Going to Port A this weekend

[michael_t]

I want to get a couple of shrimps, some cool macro algae, and possible some fish. Where sould I go? What would I need?

Michael

[ErikH]

A fishing license, with marine specified on it! SoLiD (David) lives in CC and knows the hotspots, although they are probably ice cold right now!

If you get some peppermint shrimp, like 20 or so, I will trade you some corals for them once I get back from the cruise on the 2nd.

[Ping]

I hope someone posts an answer for you. Many people on this site have gone down to the jetties for the very same reason. I don’t know where this is but if you live in San Antonio, I would be willing to purchase some shrimp from you or trade for some coral if you are interested and procured enough. The shrimp from the jetties are very hardy, as compared to the ones from California or Florida.

I believe you need a fishing license. Steve, Bigbird, know all about this.

Oh and it would be real helpful if you could permanently post your location.

[Ping]

Erik, your quick.

[michael_t]

Current Port a temp, 60 degrees! That's cold!

[michael_t]

Yeah, I might be able to get a few shrimps and could swing thru SA for a trade or two. Not sure when I would be coming back. I'm thinking of spending the night down there, heading back Monday. But nothing is in stone.

Michael

[ErikH]

Erik, your quick.

Yeah, fast fingers and boredom!

[SoLiD]

OK... Let me get home and I will try to answer some questions later... :)

[michael_t]

Awesome! SOLiD, I was just about to PM you.

[FossilReef]

You'll need nets with relatively long handles that you can get into tight spaces. I was just out there collecting tonight. Peppermint shrimp are all over the place, but you have to be quick to catch them. You're also not going to have much luck in the daytime, best times to collect are after dark. You won't have to go much farther than the little pools of water in-between the big rocks to catch most of the things there right now. You can find periwinkles, nerite snails, limpets, and a few different kinds of whelks. If you want anemones you'd be much better off getting them at Packery Channel down on Padre Island, as they grow on oyster shells and small rocks much more frequently than in Port A. The most abundant fish are going to be Sergeant Major damsels, bridled gobies, and Molly Miller blennies. I've caught a few horn blennies there as well, but I haven't seen any since the water temp dropped below 65. Gulf Toadfish pop up every now and again (caught one tonight, actually), as do scorpionfish. If you have a snorkel and a wetsuit you can get down to where some of the more difficult things are (there are gorgonians in a few places), but if there's a lot of wave action I don't recommend it. I'd also advise collecting on the channel side of the jetty, as the waves tend to be more intense on the beach side. You'd also most likely foul your net on a needlefish or two on the beach side.
Some of the other things I've seen (keep in mind that this was back when the water was much warmer, so don't get your hopes up):
French Angel
Gray Angel
Blue Angel
Longnose Butterfly
Mojarras

Good luck and keep us posted on what you find! I might actually make it back out there Friday night around midnight, so if you see a guy with a headlamp in a blue wetsuit come on over and say hi!
-Jason

[michael_t]

Thanks Jason, way helpful. I'll be out there Sunday nite searching for stuff.

I'll be collecting nerite snails, peps, and molly millers over on the jetties.

Where should I go for some good macro algea and maybe a pigmy seahorse?

[SoLiD]

The Both of You Guys (Michael & Jason) are welcome to CALL ME if you want some one to tag along. I'm good for Friday Night, Saturday Night, & Sunday Night. I have a 20' Seine that I've been itching to try... but maybe it might be better to wait for the water to get warmer. I've got all the regular peppermint shrimp equipment somewhere here, too. :)

The main things you need are a Net where you can insert a 6 foot piece of PVC to extend it (Academy has a nice aluminum one), an LED headlight with red LED's (Energizer makes a good one) , a Bucket with a Lid (An old salt bucket will work), a battery operated air pump with an Air Stone (Academy - Hush Bubbles), D & AAA Batteries for the Battery Operated Pump and LED Head Light, and maybe a small pump (any plug in type) for when you get back to your room. The battery operated pump can be quite noisy depending on the model you buy.

