Reports & Forecasts: June 2022

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
James says the wading has been good in his area this spring, and that he expects it to continue into June, but also that he anticipates the onset of the productivity of deeper water, structure-related patterns. “We've been catching well lately on a variety of hard baits, including small topwaters and sinking twitch-baits, working areas with a firm, sandy bottom and either sparse amounts of grass or scattered shell. We'll continue to wade these areas in June, especially early in the mornings. The bite is usually best if the tide is coming in, and already somewhat high. This kind of fishing can become the only way to catch much if it's windy. But, once the winds settle on a regular basis, the productivity out in the deeper waters of Lower Galveston Bay, parts of East Bay, around the Texas City Dike and other places will pick up. Out there, it's necessary to key on slicks and other signs, also use reliable maps to locate some of the structures. Setting up on the structures the right way, to allow for presenting lures in specific places, moving in the right direction is a big key to catching on those patterns.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Jim says the fish have moved out onto the reefs in the middle, and he expects that pattern to produce good catching in June, if winds relax a little. “If we get some typical June days, with light winds in the mornings, the fishing should be good out around the reefs. When fishing those areas, it's critical to pay attention to the slicks. And not just in a generic way. You have to add up the wind and current and figure out where the slicks first popped up, then work upwind and upcurrent of those places. In lots of cases, you can catch 'em however you want to, if you get into the schools, but topwaters and soft plastics work best, on average. Of course, if it's windier, wading will be better. If we get lots of days with south and southwest winds, places like Campbell's Bayou, Dollar Flats and flats in the lee of the land masses in Upper Galveston Bay will produce best. And the surf should be good too. If winds are light, it won't much matter where. If winds are stronger, and there's no east in 'em, the Bolivar Pocket will be best.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
On the day Randall gave this report, he said winds had blown 30 mph while he was on the water with his customers, but they still caught their fish. “On the windy days, it's tougher. But usually, we get consistently better conditions by the time June rolls around. It's a great month for fishing the surf and on the flats behind the pass. One of the best keys indicating high potential for catching is a green tide coming in during the morning hours. This time of year, we anticipate the arrival of both menhaden and ribbonfish. Areas with both of those present in June usually hold plenty of all three of the main species we target—trout, reds, and flounder. In the best-case scenarios, throwing topwaters like pearl SkitterWalks will produce plenty of fish, and that's the most fun and exciting way to catch 'em. If the wind is up and/or the water looks less good, Norton Sand Eels in glow work better, on average. And, in the toughest cases, we won't hesitate to pull out the cast net and get some of the menhaden. In almost all cases, fresh live menhaden will produce plenty of bites from all three of the target species.”

Matagorda | Bay Guide Service
Tommy Countz- 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037
As with almost every month, Tommy describes several consistently productive patterns which work well in the Matagorda area in the transition time between spring and summer. “Drifting open areas of both bays produces well this time of year, especially when winds are relatively light. In East Bay, the key is to stay around the main reefs, close enough to have a mix of scattered shell and mud on the bottom. Throwing jigheads heavy enough to maintain contact with the bottom works best. In West Bay, the relatively new, artificial reefs hold plenty of fish this time of year too. If it's windier, wading is often a better option. Over in West Bay, low tides make the fishing for redfish better, concentrating the fish in the deeper guts leading into the coves. Higher tides scatter the fish somewhat, but make accessing the mouths of the coves easier. Topwaters work great for both trout and reds early in the shallows. Dark soft plastics on light jigheads tossed repeatedly at grass beds close to the bank work better toward the middle of the day. The key is often to leave a grass bed alone for a while after catching fish around it, then returning later.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
High winds over recent weeks have caused us to focus mainly on catching red and black drum. We've been targeting them around reefs in shallow water along shorelines, in back bays, and in sloughs, for best results. We're dangling fresh dead shrimp about a foot under a popping cork to get most of our bites. Lots of sixteen to eighteen-inch drum have been coming to the boat. The reds have been biting well in the same kinds of areas, but they take live shrimp more readily than dead shrimp. Winds have blown out many of the areas where we usually target the trout, but by June, conditions will likely have calmed somewhat. Then, we'll be able to access the deep well pads and reefs out in West Matagorda Bay, which should be full of fish, since they've been largely ignored during this windy spell. We should begin to have conditions which make the surf right this month too. And our fishing and gigging for flounder should also improve as lighter winds allow the water in the local bays to clear somewhat. The structures out in West Matagorda Bay also hold plenty of tripletail starting in June, giving us another productive option.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434
Lynn has been fishing well south of town in the weeks prior to offering this June outlook, and he intends to continue fishing those areas, but he mentions two other great options at the beginning of summer. “With Cedar Bayou flowing again, the flats in Mesquite Bay offer great potential, as do the reefs and pockets in the smaller bays adjacent to it, and the shorelines in San Antonio Bay in that same area. But, in June, the surf can be better than any of those places, so we always keep our eye on the weather and stay ready to head that way. When it's right, we like to wade early right on the beach, throwing topwaters in the shallowest gut, then move out a little bit once the bite slows down, throwing soft plastics and other lures in the deeper guts. And,we like to spend some time fishing the flats and bars inside the pass this time of year too. If the tide is coming in good in the morning, we catch plenty of trout and reds throwing topwaters at potholes in the grass on the flats, or at grassy spots on the spines of the bars.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
In June, several options offer great potential for catching trout and redfish in the Coastal Bend bays around Rockport, Blake mentions. “We like to fish the surf quite a bit if we can this month. This is the first really consistent month out there, because the weather usually cooperates on a more regular basis than in earlier months. Fishing is best on the beachfront for trout early in the mornings, tight to the beach first, then out in the deeper guts later. Topwaters usually work well at first, then soft plastics or other submerged baits earn more strikes later. If it's too windy to make it around the end of the jetties and hit the surf, the fishing on flats on either side of Port Aransas often produce well, meaning East Flats and Super Flats. In those places, good incoming flow in the morning hours makes the bite best, especially on portions of the grassy bars with deeper water lying close to them. Lures work well this time of year, but it's also a prime month for catching trout on live croakers. So, it's another way for us to make something fun and productive out of summer fishing.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata – [email protected] – 361.563.1160
The month of June offers something positive for anyone who likes to fish saltwater. Action is consistently good this month, and my confidence in catching plenty of fish on a daily basis runs about as high as in any month of the year. Water temperatures run just about right for both trout and redfish to stay in water three feet deep or shallower much of the time. Some of the biggest trout will be spawning, and will move into water less than two-feet deep. This often places them along the inner grass lines close to shorelines, and in sandy potholes well up on shallow, grassy flats. This month, Catch 5s in natural colors work great, especially when floating grass is not much of an issue. If suspended or floating grass makes using them difficult, Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like trickster, salt&pepper/chartreuse and plum/chartreuse rigged on sixteenth-ounce Spring-lock jigheads work better. Wading is the way to approach trout in shallow areas like these, and it's wise to do so with some kind of protection for the legs, like ForEverLast RayGuards. Both red and black drum will provide fast action on shrimp-flavored Fish-bites in less than a foot of water.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez - www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230
In June, a variety of excellent options exist for anglers targeting redfish and trout in the ULM, Corpus Christi Bay and Baffin Bay, according to Joe. “In the ULM, areas around the mouth of the Land Cut and just north of there produce good catches of both reds and trout. All the rocks in the shallows along the west shoreline hold fish on a daily basis, as do some of the spoils lying east of the ICW. The really shallow flats like those around the Middle Grounds and at Yarbrough are also productive at times, especially when tide levels fall out. On those flats, sight-casting is easier than on the spoils or along the west shore. In Baffin, all the major rock formations like Cathead and East Kleberg produce plenty of trout, especially when winds are somewhat light. The shallow parts of the flats associated with those rocks and in the Badlands are usually loaded with reds. Farther north, the deeper waters of both Emmord's and Beacroft's holes produce good catches, mostly trout, for folks who don't want to run so far south. We're heading into the time when the flats on the Corpus Bay side of Demit Island become really productive too.”

P. I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361-877-3583 | Oceanepics.com
June can be a red-hot month in the surf with a variety of species. Muscular, giant specks roam the guts along the beach this month, often biting topwaters early on calm days, especially around deep holes and breaks in the bars which connect the guts. Redfish and jack crevalle will be around, but their numbers begin to dwindle around the start of summer. They'll bite lures like gold and silver spoons in large sizes. Tarpon begin to make their way into the surf on a regular basis this month too, and are easiest to catch on live mullet. The balls of bait will become more and more plentiful in the heat, and Spanish mackerel, skipjacks and bluefish will be following them. This month is also a good one in which to target multiple species of big sharks. Tigers, great hammerheads, lemons and bulls will all be present, and of course feeding. Deploying big baits is a key to catching these monsters, and keeps smaller species from stealing baits. All these sharks have a taste for roughtail and southern stingrays, both of which can reach weights above 200 pounds and come into the guts in June to drop their pups.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431
Getaway Adventures Lodge - 956.944.4000
Summer patterns are already developing in South Texas, meaning we generally have light winds in the mornings, then onshore winds around 20 mph in the afternoons. Down south, when the water levels allow for safe access to Peyton's Bay, it's a good place to start. Topwater action can be good in that area. Lots of floating grass will require the use of single hooks. The area behind the cabins in the Saucer is another good morning spot. Over there, topwaters and soft plastics both work well, especially KWiggler ball-tail shads in Mansfield Margarita rigged on eighth-ounce jigheads. In the Saucer, large sandy areas often hold plenty of reds, and they bite quarter-ounce gold, weedless spoons readily. Another great area is the deeper water north of the Saucer, east of Bennie's Island. In the potholes out there, both trout and redfish retreat to avoid the heat of the day, once the sun gets high overhead. Up north, the areas around the Weather Station and just north of Butcher's Island both hold plenty of fish. Finding them there often means keying on slicks. The breaks into deep water from the shallow flats around Wagner's Bar and Dubb's Island are also productive later in the day.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956-639-1941
With warming air temperatures but still fairly cool water temperatures, the trout fishing in the LLM has remained consistent on flats with water ranging from about one to two-feet deep. We're catching best in areas with an abundance of sandy potholes breaking up the grass on the bottom, where we're finding lots of bait. Our best lure lately has been a plum/chartreuse KWiggler Ball-tail rigged on an eighth-ounce screw-lock jighead. Since we're fishing so shallow, we're using pretty fast, erratic retrieves, and getting mostly reaction strikes. We've been finding redfish in most all the places where we have oyster shell surrounded by a muddy bottom. Our best bite has been along windward shorelines fairly late in the day, after the wind pushes small baitfish toward the bank. We've had plenty of days when we've been able to catch good numbers of reds out of just one pothole. For the reds, we're using sixteenth-ounce jigheads with our plum/chartreuse Ball-tails, working them slow, to keep them in contact with the bottom. Fluctuating tide levels and rising water temperatures will likely put the fish on the move, and deeper water should start to produce more bites as things heat up.