South Padre: March 2025

I'm sure you’ve heard the expression; Go fly a kite! This can be interpreted in a number of ways. One is a way of saying leave me alone, and another more literal usage could be somewhat of a command or encouragement to take your kite outdoors and enjoy the windy weather. If the latter might be most applicable, there’s a good chance it’s a windy March day and a great one for kite-flying.

March is famous for wind, sometimes gusting to 30 mph, sometimes even higher. In terms of weather events, I can take thunderstorms and lightning; all you have to do is dodge them and keep fishing. I can also take rain, freezing temperatures, cloudy conditions and extreme heat. But the thing I dislike most is strong wind. You cannot escape it. It churns the water to a light chocolate color making it difficult for fish to see your lures. Quite often in March a trip can turn from looking for fish to looking for fishable water, but fishable water doesn't always have fish in it.

So, what’s my strategy during windy conditions? Number one is to find fishable water, which will usually be around protected shorelines on the east side of the ICW, where sand flats can keep their clarity even on the windiest days. Areas with abundant seagrasses are usually better than bare bottom as seagrasses help hold bottom sediments in place. After locating water of fishable clarity, I’m looking for signs of bait flipping and jumping, and maybe some birds feeding on the surface. Both are solid indicators that fish could be present and actively feeding.

March is a great month to catch the trout of a lifetime. In the colder months the bigger trout tend to school up in deeper holes, but now that the water is warming up the bigger fish spread out and head to the shallows as they prepare to spawn during ideal tide and water conditions. These big fish don't eat every day though, so relying on the science of tides, solunar tables, and lunar phases becomes important elements of fishing strategies. Just remember that the science is not always an indicator of instant success. Bites will often be few when chasing these big fish, try to remember that you are after quality, not quantity. Sometimes, it may take all day to get that one trophy fish to bite, and you may not even get a big bite at all, but that's trophy hunting for you.

In general, we can expect lots of bites from undersize and keeper-size trout during March along the ICW, flats that lie adjacent, and also on the eastside sand flats. Paddletail soft plastics create vibration and work well in early spring due to the often murky water conditions created by the wind. Z-Man's PaddlerZ and the new Big Ballerz are great choices to throw this time of the year. I like to throw Sexy Penny, Pearl, Plum/Chart, and Troutcicle in both bait styles.

With the windy conditions and water levels rising this month, look for redfish in back bay areas, feeding on shrimp and small crabs. This time of year, it's common to see redfish shadowing stingrays, feeding on small crustaceans the rays spook from the muddy bottoms. My go-to redfish baits this time of year are natural-colored to resemble shrimp or blue crab patterns. Z-Man's four-inch Big BallerZ, Paddlerz, and StreakZ are all excellent bait choices to have in your box.

As you fish this month and the wind is howling, think of yourself inside a washing machine and someone running a chainsaw next to you. If you were a redfish, where would you hide? Look for areas where fish can find protection in constant harsh wind but still have access to food.

If you're hunting trophy trout, be prepared to put in lots of time chasing them. And when you find trophy fish, either by seeing them or actually catching one, be patient and wait until they are ready to feed and let their guard down just enough to fool them. The photos and memories will be worth the effort and time.

Here's one last suggestion. If you prefer to fish from a drifting boat, I highly recommend you carry two drift anchors this time of the year. Having two drift anchors out will slow you down enough to fish an area more thoroughly than simply cruising at the mercy of the wind. Best fishing!