Southeast Texas used to be a shining beacon for anglers without boats.

    The piers on Pleasure Island along the north and south levees and the Walter Umphrey Pier at the causeway bridge allowed tens of thousands of anglers to get in on high quality fishing.

    Over the years I have known and spoken with hundreds of people who did their only fishing from those spots.

     Enter Hurricane Ike.

     That beast of a storm destroyed every single pier on the island, leaving the people who depended on them for fishing out in the cold.

     Now however we have an opportunity to give anglers incredible access to fishing that will require no new construction and that just happens to be in a very strategic fishing area.

      I am talking about the old causeway bridge on SH 82. Still in operation it will soon be mothballed due to the construction of a new, much taller bridge.

    The old bridge would be a perfect fishing pier and while it would take some work to prepare for anglers it has proven it can last.

    “That bridge survived two major hurricanes back to back and is still standing while the Umphrey Pier is still unusable. Using this bridge as a pier makes perfect sense and would help so many people,” said local angler and fishing activist Ronnie Moon.

    Moon is dead on and noted there is much public support for the project.

    “Everyone I have talked to would like to see it happen, at least among the fishermen,” he said.

    Dimitri Schwarnzau of Causeway Bait & Tackle at the foot of the bridge believes it is one of Pleasure Islands' biggest asset for our local everyday fisherman. 

    “Before the hurricanes the Umphrey pier would be lined up by fishermen. We know it was a very popular destination for fishermen from near and far to end up day and night.”

    “We believe it would be good to take the middle out and leave the rest for the pier. Everyone in Port Arthur is always talking about how to improve the community; well I believe that this is a very good resource which everyone can enjoy in a great safe environment.” 

    There is precedent for such a pier down near Rockport over Copano Bay. The entire span of the old bridge stands as a pier allowing anglers plenty of opportunity for bank fishing.

    A couple of local officials including a Jefferson County Commissioner have stepped up in support of the project and I believe they should all throw their hat in right now.

    This is a win-win for the community that will help the economy by attracting people to the area and giving local anglers much needed access.

    I am blessed to travel along the Texas coast from Port Arthur to Port Isabel frequently and hate to admit that we are now last on the list for quality bank fishing access.

    Out of all of the major fishing centers (Sabine, Galveston, Rockport, Corpus Christi/Aransas Pass and Port Isabel) we are dead last in fact.

    There are literally trillions of dollars of federal money being spent right now for the so-called economic stimulus. Someone out there should be able to find a way to turn a tiny part of  that into funds to convert the old bridge into a pier. It has proven its worthiness against two of the largest hurricanes every to hit our area and is currently fit for cars to drive over.

    With a little work it can be made fit to be a pier and help many local lower-income, senior and young citizens.

    If I were a politician I would jump on this to help those constituents and begin the process of bringing our area back to its rightful place at the top of bank fishing friendly destinations.

    Any takers?

Chester Moore, Jr. is The News Outdoors Editor. To contact Chester Moore, e-mail him at cmoore@fishgame.com. You can hear him on the radio Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI or online at www.klvi.com.