Port Aransas -VS- Port Oconner Whats your thoughts?

Throwing out a question! Been going to PA fishing for years and years since (1970). Getting toooo crowded with tourist etc.! Like fishing off shore for kings and lings etc. as well as between the jetties and cuts for bull reds in Oct. during the run! For those that have spent time at both give me your honest opinion between PA and PO as far as accomidations, fishing, crowds etc. I fish with my brother and sister-in-law in their 22 ft. Triton boat. Great boat! Thanks in advance! Craig

POC has gotten pretty crowded. Even Seadrift is busy. Not sure where you can go today that the moron population isn't growing.

I just got back from Port O'Connor and had a blast. Caught trout, reds, and sheepshead. The only downside is that it is a smaller town and therefore fewer choices for lodging and restaurants.

For offshore in your boat I would be more inclined to fish PO. There use to be more near shore rigs off PO, not sure if they have removed most of them like they have off PA. I know they are disappearing off PA and the ones left are too far out for your boat. Aside from messing around the very near shore rigs when the blue water moves in, we head to the rocks and rigs 30+ miles out.

I will tell you that big tuna schooner boat out of POC, you have few options. Takes a decent shallow water ability to take advantage of what's there.

Pretty well turn left towards the jettys, that's about it.

KQT I know what you mean about the rigs disappearing. The last trip out in the gulf at Port A, which was last September, we went 16 miles are so to a platform (Mu-726-a) and caught some Kings, one Ling, and a few other things. Went from there to StandPipe and headed south and hit every pipe and platform there was all the way to about Mayan Princess Resort area halfway to Packery. Caught several Kings, Beeliners etc. There are still several platforms in this area. I have a 22 foot Triton Seaflight. Love to go fishing at Port A. It is just crowded with none fisherman. Checked out Port O'Conner this past weekend. I only saw one place you can launch at a public ramp. Looked it over and that public ramp area is real narrow and I could visualize a real nightmare bottleneck getting boat in and out of the water. The rest of the ramps you have to pay to launch. You have a hard time even seeing the water along the intercoastal canal at Port O. Private property all along the water front. I know once on the water the fishing would be good and certain areas would be boat specific... true for any area.

Pat Goff I like you comment about moron population growing......now that's a good one!!!!

Hard to believe out of 310 views only 3 people have stayed /fished both PA and PO. Dont be shy tell your story!

That's funny (3/310) cuthand. :0) Seems no one likes giving up their "secret" fishing spots. I have also noticed that no-one on this forum posts. Pretty sad, and takes the fun out of the entire website. On the 'hunting forum' hundreds of posters are regular, and in turn is full of information & questions. People on here need to be (more) part of the site.

I have only been out of P. Aransas on several party boats, so can not compare 'oconnor. I was seriously looking into buying a gulf boat to launch at 'oconnor, but from the info I dug up sounds like there isn't much out there to fish without going 20+ miles. So I'll just stay in my boat on San Antonio bay. And yes, the Seadrift launches are busy on weekends. I have never tried Charlies, which looks deep, but the other 2 need to be dredged out bad.

Both areas have their pro's and con's. I personally would probably pic POC with your boat. That boat can be used in saluraia bayou, west matagoda, the deeper areas of espirito santo, as well as the jetties and offshore. There's a lot of channels that I wouldn't run it, but you could get around and in some cases you may have to take the long way around but you could do it. That's only for the bay fishing though...if you are going off shore, hitting the bayou, or the jetties, you're good to go. It is still pretty busy though.

Thanks for your thoughts TroutSupport. Both Port O and Port A can be really great fishing. It seems that you just have to work at it a little more some days. But, that's why they call it fishing and not catching...... I guess. Dryberry I do not know what kind of boat you have, but you would enjoy your trip into the gulf at Port A or Port O in your own boat. In my opinion, there is no comparison to a party boat. I got spoiled very quickly. We always locate the fish, it might take a little while that's all. We hit the oil platforms, tankers, shrimpboats, etc. If you chum...they will come !!!! The farthest I have went out in my boat is about 20 miles offshore, but have ran around out there over 50 miles in one day. Let me know and maybe we can buddy boat sometime.

I find it hard to believe that you're finding crowded conditions in October at either location. For years (until our kids started school), we headed to Port A in late September for a week of vacation. Always seemed a lot more deserted then as compared to the summer months, especially during the week. Never had a problem with getting accomodations or restaurants. Prices for hotels and such are usually cheaper too due to the lower tourism. Now, summer months can be a little more crowded, especially on weekends. We don't have access to a boat unless my buddy happens to be in town so we generally fish the surf in the summer. If you venture south of Port A a couple of miles, you will find a lot of open beach and virtually no crowd during the weekdays. It's not unusual to not have another vehicle within 1/4 mile on either side of you!

