# TROPHY TROUT at Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina



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

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Bay Flats Lodge Resort & Marina
November 29, 2018

*THE HUNT FOR TROPHY TROUT​*





The hunt for trophy trout continued on Wednesday morning with a quick jaunt across the bay with the owner of Bay Flats Lodge, Capt. Chris Martin, and one of his fellow Bay Flats Lodge guides, Capt. Perry Rankin. There was a quiet stillness in the air, as not a breath of wind was disturbing the waterâ€™s surface as the two made their way to their first stop of the day. It would be the exact same place where Capt. Chris had made short work of catching quite a few nice trout one day earlier.






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This first location was the exterior shoreline of a cut leading from the main bay system into a back lake area that generally is not accessible via boat. The bay floor in this spot is primarily a grass and mud mixture with a depth ranging from 2-5 feet in different places. Surface-walking top water baits and suspending plastic lures were the chosen weapons for todayâ€™s hunt, so thatâ€™s what was at the end of each rod as the two captains quietly exited over the side of the boat and into the chilly morning water. After a short period of catching, the bite appeared to be somewhat similar to the day before, yet todayâ€™s trout seemed to be much smaller than yesterdayâ€™s - not many over 18-inches it seemed. It was time to make a change!






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The guys quickly regrouped back at the boat and slowly made their way down the outside shoreline until they came to another rather small drain area just off of the main shoreline. They set the Power-Pole and were over the side of the boat in the blink of an eye. The water here was only about 3-feet deep, and the bottom was (again) the favored grassy mud mixture. Top water lures were immediately presented across the inviting calm surface, but nothing was paying too much attention to them. Several noticeable fish wakes telegraphed the presence of fish in the area, which enticed the guys to tie-on a couple suspending plastic baits. However, the typical Corky cadence wasnâ€™t working on these fish. The two guides experimented with their retrieves until they found the secret - cast, count to 5, pop the rod tip and immediately begin working the bait similar to a top water lure, only just below the waterâ€™s surface. Once this upper water column â€œsweet spotâ€ was discovered, the bite commenced feverishly! Both of these experienced guides had used their knowledge to uncover the preference of the fish, and in doing so were allowed the enjoyment of some steady catching of quite a few really nice cold-water trout before having to leave them biting for another day.






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If youâ€™d like to share in the quest for a trophy trout this winter, now is the time to do it. Weâ€™re offering a special from December 2018 through February 2019, where each person in your party will receive a $25.00 discount on lodging and meals when your party books a wade fishing trip while fishing with artificial lures. That means that if you book a trip for you and 3 friends or colleagues, youâ€™ll save $100.00 right off the top. So, please donâ€™t hesitate - phone Bay Flats Lodge today at 1-888-677-4868 to your book a trip!






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*LEERY DECEMBER DUCKS​*





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When the second-half of the season opens on December 8th, a couple big problems duck hunters will face will be that almost all area ducks have seen a lot of decoy setups, and many of these same ducks have dodged pellets over a lot of those spreads. Some hunters might think you should be able to fool these timid birds by calling them in as they pass just outside your hunting perimeter, but silence can be quite an effective method for calling wary birds, especially if youâ€™re not good at blowing a duck call. However, for those hunters who are skilled and talented callers, good calling can often be most beneficial at this point in the season when itâ€™s done in moderation.






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No one can tell you how to call ducks because everyone has their own style and method of doing so, and sometimes thereâ€™s no right or wrong way of calling simply because anything you do just isnâ€™t going to work. All I can do is share with you what has for me in the past. For example, when attempting to produce a feed chuckle, make it a short and concise burst lasting no more than about three seconds. With regards to the hail call, Iâ€™ve always done better when I reserve the hail call for only those times when it is actually needed, especially on December birds. If the ducks are approaching me, I wonâ€™t use this call at all. Itâ€™s a loud call and is one that can only end up doing more harm than good on inbound birds. The only time I like hailing them in the second-half of the season is when they are on their final approach but then suddenly bank-off perpendicular to me, or when they have actually left the scene altogether. Basically, I routinely call a lot less to December ducks, preferring to only make just enough noise that will entice them to take a look at my decoys, and thatâ€™s it.






