# Freeport jetties question



## great white fisherman (Jun 24, 2008)

When I was a kid we used to drive down to Freeport during the summer and stay at surfside and fish the jetties for a week. Some 50 years ago the water was clear, fish and crabs and shrimp where everywhere. You could see them on the side of the rocks on the jetty. We caught specs, reds, sand trout, crocker, sharks, gafftops at night, and spanish macs. 

What is the fishing like now at the jetties in Freeport. Can you catch fish this time of year or is it a summer deal? There used to be a bait camp at the jetties, is it still there? I miss those days and had some of the best childhood times there. 

Can you catch drum and reds and whiting there right now?


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## Africanut (Jan 15, 2008)

I will surely get flamed for this statement, but the fish are in the minority there compared to yesteryear because of the minorities. You can still do pretty good there but compared to when I was a kid it is nowhere as good. The bait stand I think you are speaking of is now a dive/bar at the end where the old jetty line started. It is across the street from the restrooms and parking lot the city of Surfside built. There was a jetty shack that sold bait up until Ike and was torn up pretty good then a fire took the rest of it out. The county never built it back.
Love the jetty and some of my fondest memories center around that landmark. The fishing can be spectacular at times especially in the summer freelining shrimp for specs and smacks. Good luck..


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## LongTallTexan (May 19, 2009)

You can still catch everything you've mentioned. The summer does seem to be better to me. I also seem to have better luck fishing in the surf than in the channel. But, thats also just me.

There are a handful of bait camps, however they are on the opposite side of the causeway; SaltGrass, BridgeBait, etc.

I am sure it's not as good as it was 50 years ago, but there is still plenty there to stretch your lines...


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## Gluconda (Aug 25, 2005)

Like the post above stated, you can still catch all the fish you want there if the conditions are right! Keep an eye on the winds, if its blowing SE 5-10 for a couple of days and then dies down, green water will be in and so will the fishy!

Pick up a quart of shrimp and bring a lawn chair and have fun!

I will be there this summer if I'm not on a boat somewhere!

www.surfhousesurfcam.com

You can see there water and the conditions before heading down!


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## tank8677 (Apr 20, 2010)

africanut, i can assure you not all minorities take everything they catch. im chinese and yea chinese do eat just about everything (haha, not me) but me, my dad, and my fishing crew do follow the TDPW fishing guideline when we are fishing. i know just about every asian that fish on the surfside jetty and i can tell you they dont take everything as well..im not flamming you but please do less blaming and more fishing.

back to the post, theres still planty of fish being caught out there. i have caught kings, jacks, limits of spanish macs, limits of specks, slot red, bull red, flounder, sheephead, whiting, to croaker. live shrimp under poping cork fish about 5-6 ft of water usually work for me.


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## Fishin'Aggie (Jan 5, 2011)

tank8677 said:


> im chinese and yea chinese do eat just about everything


Im a big ol country boy, and we eat just about anything too lol


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## Africanut (Jan 15, 2008)

Tank, I wasn't speaking to the Asians. It was directed more to the ones that would tend to eat their pescado with a torta. It disgusts me that the GW's will walk right by a mexcan and check everyone but them. I once asked them why they don't enforce the laws and regs regarding them and was told--"what are we supposed to impound? a coke can with some mono and a hook--much less ticket someone that doesn't exist and won't pay a fine".


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## Sowhunter (Jun 24, 2010)

This would never happen, but I'd love to see a game warden stationed at the base of the jetties checking valid licenses before anyone is allowed on. I've stopped going to the surfside jetty altogether...the people and the garbage they leave behind sicken me! Sorry if I offended anybody, I know everyone does not fall into this category.


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## unplugged02 (Feb 26, 2010)

Before this discussion turns into a horrible backlash about minorities and fishing regulations, I would like to interject with my experience about the Surfside Jetty. My father is 80 years old and he doesn't get around very well anymore. We don't have a boat, but he likes to take his time while he walks the jetty to fish and to get a little exercise when I can take him there. We have been going there for about two decades and the fishing has definitely changed since Hurricane Ike. I can also recall when the fishing used to be so good at the jetty that if you dropped a hook with live shrimp in the water, you couldn't light a cigarette before you had a fish on. It seems like since Hurricane Ike, the subterrain around the jetty has changed and the jetty doesn't hold fish in the numbers that it used to. I have been there recently on days (weekdays and weekends) when the conditions have been ideal: tides, current, wind direction, water clarity, water temps, etc. and I have only managed a couple of bites in the span of 6-8 hours of fishing. I'm sure others may have different results, but the Surfside Jetty is not the place for fishing that it once was. My father feels the same way and we are looking for other places to not only fish, but also to catch.


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## great white fisherman (Jun 24, 2008)

wow, really bothers me to hear how the human race has messed things up so bad. I was thinking about going and fishing there but sound like it would just make me sad. As a kid that place was awesome. I remember catching some monster gafftop at night and my uncle would put them in a burlap sack and take home and clean. 3-4ft sharks we would catch as well. I remember people spearing fish on the rocks it was so clear during the day. Rocks would be covered with crabs. Big crabs. We ate a lot of them in those good ole days.


