# J-hook entrance changing



## flounderstalker (Apr 13, 2010)

Found these aerial photos of the pass and j-hook...the first one was taken this past january and the second one was taken just a year before that, notice the difference in the entrance of both photos. No wonder I got stuck goin in there last week!


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## TKoenig (Apr 8, 2007)

it has changed more since that last photo... you used to have to hug the left shoreline when going in, but now you have to hug the sandbar on the right... that change is only about 2-3 months old.


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## Flat's Hunter (Oct 18, 2007)

So what's on the left side now? Is it no longer a steep drop off. 



-CONSERVATION: keep what ya eat, release the rest
-Respect the resource and your fellow outdoorsman
-Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Flat's Hunter (Oct 18, 2007)

Where did you come up with those photos?

-CONSERVATION: keep what ya eat, release the rest
-Respect the resource and your fellow outdoorsman
-Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Navi (Jun 2, 2009)

Hope I figure it out next saturday on the way to the beach lol


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## TKoenig (Apr 8, 2007)

the left side is silted in now... about 5 inches of water over sand at low tide. hopefully these higher summer tides comming will flush it out a little more. we really need a hurricane to come through and recut alot of poc back out, but that means alot of possible damage to the town which we really dont need with stores like coastal ed's and toasties already closing down...


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## FishAfrica (Jan 23, 2010)

TKoenig said:


> it has changed more since that last photo... you used to have to hug the left shoreline when going in, but now you have to hug the sandbar on the right... that change is only about 2-3 months old.


Thanks for the info, haven't been in there since last fall and even then I touched bottom on the old track.


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## Navi (Jun 2, 2009)

TKoenig said:


> the left side is silted in now... about 5 inches of water over sand at low tide. hopefully these higher summer tides comming will flush it out a little more. we really need a hurricane to come through and recut alot of poc back out, but that means alot of possible damage to the town which we really dont need with stores like coastal ed's and toasties already closing down...


So are people hugging the right shoreline to get in? We went thru on the left side a lil over a month ago...guess its filling in quick


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## Stumpgrinder (Feb 18, 2006)

TKoenig said:


> the left side is silted in now... about 5 inches of water over sand at low tide. hopefully these higher summer tides comming will flush it out a little more. we really need a hurricane to come through and recut alot of poc back out, but that means alot of possible damage to the town which we really dont need with stores like coastal ed's and toasties already closing down...


When a person says that "we need a hurricane" I automatically know they live and make their living at least somewhat inland.

The Sunday beach crowd will start dredging out a pass into the hook any day now.


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## aggie2015 (Dec 9, 2010)

that sands a little harder to dredge than a good ol mud bottom


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## aggie2015 (Dec 9, 2010)

sunday beach gonna be lk fish pond? i think one storm tide will do the trick


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## Stumpgrinder (Feb 18, 2006)

aggie2015 said:


> that sands a little harder to dredge than a good ol mud bottom


The Sunday beach crowd will figure a way. They are a determined and focused clan.


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## aggie2015 (Dec 9, 2010)

easy on the 'clan' not everyones the same. i live in port lavaca and hit up sunday pretty often we will see how this year goes though


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## aggie2015 (Dec 9, 2010)

its a shame because someones gonna get hurt. i remember my sophomore year a friends family hit the edge of the bar and one spent a week in the hospital and another one month in a wheel chair hope it doesnt come to this again


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## Flat's Hunter (Oct 18, 2007)

So are you saying now that the way in is the dark blue on the right hand shoreline. But right up against the sandbar? 

-CONSERVATION: keep what ya eat, release the rest
-Respect the resource and your fellow outdoorsman
-Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## flounderstalker (Apr 13, 2010)

Flat's Hunter said:


> Where did you come up with those photos?
> 
> -CONSERVATION: keep what ya eat, release the rest
> -Respect the resource and your fellow outdoorsman
> -Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I googled pass cavallo and these photos came up....the guy has photos of it all the way back to 2003
http://texascoastgeology.com/passes/passcavallo.html


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## Stumpgrinder (Feb 18, 2006)

aggie2015 said:


> easy on the 'clan' not everyones the same. i live in port lavaca and hit up sunday pretty often we will see how this year goes though


no offense intended. I've been enjoying the festivities at Sunday beach on occasion since you were a toddler


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## David Hemphill (Mar 15, 2006)

I ran into the J-hook this weekend. Going in I huged the sand bar on the right and coming out I ran the little ditch right off the point. There is a bar developing right in the center of what use to be a fairly wide cut. It will be interesting to see which ditch wins out. I would not even think about running a big center console through right now. It gets very skinny on the back side when your in for about 30 yards.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Looks like it will become a lake for the shallow-boat crowd.


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## flounderstalker (Apr 13, 2010)

I vote that one of us go wade it with some PVC and mark the deepest part...because it seems like my pathfinder 2200 with a 250 drafts about 4 ft on plane!


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## Fishtexx (Jun 29, 2004)

Flat's Hunter said:


> So are you saying now that the way in is the dark blue on the right hand shoreline. But right up against the sandbar?
> 
> -CONSERVATION: keep what ya eat, release the rest
> -Respect the resource and your fellow outdoorsman
> -Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


A lot of folks would probably not appreciate you running that west shore line, shallow grass and a lot of people wade in there. Everybody runs the east side by the j-hook...just sayin...


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## teamgafftop1 (Aug 30, 2010)

FISHTEXX said:


> A lot of folks would probably not appreciate you running that west shore line, shallow grass and a lot of people wade in there. Everybody runs the east side by the j-hook...just sayin...


X2


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## Flat's Hunter (Oct 18, 2007)

FISHTEXX said:


> A lot of folks would probably not appreciate you running that west shore line, shallow grass and a lot of people wade in there. Everybody runs the east side by the j-hook...just sayin...


Well I never have but is this what people are now suggesting and in fact doing. I haven't been in there since last fall and didn't have any problem back then running the shorline around the point. Although quite a few others nailed the bar, maybe thinking the shoreline would be shallow? I don't know. I sometimes wonder what people are doing when you can see the channel through polarized glasses and see them heading right into the sandbar?

-CONSERVATION: keep what ya eat, release the rest
-Respect the resource and your fellow outdoorsman
-Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Navi (Jun 2, 2009)

Made it out today, took the same path as always and made it just fine. Did seem a little more shallow if you didnt hug the left going in was around 1.5' on the gps. Not saying it isnt closing in, but it is still plenty accessible for any one worrying about it like I was


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## Big Todd (Aug 20, 2006)

Constantly changing


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## cmartin (Apr 12, 2008)

I dont think he was talking about the west shoreline, rather the west side of the sandbar in the middle, right?


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

The big jetties are now 100 feet deep they say, and it's like a big enema into Matatorda Bay every day. It's killing Pass Cavallo, starving it of water, that 100 years ago was wide and deep enough for ocean-going ships to enter and leave....There's talk they want to double the width of the channel from the big jetties to Alcoa, so their measly 4-5 ships can pass each other without having to wait. That will make things worse for Pass Cavallo....


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## TKoenig (Apr 8, 2007)

ya.. I never meant to lead people to believe that they should take the west shoreline to sunday beach. thats a waders heaven and a big no no to run... i meant to hug the sandbar which is the left hand side of the J-hook cut.. its now deeper than hugging the shoreline... 

sorry if my previous posts were clear as mud...


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## flounderstalker (Apr 13, 2010)

google earth updated pic


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## JDS (Jul 14, 2004)

Not to hijack, but what happened to the little floating fishing shack? It used to be kind of a "landmark" when I motored through there.


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## redman71 (Jan 11, 2005)

The mouth of the channel going in closest to the hook was marked on both sides this weekend. Once in the channel there is a single PVC marker about 200 yds in. Stay to the right (west) of the single marker. I found out the hard way. Its hard sand to the left. We were lucky no one was hurt. We were headed to Sunday Beach with the wife and kids on Sat Morning. Thanks to the Capt (I think it was Tommy) who pulled us off.


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## rvd (Mar 30, 2006)

How much has the entrance changed since march? When I was there in march I swung way left toward the pass and then hugged the point real tight and stayed in 3ft of water all the way in. Anybody know if route is still doable in an extreme?


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## No Time (Feb 20, 2011)

I heard from a reliable source there was a 30-35 footer with trip 250s that made it back to Sunday beach. that would have been a sight to see!


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## Navi (Jun 2, 2009)

No Time said:


> I heard from a reliable source there was a 30-35 footer with trip 250s that made it back to Sunday beach. that would have been a sight to see!


There were a couple larger offshore boats back there this past Sunday, one of them is a regular I have seen several times there


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## No Time (Feb 20, 2011)

did you happen to see em run in or out?


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## BURTONboy (Feb 23, 2010)

redman71 said:


> The mouth of the channel going in closest to the hook was marked on both sides this weekend. Once in the channel there is a single PVC marker about 200 yds in. Stay to the right (west) of the single marker. I found out the hard way. Its hard sand to the left. We were lucky no one was hurt. We were headed to Sunday Beach with the wife and kids on Sat Morning. Thanks to the Capt (I think it was Tommy) who pulled us off.


