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shin_deep · Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 10:52 am Post subject: Tournament Red

After a good trip on Xmas eve I headed out with my dad to fish KRS again. If any of you pay attention to solunar tables, yesterday's forecast was 4/4 stars with a major feeding period from 12-2. So we hit the water at 11:00 and headed back to the same area I fished last time. I had high hopes but was also aware of the warming trend that has been going on since 12/24. Water temp was up to 70 deg. We made numerous drifts until 2pm but had no fish in the box, just a few throwbacks. My dad had to be in at 2:00 so I dropped him off and at the dock and headed over to the boat hole. About the 4th or 5th cast set the hook on a drag screaming 28" red - right before a group of duck hunters ran between me and the shoreline I was heading toward. They easily could have gone behind me... I don't know how someone can be so blatantly discourteous. I gave them a few choice words. (I don't think they heard me Wink

The fog started rolling in around 3:00 and visibility went to crap, about 1/4 mile or less. I decided to head back to the dock but as I approached the back yard things cleared considerably. Patches of dense fog would roll through periodically and then it would clear up. It was serene being out there with almost no boat traffic and hoards of ducks flying all over the place (except for the shotgun blasts - duck hunters seemed to be having a great afternoon hunt). If you think it's bad caught in the fog in a boat, imagine being a duck! So I started catching some trout along a drop off by some spoil islands - nothing spectacular but managed three keepers among 10 or so throwbacks.

Back at the dock I was talking to a guy about the tough fishing and he said that the trout are on a 3 day feeding cycle right now - and today was not the day. I'm certainly no winter trout expert, so I'm curious if any of you winter trout guys can confirm this theory. Thx.

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ironmanstan · Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 3:27 pm Post subject:

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I LIKE MINE FRIED.

Gotta Catchem All · Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 7:40 pm Post subject:

I've never heard of the 3 day thing but the full moon usually kills the bite for me. I did get a 23 incher after the fog rolled in yesterday but I still don't like the full moons.

edit- actually it was a dark moon! shows how much I know xD

the troutman · Flour Bluffian in training Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 316

Once water temps drop and winter sets in bigger Trout will feed sparingly, typically every 3 days to conserve energy.
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The Troutman

Love em and leave em, otherwise known as Catch and Release!

apfb · Horse Mullet Joined: 28 Jun 2014 Posts: 163

hate to tell you, but that fish is OS. Reds in tournaments are not measured just with the tail laying there in "free state". The top tip of the tail is swept/pinched slightly and at the rudys events, they are measured using a slant board and a aluminum tail pincher (made by Check-It-Stick) that is sat 1" from the longest part of the fish. TPWD reg book shows how to measure fish with a soft tail and a hard tail. That is how a GW is going to measure them. Ive had plenty of GW weigh masters and they go by the book. Nice red, not trying to raise hell, but rather informing people the proper way to measure fish.

shin_deep · Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 11:33 pm Post subject:

TroutSupport · Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 8:57 am Post subject: 3 day...

Well, sort of... It has to do with the timing of frontal passages. After a cold front passes the trout don't feed as readily due to tide, tide height, water temperature, and barometer. Typically about 3 days after a front passes, the pressure will begin to drop and tides flow normally again and tide height returns to near normal for winter time and the fish begin to feed again. They'll feed until the next front hits.. however long that takes, sometimes its three days sometimes its 5 or whatever time it takes for the next front to hit. Some of the best trout fishing in the winter is the day before the front hits through about 4 hours after a front hits. Be careful fishing during frontal passages and make sure you have a safe way to return to the ramp that is not through open water. Safety first always. There are ways to catch a few trout between fronts but it's going to be a narrow window each day and it's going to be a grind.

Redfish are less susceptible to barometric change (as far as feeding goes) so they are typically a good option for the post frontal fishing.

Hope that helps.