Holy Redfish Big Daddy! Its 2019! Another year down in the Lodge Books. A Quick Reflection of the 2018 Saltwater Lodge Calendar:

Duck Season Last Year was Awesome, key words LAST YEAR, we had record numbers of puddle ducks all Season with mixed Divers.

Spring Fishing and Turkey Hunting on the Ranch was a Success. Trout Fishing while wading was the best way to fill Freezer Bags with Fillets. Airboat Fishing for Reds was always entertaining with Bent Poles and Screaming Drags. Cut Mullet is my go to bait for skinny water Redfish.

The Youth Turkey Hunt was a success with a 2 ½ or 3 year old Bird with a 10” Beard.

2018 Summer was mixed with Wade Fishing Trips and Boat Trips. Mostly using Bait, Croaker is a key choice for the Fisherman that wants to feel the THUMP.

DSL was the Artificial of Choice, any color will catch a stringer of Trout and Reds.

Flounder Gigging was off to say the least. Yeah, we had some good Stabs and Slabs but it died off hard and only the die hards were able to make a season out of it. Hey I think its just a cycle. They will be back maybe this year or the next. 2018 was just an off year for flat fish. Goose Hunting in Texas has also been a bust so there really isn’t much to report.

Hey! Let’s look forward. The Houston Boat Show is in full swing and Duck Season is winding down.

The Big Freeze Out Tournament is in a few weeks and there are some solid fish being caught. Of course the pattern is and probably will change but with the Solid Trout Population and Good Redfish Numbers the Freeze Out Tournament will have a bunch of fish weighed in. Look Out Team Waterloo! They won every year so they have the proverbial target on ‘em. Plus the other Teams that Placed are all contenders to win it.

It’s my opinion that this Tournament brings out the best Middle Coast Fishermen and is a pleasure fishing against everyone. Plus it’s for a great community cause. Good Luck Teams Be Safe! Last Year the Fog was crazy bad. It was the right call to postpone the start time. Maybe we can start on time this year.

I’m actually setting in our roll out blind down south with 2 pintails and a Beautiful Drake Merganser. It’s going to the Taxidermist. This hunt has been pretty typical since the split. You have to be patient and willing to sit most of the day to get limits or near limits.

To change the subject a bit, I always like warning readers of our low tides this time of year. It’s going to be low for a while and believe it or not your boat doesn’t run as shallow as you think it does, trust me.

All kidding aside You can call me anytime and We will come get ya! My number is at the bottom of the article.

Big Shout Out to American Airboats!!

I now have a 2019 American Air Ranger. It’s my 4th or 5th Air Ranger. It’s a Beautiful and Powerful Machine. Faron Floyd has really developed new technology and continues to build the Finest Airboats that his Father Stan Floyd started decades ago. When you own an American Airboat you are Family. Looking forward to guiding out of it this year at the Lodge. So come on and let’s get it!

Call Billy for available Dates: 713 907 4796.

Let’s Start the Year Off getting my New Air Ranger Slimy and Bloody!
If You Get Stuck Call Me Day or Night.

Captain Jeff Larson 1 281 217 0399

“A Family Affair”
Bay Flats Lodge

We’ve already had some substantial cold fronts, and area bay waters have become quite chilly as a direct result. In the event we’re presented with a calm day this month, make your way out into the mid-section of San Antonio Bay and take advantage of what can, at times, be some prime cold-water trout fishing amongst the many area shell reefs. Unfortunately, however, we’ll probably be spending most of our days in January putting up with harsh winds that are either out of the south just prior to the next approaching front, or winds out of the north immediately following the passage of a front. Either way, we can often spend a considerable amount of time this month searching for productive areas that provide adequate protection from high winds and other foul weather elements.

Anyone who has spent much time fishing the Port O’Connor and Seadrift area may have spent a few of their wintertime days out on the water nestled close to the bank in tight coves located on the bayside of area back lakes. These coves offer protection from the weather, and they also offer access to narrow arteries which feed saltwater into some of the back lakes. There’s a good possibility you’ll find some bigger trout hanging out in these guts and bayous, so make it a point to jig some of your favorite plastic tails in these deeper areas this month when the water gets really cold. A couple of good colors this time of the year include Texas Roach and Black Magic, both with a chartreuse tail. However, an all-time favorite go-to bait color for cold water still remains plum with a chartreuse tail.

If top water baits are more your game, stick with the old rule-of-thumb that says to throw bright colors on bright days, and dark colors on dark days or in dark water. Simply put, when the air and water temperatures drop severely, dark colors work, regardless of the weather or the water conditions.

