Mansfield Report: July 2025

Greetings from Port Mansfield! Well, I’m sure by now you’re aware that we are in full-blown summertime mode and it seemed to get underway a bit early this year. I cannot recall seeing water temperatures this warm this early in the season. Mid-May I documented 90° water temperatures on our flats, which launched summer feeding patterns earlier than normal. What I mean is we did not have the gradual springtime warming trend leading into summer; we just jumped right into summer. I noted fish already holding deeper in May, which we usually don’t see until late-June. This had me frowning somewhat, since I love to stay shallow, but this heat forced me to the waist deep stuff. Sure, we had some good stuff going on in the shallows, but about 70% of the better fish were consistently deeper.

As of this writing, and speaking of shallow water stuff, I’ve been on some good schools of redfish in the back-lakes. We had a little drop in the tide lately and this put those big reds in the deeper regions of the lakes where they were easy to find. I was recently explaining how to approach schooling reds should you happen to run past a school on plane.

If you bust right through the middle it’s hard to get on them as they’re likely scattered in all directions. However, if you’re lucky to only cruise along the edge, your wake and prop wash simply pushes them away from your track. I have been fortunate to just swing wide and wade back down, just off your propwash line by 20-40 yards. We did just that recently and it worked out perfectly, topwater action at its finest – see photo.

Moving farther into summer, I am confident that our trout fishery will continue to provide consistent action with plenty of fish in the 20- to 24-inch range. Fish of twenty-eight inches and longer are still pretty rare but not unheard of. Knowing one could come on any cast keeps us focused for sure.

July kicks off the opportunity to land a Texas snook. We haven’t run across any yet but I suspect it will happen soon enough. Last year was a little disappointing for big snook but we did stumble upon quite a few in the 16– to 20-inch range. Last year was my first experience with so many small ones; in years past they were almost all longer than 20 inches. Hopefully this year will be better.

In addition to snook, July also delivers a chance at a tarpon. Not a common occurrence but it certainly can and has happened. Now, you may not land a tarpon, but jumping one definitely gets the blood flowing. I would like to point out to those who might be wondering what gear can manage big snook or even tarpon in the bay; I have landed tarpon up to fifteen pounds and snook up to thirteen pounds on my Fishing Tackle Unlimited Green Rod rigged with both Shimano baitcast and spinning reels spooled with 20lb braid. The key to landing big fish like this is not necessarily the line weight or rod and reel combo, it’s more about the strength (30-pound) and quality of the leader material you are using. Try not to get too excited, take your time and play the fish carefully. Simply put, do not rush it!

Judging by May and June weather thus far, I’m thinking we will have to get out a little earlier during July. That said, I will be setting up on bars and troughs that lie parallel to shorelines, especially those with deep water access and submerged points, as much as the wind will allow. This is a perfect summertime setup as this type of structure typically provides plenty of current. You could be working a big spoil island along the ICW or any zone on the west shoreline of the Laguna. Anglers can start shallow and ease deeper as the water temperatures rise and the fish start to transition to deep grass beds or fall off into the ICW.

Wrapping up, I would like to point out this year is the 50^th anniversary for the Port Mansfield Chamber of Commerce Fishing Tournament and they are guaranteeing a $10,000.00 payout ($5k for bay and $5k for offshore). It is a fun-filled two-day event, so if you want a shot at a trophy and a little cash consider coming down and joining the fun on July 24-26, 2025.