A bad day of fishing is surely better than a good day at work, we all agree.  But there are times when you just should not be out on the water.  These are times when the wind is roaring out of the North and the conditions for small craft advisories are in affect and everyone thinks you are plain nuts for braving the bay.  I whole heartedly agree that you should not be out there but then there are times when experienced boaters and anglers can get around the weather and have a safe day on the water.  Further, I have found that with todays shallow running boats you can avoid the majority of these less than perfect rough water conditions and not only survive them but catch some decent boxes of fish by running tighter on the shorelines and avoiding the severe chop of the wind blown swells!

Fish are smart enough to figure out early in the Fall that things will be changing soon and they have a built in survival technique that allows them to take cover when the times come.  I can say that of all the winter fishing I have done over the years I spent way too many of those days in 45 degree water temps and a foot or two of water wondering why I wasn’t seeing any bait and dang sure wasn’t getting any fish to bite.  Talking to many guides over the years and sitting in on presentations at boat shows and other anglers nights out in addition to running guided fishing trips for over seven years, I realized the best way to learn this is experience gained from others and trial and error on my part.  Finally I’m at a point where I sort of understand where to look for these cold water conditions fish!

Concentrate on deep passageways but look for guts coming out of it and adjacent two to three foot flats where the fish can come up to bask in the warming shallower water of a sun filled day but deep enough to provide a quick escape when things go cold on them.  Realize these guys are cold blooded and will be moving and eating much slower during these times than what you may be used to during warmer water conditions.  Similar to Croaker fishing in the Summer, give the fish that bites your bait a two to three second period of taking the bait in their mouths to be sure you can make a good hook set.  Too early on the set and you may miss the fish since they hadn’t had enough time to move their jaw bones enough to eat it.  Likewise don’t wait six to ten seconds because if this is a smaller fish or throwback you don’t want that hook in so far it kills the fish to remove the hook.  Pay attention to the pace of the bite and let the fish teach you the timing of what to expect on their feeding pattern because they will likely all be on the same program.  It’s the angler that can adjust easily and land more fish for the dinner table or enjoy a catch and release day whilst freeing the fish less harmed and able to fight another day!

Enjoy this period of time on the water even with changes in water levels and temperatures.  Some of the best ways to learn your bay system is to get out when the water is the lowest.  This way you can learn where the reefs begin and end and you can find obstacles in the water that pose a threat to your vessel so you now know how to avoid it.  Mark those in your mind and on your GPS and it will give you more confidence the next time the water levels are normal and you are running through the open bay.  Customers of mine are puzzled and impressed when I can explain what cannot be seen on the waters surface.  Knowing the bottom of the bay floor will help in so many ways and most important will contribute to the safety of your trips and the success of your angling experience.

Cold weather should be prevailing this month as we head into this year’s holiday season. As a result, we will probably experience some less-than-stellar conditions on occasions. Don’t be discouraged when this happens. You shouldn’t, necessarily, alter your plans or cancel your fishing trip just because the sun isn’t shining and because the wind happens to be blowing really hard. However, safety should be your main concern. If you feel that the weather is altogether too much for you, then simply don’t go. The fish will still be there whenever you are able to make the trip safely.

If you do happen to make it out onto the water this month on a day when the weather decides to turn nasty, stop for a moment and try to think of alternate locations instead of immediately packing-up everything and heading back to the boat ramp. Areas along the stretch of our coastal region to look to in these situations are places like the many back lakes located on Matagorda Island between Port O’Connor and The Second Chain of Islands that are all the way down by Mesquite Bay – Pringle Lake, Contee Lake, Long Lake, and Panther Point Lake to name just a few. If you prefer staying closer to the mainland, then look to places like the stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway between West Matagorda Bay and San Antonio Bay, or the Victoria Barge Canal that’s accessible via San Antonio Bay near Seadrift.

