The fisheries of the Texas Gulf Coast are in better condition than they've been in more than 30 years.

Our coastal sportfish populations have benefited from prohibitions on commercial harvest, restrictive recreational bag and size limits, stocking, and wetlands restoration from Port Isabel to Port Arthur. Anglers have responded to this saltwater bounty by becoming increasingly knowledgeable about their quarry, and by learning that fishing on the Texas Coast can be productive the year 'round.

The five species discussed here are found across the spectrum of coastal fishing venues -- from back bays to sites far offshore, and everywhere in between. As you'll see, there's something exciting to catch in our coastal region 365 days of the year.

SPECKLED TROUT
Summer brings some of the most consistent action for speckled trout to the jetty systems along the Gulf Coast. Either live shrimp fished on a Texas Rattling Rig or a similar popping-cork/treble-hook combo can be deadly on specks.

"During the summer, the specks will sometimes just almost shut down completely to lures out at the jetties and you have to adjust your game plan," said Steve Walko of Houston. "A popping cork and shrimp will allow you to 'see' what you're doing and adjust the depth at which you're fishing easily. Depth is very important."

Walko says that pitching a live shrimp along the jetty wall and letting it float down it can be an exciting and nerve-wracking experience. "Seeing that cork go down always gets you," he stated. "Sometimes it'll bob just a bit and come back up, and then sometimes it will just dive straight down. It's a lot of fun."

For anglers wanting to catch truly big specks during summer months, the spoils in the Houston Ship Channel are top spots to fish, especially for anglers using live croakers. "A live croaker fished over those spoils can produce more big trout than almost anything this time of year," said Capt. George Knighten.

As summer fades to fall, most of the action occurs on the main body of the bays with schools of trout working under the birds. Soft-plastic shrimp and menhaden imitations are top baits; topwater lures and lipless crankbaits also catch fish. This also is the time of year at which lots of small trout are feeding aggressively near the surface. If you want to catch the truly big ones, fish a heavier lure on bottom to get past the small ones.

Look to the Matagorda complex, Corpus Christi Bay, Trinity, East Galveston and Sabine Lake for the best action under the birds. When winter arrives, the action slows tremendously, but the chances of catching a truly big speck increase.

On warm, clear afternoons with tides running high, shallow mudflats adjacent to the Intracoastal Canal can give up impressive catches in January, February and early March. The dark, muddy bottoms warm the water to a temperature a few degrees higher than that of the nearby ship channel, where most of the big specks are hanging out. The baitfish are drawn to these heated areas; so are the specks.

Slow-sinking plastics like the Corky, Chatter Tube and MirrOlure Catch 2000 are the best lures as the metabolisms of these fish slow to a cold-weather crawl. Topwaters can produce, but stick with the slow-sinkers if you're serious about catching a wallhanger.