I will be in Corpus in April to give saltwater fishing a try for the first time. I love catching panfish (crappie, etc) and figured Croakers were the easiest and closest thing to panfish I could catch.
How do you go about catching a whole mess of croakers?
Jigs? Cut bait?
I will be fishing from a pier.
Thanks for your help and apologies if this seems like a stupid question. I know you guys like croakers for bait, but there must be some sport in catching them!
If it isn't worth my time, what is possibly the EASIEST fish to catch from a pier. I have convinced my girlfriend to pay for the trip and if we don't catch SOMETHING with our limited fishing skills, she is gonna be ready to head back to the hotel!

Ohhhh, I could have such fun at your expense by telling you that hardhead catfish are the easiest thing to catch (probably not far from the truth either lol).

Depending on where the pier is located, you may be able to do well on whiting, croaker & similar small species with cut bait (shrimp, squid, etc).

yep, shrimp, squid, crab but shrimp is normally what most pier fishermen use.

Sounds pretty easy guys! My girlfriend is dying to catch anything she can get on the end of her line. I am a bit more sporting but we have several days to fish and going to a pier seemed a sure bet.
Sounds like its cut bait under a cork for croakers and cut bait on the bottom for catfish...just like I am used to!

If I do decide to step it up a notch and do something more advanced, what would you guys suggest my target fish be for April? Bay or Gulf is fine...I have no preference, but tips and technique, location and bait choice info will be needed! I am not quite sure what all Corpus has to offer but am willing to find out!

get some live bait and fish it on the bottom to spice things up. Use a small live croaker if you catch one or get some bull minnows from the bait shop.

I figured I would start out with whatever cut bait they sold at the pier, then catch a few of whatever was hungry THEN recycle the catch and put it back on a bigger hook! Thats how we used to do it back in my stock-pond days!
A piece of corn on a small hook to catch bluegill/sunfish, cut them in half, put them on the bottom for catfish.

For a first timer, unless the weather down there really turns sucko, you and your girlfriend need to realize that throwing a bait into salt water is like throwing slop into a pen full of hogs.

It may not be the little panfish that gets to it first.

It can be amazing and scary at just how big a fish can come out of some fairly shallow water.

You didn't say what pier you would be going to, but if you don't have one in particular picked out, there are plenty to choose from both bay piers, Oso, and the piers along the JFK causeway going over to Padre Island.

Then there are the jetties at Packery Channel and Port Aransas, and the beach front piers, Bob Hall on North Padre and Horace Caldwell at Port Aransas.

Also, you will find out two real important things after you hang into your first fish, A, salt water fish fight harder than fresh water fish, and B, don't try to lip any salt water fish until you learn what it is you have caught nearly everything in salt water has a mouthful of teeth, and they will use them.

Another thing you will learn, is that getting a small hard head catfish off your hook without getting finned is nearly impossible.

Best of luck to you and your girlfriend.

Thanks Crazyhorse, those were some very valuable tips.
The only experience I have ever had on the coast was when I was 12. I didn't know what I was doing and don't remember much. I know I rented a pole, put a hook and a weight on it, stuck on a squid and threw it in the water on the beach! Caught 1 small shark and 3 catfish the first day. Went to Caldwell pier the 2nd day and caught a ribbon fish and a dozen Croakers after switching to a smaller hook. Thinking back, if I knew what I was doing, I would have used the catch as bait!
I remember it was tons of fun and if I could replicate it, I would be happy!
Thanks for your help, most seem too busy to help out a beginner.
We are taking (3) 8' Catfish poles with big spinning reels rigged with 30# line for beach/surf/bottom fishing as well as (2) 7' medium action poles with average sized spinning reels rigged with 12-15# for casting off the pier.
Like I said, I can use all the help I can get so if anyone has time to PM me some more tips, that would be great.

Hi, Drumpro - This is Campcook, aka Mrs Crazyhorse (godhelpme) ;)...

I love to fish for panfish, When Randall goes after Sandies and crappie and striper, I am going after pearch with worms.

Same thing on the coast, when he goes after the redfish, sharks, etc, I am trying for hardheads, croaker and so on.

Depending on how far you want to go, go on up the coast to the Nueces Co Pier @ Copano Bay, just east on 35 from Rockport going towards the Aransas National Wildlife refuge. We have never been there in April, but when we have been, in July thru October, we go there at night (less than $2 per rod, 2 rod limit per person) and rig one up with 2 curly-tail grubs (white or glow in the dark) and cast just to the side of the big lights. Very many times I have cought 2 sand trout at a time (no size limit, they are as good eating as brookies, cutthroats, or rainbows, cook them the same way). We have caught Speckled trout there too, but few are of legal size. You can use bait as well, but we have done very well on lures.

You can pay to go into the State Park at Goose Island (this is where we usually camp when we visit the coast) and fish both on the pier there (flounder, redfish, whiting, croaker, shark) and don't miss fishing at the cleaning station. Yes, the cleaning station. One year, Randall was cleaning our catch and throwing the guts into the 2' of water, and it was just BOILING. I went over to the truck and got my rod, put a dead shrimp on the hook, and tossed it in. The rod immediately bowed double and I went to squeeling, "help me!". Randall helped me pull out a good-sized stingray (excellent eating, BTW). So I did it again, and in short order pulled in several good-sized hardheads. Finally I threw in the last shrimp I had, and caught a mullet that weighed in at about 2 pounds. Mullet is good, too.

I have fished on Bob Hall in Corpus, and you can catch anything from whiting (YUM) to hardhead and gafftop (no size limit on the hardhead, but there are on the gafftop) to pompano to shark. You can catch ribbonfish (aka cutlassfish) and ladyfish, good for bait.

Out of Port Aransas, you can catch the Jetty boat to St Jo Island. It runs around $10 per person, round trip, and makes several trips per day. You can catch just about ANYTHING there - one side is on the beach, the other side faces the Corpus Ship Chanel. You will probably want to rent a jetty cart, so you can take an ice chest and fishing supplies. Take plenty to drink, and snacks. There are no ammenities on the island. You can camp over there if you want.

From the female point of view, depending on what the weather does, (if there is a lot of rain up here in North to Central Texas, sending lots of fresh water thru the rivers into the bays, it will play havoc with the fishing), you should both find enough to catch. You should have FUN!

Don't miss the other stuff to do in Corpus - Visit the Texas State Saltwater Aquarium; and the Lexington. Be sure to eat at one of the many buffets!

We have had to re-schedule our trip from the weekend of April 19 to either the weekend before, or weekend after.
I will watch and see what the weather does to decide. The freshwater increase in the bay's makes sense so if we get a lot of rain at the beginning of April, we will postpone.
Thanks for the tips Campcook. We won't be going that far north, but I will definitely use those tips on Caldwell Pier. White grubs double-rigged sounds like an easy throw and I can buy a couple of packages and keep the receipt in case they don't do the trick!
That is my plan for most of my tackle. Buy EVERYTHING people suggest, try each once or twice, and take the unused stuff back to the store!
Thanks again for your help.

Huge cast net! That way, you have more time for the big guys!

Dead bait and fish it on the bottom. Most anything will work but whatever cut bait you use it will last longer than dead shrimp.

I might have to bring out some of my home-made catfish bait.
My girlfriend works for Pilgrim's Pride so all the free chicken livers/gizzards/hearts I can get my hands on.
Will this work? If so, what sounds best...garlic or strawberry!

Not in saltwater it wont. I use dead shrimp 90 % of the time . Unless the water is CLEAR CLEAR then live bait . Peal the shrimp and thread on the hook like a worm . Yes you get lots of trash fish but you also get those keeper reds, keeper drums , sheephead and sometimes a nice black tip shark . Hell even catching bonnethead sharks up to 5 lbs are a blast on light tackle. I use an Abu 6400 C with 17 lbs test and I fill up a 30 gallion ice chest just about evertime me and my wife go fishing at Galveston Fishing Pier. ........................ GO NEW ENGLAND

When I peel the shrimp, do I leave the head on and just take off the shell?