Capt . Ed Zyak and Capt . Mark Nichols with a big trout and southern flounder caught in the lower Laguna Madre while wading near South Padre Island , Texas .
WHAT TO USE
“ During summer , I use a DOA 4 ” Bayou Tiger jerk bait rigged on a quarter-ounce jig head for trout . Mainly because that particular color looks just like a croaker when it ’ s underwater ,” said Barrera . “ Ed was using a modified 7 ” version of their Snakoil in Arkansas glow rigged with a 1 / 16th-ounce Owner twist lock 4 / 0 swimbait hook as an eel imitation , which was something they ’ ve never seen down in this part of Texas before .” For seatrout , Zyak and Barrera both use 7 ’ 6 ” G . Loomis E6x XF Inshore spinning rods matched with Shimano 3000 Stradic ’ s spooled with 10-pound PowerPro braided line and a threefoot section of 20-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader . “ For jigging big snook around the inlets and bridges back home in Florida , my go-to artificial lure is a DOA gold glitter / black back trolling BaitBuster ,” said Zyak . “ And I throw it on a moderate heavy 7 ’ G . Loomis E6x rod with a 4000 Shimano Sustain spinning reel with 20-pound PowerPro and a three-foot section of 50-pound Seaguar Pink Label fluorocarbon leader .”
WHEN TO GO
“ July and August are the best times for catching large numbers of big trout in south Texas , especially during croaker season ,” said Barrera . “ February is the peak time for targeting those really heavy prespawn females still carrying their winter fat reserves .” Breeder-sized seatrout are conditioned as a defense mechanism to kill croakers , which eat the trout ’ s eggs during the spring spawn , and the bite really picks up throughout summer when the croakers are most prevalent . Summer is also prime time for giant snook in the southern portion of the Sunshine state . Beginning in May and lasting through September within each of the inlets of the Treasure Coast , thousands of large breeder-sized snook congregate to spawn . Once spawned , they migrate away from the inlet ’ s and move into the Indian River Lagoon under docks and nearby bridges where iconic locations such as the Roosevelt and Ten Cent Bridge in Stuart produce thousand of 40 ” -plus slobs each year . “ While our seatrout estuary is nothing compared to that of South Texas right now with all the lagoon ’ s water quality issues , the big snook are still here , and summertime is your best chance for catching a fish of a lifetime .”
36 HOOKED UP SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017 hookedupdesigns . com