# Rockport



## SSMike (Aug 15, 2005)

Fished a few days last week. First day was slow but managed 2 trout and 2 redfish in the 25" range. Trout were caught on top water early in 2-3 feet of water on Traylor. Missed a lot on top that morning was well. Silver and pink spooks. Redfish we found that day were up against the shoreline near Big Cut. We saw numerous reds schooled up together but after the first one they started to scatter and didn't show themselves anymore.

Second day we launched at 5:15 hoping to catch some fish on top water up shallow before the sun came up. That didn't really work out and between the 4 of us we only had one trout and one red. Went to Mud Island and found plenty. You had to fight through all the undersized trout but ended up with a decent box up to 20". Larger fish were out in 5-6 feet of water over grass. Water was really clear so lighter color plastics did the trick.

I had some [email protected] going 60 mph run over the flat at mud island while I was probably 150 yards from my boat. He ran wide open between me and my boat. He of course never looked my way or towards the guys fishing with me. Pretty sure it was done purposely or maybe he is just that stupid.


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## SaltwaterSlick (Jun 11, 2012)

Nice solid fish!!


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

Thatâ€™s a nice catch. Unfortunately there are jerks everywhere.


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## Prizepig (Jul 13, 2012)

Nice catch. The jacka$$ery has been a common occurrence for me in Rockport the last few trips as well. Keep grindinâ€™ and doing the right thing.


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## bmc4041 (Apr 12, 2006)

Was in rockport over the weekend and we had our shoreline burned twice by airboats. We were 100-150 yards off the shoreline and was obvious we were trolling up to wade. We could hear them coming a 1/2 mike away. Hoped they would turn away but nope. 

I have no doubt they knew exactly what they were doing. I had picked up a couple reds in this spot up next to the grass earlier in day and came back to try and get one more for a small tournament we were fishing. They obviously ruined that. 

Congrats on the trout!!! We had trouble finding anything over 16â€.


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## Ducklife (May 8, 2014)

Ya we had same results until someone posted our exact spot on 2 cool and the next am had to fish with the 500 other non fishing fools there to pot lick our spot. Next time I see your boat around our neck of the woods I will be sure to burn you but instead we’ll be looking at you while going 75 mph, throwing a 10' rooster tail and bumping gangster rap! #you’retheproblem


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## SaltAngler90 (Aug 11, 2014)

SSMike, you’re on here posting your spots and wondering why people almost run you over/burn you? 🙄 #you’retheproblem


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## mccain (Oct 20, 2006)

SaltAngler90 said:


> SSMike, youâ€™re on here posting your spots and wondering why people almost run you over/burn you? &#128580; #youâ€™retheproblem


posting a 'spot" or "area" and having someone burn you are not mutually exclusive.


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## AHP (Jun 12, 2014)

LOL WOW! a lot of salty "my water pot lickers".


Hey I will be fishing in Galveston next week, I guess I am pot licking you too. 
You fools crack me up


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## benellihunting (Jan 12, 2005)

It has always amazed me when someone who obviously does not fish much post the area they accidentally caught some fish. I have never seen a guide tell you exactly where they fish. If you need the social media warm and fuzzy feeling from someone telling you you did a good job(everyone gets a trophy) then just say Galveston or Matagorda.

Just might keep a bunch of guys from waking up @ 7:30 and cruising the shoreline with their binoculars watching for someone to bend a rod. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


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## Rick69 (Dec 24, 2015)

*Posting catch*

Very well said, it seems like a JOKE every time somebody post where they've fished on ( 2cool ). Just share the experience and a picture.


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## blackjack runner (Feb 24, 2015)

I always thought 2 cool was a forum to help others improve their fishing, learn the ethics of fishing as well as boating, and have a better time enjoying the coastal fishing experience. 

I have read multiple posts where those who get to fish more help others who fish less. I am unsure how posting a picture of fish, then stating you caught them in Galveston assists others. 

After reading some of the posts, I am somewhat perplexed of what this sight is supposed to be. Who would wish for others to get burned by a boater while wading? Why not post your fish pics on facebook, then share a picture of what you had for breakfast if thats what your expectations are. I was always understanding this is a fishing forum for fishermen by fishermen.

