Texas Offshore Angling texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout After what seems an eternity, Texas offshore anglers are hurriedly spooling reels, changing hooks and rigging leaders. Although tackle prep is usually not a favorite pastime for most fishermen, you'd be hard pressed to find an angler who'd rather be doing anything else right now. Why? Because they know the real game is about to begin. Sure, Texas has “year around” fishing opportunities - even for the blue water crowd. However, it is almost as if there are two separate fisheries which exist in the waters off the Lone Star State. During the late fall and winter, boats making it out between fronts are able to busy themselves with state-water red snapper, grouper and a variety of other miscellaneous bottom-dwellers, with an occasional tuna or bonito thrown in. But, as the water warms, a whole new world opens up as pelagic species begin making their way within striking distance of the Texas coast. And, by this point even the most ardent red snapper fan is ready for a little variety. Kingfish, Wahoo, tuna, Dorado, sailfish, ling… these are the targets Texas offshore anglers live for. This is why they play the game. And, as the fourth month of the year begins and water temperatures begin to warm to within the tolerance level of many pelagic species; offshore anglers are ready to play for real. So, let the migration begin. WARMING WATER Before looking at when each species should be within a fishable range of the beach, it is important to know why they relocate throughout the year. Several conditions affect where fish are found - water clarity, depth and temperature all play a role. However, the most important factor, hands down, is water temperature. Second in importance is water depth and, finally, water clarity. Because water temperatures warm at various rates up and down the Texas coast, species will usually arrive at slightly different times along different portions of the coastline. And, since some areas of Texas are further away from “deep” water, some species are within fishable range only rarely or require an extremely long boat ride to reach. Like inshore anglers, the mantra for most offshore fishermen is “70 degrees.” Certainly, a water temperature 70 degrees is a magic mark for a wide variety of inshore and offshore saltwater species. However, some can tolerate much cooler water, while others may require slightly warmer temperatures before showing up in reliable numbers. As a rule, the following temperatures are good guidelines for Gulf Coast offshore anglers to follow: amberjack (65 - 80 degrees), blackfin tuna (70 - 82), cobia (68 - 85), dolphin (75 - 85), kingfish (66 - 75), marlin (68 - 88), sailfish (68 - 88), Wahoo (70 - 86), yellowfin tuna (64 - 80). Again, these are not exact ranges - some fish can tolerate cooler or warmer temperatures - but they provide an accurate guide for consistent, reliable presence of each of these species. Tolerable water temperature combined with sufficiently deep water will determine which species will be present and when off any given stretch of Texas coast. UPPER COAST Like many Upper Texas Coast offshore skippers, Freeport-based guide Capt. David Smith of David's Deep Sea Charters is anxiously awaiting the opening of the federal snapper season. “I just love catching big snapper,” Smith said. “I know they are out there, we are just waiting for the season to open.” However, as much as Smith is anticipating sow snapper action, he is equally excited to receive a few of his frequent summer visitors. “Shortly after the opening of snapper season - sometime in early to mid-May - we should start seeing a few kingfish showing up,” Smith said. “Early on, most of the fish will be around the rigs, about 14 or 15 miles out. We'll start fishing for them while on snapper trips.” “As the water keeps warming up, the kings will move in around the middle banks - about 9 or 10 miles out - and later in the summer, say June or so, they can come in as close as the jetties if the water is good and clean,” Smith observed. “From June through September, it is easy to overrun kingfish because they move in so close. During the summer I suggest stopping in any water that looks promising, no matter how close in it is.” May is also a good month on the top stretch of Texas coast to start looking for cobia and amberjack. “Around May or early June we usually get a real good run of ling (cobia) around the closer platforms,” Smith continued. “Those rigs are about 15 miles out and during the early summer, they are covered up with ling. A little further out, about 35 to 40 miles - around the VA Fogg and that area - we have some awesome amberjack action in May. By late summer these fish get hard to catch, so if you want them it is best to look for them early.” Once summer is in full swing, Smith says offshore anglers along the Upper Coast can expect fishable numbers of dolphin to move in. “In June we start getting a lot of little dorado moving in. These fish will be anywhere you find good, clean water. Again, stop and fish anything that looks good. Come fall - around October - we don't have nearly as many dolphin, but we seem to catch bigger ones. It is all dependent on the water clarity, but they will stick around as long as we have consistently clear water.” Angler wanting tuna can find them, but they best be prepared for a long boat ride. “The most consistent tuna action will be in the fall,” Smith said. “Then we get a lot of blackfins and some yellowfins