Fishing In Port Aransas

Port Aransas (known as "Port A" in Texas) is located in the Gulf of Mexico on Mustang Island near Corpus Christi.  It can be reached only by ferry from Aransas Pass on the mainland, or over the causeway bridge from Corpus.  Port Aransas is located just a few minutes from Corpus Christi, and about 3 hours from Houston or Austin. 

In case you have your own plane, the Mustang Beach Airport is located in Port Aransas. It has a 3,500 foot lighted runway and a part-time airport manager. If you're flying commercial, Corpus Christi International Airport is nearby and it is served by many major carriers.

Texas coast fishing is great year-round, especially if you know what you're doing (or you have a good fishing guide). Whether you are a salty angler or a novice, you'll love fishing in Port Aransas. Bay fishing, pier or jetty fishing, wade (surf) fishing and deep sea fishing areall readily available.  Bay fishing generally involves fishing in the shallow bays from shallow draft motor boats or kayaks.  Piers are scattered around the city.  Jetties are located on the north side of the island.  The north jetty is accessible by boat (or water taxi). There are miles and miles of beach for wade fishing and surf fishing. 

Guides and party boats (larger boats that take a large group) are readily available for offshore fishing excursions. Offshore fishing requires your own boat or a guide.  Party boats and charters are available for offshore fishing.

Whether you want to fish in the bays or offshore, an experienced fishing guide is a good investment for at least one day of fishing. You're practically guaranteed to come back with a good day's catch and the guide will do all the heavy lifting--supplying all gear and bait, cleaning the fish and then cleaning up the boat afterwards. See below for my favorite Port Aransas fishing guide.

Spanish mackeral, kingfish, tuna & mahi mahi. A good day's catch off shore. Trolling off shore near oil rigs and underwater structures is the best way to catch these gamefish. You might have to try several different trolling lures before you find the one that has "the magic" that day.

I have one fishing rod, an Ugly Stick, that seems to always outperform other roads--even if I change reels or lures. Go figure. You can bet I take good care of that one.

Fishing in the bays around Port Aransas can be tricky. The bay floor may quickly change from sand to oyster shells or grass before you know it. The depth of bay water varies greatly from 1' to 50', which makes knowledge of the waterways and channels very important if you are in a fishing boat. An experienced guide is invaluable in the bays.

The changing depth of water in the bays make kayaks an excellent option for fishing in the bays around Port Aransas. I've had a fishing kayak for more than 10 years and I highly recommend it. They require essentially no maintenance. They can be mounted on a car roof or thrown in a pick up bed.

Speckled Trout love to find underwater structure where they can hide in order to ambush their prey. Areas where the bay floor drops off, pipelines and grassy areas can be target-rich trout areas. Again, an experienced bay fishing guide can lead you directly to those spots where you're more likely to find fish.

The bays around Port Aransas are a great place to find Redfish (a/k/a red drum). Redfish love to feedon crab and smaller fish in the shallows. Some of the best red fish action occurs in water that is less than 3' deep. It's not uncommon to see the tails of Redfish sticking up above the surface as they eat crab off the bay floor. However, Redfish are very skittish. The sound of a motor or paddles can spook them quickly. They are best caught when the boat motor is off and you gently scoot towards them using poles to slowly move the boat in their direction, and then casting several feet away from them.

An experienced bayfishing guide can really make a big difference in your fishing experience. My favorite guide is Captain Mike O'Dell (see a link to his website toward the bottom of this lens). My son and I have been fishing with Captain Mike for several years. He 's a really nice guy and he always puts us on the fish. We've never left a day fishing with Captain Mike without a cooler full of fish.

Off-shore fishing is exciting because you never really know what you're going to catch. Could be spanish mackeral, kingfish, mahi mahi (a/k/a dolphinfish), tuna, tarpon, snapper,cobia (a/k/a ling) or several varieties of shark. The down sides to off-shore fishing are the cost (about three times as much as bay fishing) and the time it takes to get off-shore. But the excitement is definitely increased for off-shore fishing--you might just catch a monster fish!

Off-shore fishing on a party boat is definitely more affordable than a private charter. The down side to fishing on a party boat is that you can get stuck in one general location on the boat if there's a large crowd. So if the fish are biting on the one side of the boat, you might be stuck on the other side where nothing is biting. Many times the party boats head out to areas where snapper (especially red snapper) are located. Snapper usually congregate in under water structures and can be found regularly. Catching snapper generally involves dropping bait around the undersea structure and pulling them up. In other words, once you find the snapper, you should be able to pull up a bunch of them.

On a private charter, you'll likely do a lot of trolling (towing the bait while the boat is moving). Spanish mackeral, kingfish, mahi mahi and tarpon love to hit those moving baits.

On one off-shore trip, my friend and I both hooked sharks within a few minutes of each other. One was a 6' hammerhead, the other a 4' black tip. It took us 45 minutes to get the black tip in the boat. We gave up on the hammerhead after an hour because we were fishing on relatively medium action tackle and we could not get him closer than a few feet from the boat before he would break away and strip another 100' of line off the reel.

Wade fishing involves walking out into the water and fishing from there. This is a great way to catch Speckled Trout and Redfish--especially when the Gulf water looks green and is at least 70 degrees. Hitting the water around sunrise is ideal. The best trout fishing usually happens between sunrise and 10:00 a.m.

Although surf fishing and wade fishing are very safe, you still have to be mindful of sting rays and sharks. Sting rays lay on on the gulf floor and they have sharp barbs on their tail that they will stab into your leg if you step on them. It's a good idea to wear leg guards as you wade fish just for this reason. At the very least, you need to be sure to scoot your feet as you walk to move sting rays away as you walk. If nudged, they will always move away. It's only when you step on them that there is a danger.

Sharks on the other hand are not as predictable. If you are fishing with live or dead bait (versus lures) and/or if you are keeping your catches on a leader, there is always a chance that a shark will come in to investigate. It's a good idea to leave several feet of rope on both your bait bucket and your stringer in order to keep potential shark food away from your body. Shark attacks are extremely rare, period, and they very rarely occur in the Gulf. In all my years of fishing the Gulf, I have never been bothered by a shark.

Surf fishing is fishing from the beach instead of wading into the water. Rods are typically set into plastic or metal holders that screw into the sand. Dead natural bait is used almost exclusively. Generally you would use long (8' -10' rods) for long range casting of heavy bait and to keep the rod tip high enough to lift the fishing line above breaking waves near shore. Many surf fishermen use kayaks or surfboards to paddle out to deep water to drop the bait.

The rod and reel you use for saltwater will generally be more heavy duty than the gear you would use in fresh water. For the majority of bay and near-shore game fish, a 6-7 foot "light" to "medium" action rod will meet your needs. The heavier the action, the stiffer the rod and therefore the less responsive it will be. In other words, it's hard to feel a 2 lb fish tug when you're using a heavy action rod. Similarly, currents and wind can really pull on a light action rod, making it seem like you have a bite when you really don't.

Before you buy a fishing rod, you need to know whether you're going to use a bait casting reel or a spinning reel. The rods are not interchangeable. A bait casting reel affixes to the top of the rod so the eyelets for the fishing line are on top. A spinning reel (above) attaches to the underside of the rod so the eyelets are on the bottom.

The bait casting reel is the "traditional" fishing reel and has been used for more than 300 years, although the technology is much better now. The line spool is perpendicular to the road and it rotates during the cast as a result of the weight of the bait causing the spool to turn as the bait travels away. The spool tension needs to be adjusted when switching to baits/lures of a different weight. The spool is slowed or stopped with pressure from the thumb to allow control in placement of the bait during the cast. For that reason, bait casting reels require some experience and finesse. The biggest downside to bait casting reels is the occurrence of backlash (a/k/a bird's nest).

Spinning reels are fixed spool reels where the spool is parallel to the rod. The spool does not rotate during the cast. Rather the bail is simply opened and line peels off top of the spool as the bait travels. Spin casting rods resolved the problem of backlash by eliminating a rotating spool during the case. Of course the spool does rotate when the bail is closed the the crank handle is turned. Spinning reels are always the best choice when you are using very light bait. Spinning reels are also the best choice when you are not well-experienced with a bait casting reel. The traditional set up is for the crank handle to be on the left.

Spinning reels are preferred by a lot of anglers. Others only use bait casting reels. I use both. I like to use a spinning reel when I'm fishing in the bays for trout and Redfish because I'm generally using light-weight bait or lures. I don't like to use spinning reels when I'm using long leaders. I like to use a bait casting reel when I'm wade fishing because I can get more control over the placement of the bait, I may switch leaders often and because I like having the reel on top of the rod when I'm standing in in waist to chest-deep water.

Speckled trout males average 19 inches (48 cm) in length. Females are bigger, averaging about 25 inches (63 cm) long. Males and females typically weigh 2 to 3 pounds (1 to 1.3 kg). Distinguishing characteristics include a dark gray or green back and silvery-white below, with distinct round spots on back, fins and tail; black margin along the edge of tail; soft dorsal (back) fin with no scales; and one or two prominent canine teeth usually present at the tip of the upper jaw.

Most Speckled Trout caught in Texas waters will be in the 2 -3 lb. range, so light to medium action rods are best. They can be caught on live bait or artificials. The most common live baits used are shrimp and piggy perch. Spoons (especially silver) and jigs are the most popular lures. Specks are most active very early in the morning and in the evening. Fishing under a light at night can be very effective.

Where to fish is just as important the proper bait and technique. Wade fishing in the surf and in the bays is very popular. During warm weather (typically May through September), Speckled Trout can most often be found in shallow areas early in the morning and late in the evening. During the hottest part of the day (10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. in the summer) they move to cooler, deeper areas. Look for sudden changes in the sea floor--dropoffs around grass flats, channels or around oyster reefs. During the coldest months, look for Specks in inlets, harbors and channels.

If you're fishing from a boat, watch for groups of feeding sea gulls. Schools of trout chase shrimp or small fish to the surface, which attracts the gulls. Action while fishing under birds can be fast and furious. When you're "working the birds" cast around the perimeter of the school of trout rather than into the middle. The trout on the fringe will take almost any bait. Plus casting into the middle of the feeding frenzy increases the odds of accidentally hooking a gull (never a pleasant experience).

The most distinguishing mark on the Redfish is one large black spot on the upper part of the tail base. Having multiple spots is not uncommon for this fish but having no spots is extremely rare. The color of redfish ranges from a deep blackish, coppery color to nearly silver. The most common color is reddish-bronze. Redfish is a fast growing fish reaching approximately 11 inches and one pound in its first year, 17-22 inches and 3 1/2 pounds in two years, and 22-24 inches and 6-8 pounds in three years. The current Texas record for a redfish is 59 1/2 pounds.

Two interesting characteristics of Redfish is that they are very skittish and they often feed in very shallow water. When fishing in the shallow bays, it is not uncommon to see large Redfish feeding in 1-3 feet of water. As they chase crabs on the bottom, the tips of their tails will extend above the surface of the water. Try to walk towards them or move your boat in that direction and they will instantly scatter. Experienced anglers in a boat will kill their engine and use poles to slowly and quietly push the boat toward the feeding Redfish--but not too close--and then cast into the general area. Redfish can also be caught in deeper water, but it is rare to find any other game fish of this size in such shallow water.

Special Rules for redfish: You are allowed to keep 3 redfish per day, that are a minimum of 20" in length and no more than 28" in length. Redfish below the minimum must be released. Each license year, you are also allowed to keep one redfish exceeding 28" but you must attach a Red Drum Tag, which is included with an annual Texas saltwater fishing license. You may also purchase one Bonus Red Drum Tag during your licese year. The original tag and/or bonus tag must be in your possession at the time you catch the fish, and must be attached to the fish promptly after catching it. The Tag fish are in addition to the daily bag limit.

Do you want to know the secrets to catching more Redfish? Bryant Jones is a master at catching Redfish in Texas. Visit his site TexasRedfish.com for a ton of free instruction, tips, maps and more! You're welcome!

Red Snapper are a deep rosy red color, with a dark fringe around the dorsal and tail fins. Adults average 2-4 pounds but can reach over 50 pounds.

Red Snapper are one of the most sought-after game fish in Texas waters because they are delicious, although not that challenging or fun to catch. They can usually be found around reefs, oil rigs and snapper banks offshore. They are caught exclusive offshore, rather than in the bays. They are well-known for taking almost any bait. When you find a school of Red Snapper, it is essentially a matter of dropping your line and reeling them in.

The tarpon, a spectacular large fish which rightly carries the name of Silver King, is unmistakable. Characteristics include large flat scales up to three inches in diameter, an elongated dorsal fin, falcate anal fin and large bony underslung jaw. It has been known to exceed 300 pounds, but the Texas record is 210 pounds, 86.25 inches, 1973. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has recently launched the Tarpon Observation Network, a new application for everyone interested in following these giant fish.