# Hey Houston Guys



## Bill C (May 23, 2004)

Driving to Galveston last weekend from Houston, I noticed what I guess is the old causeway off to one side. It reminded me of the old causeway in the keys where you can hook up with a lot of tarpon.

It looked to me like finding the deepest pass through the old causeway and drifting back mullet, pinfish, or crabs might just pick up a tarpon.

Anybody given that a try?


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## Te.jas.on (Mar 28, 2005)

It's just a different deal here. Not saying there could never be tarpon there, but the movements of tarpon here are much different than in the Keys or a place like Boca Grande.

Most of our tarpon are caught offshore during the warmer months. I'm certainly not a Texas tarpon expert by any means, but the setup here is very, very different from anything in Florida. They just don't swim around as freely in our waters. They tend to stay offshore and move a lot.


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## Wading Mark (Apr 21, 2005)

Te.jas.on is right. On occasion, there is a good run in lower Galveston Bay but I haven't been part of one.


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## spitfire (Jan 2, 2007)

Could it be that our water is not as clean as FL.


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## Te.jas.on (Mar 28, 2005)

Again, not a tarpon genius by any means, but I think a lot of it has to do with the presence of deep water. In a place like the keys you can make a short jaunt offshore and you're in bluewater. We all know the kind of haul it takes to do that here. 

The water clarity would certainly make a difference, too, I think. That and the presence of baitfish. We rarely get the large bait balls in our bay systems that can sustain a group of tarpon. Why would a tarpon swim all the way up into the bay system when they've got giant balls of bait out there offshore where they're travelling anyway? Not to mention the boat traffic and angler pressure is less of a worry for them the farther out they are.

In the Keys, or a place like Boca Grande, you're talking about an oasis - the whole place is just full of life. You've got all sorts of baitfish and game fish that range from the bottom of the food chain like trout and redfish all the way up to tarpon and the apex predators - sharks. I don't think there's a place in Texas that just has that much life swimming around in it, and I think that goes back to the presence of deep water.


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## Wading Mark (Apr 21, 2005)

spitfire said:


> Could it be that our water is not as clean as FL.


That has nothing to do with it. We regularly have 15-20 ft. of visibility on the beachfront in the summer. I've heard of some good inshore runs when we have LIGHT SW wind for a few days. Those always seem to be around the helipad and marker 30-35. I don't think they have any reason to come and stay inshore when their food stays on the beachfront. But, there are tarpon anglers with more experience than myself that should chime in.


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## squidmotion (Apr 5, 2007)

you might have a better chance doing that at SLP when they are around there....

seems most are caught offshore between 30-40' of water....

i would like to get one one a fly here in texas, but that is another level of frustrations i'm sure...

i've been out on the super calm days a couple of times looking for them, to no avail.......  

maybe this will be my year.... one can only hope.


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## surfsideperson (Aug 22, 2005)

they are here guys, i am also not an expert in tarpon, but, i know for a fact that tarpon , in this area(freeport) use to be a tarpon haven, do the research........tarpon are still here.......ask around....


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## ztmleafar (Aug 6, 2006)

*smaller tarpon hang out in the brackish water*

theres tapon in the brackish arroyo coloradro and rio grande but are overlooked due to people are in a hurry to get to llm the go way back towards rio hondo mostly to feed on shad also they survive longer and stay away for preditors as the grow up


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## Wading Mark (Apr 21, 2005)

surfsideperson said:


> they are here guys, i am also not an expert in tarpon, but, i know for a fact that tarpon , in this area(freeport) use to be a tarpon haven, do the research........tarpon are still here.......ask around....


Of course they are still around. That's why we have this forum.







All of the serious anglers catch quite a few when the weather gets right in the summer. The ones who complain about the tarpon being gone know nothing about tarpon fishing in Texas.


