THE SOUTH COAST
Texas has more than 367 miles of Gulf beaches and 3,300 miles of bay shoreline protected by the barrier islands of Galveston, Matagorda, San Jose, Mustang and Padre. This gives Texans some of the best inshore fishing in the world. The TPWD's stocking efforts have been extremely successful. Fishing villages like Port O'Connor, Palacios, Rockport and Aransas Pass provide accommodations and charm. Rockport also is recognized as an arts center, with numerous galleries and a Fourth of July arts festival.

Port Aransas offers the same quality of fishing, and adds the surf on the Gulf side, ample accommodations and restaurants, and a T-shirt industry. Mustang Island State Park is but a short drive down the island.

Corpus Christi, "the Sparkling City by the Sea," offers fine dining, the Texas State Aquarium (pet live sting rays -- I did!), and the WWII aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Lexington; see it at night. And motor down Ocean Drive -- and then tell me that the French Riviera has classier homes!

Corpus Christi is also the gateway to Padre Island National Seashore. Take water and sunscreen and have a full tank of gas if you head to the beach. Be aware: You can't drive the length of the island, even in a four-wheel drive vehicle; getting stuck is easy. But it's worth the risk for the seaside solitude.

Fishing in the surf is productive, as is fishing from the bayside at Bird Island. Fishing charters are available in all the towns mentioned previously for both bay fishing for redfish, spotted sea trout and flounder, and offshore fishing for snapper, ling, kingfish, wahoo and the big boys like marlin and sailfish. For guides, go to the Web site www.fishrockport.com.

And at the end of the island lies the gem of the South Coast -- South Padre Island. Getting there is a long haul, but it's worth the drive to get to Texas' most beautiful beach and clearest water. You get there through Port Isabel, but Brownsville and Mexico aren't far away. The Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville is considered in the top 10 small zoos in the country. Once on the island, there's Texas' newest Schlitterbahn, plenty of nightlife and miles of beaches. And the fishing in either the Lower Laguna Madre or the Gulf is superb.

For guides, go to www.fishspi.com. I defy you to stare at the aerial photo on the home page for 30 seconds and not want to be there!

I likewise defy you to take your family to any of these four main areas of Texas, visit some of the attractions mentioned, take them fishing and not come back with priceless memories.

Your little ones will look back someday and say: "My daddy took me fishing -- and it was the best vacation ever!"