Galveston fishing report

Sunday, fishing conditions continued to be excellent, with the wind velocity being the only drawback.
While the direction was from the southeast, which is the best, the velocity hampered anglers’ ability to fish the open bays and certain parts of the jetties. 

Gary Kowalczyk and his sons Michael and John joined me again for a trip to the jetties.

On the way, we stopped by the cedars of Pelican Island and picked up a trout and a pompano.

Those were the only fish of the many we caught that hit live shrimp.

We spent most of our fishing time at one of my favorite spots along the channel side of the North Jetty where shad and live croaker accounted for slot reds, bull reds (tagged and retained), sharks and hardheads. The weather was ideal and the fishing great.

Malcolm Mencacci and his brother Frank fished around Pelican Island on Saturday and caught two limits of reds while releasing bull reds.

Two specks to 20 inches, a 5-pound sheepshead and a black drum rounded out their catch.

The action took place using mullet and shrimp in 4 to 6 feet of water.

Pam and Rocky Vail fished the South Jetty on Friday and found the action to be the best that it has been for a long while.

Reds were prolific and they retained their limits of slot reds. Additionally, they caught three jack crevalle, a speckled trout, Spanish mackerel and pompano.

Saturday, the couple returned to the jetties and found the water not as clear.

Lots of ladyfish, sheepshead and gafftop were caught along with three reds and two trout that were retained.

Bobby Lakey of Bonah fished with on Sunday and landed a bull red while fishing with shad at the concrete ship.

Kevin Stephenson and Ben Stephenson fished Clear Lake on Saturday where they caught six reds and two flounder.

Julie Mims and her deckhand husband, Joe, fished the jetties where she landed a big jack crevalle using a Zebco 808 spin-cast reel.

Perfect conditions for fishing this week..

Clear, green water, light winds and good tidal movement — that combination is almost always a given for red hot trout action, and Thursday was no exception.

That perfect combination resulted in reports of excellent catches of trout and other fish from all around the Galveston Bay complex.

Eugene Dodson, Galveston Fishing Pier, said the trout action Wednesday night was unbelievable. Everyone fishing from the pier caught trout using both live and artificial baits. Lots of customers were limiting out.

“The trout are in” he said.

Bulldog’s Bait Shop also reported trout thick in the surf. Live croaker were taking specks to more than 7 pounds, with pompano and reds also being caught.

Glenn Goff, Galveston Bait and Tackle, said 9-pound trout were being taken from the surf on live croakers. All of the trout coming to his cleaning table from the surf, and elsewhere were all big fish.

Sam Childs of Friendswood was one of the happy anglers who fished the railroad bridge. Using croaker for bait, he limited out on trout within 11⁄2 hours. None was less than 24 inches in length.

NOAA Fisheries announced the dates of this year’s Gulf of Mexico red snapper season. Texas will have a 17-day season beginning June 1 and ending at 12:01 a.m. June 18

The two other maverick states that have separate regulations for their state water, Louisiana and Florida, with have 24- and 26-day seasons, respectively.

Mississippi and Alabama, the states that parrot their red snapper regulations to the federal rules, will each have a 34-day season.

The big CCA-Texas Star Fishing Tournament begins Saturday, and this year we have more weigh stations around Galveston. Locations are Stingaree Marina at Crystal Beach, Marburgers Sporting Goods in Seabrook, Pelican Rest Marina at 7819 Broadway and West End Marina at Sea Isle on West Galveston Island.

Galveston 5-18-13

While Saturday saw lots of anglers on the water, wind continued to hamper their efforts. The good news was that the direction was from the south/southeast, which meant that the effects on water clarity were minimal compared to other directions.

The wind did not hamper the big event of the morning Saturday — the Southeast Texas Sports Fishing Association’s Hall of Fame Piggy Perch Contest.

The event was at Pelican Rest Marina, and I had the pleasure of attending and watching all of the fun the kids were having. Since Hurricane Ike, the contest has not taken place; however, this year, through the generosity of Buddy and Marita Schultz, the marina was made available for this year’s event.

Anyone attending the awards presentation could not help but see how much the kids enjoyed the morning with their families and competing for prizes. When checking out the weigh-in table, I saw lots of piggy perch, and one person told me they did not know there were that many fish in Offatts Bayou.

All of the participants were given awards, with the winners of each of the categories taking home the bigger prizes, mostly in the form of new rods and reels. A list of the winners will appear in a future Reel Report.

I want to commend the members of the Southeast Texas Fishing Club and Marita and Buddy Schultz, for their efforts and Dana Gregory of Smitty’s Bait Camp, who furnished supplies for the event. My hat’s off to all of you.  

In other fishing news, there was only one report in at press time a 49-inch ling caught by Roger Lai of Dallas while fishing the North Jetty.

The other members of the party of 12 landed limits of sharks, several bull reds and gafftop.

