One of the best times to catch multiple coastal species within a single day.

Story and photography by Danno Wise

April is typically when spring truly arrives on the Texas coast as March is often filled with starts and stops due to late arriving fronts. Once April arrives, so does consistently sunny, warm weather. The combination of sunshine and warm temperatures is like a magic elixir for fish and fishermen alike.

Over the next few weeks, both air and water temperatures will be continually rising. Thanks to a multitude of spawns and hatches, the bay waters will not only be warmer but also swarming with life. Both prey and predators will be much more abundant. They will also be more active and diverse.  There will be active bait of all types and sizes being pursued by a host of predators species including redfish, speckled trout, flounder, black drum and sheepshead. As a result, this is one of the best times to catch multiple species within a single day. Anglers in every bay system can realistically expect some sort of slam opportunities this month if they are looking for variety.

However, there is also variety within single species groups as April is also good time to catch both big fish and good numbers of solid fish. While most often this time of year, those looking for trophies will target them specifically however many big fish are also caught “incidentally” by fishermen looking to fill the box with solid keepers.

That said, it is not just a wider variety of size and diversity of available species that makes April fishing so unique. There is also an array of areas and ways to catch them. At times, anglers can choose where and how they want to be fish and have plenty of success. Other times, the conditions and/or prevailing prey items will dictate locations and techniques.

To that end, there will undoubtedly be more fish up in the shallow flats than previous months. The first couple weeks of the month though, there is also the possibility of a late season cold front (at times, harsh cold front as evidenced by the Easter cold front a few years ago). Suddenly cooler conditions can certainly change the fishing pattern – at least temporarily.

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