The Texas coast is into prime summer wade-fishing season, with speckled trout moving to the outside guts and surf, redfish working the flats and bars, and the first tarpon showing along the beachfront. Early mornings are calm and productive before the wind and heat build. This is the wade-fisher’s favorite stretch of the year.
What’s Hitting
Speckled trout are the headline, with the bigger fish on the outside guts, surf, and around the bars. Redfish are working the flats, bars, and back lakes, and black drum are around the structure. The first tarpon are showing along the beachfront and the jetties, and Spanish mackerel are on the nearshore bait. Offshore, kingfish and snapper are producing.
Where to Find Them
Wade the outside guts, the surf, and the bars from the lower Laguna up through the middle coast for trout. Reds are on the flats, the bars, and in the back lakes on the moving tide. The jetties and beachfront hold tarpon, Spanish, and the odd snook in the lower coast. Spanish and kings are on the nearshore reefs. The surf produces trout and reds on calm green-water mornings.
Tides & Conditions
Trout and reds bite best in the calm early morning before the prevailing southeast wind builds. The surf is most fishable on light-wind mornings with green water to the beach. Moving tides improve the bite around the bars and guts. Water is warm and the heat builds fast by midday. Afternoon storms can pop up inland, so fish the early window hard. Green water to the beach on a light-wind morning is the signal to wade the surf, a short window before the prevailing southeast wind rebuilds.
Tackle & Tactics
Wade-fishers throw soft plastics, topwaters, and live croakers for trout — topwaters at first light, then soft plastics as the sun climbs. Reds eat gold spoons, soft plastics, and cut bait on the flats. For the beachfront tarpon, live mullet and big spoons. Work the guts and bars methodically, and let the bigger trout tell you where they are.
This Week’s Tip
For the bigger trout, slow down and fish the guts and bars where the wade-fishers find the trophies. The biggest fish often sit in the deeper troughs along the bars at first light, hitting a topwater walked slowly across the surface. Once the sun is up, switch to a soft plastic worked along the bottom of the gut — and don’t keep moving; work the productive water thoroughly.