Mansfield Report: June 2025

Greetings from Port Mansfield! Well, we’ve made it through spring and summer is here. Seriously, where does the time go? With time seeming to pass faster and faster we should all cherish each day like it’s our last – whether on the water or off. Some might think fishing as many days as a guide does it would turn into the same old thing but the truth is it’s never the same. Each sunrise is unique and beautiful in its own way and each day’s water and weather conditions have their own set of signals that must be decoded. So much for “same old” and no time to grow bored in this beautiful place we have down here.

As of this writing I would say our bay is in rather good shape. We still have brackish water lingering because of the torrential rains we experienced in late April. I became a little concerned since I figured the freshwater would dissipate quicker, but as of this writing it is still around. That said, we are still catching fish, and good fish at that.

If we are fishing in saltier water, say high on the eastside away from the freshwater runoff zones, our topwater action has been phenomenal. Keeping in mind that it is not every spot or every cast; the fish have been in small “sweet spots” scattered along the sandy flats. You may go one hundred yards or better with limited action and then you get into a stretch of good reds and trout. Usually this lasts about 15-20 minutes and then it fades. I believe the fish are on the move, not holding in any one particular area. One thing worth noting is the mullet are also in what I like to call small “rafts” described as a school of mostly larger mullet swimming at or near the surface. Big trout tend to hang under or just to the side of these rafts.

Now, in the west side freshwater runoff zone, we have better success with soft plastics. I suspect this is because the water is saltier, down lower in the water column. If the water is super shallow, say over a grassy flat, we can get them on topwaters, and such was the case for Shaun McDaniel (see photo).

We were fishing a slow period in a huge back bay in about thigh deep water with little action. I decided we needed to make a move, during which we ran across what I call a tabletop – a small, shallow area surrounded by deeper water. Running along, I noticed a large wake and suspected it was a redfish. Lo and behold, catching up to it, I could see it was a huge trout.

As seconds passed and I processed what I had seen, I also observed several more large wakes but was unable to confirm the species making them. After about three hundred yards it dawned on me to make a wide swing, go back around and set up to make a wade just off the line I had been running. I figured it would be worth the stop, just to see what might happen.

Stopping in barely calf-deep water, I explained to the guys what I had witnessed and my strategy on how to approach the area. We all eased forward and started working Mansfield Knockers over the big grassy tabletop that contained several small potholes. Shaun made fewer than five casts before he was connected with a massive fish. Based on the bend of the rod and the circular movements I suspected a big redfish. Luckily, I was mistaken. Turns out it was what every coastal angler wishes they could encounter – a trout comfortably measuring greater than thirty inches.

It should be noted that this fish was hooked on the top of the head, supporting the fact it was not feeding but possibly only frustrated with the Mansfield Knocker. We have probably all seen fish knock a topwater out of the water without getting hooked, but this one wasn’t so lucky. We snapped a few photos and quickly released her back to her habitat. We continued and I had six big toilet bowl flushes on my own Mansfield Knocker but zero connections. Others in the group had similar results.

Our luck as a group was not the best since the fish were not feeding, but Shaun’s luck was definitely running 100%