-David
361-774-7865

[michael_t]

David, Jason, I should be driving in some time Sunday afternoon. Jason, what's your number? I will give both of you a call and we can get something started! My number is 512-699-6064.

Michael

[barderer]

I go camping by the the channel all the time in the summer. Def give you guys a ring if you want to go collecting when it gets warmer :) Oh and thats good advice on the shrimp. Night fall and a flashlight and a friend to help and you should get a good catch.

[michael_t]

Barderer, where do you camp? because that is what I was looking to do.

[SoLiD]

No one's called me yet to make plans... :callme:

[michael_t]

David, I will call you Saturday fo sho!

[Jarob]

I would actually love to tag along maybe, im a marine bio student at tamucc and have been into aquariums now for some time. ive been out in the bay and caught a baby pipe fish, a queen conch and there were anenomes everywhere. Anyways, if you dont mind a new comer tagging along you should call me. (314)910-2601

Jarob F

[OrionN]

So how was the trip? I got a baby French angel last year in late spring. They sometime hang around the jetty.

[FossilReef]

Alright, so Michael, I will give you a shout as soon as I get out of work tomorrow! Jarob, I don't think we'd mind the extra company. One of us will call you, fo' sho. Might make more sense for us to carpool out if possible. Haha, I'm a Mariculture M.S. student at TAMUCC, small world, eh?

[SoLiD]

OK... I have a minivan (company issued) that seats 4 with all our equipment just fine. So is anyone up for a free ride while my company pays the gas :angel:???

-David 361-774-7865
-Michael 512-699-6064
-Jason ??? 867-5309 ???
-Jarob 314-910-2601

[OrionN]

Let me know how it turn out. I am on call this weekend so cannot joint. You can get anmeone like this any time. They will do OK in reef tank if get feed. I got one for 3 years .
http://home.grandecom.net/~mnguyen/Anemone%201.jpg

[Aquapod24]

It was cold out here last night.... about 50 degrees or so. Any word on how you guys panned out? Sorry, I hadn't seen this post earlier. If you guys are going tonight, I may just drop by and check you guys out. I still have all my fishing gear which includes buckets and pumps somewhere from another life I had before marriage. I need all of one pepp right now for my nano. I have a few aiptasia rearing their ugly heads. :thumbs_down:

[FossilReef]

David, my number is (269)718-9731. I won't be out of work until just after 6:00 though.

[SoLiD]

Let me know how it turn out. I am on call this weekend so cannot joint. You can get anemone like this any time. They will do OK in reef tank if get feed. I got one for 3 years .
http://home.grandecom.net/~mnguyen/Anemone%201.jpg

I have never seen a rock anemone that looked quite that good. I guess you have to really be on the look out. Nice Find Dr. Nguyen! :wink_smile:

[SoLiD]

So this is the list guys that want to go, right? Those who want to collect need to have at least a bucket with a cover & a battery operated air pump. Hurry up Y'all; Academy closes early today. I will call you 3 and come up with a common meeting spot. Aquapod24 you're welcome to come along too it you'd like. :)

-David 361-774-7865
-Michael 512-699-6064
-Jason 269-718-9731
-Jarob 314-910-2601

-Aquapod24 ???

[Kristy]

Wish we could join you guys... sounds like big fun! Please be sure to post what you get.

[SoLiD]

It is gonna be cold, so I'm gonna make us all do an "Indian Collection Dance" before we go out... for luck of course.

http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/party/party0010.gifhttp://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/party/party0006.gifhttp://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/party/party0044.gifhttp://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/party/party0045.gif

[LoneStar]

Don't forget the Mexican Hat Dance~
http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/funny/2/mexican.gif

[SoLiD]

That's A Given Michael... lol

[glennr1978]

Wish I could go..... Gotta work tonight, bummer.

[Jarob]

Im so ready to go! Ive got my bucket, a head lamp with red leds, my net from academy just broke even though i bought it 2 days ago... so I might go replace it but I also got a throw net

[fishforlife]

Can you please tell me where you all went? Where are the Jetties in Port A? My wife and I where wanting to get a way for a weekend when the weather is nice and collecting shrimp and stuff at night sounds romantic.:blushing:

This does sound like fun. i had no idea you could "possibly" catch stuff for you aquarium in Port A or C.C....cool

How did it go? BTW...

