Hello all, I'm not new to saltwater fishing, however I am pretty new to fishing the texas coast. Moved out here from South Louisiana and am trying to get some guidance on where to catch some keeper trout and reds. I have a 21' bay boat. We've been out three times in the last month and have had little luck. A few keepers on one trip and completely skunked the next two. If anyone could point me in the correct direction for my next trip I'll buy you a beer! We've been launching by the ferry and running up into redfish bay, California hole, east flats, etc. Any help would be appreciated. We've tried croaker, shrimp, and piggy perch so far, very little luck. Thanks in advance for any help!

In general, the trout move out of shallow water once the sun gets bright and heats up the water this time of year. You might try sloughs that flow out of Redfish Bay or the Light House Lakes and empty into deeper water. Make sure the tide is working for you so the baitfish will be carried out the same way.

You could try the oyster reefs in San Antonio Bay up north. There's a ramp at Hopper's Landing outside Austwell. Mid-Bay, Half-Moon and Panther reefs are often good for trout using live croaker as bait. I've had some luck with Gulps and a few beeds for noise.

Arrive by sunup, as they are heavily fished by guides and regulars. You're best off anchoring 30-50 yards upwind from the reef and casting toward it. That way you can work your bait at different depths. A foot can make a big difference. Also, the deeper guts through the reef are good because they concentrate the foodfish forced through them.

Some will tell you the tides should govern which side of the reef you anchor, but I'm no expert there. BTW, nice sheepshead hang around the reefs too.

As for reds, I've always stumbled on to them and never learned much about them. Folks who fish behind Mud Island seem to do okay. There are plenty of people down there who know much more than I do. Good luck.

There's always trouble with that in the lower coast bays in the summer. The uppercoast bays are much deeper and will have nicer trout in the summer. West Matty and Galveston has had an amazing summer with trout up to 7 just recently in Trinity Bay.