Galveston Fishing Blog

Sunday morning the wind was dead calm and the water flat as a pancake.

Although we had just returned from a Christmas trip to South Carolina, it was just too much to pass up.

Polly and I quickly loaded up the boat and by 9:30 a.m., we were heading past the jetties to test the action at some platforms 40 miles out.

Recently, I told my better half the first really calm day with no threatening weather in the forecast I wanted to make a winter offshore trip.

While we expected to run into lots of red snapper that had to be released, there exist many varieties of other fish around the steel reefs offshore.

Large Gulf and sand trout, grouper, vermilion snapper and all sorts of other reef fish hang around the wells and platforms.

It had been a while since I had given my offshore boat a good workout so, with all of that to gain, off we headed to one of our favorite spots approximately 40 miles east/southeast of the jetties.

Running at between 4,000 and 4,500 rpms in the open Gulf, we made the trip in an hour and a half.

Only one other recreational boat was observed during the run, and it was tied up to a rig approximately 15 miles out.

Perfect conditions greeted us upon arrival and that was about it for positive comments.

Using large squid and Spanish sardines for bait, not one decent fish was caught.

To my surprise, no red snapper was to be found.

It is the first trip I have made offshore that not a single fish was landed.

At least the boat’s engines got a good workout and lots of old gasoline was used to make room for a fresh batch.

Upon returning through the Galveston Ship Channel, Polly looked over at one of our favorite flounder holes and said we should have stopped there this morning instead of making the long haul.

We certainly would not have done any worse, and I had to agree with her.

There were no fishing reports in by Sunday afternoon, and I have to wonder if there was an epidemic of lockjaw going around.

Galveston Fishing Blog

What is it with the flounder this year? Here it is late December and flounder still are being caught both along the Galveston Ship Channel and in West Bay. It certainly is not the lack of cold water or strong northers that are keeping them home.

There is no doubt that the big female flounder are heading to their purported winter home in the Gulf of Mexico; however, when will they all make it there?

On Christmas Day, Caitlin Smith from Austin landed a huge 26-inch flounder fishing near the yacht basin.

In West Bay, we have two reports of flatfish being caught by anglers fishing for trout.

Trout are the prime targets this time of the year in West Bay, and it usually is not long after the beginning of the new year that the big sows start showing up on stringers.

Obviously, the big girls have begun to arrive. Jerry Tucker of Bayou Vista was fishing in one of his subdivision’s canals Thursday and landed a 28-inch speckled trout that hit a red and yellow soft plastic.

Jetty Joe at Galveston Bait and Tackle reported a customer from Pearland caught five trout and two flounder last Thursday fishing around Confederate Reef. Live shrimp was his choice of bait.

North Deer Island was productive for two anglers from Houston. Their catch included 15 trout and three reds. Again, live shrimp was the bait.

Capt. Michael LaRue, LaRue’s Guide Service, fished West Bay with three guests and ended up with 21 trout and a flounder using soft plastics for bait.

We definitely are in our wintertime pattern with trout making their way into Upper West Bay. While it will be cold on the water, fishing should be good, and don’t overlook flounder. All indications are that they still are around.

Galveston Fishinf Blog

Now that most of the Christmas celebrations are winding down, let’s once again turn our attention to fishing.

The cold weather helped keep anglers at home enjoying holiday activities, and those of us that have been off of the water for a while are yearning to get back in the saddle, or better, rod and reel in hand.

Prior to the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day lull, flounder were continuing their journey to the Gulf and hitting baits along the way. The average size of the flatfish was larger than those taken earlier in the month indicating that the larger females are on the road.

Jimbo Van Ness and his nephew Jeff Smith made a nice haul of flounder from 17 to 23 inches in length from the Galveston Ship Channel on Monday.

Jackie Hart and his father-in-law Mel Greenburg fished the Intracoastal Canal near the entrance to Bolivar and landed four large flounder last Sunday. Gulps were the baits that worked.

While flounder might be a possibility for post-Christmas anglers, sand trout, and large ones at that, have been hitting all around the area.

The Pelican Island Bridge is often a hot spot for the popular pan fish and during the weekend Tony Hampton and Mike Bellows proved that the sand trout are stacking up in the area.  While targeting flounder with Curly Tail Gulps, the anglers from Dickinson landed 18 sand trout to 14 inches.  One 19-inch flounder was the lone flatfish added to their stringer.

Hampton said that they ran through three packages of Gulps as the trout tend to like to pull the curly tail off.

Jose Aceves and his brother Mike fished near the mouth of Dickinson Bayou on Sunday afternoon and caught 14 sand trout to 18 inches, a 25-inch red and an 18-inch flounder using Gulps and dead shrimp for bait.

Gaveston Fishing Blog

Many of you recall my predecessor, Vince Stigligh Jr.

One of his classic columns included a local rendition of a popular Christmas poem, and for those who have never seen it, here it is.

’Twas the night before Christmas on the island you know; Way out on West Bay where there is no snow,

Asleep in their bunks were Billy and Lou, a dreamin’ of limits like me and like you.

Not stockings but waders hung close to their bed, for those were two anglers, what more need be said?

Then all of a sudden from out of the night come such a ruckus it gave them a fright!

They saw ‘cross the water like a shot from a gun, a highly-decorated outboard comin’ on the run;
The driver was casting and reeling at will, and horsepower not reindeer he drove with such skill.

Come on there, Johnson, and you, too, Mercury, there’s going to be plenty of action for you and for me.

The driver in old levis and a shirt that was red, had a cap filled with lures on top of his head.

As he stepped from the outboard, he was truly a sight, with rod and reel ready and raring to fight.

As he burst into the cabin, the anglers awoke. And both so astonished that no one spoke.

He filled their ice chest with goodies galore, so much that neither could think of anything more.

When Billy recovered the use of his jaws, he asked in a whisper, “Are you Santa Claus?”

“Am I the real Santa? Well, what do you think?” And he smiled as he gave both anglers a wink.

Then he leapt into his outboard and called back in a drawl, “To all Texas anglers — tight lines and full limits Y’all”

In closing, I want to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas Day.

