For those of you who haven’t ventured to the Texas coast recently for a summertime fishing trip simply due to the blistering summertime heat, then you should start making plans to do so in September. The latter weeks of September generally signify the first real relief from high temperatures in Texas. This change begins when we start to receive some of the year’s first notable frontal passages from the north. Temperatures will begin to slowly drop allowing for milder conditions all along our coastal regions. The waters shall begin their greening process, and some of the season’s initial flights of ducks will start arriving from the northern states. The beginning of autumn will soon be upon us, so you need to be ready.

Due to locale, coastal bend anglers have an advantage over others in that they are presented with some of the finest fishing waters in Texas. And because we have such good fishing, coastal anglers should be spending just as much time as possible out on the water this month. Granted, it‘s easy getting caught up in spending unnecessary time deciding whether its best to be spending the day wading the shallows of a protected shoreline, venturing into the back-country for redfish, or drifting open-bay shell pads for an aggressive trout bite. But, don’t let the choices overwhelm you! Another beautiful thing about the month of September is that you don’t have to make a choice between doing any of these things on any one particular day. Many anglers will be spending most of their days this month doing all of them.

Once we start seeing higher tide levels later this month, anglers should start looking to the various back lakes on Matagorda Island, and to the shell reefs of San Antonio Bay. It’s around this time of year that these lakes and reefs start producing some of their finest trout action. As for the reds, a lot of September anglers will be chasing them in Guadalupe Bay, looking for sand pockets and pushes (wakes) rather than tails. Remember, maintain your summertime ritual of starting early in the morning and starting out in some really shallow water.

Historically, some of the year’s best top water action has taken place the last two weeks of September. Artificial enthusiasts should begin each day by tossing smaller top water baits like the Skitter Walk Junior or the Super Spook Junior. If “Tops” don’t work, then “Tails” might. In this case, you’ll find most anglers offering any of an assortment of plastic baits rigged on either 1/8 or 1/16 ounce jig-heads. Have fun out there, be courteous to fellow anglers, and practice safety above all else!