The View: June 2024

I really think my favorite month to fish here in Matagorda is June. Everyone is so excited to be on the water and smiles abound since the whole summer is in front of us. Trout, reds, surf, bay, Gulf of Mexico – all are players in June.

When wading, we focus on the grass beds during summer. Most of this terrain can be found in the lee of southerly winds and stay fishably clean even on gusty days. Our 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.

Clear water isn't always where the fish are, though. Most of the time there is a somewhat dingy section of a flat and that's where most of the fish will be found. Waters get too clear at times to catch fish on lures.

I love fishing flats adjacent to the Port O'Connor jetty and Pass Cavallo. The best tides in the bay occur there and we toss topwaters, Bass Assassins, Down South Lures and MirrOlure Soft-dines in some of the most beautiful water you will ever wade.

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 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 with MirrOlures, topwaters and soft plastics.

It remains to be seen how all of the flooding in the Galveston Bay complex in early May will affect the number of trout we see in the Matagorda surf. The last inundation of freshwater in Trinity and East Galveston Bay some seven years back resulted in a boon for Matagorda surf anglers.

Coincidence? Maybe. More fish in the surf heading south trying to find salty water? Probably.

Our surf was a bit lackluster last summer. There were several days with great conditions that did not coincide with great catches. I can’t wait to find out what 2024 holds on the first calm, green tide.

With light winds during June all of East Bay is in play, including mid-bay reefs. We like to wade the shell with topwaters and soft plastics. Some of the largest trout of the year will be caught in June in while wading East Bay.

That goes for drifting, too. Luckily for those who prefer not to leave the boat, some of the largest trout of the year will be caught in June while drifting East Bay.

As for redfish, 2024 has not afforded a consistent pattern, not yet anyway. We finally received swollen tides at the end of April which deposited new fish; still, we are hoping for tropical moisture and tides to send a wave of reds through the passes and into the back bays.

Tune in to Space City Home Network and Bally’s Sports Southwest for my weekly Middle Coast report on the Texas Insider Fishing Report Thursday-Saturday. Or, follow @matagordasunriselodge on Instagram and FB for weekly photos and reports.

Please continue to take good care of our bays. Catch and release works; and it is cool to let them go so they can grow.