# Bay Flats Lodge - "Springtime Specks"



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

Bay Flats Lodge on San Antonio Bay
March 2, 2017

*Capt. Chris Martin*
To this day, saltwater anglers continue to discuss what it is they believe attracts springtime trout, and the consensus tends to always turn out being the same - there is no one particular thing that attracts the trout. Instead, there are four common elements that blend together to invite and to hold the attention of the trout at this transition time in the year, and those four things are temperature, salinity, food, and structure. Whenever an angler is fortunate enough to be able to piece all four of these things together in one place, then there will likely be some attractive trout results rewarded to that angler that day. 
Attempting to pull all these things together in one place can be a challenge in itself, but when able to do so, the strike zone is sometimes discovered to be an area that can often be no more than just a few square yards of surface water. Wading anglers could spend many, many hours of precious fishing time making cast after cast before being able to find that particular â€œhot spotâ€. The best thing that can be done in trying to locate the springtime trout is to narrow down the search area in the beginning.

When searching for speckled trout in March, coastal anglers should try to key-in on places that are all holding zones for trout, places like oyster reefs, sandy flats lined with patches of grass, and guts and drains connecting the shallows of the backcountry to the deeper masses of the main bay system. Other items of consideration should be salinity and temperature, both of which change according to whether there happens to be an incoming or an outgoing tide. The proper combination of salinity and temperature is important because they are the two water conditions that most often dictate where the mullet and the shrimp will be stationed, and the mullet and the shrimp are what the trout will be moving from place to place in order to find.

From a salinity standpoint, try to remember that the farther you are fishing from the Gulf water, the lower the salinity will be. And from a temperature standpoint, the farther you are fishing from the Gulf waters, the warmer the water temperature will be. An exception to this would be sudden freezing conditions that would possibly turn everything extremely cold, in which case the trout may be found closer to the Gulf waters if they were lucky enough to be able to get there before the hard freeze set in.

A tool you can use in March when trying to find trout is paying close attention to the color of the water. Wherever tide lines occur during changing tides in the bays, thereâ€™s a mixture of varying water temperatures and salinities, but thereâ€™s usually a difference in the color of the water, as well. Try working several casts into the color-change in various ways. First, cast into the cloudy water just beyond the color-change. If there are no results, cast to the clear water right along the color-change and attempt to work your lure back parallel to the cloudy water. If still no response, your third option would be to cast into the cloudy water and work the bait back in the dirty water. Anglers have caught fish over the years in each manner, it just depends on the fish. However, you should pay close attention to what worked for you today, as you may need to replicate that same scenario in order to catch some of the same springtime trout tomorrow.

March conditions give anglers a lot to take into consideration regarding the appearance and the disappearance of speckled trout. The fish are going to move until they find a food source and conditions that fit their needs. You can find them if youâ€™re willing to be mobile and if you can remain light on your feet the entire day. Keep grindin!

*Capt. Nick Dahlman*
Wade fishing has been awesome the past few days. On Saturday, 2/25, we battled northeast winds around 20-30 mph and cooler temps, but we still found fish willing to eat our lures. Bone and Plum colored tails, along with Corkys, tricked limits of reds and trout in the back lakes with streaky green water. On Monday, 2/27, we were greeted with warmer temps, low winds, and overcast skies. Fish were holding in the same areas but were more active and most were caught on bone colored top-waters. As March approaches, we look forward to experiencing more great fishing. Come see us at Bay Flats Lodge!

*All of us here at Bay Flats Lodge wish to remind you of the 2016-17 Winter Fishing Special (Through March 31st)*
http://www.bayflatslodge.com/2016-17-winter-fishing-special 
You and your party can enjoy a great ending to the year with some well-deserved rest and relaxation as you savor some fabulous cuisine, enjoy first-class accommodations, and experience great fishing at some of the best rates Bay Flats Lodge will offer all year long. These dates are moving fast, so call 1-888-677-4868 to book your spot early, and inquire about the special winter rates.
$412 per person 2 Guests per boatâ€¨
$275 per person 3 Guests per boatâ€¨
$232 per person 4 Guests per boat
(Includes 1 night lodging, 3 meals, and 1 full-day of fishing)
Live bait provided at additional charge, if requested.
6.00% Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax not included

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*Plan Ahead For Next Yearâ€™s Deer Seasonâ€¦*
Open marshlands and sandy swamps covered by grassy plants, and nearly impenetrable motts of trees and brush, are both natural environs that make for a great attraction to the deer, and Bay Flats Lodge hunters are able to take advantage of both. Being less than three hours from Houston, Austin, or San Antonio, our deer hunting property is located along the coastal bend region, providing time saving convenience to hunters. Gone are the days of having to drive into the depths and remoteness of south Texas, or out to the far reaches of some of the more secluded western regions of the state in order to enjoy a trophy hunt of a lifetime. Hunting whitetails with Bay Flats Lodge means spending more time enjoying the finer things in life such as the pleasure of the hunt itself, the camaraderie of friends and family, and the truly finest accommodations and service offered anywhere along the Texas coast.

Our whitetail hunting area was developed locally several years ago, and the land and the wildlife have been managed closely ever since. In that we hold exclusive outfitting privileges on this hunting area, and because it sits just moments away from our Lodge, we are able to provide our customers with a whitetail hunt second to none. We invite you to experience Bay Flats Lodge, the premier hunting and fishing destination on the Texas coast for your next trophy-class whitetail deer hunt.

Three-Day Weather Forecast
*Thursday 0 % Precip. / 0.0 in* 
Partly cloudy skies. High 69F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph.
*Thursday Night 20 % Precip. / 0.0 in*
Considerable cloudiness. Low 51F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
*Friday 20 % Precip. / 0.0 in*
Intervals of clouds and sunshine in the morning with more clouds for later in the day. High 68F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph.
*Friday Night 20 % Precip. / 0.0 in*
Overcast. Low 59F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.
*Saturday 80 % Precip. / 0.55 in*
Showers early, becoming a steady rain later in the day. Thunder possible. High 68F. Winds E at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
*Saturday Night 100 % Precip. / 0.51 in*
Rain likely. Low 63F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.
*Synopsis:* 
After the passage of Wednesdayâ€™s cool front, drier conditions and a very strong offshore flow will develop, continuing into Thursday. A moderate to strong northeast flow Thursday night will become east to southeast Friday into Friday night. Higher moisture and a weak coastal trough will contribute to isolated showers Friday and Friday night. An upper level disturbance moving out of northern Mexico will lead to increasing rain chances over the weekend. High swells late this week through the weekend will likely warrant additional small craft advisories. 
*Coastal Water Temperature: *
Rockport 73.9 degrees
Seadrift 73.0 degrees
Port Aransas 70.0 degrees

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Captain Chris Martin
www.BayFlatsLodge.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

*Great overall value*

TIME TO START CHUNKIN'
We still have March dates available for our annual Winter Fishing Special. Don't wait until it's too late! Call today @ 1-888-677-4868 and book your trip at some of the lowest prices Bay Flats Lodge will offer all year long! Keep Grindin'


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