# Rockport....



## captain sandbar

I know there have been a lot of reports over the last several months about how great the fishing has been in Rockport and surrounding areas, and there have also been some discussions about eh state of Rockport from a visitors perspective. Thought I'd provide some insight for those that may be considering it, but aren't sure what they will be able to find as far as accommodations are concerned. if that is the case, here is some info for y'all.


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## WillieT

Thank you for the report. My wife and I love Rockport and we will be back.


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## pocjetty

The Lighthouse has been sending out postcards, saying that they will be opening up soon. There is a mobile 9/11 Museum in town right now, that's worth seeing.

Just the last couple of weeks, a whole lot of buildings have come down in Rockport. Buildings that needed to come down, but it seems like a lot of people must have finally settled with TWIA, because they have really done a lot of demolition. My wife and I just went for a drive, and we decided that it looks like missing teeth in a smile. It's better than a bunch of collapsed husks, but it's still kind of shocking how many empty lots there are around town now.

By and large, though, everything is pretty functional, and now we are getting more options as new places open up.


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## Sgrem

The 3 story mountains of solid demolition debris completely filling the median out on big HWY 35 for the last few miles is sobering. That area will and is coming back stronger than ever. Go be a part of it. Its pretty cool to see the transition and rebuild progress.


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## Prizepig

Visit the Market Days the 3rd weekend of every month, have lunch at one of the local restaurants, visit the local shops, fill up your car at the gas station, grab some seafood for the ice chest to take home, spend a little money in the tackle shops (my favorite)...................all good ways to help jumpstart the local economy. Heck I have found that I do pretty much all my birthday and Christmas shopping in Rockport.


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## 348473

Curious what hotels are open? Going gigging with the family soon and rather stay in a hotel but also have option of trucking down to the inlaws in Corpus but yeah rather stay in hotel =]


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## TwoKewl'er

I was looking for rooms yesterday........This is what has kept me away.....no place to stay,,,,if there is then it's been pricey

Been trying to take the boat back down,,,,between the weather and a place to stay has been my biggest challenge.

So looks like I'ma be making a long day of it round trip soon,,,,
For the record I've been down prob 4 times since the hurricane,,,,only once did I stay overnight

Carry on


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## EIGHTSKATE

The Inn at Fulton Harbor is open. 361-790-5888


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## pocjetty

EIGHTSKATE said:


> The Inn at Fulton Harbor is open. 361-790-5888


I just saw your name in my inbox last night, and realized I hadn't seen anything from you in quite a while. Hope all is well.

Yes, the Inn at Fulton Harbor is open, and better than before. La Quinta and Motel 6 are open. As I said above, the Lighthouse has announced that they will be open soon. The demand is picking up, so if you are coming, make sure and book in advance.

Cheryl's (restaurant) was open soon after the storm, as was Charlotte Plummer's. (In the dark days right after the storm, Charlotte's was a gathering place for locals. People huddled together on the balcony and told their stories. I will always be grateful to them for that.) The Groove is small, and sort of expensive, but they make very good food. Latitude just announced that they will be open soon - they may have already opened, I just haven't checked in a week or so. If you liked Panjo's Pizza, they are also up and running.

These people, and a lot more, are working hard to make Rockport what it was before the storm. They have invested in Rockport, and they aren't going to get rich any time soon doing it. They're just trying to make a living in a community that they love. There is plenty of reason to come back to Rockport now, especially since fishing has been so good. Come, and be able to tell people that you were one of the ones who came back early and helped the community get back on its feet.


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## caddis

I've heard an ice cream shop is coming soon too. A couple doors down from the old one. Nice to see things coming along. Hopefully enough tourist come this year.


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## keywest244

We will be back down in March for Spring Break to help support the economy!
Stay Strong Rockport \ Fulton!


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## pocjetty

It was a beautiful day in Rockport, and the town was full of people. I thought some pictures would be better than words.

1) A nice new bait shop will soon be in place in Rockport Harbor
2) Market Days at the fairground was busy today
3) The mobile 9/11 memorial had a line waiting to get in
4) The American Flag proudly on display over the 9/11 Memorial
5) My next door neighbor's house and pool. Now dirt and a big hole. They can't all be gems.


