Getting back into bay fishing after 15 years off.Will be fishing Matagorda,Seadrift,Port A areas.Need to load up a new tackle box.Looking for suggestions on hot baits, colors,tools etc.

Soft plastics
Light jig heads (under 1/4 oz)
top waters (Skitterwalk, Mirrolure, Badonkadonk, etc)
suspending
spinnerbaits
spoons
Gulp Alive shrimp
flouro or mono for rigs
croaker hooks, circle hooks.

That's probably a good start.
Anything chartreuse, red/white, purple/black, blue/silver, bone, silver, gold.

That pretty much covers it.
For soft plastics I like jerk baits, particularly late spring-summer clear days. Paddle tail shad baits for days when the chop has the water stirred up. Norton sand eels are my go to jerk bait, although the Gulp jerk baits have showed promise the few times I've fished them.
For top water,I also like the Spook Jr. in bone, bone/chart, and bone/pink.
For suspending baits, Mirrorlure Mirrodine, and Badonkadonk SS.
The only spinnerbait I've fished is the Redfish Magic. Be sure to store these separate from other plastics.
Rig your spoons with a terminal barrel swivel.
Gulp shrimp colors that are solid producers are pearl, and new penny. I like to free line these in skinny water, but also fish them rigged on 1/16-1/8 oz. jig heads. Keep Gulp baits from being exposed to long periods of excessive heat. I try to fish one week a month, and have had trouble leaving them stored in the boat barn or under the RV during our hot Texas summers.
Welcome aboard!

A couple of popping corks and some cigar shape floats with slits and pegs to hold 'em place or Mansfield Mauler type float.

Prefabbed bobber, double drop, and carolina rigs work great for kids/friends. Plus they are only a buck, everywhere has em

Popping corks, Gulp Shrimp, Jig heads, Speck/Red rigs.

I get cracked up at myself because I have a huge Plano guide series tackle box, but yet I very rarely use anything other than a jig head and Gulp Shrimp. I have skitterwalks and various other hard baits I've never used.

I have about 6 tackle bags full of every type and color bait, from inshore to offshore, that you can imagine. Some have never been used, still new in the box.

Ok, I admit it. I'm a tackle ho'.

+1

Very good ideas so far. Don't forget about split shot weights. So versatile and useful. I also like the bigger jigheads sometimes. I frequently toss a 3/4 oz. jig under the lights while fishing the Caldwell and BHP. My preferred shrimp hook is a 2/0 kahle hook. I hook my shrimp in the head just behind the horn making sure not to pierce any vitals.

When I go after big stuff, I like a 16/0 circle hook and the longest leader I can find with a 4 oz. surf weight. Like my Grandma has always said-"If you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly."

Thanks to all for the info - I'll sneak off to Academy the next time the wife isn't lookin!

Now the problem with Academy is that if it's inland (as in: not on the coast) they only carry a limited supply. And there's no rhyme or reason to what they do carry.

Such as: King fish rigs. They carry rigs for trolling ribbon fish for kings. They do not have the duster skirts. They do not have heavy enough line for the reels that one would use to troll for kings. Most of them don't even have the rods nor the reels one would use for kings. Get the picture?

The Academy in Corpus has gobs of saltwater stuff but the rest of them don't.

For saltwater:

1. plastics in bone/pearl, chartreuse, and a purple or rootbeer color with appropriate jigheads
2. Gold and silver spoons, different weights and styles
3. Topwaters in bone, chatreuse, and black (If you can find 'em)
4. terminal gear for various types of bait rigging.

Done....

For Freshwater:

God where do I start?