UPPER TEXAS COAST
• • • SPOTLIGHT • • •
Location: West Galveston Bay
Hotspot: North Deer Island
GPS: N 29 16.9639, W 94 56.223
(29.2827, -94.9371)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Down South Paddle Tails or TTF Trout Killer
Contact: Capt. Joe Madsen
281-960-6960
Tips: As the temperature drops, trout should relocate to muddy bottoms, as the mud will hold heat better.
• • •
Location: Christmas Bay
Hotspot: Mouth of Churchill Bayou
GPS: N 29 3.3499, W 95 9.7219
(29.0558, -95.1620)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Corkys, MirrOlures and Bass Assassins
Contact: Capt. Ralph Frazier
281-337-0321
www.fraziersguideservice.com
Tips: Bait colors: Frazier likes to throw the darker colors when the water is clear. If you have a blue-bird sky, we always throw a silver/blue back or a chrome/blue back topwater for trout.
Location: East Galveston Bay
Hotspot: North Shoreline
GPS: N 29 33.1439, W 94 37.785
(29.5524, -94.6298)
Species: Redfish
Best Baits: Live shrimp and finger mullet
Contact: Capt. Joe Madsen
281-960-6960
Tips: As water flows out of the marshes, look for schooling reds feeding on shrimp and finger mullet.
Location: Matagorda
Hotspot: Colorado River at Selkirk Island
GPS: N 28 45.333, W 95 59.849
(28.755547, -95.997478)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Soft plastics
Contact: Capt. Glenn Ging
979-479-1460
www.glennsguideservice.com
Tips: Fish deep holes in the river with soft plastics
Location: Matagorda East Bay
Hotspot: Drulls Lump
GPS: N 28 42.285, W 95 50.0659
(28.7048, -95.8344)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Topwaters
Contact: Capt. Glenn Ging
979-479-1460
www.glennsguideservice.com
Tips: Try topwaters if the weather has been warm.
Location: Matagorda East Bay
Hotspot: Halfmoon Shoal
GPS: N 28 43.371, W 95 46.228
(28.7229, -95.7705)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Soft plastics
Contact: Capt. Glenn Ging
979-479-1460
www.glennsguideservice.com
Tips: If fishing for big trout, Capt. Ging prefers to wade, but if a customer doesn’t want to wade, he will drift the shell reefs in five to six feet of water.
Location: Matagorda East Bay
Hotspot: Chinquapin Reef
GPS: N 28 43.9939, W 95 47.9539
(28.7332, -95.7992)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Soft plastics
Contact: Capt. Glenn Ging
979-479-1460
www.glennsguideservice.com
Tips: If Capt. Ging is fishing deep reefs, he will be fishing with a popping cork and live shrimp
Location: Matagorda West Bay
Hotspot: Peninsula Shoreline
GPS: N 28 28.801, W 96 15.753
(28.4800, -96.2626)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Soft plastics
Contact: Capt. Glenn Ging
979-479-1460
www.glennsguideservice.com
Tips: On outgoing tides, fish the drains coming into the bay.
Location: Matagorda West Bay
Hotspot: Phillips Bayou
GPS: N 28 32.464, W 96 9.2839
(28.5411, -96.1547)
Species: Redfish
Best Baits: Popping cork with live shrimp
Contact: Capt. Glenn Ging
979-479-1460
www.glennsguideservice.com
Tips: If live shrimp are not available, try Berkley Gulp in a pearl color.
Location: Matagorda West Bay
Hotspot: Maverick Bayou
GPS: N 28 34.663, W 96 3.705
(28.5777, -96.0618)
Species: Redfish
Best Baits: Soft plastics
Contact: Capt. Glenn Ging
979-479-1460
www.glennsguideservice.com
Tips: This time of year, West Bay out-performs East Bay for redfish.
Location: Sabine Lake
Hotspot: Black Bayou
GPS: N 29 59.866, W 93 45.1819
(29.9978, -93.7530)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: MirrOlure soft plastics
Contact: Capt. Bill Watkins
409-673-9211
www.fishsabinelake.com
Tips: For big trout, throw a five -inch MirrOlure Provoker along with 1/4-ounce jighead. If the water gets cold, switch to a 1/2 ounce gum ball jig head.
Location: West Galveston Bay
Hotspot: Alligator Point
GPS: N 29 10.2889, W 95 6.8789
(29.1715, -95.1147)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Down South Paddle Tails or TTF Trout Killer
Contact: Capt. Joe Madsen
281-960-6960
Tips: It all depends the how cold the month is as to whether the fish will be deep or shallow.
Location: West Galveston Bay
Hotspot: Confederate Reef
GPS: N 29 15.7549, W 94 55.177
(29.2626, -94.9196)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Live shrimp under a popping cork
Contact: Capt. Joe Madsen
281-960-6960
Tips: If the weather is warm, live shrimp fished under a popping cork will still work, especially if the fish are in deeper water.
Location: West Galveston Bay
Hotspot: Snake Island Cove
GPS: N 29 6.1279, W 95 8.7259
(29.1021, -95.1454)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Corkys, MirrOlures and Bass Assassins
Contact: Capt. Ralph Frazier
281-337-0321
www.fraziersguideservice.com
Tips: Wade fishing in January and February is best in West Bay and the back of Trinity Bay, if there is no fresh water coming in from the river.
MIDDLE TEXAS COAST
• • • SPOTLIGHT • • •
Location: Aransas Bay
Hotspot: Last Chance
GPS: N 27 58.452, W 97 4.7939
(27.9742, -97.0799)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Popping cork with live shrimp
Contact: Capt. Jack McPartland
361-290-6302
treblejcharters@yahoo.com
www.treble-j-charters.com
Tips: A drifting popping cork with live shrimp will catch trout and some redfish too, especially right after a front, even when we still have a north wind.
