Trout fishing tends to slow down this time of year as far as numbers go, but targeting trophy size specks can heat up this month. This is the time of year where patience is key. Look for a few bites not loading the boat.
The entire Gulf Coast is known for yielding monster trout during the middle of the winter. The largest trout caught in the last 65 years was caught on Jan. 31 by Capt. Kenny Kreeger. He landed a 11.99-pound trout on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s a fish that will never be forgotten here. It was caught on the Highway 11 bridge that crosses Lake Pontchartrain, which is very close to where we shot this video on some solid 3- and 4-pound trout, which is a monster for now a days.
Lots of Texas and Big Lake fishermen use this time of year to wade fish suspended twitch baits for a trout of a lifetime. A lot of anglers also line up on the MRGO rocks throwing suspended jerk baits for big specks. Suspended jerk baits do not seem typical for catching big trout in 40 degree weather but it definitely works. Three- and 4-inch swim baits like the Matrix Shad and MEGA Matrix are great ways to target big trout as you can see in this video where we pull some mules out of some treacherous pilings.
If you are wanting a lot of bites and to sink the boat with fish, I would suggest targeting reds and bass in the marsh, but if you want to stalk a fish of a lifetime this may be the absolute best time of year and maybe the most underrated.
