Spring begins in March, so we should look for things to start changing around here. Some of the more abrupt changes may be with our weather, as March often offers oscillating winds that can sometimes be quite strong along our Texas coastal region. We should probably also expect air and water temperatures to vary a bit as we head into an overall warming trend, but don’t dismiss cold weather altogether this month. In the past, the month of March has been known to present us with a few cold snaps that truly belong in the record books.

As stated, the need for us to deal with some possibly strong winds this month will begin to become more of the norm rather than the exception as we progress throughout this month and into the next. We should also expect to see pattern changes in the wind from that of northeasterly flows to that of southeasterly flows. Some days this month may be so windy you may need to rely on alternate plans and locations if you still want to fish. When this happens, look for confines offering protection from the wind. Along the Port O’Connor and Seadrift region of our coast, places like the Intracoastal Waterway, the Victoria Barge Canal, and any of the number of back lake areas strewn across Matagorda Island offer prime alternatives for anglings wishing to duck out of nagging winds in order to be able to keep fishing, instead of heading off the water early or choosing not to go at all.

We should also begin seeing changes in water clarity this month as the water begins taking on a greening effect instead of that of previous gin-clear characteristics. We can also count on water temperatures to begin warming now and to continue doing so for the next few months as we move through spring.

Warming temperatures also mean that it won’t be long now before we’re able to start looking for hungry springtime speckled trout atop shorelines that are covered with lots of sand and grass. You should be able to start your first wading session of the morning amongst mud and grass, and then transition to hard sand, or sand and shell, just as soon as rays of sunlight are allowed to warm the mid-morning flats. Up until this month, it has been important to key-in on areas containing lots of mud. But with the environment slowly warming itself, it will now become very important for coastal anglers wishing to be successful this month to concentrate on slowly changing their focus to that of hard-sand.

Capt. Chris Martin, Bay Flats Lodge, Inc 1.888.677.4868