Fishing Reports

Fishing Report 7/1/10

I hope everyone had an enjoyable & safe 4th of July weekend. Hurricane Alex has come and gone now from our Texas coast. The storm brought some much needed rainfall all across the state without much harm from high winds or extreme flooding in most hard hit areas. Hurricanes in our area bring with them some high tides which flush bays and marshes adding life to our waters. During the incoming surge of water, the trout fishing was great prior to the storm with limits coming fairly easy. Once the storm made land fall, and now with the water levels going down, the red fish have come "un-glued" in the last couple of days or so!! Trout are still being caught but it's not quite as easy as last week. I still have a few days to book in the month of July if you're interested in fishing with me in the near future, and catching both trout and reds should continue to be good to great until the first part of August when the reds will once again take the front seat instead of the back because of the normally lower tides and daytime temps. Best baits for me have been live croaker for trout and reds while wading or drifting, and mullet while strictly red fishing.

Until next time, Remember when the cards are down and the bet is called, you have your Ace In The Hole

 

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Fishing Report 6-1-10

Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend. My heart, gratitude, and prayers for their families, go out to those who have served in our military and have paid the ultimate price for our country. Without their sacrifice, our country would not be where, or who, it is today.

The winds have laid down here in Rockport for the most part over the last two weeks. The fishing, or lets say the catching, has been fantastic for me and my clients. I have been very pleased with my charters, be it trout fishing or red fishing.

There have been some nice trout coming to the docks on live croaker. Boat fishing and wading has been very good, but the wade fishing has taken top honors with me. Aransas Bay & Corpus Bay seem to be holding the most fish right now and all the normal places, or "names" seem to be holding trout. Sand and grass have been my target structure with an incoming tide. Wind direction and velocity has dictated where I've been fishing. With the light winds  we've been experiencing I've had many places to choose from to say the least.

The reds have been in the normal places I tend to find them in this time of year, but the areas with shell seem to be holding the larger numbers however. Live croaker are working on them also, but cut mullet has been my preferred bait. Limits of slot sized fish, with a maybe an over-sized mixed in, have been very easy most days when I've concentrated on the reds.

My available dates in June are fast filling up, but I still have about 10 days yet to fill before I'm booked solid. If you would like to book a day fishing with me during this month, I suggest giving me a call ASAP and we'll see what we can get worked out.

On another note, I've been asked by a lot of people if the BP oil disaster in Louisiana has been effecting my fishing waters. The answer is no. We all need to pray this leak is stopped very soon though. Our neighboring states are being affected by it, and we all are going to suffer in many different ways if the leak is not stopped soon.

Sincerely,
Capt. Brent Hopkins

HM  361-729-6911
MB  361-534-4007 

 

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Fishing Report 05-16-10

The Fish and Hunt USA crew joined Capt. Brent Hopkins for a day of fishing in Rockport, Texas. The bite was a bit slow, but we managed to get a lot more than most people brought to the docks that day. Captain Brent Hopkins was patient and educational with my young crew. Good times!

Fishing Report 04-15-10

The wind has really been blowing the last couple of weeks here, so the trout fishing has been pretty spotty overall. Croakers are now large enough to use in my opinion, but just having them on the hook does not guarantee that you'll be able to catch them due to rough bays and dirty water. Wading has been best because you can hug the shorelines and stay in more fishable/cleaner waters.

Since very few trout have been showing up at the cleaning tables, I've been concentrating more on redfish and the bite has been phenomenal on my boat!!! Limits of slot sized reds have been very easy every day for my clients, along with some over-sized reds a few days out of the week. 9 to 15 slot sized reds in the cooler looks a might more impressive than a dozen trout or so. Especially when the average red kept is 25"!!!

 

Until the winds subside, I'm going to stay with the reds for now. If you're looking for some real line stretching fun and are interested in catching some quality reds, I still have some dates open in which to fill in the coming weeks.

