Galveston Fishing Charter Company Report

Lots of fishing took place during the weekend, and a few anglers had some good results to report.
With the bays still plagued by the adverse effects of the wind, several anglers headed offshore to fill their fish boxes.

Brenda Rilat, Lee’s Bait and Tackle, reported a catch of eight trout and five reds by customers A.B., Bill and Ray, who fished the south side of the dike using live shrimp for bait.

Barbara Garibaldi, Louis’ Bait Camp, had the Kayak Chicks launch at her facility Sunday and return with a nice catch of specks and reds.

Also fishing out of Louis’ was Joe Moushon, inventor of Chicken Boy Lures. Moushon, who lives in Bayou Vista, landed a 26-inch speck.

Along the beach front, the sandy water is producing sand trout, whiting, bull reds and sharks for customers of the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Now, for where the big catches are taking place.

Sunday, Jay McDougal, his son Austin and father, Michael, offshore where the guys caught king mackerel, a 50-pound ling. The highlight of the trip, a sailfish, put on a dance for the family.

The party boat New Buccaneer made an eight-hour trip 35 miles offshore Sunday where the 89 passengers landed 154 vermilions, three blue runner, 10 spadefish, 37 red mouth grunts, a barracuda and several other species of fish including rockhinds, lane and mangrove snapper.

Friday’s offshore trip included a 150-pound bull shark.

Sunday’s offshore trip by the party boat Capt. John included 83 anglers fishing 30 miles south of the jetties where they landed 190 spadefish, 44 sharks, 12 blue runner, three kings, 24 bluefish and a variety of others including whiting, Gulf trout, rainbow runners, black drum, mangroves and a ling.

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

When will we be getting some relief from this plaguing wind? If the forecast holds, the latter part of this week the velocities should drop to levels more tolerable for fishing. Hopefully the south wind that is in the forecast will lean more to the east than the west which would help clear the bays and beach front.

Sunday, Kevin and Misty Powers of Henderson, along with their daughters Madi, 8, and Ali, 10, joined me for a full morning of fishing the jetties. Our first target was the Gulf side of the South Jetty; however, off-color water there forced a switch of plans and we headed to the Gulf side of the North Jetty.

Anchored close to the end of the rocks we had a fair catch of sharks and sand trout. It was there that the big excitement took place when Madi hooked a really big fish that continued moving as the drag on her reel kept being tightened until it spooled the line off. She could only speculate as to what she hooked.

Another stop along the rocks on the channel side near the boat cut resulted in sheepshead and lady fish.

Dean Silvers got off to a good start fishing Saturday morning when he woke up and spotted a 27-inch red around his underwater lights. A free-lined shrimp was too irresistible to the big fish and Silvers had his first fish of the day. Later, he took his son Ben and David Giraldi to fish the structure near the Bolivar Ferry Landing where they caught 13 sand trout, three specks, two sheepshead and a nice mangrove.

Galveston Fishing Pier reported lots of bull reds and a few catfish being caught Saturday night.

The Party Boat Capt. John made a 30- mile trip offshore Saturday where the 78 anglers aboard landed 50 sharks, 91 spadefish, two kings to 24 pounds, two stingrays and two bluefish.

Galveston fishing report

I wish I had a crystal ball and could predict when this spell of southwest wind will change and prevailing winds return. Unfortunately, I do not, so we must make the most of what we have.

Lots of vacationers are in this area and want to partake of our excellent summertime fishing, so let’s take a look at where the best possibilities likely exist.

When the water is off color and an adverse wind is blowing, the best likelihood of a catch is going to be fish that feed more by sense of smell than sight. Now, if tarpon, Spanish mackerel, speckled trout and the pelagic fish are your goals, the odds are going to be against you during conditions like these.

 Those fish are sensitive to water clarity and bite best when visibility in water is good. Trout-green water is the term mentioned most often to describe such clarity.

This weekend and well into next week, it looks as if water clarity will be an issue, so make the most of it and fish the bottom for those species that use their nostrils to find food.

A good example of a successful trip came from Capt. Ron Wood’s Friday report.

