Reports & Forecasts: May 2026

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
Though James thinks of May as something of a transitional month, one in which anglers in the Galveston area can have difficulty finding patterns which will produce consistently, he does expect good fishing in the last full month of spring. “Wading is often the best way to go in May. We usually have some good fishing for trout in several areas within a short boat ride from my house. The flats behind San Luis Pass, areas around Campbell’s Bayou and shorelines on the south side of East Bay all have tremendous potential for waders this month, especially on mornings when the tide’s coming in. The topwater bite and on hard baits like 51M MirrOlures and MirrOdines and Catch 5s is often good. Soft plastics will produce plenty of fish, particularly when the fishing is done in places with plenty of shrimp around. Normally, when an area’s full of shrimp, we see some flocks of gulls working. This is a great month to focus on places with slicks popping. Not all slicks are created equal, of course. If the bite is really good without any visible slicks, then they start popping, the bite can often end, most likely because the fish are full.”

Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Jimmy was upbeat as he gave this report, saying that fishing has been very good so far this spring, and in more than a few places. “Not surprisingly with the continuing drought, our water conditions have been nice and salty all winter and spring, and that always makes for good fishing. We’re getting good numbers of decent trout all across the Galveston Complex right now, nothing really big, just nice keeper-size, averaging in the 16- to 19-inch class, with occasional 22-23-inchers. I caught a six-pounder a few days ago on a MirrOdine but that hasn’t happened too often lately. Some mornings we get maybe 30 or 40; just nice solid fish. Right now, I’m mostly wading with tails but we can also drift shorelines and get ‘em out of the boat when the wind is down. With water temperature continuing to rise I expect to see them pulling out to the middle and staging on the open water reefs pretty soon. And, we should also begin to see birds beginning to work during May as the shrimp begin to move toward the gulf.

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Randall said he’d been catching plenty of trout by fishing around large schools of button shad when he gave this report. “The amount of bait can make it tough to get the fish to bite, but because they throw so many slicks when feeding on the little greasy shad, it’s pretty easy to stay in places where the trout are feeding on them. By May, we’ll have more types of bait in the bays, and the patterns will likely change. We generally see an influx of shrimp, menhaden and ribbonfish this time of year, and we usually find the catching easiest when we’re throwing Norton Sand Eels in dark colors with chartreuse tails rigged on three-eighth ounce heads. If the lure fishing is tough, we’ll bring out the cast nets and gather up some of what’s swimming around in the area. This usually leads to some fast catching. The best bite on lures often occurs during the calm lull early in the mornings, when the fish will blow up on topwaters readily. As the sun climbs higher in the sky and the wind starts to blow more, experimenting with lures like Paul Brown Lures in both the slow-sinking and floating versions often leads to continued catching.”

Matagorda Bays | Capt. Glenn Ging - Glenn’s Guide Service
979.479.1460 - www.glennsguideservice.com
May is always a good month for fishing in the Matagorda area. With our early warm-up, we are ahead of schedule this year, and once the spring winds subside a little the fishing should become consistent. With the return of normal tides and as we get more days of lower winds, our options open up significantly. Drift fishing in East Matagorda over deep, scattered shell will remain good for trout and a few reds. Live shrimp dangled under Coastal Corks is the most popular method for most, but drifting with soft plastics is often productive as well. Bass Assassin 4” Sea Shads and Down South Burner Shads are good options, as there are lots of glass minnows and small shad for the trout and reds to target. Wading the grass beds in West Matagorda is another great option this month. The topwater bite should be strong, and I like throwing bone and chrome Spook Juniors this time of year. Paddletails in roach or salt and pepper/chartreuse rigged on eighth-ounce jigheads are a good bet as well. If we get a window to get in the surf or fish the jetties, both should hold good fish this month.

