# South Padre surf fishing?



## mike likes whites

I'm going to take a week trip to South Padre. I love to surf fish but I have never surf fished down there before. Has anyone surf fished there before and if you did what did you catch? I usually free line live shrimp for specks on surfside.


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## polloloco

If you get a answer let me know - I'm headed there for a week after July 4th.


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## HoustonKid

Been about five years since I was located in the RGV but I fished the SPI surf often back then. The waves are bigger when they are up. The water is deeper in the guts than on the upper coast. Water is much, much clearer. That being said, the fishing is really good if the waves are not up.

I had the best luck catching redfish with what they call sea lice/mantis shrimp. You can drive all the way to the boat cut if you have a 4x4. You sometimes can make it without it, but no problem with 4x4. I did not find the fishing any better by the boat cut compared to just a mile or two down from the crowed beach. At the time, I was not big on arties (am now) so I am not much help on what to use there for plastics or tops.

Many a trip I got to the beach to see that the waves were up and I had to drive to the boat cut just to get some fishing in.

http://www.spadre.com/surfcam.htm


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## 535

you can take this to the bank...

http://www.billysandifer.com/Best_Time_For_Species.php


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## coogerpop

Born and raised in Brownsville...I've fished the surf on SPI since before the first causeway way built...back when we had to take a ferry boat over to the Island and then an old army 2-1/2 ton truck over to the jetties...We caught specs,reds,pompano,sharks ,jack cravelle,whiting,croakers,tarpon,snook....whatever was in the gulf...later on we built a beach buggy and traveled up and down the beach...we used primarily cut mullet and sand crabs...took pellet guns to shoot the crabs...redfish love them...when you ride on the beach look for an area the the beach looks abnormal....not straight and flat....that will mark an area where the currents have been changed by a cut in the sand bars or a pass thru them..find the deeper area and fish it ...the fish will use it to come in towards the shore and then back out while they are crusing the beach...Good Luck...if you just want fish,go to a fish market ...but if you want to have fun and fish and maybe catch something good....go to the Island...


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## 535

its beautiful down there, wish it wasn't so far


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## mike likes whites

Thanks for the tips


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## Manchacan

Very good tips. Thanks too.


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## Swells

Last week was great, with 3 medium hammerhead shark being caught, two released, and one died in the fight so they ate it. The shark are swarming pretty good for the spawn. 

The water have been looking great, blue-green with waves under 3 foot, but the bait still seems scarce. Mullet, bar jacks, sand minnows, threadfin herring, and that kind of thing isn't seen in large schools right off the beach. That's be later in the season starting in July, which is typical for SPI. September is my favorite month and the fall run can be awesome - long as we don't get the red tide or a hurricane.

I think last year's red tide kind of slowed down our spring run here on the beach, although the bay fishing has been great so far. Massive fish kill on the beach between October and January. I think July will be good but you want a little wave action, since when it goes totally flat the stingray will spawn close to the beach where you walk in the surf. Hope this helps and good luck! I just fish by the tourist condos to just the other side of Access 6 (the end of Park Road 100). That's where we were catching the hammerheads! :cheers:


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## caddis

Where is the best place for bait around SPI? Any of them have live crabs?
Thanks,
Todd


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## Ajgray24

coogerpop said:


> Born and raised in Brownsville...I've fished the surf on SPI since before the first causeway way built...back when we had to take a ferry boat over to the Island and then an old army 2-1/2 ton truck over to the jetties...We caught specs,reds,pompano,sharks ,jack cravelle,whiting,croakers,tarpon,snook....whatever was in the gulf...later on we built a beach buggy and traveled up and down the beach...we used primarily cut mullet and sand crabs...took pellet guns to shoot the crabs...redfish love them...when you ride on the beach look for an area the the beach looks abnormal....not straight and flat....that will mark an area where the currents have been changed by a cut in the sand bars or a pass thru them..find the deeper area and fish it ...the fish will use it to come in towards the shore and then back out while they are crusing the beach...Good Luck...if you just want fish,go to a fish market ...but if you want to have fun and fish and maybe catch something good....go to the Island...


I hear beach access 6 is really good, is that true?

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## Ajgray24

I hear beach access 6 is really good, is that true?


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## Ajgray24

I hear beach access 6 is really good, is that true?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 1fisher77316

If you are looking for specs the jetty on the surf side about the 2nd bar area is excellent throwing natural color mirror lures and topwaters. If the surf is decent it can be dynamite. As was mentioned in earlier posts the water tends to be much clearer there in SPI so 51MR18, 19, 21 are all great. Same colors in topdog jrs and spooks..if you are there right before the full moon don't pass up the jetties at night.
Tight lines
1Fisher77316


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## mike flores

mike likes whites said:


> I'm going to take a week trip to South Padre. I love to surf fish but I have never surf fished down there before. Has anyone surf fished there before and if you did what did you catch? I usually free line live shrimp for specks on surfside.


If you have 4wd try port Mansfield land cut. Pulled in many trout, reds, smacks, drum, shark and jacks. Waters normally flat except towards the end of the jetti. If wading watch out for rays. I had one literally swim between my legs. The edges of his fins rubbed both legs as he passed. Scared me stiff.

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