Mansfield Report: October 2026
Don Thrasher; first-ever snook.
Greetings from Port Mansfield. Well, there finally seems to be light at the end of the long sweltering tunnel we call summer. A hot and tough summer for lure anglers, but as always, we persevere and we get through it. Low tide levels, high winds, and temperatures in the upper 90s and greater each day certainly made it challenging. Thankfully, that’s all in the rearview – until next summer.
Fall is approaching and for years the fish have told us it’ll be here soon, even before we get to enjoy that first crisp morning. As summer draws to a close, days become noticeably shorter, and fish respond by becoming more active despite it still being hot. This is the moment when you know fall is approaching.
Recently, I have noted a huge influx of water coming in from the gulf via the East Cut during evening hours. Clean, crisp water in the low 80s rushes in and boosts our tides beyond the low levels we’ve experienced most of the summer. Coupled with that are schools of oversized redfish hanging around the jetties where anglers have been having fun tugging on 20-plus pounders.
For me, well, I am staying in the shallows plugging away for big trout, reds, and snook. During the latter weeks of summer, I was fortunate to stumble upon some good groups of snook, holding in an area I discovered last season. A windblown cove near a steep ledge was holding good numbers, up to 26 inches in length. We had quite a few in the 3 to 5-pound range, which is relative, but jumping 15 or more fish in a day and landing a half-dozen is a lot in my eyes, in Port Mansfield anyway.
On that note, it is more about timing than anything as it relates to fish feeding behavior and willingness to take an artificial lure, and this is especially true for snook. I worked at that spot mentioned above at various times of the day; morning, mid-morning, and afternoon. Time after time the best bite was late morning and virtually no bites at any other times. I cannot confirm whether they were in the zone or not at the time I did not catch any, but I can confirm they ate late in the morning. I researched the solunar feeding periods and, truth be told, each time we got in there the bite was different. Some of our visits coincided with supposedly favorable solunar periods and some that were not so good. I’ve said this before and I will say it again – snook are stubborn fish and they eat when they want to.
Redfish on the flats have been becoming increasingly active. So much so that when you find them it is usually nonstop action. Just look at the photo below where Catie has one on the line and one on her Boga Grip. On that particular day she had two reds on one topwater. However, as she was trying to figure out how to land both, one came off the hook.
Big trout, meaning trout longer than 25 inches, are still being landed on just about every trip and more are being seen as we wade slowly through the clear waters of the LLM.
Now that October is here, you will notice better fish quality. From now through December, fish—especially trout—will start showing more “chunkiness.” We should also begin seeing more flounder. We have already noticed an uptick, but October usually marks the start of the flounder run. They will show up in all the usual spots, including ledges and small drains near the East Cut. The best time to find these flatfish is on an outgoing tide. The top baits will be the junior sizes of both the Wig-A-Lo and Ball Tail Shad, along with the original KWiggler 4-inch paddletail.
Keeper-size trout should also be present in the same areas as the flounder. Use at least a 1/4-ounce jighead to keep your lure close to the bottom; anything lighter will not work as well when fishing for flounder, especially in a strong current. The best rod for this setup is a Fishing Tackle Unlimited Corky or Classic model, since both have the backbone needed for solid hooksets on bony flounder jaws.
I am looking forward to another great fall season. Based on what I saw this summer and what I am seeing now, I would say the Lower Laguna is primed for a strong finish to 2026.
Until next time, always remember that fresh is better than frozen.
