Port Mansfield's Fishing Is Hotter Than Ever

By Kenny Redin

You're reading this story which took place in May. However, according to Port Mansfield fishing guides...fishing is just as good now as it was in May...read on!

Third time is a charm.  The Port Mansfield Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Sporting Journal staff host a media and fishing manufacturers "Fishing Field Trip" each year in Mansfield.  This past May was the 3rd Annual event. 

Eight of Mansfield's best fishing guides, representatives from Norton Lures, American Rodsmiths, Laguna Graphite Rods, Foreverlast wading products, Livingston Lures and the TSJ staff converged on Port Mansfield last May to test out the fabulous fishing this little "GEM" of a community has to offer.

All you have to do is turn left at Raymondville, Texas (if traveling west on Hwy 77) or right (if traveling east on Hwy 77). Once you turn onto Hwy. 186, you only have to travel 24 miles until you reach one of the most underrated coastal fishing destinations along the entire Gulf Coast of Texas.

Previous field trips have been good. Thousands of words about red snapper fishing have been printed in TSJ. The San Antonio Express News, the Houston Chronicle, Fort Worth Star Telegram and the Corpus Christi Caller Times have printed countless articles on fishing Mansfield stemming from these TSJ Field Trips.  But after this year's venture, there's probably more ink printed and more to come than any previous trip.  Reason why...the fishing was and is still just phenominal at this little sleepy fishing village. 

Petra Schultz, representing The Saltwater Angler Magazine and yours truly drew one of Mansfield's best fishing guides, Captain Jack Klosterman.  Besides Klosterman, participating guides this year included: Terry Neal, Charlie Buchen, Walt Kittleberg, Robert Hulen and Randle Hall who did the offshore thing. 

Day one was designed to try and catch a nice batch of keeper size fish for the evening's fish fry.  Klosterman thought that maybe let's purchase some live shrimp and fish them under popping Alameda floats.  Maybe we could muster up enough keeper trout and redfish that we could box and donate to the fish fry.  He also thought it might be a better fishing catch device because the water has been so murky due to recent high winds...it would be easier for feeding specks to find a live shrimp under a noise making Alameda, than fishing plastics or topwaters. 

I think he was correct with his assumption.  As he throttled his big Yamaha into full bore at the end of the Mansfield Harbor, we were greeted with two and three foot swells and muddy water.  Seven guides headed south, Klosterman headed north. 

Thirty minutes into a choppy boat ride, Klosterman throttled down and began moving us into a fishing position.  It wasn't easy trying to anchor on his 1st secret spot due to 25 mph winds, but finally the anchor grabbed and we began fishing.

It didn't take the three of us long to launch a live shrimp near the edge of a grass line.  Even with the bright colored Alameda bobbing on the surface, it was still hard to see because of the waves.   But here again, it didn't take us long to hook into fish.  On that 1st stop, we all three had trout on at the same time...and within minutes of our first cast.  But, they were not keepers.  This 1st spot yielded probably 10 undersize specks.  It didn't take Captain Klosterman very long to decide we needed to pull anchor. 

Fishing about nine miles north of the Port Mansfield harbor...we fished here...tried there and moved again.  Each spot produced a keeper or two and some dinks, but that's about all we could get from any certain area.  It seemed that we'd get to a spot and catch some fish immediately...and suddenly like a bomb had dropped...no more fish!  It was a hit and run affair after that. 

During random moves, I had to quiz Klosterman about Mansfield fishing.  Klosterman said, "I really believe we've got the best fishing now in the Port Mansfield area now than in the last five or six years."  "Why I asked!"  "Well, I think the five trout daily limit might had something to do with it, but I believe the real reason is because our jetties have been dredged to a depth of 22 feet and I think alot of gulf run trout have eased back into the bays.  And I know for sure, that the baitfish have increased in huge volumes, allowing for more gamefish in pursuit" Klosterman stated. 

Whether that's the case or not, fishing this day produced limits of trout and two keeper redfish.  And, we probably threw back more than 30 undersized reds and specks. 

Schultz and I sure couldn't complain.  If we had to complain about anything it was rough water...I mean rough water.  And it wasn't Klosterman's fault.  He did about the best he could do under the semi-hurricane conditions. 

After arriving back at dock, we learned that other guides that had gone south did just as well...some even better.  There were reports of 25 to 27 inch trout...of course we didn't see'em, but we're sure it happened.  Dominic Mandola and Robert Hyatt of the Ragin Cajun Restaurants of Houston fished with Danny and Jeff Neu of Laguna Rods and posted an exceptional limit of trout up to 26 inches.  I didn't see the fish myself, so I didn't know whether to believe this crew or not.  So, Mandola didn't think I believed him about the day's catch, so a week or two later he emailed me the photo of him and Hyatt in front of the Port Mansfield Club's fish braggin' board with their catch.  Check it out on the TSJ website under Sporting Snapshots...you'll believe it too!

Captain Klosterman is a farmer by trade...raising cattle, cotton and milo in the Rio Grande Valley.  But that doesn't keep him from being a phenominal fishing guide.  He's been fishing the region for years and sure knows where to go and when to go there!

The final morning, Klosterman once again decided to travel north.  Means and methods were somewhat different.  Traveling further north this beautiful May morning, Klosterman stopped his boat about a mile south of the Land Cut.  "We need to wade here, at least on this 1st stop."  Once we slipped into the water, Petra and I were pounded on the back by three foot waves.  But that didn't stop the excitement.  Today's fishing was a little different. We were fishing Berkley's Gulp in the new penny color on jig heads. It didn't take long to hook up.  Petra hooked up into a redfish that by all means was well oversize.  She fought the beast for about 20-minutes before it finally parted her mono line.  Meanwhile, Klosterman wading 50 yards to our right was hooking into trout one right after the other.  Before our shuffle ended, we had snagged about three keeper trout, two keeper reds and several throwbacks. 

Our next few stops (without wading) but still using gulps produced trout up to 23 inches, one oversize redfish and two more keeper reds. 

Since all boats had to be back in by noon, so media and staffers alike could head home, Klosterman gave us a two-stop warning.  "Two more stops and we've got to head in," he said.  Knowing we've got to quit in about 30-minutes, Petra got more serious.  She loves to fish and hates to quit fishing!  And, we need about three more keepers to have our daily limits.

Klosterman's next to last stop put us on one keeper trout and dozens of undersized specks.  We moved once again. 

When our Captain rang out the two minute warning, Schultz and I got busy.  Need two more keepers!

On my next to last cast, I hooked into a fiesty 19-inch trout.  Just as Klosterman was thinking to net my fish, Petra said, that's my fish you're netting. "Oh, I thought that was Kenny's fish," Klosterman shouted.  So, he got another net...netted identical 19-inchers within four seconds apart.  Needless to say...that was the way to end up a perfect day on the bay.  And, the trip!

Now it's July, soon to be August, then autumn.  Think it would be a good ideal to call Captain Klosterman at 956-245-5008 or visit his website at www.captainjackscharters.com.  If he's booked and that may very well be the case, Port Mansfield has a great selection of professional guides.  Visit www.portmansfield.us for a listing.  

And excellent place to stay in Port Mansfield is the Port Mansfield Sunset House at 800-311-4250