From the bays to the flats, the Inspira ISX Spinning Reel is built to meet the demands of Texas inshore anglers. Featuring Torsion Control Armor (TCA) technology, its lightweight aluminum body provides 40% more torsion and flex resistance, keeping internals aligned under pressure. With Flite Drive technology for ultra-smooth operation and a multi-disc Carbonite drag system delivering up to 24 lbs of stopping power, it’s ready for any battle. Available in 2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 sizes.
ABOUT THE COVER
Mark Watson is our cover angler with a great jack crevalle caught and released at the Matagorda Ship Channel Jetties near Port O’Connor. May is a great month to tangle with a tough-fighting jack!
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May Issue Highlights
IS IT STILL SPRING…OR SUMMER?
I sometimes have a difficult time classifying the month of May. Is it the last month of spring or the first month of summer? If you had been with me a couple of days ago hunting turkeys in South Texas you might have sworn it was already July, with afternoon temperatures cresting the 90-degree mark. We’re just not accustomed to that kind of heat this early in the year. And to add to the confusion, we had 41-degrees at sunrise a week before that at our home in Seadrift. So go figure. Let’s just call it Texas weather and let it go at that.
One thing I never have trouble understanding though, is when to ditch my waders. All it takes is the water temperature gauge on the Humminbird to begin registering in the low-80s a few times and it won’t be long until my Simms G4Zs get banished to the closet until November rolls back around. Any day now…
Middle Coast trout action has improved leaps and bounds since the dismal days following that fateful freeze that blew in over Valentine’s weekend 2021. I give a lot of credit to TPW’s narrow keep-slot and
three-fish bag limit. I still hear a few folks griping that they can only keep three, but it’s down to just a few. Most that I know well enough to consider both sufficiently seasoned and trustworthy seem content with the regs, if they’re even keeping any at all. Seems the best way to bring back the good ol’ days is to keep turning them loose.
Another sure enough fact about May is that the final Monday is Memorial Day, a federal holiday set aside to celebrate and mourn the servicemen and women who gave their lives such that the United States of America can remain the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. A great and worthy cause that we as the beneficiaries of those sacrifices should hold dear and continue to celebrate with reverence.
The Saturday before Memorial Day has its own significance for coastal fishermen here in the state of Texas – the kickoff of the CCA Texas summer long State of Texas Anglers Rodeo – commonly known as the S.T.A.R. Tournament. If you care to have a look at page 38 of this issue, you will find a recap of the 2024 S.T.A.R., its proud winners and their prizes.
So, here we go again, another S.T.A.R. will kickoff Saturday May 24, 2025, with a whole new list of outstanding prizes and awards for the lucky winners. But as the saying goes; “You Gotta Be Registered to Win!” Sign up today and get a free E-Mag subscription to Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.
Spring
Small slicks like this one are a dead giveaway and will be prevalent throughout the month of May.
Training
STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN
Every year I look forward to baseball season, not only because I love baseball, but because it tends to coincide with a more consistent trout pattern here on the Upper Texas Coast. Of course, we always have to go through a couple of months of back-and-forth results before we’re finally rewarded with this consistency of which I speak. The inconsistencies such as drastic tide and water temperature fluctuations, barometric pressure changes with each passing front, and every possible wind direction on the compass only further improves our angling abilities by the time May rolls around – much like spring training gets the Astros ready for opening day every year. We enjoyed catching lots of trout all winter with a few large ones in the mix all the way into late January. By February the frequency of cold fronts made life for a full-time fishing guide very difficult. If it wasn’t the gale force winds and frigid temperatures it was the extreme low tides, and if those elements weren’t enough Mother Nature would occasionally throw in some dense fog. I haven’t gone back and counted them yet (I kind of don’t want to) but I’m sure I canceled more trips this past January and February than ever before.
Not only did we lose a lot of water during the winter but I don’t recall ever seeing tides as low as they were this spring here in Galveston. It’s forced me to pull a rabbit out of my hat on many occasions. Just the other day I had one of my longtime customers and his client who was driving in from three hours away. I knew the tide would be even lower than predicted because we would be fishing the day after a late cold front that produced northwest winds up to 40 mph and super high barometric pressure.
We drove to a boat ramp that I’ve used many times during low tide situations but this particular morning I knew I’d be pushing the envelope. Sure enough the tide was further out than I’d expected and it was due to drop even more while we were fishing, so I was forced to find another ramp. When we arrived at the second launch the end of the concrete slab at the ramp was very short, so backing my trailer down the usual distance required to launch would result in my trailer axles dropping off the concrete. I told my customer that he would have to back me down while I manned the boat.
“When I tell you to hit the brakes, hit the brakes! This is either going to work out beautifully or it’s going to be a complete disaster.” Rusty’s timing was flawless on the braking as I shot off the ramp and into the boat slip. It was honestly the lowest tide I had ever attempted to launch my Whaler.
So now we’re successfully in the water but faced with conditions that were completely different than 24 hours earlier. So what do I do? The only thing I knew to do was to go to an area where I had been catching some nice trout, peruse the area and try to figure out how they may have changed their pattern based upon the changes in conditions.
Everything was lifeless as far as I could see across the water’s surface. I was just about to crank up the Suzuki and head elsewhere when I suddenly detected the sweet scent of trout. I looked over
my left shoulder and saw a small slick about 150 yards out from the shoreline where we’d been catching these fish. Our trout had pulled out off of a deep shell ledge which wasn’t surprising given the circumstances. Thank God they showed us where they were. It could’ve been a difficult day otherwise. We troll-motored from slick to slick catching and releasing 20-plus trout until the bite eventually faded. Small bite windows were the theme during that time period and you needed to be right on top of it when it happened.
For the first time in a few years, pretty much the entire Galveston Bay Complex is salty, so most of the trout we have in the system are fairly spread out. They are gravitating to live habitat such as oyster reefs. However, not all reefs are created equal. Oyster reefs with the most peaks and valleys tend to hold more fish for two reasons.
The oysters filtering (feeding activity) attracts dozens of bottomof-the-food-chain marine organisms and the more high points and eccentric troughs the more places for said marine life to hide, which provides more ambush points for trout to ambush prey.
I absolutely love the fact that everything on the menu is available in May. If we want to wade for trout and reds then that’s not a problem. If drifting open bay reefs is more to your liking then that’s productive too! And don’t think for a minute that you can’t catch a big one while drifting open-bay shell. Some of our biggest trout in recent years have come from drifting open-water live oyster reefs. One of the awesome things about this time of year is that our trout produce slicks over these reefs more frequently than other times of the year making them super easy to home in on.
As a small slick emerges I first observe which way it’s moving in relation to the wind and current and then set my drift accordingly. The larger the slick the further upwind and upcurrent I begin my drift. There are occasions when the current is stronger than the wind. In this case the trout will actually be downwind (but upcurrent) of
Not the 30-incher I was looking for but still fun.
Long-time client, Steve Tuttle, enjoyed the benefit of the trout being nice enough to divulge their location by slicking.
Thank God for my Waterloo HP Slam and Bates Salty Hundo for all those days when the bites were subtle. Unmatched sensitivity!
the slicks. Fishing shoreline slicks while wading is similar. Observe the direction the slicks are drifting then set up your wade accordingly. It’s usually easier to pinpoint where a shallow slick originated because it’s obviously not only emerging in shallower water which means the fish will be closer to it, but we also typically have some kind of landmark to use as a starting point. When drifting here in Galveston Bay I like to focus more on reefs in depths of seven feet or less until later in the summer. MirrOlure Provokers, Saltwater Assassins and MirrOlure Lil Johns will all work well while drifting slicks and bait concentrations. I usually go with an 1/8 ounce jig head but a 1/16 works great if the fish are staged near the surface. Medium to large topwaters such as MirrOlure She Dogs and Rapala Skitter Walks can draw some explosive blow-ups while fishing out of the boat as well. The inconsistent trout patterns of late winter and spring are over! The water is warming. Trout metabolisms are increasing and fish are
I’ve
feeding! There are so many signs (slicks, hovering gulls and terns over migrating shrimp, mullet and shad concentrations, shoreline mud boils) and areas (sand bars, coves, shoreline reefs, mid-bay reefs, bayou drains, grass-lined shorelines, rock jetties and other structure) at our disposal this month. With school being out it’s an excellent time to get the kiddos out on the water to not only get in on some of the best trout action of the year but also to teach them the importance of conservation and sustainability of our fishery so they can someday enjoy making the same memories with their kids that we’ve been blessed to make with ours.
STEVE HILLMAN
Steve Hillman is a full-time fishing guide on his home waters of Galveston Bay. Steve fishes the entire Galveston Bay Complex, wading and drifting for trout, redfish, and flounder using artificial lures.
Phone 4 09-256-7937
Email captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com Web w ww.hillmanguideservice.com
Rick Paige with a bonus flounder mixed in with some solid trout while fishing a bayou drain lined with oysters.
These kind of low tides are expected in January and February but this was during late March. (Photo by Josh Piver).
watched Brooks and his brother, Ryne, grow up thanks to their dad, Trey, bringing them fishing every year. They call me Uncle Steve. Love these kiddos!
The Gap
STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN
All his life, the veteran angler had lived on the Texas Coast, working hard, playing harder. When he retired, proud to have accomplished so much, he rewarded himself with a sporty skiff built to run swift and skinny in front of 300 wired horses. He adorned the sleek craft with all the modern gadgets a salty freak could want. Needing no loan to finance the purchase, he bought his shiny new object with crisp cash. On a balmy May morning, he stuck the Talon in the sand beside the big bar in Alazan and readied himself to wade, expecting a hot topwater bite.
Benign winds and recent results had him champing at the bit. As the rising sun illuminated puffy clouds in the east, he slid into the water and began earning some blow ups. The old boy knew how to walk the dog, but he tended to wander without much focus; he did catch a handful of solid trout and missed a few bigger ones. When the sky in the west turned gunmetal gray, and thunder began to rumble, the man with all the right stuff pulled his craft close to Starvation Point and crawled onto the bluff to wait out the storm.
Knowing better than to try and outrun such extreme weather, he hunkered down during the torrential downpour, watching as lightning repeatedly blasted holes in the hallowed ground of the King Ranch, hoping the screaming winds wouldn’t break his anchor and blow his new boat onto the bank. He lost most of the day while the lightning flashed, but sometime early in the afternoon, conditions improved, and he went back to the bar to make another wade. After working hard to make something big happen, he decided the storm had blown his opportunity away with the clarity of the water. With only a couple hours of daylight left, he steered out around Starvation Point, intending to head on home.
But as he hugged the shoreline at East Kleberg Point, a shaft of light burst through the clouds and illuminated Baffin Bay, suggesting another pathway. The whispering winds fell silent, and he figured the fishing might be good in the Badlands, so he stopped to check it out. As he approached the South Badlands Bar from the west, he noticed a lone wader way out on the rocks, halfway to Marker 4. He didn’t immediately head toward the man, but an inevitable gravity eventually pulled him that way, and curiosity got the better of him. He couldn’t understand how the guy could have gotten so far out on the rocky bar.
When the wondering man with the clean camo ball cap came within earshot of the wader, he said, “Hey dude, I don’t want to bother you, but I’m wondering how you got out there to those rocks? I’ve been wading here for years. Every time I try, I can’t make it across the gap. It’s so treacherous.”
The weathered face of the dark-skinned wader with long black locks and a chiseled chin swiveled slightly toward the source of the question, before turning back toward where his lure danced on the water. “I’d have to show you. It’s hard to explain.”
A medicine-ball of water erupted beneath the shirtless man’s floating plug, and both men laughed out loud. “Wow! You’re getting a ton of blow ups. Looks like you know what you’re doing with that topwater,” the newly arrived one mused.
Swirling emerald water caressed the possibly naked man’s belly, obscuring his lower body. “The harrier flies low over the field, looking hard into the grass. The falcon climbs high, then dives down fast. I wade with my Ghost and walk the dog,” the one on the south side of the gap replied.
“Ghost? Don’t you mean One Knocker?” the one on the north side countered. “They stopped making Ghosts a long time ago.”
The white man thought he saw anger flash in the eyes of the brown man, but he was not sure. “Mine’s a Ghost,” he insisted. Another monster trout blasted off on his lure, flying completely out of the water without becoming hooked, causing the wader wearing a necklace of horse-hair twine clutching a crystal to laugh again. He started reeling the lure quickly in. Fascinated, the light-skinned one watched the plug skip over the water, following it with his eyes until it reached the other’s rodtip.
