We got a beach house on the Colorado River for 3 nights on the weekend of Aug 21st. We will be hauling our kayaks down there and plan to yak the East bay for some reds and specks. Flounder too if they are there. What area of the bay should we fish this time of the year? I was thinking of St Mary Bayous since its not too far from our beach house.

What can we catch out of the Colorado River there? Any fish mentioned above? Also, hoping we could do some crabbing out of the river, but I dont know if blue crabs like to hang out there or not. The house has a dock on the river with nightime fishing lights.

If weather permits, we may try to take the yak beyond the breakers and try for some kings one of the days we are there.

This will be our first time going kayaking down on the coast. Hoping for a great time and catching fish.

Not sure about where to go in the bay, but on the river we have caught red's off the pier. More gafftop than anything though. If you kayak down the river to the mouth on the right hand side the reds are thick. Anchor up and cast live or cut mullet. If the conditions are right you can go out into the gulf and catch bull reds, kingfish, Jack Crevalle, and I hooked a Tarpon a few months ago trolling a ballyhoo out there right at the color change...he shook the hook first breach though

Be safe and good luck, let us know how you do!

Oh nice. Tarpoon would be icing on the cake. My buddy thought about kayaking the river but didnt know if the current is strong or not. Would we be able to kayak back up the river? So no specks in the river? Thanks.

i think richy has given you some solid intel/ advice. id try the delta area for reds.
great thing about the salt is anything could be caught. from piggy perch your flounders, tarpon to hammerheads.
look for that color change and surface action. troll the deeper water for tarpon. ribbon & fresh caught baits will perform.

Invest in one of these,

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/58/Hook-N-Line-Map-F108-Matagorda-Bay-Fishing-Map-With-GPS.html

It will have kayak launch points and seasonal fishing patterns in the area that will help you find the species you are targeting. I have used them for years now and they have helped me plan many successful trips to the coast in new water.

Yes, you can kayak in the river, no problem. There may be some current depending on what the tide is doing, but we had no issues moving around. Do watch out for the boats. And, there are some specs in there too. We were there a few weeks ago and fished the river channel up from the RV park one evening. I caught a keeper flounder and the largest speck I've ever hooked, on a new penny gulp. If you have lights on your dock you can catch lots of sand trout and some speck under the lights at night. When we were there St Mary's was too shallow with the low tide levels, even at the daily high tide. If you have 4x4 you can try 3 mile lake, or go 5 or so miles down the beach and find the road back to hog island.

Thanks for reccomending me this. I just ordered it. I hope it comes in by next weekend.



Thanks. Do you need a 4x4 for hog island? I have a 2008 tundra but not 4x4. Was hoping to fish St Mary Bayou since its close to us, but I have read about hog island and wouldnt mind trying that out.

Also, is matagorda a dry county? Want to know if we should purchase beer before we head down there.

Yes, you will need 4x4 to get to 3 mile lake or hog island. last time I was there the beach driving was pretty good for the most part, but getting on the beach at the end of the road can be pretty soft sometimes too. Also, if you try to head to the jetties, be careful of the spot right when you get to the sand next to the nature center, that is always very soft and people get stuck there all the time.

Matagorda is not dry. Drink up!

Man you are making me think real hard about trading in my truck for a 4x4 one by next weekend. LOL. J/K! Looks like we may be limited to the west end of the east bay. Is getting on the beach at matagorda bay anything like getting on the beach at surfside through beach access 5 entry off bluewater hwy? Ive gotten in and out there no problem. Just cant slow down while im in the soft sand. Im more worried about getting stuck at the kayak launch sites for hog island or 3 mile lake. Ive never been there so Im not sure how the sand conditions are in those area. Thanks for the tips. Keep them coming in if yall can.

4x4 by the nature center or you will regret it. Don't ask me how I know. Trout in the river on an incoming tide, clean water. Outgoing, dirty water. Good luck.

Got the map in the other day and finally got to take a look at it. Lots of information. Thanks for recommending it. Next trip, Ill be sure to look for these maps for other areas.

Just got back from 4 days there. The fishing was pretty good until the wind came up Monday evening and stirred stuff up. The entry to the beach is in good shape right now. 2wd shouldn't be a problem there. The driving on the beach for the first 4 miles is pristine, hard packed and smooth. You could cruise along at probably 60 mph, but don't The entrance next to the nature center is 4x4 only, very soft and I saw lots of people get stuck in there, and also trying to drive along the jetties. The passes to 3 mile and hog island are also 4x4 only. The good thing about the wind is that the water was a good bit higher in the bay. You'll probably have no problem paddling St. Mary's if that keeps up. Good luck!


ETA, since you mentioned crabbing... They are thick right now! We didn't even have to bait them. My son collected a bunch just stalking along and scooping them up with his net on a grass flat. Steamed crab for dinner last night was delicious.

Thanks for the update. After looking at the Hook N Line map, I think we are going to just fish the southwest corner of the East Bay. It shows there is some kind of a reef over there that is supposedly good flounder fishing on the south shoreline. Hoping to hit it up after we catch limits of reds and specks. Hoping to get a limit of the Texas grand slam. LOL! I dont know how realistic that will be.

Since I dont have 4x4 we are not planning to do hog island. Just want to try to get on the beach to do some BTB kayak fishing for some kings one of the days we are there.

Good news on the crab. I am bringing my crab trap down there too. Maybe we can fill it up with some crabs. Planning to drop it into the river the first day we are there and see if there is any crabs in there. If not, Ill drop it off in the bay while we yak one morninig and pick it up on the way back in.

I just got 5 more hours of work till Im off. We will be leaving for matagorda friday morning.