We booked the overnight fishing package and were thoroughly pleased. Arriving around 7:00 PM met…read morewith Keith who laid out the itinerary. Went to the restaurant ordered our meals (package included all meals) and had a couple of drinks as we waited for our food. Staff was busy but took care of us. I had the fish and fries. Fish was very light, done right and as good as I've had. The suite was new, clean with a very open layout. Bed was comfortable and sleeping was easy. Morning started at 5:00 AM with breakfast delivered to our door before meeting with Keith at 5:45. Short boat ride to one of Keith's spots. Weather was overcast with a slight shower. Didn't take long before limiting on trout. This was first time in Matagorda and was surprised by the number of dolphins. Now for the redfish. Another short ride and we started hitting some keepers and a number of under sized redfish, but they still put up a nice fight. Caught and released a few more trout. We also hooked a shark but gear was way under sized. Keith brought us back late morning, got our fish cleaned and served a great tasting smash burger. It was a lot of fun and looking forward to another trip. You set the bar pretty high Keith! Thanks, Pablo

1-Star Review -- We Did Not Receive the Trip We Booked and Paid For…read more We booked with Redfish Lodge Port O'Connor specifically to fish for tarpon with the owner, Captain Keith Denette. We were very clear from the beginning that tarpon fishing was what we wanted to do. We paid $800, and our invoice specifically states: "Fishing for Tarpon on September 6, 2026 with Capt. Keith." The night before our trip, Keith contacted us and told us that something had come up and he would not be able to take us, and that we would instead be going with Captain Stephen Boriskie. Although we were disappointed by the last-minute change, we trusted that Redfish Lodge Port O'Connor would provide an experienced captain capable of giving us the specialized tarpon trip we had booked. Unfortunately, that was not our experience. Within the first 30 minutes on the water, it became apparent to us that Captain Stephen had very little, if any, experience fishing for tarpon. We also learned that it was only his second day operating this particular boat, and he appeared to have very limited familiarity with it. This was certainly not the experience we expected when we paid $800 to fish for tarpon with the owner. What made the situation even more disappointing was what we discovered afterward. Keith had told us that "something came up" and that was why he could not take us. However, we subsequently saw posts on social media showing that Keith was fishing with a bachelor party on the same day he was originally scheduled to take us. That was extremely upsetting. Based on what we were told, we believed an unexpected situation had prevented Keith from honoring our booking. Seeing that he was apparently taking another group fishing that day left us questioning why our confirmed $800 trip with him was reassigned to a much less experienced captain. We want to be very clear: our complaint is not that we didn't catch a tarpon. Anyone who fishes understands that no captain can guarantee that fish will bite. Our complaint is that we specifically booked and paid for a tarpon fishing trip with Captain Keith, and that is not the service we received. After the trip, we contacted Keith and explained how disappointed we were. He offered us a $300 refund on the $800 we paid. While we appreciate that he offered a partial refund, we do not believe $300 fairly addresses the situation. We paid $800 for a very specific trip, with a specific captain, which is documented on our invoice. Instead, our captain was changed the night before, we were told Keith had something come up, and we were placed with someone whom we did not believe had the experience necessary to provide the specialized tarpon fishing experience we purchased. We then discovered that Keith appeared to be fishing with another group that same day. Had we been told the truth upfront, that Keith would not be taking us and that we would instead be going with a captain with limited tarpon experience who was on only his second day with that boat, we absolutely would not have agreed to the trip or paid $800 for it. For us, this is about much more than not catching a fish. It is about honesty, communication, and receiving the service that was advertised, booked, and paid for. Unfortunately, based on our experience and the way this situation was handled afterward, we cannot recommend Redfish Lodge Port O'Connor. We cannot recommend spending $800 for this experience based on what we received.

For years, I've driven past the sign for the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on my way to Port…read moreAransas. Quite a few times, I've taken the scenic route home to Houston and stopped at the Goose Island State Park (which I highly recommend). This time however, finally.... we diverged towards the Refuge. It's a good drive through vast farm land. A beautiful drive indeed. God bless America. God bless Texas. We stopped at an impressive visitor center. The nicest lady volunteer was at the desk. She gave us a map and told us where all the good stuff was. Her knowledge would guide our way into this whole new world. The Refuge is incredible with much to see and experience. Behind the visitor center is a dock where you can view several alligators. Birds and turtles play around them. Down the road a bit is a trail that leads to an amazing 300 year old coastal Live Oak. There is also the song bird trail that is another must see. Another trail leads to a small lake and prairie where we saw deer, feral pigs, javelina, various ducks, herons, and egrets. There is a long, meandering trail through an ancient forest. Bring mosquito repellent. The seemingly never-ending trail is worth it as it takes you to the boardwalk and a pretty cool beach (unlike any beach I've seen in Texas) along San Antonio Bay. We saw Whooping Cranes!!!! We also saw Sandhills Cranes, Rosette Spoonbills, and tons of ducks, herons, egrets, songbirds, crabs, and a ton of oyster shells. From there, you can see the two towering platforms. The view from the tower is awesome. You must walk up the tower. There is another dock and boat ramp area where you can fish. Flounder, Speckled Trout, Redfish, and Black Drum abound. On the drive back to the visitor center, sure as the nice lady said - there were Bald Eagles in a big nest on top of a Live Oak. I'm probably forgetting a few things. All in all, it was about 5 hours well-spent. I look forward to returning one day with a better camera and some rods and reels.

Nice, friendly staff. Clean facilities. Beautiful view. Nice boardwalk to walk out and view…read moreinitial area. The drive path is easy to navigate and allows lots of areas to stop and bird watch. Out of the way, but worth the stop if you are traveling between Corpus Christi and Houston.

