FOLLOWING A STRETCH OF fair conditions, the dog days of August have smiled upon local anglers, providing a good environment to fish throughout the area. With water temperatures approaching 90 degrees, speckled trout and redfish have been running well, while black drum can be found at both east and west Galveston Bay and Texas City.
Stay covered and hydrated, though, as daytime temps will feel like over 100 degrees in some spots.
Sabine Lake: Overall conditions: GOOD. 88-89 degrees. Water clarity; Stained. Redfish are still good in the lake’s main area on live shrimp under a popping cork or kwiggler or gulp. The best bait has been a Bone colored Skitterwalk. Speckled trout have been good on live and topwater baits.
Trinity Bay: GOOD. 87-88 degrees. The spillway remains good for flounder on minnow or shrimp. Speckled trout and redfish have been fair to good on live shrimp under a popping cork.
East Galveston Bay: GOOD. 88 degrees. The shoreline, jetties, and granite reefs are the best spots for speckled trout, redfish, and black drum right now. Use live shrimp or other live baits.
West Galveston Bay: GOOD. 87-88 degrees. The action has been good along the shoreline for Speckled trout, redfish, and black drum. Live shrimp under a popping cork is best. San Luis Pass is still a hot spot.
Texas City: GOOD. 86 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are good along the shoreline on shrimp under a popping cork or soft plastics. Flounder are good on live bait around the rocks. Black drum are good on blue crab around structure. Sheepshead are fair around the dike on mullet or minnows.
Freeport: GOOD. 87 degrees. Unchanged. The jetties are very active with fish right now feeding on the granite reef. Redfish and speckled trout will be along the shoreline and are good on shrimp. Bull reds are starting to ramp up. Sheepshead will be found around the oyster reefs and rocks and are fair on mullet or minnow. Flounder are fair around the rocks on mullet. Black drum are fair using crankbait around vegetation. This summer has seen some days of high wind that make fishing the open waters of the jetties and beachfront almost impossible. On those days, we fish the protected back lakes for slot reds, speckled trout, and flounder.
East Matagorda Bay: FAIR TO GOOD. 87 degrees. The shorelines are an excellent spot for trout; work the shad over the shell and mud in mid-depth water using soft plastics or live shrimp. Black drum are good on crab around vegetation and deep structure.
West Matagorda Bay: FAIR TO GOOD. 87-88 degrees. Sand and grass shorelines along this side of the bay have held scattered catches of trout – use shrimp under a popping cork or soft plastics. Black drum are good on blue crab near deep water transitions. Redfish and trout are good on live bait and will be around reefs. Flounder are good on shrimp around the rocks.
Port O’Connor: FAIR TO GOOD. 86 degrees. Speckled trout are showing up in larger numbers along the shoreline and near the ICW. Redfish have been fair to good on shrimp under a popping cork. Black drum are good on crab around vegetation. Concentrate on flats that are close to deep water, throw topwaters early in the day.
