Big fish help to shake off the winter blues

For The Record -Capt. Chuck Uzzle

As far as I am concerned February and the weeks leading up to March have to be some of the best times on

the calendar for a wide variety of reasons. Spring is closing in and everything

starts to heat up, especially the fishing. Anglers all over the state look

forward to this month with great anticipation every year because in just about

any body of water you fish, fresh or salt; you stand an excellent chance of

doing battle with a career fish.

Freshwater anglers have long known the magic that can happen on those days when

the winds lay and the temperature climbs. Big fish climb up from the deeper

water and make their home for the next few weeks on the inside grass lines where

they will eventually spawn. Right now they are fighting for space as it seems

like the crappie beat them to the punch as the warmer temperatures have pushed

these fish up shallow. That space between the grass and the bank is going to get

crowded really soon and that spells success for most fishermen.

Now the freshwater folks won’t be the only ones taking advantage of the warmer

temperatures, saltwater anglers will be reaping the benefits as well. Over the

past several days the water temperatures steadily increased in many places. The

warmer surface temps have triggered a better bite, especially the one on

topwater plugs. Now the mainstay throughout the winter was the unbelievable

redfish bite and that continues on an almost daily rampage. The ridiculous

numbers of redfish have diehard big trout hunters pulling out their hair and

cursing aloud as it seems these fish are nowhere to be found when the redfish

show up.

This winter has been one of the quietest ones I can remember in a long time as

far as big speckled trout are concerned. The norm during the winter months is to

take advantage of the warmer days ahead of oncoming fronts and be on the water

just prior to the weather change. Now with the more consistent temperatures the

pattern should hinge on greater tide activity so if you are looking for an

advantage there you have it.

If there is any draw back to fishing in the spring months it will be the wind

and you can bet there will be plenty of it. The stretch of shore line from Blue

Buck to Willow Bayou will get plenty of traffic due to the predominant winds

coming from the southeast. On the days when the wind decides to lay down it’s

always a great idea to get back closer to deep water, the river and

intracoastal. The islands that border the deeper water will be a haven for these

big fish as they move up on the flats to feed and I can’t think of a better

place to start. Good strong tide movements and a little presence of bait should

certainly get you in the game. If at all possible when fishing with more than

one person be sure to cover the different water columns. Use a topwater to help

locate fish and probe the deeper water with a slower sinking plug or even soft

plastic lure. If you are fortunate enough to have all the factors come into

place that next strike you get may be the best fish of your life and that is

exactly what makes this time of year one of the best.