Not everyone will have the fondest memories of the Spring 2008 fishing season but a few will smile. It was definitely the windiest February through May in my lifetime. For a select few middle coast guides and anglers, a certain breed of baitfish saved many days from the 20-30 mph winds that became a dreaded norm last year.
Summer is the season the surf rolls in, fall is the migration of shrimp, but the annual arrival of the almighty glass minnow is the highlight of springtime. Moving by the thousands, the silver and flashy prey arrive to the shallow flats. The buffet ushers in the gulls and pelicans which will feast for weeks on end. In an all-at-once attack, the speckled trout and redfish will hang near and then suddenly strike. Be patient and wait it out as it will significantly improve your chances of capitalizing on the frenzy.
Capt. Ken Sabin and I guided a large group of fishermen from Dallas and Austin last spring on one of the windiest days of the season. The wind started at 20 mph from the south and had just swapped to 30 mph from the north. Now with the wind pulling out the tide and muddying up every single inch of wadeable water, Mother Nature's last minute decision was a fantastic one.
We just started heading out - and myself and the good captain were hearing from other guides that we ought to just cancel the trip! Well, we weren't about to cancel the trip and send all these fishermen back home without having ever been on the water, so we decided to just get out there and see what we could catch.
We could see pelicans diving into the shallows of a cove along the south shore; it looked like the cove was packed with baitfish! We moved close enough to cast and got ready for what promised to be some pretty heavy mud by getting on our waders. Even though the waters were murky and the tide was starting to fall, I had an instinctive feeling that the big fish would make a move soon. We decided to mimic the glass minnows with some Brown Lures glow and chartreuse soft plastic lures - they're ideal for these situations. I added a miniature chrome topwater and before long, we were starting to attract some attention from redfish. They started off biting slow, as they always do; but then they really started to rush in!
With the bait tightly packed down from what once occupied the space of a swimming pool, the surface became like popcorn with minnows flipping and bouncing while pursued by trout jolting clear out of the water. Piranha-like predators furiously attacked the glass minnows like machines as the surface of the water began to boil.
Reeling fast and keeping the lure above the surface would draw trout above the water, but slowing down the retrieve produced the most solid hookups. Full limits of redfish were a token of the outing's success.
If spring 2009 awaits your casts, find bait and fish late. The bite often just begins at nightfall.
Summer is the season the surf rolls in, fall is the migration of shrimp, but the annual arrival of the almighty glass minnow is the highlight of springtime. Moving by the thousands, the silver and flashy prey arrive to the shallow flats. The buffet ushers in the gulls and pelicans which will feast for weeks on end. In an all-at-once attack, the speckled trout and redfish will hang near and then suddenly strike. Be patient and wait it out as it will significantly improve your chances of capitalizing on the frenzy.
Capt. Ken Sabin and I guided a large group of fishermen from Dallas and Austin last spring on one of the windiest days of the season. The wind started at 20 mph from the south and had just swapped to 30 mph from the north. Now with the wind pulling out the tide and muddying up every single inch of wadeable water, Mother Nature's last minute decision was a fantastic one.
We just started heading out - and myself and the good captain were hearing from other guides that we ought to just cancel the trip! Well, we weren't about to cancel the trip and send all these fishermen back home without having ever been on the water, so we decided to just get out there and see what we could catch.
We could see pelicans diving into the shallows of a cove along the south shore; it looked like the cove was packed with baitfish! We moved close enough to cast and got ready for what promised to be some pretty heavy mud by getting on our waders. Even though the waters were murky and the tide was starting to fall, I had an instinctive feeling that the big fish would make a move soon. We decided to mimic the glass minnows with some Brown Lures glow and chartreuse soft plastic lures - they're ideal for these situations. I added a miniature chrome topwater and before long, we were starting to attract some attention from redfish. They started off biting slow, as they always do; but then they really started to rush in!
With the bait tightly packed down from what once occupied the space of a swimming pool, the surface became like popcorn with minnows flipping and bouncing while pursued by trout jolting clear out of the water. Piranha-like predators furiously attacked the glass minnows like machines as the surface of the water began to boil.
Reeling fast and keeping the lure above the surface would draw trout above the water, but slowing down the retrieve produced the most solid hookups. Full limits of redfish were a token of the outing's success.
If spring 2009 awaits your casts, find bait and fish late. The bite often just begins at nightfall.
About the Author:
Captain Kyle Tomek is a professional fishing guide who specializes in wadefishing for big speckled trout and redfish in Texas, and uses Brown Lures' wade fishing equipment. Kyle suggests you try out a fishing lure from Brown Lures for your next fishing trip.
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