 

Until next time,
Capt. Brent Hopkins

 Fishing Report 04-15-10

 

We finally received some much needed water (higher tides) in the bays this week along with a little rain. Trout fishing has been very spotty, but the redfish have been nothing short of spectacular for me this last week! I've heard of a few trout being caught up north and around Mud Island while either throwing live shrimp under a pop'n cork, or by wade fishing the shorelines and throwing artificials. It's a hit or miss thing right now though for trout. The bigger fish have been coming off of topwaters and slow sinking baits like the Corky. Plastics have also been working if you're in the fish and wanting more hook-ups. 

Redfish however have just been hammering cut mullet and perch. It's been very hard for me to pull off of the reds and go for trout being that I'm on the reds so well. It's a lot of fun for people with a big red tied to the end of their line! Limits of reds have been fairly easy for me and my clients almost every day. The majority of them have been around the 23" to 25" class, but I have also had my share of those over 25" along with a few oversized.

 

May is the month we start seeing croaker at the bait stands for those of you that like to fish with them. I'm looking forward to seeing what our trout population "really is" here in the Rockport area if the winds subside and let us fish where we need to be fishing during that time frame of year. The last two years here has been pretty bad as for trout, but it's really shaping up to be a good year this year because of the rain and I'm so looking forward to it. I still have quite a few days open in May for those of you that want to get away and do some fishing. Be it red fishing or trout fishing, I'm sure I'll be on them and ready to put you in my Ace In The Hole.

 

Sincerely,
Capt. Brent Hopkins

Fishing Report 2-15-10

 

For the last couple of weeks I have not been on the water at all because I have been running my annual hog and javelina hunts since duck season closed on January 24th. The hog hunts were a success for the most part, but we could have used a little less rain, fog, and cold during the hunts. February has been a little rough down here in South Texas so far, but not quite as bad further up the country where there has been snow, cold, and ice it seems on a regular basis.

Since returning home from my hog hunts on Feb. 10, I have run a few fishing trips however. Redfish and black drum have been my target fish since the cold doesn't bother them quite as bad as it does our speckled trout. Cut mullet and dead shrimp fished on bottom has been the best way of catching fish because the water is cold and we have had very little sunshine. I have been starting my fishing trips later in the day and fishing until nearly dark since that is the warmest part of the day and the fish move up into the shallows to feed. I've been concentrating my efforts over mud/shell and mud/grass mixed bottoms since the darker bottoms hold more heat.

Spring is just around the corner and I'm looking forward to some warmer temps, as I'm sure you are too. Spring Break will be here before you know it along with some warmer, nicer weather, and the fish will be readily biting. I still have plenty of days available for those of you that would like to get out and enjoy some sunshine in March while catching some fish after the boredoms of winter we have all endured. Late Spring and Summer time can't get here fast enough if you ask me!

 ********FISHING SPECIAL********

Receive free lodging with any fishing trip Feb 20th through March 12th, 2010

Sincerely,
Capt. Brent Hopkins

The rain and cooler temps here in Rockport have been great, along with the redfish bite. Limits of reds have been the norm on my boat the last couple of weeks except for an occasional day or two. Best catching days though have come when we have had a steady north wind. Those reds love a north wind this time of year. The reds have been averaging 22" to 26" making a box full of fish look even better! Best bait for me has been topwaters and cut mullet. The drum I have been on all summer seem to have up and vanished on me though for the last week or so. Maybe once we lose a little bit of water they will show back up. We'll see. Trout fishing is still very slow around here in Rockport.
My charters up to POC while fishing for the larger bull reds have been good. My clients have been averaging about 10 or so a day which makes for some great picture taking and sore stomachs. The largest one we caught last week measured out at a whopping 48"!!! If you're wanting to do this trip this year, you better get on the ball now. These fish will be gone by mid November.
For you duck hunters, this morning while out fishing I saw several flocks of redheads, pintails, teal, and a few widgeon. I still have dates open in my calendar for those of you that might like to do a cast-n-blast in the next month or so. I'm really looking forward to "pop'n a few caps" in the next couple of months.
Until next time,
Remember when the cards are down and the bet is called, you have your Ace in the Hole.
Fishing Report 10-8-09
We have finally received some much needed rain here in Rockport over the last couple of weeks or so. No doubt we needed it in the worst way. The cool front a couple of weeks ago was a welcome change from the blazing heat we had been enduring. It made temps so much more pleasant than those 100 degree days while out on the water. Our next front, which is pushing through as I type this, is bringing more rain and cooler temps again. Trout fishing has still been on the slow side. Redfish and drum on the other hand has been nothing short of very good to great for me with the exception of last week when we had some very high tides and a full moon making our fishing a little tough for those few days or so. Limits of reds and or drum have been the norm with the exception of a few of my trips. Mullet have been the bait of choice for the reds while fishing the potholes, shell beds, and shorelines. Topwaters and live piggies fished under corks while drifting the flats have been producing a few trout and near limits of reds so I've heard from my buddies that fish there normally. Once our water cools a little more our fish should get the hint and start moving into fall fishing patterns.

