The View: October 2026
We never know when October will finally turn into October. It's different every year. Some years warm, some years cool. Cooler weather gets our autumn fishing going with shrimp leaving the bays and birds working everywhere. Warm weather keeps us in a summer pattern. One thing we do know is that we love October.
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 side.
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 of birds working in the bay. One will have solid trout beneath; the next will be all redfish. Many times, when terns are circling it is a sure sign of redfish.
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.
Normally, the in-between days of summer and fall make speckled trout a bit finicky, especially when winds blow and you can't get to the fish. That's when redfish take up the slack. Higher tides push reds to the back lakes where they begin schooling along shorelines. It's not uncommon to find groups of 2-4 dozen fish with noses down and turquoise tails out of the water.
We toss small topwaters and soft plastics under a cork (to keep it out of the shell) at those fish, sometimes with three anglers all hooked up at once. But, when three are bowed up with a big red, chances are lines are going to cross, and hooks are going to pop.
The first few cold fronts of the year have significance. Swelling fall tides push water to the back reaches of the marsh where shrimp stage before starting their trek to the Gulf of Mexico. Not until a blast of chilly wind hits the coast do tides fall and shrimp begin descending out of the marsh.
Typical weather patterns seem to be later and later every year. The last few years, the first cold fronts have not arrived until November, so "working the birds" has been late. However, while anglers are waiting on gulls to dive, mid-bay reefs are left alone. Fewer and fewer people wade during the fall, but there are some great fish that hang on the reefs just waiting to eat a topwater.
It is hard to argue with October anywhere in Texas, especially in Matagorda. We will keep our eyes to the sky for the first sign of waterfowl while keeping sights of all the surface activity October brings to our bays and beaches.
Please take care of our coastal waters and consider releasing more than you take.
