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Indeed, we needed the rain, and above normal tides to push fresh recruits of water to estuaries that have been as much as two feet below normal for the past two weeks.
Low tides and westerly winds in July is not atypical; and, anglers should not complain about the 2008 version of July’s low water and intense heat - a summer pattern of consistent fishing was finally found after a lackluster June.
“The bars in West Matagorda Bay finally turned on,” said guide Tommy Countz. “We had some good days down there with some solid fish.”
Countz was referring to the sand and grass beds that blanket West Bay’s south shoreline from the Pipeline all the way to the Cedars. A jaded June never pushed a consistent school of trout to the shallows, uncharacteristic of Junes past.
“I don’t know what the deal was,” said guide Bobby Gardner. “It scared me because we should have been catching trout in June like we always do. We caught more fish at Cotton’s last year when it was fresh (from the flooding rains). I was beginning to think we had a fish population problem.”
As I mentioned before, the surf was sporting, too.
“We had full limits every day we could get out there,” said guide Kenny Hauff. “I had waders and drifters both. Most days we were done by noon.”
More impressive were the gator trout that were found in East Matagorda Bay. I can attest to catching 27-inchers on consecutive days, however, a handful of trout over the magical 30-inch mark were brought boat side.
“There are some big ones in the middle of the bay while drifting deep shell,” said guide Lee Warmke. “There were huge rafts of mullet and the trout were hanging beneath them.”
Monday, Warmke said he had a lady angler catch the first trout of her life – a 31 ¼-incher that weighed 8.9 pounds – she wasn’t in the STAR Tournament.
“She caught that big trout on a live shrimp under a popping cork, but we caught other good fish on topwaters on the same drift,” said Warmke.
Though most Port O’Connor anglers ditched the bay for the surf last week, there were some impressive catches on grass beds near Pass Cavallo.
“We caught over 100 fish, and never cast more than four times without a bite,” said guide Kyle Tomek. “We threw Brown’s plum/chartreuse plastic and caught fish for four hours straight.”
Guide Chris Martin of Bay Flats Lodge in Seadrift said Espiritu Santo Bay held plenty of trout, too.
“Wading has been good with Norton Sand Eel Jrs. over sand and grass, but the croaker bite has been good over deep shell,” he said.
Jim Vratis, owner of Stingaree Marina on the Bolivar Peninsula, said he saw the most impressive catches of trout he can remember since he opened his place in 1985.
“I have never seen stringers like I saw last week in East Galveston Bay,” he said. “The bay was beautiful and most of the fish were being caught on limetreuse Bass Assassins and croakers over deep reefs.”
Waders also took noteworthy trout along the remote reaches of the north shoreline. She Pups, Super Spooks and SkitterWalks coaxed many fish on the surface.
“It has been lock and load out here,” said guide James Plaag. “You can pull up to a piece of shell, anchor, and catch all of the fish you want on plastics.”
Plaag said a 3/8-ounce jig head with red/white or chartreuse Bass Assassins has been the ticket in about 11 feet of water.
“Any time we get a break in the wind, we catch lots of fish; and, the tarpon are showing nearshore, so that is a bonus.”
Here’s hoping August takes a cue from July.
Bink Grimes is a freelance writer, photographer, author and licensed captain. Contact him at binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net.