Upper Texas Coast

HotSPOTLight: Christmas Bay

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LOCATION: Christmas/Bastrop Bay
HOTSPOT: Cold Pass
GPS: N 29 4.834, W 95 8.335
(29.0806, -95.1389)

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

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LOCATION: Galveston Bay
HOTSPOT: Miller Point
GPS: N 29 27.619, W 94 55.8
(29.4603 -94.9300)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft plastics
TIPS: Pearl/chartreuse soft plastics on Carolina-rig, drift or anchor; dawn-midday, dusk.

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LOCATION: Galveston Bay
HOTSPOT: Redfish Bar
GPS: N 29 30.644, W 94 52.387
(29.5107 -94.8731)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Shrimp
TIPS: Live shrimp 2-3 feet under popping cork, anchor or drift; morning through midday.

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LOCATION: Galveston East Bay
HOTSPOT: Anahuac Wildlife Refuge
GPS: N 29 33.573, W 94 32.266
(29.5596 -94.5378)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Super Spook or a One Knocker topwater
TIPS: Walking-the-dog: Speed it up, slow it down, pause, repeat… constantly changing your retrieve until you find what the fish like.

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LOCATION: Galveston East Bay
HOTSPOT: Richard’s Reef
GPS: N 29 31.429, W 94 45.323
(29.5238 -94.7554)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Mud minnows, shrimp
TIPS: Fish shore and shell ridge; dawn-afternoon.

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LOCATION: Galveston Jetties
HOTSPOT: North Jetty
GPS: N 29 21.0045, W 94 43.0015
(29.3501 -94.7167)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics, Corkies or Topwaters
TIPS: The last 30 minutes of the day, any day, is the best time because most of the time that’s when the water is going to be the warmest.

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LOCATION: Galveston Trinity Bay
HOTSPOT: Levee Flats
GPS: N 29 26.0102, W 94 54.0052
(29.4335 -94.9001)

SPECIES: Black Drum
BEST BAITS: Fresh frozen crab or dead or live shrimp
TIPS: Drum run: Big time of the year, something that kids can catch on spring break.

LOCATION: Galveston Trinity Bay
HOTSPOT: Morgans Point
GPS: N 29 40.5089, W 94 58.861
(29.6752 -94.9810)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Corky
TIPS: Color does make a difference when fishing with a Corky. In dark waters, go with a dark colored bait, like an 808, or black/pink.

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LOCATION: Galveston Trinity Bay
HOTSPOT: Spillway
GPS: N 29 45.223, W 94 48.857
(29.7537 -94.8143)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Live croaker, shrimp, soft plastics
TIPS: Watch for birds/slicks; dawn-midday, dusk.

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LOCATION: Galveston West Bay
HOTSPOT: Chocolate Bayou
GPS: N 29 11.621, W 95 9.948
(29.1937, -95.1658)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Soft plastics, live bait
TIPS: DOA shrimp, Bass Assassin Sea Shad are good artificial choices, shrimp.

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LOCATION: Galveston West Bay
HOTSPOT: Jamaica Beach
GPS: N 29 11.6808, W 94 58.6451
(29.1947, -94.9774)

SPECIES: Speckled trout
BEST BAITS: 5-inch Bass Assassins
TIPS: Bait color selection: In clear water use a translucent bait; in off-color water use an opaque bait. With a dark bait the fish will see a shadow. A translucent bait in the sun provides reflection of the fish.

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LOCATION: Galveston West Bay
HOTSPOT: Snake Island Cove
GPS: N 29 9.565, W 95 2.215
(29.1594, -95.0369)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, soft plastics
TIPS: Fish topwaters early, use chartreuse/white plastics later, watch birds; avoid midday.

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LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay
HOTSPOT: Boiler Bayou
GPS: N 28 38.4829, W 95 53.6479
(28.6414 -95.8941)

SPECIES: Speckled trout
BEST BAITS: Mirrolure 52
TIPS: Wade the shorelines looking for big trout. Some 11-pound fish have come out of East Bay.

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LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay
HOTSPOT: Chinquapin Landing
GPS: N 28 44.957, W 95 46.034
(28.7493 -95.7672)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Finger mullet, shrimp
TIPS: Anchor and work the bottom; dawn through morning.

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LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay
HOTSPOT: Golds Bayou
GPS: N 28 35.328, W 96 2.286
(28.5888 -96.0381)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Soft plastics
TIPS: Fish small plastics in a translucent color; early morning to noon.

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LOCATION: Sabine Lake
HOTSPOT: Jetty
GPS: N 29 39.247, W 93 49.899
(29.6541 -93.8317)

SPECIES: Black Drum
BEST BAITS: Shrimp, crab
TIPS: Fish live shrimp or crab.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake
HOTSPOT: Oyster Reef
GPS: N 29 46.198, W 93 54.781
(29.7700 -93.9130)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics with a 1/16 oz jig head
TIPS: The April trout bite in Sabine Lake will be the same as in the other locations along the coast. Key in on shell reefs. Birds and slicks are added pluses.

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Middle Texas Coast

HotSPOTlight: San Antonio Bay

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LOCATION: Copano Bay
HOTSPOT: Italian Bend
GPS: N 28 2.566, W 97 8.089
(28.0428 -97.1348)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, live bait
TIPS: Fish topwaters before sunup, live bait deep later in the day; dawn through midday.

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LOCATION: Copano Bay
HOTSPOT: Mission Bay Shell Reefs
GPS: N 28 8.223, W 97 9.159
(28.1371 -97.1527)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Jigs, mud minnows
TIPS: Work top & edges of the reefs with shrimp-tipped jigs or live mud minnows; dawn through morning, dusk.

