Galveston Fishing Report

Fishermen in the Galveston area are accustomed to weather warnings being issued which, most of the time, deal with high winds necessitating small craft advisories. Saturday, heat advisories were issued for dangerous heat indexes accompanied by warnings to limit outdoor exposure.

The mercury hit 93 degrees under gusty west and southwest winds that virtually shut down fishing after midmorning. The heat index was 106 degrees, and that is almost unbearable to tolerate very long in this area.

Our only fishing report Saturday came from Malcolm Mencacci, who, along with his wife, Melanie, and 6-year-old nephew Aiden Gonzales, fished West Bay and ended up with six reds, a 25-inch trout, two hardheads, three ribbon fish and a gafftop. The fish were caught around reefs in 5 feet of water. Mullet was the bait.

Sarah Melcer has been entertaining Dr. Robert Fefferman and his son Harry of Dallas most of this week, hitting the jetties almost every day. Friday, they landed two gafftop and a 5-foot bull shark despite the choppy, off-color water.

Fred Lomax reported action picking up around his underwater lights beginning around 4:30 a.m. when several reds came through chasing glass minnows and shad. Lomax landed two — a 19-inch throwback and a 23-inch keeper. Live shrimp was the bait.

Live bait is going to be increasingly difficult to keep alive during this period of extreme heat. One suggestion is to freeze small portions of ice in airtight containers and drop them in your live well. The shielded ice will keep the water cooler for longer periods and help keep alive those expensive croaker and shrimp.

Patrick Lemire, publicist for Williams Party Boats, sent a report for last Wednesday when the Capt. John made a 55-mile trip with 83 anglers aboard. Their catch included a boat limit of 166 red snapper to 17 pounds along with three mangroves, 25 bluefish, two kings and nine sharks.

Galveston Fishing Report

Wind continues to be an obstacle to fishing; however, tides are improving and the result is more trout are being reported caught.  Offshore fishing continues to be outstanding and more Dorado are being caught, especially around large patches of weeds and weed lines.

Jetty Joe at Galveston Bait and Tackle reported a number of good catches of speckled trout along with other fish being brought to his cleaning table by anglers fishing from Lower WestBay all the way to the Houston Ship Channel.

Jose and Julian Santana of Houston landed three specks, 10 sand trout and two reds while fishing the Houston Ship Channel Spoil Banks using live shrimp for bait.

Fun Fishing Trip, hosted a party of three and returned with three limits of trout to 25 inches and three slot reds to 26 inches.Live croaker fished over heavy shell in six to eight feet of water did the trick.

Russell Carmichael fished the Causeway Railroad Bridge and landed three specks, two drum and two stingrays using live shrimp for bait.

Ray Garza fished West Bay and landed a limit of trout and two flounder using live croaker and shrimp for bait.

Joe and Debbie Smith of Lake Jackson fished Mecom’s Cut using live shrimp fished under popping corks and landed 10 trout to 22 inches and three reds to 24 inches.

Thomas Wrister and Chris Petty to a trip to lower West Bay where they landed two limits of trout to 24 inches and three reds using live croaker for bait.

Along the beach front, whiting, gafftop, sharks, black drum and bull reds were being caught off the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Last Sunday the party boat New Buccaneer made a 12-hour trip offshore where Capt. Matt Smith found fish 60 miles out.Their catch included 198 red snapper (a boat limit), 11 mahi mahi, two scamp grouper, a sharpnose shark and a 40-pound grouper.

Galveston fishing report

Fishing continued on the slow side Friday, as a southwest wind prevailed most of the day. Later in the day, a more southerly switch occurred, and the forecast continues to call for a south to southeast breeze this weekend.

Between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Friday, I watched boats coming in from West Bay and the causeway area, where most had a slow morning of fishing. Most boats had fish, just not in the quantities they expected. Two to three specks were the norm, along with a few other varieties such as black drum, reds and whiting.

Chuck McCloud of Houston was one of the anglers returning from the causeway, and I visited with him while he cleaned his two specks. McCloud used live shrimp, as did most of the fishermen, and said his day would have been made if he had landed a speck he estimated to be 25 inches. As he said, you know it is always the one that got away that makes fishing interesting.

Vacationers are beginning to appear in increasing numbers and a lot of them are asking about crabbing. One of the more common questions is when does the big run take place in the surf — the annual spawn of blue crabs. Most years, the spawn starts about now and lasts for several weeks.

Offshore fishing continues to be excellent, and with red snapper season in full swing, the party boats are focusing on the prized table fare.

Earlier this week, the party boat made a 50-mile trip offshore where 79 guests limited out on red snapper to 25 pounds. Other fish caught included two kings, six vermilions and two sharks.

