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Capt. Cliff Fleming has been fishing South Padre Island for over 50 years. He knows the Laguna Madre the way most people know their own neighborhood — where the redfish push in when the tide drops, where the trout stack when it gets cold, what the Ship Channel gives you that the bay won't.
Crystal Flats runs private charters only. Bay fishing, jetties, Ship Channel — wherever the fish are that day. All gear included. You show up, Capt. Cliff handles the rest.
No experience needed. All ages welcome.
Charter Trips
What's It Like Fishing This Area
South Padre Island sits at the southern tip of Texas, where the Laguna Madre runs out toward the Gulf and the flats go so shallow you can see redfish tailing from 50 yards.
Most mornings out here start before sunrise. The water is glass. Pelicans work the edges. You can hear mullet popping the surface before you can see them. By the time the sun clears the horizon you're already fishing.
The Lower Laguna Madre is a hypersaline lagoon — one of only two in the world — and that chemistry makes it one of the most productive coastal fisheries in the Gulf. Redfish and speckled trout live here year-round. Flounder run through in the fall. Tarpon show up in the summer. The Brownsville Ship Channel adds a whole other dimension — mangrove snapper, spadefish schooling around the jetty rocks, species you won't find on most South Texas charter menus.
It's not a flashy fishery. No marlin, no 100-mile runs. What it is: consistent, accessible, beautiful in a quiet South Texas way, and full of fish that pull hard on light tackle.
Capt. Cliff has been on this water since the 1970s. He knows the tides, the grass lines, the structure, and the seasonal patterns that move fish from one end of the bay to the other. That knowledge is what you're booking when you book Crystal Flats.
What You're Fishing For
Depending on season and conditions, Capt. Cliff targets:
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Redfish (Red Drum)
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Speckled Trout (Spotted Seatrout)
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Flounder
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Black Drum
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Sheepshead
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Mangrove Snapper
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Spadefish
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Tarpon
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Spanish Mackerel
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Kingfish
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Cobia
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Sharks
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Ship Channel specialties: Lookdown Fish, Filefish, and more
Meet Captain Cliff Fleming
Capt. Cliff Fleming has been fishing South Padre Island for over 50 years. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard license and knows this fishery the way most people know their own backyard.
He fishes every day. He genuinely loves getting people on fish — whether it's a kid catching their first redfish or a serious angler working a sight-casting line across the flats.
