spots to wade fish

[l00kouts]

We are fairly new to the area and are in need of a good spot to drive our 4 wheel pickup, park and wade fish for Reds and Trout. 

We live in Mission and just want to be able to get in the vehicle with our equipment in tow on a weekend morning and do some fishing.  We have grown up fishing the upper and middle coast line and are now in need of some advice for the lower coastal bend.  We are too close to not get our feet wet. 

Any help (detailed as we don't know the area well) would be greatly appreciated.  We need an out from fhe weekly "rut"

[l00kouts]

Confused as to why so many have read but I haven't received any help?

[trichel]

I feel for your unanswered request so I will volunteer two approaches that you may find helpful.  First, the folks on this forum are all top quality fisherman and fine human beings, so please don't be to quick to judge on the low/no response issue.  If you have not seen maps of the bay system accessible from Port Mansfield then this may come as a surprise, but, there are more places to wade fish in this sytem than can be addressed in a honest lifetime of fishing.  And, most importantly, they change with the seasons of which I say there are at least 10 or more and not the 4 that you may be familiar with.  So, to pick a spot and say this one or that one is good is all bout reading conditions, time of year, water temp, moon, wind, and you name the elements that make up good fishing conditions.

So, I offer two suggestions depending on how fast you want to learn the area and how much time and money you have to do it. 

The first and clearly the fastest is to charter one of the fine guides that work out of the Getaway lodge and let them know what you want to do.  They not only take you to areas that provide the best opportunitiies to pursue whatever fish type you are interested in, they tell you why that particiular place is good and when it is best etc.   After 2-3 trips you will have been exposed to some of the fishing places that are good at that time, Remeber I said the seasons control the location as much as anything so you may find it worth your wile to continue this strategy  for 2-3 or more years.  There are folks who have sold their boats and use Bruce and staff exclusively,  and they always find the fish.

The second method would be to get one of the various fishing maps that are availalbe for the area. Some have GPS coordinates that point good fishing places for both drift fishing from boat and/or wade fishing.   There are some wading locations that are much harder to 'walk' thru than others so your physical conditioning is yet another element to consider.  I have fished Port M going on 40 years, as well as many many other locations on the Gulf Coast and found the drifting from a boat helps you locate fish quickly and see paterns and locations that you can remember and perhaps return later and wade.   Most of the fish I have caught from Port M while drifting has come from less than 3 feet of water which can be waded or fished from the boat.  I think one of the maps was called a Wells fishing map, and not only points out the places to catch certain species but has the time of year that is better than others.

So,  I hope these suggestions will help and while they may not be pinpointing THE spot  I will tell you that without a Boat (guided or unguided) you will be eliminating 99% of the best fishing areas.    I have stopped fishing any other places on the Gulf Coast because there are times of the year and places I know to go where I do not see another boat for hours if at all.  I cannot say that about other places.  I will say that summer months you may not find that to be the case in Port M, but fall, winter, and spring (early) has the population of fisherman mostly hard core,  respectful,  quality human beings, and Bruce's operation is at the center of that population. 

I plan to retire in 3 years, and  they will be seeing more of me than they probably want to, but for now it is 2-3 trips a year, hopefully you can find time, regardless of what course you take ,to beat that .

[l00kouts]

Wow!  Great info.  Thank you so much.  Just gettin itchy now that Spring is around the corner.   Thanks again for the help.  I am definalty going to look in to the guide.

[Capt. Bruce W. Shuler]

100kouts
Sorry for being so late in posting a reply, but with our loss of Capt. Dan Coley and fishing everyday just not much computer time.
To answer your question there are actually two locations you can wade fish from the bank here in port. As I am a 2 fingered typist please e-mail me a phone number and I will be happy to call you on my dime and discuss your options here in town.
We appreciate your being a part of our forum.

"LITTLE GULPY"  couldn't past up the chance!!!!!! Thanks Larry for your post in answering 100kouts question. Look forward to your visit in the near future.

[l00kouts]

Thanks Capt. Bruce,

sorry for being so late.  Been a busy start to the year.  My number is 956-342-0809.  Best time to reach me is after 6pm weekdays  anytime weekends.

Thanks for helping out.  I am ready to get in the water.

[TAZ]

AT THIS TIME THERE ARE SEVERAL SPOTS BUT I ONLY GO TO ONE. I FISH OF ON THE SOUTH PORT.WALK ABOUT 1 HOUR ON THE SHORE AND FISH IT BACK WITH THE WIND BLOWING FROM THE SOUTH.BEST LURE  RED AND WHITE TEXAS RED KILLER. ZIG ZAG IN THE WATER AND LOOK FOR WARM SPOTS IN THE WATER TEMP AND GET READY.

[putawaywet]

AT THIS TIME THERE ARE SEVERAL SPOTS BUT I ONLY GO TO ONE. I FISH OF ON THE SOUTH PORT.WALK ABOUT 1 HOUR ON THE SHORE AND FISH IT BACK WITH THE WIND BLOWING FROM THE SOUTH.BEST LURE  RED AND WHITE TEXAS RED KILLER. ZIG ZAG IN THE WATER AND LOOK FOR WARM SPOTS IN THE WATER TEMP AND GET READY.

Bingo!
Been wading that area since I was a kid.
We used to pack ice chests, lanterns and tackle down there on foot.
We're the ones that broke the old wooden platform sometime in the late 80s'. Too many people/stuff for an old wooden pier. We made the splash about midnight when someone hooked up a red. It was classic!!