It is a good thing that Tobin did not have this mindset when he came up with instructional videos of what to look for, when to look for it and where. 

Burning someones shoreline is terrible, yet anyone who has been on the water for any length of time has had it occur to them. Some by error, some by ignorance, and if one does it intentionally, then they are just an a$$hat. 
Potlucking is just that. We are blessed to have an extensive coastal region to fish. Try tarpon fishing in Boca Grande, then complain about being close to other boaters. 

I joined 2cool to learn, to continue to become educated even though I have been fishing and driving a boat for 40+ years. Although I am not as old as some, and older than others, I have the tenacity to know I do not know everything and am still hungry for knowledge. 

Rant over.


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## Txredfish (Oct 27, 2010)

Good report and catch. I did not see any secret spots. Just general area. Mud Island and Traylor is a large area. I don't why some of the posters about your report are butt hurt. Keep the good pictures and report coming. This is what this site is all about. Sharing information without giving away a secret spot. Besides giving away a spot does not mean there will be fish there tomorrow. Too many times that I care to remember, I have caught fish at a spot and returned next day to same spot and no fish.


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## gbollom (Apr 16, 2012)

I'm confused, what's wrong with saying what island or cut you fished? Or is my sarcasm meter off?


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## Deer30 (Feb 25, 2014)

Some people are just so sensitive. The BS response was probably the one who cut off the OP. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Puddle_Jumper (Jun 30, 2014)

Nice report... and nice fish !!! Thanks !


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## blackjack runner (Feb 24, 2015)

Nice fish SSMike. Glad you had a good day on the water with friends.


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## hooknbullet2 (Jan 17, 2006)

*Amen!*



blackjack runner said:


> I always thought 2 cool was a forum to help others improve their fishing, learn the ethics of fishing as well as boating, and have a better time enjoying the coastal fishing experience.
> 
> I have read multiple posts where those who get to fish more help others who fish less. I am unsure how posting a picture of fish, then stating you caught them in Galveston assists others.
> 
> ...


Well said. Amen!


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## ccketchum (Oct 18, 2010)

nice catch and report . 
by the way , would someone please come and fish my spots ? i can't catch a durn thing out of them , ha ha


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## wfishtx (Apr 10, 2006)

Great report and nice catch. 

Just ignore those one post wonders.


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

SaltAngler90 said:


> SSMike, youâ€™re on here posting your spots and wondering why people almost run you over/burn you? &#128580; #youâ€™retheproblem


I think it may be you and the troll above you that are probably the problem.


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## catfishinbeerdrinkin (May 3, 2011)

As stated above whole point is to share info and help each other giving reports there's enough fish to go around and like above post said just cause I disclose a location and what lure I used dosent mean just anyone can roll up and catch fish time of day, tide, wind, presentation of bait all come into play I have been fishing a many of times and the guy right next to you on the boat or wading on the reef can use the same as you and can't catch a solid fish always some naysayers to everything.... there's fishing and there's catching and sometimes you can do both and every once in a while you just can't. Enjoy the time on the water and try to ignore the ignorant folks.

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk


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## EIGHTSKATE (Feb 19, 2016)

Saying you fished Traylor or Mud island is not giving up the secret spot anyone who fishes Rockport goes there.
Now giving out coordinates to Zepher Cove is a hanging offense.


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## SSMike (Aug 15, 2005)

Yeah, those two or three posts are trolls and the same person most likely. Besides, what are the chances of two different grown men using hashtags like a couple 
Preteen girls. I’ll keep using a website designed for posting Fishing reports for exactly that... when I witness stupid people on the water being stupid I’m posting that too.


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## Puddle_Jumper (Jun 30, 2014)

EIGHTSKATE said:


> Saying you fished Traylor or Mud island is not giving up the secret spot anyone who fishes Rockport goes there.
> Now giving out coordinates to Zepher Cove is a hanging offense.
> 
> Only a few on where Zephyr cove is !!! LOL


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## Spinky (Aug 11, 2005)

I caught some fish in Port Aransas using live shrimp.


