Colder waters, brisk breezes causing fish to be sluggish

By CAPT. JOE KENT​ ​ ​ 18 hrs ago

Winter weather is upon us and for Galveston it does not normally get much colder than this. Yes, we do have freezes here; however, when the temperatures range from the low 40s to mid-50s that is typical cold winter weather. Add a brisk wind to that and it feels like the North Sea during winter.

Now, how long is all of this going to last? Well, according to the forecasts we will see highs in the 60s later this week; however, a brisk wind is supposed to accompany the warming trend. None of this favors good fishing.

We did have one fishing report to pass on and that was from Sammy Gallman who has a canal house on Moses Lake. Gallman fished under spot lights he set up Sunday night and caught four specks while fishing from his bulkhead. Speck jigs were the bait and only one trout made the 15-inch cut.

Gallman said he had observed a lot of popping action on the water for two nights before then and felt it was feeding fish. The only other fish caught was a small red that was released.

Gallman did not mention the depth of the water in his canal; however, such spots are often good places to fish if the depths are not too shallow.

Monday, the water temperature at the jetties was in the low 50s and that was approaching the reading that causes fish to become sluggish. That is the reason slow sinking baits are so popular during the winter.

We will be discussing winter fishing techniques in an upcoming Reel Report and I will be mentioning some of the more popular baits.