Fishing the Flower Moon

LISTEN: (3 Min, 52 Sec)

 

IMAGES OF GIANT BULL REDS and tarpon rolling along the surface are what dance in my mind when I think of May fishing here on the Lower Laguna Madre. The full moon in May is known as the Flower Moon and represents the peak of spring and a renewal of nature. The Flower Moon marks the transition into long summer days, and this is when anglers along the Gulf Coast can expect fishing to really heat up. 

Prior to May, sheepshead provided fun days of bent rods as giant clouds of these fish made their way through these water ways to spawn. Once the sheepshead action begins to slow and the water temperatures begin to climb, we can expect the arrival of big schools of redfish and our first signs of the mighty tarpon. The biggest blessings of the Lower Laguna Madre are the diversity in fish species and structured areas like the jetties teaming with life. For the most part, May represents redfish and tarpon for me, but there really is no telling what you can catch here during this time when nature is in full bloom. You may in fact walk to the end of the rocks, throw out your bottom rig or your favorite swimbait with all intent on catching a redfish and end up catching a snook. The Lower Laguna Madre has a beautiful way of keeping us on our toes. 

On an outing with Capt. Brian Barrera, we made our way to the tip of the jetties before daybreak. We were marking fish fairly close to the bottom on the Humminbird Solix 12, so Brian threw out a bottom rig. I grabbed my confidence lure, the D.O.A. Baitbuster. This lure mimics a delicious sized mullet to a tee and with its heavy weight is ideal for casting at the jetties and getting down to the desired depth quickly. I casted out with intent of letting this lure get down to the bottom, but it didn’t stand a chance. As soon as it hit the water, I had a fish thump it. Through the darkness I couldn’t see what I had until it was by the boat and to my pleasant surprise it was the largest fat snook I had ever caught. I always like a visit from these fish who have paper thin mouths and usually come off once hooked. Relatives of the common snook, fat snook have more of a square body, yellowish lateral line and usually grow about 12” or so long. After the release, I cast out again and caught another one. With a school of them hanging close to the rocks, the fat snook party continued until they caught onto my lure. 

Once the sun began to peek over the horizon and the tide began moving, those redfish we were marking along the bottom started to wake up. Fighting a brute bull red from depths of 30-50’ is quite exhilarating, especially when it’s one after another. Using both bottom rigs and the D.O.A. Baitbuster, we caught reds one after another until we couldn’t take it anymore. 

With most of the action happening on the bottom, we always make sure to keep our eyes peeled for action on the surface. Tarpon roll right under people’s noses all the time without their knowledge. If you aren’t closely looking for it, you can most definitely miss it. When it comes to tarpon fishing, it is extremely difficult and relying on any visual sign of them can make or break your chances of hooking up to one. With the warming of May and June, this is when we begin seeing these signs of silver kings in the 30-100 lb. range hanging around the rocks.

This summer is looking good for drag screaming fun under the sun and for anglers who continue the pursuit for one of the Lower Laguna Madre’s varieties of fish, are in for a real reward. Be prepared for anything and enjoy the awakening of summertime fishing on the Gulf Coast. 

 

Email Kelly Groce at ContactUs@fishgame.com

 

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