Wood hosted Rene and Vickie Mendez from Lubbock and Kelli and Celvin Mendez from Pearland to at trip fishing the North Jetty with cut mullet. For bottom fishing, cut bait whether it is mullet, shad or any other cut fish is excellent for attracting fish.

Their catch for the day included two reds, a 5-foot shark and a mess of gafftop. All of those species tend to be scavengers and can seek out food by smell.

During periods of south to west winds, early morning fishing tends to be the best, especially in shallow waters.

Night fishing usually has an edge as well, and late Thursday night, sand trout, croaker, whiting and sheepshead all were being caught from the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

On the offshore scene, the party boat Capt. John recently made an overnight tuna trip to the floating platforms more than 100 miles into the Gulf. Its catch included 51 blackfin tuna, yellowfins to 45 pounds, skipjack tuna, scamps, rockhinds, vermilions, king, lane snapper and porgies.

Winds dropped considerably Thursday, lending optimism that we are looking at better conditions setting in. However, forecasters are calling for higher velocities for the next several days.

While most of the bay system and surf still were holding off-color water, one spot anglers can find fishable water is around the Pelican Island Bridge. Dave Ludwig of Houston fished that location on the slack tide Thursday morning and caught a limit of trout using live shrimp for bait.

Along the beach front, the surf is sandy and brown. But anglers fishing the 61st Street fishing Pier on Wednesday night landed gafftop, whiting, bull reds and blacktip sharks.

Wednesday, the party boat New Buccaneer fished 65 miles out of Galveston with 70 anglers aboard. Their catch included 302 vermilions, land, gray and silk snapper, king mackerel, blue runner, African pompano, ling, squirrelfish, Spanish hog fish, rockhinds and porgies.

Galveston Party Boats’ Bay trips have produced reds, sand trout, gafftop and sharks.

August is approaching — prime time for offshore fishing. It also is a time when stable, calm conditions attract many small boats to the Gulf of Mexico. While it is most likely the best time of year for the smaller vessels to head beyond the jetties, those small boats need to be seaworthy, meaning capable of handling a sudden change in conditions and having dependable power.

The latter is the problem I observe most often. Many boats venture out with outboard engines that are not in shape to make the longer distances offshore.

During my last offshore trip, a smaller boat with a single engine was stranded about 15 miles from the jetties. I was able to tow the boat back to the yacht basin boat ramp.

When I pulled up to the boat, it was easy to see the engine was old and had not been well cared for, at least cosmetically. The problem was overheating.

While breakdowns can happen to a newer motor, the odds are much greater with older engines, especially if they have not been properly maintained.

If you have an older rig with a single engine and desire to make it offshore, try to go in tandem with another boat and limit the distance you travel.

fishing report Galveston 7-25-13

While fishing is quite slow because of a nagging southwest wind gusting to more than 20 knots, those conditions will not last. Soon, our typical Dog Days of Summer patterns will return and action will bust open, especially for offshore fishermen.

The recreational seasons for greater amberjack and gray triggerfish will reopen in the federal waters Aug. 1.

New regulations for gray triggerfish include a two-fish recreational bag limit. The minimum size limit for gray triggerfish is 14 inches fork length. The bag limit for greater amberjack is one per person, and the size limit is 30 inches fork length.

Fork length is measured from the tip of the fish’s closed mouth to the center of the tail fork.

Tuesday, the party boat Capt. John had a change of plans in midstream for its offshore trip because of higher than predicted seas. The backup was to fish the concrete ship Selma just off Pelican Island. At that spot, the anglers aboard landed 79 sand trout, 41 gafftop and four whiting.

Earlier this week, the party boat made a couple of offshore trip to areas 25 to 30 miles out where the anglers caught a variety of fish including sharpnose sharks, bonnethead sharks, flounder, whiting, spadefish, ling, Gulf trout, stingray and black drum.

Inshore fishing has taken a hit with the dirty water generated by all of the wind. There have been a few reports from anglers fishing in protected waters and at night under lights.

