With air temperatures in the 80s and water temps in the 70s, it sure is starting to feel like summer! The fish are feeding, bait is getting more plentiful and lots of migratory species are being caught with regularity.
Kingfish, cobia, pompano, redfish, Spanish mackerel and black drum are being caught along the beaches. You can have some success by posting up on the beach and throwing a couple of lines out, but I prefer to glide my boat along the coastline and spot cast to cruising schools of fish. It’s exciting because you can see what you’re targeting in advance and select the perfect bait to make the catch. For the most part, a jig will entice just about all of the species found along the beach.
In the shallows and on the flats, fish are feeding on the baitfish that are moving in. Deep in the bays and around the bayous and Intracoastal Waterway, trout and redfish are foraging on menhaden. Pilchards haven't yet shown up on the grass flats but there are large numbers of glass minnows and mullet to keep the fish fed. The early morning trout bite has been fantastic on topwater baits and, once that cools off, you can switch to artificial shrimp and start getting bites again. Most of the trout have come from 2-3 feet of water but the big sows are being caught on the shallow side. Any spot with water flowing into the bay is a good place to look. Creeks, ditches, Intracoastal Waterway, passes and inlets can all be great places to find fish as the tide falls.
In the deeper parts of the bay, big bull redfish are holding to structures such as jetties and bridges. This can be one of the least exciting ways to fish but, when done right, it can produce some giant bites that will nearly rip the rod out of your hands. I prefer to fish big soft plastics on heavy jig heads slowly with the current. Locating fish and structure requires the ability to read and interpret sonar but is a very satisfying way to fish once those basics are mastered. Be sure to handle these big fish with care as they are protected and must be released healthy.
As always, if you have questions about what’s biting, how to catch them or want to book a trip, give me a call or shoot me an email.
Good luck!
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