Bluff’s
Landing has it all—including fish
By Bill E. Mills
( Reprint courtesy of Saltwater Texas Magazine)
Because of the unpredictable
weather the last few weeks, I cruised down the coastline with a cautious
eye on the sky. My destination was Bluff’s Landing Marina and Lodge. It
is strategically located just south of Corpus Christi on the upper
reaches of the Laguna Madre shoreline at the seaside community of Flour
Bluff.
Bluff’s Landing gives boaters and
fishermen easy access to the waters of the Padre Island shorelines, the
Laguna Madre and the Land Cut, as well as the famous fishing waters of
Baffin Bay with its record-size speckled trout. The high salinity of
this shallow bay along the Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay lends itself to
spawn trophy-size speckled trout and monster redfish. This area of the
Coastal Bend has the reputation of the most fertile fishing grounds on
the Texas coast. It has become the Mecca for dedicated light tackle
anglers.
When I arrived at my destination, I was
thoroughly impressed. Bluff’s Landing is a super clean, well maintained
complex with the emphasis on “full service.” The bait and tackle
headquarters is fully stocked with fishing tackle and accessories as
well as live bait. It is adjacent to two modern boat-launching ramps and
a covered fish cleaning facility. The harbor has almost 100 covered,
in-the-water boat stalls for different size boats. Bluff’s Landing has a
stable of professional fishing guides to take individuals or groups to
some of the greatest fishing grounds on the Gulf Coast.
Next door on the water is the Laguna Reef
Restaurant with a full service bar that is open seven days a week. You
can access the restaurant from the boat dock or the parking lot. One of
the restaurant’s specialties is cooking your catch. Bring in your own
cleaned fish and Laguna Reef will prepare it to your liking.
Just across the parking lot was the most
pleasant surprise. The two story Bluff’s Landing Lodge has 24 spacious
and comfortable rooms complete with coffee pot and refrigerator. From
the second floor deck, the view of the Bluff’s Landing complex and the
blue waters of the Laguna Madre is spectacular. Four other executive
fishing lodges are also available to guests.
The plan was to meet our guide before dawn
the next morning and head south down the Laguna Madre to locate some
fish. Since I had no other plans that evening, a logical choice was to
check out the Laguna Reef Restaurant. It was not a typical waterfront
eatery. Instead, it turned out to be a first class restaurant. Our
server, Ray, lavished us with lots of attention and service while he
cheerfully delivered platters of delicious food. The restaurant, the
food, and the service were all first class. Ray said a lot of the local
residents drive out just to have dinner on the water. After
overindulging on fresh seafood, I felt fortunate that a king-size bed
awaited me just a quick stroll across the parking lot.
After a few cups of black coffee long
before dawn the next morning, we met our guide, Capt. Nate Middleton, at
the bait and tackle headquarters. His well-kept 22-ft. center console
boat was already launched and tied up at the dock. We quickly loaded
rods and gear into the boat and headed south down the Laguna Madre to
search for a concentration of fish. Although the wind was howling,
Captain Middleton was confident we would find them. During the long ride
down the Laguna Madre, Mother Nature painted a beautiful sky with
strokes of pinks, blues and purples across a dawn sky. Dawn is always a
thrilling time to be on the water, regardless of how many dawns you have
witnessed.
“We will head down to Yarbrough Flats,”
Middleton announced over the rumble of the engine. “There are usually
fish in there early in the morning.” We idled onto the flat, watching
for bait activity and feeding slicks. The morning light revealed that
the water was off-color and there was a lot of floating shoal grass
caused by the recent heavy rains, constant high winds and fresh water
run-off. “There’s a drop-off along here. The fish like to cruise and
feed along the ledge,” he informed. “Let’s try some live bait because
the water is off-color.”
After a few minutes, there was a bending
rod, a thrashing trout and the first keeper fish was in the ice chest.
After that promising start, the bites turned slow. Had it not been for
the guide’s dedication and determination, things could have been much
worse.
Middleton proved to be a very persistent
and avid fisherman. We fished shorelines, drop-offs and spoil banks. We
also tried drift fishing with plastic touts and popping corks. Thanks to
our captain’s background in marine biology and his thorough knowledge of
the bays, we ended up with a respectable number of keeper fish in the
ice chest.
On a promising note, we caught quite a few
undersize trout. Those smaller trout were returned to the bay to grow up
into keepers and populate the bays.
The last fish of the day was a frisky
slot-limit redfish that hit a plastic tail fished under a popping cork.
We were fishing in shallow water, so all the fish could do was run. It
was a good fight and a fun catch. We admired the brilliantly colored
redfish as we took a few photos then slipped the fish into the cooler.
By this time, we had all had about as much
sun and wind and off-color water as we could handle. My mind drifted to
a nice hot shower and a cool fishing lodge, so we headed back to the
comforts of Bluff’s Landing.
Alex, the young man at the cleaning table,
made quick work of our fish, turning them into fillets and two redfish
slabs for redfish-on-the-half shell. One impressive note about Bluff’s
Landing is that all fish heads and trimmings are disposed of in large
tubs. This way the harbor is kept clean for the boaters and dockside
diners.
Our last evening at Bluff’s Landing Marina
and Lodge was spent sitting on the outside deck of the Laguna Reef
Restaurant watching the sunset over the Laguna Madre. The wind surfers
and kite surfers were gone for the day and only a few fishing boats
raced the approaching darkness back to the harbor. We drank a few toasts
to the fish, an excellent guide and a great day on the water.
Contrary to the thinking of many anglers,
it is not necessary to catch limits of trophy fish to have a great trip.
Simply being on the water at dawn, watching a beautiful sunrise and
soaking up the wildness of the sights, the sounds and the smells of the
desolate bays goes a long way toward making a great day on the water.
Bluff’s Landing Marina and Lodge
can be reached at 888-526-4190 or at
bluffslanding.com
Call Capt. Nate Middleton at 361/563-5667 or email
captnatemiddleton@yahoo.com.
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