Texas Fishing This Week

This is just the first of a busy week of stories here on the website. Put on your seatbelts!

THE DETAILED TEXAS FISHING REPORT AND OUTLOOK FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

This is a heat-management week.

Texas is entering the week under a powerful high-pressure pattern, with triple-digit temperatures likely across much of North and South Texas and heat-index values potentially well above 100°F. The current forecast for Denton, for example, calls for temperatures above 104°F every day through August 24. Houston and San Antonio are also facing a prolonged hot, mostly dry pattern. (Houston Chronicle)

That changes the fishing strategy dramatically.

Fish early. Fish late. Fish deeper. And don’t confuse a good fishing forecast with a good reason to be outside at 2 p.m.

There is also an important counterpoint to the heat: the heavy rains and flooding earlier this summer have left some Central Texas reservoirs substantially better supplied with water than they were earlier in the year. Medina Lake, for example, has risen from less than 10% full in July to nearly 30% as of August 14. (MySA)

So, while Texas is hot and drying out again, we’re not necessarily back to the pre-flood water situation everywhere.

Texas Big Fishing Story This Week

1. The heat is now controlling the bite

For bass, the first hour or two of daylight becomes extremely important.

As the sun climbs, fish increasingly seek:

• shade
• vegetation
• deeper water
• creek channels
• submerged timber
• ledges
• springs and current
• deeper shoreline structure

This is especially important for fly anglers. Throwing a popper at noon over a shallow, exposed flat in 100-degree weather is generally not the best use of your time.

2. The coast is still producing — but go early

Recent Texas coastal reports continue to show redfish, trout, black drum and other species available, with particularly good early-morning action reported around the Rockport/Corpus Christi/Laguna Madre area. (FishingBooker)

3. The First Quarter Moon arrives August 19

We’re moving from the New Moon of August 12 toward First Quarter on August 19, with the Full Moon coming August 28. (Time and Date)

I would expect the Aug. 18–21 period to be particularly interesting around dawn and dusk, although moon phase should be considered a secondary factor behind water temperature, wind, bait and barometric/weather changes.

FISHING IN NORTH TEXAS NOW

DFW • Denton • Texoma • Ray Roberts • Lewisville • Grapevine

The verdict: Fish early or fish at night

This is not the week for a leisurely 11 a.m. bass trip.

The DFW forecast is brutally hot, and North Texas has already gone through an extended dry spell. (FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth)

Bass

Look for bass:

Early morning

• shoreline grass
• flooded vegetation
• shallow timber
• docks
• points
• creek mouths

After the sun gets high

• offshore humps
• creek channels
• submerged timber
• deep brush
• drop-offs

Conventional

Start with:

• buzzbaits
• frogs
• walking topwaters
• Texas-rigged worms
• shaky heads
• drop-shot rigs
• Carolina rigs
• deep-diving crankbaits

A particularly good strategy is to start shallow and move progressively deeper as the sun rises.

Fly Fishing

For bass on a fly rod:

First light

• foam poppers
• Gurglers
• Dahlberg Divers
• large deer-hair bugs

After sunrise

• black or olive Woolly Buggers
• Clousers
• Game Changers
• weighted baitfish patterns

Don’t be afraid to fish 6–10 feet of water with a sinking or intermediate line once the surface bite disappears.

FISHING IN EAST TEXAS NOW

Lake Fork • Palestine • Tyler-area lakes • Caddo

Lake Fork is a particularly interesting destination

A recent Lake Fork report put water temperatures roughly in the 85–91°F range, with an early shallow bite but more consistent fish around 12–18 feet, particularly where points, timber and deep water intersect. (Lake Fork Bass Fishing Guide)

That’s exactly the kind of pattern I’d expect to become increasingly important this week.

Conventional

Work:

• offshore points
• timber
• brush piles
• creek-channel edges
• old pond dams
• deep structure near shallow feeding areas

Try:

• drop shot
• Carolina rig
• Texas rig
• football jig
• deep crankbait
• flutter spoon

Fly

This is where I’d change tactics as the morning progresses.