The medium-sized topwater twinkled. When it came out of the water, a strange truth became evident; the plug held no hooks. The old competitor could not restrain himself. He mused, “The first time I ever knew of somebody fishing without any hooks was back in the 90s. I was entering a Troutmasters tournament in Port O’Connor. Dude walked up and started bragging about some big trout he’d seen that day. Said he didn’t catch any of ‘em because he’d taken the hooks off his Skitter Walk. Didn’t want ‘em to have sore mouths. I thought he was nuts, still do.”
With the natural grace of a reddish egret, the tan man sent his lure soaring westward again. While it flew, he smugly remarked, “I was there.”
“What? You fished Troutmasters back in the day? I don’t remember you,” the ever more inquisitive one replied.
While twitching his rodtip rhythmically to nudge the head of his Ghost from side to side, the artisan with the coffee-colored skin explained, “I looked different back then.”
“If you don’t mind me asking,” the perplexed one continued. “What’s your name?”
A veil of white foam engulfed the long-haired angler’s plug. His chest heaved with delight.
“Blow ups are all the same. The next one is every bit as exciting as the first one and the last one. Can’t say that about many other things.” As
On many May mornings, a hot early-morning topwater bite occurs in and around Baffin Bay. Jeff Kirk took advantage of this on an outing with the captain.
Big trout like this one sometimes bite soft plastics best in the month of May.
Jerry Honeycutt caught this handsome thirty-inch trout in Baffin while wading with Captain Kev.
if on cue, another obviously giant trout snapped at his lure, creating a noise akin to the blade of a hatchet splitting a seasoned stick of firewood. He laughed again.
“Those are some big trout,” the man on the quiet side of the gap observed.
The man on the noisy side bragged, “Out here, they’re all big.”
Feeling a sense of discomfort, offended by the simplicity and arrogance of the other’s words, the white man asked, “Don’t you want to catch ‘em, so you can see how long they are, how much they weigh?”
Rather than answer the question directly, the one earning all the blow ups remembered, “My Ghost had hooks back in the day. The sun and salt burned ‘em off before I crossed over to this side. Now I don’t want ‘em. I love that pop, but I don’t need to put fish on a string.”
The bald dude took off his camo cap and scratched his head. “Ohhh.. kay...” he said, dragging the word out to communicate irony. He then realized another bizarre aspect of the encounter; one he hadn’t previously considered. The angler on the rocks to his south apparently had no other equipment with him–just the rod, the reel, the line and the Ghost. “Where’s the rest of your stuff?” he asked.
“I have everything I need.”
Shaking his head, becoming more frustrated by the moment, the one with all the questions continued, “Where’s your boat?”
“She ran aground in a graveyard.”
“The Graveyard?” inquired the nosy one. “That’s miles away. How’d you get over here?”
“You didn’t hear me right,” corrected the amber man. Then he burst out laughing again, when a trout punched his lure fully three feet up into the air. When his chest fell still, he finished, “I have help.”
“Oh, so somebody dropped you off?” the one getting no blow ups asked.
“Something like that.”
“I looked at the weather. It’s supposed to get stormy again tonight,” the mouth under the camo cap announced.
“Lightning and thunder thrill me,” said the man with nothing more than what he needed.
Refusing to relent, the man with everything he wanted asked, “You sure you don’t need a ride back to town?”
“There’s nothing in town for me,” the maybe naked wader explained.
“But you can’t just stand out here and fish all night,” the old boy with the new boat insisted.
The stubborn one with the stripped Ghost shook his head in defiance and flatly disagreed, “All I need is a drop.”
As he turned to leave, the exiting one admitted, “Seems crazy to me.”
The staying one nodded, “One man’s crazy is another man’s cool.”
The proud tournament veteran with the best fishing days of his life still ahead of him heard the laughter of the seemingly insane, probably naked wader all the way back to the boat. Before he cranked the motor to head home, he turned to the south for one more look. In the dying light, he could barely see ashen puffs of foam blooming in front of the man who waded with nearly nothing; the setting sun gilded everything.
On the way in, the retired fellow with the finest equipment money can buy contemplated what he’d heard and seen. He kept thinking he knew the wader, but he could not put a name with the face. Before he pulled up to the dock at Bird Island Basin, he made a solemn promise to himself. He speaks to no one about the encounter he had with the mysterious man content to tease the trout with a hookless Ghost on the other side of the gap.
KEVIN COCHRAN
Kevin Cochran is a long-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has created several books and dvds on the subject. Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus Christi Bay to the Land Cut.
T ROUT TRACKER GUIDE SERVICE
Phone 361-688-3714
Email kevincochran404@yahoo.com Web www.captainkevblogs.com
Pete Krol with a nice trout caught in the last full month of spring.
Fishing for trout, reds and flounder is generally excellent in the warming weather of late-spring.
Sabine anglers are lucky to be able to enjoy abundant redfish year ‘round.
Put Some RESPECT On Their Name
STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE
Ihave no idea how it happens, it seems like only a few weeks ago summer was so far away and we were in the midst of a mini-winter as successive cool fronts continued to remind us how nice 60-degree weather with zero humidity could be. All that is but a distant memory now as we have flipped the calendar and summer isn’t but a few weeks away.
Welcome back the sweltering heat and humidity so thick you need to breathe through a snorkel just to cope with everyday tasks. Gone are the mornings where you wake up to the repetitive snapping of the flags as the big south winds keep them starched at attention from dawn until dusk. Summer will usher in those days when you beg for a breeze or anything else that will provide relief from ever-climbing temperatures and cloudless blue skies.
As the seasons change, so does the focus for many anglers all along the coast. During the winter and spring months the vast majority of ink in most fishing publications is dedicated to the pursuit of big speckled trout. Under normal circumstances those months from November thru March or April will produce the lion’s share of bragging-sized trout so it only stands to reason that all the attention is focused on that subject and species. As the calendar and seasons both change, the focus now turns toward the “second class citizen” of the salt – the redfish.
I have no problem professing my affinity for the redfish because I truly believe they have more to offer than just about any other fish that roams the Texas saltwater. I love chasing trout, don’t get that confused or twisted. A big, speckled trout has a certain feel to it that is difficult to describe; perhaps because they are rare and highly-coveted.
A solid redfish, not even a giant bull or anything like that, on the other hand, is a sensory overload that is very often underappreciated until it runs off with about half the line on your reel just to show you it can.
Redfish deserve a little more respect in my estimation because of what they bring to the table, so to speak. Perhaps my “man crush” on the redfish comes from the fact that unlike speckled trout you can watch redfish do “redfish things” and that is a treat for any angler. Seeing these fish cruise around in shallow water, forage for food, swim in schools, lay around and be lethargic, or just plain disappear in broad daylight is absolutely mesmerizing to me. Learning to read their body language and adjusting to their variables is a visual puzzle that once it’s solved provides endless enjoyment for all to partake in. It’s truly such a feeling to watch these fish, figure out what they want, and then see them do exactly what you had hoped they would.
On the other hand redfish can frustrate you to the point where even a cold beer or good whiskey can’t soothe the sting. I have had days where the redfish have just completely refused to cooperate in the slightest, which in turn has caused me to question my sanity. Imagine if you can, making countless perfect casts and watching fish after fish swim up to the bait as if they may inhale the offering, only to inspect it and turn away in such a rush that they leave a hole in the water that takes almost a minute to fill back up.
It doesn’t matter what you do some days; they just refuse to cooperate. On days that the redfish don’t want to play all that you can do is learn from the experience, slap a Band Aid on your pride, and get
after them again because they may change their attitude overnight and eat anything you throw at them on the next day out. This process is what keeps many redfish enthusiasts coming back for more.
Do not be fooled by the derogatory nicknames and phrases that many who worship at the Church of Speckled Trout will hurl at the common red drum, A.K.A. redfish, because they are nothing more than thinly veiled insults from those who are merely jealous. Yes, I said it, they are indeed jealous of the fact the redfish can check virtually every box on the anglers dream list.
Redfish will grow very large, eat topwater plugs, eat flies, devour live bait, test your drag system and certainly your stamina. Perhaps the only thing they will not do is jump and that’s a bit overrated in the grand scheme of things. Don’t you think?
The redfish is a magnificent eating machine that has more personalities than your crazy ex-girlfriend. These fish can turn from finicky to ferocious at the drop of a hat for absolutely no apparent reason. Redfish are the reason I keep my hair cut so short because it makes it much more difficult to pull it out when they refuse to play nice.
The coming weeks will offer some excellent opportunities to focus on redfish here in both the Sabine and Calcasieu estuaries. The brown shrimp should begin to show up in both the marshes and the open lakes, and you can just about bank on the fact the redfish will not
Reds, like this perfect slot-sized specimen, are often quick to take a swimbait like this ZMan Mulletron. Just plop it down anywhere in their wheelhouse and they’ll do the rest.
Spend enough time hunting reds in the Sabine area marsh country and you’re sure to stumble onto a few nice bass like this one landed by Fisher Dupin with help from Brayden Wood.
be far behind. Packs of perfect slot-sized fish will run the shorelines destroying the brown shrimp every chance they get.
Virtually any marsh drain on a tide change is an excellent place to start looking for redfish. Search baits like topwater plugs and rattling corks are fantastic offerings to start off with. Many anglers will also use swimbaits or the tried and true gold spoon to look for willing participants as they cover as much water as possible in the least amount of time. Once fish are located a slower approach such as a lightly-weighted soft plastic will usually improve both numbers and odds.
In Texas the speckled trout is the inshore glamour fish while the redfish will always be the bridesmaid or runner-up in many anglers’ eyes. That sentiment usually holds true until the trout quit biting and the redfish start cooperating. That’s all it takes, a few solid bites on a slow day for a
self-professed died in the wool big trout chaser to become a fan of the redfish again. I don’t blame them one bit, in fact I rejoice every time it happens because invariably that angler takes just a minute to relive that vicious strike and feeling that they get when their drag begins to scream and they realize there is nothing they can do to stop that fish except hang on.
It’s moments like that when the redfish finally gets its due. Scenarios that will play out for many anglers this month and beyond as the populations of redfish in our waterways continues to thrive. If you decide to take advantage of this fantastic pattern for these fish, mindful to release them carefully after a long fight and keep only what you can eat because these fish truly deserve our respect.
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CHUCK UZZLE
Chuck fishes Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes from his home in Orange, TX. His specialties are light tackle and fly fishing for trout, reds, and flounder.
Phone 409-697-6111
Email wakesndrakes@yahoo.com
Website wakesndrakes.com
Redfish are tough but in summer’s elevated water temps reviving them fully prior to release often requires extra effort. Please give them your best shot prior to letting ‘em go.
Chuck says, “Specks may get more glamour and glory but I’ll always love my redfish!”
Walking the Sabine jetty in 1982. By then, other boaters had taken the cue and were walking.
JettyTime
STORY BY JOE RICHARD
May should be official jetty month, where we spent our best years as “jetty rats,” walking the rocks and slinging spoons for trout, redfish and mackerel. Which jetty? All of them in Texas, with the exception of the relatively new construction at the mouth of the Colorado River, now called Jetty Park.
(We haven’t been back to that area in a long time. Before there were jetties, we spent the night nearby in a small no-tell motel on a sultry April night without air condition or fan. Had to leave the window open to breathe, while just outside in the parking lot two women fought at midnight or closing time, cheered on by a small crowd. For some reason, we haven’t been back).
But I’ve wandered off on a tangent here. Jetties and their fish-attracting granite and growth poke out into the Gulf a fair distance, and they offer great sport tossing plugs and spoons (or live bait) into a green tide – without really knowing what will latch on next. It’s an element of surprise mostly lacking in the bays. Big critters both huge and loathsome prowl Texas’ numerous jetties. Maybe not the monsters of yesteryear, when in the 1930s the state record’s 736-pound sawfish and 551-pound goliath grouper were caught from Galveston’s jetty rocks by Gus Pangarakis. Big sharks and goliath grouper still lurk around those rocks, though sawfish are quite rare, these days.
From our vantage point on the rocks we could often see fish cruising by, sometimes only 10 feet away, like big sow trout attended by a half dozen smaller males. (It was early June and must have been spawning time.) The sheepshead are always there, nibbling and tugging on tasty marine growth attached to the rocks.
