Reports & Forecasts: June 2012

Lake Calcasieu Louisiana
Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268
June is one of our favorite months because the weather is generally calm. All areas of the lake will be holding fish, in addition to the Cameron jetties, the beachfront and the close rigs in the Gulf. Salinities are good now, but we will still be concentrating most of our efforts south of the intracoastal due to the very low salinities this spring. Topwater action will be on! She Dogs, Super Spooks and Skitterwalks all work well for the larger trout. MirrOlure Little Johns, Norton Sand Eels and H & H Salty Grubs will also draw plenty of bites. Little Johns and Sand Eels work great under birds if ribbon fish are flashing, but when shrimp are jumping, the Salty Grubs work better. Glow, opening night and avocado are great choices for any of the plastics. Redfish will be plentiful. Large schools roam the middle of the lake, and show up at the Cameron jetties and behind the weirs on the south shoreline. Reds can be caught on all the same baits listed for the trout. Adding a Rockport Rattler to plastics for the reds often makes for better catching.

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
James mentions good, steady fishing in the Galveston bays around the time of this report. "We're catching fish. It's not lock and load, but I'd call it good. Most days we're getting our limit, especially when we're wading. And we're catching some big trout too, up to just over seven pounds. Best way to catch the big ones lately is with topwaters up shallow on sandy flats. We've had the best luck with the old Woody Top Dog, the white one with the red head. You'll catch more fish out deeper, using pumpkinseed or red shad Bass Assassins on sixteenth ounce regular jigheads or Flutter jigheads. Boat fishing is pretty good too when winds are light. Out there, we're using more soft plastics on heavier jigheads. I'm focusing on Lower Galveston and West Bay right now, a little bit in East Bay. The water in Trinity is fresh and messed up, and East Bay gets blown out really easy. I expect things to stay much the same in June. We'll start fishing out of the boat a little more as it gets hotter. But on the windy days, wading will be much better."

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Fishing has picked up nicely in the Galveston area lately, Jim reports. "As always in the spring, heading into summer, the weather is a big key. We do better on days with lighter winds. We're still fighting a good deal of fresh water, and the clarity of the water just doesn't hold up as well under strong winds as it does when it's saltier. We've been catching lots of solid trout up to over six pounds wading, and also some good ones out of the boat. It's been a good topwater bite on most days. The wading and boat fishing will both still be good in June. East Bay has plenty of fish, but Galveston Bay is really loaded up right now, all the way from the base of the Texas City Dike up to Atkinson Island, that whole side. Seems the fresh water has the fish pretty well stacked up over that way. I look for excellent fishing in June, especially if the wind doesn't blow too much. We'll start up the slick hopping strategy out in the middle on most of the calmer days, and we'll wade the leeward shorelines more when it's blowing."

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service - 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
Randall expects excellent fishing in June, with lots of options. "Right now, we've got more button shad than I've ever seen. The redfish in particular are gorging on them, so it can be tough to make them bite lures at times. They are starting to make mud stirs out in the middle of the bay, and that can make them easier to catch. The trout are keying more on the baby ribbon fish, and when you find plenty of those, throwing a white topwater is more or less money in the bank. Another good lure to throw around the ribbon fish is the large Norton Sand Eel, particularly in light colors. Those same soft plastics work great when the glass minnows are around too. We'll be looking to get in the surf in June. Normally, there are plenty of large menhaden around, and finding them usually leads to some solid trout fishing. By the way, I'll be wearing my Piscavoure shirts, trying to beat the heat. Like most fishing shirts, they have a vented flap on the back, but on this one, the flap is removable. They are well designed fishing shirts for hot weather."

Matagorda | Tommy Countz
Bay Guide Service -979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037
The Matagorda area has many options for great fishing in June. "Mostly, I like wading in West Bay when it's windy, working shallow grass beds early with topwaters, then switching over to dark soft plastics on light jigheads and being really thorough later. Calmer conditions mean more plentiful options. First thought is drifting the west end of East Bay and keying on slicks, using soft plastics on a little heavier jigheads. Wading the reefs in that same area can be good too, using top waters early in the morning, the switching over to Corkies and soft plastics later in the day. Light winds also create excellent potential for tripletail. When targeting those, we'll be using live shrimp and fishing structure in West Bay. Normally, on those outings, I like to give some deep reefs over there a try too. We usually catch some nice trout working those. We'll also look to head to the beachfront whenever winds allow. We'll start off with topwaters there too, and also try some broken backs and Corkies. We'll stay either in the first gut or just outside the first bar."

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
Fishing in our local waters has been pretty decent as of late. Fish are definitely in summer-like, patterns with the unusually high water temps. Trout and redfish are holding over grass and sand and have moved off the mud. Tripletail have showed up in good numbers about a month earlier than last year. Trout have been active at the wells and structures out in West Matagorda and have been eating freelined shrimp like crazy. Redfish are starting to run in small pods on area shorelines chasing hatching shrimp, and have been pretty easy to target. Small topwaters like Super Spook Juniors, She Pups and Baby Skitterwalks have been working best; natural colors and bone seem to be best bet. The surf should be on the top of everyone's list next month with the right winds. The keys to look for when fishing the surf are diving gulls and/or pelicans and big rafts of mullet. Those who are able to find these two things relatively close together should be able to catch plenty of solid trout.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith - Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434
"We will be watching the weather in June, hoping for a few light fronts and northerly winds so the surf will get right. Most years, we start having some opportunity to head to the beachfront and it's one of my favorite things to do. Out there, we'll throw topwaters mostly and stay pretty close to the beach. Some of the biggest surf trout we catch come at the beginning of the summer season. Other than that, I'll be targeting areas with a hard sandy bottom and some grass beds. We'll throw a lot of Super Spook Juniors, especially the ones with chrome on them. We'll switch over to Corkies when the blow ups are harder to get. I particularly like the silver/chartreuse tail one if the water is pretty clear. Of course, soft plastics are a mainstay lure this time of year too. Chicken on a chain is a great color. Gambler is now making their Flappin' Shad in that color pattern. It's beautiful. I expect an excellent month of fishing ahead. We've got pretty water and plenty of fish right now, so it should be really good."

Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
"The trout fishing has been really good recently and the redfish action isn't bad either," Blake says. "I'll be fishing Aransas, Mesquite and Corpus Christi Bays mostly in June, targeting shorelines with a lot of sand and grass. We've been having a good topwater bite and that should continue. I'll be using Super Spooks with chrome on them as much as I can. Of course, I'll be throwing my Sand Eels too. And croaker season is starting to kick in pretty hard. Lots of people are catching on those. One of the main things I look to do starting in June is fish the surf. I'm hoping it will be a good year out there. The winds haven't been too bad this spring, so if it lets up a little, it cold go off big time. Lots of years, when the winds are light in the month of June, we catch lots of trout out there, and the average size is really good. Some of the best fishing of the year around here happens in June when the weather cooperates. With all the bays producing fish right now, we should be set up for a great run."

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut
Robert Zapata – [email protected] - 361.563.1160
The month of June is one of my favorite months because the weather becomes more consistently favorable for fishing. The water temperature is also favorable for both fish and fishermen, making the fishing and catching consistently better. The brown tide is still affecting most of Baffin Bay and the Upper Laguna Madre, but the needed structures are still visible in shallow water, which is where I am finding most of the fish. In June, I'll be fishing in less than three feet of water around grass lines, pot holes, drop offs and shallow rocks. Finding good concentrations of bait or fish slicks around these types of structure will be the keys to finding fish. One of my favorite lures this time of year is the MirrOlure Catch 5 in color CHBL, sardine. It sinks slowly and stays well in the strike zone for the big trout. The Bass Assassin Die Dapper in colors like morning glory/chartreuse and chartreuse dog rigged on sixteenth ounce Spring Lock jigheads will be my go-to soft plastics. Live croakers on #5 Mustad croaker hooks will also be successful.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961
The water in the Land Cut area is beautiful and clear, Joe states. "I'll keep running south quite a bit as long as the pretty water is over there. Recently, we've seen something of a changeover in the patterns. In April and early May, there were a lot of trout up shallow, and it was possible to catch them throughout the day on the skinny parts of the flats. Recently, some of the fish seem to have moved out a little deeper. In June, I like to key on drop offs and edges adjacent to deep water. In the area down south, that basically means the edge of the Land Cut, the deep side of the rocks in Rocky Slough, the drop offs in Summer House and Yarbrough and the fringes of the grass bars on the spoil banks. Like always, locating a lot of bait fish is a key this time of year. When targeting fish on the edges and drop offs, it's wise to match the jighead size to the conditions. If winds are light, smaller jigheads work best, but when the wind gets up, going to heavier heads is critical, because it allows for keeping the lure in the strike zone better.'

Padre Island National Seashore
Billy Sandifer - Padre Island Safaris - 361.937.8446
June is long-awaited by PINS anglers as it genuinely marks the beginning of prime conditions that typically last throughout summer and fall. Almost every species ever encountered in the surf is present in at least fair numbers during June. Speckled trout will become available to lure and bait fishermen. Most often a brightly colored topwater or silver spoon will be the top choice for lure chunkers. These lures may also produce ladyfish, redfish, Spanish mackerel, Atlantic bluefish and there is always a chance at tarpon and king mackerel. Whiting will be very plentiful for bottom fishers but will run a bit on the small side. As always it's fresh, dead shrimp and "Fishbites" for them. You'd be surprised how many trout and reds are caught while fishing for whiting in this manner. If the sargassum allows, June, September, and October are the prime shark months with all species that inhabit the nearshore Gulf present on PINS. Turtle nesting will be in full swing and the beach is crowded with families in June so be considerate and keep your eyes open and speed down.

Port Mansfield | Terry Neal
www.terrynealcharters.com – 956.944.2559
Wind continues to stir up most of the Laguna Madre. The pattern has been 10 to 12 mph first thing in the morning for a couple of hours and then it picks up. If you find a spot that produces, fish it till the bite stops; that might be it for the day. Normally the bait in the area will dictate what happens the rest of the day but not a reliable indicator lately. Water clarity will determine what baits will produce as the wind picks up throughout the morning and continues till a couple of hours before dark. Repeat successful drifts and once you get some action throw out a marker so that you can come back to the same area. Fishing is going to take a lot more patience during this windy period. It has been tough for the most part; that is why it is called fishing. Enjoy your time on the water and remember that catching is a bonus. Hopefully the patterns will change soon. Be patient. Keep what you will eat; release the rest.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Janie and Fred Petty – www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747
The beginning of May started on a quieter note, wind-wise than April, with better fishing. We're starting to limit on reds again, and continuing to catch good numbers of trout, including some over 25 inches. The flounder are still around, just not as plentiful as they were during the winter months. Freddy says, "If it's trout you want to attract, try the new Cajun Thunder popping cork. It really adds splash to the traditional CJ rattle and pop. We've been upping our averages with the same fifteen inch leader and a Berkley Gulp! three inch shrimp under the new Back Bay Thunder. Precision Tackle has also added a larger hook to the eighth ounce copper or gold spoon, with dramatically improved results for redfish." Look for much clearer water, now that the rolling silt cloud has settled a little from the open bay dredge dumping. Hopefully we can get the Corps of Engineers to change this disposal practice before the west side becomes too barren. Ecologically and economically speaking, the middle of the bay can't be the best site to dispose of silt.