# "Slick when Wet"



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

*Bay Flats Lodge on San Antonio Bay- Seadrift, Texas
Sponsored by Texas Marine
June 18, 2013*

Everything in life seems to be pretty much on a schedule. We always plan on Thanksgiving in November, Christmas in December, and taxes by mid-April. From the perspective of the fishing world, things are not that much different. Coastal anglers generally march to the beat of a schedule as well, like knowing that winter months mean they need to begin to retrieve their lures much more slowly for cold-water trout, and that the arrival of springtime means they should begin to search for the birds that will start to work the pods of natural bait in the bays. And once Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, the next thing on a lot of coastal anglerâ€™s schedules is to begin scanning the water in search of that ever-noticeable, smooth contrast in water surface texture commonly referred to by most of us as â€œslicks.â€

Itâ€™s not uncommon for savvy anglers to be able to smell a slick before they ever even see it, especially if one happens to be moving rapidly across the water in a fast moving boat. To know the aroma is to love it, and once you have smelled it, your nostrils will continue to detect its fragrance from that day forward. A fish slick, from what Iâ€™ve experienced, smells just like freshly sliced watermelon on a hot summer day. Itâ€™s a scent thatâ€™s definitely recognizable by even the least-trained nose, and can often signify a last chance hope for anglers who may have had an otherwise unfortunate or unproductive day on the water. Be forewarned, however, as crab traps have been known to give-off a very similar aroma to that of the fish slick. So, always scan the immediate area for the presence of any crab traps that may be emitting this distinctive smell before you make what could be a futile commitment of time by anchoring your boat and performing a useless wade session.

Everyone probably has their own opinion as to why these slicks form on the surface of the water above the location of a predator fish. Iâ€™ve heard some say that the slick is formed after the predator fish has successfully caught and swallowed its prey and then regurgitates, or burps, a bit as a result. Iâ€™ve had others claim that the oily substance forming the slick on the waterâ€™s surface is body oil coming directly off of, or from inside, the shrimp or the mullet that just got eaten. Regardless of your school of thought on this, you can rest assured of one thing, and that is that whenever you happen upon one of these slicks, there are fish (of some kind) in the immediate area. Itâ€™s hard to tell exactly what kind of fish they may be â€" whether speckled trout, red fish, flounder, or even gafftop â€" or to know exactly what kind of prey they may have been feeding upon. One thing is for certain, however, and that is that you should probably make it a point to take a little bit of time out of your day to setup a wade session in the immediate vicinity, especially if the slick happens to be very small in size which indicates that it formed on the surface just recently.

Wind and weather conditions can sometimes alter your ability to detect a summertime slick. If youâ€™re out fishing on a day that just happens to have absolutely no wind at all, then your ability to see a slick diminishes to almost being that of impossible. On the other hand, if your day on the water is accompanied by some rather stronger winds, then chances are great that whatever slicks do form are going to be rapidly torn apart by the force of the wind itself. Having a slight wind is the best situation to be in when aggressively searching for slicks, as smaller ripples and waves on the surface of the water provide you with just the right amount of contrast needed in order to be able to detect a slick.

Now then, Iâ€™ve been in a lot of different situations while fishing slicks in the summertime. A lot of times Iâ€™ll simply be running a shoreline in the boat and suddenly notice what appears to be a rather â€œfreshâ€ slick, meaning it looks like it formed on the surface of the water only moments earlier. When this happens Iâ€™ll kill the boat engine and give the entire area a quick review. If I witness active bait, Iâ€™ll set anchor and bailout over the side as quickly as possible. But thatâ€™s not always the case, however, so I often have to determine whatâ€™s going to be the best utilization of my time and efforts. I prefer to wade, so if the slick is â€œfreshâ€ (small) and is situated in shallow water, Iâ€™ll often give it a try. Iâ€™ll shoot for the target for a predetermined amount of time, and will not stay if Iâ€™m not getting any results.

Naturally, I prefer to already be wading in the water whenever I witness the formation of a new slick. This way Iâ€™m granted an opportunity of approaching the slick in more of a stealthy-type mode, and I possibly wonâ€™t scare the fish by making noises of dropping the anchor in the water, or by jumping out of the boat into the water, or by having waves slap against the hull of the boat. I realize this is an uncontrollable situation, but when it works out to be in your favor, itâ€™s great to be able to take advantage of it.

If I am, in fact, lucky enough to already be wading when I spot a slick, I like to try to position myself upwind of it if Iâ€™m close to it and can react fast enough. But more importantly to remember is that the slick is going to be on the move just as soon as it begins to form. For this reason, I pay close attention to what the tide is doing at the time because I always anticipate the slick to move in conjunction with the tidal movement. If you know which direction the slick is moving, then you can determine where to pinpoint your casts in order to place your lure over the fish that made the slick. But, just because you place your favorite lure right where the fish is doesnâ€™t mean the fish is going to bite. There are no guarantees in this sport, so if I spend fifteen minutes casting to a rather new slick with no results, Iâ€™ll often cut my losses and move on to the next opportunity. Good luck to all, and keep grindinâ€™!

_Photos_

Captain's TJ & Harold part of a 4 boat customer appreciation event on day 1.

Bay Flats Lodge, Inc.
P.O. Box 580
Seadrift, Texas 77983-0580
1.888.677.4868 Office
Brochure- http://www.bayflatslodge.com/wp-cont... Final-1.pdf
Lodge Video 



www.BayFlatsLodge.com
[email protected]


----------



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

*Pescado Grande*

Bay Flats Lodge is very proud to make a $1500 donation this year to The Harbor Children Alliance & Victims Center in Port Lavaca, Texas.

Proceeds from The Pescado Grande Fishing Tournament will allow The Harbor to continue programs and services supporting victims as well as educating the community on these topics. The Harborâ€™s Child Abuse Prevention program provides education to area school students as well. Included in this education are topics such as sexual assault, bullying, healthy relationships, feelings, and positive character traits.


----------