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## barronj

Thanks for sharing! The upside to #5 is you have one less constant reminder of the storm tearing a path through the town, along with the pangs of dealing with insurance & TWILA, and something new can begin. The downside follows the upside, in that you'll have construction next door for another 7-12 months, depending on how it's managed. See you soon.


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## mwatson71

*Rockport Pier*

Can someone tell me the status of the Rockport Pier, the big concrete pier at the end of Market Street I believe.


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## pocjetty

mwatson71 said:


> Can someone tell me the status of the Rockport Pier, the big concrete pier at the end of Market Street I believe.


It is there, and there are lights on it at night. The water has been painfully low, and it's winter, so I don't think fishing there has been much use. But I walked out on it just a week or so ago. Give it a few weeks, and there will be fish chasing bait under the lights.


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## Maxfman

Does anyone know if Sushi Luck is back open?


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## jormsby

We went down Saturday, spent the day locking down a spot for our RV, and looking for boat storage. Lots of new building going on, looks a lot better. Will be taking everything down on March 2nd getting ready for the summer!


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## chad

Two new restaurants that are open and have quickly became our go to spots are Route 35 Eats for lunch, and 495 Chesapeake Eats for dinner. They are both great.


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## keywest244

thanks for sharing the pics!


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## pocjetty

OysterFest is coming. Thursday, March 1 - Sunday, March 4. Lots of all the things you enjoy. Okay, lots of most of the things you enjoy - the rest are up to you.

The tents are going up tonight. They always have fireworks on Thursday night, to kick things off. Different bands every night. I assume they will have the carnival this year, for the kids, although none of that has shown up yet.

I'll drop a few pictures, but you won't be able to taste the oysters or hear the music unless you come down yourself.


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## pocjetty

My wife and I went for a walk last night, after dark. I turned a light out on the water, and bait just went flying everywhere. There hasn't been any in this particular area in the months since it got cold. Where there's bait, there's fish. I walked in this morning and caught a good number of trout, 2 reds, and 2 flounder. Most were caught on a sinking Mirolure.

If you're thinking about coming down, but wondering about the fishing, it's looking pretty good right now. I'm sure we'll have another bout of cold weather, but the water has warmed up and the fish were very active. The only reason for not catching is if you don't come down and fish. 

Yes, I'm shamelessly advertising for my little town. But with so many fish to be caught, plus things to do when you're off the water, why not? The pics below are of the preparations being made for OysterFest, and another bait stand about to come back online at Fulton Harbor.


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## oakforestmx

Have sat upstairs at Charlotte's and watched them unload oyster boats before, fairly entertaining.


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## Prizepig

Oysterfest..........count me in!


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## saltwaterjunky

*rain*

Hey Scott,POC .....Bill in ftworth yeah haven`t made it down yet.did ya`ll not get all of this raining we been getting????? can`t believe its been 5months since I said I was coming down.


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## pocjetty

saltwaterjunky said:


> Hey Scott,POC .....Bill in ftworth yeah haven`t made it down yet.did ya`ll not get all of this raining we been getting????? can`t believe its been 5months since I said I was coming down.


You just sort of fell off the map, sir. What's the status of your place down here?

No, we've gotten a little rain - a few good showers, I guess. But no monsoon. Mostly we've had a lot of really dense fog, almost like a light mist. The air has been super-saturated. Right now the whole bay is steaming because it was warm, and this cold front hit. Today I was driving back from Corpus and hit the leading edge, and all the windows in my car just fogged up instantly. I was on the highway, and suddenly had zero visibility, which is really scare when you realize that probably most people around are in the same boat. I am really surprised that I didn't see any big wrecks.

I still want you to get me that information we talked about, when you get a chance. If you've forgotten, shoot me a PM and I'll remind you.


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## saltwaterjunky

*?????*

Think u got the wrong Bill,.... looked through my pms don`t recall u asking me to do something.................last we talked was maybe taking me floundering if I could get down....


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## pick44

Is the boat launch in Little Bay open? Also, does anyone know if the canals in Key Allegro are safe to navigate? Thinking about debris in water from the hurricane, like parts of docks etc. Thanks


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## John_B_1

Reelâ€™em in on the bay open? Looking to come down in June and thatâ€™s where I was looking at staying


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## EIGHTSKATE

There was a meeting this past weekend about cleanup of Little Bay with the Key Alegro HOA. So that tells me clean up has not been done. Maybe some one who attended would know more.