about 55 to 65 miles out. The rest of the year, they are there, but you need to look about 70 miles or so out.” MIDDLE COAST Port Aransas is synonymous with offshore fishing in most Texans' minds. That is because offshore fishermen leaving from Middle Coast ports have a variety of options which last virtually throughout the entire year, according to Capt. Brad Barwise. “From mid-April to mid-May, as the water warms up and shrimp season gets underway, we target blacktip sharks along the beachfront, behind the shrimp boats,” said Barwise. “Blacktip fishing is very shrimp boat dependent. Once the shrimpers are gone, so are the blacktips. But, then we start seeing a lot of Atlantic sharpnose shark come in. They move in around mid-May and stick around through the fall.” Also in mid-May, kingfish begin showing up along the Coastal Bend. “The big females show up first,” Barwise stated. “They come in during May and can be found in about 40 or 50 feet of water so long as we have dependable clarity. During June, but especially in July and August, we will start seeing a lot more fish moving through. During the summer they will come in as close as the jetties if the clarity is good.” Cobia also swing in close to shore during the summer months. “May through September we have good numbers of ling,” said Barwise. “They will come in as close as the jetties and can be found pretty much wherever you have good clarity and something to attract them like weedlines, buoys or shrimpboats.” Dorado can be found consistently off the Middle Coast during the summer months. “June, July and August are our best months for dorado,” observed Barwise. “They can be as close as 4 miles off the jetties all the way out to about 26 miles.” Barwise lists Wahoo and billfish as possibilities - particularly in the summer months - but says not many anglers spend the necessary time chasing them. “In the fall, we start seeing tuna,” said Barwise. “September through December, depending on water temperature, we will be catching a lot of blackfin with a few yellowfin mixed in.” LOWER COAST South Padre Island guide Captain Bryan Ray of Master Plan Charters, feels he has plenty of options throughout the year to keep them busy. “I know everybody says these fish migrate and I guess they do on other parts of the coast,” said Ray. “But, we have several species that don't leave - they just move a little further offshore.” Ray uses kingfish as a prime example. “So long as we don't get a real cold winter, we will catch kingfish year around,” he said. “This year, we were catching tons of kings 15 miles out until late February. Then the water cooled and pushed them out a little. But, by March they are back and by April they are moving into the jetties. “Around May or June they will be thick around the jetties. They will stay there until about October, then they will back off to about 20 - 22 miles and stay there through the winter.” Ling are another close-quarter quarry for Lower Coast anglers during summer. “Cobia will start showing up on the rock piles in May,” Ray added. “They will be consistent through September. In June and July, you can catch them around the jetties on near the sea buoy, which is two and a half miles out.” Also around the sea buoy during summer will dorado, bonito and an occasional sailfish. “April through October, once we consistently get better water, we will see dorado move in,” Ray mused. “We can catch them anywhere from the sea buoy out to about 50 miles and anywhere in between. And, of course, it's not uncommon for people to end up hanging sailfish in that same stretch.” And, when it comes to billfish, it is hard to beat the Texas border waters. “I kind of see Wahoo, tuna and billfish as `cooler' fish, meaning we can find them all year,” Ray said. “This year, we had a trip right after the first of the year - some guys wanted to catch the first blue marlin of the year - and we raise three blues. That isn't going to happen everyday, but it is possible to find bills all year, so long as you don't mind running out to where they are.” Where they are, according to Ray, is about 50 miles out most of the year, although sailfish will come in much, much closer during summer. A perfect example of the close to shore sailfishing possibilities during summer is the over 80-inch sailfish caught by an angler aboard a headboat drifting between the jetties in Brazos Santiago Pass last summer. According to Ray, even blue marlin will be consistent as close as 20 miles from shore during the summer. Ray is also quick to point out most Texas offshore records have been caught out of the South Padre Island/Port Isabel area including all of the billfish and Wahoo marks. “That state record Wahoo was caught less than 20 miles out,” Ray said. Another `year rounder' for Lower Coast offshore aficionados is tuna. “Summer and fall is best,” said Ray. “At that time, we will have blackfins and a few yellowfins 12 - 15 miles out. There are still plenty of fish in the winter and spring, but you have to run around 40 miles to get them." Although each section of the Texas Coast will have different species, rest assured there will be plenty of summer visitors off every stretch of sand in the Lone Star State from now through fall. So, whether you are an offshore regular or an inshore angler looking for a little change of pace, the waters off Texas offer a true sport fishing challenge - one sure to make fond memories for those willing to accept it. texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout