June Promises Wide-Open Fishing Opportunity

Headlining the list this month has to be red snapper. I’m still pinching myself – who’d have ever dreamed we’d be enjoying a projected 82-day season this summer? The season will open June 1 and, if all goes according to TPWD’s harvest estimates, should last through August 21.

Projected is a key word. The harvest calculation includes factors such as fishable days, angler participation, angler success, and average weight of red snapper brought to the dock. The private boat recreational angling allocation is based on pounds, not actual numbers of fish. So, while the season has been projected to run 82-days, any significant variation that might arise from the host of factors that influence the actual harvest could possibly bring a closure earlier than August 21.

The opportunity to enjoy the full 82-day projected season can be enhanced through voluntary angler harvest reporting. The feds are always padding harvest projections in attempt to preclude overharvest of allocations. Recreational anglers should take heed and report their catches via iSnapper and other trip reporting apps so that accurate harvest data can be obtained. They should also be courteous and provide accurate information if asked to participate in dockside or on-the-water surveys.

Release mortality is another big factor and it’s also in the projection. Anglers are encouraged to use descending devices to release snapper suffering obvious signs of barotrauma. That old trick of stabbing them with a deflating tool does little more than convey a death sentence, even if the fish appears to swim away.

Bottomline: This is a great opportunity to enjoy longer red snapper seasons – let’s try not to blow it!

Also headlining June opportunity will be some of the year’s best nearshore opportunity for king mackerel, ling, Spanish mackerel, and those line-stretching bonita. There’s nothing quite like finding kings prowling the end of the jetties on light tackle. And who’d ever want to pass a shot at tarpon rolling off the third bar?

Bay and surf opportunity for trout and redfish can be nothing short of a guarantee in June. Tides are generous, especially around new and full moons. We like to hit the Port O’Connor jetty for bull reds and jack crevalle at first light on strong incoming tides and then while away the rest of the morning looking for tripletail around platforms and channel markers in West Matagorda.

Perhaps more than anything, June is a fantastic month for family fishing trips. The weather will be pleasant most days – unlike the sultry days coming later in summer.

If you haven’t already taken care of this, you need to get the whole family registered for the CCA Texas STAR Tournament…before making the first big trip of summer!

College scholarships for winners of the youth division are up for grabs and what family budget wouldn’t welcome some help when it’s time for the kids to begin higher education?

The popular STAR Tagged Redfish Division offers five lucky anglers the chance to win a truck-boat-motor-trailer package, and five additional boat-motor-trailer prizes.

Get on the water!