Wading oyster shell and mud has worked well, even in muddy water, as shrimp continue to get destroyed by speckled trout and redfish. High winds have been bothering us most of the summer but it hasn't hurt the fishing much.
On one occasion, Michael McMahon and his fishing parnter joined me for some wadefishing in East Matagorda. We started off fishing hard in a known big trout cove before moving to some muddier water that has been producing good numbers for me. Right out of the boat, Michael nails a nice trout and we just sat there stringing trout without another boat in sight. But it didn't take long for the area to be covered by boats, it was too tough to keep the bent rods hidden. The highlight of the half day trip was a smoker 32 inch redfish.
On other trips, we have drifted deep shell producing redfish and flounder and also waded shorelines to build up nice boxes of fish. Mainly our trout catches have ranged from about 17-25 inches, bigger trout are showing up less frequently for us...but trust me they are there.
Matagorda 7-20-09
I have been very busy and am finishing up the remainder of my July charters in Matagorda. I have thoroughly enjoyed fishing with many of you this summer and I anticipate more great trips this summer with some more of you. Thank you for the business and I hope your trip with me exceeded or at least met your expectations.
In the previous weeks, I have been staying pretty much in East Bay unless we run out to West Matagorda for a couple of wades and a little looking around for tripletail. It seems they have been getting hit a little harder than usual this year but we are still catching a few. I'm surprised to report that I have seen more in East Matagorda Bay than years past and I haven't even been looking for them. On one of my charters, I had a client hook up and break off on a pig that was at least twenty pounds.
The highlights of July thus far have got to be in East Matagorda for numbers of speckled trout. It seems there is quite a gap between the success. Due to lack of a more suiting phrase, I guess you could call it a hit or miss-but we aren't really missing. When we hit it, we are seeing our 10 trout per man; when we are missing, the box is anywhere between 10-20 fish. We have even encountered some big trout around 26 inches and plenty of fiesty 23-25 inchers. Redfish have been spotty for the most part, in my normal spots.
I spent an entire week this month on the Frio River for some relaxation. We had a great time and I got to try out some new flys I have been waiting to put to use. The river was low but we still were able to float by mixing it up with a walk every now and then.
I have spent the last week working on my bow stand in Edna Texas. I am pumped up and ready for bow season. But don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of fish to be caught before I'm in the tree this year. I also made a trip into Keller Bay this week. It was a laid back trip but we caught trout working drop offs in clear water during 20 mph southeast winds.
Keep in mind, I'm cutting deal to those that fish with me in August in Port Mansfield:
Book a full-day trip-for 3: $550/$50 for each additional up to 6. Lures provided.
Book two full days and I'll subract $200.
Book three days and I'll deduct $300
Dates open for Port Mansfield:
August: 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,
I can track down lodging for you on and off the water. If Port Mansfield is too far, I am catching plenty of fish in Matagorda as well, especially while wading with bait.
GOOD BYE MATAGORDA SWING BRIDGE....
If you haven't heard, Matagorda got a brand new bridge. Come down and check it out.
Matagorda 6-29-09
East Matagorda Bay:
Friday, I booked a two boat trip and guided Chad Moody and his group of four for a day of prefishing in East Matagorda. This trip was in preparation for the JP Moody Memorial Tournament, which gives out two scholarships to high school seniors. We discussed the game plan and decided to go for numbers and hopefully hit a few big fish. We checked out one spot without much to show for it but settled on our next stop where we boxed 37 trout. My clients were very happy with their catch. Daniel Kubecka ran the other group of three and worked hard for them. He joined us on our wade mid-morning and we had seven guys lined up and smoking trout. Surprisingly, porpoises seemed to be pushing the trout to the guys and giving them more action. You heard me right...porpoises in East Matagorda Bay. The fish were in waves and for about four hours the guys caught fish and each angler would occasionally walk a little ways back to the boat and take a break and return to hammering them. Together our boats brought in 61 trout. It was a beautiful day and the winds could not have been more perfect.
Saturday was tournament day and Chad Moody brought a few more along and the bite was slower but we caught the trout we needed to for the tournament. Redfish have been tough to find and the only time we have been catching them in East Matagorda is by accident. We followed the same routine as the day before but luckily caught quality over quantity. We put 12 in the box and five were over 23 with the largest trout at 27 inches. I'm still waiting to hear on the final results. The highlight of the day, aside from Chad's 27 inch sow trout, was Chad also hooking a 20+ pound tripletail that I caught a glimpse floating in East Matagorda Bay. We ran to try and get a chance at hooking it but didn't pay much attention to the drag, before it made its first run, and snapped the line. Chad and his group have already booked me for next year and I look forward to guiding them on two more excellent trips next year. Congrats to Chad on his second consecutive year to catch a trout over 25 inches.
