me and my sons ages 9 and 12 are going to rockport in august looking for advice on fishing from piers we have chartered a bay trip for one day but just wanna let them catch fish before the charter they have zebco 733 on med hvy rhino rods will these work are should i get them something else all tips and advice appreciated neither one has really caught a big fish but wanna show them a good time thanks

Easiest, and probably most productive would be spec rigs. You can get them at Wally world or HEB in Rockport. Lots of other options, maybe a package of Gulp shrimp in Ivory to fish under a popping cork, keep it simple.
Go to Fulton Pier, or Copano Causeway to fish the lights. Fish the edge of the lights.

hey bud, the easiest thing and probably most fun for the kids. Get some live shrimp with a bait bucket and bubble box, and sit on the fulton bridge, as stated above. The shrimp will catch just about any predatory fish in copano, and that is half the fun not knowing what you are going to catch. The zebcos might be a little light but should be manageable for them, just make sure the drag is set just in case.

so what rod and reel do yall recommend also i appreciate all the tips

Lots of options, for piers the usual inshore gear will suffice. Get a spinning reel that is rated for 10-12 lb. min test line. There should be some indication on the spool what sizes of line the reel is rated for, and how many yds. of each line the spool will hold. Shimano makes some entry level spin casters that hold up well starting around $60.
Medium heavy rod, nothing fancy, usually starts around $30.
Bait casters are fine too, just maybe not for the kids.
Important to remember, fishing plastics, shrimp and such from a pier seldom requires line heavier than 12 lb. test.

I've heard really good things about these Okuma baitfeeder reels. If your kids would be comfortable with a spinning reel I'd suggest one of these.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Okuma-Avenger-...sm=0&sspt=1

Hard to beat price of $40 for a saltwater spinner reel. the baitfeeding system is pretty nice as well.

My Dad & Brother use the Okuma Epixor Baitfeeder reels which is the same system just built a little better. They run about $100.

Whatever reels you end up using be sure to lightly spray them out with fresh water at the end of the day.

We typically use live bait when fishing in Rockport, croaker works well. Makes it easy on the kids too since they wouldn't have to be jigging a lure. Shrimp is not a bad idea either.

The rhino rods should be fine.

I am also headed to Rockport in August from the 5th to the 14th, can't wait! . Will be camping at Goose Island the first weekend, then staying in a condo the rest of the time.

Best of luck!

Okuma now has a decent line of saltwater reels.

They are getting to be known for being as dependable in the SaltH20 as the Shimano reel's.

thanks for all the tips me and my sons will let yall know how we did

How about getting the boys some crab nets or sabikii rigs

I'm headed to rockport the weekend of July 29 through Aug 1. I will try to gather some info on crab and fish . Daughter wife and I are gonna try and catch some

Went this week. Fishing off the bank on the channel next to the saltwater pool in the park we landed a black drum 40+ pounds. Caught on shrimp on out tide.

that all you caught?

how do you tie a spec rig? what is it? artifial or live bait?
Thanks.

Speck rigs come pre tied. Basically two small plastics, on 1/8 oz. jigs. You could take a length of heavy mono, tie the jig head to each end, rig them with small split tail beetles, then tie a loop knot off center so that the baits were at different lengths.
That's in a pinch. They are cheap and readily available any where along the coast. Een seen them in some convenience stores.

How do you fish them. just chunk and reel or jig or what?
thanks.