Redfish lead the way on the Rockport coast this Tuesday through Thursday, and a sunny, light-wind Wednesday looks like the day to cash in. Reds are working the passes and shallow grass lines, with black drum bulking up the bite right alongside them.
Conditions are friendly. Rockport Harbor water was 79°F Monday morning, and winds stay light at 5 to 10 knots: south Tuesday, north then east Wednesday, east Thursday. Bays should run smooth to slightly choppy with no marine advisories listed. Tuesday carries a good chance of showers and storms before mid-afternoon, so fish early.
**Best windows:** Wednesday morning, about 7:44 to 9:44 AM, as the waning crescent moon crosses overhead, and Thursday morning, about 8:34 to 10:34 AM. Tides are small this week, so plan around that sunrise-to-mid-morning stretch.
**Redfish:** Redfish Bay and Copano Bay shorelines, plus the passes near Aransas Pass; dead shrimp, cut crab, and gold spoons. **Speckled trout:** grass edges in Aransas Bay and Copano Bay, with soft plastics or live shrimp under a popping cork. **Flounder:** moving in along channel edges near Aransas Pass and Port Aransas; try finger mullet and soft plastics. **Also active:** black drum in deeper holes on dead shrimp, and sheepshead around pilings and rocks.
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