Fishing Report 08/21/2024
South Padre Island,TX
Capt. Dave Edwards 956-524-3002. The heat is on here in South Padre Island. As of this writing we are having daily temperatures in the upper 80’s with heat indexes into the 100’s.
Our trout bite has been excellent since the early spring. Currently live bait is working in deeper off colored waters for the specks when the wind isn’t blowing too hard. Those who like to throw artificial are doing just as well with swim baits and jerk shads on a 1/8 or 1/4th oz jig head. My favorite is the 3.5 inch Golden Raider on a 1/4th oz jig this time of year.
With the current temperatures I’m finding my trout in deeper off colored water near or in weeds, morning hours have been best. The weeds will provide cooler water for the trout during the midday where they will rest before becoming active again into the evening cooler waters and low light conditions. The ¼ oz jig is perfect for getting that bait down fast into those weeds. The Pasture, edges of the ICW, mouth of the Arroyo and the shacks north of Green Island are all areas I’m currently working and netting fish for my guests. Remember trout limits in Texas have been changed to 3 trout per angler per day between 15-20 inches in length. Of those 3 one can be over 30 inches.
The red fishing has been good as our migration has been underway since mid May. My guests are finding the reds in a mixture of shallow and deeper water. As with the trout I want some type of grass or deep water nearby for the reds to relax and cool off. Unlike the trout in the summer, reds often are active in the mid afternoon into evening. Days with little wind continue to produce reds in 15-20 ft of water where they are schooling. Windy days are producing the best days for our red fishing. As summer continues into September I will be concentrating my efforts in the grass flats for the reds, as this has been a pattern I have found to work over the last decade in the late summer months.
What a summer for the black drum! Hundreds have been migrating through our bay system and have been stacking in deep water. Limits have been very common most days when there has been little wind.
Please stay hydrated out on the water! As I tell all my guests, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. With a little breeze on the bay at times you may feel fine but once you get on the mainland and indoors you will realize you got scorched. Good fishing to all!
Capt. Dave Edwards