Sunday, I had a group booked but they rescheduled at the last minute due to a death in their family. So my buddy Douglas Arlitt, who helped me as a deckhand on Saturday, spent the morning fly fishing with me in the Colorado River where he caught his first trout on fly.
I have days open in July and trips in the first two weeks of August in Port Mansfield that I am trying to book. Visit my calendar for more details.
Port Mansfield 6-21-09
Lower Laguna Madre: Thursday through Sunday, I fished out of Port Mansfield for the 12th Annual Hook-In Up fishing trip that my dad organizes every year with a fun group of guys. We had a great time, ate plenty of good food, and fought through the wind to catch fish. The wind made fishing more of a challenge but we caught big fish and recieved solid strikes from limits of trout. 1/8 ounce jig heads with red and white Brown Lure Sea Devils is what I caught half of my fish on. The other half was caught on plum and chartreuse Sea Devils.
Congrats to Darrell Montgomery for catching his personal best. The 30 inch beast smashed a red and white tail after Darrell sightcasted it in shin deep water. The big fish won our friendly tournament by a landslide and he is keeping the fish to be mounted.
An it just so happens that the morning we left the wind died to a light breeze...a drastic change from the 30 mph gusts we felt for days before.
Matagorda 6-15-09
West Matagorda Bay: Saturday, Mike Starkey and Steve Starkey fished with me on the south shoreline of West. We started off wading in deep grass where we found scattered trout to 20 inches. Two of our stringers were hit by a pair of four-to-five foot sharks. We stuck with it for a while putting some fish in the box before we moved to fishing guts and sand bars. After finding that our best action came from the grass, we returned to another area with deep grass and finished off a box of 12 trout.
Matagorda 6-8-09
East Matagorda Bay: This week, fishing in East Matagorda Bay changed drastically over the course of only a couple of days. Early in the week Randy Wittenburg, Payton Pawlosky, and Darrell Staff fished with me. We waded the south shoreline and oyster shell. 37 specks with a 27 inch girl were released.
Following the front, a slower bite took place on the first day of the Oilmen's Tournament. Fishing was slow for everyone and we fished the same areas as we did earlier in the week struggling for bites.
Another half-day trip was spent throwing topwaters for big trout. We made three or four wades before we called it a day. We fished reefs and sand shoreline. The best bite came on reefs with blue/chrome she-dogs where we released a 27-28 inch trout.
Beachfront: The beach turned on for many anglers. Saturday, I was loaded down with Mark Grayson's group from National Oilwell Varco. Our first wade was hot and heavy. When the sun rose, we saw how clear the water really was and the fish seemed to pull off the shore. One angler was broke off by a kingfish. We spent the rest of the trip in deeper waters toying with weedlines and grass mats floating into the beach. We caught glimpses of tripletail and what looked to be a ling. We finished up with 20 trout with five between 23 and 24 inches.
Port Mansfield: Great reports have continued to flow from the southern retreat. If you haven't yet been informed, I am guiding trips for over a month in Port Mansfield this summer. So if you are interested in a trip, e-mail or call me (kyle@kyletomek.com) or 979-240-9999. Check out my calendar for dates available. I have a special right now if you book two or more days. Three bedroom lodging available for $150 a night.
Port Mansfield 6-1-09
Port Mansfield: I have been getting around and fishing plenty of locations on the coast. I have had a great summer thus far. But as far as fishing quality goes, Port Mansfield has offered some of the best. Cody Stripling, Justin Gardiner, and I fished the Lower Laguna for several days this week and really enjoyed hot topwater action no matter if we were drifting deep grass or wading skinny. Bone Super Spook jrs and dark strawberry/white Brown Lure Sea Devils drew the strikes. The weather was beautiful with mornings slick calm and a gradually increasing wind into the evening. I also really enjoyed visiting and fishing alongside Danny and Jeff Neu again. I will also be guiding trips in July and August this year from Port Mansfield. I have given my frequent clients first choice on dates. If you are interested in a trip or two in my favorite location on the Texas Coast, pick out some dates on my calendar and shoot me an e-mail or dial 979-240-9999
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Aransas Pass 5-24-09
Aransas Pass: Kyle Kenter, Jarid Malone, Nathaniel Davis, and I spent three days in Aransas Pass on a kayak getaway. The new moon phase kept the fish biting at dark but we located small schools of fish during the early morning as well. In the middle of the day, our group caught fish in cuts leading to deep water channels using fly rods. We had a heck of a time and the late evening feeds were very strong as the tide poured out from the marsh. I lost count after seeing at least 30 seperate schools. It is amazing to see how long fish can stay hidden during the day and cause a flat to look completely dead. Then, suddenly all of the tails rise and the reds come out of hiding to school up like an army. We focused on using only only fly rods but 1/8 ounce weedless gold spoons drew numerous strikes.
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