December 5, 2003 -- Transition!!!!

When was the last time you played with a Yo-Yo? That little toy from years gone by best sums up the pattern lately.

With cool fronts making weekly visits to the Lower Laguna Madre, the fish have become cold-blooded Yo-Yo’s. The fish are acting as confused as some anglers. If you can remember the cardinal rule this time of year you can follow the fish through their transitions. Trout will always stage near drop offs with immediate access to deeper water and will start their move to darker bottoms. Look for the trout to relocate to the dark bottoms and soft muddy areas, and don’t discount the Port Mansfield Harbor and the deeper water of the East Cut. On those warm days following a cold front always check the shallow areas with good access to these dark mud bottoms. Remember SLOWWW is the key word when fishing these postfrontal conditions. An extended warm front will have the fish move up very shallow for short feeding periods. Remember these fish are cold and will act accordingly. Slow retrieves and presentations will be the answer. If the warm period is for an extended period of time, fish the isolated ditches with access to deeper water with a LARGE top water fished very slow. You could be rewarded with the Trout of your dreams. These large fish may only feed once every few days and want the biggest reward for the least amount of effort. Reds will as always continue to roam from 1 foot deep on. Always cheek the N. East Flats a few days following a cool front, these reds will move up from the depths of the East Cut to feed along these areas.

This month I will be making some changes to our fishing reports page. Only the current report for that time frame will be posted, but I will have an archive section with all our previous reports listed by their respective months. This will help you in planning your fishing trip and give you an idea what patterns and baits are most effective.