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## Aggieangler (May 28, 2004)

Nice report. Looks like 1 post trolls are in abundance on this thread!!!


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## SSMike (Aug 15, 2005)

Interesting to me that a few threads claim you should just post a pic and give a general bay system as a location.... however a quick search of previous posts by them you see they have given exact locations to fish and water depths to try. Not too mention complaining about boat traffic and shoreline burners...


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## BATWING (May 9, 2008)

This is why we cant have nice things....


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## onplane (Jul 26, 2017)

I'm late to this thread but want to thank anyone who gives a fishing report like SSMike's. I'm in Rockport and new to saltwater fishing. I've been following The Hull Truth and enjoy it but there's little there about Texas, much less Rockport. Anyone with a fishing map can see Mud Island and many others marked as fishing spots. I've spent the past couple of months on the water exploring Copano Bay and Aransas Bay, trying to learn how and where to fish. Mud Island happens to me one area I stumbled upon and the first place I got out of my boat to wade (just me and my pole). Fishing reports that don't even mention the general area you were fishing (Mud Island, Paul's Mott, Rattlesnake Point) are useless. Giving general locations, time frames, weather conditions and fishing techniques are helpful to the novice and I assume the more skilled as well. It helps me learn things like not to expect to catch so many Redfish in one foot of water at 2PM on a sweltering hot July day. If your not willing to share that little bit, why bother posting? Everyone has seen pictures of fish. I promise you I won't be able to use it to deplete the fish population or find you on the water. By the way, even little Mud Island has 5 miles of shoreline


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

Welcome to 2Cool.


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## onplane (Jul 26, 2017)

WillieT said:


> Welcome to 2Cool.


Thanks. In one day I've found more about my area than months watching The Hull Truth, which I find offers lots of good technical information on boats and gear, but little Texas specific info.​


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## hjm (May 8, 2016)

Nothing new or secret about the spots he’s posting. Trailer, mud, quarantine, all of those are easy spots to fish that anyone can go to without hitting a reef or running aground. Keep on fishing and learning the area, there’s hundreds of better spots that you will find with time. Keep posting too, your helping other anglers out and that’s what it’s all about.

- Capt Haiden


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## Stephen_S (May 20, 2014)

hjm said:


> Nothing new or secret about the spots heâ€™s posting. Trailer, mud, quarantine, all of those are easy spots to fish that anyone can go to without hitting a reef or running aground. Keep on fishing and learning the area, thereâ€™s hundreds of better spots that you will find with time. Keep posting too, your helping other anglers out and thatâ€™s what itâ€™s all about.
> 
> - Capt Haiden


^ this guy right here has helped me learn more about my area in a couple of posts than I wouldâ€™ve found out in months of exploring


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## pocjetty (Sep 12, 2014)

SSMike said:


> Interesting to me that a few threads claim you should just post a pic and give a general bay system as a location.... however a quick search of previous posts by them you see they have given exact locations to fish and water depths to try. Not too mention complaining about boat traffic and shoreline burners...


The thing is, people who catch lots of fish don't really need to see pictures of someone else's fish. The people who don't catch lots of fish see the pictures, and wonder what they're doing wrong. A good report is a nice thing for everyone, because even people who catch lots of fish know they can always learn more. Sadly, people who are desperately starved for attention have the easiest time getting it by being jerks. For insignificant people, any attention is better than none.

There are a lot of good people here, who help other people without a second thought. After Harvey, 2Coolers came from all over to help out, and they worked hard from early to late. Just last week, SSMike went way out of his way to do something nice for me, even though we had never met in person. The fact that he took the time to type up a fishing report that helps other fishermen doesn't surprise me at all. Good people do good things.

For what it's worth, the water level down here was painfully low for at least a month, and a lot of it was that nasty brown-stained color from the rains we had a while back. In the last week or so, the water has come way up, the stained color is gone, and we've been catching some nice trout. I've been having the most success on 5 1/2" sand eels bounced off the bottom. Slower sweeps of the rod tip, and not so much on hard twitches. I've done best on dark colors like roach, with a chartreuse tail. The new water in the bay cooled the water a little, but I've still done best wading in water between waist and ribcage deep. The exact spot has been less important than finding bait flipping. And the bait has mostly been heading out into the bay somewhere, by about 8:30 or 9:00.


