get out the pushpole and work your way down the flat.” Ellis says just as often as not, he uses the push pole to slow, rather than propel the boat. “When we come up on a particularly good looking spot, I will use the pole to hold the boat in place so my anglers can work the area thoroughly.” None of this is meant to say there won't be fish in deeper water. Everyone agrees there will be fish for the taking over deep reefs, holes and channels. But, there are also excellent flats fishing opportunities available during the dead of winter. It is just a matter of hitting the right flat on the right day. texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout