Upper Texas Coast

HotSPOTLight: Anahuac on Trinity Bay

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LOCATION: Christmas/Bastrop Bay
HOTSPOT: Wildlife Refuge Shoreline
GPS: N 29 3.633, W 95 12.185
(29.0606, -95.2031)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Live bait, topwaters, soft plastics
TIPS: Fish topwaters early, then live shrimp, finger mullet or soft plastics

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LOCATION: Galveston Bay
HOTSPOT: Red Bluff Flats
GPS: N 29 35.953, W 94 58.801
(29.5992 -94.9800)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Soft plastics, spoons
TIPS: Fish pumpkinseed soft plastics or gold spoon, watch for boils; dawn through midday.

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LOCATION: Galveston East Bay
HOTSPOT: Galveston Ship Channel
GPS: N 29 27.814, W 94 50.6149
(29.4636 -94.8436)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Live finger mullet or curly tail Gulp
TIPS: The flounder will be following the ship channel, headed toward the Gulf, heading to the jetty.

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LOCATION: Galveston Trinity Bay
HOTSPOT: Sun Oil Lease
GPS: N 29 38.934, W 94 48.4379
(29.6489 -94.8073)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft plastic shrimp tails
TIPS: When drifting the Trinity Bay wells, use a 3/8-ounce or 1/4-ounce lead head for your soft plastic. It all depends on the surface water temp. If it’s below 65 degrees, tie on 3/8-ounce jig head.

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LOCATION: Galveston West Bay
HOTSPOT: Bird Island Flats
GPS: N 29 6.128, W 95 8.726
(29.1021 -95.1454)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, soft plastics
TIPS: Drift, and work the grass/sand with topwaters early, live bait later; dawn through morn, dusk.

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LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay
HOTSPOT: Dressing Poing
GPS: N 28 43.86, W 95 45.6169
(28.7310 -95.7603)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Topwater lures
TIPS: Pink is a great color for a topwater bait. Pink is one of the hardest colors for a redfish to see. They will hit it hard.

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LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay
HOTSPOT: Kilbride Reef
GPS: N 28 43.361, W 95 50.069
(28.7227 -95.8345)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Salt & Pepper Bull Minnows
TIPS: Drift and work the reef top and edges; dawn through morning, dusk.

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LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay
HOTSPOT: Hotel Point
GPS: N 28 36.051, W 96 14.226
(28.600851, -96.237108)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, soft plastics
TIPS: Wade the shoreline from Hotel Point to Palacios Bayou; avoid midday, night.

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LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay
HOTSPOT: Palacios Point
GPS: N 28 34.894, W 96 13.828
(28.5816 -96.2305)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, soft plastics
TIPS: Wade the shoreline from Hotel Point to Palacios Point; avoid midday, night.

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LOCATION: Sabine Lake
HOTSPOT: Black’s Bayou
GPS: N 29 59.866, W 93 45.182
(29.9978, -93.7530)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft plastics
TIPS: Fish soft plastics in red/white.

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Middle Texas Coast

HotSPOTlight: Port O’Connor

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LOCATION: Copano Bay
HOTSPOT: Italian Bend
GPS: N 28 1.711, W 97 8.632
(28.0285, -97.1439)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Shrimp, jigs, soft plastics
TIPS: Drift with live shrimp under cork, jig or soft plastic; morning through dusk.

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

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Clouser Flay
TIPS: Try sight fishing for reds in November using fly rod and flies. You just kind of leave all the bait fishermen behind…they are not around. You are free to cover a lot more water.

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LOCATION: Espirito Santo Bay
HOTSPOT: Bayucos Shoreline
GPS: N 28 23.647, W 96 26.619
(28.3941 -96.4437)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, Bull Minnows
TIPS: Wade the shoreline with moving tides; dawn through afternoon.

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LOCATION: Port Aransas
HOTSPOT: Dagger Island
GPS: N 27 50.217, W 97 9.967
(27.8370 -97.1661)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Gold or Silver Spoons
TIPS: The redfish should be up on the flats around the islands or along the shorelines.

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LOCATION: Port Aransas
HOTSPOT: South Lake
GPS: N 27 53.4589, W 97 5.7889
(27.8910 -97.0965)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Live mullet and mud minnows
TIPS: South Lake is a good place because all of the lakes that drain into it. Use a pretty small bait with a 3/0 or 4/0 Kahle hook.

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LOCATION: Port O’Connor
HOTSPOT: Jetties
GPS: N 28 25.212, W 96 19.544
(28.4202 -96.3257)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout and Redfish
BEST BAITS: Sardines or shrimp
TIPS: Water depth is the key. Once you find the fish at a certain depth when the tide is moving, they will always be at that depth. You will catch fish.

