Rockport Fishing Report – May 22nd

A little behind on the Rockport Fishing Report here for the week. So we apologize for that. Been busy around here with lots of boats on the water though. So here we are with your up to the minute report from the flats in Texas.

Things continue to be pretty ok around here, fishing wise. Still not great. Some days not even good. But not terrible either. We are just working hard for the fish we are seeing and catching out there still. Some days it comes together pretty well. Others, not so much. Just gotta keep picking away at them.

The weather remains a pretty big pain in the ass around here. We’ve still had a lot of wind, clouds and the occasional shower hanging around. So that has made things pretty tough on both guide and angler each day. We did manage to squeak in a nice day on Sunday though, that was mostly sunny and manageable winds. It was kind of nice to be out there and get a good number of shots at reds and jacks. But things have been tough so far this week. Big winds each day are reeking havoc. Most days, including today, well into the 20’s with gusts far better than that. Not cool!

The water is still really high as well. Not a huge deal, but will certainly make it tougher to find a bulk of fish. They are still fairly spread out. Again, not the end of the world. But it may take a bit more searching to get in your shots. Tails are a bit harder to find as well. They are out there, if you can find skinny enough water. Schooling fish are present, but not necessarily in the skinniest water. There are good numbers of fish moving nearer to the deep stuff. Just sayin’.

When you do find the reds though, they are very willing to eat. Many are pretty darn aggressive too. You just have to make those shots count, as there may not be a bunch each day. But if you get any shrimp or crab pattern near them, it will get whacked. We’ve had a few fish follow and not crush some baitfish type imitations. So those aren’t exactly the first thing out of our boxes these days.

There are still schools of drum running around deep in the back lakes and marshes. Most schools are between 5 and 20 fish. But some are even larger. The bulk of the fish aren’t huge. But there are usually a few larger fish mixed in. And watch for the red or two bringing up the rear and following them around. That has been a fairly common site. And if you’re into it, the sheepshead are out in force as well. Plenty of opportunities for those each day. They are loving the higher water and are pushed deep into the grass and digging around for mud crabs. The occasional jack has been ripping by the boat while poling around as well. So keep your eyes peeled for those, as it happens fast.

Flies remain the same as usual. Crab first. Shrimp second. Haven’t really needed a third option really. Small dark crab for the reds. Smaller dark brown crab for the sheepshead. Natural or light tan shrimp flies are a safe bet as well. The jacks will eat anything that moves in front of them, if they see it. The drum have been tougher, but best on anything black/purple and big enough they can see.

It’s looking like the weather is going to be more of the same for the rest of the week and through the weekend. Expect winds around 20 mph or more most days. We’re still trying to shake off this really muggy/damp air down here as well. So lot’s of clouds, fog, haze and stuff to deal with as well. The sun will usually burn through off and on throughout the day. But not a lot of bluebird skies lately. There is still plenty of sun to get it done though. Definitely going to be toughing it out through some wind for the next handful of days though. Yuck.

Water temps are hovering in the low 80’s in the mornings when we get out. Today we had temps in Aransas Bay just under 88 degrees in the afternoon. That is pretty warm for May. But still doable for sure. But things sure warmed up quickly after that last front and heavy rains. So this is something to keep an eye on out there. We are already seeing a lot more grass than you would expect in May as well. Looking more like July out there. But the fish don’t seem to mind at all. But with all that going on, and air temps continuing to climb, earlier mornings might be the jam. We are getting out by 6:30 most days, and it seems to be helping.

Overall, things are ok on the South Texas flats. We wished it were fishing a bit better for May around here. But it could be a lot worse too. Once this weather stabilizes a bit, and we get a few nice sunny days, we are hoping the fish start playing nicer. Time will tell.

We will check back in after the long weekend, barring any crazy changes around here. But if you are looking to get out on the water, you can always contact us any time if you would like to BOOK A TRIP or need any up to the minute Southwest Texas fly fishing or Rockport fishing report type news. We continue to post on  Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. Or perhaps SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel as well. We continually are trying to add more videos and stuff there. We try to keep stuff fresh for those of you that are wishing you were on the flats with us. So be sure to follow us on all our social media stuff. And don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter below.