By Ed Snyder/Outdoors
Rollover Pass, Bolivar Peninsula, TX
Just landing and releasing two nice speckled trout made my early morning fishing a plus factor with adrenalin rushes. On flipping out another cast and retrieve my awake was jolted with a sudden and violent “TIC” !! The explosion of water that followed showed a shaking head of a fish in the middle of the tidal splash. A huge trout had latched on to my lure and before I could adjust to the fight, the fish lunged northward leaving my lure heading south! I had just hooked and lost one of the largest speckled trout I had ever hooked into!
Quickly reeling in, with shaking hands and quivering heart, I attempted another cast, but my trembling hands refused to cooperate. And that’s how these huge Gator Specks can affect you, from their savage strikes to their incredible fights. Catching, fighting, and landing these trophy sized sea trout will leave lasting impressions on your story telling s.
 A young angler with his 8 lb Gator Trout...great catch, young man. |
 Lady angler with her impressive Rollover Pass trout |
 George Bryan with a Big Speck he took while wade fishing the surf |
I’ve hooked, fought, lost and landed many a trophy fish in my lifetime which includes Chinook, Tarpon, Snook, Bull Redfish, and Peacock Bass, to name a few, and I can honestly place Gator Mouth Trout among those heavy weights we treasure among our trophy catches.
One angler, Donnie Lucier, has fished Rollover Pass most of his life and holds several Kudos among fellow anglers as being among the trout elite. On one such fishing occasion at Rollover Pass, Donnie managed to hook, land, and weigh a legal 2003 ten trout limit weighing more than 65.35 lbs.
Donnie Lucier with a 31 inch Gator Speck he took in February
Donnie Lucier: “Winter and early Spring are the best times to have chance for catching a trophy trout of from 6 to 10 lbs. I spend about 95% my fishing time at Rollover Pass. The method of fishing changes completely during this period that differs from the hot weather months. Lure selection for me consists of throwing tandem rigged soft plastics such as Bass or Saltwater Assassins and twister type lures.
I use 3/8 and 1/4 oz lead head jigs about 12 inches apart with the heavier jig on top rigged on 12 lb test mono fishing line. I prefer Berkeley big game 12 lb solar collector on my reels. That kinda gives me an added advantage on windy days where I can see the line jump before I can feel the strike. I mainly let the tidal current do the work which allows me to fish slow and as close to bottom as possible. It takes full concentration when doing this or you’ll miss most strikes which could be that 10 plus lb trophy trout you’re hoping for.
I’m not a guide, nor do I own a boat but I’m still able to catch big trout thanks to the cut. February and March are the two best months to have a chance of catching trophy trout, up to and over 10 lbs. Remember the larger fish are like people, the older we get less energy we want to waste. That’s why its such a challenge to catch gator trout of 8lbs or bigger.
My top three largest trout weighed 11.7, 10.4, and 10.6 lbs all were released in 1999. I also had a legal10 trout limit weighing 65.35 lbs caught in 2003. The following year parks and wildlife changed bag limits on trout to 10 at 15 inches with only one over 25 inches per day.
(Other Anglers who share the lime light with being among the elite trout masters.)
Darlene Keene with a Gator Mouth Trout she caught while wade-fishing
Husband and wife anglers who like fishing together as a team, Mike and Darlene, informed that they like to wade the surf for large gator mouth specks. “This is a real thrill for us , they said, and can’t say enough about the excitement that comes with hooking up to a large speck in surf, then watching your line burn off your reel as the speck makes sizzling runs and leaps. This kind of action will max out your adrenalin and test your fishing skills, they advised with a smile.
We mainly wade-fish Rollover Pass surf at Gilchrist beach on the Bolivar Peninsula, where the trout action is outstanding when the large specks come in.. We like to hit the surf in June/ July, fishing the incoming tide movements. This is when the water is nice and warm, and the trout action can be absolutely awesome.
If you see birds diving and feeding bait fish in the surf, there should be specks around feeding on bait-fish as well. We mainly like to fish Mirror lures (T-28s) in the surf as the MirOlures can cast great distances. The action that they produce generates the kind of action by hooking up to something that most anglers only dream about. Sometimes the wave action can get a little hairy, but as long as you wear a life jacket, and keep your footing being careful of the tidal currents, you can be safe and have a blast.
