Mustang Island
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Wade fishing
By David Sikes/Caller-Times
June 10, 2004
Goose Island State Park - The park's fishing pier has steps leading to a shallow oyster reef. The bottom is firm, with lots of shell. A sturdy pair of wading boots, such as the Predator reef boot or the Hodgeman reef boot is advisable. A channel that runs under a raised section of the lighted pier creates a fish-holding dropoff. No pets are allowed on this handicap-accessible pier.
Most anglers use live or dead shrimp, which is available at the park's bait shop. Soft plastics work here too.
Flounder also can be caught near the pier, mostly in spring and fall. Flounder gigging is common in the shallows near the pier.
Trout, redfish and sheepshead feed around the shell and in the channel, particularly during a moving tide. Fishing is best during a light wind or a moderate north wind. A hard southeast wind makes fishing tough at Goose Island.
Call the park at (361) 729-2858. It's open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. But you can fish overnight for a fee. A park fee is required.
Directions-
North of Fulton, off State Highway 35. From Corpus Christi, cross the Harbor Bridge and follow Highway 35 to Rockport. Do not take the Rockport exit. Stay on Highway 35 until it comes to a T. Turn right. Turn left on Business Highway 35 and follow it until it crosses Copano Bay. Turn right at the blinking yellow light, then right at the first stop sign.
Copano Bay east shore - This is one of the more remote shorelines on the list. So if solitary angling is your oyster, go for it.
This stretch of Copano shoreline along Live Oak Peninsula is near the Aransas County Airport. The bottom is hard sand topped with crushed oyster shell.
At one time, roads ran perpendicular to the shore to drilling pads. During extreme low tide, these shell roads are visible. But mostly they have eroded away, providing fish-holding contours.
This area is protected during a southeast wind, providing relatively clear water most of the time.
Trout love it. Most anglers use live shrimp under an Alameda Rattling Float. But topwater plugs or a red shad or plum Bass Assassin will draw strikes also.
Directions-
Take State Highway 35 from Corpus Christi to where the road comes to a T. Turn right, then left on Business Highway 35 North. Go about three miles to Airport Avenue, which is just before the Aransas Country Airport. Turn left on Airport Avenue and follow this road until it dead ends into Farm-to-Market Road 1781. Turn right. About 100 yards on the left is a widening in the shoulder and a footpath leading to wadable water. About 150 yards farther is a second footpath leading to another access point on the bay.
Italian Bend - Remnants of an old causeway provide structure at this remote spot.
The bay bottom is mostly hard, with scattered patches of soft mud. Redfish, trout and flounder are found here year round. Stingrays abound in summer. So shuffle your feet and wear reef boots. Black drum are caught here in winter.
Park on the roadside. The shore is lined with cordgrass. The average depth at 50 yards from shore is two feet to three feet.
This shore is protected during winds from the southeast wind or the north.
Directions-
Take the Rockport exit off State Highway 35 North. Turn left at the stop sign, onto Farm-to-Market Road 1069. About 4.5 miles down, the road will cross Port Bay. Past the bridge, turn right on Port Bay Club Road. Follow this road about two miles until it dead ends at a curve in the Port Bay shoreline near the Italian Bend area. Park beside the road. There are no signs to designate this area.
Brown & Root Flats - This expanse of shallow grass beds, riddled with oyster reefs is a redfish haven. It's located just north of Port Aransas, on the west side of State Highway 361 (the road between the ferry landing and Aransas Pass).
After a rain, a four-wheel-drive vehicle is advisable on the dirt road, which parallels the fence along the Brown & Root property. Parking along this road is only available in spots on the water side.
The bottom of this flat is mostly firm. But a kayak could help traverse the soft stuff and cover water more quickly.
Reef boots are a must to negotiate the shell.
Tide movement has little affect on this flat much. Most anglers fish depths of two feet or less.
It's a good spot for tailing reds, particularly between May and October. Most anglers use topwater plugs, flies or gold spoons.
Directions-
From the ferry landing, traveling north toward Aransas Pass on State Highway 361, you'll see a chain link fence that borders Brown & Root property. A rough and uneven road parallels this fence. Follow it as far as you dare. Park on the water side of the road. There are several wide spots, adequate for parking.
Portland shoreline - This stretch of Corpus Christi Bay shoreline is a favorite summer trout spot of early morning anglers. Guts and bars parallel the shore, much like a gulf beach.
The bottom is hard sand.
Topwater lures, shrimp, croaker and soft plastics should work. But these waters often provide an endless supply of finger mullet to use as bait. So bring a cast net.
Northward, toward the Reynolds plant, is a drainpipe that has carved a depression in the bay bottom. The bottom is soft near this prime redfish washout.
Waders who head south toward remnants of the old Long's Pier will find another hole, past the second bar near pier's end, where trout concentrate.
Wading pants will keep jellyfish tentacles off your legs in summer.
Directions-
Cross the Harbor Bridge into Portland. Exit Wildcat Drive and turn right at the Wataburger. Turn left on Broadway Avenue, then right onto Sabine Drive. Sabine will lead to a small waterside park. The Portland shoreline of Corpus Christi Bay is within easy walking distance of the roadside parking lot.
Indian Point - If the fish aren't biting off the pier, avoid the planks and get wet.
Most any summer morning, urban waders can be seen dotting the waters just south of Indian Point Pier, on either side of the causeway.
East of the bridge, in Corpus Christi Bay, the bottom is mostly firm. Depths vary from knee deep to about four feet. A gut runs parallel to the top of the pier's T, then curves toward the causeway. South of the pier is scattered shell.
Park either under the causeway or use the Indian Point Pier parking lot.
Most anglers use live shrimp under an Alameda Rattling Float or soft plastics on quarter-ounce jigheads for trout.
West of the bridge, in Nueces Bay, waders park under the causeway or along the feeder road between the point and the old Gunderland Marine building.
On the west side of the causeway in Nueces Bay are acres of shallow flats with scattered oyster reefs. It's muddy in spots, but mostly firm footing.
Directions-
Cross the Harbor Bridge and exit at the brown Indian Point Park sign.
Oso Bridge - There are several wade-fishing spots along Ocean Drive, but the most popular is where the waters of Corpus Christi Bay merge with the much shallower waters of the Oso Bay.
During any given spring or summer weekend a member or two of Team Oso can be found waist deep on the east side of the bridge between Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.
Parking is good, though roads can be slippery after heavy rains. Traveling from downtown, turn right on a path, either just before of just after the bridge.
This is an excellent launch site for paddlers who want to fish the Corpus Christi Bay shoreline or enter the interior of Oso Bay, the bottom of which is dangerously muddy in spots.
A gut runs under the bridge and into the bay. Most anglers wade far enough into the bay to cast to either edge of this gut.
Directions-
Head south on Ocean Drive. The Oso Bridge is south of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and north of Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. Parking is available on both sides of the bridge. Most anglers park on the right, either just before or after the bridge.
Packery Channel - The opportunities along State Highway 361, between North Padre Island and Port Aransas, begin at Packery Channel.
Of course, this could change, depending on whether the channel is reopened.
Parking is easy and the bottom mostly firm near the Packery Channel bridge and along the waters west of the highway. This shoreline, roughly between the first two bridges, is called Packery Flats.
Nearer to the second bridge (over 1852 Pass) is a redfish spot, marked by three poles in the water. Perpendicular to the shore, just passed the second bridge is an oyster reef, only visible during low tide.
Follow this reef to a line of sea grass that borders a dropoff. Cast left, toward the poles or toward the JFK Bridge. Tailing redfish sometimes can be found near reef or the grass on summer mornings. This, I know firsthand.
Directions-
Take Padre Island Drive south, cross the JFK Causeway. Turn left at the first traffic light onto State Highway 361. Park either near the Packery Channel Bridge or the 1852 Pass Bridge.
Fish Pass - On the backside of Mustang Island, any number of westbound dirt roads off Highway 361 will lead to wade-fishing waters that are protected during a southeast wind. But just passed the new church, the second road past the second billboard leads to popular area called Fish Pass.
