Yeah any drum under 20”-Meat is similar to Reds. The bigger drum are full of worms.I forgot to add Sheepshead-PITA to clean, but great table fare.

And sheephead, forgot about them. Once I learned how to just filet the shoulder/back strap out without spilling guts, they're on my favorite list.

Beat me to it! lol

So me being a salt water novice, how would you guys recommend I fish this joint next Saturday? It's down near La Port, not far from Sylvan beach.

Lived on Padre Island for 7 years, had 3 bay boats in 7 years and a flounder boat for 5 of those years and put a total of 2000 hours on those 4 boats in that time.

In my opinion, they are all good. Reds and Black drum for grilling and blackening, trout for blackening and frying. Flounder can dry out in a hurry if you overcook, but fried and blackened are great. The Pomps are awesome any way you can get them. All the snappers are great any way you cook them as are spade fish. Sand trout, ice down the beer and fry them up, they're great. And don't let anyone tell you different, sheapshead fry up just fine. Guess I like fish, it would be hard to pick a favorite.

Flounder is all i'll eat down there. Pure white meat.
The trout and red fish you catch down there are full of worms. Catch one, fillet it, hold it up to the sun and check em out if you don't believe me. I know I sound like a wus, but my wife won't have anything to do with them after my Brother in Law showed us all the worms in them.
I've ate the small drum, and sheepshead, there not bad.

I'd be flounder gigging at night

They all have them, even the flounder. I've filleted my unfair share of them.

For inshore? flounder, mangrove snapper, sandtrout and whiting

I don't know what the trout are doing down there right now, but if that pier has lights, you owe it to yourself to check it out about an hour after dark, again at midnight and an hour before sunrise. Check the solunar tables, see when the best bite is, it makes a difference in salt water. Looks like moon down from 1:30 to 3:30 am and moon up from 2:00 to 4:00 pm are your best bites for next Saturday, shows to be an excellent day for fishing.

Daytime? 1 oz weight, double rig, 3/0 circle hook and some dead shrimp. You'll get a bite from something.

It does have two large pier lights at the end. Thanks for the specific detail on what to use. What type and size of line should I be using?

This^^^^^***
Just another thing we agree on Bob-

I forgot about Mangrove Snapper, I would rank them very close to Flounder. I did not think about them because I never caught many of them.

whatever is on the catch of the day menu.

For trout under the lights, or anytime for that matter. I use my shaky head rod, 30 lb braid, 20 lb fluro leader and this. Day, night, hot water, cold water, clear water, dirty water, surf, bay, jetties, marsh, from Texas to Louisiana to Georgia, this bait catches trout (and reds, flounder, smacks, etc.). $2.99/bag of 5 at walmart. Second pic is 2 weeks ago in the marsh, redfish weren't cooperating but the trout were a little. Every trout caught on this bait.