A new fishing pier at Packery Channel Nature Park is nearly complete, and once it opens, anglers won't need a boat or an entry fee to use it.
Nueces County is finishing the pier, which reaches out into the water at Packery Channel Nature Park. The county says the structure should be ready soon.
The pier is part of a roughly $7 million project at the park that also extended the nature park's boardwalk, which KRIS 6 News reported on in June.
The entire project was paid for with grant money through the Texas General Land Office — not local tax dollars.
Martin Warren has been fishing for about 20 years, ever since leaving the military, but only started saltwater fishing eight months ago.
He is already casting near the channel, and he said the extra space the pier will provide is what he looks forward to most.
"I think it's just gonna open up everything so it's not so crowded, and I think that's the biggest part about it," Warren said. "Look at how packed we are. We were shoulder to shoulder."
Warren is also tracking the season's fishing activity.
"So I hear the red run's coming. It's one of those things that is National Geographic," Warren said.
Marcus Lira has been fishing for about 19 years and keeps returning to the Coastal Bend. He has always fished from the shore.
"I've always been a bank fisherman just because I don't have a boat, so, plenty of memories of coming down as a teenager with family and hooking up stuff on the surf or areas like this," Lira said. "Always a great time."
Lira usually fishes near the causeway, but the new pier at Packery Channel has caught his eye. He plans to be there when it opens.
"The reds are definitely running right now, so that'll be a great opportunity, especially this time of year," he said.
For Lira, the pier also gives him a valuable alternative when beach conditions aren't favorable.
"Fishing channels are always great, especially in times when the surf is rough, dealing with seaweed or heavy current," he said. "It's nice sometimes to get away from that and hit channels and smaller areas."
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