"We've got too much bait in the water for the trout not to be here," he said. "Let's spread out and see what happens."

I was fishing next to Hank Kirkland, a product engineer with Shakespeare, Pflueger and All Star -- definitely good company on the flats. We were in about thigh-deep water, and both of us had tied on Super Spook Jr. plugs -- Kirkland's a chrome/blue model, mine a bone/ chartreuse.

On about my third cast I had a blowup and a tight line on a huge trout that got off within a few seconds. I looked over to see Kirkland doing battle with a rod-bending trout that was making washtub-sized swirls on the surface. Having expertly worn the big trout down, he reached out to get a grip on her and held her up in the morning sunlight.

"What do you think?" he asked behind a big smile.

"That's every bit of 6 pounds," I said, wading over with a camera. We took a few photos and released her to fight another day.

After releasing that beautiful trout, we looked around to see Springer hooked up with yet another rod-bender. We ended up wading that one flat and had a big time catching and releasing fat trout.

That's the type of action that the middle Laguna Madre is known for. When it comes to catching and releasing numbers of big trout, the Laguna has few if any equals. As for catching numbers of trout in the 2- to 4-pound class, you'll more than likely do best while fishing the Sabine and Port O'Connor jetties. If you like wading the wide-open flats and don't have a boat, head to San Luis Pass.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
For details on fishing with Texas guides anywhere along the Texas coast, e-mail [email protected], or go to www.fishtexas.com. I talk with plenty of guides and know where the action is at just about any given time, and will be pleased to steer you in the right direction.