# Port Aransas Seaweed??



## Catfishman (Mar 22, 2008)

I understand that seaweed can cause big surf fishing problems on the Gulf Coast. Is there any particular time of year when it would NOT be advisable to plan a fishing trip to PA? Who could be contacted ahead of time? Thanks


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## Catfish713 (Nov 9, 2006)

it comes and goes, there really is no season for it, but the best time i know of is mid to late summer, through winter, its usually pretty bad in the spring because of the blooms, but if you can get past that problem, you have some GREAT fish mixed in there :fishing:


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## Team Buddhahead (Apr 3, 2007)

The Spring is the worst. But that just means you can fish the weed with top waters and light tackle. It's a blast to see the trout and jacks between the mats of weed. We have yet to get the big weed like last year but it will come and go. The jacks are on Packery right now with reports of fish to 40lbs. Some reds and pomps still being caught down on Pins. 
Good luck!!!


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## Catfishman (Mar 22, 2008)

Thanks for the replies. The reason I asked is that we have visited PA during the first week of March for the last two years. The beaches and water were pristine. I was hoping to make another trip in May until I heard about the possibility of seaweed interfering with surf fishing. I'm so new to this type of fishing that I wanted to check. Maybe I should put this trip off until after Labor Day???


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## Catfish713 (Nov 9, 2006)

no way man, go for it, i mean yea theres gonna be seaweed, but late march - early july are some of the best fishing seasons in port aransas, you can catch anything in the surf, and i mean ANYTHING


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## seagrit (Mar 23, 2008)

Little shrimp hide in weed... little fish hide in weed... BIG fish like little shrimp and little fish


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## Catfish713 (Nov 9, 2006)

theres the food chain for ha  if you throw plugs or soft plastics, just make sure they are weedless, and as for your long rods, just deal with it, use some heavy weights to punch through the mats, and be patient, its all worth it in the end :beer:


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## LaughingGull (Apr 18, 2008)

It seems there was a particular hurricane which drove Sargassum seaweed into the gulf, into the gulf stream to land on beaches in the same places offshore oil worker helmets, pesticide canisters, and the usual ropes and flotsam land in. This was not a problem until the late 1980's, early 1990's. I think it was hurricane Hugo, but I'm not sure, because it was so long ago. I've learned to accept it as a surf fishing problem wrt surf fishing in the Texas spring surf. I generally don't waste time planning a big trip, fishing the Texas spring surf until late June, which isn't really spring any more. The only fishing techniques, which might allow some less frustrating fishing are thick mat bass fishing techniques. Bait under a float cast into a hole in the mat, weedless jerk baits with a barely exposed hook, and lures tossed in earnest, into the holes in the mat, fished as sincerely as possible, then cleaned of seaweed once hauled in and recast. Those are all weed choked small pond bass fishing techniques.

I prefer to concentrate on inshore, until early July. You'll do the best surf fishing when the wind has been light to non existent from the east enough days to allow the surf to become gin clear. When you can wade into the water waist deep and still see your toes that's gin clear. It's when the surf is this clear that large pelagic species come closest to shore in search of food we think of as a really good catch. Pay close attention to wind and tide reports for several days, as well as the potential for tropical weather. On the other hand the tropical weather can be an excuse to just chuck the domestication and hang out at a local dive, and not deal with the stress of fighting seaweed. Your mileage may vary.


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## Catfish713 (Nov 9, 2006)

only problem there gull is that the texas shrimp season starts in early july so if you wait on the surf fishin till then you will miss the majority of the shark action till the season is over, because the sharks all head off shore to follow the shrimp boats and pick off the throwbacks, so yea you might save yourself some frustration if your lookin for slot reds and specks, but if your lookin for bull reds, shark, spanish macks, jack, or anything like that, now is the time to shine, pull out the heavers and get to work


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## LaughingGull (Apr 18, 2008)

*And today you accomplished what?*

Now you ask, what looked like an honest question, and I gave you an honest answer, and made some attempt at handing you useful information, and you use it to just try and take me down a notch or two. Is it possible that someone other than you could know something about fishing in salt water, someone who's been fishing in salt water for 35 + years? The sharks are in the spring surf to reproduce. They go offshore for larger prey. I doubt the recent introduction of man and shrimp boats into their environment has changed 500 million years of evolution. Any boat throwing out chum will attract sharks. It just looks like sharks go offshore to follow shrimp boats. The next time I see a topic question posted by you I'll spare both you and me the trouble of an answer. Have fun fishing.opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:


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## Catfishman (Mar 22, 2008)

>>The next time I see a topic question posted by you I'll spare both you and me the trouble of an answer.<<

Gull,
I think you may have mixed up Catfish713 with Catfishman (me), the original poster of the honest question. I appreciate your reply since I have a total of 2 hours experience in surf fishing. Thanks. :fishing:


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