like a MirrOlure Top Dog.”
Good imitations of shad
and pogies migrating from
the marsh to the Gulf, sil-
ver spoons are eff ective on
their own. But a ½-ounce
silver spoon trailing a D.O.A.
paddle-tail grub is deadly.
The fl ash of the spoon com-
bined with a grub in pearl
or chartreuse will catch the
larger fi sh, especially when
the lure tandem is allowed
to sink toward bottom. It’s
a true redfi sh magnet, plus
it can be cast out of sight,
which is particularly im-
portant when you run into a
school of reds. Of course, you
have the option of fi shing a
spoon without a trailer. But
if you take the treble hook
off and add a single, straight-
shank 2/0 hook and trailer to
the spoon, you’ll more than
likely catch heavier fi sh.
On Sabine Lake, it’s not at
all unusual to see reds gorg-
ing on shad. Most are in the
25- to 30-inch class, and
they make something akin
to a boat wake when chasing
a school of baitfi sh on top.
Once a school is spotted, you
either crank up the outboard
and run to them, or deter-
mine the direction of the fi sh
and cut them off. Redfi sh
will hit just about anything
they see, but the spoon with a
trailer is especially good.Try the Shrimp
Most of the trout will be
feeding on shrimp, so be sure
to carry a supply of lures
that imitate the crustaceans.
It’s not unusual to see a big
shrimp skipping across the
surface, fl eeing for it’s life.
One of the most produc-
tive soft plastics is the origi-
nal 4-inch D.O.A. shrimp. It
comes pre-rigged and weighs
½ ounce. It’s easy to cast,
and both trout and reds will
eat them all day long. The
6-inch D.O.A. jumbo shrimp,
which weighs 1¼ ounces, is
another great choice. It can
be cast a long way and resem-
bles some of the big shrimp
migrating to the Gulf. Some
of the best colors are char-
treuse with silver glitter,
glow with a gold-rust belly,
moss green with a red tail,
pink-and-glow, and purple
with a chartreuse tail
Late August and
September is when theaction under the birds
begins. Toward the mid-
dle of September, it starts to
pick up. And come October,
it’s not unusual to see huge
fl ocks of gulls picking baitfi sh
and shrimp off the surface.
By the end of October and
the fi rst week of November,
the action begins to wane.
But that’s also when some
of the heaviest trout start to
show up under the birds. As
the migration of shad and
shrimp begins to peter out,
you will no longer see the
big fl ocks of gulls. Then, you
might see only a half-dozen
birds over a school of trout.
But even if you spot just a
single gull hovering over one
particular area, go to it. You
just never know. It could be
suspending over a pair of
reds, or an entire school.
Gulls aren’t the only birds
that lead you to fi sh; terns
and pelicans will also. Terns,
aka liar birds, are much
smaller than gulls and quite
often appear to be over fi sh
when they’re really not.
Conversely, if you see peli-
cans diving into the water,
defi nitely do not pass them
up. Even a single pelican
crashing into bait will more
than likely be over trout.Guerrilla Tactics
Once the word spreads about
the action under the birds,it’s guaranteed to put plenty
of boats on the water. It’ll be
chaos at times. When a fl ock
of birds is spotted, it often
becomes a boat race to see
who gets there fi rst. If other
boats are on a big fl ock of
gulls, it’s OK to move in, but
with the trolling motor so
you won’t spook the fi sh.
Some days the fi shing can
be crazy—a fi sh hooked on
just about every cast. It’s
defi nitely all right to catch-
and-release reds and trout
all day long. In fact, during
September it’s not unusual
to catch 25 or 30 undersize
trout in a few hours of run-
and-gun fi shing. Be sure to
handle and unhook under-
size fi sh with care, and don’t
ice too many keepers during
the frenzy. This is a time
when game wardens are
not in the habit of writing
warning tickets.SEPTEMBER 2019 SALTWATERSPORTSMAN.COM 65RODS
6- to 6^1 ⁄ 2 -foot for
10- to 20-pound line
REELS
Spinning or baitcasting
with a fast (about 7.1:1)
retrieve ratio
LINE
20-pound braid with a
4-foot section of 15-pound
fl uorocarbon leader
LURES
D.O.A. shrimp and C.A.L.
series shad tail, MirrOlure
Top Dog and She Dog,
Heddon Saltwater Super
Spook and Spook Jr.,(^1) ⁄ 2 -ounce silver spoon
Gulf Inshore Fish
Feeding Under Birds
Tackle
Box
Fall Flounder Bonus
The movement of southern fl ounder from estuary lakes and bays to the Gulf of Mexico
takes place at about the same time that birds hold over schools of trout and reds.
Passes and channels leading to the Gulf are excellent places to fi nd fl ounder during
late September and October. The mouths of bayous feeding into bays are also hotspots.
That’s where fl ounder stack up during falling tides. Shrimp- and mullet-imitation jigs
are top lure choices, and tipping them with a dime-size piece of fresh shrimp frequently
gets more bites. A 3-inch D.O.A. shad tail is another good option. Move it along the bot-
tom, where fl ounder wait in ambush, with a slow and steady retrieve for best results.
Top colors are root beer with a chartreuse tail, night glow, green pumpkin, and red shad.
DUAL THREAT: Paddle tails
mimic shrimp and baitfi sh,
and work wonders on fi sh
feeding under birds, top left.
SPOON-FED: Working a spoon
below schooling shad often
proves deadly, top right.
SEEING RED: Expect to fi nd
redfi sh wherever shrimp or
shad abound, bottom left.
DUPED: Small jerkbaits fool
many trout, bottom right.