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The View: June 2021
As I have mentioned many times in this space over the past decade, June is probably my favorite fishing month of the year. Summer is finally here, ardent incoming tides bring ocean recruits through the passes and every piece of water in East Bay, West Bay and the surf is a potential player.
We have had some solid days for trout, though most of the spring has not afforded us much opportunity to work open-bay reefs. However, the days that have allowed us to work green water in East Bay have been productive.
We have been releasing our trout, including multiple 7-pounders, some 6-pounders, and a bunch of 5s. Those days have been refreshing, feel-good mornings indicating that some amount of our fishery survived the freeze and recovery is on the way.
Trout catches in West Bay have been tougher to come by through the spring months. There have been some good days, but there have been many slow days as well. Traditional spring haunts have not been holding trout with consistency on the shorelines.
At the time of this writing we had just received our first real spring bull tide to hopefully bring more fish from the gulf and the deep reaches of West Bay. We realize this is a different year and are keeping our eyes open and watching signs.
As taxing as the Freeze of 2021 was on people – shivering with no electricity and no running water for days – the same hangover could be had by the fish. The coming days will tell the tale.
Don’t read into this that I am being pessimistic. Not at all. We are patiently waiting for things to return to normal and I am happy to say our spring catches of redfish and black drum have taken pressure off our precious trout. Back bays with shell are turning good catches on live shrimp and small topwaters. Many days the wind has made it the only game in town; and, we are grateful we have so many “hiding” spots to save a good day of fishing.
I look forward to many days of wading this month and tossing a topwater along a mullet-laden flat. I look forward to hopefully many days in the surf this summer, tossing a topwater along a mullet-laden gut. I look forward to a morning on Drull’s Lump, tossing a topwater on the edge of the mullet-laden shell.
You can guess I am ready to ditch the memories of the freeze and all the misery and gloom that followed and return back to smiles and water-thrashing blowups. Matagorda is still alive and well. Normalcy is returning. Coastal Q barbecue has opened back up in town. We are a blessed community with a prized natural resource.
Attitudes concerning conservation are changing. The meat-haul mentality is disappearing, and that’s a good thing. Please continue to take care of our estuaries. When you see me grinning at the dock, you will know trout were banging my topwater.
Bink Grimes is the owner of Sunrise Lodge and Sunrise Properties in Matagorda. Follow our catches and releases on Facebook and Instagram.