Upper Texas Coast

HotSPOTLight: Anahuac on Trinity Bay

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LOCATION: Christmas/Bastrop Bay
HOTSPOT: Mouth of Churchill Bay
GPS: N 29 3.402, W 95 9.71
(29.0567, -95.1618)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Live bait, soft plastics, spoons
TIPS: Mullet, crabs, TX Red Killers, gold spoons

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LOCATION: Galveston Bay
HOTSPOT: Moses Lake
GPS: N 29 26.808, W 94 55.712
(29.4468-94.9285)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Red shad soft plastics, topwaters early, drift or anchor
TIPS: Red shad soft plastics, topwaters early, drift or anchor; avoid midday.

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LOCATION: Galveston Bay
HOTSPOT: Willies Head Island
GPS: N 29 32.155, W 94 48.524
(29.5359-94.8087)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Gold spoons, Live shrimp, troll/wade/drift close to bank
TIPS: Gold spoons, Live shrimp, troll/wade/drift close to bank; dawn through morning.

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LOCATION: Galveston East Bay
HOTSPOT: Elm Grove Point
GPS: N 29 28.541, W 94 40.438
(29.4757-94.6740)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Live mud minnows, soft plastics
TIPS: Anchor at mouth with outgoing tide, fish jumping shad; dawn thru dusk.

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LOCATION: Galveston East Bay
HOTSPOT: Pig Pen
GPS: N 29 25.176, W 94 44.116
(29.4196-94.7353)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Live shrimp
TIPS: Fish shrimp under cork; dawn through dusk.

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LOCATION: Galveston Trinity Bay
HOTSPOT: Jack’s Pocket
GPS: N 29 44.077, W 94 45.852
(29.7346-94.7642)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Croaker, shrimp, soft plastics
TIPS: Anchor/throw croaker, drift/throw soft plastics/shrimp; all day

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LOCATION: Galveston West Bay
HOTSPOT: Chocolate Bay Shoreline
GPS: N 29 10.392, W 95 9.005
(29.1732-95.1501)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Jigs
TIPS: Troll down shoreline with red/white jigs under cork; dawn through morning, afternoon through dusk.

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LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay
HOTSPOT: Brown Cedar Flats
GPS: N 28 43.847, W 95 42.66
(28.7308-95.7110)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, soft plastics
TIPS: Drift with topwaters or bounce soft plastics near the bottom; morning-midday, dusk.

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LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay
HOTSPOT: Drulls Lump
GPS: N 28 42.285, W 95 50.066
(28.7048-95.8344)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Shrimp, mullet
TIPS: Anchor or drift using shrimp under cork or mullet; morning-afternoon.

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LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay
HOTSPOT: Intracoastal Waterway
GPS: N 28 38.828, W 96 2.425
(28.6471, -96.0404)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Finger mullet, mud minnows
TIPS: Fish the bottom with live finger mullet using a slip slinker; dawn-morning.

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LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay
HOTSPOT: Palacios Bayou
GPS: N 28 35.679, W 96 10.781
(28.5947, -96.1797)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Mud minnows
TIPS: Fish the bayou from its edge, with the moving tide; avoid midday, afternoon.

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LOCATION: Sabine Lake
HOTSPOT: East Pass
GPS: N 29 59.027, W 93 46.562
(29.9838-93.7760)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft plastics, live bait
TIPS: Fish soft plastics in red/white. Natural mullet works best.

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Middle Texas Coast

HotSPOTlight: Upper Corpus Christi Bay

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LOCATION: Copano Bay
HOTSPOT: 136 Bridge
GPS: N 28 4.508, W 97 13.179
(28.0751-97.2197)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Shrimp
TIPS: Work on flats near pilings, freeline shrimp very slowly; dawn through midday, dusk, night.

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LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay
HOTSPOT: Shamrock Cove
GPS: N 27 45.369, W 97 9.733
(27.7562-97.1622)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft plastics or live finger mullet
TIPS: The flats should be good for redfish and the deeper water over reefs should yield trout.

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LOCATION: Espirito Santo Bay
HOTSPOT: Coast Guard Flats
GPS: N 28 29.687, W 96 27.101
(28.4948-96.4517)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft plastics
TIPS: Fish soft plastics under Maulers; wade shoreline in 2-4 feet of water; dawn through morning, afternoon through night.

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LOCATION: Espirito Santo Bay
HOTSPOT: Farwell Island
GPS: N 28 21.61, W 96 27.652
(28.3602-96.4609)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Live croaker, plastics
TIPS: Wade or drift across spoil area in 3 to 5 feet of water; dawn through morning, afternoon through night.