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## Txredfish (Oct 27, 2010)

pocjetty,
Thanks for the tip on keeping lure on bottom and using sweeps. Going Sat I will give that a try.


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## onplane (Jul 26, 2017)

pocjetty said:


> The new water in the bay cooled the water a little, but I've still done best wading in water between waist and ribcage deep.


As I've mentioned, I'm new to this and am fishing out of Rockport. I've wade fished a total of three times. The first was three weeks ago at Mud Island-I caught nothing. The second was two weeks ago along the shoreline at Paul's Mott-I caught a 22" Redfish on a gold spoon in a foot of water at low tide. That particular area has a mostly muddy bottom. I came back to the same spot last week at high tide. Of course it looked different with the higher water, but I was determined to fish it again, and I did. The problem was that standing on that muddy bottom in the now deeper water at times made me uneasy. I sunk into the mud and once the water got to waist level I didn't like the feel of that sucking mud making every step a chore. There's no way I would have intentionally done it up to ribcage deep. Am I too cautious, or do others commonly wade above the waist in mud?


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## pocjetty (Sep 12, 2014)

onplane said:


> As I've mentioned, I'm new to this and am fishing out of Rockport. I've wade fished a total of three times. The first was three weeks ago at Mud Island-I caught nothing. The second was two weeks ago along the shoreline at Paul's Mott-I caught a 22" Redfish on a gold spoon in a foot of water at low tide. That particular area has a mostly muddy bottom. I came back to the same spot last week at high tide. Of course it looked different with the higher water, but I was determined to fish it again, and I did. The problem was that standing on that muddy bottom in the now deeper water at times made me uneasy. I sunk into the mud and once the water got to waist level I didn't like the feel of that sucking mud making every step a chore. There's no way I would have intentionally done it up to ribcage deep. Am I too cautious, or do others commonly wade above the waist in mud?


The softest areas generally are out in front of lake drains (and in the drains themselves). Lots of silt and organic matter settles in those areas. The Paul's Mott area has quite a lot of small drains. In between, the bottom will be firmer. Also, as you get deeper it generally firms up.

No, I wouldn't welcome wading chest deep in a very muddy bottom. But I'm trying to think of the last time I've been in a situation like that. Wade up into the drains, and you can get into mud above your knees, with a couple of feet of water on top - but that's not the same thing. I wade the area you're talking about often. It's plenty firm between drains. And if you wade out deeper, you shouldn't be in mud deeper than your shoes. And that's manageable.


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## onplane (Jul 26, 2017)

pocjetty said:


> The softest areas generally are out in front of lake drains (and in the drains themselves). Lots of silt and organic matter settles in those areas. The Paul's Mott area has quite a lot of small drains.


I'm impressed. That's exactly where I was, at a drain, or what was marked on the map as a cut. I was there on purpose. I'd been led to believe that those areas were productive because the fish moved in and out through them as the tides rose and fell. Ah, the price of ignorance.


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## pocjetty (Sep 12, 2014)

onplane said:


> I'm impressed. That's exactly where I was, at a drain, or what was marked on the map as a cut. I was there on purpose. I'd been led to believe that those areas were productive because the fish moved in and out through them as the tides rose and fell. Ah, the price of ignorance.


Hold on - I don't want to leave you with the wrong idea. Those drains can be awesome - especially on an outgoing tide. Redfish, especially, will gang up and feast on the bait being washed out of the back lakes. We are coming up to a time of the year when that can be a very dependable way to find fish. When they are feeding that way, you can catch them in knee deep water, so even if you have to contend with some mud it isn't that bad.

We have had exceptionally low tides, and very warm water. Plus I have been stalking trout. With the water being lower and hot, I've been finding the trout out deeper, like I described.