Working the bait is not that hard to accomplish for a larger speck to gobble it up. We mainly try to cast toward the channel that flows water in and out of the pass, this is mostly where the these specks are usually running.. Reel somewhat fast and give it a twitch from time to time, then hang on to your rod and reel when these big trout hit as they can yank your rod right out of your hand when slamming your lure.
Safety factor when fishing the surf, They advise to be careful of large waves/ current (undertow) and flopping fish with sharp hooks dangling out of their jaws. And sometimes when “the gray ghost” (sharks) brush up against you. Try not to freak out and just stay calm and still, and they’ll swim off. This may sound scary, and it is, but the sharks are all a part of this fantastic style of fishing.
The Barker's and Coate's show off part of their night fishing catch
We have caught trout at night on soft plastics and live shrimp mostly. The big trout are almost always in the shadows and near the bottom. The majority of trout we caught have been on tandem rigged soft plastic lures, chartreuse grubs and glow-baits. At times, live shrimp on a popping cork seem to be the only thing they will hit. Cast your bait against the tide and slowly retrieve it thru the lights feeling the bottom. Don’t be surprised to see someone ten feet from you pulling them in every cast and you can’t even get a bite. All you can do is try the same color and technique they are using, or do like my wife and go fish under their lights. (I DID THIS ONE TIME AND I’LL NEVER LIVE IT DOWN- LOL)
We have found March and April to be the prime time for catching big trout, although summertime has been productive too.
One of Ed Snyder's 19 specks he caught over 28 inches last year
Regardless of the way you enjoy fishing, Rollover Pass provides the opportunities for catching big trophy trout. Whether you lwade-fish the surf, bay, or just like to park next to your favorite fishing spot at the pass to bank fish, your chances of hauling in a trophy of a lifetime can be had here.
Personally, Rollover has given me no less than nineteen (19) speckled trout last year of twenty eight (28) inches or longer weighing 8lbs or better, releasing all but three of them for conversational reasons. That’s not counting the 5 to 7 lbers I caught during the prime trout months of February thru June of. These trout were caught on soft plastics, mainly Saltwater Assassins during February and March, then switched to the hard-baits such as MirrOlures or Rat-L-Traps in April thru June of 2013.
This type of fishing takes a little skill and practice to achieve those learning skills and techniques needed for working the lures to catch big trout. My recommendation for learning this would be to watch the semi-pros who fish Rollover’s waters for speckled trout. You can learn a lot just by watching and learning what they use, how they use it, and what type of fishing gear is being used.
Inexpensive spincast or spinning gear can be used, but the more expensive baitcasting gear with sensitive 7ft rods is recommened. I use 7 to 7 ½ ft medium to light action rods and at least 6 ball bearing reels, spooled with 12lb test mono line tamden rigged with ¼ oz jigheads and Saltwater Assassin soft plastics, or T-28 MirrOlures. This gear has provided many exciting fishing experiences for me and will continue to until my final cast……IT’s time to go fishing folks!!!
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THE MOST LETHAL LURE A PERSON CAN THROW ON A TEXAS TOUT IN THESE TIMES IS A “”BASS ASSASIN “””THE BEST LURE EVER MADE FOR BIG TROUT IS DEEP WINTER IN MOST BAY SYSTEMS IS A CORKY –THE MOST VERSITIL LURE EVER MADE IS THE PLAIN JANE “‘SILVER SPOON —HOWEVER AS A FIELD TESTER FOR MIRROLURE ,I FOUND THAT THERE IS A TIME A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING –THE POSTS BELOW ABOUT A LURE HAS A TRACK RECORD THAT S LEGENDARY AND FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS OR MORE HAS CAUGHT ITS SHARE OF BIG TROUT FROM THE -TROUT GREEN -SURFS OF TEXAS AND ALL BAYS SYSTEM UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS …..THIS LURE WILL TAKE BIG TROUT 365 DAYS A YEAR ….OVER THE HALF CENTURY -THE LAST THING A BIG TROPHY TROUT EVER SAW WAS THE FLASH OF A LURE I CALL —THE ALMIGHTY MIRROLURE ….
