Amazing Speckled Trout stories

[BRust]

tag

[eastxhunter]

From "The Speckled Truth"

People wonder why they don't see reports like this now...

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Until they check to see their Facebook feed lined with pics of dead 16” trout fallen victim to a drowned croaker..

[Clay C]

Until they check to see their Facebook feed lined with pics of dead 16” trout fallen victim to a drowned croaker..

I do agree with you to an extent. I don't understand the "have to get my limit for a tacky stringer or dead fish on the boat picture" mentality.

But here is something I've always noticed. People always talk about how good the "old days when their granpappy/father fished" were. Yet, all i see from those olden days are pictures of dead monster trout (example in the OP). Often times stringers full of them. Makes one wonder who really depleted the resource.

[eastxhunter]

I do agree with you to an extent. I don't understand the "have to get my limit for a tacky stringer or dead fish on the boat picture" mentality.

But here is something I've always noticed. People always talk about how good the "old days when their granpappy/father fished" were. Yet, all i see from those olden days are pictures of dead monster trout (example in the OP). Often times stringers full of them. Makes one wonder who really depleted the resource.

I’m with ya. I think the first part is social media’s doing.

I mean ya everyone’s had a hand in it. Upper bays are overdue for a 5 limit IMO

[jaker_cc]

The 5 fish limit down south is helping a ton. The bays last year were as healthy as I've ever seen. This year I have just had bad timing and can't get the wind to blow less than 20mph on my weekends off. But I'd say that fishing is as good as I've ever seen it on the bay I fish. The big girls are still there

[elhefe]

I've been fishing the cut for 15 years now. I'm by no means an expert fisherman and many on here could probably out fish me. My observation is that the fishing has declined in that area. Lots of little fish but it is increasingly harder to find solid fish. Maybe I'm just not doing it right but that seems to be the trend.

[PondPopper]

I do agree with you to an extent. I don't understand the "have to get my limit for a tacky stringer or dead fish on the boat picture" mentality.

But here is something I've always noticed. People always talk about how good the "old days when their granpappy/father fished" were. Yet, all i see from those olden days are pictures of dead monster trout (example in the OP). Often times stringers full of them. Makes one wonder who really depleted the resource.

Oh the resource was depleted years and years ago.. It isn't recent.. Back then the limits were much higher, if any, and commercial fishing was totally out of control.. I can remember sawfish when I was very young. It's sad that they are no more..

I do remember some phenomenal trout fishing in the 80's though.. My most memorable trip happened in 83 at Cold Pass free shrimping on a in coming tide of green water.. I caught 9 trout that day between 27"-29" one was 30". I've never caught any trout that big since.. It is a great memory..

[PondPopper]

Until they check to see their Facebook feed lined with pics of dead 16” trout fallen victim to a drowned croaker..

Is this Cpt. Mickey Eastman??

I've never used a croaker. Not once. But I would if I ever needed to.
Back in "the day" we used piggy perch.. I never even hear them mentioned these days.. A live piggy helped win the STAR twice that I know of years ago.

[kyle1974]

amazing history down there, and the fishery has been up and down. Back in the 60's, redfish were all but gone from over fishing, primarily gill nets. When they banned gill nets 30 years ago, the redfish have made an incredible recovery. in addition to what CCA has done with the hatchery.

I fish the landcut a lot, we have a cabin that's been in the family since 1961. I will say that some of the fish that are supposedly gone are still there, or coming back in small numbers. mainly triple tail and tarpon.


these old reports are pretty cool though, taking a walk back in time before everyone had a 60 MPH boat with a 70 gallon gas tank, making a trip to ANYWHERE in the laguna an easy ordeal.

I wish texas parks and wildlife would reevaluate their constant practice of gill netting in the bays, killing a lot of big fish in the process. With modern technology, reporting can be done without unnecessarily killing big trout... tons of big trout are turned in every year for CCA and stuck in the freezers, that would provide a lot of data in itself.

But maybe they're hoping to kill another huge 40"+ fish they can document in a paper.

[eastxhunter]

Is this Cpt. Mickey Eastman??

Lmao no but I’d love to go and chunk Le Le’s with him

[txbowkill]

Lmao no but I’d love to go and chunk Le Le’s with him

Le le's and little John's brother!!

[PondPopper]

Lmao no but I’d love to go and chunk Le Le’s with him

Yea he must own LeLe stock.. Wow..
I love to hear him tell stories from his childhood of his momma setting on a bucket, on the bank, and catching 30"'trout.. He has some great stories.

[eastxhunter]

Yea he must own LeLe stock.. Wow..
I love to hear him tell stories from his childhood of his momma setting on a bucket, on the bank, and catching 30"'trout.. He has some great stories.

Word

[Rack Ranch]

Great thread and read, thank your for posting.

By my observation this year, I would have to disagree. Living here and fishing the ULM and Baffin consistently, myself as well as many people I know struggled to find big fish this winter and spring. I think I can safely say the same thing about Port Mansfield. The regular reports of large trout didn't start until the croaker fisherman showed up down there.

The 5 fish limit down south is helping a ton. The bays last year were as healthy as I've ever seen. This year I have just had bad timing and can't get the wind to blow less than 20mph on my weekends off. But I'd say that fishing is as good as I've ever seen it on the bay I fish. The big girls are still there

This, I would agree with.

I've been fishing the cut for 15 years now. I'm by no means an expert fisherman and many on here could probably out fish me. My observation is that the fishing has declined in that area. Lots of little fish but it is increasingly harder to find solid fish. Maybe I'm just not doing it right but that seems to be the trend.

[PondPopper]

Great thread and read, thank your for posting.

By my observation this year, I would have to disagree. Living here and fishing the ULM and Baffin consistently, myself as well as many people I know struggled to find big fish this winter and spring. I think I can safely say the same thing about Port Mansfield. The regular reports of large trout didn't start until the croaker fisherman showed up down there.

This, I would agree with.

I fished Port A for 3 days, from daylight till dark, 2 years ago, chunked every plug and soft plastic I had and then swapped to live shrimp and never caught a keeper sized trout.. Caught a ton of dinks..
Now that was a little alarming.... And I've never seen so many bay boats and guides in my life. I won't go back!!!