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HOTSPOTS: Saltwater – August

UPPER TEXAS COAST

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay
HOTSPOT: Half Moon Shoal
GPS: N 28 43.371, W 95 46.228
(28.7229, -95.7705)

Half Moon Shoal

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastic tails & topwaters
CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz
281-450-4037
tcountz@sbcglobal.net
www.matagordafishing.com
TIPS: Drift the shell that is on the west end of the bay. “It’s tough catching fish from a boat in August; you have to cover a lot of water.

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay
HOTSPOT: Half Moon Reef
GPS: N 29 23.98, W 94 50.9
(29.3997, -94.8483)

Full Moon Reef

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastic tails & topwaters
CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz
281-450-4037
tcountz@sbcglobal.net
www.matagordafishing.com
TIPS: Throw a topwater early in the morning and then switch off to a small soft plastic tail on a 1/16 oz jig head.

LOCATION: Galveston Trinity Bay
HOTSPOT: Sun Gas Wells
GPS: N 29 38.932, W 94 48.436
(29.6489, -94.8073)

Sun Gas Wells

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastic tails
CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio
281-788-4041
captainpaul@gofishgalveston.com
gofishgalveston.com
TIPS: “Get there as early as possible, looking for any tide movement, drift with 10-15 feet of the well.” Capt. Marcaccio

LOCATION: Galveston Trinity Bay
HOTSPOT: Exxon C Lease Wells
GPS: N 29 40.446, W 94 45.579
(29.6741, -94.7597)

Exxon C Lease Wells

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastic tails
CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio
281-788-4041
captainpaul@gofishgalveston.com
gofishgalveston.com
TIPS: “If you get a bite, or catch a fish, just keep drifting, and then come back around and start another drift. Work all sides.” Capt. Marcaccio

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LOCATION: Galveston Trinity Bay
HOTSPOT: Gas Wells
GPS: N 29 42.984, W 94 43.14
(29.7164, -94.7190)

Gas Wells

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastic tails
CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio
281-788-4041
captainpaul@gofishgalveston.com
gofishgalveston.com
TIPS: “If you demonstrate patience you can probably fish 20 gas wells and pick up 10 fish in a morning.” Capt. Marcaccio

LOCATION: Galveston West Bay
HOTSPOT: Confederate Reef
GPS: N 29 15.755, W 94 55.177
(29.2626, -94.9196)

Confederate Reef

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastic tails
CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio
281-788-4041
captainpaul@gofishgalveston.com
gofishgalveston.com
TIPS: “If you start your day wade fishing the shoreline, quit by 8 a.m. As the sun increases the heat, the water oxygen will be depleted, and the fish will move to deeper water.” Capt. Marcaccio

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LOCATION: Galveston West Bay
HOTSPOT: Carancaua Reef
GPS: N 29 12.694, W 94 59.788
(29.2116, -94.9965)

Carancaua Reef

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastic tails
CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio
281-788-4041
captainpaul@gofishgalveston.com
gofishgalveston.com
TIPS: “Drift open water over reefs and drains, water 5-6 feet deep.” Capt. Marcaccio

LOCATION: Galveston West Bay
HOTSPOT: Shell Island Reef
GPS: N 29 11.983, W 95 0.932
(29.1997, -95.0155)

Shell Island Reef

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastic tails
CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio
281-788-4041
captainpaul@gofishgalveston.com
gofishgalveston.com
TIPS: “Look for water that has streaks. The trout will lie in the off-color water and ambush bait in the clear water.” Capt. Marcaccio

LOCATION: Matagorda Shoreline
HOTSPOT: Surf
GPS: N 28 35.569, W 95 59.268
(28.5928, -95.9878)

Matagorda Surf

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastic tails & topwaters
CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz
281-450-4037
tcountz@sbcglobal.net
www.matagordafishing.com
TIPS: “Normally by late July, early August, the winds are a lot lighter. You have chances for the surf to be right for some surf fishing.” Capt. Countz

LOCATION: Sabine Lake
HOTSPOT: Sabine Channel
GPS: N 29 59.87, W 93 46.171
(29.9978, -93.7695)

Sabine Channel

SPECIES: Speckled Trout & Redfish
BEST BAITS: MirrOlure Lil Jon soft plastic tails
CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins
409-673-9211
97862018@sbcglobal.net
www.fishsabinelake.com
TIPS: “Pogey are in the lake in August, the prime food for the fish. The small Lil Jons imitate the Pogey.” Capt. Watkins

LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay
HOTSPOT: Cottons Bayou
GPS: N 28 30.552, W 96 12.453
(28.5092, -96.2076)

Cottons Bayou

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastic tails & topwaters
CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz
281-450-4037
tcountz@sbcglobal.net
www.matagordafishing.com
TIPS: “You need braided line on your reel and real sensitive rod,” said Capt. Countz. “The fish could pick up your lure and you might not even know it when it gets hot.”

LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay
HOTSPOT: Greens Bayou
GPS: N 28 29.738, W 96 13.565
(28.4956, -96.2261)

Greens Bayou

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastic tails & topwaters
CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz
281-450-4037
tcountz@sbcglobal.net
www.matagordafishing.com
TIPS: “Watch for line movement…feeling the fish on your line before you pop him.” Capt. Countz

LOCATION: Sabine Coast
HOTSPOT: Short Rigs
GPS: N 29 39.236, W 93 48.289
(29.6539, -93.8048)

Short Rigs

SPECIES: Speckled Trout & Redfish
BEST BAITS: MirrOlure Lil Jon soft plastic tails
CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins
409-673-9211
97862018@sbcglobal.net
www.fishsabinelake.com
TIPS: Favorite soft plastic colors … glow/chartreuse, Dirty Tequila or White Ice.

MIDDLE TEXAS COAST

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay
HOTSPOT: Corpus Christi Bay Wells
GPS: N 27 44.764, W 97 11.141
(27.7461, -97.1857)

Corpus Christi Bay Wells

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Topwaters
CONTACT: Capt. Joe Mendez
361-877-1230
mendez@stx.rr.com
www.sightcast1.com
TIPS: Capt. Mendez says start your day early with topwaters.” He likes small Zara Spooks and MirrOlure Top Dogs in bone or chartreuse.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay
HOTSPOT: Shamrock Cove
GPS: N 27 45.437, W 97 9.717
(27.7573, -97.1620)

Shamrock Cove

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Kelly Wigglers soft plastics
CONTACT: Capt. Joe Mendez
361-877-1230
mendez@stx.rr.com
www.sightcast1.com
TIPS: By mid-morning he’ll switch off to Kelly Wigglers in strawberry/white, limetreuse, or white.

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LOCATION: Port Aransas
HOTSPOT: Brown & Root Flats
GPS: N 27 51.236, W 0 6.172
(27.8539, -97.1029)

Brown & Root Flats

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Clouser Minnow
CONTACT: Capt. Joe Mendez
361-877-1230
mendez@stx.rr.com
www.sightcast1.com
TIPS: Capt. Mendez also guides fly fishing trips in the shallow waters around Port Aransas. “The Clouser Minnow is easy for my clients to cast.” Capt. Mendez

LOCATION: Port Aransas
HOTSPOT: East Shore
GPS: N 27 51.695, W 97 6.6
(27.8616, -97.1100)

East Shore

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Clouser Minnow
CONTACT: Capt. Joe Mendez
361-877-1230
mendez@stx.rr.com
www.sightcast1.com
TIPS: “We use an 8-weight fly rod, weight forward fly line. It’s a floating line; we don’t want anything sinking because of the shallow water we are fishing.” Capt. Mendez

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: Intracoastal Spoils
GPS: N 27 33.684, W 97 16.759
(27.5614, -97.2793)

Intracoastal Spoils

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Kelly Wigglers soft plastics
CONTACT: Capt. Joe Mendez
361-877-1230
mendez@stx.rr.com
www.sightcast1.com
TIPS: He uses a 1/8 oz. jig head with Kelly Wiggler tail. “I fish a lot of shallow water, and the lighter jig head helps keep the bait out of the grass.” Capt. Mendez

 

LOWER TEXAS COAST

LOCATION: Baffin Bay
HOTSPOT: Spoils
GPS: N 27 14.655, W 97 24.843
(27.2443, -97.4141)

Baffin Spoils

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Kelly Wigglers soft plastics
CONTACT: Capt. Joe Mendez
361-877-1230
mendez@stx.rr.com
www.sightcast1.com
TIPS: “I use the plain shrimp tail, but there is also a willow, flat tail that works really good,” said Capt. Mendez.

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LOCATION: Baffin Bay
HOTSPOT: Slough Rocks
GPS: N 27 18.651, W 97 33.465
(27.3109, -97.5578)

Slough Rocks

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Kelly Wigglers soft plastics
CONTACT: Capt. Joe Mendez
361-877-1230
mendez@stx.rr.com
www.sightcast1.com
TIPS: “Around the rocks, fishing water 5-6 feet deep, I will use a 1/4 oz. jig head with a 15-20 lb. test shock tippet that I tie to the line on my reel.” Capt. Mendez

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Roy Neves

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