# PINS Newbie...



## outlook8 (Jun 7, 2007)

Hey, I'm looking for a little advice for an upcoming trip down to PINS. A buddy and I are planning to head down there July 6th thru the 9th to do some camping and hopefully catch some fish. Neither of us have ever been down there, so I would like to have as much info as possible before we get there. How's the driving? I drive a lifted Jeep Wrangler and am planning on towing my little 5x7 trailer to haul all of our gear and probably some extra gas too. Is towing a trailer a problem down there? I've got all of the fishing and camping gear known to man, so that's not a big deal, but I'm unsure of exactly what I should take. Any advice? Also, I've heard about people driving down to the Southern most point of the island and fishing the jetties...is this worth it? I plan to take some long rods and set those out in hopes of catching some sharks or bull reds or whatever is biting and also wading the guts to try for some smaller fish like specks and reds and whiting. Is there anything that I need to make sure not to forget? Or any advice on driving and camping down there? Any maps? Thanks for all the help, I just want to be prepared before we make the long trip down.

Chris


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## BigPig069 (May 20, 2006)

Portable Air compressor, FixaFlat a few cans, Spare tire for trailer and truck a plug kit for tires, fresh water and BABY POWDER, you use the baby powder after you rinse off with fresh water for the evening sprinkle it all over you and the sand will not stick to you and you can sleep like a baby.


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## 535 (May 23, 2004)

if you can time it, do your travel during falling and low tides... right now 90% of beach is 2WD if you are used to driving in sand... the first 19 miles is usually 2WD... at approx. the 19.5 you will hit the first bad spot... dragging a trailer I'd take the high road... from the 19-high 20's driving is a bit tough off and on... when you see big whoopties (no real high banks right now) get up on the beach, off the wet sand and just slow it on the high road if you've got a trailer... it may look tempting, but don't drag a trailer thru the wet sand in those areas even at lower tides... we just spent a couple days there (Friday 6/20- Sunday 6/22)... south of the 30 was all 2WD on lower tides...

be prepared to be mobile if you wanna catch fish... leaving today the weed was coming in between the sticks and lower 20's... from the mid or high twenting to the lower thirties where we camped on Sat. night was absolutely gin clear with no weed... on Saturday the water from the lower 30's to the mid 40's was clear/green with no weed... there was a color change in the upper 40's to very sandy with some weed... point I'm trying to make is that if you have 60+ miles of beach be aware that the conditions may be better or worse a few miles down... staying mobile will definitely help you find the fish... and no, you don't have to go to the jetties... this weekend the place to be was the 20's to the Turtle Shack... guys at the jetties had a couple big runs on shark baits, but little else and they had to work hard for bait... pony to horse mullet were present where we were and whiting were almost non-stop... here's my girlfriend's first trout ever... on a Mirrorlure no less... pic taken approx noon on Saturday near mid 30's



jc


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## outlook8 (Jun 7, 2007)

awesome info, thanks for the help...what do ya'll do about taking enough water down there for a long trip? i'm thinking i am going to grab a bunch of those 5 gallon ozarkas full b/c i'll need enough to drink and 'clean' up with...what about gas? how close is the nearest gas station to PINS? also, how do ya'll keep ice frozen for extended trips? dry ice? thanks for all the help!


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## 535 (May 23, 2004)

Save gas by driving lower tides... if you are in sloppy deep sand, find a spot and fish until the tide goes down a bit then head south, an extra can of gas won't hurt... no matter what, when you hit 1/2 tank... turn around!

Take enough water, period... there is no excuse for not taking enough water, you are practically fishing in the desert... dehydration will screw you worse than anything and there's really no excuse for it... 

As for drinking water and ice, use whatever works for you... dry ice is definitely an option... we usually bring some bottled water backed by a big jug of potable water in contractor type jug... this is for drinking and rinse...

In advance of trip we make block ice out of milk jugs, tupperware, etc. Its really easy and makes all the difference... night before or morning of trip load bottom of cooler with block ice and pour ice trey or bag ice over it... if it sits for several hours it will melt down to big block... 

pour ice over that with first round of drinks and food that has to stay cold... 

as we drink bottles of water we refill them from water jug and toss them back into cooler which has constantly deplinishing food supply... by the end of the trip there should be very cold water and some floating ice... In emergency you'd have coolant or drinking water... most likely you may just need ice for the fish cooler.