Great fun out there, maintaining balance and hoping not to stumble into a busted day at the ER. Without today’s fishing gloves, our bare hands were first to absorb a fall, hitting hard surfaces coated with sharp oysters and barnacles. Despite the risk, we piled up fish on many days. For years, boaters anchored nearby glumly watched our bent rods. We had great mobility and could pivot and catch fish on either side of the rocks. We prowled back and forth for 50 yards until fish were located, never knowing where they were on any given day. And we had it all to ourselves; nobody seemed willing to leave their boats and climb the concrete apron covering our jetty. Years later if the wind was right, perpendicular to the rocks, and without a current on the Gulf side, folks began venturing onto that solid structure. Most easily accomplished during a west wind, though that was bad for water clarity. However, a pocket of precious green water on the east side might hang on through the day and provide steady action. Green water remains a gift on the upper Texas coast.
This all happened at the Sabine jetties, only a 20-minute car ride from our homes. We had the murkiest jetty water on the Texas coast, but when green water did arrive there was serious action. The only live shrimp available were caught with 20-foot “sport” trawls pulled behind small boats, and we didn’t own a net. Live bait was so scarce, gamefish were brazen around artificial baits, far more so than at Galveston, where our Tout Tails went ignored. The mile-long line of rocks at Sabine originates in marsh country and is only accessible by boat. Our jonboats and small fiberglass rigs were perfect for jetty plugging; aluminum could bump rocks without damage if the wind was light. We didn’t even launch back at Sabine Pass, but at Mobley’s boat ramp within easy sight and a calm boat ride near the jetty’s base. Those rocks stuck high enough above water to shelter boats in the channel from whitecaps. Today, the same jetties have sunk low in the silt bottom, while the Gulf is said to have risen six inches in the past 50 years or so. It can now be a choppy, wet ride in the channel, just to reach the jetty’s end.
You can bet we made the most of it for 15 years, however. Sharp
memories of ice cream days include:
>Landing and dropping 50 trout (before bag limits) on the flat concrete wall during fast and furious action at point blank range, only to have a passing crewboat wash them away. We jumped in, swam around and grabbed as many of the bigger floating trout as we could round up. Our mackerel sank, of course.
>During a trout blitz at sunset, our stringers were attacked by sharks four to five feet long, targeting our biggest trout. As the light began to fade, I had to swim to the boat anchored 50 feet away, in deeper water. Very fast. I vaulted into the boat because we never owned a dive ladder. We also never used a landing net out there. You could time a small wave and have it deliver your fish onto a handy, flat rock.
>The only tarpon we ever jumped out there happened in dark green water, a rarity for that area, and after that excitement it was a three-pound trout on every cast. Not another boat in sight! It was going to be an epic day…Except our friend Jay tried to carry his optimistic, empty Igloo up the algae-covered stairs at jetty’s end. He slipped and tumbled down the concrete stairs, landing with a screech on oysters and barnacles. Even his blue jeans were cut up and his hands…well, we won’t go there. We’d only been there 25 minutes, and had to bring him home. He was always a good sport.
>We spent the night out there twice. Under a full moon, we set up sleeping bags and lantern a dozen feet above water where Jay had fallen. Nothing biting and the night was bright as day. The Sabine Pilot boat and various crewboats roared by at 40 yards all night so, not much sleep. However, at dawn the tide was pouring out and trout on the channel side would do anything for a MirrOlure. Without another boat in sight, we leveled two Igloos with trout without ice, and then sped back to the ramp by 9-10 a.m.
On the other overnighter during a tournament, we set up a heavy generator with lights on the end of the west jetty, a dicey proposition with scattered but flat rocks. Fished and then tried to sleep on granite under the stars. One of the jonboats named Get Lucky had gotten leaky, and we had to turn on its bilge pump
By 1990 the old structure at Sabine jetty’s end was replaced with a light tower.
It’s far easier today to cruise the jetty with electric motor, casting away.
periodically. A west wind came up and whitecaps arrived, the tide rose and our rocks began to flood. We carried that generator through knee-deep waves, threw our possessions into the jumping boats, and made a full retreat.
>When there was a bag limit of 10 trout, I carried a flyrod out there on a hot calm morning. I had no proper flies to fling, like a Deceiver, which would have been nice, but I did have an old-fashioned bass bug, the kind with feathers and a cork head. Out on a handy half-submerged rock, I flailed away, had many popping strikes, and landed 10 trout in the 3-pound range.
Today, the Sabine jetties are far more hazardous to walk and fish from. Often awash, it’s caused a number of boat wrecks large and small because much of the structure is covered by a foot or more of water. (With numerous countries now offering to buy liquid natural gas via Sabine Pass, those rocks need to be raised for better navigation, but that only puts more weight on the rocks below.)
Few fishermen venture onto the Sabine jetty these days; instead they fish from boats, either anchored or by easing along with electric motors. All other Texas jetties can be walked in varying degrees, accessible from shore. The longest, at Galveston/Bolivar, can only be walked a certain distance and it is boaters who make the big scores further out near the end. Our first trip there long ago in high school was in a 12-foot v-bottom aluminum boat and by launching on the Bolivar side, even a mile out we were never more than 100 feet from solid rocks. All around us, other boaters were free-shrimping and hauling in big trout. I finally scored a single trout on the Tout lure, a fish that weighed six pounds.
Port O’Connor’s big jetties on Matagorda Island are only reachable by boat, although there are airstrips on either side of the channel, one of them small and the other quite large, built during WWII. When we lived in POC, we spent many days anchored around the jetties there, and had our favorite spots until they changed. Once, a day after the Labor Day crowd went home; while walking the rocks, I jumped 11 tarpon on fly, spin and baitcasting tackle. Not big ones, only 2-3 feet long, but they were energetic. Eleven tarpon without a plane ticket, just a fast ride in a jonboat.
We used to make a pilgrimage now and then to the South Padre jetties for more reliable green water and shots at jetty tarpon, where the state record was caught and held for decades by Tom Gibson.
The Mansfield jetties north of there are reachable from South Padre by car and can also make for a productive day, but only after a very long drive on the beach with its attendant, occasional hazards. Like driving over dead hardhead catfish without a spare tire. Or a spring storm that can flood that entire beach up into the sand dunes. This happened to us while camping there, a late-night flood that drove all beach campers inland. Once relocated and safely back inside our now saltwater-soggy tent, and trying to sleep, young people drove up, parked next to our tent and passed out in their car.
for the next seven hours until we fled
sunrise. To this day, I can’t abide Peter Frampton.
JOE RICHARD
CONTACT
Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arthur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast. He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida Sportsman’s book and assistant magazine editor. He began guiding out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, New Revelations. Available at Seafavorites.com
Their 8-track cassette loudly and repeatedly played Peter Frampton
at
Big sow jetty trout about to be released.
Matagorda jetty redfish, easily caught from a boat.
LOOKING FORWARD TO SPRINGTIME IN ROCKPORT
As I close out my time here in Port Mansfield, I find myself reflecting on all the years that I have been lucky to have my regular clients follow me to this very special place. It is without a doubt one of the last true speckled trout meccas. Baffin, as we know, is a place of the same caliber and it is so very important that we all realize this and do our part to protect the future of these very special fish. I feel good about the efforts Jay Ray and I have put forth from day one in the practice of catch and release of the trout in this bay system. Now, let’s move on to what I am seeing and what we can expect to see in the Rockport area over the next nine months where I will be fishing from the beginning of April through Christmas.
Rockport’s trout population is growing and looks to be in good shape along with plenty of redfish and black drum. With the focus more or less off the trout the past three to four years, our black drum and redfish have taken somewhat of a beating. Now, with trout numbers coming back and a more restrictive trout size and bag limit, I expect to see the pressure on all three of these species level out somewhat.
I will be looking to fish more of what I refer to as the North Country this year, but as has always been the case with me, I fish the southern end of Aransas Bay and Corpus Christi Bay from late March through May. I like the windward sand and grass shorelines and drop-offs along our barrier and spoil islands in this portion of our bay complex. As water temperatures warm and tides become higher, new residents arrive in our bays, menhaden in particular. The trout spawn will be underway beginning
in April and some of the best trout of the year can be seen and caught along our windward shores and spoil islands. Redfish will begin to roam the shallow grass flats and small mullet, pinfish, shrimp and crabs begin to show again over these shallow flats.
Look for slicking to become one of the main ingredients to your daily success. There are multiple aspects to reading slicks and I will try to verbalize what goes through my mind when I see them. First – The size of the slick does not indicate numbers of fish, only that fish are present. Second – Wind and tide create water movement and slicks spread or grow as they move. The smaller the slick the fresher or newer it is. Third – I look for the closest piece of bottom structure upwind or upcurrent of all slicks, both large and small. Fourth - The shallower the water where the slick appears the more likely they are made from larger and/or loner trout, the kind we want to catch. We know this from our experience catching larger trout.
Now – What’s going on when we are fishing in and around slicks and not receiving bites? My advice is that you need to stay put and wait them out. For sure, we need to move quietly and along the outer edges of the slicking areas as much as possible. I will sometimes back out of an area and return a few hours later, letting the area “cool off” a bit, on the chance I might have put too much pressure on them on the way in. One more very important bit of advice; if you run over them with the boat you will have a more difficult time catching them…I promise.
I target mostly submerged grass beds and guts along windward shorelines during spring. I have the most confidence in this type of structure this time of year. On days with bull tides and high winds I will revert to focusing on redfish on shallow grass flats in San Jose Island back-lakes and the flats in the Redfish Bay areas. We do catch a good many trout in the back-lakes and some of them can be shockingly large at times.
The wind is our friend in the backlakes and on the flats. Normally clear waters turn slightly sandy-colored with 20-plus mph winds and just that small amount of powder in the water will make the difference for us. As I have aged and grown in the business, I appreciate bites these days and find myself enjoying a good redfish
Senior with his wellearned career-best trout.
bite and watching my clients enjoy the bite as well. In the mix with the redfish are trout, a flounder here and there and even some black drum from time to time. It’s good stuff no matter what and I certainly appreciate all of it more today than ever.
One of the most beautiful aspects of fishing at Rockport is the versatility that the bay provides in so many ways. The town is awesome, with so much to offer visitors. Rockport is no longer the tiny coastal town I was raised in back in the late 50s. Damn, that makes me feel old “the late 50s.” In fact, Rockport might be the best location on the Texas coast to be a guide from a standpoint of all the amenities the town offers non-fishing companions while others in the group go fishing. The number of nice launch facilities with ample parking is also a plus.
In recent weeks, with lower than low tides, fishing has been great according to Jay Ray who returned to Rockport from Port Mansfield at the end of February and has fished nearly every day since. Speaking of low tides, I am not sure that I have ever seen the tides as low as they are right now in the Rockport area. The southern end of Blind Pass Channel behind Mud Island is completely dry from bank to bank. Low tides and water temperatures in the upper 60s make for pretty good catching
conditions when it comes to redfish and black drum but after a few days of extremely low tides and the high atmospheric pressure that accompanies these types of conditions the upper-slot trout get finicky and seek deeper, darker waters.
Fishing deeper drop-offs with favorable bottom structure will put you in the right place. Add some tidal movement or winddriven current and a little food and you should catch some solid
Wayne Brock with a solid one, preparing to CPR!
Dale Combs carefully dissecting every aspect of the flat.
CraftedCurrentsby
trout. In Rockport I look for tidal movement in the spring to put me where the largest trout will be staged. Menhaden will be coming in from the gulf any day now and when this happens it is definitely game on! We do need some rain, though. Drought conditions are worsening all along the Middle to Lower Texas coast and that can have a negative effect on the overall health and spawning success of our speckled trout.
Seems that fishermen are just never happy – just so you know. Too much rain or not enough. The wind is too strong or too light. Water is too hot or too cold. Barometric pressure is too high, too much boat traffic, too many tournaments, too many guides, can’t keep enough fish, keeping too many fish, and the list could go on. The truth is that fishing day in day out is hard and those who are the best at it work the hardest. Someone once told me that I just get to go every day, and that was why I caught them most of the time. Guess what? That’s hard too, especially doing it for 48 years.
When it comes to packing my lure box for the coming season I will be likely be carrying a smaller selection of my favorites. Mirrolure’s Lil John and Lil John XL are currently my go-to plastics and my preferred colors in clear springtime water are Opening Night, Molting, and Clear Red/Gold Glitter. Never, ever get out of the boat without Watermelon/Red Glitter and a few Golden Bream. These two-color patterns work year-round and in just about every weather condition. Texas Customs Double D is another go-to lure for me. This is especially true over and around small, scattered shell points and areas with shallow, broken bottoms. A Double D is extremely versatile and allows anglers to be creative with their presentations.
With the clear water we see so often along the Middle and Lower Texas coast it is extremely important to be able to see the bottom structure and the slight changes in color that are common on our shallow grass flats. This is where high-quality polarized eyewear becomes vitally important to our success and I’m loving my new Water Land sunglasses. The mineral glass lenses are incredibly clear and crisp and super light as well. The Polycarbonate lenses are even lighter and make for a comfortable fit. Check them out at Rockport Tackle Town. We cannot cast to a fish or specific piece of structure if we cannot see it. Good luck out there and remember, keep only the fish you need and release the rest.
May Your Fishing Always Be Catching! -Guide, Jay Watkins
View The Video
Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.
Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 45 years. Jay specializes in wading yearround for trout and redfish with artificial lures. Jay covers the Texas coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi Bay.
Telephone 361-729-9596
Email Jay@jaywatkins.com
Website www.jaywatkins.com
DAVE ROBERTS SHALLOW WATER FISHING
LIKE IT USED TO BE
For the past month I’ve had a lot on my mind and the majority of it happens to deal with the health and future of the Sabine fishery. Before I get into that though, I want to mention that I was on the TSFMag website the other day, checking out the archives section. It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years that I’ve been writing for the magazine. I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity as this is something I always dreamed of doing. I can remember as a young kid, reading articles in this magazine and the fishing reports in the Houston Chronicle and being intrigued by it all. I hope that somewhere in the past 10 years I have helped a few anglers that are as curious about the sport as I was and still am.
Whenever I think back about our fishery of say ten or fifteen years ago in comparison to what it is today, I can honestly say that it doesn’t even come close to matching up. I have been fortunate to catch plenty of fish, including a few trophy specimens back in the day. I know my bar is high in my own eyes and possibly even unrealistically high in the eyes of many anglers. However, I know that if you were to talk to some of the old salts of Sabine, anglers from today couldn’t begin to fathom what Sabine Lake looked like during its peak years. I guess for the most part it is all relative to the angler.
When I was just out of high school, my brother and I started spending a lot of time around Sabine lake. We would get off of work with our rods already packed because we knew exactly what we were doing that evening. When it came to catching trout from the bank, we had pretty near the whole area figured out and where we needed to be during the various seasons. We had days that we would stand on the bridge at the Chicken Crossing, AKA Texas Bayou, and would catch our limit of trout within half an hour. The key was the incoming tide and that’s what really turned the bite on. When it was outgoing we knew fishing was pointless so we would grab a crab net and scoop crabs that were on top of the water being washed out from the marsh. Twenty trout and a few dozen crabs made a fine meal for the whole family and more!
From there we knew that the trout moved to deeper water once summer started to set in. We would go to Keith Lake Cut once we got off work and would fish there until about an hour before dark. At that point we would rush over to the Ship Channel, find a good rocky point we could walk out on, and throw topwaters. We would usually leave the fish biting because the mosquitoes would run us off as darkness set in.
We really had that Keith Lake Cut figured out, or at least we liked to believe we did. The outgoing tide was by far the best and the trick was to throw a shallow-diving crankbait. You would cast past the bridge pilings, open the reel and let some line out, and then begin to reel when you lost sight of your lure floating under the bridge. The object was to have that crankbait whip around swim along the bridge pilings and it would get absolutely crushed by big trout. Looking back at it now, the number of 24-inch trout we caught with that method was just silly.
Right around the same time, I had some buddies whose families had houses on the south end of Sabine and nearly all of them had lighted piers. I’m pretty sure I spent more time there during my college years than I did in classrooms. The amount of fishing that my buddies and I did out there was astounding. What was really wild about those times was the incredible number of fish that you would see cruising the lights on any given night. Granted some nights were better than others but for the most part, we always caught fish. Nights that stand out in my memory included seeing a few hundred trout at a given time. Mind you now, those were the ones you were seeing on the surface and doesn’t include the ones below that you never saw. For the most part, we would keep a few but ultimately we
would sit out there all night or until the tide changed, landing well over 100 and maybe 200 fish between us.
I tell stories like this because I haven’t had days like that in years. I haven’t even come close to having any days like that in years. It seems
like Hurricane Harvey was the breaking point for our lake and it has been a slow recovery since. Most anglers I know, including myself, have been spending our wintertime trophy trout fishing further south or over in Lake Calcasieu. Our population is bouncing back but our bigger breeding stock fish just aren’t there. It also seems like every time it tries to come back, we get more rain and more runoff from the dams up on Rayburn and Toledo. Nearly all of our barrier islands on the north end have washed away. These were helping direct freshwater down the Ship Channel, but instead we now have freshwater flowing in unrestricted and spreading all across the lake.
On top of all of this, there are now plans and a proposal to construct wind turbines on Sabine Lake and the surrounding area. No telling what kind of destruction is going to occur on our reefs with these
on Finding Grass
things being built. Regardless of how you feel about wind turbines, I just want our lake left alone. We are surrounded by industrialization and this is one of the last areas we have in Southeast Texas that is untouched, and corporate greed is trying to ruin it.
Regardless of all of this, Sabine Lake is my home and there is no other place I would rather be. I have traveled and seen some of the most beautiful places in the world and when that plane touches down, I immediately come right back to her. I guess what I can say is that if you want change you have to be involved and your voice has to be heard. Although at the moment the situation at hand might not look the best…but there’s always hope. It’s also comforting to know that with time and the proper management, things can get back to like it used to be.
CONTACT
Dave Roberts is an avid kayak-fishing enthusiast fishing primarily the inshore Upper Coast region with occasional adventures to surf and nearshore Gulf of Mexico.
Email: TexasKayakChronicles@yahoo.com
Website: www.TexasKayakChronicles.com
2025 STAR TOURNAMENT KICKS OFF MEMORIAL WEEKEND
The 2025 STAR Tournament kicks off on Saturday, May 24th, 6:00am and runs until Monday, September 1st, 6:00 PM. The tournament spans the entire Texas Gulf Coast and offers current CCA Texas members the chance to win over $1,900,000 in prizes and scholarships. The STAR Tournament runs from the Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day.
SIGN UP TODAY AT https://www.startournament.org/ How and what are the divisions and your opportunities to win:
RED TAG DIVISION
The top five eligible winners will take home a 2025 Ford F-150 SuperCrew, NEW 23’ Haynie Amigo, 150 hp Mercury motor, and a Coastline Trailer package. The next Five eligible winners will take home a 23’ Haynie Amigo, 150 hp Mercury motor, and Coastline Trailer packages.
BLUE TAG DIVISION
The top three eligible winners will take home a 22’ SVT (CAT) Tran Sport Boat with a raised center console, 150 hp Mercury motor, and Coastline Trailer packages. Not to mention the Thousands of dollars in Academy Sports + Outdoors gift cards awarded to the next 7 eligible anglers.
INSHORE
The Black Drum division is here to stay. With an intense battle all summer long for 1st place, we had more lead changes than ever before. You won’t want to miss out on this action. Gafftop and Sheepshead, the top three eligible winners in each of those three species, will take home a 19’ Shoalwater boat, 115HP Mercury motor, and McClain trailer package. The next four anglers will receive an Academy Sports + Outdoors gift card.
OFFSHORE
Those eligible offshore anglers who bring in the largest Ling, Dolphin, Kingfish, and Snapper will bring home a Hoffpauir Polaris Ranger Crew 570EFi Pursuit Camo UTV with a Big Tex Trailer. The next four anglers will receive an Academy Sports + Outdoors gift card.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Each year, STAR awards $325,000 in scholarships to those young anglers who will be the future stewards of our precious resource. Nothing is more fun than watching the little ones with their first redfish on the line; then it’s over, and on to the next kid! Mom and Dad, what better way to get you more time on the water than by bringing
2025 STAR Inshore Division Prize
2025 STAR Offshore Prize
2025 STAR Blue Tag Prize
2025 STAR Guides Prize
the kids along? For $10 bucks each, they are in a drawing for a $25,000 scholarship, whether they catch something or not. All the studies show that time spent on the water with family and friends is the #1 reason people fish. In today’s times, we need that special bonding that families provide. Good for the soul!
Even better, the Tournament Committee “spread the wealth” across ALL five places in both the STAR kid (10 and under) and the STAR teen Divisions (11-17) so that the action could get more intense! And rewarding, but make sure you read Rule #9 before you get on the water. First place in each will now get a scholarship of $30,000, then $20,000, $15,000, $7500, $2500. No longer are these valid for just “college and universities” but also “accredited technical and trade schools, and vocational training programs.” Add to that the scholarship contracts for the winning kids will be paid directly to the chosen schools, so NO taxes to pay, Mom and Dad. Win, win, and win some more.
Check out the segment ABC 13 did on the 2024 STAR Scholarship award ceremony by scanning the QR code in this article.
GUIDES DIVISION
It is the hope of Texas STAR and CCA Texas to be able to reward Texas Fishing guides who support marine conservation and empower them to help recruit more anglers into the CCA mission through this division. The winner will bring home a Hoffpauir Polaris Ranger Crew 570EFi Pursuit Camo UTV with a Big Tex Trailer. For more details, go to https:// www.startournament.org/about-star/ guides-division. Sign up today!
CCA Texas Local Chapter Fundraising is in Full Swing
As this issue hits the newsstands, CCA Texas local chapters will be in the full swing of banquet season. If your local chapter hasn’t held its banquet yet, don’t miss out on an opportunity to help raise funds, membership and awareness in CCA Texas’s commitment to conserve the coastal resources in the great state of Texas. Check your local community calendars, watch your emails and social media and get tickets to your local banquet today. For a full list of events, check out the CCA Texas calendar at https://ccatexas.org/event-directory/.
2025 STAR Red Tag Prize
2025 STAR Youth Scholarships
By Cat Eckert, Fisheries Biologist | Upper Laguna Madre Ecosystem Management Team
FIELD NOTES
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN:
THE SCIENCE BEHIND TROPHY-CLASS SPOTTED SEATROUT
Few fish have captured the attention and effort of anglers along the Gulf Coast like the Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus). While trout are generally ubiquitous throughout Texas’ coastal waters, the elusive
Figure 1: Map of the Upper Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay showing the distribution of trophy-class (blue) and adult-class (red) Spotted Seatrout. Overlaps in distribution among the two size classes are also shown (green).
“trophy trout” is a different story, and many anglers spend a lifetime chasing one. Fortunately, Texas is home to some of the most notable trophy trout fisheries in the world – namely, the Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay – where behemoth, recordbreaking trout are often caught. While the exact size of what is considered a trophyclass trout varies throughout time and by region, the recent introduction of annual tags for trout over 28 inches provides a modern benchmark for what most anglers would consider a trophy.
Anglers often describe the pursuit of trophy trout as a completely different experience – requiring unique tactics, bait, and knowledge of their behavior. We decided to put these claims to the test using Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) data from the Upper Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay, and it turns out…the anglers are right!
Trophy Trout Territory
TPWD data shows that adult trout (12 to 28 in) have a relatively even distribution throughout the Upper Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay, while trophy-class trout (>28 in) tend to gather in specific areas (Figure 1). Trophy-class trout are most common along certain shorelines in Baffin Bay and its tertiary bays, such as Alazan Bay and Cayo del Grullo. These areas are generally characterized by deeper waters, unvegetated soft-bottom habitats, and sporadic Serpulid reefs. In addition, there is minimal overlap between trophy-class and smaller
Figure 2: Relationships between trophy-class trout abundance and environmental factors, including salinity (ppt), dissolved oxygen (mg/L), and temperature (°F). Solid lines represent predicted abundance trends, while dashed lines indicate confidence intervals.
size classes of trout, suggesting that trophy fish establish their own “territory”. Interestingly, the congregating of trophy-class trout in these areas has intensified over the past 40 years. This could reflect changes in trophy trout behavior due to factors like increased boating activity and fishing pressure. Nonetheless, the next time your fishing buddy suggests heading to Baffin Bay in search of a trophy trout, you might want to take their advice!
