Kayak Fishing

The Coastal Bend is the center of kayak fishing in Texas. Some even say it started in the shallow bays of Rockport and Aransas Pass. Since the sport has grown into a full-blown angling subculture. Check out www.TexasKayakFisherman.com. 

Kayaks provide anglers with an affordable means to reach farther into the bays. Some even use them to fish for reef fish at oil and gas rigs in the gulf. 

But more commonly anglers paddle the convenient shallow flats and mangrove lakes where most motorboats cannot reach. The most popular vessels are called sit-on-top kayaks. But a growing number of anglers are using hybrid models that more closely resemble a canoe. The wide flat-bottom paddlecraft allow anglers to stand and sightcast to fish while floating. The Coastal Bend has its share of kayak shops, with folks there willing to rent and advise anglers unfamiliar with the area. But again, if you’re looking for efficiency, ask about the area’s many fine kayak guides.

You’ll find that kayaks are not only for fishing. Because they’re stealth and shallow running, they’re ideal for bird watching or simply exploring a mangrove maze where people rarely go.   But most folks use them as a means of accessing fishing areas. After crossing over deeper areas, anglers will either drift fish over beds of seagrass or perhaps tether their boat to a belt loop and do a little wade fishing.