And the trout, coming around finally after months of cold-blooded lethargy, are ravenous. Whether speckled trout in the surf now are spilling out from the bays or returning from deep-water wintering areas offshore is of no interest to me. My focus is on their presence, not their origin, and on where, when and how to catch them. Stopping short of a proven wading spot is always dicey, a long shot at best. The risk is that it will prove an utter waste of time, that those gulls are feeding on some tourist's stale cracker crumbs and the baitfish are running from their own shadows.
Timing is critical.
Surf wading demands flawless intercept with favorable conditions. Shuffle into the water behind a significant wind or tide change, even by as little as 15 minutes, and you'll likely be left holding an empty sack. The only move less wise than stepping into dirty surf is walking away from clean surf. So long as the water holds green and there are active baitfish in the area, stick around. Quality surf lapping onto dry sand is a rare condition along the upper Texas coast.