The Lower Laguna Madre is a unique bay system for fishing because of its overwhelming amount of sea grass. This area has far more grass than anywhere else on the Texas coast, which can make for a challenging and rewarding fishing experience. Hopefully I can help you to navigate this grass fishing style better so that you can catch more of this regions trophy fish like redfish, speckled trout and snook.
One of the reasons that the Laguna Madre contains all of these different species of fish is the grass and algae. These grass beds provide a home and protection to fish as well as structure and ambush points. They are very important to the success of our fisheries.
People who are not familiar with fishing in the Laguna Madre can have a real problem with their lure from getting stuck in the grass, which can make for a frustrating experience. The unique grass beds cover 85 percent of our local waters so there is no escaping this problem that doesn’t exist in other parts of the Texas Gulf Coast.
The species of grass named Thalassia testudinum (aka turtle grass) in particular is all over the place. This turtle grass is a favorite for holding fish, but can also be the most challenging. Whether you are an experienced angler or not, trying to navigate this grass can really ruin your day with frustration if you aren’t prepared for it.
It is important that your lure stays in the key “strike zone” as much as possible. In order to do this you have to keep the lure just above the grass without catching it. What I do to accomplish this task is keep my rod bent at a 45 degree angle, maybe even a little bit higher when the grass is thicker. The next half of the puzzle is your lure retrieval.
This next step can be the hardest to learn, but will make a huge impact on your chances of catching a fish. The key is to keep the lure constantly moving when you are over these grass beds so that it stays on top and doesn’t fall down into the grass blades.
My retrieval technique is a bit unusual, and other anglers complain about their arm getting so tired when they try it, but you don’t have to do it just like me. Everyone needs to experiment with their own particular technique, but here is what I do. My lure constantly moves, either up or down, with non-stop action of my rod tip. A lot of people prefer to bounce their rod a few times and then let it drop, which can be successful as well.
The important thing is to keep the lure in motion so that it will not get caught in the grass. This might take some time to perfect, but it can be done. If you are fishing along side of someone that is not getting caught in the grass and you are, take a close look at the angle of their rod tip when it comes down and how far it goes back up and observe the speed of their retrieve. Practicing these techniques and not being hesitant to experiment and change your techniques will soon get you to master working a soft plastic lures over the grassiest of bottoms, and hopefully greatly increase your catches.
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