Salt Water Sportsman – August 2019

A

long the Gulf coasts of

Texas and Louisiana,

when big fl ocks of sea gulls

hold over shrimp and shad

pushed to the surface by

schools of hungry speck-

led trout and redfi sh, the

fi shing is going to be off the

charts. And seasoned anglers

look to the sky for telltale

signs leading to exciting

dawn-to-dusk action.

It all starts with the migra-

tion of shrimp and shad from

the backwater marshes and

estuary lakes that feed into

the bays. That’s usually the

result of falling water tem-

peratures associated with

the fi rst mild cold fronts in

late summer and early fall.

The migration moves to the

bays, and eventually into the

Gulf of Mexico, with fantastic

fi shing often lasting well into

November, or until the fi rst

hard cold front of the season

moves through.

“When we start seeing the

fi rst fl ights of teal moving

along the coast toward their

wintering areas in Mexico,

gulls are going to be holding

over trout, and reds gorging

on shrimp and shad,” says

Capt. Jerry Norris, a long-

time guide in Sabine Lake, on

the Texas-Louisiana border.

“The dove season opens on

September 1, and the early

teal season opens right after

that, coinciding with the

time when speckled trout

and redfi sh become easier to

fi nd and catch.”

There are several bays

where fl ocks of gulls tend

to hover over hungry trout

and reds. The No. 1 spot in

Louisiana is Calcasieu Lake.

The best places in Texas are

Sabine Lake, East Galveston

Bay, West Galveston Bay and

East Matagorda Bay. All are

easily accessible, with good

boat ramps.

Typically, when the

action under the birds be-

gins, it’s with 13- to 15-inch

male trout. But as the water

temperature cools with

passing fronts, trout in the

2- to 4-pound range move

in. “During the fi rst cou-

ple of weeks in September,

we’ll be fi shing with soft

plastics rigged on ¼-ounce

jig heads. The lures imitate

shrimp that fi sh are feed-

ing on,” says Capt. Jim West,

who has been guiding on the

Galveston Bay system for

decades. “We not only have

reds and speckled trout un-

der the gulls, but also huge

numbers of big sand trout,”

he adds.

It’s easy to tap into the

action. It only requires

launching your boat and

THE SKY

SEPTEMBER 2019 SALTWATERSPORTSMAN.COM 61

Gulf Inshore Fish

Feeding Under Birds

SWS

Planner

FOLLOW THE BIRDS

TO HOT TROUT AND REDFISH BITES

BY

ROBERT SLOAN

WHAT

Speckled trout

and redfi sh

WHERE

Texas and Louisiana

inshore waters, including

Calcasieu and Sabine lakes,

and Galveston and

Matagorda bays

WHEN

September through

November, when the fall

shrimp and shad

migrations occur

WHO

The following guides will

put you on fi sh and show

you how it’s done:

Sabine Lake

Capt. Jerry Norris

409-718-8782

Galveston Bay

Capt. Jim West

409-996-3054

Matagorda Bay

Capt. Charlie Paradoski

713-725-2401