Jamaica beach info

[themadhunter]

Anyone familiar with JB? Is the main road going in public access? I stayed down there for vacation one year, and we drove about 3/4 down that road, then pulled the kayaks under a fence and out to the water. The guy I was with said it was ok, just trying to make sure?


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[christaarron]

I don't know about Jamaica Beach I have never visited there. Although planning to visit soon. You can search on internet about this. You will get all solutions to your problem regarding this. Or you can ask your friends if any of them ever visited.

[mmwaggie]

Fences are made for a reason. If too many people are doing that and there are too many trucks there all the time on the weekend I bet JB people will start wanting that fixed.

[Yaklash]

I understand that owners and their guests and probably renters have a lot of access that I do not have, regardless of what development it is. At Jamaica Beach, they have over the years had a widely varying degree of enforcement. Weekdays in the 80s and 90s, you could pretty much go to either of the outside roads and wade in or launch a kayak. I did it quite a lot on the East side, but only a couple of times with a kayak on the west side and was asked to leave the third time, at 6:00 am on a weekend by a guy in a golf cart. I suspect if I'd launched anyway, he'd have had the JB police tow my car. And that was before there was a fence there. I would never go under or over a fence to fish unless the fence was in the water.

[themadhunter]

I understand that owners and their guests and probably renters have a lot of access that I do not have, regardless of what development it is. At Jamaica Beach, they have over the years had a widely varying degree of enforcement. Weekdays in the 80s and 90s, you could pretty much go to either of the outside roads and wade in or launch a kayak. I did it quite a lot on the East side, but only a couple of times with a kayak on the west side and was asked to leave the third time, at 6:00 am on a weekend by a guy in a golf cart. I suspect if I'd launched anyway, he'd have had the JB police tow my car. And that was before there was a fence there. I would never go under or over a fence to fish unless the fence was in the water.

I hear ya. I just don't want to launch from the JB launch that's inside the community and have to paddle down their little canal then turn around and paddle back toward shore lol


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[richg99]

Not what you want to hear, but Galveston Island State Park is next door to the East. About $5.00 to get in and you can enter the bay system at any of three different locations.

Also, if they aren't open early enough for you, you can launch at Waterman's (South end of Lake Como, right next to the park) and pay $10.00.

I believe that the area you are speaking about is Jumbile Cove. It is a long paddle from any legitimate launch site.

richg99

[themadhunter]

Not what you want to hear, but Galveston Island State Park is next door to the East. About $5.00 to get in and you can enter the bay system at any of three different locations.

Also, if they aren't open early enough for you, you can launch at Waterman's (South end of Lake Como, right next to the park) and pay $10.00.

I believe that the area you are speaking about is Jumbile Cove. It is a long paddle from any legitimate launch site.

richg99

Yea, so I went down Sunday. Launched from the JB boat launch. It was a long hard paddle just to get out of JB's canal. The wind that morning didn't help.
I saw on the way out a couple of other kayak launch points I'll try before I launch there again.


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[richg99]

There are a couple of 'Launch Point" apps out there. One is sponsored by Padding.net I believe.

Another has been posted here before but I don't remember its name. richg99

[themadhunter]

There are a couple of 'Launch Point" apps out there. One is sponsored by Padding.net I believe.

Another has been posted here before but I don't remember its name. richg99

There used to be a good one that I believe was an app but I can't find it for the life of me, and think it's gone
I've got a hook-n-line map that shows a bunch of launch points but I was so focused on that spot that I didn't even look to see what else was close.
Oh well, I'll try it again in a couple weeks


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[Yaklash]

The launch point map that has been linked on this site numerous times (originally a link to ACK's website), shows some launches that are no longer accessible. Bay Harbor, for instance, now has a locked chain across the boat ramp and is only for residents with a key or combination to the lock. Not sure about Terramar Beach, but heard you could launch for a fee.

I am curious, did you pay to launch at JB's ramp?

[screwston420]

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewe ... 04407&z=13

[YakRunabout]

A street view on google maps shows a gate on way to terramar launch

[YakRunabout]

A street view on google maps shows a gate on way to terramar launch

[YakRunabout]

Jamaica Beach launch is free, though it is about a mile from the bay.

