The View: November 2017

November is my favorite month in Matagorda. Very few places in Texas, or anywhere in this world, offers world-class duck hunting in the morning and world-class trout and redfish action in the afternoon. It's a heckuva place to live and make a living. I feel blessed.

Birds will work throughout the month over solid trout. East Bay, West Bay, and Tres Palacios Bay all are players and all will give up limits of trout on topwaters and soft plastics. Mid-bay reefs have produced heavy trout while wading with topwaters and soft plastics such as Down South Lures, Lil' Johns and Bass Assassins.

West Matagorda Bay has been hot for limits of trout over shell while wading. Good stringers have come from around the Cedars and City Slickers on Super Spooks, She Dogs, Top Dogs and Skitter Walks.

The Colorado River is clearing and greening up which normally spells good catches of trout under lights at night from the piers. During the day, trout to 20-inches have been found on Hogies, Bass Assassins and Lil' Johns.

Good numbers of fish will be in the Diversion Channel this month. It's a lot like bass fishing - pitching baits to timber and fallen logs from previous river rises. Don't be afraid to toss a topwater along the bank. Solid trout hang on the edge in 5-8 feet of water and will bang a Super Spook, Skitter Walk or She Pup.

Waders have found good fish in West Matagorda Bay while wading the south shoreline and casting to points of shell. Topwaters and soft plastics have been the ticket.

Half-Moon Reef in West Bay is always good when the wind allows. This month, soft plastics and topwaters are a good bet and don't be surprised to find birds working near the reef.

Bull redfish have been found along the beachfront. All the jetties are players as well. The Matagorda jetties are holding lots of redfish on cracked blue crabs, mullet and fresh table shrimp. As always, this time of year encourages slot-sized redfish to school in bunches of two dozen or more along the grass line. Spots like Shell Island, Twin Island, Cut Off Flats and Zipperian Bayou in Matagorda are usually very productive. Mud Lake and Crab Lake are players along the shoreline with live shrimp.

When the wind blows stiff from the south many boaters have worked the points and sloughs with live shrimp fished right along the grass line.

Spots like Boiler Bayou, Don's Pipeline and Alice are holding good numbers of Gulf trout. Their white fillets are perfect in ceviche and also battered and fried in peanut oil. Good numbers can be found along the beachfront on fresh dead shrimp or plum plastics.

Most November days will be spent duck or goose hunting the mornings and fishing the afternoons. Afternoon fishing is just as profitable; and, few things rival a fish blowing up a topwater while the sun goes down. I don't plan on getting much sleep.

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