# My first Tarpon Experience Port Isabel



## Gap (Jun 4, 2004)

Took the wife and son to South Padre last week for a last minute trip. Had a nice condo with a boat slip. Was hoping for calm enough weather to hit the jetties and maybe get lucky with a Tarpon or a Snook. I have a big boat that I fish bluewater and an inshore boat that I chase Trout and reds and freshwater fish with, but have never seen a Tarpon much less caught one. 

That changed after about the third live Shrimp on Thursday morning at the Port Mansfield jetty. My 9 yr old hooks up to a baby Tarpon, probably 10-12 lbs and it put on a fantastic show. Wow! We caught a huge variety of fish Red Snapper, Grey Snapper, little groupers, trout, reds, Snook, small Amerberjack and a would be state record Creole Fish. Was delicious... We saw some Tarpon rolling later in the morning that were much larger fish. Couldn't get to bite on just Shrimp.

The next day we tried to repeat but set off down the beachfront looking as it was slick calm. Ran the second bar all the way to the Rio Grande. We saw some bait balls and castnet a well full of 5-7" shad. Hauled it back to the Jetties and set up a bump-troll with those. Fishing with Curado 300's on fairly stout rods we jumped three tarpon, all getting to the rocks or chewing through the 25lb floro. We also missed a couple of other bites. It was pretty awesome, but these fish were 30-40 lbs and were too much for our gear. Caught a 22" Snook and two 7-8 lb Grey Snapper there as well.

I happened to have with me a couple of rigs I throw poppers with to Yellowfin Tuna (Daiwa Lexa 400's with 60lb braid and a 50lb floro topshot) and the next morning we were back. This time we went straight up the beachfront looking for the shad again when we came across a couple of pods of giant tarpon rolling just outside the second bar. After changing my shorts, I rifled through the tackle boxes and rigged a bone Top dog. The pod was rolling not far away and we quietly got in casting range. First cast a massive fish exploded on it throwing it several feet in the air. Totally amazing. I stayed with it and a few minutes later a giant fish completely engulfed it. Immediately the fish runs off 70-80 yards, then back at me, makes one jump and pop - gone. But he didn't know he was not hooked and proceeded to jump at least 6 more times, finally within just a few feet of the boat. I have no reference, but I'm sure 6-7' long and well over 125 lbs. I fish 60-70 days a year and that could be the single most exciting 10 minutes of all my fishing days.

I had 3 more bites, but each time they missed the bait. I paused and found a 7" shad style swimbait, but I couldn't find them again to throw to.

The next day we went back, but some overnight storms had chopped up the water and I was only able to find one pod and they never resurfaced. I had to be off the water by 9:00 so I had little time to mess around. We had castnet some decent mullet and ran to the spot at the jetties. I hooked about a 10" mullet on the Lexa and my son had a 5-6" bait on his Curado 300. First pass by the hotspot and my mullet gets blasted by a much bigger fish than what we had been seeing at the jetties. My mullet was jumping all over the place trying to get away, fish rolling multiple times before getting flushed. I got tight, then pop - 50lb floro leader gone like that. Again. My son jumped one that tossed the hook, then I had one on his rod that I fought for 5 minutes or so before it got angry and made a massive run to the rocks. 

Wow! What an exciting couple of days of Tarpon fishing - 7 or 8 fish on! The boy is a fishing machine and can't stop talking about it. I can't wait to do it again, next time with heavier leaders, better baits and circle hooks!


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## Bill C (May 23, 2004)

Way to get after them! Sounds like a great time. Thanks for posting.


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## DA REEL DADDY (Jun 7, 2005)

Now that is what I call a good day of fishing!


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## Snookered (Jun 16, 2009)

great report! thanks!
snookered


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## TxRedman (Oct 22, 2013)

Amazing! Got to love it when you hit the conditions just right. My 10 yr old has been begging to get on some tarpon. Apparently, he thinks I can just snap my fingers and make them appear  if only... Great job!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## texasislandboy (Apr 28, 2012)

You should have seen them today.... Crazy pods of them .


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## salty_waders (Feb 13, 2006)

AWESOME! Heading down for a tarpon trip in a few weeks, hopefully they'll still be hanging around...


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## POC Fishin' Gal (Nov 20, 2009)

Great report!


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## skinnywaterfishin (Jul 1, 2015)

They are out there. Welcome to the addiction.


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## Toadtrout (Dec 27, 2014)

We have been jumping 5-8 tarpon a day in port oconnor. It really is the best place to tarpon fish on the Texas coast.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Toadtrout said:


> We have been jumping 5-8 tarpon a day in port oconnor. It really is the best place to tarpon fish on the Texas coast.


Some of the best amateur tarpon fishermen fished POC hard yesterday. No fish at all. Water was awful. No bait, no life. The upper cost has been way better all year. No BS.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Day 2 skunk in POC. No fish.


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