Fishermen at Packery Channel are raising concerns about a growing trash problem along Highway 361, saying discarded bait containers, beer cans, and tangled fishing line are piling up along the shoreline as the fall redfish run draws more visitors to the popular Corpus Christi fishing spot.
Jordan Longoria has fished Packery Channel since he was a kid, learning from his dad. It remains one of his favorite spots — but lately, the trash he walks past to get to the water has become hard to ignore.
"I don't like to see my fishing spots like this, um, you know, it's, uh, it's, it can be it's a little pathetic, you know," Longoria said.
Domingo Castillo has fished the same stretch of Packery Channel for a decade. He estimates only about one in five anglers picks up after themselves, and says tourists are largely to blame.
"People that come are usually tourists and when the tourists leave as you can see here they'll leave their trash just like that which causes a major issue for us locals here that enjoy and love this place," Castillo said.
Along just a few hundred yards of shoreline, discarded bait containers, beer cans, and tangled fishing line sit only feet from the water — just weeks after a large group of kids spent an entire day cleaning up trash under the causeway after noticing the same problem there.
Some regulars, including me, have seen the wildlife impact firsthand. When I visited the area, a pelican was flying around with a fishing lure visibly stuck in its foot.
"Yeah, actually, there is, um, a pelican flying around. He had a, a fishing lure in his, in his, um. Is like 1 ft or whatever," Longoria said.
This year, regulars say someone has started leaving out trash bags for visitors — a step they say is helping. But Longoria believes more could be done.
"The beach is, you know, I used to know the beach is very popular and it's not full of trash out there, right? And they have, you know, trash cans every so far. So I think it would help out a whole lot," Longoria said.
The city says it is aware of the problem. In the meantime, many of the anglers who frequent Packery Channel say they are taking cleanup into their own hands.
"Us as locals what we try to do is bring hefty bags from home and you know just try to fill up a a bag as much as we can as we're out here," Castillo said.
Fishermen say keeping Packery Channel clean does not require a big project or a big budget — just respect for the water and the natural beauty of Corpus Christi.
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