Cooler Temperatures – Winter Pattern for Speckled Trout and Redfish

Teal and Dove seasons are upon us anglers. Keep in mine, not to forget some of Galveston Bays finest fishing is also in full swing.

With the passing of each cold front, it has given us relief from the heat of the summer months as well as giving us greater opportunities for fishing Trinity Bay.

The cooler temperatures have already had an effect on Galveston Bay, especially Trinity Bay. In the later days of summer when the water temperature hovers around 90 degrees and there is no relief in sight; fishing for speckled trout or redfish is at best difficult. The fish are usually scattered and are very difficult to locate; sometimes the best time is to fish at night under some sort of lights.

So with the recent weather forecast calling for the first few cold fronts in ’2010, local fishermen look forward to these weather changes with great anticipation of the fall season. The fish start moving, some flounder will make their annual migration, and the golden croaker run is next followed closely by the speckled trout and redfish. These fronts tell the fish to start storing up food for the upcoming cold months ahead. This is also the time of year when the birds start working over the migration of shrimp out of the bay system. Some would say that perhaps this is their most favorite time of year. This time of year, the cooler temperatures make it very comfortable fishing and there seems to be less pressure on the bay because of the hunting seasons. Fishing pressure affects Trinity Bay as much as the weather sometimes. Best bet now is to key on watching for diving birds (seagulls and terns) hovering over nervous shrimp skipping across the water.

This can be some of the best fishing and most rewarding for your ice chests.

Best bet to use for success while working the birds is a bass assassin or shad body, with a quarter ounce lead head. Sometimes, you may want to use a heavier head to get the bait past the smaller trout near the surface. Larger trout to three pounds are almost always feeding near the bottom of the area in question. Excellent bait is a spoon. Because it weighs more and the spoon is larger, the distance to the frenzy birds can be reduced with a longer cast and drops quickly to those larger trout. This writer often wonders when the fish are in a feeding frenzy like that if it really matters what you throw, “but if it is not broke, don’t fix it!” As I said earlier, the fishing pressure has as much affect on Trinity Bay as the temperature. During the week, you can see the difference. Birds will be working the whole bay, but as soon as the weekend comes, the activity shuts down quite a bit. When you spot a flock of birds, especially in the back of Trinity Bay, a trolling motor can be a big advantage. If you go plowing in there fast with your big engines, the fish will scatter and very little will be caught. Use common sense, and stay approximately one hundred feet upwind of the diving birds and drift in with the aid of your trolling motor. I know sometimes this can be frustrating because you know the fish are there and you want to get there quickly, but I promise, if you motor right in on top of the birds, the fish will scatter. Remember that if there are boats already working the birds, they do have first right, so be courteous of those fishing and start looking for other birds and they should return the favor. Look for smaller number of birds (less than five) working as sometimes larger trout can be found under those birds as opposed to thirty to forty birds working a larger school of trout where the fish are smaller.

I hope to see y’all on Trinity Bay and remember to be courteous to the other anglers when fishing the birds.

Good luck and good fishing.

Capt. Paul Marcaccio - Professional Guide with over 30 years of experience

Planning Needed for Trophy Speckled Trout, Redfish

This is that time of year when you better plan your fishing trip for trophy trout or redfish. Luck has a lot to do with it, but don’t leave anything to chance. If you are prepared, the odds will be in your favor.

Clothing is essential. Dress in layers, so as you can peel them off as the day’s activity and sun heats up. Neoprene waders are needed to block the frigid water temperature. Usually, you can wear soft cotton sweats and thermal underwear to block out additional chill from the water.

Lure selection should be that of larger deep running plugs. Examples are the “Corky”, She Dogs by Mirrolure, Skittle Walkers by Rapalo and the Baby Spook. Top water lures can sometimes jump-start your heart with their erratic actions, causing “blow-ups” as you retrieve it. Switch to a deeper plug as mentioned earlier.

Remember, almost every large trout is going to be a female. The males don’t grow as big, nor do they live as long as the female.

