# Port O'Connor is killing me



## wledoux (Jun 17, 2014)

Been fishing port O'Connor for around 8 years now. usually travel all back lakes. fishing has been really slim lately. And a ton of traffic. Anyone else having trouble?????


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## duckmania (Jun 3, 2014)

There's been a lot of discussion about the tough fishing this spring and early summer. The Rockport area has gotten really tough. I don't fish much around POC but do venture into Lower San Antonio quite a bit. It's an off year there also. Need heavy rains upriver, a good hurricane, and some common sense pounded into all these guys taking every trout (and redfish) that is legal. Hang in there.


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## Reel Girl (Jan 7, 2013)

wledoux said:


> Been fishing port O'Connor for around 8 years now. usually travel all back lakes. fishing has been really slim lately. And a ton of traffic. Anyone else having trouble?????


I've heard the same thing from twenty different people who frequent there... It's just not the same. Funny, I used to swear that place was heaven.


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## Zeitgeist (Nov 10, 2011)

It has been slow in a lot of places. Yes you see a good report from time to time; but, if anyone tells you it has been gang busters this year, they are telling fish stories.


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## cominahead (Sep 15, 2011)

*POC*

worst kept secret in texas?


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## BIGMIKE77 (May 2, 2009)

Zeitgeist said:


> It has been slow in a lot of places. Yes you see a good report from time to time; but, if anyone tells you it has been gang busters this year, they are telling fish stories.


 Its been gangbusters.....end of story, lol....
It has not been the same this year at all.... I drifted a reef Friday that always produces at least 2 trout minimum almost every time, and has low boat traffic, in west bay and not even a darn hard head or a snot-shark, lol....


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## cominahead (Sep 15, 2011)

a lot of people have stopped going to poc and surrounding catching all the fish they can right here in Galveston and trinity. just a thought. need to do a trout support program to replenish the area just a drunken town with sunday beach now


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## wledoux (Jun 17, 2014)

agreed on the worst kept secret in Texas. Its unbelievable the amount of people down there these days. back in the day there was a minimum amount of boats in places like mules slough and deep into big pocket. Now with the amount of boat traffic I don't see fish coming any closer than the pass or the jetties....... When it comes to keeping fish.... sit at any of the ramps down there and try to count how many people bring in oversized fish. take a pic and release it properly.


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## diverdown (Feb 18, 2014)

*poc*

yea it used to be the place to be . i knew when A guy I know of, got a place down there was proof it had gone to ****. matagorda isn't to much better. waaaaay to many guys making a living fishing. but that 5 fish rule will help. at least it will take the guides twice the trips to catch as many fish as this year.or take twice as many people next year .lol


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## aguaflaca (Aug 11, 2005)

If you were lucky enough to experience POC in the 80s & early 90s (like me), or even farther back, it was the best kept secret on the Gulf Coast.
Somebody let the secret out and people from Houston, SA etc. started building $500,000 plus houses everywhere. Then they started bringing the wives & kids, who discovered there was nothing to do if you didn't fish. 
POC is still essentially the same, it is the people that are different. 
There are still fish around, you just have to know where & particularly WHEN to go. Hint, not in weekends at all, especially not in summer.


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## redfish bayrat (Feb 17, 2006)

cominahead said:


> a lot of people have stopped going to poc and surrounding catching all the fish they can right here in Galveston and trinity. just a thought. need to do a trout support program to replenish the area just a drunken town with sunday beach now


I saw a graph from CCA on the % of hatchery fish ( reds, trout, and flounder) put into each bay system and the Galveston bay system received at least 8 times the fish that any other bay system got. I know it is a metropolitian area and has pressure. I don't think TPW/CCA figured all the trailered boats we get in the middle an lower coast that come from San Antonio, Austin, and Central Texas. Our bays are over fished and need some relief.


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## Bob Haley (Sep 28, 2006)

*Buzzing our flats*

If we get up early enough, the south shoreline can be excellent. But there is now way too much boat traffic and even the waders are boxing each other out.
Then it will get quiet and Ill put my boots and grab my rod and than whoosh, a brand new SS or shinny new something or the other will come right through the gut or worse even right over one of the only areas that still has some grass.
You can even hear them bragging about look how clear the water is and man this thing runs skinny.
Most of the time, our buddy Gator sight cast red fish between the shore and where these guys have their boats parked. We laugh most of the time until the next shinny boat comes screaming thru... nothing against SS at all...its just the way it goes.


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## diverdown (Feb 18, 2014)

*POC*

your relief is coming. 5 fish per CUSTOMER next year. that should double your chances next year.


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## tspitzer (Feb 7, 2013)

Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday till noon are the times to fish,, other than that go to Hurricane Junction and drink beer.


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## mapman (Nov 8, 2005)

*Shorerunners*

My theory is that the fish are run over on the flats and shorelines. They have moved and spend days deeper water, maybe around deep reefs. They then come to the shorelines at night to feed.

Theory derived from talking to flounder giggers.


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## troutsupport (May 22, 2006)

Thing about POC is that it's been seasonal for a long time. 

This year the trout just arn't where they are supposed to be this time of year.The fish are still on a spring pattern and in places no one would expect to look.... it's throwing everyone off and making them think the population just vaporized. But if you check it's like that in every bay system pretty much...every bay. Those that stay on their feet and think about where the fish should be based on several different variables will still be able to box plenty of fish, but they might have to think about the bay a new way...can't just go post up and fish sand pockets...have to think of the bay and it's surrounding bays as a system...not just one bay. Fish move in big bunches following bait seasonal movements.


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## wledoux (Jun 17, 2014)

Im glad to see everyone agrees. I hope that 5 trout limit helps out. Just not used to struggling this bad.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

We lived there from 1991-96 and never locked our front doors. Fished Pass Cavallo and never another boat. Our friends still there simply hide during the weekends and won't venture near the water. Guide friends say the place kind of crashed in 1999, that's when guides were fighting at the boat ramps, etc. POC was big with the Houston party crowd back then, but only in a small way compared to today. Today there are too many fine boats driven by Type-A personalities, too many meat fishermen, too many guides, too many people. Out-of-towners building fine homes with hidden security cameras, all the amenities of back home. They don't come to POC to rough it. It's now taxed more as a resort, instead of a coastal community. Helping prop up the rest of Calhoun county. Maybe in 20 years they'll put in a Walmart in POC, who knows? Where's Steve Earl when you need him.


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## aguaflaca (Aug 11, 2005)

Trouthappy said:


> We lived there from 1991-96 and never locked our front doors. Fished Pass Cavallo and never another boat. Our friends still there simply hide during the weekends and won't venture near the water. Guide friends say the place kind of crashed in 1999, that's when guides were fighting at the boat ramps, etc. POC was big with the Houston party crowd back then, but only in a small way compared to today. Today there are too many fine boats driven by Type-A personalities, too many meat fishermen, too many guides, too many people. Out-of-towners building fine homes with hidden security cameras, all the amenities of back home. They don't come to POC to rough it. It's now taxed more as a resort, instead of a coastal community. Helping prop up the rest of Calhoun county. Maybe in 20 years they'll put in a Walmart in POC, who knows? Where's Steve Earl when you need him.


pretty much what I meant above Trouthappy but as usual you said it better than me.