Parking is convenient near water's edge. And anglers here typically are willing to give advice freely.
The bottom is mostly firm and seagrass is plentiful along this shoreline. The water is shallow enough for children to wade in spots.
Trout and redfish can be caught in a number of guts and holes, within a 150 yards of shore. North of where the road empties, within easy walking or wading distance, is a cove, bordered by a channel on the north and shallow water on the south.
Here, mullet congregate in thick schools.
At first sight, this looks like a topwater plugger's dream. But most fish are caught on shrimp and soft plastics.
Directions-
Take Padre Island Drive south, cross the JFK Causeway. Turn left at the first traffic light onto State Highway 361. Pass the new church on the left. Turn left onto the second dirt road past the second billboard after the church. Keep to the right until you reach a grassy dune, then turn left toward the water.
Wilson's Cut - Two wade-fishing areas flank this popular undeveloped boat ramp, which leads to the waters around Shamrock Island.
To the south and north are protected coves with hard bottoms, deep guts, shallow bars and plenty of grass beds.
Typically in either spot, fly fishers stand beside anglers using bait, each seeking their own brand of redfish thrills.
Anglers generally park near the makeshift boat ramp. But if you plan to fish the northern area, there's plenty of parking near the shore. Just follow the path that veers to the right of the cut.
Either of these waters are prime redfish staging areas in the fall. But trout also are commonly caught while standing in knee-deep water with a variety of baits and lures.
Directions-
Take Padre Island Drive south, cross the JFK Causeway. Turn left at the first traffic light onto State Highway 361. Turn left opposite the Sandpiper Condo sign.
Lagniappe - Riviera Pier - This remote pier juts into Baffin Bay between the mouths of Laguna Salada and Cayo del Grullo, near Kratz's Boat & Bait Camp and Baffin Bay Cafe. North and south of the pier is firm sand and scattered rocks. Big trout lurk along this cliff at sunup. Directions-
Take U.S. Highway 77 South, past Kingsville to County Road 771. Turn left toward Riviera Beach. Follow this road, veer right, to land's end.
Wade fishing
By David Sikes/Caller-Times
June 10, 2004
Goose Island State Park - The park's fishing pier has steps leading to a shallow oyster reef. The bottom is firm, with lots of shell. A sturdy pair of wading boots, such as the Predator reef boot or the Hodgeman reef boot is advisable. A channel that runs under a raised section of the lighted pier creates a fish-holding dropoff. No pets are allowed on this handicap-accessible pier.
Most anglers use live or dead shrimp, which is available at the park's bait shop. Soft plastics work here too.
Flounder also can be caught near the pier, mostly in spring and fall. Flounder gigging is common in the shallows near the pier.
Trout, redfish and sheepshead feed around the shell and in the channel, particularly during a moving tide. Fishing is best during a light wind or a moderate north wind. A hard southeast wind makes fishing tough at Goose Island.
Call the park at (361) 729-2858. It's open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. But you can fish overnight for a fee. A park fee is required.
Directions-
North of Fulton, off State Highway 35. From Corpus Christi, cross the Harbor Bridge and follow Highway 35 to Rockport. Do not take the Rockport exit. Stay on Highway 35 until it comes to a T. Turn right. Turn left on Business Highway 35 and follow it until it crosses Copano Bay. Turn right at the blinking yellow light, then right at the first stop sign.
Copano Bay east shore - This is one of the more remote shorelines on the list. So if solitary angling is your oyster, go for it.
This stretch of Copano shoreline along Live Oak Peninsula is near the Aransas County Airport. The bottom is hard sand topped with crushed oyster shell.
At one time, roads ran perpendicular to the shore to drilling pads. During extreme low tide, these shell roads are visible. But mostly they have eroded away, providing fish-holding contours.
This area is protected during a southeast wind, providing relatively clear water most of the time.
Trout love it. Most anglers use live shrimp under an Alameda Rattling Float. But topwater plugs or a red shad or plum Bass Assassin will draw strikes also.
