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