TEXAS COAST SPOTS · BAFFIN BAY & UPPER LAGUNA
Baffin Bay & Upper Laguna fishing spots
8 verified locations · tide station Baffin Bay (8776604) · library verified 2026-08-14
8 source-verified places to fish around Baffin Bay — 3 bay, 2 piers, 1 surf, 1 flats. The bite here is led by Speckled Trout, Red Drum, Southern Flounder and Black Drum, and every entry below carries its access rules, best conditions, and the sources it was verified against.
Live bite scores for Baffin Bay & Upper Laguna → · What's in season →
Kaufer-Hubert Memorial Park
Pier · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Fall through spring for Baffin's oversized trout; calm early mornings with light SE wind and moving water around the pier lights and ramp channel.
Access: E FM 628 at Loyola Beach, Riviera - Kleberg County park on the Cayo del Grullo arm of Baffin Bay. 500-ft public fishing pier (county-renovated) plus a renovated lighted multi-lane ramp - TPWD calls it the only public ramp with Gulf access between Corpus Christi and Port Mansfield. RV camping. Fees not published - verify with Kleberg County Parks, 361-595-8591.
- Baffin is trophy-trout water - free-lined live shrimp or soft plastics off the pier at dawn.
- The dredged ramp channel is one of the few reliable big-boat launches on Baffin - arrive early on weekends.
- Late-winter black drum runs are a pier highlight - peeled shrimp on bottom.
⚠ Remote with limited services; intense summer heat. Baffin's serpulid rock reefs are a boating hazard - study a chart before running.
Riviera Beach Pier (Baffin Bay)
Pier · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Night and dawn sessions under the lights; incoming tide with light winds. Winter black drum and cool-season trout are the draw.
Access: Riviera Beach on Baffin Bay (off FM 771/FM 628 southeast of Riviera) - Kleberg County pier destroyed by Hurricane Hanna (2020) and rebuilt in 2021: ~490 ft with a 100-ft T-head and new lighting. No published entrance fee; confirm status with Kleberg County, 361-595-8591.
- The T-head reaches deeper water near the mouth of Laguna Salada - work the edges of the lighted area at night.
- Live or fresh dead shrimp on a light Carolina rig covers everything.
- Few services out here - bring bait and supplies from Riviera or Kingsville.
⚠ Slick decking after rain, little shade, unlighted rural roads on the drive out. No lifeguards.
PINS South Beach Surf (Miles 0-5)
Surf · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Green, calm surf on light offshore or SE winds; the fall mullet run for bull reds and jacks, winter and spring for pompano and whiting.
Access: Where paved Park Rd 22 ends past Malaquite Visitor Center, Padre Island National Seashore. Drive on the beach: 4WD always recommended miles 0-5 (required beyond mile 5); 15 mph near the entrance. Park entrance fee ($10/day, $25/7-day, $45 annual). Free primitive beach camping (14-day limit). License with saltwater endorsement required (17+) and NOT sold inside the park - buy before arriving.
- The second gut on a rising tide is the classic play with peeled shrimp or Fishbites.
- Check surf and tide forecasts before committing - soft sand near the entrance bogs 2WD.
- TPWD rules apply parkwide, with federal NPS regulations taking precedence.
⚠ Strong longshore and rip currents, no lifeguards, cell coverage fades down-island. Air down, carry a shovel and boards, know the tide before driving far south.
The Land Cut (ICW)
Flats · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Late fall through winter, when trout and redfish stack in the deep channel adjacent to shallow flats during cold snaps; summer drifts along the spoil edges early.
Access: The dredged Intracoastal Waterway channel (12 ft deep, 138 ft wide) through the ~20-mile Saltillo Flats land bridge separating Upper and Lower Laguna Madre. Reached by a long ICW run south from Baffin Bay or north from Port Mansfield; GNIS-published channel coordinates mark the cut in Kenedy County.
- Fish the drop from the shallow spoil edges into the 12-ft channel — the only deep water for miles draws everything in a cold front.
- Free-line soft plastics or live bait along channel edges; anchor out of barge traffic lanes.
