There’s a great little redfish flat situated behind the airport in Rockport, Texas. A few years back, I did a strange dance with an 8-foot gator on that flat, working back to the shore from about 100 yards out in the mostly clear water as the reptile eyed me from an increasingly close distance. When I made it back to the bank, I called my buddy in New Mexico who suggested I fish this flat and told what had happened.
“He won’t eat you,” he told me. “He might kill you, but I don’t think he’ll eat you.” Reassuring, right?
Rockport was among the hardest hit communities in Texas when Hurricane Harvey roared ashore last fall. The city was devastated by the storm, but it’s slowly rebuilding.
But, as you’ll see from the video above, the fishing is still pretty good. If you’re looking for a redfish retreat that’s pretty easy to get to and generally easy to fish on your own, consider injecting a few of your dollars into Rockport. You can call it hurricane relief, if it helps you feel better, but I’m betting the fishing will be enough to keep you coming back.
— Chris Hunt