Overlooked Inshore Species Although redfish and speckled trout get the bulk of the attention from inshore anglers in the Lone Star State, Texas' bays are literally swimming with other species that are great sport on light tackle. Mangrove snapper, gag grouper, sheepshead, black drum and more are all available year around and provide a great change of pace for bay fishermen. While trout, redfish and flounder will always top the list, here's a list of the 'best of the rest' of Texas inshore fish species: Mangrove snapper - Once confined to the southernmost stretch of saltwater in the Lone Star State, mangrove snapper have vastly increased their range over the course of several warm winters. Now reliably found in about two-thirds of Texas bays, mangrove snapper are hard fighting, good eating inshore fish. Although most mangrove snapper are around a foot long, they are surprisingly strong. Anglers specifically looking for larger specimens can usually find fish in the 16 to 20-inch range. These big snapper eat primarily big baitfish. Finger mullet or mullet-imitating swimbaits like the Creme Spoiler Shad, 5-inch TTF Killer Flats Minnows and DOA Baitbuster are among the best choices. Black Drum - Not nearly as popular as its red cousin, black drum are formidable foes on the flats nonetheless. Most of the time, drum fishermen fall into two categories - those looking for fillets and those looking for a fight. The former are targeting smaller fish, between say 18 and 22 inches, while the latter are looking for big bruiser drum over 3 feet long. For numbers of black drum, it's hard to beat live or fresh dead shrimp on a Carolina rig in deep channels adjacent to shallow flats. The big boys will also hang in the channels, but during the winter and spring, they'll also cruise the shallows. When found in shallow water, black drum are easy sight-casting targets. Shrimp, again, are the best bait. However, anglers looking to ratchet up the challenge should try lures or flies to tempt big black drum. Small, dark-colored Clouser Minnows or shrimp patterns are the best flies, while DOA Shrimp, GULP! Shrimp and GULP! Peeler Crabs are among the best artificial lures. Sheepshead - When it comes to producing a combination of fine fillets and fierce fight, it's hard to top sheepshead on light tackle. Typically found holding tight to cover such as pilings or jetty rocks, winter finds sheepshead exploring the flats, where anglers are better able to experience their fighting abilities. Tiny chunks of shrimp can be used to sight cast to sheepshead on the flats, as can small jigs and flies. Anglers more interested in catching numbers of sheepshead should still concentrate their efforts around deep water structure - pilings in particular. Pilings with lots of barnacle growth are usually best. Small bits of shrimp on a size 6 hook a few inches under a split shot is all that's needed to clash with convict fish. Pompano - Anglers armed with light spinning rigs and small jigs and spoons are often able to pull pompano from the winter surf. Pompano use their deep bodies to their advantage during battle, pulling far more harder than their size (usually a pound or two) would indicate. When the surf is calm and clean, fishermen can expect to find pompano cruising the guts along the beachfront. TTF Lil' Speck Killer jigs, Blakemore Roadrunners, 2-inch Creme Spoiler Shad and 1/8 ounce silver Cordell CC Spoons are among the best artificial lures. Small shrimp and sand fleas are the best natural baits and should be fished with just enough weight to keep them near the bottom. Ladyfish - Strong, acrobatic fighters, ladyfish are highly sought after on some Florida flats. In Texas, however, they are largely ignored. This is understandable when it comes to smallish (under 20 inches) specimens. However, a two-foot-long ladyfish is quite a handful on light tackle or fly equipment. Fast moving, flashy flies and lures are the best way to attract ladyfish. They have no food value, but for someone looking for an acrobatic fighter, a ladyfish is an ideal quarry. Jack crevalle - It's hard to imagine a more formidable light-tackle foe than a jack crevalle. Found along the beachfront, as well as bays and passes, year around, even small jacks are a handful on standard bay tackle. During the winter months, schools of big jacks are often found in deep water shipping lanes and ports. On sunny winter days, jacks are quite likely to pop up on the surface to chase bait. When found top, jacks are suckers for topwater plugs. This is a good time to break out your old and battered surface lures, as you are bound to lose a few when battling jacks. You also need to make sure your reel is loaded with plenty of line. Sharks - Often considered the scourge of the Gulf by Texas fishermen, sharks small enough for light tackle are actually excellent sport. When found in the bay, small blacktip sharks in particular, can be chummed in close then cast to with plugs or flies. Floater/divers like the Bomber Long A and bulky baitfish-imitating flies like Lefty's Deceiver are among the best fakes to throw at small sharks. A 36-inch shark on standard bay tackle is great fun - just be sure to use a short length of wire leader if you want to stay attached to the fish for long. Gag grouper - Most of the grouper found in Texas bays are on the smallish size - 12 to 18 inches - but still put up a heck of a fight on light tackle. These bottom dwellers are typically found around deep structure - jetties, pilings, etc. - where they can be caught on shrimp, finger mullet and squid - or on lipless crankbaits and jigs. Grouper that are large enough also make excellent table fare. Snook - How can one of the all-time saltwater 'glamour' species be considered overlooked? Well, consider how many Texas anglers are either unaware or refuse to believe there is a fishable population in the Lone Star State and you'll get the idea. Although recent years have found isolated catches as far north as the Packery Channel, serious snookers still need to head to Deep South Texas for a legitimate shot at a linesider. During the winter months, Texas snook fishing is a deep water affair, with the vast majority of snook being stacked up in the area's ports. On warm winter days, they can still be taken on topwater plugs like the Bomber Badonk-A-Donk. The balance of the time, plastics such as DOA Shrimp and Terroreyz, TTF Killer Flats Minnows and Creme Spoiler Shad are the best bets. When they are sulking near the bottom, heavy jigs like the 1/2 ounce Blakemore Bucktail Roadrunner are the ticket. Sand trout - Lacking both the spots and the fanfare of it's more popular cousin, the sand trout still has the family resemblance. Although they don't grow as big as speckled trout, sand trout are spunky fighters and are tasty enough if eaten fresh. They are typically found hugging the bottom, where freelined live shrimp or small soft-plastic jigs will tempt them into biting more often than not. Whiting - When you're looking for a cooler full of fillets, there's no better target than whiting. Plentiful and usually willing to eat, whiting can be found along the beachfront year around. However, rather than going after them with heavy surf rods as many fishermen do, try using light line and light rods and enjoy the fight before enjoying the fillets. A light Carolina rig towing shrimp or squid is almost guaranteed to produce plenty of whiting during the winter months. Barracuda - Granted, this is pretty much an offshore species along the Texas coast, but in Deep South Texas juvenile barracuda can be found in the channels and ports year around. The majority of these baby barracuda are between 12 and 18 inches, but aggressively strike topwater plugs and jigs. Their combination of speed and aggression makes them loads of fun on light tackle. Again, it's not as if any of these dozen species will ever steal the spotlight from speckled trout and redfish. But, if you're looking to add a little variety to your winter fishing routine, there are plenty of options out there.