Jill Porter used a topwater plug to catch this fat trout in 3 feet of water during a major feeding time. Top lures lately have been a pink/gold Super Spook Jr., bone Jumpin Minnow and Rebel Jointed Minnow. -Capt. Robert Sloan photo

It’s hot, weekends are crowded and fishing is about as tough as it gets, right? Don’t think so. I had a client out recently that booked me for a day of fishing, and not just any type of fishing – he wanted to catch ‘em all on topwater lures. On a weekend that’s normally out of the question due to too much boat traffic about this time of summer. But if you hit the right spots at the right time the topwater bite can be better than you might believe.

We hooked up at Clark’s boat ramp at about 5:30 a.m. Four hours later we had caught 19 trout and reds to about four pounds. All came on topwater lures and all were caught in 1 to 3 feet of water. That was one happy customer. Here’s the kicker. We caught a few early, but most of ‘em hit the topwater plugs from about 9 till 11 during a major feeding time.

There are hundreds of miles of shoreline to fish topwater lures for trout and reds along the Texas coast. That’s a fact. But if you really want to have some fun try working something like a Super Spook Jr. or Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow over sand and grass at Port O’Connor.

It’s definitely true that weekend boat traffic can slow the topwater bite on the flats and along some of the best shorelines. And it’s a fact that the most peaceful time to be fishing for topwater trout and reds at POC is from Monday through Thursday. But when push comes to shove there’s almost always a secluded flat or shoreline that will be holding fish on the weekends.

I’ve been fishing POC for over 40 years. Two things I’ve figured out are to always try to be fishing during a major fishing time. Second, always try to be on the water when the there is an incoming tide. Rising water on the flats will always bring in hungry fish. If you work these two things into your fishing times, things will be in your favor.

Something else I’ve figured out is that there are about three topwater lures that always seem to sucker trout and reds into a blow up. They include the Super Spook Jr., Jumpin’ Minnow and Rebel Jointed Minnow. The Jointed Minnow is a lipped lure that will run down about a foot deep on a steady retrieve. What I like to do is pop this lure on the surface with steady jerk-jerk-jerk retrieve. Almost all of the strikes will come as the bait is sitting dead still.

Best colors for all of those lures will be blue/chrome, bone or gold/black. Actually, the best new color combination for a Super Spook is pink/gold.

Here’s a quick tip for you. Always attach your topwater lure to the line with a locking loop knot, so you don’t kill the action of the lure. Never use Fluorocarbon as a leader with topwater plugs. It sinks and will affect the action of the lure.

That’s it for now. If you want to make a topwater trip, wading or from the boat, give me a call.

Capt. Robert Sloan
409 782 6796
Sloan288@aol.com
www.hightailangler.com