Interesting enough, the odds of catching large trout or reds in the winter are reasonably good. The fish are more sluggish from the cold, but the larger ones are more active feeders.

In the winter, the larger fish are more tightly schooled. You may find larger trout running with their smaller friends.

Come spring and summer, the bigger specs tend to shy away from schools. They travel in small pods, maybe six or less. Often, the larger fish are loners.

Try fishing at night under the lights. People with bayfront property and pier owners can catch a good many big trout and reds by rigging overhead lights to beam down on the water. The lights attract a lot of bait and with the bait comes the game fish. Usually, the bigger trout will be more active around the fringe of the lights.

To use live bait, selections can include small piggy perch, croakers or mullet. Using live shrimp, place this bait under a popping cork about three or four feet deep.

In the winter, areas that may produce larger trout and red catches are around deep holes, where there is a minimum of current. Large ship basins and areas adjacent to the ship channel where there are dead ends are good places to catch fish. Offitt’s Bayou, Moses Lake and Clear Lake, to name just a few.

During the spring and early fall, work the fringes of salt grass marshes early in the morning or late in the evening on a spring flood tide. By the way, these times coincide with the trout spawn periods. The trout’s roe is dropped in the vicinity of tall grass. As soon as the eggs hatch, the young fish use the grass for food and cover.

What a lot of anglers may not know is that trout are cannibalistic. After the spawn, they return to feed on the young trout. I remember my grandfather using small trout (six-to-eight inches long) as bait for larger trout. Of course, that was before the minimum size limits were in place.

For obvious reasons, the best way to catch the above mentioned is with a licensed, professional guide. It is their business to follow the movement of the fish. They often have a few special techniques to entice the larger ones.

A point to keep in mind about the big ones. They are extremely easy to spook. The reason for their size is their awareness and caution. If you fail to keep this in mind, you will obviously never find one on the end of your rod. Most fishermen in search of large trout will wade fish, using boats simply as a means to reach the fishing grounds. This method allows them to approach these areas with a minimum of noise. Make your cast so the bait strikes the water with as little fanfare as possible.

Pay close attention to what’s happening in the water. Be aware of baitfish activity. Any activity will aid you to catch that trophy speckled trout.

Remember: Structure, bait, and water movement will result in good catches of large speckled trout and red fish.

Presentation and Patience. Sounds easy. Just try all winter and you will be rewarded. Best bet this time of year has been the soft plastic Assassins, or the Stanley Jigs. Use em’ right on the bottom in that mud area or near shell reefs.

As always, the best time to go fishing, is any time you can.

See ya’ll on Galveston Bay.

Capt. Paul Marcaccio

Live Bait's Best, but Don’t Ignore Plastic Alternative

For some saltwater anglers, the recent shortage of live shrimp in Galveston Bay has put their weekends on hold. Others do not seem to notice.

Keep in mind there are times and places in which live shrimp is a must, but springtime along the Texas coast is not one of them. Hatching of the South Texas brownies along with their migration, sometimes is slowed by Mother Nature.

Fishermen who like to fish for the fun of it, shouldn’t let the absence of the white flag alter their fishing trips.

With a little persistence and some well placed luck, the use of plastic can be every bit as productive as the real thing on speckled trout, redfish, flounder, and maybe almost as good for gafftop and sandtrout.

Live shrimp is a fisherman’s tool, just like his rod and reel or his outboard motor and boat. But sometimes, this tool can be a crutch. Often times, some fishermen are too dependent on live shrimp. Typically, diehard live bait fishermen try the plastic route once or twice. If they are not successful, back to the live well igloo.

There are no guarantees even with a live well full of bugs or hoppers. And don’t give this writer the old adage, the family will go without, unless I bring home the bacon, if that were the scenario, the $12 or more it takes to buy a quart of bait would go much further in a discount food store.

Fishing is fun and part of that fun is being able to fool’em. Time, place and water conditions still matters as much, but you can do so choosing the correct lure and making it wiggle just so.

