By Tobin Strickland
In the predawn darkness I reached down and rolled the top of my Simms neoprene guard socks down over the tops of my wading shoes…Ahhhhh, the guard sock is happiness to my feet for an all day wade in Port O’Connor, Texas (referred to as POC by those that love the place). Today is the first wet wade for me of the season and as I put on my wading shoes I reminisce about all the years past fishing its many habitats for speckled trout, redfish, and flounder.
One of the reasons POC is revered is because of the variety of habitat and fishes that it affords coastal anglers. It’s sheer beauty from the crystal-clear, grass-flats of Shoalwater Bay, all the way to the oyster reefs of the First Chain of Islands bordering Espiritu Santo Bay and the south shoreline of San Antonio Bay. POC is also one of the few upper coast Texas bays that one can catch Tarpon with some regularity and later catch speckled trout, redfish, and flounder. West Matagorda Bay lies on its eastern waters adding to the options for an inshore angler. POC even offers offshore anglers easy access to Texas’ near shore kings, ling, snapper, and several other reef fishes within a short trip offshore through the ‘Big Jetties.’ Not to mention the access for both boaters and kayakers with plenty of protected areas for all to spread out and fish.
Visiting there the first time back in the mid 1990s, I was quickly enamored by the place. Access from Port O’Connor to the many fishable flats and back lakes is easy work through Saluria Bayou (a winding remnant of a delta watercourse formed by the sanding shoals and islands bordering the historic natural Pass Cavallo). In the summer months, Tarpon can be seen near the cuts and the nearby areas that flow into the bays. Jack Crevalle roam these flats as well and harass pods of mullet, pogies, and even the occasional speckled trout fisherman. Landing a Jack on trout rod is no easy task, and a questionable use of time, but a solid rod from a quality manufacture like TightLine Rods will get the job done and get the angler back to working the many grass potholes and shoreline edges for trout and redfish in due time.
Speaking of speckled trout, POC offers a substantial speckled trout fishery. POC offers the speckled trout angler with both size and abundance. Larger trout tend to be caught in the mud and grass in the spring, winter, and early summer not far from access to the main bays. Numbers of trout inhabit Espiritu Santo, San Antonio, and West Matagorda Bays. Grass potholes, the main bay grass edge, back lakes, and sand guts, as well as some of the shallower oyster reefs are great habitats for catching speckled trout in the spring and fall. The high temperatures of summer quickly drive the trout to look for the deeper oyster reefs in each of those main bays where they can find menhaden, mullet, and shrimp plentiful along with good tide movement and the coolness of depth. 
Capt. Bryan Barnard of SaltwaterSerengeti.com fishes the area year round for speckled trout, redfish, and flounder. Bryan is well versed in the ‘big three’ and frequently helps anglers land the ‘Texas Slam’ (a days catch including all three game fish, possibly even a limit in at least one category, maybe two). Capt. Barnard advises “In June fishing is wide open from the surf to the back-lakes and everywhere in between.” Bryan will throw smaller top-waters early and late (Texas Tackle Factory (TTF) Little Dummies—bone and chrome) when baitfish concentrations are active on the surface. During the warmer times of the day I will work soft plastics such as the TTF ‘Killer Flats Minnow’ one to three feet below the surface on a 1/6th or 1/8th ounce lead head. And the TTF ‘TroutKiller’ jerkbait can be amazing on deep shoreline speckled trout worked ‘slow and low’ in the mid to lower water column. Remember to match the lure color to weather and water conditions.” Bryan’s favorites are Texas Roach in off-colored water or dark skies and natural colors in clear water such as TTF’s ‘Bone Diamond’.
If POC isn’t on your bucket list…well, it should be.
Check out Tobin Strickland‘s website TroutSupport.com for intensive, educational fishing DVD’s that will increase your odds of having fun and being productive while on the water.
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