Back to School
Reported by CAPT. DEREK YORK
LISTEN: (3 Min, 5 Sec)
SCHOOL HAS BEEN BACK in session for a few weeks with summer coming to an end after a few very hot months. This is also the time of year that redfish start to school up as well to feed on migrating bait pods and to head offshore to spawn in the Gulf. But they are not the only ones, speckled trout are also cruising the bays in deeper waters and marsh drains looking for easy meals.
Speckled trout fishing remains strong when drifting oyster reefs in deeper water with soft plastics and croaker.
(Photo: Derek York)
Early Fall brings lots of opportunities in the outdoors from dove and teal to Football and Fishing. It’s a great time to spend on the water with less people crowding the boat ramps and excellent fishing to be had. I spend a lot of time taking people to chase redfish at the jetties and along the beachfront. We are mostly targeting the larger bulls with cut bait on the bottom, but you will eventually run into some surfacing schools of redfish which are quite a site to see! When fishing the jetties, I usually position my boat to allow us to fish the rocks with lighter gear and then have 2-4 rods rigged up for fishing the bottom on the opposite side out towards deeper water away from the rocks. One of the cool things we have been seeing more and more of when cruising just offshore is large schools of Tarpon surfacing. Tarpon have quite a devoted following here in Texas with its own set of preferred types of lures, but they are very opportunistic feeders and will surprise people every once in a while, and take a piece of cut bait or live bait. You better hold on when that happens!
Back in the bay, speckled trout fishing remains strong when drifting oyster reefs in deeper water with soft plastics and croaker. I like to make long casts with this type of fishing and prefer to use 3/8oz or 1/2oz jig heads to get the bait out there. When using live bait, I will tie about 18” of fluorocarbon leader to a chatter weight with a khale hook. This works much like a “Carolina rig” for bass fishing. Both are very productive when on fish. Always keep your eye out for slicks popping up and seagulls as a clue to where these trout are located on the reefs.
Black Drum, Sheepshead, Sharks and other species such as Tripletail and Jack Crevalle are also around in decent numbers this time of year in all the usual places. I’m always looking out for floating debris and crab traps with any types of shadows next to them. These are perfect locations for Tripletail to be hiding to ambush baitfish. The Jacks are easy to see when they are busting bait on the surface and are a blast on light and heavy gear, just make sure you have enough line on your spool.
So be sure to get out and enjoy this time of year on Galveston Bay and remember to take someone new fishing!
Email Derek York at SpotStalkerFishing@sbcglobal.com
ONLINE: SpotStalkerGuideService.com
