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Mid-Coast Bays: May 2011
Eight year olds, Sam Peacock and Robert Stavinoha, getting started right with great catches!
Springtime fishing patterns are in full swing here on the middle coast. Mother Nature never disappoints in showing us just how hard she can blow her seasonal winds. I will be using pretty much the same tactics that I used in April to help make May catches. Locations will change somewhat due to the change in water temperature but many areas will likely be off-limits on windier days.
Trout numbers will continue to increase on the outside sandy shorelines of our bay waters like Espiritu Santo, San Antonio and West Matagorda Bays. Since the winds are typically more "fishable" at sunrise I will start my day fishing the windward shorelines where the catching has been most productive; however, winds typically pick up by mid-morning forcing me to move to the leeward shorelines. Shorelines that have the most pronounced guts with abundant grass beds hold the most baitfish which is definitely a key when deciding where to start.
I like to start up shallow away from the dropoff early in the day throwing small topwaters such as Super Spook Jr. in the redfish color scheme. Smaller topwaters are easier to work, requiring a lot less effort to "walk the dog," compared to the larger heavier topwaters. While ease of use is important, it is their ability to entice fish to strike that keeps me throwing them over and over. Now I have to admit that we put more fish in the box using soft plastics, you just can't beat the entertainment that comes with throwing topwaters. Watching a big redfish blow a plug out of the water without getting hooked amazes me every time. Especially since I seem to hook myself and everything else so easily with those dang sharp treble hooks. And I can never get enough of watching trout smackin' at a plug whether it takes it or not. If you have never had the pleasure of catching or almost catching a fish on a topwater, do yourself a favor; tie one on and LEAVE it on. Fish most the day or all day with it and I promise you too will become addicted.
Back lakes will remain a mainstay throughout May simply because it is hard for me to give up on redfish. I love them! Our lakes are currently holding good supplies of these coppery, rod bending bruits, thanks due largely to the success of the CCA/TPWD hatcheries and restocking programs. The one-two punch of conservative bag limits and restocking have given us an awesome fishery and we should never forget that outlawing gill nets helped too. My clients are often amazed that these large fish inhabit such shallow dwellings. We are fortunate here on the middle coast to have such and pristine back lakes; however, the dense grasses there can make lure chunking almost impossible at times. This is when weedless, Texas-rigged soft plastics really shine. I make my rig using an 1/8 ounce bullet weight slid onto about ten inches of 20# leader line and then tying a 4/0 offset worm hook. A wide gap hook will help get a better hook set and are easy to remove. Make sure to attach you main line to the leader using a small barrel swivel; I use a #10. Remember this is supposed to be weedless, the bigger the swivel the more grass you will catch so try not to use anything larger than a #10. Adding a five inch sardine colored Gulp Jerkshad will make it hard for redfish to resist.
On those rare days when the wind is not a factor I will probably be drifting or wading the many reefs in San Antonio Bay. Locating bait and reef hopping is almost always a must to find the best action. Sometimes it takes me three or more stops before I find a solid bite. Don't get discouraged, it will pay off. As of late the west shoreline and reefs of San Antonio Bay have been productive for me and my clients. Fleeing mullet and bird activity have been the key factors to finding cooperative fish.
Mother's Day is this month so I want to wish all of you Angling Moms a very Happy Mother's Day. I hope you all are treated to some relaxation, fun, and lots of love on your special day. I take this opportunity to thank my mom for her immeasurable contribution to my life. With all the special ways you show me that you care Mom, no wonder I love you so much!
Trout numbers will continue to increase on the outside sandy shorelines of our bay waters like Espiritu Santo, San Antonio and West Matagorda Bays. Since the winds are typically more "fishable" at sunrise I will start my day fishing the windward shorelines where the catching has been most productive; however, winds typically pick up by mid-morning forcing me to move to the leeward shorelines. Shorelines that have the most pronounced guts with abundant grass beds hold the most baitfish which is definitely a key when deciding where to start.
I like to start up shallow away from the dropoff early in the day throwing small topwaters such as Super Spook Jr. in the redfish color scheme. Smaller topwaters are easier to work, requiring a lot less effort to "walk the dog," compared to the larger heavier topwaters. While ease of use is important, it is their ability to entice fish to strike that keeps me throwing them over and over. Now I have to admit that we put more fish in the box using soft plastics, you just can't beat the entertainment that comes with throwing topwaters. Watching a big redfish blow a plug out of the water without getting hooked amazes me every time. Especially since I seem to hook myself and everything else so easily with those dang sharp treble hooks. And I can never get enough of watching trout smackin' at a plug whether it takes it or not. If you have never had the pleasure of catching or almost catching a fish on a topwater, do yourself a favor; tie one on and LEAVE it on. Fish most the day or all day with it and I promise you too will become addicted.
Back lakes will remain a mainstay throughout May simply because it is hard for me to give up on redfish. I love them! Our lakes are currently holding good supplies of these coppery, rod bending bruits, thanks due largely to the success of the CCA/TPWD hatcheries and restocking programs. The one-two punch of conservative bag limits and restocking have given us an awesome fishery and we should never forget that outlawing gill nets helped too. My clients are often amazed that these large fish inhabit such shallow dwellings. We are fortunate here on the middle coast to have such and pristine back lakes; however, the dense grasses there can make lure chunking almost impossible at times. This is when weedless, Texas-rigged soft plastics really shine. I make my rig using an 1/8 ounce bullet weight slid onto about ten inches of 20# leader line and then tying a 4/0 offset worm hook. A wide gap hook will help get a better hook set and are easy to remove. Make sure to attach you main line to the leader using a small barrel swivel; I use a #10. Remember this is supposed to be weedless, the bigger the swivel the more grass you will catch so try not to use anything larger than a #10. Adding a five inch sardine colored Gulp Jerkshad will make it hard for redfish to resist.
On those rare days when the wind is not a factor I will probably be drifting or wading the many reefs in San Antonio Bay. Locating bait and reef hopping is almost always a must to find the best action. Sometimes it takes me three or more stops before I find a solid bite. Don't get discouraged, it will pay off. As of late the west shoreline and reefs of San Antonio Bay have been productive for me and my clients. Fleeing mullet and bird activity have been the key factors to finding cooperative fish.
Mother's Day is this month so I want to wish all of you Angling Moms a very Happy Mother's Day. I hope you all are treated to some relaxation, fun, and lots of love on your special day. I take this opportunity to thank my mom for her immeasurable contribution to my life. With all the special ways you show me that you care Mom, no wonder I love you so much!