Galveston Fishing

A combination of unfavorable conditions and the Christmas lull had anglers looking at holiday activities other than fishing on Saturday.

While there were no fishing reports, we did receive a note from Maurice Higgins, who asked why live shrimp are so expensive and what is necessary to catch shrimp on your own.

Higgins said that he pays anywhere from $16 to $20 a quart for live shrimp and is interested in catching his own bait.

He owns a 19-foot boat and was told that it would be suitable for dragging a shrimp trawl.

The price referenced above is in line with the prices charged by bait camps all around Galveston and, in my opinion, is a bargain.

I do not recall the last time we had a price increase for live shrimp; however, it has been many years.

Shrimpers are on the water just about every day trying to keep up with the demand for their product and many days the boats come up with empty nets.

High fuel prices and tighter regulations have taken their toll on a large portion of our shrimping fleet, including both bay and offshore boats.

From first-hand experience, I can say that shrimping is no easy task. In my early years, I owned a 20-foot bait trawl and would go after my own live shrimp and experienced the frustrations of feast or famine.

For those of you not familiar with recreational bait shrimping, here are some of the basic regulations. Required is a shrimp trawl tag, costing $37.

The trawls are limited to a 20-foot maximum length and the daily limit on shrimp you may retain is two quarts per person or four quarts total for the boat.

Successful shrimping is not as easy as it might appear. Skill and experience are the two keys, and it is physically challenging.

One consideration should be in the time it takes away from fishing. Let’s say that you are going after your own bait shrimp, launch your boat and soon start dragging your net. If you are successful in pulling in a quart or more of shrimp, it is likely you have taken a couple of valuable hours away from fishing.

Galveston Fishing

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Coastal Fisheries Division issued a news release Thursday announcing that it would be conducting public scoping meetings to discuss possible changes to Texas Saltwater Fishing Regulations, especially for flounder and speckled trout.

While neither species is being overfished in our area and the stocks appear to be good, TPWD is looking to the future to preserve both fisheries.

The meetings will be held statewide in early January. The Galveston area meeting will be 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 9 at the TPWD Dickinson Marine Lab, at 1502 FM 517, in Dickinson.

Luis Decker, Aunt Margie’s Bait Camp, reported five flounder to 24 inches caught by Michael Aguilar and Gilbert Gonzales near the Texas A&M University at Galveston boat docks. Fingerling mullet was the bait of choice.

Joe Moughon has been sending in some good reports of his flounder fishing lately and Thursday, he sent a note saying this has been his best flounder season ever.

Moughon was back on the water fishing around docks along the Galveston Channel and limited out on flatfish to 21 inches. All of the fish were caught on Chicken Boy soft plastics in psycho red with white tails.

Wade Wallace of Uncle Buck’s Bait Shop has been hammering the flounder as well. Wednesday, he fished near the Texas A&M campus for two hours and caught two nice flounder. Thursday, he returned to his favorite spot and limited out.

Earlier in the week, Wallace and his friend Mark limited out on Monday and on Tuesday, he and his buddy Curly landed seven. All of this action is here a week before Christmas. There’s no doubt we had a later flounder run in 2013.

Galveston Fishing

The last three days have been so calm and perfect for heading offshore, it has been difficult driving down the seawall and seeing such inviting conditions knowing it was virtually impossible to take off and head out.

Not all anglers were so confined. Capt. Kenny Bleakney of Laser Marine and three friends took advantage of the window of excellent weather and made an overnight trip to the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It turned out to be a great decision.

Bleakney said it was one of his best trips, and the highlight was his landing a near-state record black grouper. The fish was weighed in at the Galveston Yacht Basin and hit the scales at more than 116 pounds, less than 8 pounds shy of the Texas State Record.

The fish was caught at the Flower Garden Reef more than 100 miles out of Galveston and hit a Purple Mauler being trolled. Bleakney said initially they thought it was a large amberjack as there was plenty of action on those; however, as the fish got closer, everyone was surprised to see that it was a black grouper. Normally, those fish are caught deep and rarely on trolled lures.

In other fishing news, the best catches lately have come at night while the full moon was overhead.
Max Henning from Edmonton, Alberta, was in town visiting friends and Tuesday night, they all fished off a private dock on Offatts Bayou. Using free-lined live shrimp, Henning landed a 5-pound trout, the largest of the evening. His hosts added six more trout in the 15- to 18-inch range before they called it quits about 11 p.m.

Harold Armour of Crystal Beach fished along the Intracoastal Waterway on Tuesday night and caught two slot reds and five trout, three keepers and two throwbacks. Live shrimp was the bait.

Galveston Fishing Blog

The last several days were interesting, as we had a lot of feedback from flounder fishermen, and the majority feel that the run still is on with the prime fish now making their move.

A note from Mike Krnavek pretty well represents the view of most anglers that responded.

Krnavek said he keeps reading reports that the flounder run is over and people think it’s over.

“Well, I can tell you that it is not,” Krnavek said. “People tend to call it over when they are not able to pull up to a spot and catch five flounder in 20 minutes. The thing that’s good about people like that is they give up for the year. Then you end up with fewer crowds.”

He said when this happens, that’s when the fishing gets good. The December fish are so much bigger and are the last to head for the Gulf.

“Don’t get me wrong, there will be slow days that you will have to grind it out, but the size of the big females is well worth it,” Krnavek said.

Krnavek and George Potchkhoua fished the Galveston Ship Channel on Saturday and caught 12 flounder, keeping nine of the fish. Most all the flounder were larger than 21 inches. Potchkhoua also caught a 25-inch red that was kept. Two fish were caught on mullet, but the bigger solid fish were caught on Chickenboys and Gulps. Krnavek said he thinks anglers will be catching flounder into January.

Practically all of the reports lend optimism that fresh flounder might be an option for Christmas dinner.

The frontal passage Saturday afternoon took away prospects for good trout fishing for a few days. Today, conditions should begin to improve for fishing and, by Tuesday, action on both specks and flounder should pop open again. Don’t forget the reds; they are there, just not getting the notoriety of the other two of the big three.

