It may be a tough to miss other options this month, a day spent on almost any Texas bay or beachfront will likely make it worthwhile. 

Story and photography by Danno Wise

For many residents and visitors, October is the ideal month to be in Texas. Thousands are occupied throughout the month with the State Fair, a myriad of college and pro football games and, as of late, a World Series run by the Astros or Rangers. This is not to mention, the various German, Czech and Polish communities across the Lone Star State offering a variety of Oktoberfest celebrations.

Of course, October is also the first full month of fall and a time when the weather starts to cool. As it does, it creates perfect conditions for fishing – and beer drinking if you happen by an Oktoberfest.

The cooler conditions also cause the state’s most popular inshore gamefish to begin to get more active. Redfish activity will be widespread over the next few weeks. At times, copper colored spot-tails are seemingly everywhere, as activity will stretch from the beachfront plus passes to the bays, marshes and back lakes. So most everyone agrees, when it comes to lifting a stein or a redfish along the Texas coast, there is no better time than October.

Just as big steins are the top draw at an Oktoberfest, big fish will be the big draw on the saltwater fishing scene as autumn sets in. The big fish pursued by most fishermen over the next few weeks will be mature redfish. These bull reds, most of the largest of which are actually female, will be roaming the beachfronts, Gulf passes and jetties from South Padre to Sabine Pass. Many of the fish forming these huge herds will have migrated out from the inshore bays earlier in the summer. However, most of the largest specimens will have moved in from offshore.

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