Warm breezes and sunshine is April’s calling to the beginning of the fishing season for most anglers here on the southeast Texas coast. The Speckled trout fishery is particularly good this month because larger females have the urge to feed to gain the energy needed to go into the spawning season. Live shrimp is still the best live bait of choice while the artificial bite really takes a turn for the upward this month as metabolisms and feeding conditions increase. It is time to switch from those darker colors of winter to the lighter colors of spring. Unless I am fishing in very stained waters I will typically use limetreuse or glo when throwing plastics. Look for the incoming tides to continue to produce best results on most days and as the end of the month approaches the bird activity (fishing under the birds) will spark up.
The Black Drum run is in full force right now and they can be caught almost everywhere. Any shallow flats where there is shell and you can keep your bait within a foot of the bottom you can expect to hook up with a drum of almost any size. Areas of extremely heavy shell over flats and spoils are typically where the larger oversized fish feed as they move up and down the main ship channel from the Fred Hartman Bridge and areas North all the way down to the North and South jetty areas. These bigger fish that can weigh up to 60 plus pounds or even more are eating machines and can clean out an oyster or shell reef in a few days so they will generally be around awhile and then move on after they have scavenged the area.
Don’t forget to release these bigger fish properly after being caught on light tackle. Those bigger ones aren’t very good to eat so making sure they swim away unharmed is vital to the future of the fishery. Look for fish in the lower slot limit to be very tasty and great fighters also. The black drum have a tendency to “nibble” on your bait so DO NOT set the hook right away. Let them have it for a few seconds before you hit them and you will get a lot more hook ups.
Have a great Spring and as always take a kid fishing!!
Capt. Craig Lambert | Galvestoninshorefishing.com | 832.338.4570