Spur of the moment stop to get out of the storm. Host was kind and hospitable in every way. This RV…read morepark was a gift and quite the find. Bathrooms and showers were immaculate and warm. The community room worked great for us as we are traveling light and the extra space was perfect to spread out. Other campers invited us to dinner and made us feel welcomed. We will come back next time we are coming through. This was a total escape from the chaos and Vegas Strip feeling of South Padre. We felt rescued and relieved and at peace with this little piece of heaven. Thank you. Love the area too...... Kathleen and Craig Overby

Beautiful Sunrise and Sunsets,at Cape Velero RV Park! Friendly camping neighbors and hosts.read more

DON'T DO It! At least with Doug…read more First off the guide should know when to call it ! If the weather to bad don't go out, instead he took $400 cash and laughed all the way to the bank . No fish, hated to give us good bait like we were stupid! All over my wife and constantly& tell me how to fish all freaking day. Just a conceded,idiot that strokes his own meat like he the man all day!!! My boat the best!!"only one of its kind ",my talk show the best!!, I report all in the world of fishing!!, I run this bay!! Get out of my way !! What a terrible $400 shit show.. Trust me move on ! This guy out for himself and riding his poor wife's bank roll from the location shop she owns. Talked bad to the locals & fishing tournament groups who had the right just as we did to fish all day .. it just got old ! And I'm sure he will respond being the social but he is but I wish someone would of warned me.

Fishing with Captain Doug was an absolute joy and I can't wait for our next trip down to Port A…read more Let me start off by first saying I am afraid of the ocean. My imagination is a little too wild for the open sea and the thought of sharks and wild animals bigger than me freaks me out! When we first started going out on the water, I was nervous. Capt. Doug was awesome though, he gently broke us into deeper and choppier water making sure that both or legs and stomachs could handle the constant movements. It didn't take very long before my husband caught his first fish. Less than a minute actually! He dropped his line in the water, and BAAM!! There was a giant Redfish on the hook. Well after that, we were ready for more. Further and deeper we went until we ended up next to two large shrimping boats. That's when the fun really started. Kingfish, sharks, dolphin, sea turtles. It was like they were putting on a show. I have never had very good experiences at the beach, better yet on the water, but Capt. Doug really knew how to entertain and keep the energy up. I would recommended him to anyone, young or old, man or woman, experienced fishermen or newbies like myself. We had a blast.

Thank you, Karen and Dennis, for a wonderful few days at The Copa Copa! This may very well be the…read moremost beautiful and meticulously maintained site that we have ever stayed in! Ya'll thought of everything anyone could possibly want and gave attention to every detail. The pier is beautiful and just draws your eye out to the bay and the gorgeous sunsets. It was the perfect place to sit and watch the fish jump, a few dolphins swim by, and the sun sink below the horizon. Wherever you choose to sit on the site, you can't miss the amazing and beautiful sunsets-easily the highlight of each day! The lush landscaping and beautiful palms make it a true tropical oasis. The site feels so private and is so quite, peaceful and restful. We also enjoyed walking the Rockport Beach and the Tule hike and bike trail, and were amazed at the herons and egrets roosting in the trees off Fulton Road! Thank you for all the info about those areas! How lucky we were to get to meet you and share this amazing place with you for a few days! Thank you for being so warm and welcoming and kind! The wonderful boat trip through the Rockport canals was an unexpected bonus and highlight to our stay. There are some beautiful areas in Rockport, but I think the canals are a hidden gem! We loved and enjoyed our little vacation and definitely plan to book some future stays. You guys probably won't be our neighbors the next time we visit, but we count it a blessing that we got to meet ya'll this visit and can now call you friends! We wish you continued success in your Copa Copa venture and thank you for creating such a great place to make wonderful memories!

Eric is an experienced guide with expert knowledge of the area between Port O'Connor and Rockport,…read moreTX. Had a great day sight fishing for large Redfish.

This is an extremely casual restaurant that is also a bait and tackle shop with friendly personal…read moreservice in what appears to be a mom and pop kind of restaurant. The cheeseburger was a delight. The beef tasted like it was steak and the freshly cut fixings with the burger as well as outstanding seasoning made the meal a delight. Choice of sides is up to the patron and okra was chosen which only added to the wonderful meal.

Drove 20 minutes out of the way to go here for dinner on the way to matagorda from corpus. All I…read morewanted was fried chicken and the only other places open for dinner on a Sunday was Mexican and Chinese so it was already worth the 20 minutes for me. But then I ate the fried chicken...SO FREAKING WORTH IT. And the jalapeño hush puppies...I don't even like hush puppies but I will be thinking about those hush puppies until we go back. All of the staff was great, I would not have ordered the hush puppies if the guy behind the counter didn't tell me to. Don't let the tackle shop vibe steer you away from the food, it is 1000% as great as their tackle selection. 10/10

The restaurant was great for its food, service, and welcoming staff. The house we rented was…read moreoutstanding. The fishing trip was outstanding. We will come back.

We experienced a great family fishing trip at Bay Flats Lodge. Me and my two sons-in- law arrived…read moreon a Monday evening to gourmet cooking, beginning with appetizers, followed by double cut pork chops, and then a delicious desert. The lodge rooms were very comfortable with queen size beds and luxury Marriott bedding. Super nice for high class hotel, much less a fish camp! Then on Tuesday we experienced a fantastic day of fishing with Captain Jeremy, who is a first class guide. We went home with a nice mess of fish, including: red fish, black drum, and blue catfish. We caught many more fish, with some too small to keep and some too large to keep, including a 31" long red fish. We will be back that is a fact. We highly recommend Bay Flats Lodge for a great experience.