ELECTION WEEK BEGINS with good conditions throughout the area, with water temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s. The cool front that passed earlier last week will be a thing of the past as temps will approach 80 degrees. East Galveston Bay has three hot spots to fish, while the rocks around Texas City will produce some good flounder.
Sabine Lake: Overall conditions: GOOD. 74-75 degrees. Water clarity; Stained. Fishing the mouths of the bayous along the eastern shoreline will yield some speckled trout, redfish, and flounder on artificial lures. Also, fishing under the birds is a promising method during October. The jetties will have a few speckled trout, but the redfish will be in more significant numbers.
Bolivar: GOOD. 78 Degrees. Unchanged. Speckled trout and redfish are in the cut and the surf on shrimp. Black drum are good on crab. Lots of male Flounder are moving through the pass and are good on minnow. Sheepshead are slow.
Trinity Bay: GOOD. 74-75 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are good around the bayou on shrimp or soft plastics. Flounder are good around rocks on a minnow. The north and northwest shoreline is a great area year-round due to the generating station. The cooling canal flows into the north side.
East Galveston Bay: GOOD. 77 degrees. Deep Reef, Hanna’s Reef, and Pepper Grove are great spots for speckled trout on small topwaters. The Bull Red Run has been the best spot for bull reds. Small speckled trout will be found under the birds. Sheepshead are fair along the rocks and piers on shrimp. The flounder run has been slow to kick up due to unfavorable fishing conditions with the cold front dropping the temperatures. Gulps are best to use.
West Galveston Bay: GOOD. 76-77 degrees. Speckled trout are great on small topwaters or soft plastics around the reefs. The shell reefs around the ICW and San Luis Pass are great for speckled trout and redfish on shrimp under a cork. Flounder are fair due to the slow uptick, unlike what we normally experience this time of year. Look for it to pick up within the next week.
Texas City: GOOD. 76 degrees. Unchanged. Bull reds are strong around the dike, and fresh-cut mullet is the best bait. Redfish and speckled trout are excellent along the shoreline on shrimp under a popping cork or soft plastics. Flounder are good on minnow around the rocks. Black drum are good on blue crab around deep structure or vegetation. Sheepshead are fair around the rocks on mullet.
Freeport: GOOD. 77 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are plentiful along the beachfront, jetties, in the back lakes and bays on live shrimp under popping cork or mullet. Black drum and sheepshead are good on live shrimp around the reefs. Flounder are fair along the drains on mullet.
East Matagorda Bay: GOOD. 78 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are good around the shell reefs on shrimp. Black drum are fair using Bass Assassins around vegetation or deep structure. This side of Matagorda is a hotspot from now until the end of the year.
West Matagorda Bay: GOOD. 78 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are good on soft plastics around the grass and sand bottoms early in the morning. Switch to soft plastics as the sun comes up. The north shoreline is good for redfish on live shrimp.
Port O’Connor: GOOD. 78-79 degrees. The jetties are busy with speckled trout on super spook junior, soft plastics, or minnow. Big speckled trout will be near dropoffs and potholes in the late morning. Black drum are good on crab around deep structure. Flounder is fair on minnow around the jetties.
