Meet the Fishing Captains: Hector Lopez
By Jeremy Bochniak |
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Welcome to the third installment of our Meet the Captains series! You can also read our interviews with Captain Glenn Harrison and Craig Woolly here. Today, we talk to Captain Hector Lopez, Jr., one of South Padre Island's most respected fishing guides. Hector Lopez, Jr. has been a fishing guide for 15 years on South Padre Island. Lopez departs from Lobo Del Mar, where he has partnered with the restaurant for four years. Captain Lopez grew up in Brownsville and learned to fish at five years old.
Lopez attended college at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where he majored in biology before becoming a firefighter in New Mexico. Ultimately, Lopez came home to begin his career as a fishing guide. Lopez has participated in significant fishing tournaments here in the South Padre Island/Port Isabel area, such as TIFT (Texas International Fishing Tournament), and has been an anchor for ladies participating in the LKT (Lady Kingfish Tournament), where his team of women won a first-place trophy in 2017.
Lopez fishes in the bay area, where he considers the Laguna Madre waters his “backyard.” His love for fishing translated to being happy watching others do well. “That’s one of the most important things right now. When people bring their kids to give them these experiences,” Lopez said. “It’s hard to get them out nowadays. They want to be indoors and play video games. Fishing, I think, is a way of life.” |
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Lopez himself has twins who are 13 years old. They have taught him the virtue of patience. There is nothing like fall and winter fishing for Lopez. The cooler temperatures lead to fewer boats on the water, and the fish are bigger. However, come summertime, he’s ready to take families to the bay and give them an experience they won’t forget, with the hopes of seeing that family become a part of the schedule whenever they are back at South Padre.
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“I’ve had a father and his sons fish with me, and now, that son is bringing his son.” Lopez smiled while saying, “Nothing beats seeing that.”
Lopez recommends that people fishing for the first time in SPI do their homework when picking the right guide. While the likes of Lopez, Woolly, and Harrison are full-time guides with many years of experience, there are part-timers who he believes don’t give it their all and can leave families with a sour taste in their mouths. “When that happens, it makes us all look bad,” Lopez stated. “There’s some of that going around, and I hope it ends soon.”
While he believes the fishing community is good overall, Lopez wants to see more support from the city leaders to make the fishing scene in SPI even bigger. Lopez cites the Houston Fishing Show, the biggest fishing convention in Texas, to boost popularity. “We have the big fishing tournaments here in August, and I think if we used the Convention Centre during a similar time to help showcase the captains and boats and show off the experiences people can have, it could hit another level,” Lopez said.
You can book with Captain Hector Lopez Jr. directly using his booking website at fishingspitx.com or fishingbooker.com. Lopez encourages you to follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to see his fishing experiences and day-to-day life.
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Jeremy Bochniak was born and raised in San Antonio and graduated from Texas State University with a degree in journalism and English.
While in college, Jeremy wrote for The University Star, Texas State’s school newspaper, covering women’s Volleyball, Basketball, and Softball. After graduation, he wrote as a sports contributor for Chicitysports.com, focusing on all of the professional sports in Chicago. |
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