Through trout green glasses: Spring haunts, the best time of the year!

I can undeniably admit that fishing in late march through early may is my absolute favorite time of the year to fish the Texas gulf coast. This is the time of year that I pull the first wet wade of the year, the time that mullet first start blanketing the sand flats and run in huge pods or long lines shadowing sandbars and drop offs periodically being thrown into a unified nervous twitch by overhead birds or being run flying in terror away from bigger fish that are more likely huge jack fish than smaller sharks.(Id like to think:) Plus the weather is at its best. The humidity returns a few days before the last weak cold fronts that send fish into feeding frenzy's exploding on top waters like dynamite and leaping out of the water doing cartwheels. All while being the fattest they will be all year, full of eggs and their last meal of mullet, shad, and glass minnow. And to me the humidity is welcome. I miss it, while its 70-85 degrees its infinitely comfortable. Its still early enough that the mosquitoes haven't arrived in full force and walking shorelines hasn't become synonymous with the smell of deet and the taste of bug deterring clouds of cheap tobacco. After the front you get those breezy days that are great for outside drinking sessions and tying flys, dipping tails, or doing spring gear maintenance feverishly awaiting three days later when the wind switches to the SE and the trout will again be willing and hugging the shoreline on the first big tides of the spring full moon. THE FULL MOONS COMING!

Here are a few pictures of last weekends springtime glory. I hooked the one big trout I caught and kept on tails right in the throat close to the back end, low and to the left. Immediately out of the water the blood was flowing. I put the fish on my stringer to see if she would right herself as she was upside down, that is usually the sign that the fish will be ok after release. She tried about 30 minutes after being on the rope but then flipped again and died soon after. It was 25" and 5 1/2 lbs. Her tail girth right at the smallest point was incredible. Follow the mullet lines, find the fish. If the mullet are scattered but plentiful, follow the depressions and drops looking for hot baits being terrorized by predators. Top waters and paddle tails, maybe a baby brown tail too.