# Fishing with data



## Capt. Chris Martin (May 22, 2004)

SPRINGTIME FISHING: 

Now that it's almost March, springtime fishing patterns will be upon us before we know it. And these next three months mark the prime period of the year for chasing speckled trout. You see, speckled trout begin to spawn during this time of the year, and most all of the trophy trout that are taken are of the more mature female variety, as most all male speckled trout hardly ever live to be more than five years of age or grow to be more than twenty inches in length. Anglers who fish the most often and the longest will definitely benefit the most during this period. 

DATA FOR FISHING?

But you can greatly enhance your chances at positive catching results should you learn to study the data available to us today surrounding that of the life patterns and natural practices of the speckled trout. A lot of such information can be obtained from scientists who study these fish, people like the marine biologists who work for different state and federal fish and wildlife agencies and conservation associations - studies from some of the more established agencies surrender some of the most distinguished and notable data. 

Samples of such data include bits and pieces of knowledge and intelligence like the following...More than three quarters of big trophy trout are taken by wading anglers who do not simply walk into a wading area from a land-based location, but who use a boat to travel to a favored wading spot, drop anchor, and then slip over the side of the boat with their favorite bait in hand. 

Additionally, salt marshes outlined by grassy areas that are susceptible to frequent tide changes yield all but about twenty percent of all large trout that are taken. And almost all of the bigger trout are caught on either large natural or larger-sized artificial baits. Now, it is a fact that the largest quantity of trout have been caught while utilizing live shrimp, but bigger trout definitely prefer bigger baits - live mullet, piggy perch, or croaker, or any of the variety of surface walking or shallow diving artificials that mimic the "real thing". Also, all but about thirty percent of all large trout are taken within three days on either side of a full moon. Sounds kind of like Ripley's "Believe it...or not", right?

MAKING SENSE OF THE DATA:

In that we've talked a bit about some of the data, let's look at analyzing it to see if we can make some sense of it all. Let's start with the subject of wade fishing.

1. Wading allows a sense of stealth. Speckled trout, like most any other inshore medley of game fish, will spook very easily even in the best of situations, but especially in clear and shallow water. 
2. Wading anglers are able to position themselves where they need to be, and are in possession of an opportunity to eliminate shadows and noises that are so often characteristic of anglers who fish directly out of a boat. 
3. Speckled trout invariably trek out of the depths and onto shallow flats during periods of little-to-no light, so victorious wade fishermen will begin their day's first wade session within the confines of the shallows during the predawn moments before the day's first rays of sunlight. 
4. As the sun climbs high into the sky and the day brightens the trout tend to move out to deeper water, scattering haphazardly as they do so. 
5. Now as for the saltwater marsh, these are areas rich in nutrients and food, and they are heavily influenced by tidal activity. When the tide is moving in, it generally tends to flood these areas. 
6. Therefore, when the tide is moving out, the water often departs these grassy shoals with great abandon, carrying with it a buffet meal of various marine hors d'oeuvres, dumping them into the immediate areas surrounding the grassy marsh. 

POSITION, POSITION, POSITION

: All finned species head to these areas during falling tides, not only speckled trout. And it's during this time that many avid and knowledgeable wade fishermen strive to position themselves just adjacent to the numerous draining bayous, cuts, and sloughs of the marsh. The volume of food and nutrients swept out of the marsh at these drain points during these periods can be massive, as can be the number of predatory game fish that gather in these areas at this time in order to cash in on the drain-off. The best time to be fishing these areas is usually within a two hour period that starts when the high tide stand begins to fall. 

FISHING THE FULL MOON: 

And when are tides at their absolute highest points? The tides tend to be at their highest when the full moon occurs. For three days prior to the full moon and for three days following the full moon, tides historically run higher than at any other period during any given month. Now that sounds like a recipe for success if I've ever heard one!

www.BayFlatsLodge.com ...1-888-677-4868

Captain Chris Martin


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## Capt. Chris Martin (May 22, 2004)

Our best bite today was in or near area drains. A steadily falling tide had trout and reds staged along these dropoffs. TTF Trout Killers in the "Opening Night" and "East Beast" colors did the trick, tied onto eighth ounce jigheads. We left some keeper size fish a couple times in hopes of finding a trophy sized trout. We kept a handful of trout and a couple reds for the table. Here is Jerry's first red ever. Not bad! We'll give it another go tomorrow.

Captain Jason Wagenfehr


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## Capt. Chris Martin (May 22, 2004)

*More*

Thanks


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## Capt. Chris Martin (May 22, 2004)

*Epic Day Woodpecker Skitterwalkers ALL DAY LONG*

*Bay Flats Lodge on San Antonio Bay Report*
*By Captain Chris Martin*

It was was an epic day for Captain Jason Wagenfehr, Steve, Steve and Bob on Wednesday...According to the Captain, "Caught reds and trout all day on woodpecker skitterwalkers." Fog was thick yesterday, but once the wind turned on, it helped...10-15 mph sw. No bait early, but we know it was there. When the sun popped out around 10:30, the bait turned on. "Finding the right amount of stained water was the key." Knee to thigh deep was the best wade fishing water level. Floating pink boy was good for trout action. Slow siking fat boy in glowtreuse was also productive for trout. The key to the customer's success today, "They had confidence in their lures, and tossed them all day, without switching." Captain Jason Wagenfehr...

The lodge welcomes several groups in for the next few days, the weekend gets very busy. Reports to follow!

*Solunar Forecast & Predictions*

Click here http://www.solunarforecast.com/solunarcalendar.aspx

*Thursday's **Weather Forecast*

Mostly cloudy. Fog early. High of 79F. Winds from the SSW at 10-15 mph. Chance of rain 20%... 66-drgrees water temp, 3% moon illuminated.

*Testimonial *

*Chris S.*
02-22-2012
Our guide was great, just had a low pressure blowing out so fishing was not so good (not y'alls fault of course). But had a great time with the food and lodging.

*IKE L.*
02-21-2012
Food was excellant!!

*V. Lawrance*
02-20-2012
Your team created the perfect atmosphere for our special event . Please tell them we really appreciate the effort !

*David K. *
02-20-2012
Best fishing lodge I've been to. Higher priced, but the difference was very noticeable, and closer to home (Austin). Some others give 2 days of fishing for the same price, which is hard to pass up. I don't know if I would think twice about it if we caught a ton after the one day. But we had bad weather and would have loved a second day out there. I'll be back hopefully on better weather.

*Join our fan page.*
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*Watch our story*







1-888-677-4868
Captain Chris Martin
www.BayFlatsLodge.com
www.Shoalwaterboats.com
www.gundogbaits.com​


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## Capt. Chris Martin (May 22, 2004)

*Thanks Mike*

From FlyFishingMike

*Bay Flats Bonus* 
Some fishing friends and I just returned from a memorable trip to Bay Flats Lodge, with smiles on our faces. Great food, good friends, and the fish were the bonus.

Thursday was a marginal weather day as far as fishing was concerned. The partly sunny, 80 degree day that was forecast, never happened. Instead, a foggy and wet, windy and choppy day on the water greeted us as we ventured out into San Antonio bay.

Undaunted, our guide, Jason, took us to the fish. We were the only boat in sight for most of the day. We drifted the back lakes, tossing a variety of topwaters, touts, and Gulp shrimp under a popping cork.

We caught some quality fish, despite the weather, and had a great time enjoying our outdoors experience.

_Menu by Excutive Chef Austin, Grill Master Sherman, Chef Lori, and Chef Audrey_


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