Evidence of the arrival of spring is everywhere: flip-flop weather, schools of newly hatched fry, herds of hungry fish prowling the shallows and tropical storm-like winds. Finding a reliable pattern during spring, more than any other season, is tough. Conditions are highly inconsistent and fish behavior mirrors the unpredictable weather. Learning how to adapt to current conditions is a necessary skill that’s acquired through much trial and error.
My old college roommate, Austin, and I spent three days late last week fishing various areas around the Coastal Bend, between Corpus Christi and Aransas Pass. We found fish at every location but fishing was fair overall. The high winds on Friday and Saturday made things tough, but we used the wind to our advantage. Hiding behind cover on protected shorelines is not always the best course of action during high winds. This time of year fishing wind-blown shorelines can pay huge dividends. Strong winds stack baitfish on these shorelines and predators are quick to follow.
On Friday we opted to fish out of the boat and look for trout. We found plenty of trout drifting in water 3′-5′ deep over grass but most were small. For every five trout we caught we managed one keeper and our biggest fish was about 17″ -18″. The wind deteriorated the water clarity all day long, and we caught most of fish in pockets of decent water clarity. Flats bordering deep channels held the best looking water. We caught all of our fish on TTF Flats Minnows and Hackberry Hustlers in geaux gleaux, liquid shrimp, and morning glory. The dirtier the water the darker the color we used.
On Saturday we decided to leave the boat at home and prowl the shallows in the kayak in search of redfish. We fished a familiar place but when we arrived we knew our fishing area would be limited because of the low water levels. We started fishing just as the tide started to creep back in to the flats. As soon as we started paddling around we spotted flocks of terns and seagulls working on a far shoreline. We paddled into the area to find a bunch of fish tearing up bait. We started throwing topwaters and we got plenty of blowups, but we weren’t landing many fish because most them were small.
We moved a little further down the flat and then we found better quality fish. We caught several slot redfish to 24″ on topwaters but the bite didn’t last long. After a couple of hours the bite slowed down and the tide was still low so we started checking out areas where the water was deep enough to explore. We found a few fish scattered here and there but the bite never picked back up. We caught most of fish on super spook jr in bone/silver and white/redhead and few on TTF Flats Minnows.
On Sunday we only had a few hours to fish because we both had to make a long drive and be home by that evening. We decided to make the most of our time and ferry the kayaks to a flat we’ve had good success in the past this time of year. When we arrived the wind was blowing pretty steady so we started drifting in the open without much luck.
There was a wind-blown shoreline close by that had plenty of bait activity and occasional sound of a crashing redfish. We started fan casting the area with topwaters and we were quickly rewarded with several slot reds to 26″. We caught our fish on super spook jrs. Some fish were holding tight to the shorelines but most of the fish were anywhere from 10 – 70 yds off the shorelines. The bite lasted the entire time we were fishing that shoreline but our cut-off time was noon.
Overall a good weekend considering the conditions we faced. I can’t complain. Life is good. Especially when redfish are aggressively pounding topwaters.
