Im relatively new to this forum and just started posting. Im lucky enough to have cought a dozen or so fish over 27" including a 31 incher and fish some of the most productive waters on the texas coast (lower laguna). What is it that makes these fish so diffucult to catch? I know they are there..Visual Proof!....but can't get um to hit. This time of year what's my best bet? tops, assasins, troutkillers? I have always had my best luck on troutkillers this time of year. Anyone have any opinions on how to solve this puzzle?

Opinions...yep, here's mine....big trout are very wary fish. To get big, they have seen it all...and if you can see them, they have seen you first.

This time of year and on into Sept., my opinion is that live bait is your best bet to catch big trout. The biggest trout I've ever seen hit a 12 inch croaker which accidentally became live bait.

Another factor, IMO, is that there just aren't many of them around so the odds are really against us. Any trout over 30 inches is a real trophy and many folks never catch one in that category.

"Trout don't grow that big by eating mirror lures". (quote from Ralph Wade)

I would say it's about catching them at the right time where the hunger overides the carefulness.

Time on the water pays off.

if you have caught a dozen fish over 27" and a 31"...I'd say you're doing QUITE well. Granted I usually fish the upper coast and numbers arent NEARLY like they are farther south but I have only boated 2 specs over 27" in my life. I've boated MANY MANY redfish over 40"..but the monster spec is quite elusive.

duh you need to join the pro tour if your catching that many monster specks

I hope you are in the S.T.A.R. tournament if you are catching that many big trout.

Big trout are like big cats.. You catch lots of 1-3 pounds during summer but during winter/early spring you can bring in the 20-30 pounds on a steady basis. Same with trout.

I would be throwing a Brown lure or Corky for big trout. Nothing else, All Day Long if I were a person that trout fished very rarely. The reason is during the summer months we all know fish like to get up and swim around, well instead of running all over the bay looking for them, let them come to you.

By fishing only 3 places for a few hours each will greatly increase your chances of landing a big boy.

Now of course my cousins think differenly, they fish like VanDamn does, cover the most water as fast as possible.

How I fish that day depends on the conditions naturally but for trout we use a small skiff and come in quitely. Usually killing the engine 100 yards away and drift or pole in to our spot. Once there we do our best to get out of the boat as quitely as possible and then move off in seperate directions anywhere from 75-250 yards from the boat. Now for redfish I do the exact opposite.. but we are talking trout.

I use heavy topwaters then corks to quickly cover lots of area in a 360 pattern. If I get a few hits I move to soft plastics and fish them slow and natural, generally speaking. If the wind is behind me I will even throw spinnerbaits because that is a lure most Salts don't use, outside the Redfish Magic.

That's how I do it.. Last year we fished for trout specifically maybe... mabybe 30 days..


-Z-

Im with troutboy on this one. I think its hunger! I know many people have differing opinions on large or smaller baits. The only thing that turns me off about large topwaters is the dreaded "follow". Imagine how frustrating it is to see a "trophy" following then just swimming away. Corkys are not really an option when these fish are in 8-10in of water over grass. It makes it tough to fish a corky or anything that sinks and has a trebble hook. As frustrating as it ,I have some prototype topwaters and wake baits that im going to give ago next week. The topwaters look phenomenal and should do really well. Im sure ill start with topwater at first light and switch to plastics or a swimbait a little later. I have had almost all of my predictable success wading at first light chasing schools of mullet.
Call it skill or call it luck, I dont really think it matters, but you could probably ask god himself and he couldn't figure this one out 100%. I guess thats why we concider them trophies.

RTTK

I know this time of the year as the time when you can catch all of the big 3 favorate fish, trout reds and flounder in the same day, maybe same place. But it has taken me 2 years of die-hard fishing to realize the best fishing i can do is wade fishing. I bought a 16 foot alluminum boat with a 60 horse evinrude on the back and a 40 lb thrust troller for sneakiness. I havent caught a single fish on that boat in the 3 weeks i have owned it. When it comes to galveston bays northwest side around clear lake, the only answer is wading the flats at sunrise. Maybe SPI would give you better luck if you waded in...try sand bottom and a norton sand eel jr. on an 8th oz. That damn grass grabs every thing with lead on it and theres too much of it for it to be better than sand. Grass would be good in galveston where its scarce but down there if i was a trout id want to eat bait that i didnt have to dig for in grass if you follow.