Coastal Focus: ROCKPORT :: by Capt. MAC GABLE
Same, Except Different
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HAT IS NOT TO LOVE about Texas?! Yes, I have been a proud native Texan my whole life, even though I had absolutely nothing to do with where I was born. I have digressed in this prideful mindset of late to an innate feeling, rather of being lucky I was born here in the Lonestar Stat. The funny thing about it is, I was but weeks away from being a native Alaskan had my older sister not been conceived in Galveston, a place my parents elected to stay with a young baby girl. When I finally came kicking and screaming into this world, I was told I was a child who was easily bored. Fortunately, back in the ’50s, there wasn’t the plethora of toys that kids have today. My mom said the only way to keep me occupied was to put me outdoors. Just simply plop me down into the dirt, and I was a happy little dirt dauber, whether I was in the woods or by a bay or lake or river. My mom said these were Texas’s built-in babysitters. Even today I am a restless sort, but a person has to be half dead in my opinion to get bored here in Texas. The diversity of this state is second to none. You like warmth? We got it. You like cold? We got it. You like salt water? We got it. Hunting for almost every species on our planet? We got it. From the mountains of west Texas to the plains in the panhandle we have 188 major reservoirs of 5,000 acre feet and close to 7,000 that are 10 acres or larger. We have 367 miles of coastal shoreline and the second most diverse population of any state via census. Add in the illegal aliens and we are number one and not
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are usually for guides who, because of illness or boat trouble, simply can’t take the trip. One time, a fellow guide and I both were asked to fish south of marker 37 (the south side or Corpus Christi Bay). Unbeknownst to me, the guide with me was relatively new to the area. He had filled his bait well with live shrimp; I elected for croaker and finger mullet. At about 10 a.m. my phone rang, and he and I shared success stories. He didn’t have a fish. On the other hand, I had a respectfable box of trout and reds. “What the heck are we doing different?” he asked. “I’m on the bottom, first of all, so no corks, and absolutely no shrimp,” I replied. “Oh Man! shrimp is all I have and am getting eaten alive by pin perch.” Luckily, I had plenty of bait and shared some with him, so he ended on a good note for the day. There are times this same area is best fished with live shrimp. However, the middle of the summer is NOT that time. The geographic difference of just one nautical mile can mean a total rewrite in what one’s approach is
likely to give that top raking up any time soon. I chose to be a fishing guide on the Texas coast many years ago; and as most know, I also guide bow hunts in our fair state. The main reason is I love the challenges our diverse state presents. There are very few areas on the Texas coast I have not fished. Having spent the majority of my life in this pursuit, I am still amazed at how each of the thousands of fishing spots along our beloved coast requires a unique approach for you to be consistently successful. Just in the Rockport area alone there are distinct fishing presentations required for anglers to get hooked up. Most of my guided trips are spent in a seven major bay area. Each deserves a unique bait and equipment approach. Something as simple as line type can and does make a huge difference. Some areas are best fished with mono while others such as heavy oyster shell territory is best fished with braided line because of abrasion. I am sometimes asked to assist in an area we call “down south” which means anything south of California hole. The trips I help with
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