I really like fishing in general. Ultralight or light tackle is my favorite. I have been watching several Youtube videos related to saltwater angling. Been thinking about what options exist on the coast of Texas.

If a person simply wanted to walk the beach, using very light tackle and lures to catch fish purely for the fun of it (not for eating), what are some of the species I could target and what light tackle and lure options would a person need?

Jeff

"Fishing Texas" is a pretty handy book that discusses pretty much every type of fish by habitat and habits. It's by Russell Tinsely and can usually be found at Academy in the fishing section. Good luck.

Throwing dead shrimp on bottom is bound to get u something. From the surf u could hook anything from hardheads and whiting to sharks and bull reds.

Small 1/8 spoon will catch whiting to whatever you can imagine.

Ultra light tackle and light tackle isn't much different from fly tackle in the size of the lures/flies. I use fly tackle a lot in the surf wading or in the bay mostly from a kayak. Clousers are a lot like Crappie jigs in weight and size. Clousers can catch all kinds of fish.

In the surf, I've caught speckled trout, whiting, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, jacks, ladyfish, and flounder on various flies.

In the bay, it's flounder, drum, redfish, trout, croaker, and sheepshead.

My 4 favorite flies resemble a small shrimp, a small could be crab or shrimp, a mud minnow, and a small baitfish like an anchovy or mullet. Some of the flies I make could be used with spinning reels.

Crappie jigs could work but the hooks are pretty thin wire wise. Any red with any size would be sure to destroy one. Plus, the salt would reduce the hooks to one and done,

Most of what I use is between about 1" 1/2 to about 3" long. It would be very easy to adapt fly patterns to ultralight castable lures. I put little glass rattles in some of my flies, mainly the shrimp fly.

Remember, the fish don't care what is supposed to be for fresh water or salt. I'm a believer if a hunch tells you to try something, do it.