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.