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LOCATION: Espirito Santo Bay
HOTSPOT: Pringle Lake
GPS: N 28 18.925, W 96 31.151
(28.3154-96.5192)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, plastics, shrimp
TIPS: Drift with Topwaters, plastics or live shrimp under a popping cork; dawn through morning, dusk.

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LOCATION: Port Aransas
HOTSPOT: Dagger Flats
GPS: N 27 49.7597, W 97 10.6099
(27.8293-97.1768)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Soft plastics
TIPS: Drag it across the bottom; don’t bounce or jig the soft plastic. You actually drag it over the fish, making the fish react.

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LOCATION: Port Aransas
HOTSPOT: Traylor Islands
GPS: N 27 56.6849, W 97 4.4609
(27.9448-97.0744)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Gigging
TIPS: Anglers will have their chance for flounder in October as the season is closed in November. You can still fish with rod & reel for flounder, but no gigging.

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LOCATION: Port O’Connor
HOTSPOT: Coast Guard Flats
GPS: N 28 29.6869, W 96 27.1009
(28.4948-96.4517)

SPECIES: Speckled trout
BEST BAITS: Super Spook Junior or soft plastics
TIPS: If you’re working stained water, then go with a darker color.

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LOCATION: Redfish Bay
HOTSPOT: Estes Flats
GPS: N 27 56.541, W 97 5.944
(27.9424-97.0991)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Live finger mullet
TIPS: Capt. McPartland says the redfish should start schooling in late August and continue into September.

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LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: Dead Man’s Hole
GPS: N 27 38.665, W 97 12.4279
(27.6444-97.2071)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Super Spooks or Skitter Walks
TIPS: When the fish are shallow, use a combination of live and topwater baits. The top color has been pearl/chartreuse.

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LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: King Ranch Shoreline
GPS: N 27 29.134, W 97 21.1079
(27.4856-97.3518)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Popping cork with live shrimp or Gulp
TIPS: Best Gulp colors for use under a popping cork here are white or New Penny.

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

SPECIES: Speckled Trout & Redfish
BEST BAITS: Shrimp under a popping cork or free lining live croaker
TIPS: When you use freeoined croaker, fish along the edges of sand or grass drop-offs, in waist deep water.

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Lower Texas Coast

HotSPOTLight: Port Isabel/S. Padre Island

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LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado
HOTSPOT: Mouth of Arroyo
GPS: N 26 21.713, W 97 19.735
(26.3619-97.3289)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Live bait, soft plastics
TIPS: Work “Y” edges up to one mile inside, both shores; dawn through morning.

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LOCATION: Baffin Bay
HOTSPOT: ICW Spoils
GPS: N 27 16.674, W 97 23.821
(27.2779-97.3970)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, plastics
TIPS: Drift rocks with topwaters early then switch to soft plastics; morning through afternoon.

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LOCATION: ICW Lower Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: South Cullen Bay
GPS: N 26 13.6519, W 97 17.5729
(26.2275-97.2929)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Super Spook in a bone color
TIPS: You can find trout, 24- to 29-inch trout working off the color change in grassy areas, pulling them up out of the potholes.

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LOCATION: ICW Lower Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: Stover Point
GPS: N 26 12.138, W 97 17.8489
(26.2023-97.2975)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Topwaters or soft plastics
TIPS: Fish all along the spoil banks off the ICW, looking for the color change.

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LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: Bowie Park
GPS: N 26 8.198, W 97 10.843
(26.1366-97.1807)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Croaker, ballyhoo
TIPS: Freeline croaker or ballyhoo, best after cold front, drift; dawn, dusk.

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LOCATION: Middle Ground
HOTSPOT: Marker 2
GPS: N 27 5.898, W 97 26.604
(27.0983-97.4434)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Live shrimp, freeline with slide weight along the bottom
TIPS: Live shrimp, freeline with slide weight along the bottom.

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LOCATION: Port Mansfield
HOTSPOT: East of Bennie’s
GPS: N 26 30.407, W 97 22.974
(26.5068-97.3829)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, plastics, shrimp
TIPS: Drift with topwaters, soft plastics or live shrimp; good all day.

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LOCATION: Port Mansfield
HOTSPOT: The Saucer
GPS: N 26 29.018, W 97 22.572
(26.4836-97.3762)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, plastics
TIPS: Topwaters or soft plastics, freeline and drift; dawn through dusk.

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