Overcoming Late Summer Doldrums

We’ve now officially entered what seems like the toughest time of the year for catching trout on lures here in the Galveston Bay Complex. Water temperatures are ranging from 87° to 91° most days and winds have been pumping out of the southwest for more days than I care to recall. Whatever happened to those prevailing southeast winds of summer that we used to have? I guess things are just different now for whatever reason. I could write an entire article on how things have changed and we could sit here and chew the fat about how great fishing was in “the good old days” but for now I’d prefer to offer some tricks and tactics to help us in the here and now.

Avoiding Old Habits

There are lots of variables affecting the timing and location of where trout show up. Some of these changes are environmental and some are influenced by us. I’ve written about such changes many times in past articles. Regardless of the reasons, trout and redfish are not necessarily where they used to be. Not only can we not catch them where we want to, we can’t always catch them the way we like to. I can think of a dozen reefs where I could go in years past and catch really solid trout on topwaters just about any time of the day while casting to small slicks. Not only can we not catch them on topwaters there anymore, but soft plastics don’t work either, and good luck finding slicks on them. I still find myself making an occasional drift or two in those areas while holding out hope, but to no avail. The fish simply are not there and it sure seems that for whatever reason they just don’t want to be there.

We’ve refocused our efforts more on structure fishing these days. Wells, rocks, islands, etc., seem to hold more fish this time of year than our more traditionally targeted mid-bay reefs. That’s not to say that there aren’t oyster reefs that still produce some fish because there most certainly are. I’m simply stating that I’ve personally witnessed a behavioral shift in the summertime trout here in our bay system. Because of this we must make adjustments in our fishing styles and locations to improve our odds these days. I even resorted to using soft plastics rigged under a rattle cork a few times recently. It’s not necessarily the way I prefer to fish but my customers caught fish using this method.

Finding Cooler Water

I was crossing the southern portion of our bay, traveling from Lower Galveston Bay towards East Bay, when I noticed a drastic decrease in water temperature as I approached the Houston Ship Channel. My sonar reading was steady at about 89° and then suddenly dipped to 80.5° as I crossed the channel filled with cool Gulf water from the morning’s incoming tide. As we continued eastward it climbed back up to 88°. The next day we fished some structure along the edge of that cooler water and did very well throwing MirrOlure Lil Johns and 5” Bass Assassins rigged on 1/8 and 1/4-ounce lead heads, casting up current in 12-14 feet of water. More than half our trout were small but we caught a lot of them.

Predawn incoming tides inundate shallow sand flats with cooler water, and as such can be great places to target during early morning. This is especially true when fishing closer to a pass that leads to the Gulf. We’ll catch fish up on the flats near the shorelines early, and then work our way out towards the drop-offs and ridgelines as tides begin to fall and water temperatures rise. We had a very productive day recently using this approach. The MirrOlure Top Dog Jr produced some solid trout early while casting along the edges of rafting mullet. As the morning progressed the topwater bite faded. That’s when Bass Assassin 5” Chartreuse-Silver Glitter and Laguna Shrimp colors rigged through the belly split on 1/8-ounce Bass Assassin Pro Elite jigheads became hard to beat.

As with any bay system there are sweet spots within the spots. When we’re wading the flats we tend to focus on subtle undulations and sand, potholes, especially during that interim phase when fish are moving from shallow to deeper water. These small dips will hold pockets of cooler water compared to the rest of the shallows.

I mentioned mid-bay reefs earlier. My focal points on reefs changes from early summer to late summer. In May and June I tend to target humps and clusters of live oysters on top of the reefs. When we enter the bath water temperatures of July and August, I’ll spend as much or more time fishing the deep mud and clay bottomed areas just off of these shell reefs. These areas will often hold cooler water with more dissolved oxygen than the shallower, shell-covered portions.

Get an Early Start

Not only will you beat the heat but you’ll be able to arrive ahead of other anglers. Lord knows there just aren’t many secrets these days. An additional 30 or 45 minutes of fishing time can certainly change the outcome of your trip. There have been many mornings recently when we started catching fish 45 minutes or so before sunrise, and then the bite tapered off quickly as the sun was rising. Another plus is the boost in my client’s attitudes when they start catching fish right out of the gate!

Focus On Redfish

Needless to say, we’ve had a few tough days for trout in recent weeks. Some days the conditions (low tides, stiff winds, etc.) make it seem as though there are virtually no areas to successfully target trout. When it gets to this point I’ve been refocusing my attention to redfish. We’ve been able to drift protected sides of jetties and other structure throwing Bass Assassin spinnerbaits as well as crankbaits to catch enough redfish to break the monotony of a slow day. Many of our reds have been oversized but it’s still been fun for clients. Working mud boils in some of our satellite bays and back lakes has also been productive at times, but not like in years past. On calm days we also have open water schools to target, even though the majority of the redfish in them are 30-plus inches.

Premium Tools

The late summer trout bite often resembles what a lot of folks liken to a wintertime bite where trout are not aggressive and bites are sometimes soft. This can present a real challenge for those who are using inferior tools. I’m extremely fortunate to have the very best gear to get the job done. As durable as some of the older rods and reels are, they tend to be too heavy and bulky when it comes to feeling the bite of a finicky late-summer speck. Fishing this time of year can be tough enough as it is. Using modern day state-of-the-art gear such as Waterloo rods and Concept reels are imperative for success. A lightweight and sensitive rod and reel not only helps you feel every bite, they also help you to fish all day without becoming fatigued. Don’t forget to use sensitive and hassle-free line and leader material. I prefer 30-pound Seaguar Smackdown Tournament Braid and 20-pound Seaguar Fluorocarbon leader material.

We will continue to face some challenges over the course of the next couple of months because of unwanted wind directions, elevated water temperatures, etc., but if we go into each day with a positive attitude, leave the dock early, and stay prepared to try new things, we have a better than average chance to avoid slipping into those late summer doldrums. In the meantime, I’ll be counting down the days until fall.

See y’all out there!