Good Day at Winter Trout Fishing!

[PSG-1]

Well, it's that time of year again. Winter Trout season! Today was the first time I've put a line in the water in a few months, I've been so busy working and stomping out fires on a daily basis.

Anyhow, it was an EXCELLENT morning of fishing, and a fine start to the trout season for me....8 fish in about 2 hours, all keepers. =D> =D> :mrgreen:

And, as usual, I got some video of the action....although, it sure is a PITA trying to fish, run the boat, and play camera-man! Here ya go:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjoNig6nMIo&list=UUHYpuGo2zvfQcgL2J7VdAqA&index=1&feature=plcp

 

[fool4fish1226]

=D> Cool video and a real nice catch (good eats) :beer:

 

[PSG-1]

You got that right! We had some of that fresh trout last night, and the rest went in the freezer. I don't get too enthusiastic about other types of fishing, because a lot of them can be caught year-round. The trout are only in here like this for a couple of months, though, so, I make the most of it when I can.

 

[FishingCop]

Way to go, some nice ones there =D>

 

[phideux]

Watching that video I thought some of that scenery looked familiar, we fish the same spots. I want to get out there, but it's hunting season too.

 

[mattfish11]

I can't stand winter... way to make the best of it!

 

[thudpucker]

What kind of Fish was that?
It looked like it was a Char, but you called it a Trout?

Good looking fish, no matter what it was. But what is it?

 

[Galveston340]

....some nice and healthy looking Specks there! I noticed at around 2:45 or so there was a slick that popped up! Down here on the coast near Galveston this year I would hit the water on the days when it was as nasty as it could get and hammer them up in the Houston Ship channel. Found some last week in a local Bayou that looks almost the same as where you were up there in SC that were what looked like my personal best fish.
They were coming out of a deep drain onto a mud flat that was warming up as the Sun got a bit higher. Lost one at the boat that made the three 26" fish I had look small! They haven't been in our usual spots as we didn't really have a winter down here. Already seen some days a few weeks ago that were in the 80's so they have stayed spread out this year.

 

[PSG-1]

What kind of Fish was that?
It looked like it was a Char, but you called it a Trout?

Good looking fish, no matter what it was. But what is it?

Spotted seatrout. Also known as speckled trout. They're actually not a trout, but a member of the drum family, like red drum, black drum, and croaker. In fact, that's how you tell a male from a female, the males emit a croaking sound when handled.

Probably one of the best-eating fish inshore.

 

[PSG-1]

Watching that video I thought some of that scenery looked familiar, we fish the same spots. I want to get out there, but it's hunting season too.

Last fall was a good year for trout, and with the relatively mild winter we've had, next year will also be good, I think.

Best places are wherever there is a current rip and a deep hole, on either side of high tide. We tend to catch them on mirro-lures and jig heads. I prefer pulling up in the grass and casting, but sometimes trolling works better.

 

[PSG-1]

....some nice and healthy looking Specks there! I noticed at around 2:45 or so there was a slick that popped up! Down here on the coast near Galveston this year I would hit the water on the days when it was as nasty as it could get and hammer them up in the Houston Ship channel. Found some last week in a local Bayou that looks almost the same as where you were up there in SC that were what looked like my personal best fish.
They were coming out of a deep drain onto a mud flat that was warming up as the Sun got a bit higher. Lost one at the boat that made the three 26" fish I had look small! They haven't been in our usual spots as we didn't really have a winter down here. Already seen some days a few weeks ago that were in the 80's so they have stayed spread out this year.

Not sure if that 'slick' was from schooling fish, or caused by the sandbar in that location. But that particular area was quite productive for me this past season.

Here's another spot I fished, 2 days in a row with my girlfriend. We did really good in this area:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99FYsKUTh0I&list=UUHYpuGo2zvfQcgL2J7VdAqA&index=14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgHeiG9yFCE&list=UUHYpuGo2zvfQcgL2J7VdAqA&index=13


And speaking of trout, here's a video of me hand-feeding the rainbow trout I'm growing in the pond in my backyard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsmEbqhCfw0&list=UUHYpuGo2zvfQcgL2J7VdAqA&index=4

 

[phideux]

Watching that video I thought some of that scenery looked familiar, we fish the same spots. I want to get out there, but it's hunting season too.

Last fall was a good year for trout, and with the relatively mild winter we've had, next year will also be good, I think.

Best places are wherever there is a current rip and a deep hole, on either side of high tide. We tend to catch them on mirro-lures and jig heads. I prefer pulling up in the grass and casting, but sometimes trolling works better.

Never did good with the Mirro-Lures, but have done really good with the jigs, also do good with the new Gulp Shrimp. I used to trout fish alot in Pawleys too, the North end by the jetty. Nothing like floating a live shrimp for a Gator.

 

[PSG-1]

The #808 Mirro-Lure is a really good one, and so is the #24 (it looks exactly like a mullet minnow) They work best when slow-trolled, giving it an occasional twitch, and then an occasional pull, where you feel the lure wiggling back and forth. Some people troll against the current, but I usually try to drift/troll with the current, to keep my lure close to the bottom. It's hard to get one to the bottom when the tide starts running hard.

For jigs, it's hard to beat chartreuse with the firetail. My favorite was the Mann's 'swimmin' grub' in that pattern, but they no longer make it

Orange or pink head 1/4 oz jigs have always been my go-to colors.

The gulp new penny shrimp is an excellent lure when rigged on jig heads. Along that same line, so is the clear DOA shrimp, I take the factory weight and hook out of it, then rig it onto a jig head (that's actually the 'secret weapon' I refer to in these other videos.....feel free to give it a shot, but don't let too many people know about it, as it's so **** effective.)