Going COASTAL Mysteries on the Rocks

WINTER AND SPRING provided exceptional shing for us on the Lower Laguna Madre with quality speckled trout, red sh and snook being landed. During this transitional time of year, my eyes and thoughts shi from the gorgeous ats to the always mysterious je ies, where the possibility of hooking up to a big sh is just one cast away.

While dri ing or wading and throwing jigs with so plastics will continue to produce sh, the rst signs of migratory tarpon at the South Padre Island je ies fully encapsulate my brain. On the rst calm day of the summer last May, Capt. Brian Barrera and myself had a stellar day.

e perfect conditions allowed us to check out some nearshore wrecks and structure in the 24’ Skeeter and catch several way back to the inlet and the Humminbird state water red snapper. We then made our way back to the inlet and the Humminbird Solix 12 screen was covered in what we could tell were red sh. anks to Minn Kota’s Spot-Lock feature on Barrera’s Ulterra trolling motor, he positioned the boat perfectly so we could drop baits straight down to these sh. It was game on a er that.

My parents were onboard and having an absolute ball catching bull reds one a er another. During the red sh catching madness, I saw a tarpon roll on the surface. is tarpon was no baby either. About 80-90 pounds give or take. I quickly reached for the G. Loomis E6X extra heavy rod paired with a Shimano Saragosa 10,000 reel and casted a D.O.A. Lures Baitbuster in the color rootbeer towards the rocks.

I let my lure sink for just a few seconds and slowly began reeling when I felt the rst tarpon thump of the season. e sh went bonkers and jumped full-body out of the water basically on top of the rocks. As soon as the excitement began, it was over just as quick when I saw my Baitbuster eject from the beast’s mouth. I dropped to my knees with

:: by KELLY GROCE TF&G Contributing Editor

disappointment mixed with adrenaline. e highs, lows and heartbreak are all part of the deal when it comes to tarpon shing and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Days like this is why I enjoy shing the je ies as much as I do. You may have a game plan of pu ing out some bo om rigs or throwing a Baitbuster for bull reds and end up seeing snook bullying some baits on the surface, or see a 150-pound tarpon come looming across the GPS. You truly never know what you will see or end up having on the line. Just like that saying “don’t bring a gun to a knife ght”, we always make sure to bring a variety of rods and gear so we can be adequately equipped for whatever Mother Nature is throwing our way.

e recent Descend Act requires all commercial and recreational sherman to possess a venting tool on their boat while shing for reef species such as red snapper. With the water depth at the je ies being around 40 feet, several red sh would come to the surface with an everted stomach. Having this tool on deck made it possible to release gases in the sh’s abdomen, allowing them to swim safely back to their preferred depths.

With this winter and spring being relatively warm, I am con dent that the action at the je ies will start early this year. e lower coast is home to a unique shery o ering anglers plenty of species to chase a er from mangrove snapper to tarpon, and so much in-between. Enjoy the challenge and pursuit of big sh at the je ies this summer, just make sure you come prepared ready for anything.

T’S LATE SPRING IN Texas. Time for all you Texas bass junkies to shift gears and get into a post spawn frame of mind.

Many of us cut our fishing teeth hearing the old timers whine about bass falling into a sickly funk on the heels of the spawn. Some still regard it as one of bass fishing’s toughest times.

My ol’ friend Jim Tutt of Longview doesn’t buy it. Not anymore. Neither does Wendell Ramsey of San Angelo.

Tutt has chased bass on lakes across Texas and far beyond during all seasons of the year. Fishing during the post spawn — that 30-45 day period sandwiched between the end of the spawn and when the bass settle into their summer patterns — ranks among his favorite times to be on the water.

“I grew up hearing that post spawn fishing is really tough,” Tutt said. “But I’ve since learned that isn’t true. The fish are stressed from the spawn, and they’ve been beaten up on for the better part of two months. But they are hungry, and they need to eat. You just have to make some adjustments to catch them.”

The changes Tutt will make depend entirely on existing conditions on the lake up for discussion.

Grass Or No Grass

Whether or not a lake has grass is a vital part of the equation.

“Grass is a huge deal, especially on our East Texas lakes like Toledo Bend, Sam Rayburn, Lake O’ the Pines and others,” Tu said. “Some of the sh may leave the grass and group up on o shore structures for a while a er the spawn, but many of them won’t. ey’ll still be hanging around it (the grass); they may just relocate from the li le pockets and other shallow areas where they spawned and move closer to deeper water.”

Tu says secondary points with grass towards the mouths of spawning pockets are always good places to look. He also likes buck brush and willows, provided they are ooded by at least two feet of water. e Longview pro says a similar situation occurs on lakes that are light on grass but heavy on boat docks. A few that come to mind are lakes Travis, Texoma, LBJ and Conroe. Both stationary and oating docks are prone to hold sh.

“ ey’ll leave those shallow spawning coves and move to the next available cover,” Tu said. “Boat docks are sure to be a player. On stationary docks they’ll relate a lot to the walkway poles, whereas they’ll get right underneath those oating docks and relate a lot to the edges.”

Baits Of Choice

Tu says post spawn bass can be caught using a variety of techniques and baits. rowing a Rebel Pop-R topwater (chrome/blue back) ranks among his favorite ways to fool them. Some other good choices include a buzz frog like the Stanley Ribbit, buzz bait, Zoom Fluke, swim jig, wake bait or weightless Senko.

“I also love twitching a floating worm especially around grass, flooded bushes or stick-ups,” he said. “For whatever reason they’ll clobber that thing. What’s really cool is you’ll actually see a lot of them eat it in clear water. It’s pretty exciting when it happens.”

Tutt’s favorite worm is a Zoom Trick worm in pink or bubblegum color. He prefers to throw it on a spinning rod in combination with 3/0 offset Gamakatsu round bend hook. He uses 15-pound test braid for main line and a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader.

The lines are connected using a SPRO drop shot barrel swivel. The swivel adds a little casting weight, but its main purpose is to eliminate line twist.

Bream Beds And Shad Spawn

Bass love an easy meal, and the pickings don’t get any easier than when bream and threadfin shad move shallow to spawn in late spring and early summer.

Bream spawn in large colonies in shallow water and post spawners will gravitate to the smorgasbord periodically over the course of the day to munch the tasty panfish. Prop style topwaters have a rich history around bream beds, as do frogs, shallowing diving crank baits, wacky worms and weightless stick baits. Wakes, boils and swirls are good signs bass are present and having their way with bluegills.

Unlike bream, shad don’t build beds for spawning. Instead, pods of the succulent bait fish move shallow at night to broadcast their eggs against grass beds, flooded bushes, rip rap, retaining walls, docks and other objects. The process typically ends shortly after daylight, so it’s best to be on the water at first light to capitalize on the blood bath that happens when bass move in to feed.

A good sign a shad spawn is underway is when shad are visibly popping the surface, blue herons gathered on shore and of course, feeding fish! Reel a spinnerbait, buzz bait, popper, small swim bait or chrome Rat-LTrap through the frenzy and hang on tight.

Big Out West

It’s no secret that Lake O.H. Ivie has been on a big wintertime roll the last few years, but fishing guide Wendell Ramsey says the 19,000-acre reservoir also produces some whoppers after the spawn winds down. If you like to catch big ones on topwaters, ‘Ivie is worth a look.

“Last May and June was some of the best topwater fishing I’ve ever seen,” he said. “We saw quite a few fish in the 8-10 pound range and even a couple of 12s.”

Ramsey says some of the most explosive big fish action comes winding a Whopper Plopper over 8-12 foot flats bordering the deeper river channel that drops to 25-35 feet in the mid-lake stretch. He says a big 8-10 inch worm also is a good bet when flipped in old hardwoods mixed with salt cedars at the same depth range.

“Just about all of these fish will be suspended in or along the edges of the salt cedars,” Ramsey said. “I think they are in there feeding on bream that are moving shallow to spawn. A lot of the big ones will have bream tails sticking out their throats when we catch them.”