May is one of my favorite months of the year to be on the water, and in the hunt for speckled trout and redfish along the Texas Coast. It's when cold fronts are history and our many miles of coastal bays and surf are warming. With those changes in water temperature, two things are going to happen. One is that fish are going to be on a big feed. Second, fishermen are going to be ready to hit the water.

One thing is certain about the Texas Coast -- there definitely are no shortages of places to fish. We're talking about a range of excellent trout and redfish venues that stretch from Sabine Lake to the Laguna Madre. That's a lot of water and a lot of fishing opportunity. However, after fishing the Texas Coast for more than 45 years, I've found there are a few areas that are consistently better than others.

My top spot, the go-to place I put above all others on my must-fish list, is Port O'Connor, on the Middle Texas Coast. It's where you'll find miles upon miles of clear-water flats. There are islands in the sun. There are wide-open bays, backwater estuaries, a natural pass and some of the best jetties that you'll find anywhere on the Gulf Coast. With all that diverse water you'll find lots of trout and redfish.

This is a prime location that I've been fishing for more than four decades. And it's where I run light tackle and fly-fishing charters. The reason why is simple: excellent fishing for two of the most popular game fish in Texas salt water.

If you're looking to pole a shallow-water flat that's gin clear and full of tailing reds, you need to give Port O'Connor a shot. During the spring I spend a lot of time at Pass Cavallo. That's where I find lots of reds and trout on incoming tides. That's also where Sunday Beach is located. Sunday's a part of the Texas surf with white sand beaches and excellent trout fishing.

What I like to do there is run the surf and look for pods of baitfish up on the water's surface. More often than not, this section of sand and surf is trout green. Once I locate baitfish in the first or second guts paralleling the beach, trout usually are not too far behind. The fun thing about fishing the surf is that you'll likely catch solid trout along with a few big reds.