UPPER LAGUNA MADRE

Reported by CAPT. RICHARD THOMPSON

Between the Grass and Sky

 

DAWN BREAKS SLOWLY over the Laguna Madre, the sky brushed in pale pink and orange before the sun could turn mean. In South Texas summer, the window is short—by midday, the heat presses down like iron. I say it’s like a sprint and not a marathon to get your morning wade in and or wait till the evening as the breeze typically starts to turn on again.  

We, as well as all our other guides down here in the Upper Laguna and mouth of Baffin Bay have been extremely successful catching slot redfish and beautiful trout. The bay system is so alive right now and she is ready for you to reel in your limits and fill up your freezers!

I typically stand knee-deep in skinny water, taking advantage of the only hours’ worth of fishing. In the stillness of early light, before the day hardens, anything feels like it’s possible. I practice this method until mid-morning and jump back into the boat to start drift fishing to follow the summertime patterns of the bigger fish as they descend into the deeper drop offs.

The mouth of Baffin Bay into the Upper Laguna Madre is a perfect place for slot reds and beautiful speckled trout.

(Photo: Krystal Thompson)

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I have to admit, all winter, spring, and now summer,  I’ve refocused my lure choices to soft plastics all day every day on all of my guided and personal trips. I historically use topwater’s and suspending plugs like Fat Boys. My setup looks like a Coastal Brew Bait or a Down South Lure, Big Smooth, rigged on a light jighead.  There’s something more precise about soft plastics—more connected. Each cast feels intentional, and with every twitch of the rod, I reel in the slack, covering more ground one subtle pulse at a time. 

My focus during summer in the great search for bait that actually produces larger species below, is a constant. I scan the surface for signs—small flickers of glass minnows over the grass beds, the sudden ripple of finger mullet erupting like a skipped stone. A lone tern hovers, then dives hard, pulling something silver from the chop. That tells me menhaden are nearby, pushed into the shallows by something bigger. Even the pinfish seem more active, clicking and darting along the grass edge. Every movement of bait is a whisper from below—an invitation to cast, to search. You learn over time that reading the water isn’t just about eyesight—it’s about listening to the language of life beneath the surface because it’s all about the thump!

Moments like this don’t ask for celebration; they ask for reverence. I feel a quiet gratitude—for the cast, the catch, the life that swims away, and the rare beauty of being here to witness it all. This feeling is what I try to relay and articulate to each and every one of my customers.

Our Lodge, Laguna Shores Lodge, has been filled up and is ready for you to book your next coastal getaway with R&K Coastal Outfitters! Krystal Thompson and I welcome you with a warm smile!