Texas Gulf Coast Fishing Report: Trout, Reds, and Flounder Bite Strong Ahead of Weekend

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Friday fishing report for the Texas Gulf Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. It’s May 9th, and we’re seeing some classic spring fishing patterns play out. The sunrise came up today just after 6:30 a.m. with sunset expected around 8:05 p.m., giving us a nice long day on the water.

We've got big spring tides pumping fresh Gulf water into the bays, carrying baitfish in by the truckload. Water clarity is looking good in most inshore spots, with just a slight chop in the morning that settles out by midday. Winds are light from the southeast, hovering around 10 knots, making for easy drifts and comfortable wading. Temperatures today are in the mid to high 70s early on, heating into the mid 80s by afternoon. Expect a bit of humidity, typical for this time of year, but nothing that’ll keep you off the water.

Fish activity has been solid all week. In places like East Matagorda Bay, there’s been a strong bite in five feet of water over shell. The early morning topwater action has been the ticket for big speckled trout, with fish up to 5 pounds landed this week. Popping corks with live shrimp or GULP! baits are getting reliable strikes both over shell and along grassy shorelines. Soft plastics like Bass Assassins, Down South Lures, and MirrOlure Lil' Johns are also working, especially as fish drop into deeper water mid-morning.

Redfish are still cruising the shallow flats and back lakes, especially on the higher tides. The Port O’Connor back lakes are producing good numbers of slot reds and the occasional bull, especially around the grassy edges and drains. Flounder action has picked up in the guts and bayous, particularly at first light. Anglers wading the Southshore West Bay with Gulp Swimming Mullets have been getting steady bites from flatties pushing shallow at night and feeding in the early morning.

Recent catches have included limits of speckled trout and solid redfish, with a fair number of keeper flounder. No sign of those big spring sharks yet, but they’re not far offshore for those running out.

Your best bait right now is live shrimp under a popping cork, but don’t sleep on topwater plugs for that sunrise trout bite. For reds and flounder, chartreuse soft plastics, GULP! shrimp, and finger mullet are top producers.

If you’re looking for hot spots, give these a try: East Matagorda Bay around Brown Cedar Flats for trout, or the Port O’Connor back lakes for reds. On a low tide, hit the west end of East Matagorda Bay near Raymond Shoals for bigger fish. For a flounder fix, try the guts and drains on the Southshore West Bay at daylight.

That’s your report for today. Tight lines, and I’ll see you on the water.