Texas mid coast fishing report

3 @ 15-20", One of three could be over 30".

I have nothing to report other than I've struggled big time this spring so far as well.

Kemo why do you think that is? Doesn't matter what the size is youre always going to catch a pile that are just under.
You could raise the size to 15" and you'd catch abunch of 14.5"ers

Note how the guides always say "we tore them up 2 weeks ago"

quote:

---

It's not good. Fishing the Corpus Christi flats, I have not caught a single trout keeper this year, and maybe 2-3 undersized each trip. I wet a line about every 10-12 days.
Wildlife and fisheries has cut the trout limit to 3 daily, with a slot of 15-20 inches. One of the three could be over 25 inches.

---

well clearly, based on the same science they used to reduce limits in louisiana, which was just that people werent catching fish in the same spot grandpa used to fish, they need to reduce it to catch and release only in texas for all game fish

quote:

---

Interesting hatchery comparison ,,,, Alaska has about 150 fish hatcheries mostly for salmon, Texas may have 3 for both fresh and salt water

---

This is the second time that I know of that you have posted this info and it is still not true. Texas Parks and Wildlife has 3 saltwater and 4 or 5 freshwater hatcheries. The 3 saltwater ones stock over 25 million fish (redfish, trout, and flounder) per year into the bays.

As far as your original topic, we actually had our best trout day since the freeze the last time we went out two weeks ago in Rockport. Between two of us we probably caught 80, most were 13" to 16" but we had 15 to 20 over 17" including 5 over 20". I was shocked given how tough things have been for the last year+ but hopefully things will continue to improve with the new limits in place. Hopefully half of the folks bitching about the limits and claiming they were no longer traveling to the coast for 3 trout actually keep their word, I doubt they do though. We caught most all our fish on Double D's and Coastal Brew Tails.

I'm hearing Matagorda and POC are still pretty tough, I don't go any further north than that, the last 3 months in Mansfield the big trout bite was as good as it has ever been, it is unbelievable how fast that area reloaded with big fish since the freeze. I expect some big weights in the Legends Tournament this weekend out of SPI. There were several 3 trout stringers over 20 pounds in Mansfield last month including one over 23 for the winners in some absolutely horrible weather conditions, they will be fishing pretty much the same water out of SPI.

its still not true, maybe mostly true, it is fishing you know.....I went to the Parks and Wildlife web pages as suggested by another poster. There are 3 saltwater hatchery/exhibition locations identified. The first and third are heavy on community out reach, with no production volume numbers. The second claims to have a
'goal' of 15 million fingerlings of 1.2 inch size. In all three cases they are positive they have a life changing impact on the fishery population. A population that has mandated a decline in trout limits from 10 fish per day to 5, now to just 3.
My point is, with a sparse people population, Alaska has 150 industrial fish hatcheries that maintain the fish population. Texas P&W hatchery is a for show operation.
I would like to see much more of my 65 dollar license fee go to hatchery.
It was not always like that, Cp&l used to have a much larger Hatchery operation at Flower Bluff. Under company supervision, I caught a few nice trout and reds in their ponds in 1992.
Two weeks ago, of the 80 trout you caught and released how many do you think were eaten by the porpoise. The porpoise at Rockport flats are like a vacuum cleaner, the times I have been out in the last month. See a porpoise evacuate the area to save released trout




'

LINK

Hatchery info, 25 million fingerling stocked per year from the 3 hatcheries. TPWDs hatcheries are used as examples all over the US and are widely regarded as some of the best facilities in the country.

Where are they fishing/launching this round? You said down south and you are mid coast, so I assume Mansfield or Port Isabel?

Texas and Alaska fish hatchery discussion isn’t even comparable.

Commercially hatched salmon is like half the total catch up there. Don’t the processors even slice out the eggs from salmon to contribute?

Pollution, estuary erosion, Shrimping and pogey fishing are the likely culprits IMHO...oh and in LA, the Oil & surfactants dumped by BP.