A Texas Saltwater Slam consists of catching three different species of fish all in the same calendar day. Those three fish species are: Red Fish, Speckled Sea Trout, and Flounder. This story is about how Nick managed to get two slams in the same day.
In early June (2022), I chatted with a friend about coming down to the Texas Coast and chasing red fish. I met this guy through a good friend of mine, in Colorado. We actually linked up in Telluride and skied a few years ago, which was the only time I’ve ever spent with this him. Somehow between that day in Telluride and him following my adventures on the internet he had seen enough to think I had what it took to hang with him on a weekend fishing trip on the Texas Coast.
After celebrating my grandfather’s 96th birthday in Lake Jackson, TX, I had a day to kill as I moseyed my way down the Texas coast a bit further South. After grabbing a brisket sandwich from Buc-ee’s, (my entire trip to Texas was fueled mostly by What-A-Burger’s breakfast burgers, Buc-ee’s chopped brisket sandwiches, and crab cakes.) I found myself in Matagorda, TX. I found a nice spot on the beach and camped out for the night.
I got settled into the hotel room and only waited half an hour before my buddy Jason arrived. He dropped his bags and we quickly ran over, grabbed his boat, filled her with gas, and within 60 minutes of being in town, we’re cruising up the intercoastal waterway to the jetties. I was stoked but had no idea what to expect, as this was only my 2nd time, in a boat fishing saltwater with a fly rod.
We’re out on the jetties for an hour or so before I hear line ripping from Jason’s reel. He turns to me and says, “hey man, we’re on ’em!” I hold off from casting and watch him reel in the biggest fish I’ve ever seen caught on a fly rod: a 44 inch, 40 pound bull red fish. It was absolutely absurd. It wasn’t too long afterwards, I hooked into one of these dinosaur-esk fish. Man, what an experience. If this was any indication of how the weekend would go, it was completely oblivious to me.
As the sun set, we headed back to the boat ramp but the setting sun was only an indication of the change in fishing tactics. We trailored the boat, rinsed her off, went back to the hotel to rest a little bit and let the clock tick, as we waited for midnight to signify a new day.
I wasn’t familiar with the Texas Slam before Jason told me about it. A Texas Saltwater Slam consists of catching three species of fish, in the same 24 hour period. It sounded like a fun challenge and if you know Jason, it’s pretty easy for him to convince you into anything. We’re both cut from the same cloth because we’re both willing to sacrifice sleep for adventure.
Just before midnight, we loaded up and headed out to try and catch some speckled trout. By the time we got the fishing hole, we were minutes into a new day. It didn’t take too long to get a few trout on the end of the line. I hooked into a couple of much larger fish but they broke me off. After a half dozen trout or so, I landed a small red fish. Unbeknown to me, I was ⅔ the way to a Texas Saltwater Slam.
We arrived back at the hotel around 3:00 AM. Jason tied up another crab pattern and after a quick pow-wow, we decided to set the alarms for 4:40 AM. After a quick nap, we’d be right back after it and after it, we were!
Alarms go off and we slowly get out of bed, certainly a bit weary from the short night of sleep but excited for what the day will bring. We hooked up the boat, grabbed a couple of breakfast burritos while gassing up, and made our way to the boat ramp. Our day would start by chasing reds in the flats.
After a quick 15 minute run up the intercoastal waterway, we found ourselves casting to some tailing redfish. However, the first fish I would pull into the boat was a flounder. Flounders are pretty cool looking fish and it was a new species for me to catch on a fly rod. But more than that, my grand slam was complete. Having caught a speckled trout and a redfish in the wee hours of the morning, a flounder would complete the Texas Saltwater Slam.
Upon accepting the invitation from Jason to join him, I had no expectations of catching the quality of fish we did nor had a thought about completing a Texas Slam, much less two of them in the same day. I went mostly because I love fishing and I knew fishing with Jason would be a great time; everything else was just a bonus.
Now, it wasn’t until days after this trip that I realized how cool it was to catch this slam. I am not as well-versed in the saltwater game as I am in the western trout world so when Jason told me I had caught a slam, out of pure ignorance, I was a bit nonchalant about it.
I would hook into two more flounders, landing just one but completing two grand slams in the same day. Jason was stoked for me and I was just stoked to be out fishing.
We stalked red fish well into the afternoon. I landed a dozen or so red fish around the 20” mark. It was pretty incredible to have Jason basically guiding me into fish. One of the highlights of the weekend for me was getting to return the favor for Jason.
He let me pole him around and after a while getting a feel for polling the skiff around in the flats, I spotted a fish (that Jason didn’t see) and guided Jason into making the cast, which he did smoothly and effortlessly. I can certainly see myself poling a skiff around the flats more, in the future.
This was a very special trip for me. Returning to Texas with a passion I picked up out West (fly fishing) and having an incredible three-day trip confirmed my suspicions of one day returning to the Texas coast and guiding others into memorable days on the water. This was the second year in a row I made a pilgrimage down to the Texas coast and it certainly won’t be the last.
Many times, on trips like this, we think it’s the fishing that make the trip so memorable. On trips like this, there are certainly memories of fishing that stand out. But, behind those memories are the people you experience the journey with that make it so much sweeter than it would’ve been on it’s own.
Join Nick in Texas!
Inspired by the story you just read; Nick hosts a trip to Texas every October in search of red fish in the flats! Don’t worry, you won’t have to stay up all night and fish 😉
For more information about that trip, click here.
