South Padre: May 2023

Heading into May, I am thoroughly tired of all this wind. Hopefully, it will soon calm down to where we can at least talk to one another without yelling. Another thought that comes to mind is that May is when we can begin to expect multiple fishing tournaments every weekend. We can’t change this, but there are some things we can do to make it less frustrating.

First would be arriving early to the launch ramp. If you have to wait in line, get all your tackle and gear organized and onboard before backing down the ramp. When it’s your turn, be quick about it; and switch your headlights off. Don’t tie up dock space. Get your crew loaded and move away so another boat can tie up. Now that you’re underway, exercise extra caution as you navigate to your first fishing spot. An early start helps insure you will be the first boat to arrive there.

Our daily catches are solid proof that there is no lack of redfish in our bays. With tides rising higher than they’ve been in several months, the reds are staging in the back bays, shallow coves, and tight against shallow shorelines. We are seeing reds of all sizes, from less than slot length, all the way to upper-slot bruisers. Interestingly, there have been few oversize redfish so far this spring. I do, however, expect that will change as the tides continue to rise. Hopefully, with winds diminishing in coming weeks, we will soon be able to fish many areas that have been too dirty since late winter. If you like to wade fish, the back bays where little or no boat traffic occurs can be golden as the fish are less likely to spook easily and stalking them while they cruise the shorelines with their backs or tails out of the water is always a possibility and a lot of fun.  

While on the topic of redfish, I would like to introduce you to Z-Man's Kicker CrabZ. Like all Z-Man plastics, Kicker CrabZ are made of ElaZtech and are highly durable and resist tearing, even after catching numerous fish. Redfish love small crabs and this bait is most effective at the bottom of the water column, where crabs spend most of their time, and redfish like to feed. Another effective redfish lure for us has been the Paddlerz in Sexy Penny, rigged on a weedless Texas Eye jighead.

If you classify trophy trout by weight alone, May is our last decent chance to land a true heavyweight specimen. There will be a few out there this month that are still full of eggs, but spawning definitely takes a toll on their girth.

As of right now, our trout fishery continues to rebound, and I would say it is in better shape than I would have predicted only two years after the February 2021 freeze. Water temperatures and clarity will be suitable for catching trout in the shallows and also deeper water throughout the month. Look for color changes and potholes to be good areas to find plenty of trout, and keep in mind they may begin to move toward deeper water around midday and early afternoon if the temperatures become unseasonably warm. If and when this might occur, focus on deeper guts and channel edges just off the flats. A strategy that can improve your catching ratio when boat traffic is on the rise would be to fish in the evening hours after the bay has quieted. The fish will not be as wary and more willing to feed.

What baits will we be throwing as we target trout in May? Topwaters, for sure, any time that wind, water clarity, and bait activity at the surface all come together. Fish will be highly active this month and a surface lure will surely attract their attention under favorable conditions. We will also be throwing lots of Z-Man baits; the five-inch DieZel MinnowZ, the five-inch StreakZ, and the PaddlerZ have been good producers all through spring and will continue to produce this month. 

In closing, I see more and more anglers practicing catch and release, especially with trout. We hope to see this movement and attitude continuing to grow and becoming more acceptable to the larger audience. Those of you that are already practicing CPR, keep up the excellent work. It may take some time for others to accept it, but remember that we were all where they are at some point in our own careers.