# Boca Grande vs San Luis Pass



## Totally Tuna

I've been thinking about the similarities of the two passes and wanted to know if anyone has fished inside of the pass for tapron much the way they do in Boca Grande. It also seems that on a strong outgoing tide drifting just on the outside should be productive. I've never targeted Tarpon, but was considering it with the high cost of fuel.


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## Bill C

Bottom structure, depth, and the presence of an abundant food source (crabs) are some differences between the two passes from what little I know about San Louis Pass.

Give it a go though. I would imagine that there are many, many places in Texas that haven't been very well expolored for their tarpon producing potential.

Since the passes south of there hold tarpon, I don't know why SLP wouldn't.


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## marc

*Yes*

Jigging like they do in Boca does work in Texas passes. I would focus on the deepest parts of the pass late in the afternoons that have a good outgoing tide. After sunset give up the jigs and fish live bait outside the pass. The action is no where near what it is in Boca, but it can be great at times.


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## Trouthappy

You would probably stick a few tarpon at San Luis, with a little patience. Hard to compare it with Boca Grande, which is about 80 feet deep, has a rock bottom, and holds thousands of tarpon all summer. Not to mention grouper, snapper and snook.


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## Hunter

I've spent in excess of 100 hours fishing SLP for tarpon, on the right tides at the right time of year. I have jumped one fish while doing this.

It is a mystery to me why they aren't more prevalent there, and I haven't really accepted it as fact yet. But I have beaten it to death enough not to do it anymore...for a while.


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## REELING 65

Trouthappy said:


> You would probably stick a few tarpon at San Luis, with a little patience. Hard to compare it with Boca Grande, which is about 80 feet deep, has a rock bottom, and holds thousands of tarpon all summer. Not to mention grouper, snapper and snook.


Boca Grande has much cleaner water too. I mean like comparing apples to Oranges. Tarpon over there is like Red Fish Over here. Yes,there are Tarpon over here in Texas waters. Though it is by no means.. as easy to hook up on one in Texas waters. Being that said..that is what makes it even more of a thrill..in Texas waters. I say waters..instead of the just off the coast. For the Tarpon can be found in Bay systems as well. From what I have read on Texas Tarpon..more of the fish can be found further south. The cleaner and more Tropical waters.. the better. Here..check out this and the other vid's on this page. Man'..I miss that water.


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## capt mullet

you cant compare san luis and boca grande. boca grande is the best tarpon pass in the world and san luis pass isnt even considered a tarpon pass. I would say the hook up ratio in boca vs san luis is 10,000 to 1


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## fishinKat

you've got a better chance of jumping one down at the jetties.


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## Catch 22

I was told by a guide that the reason Boca Grande is such a hot spot is that mama and papa tarpon are making little ones. This is in the spring of the year. After the spawn they migrate. 

When it is tarpon time in Texas we are in the summer months and have adult feeding tarpon for the most part. They are up and down the coast looking for something to eat. Seems like the bait fish are moving up and down the coast waiting to be eaten by tarpon. The depth of the San Luis Pass would not allow for thousands of tarpon to be holed up on the bottom. Just my thoughts.


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## Tarponchaser

*Boca vs Luis*

Boca Grande has three rivers that empty into the Gulf. It seems that freswater inflow is important to tarpon. Mississippi River for example.

Also the outgoing tide delivers thousands of "pass crabs" Find the food find the fish.

TC


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## capt mullet

pass crab fishing was awesome in Tampa also but not as good as boca. But it was still good!!


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## sfronterhouse

Is the San Louis Pass north or south of Boca Grande? I've heard it's a great place to wade fish also.


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## REELING 65

capt mullet said:


> pass crab fishing was awesome in Tampa also but not as good as boca. But it was still good!!


Live small Pinfish..free lined out by the Skyway center span.


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## REELING 65

sfronterhouse said:


> Is the San Louis Pass north or south of Boca Grande? I've heard it's a great place to wade fish also.


South of Galveston Beach.
:texasflag


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## ATE_UP_FISHERMAN

I saw a bunch last year at Pass Cavallo but not too many at SLP.


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## Capt.James

Last August my cousin and I saw several of them rolling around out from Apffel park on the far East end of Galveston. They were no more than 30 yards at times and appeared to be rather large over 50# or more. Very excited to see this activity we fished for them for the next 4 hours to no avail. It was really cool though to see them out there. If more fishermen would report what and where maybe we Texas guys could have a better chance at catching a few this coming summer. Just a thought. I forgot to mention we were about 2-3 miles off the beach in a boat. Compared to Islamorada in Fla. there is no comparison. When you drift under the bridge at channel 5 or at channel 7 you can look down and see them stacked up looking like telephone poles laying on the bottom, very cool!