Sea Isle has a free launch near the marina. There is also a resident only launch and parking a bit further south.

[Yaklash]

Jamaica Beach launch is free, though it is about a mile from the bay.

Sea Isle has a free launch near the marina. There is also a resident only launch and parking a bit further south.

My point stated above is many of the launches shown on this map are no longer accessible. There is, on the west edge of Terramar, a dirt road that zigs and zags all the way back to the water. Next time I'm in that area, I'm going to scout that road.

[YakRunabout]

Yaklash - I was off that shore about a year ago and saw a truck parked in the area that you may be talking about. There were a few rods on the beach off the point. The truck was about where the arrow is on the picture. So it was accessible then. It is a sandy shore and so easily kayak launchable. I did beach the yak just to the east for a spell.

[themadhunter]

The launch point map that has been linked on this site numerous times (originally a link to ACK's website), shows some launches that are no longer accessible. Bay Harbor, for instance, now has a locked chain across the boat ramp and is only for residents with a key or combination to the lock. Not sure about Terramar Beach, but heard you could launch for a fee.

I am curious, did you pay to launch at JB's ramp?

No, I didn't pay, and honestly I should have paid more attention to the sign at the boat ramp to see what it said.



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[themadhunter]

Jamaica Beach launch is free, though it is about a mile from the bay.

Sea Isle has a free launch near the marina. There is also a resident only launch and parking a bit further south.

It was a long tough paddle, battling the wind heading out. A buddy of mine lives in JB and said you can also launch from their fishing park, which cuts the paddle in more than half.


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[Yaklash]

I am going to scout the launch mentioned and pictured above for signs, but that is another potential West Galv Bay launch to replace what is now a locked boat ramp at Terramar Beach. Not close to Jamaica Beach, and not the parts of West Bay I really want to fish. Everything between Jamaica Beach and Sea Isle is what I want kayak access to

[mmwaggie]

Yaklash - I was off that shore about a year ago and saw a truck parked in the area that you may be talking about. There were a few rods on the beach off the point. The truck was about where the arrow is on the picture. So it was accessible then. It is a sandy shore and so easily kayak launchable. I did beach the yak just to the east for a spell.

I drove down that road to wade a couple months ago. Hopefully it doesn't get closed off too.

[bigbuzzard]

There are a couple of 'Launch Point" apps out there. One is sponsored by Padding.net I believe.

Another has been posted here before but I don't remember its name. richg99

There used to be a good one that I believe was an app but I can't find it for the life of me, and think it's gone
I've got a hook-n-line map that shows a bunch of launch points but I was so focused on that spot that I didn't even look to see what else was close.
Oh well, I'll try it again in a couple weeks


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I use "launch site". It works good But I try to recon the area before actually using the site. Usually when I'm coming home. The first time I really used it was when we were going to launch at Texas City Dike but the winds were very high out of the north. Found Jones Bay launch at Fat Boys on the launch site app. It worked with gps and mapped are route.

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[themadhunter]

I am going to scout the launch mentioned and pictured above for signs, but that is another potential West Galv Bay launch to replace what is now a locked boat ramp at Terramar Beach. Not close to Jamaica Beach, and not the parts of West Bay I really want to fish. Everything between Jamaica Beach and Sea Isle is what I want kayak access to

Is it to far to paddle from Bayview or west bay marina?


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[Yaklash]

I use "launch site". It works good But I try to recon the area before actually using the site. Usually when I'm coming home.

Far too few people in this day and age scout for launches other than on the computer. Not that a computer isn't an invaluable tool for me in scouting nowadays, but before the web and apps, when I was in my 20s and 30s, we had a "boots on the ground" approach to scouting for walk-in wade spots. Nearly every bay fishing trip we took would involve scouting, both on the water (obvious), but also on the drive home. Half of our walk-in wade spots in West Bay were from looking at maps (and some aerial photos we had acquired from a friend who worked for Galveston County) and noting roads that appeared to lead to the water, then driving by to check them for fences, gates and signs. It was on these scouting drives that we met numerous property owners who would key us in as to whether they would mind us parking and fishing there. Most were cool with it, some were not. In most cases, the homeowners did not start asking for signs and restrictions until after years of trash and blocked driveways.