Matagorda wade fishing?

[Ron Mc]

My son and his friends have rented a house at Matagorda Beach for Spring Break near where the Colorado River enters the Gulf. I would like to pass along to him some public fishing suggestions in this area. They do not have access to a boat.

posting a question from a friend on FFR

[imaoldmanyoungsalt]

My son and his friends have rented a house at Matagorda Beach for Spring Break near where the Colorado River enters the Gulf. I would like to pass along to him some public fishing suggestions in this area. They do not have access to a boat.

posting a question from a friend on FFR

1st suggestion - do not drive on the beach without 4wd! During spring break weekend they usually have the graters out grating the 1st mile of beach but it's still iffy at best with 2wd. If they do have 4wd they can hit the beach and drive northeast til they leave the crowds and fish the surf or drive thru the dunes to the bay on any of the several hard packed sand trails and wade fish. Just don't drive thru the dark clay areas or the vegetation.
For surf-
Use cut or live mullet on a double drop leader with a 3 oz spider weight in the 1st or 2nd gut (or 3rd if they want to wade out to cast that far) and catch redfish, sharks, gaftop, hardheads (argh), stingrays (double argh), and occasional trout.
Or use a lighter rig with a single hook leader and smaller 1 oz sliding surf weight in the 1st ot 2nd gut rigged with live shrimp and catch same species excluding sharks and a better chance at trout.
If they get lucky and catch the surf on a flat day they can use popping corks and gulp shrimp like we did last time there and catch redfish, trout, and gaftop.

For on wading the bay side, I will defer to those with more experience and success than I but would imagine paddletails on light jigheads or popping corks with live shrimp or gulp shrimp would work well. And a TSL would definitely be a good choice.

If 4wd drive is not an option, they can always fish the jetties or the fishing pier at the park at the end of Beach rd (FM 2031) although it will be crowded for spring break. Matagorda's not a major spring break destination but still busy enough to make fishing aggravation unless you can get where the crowds can't go.

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[imaoldmanyoungsalt]

My son and his friends have rented a house at Matagorda Beach for Spring Break near where the Colorado River enters the Gulf. I would like to pass along to him some public fishing suggestions in this area. They do not have access to a boat.

posting a question from a friend on FFR

1st suggestion - do not drive on the beach without 4wd! During spring break weekend they usually have the graters out grating the 1st mile of beach but it's still iffy at best with 2wd. If they do have 4wd they can hit the beach and drive northeast til they leave the crowds and fish the surf or drive thru the dunes to the bay on any of the several hard packed sand trails and wade fish. Just don't drive thru the dark clay areas or the vegetation.
For surf-
Use cut or live mullet on a double drop leader with a 3 oz spider weight in the 1st or 2nd gut (or 3rd if they want to wade out to cast that far) and catch redfish, sharks, gaftop, hardheads (argh), stingrays (double argh), and occasional trout.
Or use a lighter rig with a single hook leader and smaller 1 oz sliding surf weight in the 1st ot 2nd gut rigged with live shrimp and catch same species excluding sharks and a better chance at trout.
If they get lucky and catch the surf on a flat day they can use popping corks and gulp shrimp like we did last time there and catch redfish, trout, and gaftop.

For wading the bay side, I will defer to those with more experience and success than I but would imagine paddletails on light jigheads or popping corks with live shrimp or gulp shrimp would work well. And a TSL would definitely be a good choice.

If 4wd drive is not an option, they can always fish the jetties or the fishing pier at the park at the end of Beach rd (FM 2031) although it will be crowded for spring break. Matagorda's not a major spring break destination but still busy enough to make fishing aggravating unless you can get where the crowds can't go.



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[Ron Mc]

thanks - any others with suggestions?
Thanks again

[junkyard chihuahua]

3 mile cut is a good place to wade the bay side. Its often pretty soft sand to get back there, so 4 wheel drive is highly recommended. probably mandatory...

[Blue Devil 7]

My son just got back from there. The beach driving wasn't great. His friend with 2wd got stuck a couple of times ad they saw other trucks having trouble. He also said there was a big party scene at 3 mile cut. They did not do well fishing. The water conditions at the jetty and in the surf made it tough. If they have 4wd, I'd recommend trying to get down to Hog Island. That is a spot where they might be able to get into the bay to wade and it is far enough down that it might not be so crowded. Last thing he mentioned was there was a big police presence, something we don't normally see down there.

[imaoldmanyoungsalt]

Last thing he mentioned was there was a big police presence, something we don't normally see down there.

I think this is a good thing. I hope it becomes the norm. I've had a couple of run ins with a few questionable characters down there.



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