Galveston Fishing Blog

There is an old adage that says “It ain’t over until it’s over,” and that is exactly what we are experiencing with this year’s flounder run.

One day everyone is convinced that most of the fish have moved out and the next, a new crop of flounder appear along their highway to the Gulf.

You may recall that I wanted to wait until we heard from the weekend group before saying that it is over for this year.

Well, Friday and Saturday there were a lot of big flounder caught, and it appears that we still are in business with this year’s migration.

Trout action also is picking up, especially in East and West bays.

Bobby Ballard fished with his friend Kyle Canada on Friday and both limited out on flatfish to 25 inches. The limits were taken within two hours while fishing the Galveston Channel.

Wade Wallace, Uncle Buck’s Bait and Tackle, called in to say that the flounder run is not over.

Friday, while fishing with two friends, Curly and Alan, they landed three limits of flounder from the Galveston Channel using live mullet for bait.

Wednesday and Thursday, Wallace had two friends report back with limits of flounder both days.

Friday, Tony Calapan and his dad Al fished the Galveston Channel near the yacht basin and found the action sporadic. Al did manage a 24-inch flatfish using his favorite red and white jig.

Now, we will look at what is taking place with speckled trout. East Bay produced some nice stringers of specks for wade fishermen using slow-sinking baits such as Corkies.

Henry Miller used the popular wintertime bait to land eight specks to 20 inches along the edge of the channel at Sievers Cut.

Miller said that a bunch of specks and reds were being cleaned at the bait camp when he returned and all were caught by wade fishermen early Saturday.

Dean Silvers, while he and his son were still fishing in West Bay on Saturday morning, reported they had 10 keeper specks and tossed back six undersized trout.

Three nice sheepshead also were on their stringer at the time.

Friday Night Lights were producing a lot of trout for anglers in canal subdivisions and along Sportsmen’s Road. There was a mix of throwbacks and keepers. Live shrimp was the preferred bait.

Galveston Fishing Blog

A lot of hard-core flounder fishermen are now switching their attention to the spring run that usually begins in mid- to late February. Not much is published about the annual return migration back into the bays. It lasts during the spring months and there usually are not a lot of fish stacked up in any given area.

This will be a good topic to discuss closer to the spring equinox.

One seasoned flounder angler, Lori LaBorde, who goes by the alias The Saltwater Hooker, said Thursday was her last flounder trip of this year as she feels the run is over. LaBorde had to work for a limit of flounder and observed very few other anglers catching flat fish.

The professional angler also noted that her catches, along with that of several of her fishing friends, were way down this year.

Her theory is that the flounder moved out mostly at night during the stronger outgoing tides. She added that time will tell and now she can start focusing on trout in West Bay.

Personally, I am not ready to call the run over until a number of reports are received and, hopefully, we will see a good number of anglers on the water today and Saturday. Late Saturday through Sunday does not look good for fishing as a strong north wind is in the forecast.

In other fishing news, Bulldog’s Bait Shop called in, saying the fishing has been slow the last few days; however, on Thursday, a customer who had been fishing the 61st Street Fishing Pier returned for more mullet. The report indicated that bull reds were hitting on the incoming tide and large cut mullet was the only bait they were hitting.

Galveston Fishing Blog

Not much in the way of fishing activity Tuesday; however, we continue to get reports from the few anglers on the water last weekend.

Sam James and Danny Brady fished the Galveston Channel area Sunday where they landed a 22-inch flounder. James did not mention the bait used; however, I am somewhat certain it was Flounder Pounders knowing his close friendship with Phil Ortiz, the manufacturer.

Sunday night, trout action turned on around the Crash Basin off of Offatts Bayou. Gerald Moorhead used live shrimp to take seven specks from under the lights of a friend’s boat dock along that harbor.

An interesting question was asked by Johnny Helstrom several weeks ago that took some research on my part. Helstrom asked if I knew when the center console boat was introduced and who was the first manufacturer. He and a friend were in a friendly argument over who designed it and when the first of the popular fishing boats was built. His friend swears that Boston Whaler was the first and Helstrom had read somewhere that another company introduced the design.

Thanks to the wonderful world of the Internet, I came up with the following: In 1952, the Scopinich Family of Long Island, N.Y., built what was likely the first center console boat, a wooden skiff called the Scop Cruiser.

It is likely that Boston Whaler introduced the first of that design in this area and their model was advertised as unsinkable with all of the foam insulation inside.

You might recall from a few years ago I answered a similar question about who introduced the fiberglass boat.

The answer is that it likely was Ray Greene, an employee of Owens Corning Fiberglass. Greene also was a boat builder and wanted to experiment with new fibers invented by Dow Chemical.
The first manufacturer of fiberglass boats was Glastron Boats in 1956.

It has been said that before entering the boat business, Bob Hammond, the owner, was manufacturing fiberglass caskets that did not go over well in the market place.

Galveston Fishing Blog

There was not much in the way of fishing activity Sunday.

Conditions were somewhat improved compared to Saturday with lighter winds and slightly warmer temperatures.

Sunday’s only fishing reports centered around flounder fishing as the fall migration continues.

On Dec. 1, the limits for flounder returned to the 5-fish-per-person threshold and flounder gigging was allowed to resume after being shut down for the month of November.

Luis Decker, Aunt Margie’s Bait Camper, reported two limits of flounder being taken by Texas A&M University at Galveston students Cody Klindt and Chris Blackburn. The aggies took their limits by gigging near the university. I suppose you could say that this would be a good example of Gig-um Aggies.

The Chorizo Flounder Tournament produced some good results by the 36 anglers who were registered.

A total of 129 flounder weighing more than 463 pounds were weighed in.

The winners were Kevin Pete, first place; Mike Price, second place; and Nathan Chain, third place.

The flounder side pot winners were Kevin Pate, first place, and Janzen Miller, second place.

The tournament offered a side pot for redfish and the winners of that category were Kody Graves, first place, and Warren Burhman, second place.

