I just got back into deer hunting this season. Where I hunt on public land, the deer become wise very quickly after the season opener. It’s really not much different than some summer fishing scenarios. With all the boat activity, redfish and big trout can become very hard to catch in heavily fished areas. These fish know when to come out and eat after the pressure leaves. One great thing about fall and winter is you typically see a reduction in fishing and boating pressure, and it’s just easier to catch fish and larger fish.
I talked to Capt. Steve Soule, and we both agreed that fish sense when the fishing and boat traffic begin to die down both daily and seasonally. Steve trout fishes in some areas that receive a lot of fall fishing pressure, and he’s always noted that even as the sun begins to retreat and it begins to get dark this time of year, the bay seems to come back to life. Mullet and baitfish begin to become active as fish begin to prowl.
It’s sort of like trophy deer hunting. Most of the time trophy deer are taken by the guy who’s scouted the area and knows where the cross trails and big buck sign are. He is aware of the wind and knows where he’s going to set up and how to set up his stand silently. He’s picked a route to his stand that is quiet and unobtrusive.
Trophy trout are taken by anglers who know where the structure is that trophy trout seek. They know the signs that indicate fish are present. They know the best tides to fish and what the best weather will be for feeding fish. They’ll even select a route to silently enter the area using the trolling motor and park a distance away on a bottom where, when the anchor is thrown or a wader exits the boat, the fish won’t be pushed off the structure. That commitment is what it takes to regularly catch big speckled trout.
Big fish are reclusive. They have selected areas where they can be safe from boaters, sharks and pelicans. The cool thing is big trout and redfish will sometimes seek out the same areas on the main bays in winter. Try to find overlooked areas with oysters and mud or grass and mud. It’s sort of like the giant buck in that little wood lot next to town. It’s the quiet overlooked areas that harbor big trout, and it takes a savvy angler with a plan to catch them consistently.
If you want to up your game and get in to some amazing winter redfish, give Capt. Soule a call. It will be some of the best topwater fishing all year.
Tobin Strickland created the TroutSupport.com DVD series to support anglers in blowing through the learning curve with speckled trout and redfish.
[easy-social-share]