Texas Cast & Blast

Hunting and fishing are often lumped together in the world of outdoor recreation. However, the two activities rarely happen simultaneously. An initial assessment probably provokes visions of a logistics nightmare and an insurmountable pile of gear. While this is a reality for the uninitiated, cast and blast trips are an efficient action-packed outing that many guides host every year.

What is a Cast & Blast

The only thing better than fishing is hunting while fishing. With a “cast and blast” trip, you get the best of both worlds. To put it simply, a cast and blast is an outing that entails both fishing and hunting either at the same time or back to back.

While the hunting side of things is typically a wingshoot of some sort, these trips can come in many forms. Depending on the body of water, fish species, and technique used for fishing, along with the game, technique, and overlapping access for hunting, the range of possible cast and blast combinations are endless.

Texas Cast & Blast

While most game animals tend to stack up near water, ducks provide the most overlap with fishing. Ducks hit almost every type of water on their migration which, in many cases, ends on the coast. Here are two of the most common Texas cast and blast trips.

Freshwater Cast & Blast

Texas has an abundance of rivers, lakes, and ponds that hold largemouth or striped bass year round. Rainbow trout are also stocked in over 100 locations each winter. In the fall, many of these bodies of water are attractive to migrating waterfowl in search of food and shelter.

The two most common ways a cast and blast is executed in freshwater is either a duck hunt in the morning and fishing in the afternoon or fishing as you drift down a river and jump shooting ducks along the way.

Saltwater Cast & Blast

There’s no better way to take advantage of the natural beauty of the Texas Coast than a cast and blast. Well known for incredible year-round fishing opportunities and large populations of wintering ducks, the Texas Coast is the perfect place to kick off duck season and stock up on keeper fish.

Redfish are the most common targets in the water, with speckled trout and black drum being welcome bycatch. Depending on the area you hunt along the Gulf, the variety of duck species will vary. The South Coast of Texas is an annual stopover for millions of ducks, which come to rest in the protected bays and inshore waters while they migrate. Species here include Green-Winged and Blue-Winged Teals, Cinnamon Teals, Wigeons, Redheads, Pintails, Gadwalls, and Mottled Ducks. Rockport is among this Central Flyway and is known for holding the largest population of wintering redhead ducks.

The typical schedule for a coastal cast and blast is a morning duck hunt from a blind followed by a late morning or afternoon inshore fishing trip on the way back to the ramp.

Other Cast and Blast Combinations

Depending on the amount of huntable land accessible from the water, a variety of game can be available. Hunts that can be done while fishing include deer, turkey, dove, and small game. Fish tend to vary more by geography but trout, bass, crappie, and perch are all great options.