Granted, this is not easy, but the skills needed for most salt-water applications, come with patience and presentation.

Fishing with plastics is not like open-heart surgery. Experience is the best teacher and your classroom is always open. Soft plastic shrimp and shad imitations are for the most part productive and most user friendly along the Texas Gulf coast. Give me a hand full of jigheads and tails, and this writer will surely have fun fooling a few of the Texas big three. These lures can be worked both horizontally and vertically to cover all the necessary water to attract a surprising variety of fish. Texas big three are the prime targets (trout, redfish and flounder).

The Rat-L-Trap seldom sees salt water action in Texas. If you don’t like this lure and it’s kin. Ask Texas bass fishermen for a recommendation. They are available in many colors and finished with corrosion-resistant hardware and they work on any fish that eats piggy perch or menhaden.

Spoons are a must to carry on the bays of Galveston, but this writer has noticed a real downturn in the numbers anglers throw these days. Man, they can cut through a howling southeast wind like a sharp paring knife. Use ¼ oz-3/4 oz depending on the depth and distance you are trying to cover. A wide body spoon wobbles near the surface, while a narrow body plows more deeply through the water. Many a redfish have been landed with a gold spoon as well as other types of plastic imitation shrimp and shad bodies. You can chunk and wind all day with a spoon.

Mirro-lures, Jumpim’ minnows and Corky’s are among a family of somewhat advanced lures, but there is no single, magic way to work any of them.

Start with a slow steady retrieve and have a fishin’ friend begin with a quick erratic pull. Keep it moving. Let it sit. Try anything. And when a fish hits the plug, try and remember to retrieve it the same way the next time.

The length or weight of my stringer does not measure the success of my personal fishing trips any more. More so, the uncanny ability to fool one speckled trout or redfish on a fake bait.

Remember, have fun outdoors. Good luck and god fishing.

See Y’all on Galveston Bay.

Capt. Paul Marcaccio

East Bay - Anytime & Often

You don’t need a huge bay for good fishing. A small bay with great structure plus marsh embossed borders can fill the bill.

That’s the case of East Bay, the smallest of the major bays in the Galveston Estuary. For years it was the best redfish bay on the upper Texas Coast, but back in those years it was also the best kept secret. East Bay is still the best upper coast redfish bay, but that’s no longer a secret, and the bay now gets heavy play from boaters and waders alike.

Starting with Hanna’s Reef on the southwest end, East Bay is rich with structure: scores of deep oyster reefs and pipe stands, Hanna’s Reef is a favorite of anglers who like to anchor their boats to fish cuts and drop-offs along the reef. Drift anglers favor the deep reefs to the northeast of Hanna’s Reef and Intracoastal Waterway and those who like to fish the birds. Areas like deep or Whitehead come to this writer mine………

Recently, Mike Heidemann and myself tested the waters in East Bay. With a stiff North wind we found protected shoreline. I knew fish were holding, especially on an outgoing tide, flushing the bait out on the flats, but to both our amazement, we had no idea what was to follow.

Using lime-truse Salt Water Assassins and pearl chartreuse Stanley Jigs, Mike and I found a bonanza of fish. Mike limited on reds to 27 inches and I had only 1 redfish. Then Mike caught another fish, thinking it was another red. He made the statement, “I’ll work on your limit”. This time when the fish surfaced, it was a huge speckled trout. Later we weighed the fish on a certified scale at Eagle Point Camp; it was a healthy 8.7 pounds and 27-3/4 inches long. Mike and myself scored numerous other big trout that day. Our total that afternoon was 13 trout and 5 reds.

Awesome Day……………

The boarders of East Bay offer excellent wade fishing, especially the stretch along the Bolivar Peninsula side. This stretch from Goat Island, the bay’s junction with Lower Galveston Bay, back to Elm Grove, offers excellent fishing for speckled trout, redfish and flounder. When the wind is light and parallel to the length of Bolivar Peninsula, some of the bigger coves can be fished by drifting. Whether you drift or wade, a boat is needed to reach these waters because you have to cross the Intracoastal Waterway that runs the length of Bolivar Peninsula.