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## captain sandbar

Let me add a few things, as I didn't notice my thread took off the way it did. There are a lot of houses coming down for various reasons but one big one is that large trash haul-aways are going to end very soon, so that is giving some the incentive to get some heavy trash to the streets. Plenty of food places starting to open, benchwarmers next to seaworthy has been open for a while and if you have a hankering for Hu Dats food, some of their items are being served at benchwarmers - and their burgers are spot on. Was down last weekend but didn't want to deal with the HOA mtg at the Allegro House but it was wall to wall, if I get so info on what was discussed/decided I will post, but no they have not cleaned out the canals nor little bay, but I heard they reached an agreement with the feds and the State - consistent with what they did for Galveston after Ike, so that is good news, it just needs to get done, that said, I've been up and down several canals as well as out the north and south entrances and I've only bumped into one or two things and not very material. The ramp at beach was open several weeks back, but the hours were limited; again, didn't have any problems, but took it all very slowly with my engine jacked up totally. Brought home a gallon of oysters from Albies and cant stop eating them.... Oyster fest will be fabulous so y'all find a reason to go, and as stated in a previous thread, use locals for things to help - gas, food, taxidermy (shout out to Rafter T who did my sons Euro mount - well done!). With the warmer weather things are going to start hopping, get in on it!


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## Haynie21T

I was down checking on my house this week and noticed Gerald has started rebuilding his bait house at Sea Gunn on the North side of causeway. Glad to see him building back, looks to be better than ever.


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## kenny

Galveston was wrecked and almost completely covered with water for three days. It was a monumental cleanup job. The rebuilding took a few years but everything was repaired or rebuilt better than ever. 

Once you've been through a storm and dealt with Federal flood and Texas windstorm you realize how chicken**** they are.


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## TxRedman

Fished Rockport / AP today and the bite was absolutely on fire. Finished with my mahi sandwich at paradise key. Come get you some!!


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## Prizepig

TxRedman said:


> Fished Rockport / AP today and the bite was absolutely on fire. Finished with my mahi sandwich at paradise key. Come get you some!!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Not even a pic of the Mahi sandwich?


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## SaltwaterSlick

TxRedman said:


> Fished Rockport / AP today and the bite was absolutely on fire. Finished with my mahi sandwich at paradise key. Come get you some!!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You know the rules... pics or it didn't happen...


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## pocjetty

TxRedman said:


> Fished Rockport / AP today and the bite was absolutely on fire. Finished with my mahi sandwich at paradise key. Come get you some!!


That's good to hear. I caught some fish yesterday in a Springtime spot. Tobin talks about fishing conditions and not spots. But this spot is VERY seasonal. (It has to do with the arrival of new bait.) To me, it's one of the surest signs I know that Spring is here. Sorry - I don't have pictures either.

Now... the weather has been pretty sloppy for a couple of weeks. This morning, the wind has dropped some, the temperature is fantastic, and it's supposed to stay that way through the weekend. Which is perfect because it's Oysterfest weekend! The tents are all set up, the carnival is in place. It looks sort of like a step back in time. Come down, bring the kids, and enjoy getting away for a couple of days.

If you can take Friday off, TONIGHT IS FIREWORKS! They put on a good show for such a little town. Watch fireworks, take the kids to the carnival, or head over to the tents for some oysters and beer, and live music. Then get out on the water tomorrow to catch some of these fish.

It doesn't get much better than that.


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## pocjetty

*AMAZING* start to OysterFest. .:fireworks

The weather was nice. There was a big full moon over the bay, and the fireworks barge was set up about 400 yards out from the end of my driveway. My BIL got some good pics with his camera, but I only have this one from my phone. Look at that full moon behind the fireworks! (The little light at the bottom is one of my driveway lights.)

The oyster boats have been working like crazy the last few days. The bands are down there pumping out music as I type this. I'm taking my wife, sister, and BIL down tomorrow night. Maybe I'll see some of you there.

.


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## taylork555

Headed down that way tomorrow morning for final stages of demo on a property. Staying at a friend's in Key Allegro, which will be a first, as my GF's family houses are/were on Copano. 