The bait shop at Louis Bait Camp on Highland Bayou at state Highway 6 is under new management. Barbara and Bubba Garibaldi, both longtime shrimpers in Galveston Bay, are now overseeing the bait shop. They are extending the hours of operation and will be open from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. and longer on weekends. Live and dead bait will be available including shrimp, squid, fingerling mullet and mud minnows.

fishing report galveston

While a few fish are being caught, overall, fishing has been quite slow. The main culprit has been the southwest wind.

For several days, that cursed wind has muddied up the bays and surf. That alone would slow action, but another problem with persistent southwest winds is that they are hot, dry cross winds and interfere with the normal ebb and flow of tides.

The good news is that the weather folks are forecasting a return of the southeast wind — the most favorable for fishing — on Friday. With the lighter velocities and double tide changes each day, the bays and beach front should clear-up quickly.

Watch for some outstanding catches to be reported once that change takes place.

Most of the bait camps reported poor results from the few anglers fishing; however, Aunt Margie’s did have a good catch to report. Deeadra Moby landed a 23-inch speckled trout early Wednesday fishing Offatts Bayou using live shrimp for bait.

While anglers using hook and line are finding slow action, flounder gigging has been good. Capt. Josh Arscott, Non-Typical Outfitters, has been limiting out his guests on nice quality flounder this week.

It is approaching the time for the fifth annual West Bay Slam Fishing Tournament and Benefit. The event, sponsored by the West End Anglers Fishing Club, will be from 6 a.m. until 5 p.m. July 6 at Sea Isle.

The entry fee is $80 per angler, with a maximum of four adults per boat. Kids 12 and younger enter for $10, and each receives a participation trophy.

For information, call Coe Parker, 713-594-4252, or visit www.fishwestend.com.

Galveston Fishing Report

Reports from the weekend indicated spotty action, with some anglers hitting windows of good action and others taking home sparse catches.

The jetties produced scattered catches of trout, reds and other fish. One group that hit the right spot at the right time was the Ciaccio Party consisting of Ron, Rhonda and Don.They boated 30 trout to 25 inches with several going more than 20 inches.

A 31-inch red was caught and released with all of the action coming within one-and-a-half hours.

Another productive jetty trip came from Capt. Russell Keillor who hosted Roy Glasgow, Zach Vercher, Preston Wallace and Eric Osbourne. Their catch included bull reds and sharpnose sharks.

Wray Widner of Sea Isle took his 6-year-old daughter Iola offshore Sunday and found action at the Aztec Rig just out of San Luis Pass where Iola caught her first shark.

Terry Hornburg and Sandra Leet fished offshore Sunday and returned with limits of red snapper, kings and small Dorado. The kings and Dorado were caught along a large weak patch and the snapper were taken from a working platform 35 miles east of the jetties. Hornburg reported the water choppy and the trip back uncomfortable.

John King fished off Teichman Point about an hour before daybreak Monday and landed three specks, a slot red and a bunch of lady fish.Live shrimp fished under a popping cork did the trick.

Capt. Matt Smith hosted a group of 100 aboard the party boat New Buccaneer Sunday and took them 60 miles offshore.The 12-hour trip resulted in 200 red snapper, 56 vermilions, two kings, seven Almaco jacks, five blue runner, four ling, two porgies, a scamp and a Warsaw grouper.

This weekend fishing report from galveston

Tarpon Alley is hot with action, as several reports of hookups and landings were received Saturday.
 U.S. Marine Cpl. Joshua Reid of Seabrook, who was home from duty in Afghanistan, to a great day of fishing. Reid hooked up with a huge tarpon Saturday morning. The fight lasted almost three hours before the fish was landed, measured, photographed and released.

The estimated 200-pound silver king was 86 inches long and had a girth of 45 inches. Reid’s fish was an inch above the minimum length to retain.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department regulations allow the retention of one tarpon 85 inches or longer as a possible new state record. The state record is 91 inches and 210 pounds.

Several other reports of tarpon action were received by John Boone and Chris Johnson fished Tarpon Alley off the beach front Saturday where Johnson landed an estimated 110-pound tarpon.

Friday night, Carlyn Garner tagged and retained a 37-inch bull red from the Galveston Fishing Pier.

Mark McDavid conducted a class in catching sand trout Saturday at Offatts Bayou where he caught 20 sandies and eight croaker.

Lots of trout are being caught off Eagle Point and April Fools Point near San Leon.

Saturday, Jerry Miller added his name to the list of anglers catching limits and near limits of trout around the Houston Ship Channel spoil banks just off San Leon. Using live free-lined croaker for bait, the Dickinson angler landed 14 specks to 23 inches, retaining seven.

The party boat  made an offshore trip Friday where fish were found in 130 feet of water. The 74 fishermen onboard returned with a full boat limit of snapper, two sharks, three ling to 40 pounds, 10 kings to 48 pounds and a 65-pound Warsaw, which is the one-fish limit per boat.

galveston fishing report

Excellent conditions continue to dominate the fishing scene, with light winds and good water quality. If this pattern holds and with the return of double-tide changes today, look for some excellent fishing this weekend.

