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Fishing Help Look above the waves for clues to where the good fishing isLaguna Madre anglers won't be wringing their hands with worry after all the maturing redfish of fall roundup have left for Port Aransas. In the sprawling waters behind Padre Island, frequent fishermen will be looking to the skies and straining their eyes for distant glimpses of seagulls diving over feeding activity. The fall bird show is one of the more anticipated of the annual angling happenings in the lagoon because it heralds easy action during the most pleasant time of the year for the Coastal Bend. Where the flocks of birds are seen "working" or diving, schools of speckled trout are frequently found feeding on shrimp and baitfish driven to the surface of the lagoon. One of the favored areas for anglers to look for working birds is along the west side of the Upper Laguna Madre. This area is a
long, narrow stretch of waters between the Intracoastal Waterway and the King
Ranch shoreline. The heart of this area is the slightly deeper waters of Emmord's Hole, a five-mile long swath of four- to six-foot-deep waters south of the Pure Oil Channel near the King Ranch shoreline. Another favored area is the wide-open portions of Baffin Bay, along both sides of the Riviera Channel in the bay's deeper waters. However, anglers also find bird activity in the Yarborough Pass area on the eastern side of the lagoon. as well as in the Cayo del Grullo in the back end of Baffin Bay. When approaching a flock of diving birds, savvy anglers play it safe with a quiet and cautious approach. They shut their engines down about 200 yards from the action and ease up on the activity under trolling motor or wind power. Such approaches
become more necessary when two or more boats attempt to converge on the same flock
of birds, as commonly happens on busy weekends. The anglers playing it safe will also cast under the birds with live shrimp on popping cork rigs. But plastic shrimptails work well when waters are clear, and they are likely to be clear in October. When diving birds are not readily visible, experienced anglers have learned not to ignore gulls resting on the water. Often, the birds will be sitting where feeding activity has recently taken place. It's not unusual for trout to still be in the area. More than one Laguna Madre fishing guide has bragged of taking limits of specks near resting birds after less knowledgeable anglers have pass them by. Anglers concentrating on waters along the King Ranch shoreline usually launch from ramps along Flour Bluff's Laguna Shores Drive. The Bluff Landing ramp is popular, but many of the lagoon's top fishing guides favor C&W Bait Stand. Anglers fishing the Yarborough Pass waters often use the Bird Island Basin ramp on the entrance road to the Padre Island National Seashore. From both the Laguna Shores and the Bird Island ramps, anglers often head for Baffin Bay. From either area, reaching Baffin Bay is a lengthy run. However, more mobile anglers can shorten the distance and increase their fishing time by going in Baffin Bay's back door from ramps near Riviera. The Kaufer Park ramp is a prime location where anglers can reach the fishing grounds with a run of only 10 to 15 minutes. The park offers camping facilities, and commercial lodging is available in the vicinity.
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