# PINS jetty on the fly 6/6 - 6/9



## TXyakker (Aug 18, 2005)

After being tormented by the surf cams last week and being stuck in San Antonio, I finally got the chance to make my way to the beach on Saturday. I packed up my gear with the plan to fish the port mansfield jetty hoping for jacks, spanish, and tarpon on the fly.

I hit the beach Saturday evening, and didn't quite make to the jetty before dark hit. Didn't see a whole lot of activity on the drive down, but the water was clean and the driving was pretty easy. Hardly used 4wd most of the way down on the low tide. Even on high tide, only a few spots were soft enough to need it. Tons of people camped out all the way down to the jetty saturday afternoon though, making the drive slower than normal.

Sunday, tried fishing the surf in the morning right in front of my camp hoping for some trout but there was just nothing going there. No bait, no nothing. Came back in, made some breakfast tacos, and then headed over to the jetty with the fly rod. By this time, the bait balls were forming up and birds were starting to work all over the place, near the jetty and out in the gulf. I was seeing tarpon roll here and there, but I was just blind casting with the 10wt and an olive/white half and half. I finally get a take, and seconds after coming tight everything goes slack again. After my line goes slack, there goes the tarpon airborne, trying to throw the hook anway, haha. A boat a little ways away looked over in disbelief that a tarpon just came out of the water, haha. Aww.... i figured he threw the hook. I reel in, and realize that my whole leader had pulled off the fly line. Now i'm worried. I try tying another nail not, I try and albright, and the same thing happens with any knot i tie. The fly line strips off. I'm starting to realize that my fly line is bad, which sucks when you're 60 miles down the beach and don't have a second line. I had planeed to stay a few days, so i made the crazy decision to drive all the way back to Roys. Got hooked up with a new line and I was back down the beach.

Second drive down the beach, and still not seeing much activity. No bait balls, no jacks murdering things in the beach like I had hoped.  Get back to the jetty in time for sunset fishing and catch a spade fish. Move over to the channel side and actually jump another tarpon on a black/purple toad fly. He hit at the end of my strip, didnt get a good hookset really and he went rodeo style as soon as i hooked him, coming straight out of the water all over the place. That was fun, haha.

The next day was pretty slow. Another fly guy out there tells me he saw tons of tarpon closer to the beach, right at daylight. I got out there around 8, didnt see a tarpon roll until nearly lunch time. Blind cast for a while, move around a bit. Finally, i see 2 tarpon roll close to where i'm standing so i put a red/white half and half out there and start stripping. I had the gopro on this time since I had just seen them roll within casting range. A few strips in and i get hit hard, and actually manage to make this one stick. I saw the big silver flash as he rolled up to grab it. The fish never jumped, but boy did it run! First time getting into my backing on the 10wt, and my first line burn on the fingers, haha. I'm getting line back, working the fish back in, and I get slack.  It either cut me off on a rock, or it inhaled the fly and his mouth managed to cut the 40 pound mono I had. Maybe i horsed it too much? Not sure, but it was fun. That was the only fish i hooked all day Monday. When I hooked this fish, I was using a straight section of 40 pound mono. After this one, I tried using a 6 inch section of 80 pound that i had, but I never got any more takes on the day.

Tuesday had even better weather, but the fishing stayed about the same. Throwing a chartruese and white fly, I did manage to jump one more tarpon but again, he hit it at the end of my strip and I got surprised, so I didnt get a good hookset. He came out of the water right away and spit that fly right back at me. This fish, I had a 40lb mono leader with a 3 foot section of 50lb fluoro on the fly.

Still trying to figure out the best leader set up, since I've only managed to make 1 fish stick so far (until I got broke off). Not sure if I should have a heavier section tied to the fly to help prevent that or if thats just part of the game. It was a fun trip. Wish there had been more fish to play with, but thats why its called fishing.


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## cwbycrshr (May 23, 2013)

I passed ya'll going in Monday. We where headed out and I commented to my wife about the mount on your hood for your fly rod. 

Pretty cool. Congrads on the Tarpon hookup.


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## jagarcia10 (Mar 10, 2011)

That takes some dedication to run back to Roys and then go back! lol... Keep on after it, you'll get one soon enough! 

You are very calm when you lose a fish, I can't help but start cursing when I get broken off or lose a fish.


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## Surffshr (Jul 6, 2007)

Good story man. Love the run to Roy's! Kinda weird how pretty yet slow it has been there...


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## SurfRunner (May 22, 2004)

Great video! I am looking for my first tarpon on the fly! Soon I hope!


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## TXyakker (Aug 18, 2005)

Haha, yea, I knew it was a crazy idea, but I really wanted to keep chasing tarpon so I just said why not?


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

Very nice, yeah that's a hell of a haul for new line. I'm betting you pack spares next trip.  

So was it crowded at the jetty? I quit going a while back because there's always 8 or 10 trucks when I went the last few times.


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## TXyakker (Aug 18, 2005)

Sunday afternoon it was, but then everyone cleared out to go back to work. I think there were probably 8 or so trucks down there, so yea, pretty busy. I camped sort of away from the jetty and just drove the short distance so that I wouldnt set up in the middle of everyone on Sunday. Being on summer break, I took advantage of that and stayed until Tuesday.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

Yeah I'm stuck with weekend warrior status now and hate the crowds, makes it rough for me to fish any of my usual spots. Thanks for the heads up.


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