I don't usually fish up in the drains themselves, but out in front of them. If you decide to wade across a drain area to get further down the shoreline, but don't want to slog through mud, just walk out a little deeper. The water will be deeper, but the mud should be a little shallower. I hope that makes sense - if not PM me.

You've been in the right place, just not at the best time. In a couple of weeks, that style of fishing should really begin to be hot. We've got more water in the bays, and when you can fish a good outdoing tide you ought to find fish pretty consistently. I'd recommend a 1/4 oz. gold weedless spoon. (I'm partial to Johnson's.) Make sure to tie a good quality swivel above a fluorocarbon leader. Trim the tag end of your knots really close - they will snag a lot of grass if you don't. Make sure to adjust the wire that keeps the hook weedless on a regular basis, so that you don't spend the whole time pulling grass off your lure.

There is a lot of grass in the area you're talking about - especially in these hot months. If you want to wade out deeper to try and find trout, I still recommend going weedless. When it comes to weedless jig heads, I recommend Oldham's screw-lock heads with the wire loop that protects the hook to keep it weedless. They are the best I've found for heavy grass. Tackle Town has them. My go-to is 1/4 oz. and I use them most of the time. Just like with the spoon, trim the tag ends of your knots. I don't use a swivel with plastic, just because it isn't necessary.


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## onplane (Jul 26, 2017)

pocjetty said:


> Hold on - I don't want to leave you with the wrong idea. Those drains can be awesome - especially on an outgoing tide. Redfish, especially, will gang up and feast on the bait being washed out of the back lakes. We are coming up to a time of the year when that can be a very dependable way to find fish. When they are feeding that way, you can catch them in knee deep water, so even if you have to contend with some mud it isn't that bad.
> 
> We have had exceptionally low tides, and very warm water. Plus I have been stalking trout. With the water being lower and hot, I've been finding the trout out deeper, like I described.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for a wealth of information. It's really kind of comical when I think about it. I was fishing slap dab in the middle of what the Hook-N-Line Map calls Paul's Mott Cut 1 or 2. I figured if fishing the cut was good, go for it. The first time I was there I didn't realize that I was within feet of a boat lane. When I waded and it got a little deeper I just stopped going that direction. The second time, before I got to the center of the cut a boat buzzed me at high speed going through the cut.

Also, though there were several boats around, they were either fishing in place out about the 3 foot deep level or the guys were wade fishing parallel to the shore near the same depth level. I didn't know what they were doing but from your post I now have a clue. I bet they got a kick out of seeing me up in the deep mud at that cut and slogging back to my boat without a fish.


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## onplane (Jul 26, 2017)

POCjetty:


Thank you very much for a wealth of information. It's really kind of comical when I think about it. I was fishing slap dab in the middle of what the Hook-N-Line Map calls Paul's Mott Cut 1 or 2. I figured if fishing the cut was good, go for it. The first time I was there I didn't realize that I was within feet of a boat lane. When I waded and it got a little deeper I just stopped going that direction. The second time, before I got to the center of the cut a boat buzzed me at high speed going through the cut. 



Also, though there were several boats around, they were either fishing in place out about the 3 foot deep level or the guys were wade fishing parallel to the shore near the same depth level. I didn't know what they were doing but from your post I now have a clue. I bet they got a kick out of seeing me up in the deep mud at that cut and slogging back to my boat without a fish.


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## onplane (Jul 26, 2017)

POCjetty:


Thank you very much for a wealth of information. It's really kind of comical when I think about it. I was fishing slap dab in the middle of what the Hook-N-Line Map calls Paul's Mott Cut 1 or 2. I figured if fishing the cut was good, go for it. The first time I was there I didn't realize that I was within feet of a boat lane. When I waded and it got a little deeper I just stopped going that direction. The second time, before I got to the center of the cut a boat buzzed me at high speed going through the cut. 



Also, though there were several boats around, they were either fishing in place out about the 3 foot deep level or the guys were wade fishing parallel to the shore near the same depth level. I didn't know what they were doing but from your post I now have a clue. I bet they got a kick out of seeing me up in the deep mud at that cut and slogging back to my boat without a fish.


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