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## Bull Red (Mar 17, 2010)

If fishing is as slow as everyone is making out, someone needs to explain why every Louisiana fishing report I see is loaded with fish.... even if the majority are undersized by Texas law. (but that's a whole 'nother can of worms)


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## fishanywhere (May 21, 2004)

it's been tough for me. I found ACRES of finger mullet over shallow grass and sand last sunday afternoon and there was nothing there but skipjacks. Low tide and the sloughs were pretty empty back up on the south shoreline and i had bait EVERYWHERE and couldn't buy a fish other than skipjack which are at least fun. Surreal.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Bull Red said:


> If fishing is as slow as everyone is making out, someone needs to explain why every Louisiana fishing report I see is loaded with fish.... even if the majority are undersized by Texas law. (but that's a whole 'nother can of worms)


Because Louisiana has more habitat (wetlands, bayous, bays, marsh, etc.) than all 4 gulf states combined. And many hard to reach areas.


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## explorer05 (Jun 22, 2006)

The problem is 2 fold, TPWD isn't helping enough and the freeze 2 yrs ago really did a number on the trout. If u go to the hatchery in LJ, you will see the effects of the budget cut. They have cut the restocking greatly. I spoke with a GW after the freeze, and dead trout were getting eaten by pelicans everywhere. All that and not even mentioning the increase in guides out of Matt, PO and everywhere else. We need TPWD to step up and and start releasing some more fish.


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## diverdown (Feb 18, 2014)

*POC*

i def. agree w/ just about everything everyone has said here. so glad to see a good topic to discuss. my neck of the woods is slow as christmas too. we cant explain it. almost july and we are hardly catching fish. but yea i agree, LA is smokin em. what stinks to me is the commercial value ( guiding) of fishing. only so many fish to go around and when the bays get smoked for 3 months straight , every day of the week. how u expect to just show up after work and bust em on the weekend. POC, seadrift, matagorda, rockport, mansfield, SLP, galveston. to many guys crashin the water everyday. thats my soapbox.lol


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

Maybe it has something to do with this past winter, it was one of the coldest ones in POC in a long time.


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## Im Headed South (Jun 28, 2006)

TPWD stocking numbers: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/management/stocking/fishstock_state.phtml

Not sure why anyone would think CCA controls where TPWD stocks fish but it probably wouldn't hurt to ask someone within the department how they come up with that decision. I can remember asking that question to a hatchery guy years ago and he had a answer but I'd be lying if tried to post what it was, it's hell to get old lol. Aransas and SAB seem to get the least amount most years, Matty's numbers last year were on par with Galveston numbers at 3 million plus.


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## Goose Lover (Jan 23, 2012)

It's the habitat, which is in decline. Less habitat equals less fish. Louisiana has multitudes of trout because they have plenty of freshwater and marsh. 

We don't. 

It isn't the freeze. It was cold in south Louisiana also.


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## juan valdez (Jun 21, 2014)

cominahead said:


> a lot of people have stopped going to poc and surrounding catching all the fish they can right here in Galveston and trinity. just a thought. need to do a trout support program to replenish the area just a drunken town with sunday beach now


boat ramps tell a different story every time i go down there. which isnt often enough anymore.



aguaflaca said:


> If you were lucky enough to experience POC in the 80s & early 90s (like me), or even farther back, it was the best kept secret on the Gulf Coast.
> Somebody let the secret out and people from Houston, SA etc. started building $500,000 plus houses everywhere. Then they started bringing the wives & kids, who discovered there was nothing to do if you didn't fish.
> POC is still essentially the same, it is the people that are different.
> There are still fish around, you just have to know where & particularly WHEN to go. Hint, not in weekends at all, especially not in summer.


It was great time then. always had fish in the boat. now, not so much. seems hit or miss.

crazy how much money is down there now compared to back in the 80s/90s. at least house wise, i know big money has always been there but housing is outrageous now. size and cost.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

The Louisiana marsh isn't what it used to be either, too many pipeline canals allowing salt intrusion, but it's a lot of habitat. They got plenty of trout offshore too, lots of wellhead structures where you can catch a limit. We would doodle-sock gold spoons for the trout, which were closer to bottom. Here's a picture underneath one. That dang three-tail fish wouldn't get out of my way...


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## juan valdez (Jun 21, 2014)

Trouthappy said:


> We lived there from 1991-96 and never locked our front doors. Fished Pass Cavallo and never another boat. Our friends still there simply hide during the weekends and won't venture near the water. Guide friends say the place kind of crashed in 1999, that's when guides were fighting at the boat ramps, etc. POC was big with the Houston party crowd back then, but only in a small way compared to today. Today there are too many fine boats driven by Type-A personalities, too many meat fishermen, too many guides, too many people. Out-of-towners building fine homes with hidden security cameras, all the amenities of back home. They don't come to POC to rough it. It's now taxed more as a resort, instead of a coastal community. Helping prop up the rest of Calhoun county. Maybe in 20 years they'll put in a Walmart in POC, who knows? Where's Steve Earl when you need him.


Yeah from what i understand taxes are getting outrageous there. I dont own but my parents do and have since the 80's (4 different places). not sure how much longer they're gonna stick it out there. 
Crazy too how their water bill starts at like 125/mo or something too. which included the trash service they dont use but have to have....


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## duckmania (Jun 3, 2014)

If you look around the nation so many once great fishing areas have been marginalized by either excessive pressure, habitat decline, pollution, etc. The Great Lakes, Wisc., Florida, on and on. We have been very fortunate that the Texas Coast has held up for so long, the upper coast has had a major comeback, never fish there but glad for the guys up there. 
The point is we have to be proactive and think ahead. Things such as limits adjustments, habitat restoration, banning some types of bait (don't care if I ****** off
the croaker guys - I've seen too much damage) in order to keep what we have from getting worse. Some things we can't control like weather, but we can do some things that will help in the long term.


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## Cjohnson82 (Aug 24, 2013)

duckmania said:


> If you look around the nation so many once great fishing areas have been marginalized by either excessive pressure, habitat decline, pollution, etc. The Great Lakes, Wisc., Florida, on and on. We have been very fortunate that the Texas Coast has held up for so long, the upper coast has had a major comeback, never fish there but glad for the guys up there.
> The point is we have to be proactive and think ahead. Things such as limits adjustments, habitat restoration, banning some types of bait (don't care if I ****** off
> the croaker guys - I've seen too much damage) in order to keep what we have from getting worse. Some things we can't control like weather, but we can do some things that will help in the long term.


