Galveston : Great conditions for fishing both inshore and offshore

Great conditions for fishing both inshore and offshore have settled on the Upper Texas Coast.The final four days of the bonus red snapper season are upon us and so far there have been a high percentage of fishable days in the Gulf of Mexico during this two-week period.

While the ability to retain red snapper has been the driving force behind most of the offshore trips, lot of other varieties of fish have been taken along with snapper.

Party boats making overnight trips are able to retain a double limit of red snapper representing two days of fishing, and that is exactly what took place on the 36-hour tuna trip made by Williams Party Boats’ Capt. John.

Monday, the party boat headed out to the Boom Vang Spar Platform, which is located in water depths of more than 3000 feet. From that spot and others along the way, the 36 anglers aboard caught full two-day limits of red snapper to 15 pounds, 126 vermilions, 186 blackfin tuna, three yellowfins and a variety of other fish. 
One of the frequent cus
tomers, Rob Richardson of Athens, landed four red snapper to 15 pounds, a 58-pound yellowfin tuna, two mangroves and a skipjack tuna.

At the jetties, Sarah Melcer fished Abby’s Hole at the end of the South Jetty where she caught 39 gafftop, two sharks, a bull red and whiting.

Tuesday, Henry Homrighaus Jr. and Capt. Mike Eden headed out into the Gulf and found the seas too much to tolerate and returned to the South Jetty where they found fish in a feeding frenzy. Their catch included five slot reds, a bull red, mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead.

Richard Belleau reported good catches from the surf by anglers fishing the 61st Street Fishing Pier. Early Tuesday, croaker, sand trout, black drum, bull reds and blacktip sharks all were being landed.