New to board.. need info on fishing locations

[Rat Red]

Hello all! I have been lurking around the board for a couple of weeks and have found it very interesting . I have fished all my life for specks and reds (family has a camp in Cocodrie La.) and have recently moved to Katy. Went to Canoesport last week and purchased a T120 and now need your help on the best areas to fish. I went to East Matagorda Bay this past week but was unable to find any launches other than into the river. I would really appreciate any advice on both fresh and saltwater fishing locations within an hour or two of Katy. Thanks!

[TKFStubb]

Welcome to the board! You live in a great place to get to some of the better out-of-the-way fishing spots on the upper coast. My favorite put-in spot on E.Mata is Chinquapin Landing. You are right across the ICW from some really great fishing and duck hunting. Its a pretty good paddle on down to the inside edge of the Island, but once you learn the upper reaches, it would be worth the effort. You'll have a lot of water that the big boats can't even get to! There are lots of shell reefs on the north side ans well as some pretty good ditches. However, anywhere deep enough to float a big boat, you'll probably encounter one...or 2...or 3...or more. Watch out fishing the cuts...the big boys won't slow down for you.
You aren't too far from the mouth of the Brazos either...or West Mata. If you plan to fish the Galveston Bay complex, get Ray Crawford's ( our own Flyfisher) book, HONEY HOLES..., advertised on the top of our Salt Water Message Board page. It is the BEST source of places to launch. I hope we can fish together soon.

[Newt]

If you want to go further west. When you are entering Matagorda on Hwy 60 the road curves to the right. You can see a cemetery on the left. Take the road to the left that goes by the ICW. About 3 or 4 miles down the road it takes a 90 to the left. You can launch here with a short paddle to Gulf Cut. If you have the Top Spot Matagorda Bay map #f108 you can see the road. You can also launch on the far west end at Rudacell Slough. #57A on the Top Spot Map. This is not good at low tide. Parking is kind of scarce.

[Chaz]

Other places to think about...Smith Point is about 2 hours drive for ya, depending on where you are in Katy. Take I-10 east. Port Arthur and Sabine Lake are also about 2 hours in the right kind of traffic (4-5 am or after 7 pm).

[CaptJack]

I went to East Matagorda Bay this past week but was unable to find any launches other than into the river.

here are the launch points for East Matagorda Bay

[JH]

How about any possible launch sites from the surf into the East bay?

[Rat Red]

Thanks guys for all the info .. Capt Jack the lower 2 launch sites on your map had signs posted no parking. Had some other people state that they must have just been put up as they had not seen them earlier this summer . I will be sure to try all the others . Again thanks for the help and hospitality and any other info (salt or fresh) would be great...

[CNReds]

You may want to visit the Texas General Land Office site (http://www.glo.state.tx.us/coastal/access/guide.html). They have a Coastal Access Guide that shows public access points up and down the Texas Gulf Coast. You can view the guide online or you can order a printed version at no cost.

I ordered a copy last year and was impressed with the quality of the publication. I gave it to a friend who is also a kayaker and just recently ordered a new copy.

Granted, the guide is not as comprehensive as the information you can get from this board, but it is a good starting point. It also makes a nice (and free) addition to your fishing library.