A transition begins as coastal anglers beat the heat at night while anticipating fall waterfowl options.
Story and Photography by Bill L. Olson

August can be brutally hot on Texas coast. Even light winds sometimes become like a blast from a red-hot furnace. That is if you persist to fish during the heat of the day. A better option is to fish early and late, then relax while fishing under bright lights at night.
Each day that passes moves us ever closer to a time when the summer heat begins to abate. August begins a transition that flows into a cooler part of the fall, and toward new opportunities that last into the New Year.
Redfish begin to school and mill at the onset of their migration this month. Copper-colored spot tails become primary targets for coastal anglers with speckled trout and an occasional flounder a welcomed “by-catch.”
One of the best ways to kick back and truly relax is to not fight Mother Nature. Fish early, fish late and relax during the hottest part of the day. Then in the evening the fun begins under the lights. Shrimp and other baitfish feed in the bright spot on the water while gamefish dart in and out as the food chain is visibly in motion. Anglers will cull through schoolies and concentrate on the darker edges where better quality trout await.
As the night wears on a nap in a comfortable bunk, in a chilled air-conditioned floating cabin stir dreams of fall opportunities. It may be a drowsy subconscious plan to return to fish during a cooler time of they year and even include some duck hunting as the year gives way to the new.

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