# Advice needed!



## Saltwater Texan (Apr 19, 2013)

So this morning like every stinking morning when I wade fish I got skunked. Normally I fish with a buddy who's got a boat and we do pretty well! Since January he's been so busy with work that he isn't able to take the boat out. So I took up wade fishing. I fish every weekend. Making the drive from sugarland mostly Saturdays. Well today I was most certaintly skunked. I know the possibility to catch fish was there; bait was actively moving all morning, vthere were blow ups all around me it sounded like bowling balls being dropped into the water. I threw everything in my box. Tops, plastics, even a spoon.... Nothing, not even a bite. I noticed the guy ahead of me throwing a popping cork and had some luck and the 7 man party towing their elderly father and young son had luck on live bait. But I believe that even though I used artis I must have been doing something wrong!! I varied retrieves and presentations. I just don't get it. I have done a tin of research and have accumulated several spots to wade in and it's always the same result. ( me seeing others guys catch fish) I know it's not about catching but if I don't start bring some fish home my old lady is gonna start asking questions! I'm a life long fisherman begging for advice/help!


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## bubbas kenner (Sep 4, 2010)

Keep plugging bro it aint just you.


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## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

Are you staying out there for more than a couple of hours and making your way slowly down a shoreline? Maybe get you a pint and get your confidence going.


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## Saltwater Texan (Apr 19, 2013)

Yeah man I fish for most of the day. I know we will have off days but literally I've never had a day where I put one fish on my stringer. Today I waded the pass from the bridge to the past the big blue condos. I am just frustrated. The most fish I've ever caught was at sportsman. I killed the dink specs!!! Hahaha most of them I didn't even know I had a fish on the line. Just thinking about that day makes me laugh.


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## MikeS2942 (Mar 5, 2010)

I would have to agree, plug away and learn to read the fish. It is not the spots you map out they may be the best spots for certain times of the year, other spots might be better this time of the year and with a tidal change.


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## Saltwater Texan (Apr 19, 2013)

No I totally understand. I'm asking is it a more technical situation. Like shoud I change color of my line because its the most seen line or should I switch to a more "invisible" line color. I'm stabbing in the dark!


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## pickn'fish (Jun 1, 2004)

*keep grinding*

Stick with it. A lot of it is timing. Right place at right time. Tides and midday bite has many guessing. Use artis. when you're on fish to build confidence. It will happen if you keep plugging away...


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## smgregorek (Apr 24, 2013)

I've been skunked 4 times in row and gonna give it hell tomorrow


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

Keep plugging away, but change something each time. What plastics are you using and what's the water depth where you're at? Grass, shell, mud bottom, etc? Personally, I have the most confidence right after the tide starts moving (either way) so that's when I have more success.


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## pickn'fish (Jun 1, 2004)

*San Luis Pass*

The Big Pass can be tough especially when there is a lot of water movement. Fish don't like to fight current. Also, move shallow to deeper. Look for reds and flounder up skinny. Persistence will pay off eventually and confidence will build... green tides n'black dots


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## txoutdrsman (Jun 1, 2011)

I have felt the same way trying to learn Galveston for the past year so I feel your pain... It was getting hard to find time to make the haul to POC or Rockport from Houston all the time so we decided to subsidize some trips with Galveston. My brother in-law and I have been going for a while now and have been on several skunk trips but that changed this past weekend FINALLY.. We finally made the haul down to the pass the other weekend and found a lot of good areas. One of the things we did different from the last time out there was letting our lures sink closer to the bottom this past weekend which made a huge difference. The funniest thing is we wouldn't have caught a few of the fish we did if we didn't get the boat stuck where we did and had to wait an hour and a 1/2 for high tide to float again... We ended up wading and found a small gut that was holding some nice trout.. We've fished greens lake, caranchua, deer island, greens cut, sand island, etc... list goes on and on and we had plenty of times where we came back with nothing! This was a big boost of confidence and an awesome feeling to finally put a decent amount of meat on the boat. Keep on getting after it and the same thing will happen to you.


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## Bankin' On It (Feb 14, 2013)

Keep up the grind OP. I feel ya pain dude.


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## Saltwater Texan (Apr 19, 2013)

Thanks guys I like catching but just going is enjoyable to me so I'm never going to give up! Thanks again people.


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## BURTONboy (Feb 23, 2010)

One thing that had always worked better for me is fishing my plastics slower then most. Ill twitch it a few times, wait 2-4 seconds then twitch it a few times again. Folks I started fishung lures with would work it non stop and it just never seemed right to me. If I want to work shallower water, I adjust with a different jig head weight. I have just found that most fish prefer it slower. Also I almost always throw texas trout killers. Hope this helps you out some. Keep grindin, it will pay off. Just find a confidence lure and get after it!


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## whippersnapper (Mar 4, 2009)

Man i went through the same thing a couple years ago as I had just moved here. This is what i did besides keep going. Buy you some live bait! Shrimp, croaker, finger mullet, somethin'.Then there are a few things you may need to keep your bait alive. go to academy get you an aerator and bucket (keeps your bait alive while not in the water with you), think they call it a trolling bucket but its yellow and white. keep tied to you while wading. And i bought a HookNLine map too. Bunch of areas to try, although some need a boat or kayak to get to. its pretty good. then when you find/catch some fish and want to build your confidence in a lure you know the fish are there. Switch to your lure of choice and have fun. OH and you are probably already doing this, open this site up everyday and read. Some cool people on here even though i havent personally met any of them they know a lot. And for S&G hold you mouth right...LOL..Somebody cracked on me about that.


