Reports & Forecasts: February 2026
Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
James had just completed a good run of fishing in the Galveston Bay complex to finish up 2025 when he gave this report. “We’ve been averaging about 24 trout per day, up to six pounds lately. It’s been good. The boat fishing was best through December. We caught best on Bass Assassin Sea Shads and Lil’ P&Vs in Flomingo Flash color. We’re wading almost all the time as of now, working mainly areas with a muddy bottom and at least a noticeable amount of bait present. When the tide dumps way out, we’ll try wading around on the reefs out in the middle. We’re also making a transition in our lure choices. Now, we’re throwing hard baits almost exclusively. The mainstay is the 51 MirrOlure, but we also like the Catch 5s and MirrOdines. We will be wading and throwing those lures most of the time over the next four months or so, switching up to topwaters like the She Pups when we see plenty of activity at the surface. When the bite gets tough from now through the end of the spring, and we have to throw soft plastics, we like the regular old Bass Assassin rat tails mostly.”
Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Jim says the fishing is outstanding lately in his area around the Bolivar Peninsula. “We’re not catching any big trout in this warm weather, but we’re catching a bunch of regular sized trout up in the shallow water. Lots of two and three-pound fish coming to hand. There’s plenty of saltwater in the upper parts of both East and Trinity bays, and the fish are way up in the backs of the coves. The bayous are loaded with trout and redfish, too. In there, the fishing is better out of the boat, but out in the bays, people are catchin’ ‘em however they want, most by wading, others by making long drifts fairly close to the banks. Mostly, we’re throwing soft plastics on eighth-ounce jigheads when we’re wading. We’re using natural colors when the water is clear to green, and dark colors with bright tails when the wind stirs it up some. The action is actually slowest when the water gets really clear. Then, the fish get pretty finicky and hard to trick. The topwater bite has been sporadic at best, but could pick up significantly toward the end of winter. If this extremely warm weather holds, the bite will likely be steady.”
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Randall says he likes the fishing in February about as much as in any month of the year. “This is one of the best months of all to target big trout. We like to wade most of the time when the weather allows in February, throwing slow-sinking twitchbaits like Paul Brown Lures. This type of fishing is all about fond memories and images. On some of the best days, we catch plenty of memorable trout and capture some cool photos. We come back to the dock with a muddy boat and full hearts. On the days when wading isn’t the right choice, or if I have people who just like staying in the boat, I’ll be drifting in channels and some of the deeper open areas in two to five feet of water, staying in places with some shell on the bottom. My JH Performance BX253 is a dream boat for drifting. It easily accommodates four anglers when we’re drifting, giving us all plenty of room. When fishing out of the boat, we throw Norton Sand Eels in colors which include red and gold much of the time. Lately, clear glitter with a chartreuse tail is also working well.”
Matagorda Bays | Capt. Glenn Ging - Glenn’s Guide Service
979.479.1460 - www.glennsguideservice.com
The fishing in Matagorda has remained really good in the mild winter weather. Redfish action has been really solid with the super low tides. Marsh drains and deep guts adjacent to shallow flats have been the hot spots for them. Gulp! shrimp dangled under Coastal Corks and white or root beer colored paddletails have been working to get their attention. Trout action has been good as well, with several productive options available. Drifting shell and targeting concentrations of mullet in two to five feet of water has produced solid trout all winter. Straight-tail jerkbaits like Bass Assassins and Coastal Brews in darker colors like plum and roach have been reliable. Wading shorelines in the same areas has been producing some really nice trout as well. The slow sinkers like Fat Boys and Soft Dines in addition to soft plastic jerkbaits are great options for the trout. With the dry winter we’re experiencing, the water quality in the river has held up since the early fall. I’ve been catching quality trout out of the river throwing soft plastics rigged on heavy jigheads and working them in and around the big shad schools typically holding anywhere from six to twelve feet deep.
Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
Fishing has been great in the Tres Palacios Area. We’ve been targeting typical winter spots and been doing pretty well every day. Our redfish bite has been on fire; we’ve been sight-casting lots of them on flats adjacent to the Tres Palacios river on low tides, using Cajun Pepper Matrix Shads. The colder water temps have the water a lot clearer than normal, and the reds have been easy to spot chasing bait on mud flats. Trout have been consistent as well. On colder days, we’ve been fishing around the harbor and in deep holes in the turning basins, throwing Down South Lures in White Ice for best results. During the warmer afternoons, we’ve been targeting fish on flats over shell/mud in about three feet of water, throwing Fat Boys in pearl/chartreuse and She Pups in pink/chrome. The flounder bite has been awesome since the re-opening as well, we’ve been targeting them in ditches and drains off bayous throwing natural colored Vudu Shrimp tipped with shrimp Fish-Bites and hammering some solid fish. Pier fishing remains solid with lots of fish being caught on 1st street pier and at the Pavilion Pier on Catch 2000s in green mullet and spec rigs in glow and pink.
Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833
In February, fishing for some of the bigger trout in the Port O’Connor area generally means staying in places with ledges where shallow water lies close to deep water and where a muddy bottom has some shell scattered around in it. “We like to sleep in this time of year, especially when we have clear, cold nights. The fish are kinda sluggish early in the morning on days like that, much more active from the middle of the day on, after the sun heats up the shallow water covering a dark, muddy bottom. Then, the bigger trout will often come out of the channels and holes, looking for food around the reefs. They often prefer places with silty mud on the bottom, where some shell is scattered about, much more than a bottom covered solid with shell. Patience with slow presentations is often the key to earning strikes this time of year. We throw slow-sinking twitchbaits most of the time, working them at a snail’s pace and being persistent in the right kinds of places, especially when we see any kind of bait concentration. Of course, it’s been really warm lately. A warm February is often prime time for chunking topwaters.”
Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Blake had been experiencing excellent fishing on recent trips when he gave this report. “We’ve had lots of warm weather and relatively calm winds, so the water in the bays around Rockport is pretty and green most of the time. The fishing has been excellent around some of the reefs out in the middle, where we’re catching best on dark Sand Eels with light tails most of the time. The bite on topwaters has been better in the coves and along shorelines with a fairly soft bottom and patch reefs. Normally, February is a little early to start seeing the fish move more into areas with sand and grass on the bottom, but this winter has been so warm, we might well see just that. I’ll be looking for lots of bait in the shallows in bays like Aransas, San Antonio and Corpus Christi Bay along shorelines with a bottom covered mostly by grass with numerous bright potholes around. If this pattern develops, we’ll wade and throw topwaters as much as we can. Often, the best fish, including the bigger trout and upper-slot reds, will bite very close to the cord grass, no more than fifteen feet from the bank.”
Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay
Captain James Sanchez Guide Service - 210.260.7454
In February, colder weather will drop water temperatures in the 50s and 60s, ideal for catching the biggest trout of the year. Already, we’re seeing better numbers of three to six-pound fish. The days before and after a cold front have been particularly productive. Southeast winds bring warmth and lower barometric pressure, prompting fish to feed in shallower areas. Wading seagrass flats near drop-offs or on windblown shorelines has been effective, especially as visible potholes provide excellent ambush spots for fish. In thigh- to waist-deep water, I favor soft plastics like KWigglers Wig-A-Lo and Willow-Tail Shad on 3/32-ounce jigheads. On the coldest days, I target muddy humps, rock formations and drop-offs along protected shorelines where mullet are present. Fishing around spoil islands can also yield big trout and redfish. Additionally, don’t overlook the option of launching later in the day and fishing through sunset. Water temperatures are at their warmest during this time, and I’ve found that the best action often occurs in the last hour of daylight or the first hour of darkness. As fish hold closer to the bottom, I prefer a KWigglers Ball-Tail Shad on an eighth-ounce jighead and Paul Brown Fat Boys or Soft Dine XLs.