Friday, Mike Cambiano of La Marque fished the jetties with a friend and landed 18 trout.

Jordan Vidock fished Lower Galveston Bay with her uncle Rick of Tiki Island and ended up with her best trout, a 5.75-pound speck.

Nick Valenti and his son Nicholas fished with Capt. Ron Woods on Friday and, while the redfish action was slow, they managed two bull reds that were tagged and retained. Six sharks to 4 feet rounded out the action for the day.

Flounder were biting early Friday around Cold Pass. Jim Simpson and Carla Moore combined for eight flatfish using live fingerling mullet for bait. Later in the morning, the couple fished the San Luis Pass Bridge and landed two reds and 13 sharks that were released.

It was Moore’s first time to hook into a shark and the first one was quite an experience. A 4- to 5-foot bull shark hit a Spanish mackerel that had taken her mullet and was hooked. The battle lasted 10 minutes before the fish broke off.

Max Gentry called in to say trout action along the Houston Ship Channel spoil banks is picking up. Gentry fished just outside Marker 59 early Friday and landed nine specks to 20 inches, one short of a limit, using live shrimp fished under a popping cork.

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

The Father’s Day weekend looks promising for offshore fishing. The original dates set for this year’s red snapper season were scheduled to close after this weekend; however, a reprieve from the U.S. District Court resulted in an extension until June 28.

Easy limits of quality red snapper are coming from areas 50 miles out and farther.

Fishing report Galveston,tx.

Saturday, the beach front again turned on with action. A flat surf, trout-green water and speckled trout all combined for some great fishing by waders hitting the water at daybreak. An early morning rain shower helped spark action, and the bite was on.

Fred Pearlman and his grandson Alex Cohen fished from Jamaica Beach from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and landed nine trout to 18 inches, three Spanish mackerel and a bunch of ladyfish, sharks and hardheads. Live shrimp fished under popping corks did the trick.

Johnny Hall fished the Bolivar Pocket early Saturday and landed a limit of slot reds and two speckled trout. Live shrimp fished under a popping cork was the bait.

The Gulf side of the South Jetty was the spot for action Friday afternoon. Steve Fleming, Pat Richards and Matt Moore landed limits of slot reds, two bull reds, lots of sharks, Spanish mackerel and hardheads. Only the slot reds were retained.

East Bay is clearing up nicely and Saturday morning, Dickey Poole and his girlfriend, Agnes Allbritan, fished several of the reefs around Hannah’s and landed 12 specks to more than 4 pounds along with undersized reds, and a jack crevalle. Most of the fish were caught while drifting over shell in 6 to 8 feet of water.

Night fishing along Offatts Bayou was productive Friday as specks were being drawn to underwater lights and lighted piers. Arlo Carpenter fished several spots along the bayou and observed a number of night fishermen both fishing from the piers and from boats. The action really turned on just after midnight.

Carpenter ended his night of fishing with six specks, a slot red and a bull red that was tagged and retained. Free-lined live shrimp was the bait.

Crabbing is improving all around the area with piers located in shallower waters producing the most crabs. Jones Lake also has been producing some nice-sized blue crabs.

Reel Report

Capt. Joe Kent is a columnist for The Daily News. To get your catch in the Reel Report, call 409-683-5273 or email reel.report@galvnews.com.

GALVESTON FISHING

Tuesday was a great day all around. Fishing conditions were near perfect, and Washington Park got the jump start needed to start the ball to rolling.

The first part of the day, I had the pleasure of fishing with three fantastic lady anglers — Elizabeth Kinsey, Rebecca Soots and Sherry Quire joined me for a morning of fishing the jetties. Conditions were just about as good as they get, with trout, reds, flounder, pompano, ladyfish and, of course, hardheads taking our baits. Kinsey was the only one to end up with a Texas Grand Slam.

At 4 p.m., I attended the formal presentation of the Galveston Rotary Club’s $100,000 donation to the city of Galveston for use in rebuilding Washington Park. The ceremony was attended by city dignitaries and a group of supporters of the project. My hat’s off to the Rotarians for making this their centennial project.

In other fishing news, Capt. James Plaag, Silver King Adventures, placed his guests into limits of trout to 6 pounds while fishing deep shell under balls of shad. Red Bass Assassins and She Dogs were the baits.

 A group from Oklahoma and Utah to a productive trip to the jetties Tuesday. Their catch included bull reds and sharks to seven feet in length. Cut mullet was the bait.

While fishing the South Jetty with my guests, we passed Sarah Melcer and her captain anchored at the end of the jetty battling a bull shark. They ended up with six bull sharks and nine gafftop using squid for bait. The sharks were released.

