Mid-Coast Bays: July 2018

Right about now I'm really missing those cool mornings of just a few weeks ago. You know it’s summer when you break out in a sweat just putting rods and other gear on the boat at 0430. Back in the day, before worrying about excessive sun exposure, I wore shorts and short sleeves to keep cool on the water. Nowadays I cover up from head to toe, which almost seems counterintuitive, but it's something we have to do to be safe.

Middle-coast winds of late have been a little more brisk than normal most days, but that should calm down soon and will also help alleviate the number of boats huddled along protected shorelines.

This time of year I take pleasure in getting a very early start along a sandy shoreline of West Matagorda, San Antonio and Espiritu Santo bays. All three bays have many miles of very good bottom structure that consists of grassbeds, guts, and sloughs that lead into back lakes. Getting an early start is imperative, not only because midday heat can be unbearable, but also because the shallow water in these areas is usually quite clear, making it tough to stalk hungry fish that spook so easily out of casting range. The dim light during sunrise makes sneaking up on wary prey much easier.

Another reason for the early start is that trout and redfish are often more willing to feed in cooler water. Nothing is more exciting then watching a hungry fish explode on a small topwater launched from my nimble but tough HP Lite Waterloo rod. I choose to throw the smaller plugs such as the Super Spook Jr. in natural colors - Redfish, Bone and even Clear. While I will readily admit that I catch more fish on plastics, I must also confess that I’m addicted to surface explosions.

A couple of hours after sunrise I begin slowly making my way toward deeper water. Water temperatures rise early in the shallows and, as a rule, fish retreat offshore to cooler and deeper guts. This is when I switch from a topwater to a soft plastic to probe the deeper water where the fish will be hanging closer to the bottom and sometimes reluctant to rise to a surface lure. When I'm fishing a little deeper or on drop-offs, I prefer a longer bait like the Bass Assassin 5-inch Saltwater Shad.

Our back lakes are still giving some good redfish action but our typical summertime grasses have grown thick and tall, making it difficult to work any artificial bait effectively. Targeting areas that have larger sand pockets have been my go-to spots in some of the back lakes while drifting. The weedless “Texas rig” is highly preferred when attempting to run soft plastics through grassy water.

The reefs in San Antonio Bay have been holding decent numbers of keeper-sized trout. Birds working or resting near a reef and feeding dolphins are good indicators that a reef may be holding fish. Notice that I said "near" a reef? If you find birds working over deeper water, nowhere near a reef, you can almost guarantee they are covering schools of skipjacks, gafftop, and undersized trout. But, if you find those same birds working near a shallow reef you will usually find them hovering and diving into schools of keeper trout. Of course, most days, finding a good bite is not as easy as spotting birds or bent rods. Good old-fashioned chunk and grind is what it frequently takes to locate a quality bite.

Matagorda Bay has been a hot spot as of late. When I'm fishing the waters around Port O'Connor, especially near passes to the gulf, I key on tide movement more closely than when I'm in a back lake. Fish that inhabit the waters near the passes are more tide dependent when it comes to their feeding habits. Moving water, whether coming or going, will almost always trigger feeding activity. And with moving water comes plenty of toothy brutes. So, if you’re wading, it is best to keep your stringer long and barely attached to your body – just in case one of those toothy critters decides to make lunch of your catch.

Like all the summers past, there will be many people on the water enjoying what God has given us. Please remember to be as courteous as possible. Always give other anglers a wide berth, respect our resources, and reduce your speed when you return to the dock. Idling near a dock where boats are tied is good manners and definitely safer than motoring up until the last second on full or partial plane. Little things can make the biggest difference.