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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