Hooked Up: June 2025

Ideal wet-wading weather is upon us and I am really enjoying getting home at the end of the day and effortlessly transitioning from the bay to the swimming pool. I hope you all are finding some way to keep cool, both on and off the water.

Summer heat really has not set in yet, but it’s already beginning to feel like summertime in South Texas. Water temps are hanging in the low 80s and every other trout I catch has a smile on her face, which tells me they are as happy to play along right now as I am to put you comfortably amongst them.

June is a month that allows for lots of quality catching. Most of the trout are looking thinner due to a couple months of spawning activity but they are not any shorter in length. If you or someone you know holds with 30-inches as the gold standard for judging trophy quality, you will have as good a chance of attaining it right now as any other time of the year. They won’t be as heavy as in March and April but the accomplishment is the same.

The greatest aspect of June fishing is the sheer numbers of bites. The weather is not so hot that the fish are seeking deeper refuges as soon as the sun breaks over Padre Island. In fact, under good conditions, you can stay in a trout bite all day with a good mix of flounder and reds to keep it interesting.

For sportsmen that love to wade and want to get their kids to enjoy it alongside them, there is no better time than the present to lure them into the water. With so many trout holding in shallow water, even the smallest kids can find a way to

get into the action. Even if the bite is on the slow side, they are still easily entertained by all the creatures they get to see in the water, or a good swim to help get them refocused on the task at hand.

Just about any style of wading can be productive right now as fish will be just about anywhere the water is wet. That’s a joke, of course, but I’m sure you get my drift. Everything from deep drop-offs to knee-deep potholes, rock structures and shorelines; trout will be available just about anywhere you have a good bait supply. Outside of a bad moon phase (i.e.1-3 days following full moon), or when they decide to get on a nocturnal pattern, there is potential for all-day catching this month.

My fishing style is always to catch the biggest available at any time of the year. Unless a client says let’s just get lots of bites I’m hard-wired for big bites. My ideal setup is starting on something that has really shallow structure with access to deeper water within the distance of a long cast. Many areas along the south shoreline of Baffin fit this bill perfectly, as does the very rocky shoreline of the Kenedy Ranch just south of Baffin. Other ideal scenarios are along the ICW spoil islands from the Land Cut north to Bird Island Basin.

If you are savvy about the areas I write about, you will know that there are also lots of little sand bars and humps all across the bottom of this bay system that boats just blast by without so little as a casual glance. On high traffic days, these little jewels can turn a tough day into something memorable in short order. Some of these are so discreet that many folks will never make the discovery unless fishing with someone who is on the water every day.

Take for example a ridge or trough of less than a foot extending from a major piece of structure; I’ve had days where every bite came from one of these. This is not something you are going to learn from the elevated platform of a tower boat. Wade it, feel it, visualize it to understand it.

Live bait season is upon us and many fish will be caught from the boat. Trout are

resilient when handled with a little care. Land them with a Boga Grip instead of a net. And for God’s sake don’t let them flop all over a hot deck. Keep them in the water as much as possible when making photos. How long can you hold your breath?