Maurice Green found the wind too much to take his grandson Jacob Morgan fishing in the bay and instead rigged him up with a small rod and reel, pan fish rig and fresh dead shrimp to fish from his boat slip at Seabrook Marina. Young Jacob used all of the bait and ended up with a bucket full of croaker, hardheads, piggy perch, crab and a nice-sized flounder.

Green said a number of small reds were caught and released as well.

On the night fishing scene, Barry Morehouse used live shrimp to land eight specks in the 15- to 17-inch range while fishing the lights of the Crash Basin on Monday night. Lots of needlenose were around the lights intercepting the free-lined shrimp.

Fishing report Galveston Texas

The Upper Texas Coast is being plagued with a southwest wind gusting in velocities that have the bays and surf messed up and offshore wave heights too much for smaller craft to endure.
Tuesday, the party boat New Buccaneer had to turn around and head back to dock because of the weather, but Monday the boat did make a productive trip offshore.

Fishing 65 miles out, Capt. Matt Smith found the fish for his 57 guests. Their catch included 207 vermilions, 13 land snapper, 29 tomtate, 14 blue runner, three kings and almaco jack, two whitebone porgy and a ling.

Often, when mentioning the species of fish being reported by offshore boats, readers spot names that they are not familiar with. One that has cropped up recently is the tomtate.

The fish is also called a brown grunt, jeniguano and cuji. They are small fish, usually around 6 inches long, and are common all across the Gulf of Mexico.

Another species that has puzzled several readers is the bigeye. Also called too and comico, it, too, is a small fish, usually less than a foot long, and is found around deeper reefs and other structure all across the Gulf.

Many of the unusual fish names appearing in the reports are small fish that most regular offshore fishermen have seen and caught at one time or another and resemble perch.

The one fish that caught my attention on an offshore trip several years ago was a puffer. I had not seen one before and carried it back to shore to identify. What a disappointment to find that it was a fairly common fish and one not to consume because of its toxic entrails.

One of the fish identification books I use and recommend is “Sport Fish of the Gulf of Mexico,” by Vic Dunaway. It is in paperback and shows a picture of all of the fish.

Inshore, has been finding mostly sand trout on his bay and jetty trips for Galveston Party Boats. The 61st Street Fishing Pier reported gaff top, whiting, bull reds and sharks caught Monday night.

Galveston,Marginal fishing in coming days

The next few days appear to be marginal for fishing, as hot, windy conditions return for a while. Later this week wind velocities should taper off and allow the water to return to a fishable shape.
During this time, fishing might be slow; however, anglers who know where to fish during spells of weather like this likely will be bringing home some fish.

Barbara Garibaldi, Louis’ Bait Camp, reported some good action in the Diversionary Canal and from Jones Lake. Customers Chance and Josh brought back some nice trout from their trip to the Diversionary Canal. Live shrimp was the bait.

Fishing near the railroad tracks in Jones Lake, Joe Nicks and his son Joe III landed reds and flounder using live shrimp for bait. Another patron of the bait camp, Sean and his son Ryder landed reds using live shrimp. Garibaldi said the bait camp has good supplies of live bait.

Last Saturday, while dodging a few storms on the bay. Jonathan Peru, his wife Clair and sons Jeromy and Cameron battled the weather to land speckled trout, slot reds, sheepshead and gafftop. Live shrimp under corks and free-lined did the trick.

Sunday, Capt. Matt Smith hosted 93 anglers to a 30-mile offshore trip aboard the party boat New Buccaneer.

Their catch included 33 gray snapper, 14 lane snapper, 15 spadefish, nine sharks, nine tomate, four kings and a variety of other fish including grouper, porgy and Gulf trout.

Galveston Party Boats’ bay and jetty trips have been producing mostly sand trout, shark and reds.

Richard Belleau reported gafftop, croaker, slot reds, black drum and specks being caught by customers of the 61st Street Fishing Pier with winds gusting from the south at 15 mph.

Galveston Fishing Report

Friday, the wind dropped and conditions were ideal for fishing. Scattered showers were about the only interruption.

