The Coastal Summer

If there’s one thing I am certain of is that summer on the Texas coast is completely different than anywhere I’ve ever visited. We have roughly 360 miles of beachfront with mostly free access to nearly all of it. All of our beaches can be visited by the general public, and the way I see it that’s 360 miles of fishing and fun for everyone to enjoy.

One of the biggest draws to our coast is that we have the ability to drive our vehicles down the sand and right up to the water’s edge. If you have ever been to a beach in Florida or any of the other states where you have to carry everything in, then you know how much of a luxury this is. You especially know how nice this is if you ever had to drag a kayak for 100 yards or more through a parking lot and sugar sand. It’s not fun, trust me on this one!

But what is fun is the ability to pick a spot, set up for the day, and enjoy what we have. However, one thing that is super important is having the proper type of vehicle, and knowing its capabilities to avoid getting stuck. Driving on beach sand isn’t always as easy as it looks. Some places can be quite secluded and help might be a good ways off.

Having a vehicle capable of beach driving at the ready can make fishing an absolute blast when having access to miles of beachfront. When the weather gets right and the surf slicks off, you can find me, my buddies, and others headed for the coast before the sun comes up. We know the trout will be in the green water and, if you hit it right, the fishing can be like nothing you’ve ever experienced.

My mornings typically begin with topwaters as they are usually highly effective and who doesn’t love surface explosions? If the topwater bite begins to fade or doesn’t quite pan out as hoped, we will usually switch to a soft plastic or a MirrOlure. It took me a while to catch onto the MirrOlure thing but it didn’t take much convincing after watching some old salts put on a clinic right in front of us one day. With all that said though, if fishing is slow in your chosen area, just jump in your truck and drive a little further down the beach.

Here on the Upper Coast, our beach used to have an old bridge and cabin pilings before the tides and hurricanes swept everything away. These structures would provide just enough habitat to keep schools of specks around. Here recently, the Corps of Engineers removed a lot of other old debris, and that puts us back to finding trout the old fashioned way.

There are a few things to look for when making a move down the beach and one of them is the birds. Seagulls and terns are doing the same exact thing you are, except they have the advantage of an elevated vantage point. Any time you see them congregated, hovering and diving, you need to stop and try a few casts.

Another thing to keep an eye out for are slicks – usually popping along the second or third bar offshore. Slicks can be a dead giveaway that trout are bunched up and feeding aggressively.

Trout fishing in the surf has always been top tier for me but there are always plenty of other options. If the weather is not ideal with surf conditions too rough for wade fishing, we will pick a likely spot on the beach and throw out a few big rods. The beauty about fishing like this is that you can make it as easy or go all out and take it as seriously as you like. I personally like to make it easy and have fun while doing it. I will usually stop at a bait shop before heading to the beach and will grab a few frozen mullet. These can be chopped into chunks and will catch just about anything you would like.

Of course, bull reds and sharks are the target, but another likely species could be gafftop. I know they’re not the most desirable species, but let me tell you, there are some truly impressive specimens in the surf – large enough in fact to potentially win the CCA S.T.A.R. Tournament’s Gafftop Division. And, once the lines are out, it’s time to fire up the grill, set up some horseshoes and let that mullet soak. It is as easy as fishing gets!

On top of all of this, when heading to the coast, there are plenty of places to pull over on the side of the road to catch a few crabs. This is as easy as buying some chicken necks, cotton string and a net. If we know that conditions may not be the best for trout fishing, we might decide to spend our morning catching crabs before setting up on the beach. Crabs are delicious right off the grill, and don’t be afraid of using one for bait on one of your big lines.

Summer is upon us and although I’m not looking forward to the heat, I am looking forward to the fishing opportunities ahead. We are blessed to have the resources that Texas provides all of us and I am glad that people still get out and enjoy them. So, load up the kids, call some friends and head to the coast this summer!