Beachfront Run & Gun texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout A great deal of Texas salt water fishermen our coastal bays and estuaries. A good many also fish the surf, when the conditions are right. Another set of anglers ply the offshore waters off the Texas coast. However, what a vast majority of anglers overlook is the narrow strip of water that lies between the beach of the blue water break. This near shore stretch of water is an underutilized, yet highly productive angling venue. As is the case with our bays and surf zone, what species are found in the slice of water which lies between the beach and, say the 5 mile mark, varies from one end of Texas to the other. However, each area offers a greater variety of fish than will be found in any of our bay systems. And, during late summer and early fall, these waters and the fish which swim in them, are usually a safe option for the “mosquito fleet.” The flat seas, warm currents and “cleaner” August water ushers in a variety of sport fish, which are likely not seen the rest of the year. Anglers looking to try something new are best served to take this window of opportunity to tie into one of the brutish beachfront gang and return to fishing the bay once these schools of summer visitors leave for the year. “It really is amazing what you can catch out front (of the coastline),” said Capt. Brandon Shuler of Port Mansfield's Get-A-Way Adventures Lodge. “In fact, we get a lot of species in August and September that people don't even realize can be caught in Texas. And, a lot of fish that usually takes a long run offshore can be found within 5 or 7 miles of dry sand this time of year.” Shuler, who has carved out a niche for himself conducting “big game” fly fishing charters during this time of beachfront bliss, has seen clients land everything from kingfish to tarpon, dorado to ling, jacks to sharks - all within sight of the beach. “We can almost always find really big jacks - which are a lot of fun on light tackle or with a fly rod,” said Shuler, who has a Panga 28 custom-rigged to accommodate his style of fishing, but will often times run the beachfront in his flats skiff when the conditions are right. “We also fish a lot for bonito, Spanish mackerel and kingfish. All of these fish are usually in really close - often right around or inside of the jetties.” “And, of course, we also have a lot of tarpon and shark in close,” stated Shuler. “When the conditions are right, we'll also find ling and dolphin within a couple of miles of the beach. We do get dorado in close pretty often, but we almost always have pompano dolphin within 3 miles of shore. Pompano dolphin are smaller than regular dorado and have a more rounded head - similar to a female dorado - but they are a lot of fun on light tackle or a fly rod. During the summer, we consistently find swarms of them around any grass line or floating debris.” Regardless of what type of tackle anglers prefer, Shuler says there are a couple of basic signs that will point fishermen toward the action while running the beachfront waters. “When I'm running the beach, I am basically looking for one of two things,” Shuler explained. “First - and most obviously - I am looking for busting baitfish on the surface. This is pretty easy to spot and can mean fast action. But, you still have to somewhat `match the hatch' at times. For instance, I've found that with bonito whatever fly or lure you throw has to be either white or silver, or they won't bite. You throw any other color and they can be bustin' all over the place and won't eat (your lure).” “The other thing I'm looking for is color changes,” said Shuler. “Most times, there is a color change just outside the jetties from the outflow from the bay. We can usually find kings right on the clean side of the color change. Not only will there be a clarity difference along the color change, but there is usually a pretty dramatic temperature change as well. For instance, it may be 84 degrees (surface temperature) near the surf, but 79 degrees on the color change.” “Sometimes, when we have green water inshore, I'll run out a little further and find that `blackwater' break,” said Shuler. “Then, I'll just run the break looking for bait.” Although located busting bait or finding activity along the color changes will usually result in fast action, Shuler says sometimes it is necessary to bring the fish to you. “We do a lot of chumming,” said Shuler. “In fact, when we're fly fishing for sharks, all of those fish are chummed in. But even with other species, a lot of times getting a chum slick going will help get the fish active. I always make sure I have plenty of chum on the boat when I head out.” Since there is such a variety of fish found along the near shore strip, anglers looking to take part in the beachfront action need to be prepared for literally anything. However, being well-prepared doesn't necessarily mean using overly heavy tackle. “With conventional tackle, we'll catch just about everything - kingfish, ling, dorado, bonito, tarpon - on rigs that are just a little heavier than what we use in the bay for trout and reds,” said Shuler, who recommends a 6 ½ - 7-foot casting rod paired with a Pflueger Trion 66 or similar casting reel (capable of holding 200 yards of 15 pound test). “The same goes with fly tackle - I'll use 8 weights, which is a typical bay outfit, as well as heavier rods. When I head out, I usually have two 8 weights, two 10 weights, and two 12 weights. I use all Pflueger Trion rods and pair them with Pflueger President large arbor reels.” Just as rod and reel outfits don't have to be dramatically “upsized” to tackle beachfront fare, nor do lures and flies - despite the fact rather large fish will be the target. Conventional tackle anglers are well-served with baits in the 4 to 5-inch range. Good examples include hard baits such as 52 Series Mirrolures, Super Spooks, C10 Redfins, and A-Salt Bombers, as well as soft-plastic jigs and swim-baits such as Stanley 5-inch Wedgetail Minnows, DOA Baitbusters, and Storm Wildeye Shads. Anglers can also do well throwing spoons and bucktail jigs. For fly anglers, Shuler suggests using a variety of baitfish patterns, including popular bay fishing patterns like Clouser Minnows and Deceivers. “For most of the fish out there, pretty much any baitfish pattern with big eyes will work well,” said Shuler. “For dolphin, I usually use a red/white Clouser, tied about 2 ½ inches long on a 2/0 hook. For bonito, pretty much the way to go is with small silver or white Gummy Minnows. Those flies only hold up for a fish or two - so you probably want to learn how to tie them yourself - but they work better than anything else. Small Crystal Shrimp patterns also seem to work really well out there.” The other bit of advice Shuler has for novice near shore anglers is to not assume wire leaders are a must at all times. “I don't use any wire unless I am specifically targeting kings or sharks,” Shuler continued. “Otherwise, I'll just use a heavy mono shock leader. If you use wire all the time, you may still catch some fish like bonito, ling and dolpin from time to time. But, I find that these other species often get a little leader shy and won't hit a bait on a wire leader. That's when using the heavy mono will help get you more strikes.” “But, no matter what you're fishing with or fishing for, the close in water can be really awesome during August and clear through September,” Shuler added. “It's something everybody needs to try at some point, because it is just unbelievable what can be caught out there in the summer.” texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout