Family going to Rockport for fishing on March 8-11 (I know spring break but my 14yr old son will be going). We got a cottage @ Little Bay Club for 2 nights. It has a 550' pier with rail lighting (to see where you are walking) but has new green lights under the pier at the end "T". Have a modified garden cart.
Wondering about Little Bay, seems there is a deep area at the end of the pier for boats. Would the end of the pier be good fishing (we plan on getting live shrimp & crabs). Weighted floats with leaders w/live shrimp, carolina rigged for chunks of crab.
Also, I have a 32" crab/lobster net. Can we catch crabs with the net off the pier (using chicken necks etc) and would it be good to catch the crabs in the shallow water or better at the end (deep water). How often should we check it for crabs ?
This will be our 1st trip for salt water fishing. We also will check-out the Fulton end of the pier but wondering about the crowds.

My experience has been anywhere along the pier past say the first couple of lights will be ok for fish.If it was summertime you could fish even the shallowest part for flounder. But yeah the end and several lights back the other way should be great. The end with the green lights should draw in the most fish, but don't sell the area with just white lights too short. Bottom fishing with crab is fine for redfish. Buy or catch you some of those 50 cent piece size crabs and use them to catch sheepshead around the pier. Put about a 3 foot steel leader with a fairly small but stout single or treble hook on the end with just enough pinch on weight to sink it down. You should be able to see them feeding on crabs and barnacles around the piers. Just drop it quietly next to them and I guarantee they will bite it. Sheepshead is a little stingy with it's meat but is considered by many, including myself to be the best tasting fish in the gulf. They seem to be more active around morning. I like the weighted cork with shrimp. I prefer what they call a popping cork. Small treble hook for trout. Bottom fishing during the day is a real hassle in my opinion. The piggy perch and hard heads strip your bait almost instantly. Not near as bad at night. Bass Pro has a good sale on both breathable and neoprene waders in the flyer I got today. I like to wade fish at Rockport during the day and pier fish at night. Little bay is a great place to wadefish. Can't help you on the crabbing.You probably need to go over to Port Aransas while there and check out Horace Caldwell pier also. Different experience for sure. Chance of catching some massive fish, sharks etc out in the surf. Wish I was going with ya. Good luck and have a ball.

Little bay on these dates you have a chance to catch black drum with crabs, also reds. The county pier at Fulton is really hot for big drum at that time of year. The end of the T-head is dominated by folks that know what they are doing. Big rods, long casts, multiple catches of large drum. But, you are also able to catch them half to 3/4 of the way down the pier, just get your bait out past the lights and into dark water. I wouldn't get too caught up in trying to imitate the "specialists," just get some baits out there and you and your teenager should catch some fish.

Thank you buddies ! Grinder 55, I hope on our next trip to the coast (if the wife has a blast) to check out some of those spots you have mapped/recorded on the DVD. Going to try those rockport rattels that you sent with the book/DVD on this trip.
pineywoods, if the Fulton pier is too crowded (spring break) we'll just go back to Little Bay Clubs pier. If not, we'll use your advice.
Duckcreek Davy, thank you for the tips. So I guess I need some steel leaders (I hear sheeps head are called that because when they open their mouth, it looks like a sheep, am I right ?).
Again, this will be mine & family's first time saltwater fishing. Dought I will wade fish, don't want to do that alone, wife can't swim (from the Philippines). Just going to have a great time fishing. And if the wife enjoys it enough, might plan a summer vacation back to the Gulf for fishing.

It was suggested that I try my crab net right by "fish cleaning/sink area" that is located by the entrance on the pier.

Here's the floats I got at Cabelas (kinda like a popping float):
H&H weighted floats

Duckcreek Davy, for the bait to catch sheepshead, you said buy or catch some 50 cent size crabs....do you mean to cut the crab pieces to 50 cent size or use a whole crab (shell & all) that is 50 cent size ? Thought you can't catch/keep crabs under 5" ?

You can't. You will get fined if caught by a game warden


[quote=barneypoo69]Duckcreek Davy, for the bait to catch sheepshead, you said buy or catch some 50 cent size crabs....do you mean to cut the crab pieces to 50 cent size or use a whole crab (shell & all) that is 50 cent size ? Thought you can't catch/keep crabs under 5" ?

You shouldn't have to worry about wading too much in Little Bay. Other than the boat channel (which is clearly marked), the water is relatively shallow and it's easy wading, not like the surf with fighting waves. Pier fishing can be a blast but crowds could be a problem. From my experience having fished that area since the late 60's, I leave the early night bite to the tourists, lol. Those piers can get crowded and sometimes some rude folks using WAY too many poles and spreading out like they own the place, not to mention parents not watching out for their young ones and having the kids running up and down the piers. But, a lot of those will get out just before dark to get prime spots near the lights but many will pack up and head back to their rooms by 10-11 pm. That's about the time I like to head out. Don't forget to try some artificial baits under the lights. Speck rigs, Gulp Alive on a jig head, maybe a mirrolure 52, 1/8 to 1/4 oz spoons, etc. You sort of have to watch and see what they are feeding on and what size. Sometimes you see shrimp under the lights and sometimes it's smaller glass minnows so try to match what's there. A lot of times the smaller trout will be in the brightest light but the larger ones will skirt around the edges and occasionally dart into the light or right on the edge to get something to eat so be sure to fish the edges too.

Thanks. Herbert77060, I checked around & I think Duckcreek Davy is saying for crab bait, use sand flees or those tiny crabs (can't remember what they are called)....not small blue crabs.
scott01, thanks for the ideas. I have some 3" new penny gulp shrimp, 3 rockport rattles, & some salt water assassin sea shad (pump seed/chartreuse tails) that I'll try on some jig hooks.
The pier that we will be fishing is owned by the cottages we are renting on Little Bay and is private (whatever thats worth). Will check out the Fulton side pier one night if not crowded.

Yep, I have stayed at that same location numerous times over the years (especially when they were called Sandra Bay Cottages) so I know the pier well, lol. You will still have some folks using that pier whether they are staying there or not, unless they put a gate and key entry on it recently, that's just the way night fishing is down that way. We haven't stayed in Rockport for about 4 yrs now as we were spending more and more time in Port A so we just started staying there and avoiding the drive back and forth. Always enjoyed Rockport too.

You should try Goose Island also, on their pier at the hump you will find people pulling up speckled trouts often, only downside is this part of the pier can get pretty packed. We usually go to the end of the pier and use whole crab with no weights. Last trip in October we pulled up about 10 black drum at that spot.

Duckcreek Davy, I saw where you said ya'll have no luck with trout in Rockport but you suggested Indian Point Pier. We are going to stay one night in Portland so my question, is there a bait shop in Portland (and hope they have shrimp).
By the way, I called Mom's bait shop in Rockport in Feb & they were closed for the winter but should be open now (she said they open the 1st of March).

Fulton Harbor bait stands have plenty of Live Shrimp etc right now

Nueces Bait stand, on the south end(CC side) of the 181 causeway on the Nueces bay side usually has live and fairly good dead bait.
Also the CC T-head bait stand right off downtown often has the same.
Many a time Nueces Bait has had the only live shrimp around that part of of CC Bay.
For trout, consider the Oso Pier on the SW side of CC bay if the wind is strong out of the S and dirties up IP pier. Water will be cleaner at the Oso w/a S wind. Dirty water can hold reds and drum though.

You da man Capt ! Thanks
TOO, thanks for the info....gotta put those locations on my map !