TPWD Considering Condemning Fairfield Lake State Park Land

June 6, 2023

Fairfield Lake State Park Now Closed Due To Sale

June 7, 2023

There is no Texas fishing destination quite like South Padre Island.

With Lower Laguna Madre on one side, the Gulf of Mexico on the other and quick access to the Brownsville Ship Channel and South Bay there are many angling opportunities found nowhere else in Texas.

Snook

A prime example of South Padre’s unique fishery is the snook. They can be caught in others areas but South Padre has by far the most prolific fishery.

I had the privilege of fishing with Capt. Brian Barrera and TF&G Going Coastal columnist Kelly Groce for snook a few weeks ago.

The water was very off-colored due to run-off from a recent major storm system, so fishing conditions were tough.

The author with his first-ever snook. (Photo by Brian Barrera)

“Murky water makes snook fishing tough but we’ll catch some,” Barrera said.

“Just remember, they’re a lot like a bass. Pick apart the structure like you would bass fishing and you will connect.”

Late in the evening we found an area with some interesting-looking surface feeding activity and after I made a long cast with the pink topwater, it happened. The next cast produced another snook a little smaller, but i was no less excited.

I’ve literally fished all over the world and caught obscure and challenging fish like payara, Wels catfish and white sturgeon but never a snook until I tried it in South Padre.

Tarpon

Tarpon are perhaps the world’s most sought-after inland sportfish and the South Padre area has a robust fishery.

Anglers can score on small to medium-sized fish at the jetties and even in the ship channel, but the giants run the surf. There are small tarpon in the area year-round but the big ones start showing up about now and the fishing remains solid into early fall.

Tarpon charters book up quickly so act now if you want to get in on the 2023 season.

Sharks

The shark fishing in the South Padre surf can be intense.

Walter Colton caught, tagged, DNA sampled and released this blacktip shark at the Padre Island National Seashore. He said the scariest thing about catching a shark is releasing it. “I walked this girl out into belly-deep water and held her there for about five minutes until she slapped her tail and disappeared.

Anglers catch everything from common, hard-fighting blacktips to more exotic species like hammerheads and tiger sharks. Close proximity to deep water gives shark fishermen a chance to target really big sharks that are not as common along other areas of the coast.

Many shark anglers here camp out at night in the surf waiting for the line alarms on their big rods to sound off.

And then the fun begins.

Listen to a podcast exclusively about South Padre’s trout fishery here.

Specks and Reds

South Padre has plenty of exotic flare to its fishing but speckled trout and redfish are its bread and butter. And Lower Laguna Madre has a healthy population of both.

Capt. Luis Flandes with a nice Lower Laguna red. (Photo by Kelly Groce)

“We have some great fishing for speckled trout and redfish here and whether we are drift fishing with live bait or sight casting with topwaters or fly gear, there are options for anglers at every skill level,” said Capt. Luis Flandes.

Redfish and speckled trout by year-round here so anglers can target them on summer vacation or even during winter when there are fewer vacationers and plenty of open water to cover.

‘For more information on planning a trip to South Padre Island click here.

By Chester Moore