Dredged in 1941, Yarborough Pass was an ill fated attempt to provide a fresh flow of water from the Gulf of Mexico to the hyper-saline lagoons of the the Upper Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay. The fluid nature of the sands of Padre Island quickly closed the pass. After repeated dredging attempts to maintain it, by 1950 the pass was abandoned and the beach of Padre Island restored itself. In October, 1967, Hurricane Beulah briefly reopened the pass with her massive strorm surge, pushing Gulf water and sand into the flats behind Yarborough Pass. Today, the pass represents a landmark for anglers traveling down the Padre Island National Seashore in four wheel drive vehicles as they turn west to fish the productive Yarborough Flats on the Upper Laguna Madre side of Padre Island.
