San Luis Pass, TX

Wind is S at 4 to 9 kt, the lightest and cleanest direction we've had all week, and the water will be at its best. Tide is even better than Thursday - 1.63 ft high at 2:08 AM falling all the way to a negative low at 4:10 PM, so you get fourteen straight hours of moving water. The major hits 6:16 to 8:16 AM, right on sunrise with the tide ripping. At 4 to 9 kt lure control is dead easy, so this is a genuine artificial day.

Topwater first hour, no question - Super Spook Jr in bone or a She Dog in chrome/black, walked slow over the bar edges while it's slick calm. Once they quit blowing up, go to a Down South Super Model in plum/chartreuse or Texas Roach on a 1/8 oz head and swim it along the drop-off on the outgoing. In water this clean use a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader and lengthen it - they will look at everything twice.

Live croaker on a light Carolina rig worked along the deeper drop-offs once the sun is up and the 86 F water pushes the better fish down. Live shrimp under a popping cork over the reefs and bar tops at first light. Free-lined finger mullet in the guts on that long fall for the bigger bites.

Four days of sustained S and SE flow with nothing above 13 kt to churn the bottom - this is the classic build. Even the bay side should have tightened up by now, though the throat of the pass will still be the cleanest water you can reach.

Redfish are on all day with this much moving water - gold spoon or a live mullet in the drains and along the sand. Flounder are stacking hard on the down-current bar lips ahead of the fall runs; slow-drag a jighead and expect them to be there through the weekend.

This is the best day of the week and it is not close. SE wind 4 to 9 kt, five straight days of southerly flow, the cleanest water of the stretch. High of 1.71 ft at 3:08 AM feeding an uninterrupted fall to -0.07 ft at 5:21 PM - fourteen hours of hard-moving water. The major runs 7:19 to 9:19 AM sitting right on sunrise with the tide at full rip. Lures at 4 to 9 kt in clear green water is as good as this pass gets.

Be in the water at gray light. Bone Super Spook Jr or a MirrOlure She Dog walked slow across the bar tops while it's calm - clear water and a hard fall means blowups. When the sun climbs, MirrOdine XL suspended over the drop or a Lil John in Texas Roach on a 1/8 oz head worked slow on the outgoing edge. Keep colors natural and translucent and fish a long fluorocarbon leader.

Live shrimp under a popping cork over the bar tops and reef edges through the whole morning major. Once the water heats past 87 F by midday, switch to live croaker on a Carolina rig in the deeper drop-offs where the better trout drop down. Free-lined mullet in the guts on the back half of the fall.

Five days of S and SE wind averaging under 10 kt has put clean Gulf water everywhere you want to stand. The throat and the outer bars will be as clear as you'll see them all season; only the farthest back-bay water still carries a tint.

Redfish will be everywhere - the drains, the sand, and the guts all produce on a fall this long. Flounder are a genuine target on the down-current side of every bar; slow-drag a 1/4 oz jighead with a Sea Shad and you can pick a limit.

Tide is perfect again - 1.72 ft high at 3:57 AM falling clean to -0.06 ft at 6:33 PM, and wind stays feather-light at 4 to 9 kt. The one caveat is the morning wind swings W then N before it comes back E and SE by midday, and that short northerly puff will put a slight stain on the bay side. At 5 mph it is nowhere near enough to blow this system out, so lures stay fully workable. Major from 8:21 to 10:21 AM covers the strongest part of the fall.

Topwater at first light before that light N swings around - Spook Jr in bone on the bar tops. After sunup go to a Down South Super Model in Chicken on a Chain on a 1/8 oz head if you're working the stained bay side, or Texas Roach if you stay out toward the cleaner Gulf water. Match the color to the water in front of you, not to the forecast.

Live shrimp under a popping cork on the bay side where the slight stain works in your favor - the rattle finds them. Live croaker on a Carolina rig in the deeper drops as the water climbs past 87 F. Fish the drains and guts hard through the middle of the fall.

A light overnight westerly and a brief N at 5 mph will take a little polish off the back-bay water, but the five-day southerly build underneath it holds. The Gulf side of the pass and the outer bars stay noticeably cleaner than the bay side today.

Redfish are a lock on the drains with this fall - live mullet or a gold spoon. Flounder are still stacked on the down-current bar lips; the sustained outflow has had four days to concentrate them.

Wind stays very light at 3 to 11 kt with a W and WSW lean through the morning before it turns SE in the afternoon - light enough that it will not blow the pass out, but it does soften the water a shade compared to the weekend. Tide is still excellent: 1.68 ft high at 4:36 AM falling all day to a 0.01 ft low at 7:40 PM. Solunar is the weak spot with the major not starting until 9:21 AM, well after sunrise, so first light is running on tide alone. Lures are still perfectly workable at these speeds.

Start with a bone Spook Jr on the bar tops at gray light while it's slick, and give it plenty of time before you decide they aren't there - the major doesn't fire until 9:21 AM. Then fish a Bass Assassin Sea Shad in morning glory or a Lil John in Texas Roach on a 1/8 to 1/4 oz head along the drop on the fall. Air hits 93 F by midday, so front-load your effort.

Live croaker on a Carolina rig in the deeper drop-offs - with the air at 93 F by noon the trout will sit down early and croaker is the only thing that pulls the good ones up. Live shrimp under a popping cork over the bar edges early. Free-line a mullet in the guts through the strongest part of the outgoing.

A morning westerly at 4 to 5 kt takes a little of the edge off, but it is far too light to actually dirty this system. The SE turn in the afternoon starts pushing clean Gulf water back in, so the water improves as the day goes on rather than the usual reverse.

Redfish will work the drains and sand all morning on the long fall - live mullet is the easy call. Flounder remain on the down-current bar lips; drag slow with a 1/4 oz jighead and give them time to eat it.