Port Mansfield: June 2026
Joel Hron from Louisiana landed his career-best trout recently.
Greetings from Port Mansfield! We have approached and are in the beginning stages of summer. As we slid out of late spring fishing, I was quite impressed with some of our trout maintaining solid weight, as water temperatures were already at 85° in late April. If I had to guess, about 30% of trout remained heavier than normal at the beginning of May.
June is the official beginning of my annual transition into summer fishing tactics. This means I will be starting each fishing day early and shallow. Water temperatures will be cooling somewhat overnight, especially in the shallows. This means redfish and larger trout will be close to shorelines and will eagerly take topwaters and plastics rigged on light jig heads. Another benefit of June, as it relates to what I have just described, is lighter winds. With that in the equation, you can effectively and strategically work those shorelines and points associated with deep water. Springtime winds generally squash this play during March, April, and even May.
Another nugget to consider, especially since our daytime water temperatures are in the mid-80s, is that we might have a chance at some snook action. This occurs more commonly in July, but in the last two years I have found a few in late June. The cool thing about fishing the Lower Laguna Madre is that you never know when you might connect with one of these acrobatic trophies.
Water levels in June will remain elevated, but less so than last month's spring tides, and typically generous enough to reach back lake areas for targeting podding redfish.
Our flounder population seems strong this year, as many folks are now picking them up consistently. Most are coming from small drains, and the rest are coming close to the ICW by anglers fishing plastics for trout and redfish. I have yet to see one over three pounds, but I bet there will be a few good ones showing up at the scales during local tournaments.
June is also generally considered a month to consistently catch lots of fish. It is usually calm in the mornings and becomes breezy in the afternoons. We start early along shorelines, and as the wind picks up, we simply get out to the thigh-deep stuff, working plastics and tops over potholes. Since we will have a bit of a breeze starting to blow late morning, you will have to exercise cast placement by casting between the floating grass lines that the wind will create. By applying this strategy, there is no doubt you will have a good opportunity to land some nice fish during your outing.
As I alluded to earlier about tournaments, there will be no shortage, and they are fun to participate in. That said, it does not hurt to exercise good tournament practices by considering a couple of things. One, if you can weigh your fish alive and release them alive, that is a good thing, and second, it may not be necessary to box every single fish just to weigh in one fish per species if that happens to be the format. I have seen incentives for anglers who weigh in fish alive and release them. This is impressive that some tournaments are doing this, and it just makes sense. If we are fishing in a tournament, we simply release any fish that is smaller than the one we currently have in the live well. We all know how many anglers there are on the water these days, plus an increase in tournaments, so it does not hurt to do our part.
Best baits and setups are still Mansfield Knockers paired with a Fishing Tackle Unlimited G2 Green Rod (Classic or Corky model) with a Shimano Metanium reel, spooled with Fins XL or Windtamer 20 lb braid. That combo right there will get it done without a doubt. For those who like to focus on the finer points and frequently use plastic baits, the FTU G2 Green Rod Finesse model is worth considering because it’s designed specifically for plastics. As of late, the KWigglers 4-inch paddle tail and Wig-A-Lo Juniors have been on point.
Until next time, remember fresh is better than frozen.
