If you think it takes a special talent or expensive equipment to go fishing on one of the big piers, I’m here to tell you that anyone can do it! We threw in our hooks on Horace Caldwell Pier one evening, after getting tons of tips in town and on the pier, and the kids all made several catches, and we had a great time!
Know Before You Go
Fishing License are required for anyone 17 or older.
We started each morning of our week in Port Aransas walking from our cottage at the Laughing Horse Lodge to the beach, just down the street. There we would walk down to the Horace Caldwell Pier, picking up shells and different things we found on the beach. Recent flooding had altered the salinity of the waters enough that there was a lot of dead and dying starfish on the beach! You can tell a living starfish if it’s little tube feet on it’s bottom move when you touch it. My daughter also found a mermaid’s purse, which is a pretty name for a shark egg pouch, many sand dollars and even a dead puffer fish, which didn’t smell so great but was a near find none the less!
The Horace Caldwell Pier runs out into the gulf, rents fishing poles and you can even buy frozen bait. We decided one evening to try our luck fishing on the pier!
You must pay to enter the pier, whether you are fishing or not, and you pay per fishing pole you bring with you.
Want live bait instead of frozen? Head over to Port A Outfitters! They can give you advice on fishing on the pier, as well as hook you up on bait and anything else you might need.
We had an incredible time, arriving about an hour before the sun went down so we could get a good spot on the pier. It was a weekday, so I would suggest coming earlier on weekends. We carried our chairs, an ice chest with water and drinks, but you can’t take alcohol, a flashlight, baby wipes to clean our hands and our bait. A wagon would have been great, had we had one.
We were told again and again to set up on the second sandbar, which we did! We also sat up near one of the lights that points down into the water, which made it easy to see our bobbers and hopefully attracted a few fish to us!
The kids all caught several fish, and just as we were getting ready to leave, my oldest pulled in a young shark! It was SO exciting!! We quickly released it back into the water!
Grill
We had planned on having dinner at the grill with our big catch, but none of our catches were really “dinner” worthy! The Grill sells tacos, burgers, fried shrimp and more, and will cook your catch for you!
Things To Do in Port Aransas
Play
We had the BEST time watching on a dolphin tour with Scarlet Lady Dolphin Adventures! The crew was great, and very informative about not only the dolphins but also the history of the island! Click HERE to read more!
Eat
Bring your catch over to Fins Grill and Icehouse, where they will cook it up for you! We also love Lelo’s Island Bar, with great burgers!
Sleep
There are tons of great VRBOs on the island, and I love the location of Seashell Village!
Keepers at Horace Caldwell Pier
Port Aransas Beach
Click HERE to visit their website.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
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