The good news continues that the red tide appears to be absent from the surf waters. The latest Red Tide update from Texas Parks and Wildlife web site (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water/environconcerns/hab/redtide/status.phtml) says the levels of red tide toxins in the bays continued to drop but are still too high to open the Texas Oyster season. They do say that no aerosols or fish kills have been reported from anywhere along the coast this week.

                The most common fish being caught right now and at many times of the year are whiting. A lot of folks regard whiting as little nuisance fish or trash fish good for nothing but bait for bigger fish such as redfish and sharks. True they do make good bait but they deserve a lot more respect both as table fare and as scrappy little fighters eager to bite the line of even the most inexperienced anglers.  My wife and I enjoy walking our dog, Poppy, at Malaquite Beach on the Padre Island National Seashore (P.I.N.S) during the winter and I love going by the beach in front of the campground there to see and talk to the Winter Texans out doing their daily ritual of trying to catch dinner. They have a ball fishing for bragging rights on the largest whiting and teasing Ernie from Nebraska about how he couldn’t catch a “cold” if he came walleye fishing with Bob in Sheboygan.

                Imagine how many times that scene is played out with other colorful characters visiting from the north? I’ve seen groups of retirees in the winter time at South Padre Island, all along P.I.N.S. and all over Mustang Island with all of them targeting whiting mostly along with redfish, black drum, and pompano. It sure beats staying home in International Falls, Minnesota clearing your driveway with a snow blower when it is -5F. I was reminded of why they winter here and why I live here full time when I picked a bowl of cherry tomatoes this morning in 75 degree weather.

                Whiting is a common name given to a lot of species across the globe. The whiting they have for sale frozen in the supermarket are actually two cod-like species of fish caught in the North Atlantic or in the North Pacific. What we call whiting along the Gulf coast are actually three species, the southern kingfish, the gulf kingfish, and the northern kingfish. All range from the Chesapeake Bay down through the Gulf Coast. The most common ones we see in the surf off of Padre and Mustang Island are the southern and gulf kingfish. They are very similar though the gulf kingfish is generally mostly silver in color lacking the mottled spots on the side that are present in the southern kingfish. When you place the two together you will also notice that the pectoral fins on the southern kingfish are much larger than those of the gulf kingfish. I have noticed too that the southern kingfish are more likely to take cut bait such as other whiting and cut mullet. Both get to about 2lbs and anything over 18” is considered a nice fish. (Young folks like to catch them too like Marissa Palmejar of San Antonio)

                The best baits are shrimp, ghost shrimp, or combinations of those with Fish Bites. A lot of folks use ghost shrimp pumps such as the Creature Catcher to get bait. Ghost shrimp are free but remember the limit is 20 per person per day and it is illegal to use ghost shrimp pumps on P.I.N.S. I like to use a trout rod with a small egg sinker of a ¼ to a ½ ounce (depending upon the current ) placed on top of a swivel tied to about 18 inches of 20lb test rigged with a 2/0 circle hook. The double drop rigs we make for pompano work just as well on the whiting, just use less weight on the bottom than you would on your long rods.  The best spots to try are those where you find active coquina clams digging in the sand. Coquina clams and crustaceans make up most of their diet. When you box a bunch of whiting, you will notice a sweet clam smell coming from the ice chest.   Those are the coquina clams. If the whiting are small or the fishing is slow don’t hesitate to head a mile or two up or down the beach to try a different spot.

                Fishing between fronts has left few windows to fish due to the rougher surf though plenty of whiting are there to be caught when the surf is green and the current is moderate. One friend of mine caught 17 pompano in addition to a nice box of large whiting recently on the north end of P.I.N.S. Here’s a shout out to all of our Winter Texan loyal readers - We appreciate you!

  This year’s Big Shell Cleanup is Saturday February 25th,

Tyler Thorsen