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I start by filling my tackle bins with lightly colored baits to replace the darker, winter colors. I know there are different schools of thought on this, but I just feel the lighter colors (i.e. clear and chartreuse) are better suited as cleaner water conditions prevail in the spring. After cleaning and oiling my best reels and fixing any broken eyes on my rods, I'll replace the hooks on my favorite topwater plugs. Then I'll make live bait rigs with new popping corks and fluorocarbon leader. And, I'll call Greg Jack, my go-to man in Grand Isle, Louisiana.
Today, it is fishermen who flock to the over 300 mile long coastline of the Lone Star State. However, like the pirates before them, they have treasure in mind, only today it is in the form of giant speckled trout. From South Padre Island to Sabine Lake, Texas saltwater fishermen have a variety of venues capable of producing an over 30-inch speckled trout. Mark these spots on your map and you'll drastically increase your odds of striking it rich on your next trophy trout treasure hunt.
Pompano are a light tackle anglers dream come true, a lightning fast swimmer capable of making incredible runs mixed with frantic leaps. These small exotics, a mini version of a permit, prowl the shallow flats of Mississippi's barrier islands sandy bottoms looking for tiny morsels of food including coquina clams, sand fleas, and various small crabs. All of the barrier isles including Petit Bois, Sand Island, Horn Island, East and West Ship Island, as well as Cat Island have miles and miles of crystal clear shallow flats and bars that lure in the silver beauties. Besides their great fighting ability, Florida pompano are considered one of the finest eating fish on the planet. Many anglers locate pompano while cruising the shallows waiting for fish
to start jumping in their wake, and then back track and begin fishing. It's
possible to drift for them, but anchoring up and setting out the proper
rigs seems to be the most effective method.
If you ever find yourself on south Highway 146 heading toward Galveston Island from the Kemah/Bacliff area of Texas and look towards the east, the unmistakable site of industrial smoke stacks can be seen miles away, as their flares burn bright in the smoky haze. Below this layer of atmospheric smog, lies a seaport town right smack dab in the middle of Galveston Bay, known as Texas City, Texas. My hometown of 21 years, Texas City is commonly seen by outsiders, as the "arm pit" of the world, with little to offer other than "blue-collar" jobs and health concerns for residents. However, from an angler's point of view, I think visitors, as well as locals, would argue that this seaport location puts fishermen on an ideal spot in Galveston Bay for something incredible to happen. Lying about 40 miles southeast of Houston, Texas City traces its roots back to several small settlements along Galveston Bay as early as the 1830's, including the very first settlement of Campbell's Bayou near Virginia Point, both of which can still be seen on current maps of the bay system. Texas City has for the most part, lent itself to the shipping industry serving as one of the main ports in the state, as well as one of the largest until the development of the Port of Houston. In the past century, the petroleum industry has taken over much of the labor force within the town and surrounding cities and counties, as it is home to one of the largest petroleum/chemical plant centers in the state. With all the commotion from petroleum companies, it is difficult at times
to see the beauty of what Texas City's coastal access to the Galveston Bay
Complex has to offer. As the largest estuary in the state, it stretches
some 610 square miles and is composed of five bays: Trinity Bay, Upper Galveston
Bay, Lower Galveston Bay, West Bay, and East Bay...
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Texas' coastal curve was once a playground
for plundering pirates, anxious to grab the treasure aboard passing Spanish
galleons.
Starting in April and running well into
October in-the-know anglers in south Mississippi have the opportunity to
fish one of the best Florida pompano runs in southern waters. Yes, that's
right, and these fish aren't dinks with most specimens well over a pound
with many over three pounds.
