The View: March 2025

Punxsutawney Phil says winter will run through March. I don’t buy it. I saw the first green buds on branches in mid-February―trees don’t lie. Hopefully March jump starts the official spring fishing season. There will still be a cold front or two in March, so revert back to winter patterns when the north wind blows the tides out.

Regardless of the weather, we will still be chasing speckled trout and redfish along the deep shell and mud of East Bay. January and February were stellar for drifting with Down South Lures, Bass Assassins and MirrOlure plastics. Some days the fish want the swimming paddletail, while other days they want the 5-inch traditional straight-tailed jerk bait.

Make no mistake, we expect to catch some heavy trout in March while wading and drifting. You would be surprised how many big trout we release in East Matagorda Bay while jigging soft plastics out of the boat.

Redfish are usually everywhere. Move to the mouths of the lakes. The water and bait will be pouring out of the back lakes and the fish ride with the tide and bait. Camp out and wait for the redfish to come through. Spots like Lake Austin, Oyster Lake, Crab Lake and Boggy are great March hideouts. Make long drifts with soft plastics under a popping cork, or anchor on reefs. The cool thing is we can still catch fish when the wind blows hard.

Redfish are not the only drum in abundance in March, juvenile black drum, the eating kind, frequent reefs in West Matagorda Bay. Twin Islands, Shell Island and Oyster Lake are all proven drum haunts in March. Live shrimp under a popping cork is the best bet.

Over-sized black drum, those over 30 inches, are the spawners and are only catch-and-release, but that doesn’t mean they are any less fun to catch. Big black bruisers frequent the channels, rivers and jetties leading to the Gulf, and a cracked blue crab is the most popular offering.

We never discount West Matagorda Bay this time of year. Trout hang on the edges of the guts and sloughs and we gingerly wade these areas with plastics and Corkys. West Bay's grass shorelines hold fishable water when spring blusters blow; and, depending how mild March becomes, the first signs of glass minnows could show around Spring Break.

Spring Break in Matagorda comes alive with lots of families spending time together on the water and on the beach. We will run both morning and afternoon trips and are kid and family friendly.

We are excited to see what 2025 will bring with warmer temps. Our fishery is in better shape than it was in 2024. We have seen some really good catches during the winter of 2024 and on in to 2025.

It is encouraging and a credit to sound conservation and better attitudes of taking care of our fishery and giving more fish a chance to grow and reproduce through catch and release. Much like America, our fishery is improving daily. Keep treating our bays and beaches like you would your backyard bass pond. Catch and release is cool.

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