I hate winter, I know don't we all. It often keeps us off the water and pushes us into the garage working on tackle or other less desirable chores that somehow work there way onto the honey do list. A lot of time spent in thick neoprene waders instead of board shorts and the fish are too sluggish to get a topwater eat most days... I love spring, summer and fall! But winter, not so much.
Remarkably some people like the changing of the season. After spending a couple of years in San Diego some time back I became spoiled and could care less if I ever see snow or a frost again. Having the right gear helps some so I don't let cabin fever set in. Thankfully I have some support from the best there is in technical cold weather fishing gear. I would still rather be in sun shirt than a sweat shirt, even if it is Reaper windproof jacket.
I just don't do well in the cold. Never have, that is one of the reasons I focused a lot of my early college studies at UNCW on Tropical Ecology and coral reefs. I figured if I was a reef biologist I would live my life out under palm trees and never see a thermocline. Not everything worked out as 20 year old me planned but I am happy with how things turned out 9 months out of the year here at home in North Carolina and the winter reds help keep me content even during the coldest season.
I do appreciate the fact that the seasons create a variety of options when it comes to targeting my favorite inshore fish species. In the winter our water cleans up and sight casting opportunities become outstanding as the sub adult puppy drum push into big schools. It has been world class the past month with lots of 22-30" fish distributed all over the place back in our coastal marshes.
While some of the larger fish will winter inshore, most of our big breeder fish leave our interior waters and push into the ocean once fall wraps up. Fishermen along our Outer Banks target them from the surf in Hatteras, Ocracoke and Core Banks. Often the fish hold out in deeper water, sometimes as far off as the artificial reefs along our coast 20-40 miles out.
Anglers can target these fish by following contours they identify nearshore and fishing structure. Ledges and live bottom can hold fish but the most important thing to key in on is the presence of bait. There is no "secret spot" as the fish are almost always on the move searching for bait. Find the schools of big shad that are along our coast during the winter season and you can find the drum.
Wind and other weather factors play a role in where you will find the fish and how they will be behaving. Sometimes lucky anglers will find them up on the surface feeding but more often than not you will use your electronics and a watchful eye on the horizon for pelicans and gannets feeding.
My buddy Nick, long time editor and contributor for Saltwater Sportsman and host of Saltwater Underground with Nick Honchefsky, reminded me its the same way they fish for big bass up north. He even included me in an article he wrote several years back on the very topic.
I learned many of the secrets to the fishery from Captain Bryan Goodwin of Beaufort, North Carolina. He first took me out to scout our local waters for winter reds back in 2010 and we had some pretty amazing days running along the coast searching for color changes that are formed by the massive schools. Bryan taught me that the fish like the slop and often we would put the boat in some pretty hairy situations to get within casting range. Mind you, Bryan has years out on the water and he constantly reinforced the importance of safety and proper boat handling and maintenance when chasing these fish. As you can see from this video I shot for his TV show DOWN EAST OUTDOORS we took one over the bow every now and then so its important to know your boat and how to handle it in challenging conditions and the person at the helm has to be focused on the ocean not the fish.
I've had several good days out on the ocean chasing them over the past 12 years. Back in 2014 my buddy Captain John Mauser joined me onboard my skiff and we set out to the shoals to see if we could find the fish that had been reported in the area.
Sure enough after putting in some time searching with our heads on a swivel we came up on them in clear water, thanks to quality polarized sunglasses. Thankfully Smith Optics makes glasses for different conditions. Out on the nearshore waters I like my brown lenses for murky days and blue green for days with good visibility. It definitely makes a difference when you can spot the subtle color changes and flashes that are almost impossible to pick up on with inferior lenses.
That day we both caught fish pretty quick but there were several other boats in the area since it was a rare beautiful and warm winter day. I remember I even got a early winter sun burn because I ditched my shirt it felt so good! After hooking our third fish a larger cabin boat pushed in on top of the school and they retreated up into water so dangerous we lost the ability to get to them. For this fishery, patience is key to having memorable days. Crowds can kill the bite if they do not understand how to approach the fish in these situations. When they push up into the shallows they are still super spooky just like their younger puppy drum brethren. Boat traffic and overzealous anglers are the biggest threat to a good bite that's why so many people are so tight lipped! Its hard to be tight lipped after the day we had recently though!
Last week on the 5th afternoon of the new year, I joined my buddy Captain Joe Tunstall for a scouting trip to see if they where were they were supposed to be... truthfully, it took a while to find them. We covered a lot of ground. At one point we felt as if we were gonna return back skunked, just another long cold boat ride. It happens more often than any angler cares to report, especially when chasing big fish in the dead of winter. But with enough time put in we found some signs of activity and suddenly it all came together.
First thing we noticed was a slick on the waters surface in an area Joe had identified as a upwelling zone on a previous trip. We slowed down and he dialed in the side scan, identifying activity on the bottom and midway up the water column. Joe had a Meathog Bucktail Jig tied on one rod and a Bowed Up Bucktail on another. In short order, both were embedded in the corner of a massive reds mouth.
We drifter the area covering ground and stayed on them over the next four hours. We doubled up several drifts in a row at one point, losing count of the number we caught and even giving up on taking pictures of each fish. We switched to large profile Slayer Lire jigs to see how picky they were and learned they were not. As long as it was a good size profile and a heavy enough head to get to the bottom past all the shad they would find it. We even both hooked up while barely working the lures, the movement of the lure drifting on the bottom and bouncing up and down with the chop was enough to get them on. It’s not often you find happy fish but we were in the middle of a heaven is a place on earth situation and we were fully aware.
It was the best day either of us had experienced out chasing them in over 10+ years and I dare say we may not every get another day that good again. We fished until we were literally spent. At one point we took a break and questioned how much we had left in us but we agreed we couldn't stop. knowing full well in the moment how special a day it had turned out to be. We paused and thanked the good Lord above and then continued on until we literally ran out of time. When I say we left them biting I mean it.
I encourage anyone interested in this winter season opportunity to reach out to Captain Joe at Carolina Traditions Guide Company and let him show you the ropes. As with any fishery really, there are no guarantees. With this style of fishing there are a lot of days where you fail before you win. But if you have a flexible schedule and the ability to jump on a trip when the weather and conditions align, a day on the water can be absolutely epic. Even if you don't catch a thing you are sure to learn a good bit, see some beautiful sights and stay entertained by Joe's storytelling and his sidekick pup Ranger.
Comentários