fish, venues - Port Aransas Museum

FISHING ∼ VENUES
1930s. The North pier had an arm over to the jetty (in
foreground). The pier section coming out from the
beach is seen behind the foreground pilings.
Fortunately, the postcard collection included the
popular fishing venues of piers, jetties, and
tournaments.
Port Aransas has had three major fishing piers
extending into the Gulf of Mexico. The North pier had
an arm attached to the jetty, and South pier was about
where Avenue “G” comes onto the beach. Both piers
were destroyed by storms. The contemporary Horace
Caldwell pier had its wood pilings replaced by concrete
ones after the 1980 “Allen” hurricane.
Fishing from the Aransas Pass jetties goes back to
the early 1900s. The jetties are a magnet to trout and
redfish because the jetty rocks create an environment for
marine life (e.g., shrimp) eaten by those fish. In the early
days, jetty fishermen had to negotiate the uneven rocks,
but later the jetties were topped by a concrete walkway
(some of which is now washed away).
Port Aransas is home to numerous fishing
tournaments, the most historic being the Texas Tarpon
Rodeo and Deep Sea Round-up. The Rodeo ran from
1932 to 1958, ending when the tarpon left local waters.
The Round-Up began in 1941 and grew into a
tournament that now attracts international attention.
1952. South jetty and its concrete walkway.
1947. Tarpon were often caught from this popular pier.
1960s. In this era the pier had wood pilings. They were replaced
by concrete ones after 1980.
1912. North jetty is attached to San José Island and is
accessible only by boat. Note the fishermen’s cane poles.
1985. This tournament initially focused on
offshore fish like marlin and sailfish. It now
includes many fishing categories.
1939. The Texas Tarpon Rodeo began with a pistol shot and the
boats making this high speed departure from the docks.