Texas Outdoors Network visited one of our favorite places in the world – St. Joe Island. Whether you call it San Jose Island, Saint Joseph Island, or just “St. Joe’s” it is a special place – pure nature as found hundreds of years ago. There is no development other than the ranch house (the island is privately owned).
The island has a rich history – Spanish explorers, pirates, and the Civil War. LBJ and FDR hunted and fished here. Today, it is mainly birders from Port Aransas and fishermen who visit. Aransas Bay is prime fishing on the Texas Coast. The backside of St. Joe is an easy boat ride from either Rockport or Port Aransas (as long as the wind is not howling too bad).
We were primarily after speckled trout (specs) and redfish. The weather alternated between perfect and plain ol’ nasty. The storm fronts had some negative affect on the fishing but we still had a great time. It is rare when you can really get away from people these days and we frequently found ourselves totally alone, not another boat in sight.
Fishing conditions were tough and we tried everything – top waters, soft baits, live shrimp, and live croaker.
The water was exceptionally clear in spite of the rain and flooding. In six foot of water you could see every blade of sea grass.
Our family lived in City By The Sea between Rockport and Aransas for a number of years so Estes Flats occupies a special place for us.
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