South Padre: October 2026

Over the years, I have traveled thousands of miles along many coastlines and inland bodies of water. In every body of water there are zones that for whatever reason seem to rarely hold fish, and there are also areas where fish can be found often in abundance. I have experienced this everywhere I’ve been, including my home waters. Knowing these rich, thriving fishing areas can lead to more consistent catching.

There is always a reason why some areas are fish magnets. It could be tidal flow, the type of bottom structure, slight or considerable changes in depth, a consistent food supply, or perhaps the generally light fishing pressure the area receives. There are many possibilities, but I’ve listed some of the major ones you might consider in these well-stocked fishy areas.

Wade fishing can definitely help you understand the composition of the bay floor as well as sudden or subtle changes in depth. Visiting and taking note of the contour during extremely low tides will allow you to see what the bottom looks like. Even looking at Google Maps of the area will give you a general view and help identify changes in bottom or depth.

Here in October, tides will become more generous and remain so until late December when they will begin to dip again, especially during the new and full moon phases. The once-barren, dry back lakes will now be flooded, making it an excellent time to chase shallow-water redfish. We will see tailing action; even finding some with their backs exposed.

The bay water temperatures will begin to decline into the low 80s, compared to the low 90s in August and September. The drop in water temperature will make everything in the water more active; you will notice that fish tend to travel farther and feed more aggressively.

The middle section of the Lower Laguna always turns on in the fall months and I plan to spend a lot of time in the vicinity of the Arroyo Colorado. Whether east or west of the ICW will depend mostly on bait availability. I remember last year we were seeing plenty of tailing action on the sand flats just slightly north of the Mansfield East Cut.

Consistent catching during the low-tide months probably meant you were finding them stacked in deeper holes. Well, you are going to have to do some scouting this month as higher tides will scatter the fish over wider areas. Still, I’m going to predict some of the best redfish action of the entire year.

Trout fishing has been exceptional the past four months. We have seen and landed more big trout this summer than the past two winter seasons combined. I can honestly say that our trout fishery is thriving, thanks to all the conservation efforts from so many anglers and the new regulations from TPWD.

The decline in water temperature will benefit our trout fishery greatly as trout are sensitive to water temperature. They likely won’t be as predictable as they were, hanging in the depths of the ICW. On the positive side, they will begin feeding more often and for longer periods. With hunting seasons getting underway, we will see fewer boats on the water. October’s pleasant weather and more active fish should add up to a can’t-miss fishing month.

Topwaters like the Spook Jr will draw plenty of strikes, and surface grass should begin to diminish this month. When we’re not throwing a Spook Jr it’ll more than likely be a Z-Man product at the end of our lines. Their soft baits are made of super-durable Elaztech, which means they’ll last fish after fish. They are also more pliable and supple, so fish hold on longer for better hooksets. Our top Z-Man producers continue to be the scented Paddlerz in Sexy Penny, Pearl, and Bleeding Banana. When the fish are wanting smaller baits, the Minnowz in Beer Run, Pearl, and Redbone have fooled plenty of trout for us.

This will be the last month when snook can be found in good numbers on the shallow grass flats. After the first series of cooler weather, they will begin migrating to their deeper winter spots. Targeting them will still be worthwhile; it will just have to be in deeper water, using heavier jig heads, from now until March.

Don’t miss out on one of the top months to experience plenty of catching. The weather will be pleasant for a change, boat traffic will be lighter, and the fish will be feeding aggressively.