- The east-side flats behind the spoil banks offer classic sight-casting on warm afternoons.
⚠ Active barge traffic in a narrow channel — anchor well clear. Extremely remote: no fuel or help between Baffin and Port Mansfield.
Alazan Bay Reef Fields
Bay · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Hypersaline and shallow — best on higher tides in spring and fall; north-shore tidal lakes hold fish after strong tides. Wind-protected options on its west shoreline.
Access: Northern arm of Baffin Bay, a short run east-southeast from the Kaufer-Hubert ramp at Riviera Beach. Serpulid patch-reef fields concentrate around the bay's mouth, with three large grass-crowned sand bars in the eastern half under 2-2.5 ft of water. Kenedy/King Ranch shoreline — boat access only.
- Work the serpulid reef fields around the bay mouth where hard structure meets soft bottom.
- Locals target the tidal lakes at the northern tip for concentrated redfish.
- Salinity can exceed 100 ppt — fish congregate near the mouth exchange with Baffin proper.
⚠ Very shallow, remote water surrounded by private ranchland; unmarked rocks near the mouth and a long tow home if you break down.
Baffin Bay Rocks (Badlands complex)
Bay · MAP ↗
When it fishes: December-April for trophy trout wading around the rocks; calm, clear mornings with light wind. Summer produces schooling trout and drum over deeper rock fields.
Access: Launch at Kaufer-Hubert Memorial Park (Riviera Beach) or run ~20 mi south from the Bird Island ramps. The famous serpulid worm-rock areas guides fish — the Badlands (a ~3-mile stretch between Point of Rocks and Penascal Point), Center Reef, and the Tide Gauge Bar running from Cathead toward East Kleberg Point — are scattered, unmarked rock fields in 2-6 ft of water. The coordinate is the published GNIS reference point for the bay; individual rocks are unmarked and located by drifting and idling.
- Fish the edges of serpulid rock with soft plastics and slow-sinking twitchbaits; the biggest trout hold tight to isolated rocks near deeper water.
- The 300-3,000-year-old worm rocks are fragile — never anchor on them or shuffle across them while wading.
- Nearly half of the 30-inch-class trout reported by veteran guides come from the Badlands stretch — winter is prime.
⚠ Serpulid rocks rise 1.5-6 ft off the bottom to just under the surface and are unmarked — a serious prop hazard. Remote water with no services; watch afternoon wind.
Penascal Point Rocks
Bay · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Protected wading on south-shore rocks in prevailing SE wind; late winter and spring for big trout staging on rock-and-grass transitions.
Access: Rocky point on Baffin Bay's south shore near the bay mouth, roughly 8-10 mi by boat from the Riviera Beach ramps. GNIS-published point; marks the southern limit of Baffin's exposed beach-rock shoreline and the downwind end of the Badlands drift.
- Wade the beach-rock and scattered serpulid formations between Point of Rocks and Penascal Point rather than motoring through them.
- Topwaters at first light over rocks in 2-4 ft, then slow-rolled plastics as the sun climbs.
- Use the point as a safe reference to stage drifts into the Badlands rock field to its west.
⚠ Submerged beach rock extends well off the point — approach at idle. Kenedy Ranch shoreline is private above the waterline.
Bird Island Basin (PINS)
Boat ramp · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Early mornings before the seabreeze builds; the grass flats fish best on light SE wind with clear water. The ramp is busiest at dawn on weekends.
Access: The only developed ramp inside Padre Island National Seashore, on the Laguna Madre. Paved ramp with dock, gravel kayak launch, 112 trailer spaces, vault toilets, cleaning tables. Park entrance fee ($25/vehicle 7-day or $10 1-day) PLUS a Bird Island Basin pass ($5/day or $30 annual). Shoreline wade and paddle launching from the day-use area; primitive campground adjacent.
- The Laguna averages ~4.5 ft - trolling motor or push pole over the seagrass.
- Wade fishers can work the flats straight off the day-use shoreline without a boat.
- Motorized boats are prohibited in the marked windsurfing area.
⚠ Shallow flats, soft mud, summer lightning; kids under 13 in life jackets on small vessels. No fuel or supplies in the park.
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