The Copano Bay Fishing Pier was a

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

Aransas County, Texas Aransas County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is Rockport. As of the 2020 census, its population was 23,830. Aransas County comprises the Rockport, Texas micropolitan statistic ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

used primarily for

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

. The pier had two separate sections. One is long on the south side of the bay and the other is long on the north side. It was permanently closed in August 2017 following a collapse of one section and inspections which indicated severe deterioration of the over 80-year-old structure. The pier was originally the

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet T ...

across

Copano Bay Copano Bay is a northwestern extension of Aransas Bay, west of Rockport, Texas in Refugio and Aransas counties. It is supplied with seawater from the Gulf of Mexico via Aransas Bay, and fed freshwater from the Aransas River, Mission River and ...

for State Highway 35. In 1967, a new causeway opened and the old one was closed to vehicular traffic. The new causeway had a higher middle section than the old one, so the old middle section was removed to allow for passage of larger ships which left the two piers. The State Department of Highways and Public Transportation (Now part of the

Texas Department of Transportation The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a Texas state government agency responsible for construction and maintenance of the state's immense Texas state highway system, state highway system and the support of the state's maritime trans ...

) transferred ownership of the pier to the

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitat (ecology), habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state park, state's parks and historical ar ...

(TPWD) and the pier became a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

. On November 1, 2005, TPWD transferred control of the pier to the Aransas County Navigation District No.1 (ACND). In 2013, the popular pier, open twenty-four hours a day, is the subject of a segment of

Bob Phillips Robert Leon Phillips (born June 23, 1951) is an American television journalist best known for his long-running program '' Texas Country Reporter''. In 2005, Phillips was inducted into the Silver Circle of the Lone Star Chapter of the National A ...

' syndicated

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

, '' Texas Country Reporter''.

References

Buildings and structures in Aransas County, Texas Tourist attractions in Aransas County, Texas Piers in Texas Fishing piers {{Texas-struct-stub