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## capt mullet

REELING 65 said:


> Live small Pinfish..free lined out by the Skyway center span.


Dont you mean threadfin!! Man I miss those days. I wasnt very good at catching them at the skyway. I jumped may be 3 or 4 at most at the bridge and I think 2 of those were on ladyfish cut in half laying on the bottom. Man do I miss that place!!! I had really good luck when the pass crabs were flushing out and I had some unbelievable tarpon fishing on the very North side in August September. My best day was 7 for 10 by 11 am all caught on dead ladyfish and I was dang tired after that. Memories!!


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## jared_simonetti

I live in the Tampa bay area and fish the skyway and egmount key during hill tides and there are thousands of tarpon, i also fish Boca Grande a lot which also has thousands but the difference between the two is Tampa is much more spread out and boca is a lot smaller so the fish stack up a lot thicker. IMO


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## fishshallow

San Loui is a decent pass to catch tarpon. I have a friend that has landed many #100 plus tarpon there. He found most of his fish a little further off the pass though, out to about a mile off the beach. He focused on poons for a quite few years and used large shad drifted behind the boat, had bottom lines and surface lines. He fished for poons till he had a huge hammer head eat an approximate #150 tarpon about 40ft from his boat!!! This was a lifelong fisherman of 45 who fished hard his whole life and after seeing this happen right in front of him he put his rod down in the boat, without even reeling in the line, drove his boat back to his house and put it in the slip, without washing or putting anything away and that was his last day of tarpon fishing!! Pretty crazy story, and it shook him up real bad. He estimated the shark to be just under 20ft! Makes you think twice about water skiing and stuff.


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## GaryPoyssick

The neck of Charlotte harbor produces more hookups for cameras, but people doing DNA sampling are largely from Tampa Bay. There are guides here that put 150 fish on clients (or vice versa). I would put Tampa Bay against Charlotte harbor any day.

But I live here, and have fished both for 50 years. The rush of fishing the Boca throat is (maybe?) worth it, but those guides take themselves FAR too seriously. The pros I know that fish it don't put their clients on the throat-fish. There are thousands of them in pods on the beaches. That's true here in Tampa Bay, too. But the throat of Tampa Bay is miles wide -- Boca's less then 1 wide. The end result is far more tarpon here but way more spread out. We drift-fish them along the skyway. I sit as I type nine miles from the center span.

It's about publicity and the big money tournaments, too. But tampa, fish for fish, is every bit as good as Charlotte. Some years way better, never worse.

gary


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## DANO

Pass Cavallo,....


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## CrazyYak

fishshallow said:


> San Loui is a decent pass to catch tarpon. I have a friend that has landed many #100 plus tarpon there. He found most of his fish a little further off the pass though, out to about a mile off the beach. He focused on poons for a quite few years and used large shad drifted behind the boat, had bottom lines and surface lines. He fished for poons till he had a huge hammer head eat an approximate #150 tarpon about 40ft from his boat!!! This was a lifelong fisherman of 45 who fished hard his whole life and after seeing this happen right in front of him he put his rod down in the boat, without even reeling in the line, drove his boat back to his house and put it in the slip, without washing or putting anything away and that was his last day of tarpon fishing!! Pretty crazy story, and it shook him up real bad. He estimated the shark to be just under 20ft! Makes you think twice about water skiing and stuff.


Kind of the way I feel sometimes targeting them from a kayak.... After the ~350lb Bull Shark ramming and biting the kayak this past fall off PINS the method is definately questioned.


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## Redfishr

Hunter said:


> I've spent in excess of 100 hours fishing SLP for tarpon, on the right tides at the right time of year. I have jumped one fish while doing this.
> 
> It is a mystery to me why they aren't more prevalent there, and I haven't really accepted it as fact yet. But I have beaten it to death enough not to do it anymore...for a while.


 Just a short 20 plus years ago.......There were tarpon at San louie like you wouldnt believe.
I almost never went down there surf fishing without seeing them air born busting mullet...
I caught two BIG ONES off of the beach in the 80's.
One was 6' 2" the other 7' even.....I cant say what changed but they disapeared.
I was also fishing there in the 70's and they WERE NOT there in many numbers then.


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## Tail Chaser

Redfishr said:


> Just a short 20 plus years ago.......There were tarpon at San louie like you wouldnt believe.
> I almost never went down there surf fishing without seeing them air born busting mullet...
> I caught two BIG ONES off of the beach in the 80's.
> One was 6' 2" the other 7' even.....I cant say what changed but they disapeared.
> I was also fishing there in the 70's and they WERE NOT there in many numbers then.


