Seasonal fundamentals

Fly. 8-weight. Crab or shrimp on bead-chain for tailers. Gold spoon when the wind wrecks the fly. 20 lb near oyster.

Spin. Weedless gold spoon, paddle, or soft plastic. Heavy spoon or big paddle for the fall jetty bulls.

Fly. 7–8 wt. Baitfish and shrimp. Gurgler when they are up. Soft mouth — strip-set, do not trout-set a trout.

Spin. Topwater at dawn. Soft plastic on a light jig the rest of the day. Slow down after a front.

Fly. Clouser or shrimp on the bottom. Slow. The eat is a weight, not a tap.

Spin. Gulp or soft plastic hopped on sand drains and jetty guts. Fall nights at the passes are the run.

Fly. Crab/shrimp a size bigger than the red. 8 wt schoolies, 9–10 for shoulders. He will eat a fly that sits.

Spin. Crab, light jig, or dead shrimp. A 30-pounder in a channel is a day that does not allow the fly.

Fly. 7–8 wt, short 16–20 lb leader, ugly small crab. You are putting food on a post, not presenting to a cruiser.

Spin. The honest tool. Light jig or fiddler, 15–20 fluoro, watch the line. The bite is a tick.

Fly. 10–12 wt. Cockroach, toad, or baitfish. Bow to the king on the jump. 40–60 lb shock.

Spin. Live crab or large swimbaits at passes. Texas beachfront July–early fall is a bay-boat game, not the skinny skiff.

Fly. 9–10 wt baitfish. They will destroy a trout setup. Fun, not subtle.

Spin. Topwater or heavy spoon. If the birds are on them, you are late — cast past the boil.

Fly. 7–8 wt. Small baitfish along the shade line. 16–20 lb near the roots.

Spin. Live shrimp or a small jig under the mangroves and on the rocks. Night on the lights is legal.

Fly. 10–12 wt. A big baitfish on a crab-trap float or a ray. He will eat. Then he will go to the wreck.

Spin. Jigs and live bait around rays, traps, and the first wrecks. Spring migration along the beach.

Fly. 8 wt. A small crab or Clouser in the wash. He wants sand, not grass.

Spin. Jig in the surf and on the first bar. The honest pompano tool is a pompano jig.

Fly. 8–9 wt. A shrimp or crab to a crab-trap float. Sight fishing that is not a bonefish.

Spin. Live shrimp to the shade of a trap, a buoy, or sargassum. Do not run over the float.

Fly. 10 wt. A long baitfish on the first color change. Wire if you are tired of bite-offs.

Spin. Troll or a live bait on the beachfront and the wrecks. Summer Gulf.

Fly. 8 wt. A small clouser. Wire or a heavy shock if they are chopping.

Spin. A spoon or a small jig along the beach and the first guts. Faster than a trout.

Fly. 12 wt on a shallow wreck if they come up. Most days this is a stand-up jig.

Spin. Heavy jig on the wreck. Season and slot are posted. He will spool a trout rod.