5:45–8:00 a.m.

Throw:

• large poppers
• Dahlberg Divers
• frogs
• Gurglers

After that

Move toward:

• intermediate/sinking line
• weighted Clousers
• Game Changers
• articulated baitfish
• black Woolly Buggers

Fly-fishing target: bass holding around shade and structure rather than roaming shallow water.

FISHING IN CENTRAL TEXAS / HILL COUNTRY

San Marcos • Guadalupe • Llano • Colorado • Canyon Lake

This region requires a little more thought this week.

The earlier summer flooding dramatically altered some rivers, while the subsequent heat is now beginning to push water temperatures upward again.

San Marcos River

One of my better bets for fly fishing this week.

The spring-fed nature of the San Marcos gives you something many Texas fisheries don’t have in August:

cooler, relatively consistent water.

Target:

• largemouth bass
• Guadalupe bass
• sunfish
• carp

Fly box

Bring:

• small poppers
• foam beetles
• hoppers
• small streamers
• Woolly Buggers
• Clousers
• damselfly nymphs

Fish shaded banks, deeper slots and current seams.

Guadalupe River

This is where I would be careful.

Recent reports have indicated that increased flows earlier in the season produced good mixed fishing, including bass and trout. (Captain Experiences)

But August heat changes the equation. IF YOU WANT HOLDOVER TROUT, be prepared to keep them for a meal! That’s because once you pull them into the heat, they stand a huge chance of dying anyway anglers!!!

If you’re specifically targeting trout, monitor water temperature and current conditions before fishing.

For bass:

• early morning topwater
• shaded banks
• deeper pools
• current seams

Fly

Try:

• small poppers
• foam terrestrials
• olive Woolly Buggers
• small Clousers
• streamers

Conventional

Small:

• spinnerbaits
• soft plastics
• jerkbaits
• small crankbaits

Don’t force a trout trip simply because trout are present. In extreme summer heat, protecting fish can be more important than catching them.

Llano River

The Llano remains one of the more interesting warmwater fly fisheries in Central Texas.

Think bass rather than trout.

Early morning

This is topwater territory.

Try:

• black poppers
• yellow poppers
• Gurglers
• frogs
• small sliders

As the sun rises:

• Clousers
• Woolly Buggers
• small baitfish
• crayfish patterns

Conventional anglers can work:

• small topwaters
• spinnerbaits
• soft plastics
• shallow crankbaits

Look for shade and current.

SOUTH TEXAS FISHING THIS WEEK

San Antonio • Medina • Choke Canyon • Nueces

The heat becomes an even larger factor here.

San Antonio is expected to approach or exceed 100°F on multiple days, with heat indices potentially reaching 107°F. (Express News)

Medina Lake

Medina is worth watching.

The reservoir has undergone a remarkable recovery following the summer rains, climbing to almost 30% full by August 14. (MySA)

That doesn’t make it a full reservoir again, but it does change habitat and fish positioning.

Bass

Early:

• shallow grass
• flooded cover
• rocky points
• topwater

Later:

• deeper structure
• creek channels
• brush
• drop-offs

Fly

I’d fish the first two hours with:

• poppers
• Gurglers
• Clousers
• baitfish

Then leave the shallow water and search deeper.

FISHING ON THE TEXAS COAST

This is probably the best place to escape the freshwater heat — if you fish intelligently.

The coast doesn’t magically become cool, but saltwater provides more options.

And the early-morning bite has been encouraging.

Recent reports have documented good early fishing for redfish and trout in the Rockport/Corpus Christi/Laguna Madre region. (Captain Experiences)

UPPER COAST REGION FISHING CONDITIONS

Galveston • West Bay • East Bay • Bolivar

The strategy:

Find moving water.