The lingering northerly winds are creating very low tide levels and the forecast is for that trend to continue most of this week.

Another cold front early this week will just add to the problem by generating incrementally lower water levels.

Fishing in Galveston

Saturday was an unfortunate time to plan any outdoor activities, especially fishing trips.

While two local tournaments continued with their plans, the number of participants appeared to be down from what it would have been under more normal weather for early December.

I stopped by Serious Tackle just after the 1 p.m. weigh-in started and visited with Chris Gonzales and Lee Garcia, two of the tournament officials. They appeared to be pleased with the turnout in spite of the bitter cold conditions.

At that point, two participants had weighed-in. Results from that event will be forthcoming.

An angler scheduled to participate in the West End Anglers’ December Winter Trout Tournament called in to say that he was delighted to see the bad, cold weather hit as it would reduce competition in the tournament. The participant, who did not want to give his name, said that conditions like this weed out the serious participants from the fair-weather guys.

I suppose he is correct, as I am one of the fair-weather guys, and I certainly did not want to be out on the water Saturday.

While labeling myself as a fair-weather fisherman, hot weather — even readings around the century mark — do not bother me; however, a cold, biting wind quickly takes its toll on my enjoyment and endurance.

That is a product of having been born and raised on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Monte Wisdom sent a note in response to Saturday’s Reel Report asking that I add another category to the list of items to avoid buying for the angler on your Christmas list.

Wisdom said that all of his life, friends and family have tried to pick out lures for him at Christmas and almost all of them are stashed away in a box in his garage.

Wisdom said, “In my case, I prefer using live bait, and while I do use artificials at times, my choice is very limited and centered around a few brands and colors of soft plastics.”

Galveston Fishing Report

Thursday, I pulled up the long-range forecast for the next two weeks with the idea of planning some fishing trips with friends. If the predictions hold, we are in for some cold, rainy conditions with moderate to strong winds adding to the misery.

The good news so far is that the forecasts do not include a freeze for the Galveston area. Sounds like some excellent duck hunting weather for the start of the second part of duck season later this month.

For sure, flounder are going to have to fish or cut bait (yes, pun intended) and decide if they are going to leave for the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico or stay behind for the winter. My prediction is that the majority of the flatfish still in the bays will make the move.

Some of the best trout fishing of this fall season has been taking place and a steady north wind likely will turn that around. Consistent ambient temperatures in the upper 30s to low 50s should drive trout and other fish to their deep water refuges.

Offatts Bayou and, in particular, the famous Blue Hole are worthy to keep an eye on as the cold spell lingers. We will have more on winter fishing patterns later.

Before the arrival of this latest frontal system, the Galveston Channel was yielding some nice flounder catches with many anglers limiting out with the return of the five-fish per day bag limit.
Still, most fishermen feel that this year’s flounder run has been disappointing compared to the last several.

Marty Fluke sent in Thursday’s only fishing report stating that he, Jon Lewis and Randy Estep of Dallas had quite a trip with Capt. Michael Larue of Larue’s Guide Service. The three anglers limited out on trout to 5 pounds and added a 25-inch flounder and 27.5-inch red to the catch.

Galveston fishing

Early morning fog delayed the departure of boats Wednesday morning; however, once the thick soup lifted, fishing was good to outstanding.

Trout are making the news in both East and West bays, with nice catches being reported from both areas. Waders using Corkies or Paul Brown Originals mopped up on specks along the north shoreline of East Bay.

Perry Hancock and Larry Ennis battled poor visibility to cross East Bay from Bolivar and found trout in a feeding mode around Frozen Point. The two anglers came close to limiting out on trout with a total of 18 during their three hours of wading.

The surprise of the trip was a jack crevalle hitting a Mirrorlure and almost stripping the line off Hancock’s reel. The big brute was landed and released after a 20- to 30-minute battle. This is very unusual to catch a jack crevalle in water below 60 degrees. Corkies and slow sinking Mirrolures were the baits of choice.

Louis, Ron and Don Ciaccio made a trip to the Galveston Ship ChannelMonday and picked up a triple limit of flatfish, with Louis taking the largest measuring more than 21 inches.

Barbara Garabaldi, Louis’ Bait Camp, had customer Ken Menard and his friend return from a trip to Green’s Cut where they landed 16 nice-sized trout and three redfish. Reports back to her from the Diversionary Canal and Harborwalk also indicated good trout action in those areas.

Around Louis’ dock, flounder, reds, sheepshead and sand trout are being caught.

Reminder, Saturday is the Chorizo Flounder Tournament. You can register at Serious Tackle or at the captains meeting Friday at Taqueria El Nopalito.

For information contact: Lee Garcia at 281-216-3215 or email teamlalito2@gmail.com

Galveston Fishing Blog

Is this year’s flounder run about over? Several seasoned flounder fishermen are asking that question, reflecting on the sporadic and overall slow action on flatfish last weekend.

Lori, The Saltwater Hooker, is one that asked the question.

She fished the Texas Lady Anglers Tournament during the weekend where they managed only eight flounder with just seven keepers and none longer than 18 inches. Earlier in the week, she and Flounder Pounder manufacturer Phil Ortiz barely managed to catch three flatfish each day on their trips.

She asked if we still can expect another push after the next cold front.

Fortunately, we will not have to wait long for the next norther as a strong cold front is forecast to cross the Upper Texas Coast on Friday night.

Perhaps that will be the key to igniting a big run if the flounder are still around.

Sunday marked the return of the 5-fish bag limit on flounder, and the Stephenson family found the results along the Galveston Channel to their liking. Kevin Stephenson II, his brother Ben and their dad limited out on flatfish to 22 inches using live fingerling mullet for bait.

Jerry Jackson of Jamaica Beach treated his son Anthony from Mesquite to a fishing trip aboard the party boat Cavalier last Saturday where they caught, tagged and retained bull reds of 37 and 39 inches in length.

Large black drum seem to be arriving early as another lady angler reported her catch of an over sized drum. Wanda Wagner caught a 40-inch drum Sunday while fishing near Bayou Vista.

Mark McDavid found non-stop action on whiting between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday. He landed 24 along with two 19-inch black drum using dead shrimp for bait.

Richard Belleau reported catches of whiting, black drum, bull reds and stingrays from the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Galveston Fishing

Here we are into December and my question is, what happened to November?

As we get older, time seems to pass at an accelerated rate. As we look back on November 2013, we saw fairly good catches come across the cleaning tables, but overall slower than normal.

November was warmer than usual and that likely was the culprit in slowing down fishing. The flounder run did not start in earnest until about a week or so before Thanksgiving, and speckled trout action has been disappointing for most anglers. Reds and other fish, on the other hand, filled in the gap.

As we start the first week of this final month of 2013, let’s take a look at what should be in store for fishermen.

Early to mid-December has historically been a great time to land good quantities of trout in West Bay. This is especially true for upper West Bay from Greens Cut to the causeway. This year, flounder still are in the bays and many will choose to remain there rather than make the journey to the Gulf of Mexico for the winter.

The number and severity of cold fronts will determine how long fishing will be good in the bays.

After several strong northers pass through with sustained winds lasting several days, fish will become jittery and will start stacking up in deeper waters.

December is an excellent time to make an overnight tuna trip; however, this time of year, more trips are canceled than completed. Weather, usually strong northers, is the main cause of cancellations.

Wade fishing tends to be one of the best methods of fishing this month; however, a good pair of insulated waders is needed if you decide to give it a try.

December is often when we receive our coldest days of the year and historically, it is usually the second half of the month when the really cold weather sets in, if at all. It is also a month when drastic changes in temperatures occur, meaning the thermometer pushing record highs one day and dropping more than 20 degrees the next.

So, keep an eye on the forecast and enjoy some of the best fishing of the year, especially early in the month.

Galveston Fishing Report

Thanksgiving Day and the whole holiday weekend look promising for fishing. Tolerable wind velocities should allow boaters to hit the open waters and, with a predicted wind direction shift to the east, the marshes and back bays will begin to fill with fresh saltwater.

No doubt that the recent blast of cold air helped the flounder run. The larger females are making their move. The areas from which the fish were driven should refill quickly, which might slow down the exodus as fish return to their habitat until the next spell of strong northerly winds.

While there were no fishing reports from the cold, rainy and windy weather Monday and Tuesday, this presents an opportunity to address some frequent questions by readers.

One of the most common questions deals with the term “knot” as used in wind velocity. Two questions that are asked most often are what is the definition of a knot and how did the term originate?

The knot is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile or about 1.151 mph.

When you hear of wind velocities or the speed of a vessel, multiply the knot speed by 1.151 to translate to mph.

The term originated during the era of the ancient mariners from counting the number of knots in the line that unspooled from the reel of a chip log in a specific time.

The knots were placed at a distance of 47 feet, 3 inches and passed through a sailor’s fingers while another sailor used a 30-second sand glass to time the speed of the knots passing behind the boat.

The knot count would give them the speed of the vessel and was used in “dead reckoning” and navigation. The number of knots that passed during the 30-second time frame determined how fast the boat was traveling in nautical miles per hour.

For example, if 10 knots passed through in 30 seconds, it was concluded that the vessel was traveling 10 knots per hour, or 11.51 mph.

Today, many GPS systems give distances to waypoints in nautical miles. The captain must multiply that number by 1.151 to obtain the distance in statute miles.

Galveston TX. Fishing Report

Monday I visited with one of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens regarding Sunday’s Reel Report in which an angler mentioned giving away his catch of flounder.

The warden called after reading the report and asked that we clarify the rules regarding giving away fish that are under bag and size limits.

Fishermen are free to give away fish up to their limit. Once that happens, they are not allowed to retain any more fish nor give away any. The person receiving the fish can take up to their limit, meaning if they do not possess any of that particular species they can accept your full limit.

Now, if the recipient has fish, he can add to his catch up to a limit without any problems.

Texas fishing regulations do allow for additional fish to be accepted as long as the recipient has a Wildlife Resource Document.

The document can be written on any piece of paper and the contents required can be found on Page 102 of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Outdoor Annual.

The main point of this is that once you catch a limit of fish, you cannot retain any more even if you give away your fish.

The Sea Isle Bait Camp Pier was the site of a nice catch of fish Sunday. Coach Nick Voris of Sea Isle landed a 32-inch bull red, 25½-inch slot red and five sheepshead to 19 inches while fishing in the rain. All of the fish were caught using live shrimp for bait and released.

Last Saturday,the Kellogg family to a great trip in the cold rain. Fishing the Galveston Bay Complex, the family landed large bull reds and flounder. Frozen shad worked for the reds with Gulps and Flounder Pounders taking the flatfish.

Cantu reported both males and females are making the run.

Galveston Fishing

It was amazing to see anglers fishing on Saturday. The cold, rainy and wet conditions that most would describe as miserable did not deter them.

I noticed from the docks around the Galveston Yacht Basin that only one boat was fishing around Pelican Island. There were several fishermen standing on docks with lines in the water. Also, the same observation was made of anglers fishing from boats berthed in slips.

Two of the hardy souls were leaving about the time I passed through and both had limits of flounder on their respective stringers. 

The fish appeared to be small for this time of year, which goes along with recent reports from the Galveston Ship Channel area.

Friday night Joel Matranga fished from his lighted dock along Dickinson Bayou and landed a limit of reds to 24 inches. Live shrimp was the bait.

Fred Aston, an avid flounder fisherman in the Clear Lake area, has been catching near limits of five flounder all fall. During the first week of November, he was taking easy limits of two from around bulkheads and docks along the Clear Creek Channel; however, Friday he reported that since Nov. 8, he has not seen or caught a single flatfish. He assumes that they have all migrated out of the area and are heading to the Gulf of Mexico.

Aston’s report came at an interesting time as Brandon Rowan reported the same results recently. Perhaps the flatfish have moved on; however, it would not be surprising if more cropped up soon. Most flounder do migrate at some point; however, many hang around, especially if bait is plentiful.

