Flooding tides are inundating backwater areas that hold great promise for trout, redfish, and flounder.
Story and Photography by Nate Skinner

Southerly winds and the fourth month of the year go hand in hand. This means that strong influxes of salty tides are continually flooding coastal bays and estuaries, including back lake areas and marshes during the month of April.
Satellite bays and lakes not only provide anglers with protection from gusty breezes, they also hold great promise for speckled trout, redfish, and flounder. Luckily, there is an abundance of these areas spanning Texas’ upper coast from Matagorda Bay to Sabine Lake, and even on eastward to Lake Calcasieu in southwest Louisiana. These areas are chock full of fish and can become an untapped gold mine when approached effectively.
The reason marshes and back bays hold fish during periods of flooding tides is pretty simple. Baitfish follow the rising water to protected areas and predators are hot on their trail.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Galveston Bay Ecosystem Leader, Glen Sutton, small baitfish and crustaceans move into marshes in search of structure to hide in order to avoid predation.

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