Reports & Forecasts: March 2025

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
March is something of a transitional month for James, offering great potential, but also presenting challenges. “Generally, wading continues to be really good in March. When we have warmer weather and steady onshore winds, and the bays fill up nicely with water, wading along protected shorelines is usually the way to go. This works well on the south shorelines of both East and West bays, also on the east side of Trinity. This can be a good month to catch bigger than average trout on hard baits and topwaters. Those work best when plenty of bait activity is seen, meaning jumping mullet mostly. Towards the end of the month, glass minnows sometimes make an appearance. When they do, matching the hatch with smaller lures and fishing close around the clouds of minnows are ways to keep the catch-rate up. If and when stronger fronts blow through this month, the fishing can be tough. If tides fall out and the water in the middle gets mucked up by the winds, catching will be hard for a few days. Then, when the tide gushes back in, the catching will pick back up, especially if the strong tide rolls in the afternoon.”

Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Jim mentions several key factors everyone fishing in the Galveston area during the end of winter and beginning of spring should consider. “It can really be a timing thing this time of year. When the fish are biting, they can be really easy to catch. But when they aren’t, trying to catch ‘em can become a waste of time. Mostly, the factors that determine how much catching is likely to happen involve the tide cycles and the weather. The fish bite well right before the fronts hit, then they shut down for a while after they pass. On the back sides of the fronts, a good bite will often happen late in the afternoon, or into the first hours of darkness. Especially if the water’s really clear and the sun is bright. So, people who time their outings to maximize their potential for catching often do best as long as fronts are passing with some regularity. Another key factor in this particular area is the amount of freshwater pouring into the bays. We’re likely to see a fairly big release of water at the Livingston Dam in February, and this might mess things up in the upper parts of Trinity Bay.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Randall eagerly anticipates rising tides and water temperatures during the Spring Break month. “We’re anticipating higher tide levels, which will usher in some of the pelagic prey species like glass minnows and shrimp, and also allow us to wade some of the area shorelines again. I like to target the trout and reds in places with some grass beds this time of year. When we’re wading, we like to throw Catch 2000s, Paul Brown Lures and similar slow sinkers, working them methodically around the grass beds if we can see ‘em. On the warmer days, when we see lots of bait activity at the surface, we’ll give the topwaters a try, too. But we’re always ready to switch back to the twitchbaits if the blow-ups don’t come fairly easily. When we’re not wading, we like to target our fish with Norton Sand Eels on light jigheads in deeper parts of the bays, concentrating our efforts in places with lots of bait and water birds present. Most of the best fishing is around reefs, or in areas near the reefs, where a decent amount of oysters partially cover the bottom. March can be great for big trout and plenty of reds.”

Matagorda Bays | Capt. Glenn Ging - Glenn’s Guide Service
979.479.1460 - www.glennsguideservice.com
March brings the beginning of spring, and Spring Break is always the kickoff of our busy season, and for good reason. March offers us a number of good fishing opportunities. Redfish and black drum show up in good numbers this month. I look for them around shallow shell reefs and on shallow mud flats, especially ones in close proximity to deeper channels or guts. Shrimp and crab are good options for reds, but a Gulp! under a Coastal Cork works great as well. Smaller eating-sized drum love both shrimp and Fish-Bites suspended under a cork. Look for them on shallow mud flats and around small reefs. Larger black drum can be caught off the jetties and along the river and ICW on cracked crab or cut bait fished on bottom. Speckled trout fishing remains good in March, with wading and drifting both being solid options. On days when the wind cooperates, drifting deep shell with soft plastics like Bass Assassins, Coastal Brews and Down Souths can produce some impressive catches. Wading reefs and shorelines with mullet imitations like Paul Brown Lures and topwaters will continue to produce quality trout as well. The trout will almost always be found close to concentrations of mullet.

