# East Matty - 12/23/201&



## tightlinez (Jan 20, 2014)

The day started out with THICK fog driving to the bay and being on the bay! Launched out of Matagorda Harbor; No live bait available.

Ran through the fog in the ICW all the way to the tripod entrance and headed towards Brown Cedar. The sun finally broke through and burned the fog off around 9AM. We found the water pretty low at Brown Cedar so we decided to change the game plan. Headed over to bird island instead for our first stop. Poled down into a 3ft depth about 300 yards east of bird island. My buddies threw the dead shrimp and i threw out a corky.

Side note: this trip was designated to be my first artificial ONLY trip for me. Been fishing for a long time now and have always been too impatient to learn the â€œartificial wayâ€. 

They landed a sheephead and a few sand trout with the shrimp. Nothing on the corky...

Moved over to Live Oak to fish the reef nearby. They stayed on the boat and i waded chest deep. They landed a couple of sand trout and still NOTHING on the corky. At this point i was throwing the Devils Tail, the Original, and the Soft Dine. Both light and dark colors for all. Slow, super slow, and fast retrieves. I was out there for about an hour and covered about 200 yards.

Next stop was Mitchells Cut. I broke down and used shrimp only to land 12 sting rays, 5 hardheads, and 3 whiting.

Last stop was the south shoreline directly south of Bird Island. They landed a couple of rat Reds. I got in the water again for another hour to produce NOTHING.

In the end I was still pleased to try out the new techniques. Towards the end, working the lure at different speeds became more natural and i was able to figure out how to keep the lure towards the lower water column without getting hung up. Will try a jig-head lure next time. I wonder if the FULL moon played a part in the slow day... or maybe its just winter and thats the way it goes... or maybe i wasnâ€™t doing it right... lol

Tight lines!!


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## richg99 (Aug 21, 2004)

Your patience will be rewarded one of these days. 

I always say that "live bait people just want to catch fish...often ANY fish." It works but there is more thrill in fooling them with an arti.


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## mccain (Oct 20, 2006)

keep grinding. he's right....you'll hit paydirt eventually.
that's just how it works. gotta pay your dues and learn something each time


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## 348473 (Apr 12, 2017)

Get the trout support DVDs and save some time!

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## habanerojooz (Dec 4, 2006)

Corkies easily ride high in the water column, especially with a fast reel. Slow yourself way down. You can also bend the tail down. This will give the corky a slight downward bias when twitched. Softdines are easier to keep low in the water column as they donâ€™t glide when twitched like the corkies. Both are excellent baits during the winter.

During this time of year, quality sized trout are out there ready to attack your bait if you put it in front of them and make it look good. But sometimes you do everything right and you still donâ€™t catch anything. Happens to everybody. Keep at it and you will catch that first fish on an artificial soon.


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## BFI-TX (Nov 26, 2016)

Don't let the "nothing" get to your head. That's just fishing.
Another thing about corky fishing is maintaining your focus and keeping constant contact with the lure. Yes, the slow and methodical method allows you to pick an area apart but man can it ever be a mental challenge to keep from zoning out between bites. Those fish know when your fading out watching that random duck fly by or takings second to scratch your nose lol. Just a suggestion. 
You mentioned trying a jig head and soft plastics next time. 
You might try using a rat tail or paddletail bait to find feeding fish then switch to a fat boy etc to try and coax the nicer fish.


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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

If your just starting to learn to use artificial's, I would suggest you stay away from Corkys. Even after you learn how to fish with artificial's, you should stay away from Corkys. They are a specialty bait made for certain situations, and most times they don't even work for that.
If you really want to learn how to fish with artificial's, go get a pack of Texas Roach paddle tails to use in dirty water, a pack of chicken on a chain paddle tails to use in cleaner water, and some 1/4oz jig heads. This will cover 95% of the fishing situations you will come across in the Galveston bay complex. 
When your not wasting time worrying about whats tied to the end of your line, you will spend more time learning whats more important, like finding actively feeding fish. 
It's always better to keep things simple.


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## richg99 (Aug 21, 2004)

All good advice. 

What works best is often what you have confidence in. . Sharkchum is an expert. I'd do what he says and stick with it.

I have caught more fish on Rattletraps (both Salt and FW) than any other lure. So, I throw Rattletraps much of the time. Guess what, I catch most of my fish on Rattletraps. Ha Ha


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## troutsupport (May 22, 2006)

....

If you want to find the actively feeding fish, you have to know what to look for and when and why, that's what the videos show you and help you train your eyes on what to look for. Cuts the learning curve for sure. 

I think 3 of the 4 replies are from guys that have watched them. I know we hate spamming people.. but showing a guy helps way more than some text on the page. 

Corkies or not corkies.. really doesn't matter, throwing a lure in feeding fish is what matters and ya have to hunt for them and know what to look for and that works 90% of the time. There are days when nothing works. 

Slow or fast... let the fish decide always. There are days when they don't want the slow, and they are days when they want it fast right under the surface in shallow 58 degree water, but there are clues to understanding when that might be if you'll let yourself be trainable. 

Start with the Big Trout DVD.. it covers both big trout and also just catching some cool water numbers.


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## LarryG (Aug 12, 2005)

I would concur with what Sharkchum said about corkies, especially if you are a beginner, and would also concur with what Rich said about rattletraps. Unlike a corkie, a rattletrap has it's own unique action where all you have to do is retrieve it, the lure does the rest. It is a very good lure for beginners. You can fish it deep or shallow. Some fishermen will make fun of you put I have caught a lot of trout and reds on them over the years.


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## tightlinez (Jan 20, 2014)

*Thanks!*

Thank you all for taking the time to reply and give me some pointers. I will certainly review the Trout Support videos i have as it has been a while since i have watched them. I line up some jig head lures for my next trip.

I will keep on keepin' on with the artificials. Hope to have better reports for you all soon!

Tight lines!


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## irbjd (Aug 11, 2005)

Also keep in mind that EMB is a fickle mistress. I've had some of the best fishing days of my life in that bay. But I've also walked away scratching my head. Don't let drawing a blank get you discouraged. Think back on the day and try and learn.


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