The jetties and bays were shaping up for some good fishing, and a few good reports were received.

with Andrew Parrish of St. Louis and found action along the beach front near the South Jetty. Included in their catch was a 25-inch speck, a 34-inch bull red, a 5-foot hammerhead shark and a number of gafftop and other sharks. All of the sharks were released. Live shrimp and cut bait accounted for all of the fish.

Friday charter to West Bay where they ended up with 18 specks and a flounder.

Several good reports from the bay side of San Luis Pass have been received including one from Thomas Miller, who along with his two sons Tommy and John, wade fished behind the water tower and landed a Texas Grand Slam consisting of eight specks, two reds and three flounder. Live shrimp fished under a popping cork did the trick.

The beach side of the pass was in excellent shape early when Mark McNally entered the surf around 6 a.m. Fishing just beyond the third sandbar, McNally landed five specks to 22 inches, three Spanish mackerel and several small sharks. Live shrimp fished under a mauler was the bait.

The Gulf is getting primed for a good weekend of fishing and both of Galveston’s Party Boat operations got a head start on the weekend.

Thursday, the party boat New Buccaneer fished 65 miles out where Capt. Matt Smith placed his 88 guests into action. Their tally for the day was 631 vermilions and seven each of sharpnose sharks, whitebone porgy and tomtate. Also included in the catch were rockhind, bigeye, squirrelfish, ling, little tunny, blue runner, gray and lane snappers.

Earlier in the week, the party boat Capt. John fished production platforms 30 miles out where Capt. Johnny Williams found fish for his 41 guests. Their catch included 192 spadefish, seven blue runner, gulf trout, sharks, a king and a Bermuda chub.

Fishing Report Galveston 7/16/13

Our weather pattern has changed and the fish like it. Based on reports from the beach front, lots of action is taking place and the prospects are good for even better fishing.
The Galveston Fishing Pier reported catches of big stingrays, sharks, croaker, whiting, sand trout, flounder, ladyfish, spadefish and specks.

Farther east along the seawall, the 61st Street Fishing Pier reported catches of croaker, whiting and large sharks to over 6 feet.

Offshore action continues to be hot and heavy, as we are in prime time for Gulf fishing. Galveston Party Boats reported a productive trip Sunday when Capt. Matt Smith took 100 anglers 30 miles offshore where they caught 48 lane snapper, 11 gray snapper (mangroves), six blue runner, six blue fish, 12 spade fish, 17 tomtate, a barracuda, sand trout, rockhind and an 85-pound stingray.

The operation’s bay boat captained by Michael Boggs ran four-hour bay trips that resulted in sand trout, sharks and stingrays.

The party boat Capt. John made a trip to the Heald Bank area where the anglers aboard caught 78 spadefish, 30 sharks, 19 kings, a 30-pound ling, lookdown, large stingray, lane snapper and bluefish.

The Beaty Family on a bay trip that resulted in a mixed stringer of fish that included bull reds, black drum, sharks, sheepshead and speckled trout.

Greg Hagerud found the bite on early Sunday in the surf. Sand trout and sharks were abundant along with bluefish. After an hour and a half of fishing, he and Stephanie Hoye took home 23 sand trout caught on live shrimp and cut sand trout.

Barbara Garibaldi, Louis Bait Camp, reported limits of red fish caught by the Landry Family of Santa Fe. The action came from Jones Lake using finger mullet for bait. Another customer, Michael Fairchild had four trout from his fishing trip.

Nice time to fish in Galveston

Calm conditions prevailed most of Friday; however, the Gulf was full of thunderstorms, none of which made its way to give us some badly needed rain.

Inshore, fishermen hitting the jetties and Houston Ship Channel spoil banks enjoyed good catches of trout and other fish.

Dewey Jones of Port Bolivar took his son-in-law John Lewis of Longview to the North Jetty on Thursday morning where the pair of anglers caught 11 trout using live shrimp for bait.

Houston Ship Channel Marker 59 is known for producing lots of fish this time of year and Friday was no exception. Mark Raymond and his wife Hazel were anchored close to the marker by 7 a.m. and before 9 a.m. had 15 trout, two slot reds and a bunch of croaker in their ice chest. Live croaker and shrimp were the baits.