Directions-
Take State Highway 35 from Corpus Christi to where the road comes to a T. Turn right, then left on Business Highway 35 North. Go about three miles to Airport Avenue, which is just before the Aransas Country Airport. Turn left on Airport Avenue and follow this road until it dead ends into Farm-to-Market Road 1781. Turn right. About 100 yards on the left is a widening in the shoulder and a footpath leading to wadable water. About 150 yards farther is a second footpath leading to another access point on the bay.
Italian Bend - Remnants of an old causeway provide structure at this remote spot.
The bay bottom is mostly hard, with scattered patches of soft mud. Redfish, trout and flounder are found here year round. Stingrays abound in summer. So shuffle your feet and wear reef boots. Black drum are caught here in winter.
Park on the roadside. The shore is lined with cordgrass. The average depth at 50 yards from shore is two feet to three feet.
This shore is protected during winds from the southeast wind or the north.
Directions-
Take the Rockport exit off State Highway 35 North. Turn left at the stop sign, onto Farm-to-Market Road 1069. About 4.5 miles down, the road will cross Port Bay. Past the bridge, turn right on Port Bay Club Road. Follow this road about two miles until it dead ends at a curve in the Port Bay shoreline near the Italian Bend area. Park beside the road. There are no signs to designate this area.
Brown & Root Flats - This expanse of shallow grass beds, riddled with oyster reefs is a redfish haven. It's located just north of Port Aransas, on the west side of State Highway 361 (the road between the ferry landing and Aransas Pass).
After a rain, a four-wheel-drive vehicle is advisable on the dirt road, which parallels the fence along the Brown & Root property. Parking along this road is only available in spots on the water side.
The bottom of this flat is mostly firm. But a kayak could help traverse the soft stuff and cover water more quickly.
Reef boots are a must to negotiate the shell.
Tide movement has little affect on this flat much. Most anglers fish depths of two feet or less.
It's a good spot for tailing reds, particularly between May and October. Most anglers use topwater plugs, flies or gold spoons.
Directions-
From the ferry landing, traveling north toward Aransas Pass on State Highway 361, you'll see a chain link fence that borders Brown & Root property. A rough and uneven road parallels this fence. Follow it as far as you dare. Park on the water side of the road. There are several wide spots, adequate for parking.
Portland shoreline - This stretch of Corpus Christi Bay shoreline is a favorite summer trout spot of early morning anglers. Guts and bars parallel the shore, much like a gulf beach.
The bottom is hard sand.
Topwater lures, shrimp, croaker and soft plastics should work. But these waters often provide an endless supply of finger mullet to use as bait. So bring a cast net.
Northward, toward the Reynolds plant, is a drainpipe that has carved a depression in the bay bottom. The bottom is soft near this prime redfish washout.
Waders who head south toward remnants of the old Long's Pier will find another hole, past the second bar near pier's end, where trout concentrate.
Wading pants will keep jellyfish tentacles off your legs in summer.
Directions-
Cross the Harbor Bridge into Portland. Exit Wildcat Drive and turn right at the Wataburger. Turn left on Broadway Avenue, then right onto Sabine Drive. Sabine will lead to a small waterside park. The Portland shoreline of Corpus Christi Bay is within easy walking distance of the roadside parking lot.
Indian Point - If the fish aren't biting off the pier, avoid the planks and get wet.
Most any summer morning, urban waders can be seen dotting the waters just south of Indian Point Pier, on either side of the causeway.
East of the bridge, in Corpus Christi Bay, the bottom is mostly firm. Depths vary from knee deep to about four feet. A gut runs parallel to the top of the pier's T, then curves toward the causeway. South of the pier is scattered shell.
Park either under the causeway or use the Indian Point Pier parking lot.
Most anglers use live shrimp under an Alameda Rattling Float or soft plastics on quarter-ounce jigheads for trout.
West of the bridge, in Nueces Bay, waders park under the causeway or along the feeder road between the point and the old Gunderland Marine building.
On the west side of the causeway in Nueces Bay are acres of shallow flats with scattered oyster reefs. It's muddy in spots, but mostly firm footing.
Directions-
Cross the Harbor Bridge and exit at the brown Indian Point Park sign.
