By Capt. Javi Castillo
Well it’s definitely been a warm winter. We all have our favorite spots which generally produce at the same time every year. I fish with clients from Port Aransas to Baffin Bay. I’ve noticed this year’s patterns here in the last couple months to be about five weeks early. They will level out at the end of the summer and when we commend to fall. But with the warmer winter everything has been activated faster. We also won’t be getting very many foggy mornings with that amazing top water bite because the water temperature just never came down enough.
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n Baffin Bay this year the good fishing has been more at the mouth of the bay at spots like The tire gauge bar, Point of rocks, The meadows, The Badlands and Peniscal point. The top water bite seems to be over by 8:30 am unless you can get a very overcast day. I’ve been having a ton of success on the new Homerecker soft plastics. The most effective colors have been sunrise slam, root beer, Mayham mullet, Captain Javi’s chicken off the chain and ignite bite. I like to keep my bait moving in the strike zone so I throw either a 1/16oz or 1/8 oz Hellrazor jighead. When fishing in Baffin I only throw 12lb test mono. People always ask me why. The simple answer is if there’s fish on rocks we will get hung up and we will break off but we will not walk through the fish to get your lure off. It is much easier just to break off your jighead and Retie another one on then if you were fishing braid and you break off you have to try another leader line on and then another jig head which means less time with your Lures in the water and less opportunity of catching fish. The other thing is most people have to drag sent way too tight for trophy trout. I keep mine set loose enough for 20 each trout to take drag. These fish mouths are very soft. If you keep setting the hook or high-sticking that fish you will pull the hooks or will just slip out of the hole that’s been made.
The first thing I tell my clients before they even make their first cast is if you set the hook in your rod is to the left keep it to the left until you land that fish if you switch over to the right that hook will roll and 50% of the time it will roll out. Just of adjust your body and keep the fish in from your chest at all times. The worst is when clients loose big fish right in front of them. If that fish stops and your rod is not loaded the hooks will come out when you get that fish close enough and she’s no longer moving and you feel The rod not flexing as much spin in a circle to the same side did you set the hook on and continue to spin in a circle until you land that fish that will keep your rod loaded and the hook snug.
Lastly never ever ever ever grab the line and try and net or boga that fish. These trout are big and beautiful creatures and are the backbone of our bay systems Fishery. Please practice catch photo and release(CPR) on big trout.
The fishing in Aransas Pass has been great for redfish and box trout. In spots such as Brian in root flats, Steadmans island, hog Island and the Lydian lakes. In the spots you can never go wrong with Berkeley go under a popping cork. Very effective way of fishing for redfish. Nueces Bay has been hit or miss simply because of the weather that bays water on windy days turns to chocolate milk very quick. But on the days that the clarity has been there it has been very productive. I’d start out by fishing along the Portland causeway on the reefs they’ve been holding trout and redfish then head over to the new spoil islands that they have made the redfish seem to really like pushing the bait along there.
We have lost way too many good people and good fisherman to all of the Texas coast who are not wearing life jackets. Please watch your weather your storm systems and your wind changes be safe on the water be courteous and always help each other out when in need. Let’s have a great spring and may you catch your personal best.