Texas Fishing
Travel destination review

The Texas Gulf Coast is 350 miles long, from Beaumont near the Louisiana border to the end of South Padre Island and the Mexican border past Brownsville.  This span of rich waterways includes endless sandy beaches, abundant wildlife, sheer natural beauty, and enough places to fish that most of them never really get overcrowded.  Small and large cities compose this stretch of coastline, from places you’ve never heard of to bigger resort towns where thousands retreat monthly for vacations.  Each one of these towns and regions has natural, friendly character and history, with many options for entertainment and recreation.


So many locations along the coastline areas provide immediate and easy access to drop a line and hook up quickly.  Aside from breakwaters, jetties, and rock groins along the coast, there are literally hundreds of public piers, docks, and harbors from which many local species like Flounder, Specks, Sheephead, Croaker, and Whiting are within easy casting distance.  Into the Gulf the access is just as good.  One need only travel a few miles offshore to catch Smoker, Kingfish, Cobia, Snapper, Shark, and Tarpon.  Many charters and guides available in almost every town provide capable and affordable transportation to these and greater distances.  Between 30 and 80 miles out bigger fish become more readily available, such as Amberjack, Grouper, Tuna, Wahoo, and different species of shark.  Naturally, the farther out you go the bigger the game gets; and past 70 miles from shore you can get into huge Tuna, Wahoo, Sailfish, and the mystical Blue and White Marlin.  In addition to countless other game fish seeking peaceful waters to live, spawn or escape predators, inshore saltwater streams, bays, channels, and flats all along the Gulf Coast feature troves of the local “Big Three”:  Redfish, Flounder, and Speckled Trout.  Comfortable weather keeps them close at hand, with only short distances for migration being necessary, if at all.  As far as the climate goes, fishing seasons along the Texas Gulf Coast begin “right after breakfast and as soon as the chores are done.”  Indeed, with year-round temperatures averaging highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s, the weather all along the Texas Gulf Coast is usually pretty spectacular.  Though variable and at times extreme, the region has an overall subtropical and mostly semi-arid climate.  Average annual rainfall is as little as seven inches at the Rio Grande to over 40 inches at the Louisiana border.  Though prone to increased precipitation during hurricane seasons, persistent southeast breezes off the Gulf dry out the landscape quickly after any significant rainfall; and serve to keep the shorelines cooler than high summer temperatures can indicate.  In short, Texas Gulf coast weather is inclined to further enhance the plentiful geographic fishing advantages.

Sabine Lake is the perfect place to begin your fishing trip along the Texas Gulf Coast.  There is no slow start or any time-wasting, ‘testing the waters’ here.  This area is a nutrient-rich ecosystem constantly fed by lakes and streams, providing endless catches of the “Big Three”.  Though Gulf waters lie just offshore it’s likely you won’t even bother with them for a while, as busy as Sabine Lake can keep you.  The small town of Port Arthur seems intentionally located to provide a necessary rest area and vantage point to accommodate all the anglers who keep this area so close to the vest.  With curious architecture and friendly fishing fanatics, this is an area that takes full advantage of all the marshland, lakes, streams, and other local natural resources.  Galveston is a 32-mile island which serves as a barrier to the Texas mainland.  Surrounded as it is by water, including its bay on one side and the Gulf on the other, fishing has always been the most popular pastime here.  Historical landmarks and numerous recreational attractions make this one of the most popular areas along the coast.  The quaint fishing town of Freeport is rich in history and arts, and home to one of the largest deep water ports in the state.  Numerous small bays and miles of sandy beaches provide great access for wade, bank, and surf fishing.  A long, lighted pier extends out over the Gulf, which is only a short boat ride from shore.

Corpus Christi is separated from the Gulf by its own large bay, stocked with the usual suspects, and surrounded by many charters and guides.  Trips are available into not only the bay, but also the local streams, lakes, and flats areas inland of the South Padre barrier island.  The Port Mansfield area includes miles of the Laguna Madre flats and its shallow, Caribbean-like environment.  These waters and the adjoining intracoastal waterways are perfect for year-round fly and flats fishing by boat, wading, or from shoreline and pier.  Access to the deeper Gulf waters is a quick, nine-mile ride through the Port Mansfield Channel.