The whole of Chambers County side of East Bay can be waded, with the best action generally on the flats behind the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. Access is either by the refuge or near Smith’s Point.

Some of the best redfish action in this bay is during the oyster season. Working oyster boats make the bay quite sandy and at times downright muddy. This isn’t conducive to decent fishing for speckled trout. The working oyster boats, however, stir up a lot of marine life upon which redfish feed. Don’t bother to fish in the immediate vacinity of the oyster boats. Instead, fish the flats and along the saltgrass marshes on the Bolivar Peninsula side of the bay.

East Bay is like West Bay in that it is a Galveston Estuary body of water little affected by fresh water runoff from heavy rains. This bay has two close connections with the Gulf of Mexico. Consequently the salinity level in this bay remains fairly constant, The connection with the Gulf of Mexico is Rollover Pass about 20 miles from the tip if the Bolivar Peninsula. The other connection is the Lower Galveston Bay at the mouth of the entrance to the seaway between the North and South Jetties.

Rollover Pass deserves special attention; it offers boatless anglers excellent flounder and golden croaker fishing every fall and spring.

There is no lack of fishing facilities (tackle and bait stands, boat-launching ramps, eating establishments) on Bolivar Peninsula. They are located all along the Intracoastal Waterway. It’s a different story on the Chambers County side of the bay. There are launching facilities on the roads leading to the bay, but all the concession stands selling bait; tackle, ice and food are located near Smith’s Point.

Located near Rollover Pass in East Bay, is two very important Bayou’s (Yates and Big Pasture). Wade near the mouths of either on a falling tide, and you will be rewarded with good stringers of spec’s and redfish. The bottom is a little soft. Wear proper boots with ray guards. Move slowly, always keying on nervous mullets or shad. Use top waters in this area for those speckled trout or redfish. Best bait is Baby Spooks or She Pups. Colors should be light in clear water and dark colors when the water is off-colored.

Access to most of the south shoreline by boat is through String Ray Cut or Seivers Cut. Boat launching from the end of the Dike is by far the closest, unless you use the Bolivar Ferry and make use of a few ramps along the Intercoastal Waterway.

Recent runoffs from the San Jacinto and Trinity Rivers have placed a great amount of timbers and other materials in the waters. Leaving before daylight could have serious consequences.

Look forward to seeing some of you wading or drifting East Bay.

CaptPaul Marcaccio

Fish Slow and Deep for Winter Bay Action

When winter cloud cover prevails, fish the deep holes located on your Hot Spot maps. Should the sun come out, simply move to the flats adjacent to these holes.

A bit later, we will discuss how to fish the flats, but first, we will work on those deep holes.

Even though you are anxious to bring home that big catch, take the time to use your fish finder to locate the pockets of fish suspended at different depths. Each day the fish will move to different parts of the deep structure. Always take the time to check out the entire hole and don’t just fish blind in deep water. Your catch will no doubt reflect the efforts of your search.

Once you have located schools of fish, mark the location with orange floaters. While drifting over the area, bounce the bait off the bottom as if you were jigging in freshwater. Always cover the entire area around your boat, and if the prevailing winds move you along too fast, simply use your drift anchor. Of course, you must not forget to check out those favorite spots you have developed from previous experiences in deep water.

Each time you cast, allow the bait to reach the bottom. Point your rod tip toward the water and jig up or twitch it side-to-side. Usually a trout or red will strike as the bait begins to fall. Always keep the bait moving in the area in which you are fishing since the fish are not considered aggressive and may need enticement to assume they have located a wounded fish. Fishing during January and February does require significant patience and dedication, bur generally, fish caught this time of year will put up a better fight and can weigh 3-to-5 pounds each.

Fish feed differently and less frequently during the winter and tend to nip or peck similar to some perch. Simply wail for a two-count, then set your hook.

