Winter Texans (Part 2)

This is our second "Winter Texan" post (link), but our third post on our time in the Coastal Bend. Here we turn our attention to the coastal waters. Marine recreational fishing is a popular pastime in the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico and a significant economic driver. In 2011, an estimated 5.3 million anglers made 22.3 million trips into the Gulf of Mexico harvesting over 62 million fishes (76 million pounds) and spending $1.5 billion on trips (gas, food, lodging, bait, guide fees, etc.) and $8.3 billion on durable goods (fishing tackle and clothing, licenses, boats, vehicles and second homes).

Sight-fishing for fish feeding on the flats in St. Charles Bay

In Texas in 2011, 751,000 anglers made 2.2 million trips. They spent an estimated $402 million on trips and $1 billion on durable goods generating 13,300 jobs. Non-residents were 10% of all Texas anglers (link). 

Beach Life

The beach at La Manzanilla is a destination for gringos in the winter and for Mexicans in the summer.  This is not an upscale resort and the gringo visitors mostly come for a respite from their busy lives. They want to relax, to slow down, to experience their vision of a sleepy tropical village on the Pacific Ocean. One gringa travel writer wrote about returning to “…this dusty little Mexican fishing village, a hushed-up spot that's still off the clock and, for a while yet, off the tourist track…to settle back in my beachside chair and stare for hours at the mini-curl of surf, ice cubes melting in my Cuba Libre, skin glowing, mind blank, system on zero” (link).

Fishermen leaving the beach at La Manzanilla

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is the anti-Mazatlán. It's a small town on the Pacific Coast south of San Blas. There are no high rises and few tourist hotels and RV parks. The industrial-scale agriculture we saw north and south of Mazatlán has given way to towns and villages surrounded by orchards and small farms growing fruits and vegetables. “The local people are hard-working citizens, fishermen, farmers, blue-collar workers such as waiters or waitresses, or small business owner” (link).

Street near Playa La Manzanilla