Galveston Fishing

Friday afternoon, the surf was beginning to clear and, if that pattern continued overnight, today should be an excellent day to fish the beach front. 

Reports indicate good numbers of crabs are in the surf — anglers fishing the rock groins and fishing piers are losing lots of squid and shrimp to the bait snatchers.

There has not been enough information presented to determine if the annual spawn by female crabs is on or if this is just a migration. The big spawn usually takes place in late June or July when the surf is full of sponge crabs and crabbers fill buckets with crustaceans that have deposited their eggs.

Retaining a sponge crab, a female with an orange sponge-looking growth, is prohibited by law.

A southwest wind was stirring up the bays and beach front early Friday; however, by afternoon, the wind dropped in velocity and switched to a more southeasterly direction. Hopefully, that trend will continue during the weekend.

There were only two fishing reports in by press time Friday. Bulldog’s Bait Shop reported a catch of five reds by Robbie Rosalez from West Bay off Eight-Mile Road. Live shrimp was the bait, and only his limit of three was retained.

Richard Belleau, 61st Street Fishing Pier, reported catches of whiting, bull reds and blacktip sharks by his customers. Lots of crabs were being taken as well.

The May edition of Texas Monthly Magazine features an article about tarpon fishing and how it has bounced back along the Texas Coast.

Mentioned in the article is one of our local tarpon guides, Capt. Mike Williams of Tarpon Express Guide Service. The article credits Williams with discovering and naming the popular Tarpon Alley, a runway just a few miles off the beach front where tarpon traverse the Upper Texas Coast.

The article contains a picture of a boat battling a tarpon off the Galveston beach front, with seawall hotels and businesses in the background.

Fishing report Galveston Texas

Fishing conditions along the Upper Texas Coast are settling, and warmer weather is upon us. That combination sets the stage for some excellent fishing.

Today, the wind might be an issue; however, Saturday evening, the surf was beginning to clear, and warm sunny weather was taking over. Watch for some excellent catches coming from the surf early this week.

Following Saturday’s frontal system, winds will begin shifting from a northerly direction and lean more to the south. Early this week, a southeast wind is forecast to be back upon us, and that is music to the ears of fishermen.

Friday night, flounder gigging was going strong, with a couple of reports of nice-sized flounder being taken and one angler reporting a two-man limit of flatfish.

James Turner and his grandson Ronnie Paul hit the waters of Spanish Grant around midnight Friday with bright lights and flounder gigs. After more than two hours of working the south shoreline of West Bay, north of the subdivision, the anglers returned with seven flounder from 16 to 20 inches in length.

Luis Decker, Aunt Margie’s Bait Camp, reported a 40-inch bull red caught by his associate Rene Garza from the Galveston Fishing Pier. Live croaker was the bait. 

Also, customer Adam Hernandez landed a 36-inch red fishing with shad at Sea Wolf Park. In both instances, the big reds were released.

Saturday morning, Dean Silvers and Bill Zimmer found excellent action fishing West Bay, where they caught a Texas Grand Slam. Five flounder to 19 inches, two trout to more than 20 inches and a 22-inch red were landed along with six undersized reds and a large croaker.

Harris Harrison found the night fishing Friday to his liking. Using free-lined live shrimp and fishing around underwater green lights along Offatts Bayou, the angler from Texas City landed five trout, a slot red and two silver eels.

FISHING GALVESTON

Before the stormy weather Friday, the fish were biting. 

Kelly Hudspeth and Leo Bernier of Houston fished the North Jetty with a supply of cut mullet and shad to use for bait.

They barely beat the bad weather to the dock as the anglers were into fish. During the short time at the jetties, two bull reds were caught, tagged and retained. Several sharks and gafftop were caught, with all of the sharks being released.

Louis Miller and Buck Bufford wade fished Hoeckers Cove in West Bay for two hours before being run in by thunder. Three specks and three flounder along with several rat reds were their catch. Chicken on a Chain and Bass Assassins were the baits used.

One of the top five questions asked by readers is where to go wade fishing around Galveston. Most of the questions are from anglers who do not have use of a boat and often are new to fishing the Galveston Bay complex.

Each time when replying, I hedge my answer by saying that I am not the best person to ask.

My favorite time to wade fish in the bays is during late fall and early winter. Now, with that said, if I had my choice of places to wade fish under ideal conditions, it would be at the surf beginning about now.

During windows of light winds combined with green water and tidal movement, the surf along the beach front is often red hot with action.

Unfortunately, ideal conditions just do not set in that often. July and August are probably the two months that offer more acceptable days for wade fishing the surf.

Experienced anglers use a variety of artificial baits to catch schooling trout and other fish roaming the beach front. For beginners, I highly recommend using live shrimp fished under a popping cork.

As we progress into the warm months, we will address the topic of surf fishing even more.

