High Tides and Flooded Grass

After the long wait for my truck to finally get out of the shop and no plans for the weekend I decided to kill two birds with one stone. The plan was to leave Kyle as soon as I got out of class on Thursday and head to Houston to pick up my truck, and swing by Clint's place to pick up a kayak that he graciously let me borrow for the weekend because I had no means of bringing a kayak with me. I originally planned to fish as much as possible during the time I was going to be down there which was originally supposed to be Monday or Tuesday. I ended up leaving earlier than I anticipated because I was supposed to have a flag football playoff game Sunday evening that was later cancelled due to the rain. I’m actually glad that I left when I did though because the wind picked up on Sunday and the tides where still way above normal which would have made fishing tough.

With the tides running way above normal in Galveston, I knew it was going to be difficult to locate fish. Fishing during these conditions has not been very productive for me up to this point because from my experience it scatters the fish and puts them in areas their normally not accustomed to being. I got on the water a little later than I wanted to on Friday and fished hard through the morning hours without much to show for my efforts. Baitfish activity was plentiful but I only managed a few bites and I suspect the high tides had something to do with. I've fished this spot quite a few times before and I have never seen the tide that high before. From past experiences I've had my best success here when a strong falling tide sucks all of the baitfish out of the marsh while the reds take advantage of shallow hunting grounds for an easy meal. The tide was falling almost the entire time I was there. But even with a strong falling tide and around two feet of vertical water movement I didn't see a whole lot of fish until the latter part of the day when the tide was at its lowest point. The low tide was still higher than most of the high tides I've experienced in this area. I finished the day with only a few fish including a solid 25" red that I sight casted to throwing a pearl white Gulp shrimp. I also sight casted to a decent size black drum, which was a first for me on a lure.







The next day I had plans to meet up and fish with Clint and Vincent on a location later to be determined. After a long day on the water from sunup to almost sundown and covering over seven miles of water, I gave Clint a call and he filled me in on the details of the trip that Clint, Vincent, and Dustin had planned for Saturday. Once I heard the details I knew I had to get in on this trip. I have talked with other friends on many occasions about making this trip but it never materialized up to this point. I wasn’t only excited about the trip but from my experience fishing with these guys I always seem to learn something new because of the wealth of knowledge these guys possess and the fishing tales they have accumulated over the years are sure to keep someone entertain even when the fishing is slow. The plan was a very long drift down much of West Galveston Bay fishing every cove along the way by starting at Pirates Cove and ending at Sea Isle. The start of the day was pretty productive with each of catching numerous trout along with scattered redfish. We spent a little too much time in the first cove so in order to make up time we decided to skip the next cove and high tail it to the one after. We caught fish in nearly every cove that we fished but the action seemed to slow down after the start of the day. We ended up catching an abundance of trout, some redfish, and one flounder between the four of us. A majority of our fish came on topwaters due to the overcast skies with some coming on various soft plastics in one to three feet of water. According to my calculations were covered approximately 11 miles of water on Saturday. I want to thank Clint again for being so generous and allowing me to borrow his kayak for the weekend and inviting me to tag along for this trip. It was a fun couple of days on the water and I can’t wait for the winter season to get here so we can chase some big, fat trout.

Work vs. Play

They say a better a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work but what about three bad days of fishing. Are three bad days of fishing better than three good days at work?

I recently returned home from a three day trip to the one of my favorite places to fish on the Texas Coast, the Lower Laguna Madre. This place isn’t unique in terms of its composition in relation to other places in along our coastline here in Texas. The crystalline waters of the Lower Laguna consists of mainly shallow grass flats with potholes scattered randomly throughout the flats with a few relatively deep channels and flats bordering them. There is an abundance of mangroves coating a substantial portion of the shorelines in the area as well as generous amounts of oyster patches disperse amongst the shallows.

Although there are certainly other places along the coast that produce these types of structure, what sets this place apart is it possess the only fishable population of snook in the US outside the state of Florida. The willingness of this species to attack lures, more specifically topwaters, with a tenacious voracity, their drag screaming power, and acrobatic ability makes them a well sought after commodity throughout the geographic regions where they’re found.

The trip was a rough one in terms of catching due to the amount of work that two friends and I had exert for the small amount of fish we were able to catch. The first two days we paddled approximately 24 miles for only four keeper redfish and a few other undersized redfish and speckled trout. The wind the first day was stronger than we anticipated making it the toughest of day of the trip even though it wasn’t the longest in terms of water covered.

The first two days we concentrated on an area near the pass knowing the effects of the red tide had made its way into the nearby flats. We saw an enormous quantity of dead fish floating with a majority of them being mullet, hardheads, and other baitfish. Over the entire trip we saw only a handful of dead game fish including one snook, two trout, and several flounder including a doormat that’s pictured below. Unanimously we agreed that the effects of the red tide must have played a role in the abysmal fishing because the conditions otherwise were superb.

Though we missed numerous opportunities and saw a fair amount of inactive fish the first two days we decided we needed a change in scenery because the opportunities didn’t justify our efforts. The third day we move to an area considerably further from the pass in hopes that the distance would dilute the effects of the red tide. Right away we noticed that there was more baitfish activity than we had the seen the entire two days previous. We finish the last day with more fish landed than the previous two days combined even though we only covered roughly five miles and ended the day short.

Although each successive day of fishing improved ever so slightly over the previous day, overall the fishing was marginal at best. My knowledge of red tides is very faint so I guess I need to do some reading and enlighten myself on the topic. If my pleasure was based on the quantity or quality of fish caught, or if it was easy I think fishing would have lost its luster a long time ago. Despite the fishing I had a great time as always doing what I love to do while hanging out with good people.

Are three bad days of fishing better than three good days at work? On the drive toward our destination my trip counterpart, John, stated that being on the water alone was enough to bring him fulfillment and catching only added to the experience. I couldn't agree more. In my humble opinion any day outdoors or doing what you love is better than being tied up and busy doing things you aren’t passionate about.

This is my first post on my new blog, which will be dedicated to everything fishing related. Any questions or comments are appreciated. Until next time…