Planning on wetting a line in the canal or wade somewhere - if anyone is fishing Sunday morning definitely interested.


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## TxRedman

Prizepig said:


> Not even a pic of the Mahi sandwich?


Ill definitely snap a pic of the sandwich next time itâ€™s my one guaranteed catch of the day!!

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## TxRedman

pocjetty said:


> That's good to hear. I caught some fish yesterday in a Springtime spot. Tobin talks about fishing conditions and not spots. But this spot is VERY seasonal. (It has to do with the arrival of new bait.) To me, it's one of the surest signs I know that Spring is here. Sorry - I don't have pictures either.
> 
> .


I was fortunate to fish 4 days this week and it seemed like conditions varied wildly each day. I had to approach things differently each day because of it. All I really had to fall back on was all of Tobins guidance from the troutsupport videos. With changing winds and temps, spot fishing was out of the question for me ( I fish mostly from the boat ) so I focused on points, drains and any place that would increase current and had signs of bait activity. If I added to that some type of structure, things improved even more ( oyster, grass or a depth change).

Itâ€™s still a work in progress but Itâ€™s always getting better !

One other thing, sure is nice having a Rockport thread. While I appreciate all the great info shared from up and down the coast, interacting with those that fish my same area is awesome!!

Enjoy the oyster fest!! Weather is looking good for tonight !

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## pocjetty

Here's a better photo than the one I took. My next door neighbor took it sitting on his front porch. I have to say, it may be my favorite fireworks shot of all time.


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## WillieT

pocjetty said:


> Here's a better photo than the one I took. My next door neighbor took it sitting on his front porch. I have to say, it may be my favorite fireworks shot of all time.


Wow! Beautiful picture. Wish we could have been there.


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## captain sandbar

Very nice..... looking at this briefly diminishes all the other issues.



pocjetty said:


> Here's a better photo than the one I took. My next door neighbor took it sitting on his front porch. I have to say, it may be my favorite fireworks shot of all time.


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## Puddle_Jumper

*WOW*



pocjetty said:


> Here's a better photo than the one I took. My next door neighbor took it sitting on his front porch. I have to say, it may be my favorite fireworks shot of all time.


that is an amazing picture !!!!! Just WOW !!!!


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## RockportRobert

Martell?


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## pocjetty

RockportRobert said:


> Martell?


No. Just "a guy". He's been taking some good photos lately, and I keep encouraging him to show them.


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## RockportRobert

Great shot, he's really good!


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## caddis

I heard the ice cream shop opened today! Anyone know for sure? Do they have sprinkles?


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## carlinsa

she doesnt have sprinkles but she has lots of other great items


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## Tetonguy

Chamber of Commerce pic. Agree, may be best fireworks shot ever.:texasflag


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## AggieFisher2011

Any bait stands selling yet?


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## 348473

AggieFisher2011 said:


> Any bait stands selling yet?


I saw some stands selling bait but we were stabbing flounder. The city is definitely alive and there are places to eat and stay. Come down.


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## TxMav

AggieFisher2011 said:


> Any bait stands selling yet?


Mom's in Rockport Harbor was open last week. I didn't stop to see what she had available. The bait stand at Paradise Key (Cove Harbor) has been open for some time now. Bait was somewhat limited, but they are selling what they can get their hands on.


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## Txredfish

Last week we purchased live shrimp at a bait stand. They were pretty small. We had to put three on a hook to make a normal size.


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## TxRedman

Capt steve at conn harbor has good bait daily 


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## captain sandbar

Bookended both weekends of spring break in Rockport to do a little work on my casa and get in some fishing. It was great to see the city coming to life with a lot of activity - although there is still a tremendous amount of work and rebuilding left to tackle. Please see the links below for links to businesses that are open as well as the location of hotel rooms. 

Open for business. 609 businesses and 706 hotel rooms. 
The Chamber has an updated list of businesses (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12o_w39Sat5SoNQ4UxHPQviKBYWZYKsoPlraes7pJLw/edit#gid=1725234370) and hotels (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10FH2W2Pjh_lqj30RRlX1ApPv6WiqXUiWjkBa_DkZRuk/edit#gid=759838201) that are currently open or have shared projected opening dates


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