The View: June 2025

June is probably my all-time favorite month to fish. Everyone is so excited to be on the water and smiles abound since the whole summer lies in front of us. Trout, reds and a host of other species – surf, bay and Gulf – all potential players during June!

We focus on grass beds when wading in the summertime. Most of the best grass beds in the Matagorda bays can be found in the lee of southerly winds this time of year, which means the water stays fishably clear even with gusting winds. Literally miles and miles of grass beds line the south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay – all can hold fish. June normally affords ardent incoming morning tides, perfect for walking a She Pup or Super Spook Jr. over the flats.

But, clear water isn't always where the fish are. Most of the time there is a dingy stretch on a flat, and that's where most of the fish will be. Waters can actually get too clear at times to catch fish, except in the first hour or so of early morning light.

I love fishing flats adjacent to the Port O'Connor jetty and Pass Cavallo. The best tides in the bay occur there and we toss a variety of topwaters, Bass Assassins, Down South Lures and MirrOlure Soft-Dines in some of the most beautiful water you will ever wade.

The first half of 2025 has been showing some very promising signs in both East and West Matagorda bays. Credit should be given to the general change in attitude about taking care of the fishery and not taking more than we need for a fresh meal. The 3-fish limit has definitely helped. You know our fishery is rebounding when the ability to catch trout regularly on artificials has improved. Sure, the real thing is hard to beat, but more and more of our clients want to try and learn the art of fishing with lures and we are happy to coach.

Twenty years ago we never considered a live shrimp to fool a trout; however, times changed and we adapted to weather, wind, fishing pressure and freezes, and did what we could to keep smiles on the boat.

June gets us in the mood for the surf. There is nothing better than watching a plug get crunched in the foam. We wade the first gut on an incoming tide, but choose to drift and fish out of the boat when tides are falling so we can safely fish the outer bars with MirrOlures, topwaters and soft plastics. If the surf is too rough we slide over to the jetty rocks and work tight to the granite with Gulp! and shrimp under corks.

With light winds, all of East Bay is in play in June, including the mid-bay reefs. Few bays in Texas can rival East Matty for its potential to grow large trout. Shell is what you are looking for, since very little grass, if any, is left along the south shoreline. Indeed our hydrology on the shorelines has changed over the years and many of those big fish that once frequented the shallows now find refuge in the 5-6 feet of water over structure in the middle of the bay.

During June we host lots of families who like to fish in the morning and then cool off in our pools in the afternoon. While the kids are doing belly-busters, dad is making a few putts on our greens and firing up the charcoal for burgers. Matagorda Beach is only five minutes away if you want to make a cast or hang out on the sand.

It’s June; the whole summer is ahead of us.