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## Stuart (May 21, 2004)

I know when my dad moved to the Freeport area in the early 40s he said the Brazos river was full of them. He said people would get hacked off fishing for trout and redfish due to all the tarpon busting their tackle. Sadly he said a lot of those tarpon were caught and drug up on the banks and left to rot.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Wading Mark said:


> Of course they are still around. That's why we have this forum.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes, but it ain't what it used to be!!!


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## Wading Mark (Apr 21, 2005)

Scott said:


> Yes, but it ain't what it used to be!!!


I wish could have seen these fish before WWII. But, I'm an eternal optimist so I hope to see them in such numbers again.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

They are absolutely making a come back - no question about it. Will they ever be in our bay systems the way they once were - probably not. Too much has changed in certain areas of our coast. Namely the coastal bend and upper Texas coast for that to probably ever happen again but things have been looking up the last few years off the beaches and that hopefully will continue. Viva Sabalo...


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## Trout Laguna (Aug 31, 2007)

Do think that is because of a natural progression or because of things we have done, like oyster dredging and commercial shrimp that has changed the habitat over a period of years?


Scott said:


> They are absolutely making a come back - no question about it. Will they ever be in our bay systems the way they once were - probably not. Too much has changed in certain areas of our coast. Namely the coastal bend and upper Texas coast for that to probably ever happen again but things have been looking up the last few years off the beaches and that hopefully will continue. Viva Sabalo...


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## reelthreat (Jul 11, 2006)

Scott said:


> They are absolutely making a come back - no question about it. Will they ever be in our bay systems the way they once were - probably not. Too much has changed in certain areas of our coast. Namely the coastal bend and upper Texas coast for that to probably ever happen again but things have been looking up the last few years off the beaches and that hopefully will continue. Viva Sabalo...


I have jumped two very large tarpon in S.A. Bay. I would guess in the 150# range in the last couple of years. I have never targeted them but I bet if you do there are more than you would think.


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## tilkomatic81 (Jun 14, 2008)

If your in the Freeport area check out the Freeport harbor by Dow... they catch tarpon there regularly. I know it's been awhile but they used to bring governor Ann Richards in that area to fish for them... she may have gone on but they are still there.


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## Jacko (Aug 12, 2005)

Unfortunately the fish the governer would catch at will were on private property. Its the plants discharge side to the Brazos (not the harbor), and yes those 3-4 footers are still there and more every year. You might get lucky fishing the river, but since 911 you cant get very close to the honey hole.My neighbor landed a 40 pounder free shrimping for them last year.


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## Stumpgrinder (Feb 18, 2006)

Galveston's old causeway - never heard of a tarpon being landed there.

There are, however, quite a few other prized species landed there by some very tight lipped BOI's.


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## jrw (May 22, 2004)

*Tarpon in the 1940's*

*I was around 9yrs old , my Uncle would take me fishing with him in *
*Galveston. We lived in Houston. *

*Sometimes we would have to wait on the old causeway because the*
*drawbridge was up to allow a boat to pass through.*

*This was after World War II .*

*There was a very long wodden pier in the Galveston surf across from*
*I believe Hill's cafe . We noticed sometimes there were huge fish *
*hanging out side the cafe which were tarpon that were caught at the*
*end of the T Pier.*

*I witnessed many a tarpon caught from the end of that pier. It was*
*exciting. They used live mullet.*

*Sometimes in the Houston paper you would read about someone*
*catching a tarpon in Galveston Bay. Read to me by a family member.*

*Hurricane Carla blew the pier down. We missed that pier a lot.*


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## City Limits (Mar 2, 2008)

*tarpon*

I witnessed nearshore activity in the bay behind SLP after Rita and Katrina.We jumped a few on live mullet on an outgoing tide. Maybe the channel depth and traffic has an impact.

The deep water access on E Galveston is usually congested with barge traffic. I've haven't seen a tarpon in west bay since '05. There are enough deep channels near the SLP bridge that could easily hold tarpon.


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