Galveston fishing report 8-12-16

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH (3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

www.fish-n-lodge.com

 

  The dastardly southwest wind was gusting to well over 20 knots on Friday. While that alone was enough to shut things down on the fishing scene, extreme heat continued to plague our area, as well.
There was one spot that was productive Friday morning, as reflected in a report from Mark McDavid. McDavid fished deeper waters behind Scholes Field in Offatts Bayou and landed speckled trout, sand trout and croakers on dead shrimp and cut bait.

Before the wind picked up on Friday, there were two reports of some good action. Thursday night, Henry Taylor and Gary Moore went flounder gigging along the shore just west of the Crash Basin and took four nice-sized flounder. Taylor said the water was in marginal shape and lots of crabs were observed along with small stingrays.

Cary Horn fished from his family’s dock on Teichman Road and landed a half limit of specks and numerous ribbonfish. The action turned on at 1 a.m., and live shrimp was the bait of choice.

Brian Tamney sent a note responding to my recent comments about the lack of seaweed in the nearshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Tamney, who works on a ship, said that he thinks there has been a shift in currents in the Atlantic Ocean, which is keeping the seaweed out of the Gulf.

Recently, he has been transiting from Trinidad to Gulfport and has seen very little seaweed throughout the whole Caribbean. He said that normally there would be a lot of seaweed on its way to Texas, so something has changed in the Atlantic.

While August is my favorite month for fishing out of Galveston, so far this month it has been disappointing. Hopefully, after all of the rain in the forecast for next week moves on, conditions will settle and the August action will return.

Galveston Fishing Report 7-30-16

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH (3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

www.fish-n-lodge.com

Other than the extreme afternoon heat, Saturday’s conditions were near ideal for fishing. The surf gave up good numbers of trout along with Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle, sheepshead, stingrays, sharks and a few reds.
The calm conditions in the surf should ignite tarpon action anytime now.

Jetty fishermen were continuing to find fishing to be on the tough side during the morning, as tidal movement did not get into motion until later in the day. Still, some nice trout, reds, Spanish mackerel and a few flounder were taken by anglers with patience.

John Harding and Buff Howell were among the anglers anchored close to the end of the North Jetty on Saturday, and while the action was not nonstop, they did manage a respectable haul.

Using live croaker and shrimp for bait, the anglers from the Caplan area landed several blacktip and bull sharks, with the largest estimated to be 5 feet long. Other fish caught included a bluefish, stingray, Spanish mackerel and a variety of pan fish.

We have said many times recently that offshore fishing is in its prime, and Saturday was a good example of it.

For starters, the party boat Capt. John did not have to travel far offshore to get into some good action.

Capt. Johnny Williams found the fish approximately 18 miles out where his 55 guests picked up 228 spade fish, 37 sharks, a ling, two kings, Spanish mackerel and a variety of other fish.

Roland Mathews fished farther out to get into some Dorado and other pelagic fish. Matthews, along with two guests, fished wells and platforms in the vicinity of the V.A. Fogg where they landed numerous kings and three sharks along with a bonanza catch around a floating pallet. Six Dorado to 23 inches were caught along with a large tripletail. Only the Dorado and tripletail were retained.

Monday begins one of the best all-around fishing months of the year.

Galveston fishing report 7-25-16

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH 93474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

www.fish-n-lodge.com

 

 

  Monday saw some badly needed rain make its way through the Galveston area, and the next few days likely will see a repeat of this weather pattern. This should further aid the fishing scene, as it may help drop the water temperatures below the onerous 90-degree mark.
Sunday, there were some nice trout brought in from the surf by anglers in the water early. Most of the action was finished by 9 a.m.; however, up to then lots of limits of specks were placed on stringers.

Sunday evening Polly and I fished the North Jetty Boat Cut area on the channel side and found some good action on trout. Live shrimp was the bait, and surprisingly, speckled trout were the only fish biting.

I said surprisingly because one of the reasons I like to fish the rocks is the variety of fish that feeds around them.

Offshore action continues to be in its prime, with good catches coming from beyond the nearshore waters. Most boats are reporting the need to go over 40 miles out to get into a variety of pelagic fish.

Scattered kings, sharks and Spanish mackerel have been reported by boats fishing closer in.

The party boat Capt. John made offshore trips last weekend and brought back some nice fish from fishing grounds up to 25 miles out of Galveston. The catch included ling, king, bluefish, black drum, Spanish mackerel, spadefish, mangroves, gafftop and a 125-pound stingray.

Congratulations to Kelly Groce and Colie Blumenshine for bringing in the heaviest stringer of fish in last weekend’s Galveston Bay Foundation Ladies Casting for Conservation Tournament.

Several inquiries have been made about reports of periodic closures to the causeway bridges for debris cleanup. I have calls into the local U.S. Coast Guard office seeking details about it. Anyone with information about this, let us hear from you.

Galveston fishing report 7-16-16

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH (3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

www.fish-n-lodge.com

Mid-July heat continues to plague fishermen and is keeping many anglers off the water during the day. While conditions are trying to improve, the hot water is making it difficult to keep bait alive.
The forecast for this week looks promising, with a more southeasterly wind. That is good because the wind will be coming off the Gulf of Mexico and have a cooling effect, especially during the late evening, nighttime and early morning.

Off-color water still remains a problem; however, more areas are beginning to shape up.

Dean Silvers and his friends were back at the jetties Saturday and found the water around the South Jetty not to be in good shape, so they moved to the channel side of the North Jetty where green water was flowing. Six specks and other fish were taken from near the rocks, and as the water continues to clear, the action should pick up.

Arno Carpenter and his grandson Brandon Franks fished the Spoil Banks out of San Leon near Marker 54 early Saturday. Using live shrimp and croaker for bait, they landed 12 specks to 21 inches and two undersized reds, both missing the 20-inch minimum by less than an inch.

Wade fishing around Siever’s Cut in East Bay continues to be productive. Al Sanders was one of the group fishing the spoils near the cut Friday morning and landed a limit of slot reds and a 17-inch flounder using fingerling mullet for bait.

Crabbing remains strong with some of the best action coming around daybreak.

Carlos Morales and his family landed 17 nice-sized blue crabs while working crab lines near Sportsmen’s Road in West Bay. Turkey necks cut in half was the bait.

Galveston fishing report 6-8-16

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH (3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

www.fish-n-lodge.com

 

  Trout action continues to top the fishing news and Wednesday provided a continuation of the hot action anglers have been having on trout all week.
Preston Blaylock and Horace Moore found East Bay to be the spot for limiting out on specks early Wednesday. Live shrimp and piggy perch were the baits while fishing one of the deep reefs.

Frank Martin limited out on trout while wade fishing the surf Wednesday. The big catch came using live shrimp fished under popping corks and took place near Caplan.

While lots are trout are being caught this week, Steve Creecy did not fare so well. Creecy sent a note saying that he personally observed lots of trout at the cleaning tables; however, he got skunked while fishing one of his favorite spots off of Dollar Point on Tuesday where he has caught many specks and other fish over the years.

I am not familiar with the current conditions around that area; however, it sounds like he may have been fishing too far up Galveston Bay. The salinity levels likely are low to near zero around there and the fish most likely are going to be found farther south.

All of the reports this week, like those today, have been from areas close to the passes or from the surf. Earlier this week, one of our local fishing guides pointed out that anglers are going to have to fish where the trout are today, not where they were.

Just past 2 p.m. Wednesday, NOAA Fisheries sent out an announcement that the red snapper season for private anglers is being extended two days until 12:01 a.m. Sunday due to Tropical Storm Colin.

Galveston fishing report May 30, 2016

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH (3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

www.fish-n-lodge.com

 

  Anglers hitting the water early Monday avoided the crowded conditions later and also the wind increase that began in the early afternoon. Trout action has been consistent, although not in the quantities as hoped but the overall quality made up for it.
Pinky Hurst was one of the anglers at the launching ramp just before day break and enjoyed a good morning of fishing East Bay reefs. Hurst used live shrimp fished deep under a popping cork to land five specks, with three over 18 inches in length.

Sunday night Merl Bonner and Patrick Dawson fished their portable underwater green lights at Cold Pass and landed two flounder, four specks, two sand trout and a stingray. Free lined live shrimp was the bait.

Hopefully, we will have more weekend offshore reports to pass on early this week; however, Sunday, Dean Silvers, his son Ben and Bill Zimmer were able to make a trip to the short rigs. Silvers said the water was off color 15 miles out and that when they passed the jetties, the water looked like the muddy Brazos River.

Fishing in not the best of conditions, they landed a bull red, huge black drum and numerous small red snapper.

On Sunday, June 5, the first Congregation B’nai Israel Saltwater Fishing Tournament takes place. The event will headquarter at 3008 Ave. O with a fish fry starting at noon. Tournament hours are from daylight to 2 p.m. and the entry fee is $75. Proceeds from the event will benefit the congregation’s youth programs including scholarships to summer camp. For more information call Steve Hoffman at (281) 491-6565.

Galveston fishing report 5-21-16

Galveston Fishing Charter Cmpany

832-917-FISH (3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

www.fish-n-lodge.com

 www.fish-n-lodge.com

  One of the more often requested articles by readers of the Reel Report is about jetty fishing. Since June is one of the prime months to fish the granite rocks, let’s take a look at some of the basics of jetty fishing.
The most common practice for jetty trout fishing is to bottom bump live shrimp. While this is the best method from late June until Labor Day, free lining and popping corks usually work better during May and the earlier part of June.

Bottom bumping consists of using a slip weight, just heavy enough to keep the bait close to the bottom, which is attached above a leader and swivel. The leader should be 12 to 24 inches long and made with no less than 20-pound test monofilament. Most leaders contain 30-pound test line and are in the 16- to 24-inch length.

Sizes 8 and 10 treble hooks are the most common hooks for bottom bumping and free lining. Many bottom bumpers and free liners prefer size 8 treble hooks.

Free lining is similar to bottom bumping; however, it consists of using no weight or a very small one. Anglers using popping corks tend to prefer size 6 treble hooks.

Although a few anglers use artificial baits at the jetties, live shrimp is the most popular and productive bait. The numerous rocks and debris around the jetties take a toll on artificial baits.

The two most popular spots for jetty trout during June are from the channel side of the North Jetty Boat Cut, all the way to the end, and all along the Gulf side of the South Jetty.

During periods of good water conditions, just about every fish in the near Gulf makes a visit to one or both jetties

The jetties offer both deep and shallow water in which to fish. That is a feature, among many, that attracts so many anglers to the rocks.