Fishing near Sargent Texas

East Matagorda Bay at Sargent Wintertime Trout and Red fish.

Sargent fishing picks up in Winter.  When the North Wind comes down from Canada those willing to go have some close encounters with the “Giant Size”. Huge Trout and Redfish are caught. Usually in winter some people  hunt for Ducks or Geese around Sargent in the San Bernard Wildlife Preserve and the Big Boggy Wildlife preserve. If you’re inclined to get out of your Duck Blind and get into your fishing Boat. East Matagorda Bay remains to this day the home off some of the largest  Winter “gator” trout on the Texas Gulf Coast. East Matagorda Bay remains the epicenter for huge hungry wintertime Texas speckled Trout on the Texas Gulf Coast.  Here are some of the terrains in and around  Sargent that produce them and some other fish.

Mitchells Cut, Sargent Swing Bridge and the Intracoastal Waterway

Locations on the Bay receiving the most tidal flow often hold the biggest fish and the majority of the schools of fish. Mitchells Cut, The Sargent Swing Bridge, Chinquapin Reefs, Bird Island Reef, Boggy Reef and Half moon Reef are proven spots for holding very large healthy winter fish.

Mitchells Cut is the closest that East Matagorda Bay gets for direct incoming and outgoing tidal flow from the Gulf of Mexico. Most other interaction in the bay comes with tides  from the intracoastal Waterway. The baits to use in the Cut are Shrimp, Crab, Mullet, Rootbeer Bass Assassins with heavier jig head. The trout will only work the cut’s shoreline on beginning or end of tide. They will not usually work water when moving too fast. Other fish like Reds,Drum, Whiting lurk in the Cut throughout the Winter. 

Another Sargent key spot  for lurker trout is Adjacent to the Swing Bridge. Sargent has the last Swing Bridge in Operation in the state. The Bridge and bumper system  to it are a choke point on the intracoastal. The tides funnel though here with great speed. The areas adjacent to it have mini Oyster Reefs that have grown up along the Safety Pillings before and after the bridge. Its best to fish from the shore at the bait camp or at the old Restaurant or at TC,s Bait Camp or Roy Boys Bait and Shrimp. You can really knock out the Trout, Reds, Whiting, Sheepshead and Drum at this location. When the tides get going the action heats up.

Further south down the Intracoastal along the Reefs and mud imitation Mullet baits are the best. Most Shrimp have left the bay by middle winter so big trout focus on a diet of finfish. Some slow sinking mullet imitating plugs like MirrOlure 51Ms, 52Ms, Corkies, and “Roach Paddle Tail Bass Assassins” For Trout. Redfish Eat up live Crab in Winter.Chinquapin and Bird Island, Boggy and Half Moon Reef really do well in Winter. These reefs are adjacent or near Intracoastal.

 You can have a huge wind on the Bay with lots of cloudy water but once the tide comes in along the intracoastal the Oyster Reefs get filled with Green Water and the bite is on.  The great thing about the intracoastal is huge trout hang out there because it literally is the deepest part of the bay. The water warmer in the winter because of greater depths. Fish come in from all over the bay because in winter tides unusually low  and the area gives shelter to those coming in from the flats. 

Muddy bottom Old Delta’s and Shell 

Very close to Sargent on the Bay some of the quality late afternoon spots are the mud bottoms. Look for pods of bait and mullet in the water. The water will be turbid and bait hide there.  Some of these muddy spots are the old deltas out of the bay. These include Brown Cedar Flatsmud absorbs the Suns rays and the fish know this so they tend to warm up from 1pm to 4 PM. Lurker Trout on the mud really go for slow sinking Corkies,  Slamin Chicken Bass Assassins and Pumpkin Seed Bass Assassins to do the job, Catch all Basin, Duck Blind and Oyster Farm. These mud bottoms are really great places on late Afternoon fishes. The .

Mid Bay Reefs

Fishing the deep shell and mud of the mid bay can be very effective. Slow your  reel in action down in the winter. A very slow retrieve will bring you remarkable results.

The mid bay reefs are Drulls Lump and Oyster Farm Complex. These reefs are in the middle of East Matagorda Bay and have at least four to five feet of water over them all the time. Do a slow drift and work your plugs up and down over these reefs and again in winter late afternoon. Wading is very effective in these areas.

 Finally the South Shore Line

Kain Cove and Oyster Farm and Hog Island are the closest to Sargent. Many of these have muddy bottoms and numerous trout. Some guides use Super Spooks,She Pups, SKitterWalks, Corkies, and Pumpkin Seed Bass Assassins. Wading in winter is fun and brings in the biggest fish because they are very smart and when you’re out of the boat your harder for the fish to detect. Wading the South shore is very effective.

 So whether you’re in the boat, fishing from bait camp or wading seeking Winter Giant Gator Trout on  East Matagorda Bay remember retrieve your lure very very slowly. and get out on the bay in the mid afternoon so the mud heats up. If you’re in 2 or three feet of water this can make a big difference between success or failure fishing Winter Trout in and around Sargent on East Matagorda Bay..