Cast-out Magic

Along the Texas coast, spring feels like a magical time. When we see a transition from our coldest weather to our hottest, various signs of change emerge in our fishery. Bait migrations take place as the water warms up. The currents running close to the shores of Padre Island create a highway for these events. While these changes occur, the number of species present in our nearshore waters reaches its annual peak.

All manner of predators, from sport fish to large sharks, enter the shallows fronting our beaches, hoping to feast on the abundant food sources available to them. Because of this, April ranks high among my favorite times to hit our coastal beaches. While I'm a focused shark fisherman, I have a hard time isolating my efforts on the men in the gray suits during the warming months of spring. It's impossible to resist the allure of so many exciting species which make perfect targets for anglers carrying light tackle. Mighty jacks, speedy Spanish macks, pompano, speckled trout, redfish and many other species garner some of my attention this month.

Still, most of my trips are built around targeting sharks, and the spring season presents a unique challenge for those of us who place a priority on this. The main variable creating an unusual context for shark fishing in Texas in spring is, of course, the weather. On the rare occasions this month when the surf falls flat, I deploy big baits via kayak, as I will throughout the generally calmer summer months to come. I do this because of the truth inherent to the age-old adage that deploying baits farther from shore increases the odds of attracting the attention of bigger sharks.

On the other hand, when stronger winds begin to blow, as they always do, using kayaks to deploy baits becomes hazardous at best, at times impossible. Strong currents and big waves can make rowing plastic boats away from shore too dangerous to consider. The good news is these same conditions often bring some really big sharks really close to shore. Accordingly, I usually rely on casting my baits out when the big waves of spring begin to build and break onto our beaches. As long as a bait lands in the first deep gut, a sharker stands a fair chance of experiencing some drag-peelin' action.

April is the first big-shark month of the year. Giant bulls roam the shallows, tigers begin yearning for an inshore meal, scalloped hammerheads run the beaches in greater numbers this month than any other, and large, mature lemons also make their presence known in South Texas for several weeks. All these sharks (except the tigers) can be caught on baits deployed in the first gut. If the gut is deep enough for the sharks to swim, it's deep enough for them to feed.

Traditionally, I've used 16/0 to 20/0 hooks on the shark rigs I intend to cast. This time of year, matching the hatch is important when selecting baits. Large whiting, pompano, stingray strips, and many other fresh-caught fish work well when cast into the warming waters of the spring surf. Mornings and late afternoons both provide a fantastic bite-window, but most of the biggest sharks I catch in the first gut bite during the dark hours. It's not unusual to hook bulls weighing in excess of 200 pounds during the wee hours, late at night.

On some unusual occasions from mid to late-summer, areas from Matagorda Beach northward hold good numbers of lemon sharks, though they're somewhat rare on the southern Texas coast. The window of opportunity for catching them down south is compressed; in some years, none are landed south of Port Aransas. In other years, several may be caught in the same week. Often misidentified by inexperienced sharkers as bull sharks, lemons are easy to identify, since both their dorsal fins are nearly the same exact size. No other big sharks in our waters have this characteristic, other than the extremely rare sand tigers which haven't been documented here for decades. Our South Texas lemons usually range between eight and ten feet in length, and they prefer smallish baits like whole whiting.

Scalloped hammerheads also roam the Texas surf zone in April. Like all hammers, these fish are speed demons and can turn on a dime. Out of all non-pelagic shark species, hammerheads rank high on the list of most respectable sharks in terms of their speed and power. When fighting against a rod and reel, they often make blistering runs and strip all the line off reels. These sharks feed shallow, so they're susceptible to baits cast close to shore. It's not uncommon to hook and land eight-foot scalloped hammers on whiting cast from the sand. Fighting these feisty beasts on moderately light tackle as opposed to larger gear will increase the length of the fight. Because of this, anglers should work with a sense of urgency when it comes to landing and releasing these magnificent creatures, not taking them completely out of the water, and making the release in as short a time as possible.

Jack crevalle also provide thrills to Texas anglers who head to the beachfront this month. They're the bulldogs of the surf, and while some weigh as much as thirty pounds, the smaller ones also fight with amazing strength. Similar in body shape to tuna, jacks use their large, keeled tails for speed and power. Pound for pound, jacks are probably the hardest fighting fish we hook and fight from the sand. Cruising schools can be followed for miles along the beach. I've trailed some for up to ten miles, catching one or two every time I stop. My top choice of lures for these feisty fish is a large silver spoon cast far from the beach with a big spinning reel. The long reach becomes necessary when these speedy predators sprint back and forth over the second sand bar.

The beauty of beachfront fishing in Texas in spring starts with the fact that anyone can enjoy the thrill of catching beautiful, powerful fish without using kayaks and other sophisticated methods to deploy baits. From a torpedo of a jackfish to a rare, yellowish, toothy lemon shark, many species stand ready to provide the fun for folks who cast their baits into the surf from the sand. My charters are full of action this time of year, with so many species available to target. Whether we're intent on battling big sharks, getting photos with hard-fighting jacks, or simply conducting a responsible harvest of delicious species to fill the freezer, April is one of the best months to fish the beaches of the Lone Star State.