Fly Rodding for South Texas Snook texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout Most saltwater fly rodders realize what a terrific challenge snook represent. However, few realize they can be caught consistently in South Texas. The southernmost stretch of Texas' famed Lower Laguna Madre, which is nestled between Port Isabel and South Padre Island, holds a viable resident population of both fat and common snook. Fly fishermen have a year around opportunity to cast to linesiders in these waters, with a few simple adjustments to strategy as the seasons change. Winter, which happens to be one of the prime times to target snook in this area, finds most of the fish hanging around docks and pilings in the Brownsville Ship Channel and the various basins and loading docks in the Port of Port Isabel. Spring and early summer sees the fish transitioning to the Brazos Santiago Pass. At this time, they can be found in South Bay and the flats adjacent to the ICW in the Laguna. Come summer, the majority of snook will be clustered near the jetties which line the Brazos Santiago Pass, although during late-July and early-August a good deal of fish will also be cruising along the beachfront. Finally, fall is when anglers can find the heaviest concentrations of fish on the shallow flats, particularly in South Bay and areas like Mexiquite Flats. Fat snook average 14 to 16 inches, but are spirited fighters. Common snook grow much larger. The average common snook taken from these waters is between 22 and 24 inches, but slot-sized fish (24 to 28 inches) are frequently caught and fish measuring in excess of 30 inches aren't unusual. Regardless of size, snook are a handful on a fly rod and an 8 wt. stick should be considered the minimum, with 9 to 10 wt. rods being optimum. An intermediate line is versatile enough to cover most situations, although a fast sink or sink-tip can be handy when fish are holding deep during summer and winter. Conversely, a floating line has its place, particularly during fall when fish cruising the flats are suspect to falling for poppers. Although the season and situation will dictate fly patterns, anglers should pack their box with versatility in mind, as snook are known to exhibit a variety of behaviors throughout the day. For example, while most fish suspend deep in the water column during winter, it is not uncommon to find a snook “sunning” on the surface. Baitfish and shrimp patterns in a variety of sizes and weights - along with a few poppers - will ensure anglers can present the proper fly regardless of what the fish happens to do. Some of the more popular patterns include Haines' Pilchards, Clouser Minnows (black/white, chartreuse/white, and grey/white seem to work best), SeaDucers, BendBacks, and Deceivers. Besides consistently giving up good numbers of fish, the beauty of the Laguna Madre as a snook fishery is the accessibility. A number of good guides are available, but not necessarily needed, depending on the angler. During summer, any angler capable of walking atop jetty rocks is in the thick of the action. The same is true during late summer when the fish are running in the surf. The remainder of the year, do-it-yourself anglers will find many fishable areas are accessible by kayak or small boat. Despite being allowed to retain one fish per angler per day by the State of Texas, most local anglers release all snook taken and the majority of local guides prefer their clients do the same. However, anyone who wishes to retain their daily allotment is allowed one fish between 24 and 28 inches in length. texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout