Galveston fishing report

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The results from Friday’s fishing showed live croaker was the bait of choice for anglers taking good quantities of speckled trout.

While live shrimp seems to be the universal bait for catching most inshore game fish, there are many times when live croaker will outperform shrimp when it comes to trout.

I was back on the water Friday with my favorite fishing companion Polly and we used live shrimp exclusively.

While we had a respectable catch of specks, flounder and sheepshead from the jetties, the upcoming reports from fishing guides indicate we likely would have fared better using croaker.

Jetty Joe, Galveston Bait and Tackle, monitored his cleaning table Friday and reported the results from several fishing guides.

Capt. Nathan Gray and his three guests named Maxey, Russell and Carol used live croaker to land a Texas grand slam consisting of 23 trout, two reds and two flounder.The action came from the causeway bridge.

Ed’s Guide Service hosted three guests from Dallas named Bob, Frank and Joe to an East Bay trip where live croaker took 20 trout and six reds.

Capt. Steve of Top Dog Guide Service had four guests land 28 trout and four reds on live croaker in West Bay.

Capt. Billy Howell, Howell’s Saltwater Adventures, hosted Lawrence Lake and an angler named Josh to an East Bay Trip where Down South lures were used to catch 22 trout.

West Bay was the spot Capt. Mark Salazar found fish for his three guests consisting of 18 trout and three reds. Again, live croaker was the bait.

Capt. Mike LaRue, LaRue’s Guide Service, fished West Bay with three anglers all using Down South lures. Their catch included 23 trout and three flounder.

Along the beach front, the water was in excellent shape and some nice catches were reported.

Customers of the 61st Street Fishing Pier were catching whiting, sand trout, flounder, stingray, black drum and bonnet head sharks.

Galveston fishing report

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Thursday, it was time to hit the jetties, as light-to-moderate winds and clear, sunny weather set in following days of terrible conditions.

Polly and I made a beeline for the North Jetty and arrived around 8:30 a.m. to find poor tidal movement but good water conditions.

After about an hour, we moved to the Bolivar beach front where action picked up with specks, Gulf trout and reds feeding.

When the bite stopped, it was back to the North Jetty where only a large sheepshead was caught with the tide moving and water clarity good.

The last stop was the Gulf side of the South Jetty, where the larger fish were biting.

Sharks and jack crevalle wore us down during the midday heat and it was back to the dock around 1:30 p.m. with a nice mess of trout to clean.

Speaking of trout, my longtime friend on the west end, Marie Brocato, called to say the trout action in her canal has been unbelievable.

Tommy Brocato, her nephew visiting from Shreveport, La., has been catching large numbers of sow specks off her dock with the action beginning around 5 p.m.

During the daylight hours, Mansfield Maulers were the ticket, followed by free-lined live shrimp during the evening.

Not only were the quantities and quality of the fish surprising, but the fact they began biting before dark was unusual.

Marie asked me if I thought the mass of seaweed along the beach front drove the trout into the area.

Obviously, I don’t know; however, I agreed with her that I had never heard of such action on trout in the canal on which she lives.

It sounds like that is where I should have been fishing Thursday.

On the offshore scene, the party boat Capt. John made one of its tuna safaris last week fishing Salvador Ridge and the Spar Platform well more than 100 miles offshore.

The 27 anglers aboard brought back full (two-day) limits of red snapper, 235 blackfin tuna, 143 vermilion snapper, 10 Dorado, three amberjack and a skipjack tuna.

Galveston fishing report

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One of the more often requested topics by readers of The Reel Report is about jetty fishing. Since June is one of the prime months to fish the granite rocks, let’s take a look at the basics of jetty fishing.

Before getting into the subject, I want to mention that the Hall of Fame Fishing Tournament still is on and will run until 3 p.m. Sunday. The names listed in Wednesday’s column represented the current standings.

The most common practice for jetty trout fishing is to bottom bump live shrimp. While this is the best method from late June until Labor Day, free lining and popping corks usually work best earlier in the season.

For anglers new to jetty fishing, bottom bumping consists of using a slip weight, just heavy enough to keep the bait close to the bottom, which is attached above a leader and swivel. The leader should be 12 to 24 inches long and made with no less than 20-pound test monofilament. Most leaders contain 30-pound test line and are in the 16- to 24-inch length.

Sizes 8 and 10 treble hooks are the most common hooks for bottom bumping and free lining.

Free lining is similar to bottom bumping; however, it consists of using no weight or a very small one. Anglers using popping corks tend to prefer size 6 treble hooks.

Although a few anglers use artificial baits at the jetties, live shrimp is the most popular and productive bait. The numerous rocks and debris around the jetties take a toll on artificials.

The two most popular spots for jetty trout during June are from the channel side of the North Jetty Boat Cut, all the way to the end, and all along the Gulf side of the South Jetty. Other areas of both jetties are candidates for finding trout; however, they are generally not as productive. The North Jetty is also known as the Bolivar Jetty, while the South Jetty is also called the Galveston Jetty.

 Collectively, both jetties are commonly referred to as the Galveston Jetties.

During periods of good water conditions, just about every fish in the near Gulf makes a visit to one or both jetties. That gives them a reputation among anglers of not knowing what might hit your bait.

The jetties offer both deep and shallow water in which to fish. That is a feature, among many, that attracts so many anglers to the rocks. 

Now, get your fishing gear together and head to the jetties. This is a great time to fish the rocks.

Galveston fishing report

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Badly needed rain hit the Galveston Bay Complex on Tuesday and pretty well wiped out fishing for most of the day.

We have had a number of emails and calls from readers inquiring about a fish kill off the Galveston Bay shoreline between Dickinson Bay and Seabrook. The fish causing the pungent odor are mostly menhaden, and preliminary indications are that the culprit was insufficient dissolved oxygen levels in the water.

Menhaden often are victims of this condition, and it takes place almost every year during hot weather. Tuesday’s rainfall should help the situation considerably.

Many of the inquiries asked if the recent oil spill off Texas City might have been the reason; however, the latest information from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department indicates that the oil spill was not a contributing factor.

Tuesday’s only fishing report was from the party boat Capt. John. Monday, 83 anglers were taken to a recent hot spot for red snapper, the reef ship V.A. Fogg, located about 45 miles south of the jetties.

 Full limits of red snapper were caught. Closer in at the old Buccaneer Field area, the group picked up 16 spadefish, two lane snapper and a ling.

Galveston fishing report

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Memorial Day turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment on the fishing scene.

Gusty winds in the 15- to 20-knot range along with cloudy conditions made it uncomfortable for anglers fishing some of the recent hot spots.

Seamore Hastings had been hearing of the good action at the jetties and decided to give the rocks a try Monday morning. After launching his boat and making it past Seawolf Park, he decided it was just too uncomfortable to go on to the jetties and turned around. His day of fishing with his wife, Sally, and grandson Kyle Connors was salvaged at the Pelican Island Bridge where they put the live shrimp purchased earlier to good use.

Their catch included 13 sand trout, two black drum and two stingrays. All of the fish were released except six large sandies.

Jesse Basquez found Sunday to be a much better day for fishing and enjoyed some good action around Mosquito Island near the Texas City Dike. A nice-sized flounder and speckled trout were his rewards for a morning of fishing.

Williams’ Party Boats had both of its party boats in operation this weekend. The Capt. John made another offshore trip Sunday, fishing the same areas as earlier in the weekend, the V.A. Fogg and old Buccaneer field. Limits of red snapper were taken along with lane snapper and a Dorado.

Capt. Jill Williams took anglers out on the Texsun II all weekend and found fish around both jetties. Bull reds, gafftop and stingrays were the primary catches.

A reader sent a note asking about the proper way for tagging red drum, those measuring longer than 28 inches in length. Texas fishing licenses have a tag that may be used to take one oversized red, and it must be properly attached to the fish. Below are the instructions for tagging shown on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s website.

Tagging red drum

Immediately upon retaining a fish:

1. Remove tag from license and use entire tag.

2. Fill in all information spaces on front of tag.

3. Cut out day and month.

4. Attach tag with a string or wire to the narrowest part of the tail, just ahead of the tail fin.

Galveston fishing report

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It’s another great day to be on the water with light-to-moderate southerly winds bringing in fresh, clear Gulf waters.

Based on the few inshore fishing reports that were in by late Sunday afternoon, the jetties were the place to fish.

Both the North and South jetties produced some nice fish; however, the number of speckled trout was disappointing to most anglers fishing the rocks.

Offshore, lots of seaweed continue to bundle up in the Gulf and most likely will eventually hit the beaches along the Upper Texas Coast this week.

While that is not good news to many anglers, there is some welcomed news for the offshore crowd — more and more Dorado are being found along the weed patches.

While most of the Dorado, or dolphin fish as they are also called, are normally caught from mid-June through September, the early arrivals obviously followed the fields of seaweed to the near Gulf waters this year.

For the second day in a row, Patrick Lemire, spokesperson for Williams’ Party Boats, reported huge patches of the popular shelter-and-shade for fish offshore. Saturday during a trip to the ship reef V.A. Fogg, the party boat Capt. John encountered chicken dolphin around a huge weed clump and five were landed by the boat’s customers.

Limits of red snapper along with kings and sharks also were caught.

Inshore, Dean Silvers reported some good action at the jetties where trout-green water produced bull reds, black drum, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel.

Frank Helton and Rob Schwartz found good action on Spanish mackerel, sheepshead, jack crevalle and stingrays on the Gulf side of the North Jetty near the rock pile. Live shrimp was the bait.

Night fishing continues to produce good numbers of specks, especially during the last three hours before daybreak. Peter Hendricks of Jamaica Beach was out of bed early to prepare for friends to meet him at his dock and do some early-morning wade fishing behind Galveston Island State Park.

 When Hendricks arrived at his boat dock, he observed a huge school of reds around a neighbor’s underwater green light and immediately tossed out a Super Spook in their direction.

A 26-inch red hit the lure and was landed after a battle. The commotion of the fight caused the other fish to scatter. Hendricks did not say how the wade fishing trip turned out.

Today is Memorial Day and I hope everyone takes a moment to remember those who gave it all so we can enjoy our freedoms here in the USA.

Galveston fishing report

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Stable weather has finally settled in, and it is not too soon for most anglers who have suffered through a long cold winter that lasted much later than normal and the strong winds of early May.

Lots of fishermen were on the water Saturday and by the afternoon, only a couple of reports were in.

Parts of the jetties produced some outstanding catches and others, where the water was off color, failed to meet expectations.
Jerry Henderson and his two sons Mark and Mike were on a shark hunt Saturday and chose the end of the North Jetty, Gulf side, to do their fishing.
Using cut shad, mullet and squid, the anglers from Santa Fe landed eight sharks to longer than 6 feet long.
All were safely released and Henderson was not sure what particular specie of shark they were.
Night fishing turned on around 4 a.m. Saturday and that is when Mario Selman and Dorothy Sparks landed close to their limits.
The lights on the dock of the home they are renting in Tiki Island were on all night, and the couple stopped fishing around midnight as nothing was biting.
After almost four hours of sleep they looked out their bedroom window and saw a lot of activity under the lights and quickly returned to the dock.
Most of their live shrimp had died; however, the few remaining each accounted for a speck.
Small soft plastics in white and chartreuse were responsible for landing the remainder of the 17 specks.
A lone undersized red was the only other fish landed. The bite continued until after daybreak.
Patrick Lemire reported football field-size weed patches offshore Friday as the party boat Capt. John fished the old Buccaneer Field area.
In addition to full limits of red snapper for the 49 anglers aboard, two ling and three sharpnose sharks were landed.

Galveston fishing report

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It is great to be back home in Galveston after a lengthy trip that started below the equator and ended in the Big Apple.

During many of the stops in ports along the way, I would head to the sports fishing docks and some interesting observations from those visits will be passed on in upcoming Reel Reports.

While the Internet and cellphone kept me abreast of happenings on the fishing scene in Galveston, I was not aware of the massive amount of seaweed that hit our beaches.
Soon after crossing the causeway onto the island, the odor of seaweed could be detected, and Friday’s front-page article in The Daily News gave an excellent update on the situation.
Seaweed still was around Friday; however, the surf looked to be in excellent shape for fishing this weekend.
A moderate southeast breeze contributed to good water clarity and, if this holds, look for some hot action along the beach front.
Earlier this week, Bobby Martin of Bayou Vista and two guests made an early morning trip to the jetties and caught 31 Gulf trout on fish finder rigs along with a stray gafftop and a sheepshead.
Early morning rough seas Wednesday allowed fishing only the Gulf side of the North Jetty.
John McMichael, Seawolf Park, sent a note saying the railing and cement walkway at the park that was covered with oil from the recent oil spill has been rebuilt and the entire bulkhead area is once again open 24/7 for your fishing enjoyment.
Generators and lights are welcomed, but not glass containers.
The first fishermen to use the bulkhead area after the reopening were having good luck with large sand trout and gafftop.
The most recent fishing reports from Friday confirmed the surf is catching fire.
Bulldog’s Bait Shop reported their customers catching specks, Gulf trout, pompano and reds from the beach front on live shrimp and croaker.
Supplies of live bait look good going into the holiday weekend.
Richard Belleau, 61st Street Fishing Pier, reported lots of specks being caught along with pompano, stingrays, sandbar sharks, gafftop and Spanish mackerel.

Galveston fishing report

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The last few days we have been in a pattern of strong morning winds that dropped to more moderate levels during the afternoon. This scenario likely will continue until closer to the weekend when moderate southeast winds are forecast to prevail.

That should be good news to anglers planning fishing trips during the holiday weekend. The only drawback is for operators of smaller boats who want to go offshore.

There’s some good news for crabbers, as two reports were received of nice-sized crabs being caught.
Foster Malone and his grandchildren had six lines in the water baited with parts of a bonito Malone caught offshore two weeks ago. From 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., the grandkids dipped up 16 crabs from their canal dock in Crystal Beach. Most were large blue crabs.
Mabel Hanks and Esther Collins used fish heads attached to hoop nets and landed a bucket full of crabs from a pier near Hillman’s Bait Camp on Dickinson Bayou on Monday morning.
Trout are beginning to appear in the surf, and once the wind velocity drops and the beach water clears, look for some good action to take place for waders tossing live shrimp fished under popping corks or soft plastics.
Richard Belleau reported specks being caught off the 61st Street Fishing Pier late Monday and early Tuesday. A few Spanish mackerel were landed as well, and that is encouraging news for surf fishermen.
Other fish listed in Belleau’s report were sheepshead, bull reds, blacktip sharks and whiting.
Trout tournament fishermen, this is a reminder that Saturday the Texas Shoot-Out Chorizo Trout Tournament takes place. You can register at Serious Tackle in La Marque or by calling Lee Garcia, 281-216-3215.

Galveston fishing report

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Sunday’s weather began cooperating with anglers as the wind velocities dropped, and a switch to a more southerly direction helped to improve fishing.

While there were no reports of speckled trout being caught, other fish were taking their place on stringers.

Bub Martin and his son Brad found the wind too much for their pleasure Saturday morning when they attempted to cross the Houston Ship Channel to the North Jetty.
When a cross wave splashed across the bow of their boat, Martin felt it was time to turn around.
As they returned to the ramp at the Galveston Yacht Basin, the anglers from La Marque decided to go past the dry storage area and fish the far end of that channel.
It turned out to be a good decision as they landed two flounder to 18 inches, six sand trout, three black drum and a huge stingray.
Live shrimp bottom bumped was their choice of bait.
The party boat New Buccaneer made an overnight tuna trip late last week and returned with quite a haul.
Captains Matt “Smitty” Smith and Cody Carter shared duties at the helm and ended up about 120 miles out.
Their catch included 401 vermilion snapper, 171 blackfin tuna, scamp grouper, rock hinds, red porgy, whitebone porgies, skipjack tuna, African pompano, amberjack, king mackerel, gray snapper, a Warsaw and a squid.
Saturday, Galveston Party Boat’s bay and jetty trips were run by Captains Carter and Mondo and produced reds, sand trout and gafftop.
Corinna DeMyers, 61st Fishing Pier, reported Cameron Kline’s first shark caught while fishing from the pier on Sunday.
Kline’s bonnethead shark measured 29 inches and put up quite a battle for the 11 year-old young man from Humble.

Galveston fishing report

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Southwesterly winds continued to pound the Upper Texas Coast on Saturday and kept most of the early morning anglers off the water.

  

During the afternoon, velocities were dropping and that allowed a few anglers to search for areas protected from the ill wind.

Often, readers ask where to find fishable waters during moderate-to-strong southwest winds.

  

Unfortunately, not many areas are protected from this unpopular wind.

  

For years, it seemed that anytime I had guests making a trip to Galveston to fish we had to battle this wind, especially from late June to mid-July.

If the velocities were not strong, meaning less than 15 knots, deeper waters often held fair water clarity.

  

Rarely have I found fishable waters around the jetties except close to the end of the North Jetty on the Gulf side.

The area around the old sunken vessel, located approximately three-fourths of the way to the end, would hold fish such as sharks and a variety of pan fish such as Gulf trout.

  

Fishing there on days when the southwest wind was blowing saved many a trip for my friends and I.

  

At least we got into some action even though most of the fish were released.

There are fishable spots along the Galveston Ship Channel and around Pelican Island.

  

While mostly pan fish will be caught, it is better than having to pull the plug on your fishing trip.

