The Big Ol Mess: #1 Fishing Report For Galveston, Rockport, & More!

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It's May, and that means summer is right around the corner! As waters temps heat up, the fishing heats up too. We couldn't be more excited to share this week's Big Ol Mess Fishing Report so let's dive right in:

Captain Johnny with two Stud Florida Peacock Bass from Lake Ida

Big Ol Mess Table of Contents (to make it less of a Big Ol Mess):

Texas:

1. Galveston Fishing Reports
2. Matagorda Fishing Report
3. Rockport Fishing Report
4. Lake Texoma Fishing Report
5. Calaveras Lake Fishing Report

Beyond Texas:

1. Venice, Louisiana Fishing Report
2. Delray Beach, Florida Fishing Report
3. Clear Creek, Colorado Fly Fishing Report
4. EXTENSIVE Montana Fly Fishing Report

Texas Fishing Reports:

1) Galveston Fishing Reports:

"Slot Redfish, Speckled Trout, and Sheepshead action have been hot at the Galveston Jetties." - Captain Shannon LaBauve

"Speckled Trout are starting to hold on reefs in East Galveston Bay and West Galveston Bay. Better bites for me have been on the outgoing tides. Redfish are holding along rock jetties along with the occasional Flounder. Fishing has been great so let's go fishing. I have been using croaker and live shrimp with success." - Captain Michael Meza

"Little social distancing trip. Fishing shorelines at Eagle Point in 20+ mph winds" - Captain David Dillman

"This week was tough fishing till Wednesday after the storm. Once it cleared, we got out and got on some nice quality fish. Today we had an early bite and caught 30 Speckled Trout using artificial lures. We've been wading for the best results." - Captain Harry Arthur

"Jetty fishing good for Speckled Trout, Redfish, and Sheephead." - Captain Jason Woods

"Three limits of Speckled Trout caught on live shrimp in the Trinity Bay Complex. As the weather warms up same for the fishing. The Galveston Jetties are giving up a lot of Sheepshead using live shrimp." - Captain Mike Cacciotti

2) Matagorda Fishing Report

"Quick Red Snapper trip with a bonus Ling (Cobia). 3 hours dock-to-dock. Spring fishing is awesome!" - Captain Chance Stone

3) Rockport Fishing Report

"Rockport area: fishing the flats over grass and scattered potholes continues to be productive using topwaters and burner shad from Down South Lures. Working topwater from early morning until midday or later if the bite continues. Once it fades, switch to the burner shad super natural or the Chick of the C flavor working the potholes and edges. As always, look for bait!" - Captain Larry Bell

"The coast is open for business and so am I! We're ready to take yall fishing, and we wash and sanitize the boat daily along with all the gear rods cooler etc. Come enjoy the sunshine and catch some fish!" - Captain Jim Garrison

4) Lake Texoma Fishing Report

"Fishing kicked off strong this week with a three person trip on beautiful Lake Texoma. We limited in 2 hours with 22 nice fish. Having been in business for 24 years as a guide, we're here to please people. I am a retired railroad man, fishing at Little Mineral Resort in Pottsboro, Texas. My 22-foot Triton affords plenty of room and has a nice 225 Yamaha engine. Let's get er done!" - JD Dorsey

5) Calaveras Lake Fishing Report

• Captain Bryan Cantu

Beyond Texas Fishing Reports:

1) Venice, Louisiana Fishing Reports:

"Fishing is still closed sadly." - Captain Chad Rudolph

2) Delray Beach, Florida Fishing Reports:

"The boat ramps opened up this week so we got right to fishing. The Peacock Bass are in full bedding mode and we saw a bunch of them sitting on their beds protecting their fry. It is very important to leave these fish alone so they can continue to protect their fry and let them grow up so the fishery can grow.

We caught about 30 Peacock Bass in 5 hours during which we got this nice 5 pounder! The Clown Knife Fish were rolling everywhere and we were able to sight cast to a lot of fish. Had several hookups and brought a couple of nice fish to the boat. All of the Largemouth Bass we caught were juveniles and under 2 pounds but they were plentiful. The water level in the Lake Ida system was about 12” below normal but I don’t believe this has affected the fishing. Late spring moving into summer we will see the larger breeder fish come out to play when they get off their beds." - Captain Johnny Stabile

3) Clear Creek, Colorado Fly Fishing Report

Flows at Lawson are at 66.4 CFS as of 4/30/2020. Plenty of open water from Downieville - Lawson - Dumont. Water temperatures are fairly cold, so nymph rigs fished in the deeper areas are better this time of year. Have noticed stonefly activity in the creek today.

Stonefly and trailing with a smaller midge were working the best for me today. Suggest a #16 or 18 red zebra that was extremely successful. Clear Creek is considered a freestone, try your efforts during the warmest period of the day.

Tarryall Creek, Colorado – Flows below Tarryall Reservoir are at 46.5 CFS as of 4/30/2020. There is public access at the Ute Creek Trailhead, at the Twin Eagles picnic area/campground, and at Spruce Campground. Fished this public section and part of the RMAC Private Water. Flies that were used with worms, bead head pheasant tails, and rainbow warriors. Water was clear and cold. Fished from 9:00AM to around noon. No dry fly action.

Thanks for reading and tight lines!