South Padre: August 2023

Fishing is a sport loved and enjoyed by millions worldwide. It's neither a contact sport nor one that leads to great physical exertion, unless perhaps you're fighting a giant fish for a long time in hot weather. Participants in some sports can benefit from certain physical advantages; such as being tall, fast, strong, or possessing keen eyesight to boost their success. Fishing, though, is quite different. Physical attributes aside, the one thing that will improve your angling success more than any other is lots of practice.

But, what about fishermen who cannot get out as much as they would like? The answer is that you can make up for it by studying aspects of fishing that contribute to consistent success, even when you cannot be on the water. Some of the most important of these are moon phases, tides, atmospheric pressure, seasonal fish patterns, and local weather patterns.

If you want to speed up the learning process, you might consider hiring a guide that fits your fishing style and is willing to teach while trying to put you on fish. Another option is to fish with anglers that are more accomplished than yourself. Attend fishing seminars and read all the articles in this magazine every month. You should also keep a logbook to gain understanding of migration and feeding patterns. This might take years but you must start somewhere. Last but not least, try to fish at least one new area every time you get out.

Moving on to what’s been happening on the water. Water temperatures have been running mid-80s early and rising into the mid-90s later in the day. Finding redfish in reliable numbers has slowed considerably. I can blame part of this on the rise in water temperature. Increased boat traffic could also be a factor. If you like fishing shallow for redfish, do it early in the morning as the reds have been retreating to deeper water by midday.

Flats near the ICW can be excellent areas to find redfish this time of the year, given their tendency to head deeper as the water warms. Sand bars and spoil humps with access to deeper water can also be excellent producers. Z-Man's PaddlerZ, KickerCrabZ, and the five-inch StreakZ continue to fool redfish for us. I highly recommend Z-Man's Texas Eye Finesse Jighead as it is by far the best weedless jig I have ever used. The hook angle gives it a better chance of getting a solid hookset and it comes in a variety of sizes. So, when targeting redfish, think shallow early and deeper later.

Halfway through the summer heat wave, we are finding upper-class trout numbers dwindling rapidly. The past two months were surprisingly good to us for solid trout up to twenty-seven inches, but with the rise in water temperatures the smaller trout have definitely become more predominant. Slicks will continue to be prime indicators in locating trout through the month of August. This time of the year, I like fishing the drop-offs of the ICW, deeper potholes, and other deeper depressions created by tidal currents. A moving tide, whether coming in or going out, will increase your chances of getting on a good trout bite this time of the year.

Fishing for trout near the Brazos Santiago Pass is another good option as the cooler gulf water rushing along shorelines and across sandbars during incoming tide flows will often trigger feeding that simply isn’t happening elsewhere in the bays. I heartily encourage that if your GPS/Depth Finder does not include a water temperature gauge, you need to get one.

As far as trout baits go, Z-Man StreakZ on 1/8-ounce jigs has been a generally steady producer for us. On windier days, the tail action and vibration of the four and five-inch DieZel MinnowZ seems to draw more strikes.

August can bring a tropical depression or even a hurricane to our shores once either enters the Gulf of Mexico. Our bay waters will rise way above average, and that's when the playing field changes. Higher water levels will scatter fish as they will have more territory to roam. If that should happen, our focus will shift to main bay shorelines and back lake areas for both trout and redfish.

Recapping August’s fishing prospects, concentrate on shallow areas early in the morning and deeper water closer to noon and into the evening. Be sure to watch the weather, as thunderstorms can pop up out of nowhere this time of the year. In the meantime, do your homework, apply it to your fishing, and watch your fishing turn into more consistent catching.