Making my first trip to Texas in mid Feb and looking for some advice on what I should bring. I fish freshwater a lot but I have salt water rods and some tackle. I will bring my waders if there are places to wader fish, would a small kayak boat be useful or isn't it needed. I will be camping at the koa,are there places within walking distance or will I need to drive. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I will be glad to reciprocate if anyone wants to learn about fishing through the ice up here in Minnesota.

I just posted a similar request. I hope the locals don't get pounded with too many of us snowbirds asking for help. I am retired living in Montana. Well, I will be heading down in blind ignorance, but from what I have seen on maps coastal Texas is mighty appealing. I have been targeting trout for fifty five years. I would love to catch a salt-water version. Five years ago I took up bassin' with a fly rod and I am hooked. Good luck. I'll be checking on your post as well.

Dave

I don't typically fish SPI. There's a few places to access the bay flats on the backside (west) of the island. In Feb a lot will depend on the overnight temps. Cooler temps will push fish deeper while the sun will warm the flats and they'll move shallower.

Mud bottoms (black) will warm faster than sandy bottoms (tan) and hold fish first.

Fresh bait and an assortment of lures will work. Check with the local baitshops to see what lures are working and where.

You can cover a lot of water with a yak and access some more fishy areas. Be careful with the waders, one missed step into a deep hole can fill them with water and make for a bad day. Do not wear waders in the surf.

Thanks for the tips,I assume that waders in surf would be a dangerous thing.

Hey Dave where abouts in Montana are you from?I love to fish trout all over your state.

Make note: Someone must have been homesick when he first moved south to the texas coast, and named the long skinny fish speckled trout. They are really in the family of drums and croakers. We have Three species here in Texas, speckled trout, sand trout, and blue trout. None of them are in reality trout, but they are good on the line and good in the frying pan.

I don't surf fish much, but I appreciate you pointing that out... It may not be as obvious to some....



Who'd guess that a Montanan and a Minnesotan would become fishing buddies on TEXASfishingforum! haha... Welcome!

on the forum to you both! South Padre Island has it all. Surf fishing all along the Gulf on the east side of the island, Bay fishing/wading on the west side of the island and you can fish the jetties at the channel located at the extreme southern point. The fish are there, just depends if they swim near your bait. Redfish, Black Drum, Whiting, Pompano, Shark, Flounder, Croaker, Jack Crevale, Trout...and more.
ENJOY !!!

dang near everyone you'll see fishing the surf in the winter on spi will be wearing waders if they're going out in the water........... including me if i were still fishing the surf in winter

the only thing i could possibly see as dangerous is wading too far out and getting knocked off your feet without a life jacket on...... not alotta people know how to shed their waders with their head under water

the only thing i don't like about waders is the drag thru the water...... the current will wear you out!

tight fitting neoprene waders are the best

They make wading belts for a reason. I always wear one in the deeper rivers or any H20 over waist deep.

That's what I'm referring to. If waves top the waders or knock you over and they fill up and there's a decent rip or current, you could get into trouble in a hurry. Common sense prevails here, obviously.

Land Pirate I am with you, when I was younger I made the mistake of wading out too far in the Mississippi river in December in Minnesota after a goose I had shot and the current picked me up and started to carry me down river. Luckily I was a strong enough swimmer to get back into shallow water but it was a lesson I never forgot. Thanks everyone for your advice I can't wait to get there, right now all of the fishing I have been doing is through the ice.

KOA is kinda nice, and it's close to the flats and a pier. I'd rent a Kayak but you are going to want to put the Kayak in behind Pirates Landing in Port Isabel and piddle fart around those flats since they heat up nicely and fish love the warmer water in Winter... I used to tie up near the ICW, throw my line over it and drag my baits in and out, fished love it..

Without a boat, its going to be tough this time of year. Fish are deep. I'd fish the jetties on SPI and I'd use fresh shrimp or live if you can get them. If you have kayak, try the Brownsville ship channel soaking shrimp along the edge of the deep channel. You can start out right there in Port Isabel and work your way back in along the edges. Good luck. Plan your next trip for May and get into some great wade fishing on the back side of the island for trout and reds.