July in Matagorda Bay…

Just a rumor
June 27, 2014
Natural baits at top of the list
July 7, 2014

Capt. Tommy Alexander of Alexander Guide Service says the surf comes into play, big time in July in the Matagorda Bay system.

Anytime in July you have a light northwest or southwest wind, the surf can be productive. “Our surf is perfect on a northwest wind. We will be in the surf a lot.”

Along the beachfront: wade or fish from the boat. “If wading, pull up on the first bar and jump out. At night the fish will move up onto the beach into the first gut right by the beach. Right at daylight you want to be real shallow, very first gut. As the sun comes up, move out to the second and third guts. If it’s slick you can stay in the boat and drop the trolling motor, run up and down the second bar and the third gut.”

Slick or choppy: “You don’t want the surf to be a completely slick, but you don’t want it to be choppy. If it’s choppy, it’s hard to fish. You want it where there’s small rollers moving up on the beach. You don’t want the water color crystal clear where you can see the bottom…you want green water.”

Favorite baits in July: “I always like to try topwaters at first daylight…big topwaters, Super Spooks in chrome or Clown colors. It it’s real early maybe a darker color. It it’s overcast you might never take the topwater bait off; throw it all day long. In the soft plastics, I like to throw stuff like Salt & Pepper, white/chartreuse tail, strawberry/white tail using a 1/4 oz. head.

Don’t forget the jetties. “A lot of people are free shrimping the jetties…just a hook, a live shrimp and a BB weight. With free shrimping you get less hung up on the rocks. Or you can throw a popping cork out from the rocks with a 4’ leader and live shrimp.”

Moving from the surf to the bays:

Wade bay shorelines, real shallow early, using a small topwater such as the Super Spook Junior.

“In West Bay I would be looking for grass beds, and mullet more so than shell.” Hot spots are Cullen House, Pipeline, Oilfield Cut all the way to Airport Flats and The Cedars.

“If I am fishing out of the boat I will be drifting over the deepest shell I can find. I have a feeling we are going to key a lot on the new half moon reef that they made this summer.”

In East Bay, Alexander recommends Raymond Shoals, Cleveland Reef, Pipeline Reef, while  fishing Bass Assassins in Roach/chartreuse color on 1/4 oz. lead head…”darker colors in the deeper water.” He likes the Bass Assassins because they are softer and have a lot of wiggle.

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