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Reports & Forecasts: June 2015
Lake Calcasieu Louisiana
Jeff and Mary Poe | Big Lake Guide Service | 337.598.3268
Fishing is getting better with each passing day. As of now, the fish are holding in clean water adjacent to the ship channel. Long Point, West Cove, Joe's Cove, Black Lake and the south bank of Calcasieu Lake are all holding trout. In June, the fish will move to deeper reefs in the middle of the lake and reefs directly adjacent to the ship channel. When fishing the channel, look for clean water north of Nine Mile Cut on incoming tides and on the outgoing tides look for water to be pretty along the entire channel. Soft plastics will be the lures of choice. MirrOlure Lil' Johns, H & H Grubs and Sparkle Beetles rigged on sixteenth to quarter ounce heads will be the tickets. Focus should be on the tides when fishing the channel. Strong tides produce stained water, so fish reefs further out in the lake then and fish right along the channel during weaker movements. Also this month, the Cameron jetties, beachfront areas both east and west of the jetties and the close rigs produce ling, triple tail, Spanish mackerel, specks and reds.
Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures | silverkingadventures.com | 409.935.7242
James says he has already seen diminished results while wading, and an increase in the productivity when fishing out of the boat. "We did catch 'em pretty good a while back wading. Good topwater bite at times, much better on soft plastics at other times. The fish were shallow, occasionally in shin deep water over the shell reefs. Lately, though, the action has been better in deeper water. All the freshwater flowing into the upper parts of the bay have stacked the fish up in parts of the lower bay. Where there are fish, there are lots of fish. Controlling the depth of presentation is the main key. We're mainly catching on shad tails rigged on light jigheads. The speed of retrieve and the amount of jigging are critical, since the fish suspend at times at the depths we're fishing. In the near future, the boat fishing along the channel and in other parts of the bay around the dike and the jetties will heat up. Free-shrimping along the jetties will blow up really good in the near future as the brown shrimp move through."
Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service | 409.996.3054
Jim and a client caught two monster trout on the same day, not long before he gave this report. "My customer had one about nine and a half pounds, super fat, full of eggs. Mine was about eight and a half, really fat too. It is quite unusual to catch two trout that big on the same day in Galveston. Those fish came out of the surf, the day it cleared up. Once the water had been clear for a few days, the fish weren't there anymore. That's the key to catching in the surf, being there when it first gets right. Fishing in the bay has been good, if you are in the pile of fish. The west side of Lower Galveston Bay and the south end of East Bay are holding a ton of fish. They've been pressured out of the upper parts of the bay by all the runoff coming down the rivers. Since the water is marginally salty, it is susceptible to being blown out by the wind. On the better days, we're catching really good out in the middle, using Gulp! lures to deal with the ugly water if necessary. As we get into June, if we don't have a bunch more rain, the water will improve."
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 | 979.864.9323
Trout fishing had picked up on recent trips, according to Randall, and fishing for redfish has been really easy on most days. "Yesterday, I saw the first big push of shrimp coming through, and the ribbonfish will be following close behind them. By the time we get to June, things should blow up along the beachfront. We'll target the trout with the big Sand Eels, red magic and glow/silver, rigged on three eighths ounce jigheads. The bite has also been good lately on topwaters like Skitterwalks, white with red head. Normally, when the trout show up thick in the surf in June, those lures work great out there. The end of spring and beginning of summer typically offer up some of the steadiest action of the year. With any luck in the weather, meaning we don't have a bunch of storms or windy weather, we will have warm, green water, lots of migrating bait and aggressive fish. It's a great time of year to be on the water in this area. Things are looking good for a productive run in the near future."
