Market Day by the Bay

Saturday, Sept. 14 – 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Seadrift Civic Center

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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

Poco Bueno Sunrise, July 2013 -Mack Davis

Port O’Connor in recent years has become one of the premier offshore and inshore tournament destinations on the entire Texas coast. Hosting more than twenty of the top Texas fishing competitions, Port O’Connor or “POC” for short, boasts outstanding offshore fishing for blue marlin, kingfish, mahi, wahoo, and tuna, as well as some of the best snapper fishing anywhere in the Gulf. Inshore tournament anglers also enjoy world class fishing in the POC area for the Texas “Big Three” species of speckled trout, redfish, and flounder.

Some of the major summer tournaments in Port O’Connor include the Pescado Grande, Cula Roja, Poco Bueno, and many other public and private invitational tourneys. Each tournament is different in its own right, but typically there are inshore and offshore divisions and often there are separate categories for artificial and live bait anglers. Entry fees can range from less than one hundred per team to thousands for select offshore tourneys with large cash prizes at stake. If you enjoy the aspect of a little competitive fishing now and then, Port O’Connor tournaments can be a lot of fun!

Aside from having extremely healthy inshore and offshore fisheries, Port O’Connor’s geographical location makes it an ideal base for these tournaments. Offshore anglers can reach deep water billfish grounds much quicker than boats fishing further north from Surfside or Galveston. Inshore tournament anglers can choose from a number of different bay systems within minutes of Port O’Connor. In the recent two day Poco Bueno Invitational Tournament, a number of teams fished West Matagorda Bay, Keller Bay, and Espiritu Santo Bay in the first day of fishing and San Antonio and Mesquite Bay on the second day. During the three day period just before and during the tournament, anglers experienced varying wind speeds from nearly every point on the compass which, in many Texas bay systems, would wreak havoc on a tourney angler’s strategy.  Fortunately, the many islands and back lakes that dot this pristine coastline virtually guarantee that there will be fishable clear water within reach under even the most adverse conditions.

In Poco Bueno tournaments past, inshore and offshore anglers have been occasionally blessed with calm sea conditions and green, calm water to the beach. When these conditions get right, nearly everyone in the inshore division will be somewhere in the surf, wading or drifting the miles of deserted shoreline for large yellow mouth speckled trout and redfish. Some of the most exciting topwater action on the coast can be found along the shallow sand bars and guts that parallel the beaches of Matagorda Island.

Whether you are a seasoned tournament angler or have never fished in competition before, you owe it to yourself to take a look at the many fishing opportunities this area has to offer.

Tournament Teamwork L to R: Allan Atkinson, Sue Atkinson, Leslie Shatto, Peter Houghton

Whitecap Invitational Spring 2013 Winner Mack Davis, 7# 2 oz trout.

Topwater action, Mack Davis

Guests of Castawy Lodge fishing in August. Castaway Lodge

Tournament Reds & Benchmark Trout

Big Trout to 26” along with some heartbreaking hook-pulls on some “solids” and freight training Redfish have made things interesting of late. Having my son Stephen deck handing for me the last couple of weeks has been a dream come true as well and things couldn’t get much better.

Stabilizing Conditions

As poor conditions prevailed over the last several weeks, we changed tactics and managed to “outperform”. A little stronger level of fishermen through that stretch managed to aid our efforts. Nagging low tides are starting to stabilize and we started picking up a little more water yesterday and then again today. Much of our approach is geared toward wind and water levels.

Making Good Choices

With a group from FabCorp on Thursday, we struggled greatly with advanced techniques yielding minimal yet day saving results. A bright spot in the action was a solid 26” Trout that smoked our offering in mud/grass pockets. I was sure it was a Redfish until it rolled out from under the boat and showed her spots. Toward the end of the day I had little doubt that conditions were on the mend and the guests elected to stay and fish another day. That proved to be a wise choice. Day 2 featured an immediate introduction to Redfish all centered at the upper end of the slot and beyond. There was no “hook setting” on these fish. They burned the baits immediately on the take down and our first fish was a breakoff leaving me little doubt is was a Jack Crevalle. As it turned out, it was a Redfish as all the fish mimicked this initial encounter.
Trout came after the Redfish and a solid box made the first days struggle a memory. We enjoyed the visit and look forward to more days just like it.

Big Trout, August Spawn

Trout are working the heart to near peak of the incoming tide over shell and mud/grass. The bigger fish, fish over 24” are lurking in the mud pockets aiming to spawn again here in August. This is a pattern I’ve seen some 20 years on the water in this location. There is no doubt that is being repeated amid lower salinity levels this year.

Celebrating our 20th Year

The neat thing about fishing on the Texas Coast is fishing through the undulations in conditions and feeding patterns. On the production end, catching fish with any guest; on any day; in any weather; and, in any conditions is what we pride ourselves on. Execution is everything and that is where we shine with the best “people” on and off the water. That’s our success story. The list of credits, thanks, and lessons learned “from” is endless and starts with you our guests. Come see us when you get a chance!

Capt. Kris Kelley
Castaway Lodge
1-888-618-4868
www.seadriftbayfishing.com