Aside from hiding in coves along San Antonio Bay’s south shoreline, consider concentrating some of your efforts elsewhere. Wading long, skinny reefs that are nearly up against the shore of the Aransas National Refuge has historical proven to be time well spent when it’s cold outside. Other areas to look to this month include the protected shoreline of the Welder Ranch, the deeper waters of the Victoria Barge Canal and the ICW, the reefs located near Grass Island, and the mud/shell that rests near the lower end of Shoalwater Bay where it opens in to San Antonio Bay. You might get cold or be uncomfortable, but you’ll be having fun while making enjoyable memories. Happy New Year everyone!

Capt. Chris Martin, Bay Flats Lodge, 1.888.677.4868 Office

“Cold Water Trout”

Happy New Year my fellow anglers! 2019 is here and with the flip of the calendar to January I find myself remembering the first half of this month has given way to some of my best days on the water. I love this time period for many reasons but the most notable is the fact that there are few boats on the water, fewer still anglers to contend with and a seemingly endless supply of hungry Speckled Trout to play with.

Wading with lures is the way to go for my favorite days this first half of January making sure I have the right tackle along with me before slipping into the water. I like to focus on bait movement first and foremost. Next I am looking for the multitude of cuts and guts in the bay floor because they attract the trout who use them as ambush points. Add to that areas of water that are a bit stained and then water that looks like a boat just peeled out churning up the muddy bottom. These spots are even better if they are in a waist deep soft mud flat.

The arsenal of lures I carry is a simple one but covers all the presentations I will likely lean on. My wade belt will have a plastic box containing various colors of darks and lights of offerings such as: slow sinking soft baits like the Corky (Brown) Original Suspending Twitchbait and also the Corky Devil; flapping tail type plastic lures that move up and down and swim straight like the Texas Tackle Factory (TTF) Redfish Killer, Killer Flats Minnow and Killer Hustler; larger soft plastics that float a bit more and look huge in the water like the Down South Southern Shad; darting plastics that are smaller, more slim and with more speed and movement like the TTF Trout Killer; and finally just for kicks an assortment of topwater baits like the Heddon Super Spook, SSJr and One Knocker. Throw in a couple screw lock jig heads, my choice the TTF 1/16 oz for the shallows and 1/4 oz for the drop offs and the wade is on. This assortment in type and color is way too much for any one anger and definitely for any given wade, but it’s because of this variety that I have confidence in dedicating myself to a body of water and working all aspects of it that have worked in the past of that I can think of to fool a fish.

Keying in on bait movement is at the top of my agenda right now because when you find the bait, and I’m talking mullet mainly, you will realize the trout are nearby. The water temperatures are ranging from the high forties around cold fronts to the middle sixties between them and the bait and the predators are reacting to these swings quicker than you might imagine. When I see bait present I try to determine which ‘type’ of bait presence is going on. Is it one mullet jumping up in the shallow water or is it a wad of finger mullet cruising in a couple of feet? I am hoping for the latter and once I can tell what’s going on I quickly try to calculate which of my lures is appropriate for the conditions. Being patient with my lure choice and giving it a good twenty or more casts before changing, I move slowly through my target area to be sure I cover it entirely. I have fished with many professional anglers and what I have noticed is they move slower through the water and they cover a flat in a semi circle fashion stopping to cast far to the right then through the middle then far to the left, working the entire water column before taking another step. This is crucial when you are fishing waters that are colder because the fish are not moving as fast as in the warmer months. The fish may be there right in front of you but if you trudge forward with an undisciplined spread of casts you may take the bait right out of their mouths. Slow down and think more action on your lure and less speed.

Once I determine a good piece of water to focus on where the bait is working, I am looking for the multitude of cuts and guts in the bay floor because they attract the trout who use them as ambush points and you may also notice these areas of water that are a bit stained and the water looks churned up on the muddy bottom. Most of the time this is an afterthought because if I have found the bait I am near certain I’m in the land of the bottom change and out of the gin clear water. Moving around to find these peaks and valleys is easy once you are in the water though and this is another reason to take it slow. Parking the boat away from bait activity fifty or so yards is important to mention here. That way you get some room to mess up the water and keep the noise away from the real estate you plan to rummage through. Get all that stuff out of the way and get ahold of yourself before sneaking up to your prey. This gives you time to get the pre-game jitters out and make a few casts to be sure your reel and line are in good shape before you stick that first fish. Nothing worse than feeling the thump of a trout and bird
nesting a reel to kill your enthusiasm.

Capt Stephen Boriskie, Bay Flats Lodge
Seadrift, Texas, 888-677-4868