I stopped at Bulldog's for bait. He told me its been a very busy Spring Break week. He opens early, stays open late and doesn't sleep much.

The pier had more people than I expected when I arrived. Herbert was already there and had caught a few undersized whiting. The water was sandy green with 3-6� clarity during the day. The day began with very small breakers on the shore and a slight wind chop but no swells. During the day the surf built to breaking on the 1st sandbar and swells were around 1'. Wind was E and light in the morning, turned to SE midday and 10-15 in the afternoon. The sky was clear and became partly cloudy late in the day. It was a day with 2 minor tides, a low at 12:47 and a high at 17:38. Water was moving about .1' per hour, which was just enough to keep the fish moving and feeding.



I had bait in the water at 7:55. I decided to fish just outside the 1st sandbar and in the wade gut. That is shallower than usual but it looked like the spot for the tide and breakers. The bite was slow and steady in the morning. I caught some 11-12� whiting. Then the smaller whiting arrived and I caught 8-10�. I kept the 10� and released anything smaller. The bite was all on the south side of the pier. Herbert caught a few keeper whiting and tossed them in his cooler.

Around 9:00 a lady from Dallas arrived on the pier. She had a rented pier rig and frozen shrimp. She was getting some bites but they were stealing her shrimp. I put a #1 circle hook on in place of the big J hook and told her to use half a shrimp. She caught 3 keeper whiting in 2 hours. She had 2 young boys and her mom back in the room so she was short one fish. But, she got several hours of mental health time and left rejuvenated.

Herbert moved down closer to me and a lady took the spot he vacated. Within 2 hours she had 8 whiting and a big pompano. Every time she walked past Herbert or I asked her if she enjoyed catching Herbert's fish. That was a running joke all day.

From 11:00 until 14:00 the bite went dead for us. We tried shrimp, Fishbites in shrimp, crab, squid and various colors. Others on the pier were catching but it was slow overall. When the Dallas lady left she gave me her frozen shrimp. I had fresh dead in my cooler so I left her frozen laying on the pier to �cook�. I took one out and put it on a hook and tossed out. It wasn't long and I had a barely keeper whiting. I put the �cooked� shrimp on 2 rigs and tossed out. I started catching again. It was one just barely keeper and 1-2 undersized. But, it was activity. Herbert got back into the bite and landed a pompano, a few more whiting and a nice croaker. The fish started hitting shrimp Fishbites in chartreuse and orange. I got 2 doubles with a keeper and an undersized on each.

I was reeling in a whiting and someone said �He's got another whiting�. A guy walking out onto the pier heard that asked me if I was from the forum. I told him that I was back2fishing. He said he figured I was because I had whiting and my orange shirt that he had seen in reports. I think somehow I have become know as the �whiting guy�. He had big rigs and was going out to the end for sharks. I never got a report from him before we left.

Then when an 8 year old boy fishing next to Herbert hooked something big. His dad allowed him to reel it in and then lifted it onto the pier. It was a 24� black drum. The kid caught it on frozen squid. Go figure on that one. The catch got more active along the pier with pompano and sheepshead.

A couple were fishing alongside me with live bait. They were dropping live shrimp and mud minnows over the edge. He caught an undersize flounder. His wife got bored and took a nap. He got a keeper flounder so his wife decided she should check her rod. She had a flounder much bigger than his. His wife went back to nodding off and caught a nice sheepshead. She decided to stay awake and fish. Bang, she caught another sheepshead. He got 4 more flounder. They were fishing the same part of the pier as I was but they were dropping over the railing and I was casting out. It worked out well for all of us. There were 3 people fishing in a space for one.

People coming off the pier said they were catching a lot of sheepshead on the end with peeled dead shrimp. Herbert and I discussed the merits of peeling shrimp. He said the TPWD had a recommendation on their site to peel shrimp. I told him that is because TPWD wants to sell us a $4 shrimp peeling license. Herbert decided to peel his shrimp and cast out. He hooked something larger than usual. It turned out to be a 12� sting ray. He unhooked it and tried to push it under the railing with his foot. The sting ray was thicker than the space below the railing and it got stuck. I got my pliers and grabbed the nose and Herbert held the stinger. I tugged and got it lose but Herbert lost control of the stinger. My brain was yelling RUN but my body moved about 6�. Herbert asked if I was OK. I told him I �ran away�. We should have put out a donation cup for our improv of Laurel and Hardy.

After high tide the bite switched to the other side of the pier but mostly undersized whiting with a few keepers. The sargassum started and eventually we were reeling in 1-2 lbs at a time. Around 19:30 we packed up and headed for home.

Herbert caught 8 whiting, 1 croaker and 1 pompano with total weight of 4 lbs 15 oz. Pay close attention to the monster sized fish near the bottom of the pic. Herbert saved that just for Jim to fillet and eat.



I caught 19 whiting with total weight of 9 lbs 4 oz.



It was a great day for fishing. Even with a crowded pier people were well behaved. Parents watched over their kids. Teens catching fish were enthusiastic. It was amusing to watch people who had never fished saltwater fishing 8' away from a regular and catching more and bigger fish. Never underestimate the value of luck when you go fishing.

Nice report. Good job. Need to hit it soon.

What do you do with your whiting? Fillet? Save them for bait? I know they are great to eat, but I hardly ever get one to the table cause I'm always feeding the sharks with them.

We fillet them and save until we have enough for a fish fry. When the water is warmer I will catch 25-50 keeper whiting a day in the wade gut or just past the 1st sandbar. How much are you feeding your sharks? lol

If you want a good laugh tie on a very small topwater and toss it just outside the 1st sandbar. Whiting and ladyfish will hit it like a freight train but usually miss.

I know what you mean. When catching shark bait I usually use a 6 hook sabiki rig with each hook tipped with shrimp. When the whiting are thick I'll pull in one on each hook sometimes. When I'm on the beach I usually focus on shark fishing instead of filling the cooler with meat. I need to start bringing home more meat so I can justify all the money I spend to the old lady!

I know what you mean about those ladies hitting the lures. It gets me aggrivated because sometimes i'll go to set the hook when I feel one of them grab it and have to lure fly back in my face.

I think I'm about 2 weeks from making it out there. I'm getting anxious.

Whiting and ladyfish love to hit a small topwater but they must need glasses because they tend to miss it. I don't know what is funnier. Watching the lure jump up out of the water or watch a whiting impersonate a tarpon.