Galveston Bay Fishing Report - Captain Matt Brattlof - Third Coast Shallows
Hey everyone! Spring is in full swing in West Bay. If you can fight the wind, you can find the fish. We’ve had some huge shrimp hatches and the glass minnows and mullet have been doing their thing. There’s no shortage of food for these Redfish, and they know it. It’s been all about presentation the last couple weeks. These fish are fat and lazy, but have been giving us multiple shots. If they don’t take your fly the first cast, just keep throwing at them. Try and paint a mustache on them.
With the wind and rising temperatures comes dirty water. Try to find spots with good visibility, if you can see the bottom, you’ll see the fish. Keep your vision close to the boat, the average cast distance lately has been within 20ft. Blowups are starting to happen as the shrimp and glass minnows get bigger, so always keep an eye on grass lines.
With spring comes big schools. The birds will tell you where they are. Don’t discount liar birds (terns) this time of year, sometimes they will even show you the schools. Birds and mud boils are the name of the game when chasing schools. Start far away and try and position yourself for them to come to you. If you get buck fever on a big school, it’s totally normal. Remember to breathe!
Dark colored crack flies have been working best, with a few lighter colors thrown in there when they are being spooky. Sightcast has a great selection!
Good luck and tight lines!
-Captain Matt Brattlof, Third Coast Shallows
You can find Capt’ Matt over at
https://www.thirdcoastshallows.com/
Thirdcoastshallows@gmail.com
281-543-1258