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
The fishing in Palacios has been HOT this winter. Because we’ve had some colder than normal weather, the fish have retreated predictably to deep water. So, trout fishing has been fantastic in the Harbor, with some fish up to 24” and mostly solid 18” fish coming to hand. Paul Brown Fat Boys and Tsunami Swim Shads slowly rolled over the deep shell in the basin have accounted for most of the catching. The Tres Palacios river has been on fire as well, with DSL in white ice and chicken of the sea being the best colors in there. River fishing has not yielded as many of the bigger trout, but it is holding a good percentage of keepers. Targeting the ledges and bends is a must. The fishing for reds has been decent, but not as good as for trout. The flats along Collegeport have been holding a few on the warmer days, with quarter-ounce Johnson spoons working best. Next month, as we head into early-spring, I will continue to fish the same patterns, focusing my efforts on deep holes and fishing extra slow. As we get warmer days after strong fronts, I’ll move up onto the flats and follow the bait.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833
As winter ends and spring begins, Lynn will continue fishing the same patterns he has throughout the cold months, but he’ll anticipate a shift if the weather justifies it. “The beginning of March is more like winter than spring, typically. So we continue to sleep late and head out after the sun comes up and heats up the flats. The fishing is usually best in places with a soft, muddy bottom, in shallow water lying close to some kind of deep hole or channel. We catch best on soft plastics most of the time in these places, rigging them on light jigheads, but we’re always looking to switch to slow sinkers, if plenty of bait is showing. Bait is a big key, as always. At the beginning of March, this mainly means mullet. But, as we get into the second half of the month, things can change dramatically. If strong incoming tides bring in a bunch of shrimp and smaller baitfish, the patterns can change. Rising tides usually happen with onshore winds blowing and temperatures rising, which might elevate the bite during the morning hours. These factors can make March challenging, for people who aren’t willing to adjust to the changes.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Blake has been experiencing pretty fast catching on most of his trips lately, and he expects the action to perk up even more by the time March rolls around. “The first part of spring is typically a great time to target the reds and some of the bigger trout in the Coastal Bend in backwater lakes and marshes. As long as tide levels stay high, we find most of our fish on muddy flats in these places, often around some grass beds or patch reefs. When north winds blow the tide out and lower the temperatures, the fish sometimes retreat to the deep holes and guts in the bayous connecting the backwater areas to the main bays. Topwaters and twitchbaits work well on the warmer days with higher tides; soft plastics like Norton Sand Eels work better when the water’s cooler and tides fall out. Late in the month, once the fronts fizzle out more, we will see the sand and grass pattern pick up. Then, we’ll start targeting our trout on stretches of main-bay shorelines with hard sandy bottom and some ample grass beds, and we’ll throw our lures tight to the bank most of the time.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay
Captain James Sanchez Guide Service - 210.260.7454
With March approaching, we can expect some late cold fronts to chill temperatures between warm spells. Many days, especially before these fronts, will see southeast winds blowing at 20 to 30 mph. Additionally, by the end of the month, tidal levels will rise during the new and full moon phases. During warm spells, you’ll notice that fish will start spending more time in the shallows. This creates a fantastic opportunity to catch good numbers, including trophy trout for lucky anglers. My strategies includes wading windward shorelines, spoil islands, and flats near drop-offs. Look for fish to be holding in seagrass beds with potholes in thigh- to waist-deep water. As for the right depth, wherever mullet are most concentrated is where you should be fishing. If temperatures drop after a front and fish go deep, we’ll use a KWigglers Ball Tail Shad in plum perfect or naked margarita rigged on eighth-ounce jigheads, Soft-Dine XLs, or a Fat Boy worked near the bottom. Once temperatures rebound and winds increase, I recommend working a Mansfield Knocker or slow-roll a bone diamond Wig-A-Lo through shallow sets of potholes for a chance at redfish and bigger trout.