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
Trout fishing has been on fire in our local waters as of this report. We’re catching them up shallow over shell, throwing She Dogs in green/chrome, also pink/chrome Skitter Walks. Lots of small shad and mullet have hatched out, and these fish have been showing up in big clouds around shell pads in shallow water. The deep shell pads out in the bay are holding fish as well. Down South Lures in chicken of the C and Coastal Brew Darts in Nuke Juice rigged on quarter-ounce heads have worked well in the deeper water. Our redfish have been way back in the marsh and have not really come out to the shorelines yet. We’ve been targeting these fish with 4.5” Vudu Shrimp under popping corks for best results. Black drum have been plentiful over shallow shell pads, biting fresh dead shrimp rigged about two feet under popping corks. We should soon see our yearly migration of glass minnows, and brown pelicans will lead the way to the fish. Any soft plastics that are clear with metal flakes work well around the minnows, as do small, clear topwaters. We should soon see the first signs of tripletail, which will show up around the structures out in the main bay.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833
During the month of May, I generally concentrate my efforts in the shallows along shorelines which have some variable depths, in the form of guts running parallel to shore and potholes in the grass beds. In these places, I always look for good concentrations of bait fish, like glass minnows and shad, but mostly mullet. Big rafts of mullet, with pods bunched tightly and moving rapidly along just under the surface, usually indicate some trout and reds are actively feeding in the area. In such situations, we like to throw topwaters and slow-sinking twitchbaits, keeping them moving right into the pods, if possible. In some cases, when we’re able to cause the pods to break up with our lures, we get strikes most every time. The best action during the middle of spring often occurs during the morning hours, when tides are rolling in. In scenarios like that, I like to fish around some of the oyster reefs. There, I look for lots of bait and slicks popping. This month is a good one for fishing in the back-lakes and coves, especially when tides run high and fill up all the nooks and crannies with water after the equinox.

Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Blake says he usually stops fishing for reds in the marshes on a daily basis from the air boat in May. “This month, I usually start targeting trout from the beginning of each trip. I like to fish for them on main-bay shorelines with a sandy bottom covered with ample grass beds most of the time. We also catch some when conditions are right while fishing on some of the reefs out in the bays, especially San Antonio Bay. On the shorelines, we do best with regular-sized topwaters, usually ones with some chrome on them, when the bite is good. When it gets tougher, dark soft plastics with bright tails work better. And, of course, about the middle of the month, I start to use live croakers more and more. We do still wade while we’re throwing them. This month is also a great month to start making more regular trips out into the surf, when the wind allows. In some years, we get to spend a bunch of days out there. Generally, the trout fishing is more consistent along the beachfront this month than it is earlier in the year, and the fish run bigger on average than they do later in the summer.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay
Captain James Sanchez Guide Service - 210.260.7454
May will bring consistently warmer weather and a break from the strong spring winds we’ve experienced over the past two months. Tides usually run higher following the big moons associated with the equinox. While fish may be scattered, narrowing the search to find them means locating a stable supply of baitfish. In the mornings, we’ll target trout that are holding in shallow potholes on seagrass flats and shorelines. I often recommend starting with a Mansfield Knocker or subsurface lures like Paul Brown Lures and Mansfield Knocker Darters. As water temperatures rise, trout will move toward nearby depth changes in waist-deep water. Then, KWigglers Ball-tail Shads or junior versions rigged on eighth-ounce jigheads work better. Top colors include Texas melon, bone diamond and plum perfect. Redfish can be found on flats and along the shorelines of spoil islands or drains that cut in between them. Topwater lures can be effective for them at times, but KWigglers Wig-A-Los or Four-inch paddletails are more consistently productive for the reds. When wading, fan casting is a great technique to cover water and find fish. Standing and casting repeatedly at the scenes of strikes works best once fish are found.

