Me and a group of guys will be coming down this weekend spending a few days in Rockport. First time to this area and we have too many for me to bring my boat. Was wondering if you guys could point us to some areas where we might have luck doing some wade fishing during the day? We have a house on Copano Bay with a lighted dock, so hoping we can easily catch some fish at night, but we are all avid fisherman and want to try our luck some during the day too. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Rockport Jim should wander in shortly.
Right now the surf is on fire, if you don't mind the trip to Port A, that's the quickest way to get to it.

Is the surf fishing good all day? Or just early and late? And what do you target in the surf? Is it just like fishing in the bays? Have fished the bays quite a bit but never the surf.....

Hey, IslandJim in Rockport. I don't wadefish or surf fish. But, I see waders all the time while I kayak fish. Aransas County has 16(!) kayak launches. Many are good wadefishing spots. Google Aransas Pathways, and you'll find a map with hiking, birding trails and kayak launches. The tourism office on Austin St will give you an 11" x 17" copy. Port Bay Club Rd, Airport Rd, Murph Park, Copano Causeway Bridge(South side), are all pretty good spots, with good bottom. Goose Island Park ($5) has the fishing pier, some access to thr Bartells, and a Self-Serve Kayak Rental Kiosk! In San Patricio County(Aransas Pass) Beasley Ave will get you to some wades. On Stedman Island, the dirt road before Fin & Feather Bait can get you to the south tip of Stedman, and Stedman Reef. Either side of 361 provides some wade before dropping into the Shrimp Boat or Sailboat channels. Lots of other places, like Indian Point, on the causeway between Portland & Corpus, Fulton Fishing Pier(free for veterans) and even Little Bay in downtown Rockport. Have fun. Most places on the Texas Coast make it hard to access the water, but the Coastal Bend is an exception. PM me if you have questions. IslandJim

Thank you IslandJim! I will definitely look these places up and may message you if I have any questions. I usually fish south of Baffin in the Laguna Madre once a year by boat but have never fished in this area. Would love to hook into a few reds and catch some trout for the grill!

Really need a 4x4 to get to the best fishing. I catch them all day. Live mullet with a small pinch weight. There are drum, reds, trout, Jack crevalle, spanish mackerel, and sharks. Mostly reds and trout. If you start catch a bunch of lady fish keep moving.

I will be in a 4x4 truck. So you are just free lining the mullet? How far out do you get it? Can you buy live mullet at the local bait shops?

I catch them. Small pinch weight just to keep them down a tad. Most fish are in the wade gut, sometimes I’ll walk out to the first bar but generally the fish are in 2-3’ feet of water, a lot of fish are only about 20 yards off the beach, if that.

Sweet. Thanks for the tips. I am pretty good with a cast net. Where could I find mullet to catch?

Sent you a PM

Surf fish are usually very aggressive. If the water is fairly clear they’ll hit whatever you throw at them. Silver spoon or 1/4 oz swim bait will both work.

Baits going to catch things you might not want to mess with.

I’ve used lures and bait. Have had MUCH better luck using live bait. To each their own I suppose.

Come on down and spend a day with me.
You'll throw your bait bucket in the dumpster.

Pat won't steer you wrong. I think we both limited out within 20 minutes last time on soft plastics.

Wish I could make it down this year still feel I owe you and the misses a steak dinner.

These areas are easy to access and can produce sometimes.