Paul Shaffer of Bayou Vista has found the flounder biting along the shores of Pelican Island near Texas A&M University at Galveston. Shaffer said most were about 18 inches long and that he had been giving his limits to other anglers who were not faring as well with their catches. He said that someone will walk up and he will give them their limit to take home.  

Thanksgiving as you know is for sharing.

Galveston Fishing

Thursday offered mixed results in fishing.

Overall, flounder action around the Galveston Ship Channel was not as productive as it has been lately.

Still, lots of flounder are being caught, just not the size expected for this time of year.
Wednesday, Lori, the Saltwater Hooker, fished the channel area in the afternoon with her friend Ellen Matthews of Houston.

They landed 12 flatfish with her guest bringing in a 23-inch beauty. Lori said it looks like it will stay slow until this weekend’s cold front pushes water out of the marshes.

The recent high tides and warm weather have kept many of the big flounder from leaving.

Polly and I hit the water Thursday morning hoping for a prefrontal bite and a last trip before all of the cold weather hits.

We did catch flounder; however, they were on average the smallest I have seen for this late in November. Others fishing around us reported the same results.

We did run into some undersized trout around pilings near the wall of the yacht basin; however, for trout, Capt. James Plaag was the winner on Thursday.

Marita Schultz, Pelican Rest Marina, reported Plaag and his guests caught 40 along with six reds while drifting over mud flats in 3 to 4 feet of water during the outgoing tide.

Slamming chicken Bass Assassins and pink and yellow 52 series Mirror Lures were the baits.
Last weekend the party boat Capt. John made an overnight tuna safari with Capt. Johnny Williams and his daughter Capt. Jill Williams sharing duties at the helm. Fishing various spots in the distant Gulf of Mexico, including the Boom Bang Spar Floating Platform, the 31 anglers aboard returned with a catch that included seven yellowfin tuna to 95 pounds, 66 blackfins, amberjack, Almaco Jack, rockhind and scamp grouper, king, Vermilion and lane snapper.

Rita Baumann of Texas City caught the 95-pound yellow fin using a Snapper Slapper Lure.

Galveston Fishing

Strong gusty winds held back serious fishing activity Tuesday. Protected areas around the Galveston Ship Channel, along with bayous and canals, were about the only spots yielding any catches.

We have mentioned the Galveston Channel so often lately that it is sounding like a broken record. This month, and parts of October and December, are when that area is at its peak, especially for flounder.

Tuesday, the channel area continued to produce limits of flatfish; however, there still is not a noticeable difference in the size of the fish being caught. Nice flounder in the 16- to 20-inch range are being taken; however, the really big ones, those well above 20 inches in length, have not shown up in good numbers yet.

Recently, Brandon Rowan fished near the wall of the yacht basin with his friend Capt. Weigelt and landed a 26-inch flatfish. Soon, fish in that size range will be more plentiful as the last phase of the big migration takes place.

The dock at Louis’ Bait Camp on Highland Bayou near Bayou Vista has been producing some nice fish. Barbara Garibaldi reported good numbers of sand trout, flounder and large sheepshead being caught just outside her facility. Dolf Taylor limited out on flounder to 20 inches while fishing off her dock.

Also included in her report was action from the Diversionary Canal where lots of reds and sand trout are being caught.

Ford Arnold and Joe Burk dodged the wind by fishing a canal off of the Intracoastal Waterway, west of Harborwalk. Using live shrimp for bait, they landed 15 sand trout and a number of rat reds that were released. Rounding out their catch was black drum, croaker and a 19-inch flounder. Most of the fish were caught near some abandoned barges.

Along the beach front, croaker, sand trout, whiting, pompano, bull reds and slot reds were being caught by anglers at the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

galveston fishing

Strong gusty winds held back serious fishing activity Tuesday. Protected areas around the Galveston Ship Channel, along with bayous and canals, were about the only spots yielding any catches.

We have mentioned the Galveston Channel so often lately that it is sounding like a broken record. This month, and parts of October and December, are when that area is at its peak, especially for flounder.

Tuesday, the channel area continued to produce limits of flatfish; however, there still is not a noticeable difference in the size of the fish being caught. Nice flounder in the 16- to 20-inch range are being taken; however, the really big ones, those well above 20 inches in length, have not shown up in good numbers yet.

Recently, Brandon Rowan fished near the wall of the yacht basin with his friend Capt. Weigelt and landed a 26-inch flatfish. Soon, fish in that size range will be more plentiful as the last phase of the big migration takes place.

The dock at Louis’ Bait Camp on Highland Bayou near Bayou Vista has been producing some nice fish. Barbara Garibaldi reported good numbers of sand trout, flounder and large sheepshead being caught just outside her facility. Dolf Taylor limited out on flounder to 20 inches while fishing off her dock.

Also included in her report was action from the Diversionary Canal where lots of reds and sand trout are being caught.

Ford Arnold and Joe Burk dodged the wind by fishing a canal off of the Intracoastal Waterway, west of Harborwalk. Using live shrimp for bait, they landed 15 sand trout and a number of rat reds that were released. Rounding out their catch was black drum, croaker and a 19-inch flounder. Most of the fish were caught near some abandoned barges.

Along the beach front, croaker, sand trout, whiting, pompano, bull reds and slot reds were being caught by anglers at the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

Water temperatures are warming, resulting in a slowdown on flounder action. Still, good numbers of the flatfish are being taken from the seasonal hotspots during the big run.

According to a report from 3-G Bait Camp at the yacht basin, bull red action around the jetties continues to be excellent and, while anglers are bringing in good numbers of flounder, the sizes reflect mostly the smaller males making the run so far. 

A few of the larger females were beginning to appear last week.

Trout action in the bays is picking up, especially Trinity Bay. Gordon King of Baytown drifted near the mouth of the Trinity River Sunday morning and limited out on trout to 4 pounds. Kelly Wigglers and Norton Sand Eels were the baits. King said that the soft plastics with chartreuse tips caught most of the fish.

