The View: October 2025
October is probably the most opportune month to catch just about every species you might want to target. It’s hard to argue with cooler temperatures, higher tides and hungrier fish.
It’s everyone’s favorite month to fish. The sunrises and sunsets just puts us all in a better mood. A chilled ear lobe and a morning hoodie is a rite of autumn. We will be rocking and rolling from daylight to dark at the Sunrise Lodge – October is a favorite for corporate entertaining.
Higher tides this month will be a boon for redfish. There are lots of shrimp in the back lakes and marshes and many will target those fish with small topwaters and live shrimp under a Mid-Coast cork. As those fish begin to move into the bays they will be found on the grassy shorelines on both the north and south shorelines. Most will toss a shrimp right against the edge of the grass and others will troll down the shorelines tossing DOA Shrimp or small topwaters like She Pups and Super Spook Jrs.
Some of the largest redfish will be found in the middle of East Bay under birds. When things are really firing off in the fall there will be 10-20 groups working. Many times when terns are circling it is a sure sign of redfish.
The reefs in East Bay are players every month, but with shrimp migrating through the bay, waders working mid-bay reefs should see excellent results. We like tossing Super Spook Jrs and She Pups on the edges of the reefs for big fish.
The great thing about East Bay is you don’t have to wade to find big trout. Sure, you need good weather for water clarity, but half of the big trout released by my clients come from drifting over deep shell.
Waders along the south shoreline of West Bay will work the points of shell with Down South Lures and Bass Assassins. If you want both redfish and black drum take a bucket of live shrimp and work the points with a cork. There will be plenty of both in October.
Good numbers of tarpon along the beachfront should be seen this month. Few boats will chase the poons, but if the Gulf stays calm expect to see schools of rolling silver kings. Tarpon fishing is a growing sport in Matagorda; yet, they (tarpon) have been here for years.
We will still have the cast and blast option of fish in the morning and doves in the afternoon in October. When November arrives it will be ducks in the morning and fish in the afternoon.
As stated earlier, habitat conditions are conducive to a good shrimp crop; and, when that is the case, the marsh is prime for holding wintering waterfowl as well. We look forward to a solid duck year, not to mention a three-bird per man pintail limit, something not seen in Texas since 1997.
Please continue to treat our bays like it is your back yard. Catch and release is cool. Please release more than you take.