FishNet Daily News Lower Laguna Madre Fishing Report Archives

November 05, 2006	October 10, 2006	July 12, 2006	June 06, 2006
May 07, 2006	April 02, 2006	February 07, 2006	January 09, 2006
December 05, 2005	November 27, 2006

November 05, 2006 - Tailing reds and oversize snook; fishing doesn’t get any better than this! Welcome to Winter fishing on the Lower Laguna Madre.

With the time change, we’re leaving the dock an hour earlier, which gives us a nice head start on the daybreak bite. You got to love this season with northers blowing through and riling fish into a frenzy of feasting. We’re limiting in a couple of hours then turning back as many reds as we can for the rest of the day. Then for a couple of days after the initial front the fish are stuffed and don’t eat much.

Gulps are working great, but the way fish bite during the teeth of the norther, you could throw plastics or spoons with the same success. A 32” snook inhaled a New Penny Berkley Gulp 3” Shrimp pulled quickly on top behind a red Mansfield Mauler. Freddy says, “The bay grasses will begin to go dormant and the water temps will drop and we’ll be hunting big trout and reds, working our lures slowly, in holes that are about 18” to 20” deep for the rest of the winter.”

October 10, 2006 - Fall is one of the most productive times of the year for redfish action. Herds of reds are roaming Gas Well in loose formations or spread out grazing on the West Side near Unnecessary Island. We’re also seeing trout moving in to feed shallower as the water cools down and the levels are rising slightly on the flats.

Freddy says, “Halloween is the time for flounder to move into the bay and this year we’ll be throwing Gulp New Penny Shrimp at them rigged on a ¼ ounce jig head with Shakespeare Cajun Advantage 30 lb. leaders. We’re also excited about our new reels from Okuma, if you haven’t tried one you’re missing out on some awesome action. After guiding for 26 years we’ve used about every brand available and are sold on the EF-30 Series spinning and NS-200 bait casters.”

Our clients are limiting daily on slot reds throwing gold weed-less spoons early then switching to Mauler/Gulps later and tagging oversize out of herds on both.

Bring on the rain; it makes the fish bite harder and besides, they’re already wet!

July 12, 2006 - Catching redfish has been a crap shoot, when there’s wind, it’s possible, but in small areas, with gold weed-less spoons early and Gulp shrimp under Maulers until mid-morning traffic kills the bite. We’re getting lots of small reds, but working hard for slot limits before heading out deeper where we’re seeing flashy pompano mixed in with the rest of the catch.

Trout are still plentiful, depending on the tide movement, we’re bringing in good numbers with at least one 26”, or better, almost daily and many in the 18” to 22” range fishing the pot holes in about 4’ of water. We’re using New Penny Gulp 3” shrimp under Mansfield Maulers rigged to 14” leaders on a ¼ ounce jig head to entice specks off the bottom mid-day. Let that Gulp drop all the way below the cork and get ready for fast action.

Freddy says, “We landed a good size trout the other day that spit out a squid squirting purple ink; they’ll eat ‘bout anything, but we could sure use some fresh water in the bay for a healthier shrimp population.”

June 06, 2006 - Summer squalls and broiling temperatures are kicking trout fishing into high gear! Tides are running on the low side in the morning and we’re still catching reds early, but they are becoming more nocturnal and the seasonal herds are over-due, leaving drop-off trout as the main attraction.

We’re seeing plenty of over 25” specks and limits of keepers, as small males group up in the transition areas where bands of sand and grass mark the boundary between shallower flats and deep expanses of open bay.

Freddy says, “Berkley has come out with some killer new baits that are tailor made for trout. The sand eel and lug worm in chartreuse and blood are irresistible when suspended under a Mauler or bounced along the bottom on a quarter ounce jig head. Go by Rip’s, Hook Line and Sinker, and check out the new Berkley 3” shrimp color, Nuclear Chicken.”

May 07, 2006 - When traffic permits, we’re limited and tagged out on reds by 9:00, fishing the East or West sides of the Intracoastal. The middle of April saw some really exceptional trout action South of Gas Well Flats for about a week, then the specks sort of disappeared for awhile, but are now beginning to show back up along the drop off west of South Padre in the holes in front of the Convention Center all the way north to Gas Well.

Not meaning to sound repetitious, but if it’s not broke; don’t fix it. The reds are still biting equally well on gold weed-less spoons and Maulers with Gulp Shrimp, and trout are hitting Gulps under Maulers or Cajun Thunder corks rigged with ¼ ounce jig heads.

Freddy says, “Some days traffic makes it a little tougher to stay in fish, so you have to work harder and burn some gas to keep your box up to par, but high winds help hide boat noise and allow you to cover lots of water.”

The Lower Laguna Madre’s in great shape and we’re looking forward to the summer with the hope that we’ll finally get that much needed rain.