Corpus Christi & Baffin Bay | Capt. Chris Elliott’s Guide Service
[email protected] - 361.834.7262
Spring in South Texas usually brings higher tides and high winds to the bays on a daily basis. Our main lures during spring are going to be paddletails and topwaters. We’ll on the lookout for redfish schooling up shallow on the flats first thing in the mornings. When we find them, we usually have some hot topwater action in knee deep water during the first few hours of the day. Redfish are a hoot to catch on top, since they have to climb out of the water to get the lures, because their mouths are on the bottom of their heads. As our water temperatures continue to climb, we will look for trout to start showing up on the flats with the redfish. They’re usually willing to blow up on topwaters too. During the windy afternoons, we’ll be focusing on spoil islands and windblown drains or depressions lying close to area shorelines. Bait will be concentrated in these area. Redfish, trout and flounder will find their way into these places looking for easy meals. Weedless spoons and paddletails worked with steady retrieves usually work well to trigger strikes from the predators in these kinds of locations, while winds crank with some intensity.

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com
Texas nearshore waters have been warmer than the historical average for most of this year. For about a month, we finally had a decent jackfish run in the surf; they crashed the beaches on calm days, when the water ran clear. They were easy to catch on all kinds of lures. Aside from the jack action, the red drum are active on the beaches too. Gold spoons or live/dead baits will work to get the attention of any reds in the area. A few trout are slowly starting to show up in the surf; they can be caught on spoons and slow-sinking lures. Starting about the middle of May, trout can be caught more regularly on topwaters. Spanish mackerel are around when the water is clear, and they readily take small spoons. When they’re present, wise anglers put a light-wire leader in front of the spoons, to prevent the teeth of the macks from cutting the main line. Tossing shrimp this time of years usually yields a variety of fish, including whiting, pompano and hardheads, which can be numerous enough to become a source of frustration. Black-tips, big bulls and scalloped hammerheads will provide thrills this month for those of us addicted to sharking.

Port Mansfield, Texas | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431
GetAway Lodge - 956.944.4000
In the Lower Laguna Madre, May is the month when spring patterns start to feel more like summer patterns. The first waves of king and Spanish mackerel typically begin to show up out at the jetties. A proven setup for catching them is a 48-inch, three-hook piano wire leader rigged with ribbonfish. They’ll strike aggressively whether this rig is free-lined or slow-trolled. For those willing to push a little farther, a run to the artificial reefs can provide quality red snapper action. Be sure to rig baits on circle hooks and keep a venting tool within easy reach when targeting them. Running offshore in a bay boat this time of year can be rewarding, but it demands respect for weather patterns, which can shift quickly. Back in the bays, the shallow flats between Butcher’s Island and Dubb’s Island come alive in May. Schools of redfish cruise these areas, providing excellent sight-casting and wading opportunities. Topwaters such as Mansfield Knockers can draw explosive strikes in low light, while a quarter-ounce weedless gold spoon remains a dependable producer throughout the day. Speckled trout fishing also hits a steady stride this month. Drifting near the Weather Station continues to produce solid numbers with KWigglers Ball-tail Shads on eighth-ounce jigheads.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941
Unceasing daily winds during spring can become a great source of aggravation to South Texas anglers. Even so, recently warmer weather and the push of big tides have made for some great fishing in the Lower Laguna Madre. The best action for trout has been happening on flats covered by two to three feet of water, lying adjacent to drop-offs to significantly deeper water. We’ve been finding most of our fish by focusing efforts around sets of bright, sandy potholes. Four-inch Z-man Big BallerZ in redbone rigged on eighth-ounce Trout-eye jigheads have worked best. We’re having the best luck working them quickly through potholes we can target visually. Finding flocks of working birds has been a key to catching in the windy late-afternoons. The redfish bite has been exceptionally good in the back-bays and shallows less than two-feet deep, tight to muddy shorelines. Spook juniors rigged with single hooks have been getting plenty of attention, as have four-inch DieZel MinnowZ in the motor oil color. Drifting over potholes in three or four feet of water and throwing weedless spoons is another way to effectively target the reds once the winds start to get up in the afternoons, which they almost always do.