Visualizing Your Trip

Capt. Chris Martin
Bay Flats Lodge, Inc.
www.BayFlatsLodge.com
Port O’Connor/Seadrift

I want to begin by talking about a subject that might just help you become a better angler. Before your next fishing trip, try to visualize your trip before it actually happens. You should plan each wade session before it happens. If I am cognizant of the area I am to be fishing, I will actually “see myself catching fish” hours before leaving the dock. Learn to become focused, and block out all other thoughts. Try to think about nothing other than the trip, each “step” or wade at a time. You should anticipate each move and have a complete game plan before you even step into the boat. Make sure you look up the wind direction and speed and the tide report, and then plan your trip accordingly. Most importantly, stick to that plan, and work it feverishly! A lot of times I envision myself working a slow sinking plug on a particular reef, with each movement of the rod going through my mind hours before I actually begin to start fishing. This may sound crazy, but I’ve actually visualized catching the state record trout, over and over again. What would you do if you caught this big girl? Just think about it! The hardest aspect of visualizing your trip is building your ability to stay mentally focused once you are out on the water fishing.

When you add high winds and cold weather to the fishing equation, staying mentally focused becomes an even greater challenge. You have to keep the whole thing in-check. For example, pay attention to your jig head hooks. Are they dull or bent from previous encounters with shell? Are you retrieving too fast because you are cold? The best fishing days I can remember have occurred during the winter months. In looking back, I dressed in layers and stayed warm so as to allow me stay out longer in the elements. One of the biggest challenges to remaining focused is removing yourself from surrounding mental and physical distractions. Such distractions can be described in several different ways. The hardest distraction for me is “not catching fish”! This is when I have to rewind the tape, or the visualization process, and replay each move over and over again. Did I skip a part because I was too easily distracted? If so, I will visualize each move once again. This will do several things for me. First, it will get me refocused. And second, I will regain the level of confidence that will allow me to think clearly again. An example of not staying focused may be that you suddenly find that you have continued to cast in the same spot over and over again. Your mind has wandered-off into thinking of and focusing upon events that have nothing at all to do with fishing - your job, your friends, or other personal problems external to the scope of fishing.

Once you are able to regain your composure and become refocused, your senses shall begin returning to you as well. You will be able to hear, feel, and see everything around you. You will know your next move before it happens. A non-focused angler will make a cast without thinking about why that particular spot was chosen. But, a focused angler will have a “reason” for every cast - each cast has been anticipated, and has been planned out beforehand.

Winter months along the Texas mid-coast region offer hit-and-miss opportunities for even the most avid trout enthusiast. Some of the prevailing January weather conditions have often dictated our chance at even getting out on the water. But between the somewhat stronger frontal passages of this month and last, we have found the fish to no longer be lingering in the shallows, not even during the warmer parts of the afternoon. The fish have now gone deep, and we are noting trout successes primarily over shell and shell/mud mixes while offering the Tequila Gold selection of the Norton Sand Eel Junior. As of late, the Bay Flats team and customers are not experiencing the size of fish they had previously become accustomed to as of only a month ago, but have certainly found the quantity of fish to have not been affected in the least. If you can plan to fish the days between the cold fronts and are able to take advantage of the calmer winds, you should find the fish in numbers if you setup a session or two atop or amidst your favorite shell pad or reef. But, if you’re still looking for that one catch-of-a-lifetime, don’t give up just yet – February is just around the corner.

The month of February is a wonderful time for catching trophy-sized trout here in the San Antonio Bay vicinity. Because the temperatures are traditionally much colder in February, many anglers choose to sit at home rather than trying their luck at a fishing trip. If they only knew what they were missing! The absolute best trip of my career was February 4, 2003. We caught and released 5 trout between 5 and 8 pounds, along with many 4 pound class fish that day. All fish were caught on Norton Bull Minnows and Corky Fat Boys. Bigger trout, along with less boat traffic and crowds, makes February one of the most notable months for catching a lifetime trophy trout.

Remember to practice CPR, “Catch, Photo, and Release”, whenever possible on trophy Trout and Reds…

Guide Chris Martin