POC & Port Lavaca 4/6/14

Well, got to see the ocean & fish the salt for the first time! Started out on 4/6 at 0100 off the pier at Port Lavaca. I really have no idea what I'm doing so I just threw out a shrimp on both rods on a 2oz slip sinker rig (Lindy rig) with an 18" leader of 12lb mono & a 3/0 khale hook. I used 2oz cuz it was windy as heck. Had a bite on rod #1 almost immediately. First saltwater fish, booyah! Turned out to be a little saltwater cat, which I later found out is a hardhead & also found out they're annoying as heck. As I was unhooking the cat something BIG hit my other rod. I've caught lake sturgeon in MN that were pushing 80lbs, & this fish was fighting similar. Not fast or thrashing, just POWERFUL! I fought it for a good while, but as I got it up to the pier it went underneath & broke me off on the pilings. DOPE!!! Never even saw it. I ended up catching a few more cats & a tiny 12" red before the rain chased me off at 0300.
The next morning I headed out to the POC jetty. The gentleman at Marty's told me the big drum should be biting out there. As I was walking out, I noticed alot of baitfish closer to shore so I tried wading around for a couple hours, throwing a popping cork with shrimp or squid. Nothing. Then I walked out to the end of the jetty & soaked shrimp & squid til 1500, nothing but a bunch of hardheads. Got to see a bunch of dolphins though so that was cool!
At dusk I went back to the Port Lavaca pier. This time all I got was about 20 hardheads. I couldn't keep my bait in the water for more than 2 mins without getting bit by these annoying critters! I called it a day at 2300.
Any tips you guys would recommend? Anything you think I was doing wrong? Even though I didn't get much I definitely enjoyed myself. The water was terribly murky, with visibility at 6" at best. I don't think that was doing me any favors. Thanks for any tips or criticism!

At least you got to go and had fun!
The weather definitely did not help you any. I almost always struck out in conditions like that. Sounds like a Ray that broke you off. I think using artificials is the only way to keep the hardheads off your line. They are a real PITA but better than nothing if the gamefish ain't biting. Thanks for the report.

I guess it coulda been a ray, never thought of that. I thought the rays in shallow water were pretty small? I figured it was a big drum. Never caught one but I would think with that big, thick body they'd be more of a hard pulling fish than a line screamer. It felt like a fish but I guess I couldn't tell ya the difference.

It can be difficult to tell if it's a ray or a big drum, but many times a big ray will just "sit down", and you can't move them. As far as ray size in shallow water? I've seen several that would have covered a car hood in 2' or less water.

When you figure out how to keep the hardheads off of bait, let the rest of us know (: I throw artificial's 95% of the time, and still catch the occasional hardhead.

Trip coming up POC Jetties...Hows the fishing??? Thanks and good luck!!!