THE ICE TRY EFFECT ==??? IS A EVENT THAT I GAVE THIS NAME WHEN I WAS A FIELD TESTER FOR MIRROLURE –THE EVENT OCCURS IN DEEP WINTER —–AFTER –A MAJOR COLD FRONT ABOUT THE SECOND DAY AFTER THE NORTH WINDS DROP ANY AREA PROTECTED FROM THOSE ABOVE WINDS SHOULD BE IN FAIRLY GOOD SHAPE ….THE SHALLOW WATERS “””WARM UP “”FASTEST just like a ICE TRAY freezes FASTEST –THAT WHY GALVESTON WEST BAY EXCELS IN WINTER ,it the most shallow bay in our system .THE NORTH SHORE OF EAST BAY IS THE SAME WAY ..I WADED THAT SHORELINE IN THE 70 -80-AND EARLY 90 ABOUT A 1000 TIMES —AS WELL AS ALL -MAKE THAT ALL –THE SHORELINES OF WEST BAY …..THE BEST MIRROLURE I FOUND FOR WEST BAY WAS A 51M 26 -51MCHG -51M SHP AND AT DUSK THE 51M 808 “””WIDOW MAKER “”””I GAVE THE 51M808 THAT NAME BECAUSE AT DUSK TILL DARK ITS DEADLY ON BIG TROUT …ANOTHER GREAT 51M SERIES MIRROLURE FOR WINTER THAT WORKS WELL IN ALL THE BAYS OF THE GALVESTON BAY COMPLEX IS THE 51M BN -WHICH IS A BONE COLOR …SOMEBODY EMAILED ME AND SAID THAT WANTED SOME FISHING STORIES -WELL HERES MINE -I HOPE YOU CAN USE THEM –ONE TIME I GOT INTERVIEWED ON MIRROLURES –THE NAME OF THE ARTICLE WAS CALLED —-THE ALL MIGHTY MIRROLURE —MERRY CHRISTMAS ROLLOVER PASS –WE ALL LOVE YOU
THIS DAY 31 YEARS AGO -THE LOW WAS 24 DEGREES ON CHRISTMAS DAY THE LOW CHRISTMAS MORNING WAS A NEAR RECORD LOW FOR ROLLOVER A JAW DROPPING 14 DEGRESS ..FOR THE NEXT FALLOWING WEEK THE LOWS NEVER GOT ABOVE FREEZING ..IN EARLY JANUARY 1984 I WAS WADE FISHING THE SURF A THE BASE OF THE GALVESTON SOUTH JETTIES …THE FIRST DAY THERE WAS NO ONE THERE EXCEPT FOR A COUPLE OF MY FRIENDS AND ME …THE BEACH WATER TEMP WAS 41 DEGRES AND THE NEXT DAY THE NEWS GOT OUT AND THERE WAS ABOUT 50 DIE HARD FISHERMEN FISHING ,SOME WADING SOME FISHING OFF THE ROCKS …THE THIRD DAY I THINK THERE WAS MORE THAN A HUNDRED PEOPLE OUT THERE FISHING ….ALL THE FISH THAT WERE CAUGHT BY MY FISHING PARTY WERE CAUGHT ON A 51M CHG MIRROLURE …I WAS FIELD TESTING THAT LURE AS A FIELD TESTER FOR MIRROLURE .OVER THE YEARS I FOUND THAT THE 51M CHG AND THE 60 M GFG WERE THE BEST MIRROLURES MADE FOR DEEP WINTER FISHING ….THIS LURE EXCELS THE THE NORTWESTER END OF EAST BAY –I NAME THE 51MCHG –“”THE NORTH CROSS “””””WHICH COME FROM THE WORDS -NORTH -or north winds AND CROSS or the cross of a north and northwest wind ,plus for the word cross as in deadly on big trout ….THOSE 3 DAYS IN THE SURF IN EARLY JANUARY 1984 WAS SOME THE BEST SURF FISHING FOR BIG TROUT I EVER SAW and the water temp the frist day was 41 degrees–I CALLED THIS EVENT –THE ICE TRAY EFFECT —
FOR TARPON OFF ROLLOVER PASS —GOOGLE THESE EXACT WORDS ——TARPON EXPRESS ON NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TV ——it a great tarpon video of the tarpon off Crytal Beach ,ROLL OVER PASS AREA
