Guided Fly Fishing · Rockport, TX
Remote back lakes, big trout & bull reds on the Matagorda Island flats — a run worth making.
Rockport Area Fly Fishing
Adjacent to Pass Cavallo, one of the largest natural Gulf inlets on the Texas coast. Stronger tidal exchange and regular concentrations of menhaden and mullet moving between the Gulf and the bay — exactly what attracts large migratory predators such as tarpon, bull reds and jack crevalle, without having to run far offshore.
The jetties, channels, passes and beachfront are the story here. Pass Cavallo moves a tremendous volume of water between the Gulf and the bay, and that tidal exchange stacks menhaden and mullet against the rocks and along the beach. Where the bait goes, the big fish follow — tarpon, bull redfish and jack crevalle, all within reach of the skiff and none of it requiring a long offshore run.
Behind the passes it opens onto San Antonio Bay, Espiritu Santo Bay, and the back lakes of Matagorda Island — big, lightly pressured water holding tailing redfish on clean, grassy bottom and some of the largest speckled trout on this part of the coast. It’s a hunt-and-cover kind of day: we run to find the right water, then get on the platform and pole.
Migratory fish drawn to the pass and the beachfront by the bait pouring through Pass Cavallo — the shot of the season.
Tailing and cruising the Matagorda Island back lakes — often on water few boats touch.
San Antonio and Espiritu Santo Bay hold some of the coast’s biggest trout.
Reliable tailing targets on the same shallow, grassy flats.
Hard-pulling shots along the jetties, passes and beachfront through the warm months.
Port O’Connor fishes best from late spring through fall, when warm water and good tides push reds and big trout onto the flats and the back lakes come alive. Because it’s a longer run with more water to cover, it pairs naturally with a full day — more time on the platform, more shots at fish.
As always, tide and wind set the plan. On the right day, the remoteness is the whole point: clean water, tailing fish, and room to hunt.
Trips run from a poled skiff — 100% sight casting with Captain Dylan Mendoza spotting and positioning. All fly gear, flies, and water are included. Because the running distances are longer here, a full day gives you the best of the fishery, but we’ll tailor the trip to what you’re after.
Start with our guided trips and rates, and since this is a bigger run, the full day is usually the call. Send your dates and we’ll build the day. Prefer closer water? We also fish Port Aransas and the Lighthouse Lakes.
Good to know
It’s up the coast from Rockport and a longer haul than our home flats — part of what keeps it wild and lightly pressured. Because of the running distances, we usually recommend a full day here.
Space and solitude. The Matagorda Island back lakes and San Antonio Bay hold tailing reds and genuinely big trout, often with far fewer boats than the more accessible bays.
For Port O’Connor we lean toward a full day. The extra time covers the longer runs and gives you more quality shots at fish across more water.
Redfish and big speckled trout are the headliners, with black drum on the flats and jack crevalle near the passes in warmer months.
It can be, but the bigger water and longer runs suit anglers who already have a cast down. If you’re brand new, the protected Rockport and Lighthouse Lakes flats are a gentler place to start.
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