I Do Like Mondays – Let’s Walk
Last week was a pretty clear miss when it comes to the Monday Morning Sidewalk, but you know … I always come back for more. Just like you, I keep casting and hoping the next one is THE ONE.
We’re going to see if we can roll a bit of valuables into the priceless wandering Monday Sidewalk series, and get a sweet, filling Texas Borderland enchelada this morning. You know, with the new writer Chet GyPT on staff I can actually concentrate on the less important writing while Chet brings the meat – like the Sunday Summary of the fishing week ahead. No one, nowhere else is doing this, and I’ll be darned if the summary hasn’t been pretty accurate (so far)!
TEXAS FISHING FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD – FLY FISHING THIS WEEK
Week of April 20 – April 26, 2026
Real-Time Conditions
Big Picture Weather Pattern
This week is shaping up as a classic unstable spring pattern across Texas—and not in a subtle way.
- Early week: cooler, post-front stabilization
- Midweek: warming + humidity surge
- Late week: multiple rounds of thunderstorms + severe potential
👉 Key detail from the forecast:
- Repeated storm chances Tuesday through Saturday
- Increasing humidity + south winds midweek
🎯 Fishing Impact:
- Monday: stable but cooler (slower bite)
- Tuesday–Wednesday: improving window
- Thursday–Saturday: volatile, storm-driven fishing
👉 Key takeaway:
This is a “thread-the-needle” week—you’re fishing between storms, not around them.
Water Conditions by Region
North Texas (Denton / DFW)
- Repeated rain chances = rising/stained creeks likely
- Lakes more stable but wind-affected
Trend:
- Early week = decent clarity
- Late week = increasing stain + runoff
👉 Best play:
- Protected water
- Avoid creeks after storms
- Focus on afternoon warming windows
Hill Country
- Flows mostly stable early
- Could see flashy runoff mid–late week
Trend:
- Good early
- Variable late
👉 Watch:
- Rainfall totals closely—conditions could change fast
Gulf Coast
- Increasing onshore flow midweek
- Dirty water builds late week
Trend:
- Early week: fishable
- Late week: wind + turbidity issues
👉 This is not a great long-range coastal week unless you time it right
🌕 Moon Phase
- Current: Waxing Crescent → approaching First Quarter
Effect:
- Moderate feeding windows
- More consistent daytime activity
👉 Best feeding:
- Late morning through afternoon
- Especially on warming days midweek
Tides & Coastal Strategy
This Week:
- Wind becomes dominant factor over tide
- Onshore flow late week = rising, dirtier water
👉 Best coastal strategy:
- Early week mornings
- Protected flats and back lakes
Where to Fly Fish This Week
🔥 BEST BET #1 — North Texas Ponds (Midweek Window)
- Most reliable option this week
When:
- Tuesday–Thursday afternoons
Why:
- Stable water + warming temps + manageable wind (early)
🔥 BEST BET #2 — Guadalupe River
- More stable than runoff-prone areas
When:
- Monday–Wednesday
Why:
- Recovers faster between storm systems
🔥 BEST BET #3 — Gulf Coast (Tight Timing)
When:
- Early week ONLY
👉 Focus:
- Low wind mornings
- Cleaner water windows
⚠️WATCHES AND WARNINGS THIS WEEK
- Multiple storm systems = rapid condition changes
- Expect:
- Rising water in creeks
- Decreasing clarity late week
- Wind becoming dominant factor
👉 This is a high-adjustment week
STRATEGY FOR THIS WEEK!
Monday (Post-Front Stability)
- Fish slow
- Target deeper zones
Tuesday–Wednesday (BEST WINDOW)
- Fish active
- Cover water
- Move shallow
👉 This is your prime opportunity
Thursday–Saturday (Storm Pattern)
- Fish before storms only
- Short feeding windows
- Adjust constantly
FLY SELECTIONS
Early Week:
- Natural colors
- Medium size
- Moderate retrieve
Late Week:
- Dark flies (black/purple)
- Larger profile
- Heavier flies for wind + dirty water
👉 Go-to combo:
- Olive baitfish
- Black streamer
Weekly Summary
- Early week = stable but cooler
- Midweek = best fishing window
- Late week = storm-driven chaos
👉 If you fish ONE time this week:
Tuesday through Thursday afternoons
I am mixing it up some today! There are new videos being made, and they are not the new LONG FORM style, but are shorter informational videos about maintaining your boat fuel line, securing your gas tank setup, a new wireless mic setup and finally how to change a impeller on a 30HP Mercury outboard. That last one’s been done, and done pretty well, except a couple of scenes that made me cringe because it resorted to pounding out parts with a monkey wrench! I found inspiration in that truly awful sound of a wrench used as a hammer. There is also a lack of torque numbers for this process, and little attention paid to lubing the bolts that went back in after the job was done. So there’s some video work to do before the next weather round – – gotta thread that needle.
