Dog Day Tactics for Quality Trout

So, what is it about the dog days of summer that attract so many anglers to the Texas Coast? I believe it’s the weather patterns, so favorable for being on the water. This would apply to all waters, inshore, offshore, and the Gulf surf. I fish the surf very little and have not fished offshore in who knows how long. When asked why this is the case with me, I just tell people that I have not mastered the inshore gig yet.

As a guide, I learned early on that if I wasn’t careful I could get too many pokers in the fire. I loved hunting but hunting season is short and winter is always such a great time of year for fishing. I was and still am not much of a risk taker. My theory has always been to take the best odds for success and then apply the work.

I actually have a large number of clients that hire me specifically during the summer months, wanting to target the best trout that summer has to offer in the Rockport area. While it is certainly true that quality trout can become tougher to catch when the water temperatures rise above 85°, but they can be caught in decent numbers if you know where to look throughout the day and how to make them eat. Over the next few paragraphs I will attempt to give you my take on how to best accomplish success during the summer months.

Early start to the fishing day is an absolute must. I depart the dock in the gray light, not a fan of running in the pitch black at this stage in my career. I do have great lighting on my boat, but I am typically not having to race to an area; a few minutes later to the first spot is not really all that critical. Last year I used the light under the bow to locate bait once I got close to the area that I had in my game plan for the day. Most of the time the water was alive with bait fish, and I think my clients got as big a kick out of seeing the bait fish in the lights as they did catching the trout.

It is not uncommon to see large trout cruising in the lights with the bait fish. It was common to get out of the boat, wade about 10 to 15 yards left or right of the boat and start catching them. Most of the time the bite lasted until the sun got up and then would immediately shut off. Solid confirmation that trout feed in the dark and grey light most of the time, but this activity is short lived.

This is where the learning portion of the day begins. So, in the dark the trout are shallow with the bait but when the sun comes up, the bite ceases while the bait remains. It is my belief that the trout simply go slightly deeper and remain in the area where the food source remains. Does not make sense that trout would move very far and burn up energy that they will need for the next feeding period. By staying in the area and working deeper bottom structures and deeper depths that are adjacent to the area where the bait fish are stagging often proves to be the ticket.

Contrary to what some say, I have always believed that if I can stay with the fish, I can make them bite. I have always referred to this as the “deep and dark pattern.” Deeper water provides some darkness that I believe the fish prefer when the water gets hot. Speaking of hot water, you need to be able to monitor the water temperature throughout the day. Back in the early years I carried an aquarium thermometer on a string. Hey, it worked, and it helped me develop an understanding of summer and winter water temperature patterns.

I throw soft plastics, even small paddletails and suspending lures almost exclusively during the summer months. Yes, other lures work as well but I have more confidence in the lure types mentioned. I prefer lures that are easy for the fish to get to and eat. There are periods during the summer months where we have to hit the trout on the nose to get them to eat. There might not possibly be a better time of the year for anglers to depend on the lures that they consistently catch fish on. I would even suggest NOT looking at blogs and social media very much and just concentrating on getting out there and working at it. Seldom do I see hard work in the fishing world not pay off in the long run.

Water conditions are typically good in the summer months. Light winds overnight allow bay waters to settle, leaving them clean by morning. Water clarity and the amount of sunlight drive my bait color decisions when selecting lures for the day. Here’s a list of lure colors I rely on this time of year and recommend that you always have handy – Watermelon/Red Glitter, Plum/Blue Glitter, White, Bone, Pistachio, Voilet Night, Chartreuse and Pink.

Truth be told, there are so many companies out there making soft plastics today that it is possible to have too many choices in your head at times. I am basic and basic can be viewed as boring, but basic for me has also been proven to be a staple in the industry. In suspending baits, I like gold flash for overcast days or in off-colored water. Likewise, I like silver flash in the clear stuff and on cloudless days. Another truth here is that I often throw gold predominately because I have a ton of confidence in the gold flash for trout. I grew up throwing a gold spoon with a yellow and red bucktail for trout on mid-bay reefs in the Aransas Bay Complex. I seldom threw anything else, but when I did it was the MirrOlure 52 MR Series. My go-to numbers were 28 and 19. Both had gold sides.

Color is important for sure, but to catch fish reliably in summer it's all about real estate. Location - location - location is the term real estate agents use when describing the good stuff. So, what do the best properties offer? Moving water is a must for me. I don’t care if it is wind-driven, tidal, or barge and ship traffic. Man made water current is one thing that many anglers never even think to consider.

During my high school years we would wade the I.C.W. between Cove Harbor and Palm Harbor. Caught tons of fish but on slow days when a barge would pass by, if we were close to a small depression or washout that the barge activity created, we got bit. Took me a few years to really tap in on just how many areas there were in this small stretch of shoreline that allowed us to catch fish when the barges were passing.

I have used this tactic my entire career in just about every bay system that I have fished and it works in all of them. Summer heat drives the water temperature up to levels where I like to have a deep-water access nearby for the trout to drop into. It goes back to the deep and dark pattern I spoke about previously. Having a food source present is also a big player. Bait this time of year is plentiful and usually visible in the early morning hours. Bait fish love moving water and deeper water as well when water temperatures are in the mid-80s and higher.

When it comes to lure presentations with my soft plastics, I like a quick, deliberate twitch that helps keep the lure in the strike zone longer. Bites tell us where the strike zones are so always be aware of the water depth that you are receiving your bites in. This zone will definitely change throughout the day. As a rule, I am not a paddletail guy, but early in the morning the 6^th Sense Party Paddle works well for me and my clients because they can slowly swim and lightly lift or twitch the lure over shallow grass and potholes.

Of course, I am still a fan of the MirrOlure Lil John XL and our new Jay Watkins Series straight-tail lures by Texas Customs. A bait that is very versatile and casts extremely well. When it comes to the Double D by Texas Customs, I like to bang mine deep into the water column and then create a quick, almost vibrating action with the rod tip. Short pauses here and there allow the lure to stop and suspend and then start to float to the surface. I have a tremendous amount of confidence in the Double D.

Summer is my toughest season for quality trout, but they can be located and caught. You just have to be more focused and more aware of what the conditions are telling you to do. Listen and you shall learn.

May Your Fishing Always Be Catching -Guide, Jay Watkins