Fish Talk: September 2011

Even though early September can be a lot like August, the latter weeks are typically the kickoff of our fall fishing season along with several other seasonal outdoor activities. The schools will reopen at the beginning of the month which usually means a lot less boat traffic on weekdays, teal season opens on the 10th and the South Zone dove opener falls on the 23rd. Lots of fishermen will spend weekends at their deer leases to get things squared away for the upcoming season and of course there will be Friday night football. With all that is on the calendar Matagorda area anglers could very well find some open space on the water.

This extended drought we are in really has me concerned. As I'm trying to write this article I'm running in and out moving sprinklers trying to keep all the trees I planted in my front pasture several years back from withering and dying. This has been my twice-a-week chore for the past several months. My rain gauge says Matagorda has received only 2.5 inches of rain since February and this is beginning to critically affect our bays and estuaries. Rain prayers have been going up for quite some time now so we have faith something will happen soon. With salinity levels as high as they are currently, it could have a serious impact on our winter and spring fishing seasons. Only time will tell. Historically, we begin to receive better than average rainfall in September as tropical weather systems come ashore. Karen and I will keep up our prayer vigil until it arrives.

In late July, we entered a weather pattern marked by lots of west and southwest wind that is still with us and it has really clobbered our water clarity chocolate milk by mid-morning in some areas. Fishermen throwing live bait have fared better than lure chunkers. Bottom line is that clear water, easier to find in the early morning hours, has allowed us to catch trout on the mid-bay reefs and spoil banks off the Intracoastal Waterway but we had to work at it. I stuck it out in East Matagorda, never really ventured into West Bay at all. We retreated tight to the south shoreline most of the month due to clarity problem. Redfish have been plentiful and the trout have been scattered but with dogged effort we tricked quite a few with our Bass Assassins and MirrOlure She Dogs. Night fishing never panned for me like it has in years past due the wind being strong in the evenings and continuing into the night.

Looking in my logbook September has given us really nice trout, especially toward the end of the month. With tides typically a little stronger and winds starting to come out of the southeast, our water conditions should improve. Hopefully we will begin to see some bird activity. I spoke with Brandy Hicks over at Russells Bait & Tackle to get the latest update on bait shrimp. She told me that they have been down 50% from last year on their shrimp catches. Thats alarming information; however, on a brighter note, we continue to see plenty of shad and mullet which will be our focus for the upcoming months. I previously mentioned bird activity which should start up late September into October but not sure how long that will last if the shrimp population did not fare so well in the drought.

I'll be moving around a lot in September targeting reefs, spoil banks, north and south shorelines, and maybe even drifting the deeper reefs in East Bay. I expect the keys will be concentrations of mullet and shad. Most of my time will be spent in East Bay as West Bay is a different animal; however fishing pressure could force me west on certain days. There are a lot of reds on West Bay shorelines, Twin Island, Shell Island, Crab Lake, and Oyster Lake to name a few places for you to try.

Baits will include 5 Bass Assassins - roach, 10W40, Hot Chicken, Chicken-on-a-Chain, Pumpkinseed, and Firetiger. Topwaters will be MirrOlure She Pups and She Dogs in CRCH, CRBL, CRCH, CRBN, BLCHO, NSCH, and their new Okie color. If you plan to throw Corkys later this fall and winter you need to start stocking up now. Long about the middle of October they will definitely become one of my go-to baits.

Until next time... God Bless. -Capt. Bill