Thanks for the Buddy invite Spondoly! But... I am just running a 20' johnboat in the bay here, and I don't think I'll be going around that corner into the gulf with it. Maybe I'll get a bigger boat in the near future.

Look me up when you get your new boat Dryberry, The offer still stands. It is not as crowded after Labor Day. But more people than you might think though. People are bringing their golf carts down there on trailers to run around town and on the beach the past few years. It all takes up parking space at the motels and parking spots. I like the motto "If you don't have a boat or a rod/reel with you..... stay off the island". But, I know others like to have fun too and I know local business owners would disagree with me. But, darn it!

the fish are there in both spots, assuming your fishing off shore i would go with port oconnor, there is a little more variety in port oconnor , and al though the crowd is not the best , offshore is a big world and all you have to do is find a good secret spot.

scott01 maybe i did not state the question correct. We my brother (Spondoly) fish at PA 3-4 times a year from June through Oct. Starting with Kings etc. in Summer and ending with the reds in Oct. You are correct. October is not bad as far as crowds go. July and August is a differant story. Spondoly scouted out PO last weekend and decided we will probly stay at PA. Thats ok I will just have to work on my people skills and overlook stupid! Can't fix it anyway! The older I get the less I like people!!!! Thanks for all the opinions !!!

Both places offer great fishing. I can't tell you which is better for you, because we have different tastes in fishing. I like to spend my time in the marsh sightcasting flies at reds. I love PA, but POC would not turn me off either. If you want to get away from the crowds you need to start at PA and follow the shore 300 miles south. Bring your own ice.......

Plenty of stupid in POC too. I was down there for a business meeting the last weekend of spring break last year and waited at the dock for about 30 minutes for some clients to meet me. The wind was 25 knots straight across the ICW and up the boat ramp. I saw more stupid in 30 minutes there than I have seen if 50 years in PA.

Saw one guy in a cuddy cabin burn into the boat ramp (his trailer wasn't there yet) right in front of a guide trying to leave. Guide shut it down, regrouped and tried to leave again. Same guy backed out of the boat ramp and cut him off again. Just as he was ready to leave again, same guy gunned it back up into the ramp and cut him off a third time. Wind had the guide pinned up against the dock and a boat behind him at the dock, so his only option was forward. Finally got out on the fourth try.

Five minutes later, I watched a another guide launching his boat. While he was getting ready to back off, another guy back down his trailer. No biggie, plenty of room. Just as the guide put the boat in gear to back off, the other boat came in so fast, he had to cut to the right to keep from hitting the guide boat, ran way up on the dock on the other side and finally slid off the dock onto his trailer. Instead of waiting another 30 seconds for the guide to back out of the ramp, he pushed in down wind into a tight slot with little margin of error on either side. Genius.

Way too many boats for such few ramps and parking spots!

Champion187.... your assessment" Way too many boats for such few ramps and parking spots! , was my conclusion after I looked everything over down there the other day. Thanks for your thoughts and observations.

Stupidity can happen out in the gulf as well. We were pulling up to a platform and drifting away several times catching fish and no only boat in sight. Then a 28-30 foot boat appeared coming our way so I knew we were going to have company. As the boat approached we were only 15 yards or so from the rig. It was a man and his wife/girlfriend only in the boat. What did the [censored] do? He went between us and the rig and snagged my wifes line and then he shoots the cooking oil to it speeding away with my wifes Penn Senator screaming with line ripping off. I reached over with my knife and cut her line...... what little she had left. What a ding bat and why did he do that......was he just that stupid. After that happened, we caught more fish and was having a good time just enjoying being out there having fun when another boat came by and pulled up to the rig and 2 guys hopped overboard snorkeling and that ruined our spot for the day. Never caught another fish there.

Intelligence can be measured.
Stupidity knows no limits.

Here's a tip for those washing into this site, and wondering why so few responses to "tell me your best spots"...
I'll tell anyone face to face exactly what I'm doing, and exactly how I'm doing it.
I won't tell the other fifty thousand who's trying to potlick someone else's hard work. There, it's out there. Want some nuggets? Learn how to ask. Don't ask me where, ask me how and what sort of stuff I'm looking at. That will get a response.

100 yards in from the second bouy in shoalwater bay, between the second and third bar won't ever be told if that's where it's happening. Up to you to find that yourself, and it really doesn't matter, things change so fast, I can pretty well guarantee in two days it's dry anyway. Shell reefs on the downcurrent side of an outward tide is much better information, those you can find and have much better chance of actually catching something.