Paradise Key Bait & Tackle
Run by the dockside bar and grill next door at Cove Harbor.
Live bait: shrimp, mullet, crab
Opens: 5:30 a.m.
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle
Find it: Directions Facebook (361) 557-1818
Bait & tackle
Bait and tackle shops in Rockport
8 bait and tackle stops from Rockport Harbor to Hwy 35, with what each keeps live, the shop's own published hours, and who sells licences. Fulton's harbor stands have their own page; Rockport is 40 minutes from Port Aransas by the causeway.
Free estimate
Estimate your cost
Step 1 of 4
8 shops · every listing checked against the shop's own listing, site or Facebook page, August 2026
Pin popups open the matching ledger row · Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Where can you buy live bait in Rockport?
Live shrimp and croaker are stocked at 5 of the 8 stops, concentrated at Rockport Harbor on Navigation Circle and at Cove Harbor, where the stands open at 5 a.m. in season, plus the bait house on Hwy 35 north of town. The two tackle stores sell no bait; the harbor stands do.
Skip search and filters and go to the shop ledger
Cove Harbor, south of town
First stops coming up Hwy 35 from Aransas Pass.
-
Stop 1 -
Stop 2 Capt. Cady's Bait Shop (Cove Harbor)
The newest stand at Cove Harbor South; hours not published, call ahead.
Live bait: shrimp, croaker, mullet, piggy perch, crab, minnows
Opens: Not published
Also sells: frozen bait
Find it: Directions (361) 557-4914
Rockport Harbor
-
Stop 3 Rockport Bait and Tackle
The harbor stand formerly listed as Tommy's Bait and More; open late for the night bite.
Live bait: shrimp, croaker
Opens: 7:00 a.m.
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle
Find it: Directions rockportbaitandtackle.com (361) 205-1606
-
Stop 4 Mom's Bait Shop
Family bait hut at Rockport Harbor, seasonal: closes for part of the winter and reopens in March. Call for hours.
Live bait: shrimp, croaker, crab
Opens: Not published
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle
Find it: Directions (361) 729-0173
-
Stop 5 Fleming's Bait Stand
Rockport Harbor bait stand with a daily bait report on its own site.
Live bait: shrimp, croaker, piggy perch, pinfish, finger mullet, minnows, crabs, sea lice
Opens: 5:00 a.m.
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle
Find it: Directions flemingsbaitstand.com Daily bait report (361) 441-9221
Through town on Hwy 35
-
Stop 6 The Fly Trap
Fly-fishing specialist: flies, rods and guiding; no bait.
Live bait: None
Opens: 10:00 a.m.
Also sells: tackle
Find it: Directions theflytrapco.com (361) 450-1691
-
Stop 7 Rockport Tackle Town
The big tackle store on Hwy 35 with a licence counter; no bait.
Live bait: None
Opens: 8:00 a.m.
Also sells: tackle, licences
North toward Goose Island
-
Stop 8 Sea Gun Bait House
Bait house on Hwy 35 north of town, on the way to Goose Island.
Live bait: croaker, shrimp, mullet, crab
Opens: 5:00 a.m.
Also sells: tackle, ice
Find it: Directions (210) 508-7036
green rows sell live bait · ordered along the route, nothing else
Every row verified · correct a listing
Where do you buy a fishing licence?
Online from TPWD is fastest, and Rockport Tackle Town sell licences over the counter; Salemi's Ace Hardware and the H-E-B below do too, and TPWD sells them at the Goose Island State Park headquarters. Every angler 17 or older needs a Texas fishing licence with the saltwater endorsement. TPWD licences
| Stop | Sells | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Salemi's Ace Hardware 2631 Highway 35 N, Rockport, TX 78382 · (361) 729-8600 | licences, tackle | Mon to Sat 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sun 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| H-E-B Rockport 1409 Hwy 35 N Business, Rockport, TX 78382 · (361) 729-8230 | licences, fuel | Daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. |
| Goose Island State Park store 202 S Palmetto St, Rockport, TX 78382 · (361) 729-2858 TPWD sells licences at the park headquarters. | licences | Park open daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
What time do bait shops open?
The harbor stands open at 5 a.m. in season and the big tackle store at 8 a.m.; Rockport Bait and Tackle runs to 11 p.m. 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. Mom's closes for part of the winter, so call before a dawn run.
Straight answers
Bait questions, answered
Where is live croaker sold in Rockport?
Rockport Bait and Tackle, Fleming's Bait Stand, Mom's Bait Shop, Sea Gun Bait House and Capt. Cady's Bait Shop (Cove Harbor) all list live croaker. The harbor stands on Navigation Circle open at 5 a.m. in season, Sea Gun on Hwy 35 is the stop on the way to Goose Island, and Rockport Bait and Tackle runs to 11 p.m. for the night bite.
Which Rockport shops sell fishing licences?
Rockport Tackle Town sell licences over the counter, and so do Salemi's Ace Hardware and the H-E-B in the table, plus TPWD's own counter at Goose Island State Park. 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 listed in driving order along the route, nothing else — never by payment. The facts on each card come from your own listing, site or Facebook page, and each card carries the date we checked them.
- Claim or correct your listing : hours, bait, licences, or a shop we missed. We update within a few days.
- Put today's tide, wind and water temperature on your own site : one line of code, free, no signup, no key. You're welcome to remove it or add rel=nofollow.
- Send us your bait and catch updates : if you post what's in the tanks or how the week fished, we link to it from your card.
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
Step 1 of 4