The second quarter of the year brings high hopes, high wind and high water.  Here’s how to deal with ‘em.

Story and photography by Danno Wise

March is the official start of spring and the unofficial start of “fishing season” along the Texas Coast. Although dedicated inshore anglers have been plying the bays for trophy trout and redfish in even the most inclement weather over the past couple of months, the sunny days of spring is what heightens hopes for the masses of fishermen. Along with these elevated expectations.

The third month of the year ushers in higher water levels as spring tides arrive. Of course, additional sunshine and rising temperatures also help spur fish and fishermen to be more active. These factors, along with the notorious spring winds and a myriad of emerging prey items, will combine to drastically change fishing patterns over the next few weeks.

The most obvious – and attractive – aspect of spring is the warmer water will make fish more active. At the same time, the warmer air temperatures will make spending time on the water more comfortable for anglers. Quite often, by the end of March, wade fishermen will have shucked their waders, especially if they are wading in shallow water to wade wet.

Whether in a boat or on foot, shallow water will be where anglers should be the vast majority of the time, as most fish will be found in shallow water during a greater portion of the day. Redfish and larger speckled trout will be the first to begin patrolling the shallows for extended periods. While most anglers relish the opportunity to tangle with these fish in skinny water, this is where the early spring fishing patterns can get a bit wonky.

The reason early spring shallow water fishing can be a bit trickier than fishing the flats at other times of the year is because there will be a lot more shallow water available thanks to the extreme high tides that coincide with the spring season. Much of this new water will flood into areas that are typically too shallow to fish or perhaps even bone dry. Additionally, some of the tried-and-true shallow water spots will no longer be shallow enough to be attractive to fish during peak tidal periods.

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