What Makes Trophy Habitat?
The abundance of trophy-class trout in this system is closely tied to specific environmental conditions, with salinity, dissolved oxygen content (DO), and water temperature being the most critical factors (Figure 2). Trophy-class trout are most abundant at salinities of 10-25 parts per thousand (ppt) and above 60 ppt. It is likely that the peak in abundance above 60 ppt is an artifact of location, with salinities in Baffin Bay and its tertiary bays often exceeding 45 ppt. Water temperature and DO also play vital roles. Trophy-class fish are most abundant in waters between 25-30°C (77-86°F) with DO levels of 5-8 milligrams per liter (mg/L). However, it’s worth noting that this data was only collected in the spring and fall, so it doesn’t reflect trophy trout behavior during winter (which is known to be a prime season to target trophy trout). In contrast to trophy-size trout, the abundance of smaller trout is driven by a different set of factors, such as water depth and water clarity. This distinction further supports the notion that trophy-class trout occupy unique habitats within the same system.
Sharing the Waters
Trophy trout also tend to “hang out” with different species. They’re more likely to be found alongside other large predators, such as Black Drum and Red Drum, as well as key bait species like Atlantic Croaker and Blue Crab. All of these species are likely drawn to the same areas due to optimal environmental conditions and abundant prey. In
contrast, smaller trout are not as closely associated with other species. This could be due to their broader distribution or could indicate that trophy trout are simply outcompeting them for optimal foraging areas. Either way, if you happen to catch a trophy trout, the Black Drum and Redfish might not be far behind!
Bridging Science and Angling
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this study is its alignment with the observations and knowledge of local anglers. The ability of scientists to validate and expand upon angler insights not only strengthens conservation efforts but also fosters collaboration with stakeholders. For anglers, this study affirms that targeting trophy-class trout requires an understanding of their unique behavior. For fisheries managers, it underscores the importance of size-specific management strategies. And for anyone who treasures the Gulf’s rich biodiversity, it serves as a reminder of the delicate balance required to protect its resources. In the end, the story of trophy Spotted Seatrout is one of resilience, adaptation, and coexistence. These fish are truly in a league of their own, requiring both skill and dedication to find and catch. By deepening our understanding of these remarkable fish, we not only enhance our appreciation for them, but also take a step toward ensuring their legacy for generations to come.
Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or tpwd.texas.gov for more info.
EXTREME KAYAK FISHING & SHARKS FROM THE SAND
THE MENACE & ITS BENEFITS
Our evolving sport introduces loads of new anglers to the splendor of our Texas beaches. Over recent years we’ve reached a new zenith in this modern era of shark and surf fishing. During this time frame, our tackle technology became redefined and optimized. Both reel and line choices have come to accentuate our favored way of fishing. Fishing overall has been exceptional lately, interrupted by minimal red tide and other destructive natural events.
We have no idea how long our luck will last. Anyone familiar with fishing our beaches for more than a few years has been introduced to one truly menacing aspect of the endeavor. This nightmare can render a stretch of beach unfishable for days, even weeks on end. This ravaging plague comes in the dark form of sargassum seaweed suspended in upper parts of the water column. Due to the variable nature of ocean currents, we’ve largely avoided this troublesome weed for most of the last decade and a half. But all should remain aware; the menace once wreaked havoc on surf fishermen, with no capacity to care about the consequences, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Much of our sargassum
makes its way into the Gulf after being spun out of the Sargasso Sea, a body of water with no boundaries, which fluctuates in size relative to the proliferation of its blooms.
Though it cannot really be accurately measured, the Sargasso Sea is considered to be roughly half the size of the continental United States. The clockwise circular currents in the area generally keep its contents contained within its imaginary boundaries, but on occasion, winds or currents shift enough to send large amounts of the weed into the Gulf of Mexico. Systems like hurricanes can fling massive patches of sargassum our way. Sometimes the beaches of the Caribbean islands catch most of it, but at other times the rafts roll right through the Straits of Florida and into the Gulf.
Once in the Gulf, sargassum, a floating type of brown macro algae, rides the currents of the Gulf Stream all the way to the Texas beaches. During traditional peak surf fishing months we always run the risk of being pummeled by miles and miles of the noxious weed. Alarmingly, we had unusually high amounts of sargassum floating onto our beaches this past
winter. At the beginning of spring we saw some of the weed consistently, but only at moderate levels. I’m hoping all this doesn’t mean we’re headed for an all-out blitz of the stuff once warmer weather arrives.
When sargassum weed rolls in thick enough, fishing the surf becomes impossible. I’ve seen mats of this monstrous weed the size of football fields come ashore, one on top of the other. When that much sargassum blankets the beach, the waves can’t push anymore onto the sand. Any new rafts rolling in get stuck in the water, filling the first and second guts from top to bottom. When I got my start in the beach fishing scene over twenty years ago the sargassum seaweed terror was considered a springtime norm.
Back then, we fished the few days we could, then waited until summer, when the weed finally relaxed and disappeared. At its worst, I saw sargassum stacked four-feet thick along the beaches of Padre Island. South Texas receives more of the weed during the late-spring, while the upper coast can get heavily impacted during the summer. Both the timing and the degree of harshness are relative to when and where the mass concentrations get pushed into the Gulf.
For folks casting out baits, and sharkers fishing with baits deployed hundreds of yards out from shore, a few small clumps can completely hamper the effort, by snagging on lines. In order to best deal with sargassum, I converted to using all braid on my shark reels many years ago. Braided line is smaller in diameter compared to monofilament, with nearly zero stretch. This means you can run lines at an angle straight into the current. If weed gets onto a line that is tight and facing into the current, it usually slides up the line, which is tolerable, to a point.
It’s important to note that the presence of sargassum is not all catastrophic; the floating algae plays a vital role in the health of our marine ecosystem. The amount of life taking refuge in the rafts, including shrimp, crabs, fish and many other organisms, is simply stunning. Anyone can verify this by picking up a handful of the stuff and shaking out a variety of life-forms. I’ve done this to obtain triggerfish and other species for my aquariums.
Anglers tossing lures can work around the rafts better than those deploying baits on leaders, and this allows them to catch some unusual fish in the surf at times. When we have thick, springtime weed events, I’ve noticed more cobia and tripletail in the waters lying close to shore. While it’s rare, I’ve caught both these species from the sands of our beaches. Most likely, this happens because the floating rafts of weed bring an abundance of small marine critters close to land. Predators like cobia, tripletail, mahi-mahi and others feed readily on these. While we do currently have a good amount of sargassum washing in from offshore, only time will tell how the next couple of months will go. I expect at least a minor amount to be present on all my upcoming surf fishing trips. I’ll work around small amounts of weed, but will leave a badly affected stretch of sand in search of cleaner waters, always remaining positive, remembering the fact the weed does support copious amounts of life. I’ll also remind myself of a welcome fact—the plague usually subsides early in summer, just in time for the peak of big-shark season.
For the past decade Eric
assisting various shark research
Email oz@oceanepics.com
Websites oceanepics.com | catchsharks.com
‘Oz’ Ozolins has been promoting shark catch and release and
programs. Eric offers guided shark fishing on Padre Island National Seashore. Also renowned for extreme kayak big game fishing, Eric is the owner of Catch Sharks Tackle Company.
Early in my beach fishing career; a dandy ling landed during a heavy influx of sargassum.
Thick layer sargassum washed up on National Seashore beach.
Sargasso Sea courtesy of Google Earth.
JAKE HADDOCK MOSTLY SIGHT-FISHING
BUCKTAILS
If you’ve read a few of my articles you may have noticed I often reference the use of bucktail jigs for sight-fishing. Lately I’ve given this some thought and realize this is likely an unpopular lure choice here in Texas, given the rich history of iconic soft plastic lure brands such as Hogie’s, Norton, and KWigglers. Trust me when I say I’m not knocking any of those lures and I’d be willing to place a large bet that I’ve caught more fish in my career on a Hogie Major Minnow than anything else. Let me also say that I believe soft plastics are a more effective choice for blind-casting than bucktails. However, I’m in the business of sight-fishing, so that is really neither here nor there.
My first use of bucktail jigs actually took place during an offshore trip during my early 20s for species like red snapper, ling and kingfish. It quickly became evident that buying and losing Spro bucktail jigs at $7 a pop wasn’t very sustainable. One day I came across some 2-ounce bare jig heads at the local tackle shop for
around $2 apiece. The hooks were probably bigger than necessary but they were stainless and heavy gauge – perfect. I bought a pile of them and brought them home to get them tied up.
I quickly discovered that the small starter vise from my youth wasn’t up to the task. In fact, the jaws imploded upon clamping down on the third or fourth 7/0 hook. Necessity always being the mother of many great inventions, I figured the best vise for this large a hook would actually be a Vise-Grip Plier welded to my existing fly vise pedestal. I was right, and it continues to serve me well to this very day. I caught many offshore species in those days jigging handtied bucktails and even sightfished a few ling with them. But I still hadn’t considered smaller bucktails for inshore use.
It wasn’t till five or six years ago I remember scrolling through social media and seeing a photo posted by a Florida skiff guide of some super sexy bucktails he had
tied up in preparation for a flats trip. I was intrigued by the classic styling of the jigs and was inspired to give them a try in my local waters. The hardest part was finding the proper jig heads to tie them on as they’re not commonly used for inshore fishing around these parts. Once I sourced some jig heads on the internet and got a few tied up, I hit the water.
Needless to say, the local marsh reds didn’t have any problem sucking down my offerings and I quickly realized I had added another tool to my arsenal. One cool thing I found out that trip is that they really hold up well compared to soft plastics, which typically require changing out after being chewed up by a few fish. That became a big benefit for me as a guide as it saves me from having to get down off the poling platform and dig out a bag of soft plastics from the hatch each time a fish tears up a lure.
While you can certainly buy some jigs at your local tackle shop I recommend tying your own. Not only is it more rewarding, but you can craft the jig exactly in whatever size, shape, or color you think will work best in your local waters. Tying jigs is also a great stepping stone to fly-tying, if that’s something you are curious to learn in the future. The process of starting thread wraps, tying in materials, trimming, and tying a finishing knot are all the same in fly-tying. You don’t need much to get started, either.
A simple beginner fly-tying kit will have all the necessary tools to get you going. Aside from that, you’ll need some quality thread like Danville flat waxed 210, which is my personal go-to. If you’re venturing into offshore size jigs, I’ve actually found rod wrapping thread will save a lot of time and thread, because of its thickness. For body materials it’s hard to beat real bucktail. That’s right, the hair on the traditional jig is actually hair from a deer’s tail – hence the name. You can always find a good supply at your local fly shop but I’ve also utilized tails from deer I’ve harvested, which I think is extra cool.
However, as effective as it is you’re not limited to bucktail. I’ve found rabbit strip jigs can also be very effective. These are more like what I would call a “Buggs type” jig and they have lots of underwater action, even when you’re not twitching the rod. Synthetic fibers can be used as well and I’ve found the extra length available with them to be helpful for tying large offshore jigs.
To buy blank jig heads to tie up a batch of your own, the best source
I’ve found is cbcustomjigs.com. The exact model shown can vary but I like the banana-shape in 1/4 oz. This may seem heavy at first but you have to think you don’t have the added weight of a soft plastic, so even though your using a 1/4-oz head the total weight of the jig after you tie the hair on is still very light.
To cast these jigs, I really like a 7’ rod in casting or spinning with medium-light power and moderate-fast action. It really helps to have a bit slower action than you might prefer for soft plastics. It’s hard to explain until you throw them but these jigs are very compact with all the weight at the front. The nice thing is, once you find a good rod/ reel/line combo, they can be cast with deadly accuracy.
For clients, I typically use a 7’ spinning rod paired with a 2500 reel and 10 pound test Fins Windtamer braid. I’ve recently found a casting reel that is a delight to use with these bucktails and that is the Bates O.G. model. I was skeptical at first about this reel and thought the round body was just gimmicky, but let me tell you what, this thing can cast light baits like nobody’s business. And, it is a true 100 size, so even though it’s round it still palms very well. Currently I have it spooled with some Fins XS 30lb braid but I’m considering going to 20 for even more distance.
