Play The Texas Coast September - November | Page 35

The Annual Octoberfish Tournament is a general
fund raiser and contributes toward the Sargent
Scholarship Fund awarded to local Seniors attending Van Vleck ISD and is not only one of the
coolest fishing tournaments on the Texas coast
but it’s also fun! Plus, Sargent is the perfect place
for fishing. They are after all a water sports community.
Sign in is at the Blue Gecko on Fri. Sept 30, 6pm9pm and Sat. Oct 1, 6am-8am. Fishing is from
12:01am-4pm. There are two categories to take
part in. Both the Surf & Beach Division and the
Boat & Bay Division awards 1st and 2nd place
prizes for Redfish, Speckled Trout, Croaker and
Whiting, along with a $25 Side Pot for the Redfish with the most spots. Prize monies are based
on the number of angler entrees with 50% of the

entry fees being paid back directly to anglers,
along with 50% of the sponsorship contributions also being added to the prize monies; the
remaining half of entry fees goes to the Sargent
Area Chamber of Commerce. Entry fees are:
Adults at $45 with children 10 and under: $25.
There’s no telling how much money you could
win but with the type of community support Sargent has it could be a bundle!
In Sargent it’s all about the fishing! The town is
funky and quaint, with water all around. In fact
to get to Sargent Beach you will cross the last remaining historic swing bridge in Texas, which is
really pretty cool in itself. Many of the original
waterfront lots were sold as campsites and although it still has a fishing camp influence, it also
boasts some beautiful permanent homes as well.

There are many private wooden piers and docks
where you can tie up your boat and most have
electric fishing lights for night fishing. They also
have you covered with bait camps and marinas
where you can purchase table shrimp right from
the boat, and both paid and free boat ramps.
There are many restaurants in Sargent that have
waterside parking making it convenient if you are
out on the water and need something to eat or
drink. Just pull right up in your boat and enjoy
a meal.
People who love to fish love coming to Sargent.
Because of the town’s geographical location
there is easy access to fishing the Intracoastal
Waterway, along with the Gulf of Mexico. You
might want to explore the area a bit and take a

beach drive over to Mitchells Cut or Cedar Lake.
If you fish the Intracoastal Waterway, Mitchells
Cut you can use a variety of lures and baits. Soft
plastics as well as gold spoons are good to have
in your tackle box and you can purchase live or
dead bait from one of the many marinas. In fact,
if this is your first visit to town chances are likely
it won’t be your last!
Sargent is definitely a fisherman’s paradise and
along with that comes some great accommodations where you can stay a night, a weekend or
longer. There are many very comfortable places
to stay that are right on the water where you can
just open the door and drop your line! In fact water sports can be enjoyed right from your back
yard. During the summer you can water ski or go
tubing right on Caney Creek.

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The vast Sargent Canal system along with Caney
Creek offers a unique fishing habitat into the bay
and ocean. The large network of canals offers
good water flow between the gulf and wetlands
because they span both north and south and
east and west. Water is always moving from the
winds and tides and this movement keeps the canals from getting stagnant, providing a good life
zone for habitat crabs, fish and birds.
You can fish Caney Creek, the Intracoastal Waterway, East Matagorda Bay or the Gulf of Mexico.
If you have a boat, you can enjoy fishing everywhere in Sargent. East Matagorda Bay is known
for redfish and speckled trout, which you can also
land in Caney Creek. The Intracoastal Waterway
offers a variety of fish from catfish, sheepshead
along with red and black drum. Mitchells Cut

is also a great place for fishing from a boat and
large boats have easy access to the Gulf of Mexico and deep sea fishing.
If you love fishing, boating, and water sports the
Sargent community has it going on. The community is home base to many commercial and sport
fishermen and shrimpers and folks who just love
being around water.
So mark your calendars for October 1st and plan
on being in Sargent for the 13th Annual Octoberfish Tournament…you might never want to leave!
For more information and to download an entry
form visit their website at: http://www.sargentchamber.com/newsletter.html