Mid-Coast Bays: August 2022

Anytime anybody asks where to catch quality fish in August, the first words out of my mouth will be the surf. Granted there are some great fish to be had by wading drop-offs and irregularities along shorelines and reefs in our local bays, but for quality trout on a consistent basis you cannot beat the surf. When I say quality, I’m talking trout of nineteen to twenty-three inches pretty regularly. Redfish can also be plentiful in the surf and most run above average in size. Now granted, fish have tails and can move up and down the beachfront, so you still have to put forth the effort and use all the same signs to find and keep on top of the fish as you would in the bay.

The first sign I look for when running the beachfront is birds. I am always on the lookout for my fishing buddy, the brown pelican. The pelicans I am looking for need to be standing at the edge of the water or, even better, swimming in the first gut. Other birds to pay attention to are gulls and terns when they’re working within the first three guts. Hands down, though, my go-to bird is the brown pelican.

If I cannot find birds within the three-gut area of the beachfront I will be looking for baitfish. Either schooling or in rafts, or certainly when appearing to be fleeing from predators in the first gut; frantic bait is a good indication our speckled friends or a bunch of rowdy redfish are present.

Once we have found our buddy the pelican and/or schools of active baitfish, the next thing we need is a plan of attack. If you are planning to anchor and wade the surf you need to pay special attention to where the waves are breaking. I prefer to anchor my boat in the second gut, dropping anchor right on top of the third bar, and then letting out line until the stern of my Shallow Sport X3 is right in front of the second bar. This allows for easy in and out access using my Coastline Custom Aluminum ladder mounted on the stern. A word of caution; if waves are crashing on the third bar it is too rough to be out there. I threw that in because I frequently see people trying to anchor in the surf when it is too rough and they could easily be swamped by the crashing waves. Use your best discretion; the surf can be a very dangerous place when the wind or waves get up.

My all-time favorite lure for the surf is a MirrOlure She Dog in GCRRH or CHPR. Those are the colors I like best but I often find that any color will work out there.

My other lure choices for the surf are the Bass Assassin 5” Saltwater Shad (rat tail) and the 4” Sea Shad (paddle tail). Depending on the water color I will usually go with either the Purple Chicken or Magic Grass lure colors. I usually opt for 1/8-ounce Bass Assassin jigheads rather than my standard 1/16-ounce.

Another go-to bait that will be getting a lot of air time in the surf from me is the Texas Custom Lures Double D MirrOdine XL. This is a twitchbait that floats at rest but dives during presentation with erratic wobbling action that drives fish crazy. I have been using them in the bay for a while now and they have definitely improved my catches. Another word of caution; if you are fishing a “sharky” area, it might pay to switch to a lure that you may not be as fond of as they like them also.

In closing I would like to mention that when wading near a gulf pass you should always wear a PFD, whether of the inflatable type or a vest. The passes will have stronger currents than you encounter further down the beaches and you could easily be swept in or out by the changing tide. I prefer not to wade near any of the passes for this reason.

You can use this information as a guideline for fishing the surf, just keep in mind the weather and water conditions can change quickly and your fun fishing trip can turn very dangerous in a matter of minutes. Keep a keen eye on your surroundings!