These jigs may be old fashioned but there is a reason many career sight-fishing guides in the Florida Keys still use them every day –they simply catch fish. There’s also something very special about taking something you crafted with your own hands and catching a mess of fish – sight-fishing at that!
So, even if you have no intention of ever becoming a fly angler, go check out your local fly shop and tell them you want to start tying your own bucktail jigs. They’ll know exactly what you’ll need to get started. Happy Jigging!
CONTACT
Jake Haddock grew up in the back bays of Port O’ Connor where he developed a great passion for saltwater fishing. In his younger years he was a youth writer for this publication. In present day he enjoys guiding light tackle and fly clients in Galveston and occasionally Port O’ Connor.
Phone 713-261-4084
Email frigatebirdfishing@gmail.com
Website www.frigatebirdfishing.com
Here’s a redfish about to inhale a bucktail in a narrow slough.
Mother of another great invention – ViseGrip fly-tying vise.
I have grown quite fond of this rig for casting bucktails.
Science Sea and the
Safety in a Deeper Voice
Have you ever heard of “mosquito ringtones”? They’re phone ringtones that teens can easily hear but the frequency is too high for adults to hear, since humans naturally start losing the ability to hear higher frequencies in their 20s. New research suggests that some whale species use a similar trick—for very different reasons. Instead of trying to hide the sound of a ringing phone from adults, some whales call at frequencies too low for predators to hear.
Baleen whales that are more likely to flee from predators, such as the sei whale, sing at lower frequencies to avoid detection. Credit: NOAA
Baleen whales are those that eat by filtering plankton through their mouths. Most baleen whale species are more solitary than toothed whales, such as sperm whales, orcas, or dolphins. That solitary nature is a vulnerability when hunted by orcas, the only natural predators of baleen whales. If orcas could listen for the songs of baleen whales, they would find them more easily when hunting. But the kinds of baleen whales most likely to flee from orcas communicate with sounds below 100 hertz, the lowest frequency orcas can hear. Blue whales, fin whales, sei whales, Bryde’s whales, and minke whales sing in a very low register, and orcas cannot hear their calls when they are more than a kilometer away.
Meanwhile, right whales, bowhead whales, gray whales, and humpback whales sing at higher frequencies, which orcas can hear. These also happen to be the species of whales more likely to fight back instead of trying to escape orcas. Scientists recently compared call and hearing frequencies across all baleen whale species and discovered these patterns. Researchers cannot know for certain why different species evolved to sing at different frequencies, but putting together all the evidence they have collected, there is a high likelihood that the fightor-flight choice of different baleen species plays a role in the pitch of their voice.
Here comes one of my favorite times of the year to fish. February and March can be a bit of a grind, I’ll be honest. Unpredictable weather, gusty winds, cold fronts rolling in and out. It’s not always easy. Fishing can be decently fair during these months for me personally. But that’s exactly why I get so fired up for what’s coming next.
We’re starting to get those early hints of spring. The sun feels a little warmer. The cold fronts are showing up less often and leaving just as quickly. Water temperatures are creeping back up and the fish are
starting to act like it. Over the past two weeks I’ve been spending more and more time walking shorelines in shin-deep water, chasing redfish that are sliding way up shallow in search of tiny baitfish.
This is the time of year where patience and stealth really pay off. These redfish aren’t just feeding – they’re hunting. And if you know how to move right, you can get close enough to make it very personal. I’m talking about slow, methodical steps, staying low, avoiding any sudden movements, and most importantly, being quiet. Redfish
in this shallow water are always on high alert. You push too much water or stomp through a pothole, and you’re going to blow your shot. They’re wired to pick up on anything that doesn’t feel right. One wrong move, and you’ll see that puff of mud as they bolt out of sight. The real trick isn’t the lure you’re throwing most of the time, it’s how you move. You’ve got to slow down, quiet your steps, and tune in. That’s what makes this style of fishing so fun and so rewarding. It’s a game of chess, not checkers. When you finally get that perfect angle and present your lure just right, it feels earned.
Speaking of lures, one of my primary go-to numbers in this kind of situation is a KWigglers Wigalo Jr. It’s a smaller profile soft plastic that mimics those tiny baitfish redfish are targeting right now. Depending on wind conditions and water clarity, rigging your bait on an eighth- to quarterounce jighead is the ideal setup for this style of fishing. The main goal is to present that bait as if it were a wounded mullet, shrimp, or crab. In this skinny, crystal-clear water, subtle and natural makes all the difference.
I’ll sometimes see a redfish tailing or pushing a slight wake toward the bank and I’ll crouch low, make a short cast placing the lure just ahead of it, and keep twitching it until I catch their attention. When they snap at it and jump straight towards your bait you know it’s game on. The eat is everything; it’s fast, it’s aggressive, and it’s right in front of your face. That’s where the addiction comes from. Every now and then, I’ll catch myself just standing still, watching it all unfold. A school of mullet getting nervous, a lone heron posted up on the edge of a pothole, or a red just barely pushing a ripple ahead of me. That’s the stuff that makes this time of year feel special. You’re not racing around. You’re soaking it in – one cast at a time.
And the cool part? Some of the best sessions I’ve had started with
nothing more than a pair of wading boots, my Waterloo rod and a quiet stretch of shoreline. There’s something raw and real about walking into the water with just what you can carry and earning each fish you see. You feel more connected to it all and not just a visitor passing through.
As we move further into spring, it only gets better. The bait gets thicker, the fish get more aggressive, and those calm mornings start to stack up. It’s like the bay shakes off its winter rust and comes back to life. And when it does, being there early, being in rhythm with it, is what makes the difference.
For me, this time of year is all about sharpening my instincts. I am watching how the fish react to certain bait sizes and colors, watching which direction the mullet are jumping, and improving my timing on when to cast and when to wait. It’s that finetuning that separates a decent day from a great one. It’s also what keeps me coming back day after day. No matter how many seasons I’ve logged, the fish always have more to teach.
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Suzuki USA Introduces MVL Concept
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HIGHLIGHTS
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Eichhorn, Gonzales & Miller Fine Jewelers
Eichorn, Gonzales & Miller have come up with an idea that will make you a hero again and again. We’ve designed sterling silver Huggy Hoop earrings that have convertible dangles. The dangles are available in Speckled Trout, Redfish, Flounder, Sand Dollar and Starfish and be crafted from sterling silver and 14 karat gold. Prices start at $182.00.
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The Coastal Brew Baits Dart has rapidly become an essential tool in many angler’s arsenals. Proudly owned, operated, and manufactured in Texas, Coastal Brew infuses each bag with their iconic coffee scent and offers some of the most jaw-dropping saltwater colors on the market. Durability, productivity, and dependability are only a few of the hallmark traits that many have come to love about this bait. Offered in 5 -inch and 6-inch models, each with an extra-long whippy tail and ultra-shallow top and bottom hook slots, the rigging options for the Dart are virtually unlimited. Level up your inshore fishing game with a Coastal Brew Dart, this could be the last straight-tail soft plastic you’ll ever want to throw! www.CoastalBrewBaits.com
Matagorda
Bink Grimes is a full-time fishing and hunting guide, freelance writer and photographer, and owner of Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay.
Matagorda anglers are always trying to get in the middle of East Matagorda Bay in five feet of water because there is always a chance of catching a speckled trout as long as your arm. That’s a good plan for May. Smile, make a photo, then let her go. Keep smiling, keep talking about how big she was and then pat yourself on the back for taking care of our natural resources. That’s what most Texans are doing these days. My how times have changed in the last decade with regards to our attitudes toward catch and release since the killer freeze of February 2021.
We applaud everyone. Our bays are returning to normal and better fish are being caught. Now let’s talk about where to catch them: When tides are above normal the east end of East Matagorda Bay around Brown Cedar Flats seems to hold more fish while the west end around Raymond Shoals holds bigger fish on low tides.
Best baits have been a GULP! or live shrimp under a popping cork, but Bass Assassins, Down South Lures, Hogie’s and MirrOlure Lil’ Johns have also worked very well. When the wind blows harder than 15 knots from the south the best option is to wade West Matagorda Bay. Grass beds along the south shoreline hold clean water, but it’s the dingy water that actually hold most of the fish.
Afternoon incoming tides usher in wads of glass minnows and trout follow the minnows.
Back-lakes are holding beautiful reds while wading or drifting. If you wade you can really stay with a school and keep from dispersing the crowd with hull slap from your boat. If you must fish from a boat, make long casts with plastics or shrimp under cork. Aim for the potholes in the sand.
Reefs along the north and south shorelines of West Matagorda Bay
hold large concentrations of reds. Popping corks with about a foot of leader and a live shrimp have been deadly. Lure guys are chunking gold spoons, broken-backs, soft plastics and Humpbacks.
Dragging the muddy bottom of sloughs and bayous has been the best bet for flounder. Spring tides have pushed more flatfish tight to the grass where they are dining on mud minnows, small shrimp and glass minnows. Work the same terrain off the Intracoastal and around Brown Cedar Flats near Sargent.
Offshore guys like Capt. Michael Kubecka said wahoo are moving into the deeper rigs and around the Flower Gardens. Swordfish bite has been good along the Hilltops. Tilefish and barrelfish are good while dropping in 900-1000 ft.
Never pass a chance to head to the surf during May. It doesn’t happen every year, but there have been a few campaigns where we were able to work the gulf surf in May and we did exceptionally well. With water temps already in the low- to mid-70s for most of April, the fish are already there, we just need light winds and placid seas to allow us to cast to the first gut.
I’ll be giving my weekly Middle Coast report on the Texas Insider Fishing Report on Space City Houston Network and the Fan Duel SW channel (DFW area) April-September. Show times are Thursday through Saturdays and usually run before or after the Astros telecast. It’s a great real-time report to supplement with Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.
Please keep releasing more than you take and treat our bays like it’s your own backyard.
Port O'Connor Seadrift
Captain Shellie Gray was born in Port Lavaca and has been guiding in the Seadrift/ Port O’Connor area full time for the past 22 years. Shellie specializes in wading for trout and redfish year round with artificial lures.
Springtime fishing patterns are now in full effect and gusty south-southeast winds have become the norm. These winds usually continue until late May and we must therefore plan our fishing locations accordingly. The good news is that water temperatures are warmer now and southerly winds insure consistently higher than average tides.
Warmer water temperatures bring more life to shorelines with hard-sandy bottoms that are easier to wade than the back-lakes where we’ve been focusing our efforts the past several months. Large schools of baitfish have turned out in full force on all these shorelines and find protection in the abundant guts and grass beds. Shorelines with sloughs and drains that connect to back-lakes and marshes are prime areas to find feeding game fish.
Late spring is when West Matagorda Bay really begins to shine. It has been pretty much off limits during the colder months due to frequently strong northerly winds, but now that the winds have shifted to the south this large bay is a hot spot to target good numbers of trout and redfish. West Matagorda has two connections to the gulf – the Matagorda Ship Channel (Big Jetties) and Pass Cavallo. Good tidal exchange provides healthy water conditions during the warmer months and the many miles of barrier island shoreline offer productive structure for attracting and holding game fish.
Personally, even though it’s not a quick boat ride, I prefer to make the run up to Greens Bayou. The flats around Greens and Middle Ground extend farther out into Matagorda Bay than most of the surrounding area. In some places these shorelines can drop off very quickly into deeper water so use caution if you are not familiar with wading there. Concentrate on these drop-offs for trout and up in the
shallows closer to shore for redfish.
The shorelines of Espiritu Santo and San Antonio bays also offer plenty of options. The shoreline in front of Pringle Lake is a solid producer most days, ditto Long and Dewberry Islands along Shoalwater Bay and The Lagoon on the north side when the south wind isn’t gusting too strongly.
If we get one of those rare calm days in May I will be venturing out into San Antonio Bay to take advantage of the trout bite that the many midbay reefs usually produce. Finding a good trout bite in San Antonio Bay is not always a one-stop kind of trip. Most times I must “reef hop” till I find the solid bite from solid trout I’m looking for.
Having over 23 years of guiding experience and many more years of fishing knowledge under my belt, it has been my experience that if an angler is in search of a larger trout, a potential personal best, then I recommend focusing your efforts on shorelines. While the reefs in San Antonio Bay typically produce better numbers they are not generally known for larger trout.
