If you’ve given up on catching speckled trout in the surf for this year you could be missing some of the best surf fishing of the season. Recent catches of easy limits are being reported up and down the coast by anglers wading the second bar with shadtails, Triple Chance spoons, MirrOlures, topwater plugs, and of course live baits such as shrimp, finger mullet, mud minnows, and small croakers. 
Not only is this action easy, since the fish are usually there feeding anyway, but there’s only one real trick. Fishing the surf whether with lures or live bait depends on one thing. In fact successfully fishing the surf really depends on only one thing, the surf itself. And if you ever catch it right there’s no fishing you’ve ever done that will compare. Catching the surf when it’s both clear and calm doesn’t happen very often, in fact in the last several years I’ve caught it in perfect condition only once. Now mind you, that once was for a week last year. Conroe guide Bill Cannan and I worked the surf at the west end of the Galveston Sea Wall every morning until about 11 a.m. and found speckled trout morte than willing to take our offerings. Bill threw mostly MirrOlures while I stayed with my standard B&L pumpkin/chartreuse shad tails. We both caught fish and I honestly don’t think it would have made any difference had we thrown bottle caps or fuss-jumpers, the fish still would have hit and we’d still have taken a few home. The best time to work the surf is both early and late in the day. The mid-day sun drives the fish out further, to deeper water, and they are usually beyond casting or wading range. Work the first gut as you enter the water and then head for the second bar. I’ve never had to go further than this to catch my fish, but you hear stories of all kinds. The one problem I should mention is that you always hear those success stories about someone catching fish off the third sand bar. And take it from me most people don’t fish the true third bar unless they’re extremely tall or desperate to catch fish. If you do decide to try your luck out there, please wear a life jacket. I appreciate all my readers and don’t like to read about something happening to them. As I mentioned before, the surf, when caught at the right time, can be the fishing experience of your life. The best way to catch it right is to always plan on fishing it and having a backup plan if it’s not right. That way if you get down there and it just happens to be clear and calm you’ll be ready.
– Texas Saltwater Fishing Guide
