[mako17]

Im a recent import from Florida. Got pretty psyched when I heard there were fishable tarpon around here, but it sounds like it is pretty different from what I am used to. Is there anywhere around here that the fish reliably set up camp or do they just follow bait offshore? I was expecting to hear that they stuck a little closer to the inlets and even moved into Galveston Bay, but from the threads here and info on the texastarpon.net site that doesn't sound right. Is intentional tarpon fishing always a matter of running and searching for rolling fish and bait?

Just got back from Apalachicola Bay and there are 70-150 class fish just stacked up in the West Pass there. It's no Boca Grande, but then again I never saw more than two other boats fishing in three trips. Caught fish from 70-120 pounds once we figured it out, and jumped a truly large one. I would love to find out there is something like that around here...

 

[Freshwaterman]

I have seen some nice tarpon in the Port O-Conner area in summer time on week days - Too much pressure on weekends. Fish have been close to deep water feeding on flats or just offshore the pass - feeding on dropping tide.

Summer time tarpon are seen at SPI jetties enugh taht they are targeted from the jetties. I September you can find them along teh beach near manisfield jetties feeding on fall finger mullett run.

 

[mako17]

Thanks for the info. I forgot an important detail in my original post. I'm in Clear Lake so primarily wondering about tarpon within an hour or so either side of Galveston. I'm willing to drive, but want to learn one area at a time...

 

[squidmotion]

it's kinda 'learn on yer own' around here....at least, i think the texas tarpon fanatics are a pretty tight-lipped bunch. and i don't blame them....with all of the boat traffic spooking the fish, i plan to look in obvious, but not-so-crowded locations, just outside the passes, about 30-50ft of water, on super calm days.

did you catch any on a fly rod, while living in fla.? there are a few species i plan to target with my 10wt., given the chance, but i don't know if i should even hope to get a tarpon on fly here in texas, that might be a bit ambitious....

with my wife going through chemotherapy right now, my hewes and i haven't seen the water in 2 months :[

but that is the way life goes, and i am glad to be here at home for her....

 

[mako17]

None on fly here, but I was never much of a fly fishing guy. Got a couple dolphin for kicks when I happened to have a rod on the boat but never tried much else with it.

The funny thing is, in South Florida tarpon are one of those fish you can basically make as hard as you want. We had awesome fishing in Miami (on 50-120 pound fish) just freelining small shrimp along the beaches near the Miami cuts. In the keys, you could fly cast moving pods of fish, sight cast tarpon in shallow water, live bait them on flat's edges or under the bridges, or just fish dead bait over that day's dolphin carcasses (check out the Keys guides who advertise free trips if you don't hook up and guess which they choose). Tarpon were kind of glorified trash fish if you were willing to do whatever it took to catch them. As a kid, we caught them on shiners (the bass bait) in brackish canals, but the old-timers secret bait was a dead finger mullet that you stepped on before you cast... (it worked comparably to the live bait, too.)

It's a different deal, apparently, around here. At least, it seems to be from the very little information folks are willing to divulge.

Seems like cancer is everywhere since I moved to Houston. I hope your wife does well on the chemo and you can get back on the water soon. Actually, I will pray she gets well whether you get to fish or not...

 

[squidmotion]

if i never catch another fish to get her well, it would be worth it..... she is doing well.....

we plan to have a hell of a party when this is over in december!