Hello all,
I am starting to become much more involved in saltwater as my family has recently moved to Rockport. I am very familiar with freshwater seasonal patterns, such as in the fall fishing in backs of coves with shad pattern baits for bass. But as far as saltwater goes, I am clueless. To be honest, I don't know how I catch some of the fish I do. I really just throw baits that I hear about on flats and it works.
My question is if inshore fish have any fall pattern behavior? And if so, what are the general behaviors?
Also, do mullet run in the surf really shallow? I have heard this somewhere but I cannot remember. If so, I'd enjoy taking the fly rod to Port Aransas.
Thank you for all the help!
Jake

The fall pattern starts with the shrimp migration and you will find trout and reds schooling under flocks of seagulls chasing the shrimp. The flounder run also has begun and this is when the flounder migrate from the marsh to the bay to the gulf. You can find them in the marsh drains and then in the major passes into the gulf with the smaller fish heading out first.
Wading shorelines will also be productive targeting grass bottoms and as the water cools they will favor more of a mud grass bottom.

The fish are very aggressive with the current water temps so no need to slow your retrieve yet, but once we get some fronts slow sinking suspending lures are great. The Controlled Descent Lure Series are the slowest sinking lures on the market, if you want them to be. As the name states, you can control the descent to match the current mood of the fish.
This is just a brief overview that should get you in the right direction. Shoot me a PM or post more questions on here if you would like to know more.

Mullet roam the beach all the way to the sand.

You could also look into the Trout Support DVD's since you will be spending more time in the salt. They have a lot of great info and illustrations which make all the difference.

Thank you for the info! I had always heard of migrations but never knew about them due to being only freshwater. I hope I can post pictures soon. I will be down the last week of the month.

if you would like, give me a call when you have time and we could discuss things I see just up the road from you in Seadrift where I guide. 210-452-9680

We always want to give fish the reasoning power that we have, when it's just not that way.
Cold blooded fish don't know what "cold" or "hot" is, they just do what they do, which is eat as much as they can, as often as they can 51 weeks a year, and one week make baby fish.

The fish we seek are in an area for only one reason, to eat. The bay is full of buffet lines, it's really just some time and effort to understand when they are open for business.

You're going to be really mad at an outdoor writer when you find out how shallow you'll catch them in the dead of winter.

Nathan, I will talk to you by this time next week!
Pat, that makes me feel better that they are always looking to eat. I'll try to focus on where to find them. I have heard that the biggest ones come from less than two feet in the winter. It's hard for me to grasp because I'm used to fishing with a full jacket and pant outfit using a drop shot in 15+ feet for bass. Let's hope for cooperating weather for once !