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## biggsap (Jan 17, 2010)

its not you because beleave me I feel your pain ill be standing right next to these guys throwing the same exact thing and they wear the fish out and I cant even get a nibble but I never give up (not yet anyway lol) and keep on tring and just take my butt whipping like a man I just don't get it either


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## FishBurd27 (Sep 18, 2012)

Like others have said just keep grinding, you're not the only one. I've been wading an avg of once a week for 2 years now in galveston bay etc and still get skunked about 90% of the time and the other 10% i'll catch a few solid fish but still nothing real special. Unless its flounderseason at SWP.

Biggest things i've noticed and learned in the past couple years;
-Fish really only bite "good" when tide is moving. 
-I really beleive the bait your using doesn't matter that much, I've always felt that with feeding saltwater fish, they'll bit just about anything. just ahve to be there. 
-Weight of jig head is more important than color of your plastic (i.e. where the fish are in the water column) I think this is one thing that has caught me more fish than anything. I use the same plastic and change the weight if I'm not catching
-Dont read the fishing reports, or dont beleive them anyway 

*The thing that I think would make the biggest difference if I were to do it; keep a fishing log of when, where, bait, etc each time you catch fish*

*Good luck!*


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## okmajek (May 29, 2012)

http://www.texastacklefactory.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=111

This will help you choose colors with a little more confidence ,
if that's an issue..


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## speckcaster (May 5, 2012)

study and use google earth....it's an awesome tool for fishermen! as some of the other posters noted water or tidal movement is a key factor....but where you fish when this movement occurs is critical to success..

I'll use a falling tide for example (which is usually the best .... IMO) 

look for drains or guts leaving marsh areas and/or shell reefs adjacent to guts, points or grass lines....fish will stage or use these areas to ambush forage (baitfish, shrimp,etc) forced to exit the marsh areas with the outgoing tide and dropping water levels

keep your eyes open (though it sounds like your doing that...) so the one other suggestion I would pass along is to try downsizing your lures....you'd be surprised of the amount of smaller bait fish trout, reds and flatties consume....of course big ole sow trout eat larger bait...but right now your looking for some success....not trophy hunting! so size your plastics (for example accordingly....)

an example would be when see alot of bait fish action along a shoreline....it's very likely smaller glass minnows which are usually around 2"-3"....so if your throwing a 4" to 6" plastic to them they very likely might not have anything to do with it! or working a 5" topwater right where you think you should be could result in a big zero...

try those two ideas together and I would expect your success to increase a bunch....then you can move on to the other challenges this sport delivers to us all!

confidence is the best lure in any fisherman's tackle box....like my uncle use to tell me "be the fish"!

tight lines and keep a confident outlook (fish can sense this somehow!)

speckcaster


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## Reel reaper (May 31, 2013)

I feel for you and everyone that doesn't catch on each and every outing . I'm a lic. u.s.c.g capt. And I give wade fishing lessons if your interested . I will show you good and productive spots and put you on fish . Show you what lures and colors have worked for me and my clients for years. I have been fishing the Texas coast for 37 years . I come from a family of fishing guides . Everything that everyone on here is telling you is true . Now you just have to put it all together . If your interested in lesson you can pm me .i do walk in and boat trips at a affordable price . For picture pm me a # and I will text you some. 
Good luck !!!!!


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## Your Huckleberry (May 14, 2013)

Happens to everyone, especially at first. 

Here's a few tips I've held onto over the years:

1) Use flurocarbon leader, double uni (or Crazy Albert) knot and loop knot. No swivels or snaps
2) Throw the lightest weight jig head you can (not matter if it's 6'' or 6' water)
3) Light colors w/ light conditions dark color w/ dark conditions (excluding topwater)
4) Vary casts over grass, potholes, drop-offs, and vary retrieve methods
5) keep a log of what works and doesn't

Tons of great info on this site and for additional tips/tactics pick up a texas fishing magazine or Chester Moore book. Good luck!


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## BURTONboy (Feb 23, 2010)

Swivels if throwin spoons though. Line weap...


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## BURTONboy (Feb 23, 2010)

BURTONboy said:


> Swivels if throwin spoons though. Line weap...


Line twist... Stupid auto correct


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## Sportfishing29 (May 20, 2013)

I use live or dead shrimp most of the time.
Suggestions will be go to a pool if you have one, or something that you can see how you are representing your lure. This is just to see if you are doing it the way you want to present it.


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## Saltwater Texan (Apr 19, 2013)

I would like to thank everyone for the advice. It's very much appreciated! I would also like to say that I went out to the pass behind the condos Saturday morning and actually caught some fish. I started with live shrimp under a popping cork and started to get bites! I threw a gulp on a jug head later and also caught a few. The confidence thing plays a big factor. I ended the day with 2 reds, 1 croaker, 1 lady fish, 2 hardheads and 2 keeper flounder! I must say it felt pretty good. I would like to thank everyone again for the advice.


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