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Not only have December birds already heard too much calling, they have also now become accustomed to seeing huge, questionable spreads ranging in numbers from a dozen decoys to several dozen decoys. In some cases, where small groups of ducks have consistently been returning to a certain area over the course of the past couple weeks during the split in the season, a really big decoy spread will often prove to be a waste of time on the part of the hunter because the vast spread tends to spook leery December ducks. As a general result, the birds venture on their way until they locate more natural-looking water that happens to be holding a minimal number of ducks. For this reason, itâ€™s strongly suggested that you downsize your December and January spreads considerably. If things continue not to work for you, consider trying something really extreme like going down to only three decoys rigged on a jerk string and one other motorized-type decoy. Placing your decoys in this manner will sometimes pull the birds to your spread instead of the next guyâ€™s simply because passing ducks will see yours and will notice itâ€™s not what theyâ€™ve been used to seeing while being shot at over and over again. Also, keep in mind is that ducks that are sitting on the water usually bunch together during periods of cold weather, so make sure to bunch your decoys according to the weather conditions youâ€™re hunting in, and remember to not use too many decoys!

*HEREâ€™S WHAT SOME RECENT GUESTS SAIDâ€¦​*_Patsy was very nice and very helpful! Had two guides - Capt. Garrett Wygrys for two days and Capt. Jeremy McClelland for a half-day. They put us some good fish, and we had a blast with both of them! Big shout out to Capt. Jeremy, as we only had about 90 minutes for our half-day trip with him due to our flights. He put us on a great spot with keeper reds, and we caught the biggest trout of the trip. His equipment is top-notch, and he is a fantastic guide - big highlight of our great trip! The food - quail legs, pork chops, and fried shrimp - was awesome! - *Bill M. 11/28/18*

I was at Bay Flats the past couple days attending a corporate event and, as usual, I really enjoyed your lodge! Thanks again for a great experience! - *Jim T. 11/27/18*

The quality of the food and the service was fantastic! Capt. Doug Russell was great - patient, helpful, personable, and good to be around! I've been around some grouchy, "too cool" guides, and Capt. Doug is not one of them! - *Justin B. 11/26/18*_

*FIVE-DAY WEATHER FORECAST​**Thursday 40 % Precip. / 0.03 in*
Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers this afternoon. Thunder possible. High 74F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
*Friday 20 % Precip. / 0.00 in*
Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 76F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
*Saturday 10 % Precip. / 0.00 in*
Sunny. High 78F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
*Sunday 20 % Precip. / 0.00 in *
Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. High 74F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
*Monday 20 % Precip. / 0.00 in*
Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 69F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
*Synopsis:* 
Areas of rain or showers will continue to develop across the coastal waters Thursday. Moderate to occasionally strong onshore flow will slowly build seas through Thursday night, especially across the offshore coastal waters, before winds slightly subside on Friday. Slightly drier air will move into the waters Thursday night, lowering but not eliminating the rain or showers, as an upper level disturbance moves east of the area. However, near surface moisture will remain high, and patchy sea fog, mainly north of Port Aransas will be possible both Thursday and Friday, mainly in the morning. A weak cold front will move through the coastal waters Saturday morning with a brief weak to moderate offshore flow, then becoming onshore by Saturday night. A stronger cold front will move through the waters early Monday with a strong offshore flow developing in its wake. 
*Coastal Water Temperature:* 
Port Aransas 63.0 degrees
Seadrift 61.9 degrees
Matagorda Bay 61.0 degrees

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

*Pic 2*

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

*Pic 3*

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

*Pic 4*

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

*Pic 5*

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

*Pic 6*

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

*Big News Coming Soon!*

Stay tuned this is going to be big.


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

The Hunt For Trophy Trout by Captain Chris Martin

If you asked Captain Chris Martin what his favorite fishing month or months are you would get the same answer along with a contagious smile from him. "December is my favorite month for sure." He continues the conversation by saying "I've had the blessing to release 10 trout in one day between 25-28" while using my favorite corky lures during December months." By the way he's still using the same corky devil lure that he personally purchased 20 years ago from Paul Brown, the original inventor of the corky lure company.


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