Freddy Havis of Texas City limited out on slot reds while fishing near the flood gates of Moses Lake on Saturday. Havis used fingerling mullet for bait and landed a half-limit of flounder as well, which was a single, 17-inch flatfish.

Jones Lake produced a number of reds for Marvin Sloan and his wife, Paula. Unfortunately, all of the fish had to be released, as they ranged in size between 15 and 18 inches in length. Reds must be at least 20 inches long to retain.

Otis Raymond reported slow action around San Luis Pass on Sunday. Last weekend the angler from Jamaica Beach limited out on flounder and caught a variety of other fish including a Spanish mackerel at the same spot near the big bridge. 

This weekend, only small black drum, sharks and whiting were biting. Raymond said he used fresh dead shrimp with the heads peeled off for bait both times.

Reports from the Texas City Dike indicated flounder, black drum and reds were being caught last Saturday.

Another frontal system in on its way and should cross our area today. While not as strong as the earlier front, it should help get the fish to moving.

Galveson Fishing

Lots of good reports started arriving Saturday afternoon and while flounder continued to dominate the catches, trout action in West Bay was picking up.

Danny Dietz and Joe Vance found the upper reaches of Greens Lake to be productive for both reds and trout. Lots of both species were landed Saturday morning along with one 17-inch flounder; however, only three trout and one red passed the minimum length to retain. Texas Chicken Boys in red and white were the baits.

Paul Miller fished the causeway and railroad bridge areas landing eight specks to 20 inches using live shrimp fished under a popping cork. The action took place between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Joey Dean and a friend made a quick trip to the flats around Pelican Island on Friday and were greeted by ideal conditions.

In just more than an hour they managed to catch a few flounder, retaining only an 18-inch flatfish.
Dean said that the flounder action is slowly picking up with each passing cold front and that the big females still are not yet stacking up in the Galveston Ship Channel area. Tandem rigs with mud minnows and curly tail Gulps caught most of the fish.

Lori, the Saltwater Hooker, fished the Galveston Channel area again Friday, landing 14 flounder, all under 20 inches. The well-known flounder angler uses Flounder Pounder lures almost exclusively when going after the flatfish.

Flounder fishermen, mark your calendars for Dec. 7 for the date of the Texas Chorizo Flounder Fishing Tournament sponsored by Serious Tackle and Strike Pro Lures. The event is from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. with weigh-in at Serious Tackle, 14065 Delaney inside the Gulf Way Plaza in La Marque.

T-shirts will be provided for those registered by next Friday. You can register at Serious Tackle and for more details e-mail Elias Garcia at team
 lalito2@gmail.com or call him at 281-216-3215.

Galveston Fishing

A survey of several flounder pros, those anglers who have fished for flounder for years, indicates that this year’s flounder run is getting off to a slower start than in recent years.

Normally, by mid-November, the annual migration is peaking with lots of large female flatfish stacking up around the migrations hot spots. 

This year, there are lots of flounder being caught around those locations; however, the size still is reflective of largely males, the first of the crop to head to the Gulf.

The hot spots typically are areas all along the Galveston Ship Channel from the Pelican Island Bridge to the end of Sea wolf Park.

Paul Shaffer of Bayou Vista gave a comparison to last year in his report. In November 2012, Shaffer fished every night around the Texas A&M University at Galveston campus and limited out each night resulting in a catch of 60 fish that month. This year, Shaffer has found the action slower and, as luck has it, purchased a new freezer to hold his flounder with not nearly the number of fish he had last year at this time.

After work Thursday night, he fished for about 15 minutes and caught a 21-inch flounder using Gulps and jigs for bait.

Lori, who prefers going by her nickname, The Saltwater Hooker, has had similar results and, like Shaffer, feels that we are having a late start to winter. In fact, she thinks we will be catching limits of the flatfish until Christmas.

Thursday, she took Neil McLaren of Bayou Vista to the Galveston Ship Channel where they caught 18 flounder to more than 23 inches. Their four-fish limit consisted of fish less than 20 inches with the big girls all being released.

galveston fishing

It will be interesting to see how the recent cold front affects fishing.

Water temperatures have dropped to the lower 60s in the bays and there was a report of a 55-degree reading at Seabrook.

While there was a major drop in water levels associated with the strong northerly winds, a shift to the east on Thursday started replenishing the marshes and back bays.

If the low water levels had persisted for several days, which are common with strong northers, there likely would have been a major exodus of flounder.

No doubt that more flatfish will be moving now and bird action in the bays should increase.

Last Monday, there were reports of trout action under the birds in both East and West Bays; however, as the week progressed, all of the bays became choppy and rough keeping anglers away.

Thursday, there were some good catches of flounder along the Galveston Ship Channel. Matt Garner, 3-G Bait Camp at the yacht basin, said that lots of the flatfish were appearing on his cleaning table.

While the fish were solid keepers up to 19 inches, the really big sows have not started appearing in large numbers.

Mangrove snapper continue to be caught around the edge of the channel on the Pelican Island side; however, expect to see that species follow the flounder offshore as they are very sensitive to cold temperatures.

Anglers interested in good meat for the table should try to catch sand trout. They seem to be everywhere in deeper waters. The Pelican Island Bridge is noted for being a hot spot for sand trout year round.

With the east wind refilling the back bays, expect to see reds returning to the marshes this weekend.
We mentioned in Thursday’s Reel Report that another strong front is expected early next week. This time of year, windows between those frontal systems are what most anglers are focusing on for fishing.

Cold, biting wind dominated the weather picture around Galveston on Wednesday, and the only sportsmen enduring the elements appear to have been duck hunters. Fishermen certainly were not to be found.

The good news is that beginning today, and for the next two to three days, conditions should continue to improve. A return to south and east winds likely will quickly replace water levels in the marshes and back bays that were emptied by the current cold front.

It looks as if another major frontal system is on the heels of this one and that one is expected to pass through early next week.

The windows of fish able conditions during the weekend should offer anglers an opportunity for some excellent fall fishing and easy limits of flounder.