Do the same thing with bait/fish cooler... and realize you are reducing the life of your food/catch/bait everytime you open a cooler... at least grab a beer while opening the cooler for a tacro or sandrich... 

for long trips or as a last resort you can use dry ice... but I can tell you from 1st hand experience that it can and will freeze a cooler so severely that it can explode glass bottles or the liner of your cooler... if you buy a block, crack it into 3-4 pieces... insulate and scatter them, it works wonders...


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

Last time I used dry ice I couldn't get to anything in the lower half of the cooler because it was frozen solid. Best way I've found to keep ice is to buy a bunch of 20 oz water bottles, take a sip out of each one and freeze them, fill the cooler up with frozen water bottles and the rest of your drinks and then top with ice.


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## TRAVO (May 29, 2008)

Wow. Good info guys. That should cost at least $50.


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## TRAVO (May 29, 2008)

Make sure you take plenty of flashlights/headlights/lanterns.


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## TRAVO (May 29, 2008)

Maybe some ammonia for the jellies and rays also. Don't wade out there barefooted, I saw plenty of Man-O-War last weekend. Bring a tow strap and jumper cables too.


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## outlook8 (Jun 7, 2007)

AWESOME info! thanks for all of the information...if anyone is down there and sees a lifted silver wrangler with a red texas bragg trailer stop by and have a cold one...


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## TMWTim (Jan 20, 2007)

Like what was said, freeze anything liquid that you plan on drinking. We get a case of those 16oz GatorAids and freeze them all. We also freeze at least one case of bottled water (you will go through those in a hurry!). Those all go in one cooler that is then topped off with ice. That will all stay cold for at least 3 days on the sand. Also, we keep that cooler in the back of our SUV or in the tent for added coolness life. If you can find those 5-10 gallon water containers and you have the room I highly recommend bringing those. Nothing better than a good freshwater rinse before you crash.

Baby powder is a MUST imo. I wouldn't even attempt to camp on the beach for a few days without baby powder.

Check the Breakaway site and surf cams for current weed conditions. Currently the weed has moved in thick but you have a while before your trip and conditions change daily. Bring Fishbites.


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## outlook8 (Jun 7, 2007)

thanks for the help, it's making me feel much better about my upcoming trip...once on the island can you camp pretty much anywhere? do you need to set up close to the dunes? Also, I've heard there is a new HEB down on the island once you cross over from corpus...is this correct? i dont want to get down that way expecting to buy all of my food and stuff and be SOL, haha...thanks for all of the information...

also, where's the last gas station located before I get into the park? I want to make sure i fill up as close as possible...thanks...


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## TMWTim (Jan 20, 2007)

Once you leave the blacktop you can camp anywhere. I would suggest setting up camp close to the dunes for safety and to stay out of the 'traffic' lanes. There are not traffic lanes so to speak but you don't want to set up on the obvious path vehicles are traveling on. There is usually a high and low 'road'. I just so happened to have this pic from a while back to give you an idea...










There is a gas station on both sides of the road at the 361. It is a couple of miles to the PINS gate.

Edit:

Here is another pic of a spot we love to stay at. The only thing in front of the dunes line in this pic is the red Durango. Everything else is behind the dune line. Being tucked in between the dunes makes the windy nights not so windy. I think it is around the 15-20MM...


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## ZenDaddy (May 22, 2004)

Don't feel obligated driving all the way down the beach. It can waste fishing time ... and generally the fishing is just as good closer to the park entrance.


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## outlook8 (Jun 7, 2007)

WOW, thanks for all of the great help! ya'll have been giving me so much great information that is making me feel much more confident about my upcoming trip...i'll be sure to post up a report when i get back...

just a few more questions...have any of ya'll ever rented a yak from that worldwind place that is on the island? also, anybody know where to get block ice around corpus or PINS? also, I was trying to find the tide predictions in an effort to plan my drive to arrive on a low tide, but haven't been able to find any info...can someone point me in the right direction?

again, thank you all so much for the help!


