Hopefully we won’t have abrupt, drastic water temp drops this winter, which, in my opinion, is what results in our trout kill/stun/porpoise feast decimation. What we will have is the trout will pretty much disappear. What do I do?
First, all year I’m watching my sonar unit for deep water, the further up the creeks and rivers, the better. Not just any deep water, but deep water with a current break: drop off, structure, etc. And if this has a live bottom, even better. I feel the water down there is not as drastically affected by influxes of cold water.
My favorite spot is 36 feet deep at low tide, with a 24 foot deep ledge on one side and a 28 foot one on the other. I have to wait until the tide slows (near low or high) to be able to present the bait. It’s also then the graph lights up with bait and fish. A lot of the time it takes multiple casts to get a bite and often this hooked, struggling fish triggers the school to turn on.
I catch consistently bigger fish this time of the year and it is one of my favorite ways to fish.
Thanks, Bob. I’ve heard the term “live bottom” many times. What exactly does that term mean and how is it identified?
I saw temps as high as 62.5 (Conch Creek) and as low as 59 on innercoastal. I’m not sure how that compares with recent temps in that area, but I was encouraged.
Vinman, Op is spot on. The yellow and orange coral trees are to trout as hydrilla is to freshwater bass. I also look for subtidal oysters. In South Carolina, oyster reefs develop in intertidal areas and subtidal areas (less abundant in South Carolina) to about a depth of 2-3 meters (6-9 feet). Bob
Meks, Not to be trite, but like everything else…time on the water. Better sonar units help, but any will work. Start by easing over a concrete ramp, that’s a hard bottom. Then go to a known mud bottom and observe. When you pull up oysters, Op’s coral trees, etc.on a heavier jig, idle over and really zone in on your graph. When you pull up sea anemones…leave and call me. Bob
From Lowrance: ColorLine lets you distinguish between strong and weak echoes. It “paints” a brighter color on targets that are stronger than a preset value. This allows you to tell the difference between a hard and soft bottom. For example, a soft, muddy or weedy bottom returns a weaker signal which is shown with a narrow, colored line (dark blue tinged with red or a little yellow.) Since fish are among the weakest echoes, they show up mostly as blue arches. A hard bottom or other relatively hard target returns a strong signal which causes a wider brightly colored line (reddish yellow to bright yellow.) If you have two signals of equal size, one with red to yellow color and the other without, then the target with brighter color (yellow) is the stronger signal. This helps distinguish weeds from trees on the bottom, or fish from structure.
Yakman, It was great, a fishing machine. I miss it. I sold it when I bought my second Cape Horn 22’ Bay to guide from. Old Yellow, the Javelin, would GPS at 74 mph…that would get your heart going. Bob
