It isn't every fisherman who will look back nostalgically on the Spring 2008 fishing season - but there are a few out there who will smile fondly. Despite that, most anglers are just glad it's over. Spring 2008 was the windiest that has been seen in decades; there was just one baitfish which salvaged these horribly windy spring days for many middle coast guides and anglers.
Like the surf in summer, or migration of shrimp in fall, a highlight of springtime is the annual arrival of the almighty glass minnows. Silver and flashy, the darting prey arrive by the thousands to shallow flats. Pelicans and gulls welcome the visit with open mouths and can feast for weeks on the buffet. Speckled trout and redfish will hang near and strike the bait in an all-at-once attack. To better your chances of capitalizing on such a frenzy, be patient and wait out the arrival.
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.
A wide cove on the south shoreline with a waist deep western bank was full of bait that was situated over thick grass. Pelicans slammed the water with high dive assaults. Within casting distance of the baitfish school, we lined up and affixed our wading boots in firm mud. Despite a falling tide and decreasing clarity, I was confident fish would move in. Brown Lures makes a glow and chartreuse soft plastic lure that worked well to produce the initial strikes by matching the glass minnows' darting features. Dark strawberry and white succeeded in drawing undersized fish. A cruising redfish soon felt the hooks from a miniature chrome topwater. The bite remained slow, as I have seen it so many times before, until minimal sunlight remained. The real numbers of fish filed in.
A patch of bait that was previously the size of a swimming pool quickly became tightly confined. Minnows flipped and bounced on the surface like popcorn. Trout were seen jolting clear out of the water in pursuit. The surface of the water boiled as piranha-like predators furiously attacked glass minnows like machines.
Usually, you'd reel in quickly keeping the lure over the surface of the water to get trout interested - but this cove was so full of them that we did better with a slow reel. To give you an idea of how well this trip went, we all caught our limits of redfish!
If you are still waiting to get out there, find the bait and don't be afraid to stay out late. At nightfall, the bite is often just getting started. - 16887
Like the surf in summer, or migration of shrimp in fall, a highlight of springtime is the annual arrival of the almighty glass minnows. Silver and flashy, the darting prey arrive by the thousands to shallow flats. Pelicans and gulls welcome the visit with open mouths and can feast for weeks on the buffet. Speckled trout and redfish will hang near and strike the bait in an all-at-once attack. To better your chances of capitalizing on such a frenzy, be patient and wait out the arrival.
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.
A wide cove on the south shoreline with a waist deep western bank was full of bait that was situated over thick grass. Pelicans slammed the water with high dive assaults. Within casting distance of the baitfish school, we lined up and affixed our wading boots in firm mud. Despite a falling tide and decreasing clarity, I was confident fish would move in. Brown Lures makes a glow and chartreuse soft plastic lure that worked well to produce the initial strikes by matching the glass minnows' darting features. Dark strawberry and white succeeded in drawing undersized fish. A cruising redfish soon felt the hooks from a miniature chrome topwater. The bite remained slow, as I have seen it so many times before, until minimal sunlight remained. The real numbers of fish filed in.
A patch of bait that was previously the size of a swimming pool quickly became tightly confined. Minnows flipped and bounced on the surface like popcorn. Trout were seen jolting clear out of the water in pursuit. The surface of the water boiled as piranha-like predators furiously attacked glass minnows like machines.
Usually, you'd reel in quickly keeping the lure over the surface of the water to get trout interested - but this cove was so full of them that we did better with a slow reel. To give you an idea of how well this trip went, we all caught our limits of redfish!
If you are still waiting to get out there, find the bait and don't be afraid to stay out late. At nightfall, the bite is often just getting started. - 16887
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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