“Catching Specks and Reds in Texas on Mepps and Mister Twister with Phillip Cambra”

Part 2: Bright Colors and Speckled Trout

Editor’s Note: Phillip Cambra of Clear Lake, Texas, a tournament red fisherman and speckled-trout fisherman, has fished tournaments for 20 years. This week, he’ll share his secrets for catching speckled trout and redfish.

Question: Phillip, how do you catch trout in cold water?

Cambra: I’ll look for mud flats with no shells on them and fish drop offs from 2- to 6-feet deep. I prefer to use the Mister Twister Exude RT Slug for trout in bright colors, especially in clear water. Last January, I fished a speckled-trout tournament in 43-degree-temperature water, and I was successful using this bait. I compete in tournaments year-round, and the fishing is always better in cold weather because that’s when big trout move to shallow water.

Question: Why are big fish in shallow water during cold weather?

Cambra: The larger trout are less likely to move and chase bait during cold-water months. Instead, they hold in ambush spots using quick bursts of energy to catch and eat bait. During the winter in Texas, I’ll fish shallow waters that warm up quicker than deeper water. The baitfish follows warm water, and that’s where you’ll find big speckled trout. Also, older fish are smarter than younger fish and know the shallow water warms up quicker than deep water. So, just as the sun comes up to warm the water, bigger fish will move into shallow spots and mud flats.

Question: What color RT Slug do you fish to catch trout in shallow water?

Cambra: I like silktreuse-and-white, Mardi Gras, Habanero and any of the luminescence colors. These baits produce trout in clear and off-colored water.

Question: What kind of hook do you use on the RT Slug?

Cambra: A 1/4-ounce jighead or a 1/8-ounce lead-head jig because I primarily fish the RT Slug on a lead head.

Question: What kind of retrieve do you use to catch these trout?

Cambra: I’ll use two-different types of retrieves. I’ll pop the Slug off the bottom and let it fall back or keep my rod tip low and twitch my rod, so the RT Slug darts from left to right. When the water’s cold, I prefer to keep the Slug on the bottom, moving from side to side.

Question: On what pound-test line do you fish the RT Slug?

Cambra: When I’m catching trout and redfish, I’ll fish 10- or 12-pound-test line on Shimano rods and reels.

Question: How did you perform in the tournaments this year?

Cambra: In the most-recent tournament, my three-best trout weighed a total of 11 pounds, with my biggest trout weighing 5 pounds and earning me 5th place in that tournament. Typically, during winter tournaments, an angler will catch a 7- to a 9-pound trout. Texas regulations dictate that trout fishermen can keep 10-speckled trout a day per person with only one trout measuring over 25 inches. Most of our speckled-trout tournaments only allow the angler to weigh-in three specks, and one may be over 25 inches.