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Running Offshore through San Luis Pass - Advice wanted

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  • #1

    Running Offshore through San Luis Pass - Advice wanted

    Hello all,

    I am new to this forum and joined to benefit from the experiences and advice of other on here. Currrently, my wife and I are looking for a bayhouse on the West End of Galveston's bayside editions from Sunset Cover to Isla Del Sol. We have also considered a bay home on Tiki Island because of the easier access to offshore waters. In the next year or so I also plan to purchase an offshore boat...currently between the Grady White Freedom 285 and 307 models (28 and 30 foot respectively). Anyway, the purpose of this post is to ask for advice and experience from some of you who may also own offshore boats and bay homes on the west end of Galveston Bay, and run through the San Luis Pass to get offshore. I have had some limited experience doing this with my father-in-law for a few years before he sold his boat. He owned a 23 foot grady white walkaround and would plot the San Luis Pass channel a few time per season with asmall bay boat and then use those GPS coordinates to help navigate the treacherous sand bars when taking his boat offshore through the pass. I have grown to have some apprehension about this since we always seemed to hold our breathe as we passed from GPS point to GPS point in hopes of not running aground. Any advice or experiences from other who have in the past or currently do run the pass with a 26 to 30 foot offshore boat would be greatly appreciated. I would even like to hear from those of you who own homes on TikiIsland and run offshore past the Galveston jettis. Thanks in advance!

    PathAngler
    Last edited by Kingfish Cowboy; April 22, 2012, 10:20 PM. Reason: correct formatting
    Tags: None
  • #2
    I have grown to have some apprehension about this since we always seemed to hold our breathe as we passed from GPS point to GPS point in hopes of not running aground.
    Isn't that the truth. I have gone out there a half-dozen or so times, so you know about as much as me, which is to be careful! We have a handful of guys who go through there, best bet would be to follow one of them to plot it, or do it really slow and chart it the first couple times. Good luck, and welcome to the site!

    Comment

    • #3
      Can be tricky on first trip of year heading out or back in due to changes from storms. Some spots read 5-6' on my depth finder out in surf area. Yes, you can head out through the pass in a 26-30' grady; however, if a really low tide, you will have some slow running getting to through/into the pass from West Bay and also when heading east through the breakers. It aint that bad and should be OK once you've run it. I take my 23' Robalo, my brother's 22' Grady cuddy and I know a guy with a 28' Stamas that runs thru SLP. You should be fine. Just follow someone out the first time and use your zoom.
      "Hey Hillary, regarding the Benghazi Attack on 9/11-we'll just blame it on that movie, not my total lack of security. By the way, what's so significant about 9/11 anyway-was that a date my buddy Bill Ayers of the Weather Underground blew up a government building?" asked Obama to Hillary. BEAUTIFY AMERICA, RUN OVER A LIBERAL, THEN BACK UP AND SEE IF HE'S DEAD.

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      • #4
        They don't call it the gauntlet for nothing, Good GPS with Coastal Maps will help. If your coming out of the old KOA Launch stay way to the right going out. I, Used to take my 36' Dokota from there, but bin about 5 years since Ive done it.
        Bryan Evans

        Boat Werx of Texas
        (AKA Evans Marine Services)
        4340 19th St.
        Bacliff, Texas 77518
        http://evansmarine.net
        http://boatwerxtx.com
        main@boatwerxtx.com
        281-559-BOAT (2628)

        Comment

        • #5
          Originally posted by Bayoucat
          10 Times what Bryan said i came in that pass in 2010 February a day ,i will never forget that day. We Just Burnsie and me "my girlfriend" in the 224 Mako i had a chart plotter and GPS AND A GOOD COMPASS... We got caught sixty miles out when a bad azz norther show up early no way to make Freeport or Galvez has i had been jacking the twin one fifteens throttles to keep face in the huge sea. We made it around 0400 that morning. I will never do that pass again. I will do it with some one that knows it. i know the bars change constantly.
          Exactly, I know the cut pretty well, but have been hung on a few bars that shouldn't have been there before. Make sure if you caught the waves are at you face not the side or the back. You will get swamped. I have gotten out and had buddies and I pull the boat when the waves came to rise the boat off the bar. Not safe when it's dark, been drinking, and coming in from a 3-4 hour boat ride. You can get hurt real quick. I personaly think it is worth the extra time and fuel to go out around the Jetties, Lot Safer.
          Bryan Evans

          Boat Werx of Texas
          (AKA Evans Marine Services)
          4340 19th St.
          Bacliff, Texas 77518
          http://evansmarine.net
          http://boatwerxtx.com
          main@boatwerxtx.com
          281-559-BOAT (2628)

          Comment

          • #6
            Thank you so far to all that have responded. This is the type of feedback I was hoping for and look forward to more.

