Corpusfishing.com

bobaloo1 · Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 11:51 pm Post subject: Labonte Park?

Every time I come to CC and the beach from Austin I come by Labonte Park and the Nueces River. There are cars and fisherpersons everywhere...What in the world are they fishing for? Is this fresh or brackish water? Just curious.

reef-rat · Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 4:37 am Post subject:

There is a concrete dam at the south end of Labonte park that separates the fresh water from salt water in the river. Hence the local name of Fresh water dam. The city water suction is on the upstream side of the dam. The downstream side can be fresh if there has been any recent overflow at the dam.
I don't know what people catch at the park but farther down the river I have caught, redfish, trout, and fresh water catfish. I have seen alligator gar in the river also. So my guess is, if it lives in fresh or salt water you may catch it at the park.
Also my understanding is: if you are fishing downstream of the dam you will need a saltwater license and upstream of the dam you would need a fresh water license.

bobaloo1 · Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 5:39 am Post subject:

Fascinating....I have seen the dam from the road, but it never occured about fresh/salt line and that makes sense. I certainly knew the closer you got to the mouth that salt fish would definitely be there. Thanks for the info. The license thing is really interesting!!

Gib · Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 8:36 am Post subject: Labonte Park

Labonte Park can be a good fishing place depending on if water is coming over the dam. It is better when water is coming over.

While I would have a saltwater license, I have been told that IH-37 is the dividing point for licenses.

As far as fish go, I have caught everything on the downside of the dam: blue cat, yellow cat, channel cat, crappie, black bass, white bass, hybrids, perch, shad, mullet, skip jack, flounder, red, trout, whiting, crabs,etc.

Be mindful of the Game Wardens there. A few months back there was a problem with some of the game wardens telling people they were catching hybrids when they actually were white bass. Don't ask me how I know!! The only thing that saved a few people was the fact that they had a regulation book with them to verify by looking at the pictures.

Also, if there in the early morning or late evening, be careful of snakes. They are in abundance there.

Good luck!!

Donnie · Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 12:23 pm Post subject: labonte park

I grew up on that little spillway, my mom used to drop me and my brothers off there back in the mid 60's or so. When the water is flowing properly, you can catch all kinds of fish there. I have caught white bass, crappie, black bass, channel cat, blue cats, appaloussa cat, bluegill perch, something a cajun friend called a grinnel (looks bassish - but has jaws and teeth like a bulldog and has a rough skin, more a hide than fish skin). I have also caught specs, redfish, alligator gar, skip jack, flounder,
my first snook, and of course, hardheads.

Work your way out on the rocks when the water is moving, keep your shadow off the water, go out to the far half of the spillway, work a little black and white jig in the current. Sometime the shad will be in there so thick that the skipjacks, trout and whitebass and birds will be tearing them up. There are good catfish in the deeper holes but I was never too successful with those, though I know that chicken gizzards is what the old-timers catch them with there, and they get up in size .

Big John · Full Grown Flour Bluffian Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 2647

Yeah, I remember playing and fishing that dam growing up. All types off fish both salt and fresh water are caught there.

There used to be a big rope swing in the tree just to the left of the dam, we would use. Had a lot of fun there.
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reef-rat · Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 4:53 am Post subject:

Gib is correct about the bridge being the dividing line for defining salt water and fresh water. I believe it is the same where highway 77 crosses the Aransas river. The road is considered the dividing line, not whether the water is brackish.
I have never asked a game warden what the rules are for retaining fish. Does anyone know if you can keep saltwater fish with a freshwater license?

barnaclebill · Horse Mullet Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 139

If the folks are fishing at the spillway, they're probably fishing for either White Bass or Largemouth bass, although when the water is running pretty well redfish will migrate up to the spillway chasing either mullet or shad. Folks fishing down the river from the spillway are usually going after catfish or gar.. I used to skip school and fish there all the time,, I would use a treble hook and snag small shad, then jig them in the rapids for whites...
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Donnie · Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 8:14 am Post subject: Be careful there at the spillway

Just a note about safety there, be careful in that fast water between the rocks and the sand bar - the water is deep and when the water is coming over the rocks, there is some kind of current, though I havent felt it. I have participated in two attempted rescues, both back in the 60's when I was a teen, neither successful.

Snakes are pretty thick in there, and there are some gators on the opposite side of the river, over to the left where there is a little inlet. Broken glass in the rocks from the retards that break their beer bottles there and if you get cut, it will be infected before you are dry. Treat the cuts as soon as you get home, soak in warm epson salt water, then use hydrogen peroxide, do not wait.

barnaclebill · Horse Mullet Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 139

Donnie, you're right about the current just past the rocks,, I pulled a kid up from the bottom once,, but he was lucky, I was only about 30 feet from him when he slipped and went in...
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