Reports & Forecasts: September 2025
Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
James was driving home from Matagorda after a day of chasing tarpon when he gave this report. “We are already seeing plenty of schools. They’re showing up here and there, so we’re covering lots of water to find them. Getting some bites too. It’s been pretty good already, and should only get better as we move through September. As long as we don’t get some storms stirring up the Gulf. The trout fishing lately has been good in deep water, along the channel. But, we’ve caught ‘em wading at times too. The best bite in the deep water overall has been on soft plastics with some white in them, whether Lil’ Johns or Bass Assassins in chartreuse/glitter. The dark colors haven’t worked as well. The better news is the fish are crashing topwaters much of the time, even in the depths along the channel. The key to calling them up out there is to throw topwaters with loud, pinging rattles, like She Pups and some of the other loud MirrOlure numbers. I don’t throw them much, but I’m sure She Dogs would work great. I like the pink/silver She Pup best, but color really doesn’t matter much. It’s all about the rattle.”
Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Jim was preparing fields for the upcoming dove season when we talked. “I’m burning some of my fields. Usually, the birds will show up in good numbers after the burn. I’m also looking forward to teal season, but it will likely be somewhat unusual. I probably won’t be flooding fields in parts of the area I hunt, due to some seismic activity being undertaken there. I do have fields to hunt, so people should still call to discuss it. As for the fishing, it’s been great lately, especially when the surf is right. We’ve had some fun days throwing topwaters, catching plenty of trout, with a high percentage of keepers, on topwaters. The fish bite best in the morning in the shallowest part of the surf zone. I have to tell my guys not to wade out, basically. It’s counterproductive. The fish are so close to the beach it’s better to stay in water no more than shin deep and cast toward the first bar. On lots of mornings, most of the fish bite in the little breakers right at the edge of the bar. The action typically lasts until about mid-morning, when the fish move into the deeper water.”
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Randall says things are shaping up for an excellent run of fishing in the area around San Luis Pass this September. “We usually get plenty of calm weather and a few light fronts at the end of summer and beginning of fall. This allows the Gulf to calm down and the green water moves right up to the beach. When that happens, we expect fast and furious action in the surf on topwaters and other lures which look like little fish. Finding the schools can mean making long runs down the beach. The trout in the Gulf move around a lot, and people who want to catch them have to be mobile too. Regardless of where I’m fishing, I like to throw a Norton Sand Eel Junior in Tequila gold, rigged on a three-eighths ounce screw-lock jighead. I like to work it with a fast, vigorous retrieve, wiggling the tip of my Laguna Texas Wader plenty to get maximum action with the lure. Of course, as most people know, fishing in the surf with topwaters is usually effective, especially early in the mornings. Lately, we’ve been doing well on some old standby colors, including black/chrome, blue/chrome and bone.”
Matagorda Bays | Capt. Glenn Ging - Glenn’s Guide Service
979.479.1460 - www.glennsguideservice.com
The fishing in Matagorda has stayed pretty steady through the summer. Drifting East Matagorda Bay has been productive lately. We’re catching best on paddletails fished down deep, close to the shell on the bottom. Hogie’s Swimmin’ Jacks in pumpkinseed/chartreuse have been producing well for me. I’ve been catching quite a few trout on Bass Assassin Sea Shads, too. I’m mainly fishing them in four to five feet of water over scattered shell, rigging the plastics on quarter-ounce heads. We do have some birds working at times. I’ve found some big schools of mixed reds and trout under small flocks of laughing gulls in the middle of the bay. Deeper reefs and structures in West Matagorda Bay continue to produce some nice trout on live shrimp dangled a couple feet under Coastal Corks. The surf and jetties have also been pretty solid on the days the weather has let us get out and fish them. We’ve had some really good days catching trout in the surf on Skitter Walks and Spook Juniors lately, too. Reports are rolling in of impressive catches of tarpon off the beachfront, most of them biting big soft plastic shads and curl-tails rigged on Coon-pop heads.
Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
Fishing has improved dramatically after all the rain we had last month. We’ve been finding trout while working typical summer patterns, with most fish coming from deep reefs and wells out in the bay. Live shrimp rigged about four feet under popping corks have been producing plenty of bites. Saltwater Assassins in Magic Grass and Chicken on a Chin have been the best lures out around the deep structures. Fishing for wading anglers has picked up closer to town. Most of the fish are holding over sand with some grass beds, taking small topwaters like Spook Juniors and She Pups in bone and other natural colors. The topwater bite is best early, and when the sun gets higher, Down South Lures in Magic Grass have been working better. Redfish and drum have been biting well again, mostly in two or three feet of water over shell. Live or fresh dead shrimp have worked well, as well as cut skipjacks, which these fish sometimes prefer over shrimp. Flounder fishing is improving, and we’ve been catching quite a few at the mouths of creeks and sloughs, also around the mouths of local rivers. Curly-tail Gulp! lures in chartreuse have been fooling most of the flatfish.
Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833
In September, Lynn expects to see a slight shift in the patterns which best produce trout and reds in the Port O’Connor area. “We’ve been catching plenty of trout lately early in the mornings on topwaters, and later in the day mainly on soft plastics. We’re targeting them on shallow flats loaded with bait lying close to drop-offs into deeper water, including on some of the spoils on the main ship channel, some of the flats near the pass, and in the surf, when winds allow us to get out there. September is a hot month in many years, and if it’s hot this year some of those places will continue to produce plenty of fish. But, especially later in the month, we often see a surge in the tide levels and some cooler weather. If we get cooler weather and a push of water into the bays from the Gulf, fishing along the main-bay shorelines, in the coves and in the back-lakes can improve dramatically, especially for reds. In those places, we usually do best in the first part of fall by fishing around grass beds growing in a hard, sandy bottom, or around small reefs close to shore.”
Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Blake looks forward to the start of cast-n-blast season this time of year. “I really enjoy the variety of activities we participate in when we do the cast-n-blast trips. It’s a hoot. When we’re hunting teal, we might start off in the marsh, shoot until we get our limits, then fish our way out, targeting redfish in the back-lakes, then working some main-bay shorelines with sand and grass on the bottom, trying to catch some trout. That makes for a full day. If doves are on the agenda, we typically fish first, then hunt in the afternoons. That drill allows us to fish for trout in the shallows early in the mornings, either in the surf, or in the bays. The fishing can be great in both locations this time of year. The fish usually bite topwaters well in the mornings, which is a real treat. There’s basically no better way to catch a trout than throwing a topwater from the sand of the beach. The main point of the whole thing is the way the variety of options keeps the action coming. Combining hunting and fishing into one outing makes it easy to stay invested all day.”
Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay
Captain James Sanchez Guide Service - 210.260.7454
September can be an interesting month on the water because conditions can change quickly. For example, hot temperatures are still a factor, but rising tides and heavy rainfall from tropical systems are possible, as are cooler temperatures brought down by early cool fronts. Until conditions change, summer strategies will continue to work for anglers. When targeting trout, the most reliable action happens early, wading along the deeper edges of grassy flats or near sandy points that quickly taper into deeper water. This is also where we’ve been catching some nice flounder lately. The topwater bite on Mansfield Knockers has improved significantly over recent weeks, especially during the first hour or two of each day. Later in the days, as things heat up, we spend most of our time throwing KWigglers Ball Tail Shads rigged on eighth-ounce jigheads in Bone Diamond, Plum Perfect and Naked Margarita. On spoil islands or near the edge of the ICW, schools of redfish have been cruising the edges of sand bars or holding in thigh-deep or shallower potholes lying close to deeper water. Good lure options for the reds include a Wig-A-Lo Juniors, Willow-Tail Shads and four-inch Paddletails in natural colors like Bone Diamond, Bart’s Sand Ninja, and Lagunaflauge.
