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1999 - 2000 Fishing ReportsSOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 4-13-2000 After a week of fly-fishing for trout on the Bitterroot in northeastern Montana it was a pleasant feeling when the first redfish hit my gold spoon the other morning. The area was the northern side of Gas Well Flats. The water was crystal clear and 12 inches deep and filled with small schools of redfish. Fishing has been great and the last cool front only made things better. The larger trout turned on with the north wind on gas Well Flats near the weed line off marker #67. After the water went from clear to sandy live shrimp with popping corks did the job for the brave souls that stayed out in the wind. There has not been much action on the Intracoastal. The free-shrimping action won't be starting until the weather warms up. Then finding a spot to drop an anchor get to be a problem for those who enjoy that type of fishing. Snapper and head boats are running full and bring in good catches from both Texas and Mexican waters. Good Fishing!
Windy is a pretty good description of the weather for the last week. Strong SE winds were followed by winds from the north just as strong or at times stronger. The "Spring Break" cool front was right on time but far less a problem to anglers that the 1999 model. In spite of the wind there were some good catches of trout in several areas of the bay. Just south of Unnecessary Island there were several days of great fishing. Drifting anglers were forced to use one and sometimes two drift bags (sea anchors) to slow down the drift. The water was quite dirty and popping corks and live shrimp were the best choices. Other popping cork spots were Gas Well Flats and the water east of 3 Islands. Artificial lure fishermen were pretty much restricted to several protected areas where semi-clear water could be found. North Cullen Bay and the cove just past Stover Point were two areas where artificials were working. Offshore the fishing was good to excellent when the boats left the dock. In spite of the weather the charter boats haven’t lost many days of fishing spring. Good Fishing!
The question is – Where are the trophy trout? Some believe that the spawn and movement of the larger female speckled trout has already happened. There have been reports of some big trout being seen by sight-casting fly fishermen but so far nothing close to the 14 pounds needed to top the existing record has been caught. (If it has they are being very quite about it.) Trout fishing in general has been good with plenty of keepers and even more in the "not-quite" class. These are fat healthy fish. Top baits have been soft plastics and live shrimp. A bait I should mention is the Rat-L-Trap floating lure in silver, gold, or red and white. In the clear water this hard-bait catches trout. This lure is hard to use in very shallow water but works very well in four to eight feet of water. Redfishing has been good in the Three Islands area and on the sand east of the Duncan House. Topwater and soft plastics have been the top baits. Several over-sized reds have been reported caught and released in the Saucer Area near Port Mansfield. Offshore the snapper boats are still bringing in limits from Mexican and Texas waters. The boats are running full and reservations are needed on most days. Good Fishing! SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 2-8-2000 The quail hunting has been great and again I must apologize for neglecting the water and my tackle because of a 28 gauge double and a few good dogs. BUT….. "them days" are growing short and my urge to go hunting for a big speckled trout is strong. I do hope all our warm weather has not pushed up the spawn. The water temperature is getting close to the 70-degree mark. It’s time. There have been some good catches of redfish and trout east of the Duncan House and on the sand against the island. White double-hook worms and green touts have been the top producers. The area just south of Port Mansfield has been good for reds and trout. Wading the east side of the Saucer has been good. Snapper anglers have been have some great trips on the commercial boats and private vessels. Both Texas and Mexican waters have been very productive. It’s a shame the boats on the northern parts of the coast don’t have this option. Good Fishing! SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 1-6-2000 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 12-19-99 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 11-20-99 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 11-11-99 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 10-21-99 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 9-29-99 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 9-18-99 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 9-7-99 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 8-28-99 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 8-5-99 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 6-30-99 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 6-17-99 A call of concern alerted me to the fact that the carnage created by the National Marine Fisheries Service had begun. The report was regarding dead and dying fish floating on the blue waters of the Gulf. This is a direct result of the new 18 inch federal size limit for red snapper. (Texas waters out to 9 miles are not affected.) Anglers and party boats are quite upset. I was under the belief that the NMFS was there to protect the fishery instead of killing it. There are politics at work somewhere. There have been birds working along the Intracoastal Waterway. Many are