Hello, 3 months ago I sold my boat in Rhode Island, packed the family up and moved to the DFW area. I am a lifelong fanatical fisherman and have chased saltwater striped bass since I can remember. I've also fished the keys for tarpon, barracuda and others. I told my wife I would await before getting a new boat but I guess 3 months is enough, Im going crazy and my son is now bugging me to fish.
I am in the process of getting a bay boat to fish the local lakes but want to get down to the coast a few times a year for bull reds, trout, sharks and especially jacks. Do tarpon go into the bays? I have been reading about Port O'Connor, Matagorda, Galveston. I am curious if folks can point me to some areas with easy water access, good fishing and calm bay waters. Texas is huge and all the info I find is overwhelming. I think I would go with a guide to get my bearings and then start heading out on my own. Any info, best times to of year to fish etc would be really helpful. I know this is a really vague request but any unfo is helpful, I promise you'll be seeing me as an active particpant in these forums. Jim

Don't know if this helps but I have heard of people catching tarpon off of bob hall pier which is near the port a/mustang lsland area just Google search bob hall pier, and I also have heard of a lot of tarpon being caught in south padre island at a place called brazos santiago pass but this would be fishing from land but they could give you good general areas if you are going to travel to those areas, oh and bob hall is notorious for catching shark I was there two weeks ago and caught 3 black tips and 1 bonnett head all just over three feet but still fun and I seen people fishing the middle and front of the pier between the waves breaking and they where catching reds, another good spot for red is port aransas south jettys I havent fished there yet but I'm going this monday threw wed so I will give it a try since it should be less crowded this time of year, but just keep looking online you will find places and then just go try them that's what I did when I moved to Texas and I'm still finding new places

Oh and I haven't made it to galveston yet but I hear a lot about a placed called bolivar peninsula/rollover pass

For a saltwater guide, it's hard to beat Capt. Kit Caston...

281.212.7208

I get nothing out of giving you this info... Just a solid recommendation of a class act fishing guide...

Ok, this gets tricky, and opinions here are like flies around a cow's butt...

The further you go south, the shallower the bays get, and the more specialized your craft will need to be to navigate.

Galveston bay is rough, and you can run just about anything you want, it's that deep. Go all the way south to Port Mansfield/Arroyo city, that same v hull tuna schooner will limit you to the intercoastal and nowhere else. It's that shallow.

The shallower you can run, the crappier the ride will be, that's your compromise, but with a properly setup flats rig, it's much easier to navigate, dark bottom, go where you want. And the fish really do live in that shallow water, and you'll need the ability to get up and move around.

Before you buy anything, do a little research, hire a guide in Mansfield or Port O'connor, and see what they're fishing and how. Then you can decide if you want a flats rig or you are a jetty rat. It's complicated and there's literally hundreds of choices, it's up to what you want to do.

I'm off the scale hard core for the shallow water, if it's wet I want to go there, but most don't wish to compromise creature comfort to that degree. And until you go running around the back lakes and flats on the TX coast, it won't register one bit. One time pushing a one ton tuna schooner off a poot mud flat will pretty well convince you what you really want to do...

If you are hunting bigger stuff like Tarpon, Bull Reds, Jacks.... specks don't fit in that category but you still could do ok with a deeper V boat.

A ton of captains fish whalers between galveston and POC. You can still even fish some deeper flats with them... they float in about 15" ... you could comfortably fish in 2'... while that will keep you off the south texas flats in most areas... the fish you are going after sound more like beachfront, nearshore gulf, or just inside the passes, and you could fish for a lot of trout on reefs with that rig. Blackjack boats are also pretty cool rides as well and fit into that category. Almost no boat does both well. Either made for the big stuff or made to run skinny. Only 2 that i know of that do both are the Desperado (and the dargel 25 cat.... and even then they won't be super great in big rough bays on super windy conditions.. ... and they'll still run and fish in less than a foot.

for more specific technique on catching trout and reds check out TroutSupport.com... many people on here have the dvd's, so don't take my word for it... there are tons of testimonials on the site as well.

t

If you still want information on Rollover Pass and the Bolivar pen. area a good facebook address is Miss Nancey's Bait Camp. The pass is a good place to fish with no boat. The week ends are crowded most of the time, and the place is littered with ice bags and bait containers ( why can't people clean up behind themself?..I do not know. ) But the fishing is good most of the time, reds, specks, flounder..You can also fish the surf... Hope this was heplful

All true statements, but a little more detail for the complete unknowing...

Most of the nearshore/jetty fishing is done from July/November, the wind allows it to happen. Bay fishing is a 12 month endeavor. And the choice of craft will really matter where you fish. Those bigger tubs would be very frustrating to try and fish in from Port O'connor south. Such is the delimma we face. No one craft is the perfect choice, that's why there's so many choices.

Hire some guides, fish some different areas, and decide then what your main purpose will be. I can almost assure you it won't be anywhere near what you think it is now.

thanks for all the comments.
I am looking to fish the bays, not open ocean. I like calm backwater fishing. I am looking into a bay boat, maybe the sea hunt 22 ft.
it has a shallow draft. I agree on the guides, its best to see the type of fishing firsthand
Anyone have any reccomendations for matagorda, port'occonner, or other bay guides? Once again, thanks!

Check out fishingcatchingtravel.com. He has great posts with tons of information. We love Port O'Conner because of the vast choices of fishing.

Good Luck - like it has been posted - know your bay's - hire a guide or get a dang good fishing map, or ... use both !