2025 Cast & Blast Duck Opener

Seadrift Bay Fishing Outlook – Mid-Coast Bays (Seadrift / San Antonio Bay area)
The transition into full fall is now very much underway, and that’s promising for anglers headed out over the weekend. Water temperatures are starting to drop, baitfish and shrimp are shifting, and the redfish and speckled trout are beginning to respond.

• On the trout front, you’ll want to focus on shallow-grass flats near oyster bars, and sand channels where the bait is congregating. Live shrimp or small soft plastics around 2″–3″ is a good bet.
• For reds, key spots will be the back-lakes, cuts into marshes, and shell-lines where the tide flush brings bait. With the cooler fall days ahead, the fish tend to bunch up and feed aggressively in those zones.
• Wind and tide will still matter a lot. Launching early and working the incoming tide will help you stay ahead of the fish. If the wind kicks up from the northeast or north, you’ll likely want to shift toward more protected bayou edges rather than big open flats.
• Remember: the bayou frontage and shallow trails around Seadrift give you real options when conditions get rough. As our guides at the lodge say, “we strike several different launch points depending upon wind direction and velocity.”

Texas Duck Hunting Outlook – Mid-Coast Waterfowl / Hog
Hunting on the mid-coast is shifting into gear: the skies, marshes and fields are beginning to fill for fall, and the early season combos (cast-and-blast) make sense this time of year.

• Early migratory birds (teal, wigeon, pintail) are arriving, and though the full shot gunning crowds may not be at peak just yet, the possibilities are very real. Field scouting shows birds holding north of us and working down.
• Grain-fed hog spot & stalk trips are also very viable. If you like high-rack hog hunts or night-vision gigs, the cooler weather is your friend.
• The lodge supports full “Cast & Blast” trips: hunt the morning, fish the afternoon. As their site puts it, “Our most popular hunting trips frequently involve a morning or afternoon of bay fishing for Trout and Redfish.”

Capt. Chris Nobles