Transitions in water temperature, bait presence and fish patterns dictate anglers are versatile and adaptable.

By Danno Wise

Despite the occasional late front, April typically sees consistently warming weather along the Texas Gulf Coast. Longer daylight hours and rising air temperatures result in much warmer bay waters, which in turn results in speckled trout – and other species — are much more active.

This makes April an excellent time to catch good numbers of specks.  Additionally, in most areas of the coast, there are still plenty of spawning fish, making April an equally good time to target trophy fish as well.

However, April is a dynamic month with every Texas bay seeing a myriad of transitions in water temperature, bait presence and fish patterns. Therefore, being versatile and adaptable is usually the key to success in spring’s first full month.

TOPWATER PLUGS

The warming water of spring will see fish being more active. So, not only will they be more apt to attack a surface plug, they will also be aggressive enough to take on a topwater moved at a quicker clip than was feasible in winter.

As is the case with other type of artificial lures during the spring season, anglers throwing topwaters should “match the hatch” so to speak by adjusting plug size to match the most prevalent size prey items. Everything from full-size plugs to micro-offerings can work depending on what fish are feeding on.

For example, full size plugs will be more effective when fish are feeding on mature mullet, whereas Jr size baits will work best if they are targeting this year’s hatch of mullet. Likewise, micro-plugs work great when fish are feeding on minnows.