When The Bay Comes Alive!
Late October and November have always been some of my favorite times of the year to be on the water. The heat of summer has finally faded and we begin getting those small cool fronts that knock the temperatures down into the upper 70s and low 80s. Every now and then we get one that really reminds you that fall is here and pushes us down into the high 50s and low 60s. From my years of fishing the Lower Laguna Madre, I’ve always felt like this is when the bay really starts to come alive.
The changing weather, shifting winds and cooler water temperatures seem to put the fish at ease. The reds and trout that have spent much of the summer hanging around deeper channels and cooler water begin moving back onto the flats. They are following the bait and looking for easy meals, and when the conditions are right, you can see the change happen almost overnight.
One of my favorite things about this time of year is watching the fish start to school up. In the deeper, open water, it is not uncommon to find schools of a hundred or more redfish moving together. As they begin working their way onto the flats, those massive schools will break apart into smaller groups, sometimes five to twenty fish, cruising through the shallow water.
These smaller groups are constantly searching for shrimp, crabs, and anything else that gets in their path and fits in their mouth. When you find a big school of reds in deeper water, the competition between fish can make them extremely aggressive. When a hundred-plus fish are racing around trying to eat the same meal, it doesn’t take much to get a bite. You can almost throw anything in front of them and expect to get tight.
One of my go-to baits for those situations is KWiggler’s 4-inch paddletail in the Bart’s Sand Ninja color. I’ve caught so many fish on that bait that it has become one of the lures I never want to leave the dock without. Any of the KWiggler Balltail colors can produce as well, depending on the water conditions and what the fish might be feeding on.
Once those fish make their way onto the flats, my approach changes a little. When I’m looking at reds in six inches to a foot and a half of water, I want to make a presentation that is a bit more subtle. A lighter jighead and a smaller profile lure will likely have less tendency to spook fish that are already on high alert in skinny water. A KWiggler Wig-A-Lo Jr or Balltail Shad Jr can be perfect for this type of fishing.
But if you ask me, I’ll probably stick with that 4-inch Bart’s Ninja paddletail until the day I die. That is one bait I have complete confidence in. It doesn’t matter if the water is clear or dirty, the wind is blowing or calm, or whether I’m fishing shallow or deep. That bait just flat catches redfish, trout, and just about anything else willing to eat it. Having a lure like that gives you confidence, and confidence goes a long way when you are sight-casting.
Another thing I look forward to this time of year is greatly reduced fishing pressure. As summer winds down, the crowds begin to thin out. The dove hunters and guys spending their weekends at the ranch are busy doing their thing inland, and during the weekdays, it can almost feel like you have the whole bay to yourself.
That break in boat traffic makes quite a difference. Fish that have been pushed around all summer seem to settle down and you can spend more time watching them behave naturally instead of watching for the next boat running across the flat. It gives the bay a chance to breathe.
As we move farther into fall, I also start looking forward to the bigger trout pattern. Cooler water and changing conditions can put some serious fish on the feed, and this is when I really enjoy throwing larger topwaters. A Mansfield Knocker is one of my favorites when I’m looking for a big bite. If there isn’t floating grass or too much debris on the surface, a Corky is another bait I’ll have tied on.
For me, October and November is when everything starts coming together. The temperatures become more comfortable, the fish begin forming predictable patterns, and the bay starts showing us what it is going to look like for the months ahead. It is one of those times of year when being on the water feels less like work and more like being exactly where you are supposed to be.