Saltwater Fishing Report

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

SABINE LAKE: 87-88 degrees. Bull redfish are fair from the jetties on fresh cut mullet. Speckled trout and redfish are good on live shrimp around the ship channels and mud flats. Redfish are good on mullet and shrimp.

TRINITY BAY: 84-85 degrees. Speckled trout are good under the birds, and redfish are good around the flats on shrimp under a popping cork. Flounder are fair on mud min nows around the rocks.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: 84-85 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair over reefs on mullet or croaker. Bull redfish are good from the jetties on fresh shad.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: 84-85 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair to good on shrimp under a popping cork and topwaters.

TEXAS CITY: 84-86 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are fair to good along the shoreline on shrimp under a popping cork and soft plastics. Bull redfish are fair around the dike on mullet. Black drum are good on blue crab around deep structure.

FREEPORT: 86 degrees. Redfish are fair to good near reefs and drains on shrimp. Speckled trout are good around San Luis Pass on shrimp, MirrOlures and soft plastics.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: 86 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are fair drifting mudflats on live shrimp or croaker.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: 86 degrees. Red fish are good on live shrimp. Speckled trout are fair on soft plastics.

PORT O’CONNOR: 86 degrees. Speckled trout are fair to good on top-waters in 4-7 feet of water. Redfish are good on shrimp under a popping cork. Black drum are good on crab.

ROCKPORT: 84-85 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are good on shrimp and croaker, along with spoons and top-waters.

PORT ARANSAS: 87-88 degrees. Red fish and speckled trout are fair to good on spoons, top-waters, lipless crankbaits, shrimp and croaker. Black drum are good on crab around deep structure.

CORPUS CHRISTI: 85 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair to good on croaker or shrimp. Black drum are good on crab.

BAFFIN BAY: 90-91 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair on top-waters and soft plastics. Black drum are fair to good around the rocks on blue crab.

PORT MANSFIELD: 86-87 degrees. Speck led trout and redfish are fair to good working potholes with willow tail plastics and topwaters.

SOUTH PADRE: 82-83 degrees. Speckled trout are good on live and D.O.A. Shrimp. Black drum are good on blue crab. Redfish are good in the flats on shrimp under a pop ping cork.

PORT ISABEL: 85 degrees. Speckled trout are fair to good on shrimp under a popping cork. Redfish are good on shrimp or soft plastics. Black drum are good on blue crab around deep structure.

—TPWD

Continued from page 1

of chunking plastics pretty quickly.

“Ellie had not done much fishing with spinning tackle, as she was still used to using a Zebco-type reel with a push button,” Pekar said. “Luckily, Capt. Hagan did a fantastic job of giving her a hand throughout the duration of the day. “

Hagan said the 5-year-old took to the spinning reel fairly well.

“She was even pretty good at casting, although, she was having trouble getting a whole lot of distance out of her efforts,” he said.

Hagan’s solution to this was to cast the lure for her, and then to let her retrieve it.

“All morning I would cast, Ellie Pekar, 5, was excited when Capt. James Hagan was able to and then hand her the rod,” net her monster trout. Photo by Audrey Pekar. he said. “I would then cast another rod out and have it ready for her once she retrieved the lure with the one I had handed her first.” About mid-morning, Hagan made a cast for the young angler and then handed her the rod. After a few cranks on the reel, she told him, “I think I’ve got something.” “She had been snagging the grass and bottom a lot, so I told her to keep reeling to see what she had,” the guide said. “I noticed that her rod tip was bouncing and that her line was moving through the water, so I encouraged her to reel faster.” All of a sudden, her rod doubled over and the drag on the spinning reel began to scream. “At that point, I was sure she had hooked a nice redfish,” Hagan said. After circling the boat several times, the fish finally came up to the surface near the craft, and Hagan realized she had hooked a trout that most men only dream of catching. “I netted the fish, and that little girl was pumped up,” Hagan said. “It was so awesome to see her reaction.” Ellie’s father said their bay fishing trip with Hagan was definitely the first of many more saltwater outings to come. “Our kids are super competitive with one another and it definitely came out on the boat while they were catching trout and reds,” he said. “To see the look of pure joy on their faces when they landed each fish was what made the adventure so special.”

35 bands have been reported so far this season!

Sept. 1, 2020 THRU Jan. 23, 2021 Open to all hunters with a Texas hunting license to harvest a Eurasian Collared Dove with a TDHA band on its leg. Every band reported provides data for the TDHA Eurasian Collared Dove research project.

For more information: bandedbirdchallenge.com

ENTRIES CAN BE PURCHASED AT BANDEDBIRDCHALLENGE.COM OR AT ONE OF OUR PARTICIPATING RETAIL PARTNERS:

• Able’s Ammo, Huntsville • Buck & Does, San Antonio • Field & Stream, San Angelo • Los Cazadores:

Fredericksburg, Pearsall & Stonewall locations • Mumme’s, Hondo • Oasis Outback, Uvalde • Ranger Firearms, San Antonio • Sharp Shooters, Lubbock • Tackle Town, Rockport • Texas Outdoors, Fort Worth • Texas Wildlife Supply, Brady • Wheelers, Boerne