Reports & Forecasts: September 2026
Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
James says trout fishing all across the Galveston Bay System remains very good, lots of good fish being caught in lots of places right now, better than we’ve seen in recent years. I typically don’t go all that much this time of year, being so hot and all, but we’ve been able to get out there early and enjoying 30 to 40 solid trout in a few hours, returning to the dock before the heat really sets in around midday. I have guys that want to go so we get an early start and it’s been good. We had a day last week, probably had close to 40 fish on topwaters, in ten feet of water. How’s that for summertime fishing? Our best producing topwater right now in the deeper water is by far the She Dog, it’ll definitely rattle ‘em up. The tail bite is good almost all the time, and right now the Bass Assassin 4-inch Sea Shad in Meat Hook color is the hottest thing we’re throwing. James is anxious to get his late summer-fall tarpon program under way but says we need to see the winds calming before he can get real serious about it.
Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Jimmy had just gotten off the tractor, mowing and discing fields, in preparation for dove season that opens statewide on September 1st this year. “I think we’re in for a pretty good dove season despite the unusually heavy rains in late spring and early summer that is just giving me fits, trying to control the grass and non-seed producing weeds thriving in my fields. I’ve been seeing promising numbers of birds and have my fingers crossed that my tractor work will pay dividends for my hunters. On the fishing side of things, Jimmy says the trout bite remains strong, out in the middle, over deep shell and other structure. “It’s a soft plastic bite for the most part, given how hot it’s been and the depth they’re holding in.” Jimmy’s favorite trout spot in his neck of the woods is the surf at Bolivar Pocket. “The water conditions just haven’t been the best lately, lower than normal late summer tides and nagging southwest winds have the surf pretty murky most days. You can still get on a few decent fish on calm days, but we need a change in the weather pattern for it to get right again.”
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Randall says he’s had good results on recent charters, despite dealing with the persistent heat wave. “I have been using the cast net a lot lately. The trout and reds have been loving live shad and mullet. It’s possible at times to catch them on lures, but the action is much faster on the fresh live bait when the weather is so hot. Most of my customers enjoy using the live bait, and I like the fast action too. When the wind dies down, the fishing in the surf goes off immediately. On one recent occasion, we found redfish blowing mullet out of the green water once it got to the beach. The action on topwaters was fast and furious that day; we caught big reds until our arms ached. This is always a welcome change from the regular fishing we do all year. When we’re throwing soft plastics at the fish, we’re having the best luck using natural colors with some flash in them, like tequila gold or glow with chartreuse tail. I think these lures effectively mimic ribbonfish, which are typically plentiful in our waters this time of year. A white Skitter Walk works well too around ribbonfish.”
Matagorda Bays | Capt. Glenn Ging - Glenn’s Guide Service
979.479.1460 - www.glennsguideservice.com
It’s still hot, but fall is getting closer. With the heat, fishing deeper water and areas with good water exchange from the Gulf has been the best plan. Drifting in East Matagorda Bay has been very consistent lately. Live shrimp dangled under Coastal Corks have been the best option, but Gulp! shrimp and Marker 54 shrimp hanging under corks have been producing just about as well. Hogie’s Major Minnows, Down South Lures, and Bass Assassin Sea Shads in Chicken on a chain and salt-n- pepper/chartreuse tail have been good for me. When drifting, I rig them on quarter-ounce heads. The west end of the bay and the shell reefs near Bird Island and Chinquapin have been producing solid numbers of trout, with quite a few of them measuring more than 25 inches. In West Matagorda Bay, waders are still doing well fishing the grass beds with live bait. I have had good luck fishing reefs in three to six feet of water with both live shrimp and paddletails. Tripletail have been fairly slow, but there are a few being caught. Redfish have been pretty sparse, but I expect them to show up anytime now in the popular back-lakes and along grassy shorelines.
Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
The Tres Palacios River is flooding for the second time this summer. Our fish have been staging in back-bays that are not affected from the runoff, also out in West Matagorda Bay around wells and shell pads. Trout fishing has remained our focus. We have been having success catching good trout by fishing live shrimp rigged under Coastal Corks in four to five feet of water, over shell. We’ve also had success drifting shallower reefs throwing Marker 54 shrimp under Harvey corks. When we find a good school of fish, we slide the anchor out and work on them. Redfish have been scarce to say the least, though we are finding a few way, way back in the marshes off the ICW. Drum are starting to show up about four miles from town over shallow shell pads. Fresh dead shrimp fished shallow under corks have worked best for them. They’re averaging about 16 inches, and drum of this size are among the best eating fish in our bays. September should be a rebound month for us if we don’t get any more rain. At the end of the summer, we focus on deep structures, but we’ll return to the rivers if the water runs salty again.
Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833
Lynn sent a familiar message when he gave this report. “We are still hoping to spend as much time in the surf as possible if winds die down at the end of August and into September. We expect a hot run of fishing in the surf, especially south of the pass, if we’re able to get out there at the end of the season, since the fish have largely been left alone all summer. When we’re not able to fish the surf, the action in the back-lakes usually makes up for the loss, as bull tides fill them with trout, redfish and black drum. In shallow portions of the lakes, it’s not uncommon for us to find all three of those species tailing in the same locations. Sight-casting them in such a situation is fun for anyone. Out in the main bays, the action usually remains steady around the major reef systems. The fish hang around the edges of the reefs most of the time, biting soft plastics best. When tides are high and coming in, they’ll venture up onto the tops of the reefs looking for meals, and when this happens they bite topwaters with aggressive intentions.”
Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
Blake was eagerly looking forward to cast-n-blast season when he made this report. “In September, I’ll be splitting time between the flats and the fields, fishing during the morning hours and doing dove hunts in the afternoons. We also hunt teal this month. I anticipate a good season, since we’ve had so much rain in the Rockport area this summer. Around the equinox, we usually have some higher than normal tides, and I like to wade shorelines with emergent grass, fishing tight to the grass. We get a lot of blow ups from trout and reds within a few feet of the bank during September. On most days, the bite is best in places which are funneling water between the back-lakes and the main bays, or spots where water is moving from the Gulf into the bays. We also do well at times throwing soft plastics like dark Sand Eels with bright tails into the potholes a bit farther from the shoreline. If I’m throwing topwaters, I favor Skitter Walks with some black or blue on them, also some chrome. This is a great month to spend time on the water in the Coastal Bend.”
Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay
Captain James Sanchez Guide Service - 210.260.7454
Technically, the fall season starts on September 22nd, but we’re still a long time away from any relief from the heat. This month, trout will be feeding on mullet schooled up along the edges of flats, sandbars and spoil islands adjacent to deep drop-offs. Throwing a Mansfield Knocker can produce some great action, but we’ll quickly go sub-surface with a Double D if they’re weakly blowing up on them. As the morning progresses, we’ll slide off into deeper water and throw a KWigglers Ball-Tail Shad in Texas Melon, Bone Diamond or Plum Perfect rigged on eighth-ounce jigheads. Another productive option is to drift deep sets of potholes or seagrass lines in three to five feet of water. Soft plastics on quarter-ounce jigheads work well, but I like to rig them under a Four Horsemen popping cork with an 18 to 24-inch leader. As long as boat traffic doesn’t scare them, we’re finding redfish on shallow flats and shorelines. On calm days, wading quietly will allow sight-casting them with a Wig-A-Lo Junior in natural colors. Additionally, schools of redfish will start moving out for their annual spawn. On the way, they can be found on flats near the ICW or in open water under flocks of gulls.
Corpus Christi & Baffin Bay | Capt. Chris Elliott’s Guide Service
[email protected] - 361.834.7262
The summer heat wave is still in full swing, showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. Those who plan to head out on the water in the next few weeks should plan on getting up early to beat the heat. Lately, we have been having a lot of success with topwaters first thing in the mornings, using them on shallow flats where we’re finding fast action, catching lots of redfish and trout. The most consistent action has been on flats near deeper water like the ICW. We are also still finding good sized schools of black drum in the shallows, mostly on flats with lots of sandy bottom. Best time to attempt to sight-cast them is midday. Small Berkeley Gulp! lures or a piece of dead shrimp skewered on a jighead works great to get the attention of the puppy drum. While working this drill, it’s best to watch for redfish cruising around over the sand with the black drum. Anyone planning to do any wading in the Baffin Bay area this time of year should wear long pants, as jellyfish are abundant and they’ll drive all but the toughest anglers wearing shorts from the water.
P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com
For the first time in decades, the water fronting Texas beaches has been dirty for the entirety of the summer, mostly due to the effects of a major cold water upwelling event. Much of the action, aside from random pup sharks, has been extremely slow as a result. With activity potentially building in the tropics, a tropical storm in the Gulf could quickly bring the tides up and fix all this. If and when the water clears, expect large baitballs of dusky anchovies to get the action started in the surf once again. Skipjacks, Spanish mackerel and jackfish will all be attacking them. All of these species will smash any spoon or topwater thrown where they can easily see it. And, if the clearing water coincides with a calm spell, we should have some excellent fishing for trout. While the water is still warm, tossing topwaters in the mornings and evenings is the best way to target them. Mullet schools will get thicker as the season progresses. Tossing out mullet live or dead could produce a redfish or a random tarpon. For those wanting to chase birds, there should be no shortage of action. Feeding gulls will follow the baitballs.
Port Mansfield | Mike & Michelle Frazier
Mohawk Mafia Charters - 956.607.4681
September in Port Mansfield means it’s time for Cast & Blast season. Most anglers will be heading out early, not only to beat the heat, but to make time for the afternoon dove hunting. Making a short run out of the harbor, the flats not far north of the East Cut should produce plenty of both trout and redfish most days. Topwaters like Mansfield Knockers normally attract plenty of attention from both species while the sun hangs low. Getaway Lodge in Port Mansfield has some of these lures in an exclusive color, called Sweet Heat, which works great. If winds are light during the morning hours, the west shoreline around Century Point will likely be very productive. Wading in waist-deep water using soft plastics like the KWigglers Wig-A-Lo in Bone Diamond rigged on a 3/32-ounce jighead is my favorite choice when I’m working this area. Just down the shoreline, Gladys Hole is another good choice for folks looking to encounter numbers of redfish, with the occasional big trout mixed in. I like throwing gold quarter-ounce spoons around the edges of the hole over there, also working them through shallow potholes closer to the shorelines.
Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941
This summer, fishing for trout in the Lower Laguna Madre has been great. Sand bars along the edges of the Intracoastal have been holding great numbers of trout in all size ranges. The best bite has been happening in water ranging from four to about eight-feet deep. We’re using four-inch Z-Man Scented Jerk Shads rigged on quarter-ounce heads, working them slow, close to the bottom, for best results. As winds pick up, the action in sand pockets in four to five feet of water turns on. Slicks popping in these areas help pinpoint where trout are located. Big BallerZ in Redbone rigged on eighth-ounce jigheads work great when the fish are in the potholes. The redfish bite has been fairly good in the deep water, since the water is so hot. We are finding our redfish leaving the shallows quite early in the mornings, seeking cooler temperatures in depths up to about eight feet. Deep holes near sand flats and back-bays are holding concentrations of them. We like working our lures through them at consistent speeds. As winds pick up, color changes on the east side hold plenty of fish, and they all like gold, quarter-ounce weedless spoons.