Live bait is often difficult to find during the winter months, so you might want to try soft plastic shrimp tails, shad imitations and jerk worms. The best colors being strawberry with white fire tail, pearl with chartreuse tail, smoke, grape, or root beer. For additional movement, you may add the Flex-Jig.

The use of   ¾ - to - 1 ounce spoons are excellent, Try gold or silver with teaser. The fish can feel the vibration with their lateral lines.

Generally, you can cover more water with soft plastic and spoons, both vertically and horizontally.

Now its time to discuss fishin’ those flats after the sun has come out and begun to heat everything up.

You might try a topwater lures (Mirrolure Top Dog and She Dog, or Baby Spooks.

Any large bait is good to imitate the specific fish both the trout and redfish are looking for.

Most smaller bait is absent in the winter. You should look for slicks or pockets of live bait.

Always remember to relax and have fun outdoors and the best time to go fishin’ is anytime you can.

See ya’ll on Galveston Bay.

Capt Paul Marcaccio

Fishing Trinity Bay

In general, the temperature slowly starts to drop from the dog days of summer and the speckled trout and redfish move into Trinity Bay, which is bordered on three sides by land (mostly marshes).

It is often said we fish all year to get ready for the final part of the season, known to most anglers as “Trinity Bay in the Fall”.

Everyone has a particular time of the year to fish or method to use, but I really enjoy the fall fishing patterns that develop from mid-September to late-December each year. These patterns include wade fishing, drift fishing, fishing gas wells and pipe stands, and the most popular of them all “chasing the birds”.

Salinity plays a major role on the trout’s ability to stay in the area, and any excessive amount of fresh water coming from several water sheds in the bay will push the trout out of the area towards Galveston, appearing in large numbers around the north and south jetties. This year, with the San Jacinto and Trinity Rivers out of its banks, fish are staging near the channel markers 50 to 72……………..

They will also fan out on the beachfront where or wade fishermen Can catch their limits. The fish will return to Trinity Bay when the salinity is stable.

Most of this bay is only accessible by boat, but some can reach public ramps by using their ‘Hot Spot’ map, and may elect to trailer to some of these ramps instead of traveling across the open bay. It doesn’t take very long for Mother Nature to turn Trinity Bay into an ugly sea with waves in excess of five to seven feet.

It is best to wade or drift fish early in the day. This is the time when the speckled trout are in shallow waters looking for bait fish.

While wading, use your previous experience and knowledge to scan the waters for signs of trout. ‘Slicks’ will pop up generally in these areas, about the size of a washtub. Position yourself upwind of these telltale signs of feeding trout and cast around and inside of each one. Not always will you catch trout, but I have found these slicks to have gaff-top and sometimes hardheads in them.

Be assured that if you work several slicks that day, your stringer will be rewarded with trout.

Look for pockets of bait that appear to be nervous or being herded around. The trout are under them and the bait is not sure when they will feed. Areas like Hodges, Submerged, and Double Bayou are noted for quality fish to 25 inches.

As the day begins to heat up from the sun, move to the open bay and work the gas wells and pipe stands or some of the large separators. Also, work structure like oyster beds or areas that have guts running parallel with the shoreline. Lady’s Pass or Deep Reef is excellent ones. You will find success because these trout will wait in ambush in these guts or oyster beds and feed on the bait as it crosses these areas.

A good method is to drift on either side of the wells and if you pick up a trout, return and anchor in the general area. Sometimes, if the fishermen in your boat are quick enough to tell you of their catch, you may want to anchor.

Keep moving from well to well until you find the fish and be alert to tide and current in these areas. Most of your fish will be caught on the down side of the well from which the tide is moving.

Another option is to set out your anchor at a particular well and work it for at least 30 to 45 minutes, Remember; fish patterns can change, so be patient in these areas.

Each year, the birds in Trinity Bay lead fishermen to limits of trout and redfish. It sounds so simple, but in practice is not often so.