Marker 59 is just outside of San Leon heading toward Morgan’s Point.

The Texas City Dike has been giving up stringers of mostly pan fish with a few flounder and reds. Night fishermen are catching trout under lights around the dike. Many of the trout are undersized, however.

Julio Ramirez landed a 4-pound flounder and 12 sand trout fishing Seawolf Park on Friday morning. Dead shrimp was the bait.

The party boat New Buccaneer has been offshore several times this week and returned each time with nice catches. One of the best trips this week came Wednesday when Capt. Matt Smith hauled 57 anglers 60 miles out and returned with 545 vermilion snapper, 25 tomate, eight almaco jack, five lane snapper, four rockhinds, four rainbow runners, three scamp, two whitebone porgy, two barracuda and a variety of other fish including a Spanish hog fish and a 200-pound dusky shark.

Earlier this week, one of the trips had to return to dock when a passenger passed out because of a Dramamine overdose attributed to not reading the dosage instructions. The incident spoiled the trip for the other anglers onboard. Don’t let that happen to you. Anti-seasickness medications are drugs. Prescription or not, they should be respected as such.

July 10 2013 fishing report galveston

With all of the high probabilities of rain for Galveston early this week, the badly needed freshwater skirted our area. Reports from some of the bait camps indicate problems keeping their inventories of shrimp and croaker alive very long.

As salinity levels increase, trout will be moving out of the bays to areas where it is more in balance. Such areas include the passes into the Gulf and the surf. This same scenario takes place during periods of low salinity.

Recent reports indicate a few trout are being caught, just not in the numbers that should occur this time of year. Reds, sharks, gafftop and sand trout are taking up the slack and are saving the day for many fishing trips.

The Baker family fished with Capt. “Chop” Derrick of 3-G Fishing Charters during the weekend and caught five reds, a blacktip shark, hardhead and — the highlight of the trip — a stingray estimated to weigh more than 100 pounds.

Capt. Jaime Cantu, Cantu Charters, hosted the Connally family to the Galveston Bay complex, where family members Steve, Ross, his wife, Kelly, and son Patrick dodged stormy conditions Saturday to land bull reds, blacktip sharks and gafftop.

Cantu said the early morning bite was slow; however, by midmorning, the action picked up.

Monday, Jetty Joe of Galveston Bait and Tackle reported a good catch from the Texas City Dike where Galvestonian Ed Lambrand landed eight trout and two reds. Live shrimp was the bait.

Emeril Harris fished the area around the U.S. Corps of Engineers facility along the Galveston Ship Channel and caught four sand trout, two gafftop, a trout and a flounder.

Clear Lake angler Big Joe fished near Mecom’s Cut on Monday and landed eight trout, five reds, 10 sand trout and a 5-foot blacktip shark using live croaker and shrimp for bait.

Along the beach front, whiting, gafftop and bull reds were being caught by anglers at the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Galveston Fishing 7-9-13

Last weekend’s fishing was overall disappointing and that was not surprising with all of the unsettled weather around Galveston. This week, we should be in a more normal pattern for July, with the only hiccup being the wind from the southwest. If velocity forecasts hold, it might not cause that much of a problem.

There were reports of isolated catches of fish mostly in small numbers; however, there were some good quality fish reported. The best reports came from along the Houston Ship Channel near San Leon where a few trout were being caught along with a number of other species including reds, sand trout, black drum and croaker.

Horace Moore sent a note asking why unsettled weather affects the feeding habits of fish. His theory is that they are under water and should be feeding regardless of what takes place on the top.

Fish, like other wildlife, have a built in sensory to changes in weather. The same sensory that humans have; however, their instincts call for quick reaction while ours allow for reasoning through a more sophisticated brain.

Changes in weather really affect fish a lot more than most anglers realize. The change could signal that they could be left high and dry behind a strong cold front or blown out of the water by a tropical storm.

The usual reaction is for fish to move to deeper water and that is where seasoned anglers go to fish during unsettled weather patterns. Often the change will slow the bite; however, there are fish that will feed and also strike baits out of vengeance. Many books have been written on that subject.

