Kayak Fishing For Trophy Size Texas Trout

Winter time in the coastal bend area of Texas means it’s time to kayak fish for trophy size Texas speckled trout. Cynoscion nebulosus; the spotted seatrout. Also known as specks, spotted weakfish, or yellow mouth.

Cue the frontal systems associated with this time of year and the weather will change every 5 minutes. Overcast and cold, windy, rain, sleet, cloudy or sunny. You catch my drift? This weather can play havoc on the trying to pattern the fish! Good thing those specks are opportunistic feeders. The smaller fish mainly feed on crustaceans, while the large trout will gladly devour a larger mullet, pinfish, or croaker.

Targeting Trout

Trying to target trophy size speckled trout can be frustrating at times as those larger fish tend to be isolated and not grouped up like the smaller trout. Plus, you are limited to the amount of water you can cover by kayak. This is when finding ambush points and structure come into play. Finding structure such as oyster reefs or pier pilings adjacent to deeper channels can help cut the curve.

Another tip that has paid off for me is paying attention to prime feeding times during solunar periods, it will increase your chances at finding fish that are actively feeding. This brings to mind a recent trip where the morning started cooler than normal, but as the day progressed, the bright sun warmed the shallows and the bait fish pushed up along the oyster reefs. The major solunar period fell midday with the moon under foot and turned the fish on. The water clarity was insanely clear and I could see the “silver flash” of hungry specks blasting thru the mullet. Hurrying to tie on an almost transparent floating Corky fatboy in the “pure silver” colorway. It only took a few quick twitches of the rod tip before that ol’ Corky was inhaled by a solid fish. It was ON! The sun’s warming rays paired with a major solunar period was key to the increased feeding activity.

Baits and Profiles

One piece of knowledge gained over the years is that the larger trout will prefer a bigger profile bait to match the larger mullet and menhaden they are foraging on. I wanted to include a few images with my favorite lures to throw this time of year. Do not hesitate to throw a surface walking lure when the water warms thru the day. There have been many occasions where I have picked off solid fish along grassy shorelines once the water gained a few degrees. Another bait I prefer is a slow sinking glide bait, half and quarter turns of the reel handle will make this baits dance and shimmy to entice those fish!

The trusty Corky cannot be left out. There are many different models but I stick with the tried and true “fat boy”. It comes in a floating model and a slow sinking model. There is no “wrong” way to work this bait. There is something about this big, bulbous, funny colored lure. The big trout love it! Throw it out, give it a few seconds and then twitch the rod tip like you would if you were working a top water walking bait. Throw in an occasional pause and hang on! There are also a Soft Dine XL’s in the image below and you can work it the same as a Corky.

If you are going to be targeting some “Gator’s”(trout that is) then do not hesitate to give yourself an advantage with some custom colored Corky’s. Hit up
https://www.waterloorods.com/collections/fatboy-1 to pick yours up.
So get out on the water and find your personal best trout. It is out there waiting on you!

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