X2 on the croaker. I think we should ban all shrimping in the bay


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## seadriftbayrat (Mar 19, 2006)

Seadrift local here. I look back 5-10years ago and can't believe how much has changed in the area. Back 10yrs ago I could run pretty much anywhere in the San Antonio/Matagorda island area and not see another boat for most of the day. I had free range of any reefs in sa bay and miles of shoreline at Matagorda island. Catching decent numbers of fish wasn't very difficult and coming home with enough for dinner wasn't too hard. Truly some of the best times of my life. I know I took it for granted. I know for sure Seadrift was one of the best kept secrets on the gulf coast. Flash forward to today and wow what a 180 degree turn. Housing booms along the coast, increased boat traffic, booming boat market, and a oilfield boom has brough in a influx of new fisherman. I have many guide friends who I respect and talk to on a daily basis. But it seems like the sheer number of guides now days has exploded. I understand this is how they make their living. The number of new boats on the water has skyrocketed and I find myself sitting at home on the weekends spending time with family instead of fishing. Weekday and night fishing has become the norm for me. I see our bays enduring major fishing pressure during these past few years. I think it'll take a combined mindset change for us locals and some educating for the new people coming to the coast. We can't continue to keep what we once did on top of the increase in the numbers of new fisherman taking limits if we expect our bays to survive. If it requires me keeping just enough to enjoy for supper and not putting a bag or two in the freezer inorder for my kids and their kids to enjoy our wonderful bays systems then that's exactly what I'll do. I hope there is a middle ground found between fish regulations, guide involvement, future weather we receive(I know, out of our control), and overall common sense on our part to help our bays out. Maybe I'm totally wrong on my opinions but this is just what I have observed.


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## duckmania (Jun 3, 2014)

No Seadrift, I think you are right on target. Seems like some fisherman "get it" and some don't. Problem is the ones that don't believe in a little conservation way out number the rest of us. I want everyone to enjoy the coast, catch fish, keep a few for dinner, have a good time, but its going to take some changing in the way we care for the fishery.


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## aguaflaca (Aug 11, 2005)

very well said Seadriftbayrat. I think you hit it on the head. and I remember those days too. fishing Panther Point, Reef, Lake all morning long on a Saturday and seeing maybe 3-5 boats.


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## Goose Lover (Jan 23, 2012)

I've been telling people for years this was coming. Obviously people didn't give it much credit. 

The trout fishing is starting to parallel the goose hunting. Both are hurting but the goose numbers are the worse of the two. 

Just look back in history Even in our lifetimes ,which is pretty recent, you can see species after species of wildlife diminishing.

Bison, Red Wolves, Horned Toads and Swans were largely gone from this area by the 1950's. Since then Canada Geese, Mallards, Mottled Ducks and most recently Snow Geese and Speckebellies. 

And when you read the history of the bay systems such as East Bay and San Jacinto Bay it makes you understand what's going on. 

People argue that it is the fault of the people that use croakers, the weather or whatever.

It's habitat that is the difference.


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## Im Headed South (Jun 28, 2006)

Im Headed South said:


> A couple blast from the past: http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=408385
> http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=312213
> 
> What is this about the 10th thread about how bad the fishing is in the middle coast in the last couple of months? I for one saw the train wreck coming 3.5 years ago during the scoping process but the vocal minority won out in the end so now here we are with trout fishery that's crashed and will probably take a minimum of 5 years to recover. Everyone should pm the status quo cheerleaders in those threads and asked them where the improvement is at we were promised.


:headknock


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## sea hunt 202 (Nov 24, 2011)

no luck there just a few keepers


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

If you want a stark contrast to the Texas coast, we just spent eight days canoeing in Quetico, in Ontario. Talk about a difference. 2,000 scenic lakes in one national park, just above and bordering Minnesota. Some of them 10 miles long with 300-foot cliffs. The lakes are connected with rocky badass wood trails that we portaged the canoes on, the longest was 3250 feet. No outboard motors allowed, no bait allowed, no barbs on hooks. No glass. No chainsaws even for park rangers. No airplanes or helicopters can fly over it! Tight bag limits, mostly just enough fish for dinner that night. Not subject to lobbying efforts to relax the rules, apparently. Definitely not for potlickers. We paddled in about 12 days after ice-out and only saw five canoes in eight days...Caught lots of fish. Many photos. I didn't even see a gum wrapper on the ground, in all that time. We also drank the water straight from five of the lakes, it was all we had. I highly urge you guys to put it on your bucket list. If you can paddle a canoe, that is.


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## aguaflaca (Aug 11, 2005)

^^^THIS sounds incredible. One of these days.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Fly to Minneapolis, rent a car and drive to the town of Ely near the border, and rent the equipment at LaTourelle's marina. They have bunkhouses and will turn you loose on the Canada side of the lake. Some of the campsites on the lakes were maybe 1,000 years old and we saw Indian drawings on the rock, it's all pink granite around there. Quetico is a crown jewel. They don't allow unlimited people in there, and the rigorous paddling and camping cuts out most people. You're also on your own if the canoes sink, though you can rent a satellite phone and call for help. They rescued some Boy Scouts a week after this picture was taken, the weather got 'em and they swam ashore in cold water.


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## SoberBrent (Jun 17, 2013)

Ive lived between seadrift and POC all my life. I remember fishing with my Grandpa when I was little. Every trip no matter where we went we always caught fish. Years later here I am fishing every honey hole I was taught and its hard to get a limit. I have turned to catch and release this year. The amount of people on the water now days is just insane. When My grandpa took me out we would hardly ever see a boat, And if we did we knew it was a local and could tell who it was by the boat they were on. Ah the good ole days.


I stay off the water on weekends and holidays. Too many "wannabe Salt Life Losers" fishing on those days, Or as my grandpa called em "Mallwalkers!".

Port O Connor is beyond repair. Those 500k houses are raising taxes, utility bills, everything. To the point where locals have decided to move. It sickens me.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

You need a lot of restrictions for consistent quality fishing. You can't just turn a million hungry people loose on the bays with all sorts of expensive boats, free to burn shorelines and run 70 mph anywhere they can, even with airplane engines. Day after day, pounding the fish and hauling off bags of fillets. At Quetico they even tore down every trapper's shack from years ago, for today's nature experience. Not a trace of these dwellings exist today. Quite a contrast, pretty shocking in fact.


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## teamgafftop1 (Aug 30, 2010)

If anyone is familiar with "combat fishing" in AK, that's pretty much what it's turned into around POC. We go out of our way to get out early and fish places with a few good fish and little traffic in order to avoid all of the "new money" boats that run in for 15 minutes, don't catch anything, and burn out to the next hole. Way different than it was 15 years ago.


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## EdK (Jun 20, 2012)

All one need do is look around. The habitat is sick and as the state grows even less runoff will make it to the coast. Opening the CB and VS will only increase salinity. Good for pelagic fish, not so good for shrimp and crabs or the local inhabitants.

Too much shallow water and not enough hideouts. 

No boat zones are coming. Soon.


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## bsmom (Apr 13, 2012)

My dad started bring us here in '69. Grew up fishing here. Retired here 4 yrs ago. Haven't had my bay boat out in almost 2 yrs. Go out floundering a few times a yr with someone. Can't fish like we used to because of all the boats going by who don't care enough to even slow down. It's still my slice of Heaven though. Wouldn't be anywhere else. The next hurricane may solve some of the overcrowding. Not wishing it on anyone but, just saying...


