LOWER LAGUNA MADRE

Reported by CAPT. BRIAN BARRERA

Email Brian Barrera at CaptBrianBFishing@gmail.com

Visit Online: InshoreFishingSouthPadre.com

Counting Sheep and Big Trout

LISTEN: (2 Min, 23 Sec)

TROPHY TROUT, great flats fishing, and sheepshead galore. That’s what first comes to mind for me while getting ready to hit the water during the months of March and April. March is great for not only the trophy chaser, but the family fisherman as well. Chasing trophy trout in shallow water using topwater lures has to be on the list of one of my favorite things to do and this is the time to do it! Huge speckled trout can be found cruising spoil islands, shallow grass with deep potholes and channel edges. I prefer a D.O.A. pt7 weedless topwater, but your favorite one with some single hooks should get the job done.

As I spoke of earlier, not only is March and most of April great for the trophy fisherman but it’s sheepshead run is what the family fisherman needs in his/her life! With the spawn in full swing, you can expect boats with 4,5 or even more passengers to be quadrupling up on big sheeps all day on deep structure from 8-20 feet deep such as jetty inlets, deep docks or bridges. A fresh live or dead shrimp on a 1/4 or 3/8 ounce jighead right of the edge of the boat should be enough to get the job done. I will occasionally have to switch to heavier jigs during the big moons with tidal movement. The best part is “no experience required!” Everyone gets in on the action and you tend to get back to the dock before it even warms up out.

When April comes around you can find me either on the sandy grass flats or in the turkey blind! April is what I like to call a “transition” month where the fish aren’t in their summertime patterns yet, but they aren’t fully still in their cold water winter patterns either. Which means you can find fish in lots of different places. I spent most of my time in the shallow murky water chasing fish on topwaters and light jigs with my favorite soft plastic attached. If I’m not getting bit there, I’ll slide over to some deeper potholes or grass lines to look for aggressive fish darting in and out of those ambush points.