GALVESTON — East bay’s south shoreline has produced more trophy trout in spring than any of the other Galveston bays. According to Capt. Pat Murray, (who has led me on many a successful trip) “The south shoreline has everything speckled trout need to thrive. The close proximity to reefs, hard sand flats, and bayou mouths give this area a constant supply of food for specks and is great for spawning.” Murray also says that if you want to consistantly catch fish in this area you need to get out of the boat and wade. “East bay is a waders dream come true. On a good high tide fish will run the flats working schools of mullet, at this time a big topwater plug will draw the most strikes.” 
MATAGORDA — The flats of East Matagorda are also an excellent place for trout, but from Matagorda on down the coast, the emphasis is on redfish. And Matgorda has plenty of these tough gamefish to go around. Free lining live mullet is one of the favorite techniques of Matagorda regulars. The best results are often along the intracoastal waterway or shoreline flats. This time of year there is also excellent wading for the fisherman who knows his way around the shallow waters of East Matagorda for both redfish and Speckled trout. PORT O’CONNOR — Considered by many as the beginning of the lower coast, this area boast the grass flats and clear water that trout fishermen love to frequent. Broken-back lures and soft plastic shad tails are the most productive baits if you want to cash in on some fantastic redfish and speckled trout action on this part of the coast. ROCKPORT — Shallow grass and hard sand flats, crystal clear water, and what seems like an endless supply of redfish. If you’re planning a fishing vaction and this is what you’re looking for then Rockport is the place for you. Drifting the grass flats of this area is one of the more popular methods used for scoring easy limits of legal sized reds. Best baits are shrimp/shad tails in relatively clear colors such as rootbeer, cajun pepper, or chartreuse. Throwing broken-back lures while wading shallow shorelines is the best way to fill your stringer with nice sized specks. Work the baits along the top of the grass slowly and let the fish take it before setting the hook. With so much grass covering this shallow region, it can even be fished productively in winds that shut down other areas. One of the ways to catch fish during high winds is to anchor in an area adjacent to any of the many potholes. (A pothole is a sandy spot where there is no grass) These potholes stand out from the grass because they are lighter in color and will usually hold fish in the adjoining grass. CORPUS CHRISTI — Capt. David Green says, “It’s hard to find a day when you can’t catch fish here.” The area refered to by Green includes the Upper Laguna Madre and Bafin Bay, two of the hottest spots on the Texas coast right now for trophy speckled trout. Already fish of 30 inches and larger have been reported and according to Green there will be a lot more before the season ends. The last couple of years have seen a brown tide covering the Bafin area, but that has cleared and the big trout have moved into the bay. Live croaker and finger mullet have replaced the broken-back and MirrOlure in this region for big trout. The reason is the previous dealings with the aforementioned brown tide. Fishermen have showed that they’re willing and able to adapt to changing conditions to pursue their prey. And even with the water having cleared, live bait is king in this part of the coast. SOUTH PADRE — A fly fisherman’s dream come true, this portion of the lower coast is the best Texas has to offer if you’re into saltwater fly fishing. At this time of year, fish are cruising the flats looking for food. All that is required of you is to put something in front of them to eat. Experienced flyfishers have several patterns from which to choose when working the flats. Clouser Minnow, Sea Ducer, Crazy Charlie, or one of many shrimp and crab patterns, are all excellent flys for catching trout and redfish along the lower coast.
– Texas Saltwater Fishing Guide
