Last updated on March 29th, 2024 at 08:44 pm
Copano Bay wasn’t our plan A but it turned out to be the wise choice. It’s that time of year. The weather is warm, the water is warm and the fish are biting. So, of course, I want to go fishing. As you can tell by the name of this site, I like to fish the beach, but I’ll fish in a mud hole in the bar ditch if that’s my only choice. I like fishing that much.
Along the Texas Gulf Coast, as the temperatures warm, the tropical storm season heats up as well. So, if you’re planning a beach trip, you better have a plan B because a tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico will push the tides to the dunes completely inundating the beach and getting you and your gear very wet.
Tropical Storm Cristobal and Plan A
Just a couple of weeks ago, June 5th 2020 we had a beach fishing and camping trip planned for Padre Island National Seashore in Texas. Tropical Storm Cristobal had other plans and churned it’s way right through the middle of the Gulf of Mexico flooding beaches all along the Gulf Coast. For more about what happened to Plan A, you can check it out here.
There was no way we could do the beach trip. It was either cancel the trip and stay home and feel sorry for ourselves, or we could try for Plan B. Well, I like to fish too much to stay home so if there is a viable plan B, you can bet I’m all for it.
Fortunately in Texas, we are blessed with hundreds of miles of coastline with bays, estuaries and the Laguna Madre. Not to mention all the rivers streams and lake available for the die hard fisherman.
No Beach Fishing – Try Plan B
There is almost always somewhere to do a Plan B Trip. This time was no different, we regrouped, changed gears and made the best of the situation. When planning any fishing or outdoors trip, it’s always important to check the long range weather forecasts. Hurricane season just make it all that much more important.
There are some very good weather forecast sights on the internet. weatherunderground.com, accuweather.com, and surf-forecast.com just to name a few. If the weather makes a change and puts your planned trip in question, check out some other possible destinations for a plan B. Always better to be safe than sorry. Even if no plan B is possible, remember no fishing trip is worth your life.
This trip for us was a simple matter of changing from a beach trip to a bay fishing trip. We put up the surf fishing gear and loaded up the Kayaks and our bay fishing gear and headed for Copano Bay Texas for a two-day kayak fishing trip.
Copano Bay Rockport Texas
I currently live in the fishing, vacation, tourist town of Rockport Texas, which sits on a peninsula between Aransas and Copano Bays. We are just 20 minutes from Corpus Christi and have access to miles and miles of bays and beaches. With in an hour or two, we can be fishing freshwater lakes and rivers as well, so we have plenty of choices for a potential plan B trip.
Copano Bay lies on the west side of Rockport and is known for its great fishing with a variety of structure from mid-bay reefs to sand flats to grass beds and back bays, you can find plenty of fishing locations in and around Copano bay. There is always some protected areas that make for great Kayak fishing destinations.
Fishing From the Kayaks
Saturday morning, my long time fishing partner, Ken Kuhn, and myself launched our Kayaks and paddled out into Copano Bay along rattlesnake point to see what the bay had in store for us. Ken fishes out of a Wilderness Systems Radar 135, which is a great kayak to fish out of. It’s very stable, even in choppy conditions, and very comfortable to ride in.
I fish out of an older model Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120. It’s a bit shorter and narrower kayak which makes it easier to paddle but also makes it a little less stable in the chop. The Tarpon 120 doesn’t have the comfortable seat like the Radar 135, so I sometimes have to get out and let my rear end have a break. Both Kayaks are well-made and durable with lots of added features.
Fishing out of a kayak means you really have to pack well. You don’t have unlimited storage to carry all of your gear, so you need to be selective and only bring what you must have. Remember, when you catch a fish, it’s coming in the boat with you when you land it so extra gear will just be in the way. It’s hot in the summer, so do bring plenty of water/fluids so you can stay hydrated.
We use six foot medium action rods, longer rods make landing fish more difficult in the kayak. We fished with both lures and bait on this trip and caught a variety of fish. Fresh dead shrimp under a popping cork yielded limits of Black Drum. Soft plastics brought several speckled trout to the net. Ken managed a nice 23 in slot red on a Berkley Gulp under a popping cork.
All in all, it was a good trip and a great time. We caught a variety of fish and we salvaged the weekend that tropical storm Cristobal threatened to ruin. It certainly beat staying home and mowing the grass.
Always have a Plan B and Go Fishing!
My advice is keep an eye on the weather. Make your plans, but always have an alternative in mind if plan A doesn’t work out. Go like a Boy Scout and “Be Prepared” a fishing weekend can be hard to come by and it would be a shame to have to cancel a trip.
Remember to be safe always. If you fish out of a kayak, always wear a life jacket (PFD) and don’t fish alone. Enjoy the journey and try to leave it cleaner than you found it. If you have any questions, comments or even complaints, leave them below in the comments section and I’ll get back to you ASAP. You can also follow us on Facebook: Rex The Beach Angler, Instagram: thebeachangler7, Twitter: @AnglerBeach, and YouTube: Man Art Creations.
A life long surf fisherman with 50+ years of experience, I am also an avid hunter and outdoorsman. I will be sharing my passion for the outdoors with you so be prepared for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and more. Along with gear reviews and the latest trends and innovations in the outdoor industry.
