The View: June 2022

I love June in Matagorda. A low barometer and light southeast winds are the recipe for some of the best topwater action of the summer.

There are so many choices when the flag is limp at the bait camp. East Bay or West Bay? Wade or drift? Surf or jetty? Inshore or offshore? Best case scenario is when we get a light north wind and the surf becomes a flat, emerald-green pond. The surf normally gives us a few days to fish in June and there is nothing better than watching a plug get crunched in the foam.

We wade the first surf gut on an incoming tide, but choose to drift out of the boat when tides are falling so we can safely fish the outer bars in 4-6 feet of water. We don't forget about the jetty, either. Some days it's large trout, others it’s all redfish. We toss topwaters, Bass Assassins, Lil’ Johns and MirrOlure Soft-Dines in some of the most beautiful water you will ever wade. We enjoy the dolphins, turtles, and occasional tarpon.

We love to fish East Bay when we can. With light winds, all of East Bay is in play, including mid-bay reefs. Few bays in Texas rival East Matty for its potential to grow large trout; and, when the weather allows you to wade one of those coveted reefs in the middle of the bay, you better adjust your drag and hold tight. 

When wading the bays, we traditionally focus on the grass beds during the summer. Most of this terrain can be found in the lee of southerly winds and stay “fishably” clean even with gusty winds. Most of our best grass beds are in West Matagorda Bay. June normally affords ardent morning incoming tides, perfect for walking a She Pup or Super Spook Jr. over the flats.

Boat anglers work the deep shell in East Bay on both the east and west ends of the bay. Best baits are live shrimp under Mid Coast corks. However, Gulps, Vudu and DOA Shrimp do well if you don’t want to mess with bait.

Redfish action is best in West Bay around reefs and points. Some anchor on flats with mullet and wait for the reds to come to them.

Jetty anglers have plenty of opportunities for redfish along the rocks while Carolina-rigging large table shrimp or menhaden.

Large sand trout should make their first appearance in the bay this month. Few locales along the coast offer what I like to call “trophy sand trout” as Matagorda does. These cousins of the more glamorous speckled trout make excellent table fare. We really like them because they take pressure off our speckled trout stocks for those wanting a few fillets for supper.

Please continue to err on the side of conservation and take care of our resource. Our trout stocks are rebounding, but new attitudes and practices are needed to sustain our world-class trout fishery.

Smile, summer is finally here – a plugger’s delight. Pick a lure, any lure, and go to work.