Corpusfishing.com

[Lord of the Hardheads]

Was talking with my grandpa today and he told me that the "backbay" inside Hwy 181 up the river to the dam at labonte used to be off limits for catching bait with a net i.e. castnet, or seine. Does anyone know if this is still true?
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Tis but a flesh wound.

[skunked]

It's illegal to take shrimp. I think it's considered a nursery or something like that.

[RodBreaker]

I think it would be true for shrimp but I don't know of any regulations that would prohibit you from taking, for example, mullet or minnows. TPWD allows shrimping in the major bays and bait bays listed below; all other waters would be considered nursery areas and shrimping would not be allowed.

Major Bays:

Sabine Lake north of Cameron Causeway to south of a line marked by the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (Sabine Neches Canal/Sabine River) between the eastern most tip of Goat Island to the western most tip of Stewts Island
Trinity Bay southward from a line extending from the mouth of Double Bayou in Chambers County to Double Bayou Channel Marker 14, to Separator C-2, to Point Barrow in Chambers County
Galveston Bay
East Bay westward from a line extending from Frozen Point to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Marker 12
Matagorda Bay westward of a line extending from a location on the mainland (where a line running immediately northwest [bearing 330 degrees] from Shellfish Marker A intersects the mainland) thence southeasterly to Shellfish Marker A located near the mainland, thence to Shellfish Marker B located near the end of Shell Island Reef, thence to the tide gauge located near the Matagorda Peninsula, and thence southeasterly [bearing 153 degrees] to the Matagorda Peninsula.
East Matagorda Bay
Tres Palacios Bay south from a line from Grassey Point to the mouth of Pilkington Bayou
Espiritu Santo Bay
Lavaca Bay southward of State Highway 35
San Antonio Bay southward of a line from McDowell Point to Mosquito point
Aransas Bay
Corpus Christi Bay exclusive of the area bounded by the line extending from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at the southwest point of the Dagger Island chain, along Dagger Island to the southeast tip of Ransom Island, then southeast to the westernmost point of land north of Marker 14 in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel
All exclusive of tributary bays, bayous, and inlets, lakes and rivers

Bait Bays (includes major bays and those listed here):

Chocolate Bay
West Bay south and west of Interstate Highway 45 Causeway bridge and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway inclusive of the area south of a line extending westward from Interstate Highwy 45 Causeway Bridge at Virginia Point, along the southern edge of Tiki Island to the northeastern tip of North Deer Island at Channel Marker 48
Trinity Bay northward from a line extending from the mouth of Double Bayou in Chambers County to Double Bayou Channel Marker 14, to Separator C-2, to Point Barrow in Chambers County
The Old Brazos River lying north of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Brazoria County
Upper Laguna Madre
Baffin Bay
Alazan Bay
Barroom Bay
Lower Laguna Madre, including the Brownsville Ship Channel
The entire Gulf Intracoastal Waterway exclusive of all tributaries

Nursery Areas: (No Shrimping Allowed) Those coastal waters not specifically named above as Major Bays or Bait Bays are considered Nursery Areas. Includes tributary bays, bayous, inlets, lakes, and rivers that serve as significant growth and development environments for postlarval and juvenile shrimp. Does not include outside waters, major bays, or bait bays.
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certified whiting slayer

[Central Scrutinizer]

See page 47 of the Outdoor Annual. The "backbay" of Nueces is a Nursery Area, which serves as 'significant growth and development environment for postlarval and juvenile shrimp'. No shrimping is allowed with either a cast-net, seine, or an individual bait-shrimp trawl.

[edited] Ditto's to Rodbreaker's comment on the "other baits" taken. Just make sure your bait bucket doesn't have any shrimp in it, should a GM inquire.......

[Big Ed]

I know it was the policy in the past that you could not take shrimp within one mile of an open pass to the Gulf. Found that out after we caught 3 full ice chests of shrimp with cast nets at the old Corpus Christi Pass back in the early 70's. Boy they could have really nailed us for that one. Learned my lesson.
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Big Ed
San Antonio

"A word to the wise ain't necessary. It's the stupid ones who need advice.", Bill Cosby