Corpus Christi & Baffin Bay
Capt. Chris Elliott’s Guide Service
[email protected] - 361.834.7262
Right on schedule, Old Man Winter settled in on the Texas Coast in late January, sending temperatures plummeting. Our tides are low, and water temperatures are hovering in the mid to low-50s. Lately, the redfish and trout are carrying a little extra weight from the mullet-rich diet they are eating. Look for this to continue through February and into March. Lure selection for me these next several weeks will be very simple; I like larger soft plastics like KWiggler Ball-Tails or full-sized Wig-A-Los. Paul Brown Lures, Soft-Dine XLs and Fat Boys also work well, as does a full-sized topwater on the warmer days, when we’re seeing lots of bait activity at the surface. We’ll be looking for signs of bait every second of the day. On the cold days, if I see a single mullet flip on a shoreline, my boat will be coming off plane to investigate. Besides the flipping mullet, the other thing to be focused on right now is water temperature. Best bet is to monitor it all day and key in on the areas with warmer than average water. Just one or two degrees warmer can make the difference between casting and catching.

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com
The red drum and their cousins, the black drum, have been thick in the surf lately, with most caught on traditional shrimp baits and Fish-bites. In clear water, pompano are around and hungry on days with calm seas. We’ve had a subpar pompano season thus far but it is not over yet; things could still explode with activity. The most strategic way to target pompano is to use a small 3/0 hook with a small piece of shrimp tipped with a Fish-bite. These are best deployed in a stretch of surf where the sandbars appear closest to the beach. Best bet is to launch the bait as far as possible. Most bites come in the gut beyond the second bar. As we transition into spring, we expect various migrations to take place. We will still have some of our cooler water species, but we also expect to possibly see jack crevalle make their first appearances of the year. Lures or live baits will work great for the jacks if they’re running. The shark fishing has remained steady all winter and spring is looking excellent for increased activity. Blacktip sharks will come in thick and are suckers for a giant whiting or pompano.

Port Mansfield, Texas | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431
Getaway Adventures Lodge - 956.944.4000
Cold fronts will arrive less frequently in March, but with chance of rain increasingly likely. Fishing will improve with noticeably longer feeding periods as warming trends produce rising water temperatures. The Saucer area is always a good bet in March, with consistent topwater action. Mansfield Knockers in Ruby Tuesday and Zombie should be good producers. If you prefer plastics, KWiggler Ball Tails in Plum/Chart and 801 Orange Creamsicle on 1/8 jigheads will do the trick. West Bay is another excellent choice if you’re looking for a quick boat ride. Focus on the areas with ledges and depth changes. The north side of East Cut, just north of the oysters and also toward the Weather Station, are almost always worth a look. Start in the knee-deep, working slowly toward deeper water for redfish with weedless spoons and smaller topwaters. Paul Brown and Texas Customs floating Fat Boys will also work and can produce trout and reds in this area. When headed further north, toward Gladys, do not pass any place along the west shoreline that shows bait activity. Keep an eye on the weather, especially the wind forecast.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941
Lower air and water temperatures along with lower tides has become the recent norm on the Lower Laguna. Our trout fishing has been consistently good with a predictable bite occurring on flats adjacent to the ICW in 3- to 4-foot depths most days. The top producing trout bait has been ZMan Big BallerZ with Plum/Chart a reliable color pattern. We are rigging these on 1/8-ounce Eye Strike Trout Eye jig heads, worked slowly near bottom with only light pops and twitches of the rod tip as the fish have been holding low in the water column. Redfish action has also been steady. The bite has been best in depths of 1- to 2-feet; over mostly soft and muddy bottom on the colder days. ZMan MinnowZ in Redbone, rigged on 1/8 Eye Strike Texas Eye jigs has been our go-to lure, working the plastic over potholes and along grass lines. On warmer days the redfish will move to sandy bottoms. Following the bait is a key factor in finding the reds this time of year. If you find the bait you’ll find the fish – it’s that simple.