Matagorda Speckled Trout 2-18-06
I believe Brian will be able to back some of this up with photos. I drove to Houston and met brian Mid-morning at his house, we got geared up and drove to the Matagorda beach picking up a pound of fresh dead shrimp at Rawlings bait camp.
We pulled onto the beach and the first thing I saw a was a bunch of frothy chocolate milk waves. There was even someone there in a wetsuit with a surf board.
We decided to be salty about the situation so we hurriedly dismounted, donned waders and tied on leaders.
We drowned bait in that rough surf for a couple hours whilst we enjoyed home-brewed beers and a small bottle of exquisite scotch. We checked the watch and decided to drive around the beach a bit for a look around, didn't see many other people willing to battle the conditions for a chance to fish in February.
We went to Riverbend restaurant, at a sandwich and sipped down a beer and then headed for the Colorado River property in search of the rest of our fishing party and a pier. We found our friends in front of a very bright set of lights but the amenities were not what I expected. I hard packed muddy bank is what we had rented, but as the night drew in it became obvious that what they say about real estate is true: location, location, location.
Looking across the river at any given moment one could see dozens if not a hundred trout popping the surface in a feeding frenzy that would last until far into the morning.
The trout would not be caught in the midst of the illuminated water but rather at the edge of the lighted area or in the neighboring dark waters. Glowing baits were much more effective than those of other colors. And smaller bodied baits (esp. squid shaped) ones were superior to their larger counterparts. When unlucky specks were brought ashore they would often cough up mouthfuls of tiny half inch shad.
Speck rigs were fished to great effect early with suspending plugs prefered later.
& people fished from 6:30pm till sometime in the morning, maybe 3:00 or so landing 44 keepers. For each of the keepers I estimated there were 3to6 fish that didn't muster up enough length to go into the icebox. Wayne B. was clearly the best fisherman of us all although he was stuck at nine for a very long time he did eventually fill his limit.
We pulled onto the beach and the first thing I saw a was a bunch of frothy chocolate milk waves. There was even someone there in a wetsuit with a surf board.
We decided to be salty about the situation so we hurriedly dismounted, donned waders and tied on leaders.
We drowned bait in that rough surf for a couple hours whilst we enjoyed home-brewed beers and a small bottle of exquisite scotch. We checked the watch and decided to drive around the beach a bit for a look around, didn't see many other people willing to battle the conditions for a chance to fish in February.
We went to Riverbend restaurant, at a sandwich and sipped down a beer and then headed for the Colorado River property in search of the rest of our fishing party and a pier. We found our friends in front of a very bright set of lights but the amenities were not what I expected. I hard packed muddy bank is what we had rented, but as the night drew in it became obvious that what they say about real estate is true: location, location, location.
Looking across the river at any given moment one could see dozens if not a hundred trout popping the surface in a feeding frenzy that would last until far into the morning.
The trout would not be caught in the midst of the illuminated water but rather at the edge of the lighted area or in the neighboring dark waters. Glowing baits were much more effective than those of other colors. And smaller bodied baits (esp. squid shaped) ones were superior to their larger counterparts. When unlucky specks were brought ashore they would often cough up mouthfuls of tiny half inch shad.
Speck rigs were fished to great effect early with suspending plugs prefered later.
& people fished from 6:30pm till sometime in the morning, maybe 3:00 or so landing 44 keepers. For each of the keepers I estimated there were 3to6 fish that didn't muster up enough length to go into the icebox. Wayne B. was clearly the best fisherman of us all although he was stuck at nine for a very long time he did eventually fill his limit.
posted by steven-hoffman | 7:57 PM
2 Comments:
Thanks for posting the report Steve. There are a few hours of that trip that are a little hazy for me.
Fishing under the lights was really cool. I was constantly surprised at how the fish would turn-on and then just turn-off to a certain type of lure. It seemed like you could catch 5 fish in 10 minutes and then not get a bite for an hour.
It was also important to have a rod/reel that could sling a small plastic w 1/8 oz. head out into the middle of the river. I had to borrow a curado from somebody to get the distance that I needed. I might be shopping for a new reel this weekend.
I ate the sandy first because I don't think their texture holds up as well to the freezer treatment.
For the first fish of the year I went with simplicity, just wanted to remember what real fresh fish tasted like.
Scaled and FIlleted the two fish, left the skin on.
I gave the sandy salt and pepper then coated them with seasoned bread crumbs and baked until done. Served with Garlic, Red-Skinned mashed potatoes and green beans with onion, garlic and slivered almonds.
Second night I soaked a speck in lemon juice, topped with italian seasoning, some garlic and a sprinkle of tomatoes then baked until done. Served with hot homemade foccacia bread and salad.
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