Follow the Birds

Well we finally made it through the dog days of summer. For the last few days we have had a northerly breeze when leaving the docks in the morning. Gone are the days of shirts soaking wet from sweat before the sun ever comes up. They have been replaced by goose bumps as my Shoalwater Cat slices its way between shorelines with just a hint of early morning fog; you know the kind where the temperature drops about 10 degrees when you run through it.

We are not the only ones around here happy to see a break in the scorching weather. The fish feel the change as well and are a lot more aggressive. They also know that these little wind shifts and temperature drops means that fall migration of white shrimp from our estuaries in the upper end of San Antonio Bay will begin any day. One factor that usually triggers the start of this exodus is a hard falling tide, which will pull not only the shrimp from the very back reaches of our upper end marshes but also other baitfish like finger mullet and shad.

While fishing the upper reaches of San Antonio Bay marsh I have seen shrimp scatter across the surface when my lure would hit the water just further clarifying that redfish and trout should be gorging in this same area.

These are some of the reasons this is my favorite time of the year to fish. You can fish all over the San Antonio Bay system and expect to catch fish. There will be flocks of birds working over schools of trout, redfish will be abundant, and don't be surprised to find huge schools of jack crevalle in the mix. These beasts are not bashful and will tackle anything and everything that comes across their path. Ladyfish and gafftop join in the fun as well.

This is the perfect time to use up all the lures that have bled into each other, the really old ones, or some of the colors you just never use. These fish will eat anything that is placed in front of them.

But bird action is not the only way to catch fish this time of the year. The reefs in all of the bay system should be holding fish as well. The shorelines and back lake areas will be good places to intercept Mr. Speckled Fish or Mr. Spottail. A very important tip to remember when fishing the reefs or shorelines is that you must have patience. The fish this time of year are much more tightly schooled up then they were in September. The trout will be schooled up so tight on the reefs that if you don't place your lure within a 10ft. radius of a point or hump in the reef you may think that there is not a fish for miles. So remember keep plugging till you get your first bite then plant your feet and don't move till you have fish the area thoroughly.

Being patient and fishing an area completely is something I can't stress enough when fishing reefs with my customers. If one guy decides to move towards the fish before we have thoroughly worked the area, the school will move and this will shut down the fishing for the whole group of fishermen. Pay special attention to your buddy when you are reeling in your fish. Make sure he doesn't walk into the area that you just plucked your fish out of. One more time - plant yourself after you find the first fish!

One of the lures that have been working best for me the last couple of weeks is the Swimming Shiner from Bass Assassins. I have been rigging this plastic with a 1/16 oz. Assassin jighead. The "Baby Speck" and "Clown" colors have been producing the best for me. The Swimming Shiner has a taller body and bigger paddle tail creating more action and vibration in the water. The larger body and tail means you can work this bait a little slower then the conventional tails also allowing the lure to stay in the strike zones longer.

The topwater action has been real steady as well. There have been days where I have left one on the entire day with continual results. She Dogs in the bone/chartreuse and the 808 colors have been working good for my larger speckled targets.

My 21' Shoalwater Cat has been working excellent for me and my parties over the past few months. Matched with the 250 HP Evinrude E-Tec it makes for a lethal redfish tournament boat. At this time, Shellie and I are leading in the Team of the Year race in the Texas Redfish Series. With only one more tournament remaining our hopes are high that we will be able to catch 2 good redfish each day of the last tournament and hold on to our #1 spot.

Shellie and I want to thank Steve Bell at Shoalwater Boats for helping make this happen. If Steve had not stepped up to the plate to help us out we probably would not have fished this series. Thanks again Steve!

Early teal season was excellent and the upcoming duck season should be good as well. Fortunately for us here in Seadrift we have received lots of rain this summer unlike areas north of us. These conditions will push larger numbers of ducks to the coast.

Fish hard, fish smart!