Lower Texas Coast

HotSPOTLight: Port Isabel/S. Padre Island

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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 flats with shrimp or anchor near grass with croakers; good action all day.

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LOCATION: Baffin Bay
HOTSPOT: Badlands
GPS: N 27 18.228, W 97 24.338
(27.3038, -97.4056)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout & Redfish
BEST BAITS: Popping Corks with Gulp
TIPS: If it’s cool in the morning, the trout will be sitting around the potholes.

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LOCATION: Middle Ground
HOTSPOT: East Side of Graveyard
GPS: N 27 7.062, W 97 25.123
(27.1177, -97.4187)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Gold spoons or live shrimp under a pop-n-cork; all day
TIPS: Gold spoons or live shrimp under a pop-n-cork; all day; Aug-Nov, all day

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LOCATION: Port Mansfield
HOTSPOT: North Jetty
GPS: N 26 33.93, W 97 16.303
(26.5655, -97.2717)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: K Wigglers and Gold Spoons
TIPS: Besides Kelley Wiggler and gold spoons, cut bait freelined, or under a popping cork, works for redfish along the jetty.

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LOCATION: Port Mansfield
HOTSPOT: East Cut Sloughs
GPS: N 26 33.62, W 97 17.403
(26.5603, -97.2901)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: K Wigglers Soft Plastics
TIPS: Fishing the sandy bottom along and anywhere around the East Cut should produce trout in November.

LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado
HOTSPOT: North of Arroyo
GPS: N 26 22.645, W 97 20.033
(26.3774, -97.3339)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Shrimp
TIPS: Drift or anchor and fish live shrimp under a popping cork; avoid midday.

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LOCATION: Gulf of Mexico
HOTSPOT: Port Isabel Reef
GPS: N 25 57.736, W 97 3.577
(25.9623, -97.0596)

SPECIES: Mangrove Snapper
BEST BAITS: Live bait, cut squid, White bucktails.
TIPS: Sharpshoot potholes with the bait or shrimptail under a Mauler or rattle cork. Try fan casting with soft plastics during low-light conditions.

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LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: Brownsville Ship Channel
GPS: N 26 2.214, W 97 13.108
(26.0369, -97.2185)

SPECIES: Mangrove Snapper
BEST BAITS: Live Shrimp, finger mullet
TIPS: Cast toward the dock pilings and rip rap to find both snook and some large (3-5 pound) mangrove snapper. Anchor or drift about 30-50 feet off the shoreline to give yourself some casting room.

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LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: Three Islands
GPS: N 26 16.621, W 97 17.732
(26.2770, -97.2955)

SPECIES: Redfish
BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork
TIPS: In the heavier winds the fish are coming off the drop offs, getting where the grass is, you can catch them on plastics or cut mullet using a bottom rig.

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LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: Holly Beach
GPS: N 26 8.392, W 97 17.257
(26.1399, -97.2876)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, soft plastics
TIPS: Fish topwaters early, Firetiger plastics later in the day, best after cold front, drift; dawn through afternoon.

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LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre
HOTSPOT: Unnecessary Island
GPS: N 26 12.592, W 97 16.582
(26.2099, -97.2764)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout
BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork
TIPS: Rig your popping cork with one ounce weight and a 4/0 J hook, then fish it about 10 inches off the bottom.

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