[OrionN]

It is cold and very windy right now. If you want to catch anything, prepare to get COLD.

[OrionN]

David,
The rocky area along Ocean drive have a number of rock with many of these anemone on them. I am sure you can find them on the rocks across from Texas A&M CC. I got a few green crabs that looks just like the porcelain crabs, including the filer feeding net. They don't go into my anemone however. The hermit crabs in the bay also very good at eating algae and any extra food. They can get big, but when the get bigger, I just feed them to my carpeT and get smaller ones from the bay. It sound heartless of me, but my carpet really like the live food, and I think it really contribute to their health.
Goodluck on your collecting trip.

[Jarob]

Yea I have gotten some anenomes from the bay right there and also some crabs, hermits, pipefish, etc. its fun

[OrionN]

I got all kind of animals in the Sargagium at the beach in the summer. Pipefish, shrimp, crabs, nudibranches and many other animals

[michael_t]

Even though the water was 60 degrees, Sunday nite ended up being fantastic! The beach side of the jetties was nice and calm. The wind had died down and the temp was bearable.

I didn’t find any thing really colorful, I did find some cool stuff. I also had a great time hanging with David (SoLiD), Jason (FossilReef), and Jarob (Jarob). David really knew where to go and was happy to drive 45 minutes to hour away on a Sunday nite to show me around. He also picked up the other two guys on the way! Thanks David!!!

We started on the jetties and surprisingly there were a bunch of peppermint shrimps to be had. We explored nearly every square inch of that jettie. Jason found about two dozen mangrove seeds, we all caught a Molly Miller or two. There was also a ton of rock anemones. I grabbed one, just for fun. We’ll see what kind of mistake that is later.

http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=73&pictureid=428

After the jetties we headed over to David’s secret spot to look for pipefish but found none. We did find some little goby’s, about an inch long.

http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=73&pictureid=429

Minh, on Monday I drove several miles down the beach looking for large clumps of Sargagium. There wasn’t much and none of them had anything in them of interest.

http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=73&pictureid=430

I did find a washed up bamboo pole about three inches in diameter, it had several of these filter feeding clams on it. I broke off a couple of pieces and I might add them to my tank, once I get some feed back from the other members. So if anyone knows what theses are, and if they will not overrun the tank, I’m gonna add them. They look like good filter feeders. Let me know.

Michael

[rcasiano]

Look's great!! Something i would want to try this summer.

[OrionN]

To get animals from Sargargium, you got to be in the water and go out to floating Sargargium and scoop the algae with a large net or a big bucket, then bring it to the beach and shake the animal out of the Sargargium. You cannot get animals from just picking the sargargium out of the water or those on the beach. Summer is the perfect time for it.
In Mustang Island State Part you can collect along the jetty of the old fish waterway. I got two small baby French Angels there (size of the penny and nickle last two years. I guess I go out to the beach with my sons and just messing around. I caught them by corner them in the rock. Just use hand, no net or anything. I got many small colorful damsel, the type that are really colorful when young but turn dull and mean as an adult. I am not sure the name of them now. I look them up several years ago but forgot the name. I just remember that I did not want them in my tank even if they are beautiful as a juv.

[Joshua]

Are you referring to a Sergeant Major, Minh? :)

If yall want to catch critters in the Sargassum weed just try and fish down there, you'll pull in huge wads of it hung up on your line. :rolleyes:

[OrionN]

No,
These damsels are blue and red when they are small (.5-.75 inches) dull brown as an adult.

[Jarob]

pipefish out the a**!

[FossilReef]

Hey Michael, those are gooseneck barnacles on that piece of bamboo.

[michael_t]

Thanks man. Someone on ReefCentral id'ed them for me earlier. Then I looked them up on google. they reproduce fast! I decided not to use them since I don't have a tank sized lawnmower to keep them down.