Earlier this week, Isaac Moreno fished the Texas City Dike and landed a 58-inch black drum and a limit of flounder to 19 inches. Moreno did not mention whether he retained the big fish; however, while the maximum size length limit for black drum is 30 inches, one fish above 52 inches can be retained. The exception is to allow for a new state record. Currently, the record for black drum is a fish that measured 51.18 inches and weighed 81 pounds, a record that has held up since January 1988.

Before the cold front blew through, sand trout, croakers, gafftop, black drum and bull reds were being caught off the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Last weekend’s Red Fish Fishing Tourney at the Galveston Fishing Pier was a success. The proceeds from the event benefited the Galveston Urban Ministries and the winners were: Javier Gutierrez, first place; Keith Hogan, second place; and Jonathan Martinez finished third.

galveston fishing

The weather forecast Tuesday evening was not encouraging for fishing for the next couple of days, as the strongest cold front of the season will be passing through.

Gale-force winds and temperatures in the low to mid-40s will keep anglers off of the bays; however, there is a bright side to this.

After the front passes, fall fishing and the flounder run are going to head toward their peaks for this year. In regard to this cold front, Guide Service, sent this note from his fishing diary. 

“Thirty years ago on Nov. 12, 1983, a cold front swept across the Upper Texas Coast. That cold front triggered one of the greatest trout movements of modern times which lasted until the fish killing freeze on Christmas Eve of 1983.” 

Williams said the time span of 42 days, in periods of fishable weather, might have produced the best wade fishing for trophy trout that ever took place in the Galveston Bay Complex by fishermen using artificial lures.

Last weekend, the party boat New Buccaneer made a 30-hour safari/tuna trip. Leaving dock on Saturday with 49 anglers aboard, Capts. Matt Smith and Chris Minardi headed for the Hoover-Diana Spar Rigs, where they had their guests fishing for both bottom and pelagic fish.  
They returned Sunday with a catch that included 286 large vermilion snapper, 202 blackfin tuna, eight yellowfins, four amberjacks, five almaco jack, three barracuda, two Warsaws, two yellow edge grouper, seven scamps, a 20-pound king and a 40-pound Dorado.

Again this year, flounder fishermen are complaining about illegal size and bag limits being taken by their peers. Before November, it was mostly undersized flounder that were observed being retained and since Nov. 1, it has been both undersized fish and exceeding the two-fish bag limit.
  
While we are always interested in hearing from readers, for game violations the Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Thief Hotline should be called. That number is 800-792-4263. I recommend having that number on your cell phone contacts.

Galveston Fishing

Monday was an excellent day to fish. Light winds, fair tidal movement and comfortable temperatures made conditions special. Welcome to fall fishing in the Galveston Bay Complex.

Polly and I took advantage of the conditions and headed to our favorite flounder holes after loading up with live shrimp, mullet and gulps. Surprisingly, there were few anglers on the water considering it was a holiday for a lot of people.

We started our fishing along the Galveston Ship Channel and fished near two fine gentlemen named Ryan and Zack who were anchored close to one of the docks. At that point they had two flounder in the box and soon after we arrived, caught a third and pulled anchor. The fourth slot was saved for a saddle blanket.

We spent all morning working that area and eventually left with our limit of four flounder. At noon, two anglers taking advantage of their lunch break from their jobs on Pelican Island drove up and fished along the edge of the bulkheads. They fished with tandem soft plastics bouncing them off the bottom. During the short time they fished, I saw them catch and release at least six or seven nice flounder.

With our limit of flounder, we headed to the North Jetty to try for some reds. Murphy’s Law again prevailed as large flounder were stacked up just north of the Boat Cut. Each flounder we caught and released was much larger than the 16- to 18-inch flatfish in our fish box. A large sheepshead was the only other fish caught at the jetties. Oh well, next time it is to the jetties first and with some tandem soft plastics, probably Flounder Pounders.

Malcom Mencacci found the birds working in Upper West Bay on Monday and limited out on trout by 11 a.m. A large flounder and two reds rounded out his Texas Grand Slam. Chicken On A Chain Assassins and Storm Jerk Minnows on quarter-ounce jigs were the baits.

Barbara Garibaldi, Louis Bait Camp, reported good catches of flounder and reds coming from Highland Bayou and the Diversionary Canal. Robert Ewing, Zachery Wallis and Calvin Rockett limited out on flounder to 20 inches and had two reds as well. Garibaldi said she has a good supply of bait.

Along the beach front, sand trout, croaker, pompano, gafftop, black drum, bull reds and black-tip sharks were being caught off of the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Readers often ask why they are not catching fish like others they see around bait camps or read about in the Reel Report and Sunday, Vince Cavarretta of Omega Bay sent a note addressing that topic.

Cavarretta and his wife recently bought a boat and have been fishing Highland Bayou, Jones Lake and parts of West Bay and have not been satisfied with their results. 

He asked: What is the best time to fish? High tide, low tide? Are the feeding charts I see online accurate, worth looking at? What’s your thought on the barometric pressure as far as being a good indicator to fish? When I look at the high/low charts, what exactly am I looking for other than the time? How does the tide movement come into play? 

Vince, of all of the factors you mention, tidal movement is, in my opinion, the most important factor in catching fish. Both high and low tide can be good and dictates where you fish. Generally speaking, fishing the beach front is best around high tide. Again, tide movement is the key whether it is outgoing or incoming. Low tide is my least favorite time to fish; however, if you fish the area where the fish retreat, you likely will run into some action.

When you mention feeding charts, I assume you are referring to periods shown as excellent to poor on charts like the Wells Fishing Forecast. Personally, I do not rely on those charts; however, many anglers swear by them. Used in conjunction with tide charts, they are a good supplement.

Barometric pressure changes are useful tools in planning a trip, especially during the fall and winter.
When you look at a tide chart showing the levels of the highs and lows, that is valuable information. The difference between the two tide levels in feet above and below mean sea level tells you how strong the tide will be and the stronger the tide flow, the better the fishing.

Look for at least a foot difference for the best chances of good fishing.