Reports & Forecasts: May 2025

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.

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
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
[email protected] - 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.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941
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.