Hooked Up: September 2023

I will readily admit that gun smoke and feathers drifting in the wind is where my brain is right now. It has been an incredibly full year of fishing and I just need my nostrils full of burnt powder and a sweaty dog this month. Most of y’all get it, and the ones that don’t need to get out in the field for another “Texas holiday” known as the opening day of dove season.  

There is so much going on in the sport of saltwater trout fishing that I almost do not even know where to start.

Texas Parks and Wildlife commissioners meeting took place on August 23-24. I was there for the public comment session and spoke to what I see in the trout fishery, and my opinion on what is the most sustainable for the fishery and users. One thing I’ve learned over all my adult years is that pleasing everyone is simply impossible, so my take on it all comes down to what is best for the fishery, first and foremost.

Watching where we have come from in the 1990s through the 2000s to where we are now is just sad to me. Anyone who thinks the fishery is in great shape either isn’t old enough to have experienced those days or is just content with the fact that there are at least some trout (of any size) swimming around in the bay. Before my ashes are spread across Baffin, I hope all of you get to experience a day of ten trout over eight pounds. I know it sounds far-fetched, but it used to happen!!

There are as many armchair biologists out here as there are seagulls, me included. That being said, we all know what we want out of the fishery. In my case, it’s a 2 trout limit, 16- to 20-inch retention slot, with the option to buy a trophy tag for anything over 20 inches. For the number of users currently targeting trout, I think this would be the most sustainable to insure not only numbers, but also give us our quality fishery back.  

Why 16 inches, you may ask? Well, establishing this as a minimum length would guarantee that each female will have multiple opportunities to spawn before she is taken from the system by hooks. Regardless of what the minimum is, you will always have a pile of non-keeper fish just shorter than the minimum slot size.

Like I said, there are many opinions on the subject, but the bottom line is something has to be done if we want to have quality fish in the bay for the future. Coastal Fisheries is open to your comments via their public email, but plan on a canned statement follow up. The most important thing is that they have heard from you. I, strongly, encourage you to email them your concerns: [email protected]

Bay waters throughout the month will stay on the warm side; however, I think you will find a little relief from the heat on your morning wades. The bite should be way more consistent towards the end of the month as the heat wave breaks and our baitfish start gathering up to make a push into the gulf come September.  

Look for patterns to follow the concentrated bait in areas of flats for nighttime feeding, and deep-water access for the trout and mullet to congregate within as they head a little further north toward gulf passes each day. In this area, spoil islands, along with the east and west shorelines of the upper Laguna Madre will be the main corridors for the migration. Any of these areas have potential to produce big, but don’t assume you will find them in the same spot two days in a row. Some days they move 200 yards and others maybe a 1/2 mile. Bait activity will tell you the story before you even get out of the boat. Pay attention to your surroundings and be willing to adjust your starting point on any given morning. If it doesn’t look right, it’s probably not. Move with them!

I’ll be opening my books this month for multi-day charters. December through May of 2024 dates will get swooped up pretty fast, so contact me sooner than later if wading Baffin and the Laguna during these months is on your radar. There is still no place better to have a chance at a giant trout than our Mother Lagoon, and the reason we fight so hard to protect her.

Remember the buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey