Score From the Shore in Calm Conditions

By Capt. Michael Okruhlik

The surf can be bountiful and as easy as fishing can be when the seas are calm.

On a recent trip to the Gulf of Mexico’s calm shores, I was certain I was going to catch them at will. To the naked eye, conditions were as good as it gets, but many fellow anglers fell short of their dreams on this beautiful day. Here are some modifications I made on the fly that allowed me to come out ahead of most others.

This day provided us with glass-calm seas, clear water and bait everywhere, but one key ingredient was missing, substantial tide. What most of us focused on, including myself, were the calm conditions. This is always the draw for trout fishing on the beachfront in Texas, and it is seldom the norm.

I did research the tide, and it was an early high heading out, which, once again, seems perfect. However, the slope on the graph was a slow outgoing tide, not one that was going to trigger many bites on its own. Once I realized this and watched others leave empty handed, I decided to search for places that would encourage the slow outgoing current to increase in velocity. I sought out guts in the bars perpendicular to the shore. These same guts have the potential to cause dangerous riptides, and they can also be the best place to fish. You typically see these guts by studying the waves, but with no waves I had to use my polarized glasses. Thankfully, the water clarity made this an easy task. I drove along the beach looking for these, and once I spotted them, I stood on the back of my truck to increase my elevation to identify the best ones.

I’d found my pattern. Now the catching could begin! Keep in mind, as slow as the tide was moving, it did not create a dangerous situation (always be cautious of rip tides on the beach), but it did speed up the current enough to trigger a good bite. I thoroughly worked all edges of these guts, finding most bites on the back side where the tide pulled bait from the shallow gut to the deeper second gut.

When the tide is slow, I like to try and get a reaction strike by throwing something a little different or working my lure erratically. On this day, I was throwing a rattling soft-plastic paddletail. I also picked one with a bright green tail to stand out from the millions of baitfish traveling the first and second guts. All of these tactics combined allowed me to salvage a day when most left with empty stringers.

The beachfront can be a great place to fish, and it’s fun for the kids. My boys enjoy wading beside me, and when the fishing is over it’s time to play at the beach!