- Intracoastal Reds
by Chester Moore, Jr.
- Don't overlook this fantastic winter strategy!
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- Where should you look for the best redfish action this month? Warm
water outfall canals? Jetties? Shallow, back bays?
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- All of these areas can produce redfish action, but in reality, anglers
are ignoring one of the best spots to intercept winter reds: the Intracoastal
Waterway.
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- Used more as a roadway than a fishing destination in many locales,
the Intracoastal Waterway is full of fish-drawing structure, baitfish and
offers more stable water temperatures than bays do.
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- The key is to use tactics chiefly reserved for offshore and even freshwater
to score on these coldwater reds...
East Galveston Fiesta by Robert Sloan
- Patience rewards big trout seekers.
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- East Galveston Bay is among the most user friendly bays along the entire
Texas coast for three very important reasons - there are plenty of big
trout, finding the prime spots is easy and you can either wade of float
your way to a big catch.
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- Over the years East Galveston Bay has proven itself to be a big trout
producer during the winter months. That's remarkable seeing as how this
bay gets so much angling pressure. It's within easy reach of Houston anglers
that are well aware of the trophy trout potential of East Bay.
- Jim West, with Bolivar Guide Service, has been putting anglers on big
trout for over 30 years on East Bay.
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- "There is no doubt that this bay is special," says West.
"Even though it gets a ton of fishing pressure, she keeps on producing
big trout... One reason why is that so many anglers on this bay are into
catch and release. There is no need to kill the big females. You can take
a length and girth measurement and have a fiberglass replica made that
looks great and last's a lot longer than a traditional skin mount."
- Pro Tips for Winter Reds - by Capt. Fred Everson
- A whole new level in stalking reds.
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- Many Tampa Bay anglers regard late August through October
as prime time for redfish, and in terms of fishing for numbers with live
bait, that's probably true. But once the water temperature in the bay drops
below 70 degrees as it usually does in November, water clarity improves
dramatically. Gone are many of the weeds and most of the algae that cloud
the water and make fishing with an exposed hook all but impossible in the
summer months. This presents a great opportunity to sight fish with a wider
variety of artificials than is possible in warmer water. And while the
schools of big bull redfish have moved offshore to spawn, good numbers
of big fish still winter on the flats.
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- Redfish that remain on the flats in cooler weather have been hard pressed
by anglers as soon as they were big enough to take a bait or lure. This
pressure makes redfish here as wary as any bonefish, and my cold water
angling approach is similar to the way they fish for bonefish or permit
in the Keys. This is about stalking within casting range and making a perfect
presentation to spooky fish. The level of skill involved is considerable,
and every fish hooked and landed is special -- this is not about fishing
for numbers, it's fishing on a higher level...
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- Advanced Pier Techniques - by Pete Cooper, Jr.
- Get the low down on cold weather pier fishing.
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- Throughout much of my adult life piers have contributed
greatly to the net worth of my freezer's contents during winter. Until
quite recently, though, those assets were almost always acquired after
dark and from specks. However, last winter some market studies (i.e. fishing
trips) resulted in previously unrealized profits in (A) the sources of
the aforementioned assets (i.e. fillets), (B) the time in which the sources
of said assets were most profitably traded (i.e. caught), and the practices
(i.e. patterns) that were involved in gaining those profits.
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- And I avow that if someone ever accuses you of
utilizing insider information by applying the following data to your trading
in this market, those accusations will be coming from someone who wasn't
paying any attention to this!
- I wouldn't say it all began on that raw Christmas
Eve afternoon, 2004, but the day's miserable weather played an important
part of it thick clouds spitting sleet, 37 degrees, and a rather
brisk 15-knot northerly with conditions forecast to deteriorate. On a whim
perhaps just to see if I still "had it" I bundled
up, unlimbered a casting rod, and armed with a small box of light jigs
drove over to a nearby marina...
...
- Gulf Coast Closeup -
- "Fishing Florida's Forgotten
Coast" - by
Vernon Summerlin
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- Once upon a time, the Gulf coast community of Apalachicola and its
neighbors were accidentally left off a map given to tourists visiting Florida.
Capitalizing on the mistake, the " Forgotten Coast" was born.
The funny thing is the name actually fits Apalachicola with its handsome
Victorian homes, bed and breakfasts, and oystermen harvesting the shellfish
off the bay floor with long-handled tongs in a time-honored tradition.
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- Located about midway between Panama City and Tallahassee, Apalachicola
is a must see for those who enjoy Florida history, fishing, bird watching,
shell collecting or visiting wildlife and estuarine reserves. There are
also miles of sandy beaches, uninhabited islands, and historic sites to
explore.
- This is one of Florida's last big, healthy coastal ecosystems. The
connection between the Apalachicola Bay and the rivers that feed it 16
billion gallons of water a day creates one of the best fishing environments
in the United States with miles of shallow bays and meandering rivers.
- OUR DEPARTMENTS...
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- Equipment Notebook
- "Fuel
System Maintenance" - by David
Ayers
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- Rod & Reel'n Offshore - "Surgeon Loops
101" - by Patrick Lemire
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- The Bay Naturalist
- "Saltwater Escargot" - by
John Hook
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- Tackle Time
- "Spin vs. Cast" - by Colby Sorrells
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- Bait Hook
- "Hindsight is Always 20/20" - by Jim Martin
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- From the Publisher...
- Besides all these great articles and departments, Gulf Coast Fisherman
is the only source for the Wells Daily Fishing Forecast.
Each issue carries three months of the Wells Daily
Fishing Forecast - with Monthly Fishing Calendars. This will provide
what you need to intelligently plan your fishing trips - hours, weeks,
and months in advance!
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- Top saltwater guides and fishermen use the Wells Daily Fishing Forecast - shouldn't you be using it ,too?...
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- "The fisherman that knows what the currents
are doing has the advantage - over fish and fishermen!"
- And remember - "Fish feed everyday, somewhere
" - Harold Wells
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- Gary Ralston
- Publisher
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- Home
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