WHEN A MAN GETS OLD OR A FISHING GUIDE GETS OLD ,WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO WHEN THEY RETIRE …I THINK ABOUT THIS MOST EVERYDAY NOW, WHEN I TRY TO GET BACK OUT MY BOAT …OVER THE LAST 55 YEARS ,I ALWAYS TRIED TO HAVE THE BEST CAMERA WITH ME THAT I COULD AFFORD, ANYTIME I WENT FISHING .,MOSTLY VERY HIGH END NIKON CAMERAS WITH THE BEST LENSES AND FILM MADE IN THE WORLD ..– a mike williams quote —- “””I SAW THE WATERS OF ROLLOVER PASS AS GOOD AS I IT EVER WAS AND AS GOOD AS IT EVER WILL BE “”””””…AS A KID I FISHED ALL THE PIERS OF ROLLOVER PASS NORTH ,GULF HEAVEN ,BLACKS ,SHORTYS LONGEST ..AS A FULL TIME GUIDE THERE IS NO DOUBT-AT ALL — THAT I HAVE FISHED THE WATER OFF ROLL OVER PASS IN THE OPEN GULF MORE THAN ANY OTHER MAN ALIVE OR DEAD …I FISHED FROM THE GALVESTON NORTH JETTY TO WAY PASSED HIGH ISLAND ALMOST A 100 DAYS IN 2014 FROM MAY UNTIL MID OCTOBER FISHING FOR BULL REDS -REDS -TROUT AND TARPON …… YEARS AGO I SAW LOS PATOS LODGE COME AND GO AND USE TO LINE UP ON IT AS A POINT TO GO BY, FISHING FOR TARPON ..I FISH ALL THE SURF ALL THE WAY UP TO ALMOST SABINE .ONE OF BEST TARPON SPOTS UP THERE I NAME “”””B F E””” AND IS ABOUT 35 MILES UP THE BEACH FROM THE NORTH JETTY —I THINK WHAT I;M WANT TO DO WHEN I RETIRE IS WRITE A BOOK AND USE ALL THOSE BETTER THAN AVERAGE PICTURES OF NOT JUST GREAT FISH ,BUT PICTURES AND STORIES THAT HAPPENED ON THAT STRETCH OF SAND FOR THE LAST 55 OR SO YEARS —I THINK WHEN AND IF I WRITE THIS,- I WILL NAME MY BOOK “””””SOUTHEAST AT ZERO “”””””””see post below –the book may not be any good but the pictures are “”AS GOOD AS THEY GET “””north of the Galveston Jetties and TARPON ALLEY just off ROLLOVER PASS –LAST YEAR 2014 I SAW TARPON AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE ON THE SURFACE –
12 -21-1983 –JUST BEFORE dark the wind backed off and water was slick and we were catching big trout almost on every cast ..THEN A HARD BLUE NORTHER NORTH WIND hit us and i mean the wind pumping big time out of the north …THE NEXT DAY DEC 22 1983 -THE LOW TEMP WAS 24 —ON DEC 25 THE LOW WAS 14 DEGRESS —WE DID NOT KNOW IT THAT DAY ON DEC 21 ,BUT we had fished THE LAST TIDE OUT -BEFORE THE GREAT FREEZE OF 1983 and the trout of EAST BAY were getting the hell out of town trying to go through ROLLOVER PASS trying to reach the open Gulf ..see last post for full story
12-21-19 83 -I was working as a field tester for MirrOlure on different color patterns and also on rattlers that would later come the R series or rattlere in a MirrOlure ….I was fishing with another man and we stated fishing at day light .The air temperature that day was in the low seventies and the tide came in most of the morning and we had some really nice trout ..AT the top of the tide we took a break for lunch ..Then about 1 pm the wind really started to pump up out of the south and was off and on raining .Where we were fishing A location that was sorta protected south wind .WE starting fishing again and then the tide turn =going out .FOR THE NEXT 3 HOURS was the best ,the very best trout fishing i have ever seen in my life time and Iam almost 69 years old ,and have been a full time fishing guide for more than 30 years ….ALL the trout were large 4 pounds to almost 10 pounds and all the fish came on 51m series MirrO lures ,a black back =gold side =orange belly =proto type that i was field testing ….the next year the lure came on line and they numbered the lure 51m808 and i Name it the WIDOW MAKER