            Pathangler

            Comment

            • #7
              Originally posted by evansmarine View Post
              I personaly think it is worth the extra time and fuel to go out around the Jetties, Lot Safer.
              X 10,000. Either go out of N/S Jetty (Galveston) or run down to Freeport using the ICW
              We are West End Anglers, a saltwater tribe!

              Comment

              • #8
                Well I go through there a lot and think it's just a matter of plotting the track out...if you have GPS, follow someone, your golden...I have run up on the bars when learning the route (not in my boat but ones that actually draft!) but once you get it you got it...plus the pass area is my favorite anyway
                sigpic

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                • #9
                  On a nice calm "ice cream" day, high tides with relatively slack current, and with a local who has some experience, not bad at all as long as there's not a lot of logs in the water. Not my stomping grounds but it sure looks shifty to me! Nice aerial map here ...

                  San Luis Pass
                  http://texascoastgeology.com/passes/sanluis.html
                  Aerial photos of San Luis Pass

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Swells View Post
                    On a nice calm "ice cream" day, high tides with relatively slack current, and with a local who has some experience, not bad at all as long as there's not a lot of logs in the water. Not my stomping grounds but it sure looks shifty to me! Nice aerial map here ...

                    http://texascoastgeology.com/passes/sanluis.html
                    Nice Photo, and you can see why it's so hard to navigate it.
                    Bryan Evans

                    Boat Werx of Texas
                    (AKA Evans Marine Services)
                    4340 19th St.
                    Bacliff, Texas 77518
                    http://evansmarine.net
                    http://boatwerxtx.com
                    main@boatwerxtx.com
                    281-559-BOAT (2628)

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Invest in a good pair of sunglasses (Costas etc...) Almost every time I have been through you can see the sandbars. Also, sandbars are far from permanent, so I would advise against blindly following a GPS.

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                      • #12
                        Swells, thanks for the link. I have seen the pass it from google earth too but those photos really show the maze of sandbars. I can clearly see the course all the way around the large middle sandbar that we would take in my father-in-law's boat for the few years I fished it with him (prior to him selling the boat). I suppose I am lucky in a way because he navigated the pass from his bayhouse in Isla del sol for at least 15 years to get to offshore waters. I will definitely be relying on his experience and techniques when I have my boat. I remember originally thinking he was goofy for taking his small bay boat out several times a season to "mark the pass" on his GPS but obviously he had his system down well. I don't recall ever running aground with him, though he always seemed a bit nervous during each run. I have a better understanding why that is now. thanks again for the comments.

                        PathAngler

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                        • #13
                          The middle is no good now-you have to go east out past/thru the surf quite a ways down and then hook outward. Used to be a straight shot many years ago, but not now.

                          And yes, I get a little nervous and use my zoom in and just stay on the little purple line!!! It is bad when you come in and it's 4' waves and all looks the same-that's when you thank goodness for WAAS GPS and stay between the breakers!!!
                          "Hey Hillary, regarding the Benghazi Attack on 9/11-we'll just blame it on that movie, not my total lack of security. By the way, what's so significant about 9/11 anyway-was that a date my buddy Bill Ayers of the Weather Underground blew up a government building?" asked Obama to Hillary. BEAUTIFY AMERICA, RUN OVER A LIBERAL, THEN BACK UP AND SEE IF HE'S DEAD.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            X2 on what Robalo said... SLP is great if you plan on fishing inside 30-40 miles, the short rigs out of the SLP don't get nearly as much pressure as the short rigs out of Galveston or Freeport. If you plan on going out deep to the shelf or beyond, then Freeport is by far your best option, plus there's a Bucees in Surfside.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              even when you run it often there is a chance you run a ground

                              WE were coming back in from a succesful state water trip in my bay boat, and I cut the corner to tight from the KOA ramp .....

                              BOOM! ... I was in 3 inches of sand .... screwed up the tilt and trim on the E-tec (covered under warnty) .... but That had never happened ....

                              Very little room for error
                              FISH CONTROL MY BRAIN

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