FROM MARSH TO JETTIES—FISH All OF IT!

I’m often asked what my favorite type of fishing might be and the answer is simple – all of it! When it comes down to targeting certain species or how to go about it, I do not discriminate. From perch jerking to trolling for marlin and from fly fishing to ice fishing, every type of fishing has its own appeal. I won’t ever fault a person for what kind of fishing they do or how they go about it; I may question some angler’s sanity, such as ice fisherman, but I fully understand what drives them. This sport is full of diverse ways to fish and fortunately for us, the Texas coast is a prime place to take part in it.

I do thoroughly enjoy doing “all of it” but there are some aspects to which I am especially partial. The greatest share of my personal interests lie within the realm of sight-casting redfish in shallow marsh areas. If you don’t find me in the marsh, weather permitting, I will be heading to the jetties. It is the complete opposite of chasing fish in the shallows and the techniques could not be any more polar.

Beginning this month I tend to study the weather a little more and then use what I learn to decide which direction I will be heading to start my day. Since my boat is on the smaller side I need pretty decent weather conditions to get out and fish the big rocks. It is hard to pass up anytime I can do it safely. And here is where the dilemma lies; when the weather is nice enough to get to the jetties, it will be beyond perfect for sight-casting in the marsh. So it begs the question – why not do both?

During May and early June I will take full advantage of spending a full day on the water and hit the best of both worlds. Usually, come mid-June and on into summer, I will spend a full day out in the gulf looking for jack crevalle and bull reds. I try hard not to miss these days. Fortunately by now, the days are getting longer and you are able to hit more than one area in a day. I will aim to be on the water before daylight and head straight to the jetties for the early morning bite. After a few hours and with the sun well up, I will typically head back to the marsh. That is assuming that the bite has died. Never leave fish to find fish!

Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of jetty fishing would be the opportunity to use lures and techniques quite different from my normal shallow water routine. In fact, I keep a completely separate box dedicated to jetty fishing. One of my go-to rigs is a Texas-rigged Gulp on an offset 5/0 hook with a 1/2 oz bullet weight. I prefer the white 4” Gulp shrimp and rig it the same as you would for bass fishing. The key to catching fish at the jetties is that your lure needs to be in the rocks without getting hung up. The great thing about having that offset hook is that it allows you to bury the barb to avoid hanging on rocks.

If I’m not bouncing a jig along the rocks, I will likely be throwing a crankbait. Crankbaits allow opportunity to cover plenty of water while keeping the lure in the strike zone, and practically every species on the rocks will eat a crankbait. The good thing about crankbaits is the tendency to bounce off and over the rocks without hanging up. I tend to stick with baits that swim in the 2’ to 4’ depth range and I always change the factory hooks for sturdier, saltwater models. The fun thing about crankbait fishing is that trout love them just as much as redfish, which can make for a truly fun morning.

If and when the bite slows down, and it usually does at some point, I head back toward the marsh. However, before heading all the way in I typically visit a few spots along the ICW. There are several small areas along the way that often hold plenty of fish this time of the year. My technique here is to visit several spots in fairly quick order, maybe five minutes at each, unless of course I find a few bites. I call it spot hopping and it has paid off numerous times on my way back toward the marsh, thinking I was done with the deeper water stuff.

Arriving in the marsh I change my lure rigging and begin my usual pattern of drifting across ponds that show signs of redfish presence. It’s May, so there should be plenty of fish and all of them more than willing to eat a perfectly placed lure. What a way to spend the rest of your day!