Hooked Up: April 2026

Last month I tried to get the point across regarding the importance of having wind blowing in order to catch fish consistently in Baffin and the Upper Laguna. Pretty sure the man upstairs heard me and must’ve said something like, “Well…hold my beer!” We’ve had some days splitting our hair and even a few that made us throw in the towel before the Haynie was even launched. ’Tis the season!

April is sure to bring more wind, or at least more of what we are seeing now. The upside is that all of this wind will be pushing much-needed water up from the south—Port Mansfield direction. That water will not only be welcomed; it is also badly needed. As is most of Texas, we are really suffering from the drought down here. Baffin has very little freshwater inflow at the best of times and basically none at present. In fact, our salinity is currently averaging close to 55 ppm, with low 60s in a few isolated areas.

To put that into perspective, salinity at Port Aransas usually runs in the neighborhood of 35 ppm. Being a hypersaline lagoon by definition—where evaporation exceeds freshwater inflow—we expect the salinity in Baffin to be higher than bays with greater inflow and/or connection to the ocean. Hence the importance of southerly springtime winds that deliver water (along with game fish and forage species) northward through the Land Cut from the Lower Laguna Madre. This process dilutes Baffin’s natural tendency toward hypersalinity and replenishes the fishery. Without it, our salinity would soar beyond the level at which our game fish can survive.

As we are now fully five years removed from the freeze of ’21, we have continually made great gains in growing some big trout again. We are rewarded weekly with trout over seven pounds, and eight-pounders are not uncommon. That said, the number of bites from fish of all sizes seems to be down.

How could that be after five years of recovery? There are a number of theories floating around, but I believe the number one culprit is the high and rising salinity levels. It’s not as if we haven’t seen this before. I remember a stretch in the early 2000s that was eerily similar, and it only passed when we had a tropical movement that caused tides to rise high enough to push fresh Gulf water into the furthest reaches of our bays.

I’m optimistic that spring tides from the south will not only bring in enough new water to remedy our higher-than-normal salinity, but will also bring southern trout back into the fold in great numbers.

Port Mansfield has been red-hot this winter and spring, which makes one—at least me—ponder the possibility that many of our trout have temporarily migrated south to escape the high salt content. For the record, the same has been true regarding baitfish presence. Of course, that could also explain why the bite has been slower, as the higher salinity may affect mullet more than trout. And as the mullet retreat, so go the trout. Again, just my salty two cents, with no real scientific basis or value. Living and fishing in such a unique area certainly has its pros (giant trout), but the cons go hand in hand with it as well.

We are catching fish most days, but some days really require extra effort and fortitude. I’m blessed to have regular clients who are next level in both skill and attitude—willing to grind out those tough days. More often than not, the rewards are still plentiful. A great day in a client’s mind may be mediocre in my eyes or compared to the expectations I hold for myself as a guide or for the fishery as a whole. Before I ever quit this gig (not in the forecast), I desperately hope to see Baffin at its peak again, like it was from the mid-90s through the 2010s.

Honestly, it’s hard not to compare and critique our daily efforts when you have witnessed and experienced those days—so many trout over five pounds, redfish seemingly everywhere along the banks, no burn boats wrecking our skinny-water fishing, courtesy as the norm, and social media being nothing more than a group discussion at the dock after a long day on the water.

Dang! Am I getting old and grumpy, or just remembering the best of times? I’m going with the latter and holding faith that we will get back there soon.

Pray for rain—and lots of it.