Matagorda | Charlie Paradoski
Bay Guide Service | 713.725.2401
June is a good month to fish various patterns in the Matagorda area, depending on the weather. "We fish shorelines in both East and West Matagorda Bays, wading for redfish mostly, when it's windy. Right now, we've got lots of freshwater coming down the river, which pressures the fish into those salty pockets along the shorelines, so that kind of fishing is good. Of course, as we head into the hot period, we'll be trying to get into the surf as much as we can. When winds are light, that will be one of the best options. Surf fishing can also be enhanced by lots of freshwater flowing down the river. We also like to wade and drift out in the middle of East Bay when winds are light, focusing on areas around the mid-bay reefs. Wherever we go, we like to throw topwaters a lot this time of year, but won't hesitate to fall back on soft plastics if the bite isn't easy with them. June is usually a relatively calm month, compared to the earlier spring months. We've had lots of unsettled weather this year, and our resource is basically untapped."
Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com | 979.240.8204
The runoff from the Tres Palacios River has our local bay fresh, but the good news is all the freshwater has pushed fish out to the wells and reefs in West Matagorda Bay. Half Moon reef has been holding great numbers of keeper specks up to nineteen inches. Live shrimp and Vudu Shrimp rigged about eighteen inches under popping corks have been on fire. The glass minnow run is in full effect on the south shoreline and good numbers of specks and reds have been chasing the schools of migrating baitfish. Cajun Pepper Bayou Chubs and bone Spook Juniors have accounted for best bites. Tripletail are starting to show up in the far reaches of the bay, and we have caught two so far, but once the bay settles out, it should be easier. The best bait for these fish continues to be live shrimp rigged four to six feet under popping corks fished next to structures and grass mats in the bay. The surf should be one of the best options for this month, in the guts closest to the beach early and out deeper as the day progresses.
Port O'Connor | Lynn Smith | Back Bay Guide Service | 361.983.4434
In June, Lynn expects to hit the surf as much as possible, throwing topwaters in the first gut early and moving out as the day heats up. He also mentions other productive options he'll probably try. "I like to fish close to the passes, either on the outside, along the beach, or on the flats just inside, staying close to deep, moving water. I like to focus on shell reefs and sandy areas, keying on rafted up mullet along area shorelines and on reefs and spoil banks. We'll use topwaters a lot, and have been catching pretty good on them. Normally, soft plastics are the best back up to the floating plugs. The spoil banks are generally a good option once the weather heats up. The whole key when targeting the bigger trout is to stay close to the large rafts of mullet, whether in the surf or in the bays. If and when the trout bite slows down, we'll head into the back lakes to go after the redfish. Fishing for them is generally pretty steady this time of year too, but the first goal will always be to catch some of the big surf-running trout on top if we can."
Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service | 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Blake says fishing for trout in the Rockport area has been steadily improving, and he expects a great summer run. "The opening of Cedar Bayou has made it easier for me to get into the surf on a more regular basis. I've been out there quite a few times already, and the fishing has been really productive almost every time. Of course, fishing in the bays has been good too. This time of year, I like to fish the surf or shallow shorelines in the bays which have a mix of sand and grass on the bottom. We throw Bass Assassins and Sand Eels a lot, in colors like pumpkinseed/chartreuse & purple/chartreuse. We've also had good luck lately on Super Spooks, those with chartreuse on them and also chrome. In fact, on most days, we're catching a majority of our trout on top. Yesterday, for instance, we had several fish right around the twenty five inch mark or a little over, all on Spooks. One other thing I like to do when it's calmer this time of year is fish on the mid-bay reefs some. That's another productive plan, generally."
Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata | [email protected] | 361.563.1160
Anyone who likes to fish should like the month of June, because it is such a consistently great month for fishing. My confidence in catching fish is high during June, and it consistently shows in the catches we bring to the cleaning table at the ends of the days. Water temperatures and the weather are generally good during this month, making it a great month for fishing and catching. Despite all the rain we've been getting over the last few months, much of the Laguna Madre is covered with brown tide so this means fishing with bright colored and/or noisy lures. My favorite soft plastics at this time are Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like morning glory/chartreuse, chartreuse dog and salt & pepper silver phantom. The trout will suspend themselves about twelve inches below the water's surface, and I will use the MirrOlure Catch 5 lures to target them. Fishing along drop offs and grass lines with live croakers and sight-casting with Fish Bites in ultra shallow water will also be good.
Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez www.sightcast1.com | 361.937.5961
Joe says the water in some areas of Baffin Bay and the Upper Laguna Madre have cleared up some, but other areas remain inundated by brown tide. "I like to stay out of the stained water. We do have several areas which have clear water, and the fishing has been good in those places. We're catching a good mix of trout and redfish on most outings. The fish have been hanging out in shallow water over a sandy bottom, especially early in the mornings. We've been targeting them with soft plastics rigged on light jigheads when trying to catch them in places like this. Later in the day, or if it's windier, we fish a bit deeper and use a bit heavier jigheads, which are easier to control and feel with more wind and current. In the best scenario, we're fishing with enough wind and light in the sky to allow us to see into the water well, so we can see the fish we are targeting before we cast at them. I expect to continue fishing this way into June, trying to stay in the clear water and targeting the fish shallow early, them moving a bit deeper in the middle of the day."
Padre Island National Seashore
Billy Sandifer | Padre Island Safaris | 361.937.8446
It's been some time since surf fisherman had really good conditions in the summer months and it looks as if this may be our year to get a break. As of early May there is NO sargassum at all and the fishing has been great for big whiting, bull sharks and scalloped hammerheads. Three hammerheads have been caught on cast baits and there have been more big bull sharks caught than in many years. June is prime time on PINS and barring the arrival of sargassum or constant high wind June should be great. King mackerel and ling have already been caught in the surf. It's rare to catch ling in the surf and although we do get kings it is usually later in summer. Spanish mackerel, trout and reds should be available in varying numbers...skipjack by the thousand. Lot of debris on the beach and some soft spots. Blow sand has filled up some of the high road. Nesting ridley turtles showed up April 30 and we'll see many more through June.
Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com 832.385.1431
Getaway Adventures Lodge 956.944.4000
Trout fishing through the recent full moon period was spotty. Luckily the birds have been working off the edge of the ICW. Normally you would find mostly small trout under them but there has been a good ratio of solid keepers. Pods of reds are starting to show up on the sand. When located, a 1/4 oz (you can get away with 1/2 oz) weedless gold spoon or a K-Wiggler moon beam paddle-tail on a 1/8 oz jig will get the job done. Topwater action has been good lately while working the potholes and working the edge of the ICW. From there, switching to a K-Wiggler Ball Tail Shad on a 1/8oz jig or their red and white shrimp tail will keep you in the game. The tide level is higher than normal so fish the areas that you wouldn't normally try because they're too shallow. As mentioned earlier birds have been a key factor in finding trout, gulls and pelicans, so pay attention as you leave the harbor early and all during the day. Tight lines and calm seas!
Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Janie and Fred Petty | www.fishingwithpettys.com | 956.943.2747
The water has cleared with more calm days, and the tides are much higher, so the bait has stayed in the freezer. We're catching good numbers of trout, some nice ones up to thirty inches throwing the Berkley Gulp! Live three-inch shrimp under Cajun Thunder round corks with quarter ounce jigheads. The more colorful Gulp!s work on trout and the darker on the reds. Redfish can be a little more challenging to find with increased boat pressure, but when the tide is right, we've managed limits regularly. Freddy says, "Large herds of reds were once readily available and easy to find in the Lower Laguna Madre any time the bay was flat; these days, it's rare to find anything larger than a pod of eight to ten fish. The obvious reason for this, is that boat traffic, the only thing that will get reds off their patterns, is running them off the flats." This time of year is the beginning of tournament and tourist season, so everyone needs to practice smart and courteous boating, keeping the ramps clear and the bays safe. Help stop open bay dredge disposal.
