Late Summer Bite Heats Up on the Texas Coast

Artificial Lure coming to you with your Friday morning fishing report for the Texas Gulf Coast, September 5th, 2025. It’s about a half hour past sunrise—hopefully you’re already making your first casts. Let’s start with the conditions: This morning’s sunrise was right at 7:00 AM, with sunset rolling in at 7:38 PM. We’ve got a mostly clear sky on tap, light southeast winds at about 5 to 10 knots, and seas holding steady around two feet, so the water’s looking pretty friendly for small boats, kayaks, and pier anglers alike. According to tide-forecast.com, expect a low tide just before 2 AM and then a significant high tide peaking at about 10:14 AM at 2.02 feet, perfect for working those grass lines, marsh drains, and shell banks. September means late-summer heat, but the fish are starting to think about fall patterns. That higher tide through late morning brings baitfish and shrimp closer to the edges. Reds, specks, and flounder have all been active, especially at those pinch points and deeper guts at first light. Talking catches, both the Texas Middle and Upper Coast regions report solid numbers this week. Several Galveston guides noted redfish tailing in the back lakes and marshes, with plenty of solid slot reds from 23 to 26 inches. Trout action has bounced back with some larger catches—think 18- to 22-inch specks—coming from deeper shell, especially near the channel edges and around the jetties. Flounder are still getting picked up on mud flats and sandy drop-offs, most ranging around 16 to 19 inches, with the occasional doormat mixed in, particularly on the outgoing tide in the afternoons. Reports coming in from the Sabine and Trinity Bays say the bayous and cuts are showing more life as we get later into September. Now, for the all-important question: what to throw? Live shrimp under a popping cork is still king for numbers, but the better-quality trout and reds are hitting artificials. Early-morning action on topwaters like the Rapala Skitter Walk or a Super Spook Jr. in bone or chrome patterns is producing some explosive takes. Once the sun’s up a bit, swap to a 5" Senko, Texas rigged or on a light jighead, or paddle tails like the Down South Lures in chicken-on-a-chain and plum/chartreuse. For flounder, try Gulp! swimming mullet in white or new penny, bouncing along the bottom near drains. Don’t forget if you’re targeting deeper structure or big bass up river, drop shot and punch rigs with baits like the Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Stank Bug or Scentsation Cliffhanger Worm can get that big bite, as noted on Whiskey Riff’s September lure rundown. For fresh bait, mud minnows and finger mullet are putting big reds and flounder in the cooler, especially when fished close to the bottom. If you’re looking for hot spots this weekend, I’d set my sights on these: - East Matagorda Bay’s south shoreline for early trout and reds—work that scattered shell. - The Bolivar Pocket and Fort Travis area: Bait’s thick and so are the reds. - Galveston C This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.