Monster Snook, Mini Tarpon LOWER LAGUNA MADRE

Reported by CAPT. BRIAN BARRERA e downside to the bay system is that ge ing to these places can be a li le sporty, so you have to use your common sense and take your time in this bay when the winds are up. All in all, this time of year is one of the most enjoyable shing seasons. Get out, enjoy the sunshine and catch some sh!

MAY AND JUNE ARE good, really good, for more than one reason. First o , we’re nally ge ing into some consistent weather, warm weather. With this change and higher water temperatures we can count on the sh showing up to their local summer hunting grounds looking to eat, especially in low light conditions such as early morning and late evenings.

I make the transition myself, and rather than shing the warmest part of the day, as I do during the winter months, I start to sh the coolest parts of the day.

Ba n Bay is a rather large bay system, composed of several ngers that will almost always allow you to sh out of the big winds.

CONTACT CAPT. MERRITT:

Email: GeradMerritt@gmail.com Online: ParadiseGuideServices.com ese sh are usually in the 10-30 pound range and can be fooled with a DOA TerrorEyz in the rootbeer color, a so plastic or live shrimp, or a fresh live nger mullet. ey’re not too big, like the ones we get mid-summer and fall, but ghting them on your average trout tackle can be an absolute blast! e best way to target these red sh and tarpon are with a DOA Bait Buster, in a glow or rootbeer color, or a skyline jig weighted circle hook with a live nger mullet.

Whether it be the break of dawn or the golden hours of the evening sunsets, it seems that the big sh tend to be fooled most around those hours.

What am I shing for? I’m glad you asked. I’m always chasing red sh and speckled trout, that’s a year round thing. But I get excited about May because the smaller tarpon start to roll in, or the ones that are already here get a lot more active and start showing (rolling) more o en and consistently.

Mid May through June I do a lot of snook shing, early in the mornings, targeting dock pilings and shallow submerged structure with top waters and light jigs hoping to entice a big one to eat. Once the weather gets hot and sweaty out and I feel the sh are starting to go deep for the day, I enjoy spreading the cast net and le ing a few live baits y, the right live bait, in the right spot, can save the day really quick.

Early to late June you can always count on nding some solid bull reds at the inlet along with some juvenile tarpon on some mornings. ese tarpon tend to be slightly bigger (50-80 pounds) as they are “migratory sh” rather than the local juveniles that stay year round.

CONTACT CAPT. BARRERA:

Email: CaptBrianBFishing@gmail.com

Online: InshoreFishingSouthPadre.com

Lower Coast Hotspots

LOCATION: Arroyo City

HOTSPOT: Peyton Bay

GPS: N 26 26.122, W 97 22.3519 (26.4354, -97.3725)

Hotspotlight

South Bay

SOUTH BAY IS THE SOUTHERNMOST BAY ON THE TEXAS COAST, AND IS AN extensiion of the Lower Laguna Madre. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Brazos Island. It is accessed via South Bay Pass, off the Brownsville Ship Channel. Selected HOTSPOTS are shown in the table below, and on the map.

SPECIES: Speckled trout

BEST BAITS: Corkys and Croaker

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas Fishgame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: For big, sow trout, fish drop-offs and sand bars, old bellies and guts where mainly the big trout usually come through May to spawn.

LOCATION: Baffin Bay

HOTSPOT: Kieberg Point Rocks

GPS: N 27 17.337, W 97 35.202 (27.2890, -97.5867)

SOURCE: TEXAS LAKES & BAYS FISHING ATLAS

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Live Croaker or Live Shrimp

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas Fishgame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: Freeline the croaker using a chatter weight. Use a foot-long leader under the cork, if the depth of

Lower Coast

the water will accommodate that length—You want just enough leader length to keep the bait off the bottom.

LOCATION: Baffin Bay

HOTSPOT: South Shore Rocks

GPS: N 27 14.436, W 97 33.568 (27.2406, 97.5595)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Live Croaker

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas Fishgame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: Berkley Gulp, white, under the popping cork will work if live shrimp are not available.

