Port Aransas Fishing Guide

Bait & tackle

Bait and tackle shops in Aransas Pass and Ingleside

8 bait stops on the mainland side of the ferry, where the Coastal Bend's dependable croaker tanks are, with what each keeps live, the shop's own published hours, and who sells licences.

Free estimate

Estimate your cost

Pick your trip type

8 shops · every listing checked against the shop's own listing, site or Facebook page, August 2026

Where can you buy live bait in Aransas Pass?

Every stop on this page keeps live shrimp and 5 of the 8 list live croaker, most of them open by 5 a.m. in season: the Bigelow Street and Huff Street stands at Conn Brown Harbor, Ransom Road, the two marinas on TX-361 on the way to the ferry, and Anne's on the Ingleside bayfront. This is where Port Aransas boats stock up before crossing.

Bait shops compared: live bait, opening time, licences, ice
Shop Live bait Opens Licence Ice
Anne's Bait House On The Bay Ingleside shrimp, croaker, finger mullet 5:00 a.m. ? ?
Capt. Cady's Bait Shop Aransas Pass shrimp, croaker 5:00 a.m. ? ?
Captain Joe's Seafood Market Aransas Pass shrimp 5:30 a.m. ? ?
Capts' Bait Shack Aransas Pass shrimp, croaker 6:00 a.m. ? ?
Fin & Feather Marina Aransas Pass shrimp, mullet, mud minnows 7:00 a.m. ? Yes
Harbor City Bait Aransas Pass shrimp, mud minnows, sea lice — Yes Yes
Ransom Road Bait and Tackle Aransas Pass croaker, shrimp, piggy perch 5:00 a.m. ? ?
South Bay Marina Aransas Pass shrimp, croaker, mullet, pinfish, piggy perch, crab, sea lice 5:00 a.m. ? Yes

? = not published by the shop. Licence = sells Texas fishing licences.

Skip filters and go to the shop list

Bait shops in Aransas Pass

Ingleside

  • LIVE BAIT · OPENS 5:00 A.M.

    Anne's Bait House On The Bay

    Bait shop · Ingleside

    Live bait
    shrimp, croaker, finger mullet
    Hours
    Daily 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. (from the shop's Google listing)
    Address
    1355 Ocean, Ingleside, TX 78362
    Phone
    (361) 413-9265

    Live-bait house on the Ingleside bayfront; the tanks are fed twice a day, per the owner.

    Verified · Correct this

Where do you buy a fishing licence?

Online from TPWD is fastest, and Harbor City Bait sell licences over the counter; the Walmart on Wheeler Avenue and the H-E-B stores in Aransas Pass and Ingleside are TPWD vendors too. Every angler 17 or older needs a Texas fishing licence with the saltwater endorsement. TPWD licences

Licence, ice and supplies stops that are not bait counters
Stop Sells Hours
Walmart Supercenter 2501 W Wheeler Ave, Aransas Pass, TX 78336 · (361) 758-2920 licences, tackle, ice Daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
H-E-B Aransas Pass 101 E Goodnight Ave, Aransas Pass, TX 78336 · (361) 758-5900 licences, fuel Daily 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
H-E-B Ingleside 2616 TX-361, Ingleside, TX 78362 · (361) 776-7510 licences, fuel Daily 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

What time do bait shops open?

Most Aransas Pass bait stands open at 5 a.m. in season and close by late afternoon; Fin & Feather runs to 10 p.m. and to midnight on Saturday. The hours on each card are the shop's own published hours with the source named, and where a shop publishes none we say so rather than guess. Capt. Cady's is seasonal and opens only when it has bait, so check its Facebook page.

Straight answers

Bait questions, answered

Which Aransas Pass bait shop has live croaker?

Capt. Cady's Bait Shop, Capts' Bait Shack, Ransom Road Bait and Tackle, South Bay Marina and Anne's Bait House On The Bay all list live croaker. South Bay Marina on TX-361 posts what is in its tanks most days, and Capt. Cady's opens only on days it has bait, so check their Facebook pages before a dawn run.

Where do you buy a fishing licence in Aransas Pass?

Harbor City Bait sell licences over the counter, and so do the Walmart and both H-E-B stores in the table. Buying online from TPWD before you arrive is faster; the licence lives on your phone.

Own one of these shops?

Every bait and tackle shop on this coast is listed here free. No paid placement: Shops are ordered alphabetically within each town, nothing else. The facts on each card come from your own listing, site or Facebook page, and each card carries the date we checked them.

Port Aransas Fishing Guide sells nothing to shops and takes no commission; the directory exists so anglers find bait.

What will your trip cost?

Pick a trip type, length, and group size — the estimate is instant, free, and from current local market research.

Free estimate

Estimate your cost

Pick your trip type
What will it cost?