Now, what are the best conditions to find fish content and willing to feed? There are many; however, calm weather probably is one of the top conditions on the list.
 

Soon after the wind drops and visibility in the water is good, action usually heats up. Hopefully we will experience this later in the week.

Galveston fishing

Sunday, fishing was affected by the unsettled weather in our area and catches were scattered. Offshore fishing, which has been close to red hot lately, was set back by seas running 5 feet and higher Sunday.

While fishing overall was slow last weekend, the best reports continued to come from night time fishermen.

Cold Pass produced some nice catches of trout, ladyfish and sharks Saturday night. Carlos Hernandez and his cousin Manny set up their flood lights powered by a portable generator and had sporadic action most of the night. Sharks came through the area around 2:30 a.m. and all of the other fish scattered. Live piggy perch and other small fin fish caught in a cast net was the bait.

Before the east wind taking over Saturday, deep reefs around East and Trinity Bays were producing good numbers of trout and other fish. Deep shell was the key, according Norman Cahoon, a seasoned trout fisherman who fishes Trinity Bay.

Deep Reef, Hannah’s Reef and shell pads around gas wells in East Bay were where trout were hanging out and once this spell of inclement weather passes, expect to find the fish in those locations again.

Reports so far from the jetties, do not show the trout action we are accustomed to this time of year. Perhaps that will change once conditions settle.

In connection with the current weather conditions, the National Weather Service issued a warning for the possibility of waterspouts and weak tornadoes across the coastal waters through today.

 Atmospheric conditions are favorable for the formation of weak water spouts and short-lived funnel clouds during the daytime hours. Any sightings of water spouts or funnel clouds should be reported to local law enforcement who will then relay that information to the National Weather Service.

Galveston Fishing Report 7-7-13

A sandy, off-color surf was greeting fishermen Saturday morning. Less than 1 mile from the beach, turquoise clear water was holding; however, just far enough to prevent waders from reaching the fishable water.

An east wind prevailed most of the day and, as the old saying among fishermen goes, “When the wind is from the east, fishing is least.” While that may be a valid statement, fish were caught, especially during nighttime hours.

Barbara Garibaldi, Louis Bait Camp, reported some good catches from the Highland Bayou area. Johnny Walker and his son Chase caught black drum, hammerhead sharks, specks and sand trout.

Garibaldi’s customer Michelle returned to the bait camp with a Texas Grand Slam — trout, red and flounder.

While live croaker seem to be the bait of choice, Louis’ was running out. Lots of live shrimp are being sold to nighttime fishermen at Bayou Vista.

Carl Able of Rockwall found comfortable water to fish in around the piers and pilings between the Galveston Yacht Basin and ferry landing. He and his two small sons fished the area Saturday morning, landing three flounder — two keepers and a throwback — along with 11 sand trout, two ladyfish and a bunch of piggy perch.

Able said the area was perfect for fishing with his young sons as they do not tolerate choppy conditions very well.

Night fishing continues to take the lead over daytime for results and comfort. The John Morgan family from Buda received a double treat in entertainment Friday night. They anchored off Teichman Point near some fishing lights and caught a variety of fish while watching the fireworks display at Moody Gardens.

Jerry Arnim worked the outside of piers and pilings along Offatts Bayou late Friday and caught a limit of slot reds and two specks. Lots of lady fish were caught and released.

Today, the forecast calls for a good chance of badly needed rain along with moderate winds. Hopefully, the rain will come and reduce the high levels of salinity that have built up in the bays.

today fishing report galveston

Excellent conditions continue to greet fishermen this holiday weekend, and the bite is on early.
Crabbing is improving along the beach front, although there were no confirmed reports of big catches. If you are one of the many crabbers working the beach front this weekend, let me know how the crabbing is going. Earlier, reports indicated the annual spawn was beginning to take place.

Offshore fishing is getting the nod over inshore this weekend. Lots of small boats are taking their first trip of the year beyond the jetties and all are bringing back fish. Unsettled weather likely will be coming, resulting in increasing wind and seas for the latter part of this weekend.

