Port Isabel Fishing Charters & Guides

Port Isabel Fishing Charters

Located almost on the border of Texas and Mexico, Port Isabel is on the southern end of Laguna Madre, Spanish for Mother Lagoon, and has Lake Bahia Grande to the west and South Bay to the south. Laguna Madre may look like many other salt estuaries on the bayside of a string of barrier islands, but it is not. It is one of maybe six such bodies of water in the world. The National Park Service describes it as "hypersaline." Since Port Isabel is located so close to the border, a day trip into Mexico is certainly possible provided you have a US passport. The border crossing is at Brownsville, a short drive west from Port Isabel. Port Isabel is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by South Padre Island. Go through the Brazos Santiago Pass to get into the Gulf. The Pass has manmade jetties that extend well into the Gulf.

Port Isabel Inshore Fishing

As Texas' southernmost coastal community, Port Isabel offers fishing opportunities that are not found in more northern communities. Tarpon are caught here year-round, with the rare exception of a very cold front that either turns the bite off or drives the Silver Kings further south. During the cooler parts of the year, the tarpon are small. In summer, the big ones show up in impressive numbers. Tarpon are caught of a variety of artificial lures and live bait like pinfish, menhaden and crabs. Tarpon are also a bucket list fish for many fly fishermen. Crab, shrimp and streamer patterns are the top choices. Snook is another year-round fish here. Snook readily take grubs, jigs and crankbaits when feeding. Live bait like shrimp and baitfish are ideal. Snook are also particular about feeding, depending on where they are. In channels, they wait for moving water to feed. Out on the flats, some tide movement helps the bite, but it is not as vital as in channels. Those flats are the big draw for anglers because this is ground zero for redfish. Huge schools of the bronzebacks cruise the shallower water constantly looking for crabs, minnows and shrimp. Schooling reds are feeding reds. Because this is shallow-water fishing, it is perfect for topwater lures. Just be sure you are ready for some heart-stopping explosive strikes. Reds also fall victim to live and cut bait, jigs and grubs. These can be fished with or without a popping cork. You can also freeline the live and cut bait. The Brazos Santiago Pass is a great place to find bull reds. Once redfish hit a certain size, they move into deeper water. The pass fits the bulls perfectly because it gives the depth they want and the current brings in the food they need. The flats are also home to speckled trout. Bud Rowland holds the state catch-and-release record with a 15.6-pound gator trout caught on a fly. The same techniques and lures used on reds will also work on trout. Target trout around the seagrass beds out in the flats. Sandy flats mean flounder. These flat, ambush predators lay on the sand beds and wait for something to come by. Don't let the ambush part fool you. Flounders are aggressive fish and will come off the bottom to attack lures and small live bait. One of the best ways to get flounder is gigging at night.

Port Isabel Offshore Fishing

Head out through the pass to get into the Gulf of Mexico and deeper waters. This is where things can get tricky. If you are fishing with a Texas license, stay in US territorial waters. If you cross into Mexico's territorial waters, you need a Mexican fishing permit. Fortunately, Port Isabel fishing charters know the rules and know where the border is so they will keep you legal. You have two choices when in the Gulf. You can target reef fish or pelagics. Both kinds are caught by trolling. Pelagics are also caught while drifting along with baits with no weight following the boat. The reef fish are caught by dropping live and cut bait onto the structure at the bottom. Top reef fish are grouper, snapper, cobia, barracuda and triggerfish. Pelagics are mackerel, yellowfin and blackfin tuna, wahoo and mahi mahi. Sharks fall into each category.

Book A Port Isabel Fishing Charter

Port Isabel fishing charters hit the water every day so they know where the fish are. Spend your time catching fishing instead of looking for them. FishAnywhere has the best guides at the best prices to make sure your fishing experience is always awesome.