This week at South Padre, the Lower Laguna Madre is doing what it does best in July — clear, shallow water full of grass, trout in the potholes, and redfish pushing wakes across the sand in the first hour of light.
What’s Hitting
Speckled trout are the steady bite, holding in the potholes and grass edges in 2 to 4 feet across the Lower Laguna. Redfish are cruising the sand and the color changes in singles and small schools — classic sight-casting fish. Snook are prowling the Brazos Santiago jetties and the channel edges, and offshore, the first tarpon of high summer are rolling along the beachfront with kingfish on the nearshore structure.
Where to Find Them
The grass flats from the Convention Center north to the Saucer are holding trout early. The sand west of the ICW is the redfish stage on calm mornings — pole or wade quietly and look for tails and wakes. Snook want the jetty rocks on the moving tide, especially the last of the outgoing at dawn.
Tides & Conditions
Light early winds and small tide swings this week put a premium on the dawn session. The Laguna is warm and clear, with the fish sliding deeper as the sun climbs. The afternoon southeast breeze is dependable — plan the morning glass accordingly.
Tackle & Tactics
Trout want a soft plastic on a light jighead worked through the potholes, or a topwater at first light. Sight-cast reds take weedless gold spoons and shrimp imitations placed well ahead of the fish. Jetty snook eat swimbaits and live piggy perch tight to the rocks on 30-pound fluorocarbon.
Local Intel This Week
The ramps at Isla Blanca Park on the island’s south end and Adolph Thomae Jr. County Park up the Arroyo Colorado are the main public launches, with the Port Isabel city ramps covering the west side. Fish are concentrating on the grass flats early and the jetties on tide. Texas snook regulations are strict and trout limits are specific to the Lower Laguna — check current Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
On the sand, wade with the sun over your shoulder and scan for the push, not the fish. A redfish wake in eight inches of water shows up long before the fish does — read the direction, lead it by ten feet, and let the spoon sit until the fish is close.