Although some anglers feel the sound of an ice auger or a snow machine overhead sparks the curiosity of fish, I still think keeping movements quiet, especially over shallow water, is important. When trout are aggressive, they might tolerate or even investigate a commotion, but not when they're pensive and spooky. Given that aggressive fish will likely hit without the prompting of intriguing noises, silence and stealth is advised under all circumstances. Just about any proven live-bait presentation works over mud flats, provided water depth is taken into account. The short length of line required for shallow water means there is little stretch to absorb the protests of a well-fed squaretail.
Shallow water demands a rig that lets fish take line.
When jigging minnow or worm-tipped spoons, a fairly loose drag also helps absorb the impact of the strike. If mud-flat brook trout could talk, they'd tell anglers to continue to shun the shallows, and they'd do so between mouthfuls of snails, shrimp, and hellgrammites. But wise anglers wouldn't listen to them anyway. This winter, try the flats for fat brookies.