Jeff and Mary Poe | Big Lake Guide Service | 337.598.3268
Fishing is getting better with each passing day. As of now, the fish are holding in clean water adjacent to the ship channel. Long Point, West Cove, Joe's Cove, Black Lake and the south bank of Calcasieu Lake are all holding trout. In June, the fish will move to deeper reefs in the middle of the lake and reefs directly adjacent to the ship channel. When fishing the channel, look for clean water north of Nine Mile Cut on incoming tides and on the outgoing tides look for water to be pretty along the entire channel. Soft plastics will be the lures of choice. MirrOlure Lil' Johns, H & H Grubs and Sparkle Beetles rigged on sixteenth to quarter ounce heads will be the tickets. Focus should be on the tides when fishing the channel. Strong tides produce stained water, so fish reefs further out in the lake then and fish right along the channel during weaker movements. Also this month, the Cameron jetties, beachfront areas both east and west of the jetties and the close rigs produce ling, triple tail, Spanish mackerel, specks and reds.
Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures | silverkingadventures.com | 409.935.7242
James says he has already seen diminished results while wading, and an increase in the productivity when fishing out of the boat. "We did catch 'em pretty good a while back wading. Good topwater bite at times, much better on soft plastics at other times. The fish were shallow, occasionally in shin deep water over the shell reefs. Lately, though, the action has been better in deeper water. All the freshwater flowing into the upper parts of the bay have stacked the fish up in parts of the lower bay. Where there are fish, there are lots of fish. Controlling the depth of presentation is the main key. We're mainly catching on shad tails rigged on light jigheads. The speed of retrieve and the amount of jigging are critical, since the fish suspend at times at the depths we're fishing. In the near future, the boat fishing along the channel and in other parts of the bay around the dike and the jetties will heat up. Free-shrimping along the jetties will blow up really good in the near future as the brown shrimp move through."
Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service | 409.996.3054
Jim and a client caught two monster trout on the same day, not long before he gave this report. "My customer had one about nine and a half pounds, super fat, full of eggs. Mine was about eight and a half, really fat too. It is quite unusual to catch two trout that big on the same day in Galveston. Those fish came out of the surf, the day it cleared up. Once the water had been clear for a few days, the fish weren't there anymore. That's the key to catching in the surf, being there when it first gets right. Fishing in the bay has been good, if you are in the pile of fish. The west side of Lower Galveston Bay and the south end of East Bay are holding a ton of fish. They've been pressured out of the upper parts of the bay by all the runoff coming down the rivers. Since the water is marginally salty, it is susceptible to being blown out by the wind. On the better days, we're catching really good out in the middle, using Gulp! lures to deal with the ugly water if necessary. As we get into June, if we don't have a bunch more rain, the water will improve."
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 | 979.864.9323
Trout fishing had picked up on recent trips, according to Randall, and fishing for redfish has been really easy on most days. "Yesterday, I saw the first big push of shrimp coming through, and the ribbonfish will be following close behind them. By the time we get to June, things should blow up along the beachfront. We'll target the trout with the big Sand Eels, red magic and glow/silver, rigged on three eighths ounce jigheads. The bite has also been good lately on topwaters like Skitterwalks, white with red head. Normally, when the trout show up thick in the surf in June, those lures work great out there. The end of spring and beginning of summer typically offer up some of the steadiest action of the year. With any luck in the weather, meaning we don't have a bunch of storms or windy weather, we will have warm, green water, lots of migrating bait and aggressive fish. It's a great time of year to be on the water in this area. Things are looking good for a productive run in the near future."
