Friday, May. 7, 1999

'Round the bend

Great fishing spots abound near town

By DAVID SIKES
Staff Writer
   From the sloughs of Matagorda Island to the pristine flats of the Upper Laguna Madre, the Coastal Bend offers year-round opportunities for most every type of angling and angler.
   The most commonly targeted species are the big three: spotted sea trout, red drum and flounder. Secondary species include sheepshead, black drum, shark, gafftop, whiting, pompano and offshore species such as red snapper, king mackeral, wahoo, yellowfin and blackfin tuna, grouper, ling, dorado, amberjack and more.
   Live bait abounds almost year-round in the Coastal Bend. And most marinas freely provide information and advice on what artificial lures are working best at any given time.
   For the novice, a couple of hundred fishing guides are in business to provide anglers with the closest thing to a sure angling bet, depending on weather and water conditions. Many of these professionals have fished Coastal Bend waters for 20 to 40 years.
   For around $300 to $450 a day, depending on party size, customers can benefit from their expertise and knowlege of techniques and hotspots. Many guides are listed in the yellow pages or can be contacted through local chambers of commerce.

Surf fishing

   For those who prefer to go it alone, surf fishing in the Gulf of Mexico can provide fast action in a beach setting.

John Bruce/Caller-Times

   Two parks, Padre Island National Seashore and Mustang Island State Park, are popular places to start. But anglers have miles of beachfront outside of these parks to fish from.
   Some of the best surf fishing (and beach combing) opportunities can be found on San Jose Island, accessable by the Jetty Boat out of Woody's Sport Center in Port Aransas.
   Most mainland beaches require parking permits, which are available at area convenience stores and other coastal outlets. But some don't. Many stores and marinas have free pamphlets that tell which beaches do and don't require permits.
   Saltwater fly fishing is another sometimes solitary pursuit that is growing in popularity in the Coastal Bend. The shallow grassbeds and sandy flats of the Coastal Bend are particularly ideal for stalking schools of redfish.
   Some fly fishing spots are accessable without a boat. For advice on techniques and locations, talk to the staff at Gruene Outfitters or Bradford Outfitters, both in Corpus Christi, or Port A Outfitters in Port Aransas.
   Ask the staff at any of these outfitters about the Coastal Bend guides who specialize in fly fishing.
   For a more sociable kind of fishing, Port Aransas, just north of Corpus Christi, is best known as deep sea central in the Coastal Bend.
   At least six party boat outfits and dozens of charter boats operate out of Port Aransas. Prices range from around $35 for a half-day summer trip to $265 for a 40-hour trip that includes meals. Eight- or nine-hour trips average about $60 per person.
   Charter boats are also available for more private parties. Most charter captains limit the number of passengers to between two and six. The going rate is $450 for two passengers and $50 for each additional passenger up to six.
   They generally go as far as 25-30 miles into the gulf.

On the bay

   For anglers with boats, the opportunities are endless.
   Beware, much of the waters hold shallow reefs, rocks just below the surface and impassable shallow flats.
   The northern-most bay system is best accessed at the Copano Bay Causeway or Goose Island State Park. From there, boaters can venture into some of the best redfish, trout and flounder waters around.
   San Antonio, Aransas and Mesquite bays, bordered by San Jose and Matagorda islands on the east, have fish holding reefs and sloughs, grassy flats and potholes, plus some deep spots that hold fish in extreme temperatures.
   Smaller bays, such as Carlos, Ayers and St. Charles, can also be productive pockets for the big three.
   The shallow waters of Copano Bay are known for prime trout fishing when calm winds prevail. Black drum also congregate here.
   Redfish Bay to the south is home to the fabled Estes Flats area. This popular spot is five miles of grassbeds, potholes, channels, and spoil islands.
   Marinas and bait shops between Aransas Pass and Port Aransas offer boat ramps and guide services. South Bay Marina has a fleet of aluminum boats for rent, which are ideal in calm winds for fishing nearby South Bay.
   In winter, fish swim to the deep channels or migrate in the flats when the sun warms the shallow water. In warmer months, reds and trout are commonly found in the flats and dropoffs around Traylor, Dagger, Hog, Ransom and Mud islands.
   Cooler temperatures force them into the slightly warmer deep water channels and holes.
   Corpus Christi Bay offers some of the deepest bay waters of the area. Many anglers find success along its shores, particularly around the southern portion of the bay at the mouth of Oso Bay.
   The northern part of Corpus Christi Bay is also good for wading around Indian Point and the Portland shoreline.
   The Shamrock Cove/Shamrock Island area is on the back side of Mustang Island near the mouth of Corpus Christi Bay. This is a favorite spot for waders, year-round.
   On the west side of the Portland Causeway is Nueces Bay, which holds numerous oyster reefs, ideal structure for trout, reds and drum.
   Many boaters unfamiliar with structure in the bay, hesitate to venture into the back bay. They prefer drifting near the causeway or going as far as the power lines that stretch over the water between Corpus Christi and Portland.
   

Down South

   Farther south, the Laguna Madre is perhaps the most famed fishing waters of the Coastal Bend, next to Baffin Bay.
   Both areas are vast bodies of water, with the lagoon considered the safer of the two because of Baffin's trecherous underwater rock formations. However, many boaters have found the shallow mud flats of the lagoon the hard way, by running aground.
   More adventurous anglers are lured to Baffin Bay, possibly because that's where the state record trout was caught during the winter of 1997.
   To avoid the long boat ride from either Bird Island Basin within Padre Island National Seashore or the marinas under the JFK Causeway, some anglers prefer launching into Baffin Bay at Loyola Beach, less than an hour south of Corpus Christi.
   Both boat ramps, Kraatz Boat and Bait Camp at Riviera Beach and the one at Kaufer-Hubert Memorial Park on the banks of Cayo Del Grillo, one of the fingers of Baffin, are free.
   There are two 500-foot free fishing piers, one at Kaufer-Hubert Park and one at Riviera Beach, which are popular trout spots for non-boaters.
   Williamson Boat Works on another Baffin finger, Laguna Salada, also has a boat launch, available for a fee.
   Popular spots in the Laguna Madre include the King Ranch Shoreline, Nighthawk and the Humble Channel, which are near Corpus Christi. Farther south are the Land Cut and Nine-Mile Hole. Most nautical or hotspot maps show these areas.
   The lagoon is one of many shallow areas that are easily affected by wind, which can muddy the water quickly. However, the protected shorelines, deeper holes and channels can still produce trout during these times. Redfish and drum don't seem to mind murky conditions.

Post your comments on this story in Caller.com forums.

---

  © 1999 Corpus Christi Caller Times, a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.