Hello,
Wunderd if you guys could help on my fist fishing trip to R0ck port/fulton. My grampa/grama-in-law goes every year for about the month of november.This year we are going to join them I dont have any salt water stuff and I need to rig up. I just want a successful trip. I wold like to give my 10wt fly pole a try but not limited to any thing. i think they do more wade/pier fishing. any help would be great, and appreciated.
Thank you
Larry mc

Really could use a few more details, but here goes. I mainly fish the flats. 7-7.5" med. heavy rod, bait or spin caster ur choice, 10#-14# test mono, artificial baits include Norton Sand Eels in ivory or glow w/chart. tail & purple w/chart on 1/8-1/16oz. jig head, 3' Gulp shrimp in ivory, new penny, nuclear chicken, Cordell broken back in chrome w/blue back, Mirro Lure 2000?? not sure of make/mod. it's a suspending bait. Gulps can be free lined, rigged w/jig head, Carolina rig, under popping cork... the combinations are widely varied. If your fishing from pier w/ lights try the various spec rigs, you'll catch a lot of throw backs w/ the occasional keeper. Main thing is, unless your soaking bait in channels for bulls/blacks, don't go crazy w/ line test. In the fall/winter I fish 10# w/about 6" of 14# leader. Hope this helps.

Thanks sputterfuss, So my jigging bass rigs will work with the baits you mentioned?

Is ther any type of media ,other than buggin you guys ,where i could learn more about this topic?

i went down there last year and couldnt catch anything with my lures! i even fished at night with under water lights, i could see them in the lights but they just wouldnt bite my lures! on my last night of the trip i figured out that they like piggy perch and i started catching nice ones on them! so if lures doesnt help try live bait!!!

Most of the time, you'll want to lighten up a bit over typical bass tackle. 10-12 lb line is more than adequate (no stumps to lose fish around) and you'll be using lighter jig heads on your soft plastics.

Thanks Guys, I will prolly go with live bait this trip I didnt realize the cost of some of the stuff I need. What is piggy perch? What other typs of baits will i need.


Larry

PIGGY PERCH


Pigfish
PIGFISH - Orthopristis chrysoptera Family Haemulidae, GRUNTS

Description: gray, often with a bluish cast; many bronze to yellowish spots, dashes, and other small markings; mouth small, ending below front nostril.
Size: to 38 cm (15 in.).
Where found: bay and banks; not on reefs in water less than 60 ft.

Simple popping corks with Live Shrimp, C-Rig live Mullet, Piggy Perch, Mud Minnows, Cut Mullet, Croaker, Whiting, Sand Trout, Squid, Sea Lice, blue crab (Cracked, peeled or whole), Fresh Dead Shrimp. Free lined Lives also work well. All these apps will work Pier or Wade fishing. Only thing I would tell you is if you are wadefishing & sight fishing Reds using cut bait and a C-Rig take the weight OFF so you don't spook them.

Rob

Is it legal to throw a cast net off of a pier?
Will a cast net chatch those live baits?

If I'm remembering correctly it is NOT legal to castnet from Copano Causeway, Caldwell, Bob Hall........ With a castnet you're most likely going to net Piggy Perch, mullet & Mud minnows. I guess if your net is large enough whiting & croaker in the surf can be netted. But you can R&R croaker, sand trout & whiting on shrimp.

If you are looking at wanting to use your fly rod that is a blast, just go to wherever you in-laws wade fish and use a weighted flyline with a decent leader and atleast a 4x tippet. Stop by tackletown, on the main drag in rockport and buy some shrimp flies, also they have piggy perch and mullet flies. Also try some topwater flies(poppers). Over the years I have caught numbers of trout and reds on my flyrods, definitly not for a novice, the high wind speeds tend to make it a little difficult, but the reward is so worth the struggle. Trust me, this year alone i have landed over a dozen reds on my two fly rods the largest being a 37" red that took over 1/2 and hour to land. Good luck and have fun!

DryFly... Think about Renting a Kayak. There are several places down there to do so. also look at the maps while down there.. South Bay is typically hot for Redfish, and your Fly rod, while overkill, would be great.

VIP Poppers, Clousers (plastic beads for Eyes), Seaducers and Gurglers are all good patterns.

Brown and root Flats are great as well.

I don't want to "advertise" but for details on where to go and what to throw, as well as renting a yak, Slowride Guide Service would be my first call. Dean and Jennifer are top notch folks.