Mansfield Report: July 2023

Greetings from Port Mansfield! Well, we just blew through Memorial Weekend, the traditional launch pad for summertime fun and fishing, which also includes the kickoff of the annual CCA STAR Tournament. I was invited to participate in this year’s release of STAR tagged redfish here in the Lower Laguna Madre and greatly appreciated the opportunity. The STAR committee arranged for us to receive the tagged fish, some wearing red tags and some blue. The red tags representing the traditional Tagged Redfish Division and the blue-tagged redfish taking the place of the former Speckled Trout Division. Kudos to CCA on dropping that division.

Transferring the tagged fish from holding tanks to my SCB Recon, the instructions from the STAR representative were simple and straight forward. “Release the fish in popular, highly-populated fishing areas,” which was exactly what Javier Suarez (director of CCA RGV Chapter) and I did. I would highly recommend if you’re not already signed up for STAR that you do so immediately before going fishing again. I guarantee there are quite a few tagged redfish swimming in highly-populated fishing areas of the Lower Laguna Madre. Activate the accompanying QR code to learn how to report the landing of a STAR tagged redfish.

The waters of Port Mansfield are in great shape and the abundance of bait is as good as I have ever seen. Our trout fishery is recovering nicely with good numbers of upper-slot and larger fish being caught regularly. I am seeing and hearing from other guides the abundance of trout measuring just short of the 17- to 23-inch slot length and I will offer a comment on that. If you recall, well before the post-freeze regulations were enacted, these same people were reporting an abundance of 14.75-inch trout being caught all the time. So what’s the takeaway? Pretty easy, I’d say. “There will always be a great number of fish caught that measure just shy of the minimum retention size, no matter what that size might be at any given time.” Perhaps not the most science-based answer but the observation of a guide who spends a lot of time on the water. Think about it.

Redfish landings have waned a bit recently. We’re still catching some but definitely fewer compared to recent months. We are also noticing recent landings weighing mostly in the 5- to 7-pound range with a 7-plus considered “heavy” at present. My thoughts are that you can catch a few good ones shallow in early morning, and then as the day progresses they migrate to deeper water where they are less likely to get run over by boats running the shallow flats.

Flounder landings are just now starting to pop. A few months back we were seeing better numbers, and then it became a challenge to find them in any of the usual places. As recent as a few days ago, it seems they have begun reappearing and their weights are impressive. I’ve seen a couple four-pounders coming to the scales in local tournaments.

Another recent development is the floating grass – it’s back and in good supply. Anglers headed this way would do well to rig surface lures with single hooks to combat the problem.  

Currently, my game plans include variable approaches based on both low and high tide levels, as well as wind of varying strengths. If it’s high water with high wind, I have been targeting back-bay flats with emphasis on points and drains within those areas. Topwater action can be very good so long as the surface isn’t clogged with floating grass. The Mansfield Knockers folks have been putting in a lot of work and I have really come to like their lures based on size, shape, noise and castability. Most importantly, fish seem to like them.

With low water and calm wind conditions, I will be targeting just outside those back-bay flats and will usually set my folks up covering both points and one or two in the middle. I’ll also be working stretches of shorelines and spoil islands. Carrying two rods, I can easily switch from my Mansfield Knocker to KWigglers Wig-A-Lo, Paddle Tail, or BTS set up. I typically bounce back and forth all day in effort to stay on top of the feeding patterns as they emerge.

Keep in mind we also have excellent offshore stuff going on. Lots of red snapper coming in on the regular.

Mark your calendars for the 48^th Annual Port Mansfield Fishing Tournament: July 27-29, 2023. I know it is going to be a big event with excellent prizes and big payouts. Hope to see you there.

Remember, fresh is better than frozen…