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

> Anyone else having trouble?????


You're 30 years late for POC. Hell 20 years ago I was unloading in the dark, running to my wading spot in the dark just to beat the mosquito fleet.

Fished the waters there all of my life and I'm 56...it will never be as it was.

TH


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## Goose Lover (Jan 23, 2012)

There are many people that believe opening more passes into the bay system will help the fishing. I don't know where this belief comes from.

For all of the talk about freshwater flows into the bay system I'm afraid it doesn't amount to much action. When it comes down to it the bay systems will be completely starved of water so that it can go to municipalities and industry. Some token amount might be given to the bays but it won't amount to much.


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## [email protected] (May 24, 2004)

I do not have all the answers, never even pretended that I did, but lots of things have changed in the POC-Seadrift-Rockport fishery. Let's do a little recap...

-First of all we are in year five of a drought cycle that is predicted to last five more. Salinities are running well above average year round. Fresh inflow? Forget about it. The present generation of water planners are asleep at the wheel somewhere between sharing water between major river systems (AKA inter-basin transfers) and strategizing to 
construct more reservoirs to capture the pulses (AKA out-of-bank events) if and when they ever come again. Desalination to supply drinking water, etc., is the answer to breaking the historic dependence on the rivers and Edwards Aquifer but don't hold your breath.

Second issue concerning our fishery would be the back-to-back freezes in January 2010 and 2011. While all the "resource guessers" were prognosticating in warm offices in big cities preparing a news release about something they never saw, some of us were out there looking for dead trout and they were not hard to find.

Then came a mother of a red tide in 2011. Espiritu Santo and San Antonio Bays reeked of red tide algae to the point that you could hardly breathe. Dead fish piled up all over the place, every size of every species. But again the report came down that all was well.

And then there's ongoing harvest pressure. I have been harping on this since 2003. Unlike a lot of folks though I put my money where my mouth was. In my guide business I cut the daily take of trout to five per angler on my charters. Some laughed at me, a few threatened harm of one sort or another. I published it too. Some folks called me the fish hugger (one of the nicer names) while some said I was going to screw up the local economy by asking for trout limits to be reduced. Ever heard about water on a duck's back? That's me.

So now we are in terrible down cycle. The only guys catching fish are the croakermen, and only when the conditions are perfect, the stars align perfectly, and so forth.

Our chickens are home to roost boys and the only thing we can do is clean up our act. The fishery will come back, maybe not to its halcyon level, but it'll get better. Pray for rain and practice C&R, that's what I'm doing. 

The soapbox is now available...step right up.

EJ


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## spuds (Jan 2, 2005)

Thanks for telling it like it is, EJ.

I believe there should be a push to classify croaker as gamefish. Instead of using croaker to help deplete trout numbers, turn croaker into another species that fishermen can target. 

Perhaps after several years we would even see some semblance of the Croaker runs return, providing a great opportunity for taking the kids out to learn the satisfaction of catching your dinner. 

It's time we get smart about the resource, quit harvesting baby croaker for bait. Let them grow up and help ease some of the pressure on the trout being retained for the dinner table.


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## fishinfool3846 (Apr 24, 2005)

I just fish at night. Got scared a few times thinking my kids were going to get run down on a wade. Leave in the dark when everyone is drinking beer or at Josie's and fish until about 4a.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Another thing is too many people target trout, like there isn't 20 other kinds of fish to catch out there. Bag up those trout fillets and haul them back to the cities, boys. And most guides would never lecture or coach their clients on catch and release, they want to lay those trout on the cutting boards each evening. Take a glory picture. As a result the clients don't have a clue what's going on along the coast, they think everything is fine. :headknock


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

I've never been to POC. The closest I've come is the airport area of west matty. And I thought that was too crowded. POC, as described, sounds like paradise lost.


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## Greener Pastures (Jul 8, 2013)

*Too Many People*

The root problem is way to many people both upstream and bayside.
The population is predicted to double in next 20 years.
What will the bay be like then?
We are in the last few years of relatively unregulated bay fishing.
Enjoy what is left of it and be sure and box every fish you can.
Some internet bragging will surely prove your superiority over your fellow man.Sorry to be so negative but the prospects are very dim.


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## Goose Lover (Jan 23, 2012)

I agree with EJ. But I don't believe the freezes are accounting for the dropoff to that extent. The wade fishing in the surf the past few years is nothing like it was even 5 years ago, much less the 1980's or 1990's. I keep informal records so this isn't faulty reminiscing about the good ole days. I think there is something else going on. Hope I'm wrong but I am kind of worried. 

But until this state wants to protect its natural resources then I just don't a big improvement

I also found out today the Aransas NWR has been approved to expand the refuge by over 100,000 acres. BAD IDEA.

We need to protect land and habitat every chance we get but having the refuge system acquire and manage land has not worked on the middle Texas coast. The land needs to stay in private lands with stringent easements conveyed to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Foester Whitmire Unit of the Aransas NWR is the poster child for why we need a new system to protect land. In the 1990's it was probably the best 4,000 acre on the Texas coast but has now completely collapsed due to neglect. And I mean completely collapsed. But for whatever reason the people in the refuge system believe they should own and manage more land. In other words we have done such a bad job so please reward us with more money and more land. ?????????

Protecting it with easements keeps the land in private lands. Much better management but it has the federal protection on it. Hunting clubs and/or individual hunters would be the best at it. Whether it be for waterfowl, quail, turkeys or whatever the places around here are managed and/or owned by hunters.


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## unc_jaws23 (May 29, 2008)

*Agreed 2008/9 was pivotal*

Middle coast has been hit hard, with a multitude of problems. All the anti croaker guys take note that this is flat out not true. Does it contribute, I am sure it does. No major storms, two petroleum incidents, 3 borderline serious freeze problems, over pressured, and decline in habitat. The Pass it seems is almost sanded up. As bad as storms are they do serve a big function of opening back up cut and channels. I still see decent fish, but really have all but quit fishing day time weekends. Water is still in good shape overall and I think can rebound very well, it just needs a break as far as weather and rain goes. And to the inconsiderate ***** weekend blow hards, when your occupying a narrow shallow access point to a back lake or cut don't get mad at people. If you were to realize most of these situations are brought on by yourself by anchoring in the entrance to Shoalwater/fish pond/Pringle, or countless other points that you have to be up on plane in a channel you can cast across, and walk across with out getting your thighs wet. Park in a channel especially on the weekend, and expect to get traffic ya jackwad!!!!!!


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## BATWING (May 9, 2008)

Weekenders, $500k houses and fancy boats killed all the trout... LMAO!!!!! Some very good points on here but that is not one of them.


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## BayouBonsaiMan (Apr 14, 2009)

Excellent post EJ, thanks for doing all you do, I with Spud also,
Will be out there looking for last few fish, not in POC though


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## AlCapone (May 28, 2014)

It's not just POC. It's everywhere. The only place that maybe still good is Sabine. My friends went there yesterday and barely hit the 2 men limits after 8 hours on water.


