The View: November 2025
I say this every year, but there is no better month for the outdoors in Matagorda than November. Duck hunting in the morning, fishing the afternoons. Pintails and gadwalls over marsh decoys, trout and redfish eating topwaters and soft plastics. Any way you look at it, it’s hard to beat.
Our fishery has been consistent throughout 2025. That’s due to sound management and changing attitudes of anglers. Catch and release is catching on and many anglers have finally seen the benefits of keeping only what you intend to consume fresh – not let go to waste in a freezer. It’s a beautiful thing.
Sight-casting to redfish along a muddy grass-line is always fun, too. Watch for ripples, wakes and jumping shrimp near the grass and wait for the freight train to pass. Then toss a spoon, shrimp or soft plastic in front of the school and loosen your drag. Listen for crunching jaws when a large school of reds work through the grass. Small crabs do not have a chance.
Obviously, the mouths of bayous and marshes on a falling tide are fall hotspots. Places like Oyster Lake and Crab Lake are good choices, while back lakes like Lake Austin and Boggy are also steady players. Live shrimp under a popping cork, plum Bass Assassins, Gulps or small topwaters worked across points are choice offerings.
Don’t be surprised if birds work in the back lakes, especially on a strong, falling tide. Stay back from the pack and gingerly work the perimeter so not to spook the fish. I can recount past autumns where one flock of birds filled a limit of both trout and reds; and, if mild weather persists, birds could work right on through most of December.
Our bays are full of shrimp and that spells great fall catches. We had one of our best falls in a decade last year and there is no reason we shouldn’t enjoy the same since wet weather patterns have almost been identical.
Wading anglers should work the same terrains, but more methodically. In East Matagorda Bay, Boiler Bayou, Kain Cove, Hog Island, Catch-All Basin and Brown Cedar Flats hold solid trout since all of these spots have a mud bottom. Super Spooks, She Pups, Skitter Walks, Corkys and your favorite soft plastics all get the job done.
If you prefer staying in the boat and anchoring with live bait, the fall offers excellent redfish and black drum action. Shell Island, Twin Island and any other piece of shell holds fish that can be caught with live shrimp under a popping cork.
There is always the bull redfish run if you prefer to tangle with a brute. Large reds are caught at the jetty and beachfront on cracked crabs and mullet. The beauty of the Matagorda jetty and beach is you can drive right up to the water and fish.
The first split of duck season will run Nov.1 – through Nov. 30. Second split will run Dec.13 – through Jan. 25, 2026. Here’s hoping for a more consistent campaign. Last year shotgunners suffered through what many consider to be the slowest duck season in their lifetime.
Habitat conditions are fair to good as of press time. Summer rains helped marsh ponds; however, there has not been much rain since. That bodes well if you have water, but could stress a wintering population of waterfowl.
Hypersaline conditions affect our fisheries as well. Our shrimp, crab and minnow crop is often determined by salinity levels. When the bottom of the food chain thrives, so does the sportfish we target at the top. Hence, both hunters and anglers could use the rain – and soon!