Predicting August’s Sight-Fishing Patterns

Scrolling through my fishing logbook, which began with my very first guided trip all those years ago, each entry refreshes my memory. Lots of details, but most important to me are the locations we fished and the weather and water conditions that drove those decisions. The most valuable aspect of a log book is that over time it begins to tell a story. Patterns emerge, weather cycles come around, and fish activity shifts across a bay system. One of the greatest influences on San Antonio Bay is the Guadalupe River.

Like we saw during the recent early summer, the river inflow had most of San Antonio Bay looking anywhere from muddy to tea-stained. Don’t get me wrong, I am neither frightened nor discouraged by the river when it floods. Fresh water plays a huge role in our ecosystem, flushing shrimp and other important forage species from the Delta waters, and also delivers much-needed nutrients to our many seagrass flats. I think of it like this, the fresh water that comes down the river not only acts as a fertilizer for our grass, which is the foundation of the marine food chain, it also stabilizes the salinity and helps cool the bay water.

What does this have to do with sight-casting? Well, not only does it make us move in or out of areas because of the water clarity, it also forces us to concentrate or narrow down the areas we need to be in because of the abundance of bait being flushed from the Delta. I also believe that in years like this it can bring more reds into our bay searching for this abundance of bait and lower salinity levels. Most of the fresh water is pushed by predominant southeast wind to the lower (western) portion and middle of the bay. The Matagorda Island marsh is affected very little, thereby allowing plenty of opportunities for finding clean, fishable water. These masses of bait tend to hang just outside the fresh water line, and at times with the right wind can get close to outside shorelines. When this occurs, schools can be found patrolling the sand bars.

So, let’s check the August log book. We see that when the river floods during spring and early summer it usually sets the stage for a very exciting August sight-casting experience. If the river flow continues to diminish and no other big rains are sent down river, the areas of muddy water will begin to settle out. This will allow us to expand our sight-casting grounds and open more areas of the bay, finally being able to actually see the pods and single giants that remained in the dirty water. To fish certain areas like this we need calm to light north wind days. Here again, my log shows a pattern of slick calm days followed by light to moderate north and northwest winds. I’m sure you have witnessed it or heard about it, the January tides in July. The way our bay system is laid out geographically, north and northwest winds can and will force water out of our bay system. I have seen it in years past where the water line ends up some 15-20 yards off the shoreline. In other words, 1-3 feet below normal tide levels.

Now, when tides fall like this in late July, August starts off a little tricky, because there isn’t much water left in the back marsh. So, what do you do? I like to set up adjacent to what are normally shallow flats and sit and watch. Positioning ourselves around these bail-off areas, as I call them, can be key. Being that these areas can be rather small we need to slow down and really take our time. What you will find is that redfish will suddenly appear out of 3- to 6-foot depths, coming up to grab a meal off the edge of the shallow, grassy area.

Being fast and accurate is key when fishing like this, because as soon as they pop up, they sink back to the deep. A typical redfish on a grass flat will offer two or three casts if they are off the mark. A fish emerging from deep water to grab a quick meal gives you one shot before disappearing. Now if you didn’t get the right cast and the fish didn’t spook, don’t move or adjust the boat. They will be back shortly, hence the patience and slow-moving advice.

I am by no means trying to predict the weather or tell you what will unfold for the next month, but if similar patterns do emerge, then you’ll know how to react. I do know this though; August can offer many days to creep around the marsh on a tower.

Regardless whether the water falls out or remains at a normal level, viewing the marsh from a tower reveals much more than you might expect. We talk about spotting reds, but it is amazing how many big trout and flounder we see while doing this. We have seen trout in the same areas almost every time and some of them can be in that highly-coveted 28- to 32-inch class. They are harder to catch, and by the time you realize what you’re looking at, they can disappear. Still fun to see, though. I tell my clients every time we crawl up the ladder, pink and red are redfish, gray is drum, brown is flounder or stingrays… and black is monster trout!

I do love this time of year, being able to chase the reds, but as quickly as this year is passing, it won’t be long until the cooler months are upon us. When that happens, we will fold down the tower and head to the Lower Laguna, wade fishing in search of another happy client’s personal best trout. If you look at this time of year as being too hot for being on the water, give us a call and let’s go chase monster trout this winter. We offer these trips as catch and release only. We do this out of respect for the resource and resident anglers and guides in that area. We simply want the opportunity for our clients to fight and land their personal best.

Captain Nathan Beabout
USCG/TPWD Licensed
Full time guide since 2007
Seadrift, Port O’Connor, & Port Mansfield, TX
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