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LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay
HOTSPOT: Ingleside Cove
GPS: N 27 50.3179, W 97 13.816
(27.8386 -97.2303)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Cut and live mullet
TIPS: Let the cut bait sit until a redfish decides to take it. Use a weight only to keep the live mullet out of the pocket.

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LOCATION: Espirito Santo Bay
HOTSPOT: Blackberry Island Army Cut
GPS: N 28 24.145, W 96 28.731
(28.4024 -96.4789)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Gold spoons, live bait
TIPS: Wade or anchor near southeast cut side; should be a good spot all day.

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LOCATION: Mesquite Bay
HOTSPOT: Cedar Bayou Flats
GPS: N 28 7.0052, W 96 49.0053
(28.1168 -96.8168)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Cut menhaden and cut perch head, dead shrimp
TIPS: Cedar Bayou provides a pretty good wade fishing spot. The redfish are starting to migrate back into the bays, and usually we will catch some good limits wading the surf at Cedar Bayou.

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LOCATION: Port Aransas
HOTSPOT: Southeast Mud Island Shoreline
GPS: N 27 56.006, W 97 1.0041
(27.9334 -97.0167)

SPECIES: Black Drum
BEST BAITS: Cut menhaden and cut perch head, dead shrimp
TIPS: If you are looking for a meat haul, you can catch a whole lot of black drum off the reefs of San Antonio if the wind is low. You can catch trout also on the reefs.

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LOCATION: Port O’Connor
HOTSPOT: New Half Moon Reef
GPS: N 28 33.7999, W 96 14.5309
(28.5633 -96.2422)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: DOA Soft Plastics or Berkley Gulp
TIPS: The new Half Moon is close to the coordinates for the old Half Moon Reef.

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LOCATION: San Antonio Bay
HOTSPOT: Panther Reef
GPS: N 28 13.0105, W 96 41.0139
(28.2168 -96.6836)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Cut menhaden and cut perch head, dead shrimp
TIPS: March is for redfish fishing. If it’s a north wind, fish Matagorda Island, anywhere between Panther Island and Cedar Bayou.

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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: Speckled trout
BEST BAITS: Sand Shad with a 1/8 oz. lead head
TIPS: Twenty miles of shoreline from the King Ranch to Baffin Bay – Run the shoreline till you find bait action. Some big trout come from this shoreline in early spring.

 

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Lower Texas Coast

HotSPOTLight: Port Mansfield

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LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado
HOTSPOT: Rattlesnake/Horseshoe Bay
GPS: N 26 19.322, W 97 19.56
(26.3220 -97.3260)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Bone topwaters
TIPS: Drift deeper potholes, wade the shallow sands; avoid midday, afternoon.

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LOCATION: Baffin Bay
HOTSPOT: Center Reef
GPS: N 27 16.206, W 97 34.362
(27.2701 -97.5727)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Shrimp
TIPS: Drift through the reef with shrimp (use caution, circle wide); dawn through midday.

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LOCATION: Baffin Bay
HOTSPOT: Penascal Point Reef
GPS: N 27 15.973, W 97 25.377
(27.2662 -97.4230)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Live shrimp
TIPS: Drift live shrimp under cork very slowly on top of the rocks; morning, dusk.

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LOCATION: Baffin Bay
HOTSPOT: Penascal Rincon
GPS: N 27 16.018, W 97 25.444
(27.2670 -97.4241)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, plastics, shrimp
TIPS: Drift shallows with shrimp under cork or throw topwaters or soft plastics; dawn-midday.

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LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: Marker 63
GPS: N 26 14.343, W 97 16.482
(26.2391 -97.2747)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Live bait, Gulp Shrimp, twitch baits.
TIPS: Fish the flats just west of the Marker. Trout and redfish hang out around the potholes in 3 to 4 feet of water. Traditional live bait or soft plastics work well.

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LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: Queen Isabella Causeway
GPS: N 26 5.199, W 97 11.213
(26.086646, -97.186884)

SPECIES: Sheepshead
BEST BAITS: Live Shrimp, fresh shrimp.
TIPS: Free line shrimp around the pilings. Spinning tackle helps make the finesse casts needed to get a small bait close to the structure. Braided line is best for light bites.

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LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: South Bay
GPS: N 26 2.961, W 97 11.031
(26.0494 -97.1839)

SPECIES: Black Drum
BEST BAITS: Live Shrimp, fresh shrimp, Gulp! Shrimp in New Penny, Root Beer/Glitter.
TIPS: Fish the channel edges on bottom to intercept feeding drum. Fresh or live shrimp are bets. Use stout tackle; there are some big drum out there.

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LOCATION: Middle Ground
HOTSPOT: Channel
GPS: N 26 36.398, W 97 24.102
(26.6066 -97.4017)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, soft plastics, spoons
TIPS: Fish topwaters early, then switch to red/white soft plastics or gold or chrome spoons; dawn through morning.

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LOCATION: Middle Ground
HOTSPOT: Lost Cut
GPS: N 27 6.901, W 97 26.682
(27.1150 -97.4447)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Mud minnow, shrimp
TIPS: Freeline live mud minnows or shrimp with split shot; this spot should be good all day.

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LOCATION: Middle Ground
HOTSPOT: North Spoils
GPS: N 26 44.975, W 97 26.978
(26.7496, -97.4496)

SPECIES: Flounder
BEST BAITS: Shrimp, mud minnows
TIPS: Fish the back side with live shrimp or mud minnows on bottom rigs; action is good here all day.

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LOCATION: Port Mansfield
HOTSPOT: Green Island
GPS: N 26 30.0049, W 97 24.0035
(26.5001, -97.4001)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Spook Junior
TIPS: Fish the Spook Jr. with a slow walk-the-dog, extended pause retrieve, maybe four or five walks, and then an extended pause, then walk it again. Don’t keep it moving all the time.