Fish Talk: May 2012

May should be an excellent month to be on the water, with fishing patterns similar to April, hopefully with maybe more angler-friendly wind and definitely warmer water and primo tides. One noteworthy tidbit is that we were blessed to get rain at the right time, which I am sure you will recall did not happen last year. All of our fish should be energized at this time along with a vicious appetite.

I normally get into a lot of topwater action in May by using the smaller lures such as MirrOlure Pups, Super Spook Jrs, and the smaller Skitter Walk. Most of our baitfish is small this time of year and it is important to "match the hatch" if you want to better your catching chances. Another great bait is the MirrOdine, also made by MirrOlure. It's a shad imitator that looks like the real thing swimming in the water.

With the degree of wind and rain the last couple of months, most fishermen did well using live shrimp and plastics under Rattlin' Corks while drifting scattered shell in East Matagorda Bay. In fact, drift fishermen caught more fish and better quality than the wade fishermen. There were a few big girls hooked wading the shorelines but not like we've enjoyed in previous years.

Even when wading the reefs, the numbers of fish we caught were off. I'm expecting May to be more favorable. I know East Matagorda Bay is full of quality fish but for some reason they just did not move to the shorelines or reefs like they have in past years. For whatever reason they seemed to stay put out in the middle of the bay.

I personally will try to wade fish the shorelines and reefs during May because I know when that light switch turns on, it will be awesome. Another thing to remember when drifting in East Matagorda Bay is that if you start catching a few fish; don't be afraid to throw a topwater. I have caught trout up to thirty inches drifting over scattered shell and throwing tops. When Bink Grimes is drifting this time of year his go-to is usually a topwater bait and that ought to tell you something. When that first twenty-five to thirty inch trout hits the boat it looks like a Chinese fire drill because everyone is scrambling for whatever topwater is working. I've done it myself many times so don't overlook this opportunity. I will be using more tops in May than any other month.

The glass minnow run is in full swing and the trout should be on them like tigers over in West Matagorda Bay. Try to fish the incoming tide as much as possible focusing on the sand bars and grass beds along the south shoreline. Be on the lookout for pelicans diving. The redfish should be on the shorelines and back lakes. Oyster Lake is another prime area to check out.

Jimmy Burns of Waterloo Rods built me a six foot custom rod that I have nicknamed the Waterloo SLAMMER. This rod is light and strong, has a fast tip, and can be used all day throwing top waters. You can actually launch a Super Spook into outer space with this stick and it is dynamite on plastics as well. I own three of them and they all work the same. Thanks Jimmy for a great product!