I have to admit becoming addicted to the Bass Assassin 3.5-inch Lit’l P&V scented bait over the past several months. This little lure has a naturally erratic action very similar to the movements of sand eels. Being infused with their Bang attractant seems to entice strikes on slow days when other baits get ignored. I have found that Opening Night with a Limetreuse tail is a good all-around color pattern no matter the water clarity.
I will be throwing topwaters as long as I see a lot of surface activity. By that I mean witnessing a lot of bait hopping and skipping at or above the surface of the water. While I am a big fan of the smaller and quieter topwaters, this time of year with the gusty winds I will opt for larger, noisier ones. Hands down, the She Dogs are one of the best topwaters to throw on windy days. This louder, almost obnoxious lure is a great choice when trying to get the attention of feeding fish when the waves are rough and choppy. Personally, I am not a big stickler for color when it comes to my larger topwaters. As I have gotten older and my eyesight is waning, choosing a lure that I can see from a greater distance is my biggest deciding factor when it comes to color.
In closing, I want to wish my mother a very Happy Mother’s Day and a very Happy Birthday this month. I wouldn’t be what I am today if it wasn’t for your unwavering love and support. You are my rock and my inspiration. Thank you for everything. I love you more, Mom!
Jennifer Krause is addicted to catching redfish.
Jake Bell showing off his oversized shallow water redfish.
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David Rowsey has 30 years in Baffin and Upper Laguna Madre; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty. David has a great passion for conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish.
May marks the end of what I call Spring Fling. I hate to see it go but looking forward to new patterns, techniques, and structure types the warmer months have in store.
It’s probably a coincidence, but early in my saltwater career May was hands down my favorite month to be in the water. Looking back it is easy to recognize why – a combination of an influx of gulf water into the bays, bait migrations, water clarity, wet wading, higher than average catches, and just overall gorgeous days.
It seems that my most rewarding days coincided with May, and I really thought I was just getting really good as a young trout man. Turns out it was all of those aforementioned attributes of the month that were contributing multitudes of opportunity. Reminds me of that TV commercial; “It’s so easy… even a cave man can do it.”
It was during May, somewhere around the mid-1990s that I first had an epic day on the original Corky – amber body with chartreuse tail. Wading a shallow flat in Cayo del Grullo with a buddy, we enjoyed an all-day bite that refused to end. We had to leave them biting because he had a commitment that evening, but we’d caught countless trout from four- to seven-plus pounds on Mr Paul’s original design before we had to leave. To say that day ignited my Corky infatuation would be an understatement. It seems I couldn’t take that lure off my line for 10 years.
Stories like that are numerous and certainly a major part of why May became my favorite month. Most of the trout have begun spawning by then, but what they lack in egg weight is easily made up by their gorging on the abundance of bait that has moved into the Upper Laguna and Baffin.
This is how the scenario develops. Robust spring tides flow through the Land Cut from Port Mansfield via the Land Cut, delivering all forms of baitfish, trailed closely by trout of all sizes. As the fish exit the Land Cut just south of Baffin they continue north along the Kennedy shoreline, an area that’s tough to wade due to the rocks but wonderful for drift fishing. Some of these migrants will take an easterly route into Yarbrough and the many spoil islands along the ICW. As the migration continues north, look for the grassy edges and drop-offs of Baffin’s south shoreline to begin loading up. Many of the fish will find this big area so accommodating they will just hang out forever while others keep driving west. Basically, the same deal occurs with trout that bypassed Penescal and shoot straight for the beginning of the Badlands at Marker-4. The Badlands will hold some of these fish for a very long time while some continue on to the north shore of Baffin, following it into Alazan and the Cayo del Grullo.
Bait will congregate on just about every type of structure imaginable this month. Rock piles to the skinniest flat will have potential to produce steadily for several months. Always keep in mind that the food supply will be constantly on the move. Find them in one area today and there’s a good chance they will have moved further down the shoreline tomorrow. I guess the point I’m trying to convey is that fishing your favorite spot is not always the best way to be productive. Regardless of where you are fishing, make sure there is bait activity before you slide out of the boat. Catching fish is much easier if you let your eye eat first. If you are not seeing active bait, there is no reason for game fish to be there. That can usually be determined before you ever get out of the boat. Fish smarter not harder.
For you topwater junkies, May is the top month of the year in my opinion. On special days, when all good things are aligned, you can get them just about all day long. Even on a slow day you will experience a better than average bite.
Personally, I like to raise a lot of hell on the surface with a MirrOlure She Dog or He Dog while the MirrOdine and Bass Assassins are my go-to subsurface presentations. Favorite colors this month are generally in the range of white to silver; however, that may vary on darker days when it’s more appropriate to throw darker lures. If you are having trouble beyond that, call me for a little chatter. I’ll bet we can get you over any hump.
Remember the Buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey
Wyatt Childress with another fat one that fell for the alewifecolor Bass Assassin.
Port Mansfield
Captain Wayne Davis has been fishing the Lower Laguna-Port Mansfield for over 20 years. He specializes in wade fishing with lures.
Telephone 210-287-3877
Email captwayne@kwigglers.com
WAYNE’S Mansfield Report
Greetings from Port Mansfield! Here we are better than halfway through spring with summer just around the corner. I can honestly say we’ve had an exceptional spring, specifically as it related to our trout fishery. We were able to ditch our waders for wet-wading about the first week or so of April, right about the time our larger trout began to show signs of spawning. We capitalized on this and concentrated on key areas where trout were likely to spawn; we were successful, but that came with some challenges. Just as we were dialing in on this Mother Nature blessed us with two days of torrential rain. My rain gauge overflowed within the first eight hours and some parts of the RGV received eighteen-plus inches. The Arroyo Colorado River crested over twenty-nine feet, shattering the previous record of twenty-five feet. Needless to say, our bay took on an abundance of freshwater runoff in short order. Our water rose at least sixteen inches within three days and levels remained elevated for some time. I say all that only to point out some of my targeted areas for spawning trout were inundated with freshwater and super-high water levels.
With all this in mind, the east side of the bay remained relatively salty, so we focused our efforts on that side of the bay. This was relatively easy for us to adjust since we were dialed in on good trout in those areas. We found good spawning zones, deep guts surrounded by sand bars that tapered into big flats with scattered grass beds. There was plenty of current in these areas, especially when the southeasterly winds were cranking.
This all sounds like a great setup for anglers targeting trophy trout, and it was but it was also easy to walk through the fish if you were not paying attention. I learned this recently when one of my anglers, Kerry Holliday (see below) caught his personal best trout coming in well over nine pounds. We simply were on good fish but like many, we walked through them.
Two things to consider, having good equipment during this time is crucial to being successful. I was loaded with my Corky G2 Green Rod by FTU which was paired with a Shimano Metanium reel. A Mansfield Knocker is easy to throw into the wind which helps a lot versus trying to toss a soft plastic into the wind. If you are not that experienced with a baitcasting reel then a good spinning setup would get this job accomplished easily.
We had remarkable success with this “pattern” so when I picked up my guys, I had two other locations in mind that mirrored this location. We replicated our success, and you might already know, we did not walk through the fish a second time. We might have even circled back around but I figured we would use this opportunity to validate a pattern and that is just what we did on two other spots on our way back to Port Mansfield.
In closing I will say summer is almost here so expect more boat traffic on the water. Keep in mind you can still catch fish during high traffic times, but you must be patient. If fish are eating, you can sometimes catch them in or near propwash from another boat. I have learned this throughout my fishing career. Most of the time the angler (me included) becomes frustrated with boats cutting off our wade more so than the fish refusing to eat because another boat came plowing through and cut us off. The best anglers I know are the most patient anglers. Keep that in mind on the water and off.
Be sure to check out the QR code below regarding the latest Turtle Box, a great audio alternative to putting an entire radio/stereo system in your boat.
Until next time remember, fresh is better than frozen.
I mentally caught myself during this time and started walking back into the wind and ended up parallelling the ridge the fish were holding on. This would not have been an easy task had the fish not been eating topwaters, simply because they were holding tight on a ridge. I was forced to cast into the wind since I had passed them up. Additionally, I had to cast crosswind to cover as much water as I could without wading back through the zone.
Albert Hobgood, all the way from North Carolina, landed a personal best specimen on a Mansfield Knocker surface lure.
Kerry Holliday with a beautiful nine-plus landed on a topwater.
Arroyo Colorado to Port Isabel
A Brownsville-area native, Capt. Ernest Cisneros fishes the Lower Laguna Madre from Port Mansfield to Port Isabel. Ernest specializes in wading and poled skiff adventures for snook, trout, and redfish.
Cell 956-266-6454
Website www.tightlinescharters.com
SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene
I want to share some technical stuff this month; things I’ve observed the past several months. Hopefully it will help you understand more about fish behavior. I don’t claim to know it all, but observing the same patterns repeatedly indicates how fish react and behave in certain conditions, including environmental influences.
For the past two months I’ve been fishing schools of redfish that number in the hundreds, if not close to a thousand. They are in separate schools, but have been inhabiting the same general area. Nobody has been fishing them but me and a few clients and friends. Quite often I go there by myself. These fish are unpressured. The water is too shallow for any boat to drift or run there. They are not spooky; so getting close enough to observe their movements and behavior has not been a problem.
The following are some of my observations:
The tides are their highways. The movement and height of the tide determines where fish will be located and how long they will remain in a given area. When the tidal movement occurs, they move with it.
Another thing I noticed is that they usually follow the schools of bait; they don’t hang out and wait for the bait to come to them. When the fish are moving they typically will not feed aggressively. When the fish are following the tide, I have observed that for the most part they are not interested in my presentations. Once they reach their desired destination they spread out and start devouring without hesitation. Studying the day’s major and minor solunar predictions can also help you determine when they might be willing to feed.
The timing and height of the tide will determine where they will be and this has been cool to study. Once you lock in their pattern in different conditions and tide levels, you know exactly where they can be found. Pay attention to bait activity and where the shorebirds are located. They, too, will give you a clear indication of where the fish are.
leave the same way they entered when it begins to recede. Having learned this I have enjoyed phenomenal success in intercepting them as they exit the back bays. So many on several occasions that they have bumped into me or swam between my legs.
I have never spent so much time in extremely shallow water than the past two months. Perhaps the most incredible observation I have made, and a great surprise to me, is to never underestimate a fish’s ability and willingness to enter a body of water too shallow to cover their dorsal fins. Why, I have no clue. All I can say is that they have taught me a lot.
Our bays have good numbers of redfish, trout, and even snook in the deeper water. May’s average water temperatures are perfect for fish to be active and the near constant winds will keep the water highly oxygenated.
More good news is that the bays are typically not as crowded this month as during summer, although this month does include the beginning of fishing tournaments almost every weekend. Caution and courtesy around the launch ramps, especially during pre-dawn hours is strongly encouraged.
Learning to recognize and understand fish behavior can increase your success in catching fish and I have done my best over the years to be as good a student of this as I can. But at the same time I also do my best to remain humble by constantly reminding myself of this bit of advice: “When you think you’ve got the fish figured out they will be quick to show you who’s boss.”
But that’s the beauty of fishing—the challenge of figuring out a creature’s behavior and tricking him into accepting your presentation. If that describes you, then you are in the right sport.
Best fishing!
Roy Armendariz, a great friend of forty-six years, poses here with a career-best trout.
I hate windy days. Being out in the open on windy days is no fun and evidently the same goes for the fish as they too seek shelter from the wind. We see this along protected shorelines. Where there is no protection from the wind they hug bottom. I have witnessed this on recent days when the wind was very strong. Fish are easy to spot on calm days but definitely more of a challenge on windy days. What should you look for on windy days? Look for the slightest movements in the water; these could be a swirl, a mud boil, or a wake as they spook and swim away. If fish enter an area on a significant tidal movement, they will likely
Braydon dropped his ZMan PaddlerZ lure in the right pothole!
View The Video Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.
FISHING REPORTS AND FORECASTS from Big Lake to Boca Chica
Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
Fishing has been good for James and his people through the early part of spring. “We’re catchin’ ‘em pretty good most days. The topwater bite has been excellent most of the time. In fact, it was better than average through the winter, in water a little cooler than I usually catch ‘em on top. Now, it’s really picked up. I’ve been using a variety of small topwaters, including a chartreuse Spook Junior with a black head, and of course, my favorite, the old pink and silver She Pup. The bite has been good on soft plastics too, especially dark ones, whether dark purple or dark brown. Some gold or gold and red metal flake in there seems to matter too. We’ve been wading around shell lately in open parts of the bays, because the tide has been low, and the fish pulled off the shorelines. In May, we’re much more likely to be wading over a hard sandy bottom. That’s what usually happens as we get farther into spring...the tide gets higher overall, and the fish begin to prefer places with a sandy bottom. We’ll be working coves and shorelines when this happens, more than the open areas.”
Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Jim had been on some productive trips on the days prior to giving this report. “We caught ‘em real good the last couple days. I’m fishing both Trinity and East bays. The bite has been pretty hot in both systems, a little better in Trinity. We’ve been wading all the time, catching pretty good on hard baits and topwaters. The soft plastic bite has been good too. With the weather warming up quickly, I expect the bite to pick up out in the middle. In April, we usually have some decent lulls in the winds, and the fishing is great out around the reefs when we do. We’ll key on slicks and birds and mud stirs and rafts of bait to find the fish. May is a wonderful month too, at least potentially. It’s generally a little windier than I want it to be, and that can make it tough to get at the fish out in the middle. The surf can really turn on this month, though, and sometimes the fish are much bigger than the ones we’re catching in the bays right now. The trout fishing in Galveston these days is excellent for smaller trout, but catching fish over about three pounds is tough.”
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Though the entire month of May literally lies within the spring season, Randall mentions summer-like patterns when he speaks about fishing in the area around San Luis Pass this time of year. “With water and air temperatures rising so much, nearing their peak levels, the fishing patterns begin to feel much like summer this month. By this time, many different types of potential food sources for the trout and reds have found their way into the bays and backwater areas. Generally, soft southeast winds and incoming tides provide the best potential in May. These conditions make the fishing in areas around the pass and in the surf productive. Most of the time, the best bite occurs during the coolest part of the day, from sunrise to about noon. Topwaters like Spook Juniors and Skitter Walks work well on a daily basis, especially for people targeting trout. When the blow ups stop coming, we usually switch over to Norton Sand Eels, rigging them on three-eighths ounce Screw Lock jigheads. I favor them in colors like Cayenne Gold, Cajun Pepper and Red Magic. We’re able to cover lots of water and fish different depths using these two types of lures.”
Matagorda Bays | Capt. Glenn Ging - Glenn’s Guide Service 979.479.1460 - www.glennsguideservice.com
The fishing in Matagorda has been consistently good this spring and it should just keep getting better as we ease our way closer to summer. Drifting in East Matagorda Bay has been productive for folks using live shrimp and Vudu shrimp dangled under Coastal Corks. Four-inch Bass Assassin Sea Shads and Down South Burner Shads in colors like Chicken on a Chain, Bone Diamond, Roach and Plum have worked great, with the best color depending on the water clarity. I’ve been mainly fishing them on eighth-ounce heads. The best way to find the fish lately is to watch for slicks and water color changes over scattered shell. Both the Chinquapin System and mid-bay reefs have been producing well for waders throwing soft plastics and live bait. The south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay has been producing good numbers of trout and reds on soft plastic paddletails in Chicken on a Chain and Roach colors. Small topwaters like Spook Juniors and Baby Skitter Walks in bone and silver/black back are also drawing lots of strikes. Tripletail fishing should pick up when the weather heats up and calms down. For them, big live shrimp are always a great option, fished pretty deep under popping corks.
Fishing has been outstanding in the Tres Palacios Bay system this spring. We’re catching plenty of trout on both lures and live shrimp. The deep wrecks and shell out in West Matagorda have been producing solid keeper trout for anglers using live shrimp rigged three to four feet below popping corks. We’ve also been wading around shell pads and grass beds and catching trout throwing pink Skitter Walks and Down South Lures in white ice. Fishing for both red and black drum has also been very good. Live shrimp and peeled, fresh dead shrimp have worked well around most any shell pads covered by less than two feet of water. Best rigs have been popping corks with about a foot of leader. Collegeport and reefs on the north shoreline of Tres Palacios Bay have been holding good numbers. Flounder gigging over pea gravel and clay bottoms on falling tides has been excellent for solid keepers. The fish have averaged about seventeen inches. May will be a great month to fish, with lots of different opportunities–hitting the surf at dawn throwing topwaters, chasing birds in South Bay, working structures for tripletails and hitting the wells out in West Bay.
Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833
In May, with water temperatures nearing summertime levels and tides typically rising, Lynn likes to fish in areas close to Pass Cavallo, especially when winds are calm. He also likes to head into the surf as much as possible. “We find lots of fish around the passes this time of year, both in the Gulf and in parts of the bays close to the surf. Generally, fishing in both these places is best in the early-morning hours, on incoming tides. In the surf, we tend to start off the day right on the beach, targeting our trout with topwaters in the first and second guts. We’ll move out and switch to sinking lures as the sun climbs higher in the sky. The pattern in similar on sand bars and flats inside the bays. We normally work topwaters in the shallowest parts of the area early, then move closer to the drop offs later in the mornings. If winds are stronger and/or the tide cycle isn’t favorable for
fishing these patterns, we often head into the coves and back-lakes. There, a falling tide is often favorable, with the trout and reds stacking up around small reefs and grass beds near drains.”
Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
May is a great month to target trout and reds in the bays of the Coastal Bend, Blake says. “We have tremendous potential for easy catching this time of year. Fishing for trout and reds on shorelines in the main bays is often excellent during this part of spring. We do well throwing topwaters, twitchbaits and soft plastics at sandy spots in the grass close to the banks in all the bays. This pattern holds up well even when it’s pretty windy, on the leeward sides of the barrier islands. Fishing around the reefs close to shore and out in the middle of the bays can also be great, when winds are somewhat light. Around the reefs, soft plastics work best. Light winds also create excellent potential in the surf. During spring, when the surf gets green to the beach, the trout we catch are often bigger, on average, than the fish we catch out there during the heat wave of summer, so I always keep my eye on the weather, jumping at the opportunity to hit the beaches when I can. Out there, we usually have a good topwater bite, especially if the green water rolls onto the sand with an incoming morning tide.
Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay
Captain James Sanchez Guide Service - 210.260.7454
As water temperatures rise in May we can look forward to excellent fishing opportunities with both quantity and quality of fish. The potential for success largely depends on wind strength, tide level and water temperature. Based on annual patterns, the best locations for catching trout this month are on flats and shorelines, also over submerged sand bars that have scattered grass beds lying near drop-offs. On windy days, distinct color changes emerge in these areas, and the presence of nervous mullet indicates a prime opportunity for catching good fish. My strategy involves wading back and forth between shallower and deeper waters to determine where the fish are most concentrated. With higher tides, spoil islands along the ICW become ideal spots to target redfish. The fish tend to concentrate around points separating the deeper drains that run between them. In the right places, when the feeding starts, an increase in bait activity on the surface becomes noticeable. My preferred lures in this situation include Mansfield Knockers, Spook Juniors and Texas Custom Lures Double Ds. If and when a hot topwater bite wanes, I typically switch to KWigglers Ball-tail Shads in Bone Diamond, Plum Perfect or Naked Margarita rigged on eighth-ounce jigheads.
Corpus Christi & Baffin Bay
Capt. Chris Elliott’s Guide Service captchriselliott@yahoo.com - 361.834.7262
Minus the super low tides, everything this month has been right on schedule for springtime. Our redfish and trout have started to push up onto the shallow flats to feed. The sheepshead are thick along the jetties, and the winds have been unpredictable. These next few months are some of my favorite months to be out on the water because the playbook is so wide open. Whether it’s sheepshead on the jetties, sight-casting redfish on the flats or wading a shoreline for a new personal best trout, lots of programs work well this time of year. My focus this month is going to be those big trout in the peak of their spawn. Our water temperatures are going to continue to rise, so I’ll be starting my mornings wading shallow and throwing a topwater, keying on areas and specific spots with plenty of nervous bait. Since these fish are in their spawning season it’s normal to find the big female trout in the presence of small males. And there are usually more males than females. Many of the big trout we catch in spring
bite in places where we’ve already caught lots of dinks, so it pays to be persistent around small trout.
P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com
May is one of the most interesting months along our surf, with various species of baitfish actively running. Jack crevalle and skipjacks both feed in force on the beachfront this month. Jacks can be caught on mullet, also topwaters and spoons. Red drum will be running the beach, sometimes in large schools of slot-sized specimens. Many sharks are also present, with big ones like bulls and lemons patrolling the first gut. The scalloped hammerheads should still be around, and the greater hammerheads should start moving in at any time. All of these can be caught on baits cast from shore, just beyond the breakers, especially during evening hours. When winds subside and the water is semi-clear, expect to catch Spanish mackerel mixed in with the jacks. During most years, May is a prime month to target large sow trout in the PINS surf. Topwater lures are killer during this time, during both early-morning and late-afternoon hours. Tides will likely be high at the beginning of the month, which can make driving the beach a bit treacherous, since decomposing Sargassum weed creates a kind of quagmire akin to quicksand. When moving around to get away from pesky sargassum, smart folks drive carefully.
Port Mansfield, Texas | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431
GetAway Lodge - 956.944.4000
The fronts have just about let up for the season. The water in general is warmer and the surface temperatures invite a lot of feeding in the upper part of the water column. Topwater action will be on fire many days in May. Mansfield Knockers in Sweet Heat, Ruby Tuesday or Zombie will be productive when conditions favor floating plugs. The best bite will be in knee to waist-deep water for both trout and reds, unless a late-season norther passes through. Areas like the Saucer or the flats behind the cabins along the ICW and West Bay will be good spots to hit close to port. If the winds allow it, the west shoreline up north should be stellar. A top choice for soft plastics will be the KWiggler Ball Tail Shads in colors like Bone Diamond, Plum/Chartreuse, Mansfield Margarita and Lagunaflauge. I prefer an eighth-ounce 3/0 screw-lock jighead with these. The stretch from the Old Weather Station to just south of Dubbs Island is another potentially productive area. Here, as in everywhere, the best bet is to target the fish in potholes holding active bait. Weedless gold spoons are always a good choice for targeting redfish, and they often produce a few trout too.
Near constant wind has become the norm as the spring season has now hit its full stride. Lucky for us the Lower Laguna trout bite has been great despite the wind. The most productive depths are currently 2- to 3-feet, over mostly grassy bottoms, adjacent to deeper water. Sand bars in similar depths have also been giving us lots of action, especially early morning before the wind comes up. Z-Man’s Big BallerZ in Redbone has been a go-to bait, rigged on 1/8-ounce Eye Strike Trout Eye jig heads. They seem to prefer fast retrieves at mid-depth in the water column. Redfish action has been consistent on sandy bottom at 1- to 2-foot depths. Edges of large grassy areas on flats and backwater shorelines are beginning to come alive as tides continue to rise and the waters continue to warm. The bone Spook Jr. with single hooks to combat floating grass has been very good during early morning. Later, when wind picks up, we move to shallow grass flats and find them staged in potholes. Z-Man plastics are go-to baits in these areas. Best way to find reds on the flats is to locate lines of active bait.
Mason Sockwell Wealders Flats - 28” redfish
Riley Cox Shoalwater Bay - 26” redfish
Robert Alaniz Port Mansfield - 28” trout
John Jordan Laguna Madre - 39” black drum CPR
Veronica Vargas Matagorda - first spotless red!
Richard Gonzales Sabine Pass - 38” bull red CPR
John Vann Trinity Bay - 38” redfish
Bob Wight St Charles Bay - 30” redfish CPR
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Keith Baumann POC jetties - 31” personal best red! CPR
Got ideas, hints or recipes you’d like to share?
Email them to pam@tsfmag.com or send by fax: 361 792-4530
Texas Chrome Outdoors Seafood Pasta
Many thanks to Capt. Joey Smith for sharing this delicious recipe. It’s quick and easy as can be, and sure to please everyone with its creamy goodness.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb package egg noodles
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 sticks real butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 lb Velveeta Mexican Cheese
2 lbs. fresh peeled shrimp
1 pint of half and half salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION
Cook egg noodles per package instructions and set aside. In large non-stick frying pan, sauté the onions, bell peppers and celery with one stick of butter, about 10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add another stick of butter to the frying pan, melt and stir in the flour to combine. Add the cheese and half and half, stirring occasionally to combine as it heats. Add the shrimp and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until the shrimp are done. Serve over egg noodles with salad and garlic bread.
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