With the enormous amounts of rainfall incurred on Memorial Day weekend in the Texas Hill Country and along the coastal plains, we are still not completely rid of the resultant freshwater runoff, as significant amounts of freshwater continue to hinder any area that is lacking direct Gulf water fluctuation. But saltwater migration will continue to progress over the upcoming weeks, and area back lakes will no longer be the only source of saltwater. Saltwater will soon be found directly up against the immediate shorelines, as well.

Now then, there may be many explanations as to why the shorelines will tend to maintain better salt right now. The first is that when one body of water is forced to empty into a second body of water through a narrow passage, the water from the first body is driven to a central point along tapered pathways to the second body. As a result, a ventilation effect is formed somewhat like that of an hourglass condition. Examples of this effect in some of our more major bay systems can be found in places where the bays have immediate discharge access to the expanses of larger bodies of water – Espiritu Santo Bay emptying into West Matagorda Bay via Saluria Bayou, West Matagorda Bay emptying into the Gulf via Pass Cavallo and the Matagorda Ship Channel jetties, and even in some minor instances like Mesquite Bay emptying into the Gulf via Cedar Bayou whenever the tides rise to the occasion.

How does this all work? Well, if you turn an hourglass upside-down, you’ll note that the centralized portion of the sand mass experiences the majority of the movement, whereas the sand along the outer walls of the glass experience a minimal amount of movement – the sand particles evacuate the upper section of the hourglass into the lower section from the inside-out. This same type of movement will continue to occur at exit points throughout major bay systems, and is the primary reason behind the immediate shorelines holding the bay’s supply of saltier water.

All the recent runoff has situated the fish in the lower portion of the water column near the bottom, and trout limits have routinely come from fishing live bait over muddy bottoms in three foot of water. Trout seem to be congregating directly against the shoreline water during the warmer part of the day. Every day is an education out on our area bays, and figuring out the effects of the local weather and winds, the tides, and the recent rainfall accumulations can sometimes make it very difficult to recognize any distinct fishing pattern whatsoever. As of late, mid-bay waters continue to hold extreme amounts of fresh water as close as 50-100 yards off of the shorelines, but some of the shorelines are holding a bit of saltwater.

Some of the better salinity levels can currently be found in some of the bayous and guts in Espiritu Santo Bay and West Matagorda Bay near Port O’ Connor. The saltwater is quite obvious on an incoming tide, and you can tell by the difference in the color of the water where the freshwater is located. Redfish are starting to race down the shorelines as well, busting at everything that might get in their way, and anglers should train their eyes on sandy shorelines with grass patches. Remember to practice CPR, “Catch, Photo, and Release”, whenever possible on trophy Trout and Reds…Guide Chris Martin, www.BayFlatsLodge.com…1-888-677-4868.