I TO HAVE SPENT A LIFETIME FISHING FOR BIG TROUT -FOR A FULL TIME FISHING GUIDE IT’S HARD TO TARGET BIG TROUT ..I KNOW WHERE THE BIG TROUT LIVE AND EXACTLY WHEN THEY WILL BE THERE …BUT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FOR MOST GUIGES IS GETTING THE CALERBER OF FISHERMEN NEEDED TO GO AFTER BIG TROUT ,PLUS PUTTING IN THE TIME TO CATCH THE BIGGER TROUT .ANOTHER FACTOR THE PEOPLE THAT CAN OR WILL WADE ARE GETTING TO BE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN …WHEN I WAS A MIRROLURE FIELD TESTER I SPENT A LOT OF TIME FISHING THE ROLLOVER AREA—70, 80 ,AND PULL OUT OF THAT LOCATION IN 1992 ,BUT EVEN TODAY STILL FISH FOR TARPON JUST OFF ROLLOVER …MY BEST CATCHES OF BIG TROUT IN THIS AREA CAME IN THE SUMMER OF 1983 ..THE BIG TROUT FISHING WAS GREAT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PASS …I DESIGNED SERVERAL MIRROLURES FOR THIS PASS ,THAT EVEN TODAY CAN STILL BE BOUGHT …THE 51M704 TEXAS CHICKEN I DESIGNED FIELD TESTED AND IN MY OPPINION THE VERY BEST MIRROLURE MADE FOR THE ROLLOVER PASS AREA 365 DAYS A YEAR –IN WINTER I LIKE THE 51MR CFG ,AND AT DUSK ANOTHER LURE I DESIGNED WAS THE 51MR 808 WIDOW MAKER —THE 51M SHP AND THE 51M 11 WOODY IN GOOD GREEN WATER AND WHEN THE WATER WAS OFF , THE 51M28 WORKED WELL …MY BIGGEST 20 TROUT LIMIT FROM ROLLOVER CAME IN DECEMBER 1983 —EACH FISH WAS WEIGHED ON CERTIFIED SCALES IN HOUSTON TEXAS ,AT MARBURGARS SPORTING GOODS….I FRIEND OF MINE AND ME FISHED THAT DAY , MY FRIEND KEPT A LEGAL LIMIT OF 20 TROUT THAT WEIGHED 122 POUNDS —MY 20 TROUT WEIGHED 139 POUNDS WHICH WAS ALMOST A 7 POUND AVERAGE …THAT YEAR ,THAT DAY WAS JUST BEFORE THE GREAT FREEZE OF 1983 …ALL MY FISH THAT DAY WERE CAUGHT ON A 51MSHP AND I WAS FIELD TESTING A LURE I DESIGNED THE 51M808 WIDOW MAKER —WHICH CAME INTO PRODUCTION THE FALLOWING YEAR ….I WROTE A STORY ABOUT THAT EVENT WHICH WAS PUBLISH IN THE LARGEST MAGAZINE IN THE WORLD –THE WINDS OF CHRISTMAS –SALTWATER SPORTSMAN MAGAZINE –ALSO SAME STORY -TEXAS FISH AND GAME -THE LAST TIDE OUT —–CAPT. MIKE WILLIAMS TARPON EXPRESS
The moment last year I saw the 8 lb 13 oz trout come to the surface, which because I was wading in neck deep water was literally right in front of my eyes, changed me forever. When they get that big, it might as well be an actual gator you’re wrestling, trying to hand-grab. My wrist hurt for 2 months after that fish thumped my lure.
LOL on the handgrab Jeremy– These brutes are TUFF and MEAN- Congrats on your CCA Star Win– 🙂