With arctic MINUS-ZERO temps being experienced across our nations mid-section with demonic gale force winds whipping snow banks into mountainous drifts, I almost feel ashamed about sitting here in 60 degree warmth casting into sun reflecting bay waters for saltwater trout and spot-tailed redfish………Almost. :}
After launching into ST. Charles Bay from Goose Island and motoring out towards Black Jack Island I began reminiscing about my ice fishing experiences from days gone by. Once upon wintering times, when lakes were frozen solid and icy winds blew, I spent my fishing time drilling a scattering of holes in the ice and setting lines for anything that would bite. And before long those frozen midges and ice minnows produced their magic with several chunky gills and crappie flopping on the ice. I had actually enjoyed myself in the excitement and enjoyment of weathering sub-zero chills to catch fish through the ice. Ice fishing did have its merits and I had enjoyed its many virtues.
I remember those frigid days of yore snowmobiling up the east fork of the Black, searching for coves and bays that could harbor fishable flats with submerged grass and wood. After locating one we’d check our topo-map for structure then splash a 50/50 mixture of water & antifreeze on the ice for echoing f/p 300 transducer signals to locate groups of fish. We didn’t have power augers back then to hole the ice, but hand operated drillers instead. So we wanted to be sure that the fish were there BEFORE manually cutting holes through 1 to 2ft of ice. After laying out baited lines we’d “hover” around a make-shift campfire to ward off the wintry chills waiting for the fish to bite. And our “hovering” was made more comfortable by three layers of insulated clothing topped off with zero-hoods, zero-parkas, zero-boots, and snow blockers we’d wear while waiting for the bites to occur.
On this trip to Texas the only ice would be in my beverage with my snowmobile replaced by a Skeeter bass-rig. The topo-map was swapped out for a detailed and weatherproofed GPS area fishing map, and the f/p transducer by a high definition electronic depth recorder for sounding out underwater grass beds, hard sand, oyster reefs, and mud. The GPS (global positioning satellite) would mark my fishing hotspots and a handheld GPS unit would guide me there.
I traded ice fishing rigs and tip-ups for 7ft medium /light action graphite rods with high speed bait casting reels spooled with 10lb test mono, and the midges and minnows became a rainbow of colorful soft plastic lures. My three layered zero-clothing were exchanged for fishing shorts, short sleeved vented shirt, sandals and “flats-cap” with polarized sunglasses. SPF 30 sunscreen replaced the zinc oxide for avoiding excessive sun tans….. :}
My tackle pack held a menagerie of soft plastics in mixed colors, which included pumpkinseed/chartreuse, pearl/chartreuse, new penny, natural shrimp, white shrimp, and Gulps “Nuclear Chicken” that locals swore by. An assortment of 1/8 and 1/4 oz jig-heads, spoons, both silver and gold in 3 /4 and 1/2 oz, would also make the trip.
My fishing targets were the grassy sand and shell reefs surrounding Black Jack which were popular foraging areas for redfish and speckled trout, two of the major game fish found in these waters. The redfish had a 3 fish creel per day with slot size limits from 20 to 28inches, allowing for one over 28″ when properly tagged. The speckled trout had a 10 fish creel at 15inches up to 25inches, with only one over 25″ allowed per day. Generous limits indeed with NO closed season, allowing for year-round fishing… :}
On this winter morning in January the minus18degree ice fishing temps were replaced with a balmy 48 degree sunrise climbing to 65 degree warmth by noon. The bay was calm as I motored out across its sea green waters reaching the GPS marked shell reef on the map in a very short time. Early anglers were already wading and casting while kayakers slowly paddled their sports craft across shallow waters.
After rigging for flats fishing I began drifting and “nicking” the bottom with a jig when my fifth retrieve produced a feisty, but undersized spot tailed redfish of about 19inches that hit a pumpkin-seed/chartreuse saltwater assassin. Although the redfish was under the 20 to 28inch keeper size it gave good credence to its genus as an explosive fighter, that stressed both me and my rod with several power runs before landing it. The sun had barely peeked above the horizon when I hooked my first fish.
After admiring the bronze hued colors and unique azure fins of the spot-tailed redfish before releasing it, I then took a break by pouring a cup of coffee and reaching into my lunch sack for a donut dipper I had there. Kicking back to scan the mornings sunrise with its shimmering vistas of open water bay-life, with pelicans diving, loons calling, gulls crying, and osprey soaring, then, off in the distance I listened to the very distinct chortle of a Whooping Crane’s haunting echo across sunlit waters, and I almost felt ashamed about sitting here in warmth casting into sun reflecting waters for saltwater trout and spot-tailed redfish……Almost…. :}
This favorite “fishing area” for winter anglers is located off of I-35 in the coastal bend area of south Texas, just north of Corpus Christi and south of Port Lavaca. A quick phone call To the Rockport Chamber of Commerce at – (361) 729-6445 – will give you the info you’ll need for enjoying some…..Ice Fishing – “Texas Style”. :}By: Ed Snyder / Ed Snyder Outdoors
