texas or louisiana saltwater fishing?

[tvc184]

Can't go wrong either way. I buy both licenses every year.

Yep. Fish the upper TX coast and you get a 10 trout limit and drive across the bridge and get the LA 15 fish limit.

[bullets13]

A few fish pics. I've got hundreds, mostly from Texas waters.
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[tvc184]

I see what you did there.



All those fish couldn't have come from TX........

[bullets13]

All but one pic ��

[Burntorange Bowhunter]

It's funny how the La boys that live in Houston say La but they have never set foot on PINS.

Rob gets it.

It's not even close.

[Clark]

Plugger gave up Fishing Texas for La., didn't he?
I'd like to try it some day.

And Rob takes good pics.
I never get tired of looking.
BZ.

[El General]

There are more fish in Louisiana, and if you want to stay in the boat it is clearly better. If you want to wade, Texas is the place to go.

[coy-ote]

I can say the Texas surf spi and laguna madre aren't the same fisheries I fished with my dad in the late 60's and 70 always caught fish from just about anywhere wading, piers or from a boat, now its more like a rat race to get to "the spots" or to the bait, this trip is to take my kids like my dad took us and put them on some fish to keep and throw back the rest.

[TP3]

I don't think we have ever been "skunked" in Louisiana. Slower days, yes from time to time (meaning not limits).
I have been on trips to the Texas coast, even Port Mansfield, where 3 boats had one keeper between them.
Your kids will love LA, just plan on having to make a lot of return trips. It will ruin you.

[super_dave]

Venice!!!!

[AtTheWall]

We need to meet sometime and talk about fishing. I fish out of Flamingo mostly. My old Redfish Cup partner is a guide there. Benny Blanco. That is one of my favorite areas on earth.

It's a very small world.

My old Coast Guard friend, Commander LEON HOWELL, is the head Park Ranger in Flamingo. Leon and I fished out of his 18ft Hewes Bonefisher during the late 80s, covering Florida Bay, and dropping in at the ramp on the inside wall at Flamingo marina, fishing up deep inside the Glades. We sailed up into the glades, Leon looking forward, me looking aft, both of us wearing out a chart and taking notes of where we went, sun and wind angles etc......using our heads together, to find our way out and back to the ramp. The days before GPS....it really was a challenge to fish up inside during those days. Leon was a previous enlisted guy, Quartermaster by trade (navigation guru) before college, and his eventual officer's commission.

We fished a lot of topwater and one trip, we filmed some of my top action on redfish. An Image of me is on one of the Florida Sportsman magazines around the early 90s period. Leon writing up the article and submitting same to the publisher. I used to plug him, telling him this was what he needed to do to get some recognition as a fishing guide in Flamingo, right after his Coast Guard retirement. A jump start of sorts, which he did, and things took off!

Leon studied Everglades history, wildlife and anything and everything there is to know about that place. His knowledge become world-class, and he could take the main road down through the park, pull out, and hike into areas that were old Seminole Indian camps, and dialog details and landmarks as it related to old Florida history. He is a wealth of Everglades history and I believe that's the reason why they hired him to oversea the Park Operations.

Leon retired from the Coast Guard, started guiding professionally out of Flamingo (lives in Florida City), around the Hurricane Andrew period forward.

I fished Flamingo in an 18ft, square stern canoe, using a 3 hp Mercury outboard. This was right at the same period, Skooter skiffs started coming into play. Hewes Bonefish style V-Hulls were the norm....being on a Coast Guard salary that investment was out of my league, wife and kids and deployments in the Caribbean for months at a pop.

But the 18ft canoe was perfect. I ran out of Flamingo, typically fishing East of the marina in the Snake Bight, Porpoise Point areas and all of the small Keys scattered out front and south. My favorite time to fish this scene is wintertime and early spring. There are no bugs then, "no see em's," flying around biting you, and the tarpon and snook are roaming flats everywhere. My technique was, run upwind for miles and miles, fishing spots and locations along the way, then using the wind, set long drifts covering miles of water and flats. Low tide, I had small flat drains that fed off into the main channels, and I would toss a mushroom anchor to hold position and cast yellow\red pompano jigs with silver mylar strips in the skirt, tearing up snapper, snook, reds, tarpon, specks and jack crevalle. Many times the old guides would ask what I was casting, since many times I boxed my limit and my son's limit of specks...when they were using live shrimp to do likewise. I never fished live bait and scored quit a few tarpon during my time there casting small jigs and Mirolures in some of the main channels as the flats drained.

It's truly my best experience of flats, inshore style fishing. Leon showed me the ropes in the region and I actually made friends with many of the guides during this period, fishing as the odd ball with self made custom fishing rods in a canoe.

There are times the insects get so bad on the inside, we wore raincoats and screened face masks to bear the onslaught of "no see ems." That's when it's typically time to sail out into Florida Bay and work that outside zone.

I'll go if you want to go! I've been wanting to return.....it's been 26 years since I've fished Flamingo.

[coy-ote]

how is the weather, tides ,heat , mosquitos, around June? all of you have convinced me to take the Griswold family mini vacation to the Big Easy and then go take the boys fishing was wondering if it wont be too extreme for the kiddos?

[AtTheWall]

how is the weather, tides ,heat , mosquitos, around June? all of you have convinced me to take the Griswold family mini vacation to the Big Easy and then go take the boys fishing was wondering if it wont be too extreme for the kiddos?

It can and will be humid. Considering June has April - May months of showers to soak marshes with fresh water, the bugs will be alive. But don't let it stop you, it's all part of the experience. Temps will start to hit the 90s in June.....which when you factor humidity, it's floating around 8 - 12 degrees over the thermometer.

Here's the key...if you go with a Guide, insects will not be a problem. They will not fish and or loiter in areas where it's uncomfortable. There may be periods of absolutely no wind.....at this point, you will sweat and you will sweat from areas you didn't know had the ability to perspire.

If you stay in a fish camp with a guide, in the back country areas, yes there is a problem. Stay inside at low light, no problem. Go outside at lowlight, sunset and darkness.....oh yeah!

Plan accordingly.

South Texas....NO PROBLEM!

[speck1]

Had a great day on the lower Laguna madre today. I much prefer being in the water with the fish than in the boat.

[speck1]

Little Flamingo video for you AtTheWall.https://vimeo.com/151977826