Matagorda | Charlie Paradoski
Bay Guide Service | 713.725.2401
June is a good month to fish various patterns in the Matagorda area, depending on the weather. "We fish shorelines in both East and West Matagorda Bays, wading for redfish mostly, when it's windy. Right now, we've got lots of freshwater coming down the river, which pressures the fish into those salty pockets along the shorelines, so that kind of fishing is good. Of course, as we head into the hot period, we'll be trying to get into the surf as much as we can. When winds are light, that will be one of the best options. Surf fishing can also be enhanced by lots of freshwater flowing down the river. We also like to wade and drift out in the middle of East Bay when winds are light, focusing on areas around the mid-bay reefs. Wherever we go, we like to throw topwaters a lot this time of year, but won't hesitate to fall back on soft plastics if the bite isn't easy with them. June is usually a relatively calm month, compared to the earlier spring months. We've had lots of unsettled weather this year, and our resource is basically untapped."
Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com | 979.240.8204
The runoff from the Tres Palacios River has our local bay fresh, but the good news is all the freshwater has pushed fish out to the wells and reefs in West Matagorda Bay. Half Moon reef has been holding great numbers of keeper specks up to nineteen inches. Live shrimp and Vudu Shrimp rigged about eighteen inches under popping corks have been on fire. The glass minnow run is in full effect on the south shoreline and good numbers of specks and reds have been chasing the schools of migrating baitfish. Cajun Pepper Bayou Chubs and bone Spook Juniors have accounted for best bites. Tripletail are starting to show up in the far reaches of the bay, and we have caught two so far, but once the bay settles out, it should be easier. The best bait for these fish continues to be live shrimp rigged four to six feet under popping corks fished next to structures and grass mats in the bay. The surf should be one of the best options for this month, in the guts closest to the beach early and out deeper as the day progresses.
Port O'Connor | Lynn Smith | Back Bay Guide Service | 361.983.4434
In June, Lynn expects to hit the surf as much as possible, throwing topwaters in the first gut early and moving out as the day heats up. He also mentions other productive options he'll probably try. "I like to fish close to the passes, either on the outside, along the beach, or on the flats just inside, staying close to deep, moving water. I like to focus on shell reefs and sandy areas, keying on rafted up mullet along area shorelines and on reefs and spoil banks. We'll use topwaters a lot, and have been catching pretty good on them. Normally, soft plastics are the best back up to the floating plugs. The spoil banks are generally a good option once the weather heats up. The whole key when targeting the bigger trout is to stay close to the large rafts of mullet, whether in the surf or in the bays. If and when the trout bite slows down, we'll head into the back lakes to go after the redfish. Fishing for them is generally pretty steady this time of year too, but the first goal will always be to catch some of the big surf-running trout on top if we can."
Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service | 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Blake says fishing for trout in the Rockport area has been steadily improving, and he expects a great summer run. "The opening of Cedar Bayou has made it easier for me to get into the surf on a more regular basis. I've been out there quite a few times already, and the fishing has been really productive almost every time. Of course, fishing in the bays has been good too. This time of year, I like to fish the surf or shallow shorelines in the bays which have a mix of sand and grass on the bottom. We throw Bass Assassins and Sand Eels a lot, in colors like pumpkinseed/chartreuse & purple/chartreuse. We've also had good luck lately on Super Spooks, those with chartreuse on them and also chrome. In fact, on most days, we're catching a majority of our trout on top. Yesterday, for instance, we had several fish right around the twenty five inch mark or a little over, all on Spooks. One other thing I like to do when it's calmer this time of year is fish on the mid-bay reefs some. That's another productive plan, generally."
Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata | [email protected] | 361.563.1160
Anyone who likes to fish should like the month of June, because it is such a consistently great month for fishing. My confidence in catching fish is high during June, and it consistently shows in the catches we bring to the cleaning table at the ends of the days. Water temperatures and the weather are generally good during this month, making it a great month for fishing and catching. Despite all the rain we've been getting over the last few months, much of the Laguna Madre is covered with brown tide so this means fishing with bright colored and/or noisy lures. My favorite soft plastics at this time are Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like morning glory/chartreuse, chartreuse dog and salt & pepper silver phantom. The trout will suspend themselves about twelve inches below the water's surface, and I will use the MirrOlure Catch 5 lures to target them. Fishing along drop offs and grass lines with live croakers and sight-casting with Fish Bites in ultra shallow water will also be good.
Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez www.sightcast1.com | 361.937.5961
Joe says the water in some areas of Baffin Bay and the Upper Laguna Madre have cleared up some, but other areas remain inundated by brown tide. "I like to stay out of the stained water. We do have several areas which have clear water, and the fishing has been good in those places. We're catching a good mix of trout and redfish on most outings. The fish have been hanging out in shallow water over a sandy bottom, especially early in the mornings. We've been targeting them with soft plastics rigged on light jigheads when trying to catch them in places like this. Later in the day, or if it's windier, we fish a bit deeper and use a bit heavier jigheads, which are easier to control and feel with more wind and current. In the best scenario, we're fishing with enough wind and light in the sky to allow us to see into the water well, so we can see the fish we are targeting before we cast at them. I expect to continue fishing this way into June, trying to stay in the clear water and targeting the fish shallow early, them moving a bit deeper in the middle of the day."
Padre Island National Seashore
Billy Sandifer | Padre Island Safaris | 361.937.8446
It's been some time since surf fisherman had really good conditions in the summer months and it looks as if this may be our year to get a break. As of early May there is NO sargassum at all and the fishing has been great for big whiting, bull sharks and scalloped hammerheads. Three hammerheads have been caught on cast baits and there have been more big bull sharks caught than in many years. June is prime time on PINS and barring the arrival of sargassum or constant high wind June should be great. King mackerel and ling have already been caught in the surf. It's rare to catch ling in the surf and although we do get kings it is usually later in summer. Spanish mackerel, trout and reds should be available in varying numbers...skipjack by the thousand. Lot of debris on the beach and some soft spots. Blow sand has filled up some of the high road. Nesting ridley turtles showed up April 30 and we'll see many more through June.
Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com 832.385.1431
Getaway Adventures Lodge 956.944.4000
Trout fishing through the recent full moon period was spotty. Luckily the birds have been working off the edge of the ICW. Normally you would find mostly small trout under them but there has been a good ratio of solid keepers. Pods of reds are starting to show up on the sand. When located, a 1/4 oz (you can get away with 1/2 oz) weedless gold spoon or a K-Wiggler moon beam paddle-tail on a 1/8 oz jig will get the job done. Topwater action has been good lately while working the potholes and working the edge of the ICW. From there, switching to a K-Wiggler Ball Tail Shad on a 1/8oz jig or their red and white shrimp tail will keep you in the game. The tide level is higher than normal so fish the areas that you wouldn't normally try because they're too shallow. As mentioned earlier birds have been a key factor in finding trout, gulls and pelicans, so pay attention as you leave the harbor early and all during the day. Tight lines and calm seas!
Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Janie and Fred Petty | www.fishingwithpettys.com | 956.943.2747
The water has cleared with more calm days, and the tides are much higher, so the bait has stayed in the freezer. We're catching good numbers of trout, some nice ones up to thirty inches throwing the Berkley Gulp! Live three-inch shrimp under Cajun Thunder round corks with quarter ounce jigheads. The more colorful Gulp!s work on trout and the darker on the reds. Redfish can be a little more challenging to find with increased boat pressure, but when the tide is right, we've managed limits regularly. Freddy says, "Large herds of reds were once readily available and easy to find in the Lower Laguna Madre any time the bay was flat; these days, it's rare to find anything larger than a pod of eight to ten fish. The obvious reason for this, is that boat traffic, the only thing that will get reds off their patterns, is running them off the flats." This time of year is the beginning of tournament and tourist season, so everyone needs to practice smart and courteous boating, keeping the ramps clear and the bays safe. Help stop open bay dredge disposal.