With a slip-cork you can adjust the depth to fish the bait; the bobber stopper on the line can be adjusted to any depth. Over reefs, for instance, adjust the depth so that the live shrimp, shad, mud minnow or finger mullet is set to drift a foot or so above the shell.

The Galveston jetties probably attract more angling traffic than does any other set of rocks along the Texas Coast. You can walk them or fish them from a boat. They offer an excellent opportunity for catching trout during July. And one of the very best ways to do that is with a slip-cork and kicking shrimp. You need to set the depth at about 6 to 8 feet deep. Cast it out far enough from the rocks so that it'll drift without getting hung up. This is a smart way to cover lots of water when the current's moving your bait just over the rocks.

SAN LUIS PASS
San Luis Pass, on the lower end of West Galveston Bay, is a wade-fisherman's dream come true. An area that doesn't require a boat, it has miles of flats to fish, not to mention the surf.

As a teenager I spent many a day and night fishing for trout at San Luis Pass. In the mornings we'd wade the surf if there was a green tide, but once the sun got up, we'd shift gears and head to the bay flats a couple of hundred yards off the surf. And at night we'd gear up to fish the famous San Luis Pass lighted pier (which has just recently been rebuilt).

Surf, bay and lighted pier combine to offer you trout-fishing options galore. If you don't have a boat, this is the place you need to be.

EAST AND WEST MATAGORDA BAYS
East and West Matagorda bays used to be the go-to place for trophy trout fishermen. The big trout potential of East Matagorda Bay has waned a bit -- but substantial numbers of trout are still there to be caught. Two of the top guides at both bays are Bill Putchovski and Charlie Paradoski, who've been fishing these bays for years.

"If I had to pick between the two bays I would go with East Bay," offered Paradoski. "It's got the best wade-fishing potential on a day-to-day basis. There are big and small shell reefs from end to end. What I like to do is look for baitfish and slicks along the reefs."

Another possibility: Drift-fish the deep guts between the reefs. "The drift-fishing technique is one that a lot of anglers don't take advantage of on East and West bays," said Putchovski. "This is a way to take numbers of 15- to 18-inch trout as the sun heats things up. I'll key on slicks, then move upwind for a drift."

For drift-fishing, you want to do one very important thing: Control your drift. A sea anchor rigged up properly will keep your boat from drifting too fast. Or use a trolling motor to keep you from accidentally running over a school of feeding fish.