Thanks for the info. Hopefully this doesn't change before I make it down at the end of July...


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## Flat's Hunter (Oct 18, 2007)

check out the close up of the little sandbar in the middle of the cut. appears to be a channel on each side of it. the shoreline still looks deep, but there is also a channel to the right. you can see where people couldn't make up there mind and went over it. prop marks come to a sudden stop 

I have always swung wide coming in then hugged the shoreline, I mean really hugged it (10 ft off even) stilllooks like the best option. now looks like you can cut to the right of the sand bar. I guess that is what the pvc pole is marking now that was metioned


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## redman71 (Jan 11, 2005)

I watched those big boats go in there on Memorial day weekend. They went through at idle speed and had a smaller boat in front guiding them through the channel. The channel is over 6 ft. deep in some places. I tried to walk across it, and didn't make it


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## rvd (Mar 30, 2006)

Flat's Hunter said:


> check out the close up of the little sandbar in the middle of the cut. appears to be a channel on each side of it. the shoreline still looks deep, but there is also a channel to the right. you can see where people couldn't make up there mind and went over it. prop marks come to a sudden stop
> 
> I have always swung wide coming in then hugged the shoreline, I mean really hugged it (10 ft off even) stilllooks like the best option. now looks like you can cut to the right of the sand bar. I guess that is what the pvc pole is marking now that was metioned


Is there a date on that pic? Looking at it seems like hugging the point and continuing in the "usual" way is probably still pretty doable. Did the big boats hug the point or go left of the bar on the way out?


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

No Time said:


> I heard from a reliable source there was a 30-35 footer with trip 250s that made it back to Sunday beach. that would have been a sight to see!


yellowfin... he can run it but with full crew for beaching, he idled...


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

rvd said:


> Is there a date on that pic? Looking at it seems like hugging the point and continuing in the "usual" way is probably still pretty doable. Did the big boats hug the point or go left of the bar on the way out?


yes, you can hug left and then right... it's like two channels up to last weekend... the worse is memorial weekend with all the wind,. the entire bay including j-hook and saluri was chocolate milk so seeing the darker water was impossible.. you have to watch your gps track or know it... someone never going before would have been in a tough spot figuring that one out..


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## rvd (Mar 30, 2006)

InfamousJ said:


> yes, you can hug left and then right... it's like two channels up to last weekend... the worse is memorial weekend with all the wind,. the entire bay including j-hook and saluri was chocolate milk so seeing the darker water was impossible.. you have to watch your gps track or know it... someone never going before would have been in a tough spot figuring that one out..


Thanks, I'm going Friday for the first time since march.


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

my gps tracks look pretty much like this...


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## rvd (Mar 30, 2006)

Gonna be down quite a bit the next few weeks. Water clarity will determine if I alter my route. Thanks for the info IJ!


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## Navi (Jun 2, 2009)

I wont be back down til the 4th (providing this shutdown is over with by then  ) if ya havent figured it out by then let me know you can follow us in.


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## FishAfrica (Jan 23, 2010)

Went thru the J hook Sunday, and I hugged the east route on InfamousJ's route map. Plenty deep, there was a Mastercraft wakeboard boat at Sunday beach that made it thru, not sure what it drafts.


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## rvd (Mar 30, 2006)

Navi said:


> I wont be back down til the 4th (providing this shutdown is over with by then  ) if ya havent figured it out by then let me know you can follow us in.


Thanks fellas, we'll be there week of 4th in the extreme with an aqua Bimini, come on over.


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## flounderstalker (Apr 13, 2010)

Updated Aerial Pics of the Pass and J-Hook from March 2012


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## LHandler (Aug 22, 2011)

Stay to the left side of the bar, along the shore. Don't run the west shoreline, shallow and a couple tires you can hit.


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## LBS (Sep 2, 2004)

*Eh*



Trouthappy said:


> The big jetties are now 100 feet deep they say, and it's like a big enema into Matatorda Bay every day. It's killing Pass Cavallo, starving it of water, that 100 years ago was wide and deep enough for ocean-going ships to enter and leave....There's talk they want to double the width of the channel from the big jetties to Alcoa, so their measly 4-5 ships can pass each other without having to wait. That will make things worse for Pass Cavallo....


I don't think this is anything new. In my second to last boat, I used to troll the ship channel for kings regulary and would mark several spots nearing 100 feet....never actually marked 100, but I would see low to upper 90's all over the place. That was 8-10 years ago. The pass changes constantly, but I think there's plenty of water flowing in and out of there to keep it "alive".


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