Spoiled Fishing
The arrival of spoils islands and humps decades ago irreversibly changed the fishing patterns in Texas’ bays.
Story and photography by Danno Wise
Today the practice of open bay dredge dumping is a thing of the past. But, for decades, dredgers working to deepen channels along the Texas coast routinely deposited the sediment sucked from the channels in nearby shallows. The practice was eventually stopped because there are some ecological drawbacks associated with open bay spoil dumping — ie altered tide movement, reduced visibility due to suspended particulate until the material settles, etc.
However, there was also a big benefit — the creation of fish attracting islands and humps in otherwise featureless flats. In short, the arrival of spoils islands and humps irreversibly changed the fishing patterns in bays up and down the Texas coast. Anglers who know when and how to take advantage of these unnatural islands can certainly increase their odds for angling success, especially during the upcoming summer months.
