One Bite Can Tell Us All We Need To Know

If you’ve been fishing, I hope you have been able to get on the water early to avoid the extreme summer heat we are experiencing. The days are growing shorter, so hopefully by late September we will see more overnight cooling in our shallow waters. This time of year also brings the possibility of receiving seriously needed rainfall due to increased activity in the tropics. Right now all is fairly quiet with only one tropical system in the gulf, which might become Danielle, predicted to impact the Texas-Mexico border if it hits Texas at all. Some rain would surely be nice.

On the fishing scene, my trout fishing has been tougher than normal. Reds are plentiful in some areas but not always easy to catch due to the combination of light winds and summertime low tides. I am still targeting trout primarily and continuing to release all, and staying away from the dolphins whenever possible. We make a practice to leave areas where dolphins are eating trout from our lines and those we are releasing. To me, dolphins have become a big issue. No matter how natural it is for them to do what they do, they are doing it today with a higher degree of efficiency than I ever noticed in the past. Growing up we seldom had issues with dolphin eating fish off our lines or stringers.

This past week I experienced a really tough trout bite most every day. Some of this was due to a pre-dawn major feeding period that was followed by a mid-morning moonset minor. I no longer do the “run in the dark” at 5:30am; my eyes are simply not what they were in my younger years. That said, this week I barely caught the tail end of the major feeding period four of the five days I was on the water. We did have three inches of rain, always a godsend in late August, but it did not change the air temperatures nor reduce the water temperature for more than a day or so.

With water temps running 85° to 87° most days the bite continues to be an early morning gig. Overcast mornings, which have been very few, have been the best as far as quality trout goes. We had two very good days the week of the rain but as soon as the sun returned our quality trout bite slowed drastically. Add to this our solunar timing and I was spending the coolest portion of my day fishing areas where I know the fish are present but having difficulty patterning the bite. Understand this, we have to get a few bites to establish what water depth the fish are in, what structure they are on, which way they are set up and facing, and how they want the lure presented. We also need to learn how aggressively they will pursue the lure and whether or not they are moving or settled in and become stationary. That’s a lot right?

It is a lot but it is all extremely important information to the angler and none of it can be established if we do not get that occasional bite. Bites show me tons on tough days and my mental picture helps me decipher what I need to do to increase my chances of catching the fish I am on. My clients today get all that I have to offer in the where, when, why, and how; whereas when I was a much younger guide I was really more concerned about just catching them so I would look good at the dock. I am thankful that those days are long over for me and I feel for the younger guides that feel pressured to not only produce but to kill all the fish that they put the client on. I was there and totally understand the pressure to produce and the pressures of raising a family on a guiding income. Every day this week we would step out of the boat and catch a few really nice trout and maybe some solid reds, only to have the bite slow drastically as the sun rose.

Enough about why I believe it was such a tough bite the past several days. Let me try to explain step by step how I establish areas of interest as well as the methods by which we approach and work these areas. I am all about two things and these are predominate bottom structure for the area I am fishing, and food supply. If bait is present in an abundant and predictable supply, I begin to search for additional signs. Pelicans, royal terns, gulls, and osprey are avian species that I like to see in the area I have chosen. I guess dolphins can now be a positive sign that trout are present despite all the negatives associated with their presence. Slicking is always a telltale sign of fish feeding activity. Trout, reds, flounder, gafftop, and hardhead will all make slicks, but there is something in the location and the pattern of the slicks that helps me determine the species. That’s probably an entire other article and quite honestly I am not even sure if I could explain my thought process in establishing the species well enough for you to understand it.

I also like to have water movement created by either tide or wind. The hotter the water the more important I feel that water movement becomes. This is true for trout and red fish alike. I approach the likely areas at slow idle or by drifting in. I wade slowly as I approach and don’t let my anglers push forward. Once we enter casting range I start looking at the mood of the bait fish. Are they making high, lazy jumps or short, frantic skips? Bait fish fleeing predators are not known for lots of air time.

Where is the bait activity happening – over submerged grass, deeper potholes, or along the edge of the flat where the bottom slopes away to deeper water? These are critical observations that can weigh heavily in whether we are catching or not. By placing your lure in these zones you are on your way to a positive result but there is still more work to be done.

Now we have to determine the depth in which fish are staging. Many times gamefish and bait alike will suspend in deeper water versus sitting close to the bottom, which they will do as well. Being aware of the depth where bites are occurring and then repeating the successful retrieve is the key to earning more bites. I fish with a great guy and fisherman Dale Combs. When conditions require, he will count as his lure falls through the water column. On one of my first winter trips with him, I heard him tell one of his buddies that the fish were on a “three count.” I was like okay – one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three – from then on. Great learning experience for me and one I have never forgotten.

The key ingredient to catching fish when we are working good areas in-between feeds or during tough days does not lie within all that we are capable of doing, but lies within getting that one bite. Now, if paying attention, that first bite will tell us all we need to know. Yesterday I continued to tell my group that we needed just one bite to show us where the fish were, what depth they were in, and how they wanted the lure presented. Around noon I finally got a bite after working a deep gut that had a gradual slope to shallower water and scattered grass. I actually counted to six and then slowly dusted the lure close to the bottom. As the lure began the upward slope I increased the twitch frequently and was immediately bit. As I reeled the fish to me she was followed by another identical trout. Over about thirty minutes we landed eight decent fish. One bite turned a tough day into a little better day.

Tough periods during fishing days will provide the best opportunities to improve our fishing skills and knowledge. In order to learn and retain what we learn, we must first want to learn. I am all about learning and continuing to learn because I am all about continually striving to be the best I can be each day. I hope to see some of you on my boat or around the docks this next month. Fall is almost here and winter is not far behind.