Corpus Christi & Baffin Bay | Capt. Chris Elliott’s Guide Service
[email protected] - 361.834.7262
This time of year is all about being flexible. It’s a great idea to leave the dock with a game plan, but also to be prepared to pivot, depending on what Mother Nature gives us. On a recent trip, during a warm-up period, we were having a difficult time dialing in a steady trout bite on the flats and drop-offs. We had almost dead calm wind conditions and clear blue skies, indicating high barometric pressure. Knowing that the flats were not producing for us and wading along the drop-offs was only producing undersized trout, it was time to make that pivot. We located some pelicans around some deep rocks in the middle of the bay and decided fishing from the boat was going to be the game plan. We found a good concentration of trout stacked around these deep rocks, ready to eat. Throwing soft plastics around the edges of the rocks while making sure the lures stayed as close to the bottom as possible was the golden ticket to a good trout bite the rest of the morning. Mother Nature doesn’t always give the weather we want, so the best anglers always stand ready to make adjustments as needed.
P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com
As we transition into spring, we will likely have a lot of fog on the beach. Be very careful driving on local beaches and be alert for camps. With the mild winter, the water conditions are favorable for pompano. Expect days of incredible pomp catches when the water is clear. Traditional Fish-bites or shrimp will be the ticket. Red drum will be around, but expect to see mostly slot-sized fish. Casting shrimp, mullet or cut whiting will work well for the reds. Trout fishing can be hit or miss, but any that are available in the surf will likely be large and healthy. Black drum, both the slot and oversized variety, will be in the surf. Shrimp or Fish-bites will also work well for this species. Make sure to measure all drum caught. With hunting wrapping up, more and more game wardens will be checking anglers in the surf. Large sandbar sharks will be abundant, in the right conditions. Sandbars love to eat large whole whiting or sheepshead. If the water is warm, large blacktip sharks and medium-sized bull sharks will be possible. Structures and wrecks in the surf will produce a variety of fish on bait and lures.
Port Mansfield, Texas | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431
GetAway Lodge - 956.944.4000
This month is a great time to target some of the biggest trout in the Lower Laguna Madre and in the Lone Star State. Areas such as the Saucer and West Bay are perfect to start any adventure of that kind. On the calmer days, the West Shoreline is ideal. Also, the spoil dumps just north of Bennies Island shouldn’t be overlooked, especially on days with light winds prevailing. North of the East Cut by the oyster beds is another great area, and the potholes just southeast of the Weather Station can be a very productive spot. Also, south of Dubbs Island, where the sand meets with the grass, is another great spot to try for a monster trout. A KWigglers Ball-tail Shad rigged on an eighth-ounce jighead is always a potentially productive lure to try, in colors like plum/chartreuse, bone diamond, Mansfield Margarita or Flomingo. The entire area around Gladys Hole is always worth a look, especially while winds whistle out of the north following a front. Working Texas Custom Lures like floating Fat Boys in plum nasty, Gringo, double bubble and pistachio is a good way to encounter the kind of trout dreams are made of.
Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941
The low winter tides have created conditions favoring some exceptional fishing on the Lower Laguna Madre lately. Trout fishing is best on average in water ranging from two to three feet deep. We’ve been fishing big sand pockets in open grass flats adjacent to drops-offs for best results. The presence of bait is a key factor this time of the year. Huge rafts of mullet aren’t necessary, but areas void of bait usually disappoint. The 4-inch Z-Man Big BallerZ in plum/chartreuse rigged on eighth-ounce Texas-Eye weedless jigheads have been working well. We’ve been working the plastics slow on colder days and switching up to faster retrieves on the warmer days. Redfish numbers are healthy on the shallow grass flats and on sand flats in less than three feet of water. Topwaters like the Bone Spook Juniors earn lots of blowups early in the mornings. In the cooler water, walking the dog slowly typically works best. Later in the days, as temperatures rise and the wind picks up, 4-inch Z-man DieZel MinnowZ in Motor Oil rigged on eighth-ounce a Texas-Eye jigheads work better. We like to pull them fast, with some erratic action over potholes to entice reaction strikes.