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## diverdown (Feb 18, 2014)

*POC*

i tell u whats kinda funny/ironic . is everyone is scrambling to figure out whats wrong. why so many people out there now. has anyone even thought that it could be the internet/tv that's killing the fishing. tv has it all over the place to sell their products and the web is doing a great job of it. put 2 and 2 together. i'm just gonna say it. these sights don't help. thousands of guys w/ boats look at these sights to get a edge or just to kill time. u gotta be crazy to give details on these sights. 2 edge sword. yep i said it, fishing was better before the WWW.com era.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Let's see the Internet and chat rooms came along in 1997. POC took a sudden downturn in 1999....Hmmm....Maybe just a coincidence. The big forums didn't come out until later.


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## diverdown (Feb 18, 2014)

*POC*

yea right, back then all u had was pike blabbing all over the chronicle. not a hell of alot computers in peoples hands back in 97'. nothing like now.and poc didnt just die in 97. that place was rocking along w/ matagorda in 97'. now 2007 maybe.


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## duckmania (Jun 3, 2014)

I can see how indirectly the internet affected the fishing, more people using for info equates to more fishing pressure. 
I've always been pretty forthcoming about my fishing spots, but seldom on the web. I like sharing info, may not give an exact spot but I will provide enough info that a determined angler can figure it out. I keep a couple of places just for myself, sometimes they are on, sometimes not. 
For years I never bashed the croaker guys because I didn't want anyone telling me how to fish, but I've walked by too many cleaning tables in May, June, and July, and seen box after box of quality trout. Now we are paying for it. Traylor Island use to be really consistent for good fish, not anymore. I think the bays can rebound, with good weather, reduced limits, and awareness.


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## Molon Labe (Aug 20, 2012)

spuds said:


> Thanks for telling it like it is, EJ.
> 
> I believe there should be a push to classify croaker as gamefish. Instead of using croaker to help deplete trout numbers, turn croaker into another species that fishermen can target.
> 
> ...


Agreed.


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

Goose Lover said:


> There are many people that believe opening more passes into the bay system will help the fishing. I don't know where this belief comes from.


... probably from the belief that a closed pass is like having a toilet that doesn't flush ...


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## SurfRunner (May 22, 2004)

Not sure if the internet has caused more people to fish. It has definitely helped people hone in on their skills which results in more fish caught.....I think it has more to do with the great economy of our state drawing more and more people to move here. I grew up in Houston and seen it grow many times more than what it was.

I think most everyone contributing to this thread is correct. Many things have caused it. But, I also think there are cycles of good years and bad years that have always occurred. I am sure the Carancahuah Indians had similar discussions as well that caused arguments and left them scratching their heads.

Just curious if any of you who were fishing during and after the 83' freeze remembers if the fishing was worse then or now. I may be totally wrong, but it seems to me it was worse then - in the Galveston area anyways. If I remember correctly, the trout pops rebounded nicely after a couple of years.

I know a lot of young anglers are reading this thread almost feeling hopeless....Don't! I remember reading and hearing similar discussions when I was young that left me kind of feel bummed. Just learn to be good stewards. And yes, don't ignore these topics and be concerned, because we can destroy our fishery.


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## TopwaterMD (May 27, 2014)

*POC Tournament Central*

I've been fortunate to fish POC since the Sixties. Lots of changes, development, skinny water boats, and the fact that POC has become tournament central from May through September. I don't think there is a single weekend during that period where there are not multiple tourneys down there. And tournaments are not generally focused on CPR(Catch, Photo, and Release). It takes a toll.:headknock
There are still fish to be caught, but weekends in summer are brutal.


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## Flounder-Freak (Feb 3, 2013)

I agree there are to many folks on the bay waters these days. 

I go offshore on weekends and if I fish the bay it is during the evening or week day. That's why I live on tributary to west bay. I run out most evening and do some wading or just drift and unwind after work. It's a long drive to office but well worth it to fish 4-5 days a week.

Picture of west bay looking towards east from mud cut area last Wednesday evening


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## Im Headed South (Jun 28, 2006)

It's easy to place blame for poor conditions after a freeze and believe the fishery will rebound because it was healthy before the freeze but that's not where we are at currently. The fishery is far from healthy because of probably a dozen of factors that have combined is get us where we are and very few of those concerns are being addressed so I'm afraid the out look is much bleaker than after a freeze event.


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## wledoux (Jun 17, 2014)

Thank yall for all the responses. Im a young angler myself. Its good to hear so many different opinions from a variety of different generations. I feel like its going to take more than a 5 trout setback from a 10 trout limit. Everyone involved in making these laws to preserve our fisheries are the same people making money when people do fish. Just going to take a big act from everyone to make some changes. Thanks again for the inputs


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## Rojo Runner (Mar 21, 2006)

*Mid Coast*

Need more freshwater, less dolphins and a ban on burning shorelines. Fishing is still good, just have to be dialed in - there is no going out and catching a mess of fish just fishing around. Will be interested to see what if any impact the 5 trout limit will have - hoping it helps but I'm not holding my breath for it. Still plenty to enjoy on the water!


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

Rojo Runner said:


> Need more freshwater, less dolphins and a ban on burning shorelines.


Yup! Gotta start keeping hardhead, gafftop and black drum too ... equalize what's in the water - all of them eat good!


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## Fishdog (Jun 22, 2004)

spuds said:


> Thanks for telling it like it is, EJ.
> 
> I believe there should be a push to classify croaker as gamefish. Instead of using croaker to help deplete trout numbers, turn croaker into another species that fishermen can target.
> 
> ...


You're singin' my song, Spuds. Been saying and writing for many years that croaker fishing is hurting trout stocks. Like EJ says, it's not the only hammer on the coffin nail - but it hits hard. Well, maybe he didn't actually say that but I bet he thinks it. I think that a successful argument could even be made that bait croaker is actually discriminatory against the poor and under-privileged in that the (could you call it greed?) desire by well heeled fishermen to catch more and bigger trout by using croaker has destroyed the croaker runs and easy availablility of an important food and recreation source for the less fortunate beach fisherman to feed his family. In so doing the entire state wide trout fishery has suffered. I really doubt that a 5 trout limit is going to help regenerate stocks a great deal. More responsible guide operations that encourage or enforce keeping only a few and don't generate competition between their guides would certainly be a welcome thing - but, NAH .... ain't gonna happen. And TPWD doesn't have the balls to make the right decisions like declaring Croaker a gamefish ...... so us occasional, resource minded fishermen who have witnessed the decline of the fishery and understand the problem will just have to keep bending over and taking it.

I'm grabbing the popcorn now.


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## Moonpie (Jun 20, 2004)

I see Fishing Season(s) in the future.


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## Fishdog (Jun 22, 2004)

Every sow trout removed from the water robs the resource of untold thousands of future trout. Solution? Take far fewer reproductive female trout from the resource. But this is what we hear:

"But I have a RIGHT to take those fish - at least 10 a day, and maybe kill more by rough handling or deep hooksets. I paid good money for my equipment and for this guide, or my boat. If it's legal I'm keeping it and I don't give a **** about the future cause everybody else is doing it too. Besides, they'll all die in a winter freeze anyway."


