Soft plastics like a TTF Trout Killer or Berkley Gulp are an excellent option for trout when fished under Assassin Kwik Corks.

As of Monday April 4, the water temperature here in Port O’Connor is 73.7 degrees, and the wind is honking as another cold front approaches. But being this late in the year we aren’t going to have any big problems with cold weather and falling water temperatures. However, this is Texas and anything is possible when we’re talking about THE weather.

I had a group of anglers out recently and we caught two huge gafftop sail catfish while working Assassin Kwik Corks with Berkley Gulps in West Matagorda. Bay. When the gafftop sails show up you know for sure that all the players have arrived. Plus, when these fish show up it’s a sure sign that the surf is going to be holding trout.

Any time we have a late spring cool front move through you can bet the barn that the surf is going to be calm and green to the beach along Matagorda Island, once the front moves through. That’s when I like to head out Pass Cavallo, hang a right and work the surf for big trout. The key is to run until you see some sort of baitfish activity in the water.

Just behind a cool front the water in the first and second guts will be gin clear. That’s when you have two options. One is to cast up to the beach while controlling the boat with a trolling motor. The other is to anchor the boat and wade along the first sand bar. When the water is clear you can actually see reds running the first gut. They will climb all over a 1/8 ounce copper or gold spoon.

The No. 1 lure in the surf is a ¼ our half ounce silver spoon rigged with a treble hook. A pink or chartreuse teaser on the treble will get the attention of more trout and reds.

But if you’re looking to have a certified blast in the surf tie on a Super Spook Jr. in chrome/blue. This is like offering crack cocaine to a junkie. They can’t resist this mullet-imitation plug. The blow ups can be tremendous. Of course the Super Spook Jr. is deadly just about any time, but this lure is at it’s very best early and late in the day.

Once the sun heats things up you’ll do best by working a Gulp or Texas Trout Killer about 2 feet under a rattling cork. We used this type of rig in Matagorda Bay last week and caught seven trout and three reds during early morning drifts over shell and mud in 4 to 5 feet of very sandy water. We had one on that was every bit of 9 pounds. She made a tarpon-like jump and was gone. That’s a good pattern right now. By the way we found those fish by looking for concentrations of jumping mullet. Best colors were white or chartreuse.

Also, that particular pattern will be good for the next week or so in West Matagorda, Espiritu Santos and San Antonio bays. But keep this in mind. Once you start seeing slicks pop up hit ‘em first with topwater plugs to catch the larger trout. Once you’ve made a few casts with the topwater offering, switch over to the rattling float and jig.

If you’re looking to sight cast to shallow reds some of the best water will be along the hard sand and grass bottoms along the many islands. Best lures will be 1/8 ounce copper or gold weedless spoons. If you’re a fly fisherman tie on a No. 4 bendback in gold/yellow or chartreuse/silver.

If you make a good catch take a photo and email it my way, with the details, at sloan288@aol.com. I’ll post it on my next fishing report. To book a trip with me, Capt. Robert Sloan, call 409 782 6796 or go to www.hightailangler.com