Richard Belleau, 61st Street Fishing Pier, reported catches of whiting, gafftop, slot reds, bull reds, black drum and speckled trout.

The CCA-Texas STAR Fishing Tournament is underway and so far, two tagged reds have been confirmed caught. Both fish came from the Upper Texas Coast.

Hall of Fame Fishing Tourament Report

Fishing conditions rapidly improved following Sunday’s frontal system. The only drawback was a sustained northerly wind that followed the front. While that is not the best wind for fishing most areas of the Galveston Bay Complex, the beach front benefited from it and offered calm waters for wade fishermen. The results were excellent.

Bulldog’s Bait Shop reported limits of trout and reds along with sharks coming from the beach front Monday.  

Fishing the far west end of Galveston Island, Russell Lovell caught six trout to 25 inches and a limit of reds at San Luis Pass.

Stephanie Davies called in to say her husband Everett caught his first speckled trout, a 23-inch sow, along with a 23-inch red while fishing Offatts Bayou last weekend.

Lee Mencacci along with friends Giancarlo Boswell and Matt Millslagle fished the lights of his grandfather’s house on Offatts Bayou on Sunday night and ran into hot action on speckled trout and Gulf trout. Using artificial lures the recent graduates of Texas A&M University landed and released 21 specks and an abundance of silver (Gulf) trout.

Justin King and George Sheehan of Midland on Saturday and despite the strong winds Saturday landed blacktip and spinner sharks, bull reds, large black drum and gafftop. Live shrimp and frozen menhaden were the baits.

Richard Belleau, 61st Street Fishing Pier, reported catches of gafftop, whiting, bull reds, blacktip sharks and lots of crabs.

Red snapper season got off to a good start for the party boat New Buccaneer. Saturday, the opening day, Capt. Matt Smith took a private charter out 50 miles where the 52 anglers limited out on red snapper along with a catch of lane snapper, mangroves, king mackerel, 11 sharks and a 40-pound ling.

Galveston Party Boats other offshore boat, the Cavalier, fished 45 miles out and brought back a catch of 67 red snapper, five vermilions, four lane snapper, a mangrove, king, triggerfish and five sharks.

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Hall of Fame Fishing Tournament

Even with all the wind, we had some pretty good fish come in.

Inshore Division

• Trout  Jason Jordan            7.07
• Redfish    Brian Wimmer     9.20
• Bull Red  Johnny Galvan    33.15
• Flounder  Nathan Chain       5.37
• Stingray  Michael Plitt       133
• Jackfish   Jeffry Gilkes         31.68
• Gafftop     Pam   Wood          6.62

Offshore Division

• Kingfish     Jeffrey Gilkes            47.73
• Shark        Brian Cardwell         465  Tiger
• Ling           Hester Hale             62.56
• Snapper     John Benkenstein    21.04
• Open          John Benkenstein    25.67 

Barracuda    48%  state record

Youth Division

• Crab          Brandon Henscey   8 1/2”
• Croaker      Payton Bailey         1.16
• Hardhead   Demi Hildibrand      2.65
• Piggy          Rylee  Praker            .92
• Sand Trout  Hallie Garner         1.48

Report this weekend galveston

The frontal system that passed through Galveston on Sunday morning was a welcomed event by anglers.

Not only did badly needed rain accompany the system, it brought a halt to the strong southerly winds that have been plaguing anglers recently.

Early Sunday, conditions were calmer than they have been in a number of days.

Anglers who enjoyed the calm spell had mixed results before the rain and lightning drove them back to dock.

Jerry Henderson trailered his 26-foot boat to Galveston on Sunday morning hoping to make it offshore for some red snapper and pelagic fish.

When he checked his marine radio’s weather station, caution was being given to boaters as a fast approaching cold front was on its way.

Henderson changed his plans and fished the Galveston Channel from the Pelican Island Bridge to Seawolf Park.

While his catch was not what he hoped it would be, he and his family took home several filets from sand trout and a 23-inch red.

John Matthews and Alex Azevedo hit the water early Sunday near Fat Rat Pass and wade-fished  until the sky started turning dark.

During their two hours of wading, they landed three speckled trout and a large gafftop using shad imitation Bass Assassins and Gulps.

John Sabo was back on the water after the rain let up Sunday.

He fished the same spots that had been productive for him along the south shoreline of West Bay and ended up with a “goose egg” in numbers.

Sabo attributed the lack of action to the thunder and shifting winds.

“Thunder will easily spook fish in shallow water and run them off,” he said.

Saturday, the CCA-Texas Lady Angler Fishing Tournament took place.

Joy Taylor and Kris Harless won first place in the amateur division and were the only team to get a Texas Grand Slam while using shrimp and croakers under popping corks and Fish Bomb.