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## bigflats (Nov 6, 2013)

explorer05 said:


> The problem is 2 fold, TPWD isn't helping enough and the freeze 2 yrs ago really did a number on the trout. If u go to the hatchery in LJ, you will see the effects of the budget cut. They have cut the restocking greatly. I spoke with a GW after the freeze, and dead trout were getting eaten by pelicans everywhere. All that and not even mentioning the increase in guides out of Matt, PO and everywhere else. We need TPWD to step up and and start releasing some more fish.


If we are dependent on government restocking programs to replenish fish populations, it's clear to me that the real problem is limits - no matter how unpopular that conclusion is. A good fishery should be self sustaining without interference or manipulation. We should be able to harvest fish, but not at rates that exhaust the resource to the point of requiring artificial stocks.


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## wiltray4000 (Sep 16, 2010)

The first time I can remember fishing POC was with my dad in the '59. We spent the night in a tent on the first trip. Later we stayed at Stryker's Motel when we fished POC. We caught a ton of fish in those days. The big jetties had not been built yet and the fishing we did was in the back bays and the Army Hole. We would take a friend of my dad's with us since he was stationed at the Army base during the war and he wanted to fish other than the from the bank. We would park my dad's boat next to the Baroid dock overnight with all our gear left in the boat and it was never disturbed. During the years we saw that little fishing village grow and grow. Yes, the secret is out and has been out for a long time. Last time I saw my dad was in POC, Memorial Day 1976. Love you dad, miss you dad.


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## wadehedtke (Mar 1, 2008)

I've been going back and forth on replying to this one, and I usually keep my thoughts to myself, but this is a touchy subject for me. I think TH said mentioned it earlier about launching at four to beat the other boats out 20 years ago. As much as I thought I was still in my prime, I did some math and I'll be damned if it wasn't 20+\~ years ago that we were doing the same. I grew up fishing POC when it truly was a sleepy little hole. No speedy stop or Josie's. Before Hurricane Junction was Hurricane Junction the "first" time. We'd bust *** early, pack a couple of clean pair of shorts and some gas cans and make what used to be a long *** run in the 18' Kenner and Johnson 88, across the bay towards Panther. We'd take some dried sausage and a small Weber grill and maybe a couple of buddies that wanted a week away from it all. We caught fish. Lots of em. And kept some of em to eat in the evenings. I have been and always will be a proponent for classifying croaker as a game fish to eliminate the needless killing of trout. I can say that because I have stood next to fishermen that swear there's an "art" to catching trout on croaker and watched them "release" 12", 13",14" inch trout turn belly up after swallowing a hook with a live baitfish on it. Those fishermen are some of my friends and mock me for throwing nothing but tops and plastics. The 500K houses and skinny boats aren't completely the problem, because now I have both. Doesn't make me a shore burner or worse of a man because I love POC and was able to build there. Hell, I won't even fish there anymore! We moved to Baffin and before long it was the same thing and I worry that my current home waters are in danger of the same after the last few years. When the LLM went to the five fish limit, those first two years were unbelievable. The quantity of quality trout down there was unbelievable. Then word got out, like it does, and here it came. I understand that folks wanna keep fish, and I do ever once in a while too. But when you consistently decimate the Big Trout population with a hook in something they cannot resist, then it's no longer a "sport" in my opinion. Man, I could go on and on, and maybe I'll get a "red flag" for talking this way, but if there's gonna be anything left for my kids and their kids, things gotta change. Yes we need help in the form of freshwater from the Big Guy upstairs. Yes we need CB and VS opened up to flush the toilet. Yes we need TPWD to grow a pair and figure it out. But when it all boils down, it comes down to the individual holding the rod and reel...


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## aguaflaca (Aug 11, 2005)

wadehedtke said:


> I've been going back and forth on replying to this one, and I usually keep my thoughts to myself, but this is a touchy subject for me. I think TH said mentioned it earlier about launching at four to beat the other boats out 20 years ago. As much as I thought I was still in my prime, I did some math and I'll be damned if it wasn't 20+\~ years ago that we were doing the same. I grew up fishing POC when it truly was a sleepy little hole. No speedy stop or Josie's. Before Hurricane Junction was Hurricane Junction the "first" time. We'd bust *** early, pack a couple of clean pair of shorts and some gas cans and make what used to be a long *** run in the 18' Kenner and Johnson 88, across the bay towards Panther. We'd take some dried sausage and a small Weber grill and maybe a couple of buddies that wanted a week away from it all. We caught fish. Lots of em. And kept some of em to eat in the evenings. I have been and always will be a proponent for classifying croaker as a game fish to eliminate the needless killing of trout. I can say that because I have stood next to fishermen that swear there's an "art" to catching trout on croaker and watched them "release" 12", 13",14" inch trout turn belly up after swallowing a hook with a live baitfish on it. Those fishermen are some of my friends and mock me for throwing nothing but tops and plastics. The 500K houses and skinny boats aren't completely the problem, because now I have both. Doesn't make me a shore burner or worse of a man because I love POC and was able to build there. Hell, I won't even fish there anymore! We moved to Baffin and before long it was the same thing and I worry that my current home waters are in danger of the same after the last few years. When the LLM went to the five fish limit, those first two years were unbelievable. The quantity of quality trout down there was unbelievable. Then word got out, like it does, and here it came. I understand that folks wanna keep fish, and I do ever once in a while too. But when you consistently decimate the Big Trout population with a hook in something they cannot resist, then it's no longer a "sport" in my opinion. Man, I could go on and on, and maybe I'll get a "red flag" for talking this way, but if there's gonna be anything left for my kids and their kids, things gotta change. Yes we need help in the form of freshwater from the Big Guy upstairs. Yes we need CB and VS opened up to flush the toilet. Yes we need TPWD to grow a pair and figure it out. But when it all boils down, it comes down to the individual holding the rod and reel...


very well said.


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## SurfRunner (May 22, 2004)

I don't know the answer to this question but curious.....Is the recreational fishing today greater than the commercial fishing pre 80's? I have a hard time believing it is, but, maybe it is.


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## GSMAN (May 22, 2004)

*Winner....winner!*

I personally believe that the lack of "good fishing" in that area has mainly to do with boat traffic. You can apply this same issue to any bay. We usually launch in the dark and get to the fishing spot before the armada shows up. I really notice the fishing tapers off when the boats arrive when fishing some of the popular areas like the East bay reefs which I fish occasionally. It just stands to reason that you have lots of props churning up the water and scattering the fish. We do catch fish later in the day but those areas are sort of remote and with little pressure. We hit the popular shorelines first thing at day break and it's usually pretty productive until a significant amount of boats start to show up. Again, I think the fish scatter with all the boat traffic.



wledoux said:


> Been fishing port O'Connor for around 8 years now. usually travel all back lakes. fishing has been really slim lately. *And a ton of traffic.* Anyone else having trouble?????


