Port Aransas Fishing!?!?!?!

[HunterBug]

My husband and I are going out to Port A next weekend.
We are wondering about the surf fishing there.

What is popular to catch right now?
What baits do you use?
Where do you catch more fish (surf,jetty, pier)?

We have been fishing down there before but just off the jetty.
This time we are going without kids and want to try surf fishing and
deep sea. .
Let me know if you have any pointers, hints, or tricks for us.
It will be greatly appreciated!
We are wanting to catch some different types of fish. Just to have an
exciting time!
Thanks in advance!!!
Katie

[tyak]

should be BLOWN out this weekend.

[Cable]

Are you going this weekend or next? Croaker season opens up May 1st and if you are just wanting to catch fish then there is no better bait for trout and redfish right now. Also, if you can find live shrimp at a baitshop then those will work well for redfish.

Black drum are also still in the shallows and will typically take croaker and shrimp. All of these fish can be found in shallow areas right now (2-6 ft). Cast into the edges of grass beds and drop offs. You will probably be able to sight cast for some of the fish as well.

[chief longshaft]

Croaker are already avalible down there. Trout is your best bet can pick up some reds in the afternoon.

[Cable]

Croaker are available? Cool! I know they can't be fished commercially with nets until May 1st though. I am heading that way 3rd weekend of May. Cant wait

[HunterBug]

what about fishing in the second gut for shark

[mudbone]

Croaker are available? Cool! I know they can't be fished commercially with nets until May 1st though. I am heading that way 3rd weekend of May. Cant wait

Where will you be staying at, the wife and I are going down May 13 thru the 18th. Will be staying at the Harbor Light Cottages. Plan on doing a lot of different kinds of fishing.

Mudbone

[Breezy]

Croaker are real small now. It wont get hot and heavy with them untill they get bigger. Mid may and on. Good luck!

[marlinboy33]

just did a beach cruise 10 mins ago. pretty rough, but the bay is still cool in protected areas. supposed to blow this weeken

[Burntorange Bowhunter]

I know this really cool place you can get to by truck..

(only pre 06 members will get that one).

[HunterBug]

We are not going til next weekend. May 4th thru 7th.
Just want to catch anything and everything. lol
Want to pretty much just have fun and catch fish. .
Do you think it should still be blowin next weekend?

[viper3853]

hope its not too bad this weekend, ill be at port a with my gf.
either way ill be out fishing having a good time!!!!

[Breezy]

Forecast is windy and highs in the high 80's. Front coming in sat night or Sunday am.

[AtTheWall]

Do you think it should still be blowin next weekend?

During the month of May......plan for 20-30mph winds through-out the entire Coastal Bend area. It's one of the historically best wind surfing and wave surfing months of the year.

The good thing is.....you can take the Jetty Boat Ferry across, sailing out of the Fisherman's Wharf area in Port A, over to St Joe's island every day starting at 0630 AM. The last boat back is roughly 630 PM each evening - 12 bucks for the day. When it gets big and rough.....with tons of wind out of the South East, typical of the entire month of May, you can catch a break in the lee of the Port Aransas North jetty surf zone.....and typically the water is sandy green there, in the protected pocket of St Joe's island and the super long North Jetty breakwall. The wind will be quartering in from your back blowing out over the jetty making long casts a piece of cake. The water along the North Jetty rocks, most particularly out toward the end can hit 30-70ft in various holes over there. In these deeper holes swim king mackerel, tarpon, bull redfish and large sharks and rays.

I typically take an ice chest with wheels, several long surf rods made to blast cast big lures, and a couple of smaller trout rods (bass rod setup - same deal) with one a spinner with braid and the other a baitcaster with super light and clear mono. One small gaff, one telescopic landing net and several wading stringers with a backpack full of lures and gear.

Fishing the St Joe side......no pressure....literally no people and the entire jetty is pretty much yours as the other's parked along the South Jetty are getting sand blasted and sea weeded out fishing the rough surf on the south side.

Later into the summer....when the hot doldrums hit.....it's worth spending the night on the St Joe jetty with a lot of big rods and big lures. Tarpon, king mackerel, big snook, cobia and bullredfish galore in the deep holes up tight against the rocks. Casting super sized pencil popper lures, 4-5 ounce models with huge hooks and rattling BBs inside the lure's body make for some pretty interesting "huge fish on lures" action over there till the first few cold fronts.

This year is my year.....that's gonna be my scene....more to follow folks

I'm chasing tarpon and this year.....I'm gonna score several....casting lures....big big lures!

[AtTheWall]

A great, late evening fishing spot is right next to the Port Aransas Coast Guard Station on "STATION ST." A free lighted public T-Headed pier juts out at the end of the street, access is free to the public. I will typically go out, have dinner and enjoy the evening then roll back in and rig up for a few hours of casting lures along the seawall, standing on the pier. It's best to catch an incoming tide and fish up to the high slack period then the first 30 minutes of flood out before it falls apart with hardheads and too much current. If you can time the tide at night....no matter what time it is....be there with lures and cast many different types of baits and colors till you find what scores, you can limit out in literally an hour or less when it's on.

I've gone there and limited out on specks when no one else was catching squat. Most there fish bait on the bottom and the current is too swift for live bait. When you work lures...it's a piece of cake and the best lure there is a DOA 1/4 "New Penny" colored shrimp lures up tight against the rock wall. It goes from 1 foot to way deep quickly there....you will score specks and redfish and the wind, waves and rough conditions along the beach will not affect you. A huge condo blocks out all prevailing winds from the South East to South.