Oyster bars make cold water trout easy to find

The other day, I was shopping at the newly remodeled Publix on Daniel Island. That place is huge now! It will take me a few shopping trips to figure out where everything is. However, I am extremely happy to have Publix open once again.

While randomly wandering from aisle to aisle, a fellow patron asked if I was the fishing guy in The Daniel Island News. I laughed and introduced myself. My new friend asked me to explain the oyster bar and depth transition pattern that I write about so often. I did my best to explain the pattern and promised to provide a picture in my next article.

So this week, there is no picture of Brody (the amazing fish-finding and stock-trading dog) or fish. Just a picture of an oyster bar in a creek. Pretty common stuff around these parts. But this one is a bit different.

The oyster bar is situated in the bend of the creek. As the tide falls, it washes over the oyster bar and creates a hole at the base of the bar. Often, that hole is the deepest part of the creek. In cold water situations, trout gravitate to these holes. It is literally like fishing in a barrel.

Given the frigid temperatures forecast for this week, Brody and I will be fishing the oyster bar and depth transition pattern for the next few days. Now that Brody has a proper fleece thermal layer, he will insist on fishing every day. Regardless of conditions.

We recommend that you do the same. Fish the depth transition slowly. Bouncing a small finesse lure down the transition works well for Brody and me. We prefer a Z-Man Finesse TRD on a NedlockZ 1/6-ounce jig or a Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 on a 3/16-ounce finesse jig. Both are highly effective lures for cold-water trout.

I hope this helps. Dress properly for the conditions and go catch fish!