The View: May 2025

Matagorda anglers are always trying to get in the middle of East Matagorda Bay in five feet of water because there is always a chance of catching a speckled trout as long as your arm. That’s a good plan for May. Smile, make a photo, then let her go. Keep smiling, keep talking about how big she was and then pat yourself on the back for taking care of our natural resources. That’s what most Texans are doing these days. My how times have changed in the last decade with regards to our attitudes toward catch and release since the killer freeze of February 2021.

We applaud everyone. Our bays are returning to normal and better fish are being caught. Now let’s talk about where to catch them: When tides are above normal the east end of East Matagorda Bay around Brown Cedar Flats seems to hold more fish while the west end around Raymond Shoals holds bigger fish on low tides.

Best baits have been a GULP! or live shrimp under a popping cork, but Bass Assassins, Down South Lures, Hogie’s and MirrOlure Lil' Johns have also worked very well. When the wind blows harder than 15 knots from the south the best option is to wade West Matagorda Bay. Grass beds along the south shoreline hold clean water, but it’s the dingy water that actually hold most of the fish.

Afternoon incoming tides usher in wads of glass minnows and trout follow the minnows.

Back-lakes are holding beautiful reds while wading or drifting. If you wade you can really stay with a school and keep from dispersing the crowd with hull slap from your boat. If you must fish from a boat, make long casts with plastics or shrimp under cork. Aim for the potholes in the sand.

Reefs along the north and south shorelines of West Matagorda Bay hold large concentrations of reds. Popping corks with about a foot of leader and a live shrimp have been deadly. Lure guys are chunking gold spoons, broken-backs, soft plastics and Humpbacks.

Dragging the muddy bottom of sloughs and bayous has been the best bet for flounder. Spring tides have pushed more flatfish tight to the grass where they are dining on mud minnows, small shrimp and glass minnows. Work the same terrain off the Intracoastal and around Brown Cedar Flats near Sargent.

Offshore guys like Capt. Michael Kubecka said wahoo are moving into the deeper rigs and around the Flower Gardens. Swordfish bite has been good along the Hilltops. Tilefish and barrelfish are good while dropping in 900-1000 ft.

Never pass a chance to head to the surf during May. It doesn’t happen every year, but there have been a few campaigns where we were able to work the gulf surf in May and we did exceptionally well. With water temps already in the low- to mid-70s for most of April, the fish are already there, we just need light winds and placid seas to allow us to cast to the first gut.

I’ll be giving my weekly Middle Coast report on the Texas Insider Fishing Report on Space City Houston Network and the Fan Duel SW channel (DFW area) April-September. Show times are Thursday through Saturdays and usually run before or after the Astros telecast. It’s a great real-time report to supplement with Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

Please keep releasing more than you take and treat our bays like it’s your own backyard.