I witnessed a similar scene off East Beach in the mid nineties (94?). I've never saw anything like it since. Tarpon is strange birdies.


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## sfronterhouse

*Port O'Connor*

I fished POC this past weekend and couldn't find any. Going to try the San Luis Pass this weekend. Will update you next Monday.


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## Redfishr

sfronterhouse said:


> I fished POC this past weekend and couldn't find any. Going to try the San Luis Pass this weekend. Will update you next Monday.


You may want to wait another couple of months.


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## CAPSIZED

Yeah.... like four more



Redfishr said:


> You may want to wait another couple of months.


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## DANO

couple more months and you can find them several miles offshore.


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## sfronterhouse

Thanks guys. I'm gonna look anyway.


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## Scott

sfronterhouse said:


> Thanks guys. I'm gonna look anyway.


And you might be the first one to get one on the upper coast this year... ya just never know.

Ya can't catch 'em if you're not out there....


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## CAPSIZED

Better luck at the jetties. A few years back I caught a 4'er on the tip of the south in Dec. during the flounder run. I know of 3 others that were caught in the cold months at the jetties. They were all juvenile. There is plenty of food for them year round and deep water to get to quickly.


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## Mizpah

fishshallow said:


> San Loui is a decent pass to catch tarpon. I have a friend that has landed many #100 plus tarpon there. He found most of his fish a little further off the pass though, out to about a mile off the beach. He focused on poons for a quite few years and used large shad drifted behind the boat, had bottom lines and surface lines. He fished for poons till he had a huge hammer head eat an approximate #150 tarpon about 40ft from his boat!!! This was a lifelong fisherman of 45 who fished hard his whole life and after seeing this happen right in front of him he put his rod down in the boat, without even reeling in the line, drove his boat back to his house and put it in the slip, without washing or putting anything away and that was his last day of tarpon fishing!! Pretty crazy story, and it shook him up real bad. He estimated the shark to be just under 20ft! Makes you think twice about water skiing and stuff.


Was his name Lawrence?


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## sfronterhouse

Jetties. Good call. I'll take a look around Lake Conroe too.


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## Scott

sfronterhouse said:


> Jetties. Good call. I'll take a look around Lake Conroe too.


You might want to check out Lake Champlain this time of year too... Champ might have a few tarpon swimming around him as well.  But then again, Conroe IS closer.


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## sfronterhouse

Champlain. Checking flights now. Got this one 3 weeks ago at Rollover.


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## Scott

Nice pic.... but at this stage, for both of us, as my 16 year old would said, "Dad, you killed it!" 

Guess that's what happens when the waters are too cold to chase tarpon.... come on hot weather!!!


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## CAPSIZED

Scott... I sent a pm but its full

Are you doing any research on juvenile tarpon? Or have any data to show if there are tarpon that are local and dont travel. I know of 4 that have been caught at the Galveston Jetties during the winter in the last few years. Im assuming they are here year round but its not common to see one in the winter. They were caught on live shrimp and mullet fishing for trout and reds. thx


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## Scott

We have not been through the tagging program but Bill Dailey has been with Texas A&M, Galveston. His username around here is williamdailey - you might PM him and he can give you more info.

Thanks for asking.


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## Scott

CAPSIZED said:


> Scott... I sent a pm but its full


Sorry, just cleared some space


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## Texas19Foot

What time of year will the tarpon show up off the cost of Freeport?


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## Scott

Look for 76+ degree water. A lot of that data is available on the research page if you go and look at the data and water temps tarpon like. www.projecttarpon.com/PATresearch.html


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## aqua vita

I skimmed through the data and it appears the mean depth for the tarpon is rouhly 35'. What is the mean depth of the water that they migrate/hunt in where this 35' depth is maintained?


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## Tarponchaser

Look at the pics in "Back From Boca Grande" and tell me the difference between Boca Grande vs San Luis Pass.

Yep, that's it.... tarpon.

TC


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## ATE_UP_FISHERMAN

They love the DOW outfalls in the brazos and at certain times of the year there are so many that they are just a pain to deal with. I'm tring to catch a few trout or reds with light tackle and I'll get one good jump before the tarpon break off.


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## FLEABIT

*Tarpon*

Should be there now.


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## marc

Nice fish! Is that from today?


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## cpthook

What is the average depth of boca Grande??


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## FLEABIT

marc said:


> Nice fish! Is that from today?


 A few years ago out of Freeport Tx. I chase them every year.


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## Trouthappy

Best not to drag them in the boat for a glory picture, they're pretty much shark bait after that. The magazines won't even use such pictures, because biologists and data have shown it's extremely hard on the fish.


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