Black Drum
Out of Rockport, Texas here in March we are seeing Black Drum in the flats and inshore waters that are hitting a combination of either shrimp or crab tied fly patterns, as well as plastic shrimp (specifically the DOA), and bottom bouncing paddle tails.
Redfish (Red Drum)
As always, Redfish in the area are highly active. Just recently a large 38″ Redfish was caught & released by a Dallas resident out of the south jetty (source). For us, targeting Redfish on fly has been a favorite for the month of March. On light tackle, a front or bottom weighted paddletail is among our favorites, alongside the DOA shrimp, as well as suspending twitch baits (like the Mirrodine 14mr). And on fly or light tackle, when the conditions permit, top water plugs and flies are also effective, as well as just plain fun. For fly in general, we are using the same set as we are for Black Drum as mentioned above.
Sea Trout
Sea Trout ranging from dinks to 20″ are also showing up over the grass flats. Again, we can rely on similar rigs for targeting these as we are using for both Redfish and Black Drum.
Best Bets
Your best bet for a great day in the Rockport skinnies is to hit the grass flats sight fishing, but also blind casting pockets and along the edges of the grass (drifting the bait off the top and into the pocket or over the edge) will produce some great fishing opportunities. Following the tides over the flats is always a good move, but don’t forget to go concentrate on the oyster bars during the peak of the tidal movements. You can add some possible shots at Sheephead here as well.