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## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

Fished it since mid 80's. Bought my own small flats boat in late teens and fished the **** out of those bays til a job transfer to SA in 98. Sold the boat and I cringe every time I go down there on a weekend (Thursday-Sunday thing) the past 10 years or so. Can't say much as I'm an out of town "weekender" that fishes out of a big flats boat but I sure miss those days of no one around you as well. I spend many more weekdays down there now in the off season unless I go down there for a work thing but I generally try to steer the PR stuff down to the LLM for those that want to fish hard and not want to get hammered in a bar all night. Sunday beach has been a weekend drinking spot for a few since I was in high school as well. Not 2000 people. More like 20-30 usually if any showed.


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## Bob Haley (Sep 28, 2006)

*POC Tournaments*

POC gets hammered by tournaments as mentioned previously. Yes it helps the economy in POC but not by a great deal because they end up doing their own entertainment.
Yes, Iv participated in a few and have seen tons of small trout and reds come to the scales and a lot of it is donated to local charities.
Maybe POC should demand that these local tournaments be CPR only like some of the Blue water guys. Let them take a pic with a tournament scale provided and then release the fish. They weigh-in would be more like down-loading and show the pics-show during the event dinner and could be more entertaining.
If its a charity event supporting a food bank or such, ask for donations and support with cash and non perishable donations.
Its an idea that still brings people to these events and could also help the charities along with the fish stocks. For most of us, its about the fun and not the cash.
IMO


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## A Draper (Aug 14, 2007)

Interested thread. Not sure if I'm weekender causing all the problems or an old timer that remembers back in the day. Fished POC as kid back in the early '80s and don't remember crowds but also don't remember catching much other than sharks and skipjack. Never a redfish. Been fishing POC a lot since 2006, seems like it has been really crowded that whole time. We've had a mix of good seasons and bad seasons. I keep going back. I can fish anywhere I want but choose POC. I due get burned out after 3-4 bad trips in a row. A few trips bassfishing on lake austin, a big bass splash tourney or similar, and I realize the crowds could be a lot worse and I'm ready for a salt breeze again.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

I'm going back in a couple of weeks to visit old neighbors and friends. The town usually slows down on Mondays and I'll fish then, it certainly did when I lived there. Back then we had small kids back going to POC elementary and used to tell them, "Watch out for the weekenders." It seems their Suburbans were always in a hurry, barreling up and down the streets. One of them t-boned Capt. Robbie Gregory's car at the stop sign in front of Clarks, and knocked him out of action for several years. That probably saved a few thousand jetty fish.


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## Red3Fish (Jun 4, 2004)

First trip to POC ~1958, fished it since then. Pop and I built a place there in late '60's. We had good years and a few bad....the freeze of '83 and '89? did a number, and we rented out the place for a couple of years. But, in a couple of years the trout and RF always bounced back. This was AFTER they banned trot lines and gill nets. I don't think either one hurt the trout too much, but sure made RF scarce.

I think a big part of the problem is just too many people with too much money and too much spare time, looking to find a new thrill or sport. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but is sure changes the way the old timers liked to fish. Back in the '50s' and 60s' there wasn't a lot of extra money and extra time and you had to REALLY like to fish to do it. Except for offshore, it was kind of a poor mans' sport.

With all the extra time and extra money, I believe I could go to the outskirts of Katy, and open up a "new sport" and competition of how many 12d nails you can drive in a 4" X 4" in 5 minutes and would have people lining up to participate!! Maybe even have teams from different cities vying for the championship. More exciting than soccer any ways! LOL Just kidding!

I don't know the answer, but I am about too old for long wades in sand and mud anyways. It is now, not "You should have been here yesterday" but, "You should have been here 4 or 5 decades ago!' LOL

Good Luck and Good Fishing All
Later
R3F


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## TrueblueTexican (Aug 29, 2005)

*I'm 58 now*

And Family lived there until Carla wiped em out, then went to Ingleside, I have been fishing POC since I was four years old - I've seen it really good and really bad,

WHATS KILLING THE ENTIRE MIDDLE COAST is lack of freshwater inflow - until and if Austin/San Antonio/Corpus quit sucking up all the available fresh water and the back bays become healthy again, don't look for much improvement

WE USED TO HAVE - huge balls of brown shrimp all over Matagorda Bay, Menhaden schools everywhere, and sand eels out the wazoo NOT NOW

I USED to be able to stand on the J-HOOK with a castnet on an outgoing tide and net ice chests full of brown shrimp - haven't been able to do that for fifteen years --

A silent bay, too many anglers and not enough fish

I SOLVED this problem by moving 318 miles NNE.

Nice quiet fishing town just like POC USED TO BE -

Fish the beach fronts if you want specs, as far from the bubba burning crowds as you can get -

When ya'll all go away fishing will pick back up - till then I will drive five hours and enjoy good catching again


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Hey, all those fine lawns in San Antonio and Austin and smaller towns have to be kept green, by dumping millions of gallons of water daily on them. Who needs a healthy bay system? The water wars continue.


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## W E H (Aug 2, 2012)

*A great day in POC.*

Got down to POC yesterday afternoon with my dad and my son. Went to Port Occonor Rod and Gun to kill some time in the rain and bought my son a rod and real for his birthday. It was one I wanted but I didn't need another to go with the 10 already at the house, so he gets a cool birthday present, with the option for daddy to try it maybe. Watched it rain like crazy until noon today. Wind and storms died down and we took off from Froggies with a quart of live shrimp. Only one other boat was unloading at the same time. Broke the drain off my live well and plugged it with Corky lure. Fished about 7 different spots until the wind picked up to whitecaps in Mitchell's Cut and Saluria. Drove back to Froggies and loaded with a great tailwind. I was only truck backing in to load too. Only caught gafftops, skip jacks, and hard heads. Only saw about ten other boats. Back at the house boiling shrimp and sausage on the deck. I don't care much for all the traffic either but today was a great day in POC.


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## TatterTot (Jan 6, 2006)

W E H said:


> Got down to POC yesterday afternoon with my dad and my son. Went to Port Occonor Rod and Gun to kill some time in the rain and bought my son a rod and real for his birthday. It was one I wanted but I didn't need another to go with the 10 already at the house, so he gets a cool birthday present, with the option for daddy to try it maybe. Watched it rain like crazy until noon today. Wind and storms died down and we took off from Froggies with a quart of live shrimp. Only one other boat was unloading at the same time. Broke the drain off my live well and plugged it with Corky lure. Fished about 7 different spots until the wind picked up to whitecaps in Mitchell's Cut and Saluria. Drove back to Froggies and loaded with a great tailwind. I was only truck backing in to load too. Only caught gafftops, skip jacks, and hard heads. Only saw about ten other boats. Back at the house boiling shrimp and sausage on the deck. I don't care much for all the traffic either but today was a great day in POC.


Very nice. When life gives you lemons. Enjoy the time with your family. It's not all about the fish.


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## Troutgreen 67 (Nov 9, 2013)

*Poc rockport*

Been fishing these areas for 30 years. It has definetly had up and downs but you have to adjust. Don't catch em where we used too but still have good trips 9 out 10.


