Saltwater flats
9′ rod, 8 weight, sealed-drag reel, tropical floating line · Bonefish, redfish, permit and other flats species
Open checklist
Port Mansfield & the Lower Laguna Madre
Port Mansfield is a small fishing town on the Lower Laguna Madre in Willacy County, across the lagoon from Padre Island.
- Texas · South
- 3 waters
- 39 guides nearby
- 3 shops nearby
- HRL airport · 27 mi
Photo credit
The harbour at Port Mansfield, Texas, on the Lower Laguna Madre. Photo: Aachor, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons
More about Port Mansfield & the Lower Laguna Madre
Port Mansfield is a small fishing town on the Lower Laguna Madre in Willacy County, across the lagoon from Padre Island; the Port Mansfield Channel cuts through the island to the Gulf, and Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and South Padre Island lie to the south.
Waters around Port Mansfield
About this
Tap a water for its live flow, access map, regulations and hatches.
Agency-named saltwater fishing waterRepresentative photo · not Laguna MadrePhoto credit
Southern Corpus Christi Bay as Tropical Storm Beta neared the Texas coast. Photo: Supportstorm, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Laguna Madre.
Agency-named saltwater fishing waterRepresentative photo · not Arroyo ColoradoPhoto credit
Galveston Bay from Skyline Drive near the Texas City Dike, Texas. Photo: Jeremy Mosley, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Arroyo Colorado.
Agency-named saltwater fishing waterRepresentative photo · not South BayPhoto credit
Sabine Lake at Pleasure Island, Port Arthur, Texas. Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not South Bay.
Distances and official pages
The rivers, lakes or flats this hub is organised around, each with its straight-line distance from Port Mansfield. Within 40 miles a water's own page names this hub as near; a farther one shows its distance instead. Where a nearby guide names a water on its own website, we say how many do. Access, seasons and special regulations differ by reach: check the agency pages under license and rules.
- Laguna Madre17 mi from Port Mansfield in a straight line
- Arroyo Colorado10 mi from Port Mansfield in a straight line
- South Bay39 mi from Port Mansfield in a straight line
All gauge readings
The first USGS gauge on each water: the latest reading, how it compares with that gauge's record for today's date, the 24-hour trend and the NWS flood stage; NOAA tides for the flats and beaches. Open a water for what the level means.
Reading the gauges around Port Mansfield…
Meet local guides
About this
39 guide listings within 60 miles (3 fly-focused), fly-focused first. Unclaimed listings say so on their page: confirm licensing, rates and dates with the outfitter.
Megabite Sport Fishing
Laguna Vista, TX · 36 mi
Saltwater & ocean charters · Beginners & lessons
- Unclaimed
Port Mansfield Fishing and Hunting Charters LLC
Port Mansfield, TX · 1 mi
Saltwater & ocean charters
- Unclaimed
Fly shops nearby
About this
3 shop listings in the towns around Port Mansfield, fly shops first. Confirm hours with the shop before you go.
Fish around Port Mansfield
About this
Species the state agency lists on the waters here. A species listed for one water is not a promise for every water.
Redfish
Listed on 3 waters here
Photo credit
Red drum or redfish (Sciaenops ocellatus), illustration by Duane Raver for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Spotted seatrout
Listed on 3 waters here
Photo credit
Spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), illustration by Duane Raver for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Snook
Listed on 1 water here
Photo credit
Common snook (Centropomus undecimalis), Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (NOAA). Photo: Bob Care - Florida Keys NMS, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Agency species and seasons (3 waters)
Taken from the state agency pages of 3 waters around Port Mansfield, each on its own water page with the agency link. Seasons are quoted word for word and apply to the water named.
- Red Drum3 waters
- Spotted Seatrout3 waters
- Flounder2 waters
- Black Drum1 water
- Common Snook1 water
- Crevalle Jack1 water
- Fat Snook1 water
- Gray Snapper1 water
- Ladyfish1 water
Species guides mention (35)
Counted from the species each guide lists on its own site. This is what guides advertise, not an agency species list or a promise of what you will catch.
- Tuna11
- Tarpon8
- Rockfish & lingcod4
- Cutthroat trout1
Things to know
Fishing license: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Fees on the agency page.
Getting there
HRL Valley International Airport · 27 mi
Regulations and access
Seasons, limits and access: agency pages.
Official license and rules pages
Buy the license from the agency and read its current regulations before you go. These links are the authoritative pages; nothing on this page grants or implies access to any water, and fees are only shown when read from the agency page on a stated date.
Nothing here grants or implies access to any water.