Once you locate the flock, make a turn upwind approximately 100 feet and drift into the area. Schools of speckled trout and occasionally big gaff top will work under the shrimp and herd them to the surface where they catch the attention of the gulls.

Speckled trout will often go on a feeding frenzy and hit anything you throw in the area. Be sure and cast around the edges, and if you can get your bait down quickly enough, solid trout to three pounds will be your reward.

The trout near the surface will be smaller, but more aggressive. Use ‘Bass Assassin’ or even a gold spoon. There is no point anchoring here unless there is a complete absence of wind.

Once you move out of the area, crank up and move upwind and start another drift.

Some anglers prefer the “sling-shot” method, which may or may not be good in certain situations. This method means to go full tilt with your engine until you are right in the middle of the diving birds, shut your engine down and work in he area 360 degrees around the boat. While this may be successful, be sure other boats are not already working the same set of birds.

Pay attention to gulls that fly for a minute and return to the same area and set upon he water. The shrimp and trout are down deeper and the birds are waiting for them to be driven to the surface.

Take special note to be careful and not disturb other boaters working a particular set of birds. If there are three or more boats in the area, move off and start a look through you binoculars. There are sure to be other birds working over schools of bait.

As always, enjoy the day fishing and catching your favorite species.

Remember what you have learned and pass it on to the little ones. You too, were young once.

Good lock and good fishing.

See you’ll on Galveston Bay.

Capt. Paul Marcaccio

April Options on Galveston Bay

The trip was planned to explore several areas in the San Leon, Dickinson Bay, and Texas City near the Dike. But, the old pier pilings that have always been such a magnet for redfish beckoned. It's hard for this guide to give up good old bad habits, especially when they have produced fried redfish filets so many times. The Big Bay Parker just seemed to go on autopilot, quickly swinging into familiar territory.

On a Bass Assassin ¼ oz wide gap lead head, the limetruse plastic mullet imitation looked deadly swimming through the sandy green bay waters. Long cast with my All-Pro Fishing Tackle Unlimited rod back toward the shallows drew the bait in an almost parallel course to the old pier pilings near April Fool Pt. Just as the sun was clearing the eastern shoreline of East Bay, my 6-½ foot rod bowed deeply. The power and style of the run indicated that I had a good redfish. The ultra light action of the rod along with my 10 lb. Elite line by Suffix proved to be lethal again. However, the pier pilings are different. It was over in less than two minutes. Twice more, my presentation proved to fool me'. It was embarrassing……

Then there was that magic day a couple of days later, back near the Texas City Dike. Using medium action All-Pro FTU rods, four of us did battle on some awesome black drum. Lots of Big black drum. It was a bright sunny day with a light east wind. Those fish were stacked in a deep hole near the Dike. And they were eating fresh blue crabs just as fast as we could serve them up. Passers by on the Bolivar Ferry were treated to several Herculean tussles. These spawn-minded females were all in the 25-40 lb class and they make ones forearms similar to Popeye's……

There was the beautiful April morning, spent with a very dear friend, Brother Chuck, around Goat Island near the Hog Pins in East Bay. We used several assortments of She Dog's and soft plastic Assassins and Tidal Surge baits to tally a mixed bag. By the end of the day, we had waded that entire shoreline and come away with speckled trout, redfish, sand trout and even one grandee gaff stop. My brother Chuck was equal to the test and found great success, both on top as well as feeding those great fish with soft plastic.

And yet again was the morning with Mike Heidaman and Casey, along the north shoreline of Trinity Bay. Get this, with no tidal movement, we boxed speckled trout to around four pounds on soft plastic Salt Water Assassins and Tidal Surge baits. On still another day, when cabin fever trampled good sense, a hasty run to the back of Moses Lake seemed to ease the situation. That campaign featured deteriorating conditions with a light drizzle. The only fish happening were several sand trout and some Hugh ribbonfish. Still again, the need was served.

