I always preface my comments by saying this is what has worked for me and by no means is this the ONLY way to catch fish. Each of you should hone your observation skills and spend as much time as you can in the areas you have confidence in. Familiarize yourself with the places you fish so that you will know where you are and where your next “target” is no matter what the conditions are.

One of the first areas I look for are grass lines. Baffin Bay, especially the south shoreline, has many areas where the grass lines make strong transitions and stop in shallow water. Typically in these areas you will see a change to a white sandy bottom from the dense shoal grass found elsewhere. On a good, clear day with high visibility the contrast from these transitions sticks out like a sore thumb.

Another type of grass line that is a little more subtle often occurs on a depth change. As an old Bass fisherman, it took me a while to realize that a depth change in the Laguna Madre was not necessarily a three to four foot drop into a channel. In fact, many of the ones I see that will change fish behavior are as little as two or three inches. The grass line I refer to here is a transition from the longer dense grass to a sparse short grass in the shallower water. This is redfish heaven as it seems to give small crabs and shrimp a false sense of security while leaving them virtually exposed to any predators swimming nearby.

I like to start out with a fast-steady retrieve looking for a reaction strike. If you get fish that follow your lure in but just won’t hit, you may need to vary your retrieve. A very fast retrieve with occasional pauses or a “wave” retrieve which involves a steady rate with raising and lowering of the rod tip can be effective. There is no single right way to work your lure so experiment and vary your retrieve. Just make sure you remember what it was you did that triggered the strike.

In addition to the grass lines, be on the lookout for potholes that range from a few feet to yards across. The edges all around the sides of the potholes are very important as small fish will hang around looking for food here. Larger predator fish are usually nearby. Baffin Bay is home to many of these potholes, especially rocky ones with steep drop offs that plunge down 8-9 feet. I like bring out the old Bass fishing tactics here when working these structures and edges.

I’ve always been an advocate of slower to moderate retrieves on soft plastic fishing lures like Devil Eyes by Brown Lures. Short, quick hops in varying combinations with pauses in between have been my bread and butter ever since I started seriously fishing saltwater. It’s one of the things I brought with me from Bass fishing. A Texas rigged worm on a 1/4 oz. or less bullet sinker was definitely a go to lure for me. That style of slow bouncing has carried over and worked very well for me. I use this tactic when fishing potholes and rocky dropoffs. It seems to give the fish plenty of time to focus on the target and hopefully, with just the right twitch or jerk, you can trigger an aggressive strike. Again, vary your retrieve and REMEMBER what it was you did that triggered it.

The weather has been very cooperative and the winter fishing looks to be very good this year. We have already seen a few small flocks of teal, while mourning and white wing dove are everywhere. Give us a shout and we’ll “hook” you up for your next Outdoor Adventure.