South Padre: September 2024

Humans can travel anywhere in the world. Some places we choose are far away, and some are close to home. It’s no different for fish, except humans do it for business or pleasure; fish do it for survival. As hot as it’s been, we are still seeing fish up in the shallows, but only in early morning. As the sun gets high, the fish retreat to deeper water. But the following day, they’re right back where they were the morning before. To me, this confirms that their movements are based on survival; feeding shallow and then passing the hottest part of the day in greater comfort and safety.

Consider the snook. Their quest for ideal wintering and spawning habitat can span thirty to forty miles or more, or maybe only a short trek of seven to eight miles. Fish movements are driven by seasonal needs; which include spawning, avoiding fishing pressure, tidal levels and movements, and environmental factors like water temperature, wind, and salinity.

To succeed in your fishing endeavors, understanding movements and migration patterns will help you find them on all or most of your fishing trips. Remember though, just because you find them doesn't mean you will catch them. That's a different story but seeing them first will allow you to present something that may catch them. Where do the redfish, trout, and snook go in September? Let me share what I've experienced over the years.

September is traditionally our wettest month on the Lower Laguna, so water levels tend to be higher than usual, and salinity levels will drop because of the abundance of rain. Higher water levels will move redfish to back bays, shorelines, and recently inundated flats where they feed on tiny crabs, shrimp, and other crustaceans. You will notice that redfish will feed more actively for longer periods this month, a product of slightly reduced water temperatures, providing them more oxygen and energy than the 90-plus water temps of August. With the added energy, redfish will undoubtedly be more willing to crush topwaters than in the hotter summer months.

The ZMan Kicker CrabZ mimics small, live crabs perfectly, and it tends to stay low in the water column, which you want when redfish are on the feed in shallow water. Their Salty Ned ShrimpZ is another proven bait; it's a perfect size for imitating bay shrimp that reds are known to gorge on.

Look to the sandy eastside flats of the Lower Laguna when the tides rise higher than normal. Redfish often travel to the sand to escape fishing pressure and usually fall back to deeper water once the sun gets high.

Our trout fishery continues to improve. We are currently seeing lots of slicks and I expect this will continue through the month of September. Trout were plentiful in the deeper waters of the ICW, given the elevated water temperatures throughout the summer months. I expect that with slightly cooler water this month we will see them beginning to venture to adjacent flats and holding there for longer periods.

There will be lots of small ones, and larger fish will tend to be skinny, but that will be changing soon as the waters cool and they feed more actively, adding weight. Topwater action will improve but there is still lots of floating grass; I recommend single hooks to combat that problem.

ZMan unveiled a new bait at ICAST recently called the Big Ballerz. I have been fooling redfish, trout, and snook for over a year with prototypes of this lure. It has excellent action and has been very effective on skittish trout that shy from other lures in shallow water. They are available in four and five-inch models in a range of colors. Rigging on a Texas Eye Finesse jighead is an excellent choice when targeting trout in heavy grass.

Snook fishing last year was the best in ten years, but so far this year the big ones have been eluding us. The big snook bite last September was unbelievable and I’m praying we will see it returning. Boat traffic and fishing pressure tend to be lighter in September and these shy monsters like solitude. Higher water levels and stronger tidal flows means more big snook on the prowl. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

I have reason to believe September is going to be a great month. Slight cooling of air and water temperatures, along with reduced boat traffic have traditionally provided excellent fishing. It’s also cast and blast season; another great way to enjoy the outdoors. Keep an eye on the weather!