Oso Bridge - There are several wade-fishing spots along Ocean Drive, but the most popular is where the waters of Corpus Christi Bay merge with the much shallower waters of the Oso Bay.
During any given spring or summer weekend a member or two of Team Oso can be found waist deep on the east side of the bridge between Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.
Parking is good, though roads can be slippery after heavy rains. Traveling from downtown, turn right on a path, either just before of just after the bridge.
This is an excellent launch site for paddlers who want to fish the Corpus Christi Bay shoreline or enter the interior of Oso Bay, the bottom of which is dangerously muddy in spots.
A gut runs under the bridge and into the bay. Most anglers wade far enough into the bay to cast to either edge of this gut.
Directions-
Head south on Ocean Drive. The Oso Bridge is south of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and north of Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. Parking is available on both sides of the bridge. Most anglers park on the right, either just before or after the bridge.
Packery Channel - The opportunities along State Highway 361, between North Padre Island and Port Aransas, begin at Packery Channel.
Of course, this could change, depending on whether the channel is reopened.
Parking is easy and the bottom mostly firm near the Packery Channel bridge and along the waters west of the highway. This shoreline, roughly between the first two bridges, is called Packery Flats.
Nearer to the second bridge (over 1852 Pass) is a redfish spot, marked by three poles in the water. Perpendicular to the shore, just passed the second bridge is an oyster reef, only visible during low tide.
Follow this reef to a line of sea grass that borders a dropoff. Cast left, toward the poles or toward the JFK Bridge. Tailing redfish sometimes can be found near reef or the grass on summer mornings. This, I know firsthand.
Directions-
Take Padre Island Drive south, cross the JFK Causeway. Turn left at the first traffic light onto State Highway 361. Park either near the Packery Channel Bridge or the 1852 Pass Bridge.
Fish Pass - On the backside of Mustang Island, any number of westbound dirt roads off Highway 361 will lead to wade-fishing waters that are protected during a southeast wind. But just passed the new church, the second road past the second billboard leads to popular area called Fish Pass.
Parking is convenient near water's edge. And anglers here typically are willing to give advice freely.
The bottom is mostly firm and seagrass is plentiful along this shoreline. The water is shallow enough for children to wade in spots.
Trout and redfish can be caught in a number of guts and holes, within a 150 yards of shore. North of where the road empties, within easy walking or wading distance, is a cove, bordered by a channel on the north and shallow water on the south.
Here, mullet congregate in thick schools.
At first sight, this looks like a topwater plugger's dream. But most fish are caught on shrimp and soft plastics.
Directions-
Take Padre Island Drive south, cross the JFK Causeway. Turn left at the first traffic light onto State Highway 361. Pass the new church on the left. Turn left onto the second dirt road past the second billboard after the church. Keep to the right until you reach a grassy dune, then turn left toward the water.
Wilson's Cut - Two wade-fishing areas flank this popular undeveloped boat ramp, which leads to the waters around Shamrock Island.
To the south and north are protected coves with hard bottoms, deep guts, shallow bars and plenty of grass beds.
Typically in either spot, fly fishers stand beside anglers using bait, each seeking their own brand of redfish thrills.
Anglers generally park near the makeshift boat ramp. But if you plan to fish the northern area, there's plenty of parking near the shore. Just follow the path that veers to the right of the cut.
Either of these waters are prime redfish staging areas in the fall. But trout also are commonly caught while standing in knee-deep water with a variety of baits and lures.
Directions-
Take Padre Island Drive south, cross the JFK Causeway. Turn left at the first traffic light onto State Highway 361. Turn left opposite the Sandpiper Condo sign.
Lagniappe - Riviera Pier - This remote pier juts into Baffin Bay between the mouths of Laguna Salada and Cayo del Grullo, near Kratz's Boat & Bait Camp and Baffin Bay Cafe. North and south of the pier is firm sand and scattered rocks. Big trout lurk along this cliff at sunup. Directions-
Take U.S. Highway 77 South, past Kingsville to County Road 771. Turn left toward Riviera Beach. Follow this road, veer right, to land's end.
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