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Winter speckled trout guide in Rockport

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 9:43 am
by wittich
Last winter I started to enjoy throwing corky's for trout. I had a couple good trips out of Corpus, but know I would like to learn more about Rockport/ Copano area. I know Jay Watkins is the guy, but I think he will soon retire and stop guiding. Who would you guys recommend that I hire for wade fishing with lures for trout?

Re: Winter speckled trout guide in Rockport

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 10:10 am
by SWFinatic
I'll start by saying I don't go out with guides much at all so what I'm telling you is from people that I have heard feedback from and trust. Jay Watkins is probably booked until his retirement but he does have a son (Jay Ray) that I hear is pretty good but just having the last name makes him hard to book. Not sure how well he knows Copano though they fish redfish/aransas bays a lot. Larry Bell is one that also throws lures only (doesn't fish with live bait) and knows Copano well. If you want a kayak fishing guide call Justin at Clean Fun Fishing. I've been out with him and he is a good fisherman.

Re: Winter speckled trout guide in Rockport

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 10:38 am
by impulse
I know this is off topic, but related...

What are the legal and licensing requirements for becoming a kayaking guide?

You don't have anyone in the boat with you, so I imagine the qualifications are not the same as a boat guide (captain). I've seen photography groups taking money to guide photo tours on kayaks, and I'm pretty sure they're not licensed captains.

Re: Winter speckled trout guide in Rockport

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 5:32 pm
by Kitsune
The only guide I would go with at this point is capt. Chad Peterek, but I think he only does LLM and Baffin (which is why I would choose him). I haven't been too impressed with the guides in Rockport...just my general bias. Copano is not too hard of a bay to figure out big trout. I have caught 26 and I witnessed a 29 3/4 taken out of Italian Bend in the middle of the summer. These fish were caught up against the shoreline over sand/grass. If you are a little deeper and are catching smaller trout, look around for shallower water with sand/grass. Of course these fish are rare, so you probably wont catch very many or any at all over 30"....but it is what you have to do for big trout. They feed differently than the other trout in my experience and from the knowledge of said guides.

Re: Winter speckled trout guide in Rockport

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 6:56 pm
by Ron Mc
Kitsune is on it - if you're going after big winter trout, get a Baffin guide.

Re: Winter speckled trout guide in Rockport

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 7:43 pm
by Kitsune
Ron Mc wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 6:56 pm Kitsune is on it - if you're going after big winter trout, get a Baffin guide.
I’m excited to see how the new regulations will have on the trout populations. September 2023!

Re: Winter speckled trout guide in Rockport

Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2022 6:49 am
by SWFinatic
Kitsune wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 7:43 pm
Ron Mc wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 6:56 pm Kitsune is on it - if you're going after big winter trout, get a Baffin guide.
I’m excited to see how the new regulations will have on the trout populations. September 2023!
I think it's going to have a big impact. Just listen to all the guides whining because they can't fill their boxes with 15-1/4" trout. There are tens of thousands of trout weekly and probably even daily being release that normally would have been removed from the herd. The downside to this is the redfish are taking it on the chin because trout guides are now filling their boxes with reds instead of trout.

Re: Winter speckled trout guide in Rockport

Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2022 8:19 am
by Ron Mc
There are some logical places to fish for big winter trout, and all have to do with structure, tide currents and wind currents delivering and concentrating bait. Inside passes on a rising tide, outside passes on a falling tide.
Here's Tobin's gratis tutorial on tides.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8H0c6pOm2g

We like going to Arroyo Colorado in the winter, where the schoolie male specs come to us at night.
This is a 25" male schoolie from last winter, two 50-yd runs on XUL tackle - legal last winter, but would have to be released this winter.

Image

Re: Winter speckled trout guide in Rockport

Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2022 5:11 pm
by TexasJim
Kayak fishing with artificial lures?: Fil Spencer, AKA Fishman Guide Service. He's the most enthusiastic and intense kayak fisherman I have ever met. I've never done a charter with him, but he's paddled by me and given me advice, and I've talked with him at boat shows and he's always given me advice, lures and helpful tips. He's won just about every kayak fishing event at least once. Justin Coghlin at Clean Fun Fishing is also a good guide, mainly targeting reds on lures, but he catches drum, trout and flounder. As SWFinatic said, there are zillions of 12 to 15 inch trout. The guides say they have to catch 8 or 10 shorts to get a slot trout. I'm wondering if these shorts(I call them Subways, because they're foot-long) are the trout TPWD stocked last year after the freeze? Next year should be a great year for slot trout, even before they (maybe) change the limit back to five 15 to 25 inch fish. Baffin Bay and Port Mansfield are probably your best bet for slots or bigger trout this year. Good luck, TexasJim