The aforementioned episodes are described, not for the quality or quantity they produced, but to highlight the exciting fact that April is the month when it all begins. Most of the action we find on the Texas Coast pecks during the warmer months. By the firth of May, water temperature is in that magical 70's and the summer smorgasbord is being served up…

The large black drum show first. While the run pecks in September, bull redfish are year round possibility. As the beachfront warms to the sunlight, gaffs top, speckled trout and keeper redfish begin the work the shallow guts. Big flounder are funneling through the passes and ditches, working there way back into the upper part of Trinity and East Bay. Sharks will oversee the migration in numbers most people do not begin to realize. The first of these will usually be the small sand sharks. Not far behind them will be the black tip, bulls and hammerheads. By mid-June, Spanish mackerel, jackfish pompano, king mackerel and even ling will be taken near the beach front.

It is easy to rush this great out door experience. As much as this writer and guide love fishing the colder months, I eagerly anticipate that which is to come. Rare is the year that I don't try to will the fish into place before it's time. The next three months will offer more and more varied opportunities than any other time of the year. The possibilities are virtually limitless. And every year, during the dog days of summer, I suddenly blink one hot, steamy afternoon and wonder where those magic days of spring went already……

God bless you and your families, while you enjoy His great backyard.

Captain Paul Marcaccio, USGC & TP & W.

Article-April 2006-a B.O.I.(born on the island) with over 30 years of Coastline experience.

Anahuac Pocket - The Golden Goose

This day a good friend, Mike Heideiman, and I were looking for that elusive trout and redfish. I was using soft plastic Saltwater Assassin’s and Mike was a Baby Super Spooks. We were intending on having heavy stringers.

One moment the water below the next, and us just looked different a gaping yellow mouth with two canine teeth seemingly appeared from nowhere to engulf the Assassin. The strike was as vicious as it was fast. Water splashed as the big trout dove under my boat, straining the graphite rod and having Mike to turn to see what the commotion was all about and then grab the landing net.

The drag was screaming as my line left the reel in a most characteristic fashion. Got to tell you’ll folks, just does not get any better...........

Mike grabbed the landing net, but this trout’s "time" had not arrived and she made several more runs away from the boat. We finally got the opportunity to slip the landing net under the spent fish. Several more of the same size trout were caught that morning, ranging from 18 inches to 23 inches long. No redfish could be found that day.

Trinity is the largest body of water in the Galveston Bay complex, offering miles of shoreline as well as a huge area of deeper water in the open bay. Trinity provides a good number of oil and gas rigs as well as live oyster reefs for boaters and wade fishermen alike.

Speckled trout, redfish and flounder are found in this natural nursery, but perhaps her greatest claim to fame comes from waders throwing topwater baits for big trout. She is large enough that it would pay most weekend anglers to invest in a few trips with experienced guides so they can get to know the area a little better.

Live bait is always the percentage call on any water. Shrimp, finger mullet, and croakers will always produce at the right time. While live bait is not always easy to find and is expensive, most fishermen will either but it, net it, or simply not go fishing. There is, however, something about Trinity that seems to inspire some of us who would not be caught with live bait or a cast net. That’s not to say, clients may buy the bait and put it on my boat any time. From time to time, word leaks out about enormous trout taken on topwaters.

Her greatest drawback is the seemingly annual flooding of fresh water down the river into the open bay. Trinity has been reported, in recent years, for anglers to catch fresh water stripers and bass. But, when she’s right, Trinity Bay can grant some of the most consistent, if not the hottest, fishing on the entire Gulf Coast. THIS IS THE CASE NOW...........

It may be hit or miss from now on until the first spring flood tides, but when the tides get right and there is a lull between these blue northers, the fish will be there. Salinity and color now is as good as this writer could imagine.

Along with others, I will be back.

As always, enjoy fishing. Remember what you have learned and pass it on to the little ones. You, too, were young once.

See y’all on Galveston Bay or maybe Trinity Bay near the shoreline at .................Oops?

Merry Christmas to one and all. God bless our land and the men who defend it for our enjoyment outdoors...............

Capt. Paul Marcaccio
www.gofishgalveston.com