Ok, I don't cry out for help much, but I think I need it now. My brother-in-law and I have an open weekend Oct 10-12 and are thinking about going to the coast for all of this "hot" fishing we've been hearing about. However, we are bay/surf/pier/jetty rookies. Most saltwater fishing we've done is offshore with an occasional overnight at HC pier in Port A. We're tournament bass fishermen and have plenty of that gear and we both have a lower end 10ft surf rod/spinning reel combos. We are in West Texas and are about 6-6 1/2 hrs from anywhere from Freeport to PINS. It will be just us 2 coming in late Fri and fishing non-stop until Sun mid-day. We've never done this on the coast before and need some pointers.

PLEASE HELP with location, gear, bait etc . . . as much detail as possible. Thanks,

cgstrange

PS: We'll probably be camping somewhere too so help on that would be appreciated and if anyone wants to hook up, we're game.

Will you be fishing from a boat?

Chaser

No, only from shore/jetty/pier, unless someone wants to take 2 clean guys out for the day for a split in gas or something.

cgstrange

I fish out of a boat at the end of the jetties for bull reds. Sorry I can't help on other locations. All along the upper coast is good. Check with the bait shops & fishing piers, they can help on good locations & bait.

Chaser

STRANGE YOU'VE GOT E- MAIL

I'm not an expert but I play one one on the TFF. .......man, if that's not a line of bull I don't what is......CG, we're heading down this weekend and will do some surf stuff if the conditions are good. We'll let you know what we saw that worked good and you can go from there......I'd buy some 5/0-6/0 Kahle hooks and some spider weights, along with some pyramid weights in the weight that fits your rig. Get some of the wire bottom rigs, single drop! use a cast net and catch some mullet in the surf or dead shrimp and catch whiting, croaker, etc. Cut in big pieces and try to place your cast in the 2nd gut or the 3rd if you can. place your rod in the expensive rod holder you got, a 2" PVC pipe cut to a 5 foot length, with a 45 degree cut on one end. Hammer it in the surf and wait until the bad boys come by......either fish the beach south of the Bob Hall pier(free) or just north of fish pass jetties(also free)........if you want to spend a few bucks go through PINS and fish down past the 4 wheel sign, but watch for stingrays, shuffle your feet!....take your medium bass rig use a silver or gold spoon and cast along the guts and see if any trout or jack or what not are there.......if I'm not being specific enough let me know and I'll find a real expert to help.

I think TOO must have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.lol

If you fish the jetties, learn to tie a spider knot and tie you on a 40lb test leader, about 3 feet long, and a circle hook. Catch some piggy perch (pinfish) if possible near the boat ramps (watch for hardheads in your net). With a splitshot and that perch, you should be able to cast your 15lb test line just far enough off the end of the jetties to clear the rocks. Let it drift back down the jetties with the tide, and keep in contact with your bait. A big red or trout is likely to pick it up and head out towards the oil rigs, so if you have something that holds a couple hundred yards of line, bring it.

Ok, here's the revised plan, but still needs help. We're debating between Mustang Island State Park and PINS. We'll be pulling a pop-up camper so that needs to be accessible. Here are my main questions.

What does one location have over the other in regards to fishing and/or camping?

I know the state park has jetty fishing, bob hall pier is close, and surf fishing all within a couple of miles. We want to fish for trout, reds (both slot and bulls) and maybe a couple sharks. It's $15/night for a full hook-up but then we'll have electricity, water and showers.

PINS I understand is a much better beach and the shark fishing is great and it's less croweded. It's only $10 for a 7 day pass. But can we get a pop-up down there? How's the fishing for other non-shark species? We do have 4X4 so that's not a prob.

I need opinions on both ASAP, please!!!

Thanks,

cgstrange