As tides return to normal, I'd wade the backside of Mustang Island. Look for mullet activity and start out throwing a black/silver Top Dog, 1/2-ounce gold weedless Johnson spoon or a pumpkinseed/chartreuse Queen Cocahoe Minnow on an eighth-ounce jighead. Later, throw pumpkinseed/chartreuse Texas Trout Killers, targeting sand pockets. With the tide falling during the day, I'd target the many cuts that drain the back lakes and marshes. Throw Berkly Gulps under an Alameda Rattling Float for trout, reds and flounder. Once the tide has fallen completely, concentrate on the channels of Shamrock. Target the drop-offs, using the same bait. Also make long drifts across East Flats using gold spoon or your favorite soft plastic for trout red and flounder.
Light House Lakes - The Lighthouse Lakes Paddling Trail are located in an area called North Harbor Island, just west of Port Aransas and north of the HWY 361 Causeway. There are a series of three individual, but interconnected, trails that can be accessed by launching from the north side of the causeway and by following a series of trail markers. The trails wind through one of the most pristine and beautiful tidal flats on the Texas Gulf Coast. Fishing in these areas can be excellent, as is bird watching and just general paddling around. Your ability to access some of these areas is dependent upon tidal level, so it is a good idea to check before you go. Higher tides make for much easier access. Also, these trails can be pretty tough paddling in winds greater than 20 mph. Much of the bottom is easily waded, but there are numerous oyster reefs in the area, so sturdy shoes are a must. You must cross a deep shipping channel to access the trails, but the channel is not excessively wide and you can cross it in less than five minutes with moderate paddling.
Brown & Root Flats - The Corpus Christi ship channel can be accessed on foot via the spoil island at the south end of the Brown and Root flats. It offers a good, hard bottom that allows wading to the edge of the channel drop-off, for casting to trout in the deeper water. Those who make the run down the Corpus Christi channel can fish either side of the channel edges or access the Brown and Root flats by walking across the spoil island on the north shoreline.
Red Fish Bay - Dagger Island on Redfish Bay is a good area to driftfish. Casting over grass beds, look for fish around potholes and light sand patches. Dagger is known for holding clear water. The island is accessible from a number of marinas and public ramps at Aransas Pass and Port Aransas. Ransom Island, located north of the Corpus Christi ship channel, also is known for holding good numbers of trout and redfish. Both Dagger and Ransom islands are excellent areas for redfish on the "outside" in deeper water and on the "inside" along shallow flats.
Packery Channel on Padre Island - Park entrance road is the last road to the right on Highway P22 before taking the causeway north leaving Padre Island (by the Visitor Center). Follow the road east past Playa Del Ray to the water, staying to the left and going north to the small dirt boat launch ramp. Protected launch. N27d37.801m, W97d13.099m Can paddle SW along the channels to the homes, or NE under the causeway and then south along Packery Channel Park and homes further south. Because the tide range in the western Gulf of Mexico is so low and sand supply in the littoral system is so high, there are only two natural tidal inlet positions (Aransas Pass and Packery Channel) along the Central Texas coast. Packery Channel was a natural tidal inlet before it closed in 1930 as a result of deepening Aransas Pass so that ships could navigate safely to ports at Ingleside and Corpus Christi. Recently (2004), Packery Channel was artificially reopened to provide small boats shorter access from North Padre Island to the Gulf of Mexico.
Fish Pass - 27° 40' 58.188" N, 97° 10' 33.060" W
Fish Pass, located on Mustang Island State Park, is on the (right) west side of Hwy 361 approximately 13.1 miles from the Port Aransas Ferry dock. Watch for a small bridge that spans the fish pass. The entrance is immediately on your right. If you pass it, the main park entrance to Mustang Island State Park is approximately .4 miles further down the road on your left. The entrance road to Fish Pass is sandy and vehicles with higher clearances are recommended.
Wilsons Cut - 27° 44' 14.784" N, 97° 08' 15.000" W, Wilson's Cut, a launch ramp and boat channel located south of Port Aransas off Texas 361 (across the road from the Sandpiper and Seagull Condominiums), offers access to prime grass flats behind Shamrock Island and Shamrock Cove. The Cut is on private property but the entrance is always open and is used by lots of fisherman. Please respect the owner's property by staying in the immediate vicinity of the put-in and remove all trash. This is an excellent drive-up, walk-in wadefishing area have a chance of seeing good numbers of tailing redfish and black drum as well as getting an occasional shot at a solitary, heavyweight female speckled trout. The features present in the Wilson's Cut area expansive flats with creeks and depressions are ideal habitat for redfish and black drum. You can also target school trout and flounder around the creek mouths.
Shamrock Cove - Shamrock Cove boat launch just before Port Aransas Going south on the causeway onto Padre Island (Highway P22), turn RIGHT onto Highway 361. Go about 10 miles (about half way to Port Aransas) and turn left to Wilson Cut where you can launch to paddle to Shamrock Island. It is a dirt road on the left just opposite and past the last multistory condominium on the right. You can probably see fishing boat cars and trailers parked by the boat launch area. Road entrance at N27d44.155m, W97d8.045m Paddle NW out the cut, and then N to Shamrock Island