Galveston Fishing Report

Another frontal system will be wreaking havoc with this weekend’s fishing. The good news is that we should not see any big drop in temperatures, which means that the effects will be short-lived.
There likely will be fishable waters around Galveston; however, mid-bay reefs that were so productive last week likely will feel the brunt of the wind. Both East and West bays produced some nice trout earlier this week.

One of the anglers catching a prized fish this week was Lester Geason, who took a 29-inch speck from West Bay that weighed almost 8 pounds. Live shrimp fished under a popping cork was the bait.

Tuesday, Sarah Melcer hosted her jiu-jitsu instructor Evan Gideon and his wife, Emily, at her favorite spot off the South Jetty, where the action busted open.

Using squid for bait, the group landed 42 gafftop, 18 bull reds that were released and, the highlight of the trip, Gideon’s landing a 7-foot, 2-inch shark that was quickly released.

A couple who gave their names as Jess and Emily called in to report their fun trip to the Texas City Dike, where they landed two stingrays to 43 pounds and a 5-pound gafftop. The couple said they loved watching the fish swim away when released.

We have not had many reports from Moses Lake; however, the fishing obviously has been excellent this week. Houston Hernandez and his father-in-law, Roy Torres, fished just inside the floodgate Tuesday and Wednesday and loaded up on black drum, whiting and croaker. Two flounder and two reds — one undersized and the other a 21-inch slot red — rounded out their catch. Dead shrimp fished on a dual leader with 5:0 J-hooks did the trick.

Robert Holland sent a note saying action turned on under his fishing lights around 4 a.m. Thursday at his uncle Byron’s home on Tiki Island. Eight specks — five throwbacks and three keepers — were caught before daybreak.

Galveston Fishing Report Monday

Monday, the surf was flat and inviting, prompting anglers to come try their luck. While tide levels were low, as expected following the cold front, a southerly breeze set in during the afternoon.
With a return of southerly winds, conditions should bounce back quickly and anglers should look for some excellent fishing from the surf when the water turns green.

The latest frontal system sent water temperatures back into the 60s. Last week, the beach water temperature was approaching the 75-degree mark, which is a benchmark for surf fishermen to hit the beach front. 

East Bay has been holding some nice trout. Before the wind kicked up last week, lots of trout were being caught from mid-bay reefs and from the north shoreline. 

Larry Peterson and his son Chris took advantage of a window of good conditions last week and limited out on trout while drifting Hannah’s Reef. Live shrimp fished under a popping cork was the bait.

Sunday Mo Barr Party of eight that included 8-year-old Eden Barr and 7-year-old Yanni Barr to a South Jetty fishing trip.

Fishing the Gulf side, the group caught five bull reds that were tagged and retained, along with gafftop and whiting. Tom Strangler of Houston caught the largest red measuring 41 inches.

Night fishing under lights continues to be productive. Shelly Moore and Frank Patterson free-lined live shrimp under overhead lights on Highland Bayou Sunday night and landed 12 specks and too many hard heads to count.

Richard Belleau reported fair fishing at the 61st Street Fishing Pier on Sunday night with anglers catching whiting, gafftop, sharks and a few bull reds.

Galveston Fishing Reports

Today begins the transition month for offshore fishing. Between May 1 and the end of the month, pelagic fish will begin to make their way into the nearshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico where anglers in smaller seaworthy boats will have a chance at some top-notch action.

Last week king mackerel where within 20 miles of the jetties. Ling will join the kings soon, and action can be found as close as the beach front at times.

For now, we are seeing the appearance of a few offshore species in the surf and around the jetties. Spanish mackerel, pompano and blacktip sharks are among the early arrivals.

Sarah and Stephen Melcer were back at the South Jetty on Monday afternoon where they landed three sharks, three bull reds, 10 hardheads and two gafftop. All of the fish were released, except for the gafftop.

Richard Belleau reported whiting, Spanish mackerel, gafftop, blacktip sharks and bull reds being caught by his customers at the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Last Sunday, Capt. Shawn Clark hosted 48 anglers on the party boat Texsun II to a fine morning of fishing the jetties. Their catch included bull reds, sharks and gafftop.

At the same time, Williams Party Boats’ flagship, the Capt. John, was fishing the deep waters of the Gulf more than 100 miles from the jetties. The overnight Tuna Safari was hosted by Capt. Johnny Williams and his daughter Capt. Jullian Williams.

Fishing as far away as the Gunnison Spar Platform, the group landed 214 blackfin tuna to 24 pounds, two yellowfins to 40 pounds, 342 vermilions, nine mangroves to 8 pounds, a 60-pound Warsaw, five amberjack to 25 pounds, two kings, two ling and a large variety of other fish.

Two anglers from Ft. Worth made impressive hauls. Bill Welstead landed 17 blackfin tuna, 18 vermilions and a 10-pound scamp grouper. Gary Grassia returned with two blackfins, a scamp grouper and an African pompano.

There will be no fishing report for Thursday; however we will resume things Friday.