Also those of you that have trips booked with me and are wondering about the bull reds I fish for during October, they are there I think but not "really thick" right now. I went a couple of times last week and caught enough to actually call the trip a success but it was not up to "my standards". I think part of my problem of not slaying them last week is due to the lack of current and the full moon. Rest assured though, they are there and it will get better once we lose this full moon and our tide times change just a little.
For those of you that are wondering about duck & dove hunting, and from what I can see right now, it's shaping up to be a good season. I'm already seeing quite a few ducks in the marsh and we're not even very far into October yet. The bays and marsh are chock full of feed for the ducks and we have some fresh water around now that the rains have came which is good for holding more ducks.
As for the dove hunting side of things, I've picked up a new place that has been very good to me and my clients over the last week. This new place of mine is located near Alice, has fields all around it, and right smak dab in the middle of my place is a watering hole that the doves are hitting before going to roost. The doves are flocking to it late evenings and the shooting has been great!!
If you're wanting to get into some of this action, (be it fishing or bird hunting) and have not got a trip booked with me you should give me a holler and see what we can get worked out. There is a lot less boat traffic on the water now and I still have some dates available to book. I'm always looking forward to seeing my regular clients and those of you that just see me once in a while, or meeting you for the first time for those of you that have never hired me as your guide.
Until next time,
Remember when the cards are down and the bet is called, you have your Ace in the Hole.
Fishing Report 9-01-09
This week we have had some good tidal flow and some much needed higher tides overall. Still no rain but my hopes of getting some are closer. The Farmer's Almanac predicts us to have a wet winter and for it to start raining in September. I will welcome the rains as much as the other person I assure you.
With the higher tides we have seen our trout bite pick up somewhat here in Rockport, but it's not a slam dunk either. With this being said I have still been concentrating on redfish in the back lakes and shallow flats. Limits have been very easy most days and a little tougher others. Redfish limits daily have been the norm though with some black drum mixed in IF I can get them to eat and stay "put". Best baits for the reds have been live mullet and cut mullet fished along the breaks and in the potholes. Drum of course are eating fresh dead shrimp.
Our trout bite should pick up once we start to get some cooler temps in here around mid September. This sounds crazy to me being that I have been limiting on reds nearly every day, but our redfish bite will also pick up considerably once September gets here.
If you're a duck hunter and wanting to do some early teal hunting give me a holler. Believe it or not I have actually seen a few flocks of teal already up in the marsh. On top of all this dove season is just around the corner and I'm booking hunts if you're interested. With the lack of rain I'm sure the dove hunting will be awesome once it opens up in the south zone.
Check us out @ www.aceintheholeguideservice.com
Fishing Report 7-20-09
Sorry guys and gals for taking so long to let you know what's going on down this way. I've been just a tad bit busy, plus having family over for the better part of week last week kept my hands full sort of speak.
Still no rain, hot temps, high winds, and some very low tides here in the Rockport area right now. (The last 4 or 5 days the winds have not blown too hard though)
Trout fishing has been pretty slow here in Rockport due to the conditions.
There has been some trout action south of Rockport, but the redfish action has been superb to excellent close to home!! Limits of slot reds (along with some oversized reds some days) before noon has been very easy for my clients the last couple of weeks. Add to that I have been on some black drum that are easy to catch after we get through catching our redfish most days. Needless to say my clients have been very happy coming back to the dock with the ice chest so full of keeper fish that the lid has a hard time staying closed! I see no reason why these fish should go anywhere in the next month or so too. Actually, the red fishing should only get better as we go into September. So if you're looking for some hard fighting fish, and not being wore smooth out from working a trout rod all day, give me a shout and we'll go get 'ya some big reds !!!
Until next time,
remember when the cards are down and the bet is called, you have your Ace in the Hole.
Fishing Report 6-1-09
Finally, here about 2 weeks ago, the wind decided to quit blowing so durn hard making our trout bite really turn on because of the green water and higher tides. Limits have been almost easy for me while wade fishing the outside beaches with sand & grass. Boat fishing for trout has been good too, but I can't seem to "get away" from wading right now. By far the best bait going is live croaker. The trout have been hammering them to say the least! I have had some really nice mornings too throwing topwaters for trout where I find a lot of nervous bait while bunched up together real tight like.
Since the wind quit blowing and we finally got our bull tide in here, I have not been red fishing at all for the last week or so. Prior to the winds dying, my clients were having some exceptional days catching limits of reds in the back lakes though. I'm sure the reds are still there, but trout fishing has been a welcome change of pace for me and I'm sticking to the trout for now.
Until next time,
Remember when the cards are down and the bet is called, you have your Ace in the Hole.

