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Local fishing guide

Speckled trout fishing in Oso Bay

Oso Bay is one of the most consistent speckled trout fisheries on the Texas coast — and at 1350 Sandpiper you fish it straight off the bulkhead. Here is what we tell every guest.

How to fish Oso Bay

Fish from the bulkhead

You do not need a boat. The bulkhead behind 1350 Sandpiper puts you on trout water the moment you walk out the door — a rod, a bucket and a folding chair are enough.

Fish the moving tide

Oso Bay is shallow and tide-driven. The two hours either side of a tide change out-produce a slack tide by a wide margin. Check the live tide chart on the homepage before you head out.

Wade the grass edges

Where seagrass meets sand, trout stack up on the edge. Wade slowly, cast ahead of yourself, and work the pothole rather than the grass.

Bait that works here

Live shrimp under a popping cork is the reliable answer. Artificials: plum or pearl soft plastics, gold spoons for redfish, and a walk-the-dog topwater at dawn.

Season by season

Spring (March–May)

Trout move shallow as the water warms. Work grass flats in 2–4 feet on a moving tide with soft plastics on a 1/8 oz jighead. Early mornings are best before the south wind builds.

Summer (June–August)

Fish first light and last light. Topwaters over potholes at dawn, then drop to live shrimp under a popping cork once the sun is high. Deeper guts along the Oso channel hold fish in the heat.

Fall (September–November)

The best window of the year. Bait migrates out of the marsh, trout and redfish feed hard, and the wind lays down. Watch for slicks and diving birds.

Winter (December–February)

Fewer but bigger fish. Slow everything down — suspending twitch baits over mud-and-shell bottom on a warm afternoon after a front passes.

What else you'll catch

Redfish, black drum, flounder and sheepshead all share the same water. Offshore out of Port Aransas — about 40 minutes away — charters target red snapper, king mackerel, ling, mahi-mahi and blackfin tuna.

Licence and limits

A Texas saltwater fishing licence with a saltwater stamp is required for anyone 17 or older. Bag and size limits for speckled trout are set by Texas Parks & Wildlife and change from time to time — check current regulations before you keep fish.