27 Fishing
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| George Gongora/Caller-Times |
| Not even the smallest fisherman will be disappointed with the right waters, the right equipment, a little luck and plenty of patience. Plenty of piers, jetties and charter boats present countless opportunities to make a big catch. |
Tangled lines, rusty tackle and smelly bait are no match for
the joy of trying to snag a meal with hook and skill. Don't
forget an alternative plan for supper, though. Thankfully, seafood
markets are also abundant here.
Freshwater opportunities
Lake Corpus Christi near Mathis; Choke Canyon Reservoir
near Three Rivers; Coleto Creek Reservoir near Victoria.
Price of failure
The market price of red snapper in Corpus Christi
ranges from about $4.50 to $5 per pound; flounder, $4 to $4.50
per pound; black drum: $2 to $3 per pound; farm-raised redfish:
$4 to $5 per pound.
Fish mounts
Trout and reds up to 30 inches: $11.50 per inch;
Redfish longer than 30 inches - $15.50 per inch; Marlin (plastic
cast)- $14 per inch
Price of fishing
Rod/reel combos range in price from $20 for what
amounts to a disposable rig to about $300-$500 for a graphite
rod and top-of-the-line reel.
Finger-fish
The CCA/CPL Marine Development Center in Flour
Bluff releases as many as 16 million tiny redfish and about
5 million trout into area bays annually.
Most popular saltwater bait
Live shrimp.
Bait prices (approximate)
Live shrimp: 15 cents each; $6/pint; $11/quart;
dead shrimp: $5 pound or $2.75 half-pound; piggy perch: $5/dozen;
croaker: $6/dozen; squid: $3/pound
Texas size
State record speckled trout: 13 pounds, 11 ounces,
caught February 1996 in Baffin Bay south of Corpus Christi by
Jim Wallace of Houston.
Fish factory
About 60 percent of the saltwater fish caught in
Texas come from Laguna Madre and its offshoot bays.
Piers and jetties
Bob Hall Pier
At Padre Bali Park, widely considered one of the
best fishing piers on the Texas coast. During summer and early
fall, tarpon, kingfish, sharks, speckled trout, redfish, drum,
Spanish mackerel, whiting and other species are caught regularly.
Lighted, never closed. Concessions, bait, tackle and rod rental
available during the day. Call 949-7437.
Horace Caldwell Pier
In Port Aransas, lighted, juts 1,280 feet into
the Gulf from Mustang Island. Always open. Trout, redfish, black
drum, sheepshead, sand trout, gafftop, pompano and shark are
among the most common catches. Concessions, bait, tackle and
restrooms available during the day. Rods and reels are available
to rent. Call the Pier House Restaurant at (361) 749-2031.
Urban piers:
On Corpus Christi Bay, Indian Point Pier in Portland
provides easy access to waters that hold gafftop, drum, redfish,
specks and other species. Call 643-8555. No need to call or
pay admission to the pier at Cole Park.
Deep sea, deep pockets
Port Aransas is best known as deep sea central
in the Coastal Bend. And party boats are the least expensive
way to reach blue water. These offshore adventures range in
price from $60 per angler for an eight-hour trip to $335 per
angler for a 48-hour trip. These large boats also are available
for large private party charters. Species vary on trips. Common
catches include red snapper, shark, kingfish, tuna, wahoo, dorado,
grouper and ling.
Offshore outfits:
Private charters
Out of Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, Rockport and Aransas Pass generally run $700 for two anglers and $60 for each additional angler for a full-day of fishing on boats that generally range in length from 30 feet to 50 feet.
Bay charters
Nearly 400 bay-fishing guides offer boat- and wade-fishing in near-shore waters from Rockport to Kingsville. Prices generally start at about $400 a day for two anglers, plus a little more for each additional angler. Contact the Coastal Bend Guides Association at (361) 776-0364.