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The Laguna
Madre is a large body of
shallow water separating Padre
Island from the South Texas
mainland. It covers 609 square miles
of estuarine and coastal marine
systems. The boundary of Padre
Island National Seashore encompasses
approximately 20,000 acres of the
Laguna Madre.
Since no major rivers flow into the
Laguna Madre, its salt content is
quite high, about 35 parts per 1000
parts of water. This increases to 45
parts per 1000 parts of water in the
Lower Laguna Madre and during
periods of hot, dry weather.
The average water depth is about 2.5
feet, with some areas reaching a
depth of 5 feet. Variable depths and
salinity support different types of
seagrasses, hyper-saline marshes,
algal flats, and lomas.
Mudflats, barrier islands, dunes,
spoil islands, saline marsh, and
coastal sand plains are the main
geomorphic features of Laguna Madre.
Sport fishing is very rewarding in
the Laguna Madre where redfish,
black drum and flounder are caught.
Texas General
Land Office (GLO) operate
fishing cabins as well as camping
sites on the spoil islands.
The Laguna Madre is a large area and
parts of it are owned by the public
sector while other parts are owned
by the private sector. The Texas
General Land Office (GLO), Texas
Parks and Wildlife, and the federal
government own a large section of
the area, while private entities
like the
Audubon Society, King Ranch,
and others own other sections of the
area.
The Laguna Madre is a unique area
along the Gulf of Mexico in
southwest Texas, and Port Mansfield
is a great place to access much of
it. Portions of the famous King
Ranch extend north from Port
Mansfield for many miles up along
the coast, providing undeveloped
waterfront as far as the eye can
see.
There are 550 square miles of water
in the entire Laguna Madre. A good
deal of it is far from major ports,
which means there are places to fish
by yourself if you're willing to
make a run. Amazingly, the average
depth here is just 3 1/2 feet.
Specialized shallow draft boats are
used. There is only small tidal
movement in the lagoon, which is
saltier than the ocean, and the
clear water allows light penetration
to grow abundant sea grasses. This
combination provides a near
year-round environment for seatrout
(primarily spotted seatrout),
redfish, and flounder.
The water is generally clear, unless
stirred up by persistent winds, and
the bottom has lush greenery and
white-sand holes, often producing
large fish that lie in wait to
ambush bait. Much fishing is done by
stalking, using boat and foot to
look for individual fish (mainly
redfish) or schools of trout and
reds. Guides who fish out of Port
Mansfield, like Capt. Shuler, prefer
wading. Seatrout are often found in
schools, and a group of waders
fishing in line won't spook a bunch
of shallow-water fish as would the
passage of a drifting or motorized
boat. Because virtually all this
angling is done in very thin water,
great light-tackle excitement can
result. It's not uncommon for a
group to catch several dozen fish in
one spot.
Padre Island National Seashore
protects much of the remote Laguna
Madre from the open Gulf waters
beyond. The seashore encompasses
Padre Island, the longest barrier
island in North America, where
anglers can use four-wheel-drive
vehicles to visit over 40 miles of
waterfront. There's good fishing
along the surf for a potpourri of
species, and September sees a lot of
action thanks to abundant, and
close, baitfish schools.
Surveys done by the Coastal
Fisheries Division of Texas Parks
and Wildlife indicate that the lower
Laguna Madre has the largest
population of trout and redfish to
be found along the entire Texas
coast. And nearly 57 percent of all
the trophy seatrout (30 inches or
better) landed in Texas in the past
25 years came from the lower lagoon.
Another 20 percent came from the
upper lagoon.
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