LOCATION: Baffin Bay

HOTSPOT: Center Reef

GPS: N 27 16.138, W 97 34.704 (27.2690, -97.5784)

Fishgame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: Super Spooks, Skitter Walks, She Dogs…it just depends on the wind. On a high wind, use a She Dog because it’s real loud.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre

HOTSPOT: Rattlesnake Bay

GPS: N 26 18.613, W 97 19.453 (26.3102, -97.3242)

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre

HOTSPOT: Dunkin House

GPS: N 26 18.034, W 97 17.808 (26.3006, -97.2968)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Live Croaker

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas Fishgame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: Sometimes the trout will be hitting right as the sun is coming up. Other times it takes a little while till about 8:15, 8:30 a.m. Capt. Little

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre

HOTSPOT: Green Island

GPS: N 26 23.5379, W 97 19.465 (26.3923, -97.3244)

SPECIES: Speckled trout

BEST BAITS: Big topwater lures

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas Fishgame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: Good spot to wade. Color doesn’t really matters, but you can’t go wrong with pink, white, or any natural bait fish color.

LOCATION: Middle Ground

HOTSPOT: Dubb’s Island

GPS: N 26 43.48, W 97 25.642 (26.7247, -97.4274)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Gulp under a Popping Cork

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

Fishgame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: A lot of fish are caught here using a popping cork with Gulp whenever the wind comes up.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre

HOTSPOT: North Cullen Bay

GPS: N 26 16.9939, W 97 19.5979 (26.2832, -97.3266)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Topwaters, red/white soft plastics on 101/8 oz. leadhead; all day

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

Fishgame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: Topwaters, red/white soft plastics on 1/8 oz. leadhead; produces all day.

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Kelley Wigglers or Gulp under a Popping Cork

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas Fishgame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: Freshwater runoff creates algae masses grow in different little back bays we have down here. All the fish will be around the algae feeding on it.

LOCATION: South Padre Island

HOTSPOT: Long Bar

GPS: N 26 8.592, W 97 14.2249 (26.1432, -97.2371)

SPECIES: Speckled trout

BEST BAITS: Croaker

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas Fishgame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: Free line, or use a chatter weight with the croaker. Kind of thump it every 5-8 seconds.

SPECIES: Speckled trout

BEST BAITS: Big topwater lures

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

East Texas Hotspots

Reported by TF&G STAFF

LOCATION: Lake Bob Sandlin

HOTSPOT: Railroad Bridge

GPS: N 33 4.754, W 95 1.721 (33.0792, -95.0287)

SPECIES: Crappie

BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas Fishgame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: Live minnows, red, chartreuse jigs, bottom rigs; dusk

LOCATION: Lake Conroe

HOTSPOT: Main Lake

GPS: N 30 22.974, W 95 34.9259 (30.3829, -95.5821) www.fishdudetx.com

TIPS: Use electronics to find schools of shad and you will find the hybrid in the water column from 12 to 26 feet. Live shad or swimbaits and crankbaits work if you can control the depth.

LOCATION: Lake Cooper/Jim Chapman

HOTSPOT: John’s Creek

GPS: N 33 20.186, W 95 44.19 (33.3364, -95.7365)

LOCATION: Lake Fork

HOTSPOT: Little Caney Creek

GPS: N 32 50.112, W 95 33.6653 (32.8352, -95.5611)

SPECIES: Hybrid Stripers

BEST BAITS: Live shad, Swim Shad and crankbaits

SOURCE: Richard Tatsch 936-291-1277

SPECIES: Crappie

BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs

SOURCE: TPWD District Fisheries Office 903-593-5077

TIPS: Fish live minnows or white/chartreuse jigs. Hit the timber and weeds. Morning through afternoon.

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Crankbaits, topwater lures, Grande Bass Airtail Rattler, poppers and frogs

SOURCE: Lance Vick 903-312-0609 www.guideonlakefork.com

TIPS: Shad spawn early in the day, so use crankbaits and topwaters. Main lake points are best to find them feeding. When that is over, fish poppers and frogs in the creeks around flooded cover. If that’s not enough action, tie on a Carolina rig, put a Grande Bass Airtail Rattler on it and fish points and drop offs in 15 to 25 feet of water. Add a rattle in the tail.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston

HOTSPOT: 190 Road Bed

GPS: N 30 45.15, W 95 10.3206 (30.7525, -95.1720)

SPECIES: White Bass

BEST BAITS: Jigging slabs, spoons, troll pet spoon on down rigger, Tsunami Zombie Eyes (1 oz pink/silver glow)

SOURCE: David S. Cox, Palmetto Guide Service 936-291-9602 www.palmettoguideservice.com

TIPS: Key on old bridge rails, road bed 11-15 foot. Jig slabs and Tsunami Zombie Eyes off the bottom.

LOCATION: Lake Murvaul

HOTSPOT: Jones Branch

GPS: N 32 2.593, W 94 26.136 (32.0432, -94.4356)