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## jamisjockey (Jul 30, 2009)

Lots of trash on the jetty and in the park before the jetty. Crowded on a weekend. Fished for hours and didn't get a single bite. This was last weekend.


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## tboltmike (Jun 21, 2006)

If you hadn't been there in 50 years, things have changed. The Surfside jetty is not in the same place due widening of the channel. The new one is more conducive to fishermen in that it has a wide paved surface higher off the water and goes all the way to near the end. No more slippery moss on the rocks. This does make it easier for folks with disabilities.

However, the Quintana jetties were untouched are just the same as before, unless changes in the last 7 years.. I had better luck on the Q side and closer to water level.


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## great white fisherman (Jun 24, 2008)

I am talking about the Quintana jetties. I did not know that there was more than one.


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## mud minner (Apr 12, 2009)

they both have paved surfaces.....i stay away from both of them for the most part....i cant stand to have someone 50 feet from me move within 5 feet of me when i catch a fish


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## elgatogus (Oct 27, 2010)

Africanut said:


> Tank, I wasn't speaking to the Asians. It was directed more to the ones that would tend to eat their pescado with a torta. It disgusts me that the GW's will walk right by a mexcan and check everyone but them. I once asked them why they don't enforce the laws and regs regarding them and was told--"what are we supposed to impound? a coke can with some mono and a hook--much less ticket someone that doesn't exist and won't pay a fine".


YOU ARE FUNNY AFRICANUT! YOU GOT JOKES.. IM MEXICAN AND I FOLLOW THE RULES. YOU ARE JUST JEALOUS BECAUSE THEY WERE CATCHING MORE FISH THAN YOU! HA! THE JOKE IS ON YOU! SILLY WABBITT JOKES ARE FOR KIDS.. GROW UP!


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## Long Pole (Jun 5, 2008)

elgatogus said:


> YOU ARE FUNNY AFRICANUT! YOU GOT JOKES.. IM MEXICAN AND I FOLLOW THE RULES. YOU ARE JUST JEALOUS BECAUSE THEY WERE CATCHING MORE FISH THAN YOU! HA! THE JOKE IS ON YOU! SILLY WABBITT JOKES ARE FOR KIDS.. GROW UP!


Hardheads don't really count...sad3sm


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## lshieldes (Feb 9, 2010)

Surfside jetty is about the only place I really fish on the coast but I am about done with it. On certain days in the summer the action is unbelievable, but otherwise it is just an excercise in futility. Been twice in the last month, haven't caught much if anything.

We are starting to get into wade fishing or surf fishing. Just don't trust my car out on the sand or to get back into some places so I am pretty stuck where I go.


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## tank8677 (Apr 20, 2010)

i think the jetties are one of best place to fish in my opinion, i still catch planty fish there.


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## txflounder (Jan 7, 2010)

We were down at the surfside jetties a few weeks ago a didn't have a problem limiting out on specs. The best time to go in during the week at night if you can, less crowded. Smacks were pretty thick before the sun went down also. By 1:30am we had 40 specs and 22 smacks between us 4


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## tank8677 (Apr 20, 2010)

txflounder said:


> We were down at the surfside jetties a few weeks ago a didn't have a problem limiting out on specs. The best time to go in during the week at night if you can, less crowded. Smacks were pretty thick before the sun went down also. By 1:30am we had 40 specs and 22 smacks between us 4


thats what im talking about, nice catch!!


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## texascity junky (Nov 9, 2010)

txflounder said:


> We were down at the surfside jetties a few weeks ago a didn't have a problem limiting out on specs. The best time to go in during the week at night if you can, less crowded. Smacks were pretty thick before the sun went down also. By 1:30am we had 40 specs and 22 smacks between us 4


Did you use lights at night?


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## koncept1 (Jan 27, 2009)

I used to fish the jetties A LOT before I got a yak. Fishing is fishing no matter where you are. Its not called catching just because you're on the jetty. I will say this- there are certain places along the rocks on the Q jetty that have never failed me to catch specs, and especially reds. Get a good pair of polarized glasses and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Now I'm sure fishing isnt as good as it was 10+years ago, but what is? jussayin. Tight Lines!


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## surfsideperson (Aug 22, 2005)

*surfside jettie*

i used to do reports on surfside alot, 
check them out.....youll see lots of good info.


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## PQ (May 12, 2011)

The fishing can still be great at the jetties but it can also be dead at times. One of the lessons I've learned is not to assume you should fish on the calm side. There are times when the gulf side is calm so everyone is fishing over there, and I've started catching specs in the rougher channel side. As long as the water is relatively clean, I prefer the channel side.


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## Bull_whiting_hunter (May 29, 2011)

WOW.. ok guys well ive seen PEOPLE keep under sized fish out there.. but its been all kinds of people not just the aformentionded. And i have no problem letting them know that there attempting to keep and illegal fish! 

Like alot of other people the SS jettie has been hot and cold over the past 5 yrs or so.. more cold than anything. Ive spent many a nice morning out there without so much as a bump! I just chock it up to the game and it makes me appreciate the days i do catch em!


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## Night-Fisherman (Aug 1, 2008)

I will be down there tonight to test the theory on the lack of fish! I have always done good when I go down there. I do fish at night with lights, but when I go I pick my days and look at the tides before I go.


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