How far off the shoreline do oil rigs begin to appear? Will be the first time leaving from Freeport this weekend. Want to put together some sort of float plan. Thanks for any info you can give. (I am not asking for GPS coordinates just mileage estimation)

If I remember my trips out of Freeport correctly, and I was not driving the boat, maybe 12-15 miles?

think you have some at 10, then more at 40, then the spars at 100miles. dont know when shrimpin season is, but I would be on the horn looking for skrimp boats. case of beer for a big ol bag od skrimp, and all the blackfin tuna you could catch with a bonus Ling or two

Boomvang and Ocean Valiant 120 miles out from jettys.

First one out of Freeport is close to 20 miles.

Based on what I hear in the industry, you should hit the first rigs before you even get past the jetties.

There are lots of small rigs and pipes inside the nine-mile line. I looked at Google Earth and there is one big enough to see clearly helipad and all at 28deg50'35"N 95deg14'54"W (6.3 miles at 157deg from end of jetties).

Pick up the Hook-N-Line Fishing Map (F107 Gulf of Mexico) and it shows major rig, wreck, bottom structure locations. All the Academy stores seem to have it, so do most other fishing specialty stores.

There is a gas rig approxiamately 3 miles from the beach between access 4 and 5 on Surfside beach, Fallets Island...whatever you want to call it.

I fished that rig about a month ago. Nothing happening except one lonely sheapshead.

heading south, which most people do, towards the Tall Rock, 32's, German Charlie area you hit a group of rigs at 10 miles. Then on same heading there is a productive rig at 25 miles, which I call the 25 mile rig because i am so creative.
The other post-er is correct, there is a gap with no rigs from 25 miles out to 40 miles out. here is a link of a video I shot at the 25 mile rig.
PS you will catch nothing to speak of at 9 mile rigs [url=URL=http://s271.photobucket.com/albums]25 Mile rig and german charlies a good day[/url]
Jeff

here is the link
http://s271.photobucket.com

trying again
http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/jj155...2008_0001-1.flv

Buy you one of those offshore maps.

Nice Video and report CJ!

"how the hell am I going to get him on board? don't know."

Good problem to have man, nice vid.

Marc