Look for:

• bayou mouths
• drains
• marsh drains
• shorelines with bait
• grass
• oyster
• channel edges

Fly

Bring:

• shrimp patterns
• Clousers
• EP baitfish
• crab patterns
• spoon flies

Conventional

Try:

• soft plastics
• popping corks
• live shrimp
• topwaters at dawn
• gold spoons

The biggest mistake this week is fishing dead water simply because it looks good.

Find bait and current.

MATAGORDA FISHING THIS WEEK

Matagorda gets my attention this week.

The bay systems have a lot of habitat, and the late-summer combination of bait, grass and moving tides can produce both redfish and trout.

Fly

For reds:

• tan shrimp
• Kwan
• crab patterns
• small Clousers

For trout:

• white/olive baitfish
• EP Minnows
• small streamers

Conventional

• paddletails
• topwaters
• suspending plugs
• popping cork/shrimp
• gold spoons

Early morning is the priority.

ROCKPORT / ARANSAS BAY FISHING THIS WEEK

One of my top conventional AND fly-fishing bets this week.

Recent reports have shown redfish, trout and black drum in the Rockport/Corpus Christi region, with early-morning fishing particularly productive. (Captain Experiences)

Fish:

• shallow flats at dawn
• guts
• channel edges
• grass
• oyster
• drains

Fly

This is sight-fishing country.

Carry:

#7–#8 rod

Floating line

9–12-foot leader

Shrimp patterns

Small crab patterns

Clousers

EP baitfish

FISHING IN PORT ARANSAS / CORPUS CHRISTI THIS WEEK?

Recent reports have shown redfish around jetties and continued trout activity around rocks, with live shrimp and cut bait producing conventional fish. (Texas Parks & Wildlife Department)

For fly anglers:

don’t overlook the jetties at first light.

Current creates ambush opportunities for:

• trout
• redfish
• jack crevalle
• ladyfish

Use:

• Clousers
• Deceivers
• EP baitfish
• larger streamers

LOWER LAGUNA MADRE STILL HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE FISHING

South Padre • Port Mansfield • Port Isabel

This remains one of the best places in Texas to take a fly rod in August.

The water can be exceptionally clear.

The fish can be exceptionally spooky.

And the heat can be exceptionally brutal.

Fly

Think:

quiet boat + early start + long casts.

Look for:

• tailing reds
• cruising reds
• potholes
• grass edges
• shallow flats

Best patterns:

• tan shrimp
• small crab
• Kwan
• Clouser
• small EP baitfish

Conventional

• weedless soft plastics
• gold spoons
• topwaters at dawn
• live shrimp
• small paddle tails

TEXAS TIDES – KEEP ON MOVING TIDES!

The important thing this week isn’t simply high tide or low tide.

It’s moving water.

NOAA tide stations for Galveston, Corpus Christi and Port Isabel show the normal twice-daily tidal cycles, but the exact timing varies substantially by location. (NOAA Tides and Currents)

So my advice is:

Don’t plan the whole trip around “high tide.”

Instead:

Pick a productive area → identify when the water will move through it → arrive before the movement begins.

For flats fishing:

incoming tide + shallow grass = excellent combination.

For drains and channels:

outgoing tide = bait being flushed toward deeper water.

And remember that wind can materially alter the actual water level and current you experience.

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OK Texas anglers! That does it for Texas, but there is so much more to show-and-tell this week. I have already published a fantastically detailed eyewitness report from a Texas fly fisher who spent July in New Mexico, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming. The First in the series is right here –

AND THE SECOND in this Series comes out this afternoon. I would listen intently, or watch passively. HOWEVER, the SECOND IN THE SERIES has a lot more maps, photos and videos inserted than the FIRST IN THE SERIES. Look for NO.2 this afternoon!!! These are BACK-TO-BACK videos that break down a two-hour interview into large and smaller chunks. I will have three and maybe four out later this week. This is SOLID GOOD LISTENING friends!