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## JDS (Jul 14, 2004)

PINS number for tides, driving conditions, etc 361 949 8175.
Along with the other good advice, take an extra vehicle key, good first aid kit, bug repellant, sunscreen, toilet paper, and shovel. Also, if the sand is really loose, you can lower you tire pressure to about 12 to 15#'s. Just don't stop to do it when you are in deep sand, make sure you have a small compresor to air back up when you hit the pavement. Good luck and looking forward to a report. BTW, take various kinds of leader material, sharks, spanish mackerel, etc...


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## JDS (Jul 14, 2004)

The place right before the bridge on the right rents kayaks. I have visited with them and they seem like good folks. Maybe someone will chime in with the name.
Oh yeah, take an extra rod and reel or 2 and line.


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

baby powder! Cover yourself with it each evening and the sand and salt will not get to you. I would sit in camp chair next to a large wwater container with a large cup in hand. use water to wash off and then baby powder after you dry.

You will need extra gas a Wrangler will not make it to jetteis and back without it. be sure to dawn peatrol for surf trout and exploding bait. Do it again as sun sets. use glow topwaters near shoreline just after sun sets over dunes for some nice evening trout bite that lasts till dark.

Check out this web link for more info:

http://www.corpusfishing.com/messageboard/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3776

*Here is a PINS report from Capt'n Billy Sandifer*

_"As of noon yesterday, July 2nd, the weed owned the great majority of the PINS beach including a new heavy impact of fresh weed in that last few miles before the jetty. The cold water impact continues to the South but also seems to be spreading farther North than I have ever seen it before and the entire nearshore surf was murky other than very near the jetty where the new weed makes it almost unfishable other than with lures. There continues to be no skipjacks nor nearshore activity of any type visable although occasional medium sized and finger mullet are seen. Lots of whiting and some reds and a few small trout are about it other than stingrays and hardheads. The trout will hit shrimp better than lures. There is a nasty chop from offshore storms and high tide in the morning makes for a challenging drive on the morning trip in. Big Shell is really tough driving as the tide is washing the track out. You web masters feel free to post this as a service to your viewers who are considering where to fish this holiday. In 4 long days of shark fishing 36 mile South we have had two runs and landed one 4' 8" Blacktipped shark. Weed has made shark fishing North of the 30 impossible._


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## fishnstringer (Oct 20, 2006)

*Travo,*

please explain your reason for use of ammonia on jellyfish stings and ray barb punctures. Thanks in advance.


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

Ammonia - Kills the sting.


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## outlook8 (Jun 7, 2007)

thanks again for all of the info...

one more question--does anybody fish the backside of PINS (lagoon side)? I'm reading all of these reports of weed and bad surf conditions and was wondering if maybe wading the lagoon side would be more productive as far as fishing...can you camp on the lagoon side? thanks for the help!


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## TRAVO (May 29, 2008)

FlakMan got it fishnstringer. If you want a better explanation, you can google ammonia jellyfish sting.


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## sharkin 57 (Jul 23, 2008)

hello


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## sharkin 57 (Jul 23, 2008)

I am new to this and would enjoy talking shark fishing,I surf fish in Texas


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## sharkin 57 (Jul 23, 2008)

I have fished galveston and high Island for many years..........just new in this site


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## CTR0022 (Aug 26, 2006)

Can you take ATV's onto/into PINS


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## rooney (Dec 14, 2007)

no


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## Old salt (May 21, 2004)

outlook8 said:


> thanks again for all of the info...
> 
> one more question--does anybody fish the backside of PINS (lagoon side)? I'm reading all of these reports of weed and bad surf conditions and was wondering if maybe wading the lagoon side would be more productive as far as fishing...can you camp on the lagoon side? thanks for the help!


Trout and redfish fishing is always good on the lagoon side at Yarborough Pass. The road into Yarborough is at Mile Marker 15. It can be tough to get into even with a good 4WD because of ashtray sand and an incline though. The topwater fishing is outstanding there.


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