Hi everyone,

Just signed up to the forum, and am after a bit of information, if anyone can help. I may be coming over to the Rockport area either January or February next year and was wondering what the shore fishing would be like, what sort of things can i expect, and what tackle would be suitable etc, I have a 9 ft 6inch 4 piece rod rated to cast up to 3oz, with a medium sized shimano spinning reel and 30lb test braid, or 15lb test nylon i was going to bring, would this be suitable? Also, what baits/ end tackle/hook sizes would i be looking to use? I must admit i would'nt mind taking a trip out to sea if there are charter boats around. The fishing over here in England is'nt that good at the moment, with commercial pressure etc. I fish fresh and saltwater, and work in a tackle store, so i guess you could say fishing's a big part of my life!!
Any information would be gratefully received.

Many thanks guys

Hello back and welcome!

Althought the rod and reel setup may be a bit overkill for the local trout, It sounds like a good choice for black drum which should be ramping up around that time. Dead shrimp and blue crab are effective baits for drum. The rod length would also be handy for trying to jig out sheephead from around rocky structure with live shrimp.

I see you're from England. If you don't mind my asking, are you a native Brit coming on holiday?

Yes mate, coming over with my sister and brother in law, he lived in Dallas for the past few years, and my sis has been before, says it's really nice on the Gulf Coast, i just tend to think in terms of fish!!
I have lighter gear, Shimano exage travel spin etc, may try and sneak that in as well!

Sorry mate, bit of a daft question, but with regards to the Black Drum, what does ramping up mean? Are they coming close inshore? I guess they get fairly big, I don't really mind, as long as I manage to rack up a couple of new species, something a bit different from the dogfish and pouting we get over here! If you want to have a look at some of the fish we get, have a look at www.fishing-forum.info, I'm on there under the same name, mainly under the sea fishing section, just search all posts by dogmax. Cheers

Not a problem Hoss! By ramping up, I'm mean that their spawn is beginning and will be more readily available in the shallower bay waters.
The year-round big three along the Texas coastline are: Speckled trout

Redfish

and Flounder .

Minor players being the Black Drum and Sheepshead .

If you get a chance, visit www.breakawayusa.com and drop them an email. Better yet, give them a call or drop by for a visit. The Breakaway Tackle shop is located in Corpus Christi, about 30 minutes away from Rockport. Ask for Nick Meyer. He should be able to give you some worthy advice on fishing in the area. Plus that English accent of his is a hoot to listen to!

Ok mate, that's brilliant! Is Nick Meyer English as well? You think his accent's funny, you should hear mine! We sell Breakaway tackle in the shop I work in, they have some good stuff
available.

Dunno, you tell me. All of y'all sound funny to my ears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfooQ_46gp4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=t4ugnr8gqhk

My Dad lives in Rockport, maybe I'll see y'all down there sometime!

Mate, that's an awesome accent! Southern England with a touch of Austrailian, it sounds like! We're not all Dick Van Dyke's tho!

When i find out when we're going i'll pm you, or stick something on the forum, find out what the weathers doing, it's always bloody raining here!

Year round temperature averages for Rockport:
GRAPH

Some things to keep in mind:
-The graph may be displayed in degrees Fahrenheit. However, there is a button that will convert it to celsius for you.
-These are just averages. The teperature can go higher.
-Cold fronts will regularly blow through in January and February
that can drop temps severly, but there is practically no threat of snow.
-The wind will always be blowing; sometimes pretty hard and usually in the wrong direction.

I hope you can make it down and that you enjoy your stay.

I spent a week in London last month. I guess we were lucky in that it only rained one day while there. The rest of the time it was cloudy. Had a great time though. Loved the cask ales!

Nice mate, i'm a good 4 or 5 hours from London, down in Devon, I have'nt been there in ages, very few English people there now i'm led to believe! Hope you enjoyed yourself. And yes, there are some good beers over here! Some of the ales can make a bit of a mess of your insides! Generally a good idea to stop or at least slow down after 9 or 10 pints!

Anything north of the Red River sounds funny to me!

Hell anything from Oklahoma up is funny to my ears

Dogmax,

If you are planning on an offshore charter you will most likely want to look at one that works out of Port Aransas. (Just down the coast). "Port A" is the nearest pass to the gulf from Rockport. To take a charter out of Rockport would involve a trip down the ICW that would eat into your fishing time. Better to leave from the docks on the island. If you are interested in a head boat, (AKA party boat), The Dolphin Express http://www.dolphindock.com/boats/dexpress.htm is a good bet. If you are looking for a private charter, the folks at http://www.texascharterfleet.com/ can match you up to a good boat.

Thanks for that mate, it looks like the party boat option will be more within budget! the one thing is, i'm overly fussy about what gear i use, what are the supplied rods and reels like on these things, i would imagine overly heavy and a bit battered! 30-50lb class? I was going to but a 5 piece rod to bring over, either a 10-20lb class, or a 30-50, with a fairly light action, with an abu garcia 7000 and 20lb fireline for the lighter rod, or an abu 10000 and 30lb mono for the heavier rod, i work in the tackle trade so it would'nt be a problem, i'm already bringing a heavy spin type rod to try for the drum off the shore, if i can find any! or the flounder would be good.

Just get a good solid 2 piece and a short case or PVC pipe tube to put it in to travel. The tackle on the head boats for the most part is pretty haggard. Old Penn Star Drag reels with old rods for the most parts. Used is an understatement...
A good 20-50 0r 20-40 would be a good 2 peice to have.