Corpus Christi & Baffin Bay | Capt. Chris Elliott’s Guide Service
[email protected] - 361.834.7262
This time of year, waking up and getting out on the water early to beat the heat plays a big role in success. Our water temperatures here in south Texas are hitting the low-90s by lunchtime, making the fishing uncomfortable and less productive than it is during the hours around daybreak. Lately, we’ve been spending a lot of time chasing redfish on the flats, keying on big schools of mullet to locate them. We’re finding a lot of redfish swimming in the middle of those big rafts of mullet. To catch them, we’re throwing small paddletails rigged on quarter-ounce heads, which help us make longer casts and reach the fish. If we can’t see any specific reds to target, we’ll cast around and in the middle of the schools, then drag the lure right through concentrations of the bait. At other times, we’re able to see the reds and make casts out beyond them and reel the lures steadily in front of their noses to get them to chase and take. If we are seeing fish and make a bad cast, we reel right back in as fast as possible and start the drill over again.
P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com
Our coastal waters usually come alive with the approaching change of seasons. The migrations of baitfish along the beachfront begin to take shape this month. Dusky anchovies will kick it off and get driven in acre-size bait-balls right up onto the beach, chased there by mackerel, skipjacks, jackfish, tarpon, and sharks among other species. Throwing a topwater or a large spoon helps us avoid catching skipjacks. Locating the bait-balls usually means finding hundreds if not thousands of birds diving to pick up victims. When these bait-balls do get pushed almost up on the sand, sharks will practically beach themselves gorging on the anchovies. Be alert when wading, not only because of the sharks, but also because of the big stingrays, still present this time of year. The majority of action in September will center around bait presence. Fishing early in the mornings and late in the afternoons around structures should produce good numbers of trout for those throwing topwaters and soft plastics. Shark fishing should begin to pick back up as well, with blacktip and bull sharks returning from offshore to feast on the anchovies and other forage species abundant in the surf zone.
Port Mansfield, Texas | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431
GetAway Lodge - 956.944.4000
September brings cast-n-blast season, and we can also expect plenty of redfish schooling on the flats. This is the time of year when the maturing reds will gather in large schools to make their way to the Gulf, where they will live out their lives as adults. Because of this, flats that lie both north and south of the East Cut should be holding plenty of reds. Traditionally, we like to start shallow, looking for rafts of mullet. Normally, we wind up moving toward deeper water as the sun rises and the day heats up. The topwater action is usually good early, but a gold weedless spoon will catch them all morning. From the middle of the day into the afternoon, KWiggler Paddletails in Bart’s Sand Ninja or Salt ‘n Pepper work best. The flats and deeper water adjacent to them in the area around the Weather Station will also hold plenty at times. Trout action is often better in that area too. The west shoreline is the place to be whenever the winds are light. Keying on active bait and slicks is the best way to figure out the stretches holding plenty of predators.
Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941
Calm, hot weather has been the norm over the last few weeks. Fishing for speckled trout has been best along the edges of the ICW during early morning hours, before the winds crank up. The action has also been good around some of the sand bars not far from the channel. Eye-Strike Trout-Eye jigheads in the quarter-ounce size rigged with scented, five-inch Jerk ShadZ in Motor Oil color have worked best to get the attention of the trout. We’re catching fish of all sizes schooled together. They’re favoring depths of between five and eight feet most of the time, and we’re using slow retrieves to keep the lures running close to the bottom, coming in contact with the bottom some of the time, for best results. Working the lures faster, higher in the water column has generally resulted in a reduction in the size of the fish we’re catching. The redfish bite stays good throughout the hot hours of the day. We’re finding them on shallow, grassy flats in a foot or two of water early in the mornings. Later, when winds and temperatures pick up, they move into the potholes in water about three or four feet deep.