Fishing Frenzy

Numerous lures noted for their big trout potential rest motionless in the tackle box. Some are fused with fading colors and teeth scrapes while others gleam with the shine of a corvette fresh off the assembly line. At times, knowing which lure or presentation a fish desires can be as predictable as choosing the winning lottery numbers. However, getting familiar with which lure works best combined during certain conditions can pay big dividends for seekers of trophy trout.

"I'd rather catch a big one on topwater but when I approach the area I'm going to fish, I am first considering the depth of the water," states Mike Wexielman, a lifelong Texas coast fishing enthusiast who has the wall mounts to prove it.

Wexielman keeps it simple when choosing his initial selection. "If the water is deep I throw subsurface tackle; if I'm wading shallows, a topwater is where I have my confidence."

Mike Wexielman also suggests that anglers step down when faced with trout who seem disinterested. When he sees this happen, he makes the switch from topwaters to slow sinkers - and if needed, to soft plastic fishing lures. Wexielman has done very well using this approach, adding "If you see swirls going on underneath your lure, then you have to change up your speed; the little changes can make a huge difference."

Subsurface lures with slow presentations have long been the standby for big specks during cold months. However, when the slow-sinker and topwater bite turns sour, Mike starts "finessing." The darting presentation of a soft plastic may be the entree to a very big feast.

"Sometimes people forget how much good can come of plastic fishing lures. Sometimes, a plain old red and white paddle tail minnow can get some great big specks interested," says Wexielman. He's an angler who goes his own way and despite the advice you may find in fishing reports, tells us that the single biggest trout he has even seen caught was brought in with tails. Mike says if he has one piece of fishing advice it's this: never fear switching to a jig; it can work out to be the best thing you've done all day.

Captain Cody Maddox, a fishing guide based in Galveston says that before picking out a lure for big trout, he studies the water. "I start by checking out the baitfish; I want to know what kind is there and how they're behaving." Maddox factors in both the structures in the area and water clarity when choosing.

Great minds think alike when it comes to fishing lures it seems: Maddox shares Wexielman's enthusiasm for topwaters. "If it's not working for me, I just switch to a slow sinker like a Corky Fatboy." Maddox favors soft plastics when he works deep waters with shell pads and rocks in order to stay in the strike zone.

"For me, topwaters and slow sinkers have always been the best for catching big trout, but the biggest speck I've ever caught personally was using a bass assassin tail, of all things," says Maddox.

Maddox isn't afraid to experiment with different lures, even adding to them by painting on gills, coloring tails and even adding bucktails. For Maddox and others who pursue trophy quality trout, it's all part of the fun.

The message here is that just as in life itself, you can't be entirely sure of anything in trout fishing. You can pick out the right fishing lures, read up on all the fishing reports, but success may be waiting for you where you least expect it - and so might a record breaking speck.