# Arroyo City Tarpon



## king_rusty (May 28, 2008)

Anyone know info on the resident tarpon up the arroyo???? ive heard lots of stories about the locals having "pet" tarpon........any info on where they might be, time (morn or late evening), and some flies of choice since they are up the arroyo would be greatly appreciated........im planning on making a trip in the next couple of weeks so my window is somewhat limited.......thnx


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## TooShallow (May 21, 2004)

It's gonna be tough to catch one of those fish. They cruise around the piers and boat houses up and down the Arroyo. I've seen several while standing on a pier but they are very fleeting. You would have to stake out on a pier and then wait and hope to get a lure in front of one when it surfaces. You would be much better off working the base of the Mansfield jetties inside the channel if you can get there.


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## KIKO (Oct 24, 2006)

I've caught several baby ones about 12 inches in Rio Hondo area with the cast while trying to catch bait. Threw them back.


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## gregs1 (Feb 21, 2006)

Someone else had a thread about this a while back and posted a pic.......guess someone has been catching them


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## king_rusty (May 28, 2008)

was the thread on this site?


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## The Machine (Jun 4, 2007)

My cousin had a home there and made a small pier in the back, I hooked a couple during the late afternoon using live shrimp.


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## dljones (Mar 7, 2007)

There are baby tarpon in the Arroyo year round and larger fish do show up in the mid-summer. The average fish will be like the size featured in the post above and will weigh 10-15 pounds. The problem with fishing the Arroyo is that there is a LOT of boat traffic during the weekends and that shuts the fish down and drives them deep. Most of the guys who are consistently successful fish the large bends in the Arroyo to the West of town on slick, calm week-day mornings when you can see the fish rolling. They approach the areas where activity on the surface is greatest using a trolling motor and free-line live shrimp or use shrimp pattern flies paired with intermediate fly lines, although I am sure smaller plugs would do the job as well. Forget big baits.


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## dennis_99 (Feb 27, 2006)

I've always heard of Tarpon in the Arroyo, but never caught any myself or seen one being caught. I have seen the pic posted on here floating around though...


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## Wading Mark (Apr 21, 2005)

If you a serious about catching tarpon, the only place to be is on the beachfront. Arroyo is just a long ways from the Gulf for serious tarpon fishing.


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## king_rusty (May 28, 2008)

i know the jetties and the surf are where its at...but the action there doesn't really get hot until later in the year from my understanding and little experience.......just thought a little change of pace throwing a fly under the mesquite trees on the arroyo could give me a little piece of action somewhat mimicking the florida estuaries


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## dljones (Mar 7, 2007)

Rusty, fishing the Arroyo to the West of Arroyo City is worth doing simply because it is a wholly unique and interesting fishery which seems totally out of place in Texas. The tarpon are tough to catch with any degree of consistency, but there are good numbers of snook under the overhanging mesquites and I have managed to catch several decent fish on white baitfish pattern flies.


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