Fishing Report 4-15-09
We are still getting cold fronts on a regular basis with some beneficial rains "up north" for the most part. During this time of year, cold fronts set our trout bite back just a little further so long as they keep coming. So with that being said, our trout bite has not been worth a darn the last two weeks. But rest assured, the trout bite will be ON here in the next couple of weeks or so I believe. A few trout have been caught on soft plastics if you're fishing during the time they decide to feed and are willing to get out of the boat and wade fish. With the trout bite being so slow I have still been concentrating on redfish & black drum. I was told last week by a friend of mine, "if it ain't broke don't try and fix it", and that's what I have been doing. Both reds & drum have been eager to bite live or dead bait. Like my last report, it depends on the conditions as to which bay I decide to fish. One bay holds more fish of one kind than the other sort of speak, so my clients have not been getting a lot of mixed boxes here lately. Needless to say, they have not been disappointed in their box of keeper fish to take home either. Limits have been easy on both reds & drum, but the conditions dictate as to which bay system I fish.
For those of you that like to fish with live croaker, the season is just around the corner and I'm looking forward to a change of pace.
Until next time,
Remember when the cards are down and the bet is called, You have your Ace in the Hole.
Fishing Report 4 / 01 / 09
We have seen quite a few changes here in the Rockport area since my last report. We actually received some beneficial rain, good tidal flow, and quite a bit of wind just to name a few. Trout have been a little slow because of numerous reasons, but they seem to always be slow this time of year as a whole. Give it a little more time for our weather patterns to "settle down" and we should see our trout bite pick up by the middle of April or so. Redfish and black drum on the other hand have been FANTASTIC for me and my clients depending upon our weather conditions, water levels, and which bay I decide to fish. Many factors actually dictates as to which bay I fish for these two species. (One bay system holds more fish of one kind than the other) Most days though I have been concentrating on reds because they have been so easy for me to put a great box of fish together for my clients. Limits before noon have been the norm, while some have been even sooner! Redfish have been wanting live mullet or fresh shrimp, while the drum don't seem to want anything besides peeled shrimp.
If you're looking for some real rod bending action and not having to work real hard for it, now is the time you should be considering coming down and seeing me.
I doubt you'll leave disappointed.
Until next time,
Remember when the cards are down and the bet is called, you have your Ace in the Hole.