Ship Channel Snook
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 Most folks looking to fish Deep South Texas envision crystal clear flats, gorgeous green surf and the nightlife of South Padre Island. While all of that exists, those looking to catch a trophy snook while visiting the Tip of Texas are better served fishing a couple of decidedly less glamorous locales.
That is not to say linesiders can't be found on the clear, grassy flats the Lower Laguna is known for. Quite to the contrary. Snook are common catches on the flats - particularly in South Bay - during summer and fall. However, as fall turns to winter, snook seek more insulated deepwater haunts. Since there is relatively little deep water in the area, snook become very predictable this time of year. Find structure located in 8 - 15 feet of water and, more than likely, you'll find some snook.
Unfortunately, the majority of this structure is more akin to an industrial park than a tropical fishing paradise. But if a big snook is you goal, all you need to do is block out the view and concentrate on casting.
In the Lower Laguna Madre area, there are a handful of such sites. One is the port of Port Isabel. Another is the old causeway, only half of which still stands. The final, and most productive, is the Brownsville Ship Channel. This long, deep channel stretches westward nearly twenty miles from Port Isabel, terminating at the Port of Brownsville. It can be a long - and sometimes cold - boat ride. The results, however, are well worth it. In addition to finding the target species - snook - anglers often tangle with mangrove snapper, giant jack crevalle, lookdowns and a host of other species while fishing this area.
 Snook are perhaps the most vulnerable of all South Texas game fish when temperatures drop. The entire length of the channel offers sufficient depth to protect against fast dropping temperatures. However, the reality is many snook don't wait for cold weather to enter the ship channel. In fact, some snook live there year around, finding plenty of attractive acreage among the rip-rap shores, docks and pilings, the shallow shelf along the main channel and the many sub-channels and drainages that dump into it. But, despite the resident population, late fall and winter remains the period of heaviest concentration of snook in the channel.
Often times anglers fishing along the BSC will feel as if they have motored into an industrial park. Dry docks, bulk heads, fuel docks and shrimp boat basins line the shores of the BSC. Semi-submersible rigs, docked in the channel for repair, form a skyline of sorts that is hard to miss when stacked against the area's flat terrain.
What this area lacks in aesthetics, it makes up for in production. On a decent day, the channel often yields over a half-dozen fish per angler. Fish over 30 inches are not unheard of and three-foot fish have been increasingly common in latter years.
For the most part, the ship channel action consists of deep water structure fishing. However, periods of warm weather will provide plenty of topwater action over the shallow shelf lining the channel and the rip-rap shorelines that enclose it. Additionally, many of the bigger drainages are navigable with a shallow draft boat and push pole. Pushing into these tributaries often provides dynamic topwater action.
Walk-the-dog type plugs account for most surface strikes. Good choices include Badonk-A-Donks, Super Spooks, and Super Spook Jrs. Floater-divers such as Redfins, Long A's and Thundersticks will also draw strikes, as will poppers such as Pop Rs and Bomber Saltwater Grade Poppers.
When the topwater bite is non-existent, it is time to go deep. Many anglers plying the docks and pilings throw mullet, pinfish or jumbo shrimp to snook hanging inside of these structures. These baits can easily be "skipped" back into where the snook are hiding when rigged on a 1/4 or 3/8 ounce jig head. Natural baits can be fished on Carolina-rigs if fish are on the outside of the structure, but otherwise they tend to tangle more often than not. During times of surface activity under the docks, anglers do well to attach strips or chunks of mullet to bare hooks and "skip" them into the dark recesses beneath the platforms.
 Though natural baits are often the first to hit the water, artificials and flies see plenty of action as well. DOA Baitbusters are ideal for times when fish are suspended, as are MirroLures and other slow-sinking mullet-imitating baits. Soft-plastic jerkbaits such as the Brown Devil Eyes tempt snook on a regular basis and can be worked through the pilings with little worry of hanging up.
To get down even deeper, most angler lean on DOA TerrorEyz. This bait's small profile and heavily-weighted head ensure it gets down quickly, allowing it to reach fish hanging tight to structure down deep. Bucktail jigs and 1/2 ounce Roadrunners will also reach deep dwelling snook and offer a bit larger profile when fish are looking for bigger baits. When trying to get these baits to drop a bit slower, it is often helpful to add a plastic trailer, such as a C-tail worm or Texas Tackle Factory Killer Flats Minnow.
Fly fishermen should use a minimum of a 9 wt. rod. A 10 or 11 wt. is not out of place. Intermediate lines get the call for suspended fish, while class V full-sink and sink-tip lines are better for working closer to the bottom. Deceivers, Clousers, Haines' Pilchards and other baitfish patterns produce well for subsurface probing, while poppers produce tremendous surface strikes.
The only drawback faced by fly rodders is the often tight cover being fished. Flies can sometimes be "sling-shotted" under docks, but most often fly fishers are limited to fishing along the outer edges of docks. Additionally, when fishing being loading docks, fuel docks and other "T-head" structures, long rodders are often limited to roll casting. Nonetheless, with a little proficiency in odd-angle and close-quarter casting, fly fishers can expect to have every bit as much action as their conventional tackle counterparts.
Getting deepwater snook to strike is one problem. Getting them out of the structure is quite another. The fish in the channel hold tight to structure in deepwater and therefore require fairly  stout tackle. When casting under docks and pilings, try using a 6 to 6 1/2 foot medium heavy rod with 16 to 20 pound test line. An additional foot or so of heavy mono shock leader is a must. Most situations can be handled on 35 pound test, although larger fish may require 40 or 50 pound.
Set the drag fairly heavy on the reel and be prepared to thumb the spool upon setting the hook. It is imperative to get the fish moving away from the structure as soon as it hits and no line should be allowed to slip from the reel until the fish is clear. If the fish manages to wrestle its way back into the structure and wraps the line, try giving it some slack. Often times this will relax the fish, allowing the angler to work it away from the obstruction. Most important, however, is relieving some of the tension as the line rubs across barnacles and other sharp objects. Once the line is clear, tighten down and try to convince the fish to fight in open water.
Anglers lucky enough to work a fish away from cover and into the boat are allowed to retain one per day under Texas law. Any fish kept must be between 24 and 28 inches in length. However, although their numbers are solid now, longtime snook fishermen know how susceptible to fish-killing freezes they are and choose to return all fish to the water, forsaking a delectable fillet for future fishing.
Any fish that are to be released should be handled with care. Snook are easily controlled by grabbing their lower lip, just like a black bass in freshwater. However, keep hands and fingers clear of their razor-sharp gillplates. After the hook is removed, slip the fish over the side and work it slowly back and forth until it swims away under its own power.
Snook fishing in the Lone Star State may be the best kept secret along the Gulf Coast. And, each year the fishing continues to improve. But, again, this is one fragile fish population and each winter snook fishermen hold their breath, hoping to be spared a fish-killing freeze. However, when they are not holding their breath, they are enjoying some outstanding snook fishing while most others have ducks and deer on their mind.
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