Texas Gulf Coast INSHORE Fishing Report week of January 11th 2023

Galveston Bay

GOOD. 64 degrees. Shorelines around Eagle Point holding decent numbers of speckled trout on live shrimp. Kemah and Seabrook shorelines are producing decent numbers of redfish and a few speckled trout. Live shrimp and soft plastics are working equally well. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. The flounder season has been great with a push of flounder throughout the harbor after the last big front. Pelican Bridge holding flounder on both sides on the shores. Redfish, speckled trout and sheepshead are biting on shrimp under popping cork or free-lined near the jetty rocks. SWP holding speckled trout and sheepshead against rocks free-line shrimp or under a cork with shrimp. Report provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.

East Galveston Bay

GOOD. 62 degrees. Speckled trout are fair for anglers fishing near bayou drains on live shrimp and soft plastics. Open bay reefs holding a few redfish and black drum, best on live shrimp. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter. The East Bay reefs are starting to see speckled trout action early with twitch bait, or split tails. Report provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.

West Galveston Bay

GOOD. 63 degrees. Waders faring well catching redfish and speckled trout on artificial lures. rifting open bay reefs fair for speckled trout on soft plastics and live shrimp. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Redfish and trout are holding in the cuts between North and South Deer Islands, and the openings between Greens and Carancahua Lake. Wading is producing catches in Fat Pat and Pigpen. Report provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.

Texas City

GOOD. 60 degrees. Improving number of big black drum being caught on live crab and cut mullet off the Texas City Dike and Galveston jetties. Still some bull redfish from both places as well. Sheepshead bite is good on live shrimp at the Galveston jetties. Beachfront piers are good for whiting, black drum, and redfish.Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. The rock barriers between Swan Lake and the dike are holding sheepshead on live shrimp, and trout on soft plastics in Texas roach or purple/chartreuse colors and imitation shad in Texas roach and gold glitter shrimp. Work artificials slower than normal because fish are slower when the water is cool. Report provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.

Houston

GOOD. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.05 feet above pool. Check weather and wind forecast before heading out this weekend. Crappie are in the river on structure in 5-10 feet of water biting jigs. Catfish are in 5-15 feet of water biting on cut bait. Bass are shallow on spinnerbaits or flipping laydowns and stumps. White bass are in the creeks chasing shad biting on slabs.

Sabine Lake

GOOD. 60 degrees. Sabine Lake is producing catches of redfish with a few trout mixed in drifting in 6-8 feet of water over grassy banks with shell, and near the mouths bayous using five-inch red shad or morning glory plastic baits with a 1/16 ounce jighead. Catches of sheepshead and drum in the points at the mouths of bayous using live shrimp under a popping cork or Carolina rigs and live shrimp. North Levy wall continues to hold speckled trout and redfish on the first and second pike, but the bite has slowed some on live shrimp under a popping cork, swimbaits and jigheads. Nice redfish on rock piles in the ICW, near Texaco Island, Stewts Island to Sydney drifting in 3-6 feet of water over clam shell. Fishing has slowed in the Neches River while freshwater pours in from Dam B. Fish are scattered in the higher water levels, and bait fish have moved out. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.

Bolivar

GOOD. 61 degrees. Fish deeper ends of the reefs or wind protected cuts with popping cork and shrimp. The jetty holding sheepshead and trout on live shrimp close to rocks. Yates Sloughs holding redfish on grass lines close to Siever Cut. Fish 12-18 inches under cork shrimp or burner shad. Between Stingaree’s and Rollover Pass redfish are in deeper marshes on popping cork with shrimp. Report provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.

Trinity Bay

SLOW. 63 degrees. Speckled trout are good in Tabbs Bay on soft plastics and live shrimp. Burnett and Scott Bays are still the best bet for speckled trout on soft plastics and live shrimp. Catches of black drum, redfish, and sheepshead in the same area, best on live shrimp. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.

Freeport

SLOW. 60 degrees. Trout are good in the harbor and bays, using soft plastics or gulp under a popping cork. Redfish are good using soft plastics, gulp under a popping cork, live mullet or cut mullet in the cuts. Drum and sheepshead are good around cuts with oyster using live and dead shrimp. Report by Captain Jake Brown, Flattie Daddy Fishing Adventures.

East Matagorda Bay

FAIR. 58 degrees. Drift the west end of the bay for trout and redfish. Very few flounder catches. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.

West Matagorda Bay

SLOW. 58 degrees. Redfish, trout and flounder are slow. The Colorado River continues to be stained, but fish will be there holding deep. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.

Port O’Connor

GOOD. 62 degrees. Fishing is good with limits of trout, sheepshead and redfish.Trout are good on the outside of the jetties with live shrimp, rootbeer colored artificial shrimp, magic grass or dirty tequila soft plastics. Redfish are all over the jetties on Spanish sardines and dead shrimp. Sheepshead are numerous everywhere using live shrimp. Report by Captain Marty Medford, Captain Marty’s Fish of a Lifetime Guide Service.

Rockport

GREAT. 60 degrees. Redfish are good in 4-6 feet of water on live mullet and soft plastics. Trout are good, slowly retrieving soft plastics and swimbaits in 4-6 feet of water. Drum are good in 4-6 feet of water on dead shrimp. Report provided by Damian Hubbs, Mathis Bait Co.

Port Aransas

GOOD. 60 degrees. Sheepshead, black drum, trout up to 22 inches, and upper slot redfish are good at the jetties and Fina Docks on live shrimp. Smaller sized trout and redfish are in Redfish Bay behind Ransom and Dagger Islands drifting with shrimp under a popping or artificials few reds smaller. Report by Captain Doug Stanford, Pirates of the Bay Fishing Charters.

Corpus Christi

SLOW. 66 degrees. Fishing is slow while the water is churned up due to oil spill cleanup. Trout and redfish are biting on shrimp in the La Quinta Channel. Report by Captain Doug Stanford, Pirates of the Bay Fishing Charters.

Baffin Bay

SLOW. 63 degrees. Fishing has been slow but a few keepers are being caught at every stop, and the smaller trout have moved in. Live shrimp under a popping cork has been producing steady action on some keepers on the deeper structures in Baffin. While the bite is tough, persevere and fish more than one spot and you will produce a nice box of keeper trout, black drum, and redfish. Report by Gilbert Barrera, Baffin Bay Hunting and Fishing.

Port Mansfield

GOOD. 62 degrees. Fishing has been steady last week. This should continue as we head into the weekend. The water has warmed some and catches Nice catches of trout and redfish in two feet of water now that the water temperature has warmed some. Concentrate on areas with bait and scattered grass using Mansfield Knockers or KWigglers. Report by Captain Wayne Davis, Hook Down Charters

South Padre

GOOD. 66 degrees. Fishing is warming up with the water. Redfish and sheepshead are improving at the jetties. Slot trout are now feeding on the flats later in the day. Trout are spotty and deep in the upper Brownsville Channel. Small schools of redfish can be seen on depth finders suspended in the channel. Sheepshead are around docks. No live bait, so use red with a white tail artificials. Stay safe out there. Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.

Port Isabel

GOOD. 66 degrees. Fishing is warming up with the water. Redfish and sheepshead are improving at the jetties. Slot trout are now feeding on the flats later in the day. Trout are spotty and deep in the upper Brownsville Channel. Small schools of redfish can be seen on depth finders suspended in the channel. Sheepshead are around docks. No live bait, so use red with a white tail artificials. Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.

Source: TPW