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.