Here’s a good example of what redfish predate on during spring in the Laguna Madre. This one in particular had 30+ mud crabs and one lug worm in its stomach.
Corpus Christi, TX, United States
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After listening to Capt. Hillman’s podcast, I wanted to share a graphic I created for the Sportfish Center's social media. I hope this information helps you learn about slicks and how they're formed by fish. Yes, even Gafftops...
If you have ever gone fishing on the coast, you have probably seen a fish slick on the water's surface. It has a sweet and pungent smell akin to watermelon or fresh-cut grass. This slick is a telltale sign that helps anglers locate fish in the area. Spotted seatrout are often the cause of these slicks. However, they can also form from other fish such as red drum, black drum, southern flounder, ladyfish, hardhead catfish, and gafftopsail catfish.
Two scenarios can explain how slicks form. First, a predatory fish will consume a prey item such as mullet, menhaden, pinfish, bay anchovy, or shrimp. During consumption, the prey can be torn apart and release oily body fluids. Second, after a heavy meal, a predator will regurgitate its food (e.g., like a person burping), releasing fragments of its prey and even digestive juices. In either case, the contents are less dense than the surrounding saltwater environment and float to the surface, creating an oily slick. These slicks start small and can quickly expand in size, depending on the strength of the wind or current. If you come across a sizable one, it has had time to spread out, and you should position yourself upwind where the fish that created it will be holding.
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Hello AU members,
As promised, here is my first post to educate members about the science behind fishing. Feel free to ask any questions!
Fishery Science Content - Sea Lice
During winter, fish decrease their activity as the water temperature drops, making them vulnerable to ectoparasites. Common parasitic copepods such as Caligus spp., commonly known as sea lice, are often observed by anglers on spotted seatrout, red drum, black drum, and southern flounder. As the fish rest on the bottom, these parasites attach themselves to their abdomen to feed on their blood and mucus, causing skin lesions (red sores) that increase the risk of infection. Â
As anglers, these observations highlight the diminished activity levels of fish when water temperatures are cold. By working lures slowly on the bottom, you improve your chance of catching fish by giving them the opportunity to get a quick meal without having to expend a lot of energy.
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Baffin Bay: January 25 - 26Â
Here’s my report after running trips in Baffin Bay this past weekend. To start, the good news is that I didn’t see any dead fish following water temperatures in the 40s.
On Saturday, my clients and I were greeted to 47 degree water temperatures. Our strategy was to wade in waist- to belly-deep water with scattered seagrass beds and rock formations. Initially, we observed little to no bait activity until the major feed began. As the south winds picked up and the water warmed slightly, we finally spotted a couple of mullet jumping along a color change. It was a slow day, but we managed to catch five trout (the largest weighing 4.5 pounds), a black drum, and two redfish, including one undersized fish that weighed four pounds.
Sunday proved to be much more productive, with the water warming up to 52 degrees. We noticed multiple slicks and more mullet within just 30 minutes compared to the previous day. Although we initially tried to find fish in shallower water without success, we reverted to the same strategy as the day before. This approach paid off, resulting in over 20 trout caught, though surprisingly only three were keepers. In my opinion, it seems the larger fish had not moved up shallow just yet. As with Saturday, the best bite occurred during the major feeding time and quickly tapered off afterward. All our fish were caught using either a Ball Tail Shad or a Wig-A-Lo Jr., worked slowly along the bottom.