South Padre: September 2025
Our weather patterns really have me baffled. I can't imagine near constant twenty-five mph winds during July – but it happened. Birds continued to work despite the wind and we actually had a pretty decent month catching trout and redfish under the gulls. That is not supposed to happen in July, neither are the tides supposed to remain as high as they did this year. Now, here in August, the wind has finally died down and the tides have receded to their usual summertime lows. So much for being able to predict Texas weather based on the calendar.
August fishing turned on as soon as the winds died and the tides dropped. So far it has been generally dry and the Gulf (tropical weather) has been quiet. But, looking ahead, September is traditionally our wettest month. So, I expect it to rain often and daily air temperatures to become somewhat cooler.
I mentioned last month that August fishing can be a bit challenging but it's actually been quite the opposite so far. Redfish action in particular has been better than I expected and we are finding them both shallow and in deeper water. The reds that are up shallow remain there till the sun gets high and the water temps rise. Usually by around 10:30 to 11:00 they leave the flats and move to belly-deep, hard sand and shell bottoms where they can be difficult to find again, especially in areas with lots of boat traffic. The key to finding them has been keying on areas with lots of mullet. Luckily for us, they are hitting topwaters with a vengeance, and this certainly helps solve the puzzle of where they go when they leave the flats.
The trout fishing continues to improve, not only in numbers but also in quality. I doubt you’ll find many trophy fish in September but you shouldn’t be disappointed with the numbers. For much of the summer period the trout bite has been concentrated along the edges or even right down the middle of the ICW. I expect that will begin to change soon with water temperatures beginning to decline and trout beginning to transition back to shallower water. Cloudy weather and rain mixing with surface water will both be contributors.
Topwater action has been steady and I expect this will continue right through September. However, and I’ve mentioned this before, try not to be too stubborn when those surface plugs draw lots of attention but few hookups. Know when to say when. In other words, know when to make the switch to soft plastics and start catching fish. Keep in mind that if a fish wants to eat your bait it’ll have it in its mouth. Those blowups are not all misses!
Snook fishing finally turned on in August and I expect September to be even better as the snook continue their spawning activity this month. The new and full moon periods will be the premium times to target snook. Keep in mind that three to four days before and following the new and full moon are the days you will have your best chance at targeting and finding them to be feeding actively, and possibly even showing schooling tendencies as these will also be prime spawning days.
Flounder fishing improved significantly during the past several weeks and I expect this will continue into September. Quite often, catching one flounder is a good sign that others may also be staged nearby. Flounder seem to be rather like the snook in this regard. If you are serious about targeting flatfish, I heartily recommend using heavier jigheads in order to keep the bait near bottom where the flounder are most likely to be holding. ZMan’s Eye Strike jigheads in quarter and three-eighths ounce size are good choices. Remember that flounder have no swim bladder – when they’re not swimming they’re lying on bottom.
September is also a great month to catch a tarpon. They can often be seen rolling and greyhounding just off the beachfront and also along the jetty rocks of Brazos Santiago Pass at South Padre Island. Port Mansfield’s East Cut and the area just outside the jetties there are also prime areas. Early morning hours on calm days are some of the best times for spotting tarpon activity.
Fishing is excellent in September, but be sure to bring your raincoat. As I mentioned earlier, this is the wettest month of the year for us. And, be sure to keep track of the weather forecast in the event of tropical weather developing.