Mid-Coast Bays: December 2024

Well, Mother Nature is still playing her tricks on us here on the Middle Coast. In October we were blessed with a couple of nice cool fronts. The kind that made you think about putting your waders on, even though the water temps were still in the upper 60s to low 70s. Cool, crisp air has a way of doing that. Just like in years past, though, the daily air temps slowly climbed back up into the upper 80s and some days reached the mid-90s. As I write this article the water temperatures have been running into the mid-80s. So much for an early fall season.

If those little cool-offs were any indication as to what the lower water and air temps did for the fishing, you better hang on to your hat. During the first cool-off we were running a five boat group of fishermen and they all had varying experience, but with large groups you just make the best of it. Everyone wore jackets to start the day and most (like me) kept them on until we got back to the dock.

The fishing was the exact opposite of the cool weather; it was on fire. All our boats brought in limits of redfish along with all them bringing in limits to near limits of black drum. Yes, most of these guys were throwing live bait but the artificial guys were having the same success. It has everything to do with the cooling of the water and the fact that it kicked off the mullet migration in the area. We went from having scattered mullet in most places to major mullet concentrations in every nook and cranny, especially in shallower areas. The cooler temps also helped kickstart the shrimp migration from the head of San Antonio Bay.

Yes, the water temps have slowly been climbing, but not as warm as before the fronts arrived. The really good outlook is that we will have more cool fronts arriving soon and the cooling trend will continue.

With the cooler water I will begin focusing on wading mid-bay reefs in San Antonio Bay but, unlike during summer, we will be working the northernmost reefs, hoping to intercept migrating shrimp that will always have reds and specks following them. Yes, we will also be catching some flounder in the mix, but these are totally catch and release during the first half of December.

Lure selection will be primarily my go-to 4” Saltwater Assassin Sea Shad in Purple Chicken, Magic Grass and Copperhead colors. I rig these on 1/16-ounce Bass Assassin JA jigheads. Some mornings, the bay will be flat as glass, and we will be throwing small topwaters such as the MirrOlure She Pup and Top Pups.

On mornings when the wind is a little too high for the mid-bay reefs I will be hunting redfish and trout in the many backwater areas of Matagorda Island. When we target these backwaters I will always try to enter the area we intend to wade from upwind if at all possible to avoid disturbing the fish we are trying to catch.

Lure selection will change somewhat with wind and location of my fishing area. When focusing on backwater areas it’ll likely be more topwaters, along with my all-time favorite, the Texas Customs Double D in Crown Royal or Pistachio colors. These lures have been in my wading box since their introduction. As a suspending lure, you can vary the depth that you run it, meaning if you are fishing a knee-deep flat with grassy bottom you can slow your retrieve with less aggressive twitches and keep it just above the grass.

I find most strikes occur when you pause a second or two and it begins to slowly rise toward the surface. Another note I might add is that I have been backing my drag off a little, the same as I do with topwaters, because fish often strike the Double D so violently that they will become hooked in the side of the face or the midsection of their body. Backing the drag off keeps you from tearing the hooks out of an angry trophy. Just something you might try if you lose a lot of fish on topwaters or when using the Double D.

In closing I would like for everyone to take a deep breath and think good thoughts when you are fishing. There are a lot of anglers sharing the water nowadays and it takes everything I have to not cuss every discourteous angler I encounter out there…I like to think I’m getting better.

Fish hard, fish smart!