By Capt. Craig Lambert
Hot weather and hot fishing is what we can usually expect in August. The ship channel and the deeper areas of the open bay are where cooler waters attract bait and gamefish. Fishing open water slicks can lead to a variety of species including speckled trout, redfish, ladyfish, gafftop and Jack Crevalle. Every one of these fish are hardcore fighters and will stretch your tackle to the max. That is the great thing about saltwater. You just never know what you are going to catch. After you catch all of these species the next cast might produce a shark or a tripletail. August is a great month for a variety of species to have fun with.
Typically by the end of the month the bull reds start showing up to begin their annual spawning run. The ship channel and the jetties will begin to stack up with oversized redfish and at times they are so thick you cant keep them off of your line. These big brutes are not the best of table fare so after having a blast reeling them in go ahead and release them carefully so they can lay their precious precious cargo of eggs. The deeper holes near the end of each jetty are always a great place to go. But you had better get there early because the weekends can get very crowded out there especially on the hot spots.
There is nothing more exciting than hammering specks on the rigs and well pads spread out across our bay system. Hopping from well to well is a very productive and proven method for putting specks in the box. Artificials work best for covering all areas of the water column around a shell pad. Typically I like to start deeper in the mornings and follow the fish up as the sun rises. Come midday I prefer a lighter jighead or a topwater bait. Look for structures around the ship channel and on up in to the southern portions of Trinity Bay to hold fish consistently this month.
The fish are starting their migration northward which means fall isn’t too far away. Trinity should really get active this month with plenty of fish pushing in to that bay system. Keep to the open water areas for specks and the shorelines for redfish and you will do all right this month.
Be safe and remember to always take a kid fishing!!!
Capt. Craig Lambert | Galvestoninshorefishing.com | 832.338.4570