For artificial bait enthusiasts, December can be a prime month for scoring a career-best trout. Top water baits can produce well this month, but they’ll sometimes be a challenge whenever fighting windy conditions. However, anglers should always make it a point to carry a small arsenal of plastic tails and some slow-sinkers in dark colors – Morning Glory, Red Shad, TX Roach. Whenever possible this month, toss these baits in some of the more popular reef areas of San Antonio Bay whenever the reefs happen to be accessible. When the shell becomes unavailable due to foul weather or wind, look to nearby protected shorelines and coves consisting of soft, warm mud with some dark grass mixed-in. And, as always at this time of the year, make sure to use a slow retrieve if you’re working soft plastics or slow-sinking plugs above the shell, or the mud.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL With the second-half of duck season in full swing, Bay Flats Lodge is already rapidly booking spring, summer, and fall fishing trips for 2019. This is a great time to pick your favorite fishing dates, so give us a call whenever you’re ready. The entire Bay Flats Lodge family hopes you and yours have a blessed Christmas, and a safe and happy holiday season.

Remember to practice CPR, “Catch, Photo, and Release”, whenever possible on trophy Trout and Reds…

Guide Chris Martin, Port O’Connor/Seadrift region. www.BayFlatsLodge.com
1-888-677-4868.

It is certainly typical winter weather here on the Texas gulf coast. As I sit in my house with fleece on, a down blanket on my bed, a fire burning and drinking warm drinks, the birds are very active at my feeders in the cold and windy weather outside. So in addition to eating to keep their metabolism cranking and body temperature at about 105oF, what else do birds do to keep warm in the winter? They have multiple strategies.

One of the most well-known is of course down feathers. Birds can grow or shed the down depending on ambient temperatures. Their insulation often involves growing an extra set of insulating downy feathers. Birds will puff up their feathers and turn into little fluff balls to help maintain body heat. Down jackets, vests, and sleeping bags have been used by humans for outdoor activities for decades. There are historic records of bird down being traded in the 1600’s. We know this is a good strategy to keep warm.

As in humans and other mammals, shivering generates warmth. Species like chickadees are experts in shivering. This isn’t the familiar tremble that mammals use to generate heat. Birds shiver by activating opposing muscle groups, creating muscle contractions without all of the jiggling typical when humans shiver. This form of shaking is better at retaining the bird’s heat.

We are all familiar with birds putting on fat for migration. They can also put on fat as both an insulator and energy source in winter. More than 10 percent of winter body weight may be fat in certain species, including chickadees and finches. As a result, some birds spend the vast majority of their daylight hours seeking fatty food sources, making feeder food even more precious for surviving a frosty night.

When I see a Great Blue Heron standing in ice cold water with its feathers looking like they are going to be blown off its head, I can’t help but wonder why it is not freezing to death. The reason is the blood vessels in the legs of birds are located right next to each other. Because of this, the warm blood flowing from the birds’ body transfers some of its heat to the cool blood returning from its feet via conductance. This helps the bird stay alive. If the warm blood didn’t heat the cold blood, the birds’ core temperature could be overwhelmed by cold blood from the feet. The bird’s core temperature would drop, endangering the bird. Blood flow is carefully regulated to maintain the delicate balance of providing oxygen and nutrient rich blood while maintaining core body temperature. While the core temperature of a duck or gull standing on ice may be 104 degrees F, its feet may be only slightly above freezing.

A bird on an icy sidewalk doesn’t feel cold from its feet the way you would if you walked barefoot over the same surface. Often, a bird will constrict the blood vessels in its feet to prevent additional blood from flowing into its toes.

Some birds save energy by allowing their internal thermostat to drop. Hummingbirds are a famous example of this, undergoing torpor nightly as their body temperature drops close to outside temperatures. But torpor is not too common in winter birds, because the morning warm up would take too much extra energy. Instead, kinglets and chickadees undergo a more moderate version of this, reducing their body temperature as much as 22 degrees Fahrenheit from their daytime level in a process called regulated hypothermia.

You’ll never find a warmer spot to sleep than in your own down feathers, nestled in a nook small enough that you can warm it up with any extra heat that does escape. Old woodpecker cavities, crannies beneath the eaves of houses, even a tunnel in the snow… they’re all warmer than spending the night (literally) out on a limb.

With all these strategies and adaptations, I can now better understand why birds don’t seem to be bothered as I am by the cold.