Mansfield Report: September 2011

The official end of summer and beginning of fall comes on September 23 with the autumnal equinox but summer-like weather and summer fishing patterns will likely hold well into October down here in Deep South Texas. Our Laguna is in great shape and the fishing has remained very good since my last report. Barring nasty weather from the tropics (nobody wants to hear the h word) I think we have an excellent fall season ahead.

Typical of late summer, low tides and floating grass have been throwing us some tough curves. Depending time of day and wind direction even with single hooks floating grass can totally clobber the topwater bite. Some days I get so frustrated that I find myself shaking my fist and calling it ugly names but at the same time I know that seagrass is the foundation of our Laguna Madre ecosystem and without it we could never enjoy the clear water and healthy fisheries. So I bite my tongue and tie on a tail; the trout and reds seem just as happy even if I am annoyed.

On the trout scene – the number's bite has been steadiest over the deepest grass beds and deeper contour breaks while the best action for bigger fish has been during the early hours over very shallow grass, quite often right up next to the bright sand. Tossing just about any soft plastic amid concentrations of mullet will get you the most bites, both shallow and deep. Topwater action for trout has been very good when the grass doesn't kill it and has given us some very memorable early morning wades. Bone, white and chrome have all been good plug colors - as long as they also have some amount of chartreuse. Back to plastics – I have been doing well swimming the Hogies Major Minnow in the shallows and then switching to the Kelly Wiggler Ball Tail Shad when working out a little deeper. My favorite jighead and the one I rig with most often is the Hogies 1/8 ounce 3/0 spring head. Threading the bait onto that spring feature holds it very securely. Texas Tackle Factory's Big Mino on the same jighead has also been a great producer whenever I feel my presentation will benefit from a beefier profile... as in murky water.

In case you have not noticed I have been missing my redfish predictions right and left over the past couple of months. I keep telling everybody the big schools will be showing on the flats any day yet scattered singles continue to dominate the pattern. It has me scratching my head whether they're holding deep out in the middle of the bay or maybe they've moved further south than I have been fishing, who knows? This is not to say we are not catching reds as we are definitely raking up singles here and there on most wades. So rather than tell you the schools will show on the flats during September I will play it safe and say they are overdue and we will definitely celebrate their arrival.

As I have been reporting regularly, flounder are evidently doing pretty well of late in the Laguna Madre. Not only are the numbers of flounder increasing but the weight is pushing right up there as well and four pounders are no longer rare. As a matter of fact, today, we had Reilly Lawrence of Houston take the lead in the CCA STAR STARTEEN Flounder category with a beautiful Lower Laguna flattie that weighed four pounds and one ounce. Reilly and dad Troy Lawrence were bouncing soft plastics along the edges of a channel when the prized flatfish nailed her lure. Flounder catches have been exceptional all summer and it's not even flounder season yet... come on November!

With everything we have going on down here in the Lower Laguna Madre, my prediction is that September is going to be a gimme fishing month. The Labor Day weekend, while hardly the end of summer, is the end of the summer fishing season for lots of folks. Boat traffic will be noticeably lighter after the second weekend and fewer disturbances from racing outboards almost always signals the arrival of better fishing. Let's everybody keep our fingers crossed weather-wise; a tropical storm or two to deliver much-needed moisture would be great but nobody wants the damaging wind and storm surge that so often comes with a hurricane. Come on down and see us, and don't forget you'll probably need single hooks on your plugs to get the best of the topwater bite.