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## cpthook (Jan 16, 2008)

one thing about POC, it is the tarpon hot spot on the coast and the awesome thing about that is amazingly enough not many people fish for them. So you can still have a peaceful day of fishing in POC, out front. I fish Galveston which is year round "hot" for solid trout fishing, but need to get down to POC when the wind lays back and move out front for some tarps.


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## fishshallow (Feb 2, 2006)

I'm a little late responding to this thread but o' well. Been fishing POC for 20 years and like EJ said "Our chickens are home to roost boys" and I have been preaching this for years while my uncles mocked me and now here we are. 
All the problems have been posted already. So, I will just say that the biggest problem I see with the bay system is the same problem I currently see with our country. The large majority of people want to do what is best for themselves and not what is best for our bay system, same with the current situation we are in with our country. This will never change so enjoy what we have while we still have it. Sad but true.


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## Tarponchaser (May 25, 2005)

Have seen this coming this coming for a long time. Was at Texas State Aqarium last week... at the dolphin show they said that they eat 20% of their body weight daily. 400 x .20 = 80 lbs a day. 

At Pt. A. they follow boats and waders eating every small trout released.

While on the CCA State Board in 2000 I suggested that as a fund raiser, we sell bumper stickers saying "Save a trout, Kill a dolphin". Walter nixed the idea saying that as a conservation organization it wouldn't be proper.

Attn: Fishdog

As I always say "It's hard to explain sport fishing to a potlicker".

TC


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## alant (Dec 7, 2006)

Bull Red said:


> If fishing is as slow as everyone is making out, someone needs to explain why every Louisiana fishing report I see is loaded with fish.... even if the majority are undersized by Texas law. (but that's a whole 'nother can of worms)


Maybe the internet reports are great, but I'm not getting good reports from areas east of the River (Delacroix, Hopedale, etc.). I'm not sure it has anything to do with the cold weather. My personal opinion is all of this goes in natural cycles that we will never be able to explain. I don't think it's global warming, cold winters, BP oil spill, or overfishing. It's just the cycle of nature.


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## Goose Lover (Jan 23, 2012)

I spoke with a friend that went to Louisiana a couple of weeks ago. He said it was great.

He was fishing Lake Calcasheiu. I'm sure I spelled it wrong.


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## tigerhead (Jun 17, 2005)

Tunnel hulls, airboats, GPS, depth finders, all of the things that we didn't have years ago that now make it easy for any so called sportsman to get to places that used to be known only to the dedicated. A handful of guided trips, throw a 60K boat into the mix, and you're Rudy Grigar. Same thing during deer season or duck season. Modern conveniences come at a price.

Lake Calcasieu is starting to turn on, but they were seeing some slow fishing recently also. I think one thing is the tides. Haven't been in a great tidal pattern for a while.


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

tigerhead said:


> Tunnel hulls, airboats, GPS, depth finders, all of the things that we didn't have years ago that now make it easy for any so called sportsman to get to places that used to be known only to the dedicated. A handful of guided trips, throw a 60K boat into the mix, and you're Rudy Grigar. Same thing during deer season or duck season. Modern conveniences come at a price.
> 
> Lake Calcasieu is starting to turn on, but they were seeing some slow fishing recently also. I think one thing is the tides. Haven't been in a great tidal pattern for a while.


This is silly....was much easier to catch and have epic cooler filling trips back in the day when none of those advancements existed. Much harder now....


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## Goose Lover (Jan 23, 2012)

That's because the habitat has/is declining.

No different than what we are seeing with the goose numbers.

It isn't hard for the agencies to adjust the limits and allow wildlife or fish populations to rebound pretty quickly from too much pressure if those species spawn prolifically early in their lives and are fast growers such as trout.

But they have a very hard time bringing a species back when it involves habitat. Examples would include Mottled Ducks, Attwater Prairie Chicken and Sawfish.


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## Wader76 (Jul 12, 2009)

About 8 yrs ago I watched approximately 60 Specks and probably 20+ over 20" being pulled out of icechests shared by about 8 people and 2 boats at the Fishing Center and I was dwelling over the fact that I had to keep a 22" due to her not lasting after the fight and a hook in the gills. As most know, Specks over 20" are generally female according to US F&G, TPWD, ... I personally will not keep any trout over 20" unless I am in a Tourney, which is maybe twice a year, or I cant revive the fish. I am generally somewhere on the Tx coast fishing at least once a month and still will release reds unless my freezer is empty, big trout always, any flounder over 17" almost religiously, and have only kept a limit maybe 5 times in 14 years and it was Reds. I agree with alot of statements on this post and have talked with a well known and respected guide in POC on this very subject. I talk to this man occassionally through email, text, or over drinks when possible. There are fish to be caught(hopefully only enough for the table) in POC, but you have to change your thought process to locate them. That being said, I have never fished with a guide in POC and probably never will. I just ordered a Haynie 21 SuperCat and will never burn a shoreline, or invade waders or boat fisherman, cause karma us a @#$!*. The last tourney I fished in POC there were boats every 100 - 200 yds down the South and North shorelines of Espiritu Santo from Army Hole to Twins and Army cut to the 1st chain, sickening. Bay fishing has become a fad instead of a passion like it was and still is for some. Croaker isnt the problem, its the idiots that buy 10 dozen and bring in 40 trout 2 or 3 times a month. Same is done by some arty and shrimp throwers, and will continue to happen cause people dont care. Cant blame the guides, to maintain return customers the demand is for them to try and bring in limits everyday. Bag limits lowering is good, and lowering the 1 per day 25"+ Speck to 20"+ would also have a good impact. I know some will probably $#!+ their pants about that statement, but would you rather eat a couple big fillets from a sow or catch, pic, and release 10 or 20 in a day? I love the coast, being on the water, and catching(not always keeping) fish with my wife, kids, friends and it has become a cluster **** along the Tx coast which sucks. I have been in a boat getting hounded after releasing a 26 1/2" speck or 20" Flounder and even good slot Reds. Needless to say, I dont fish with those guys anymore. TPWD needs to be more present at launches and a slot of 16" - 20" on Specks(similar to Red slots) and 1 Speck per person over 20" per day or even a tag system for one a year, that is my opinion, wont argue on others thoughts. Also, make the Flounder a Game Fish and that species may recover. Cant stop the idiots with money and toys that terrorize our bays, but they can be restricted on how much damage they do with their harvest. Boundaries in our fisheries will be a result of these ****munchers thinking that running through flats and down shorelines is necessary, get out and wade cowards, or buy a trolling motor to ease in on the areas and if you already have it and still blast through these areas, then we will have to get out the crayons to gain some comprehension. I am aware that to get into some prime locations, you have to jack it up and mash on it, but those little cuts and sloughs arent the issue that most complain about and to those that anchor and/or wade in the channels etc... that boaters utilize to navigate the bay and or backlakes, wear a cap with a propeller on top so when we pass, we wont get mad cause we will know you are doing your best. I have rambled enough, good luck to all that are working to maintain our coast and tight lines to all that respect what we have and can do while we are there. 

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## Goose Lover (Jan 23, 2012)

Any of you'll remember Houston Wrestling and Paul Boesch?

I loved that show.

This thread reminds me of that.


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