Don’t risk a dangerous and/or unpleasant trip if the seas are choppy. There likely will be many other days during July and August when conditions will be inviting to the Mosquito Fleet.

On the inshore scene, lots of stingrays are being reported in the surf. If you are planning to wade-fish the surf this weekend, take precautions as a stingray barb in your foot or leg is a painful experience which likely will end your fishing trip.

If you do not have ray protectors, be sure to drag your feet when wading. Stingrays are going to be found where the bait fish are located, especially in areas inhabited by flounder.

Weaker tidal movement will be with us for a few days, and that does not bode well for trout fishing. There will be times of feeding, just closer to tide changes.

Night fishing has been particularly good lately, with the best activity reported from around midnight until an hour or so before first light. Lights around Teichman Point have been holding reds, trout, ladyfish and concentrations of big hardheads.

Reports from Harbor-walk, Tiki Island and Pirates Cove also indicate good action on trout at night.

Galveston Fishing Report

The surf is beginning to shape up for some excellent fishing especially if the light northerly winds continue. While there were no surf reports in by press time on Monday, there should be some nice catches reported in coming days.

The only surf report came late Sunday night when the 61st Street Fishing Pier reported lots of crabs being caught along with croaker, sand trout, bull reds and sharks.

It is about time to see the annual spawning of crabs in the surf and this might be an indication of the beginnings of the spawn. Normally during that event, crabs, mostly female, are everywhere in the surf and those of you fishing the crab spawn for the first time need to be aware that sponge crab, those with orange colored eggs resembling a sponge attached, are to be immediately released.

Sunday Jeff Moyer, Stan Shoemake, Brian Griffin, Randy Robertson, Scott Robertson and Don Raines. They fished the Galveston Bay Complex using frozen menhaden and fresh sand trout landing bull reds, sharks, sand trout and whiting.

Capt. Bryan Brawner’s weekly East Bay Update from Crystal Beach indicates that last week’s west wind had the water rough and dirty.

“When the winds died some and the water conditions improved, the bite was on. However, the strong winds for the most part kept East Bay rough and dirty which made finding a steady bite challenging most days. Thursday was the best day when we limited early then went and scouted some different areas where we caught and released fish all morning. We have been landing lots of nice specks up to 25 inches in the dirty water.”

“Most of our fish are being caught on free lined croaker over shell reefs but the bite on soft plastics is definitely improving each day.”

fishing report galveston

Sunday, the wind velocity dropped and shifted to a northerly direction which, hopefully, will result in the return of southeasterly breezes for the big holiday weekend ahead.

If the extended forecast holds, it appears that fishing conditions will be excellent for Fourth of July visitors. Both offshore and inshore winds are predicted to be light and that is good news for a lot of anglers.

On the offshore scene, seas were calming Sunday and this week looks like a good one to venture past the jetties.

Luis Decker, Aunt Margie’s Bait Camp reported Aaron Young of Keller landing a 36-inch red snapper while fishing aboard one of Galveston Party Boat’s vessels. No mention of when Young caught his fish, hopefully it was before last Saturday as he could have retained it then.

Red snapper season in federal waters closed at midnight last Friday. A cigar minnow was used to catch the big sow.

Sunday,Chris Helstrom of Austin along with David Helstrom and Larry Gray of Houston to a productive fishing trip at the South Jetty. Using cut mullet for bait, the anglers caught their limit of bull reds, several nice gafftop and sharks up to six feet long.

Brenda Rilat, Lee’s Bait and Tackle at the Texas City Dike, reported a nice catch by Greg Chapa, Dog Maxwell and Elvin Maxwell. Elvin Maxwell is one of the leaders in the Texas City Tackle Time Fishing Tournament. Using live shrimp for bait, the anglers caught seven trout, three sheepshead and a flounder while fishing the south side of the dike.

Henry Helbros hit the water before daybreak outside of Sea Isle and fished the grassy area east of the fishing pier where he landed a 27-inch slot red and several throwbacks using pearl colored Norton Sand Eels with chartreuse tails.