• • •
Location: Aransas Bay
Hotspot: Super Flats
GPS: N 27 54.669, W 97 2.196
(27.9112, -97.0366)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Down South soft plastics
Contact: Capt. Jack McPartland
361-290-6302
treblejcharters@yahoo.com
www.treble-j-charters.com
Tips: Try using a lighter jig head—a 1/8-oz. instead of 1/4-oz., unless you’re fishing the jetties.
Location: Aransas Bay
Hotspot: Upper Estes Flats
GPS: N 27 57.058, W 97 5.3309
(27.9510, -97.0889)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Down South soft plastics
Contact: Capt. Jack McPartland
361-290-6302
treblejcharters@yahoo.com
www.treble-j-charters.com
Tips: The Down South Paddle Tail soft plastic has good action without anything else on it. It casts almost like a spoon.
Location: Aransas Bay
Hotspot: South Bay
GPS: N 27 53.4589, W 97 5.7889
(27.8910, -97.0965)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Popping cork with live shrimp
Contact: Capt. Jack McPartland
361-290-6302
treblejcharters@yahoo.com
www.treble-j-charters.com
Tips: If you can’t find live shrimp, change to a paddle tail (Down South) soft plastic used with a 1/8 ounce jig head.
Location: Corpus Christi Bay
Hotspot: Little Flats
GPS: N 27 48.768, W 97 6.6829
(27.8128, -97.1114)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Down South soft plastics
Contact: Capt. Jack McPartland
361-290-6302
treblejcharters@yahoo.com
www.treble-j-charters.com
Tips: With a 1/8 ounce jig head you don’t have to work it as fast. With a 1/4 ounce jig head, it just falls to the bottom.
Location: Nueces Bay
Hotspot: Porno Flats
GPS: N 27 51.42, W 97 21.357
(27.8570, -97.3560)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Down South soft plastics
Contact: Capt. Jack McPartland
361-290-6302
treblejcharters@yahoo.com
www.treble-j-charters.com
Tips: Most of the areas that you fish don’t have real bad tide movement down here, so you don’t need the heavy weight to control the lure.
Location: Redfish Bay
Hotspot: Terminal Flats
GPS: N 27 54.606, W 97 7.009
(27.9101, -97.1168)
Species: Redfish
Best Baits: Down South soft plastics
Contact: Capt. Jack McPartland
361-290-6302
treblejcharters@yahoo.com
www.treble-j-charters.com
Tips: The reds won’t be moving around as much early, until mid morning. I would suggest jumping from pot hole to pot hole until you see some bait moving.
LOWER TEXAS COAST
• • • SPOTLIGHT • • •
Location: Lower Laguna Madre
Hotspot: Mouth of the Land Cut
GPS: N 26 48.6139, W 97 28.1399
(26.8102, -97.4690)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Norton Bull Minnows
Contact: Capt. Steve Ellis
956-492-8472
captainsteve52@hotmail.com
Tips: January fishing is incredibly weather oriented. This is a good time of year to target big trout, because everything else can be so flakey.
• • •
Location: Port Isabel
Hotspot: Brownsville Ship Channel
GPS: N 26 0.405, W 97 16.465
(26.0068, -97.2744)
Species: Snook, black drum and speckled trout
Best Baits: Shrimp, if available, or cut bait
Contact: Capt. DeWitt Thomas
956-551-1965
cdct1005@aol.com
www.customsportanglers.com
Tips: Fishing structure, use three-four inch live shrimp, and flip the bait under the dock. Drag must be tightened down really tight because you will have to horse the fish out.
Location: Port Isabel
Hotspot: Cullen Channel
GPS: N 26 15.6, W 97 17.415
(26.2600, -97.2903)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Shrimp, if available, or cut bait
Contact: Capt. DeWitt Thomas
956-551-1965
cdct1005@aol.com
www.customsportanglers.com
Tips: Capt. Thomas likes to use a four inch popping cork with a red bead under the cork. It adds a little weight and extra noise.
Location: Port Isabel
Hotspot: South Bay
GPS: N 26 1.771, W 97 11.0479
(26.0295, -97.1841)
Species: Speckled Trout, sheepheads, black drum
Best Baits: Shrimp, if available, or cut bait
Contact: Capt. DeWitt Thomas
956-551-1965
cdct1005@aol.com
www.customsportanglers.com
Tips: In the back of the bay there are oyster beds where you can find snook. Use small mullet for bait.
Location: Lower Laguna Madre
Hotspot: Old Causeway
GPS: N 26 4.3882, W 97 10.9579
(26.0731, -97.1826)
Species: Redfish, black drum, sheepshead and trout
Best Baits: Shrimp, if available, or cut bait
Contact: Capt. DeWitt Thomas
956-551-1965
cdct1005@aol.com
www.customsportanglers.com
Tips: Fish the remnants of the old Queen Isabel bridge…a great place to catch mangroves.
Location: Port Mansfield
Hotspot: East Cut
GPS: N 26 33.7999, W 97 17.029
(26.5633, -97.2838)
Species: Speckled Trout
Best Baits: Norton Bull Minnows
Contact: Capt. Steve Ellis
956-492-8472
captainsteve52@hotmail.com
Tips: Capt. Ellis’ favorite soft plastic colors are Cock Roach, black/gold…something dark. Other good colors are purple/chartreuse, and white/chartreuse tails.
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