NAVAL AIR STATION CORPUS CHRISTI

round offshore. King mackerel, cobia, and billfish then show up every summer and fall. But with salt water fishing, you never know what is about to strike. And there is always a place to fish in South Texas; whether from a boat, the surf, pier, or wading.

A drive along the coastline of Corpus Christi Bay leaves one understanding why area residents and tourists alike love the sea. e drive can be completed in three hours, but it is best to allow a full day to enjoy the many attractions.

Ocean Drive, a 7-mile scenic waterfront road, begins at NAS Corpus Christi and passes stately homes, parks, and walking paths down to Corpus Christi marina where acres of sleek sailing ships, private yachts, and deep sea fishing boats are moored. Sightseeing boats, water sport rentals, and seafood restaurants abound.

US Highway 181 then passes over Harbor Bridge, the second tallest bridge in Texas, which enables deep-sea freighters to pass into the Port of Corpus Christi...the 5th largest deep-water port in the United States. Just across the bridge are Corpus Christi's public beaches, the Texas State Aquarium, and the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay.

Both the aquarium and aircraft carrier exhibits are open daily. e aquarium features Dolphin Bay, over 250 species of fish, and exhibits on salt and back bay marshes. Minutes away, the 16-deck aircraft carrier Lexington is open for the public to explore vintage aircraft and WWII era exhibits, tour the flight deck, bridge, captain's quarters and a flight simulator, and see a movie on Navy flight training.

Following further along the north shore of Corpus Christi Bay, you'll pass through the fishing villages of Portland, Ingleside, and Aransas Pass, considered by many to be the fishing capital of the world. State Road 361 then turns toward the barrier islands and you pass miles of estuaries, islands of salt grasses surrounded by canals of water that rise and ebb with the flow of the tides, which are a breeding ground for Gulf sea life.