school trout but some are keepers in the 17 to 20 inch class. Most anglers have been free-shrimping along the edges. Limits are common. So are the tickets for under sized fish. Anglers should invest in a good ruler and use it. There is no excuse for keeping a fish that is too small. There have also been a few nice flounder caught along the edges of the channel. The redfishing has been great. There are fish all over the flats in small schools. Many of these fish are of the bigger variety going from 26 to well over 30 inches. These are trophy fish for the wall not for the frying pan. The trophy redfish tag on your license should be for a trophy not for two more fillets. Good Fishing! Capt. Jim Foster / 956-233-5553 / www.hammer-time.com/foster.htm SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 6-8-99 It was like days of old and I was glad I had a Houston angler along to confirm my story. We were fishing the crystal clear waters east of the Three Islands Area. We were finding a few keeper trout mixed in with quite a few 12 inch fish that couldn't leave the Red Kelly Wiggler Grubs with white tails alone. The first school of reds passed by and it took a second to register what was happening. The next school yielded two big redfish and a short hit. These schools consisted of 15 to maybe 30 fish and were cruising in about two feet of water over grass and potholes. In the next school a 29 incher hit a silver Storm Jointed Thunderstick. These fish have been on and off this flat now for over a week and are a little on the spooky side from being chased. A little less boat riding and more fishing might help them calm down. The trout action has been good along the color line on the east side and just west of the Long Bar off marker # 125. There have been quite a few boats doing well on live shrimp but soft plastics are the best bait. White with a yellow tail and red with a white tail are steady producers. Offshore catches of ling, kingfish, tuna, and big red snapper are the rule instead of the exception. There have also been some reports of large blue marlin and sailfish in the blue water. Fishing is good and getting better. Good Fishing! Capt. Jim Foster / 956-233-5553 / www.hammer-time.com/foster.htm SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 6-2-99 The fishing seems to be following the weather. As the days get hotter so goes the fishing. Now, there are times when the redfish will hide for a day or two but over the long run, they are there and they are biting. Gas Well flats has been holding some nice schools of reds cruising the shallows. These reds have been hitting both soft plastic like my favorite red Kelly Wiggler grub, and jointed hard-baits like Storm's Jointed Thunderstick. Gold with little yellow spots has been a killer for the last several days. The speckled trout fishing has been good around the birds. The problem has been finding the larger variety specks. There are plenty of throw-backs under the birds. The keeper trout have been found under and past the schools of smaller fish. Soft plastics are the best baits. There have been redfish and black drum on the east side of the spoil banks starting around about marker #80 for about a mile. Drifting or poling has been the best way to approach these fish. The water has been very dirty in this area and popping corks and live shrimp have been the best producers. Red snapper catches are still very good with most boats reporting limits. The idiots at the National Marine Fisheries Service are getting ready to close the fishery in federal waters again. This is bureaucracy at it's worst. The sport fisherman is taking all the heat on these issues. Our tax dollars at work. Good Fishing! Capt. Jim Foster / 956-233-5553 / www.hammer-time.com/foster.htm SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 5-21-99 Now that I have finished the last of my hunting travels for this month I can write this long over due fishing report. If the fishing in the Lower Laguna Madre got any better it would be too good to be true. If that sounds like a Chamber of Commerce ad I'm sorry, but facts are facts. The redfishing has been great along the refuge shoreline starting in Airport Cove and moving up the coast to the north. Last Thursday there were small schools of keeper + redfish along the little islands south of the house. The reds were hitting Storm Chug Bugs and Top dog Jr. baits as well as red and white Kelley Wiggler grubs. The fishing was great until a guy riding the console of his scooter ran right up the bank scattering the reds. The "shallow water expert" never saw a fish but messed it up for the rest. Other consistent bay areas have been Gas Well Flats, the deeper water east of marker #67, Stover Point, the Saucer and east of the drum boats near the sand off South Padre. The intracoastal has been producing some trout and flounder by casting soft plastics along the drop-off. The free-shrimpers are beginning to line the banks of the channel catching trout in good numbers. The Brownsville channel has had some action too. Off shore the party boats are bringing in good catches of red snapper, grouper, shark, kingfish, and other reef species. They have also been catching some amberjacks up to 78 pounds. Good Fishing! Capt. Jim Foster / 956-233-5553 / www.hammer-time.com/foster.htm SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 4-23-99 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 4-12-99
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 3-24-99
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 3-16-99
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND / PORT ISABEL / 2-10-99 |
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