April 02, 2006 - Spring means three things for the Pettys, super high tides, daylight savings time, and huge amounts of trout. At the time of this writing, we are experiencing relatively low water levels, but hey, two out of three ain’t bad. Freddy says, “We traditionally get the highest spring tides in May, but so far this year we’ve had record lows and everything’s running about a month late.”

We’re still bringing in slot reds and an occasional oversize on gold weed-less spoons and Maulers with 3” Gulp shrimp in skinny water. The trout bite has picked up in numbers, although we’re not catching as many of the large 25” to 27” singles, we’re hauling in way more good solid fish in the 20” to 24” range with Maulers and chartreuse or white Skitter Walks on the East Side in the mud.

The only bummer about this time of year is that we’re seeing a rapid increase in traffic, especially on the weekends, but if everyone is careful to practice boating etiquette and stay up-wind and at least 100 yards away from each other, we can all keep “catching” instead of just “fishing”.

February 07, 2006 - Extremely low tides and a mild winter have combined to produce excellent fishing for the past couple of months. Limits of redfish are the norm and up to 34” oversize are easy pickins’. We’re still fishing the pot holes on the west side with Berkley Gulp shrimp (New Penny) suspended about 12” under Cajun Thunder Corks and when the brown tide allows, throwing gold weed-less spoons. The east side of the bay is more or less clear of the persistent algae bloom at this time, but conditions can change with a wind shift, and tide fluctuations.

Spring is right around the corner and that means more trout. The individual trout we’ve been catching are measuring up to 28”, but soon we’ll be adding large numbers of smaller specks. Freddy says, “The water will start warming up and the tides will get higher, so trout are going to show up big time in deeper holes

We’d like to thank all of our Winter Texan friends, and of course the Valley regulars, for making this a great season; we’re looking forward to seeing you guys again next year.

January 09, 2006 - WIND is the name of the game; without it you’re sunk, with it, fishing couldn’t be better. We’re experiencing day after day of very heavy fog and tides are as low as we’ve ever seen, keeping redfish concentrated in the potholes where there is barely enough water to drift, but if you’re lucky you’ll have some wind, and it only takes two passes to limit on keepers with an occasional over-size just for grins.

Taking time out from the reds, we’re catching some 24” to 27” trout, while working every hole carefully with Maulers and Gulp 3” shrimp on shorter than usual leaders. Check with Rip at Hook, Line and Sinker for the Berkley Gulp baits, a good idea for dealing with the recurring brown tide.

We received a call a couple of days ago from Iraq, inquiring about a fishing trip, and even though time differences between Baghdad and here put him half a world away, this young man is dreaming about the joys of fishing the Texas Gulf Coast. We’re proud of all the Americans fighting for our way of life and pray that they stay safe and come home soon.

December 05, 2005 - It’s deer season, which translates to fewer boats and less pressure on fish. The results are evident as we are able to repeat drift in areas that are producing quick limits of red fish and quite a few trout from 18” to 24”, with lots of chances for a 25” plus. We’re tagging or releasing at least two over-size reds every trip.

A recent filming experience with Texas Coastal Fishing TV show gave us the chance to see baits from a fish eye view, using an underwater camera, in 12” of water. It looks like a jungle down there, with blades of grass, not only rising from the bottom, but weaving back and forth and drooping from floating strands. This fragile eco-system is impressive in it’s uniqueness and diversity.

We’re using maulers trailing Berkley Gulps to suspend the smelly bait over the terrain, while dropping just enough to allow the slower moving Winter fish to find the lure, after searching for the source of the rattling and splashing.

Freddy says. “The coming months are the best time of the year for anglers in the Lower Laguna Madre shallows; the worse the weather, the better the fishing.”

November 27, 2006 - Even though the red tide did not affect our fishing in the bay, I’m happy to report that it is no longer of any concern for our visitors to the South Padre Island area. As we head into the winter months, the water is continuing to cool down, but fishing is definitely heating up. Some of our favorite spots on the West Side are struggling with patches of brown tide, but the East Side is holding large numbers of trout and reds in the holes between the bars at Three Islands, and with a high out-going tide in the mornings, they’re fighting over the Berkley baits under Maulers. Slot reds are plentiful, but the larger females have been spawning in the Gulf and passes; soon their stomach content will be predominately perch and dog fish. Freddy says, “By the time of this reading the big shrimp will have pretty much moved out of the bay. You can still nail over-size reds, they’re just not schooled up in large herds.” Everything seems to be about a month late, but the main reason we’re having such good luck is the tide and water temperature are combining to give us ideal conditions. Look for the trout to get fatter and healthier, with big sows turning up when you’re drifting across the areas you usually run through to get to the skinny water. After a sluggish summer, Freddy and I are extremely excited about fishing this winter season.