Veteran-owned and veteran programs
About this
Near Port Mansfield & the Lower Laguna Madre. Each fact comes from the business's own website, an official register or an approved claim; the listing page links the source.
- Laguna Madre Guide ServiceGuide · Port Isabel · 35 miVeteran-owned · from their websiteVeterans on the team · from their website
- Texas Lower Coast ChartersGuide · South Padre Island · 35 miMilitary discount · from their website
The Port Mansfield & the Lower Laguna Madre area
About this
The circle is the 60-mile area this page covers, around Port Mansfield. Tap a water for its page. Shops and guides appear where they publish a street address on their own website; all of them are listed above.
Map of the Port Mansfield & the Lower Laguna Madre area: its waters, shops and guides
Map of Port Mansfield & the Lower Laguna Madre: the 60-mile area this page covers, its waters, and shops and guides with an exact address.
Restrooms near Port Mansfield & the Lower Laguna Madre
Restrooms near Port Mansfield & the Lower Laguna Madre
Restrooms within 5 miles of the centre of Port Mansfield & the Lower Laguna Madre in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.
No restroom mapped within 5 mi yet — add one you know.
Campgrounds, fishing access sites and boat ramps often have one that isn't on the map yet.
Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.
Base yourself nearby
About this
Port Mansfield is a small town with a few places to stay; Port Isabel and South Padre Island to the south, and Harlingen inland, have more. We do not list or price properties. The search opens an outside site.
Nearest airports
About this
Distances are straight-line from the town centre, computed from OurAirports open data; distances by road are longer. Fares are never estimated here.
- HRL Valley International AirportHarlingen, TX · 27 mi · regionalSearch flights
- BRO Brownsville South Padre Island International AirportBrownsville, TX · 45 mi · regionalSearch flights
- MFE McAllen Miller International AirportMcAllen, TX · 57 mi · regionalSearch flights
- SAT San Antonio International AirportSan Antonio, TX · 215 mi · major hubSearch flights
Rough out the trip
About this
Set nights, anglers and guided days. Each line says where its figure comes from, and anything we cannot source honestly (guide rates, fares, license fees not read from the agency page) stays a link rather than a number.
Estimates, not quotes
- Fishing licenseSee sourceAgency page
Source
One per angler (2 anglers). Fees are set by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; see the agency page.
Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Guided days19 rates pagesSnook On A Hook - Fishing CharterCrystal Flats Guide ServicePlayin Hooky Fishing ChartersReel Action Charter Services
Source
1 guided day for 2 anglers. We do not copy guide rates: 19 guides near here publish a rates page on their own website.
Source: Guide websites (rates pages linked, never copied) - Find lodgingSee sourceSearch lodging
Source
Search places to stay near the destination. We do not list or price properties.
Source: Lodging search link - FlightsSee sourceSearch flights
Source
Fares are not estimated here. Search flights to HRL (Valley International Airport).
Source: Flight search link (no fares quoted)
No priced itemsUse the links for real figures.
How we estimate
Estimates, not quotes. Nothing here is a price from a guide, a property or an airline; confirm every cost with the provider before you book. No placeholder lodging range is configured for this region, and licenses, guided days and flights are never priced here.
Parks, forests and visitor offices
About this
For the non-fishing days, or the people traveling with you. Official sources only; what to do there is for their pages to say.
Gear checklist
About this
A saltwater flats fly-fishing checklist: a 9 ft 8 weight rod, sealed-drag reel, tropical line, fluorocarbon leaders and shrimp/crab flies, plus sun protection and flats booties, with estimated prices and where to buy.
Watch: flats fishing basics
About this
Sight casting, the strip set and sun on the water.
Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.
FLY FISHING FOR REDFISH BASICS 101 INTRODUCTION FOR BEGINNERSEmbedded from YouTube · Huge Fly Fisherman · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube How To Set Up For A Bonefish TripEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
Not sponsored All videos on saltwater flats
Stories from Texas
About this
Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly, tagged with a water in Texas.
No Texas stories yet.
Sources for this page
All 7 sources
Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories (open map records checked against each business’s own website). Everything else links to the publisher below; this page copies none of their text. A destination hub organises discovery; it does not assert public access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: fishing licensesTexas Parks and Wildlife Department
- Texas fishing regulations (Outdoor Annual)Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
- Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife RefugeU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Padre Island National SeashoreNational Park Service
- Travel TexasOffice of the Governor, Texas Tourism
- OurAirports open data (airport locations)OurAirports, public domain
- Overture Maps places (guide and shop map records)Overture Maps Foundation, CDLA-Permissive 2.0
Links checked 24 Oct 2026. Not a claim of access or conditions.