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LOCATION: Port O’Connor
HOTSPOT: Keeping It Wild Reef
GPS: N 28 23.18, W 96 23.18
(28.3863 -96.3863)

SPECIES: Red Snapper
BEST BAITS: Sardines or Piggy Perch
TIPS: When snapper fishing, fish the bottom using a 4 – 6 oz sinker, 60-100 test leader, and a #6 Circle hook, with sardines or live piggy perch for bait.

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LOCATION:Redfish Bay
HOTSPOT: Dagger Island
GPS: N 27 50.217, W 97 9.967
(27.8370 -97.1661)

SPECIES: Drum
BEST BAITS: Live Finger Mullet or dead shrimp
TIPS: For drum, fish edges and channels, sand holes up against wind-blown shorelines.

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LOCATION: San Antonio Bay
HOTSPOT: Half Moon Reef
GPS: N 28 20.274, W 96 46.347
(28.3379 -96.7725)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork
TIPS: The lakes have a lot of grass pockets and by November you should be picking up some decent fish.

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LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: King Ranch Shoreline
GPS: N 27 29.134, W 97 21.108
(27.4856 -97.3518)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics on a 1/8 oz. jig head
TIPS: Use a 1/8 oz. jig head. A lot of folks will switch over to a heavier weight in high wind but stick with the 1/8 oz. just because the presentation is more natural.

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Lower Texas Coast

HotSPOTLight: Port Isabel/S. Padre Island

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LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado
HOTSPOT: Green Island
GPS: N 26 23.106, W 97 19.305
(26.3851 -97.3218)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Live bait, soft plastics
TIPS: Dusk through night best with full moon, anchor or drift slowly; action is good here all day.

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LOCATION: Baffin Bay
HOTSPOT: Badlands South
GPS: N 27 17.152, W 97 25.053
(27.2859 -97.4176)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Shrimp, croaker
TIPS: Drift over the flats with shrimp or anchor near grass with croakers; good action all day.

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LOCATION:Baffin Bay
HOTSPOT:Kennedy Shoreline
GPS: N 27 15.672, W 97 25.29
(27.2612 -97.4215)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Topwaters & Soft Plastics
TIPS: Best baits for redfish here are a popping cork with a 1/16-ounce jig head with Gulp underneath, 18-inch drop and 3/0 croaker hook.

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LOCATION:Lower Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT:Bowie Park
GPS: N 26 11.541, W 97 10.327
(26.1924 -97.1721)

SPECIES: Pompano
BEST BAITS: Live shrimp, fresh shrimp.
TIPS: Fish two hook rigs with 1-to-2-ounce sinkers (spider weights are best if the surf is sloppy) in the first or second gut (the latter on an outgoing tide) to target all of them.

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LOCATION:Lower Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT:Brownsville Ship Channel
GPS: N 26 2.302, W 97 12.799
(26.0384 -97.2133)

SPECIES: Mangrove Snapper
BEST BAITS: Live bait, cut squid, White bucktails.
TIPS: Locate the edges and drop-offs along points in the Ship Channel and fish them with live or dead shrimp on a free-line rig.

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LOCATION:Middle Ground
HOTSPOT:Gladys’ Hole
GPS: N 26 49.038, W 97 30.45
(26.8173 -97.5075)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: High tide drift shore and fence lines, low drift mid bay; dawn thru midday
TIPS: High tide drift shore and fence lines, low drift mid bay; dawn thru midday.

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LOCATION:Middle Ground
HOTSPOT:Oak Mott Shoreline
GPS: N 26 40.66, W 97 27.322
(26.6777 -97.4554)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, soft plastics shrimp
TIPS: Drift the shoreline with topwaters, soft plastics or live shrimp.

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LOCATION:Middle Ground
HOTSPOT:Summer House Flats
GPS: N 27 8.65, W 97 26.634
(27.1442 -97.4439)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Topwaters or live shrimp under a pop-n-cork; all day
TIPS: Fish topwaters or live shrimp under a pop-n-cork; the action is good here all day.

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LOCATION:Port Mansfield
HOTSPOT:Sand Bar N of Bennie’s Shack
GPS: N 26 29.85, W 97 23.5
(26.4975 -97.3917)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, plastics
TIPS: Cast onto the sand and retrieve across the grass; dawn through morning.

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LOCATION:Port Mansfield
HOTSPOT:The Target Area
GPS: N 26 30.913, W 97 24.787
(26.5152 -97.4131)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Bone, chartreuse topwaters
TIPS: Start south of the barge and drift up to it; dawn through midday.