galveston fishing

It will be interesting to see how the recent cold front affects fishing.

Water temperatures have dropped to the lower 60s in the bays and there was a report of a 55-degree reading at Seabrook.

While there was a major drop in water levels associated with the strong northerly winds, a shift to the east on Thursday started replenishing the marshes and back bays.

If the low water levels had persisted for several days, which are common with strong northers, there likely would have been a major exodus of flounder.

No doubt that more flatfish will be moving now and bird action in the bays should increase.

Last Monday, there were reports of trout action under the birds in both East and West Bays; however, as the week progressed, all of the bays became choppy and rough keeping anglers away.

Thursday, there were some good catches of flounder along the Galveston Ship Channel. Matt Garner, 3-G Bait Camp at the yacht basin, said that lots of the flatfish were appearing on his cleaning table.

While the fish were solid keepers up to 19 inches, the really big sows have not started appearing in large numbers.

Mangrove snapper continue to be caught around the edge of the channel on the Pelican Island side; however, expect to see that species follow the flounder offshore as they are very sensitive to cold temperatures.

Anglers interested in good meat for the table should try to catch sand trout. They seem to be everywhere in deeper waters. The Pelican Island Bridge is noted for being a hot spot for sand trout year round.

With the east wind refilling the back bays, expect to see reds returning to the marshes this weekend.
We mentioned in Thursday’s Reel Report that another strong front is expected early next week. This time of year, windows between those frontal systems are what most anglers are focusing on for fishing.