Friday, the party boat Capt. John made a 50-mile trip southeast of Galveston where Capt. Johnny Williams placed his guests into red snapper.

  

The group returned with a limit of red snapper to 14 pounds, along with 13 sharpnose sharks.

On May 31, the Trinity Valley Chapter CCA-Texas will host an invitational fishing tournament headquartered at Blue Water Bait Camp in Crystal Beach.

  

The entry fee is $50. For information, contact John Hebert at 936-443-5317.

Galveston fishing report

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Earlier this week it appeared that conditions were going to be good for fishing this weekend, and that still could be the case.
 
Unfortunately, a southwesterly wind raised its ugly head in the forecast and, if the weekend forecast holds, moderate-to-strong south to southwest winds will be plaguing the area.

Don’t give up on the weekend yet, as we all know that this time of year the weather tends to be erratic and unpredictable.
   Relying upon that pattern we might have some fishable conditions.
Many anglers are focusing on Memorial Day weekend, which follows next.
   Often I have mentioned it is the weekend that kicks off our offshore fishing season along the Upper Texas Coast.
   The water and ambient temperatures are in summertime patterns by then, and some of the first serious offshore fishing takes place.
   King mackerel tend to be the most-prevalent fish found in late May; however, lots of ling usually are around as well.
The cold front earlier this week disrupted fishing and, while conditions calmed on Thursday, another siege of wind is in the forecast beginning today.
Marita Schultz, Pelican Rest Marina, was among those expressing frustration about the extended winter this year, especially with the numerous late-season cold fronts that have hit the Upper Texas Coast.
Schultz said the marina has opened a new ships store where they sell yeti coolers, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Tidal Surge Lures and Waterloo rods.
   Ice and drinks also are available.
Boaters can tie up free when visiting Number 13, the marina’s upscale restaurant.
Fred Wise responded to Thursday’s column about the shortening of red snapper season in federal waters by asking what most party boats will do once the nine-day season ends June 10.
Most will continue operations and likely will not reduce the number of trips because of the fact this is the time when pelagic fish such as kings, ling and Dorado are found in good numbers within an easy run from shore.
Other reef fish besides red snapper are available, including other species of snapper.

Galveston fishing report

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There is more bad news for recreational fishermen — our 40-day red snapper season that was to begin in June has been shortened to only nine days.

Wednesday, it was announced the Gulf of Mexico red snapper recreational season in federal waters will run 12:01 a.m. June 1 to 12:01 a.m. June 10 with a bag limit is two fish with a 16-inch minimum size limit.

At its April meeting, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council requested an emergency rule to revise the recreational accountability measures for red snapper by applying a 20 percent buffer to the recreational quota, which results in a recreational annual catch target of 4.312 million pounds.

 This emergency rule will not affect the commercial harvest of red snapper in the reef fish fishery.

What this amounts to is that for all practical purposes red snapper fishing in federal waters is closed to recreational fishermen except for those who make trips on a few party boats along the Gulf Coast participating in a pilot program. Only one of Galveston’s Party Boats is part of that program, and while the announcement did not address the special quotas allowed to each boat participating in the two-year program, it is assumed that they are not affected.

Those having to adhere to the nine-day season were shortchanged by more than three weeks of trips with customers.

The news release came Wednesday afternoon and caught many sportsmen by surprise. My earlier comment about the fishery being virtually shut down is based on the fact that historically early June is windy and conditions are not favorable for smaller craft owned by private recreational fishermen to head offshore.

The good news is that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is sticking to its year-round season for red snapper in state of Texas waters, and the size and bag limits are a bit more liberal than the feds allow. Within 9 nautical miles of shore, four red snapper measuring at least 15 inches may be retained by each angler.

If you have some comments on this subject, let us hear from you.

Galveston fishing report

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Badly needed rainfall hit the Galveston area early Tuesday; however, the near-gale-force winds accompanying the cold front were not welcomed. Fishing was wiped out for the most part, and anglers are sitting on the sidelines waiting for conditions to improve.

Capt. Lloyd Pepper, also known as the Mayor of West Bay, called in to say the west end of the island, especially close to San Luis Pass, received heavy rain, about 4 to 5 inches. This is exactly what the marshes and back bays in that area needed.

While no one was fishing the jetties Tuesday, I want to point out that during my long number of years fishing the rocks, I have found the week of Mother’s Day to be the time when action on trout gets consistent.

For a number of years, a fishing buddy and I would take off Monday of that week and make one of our first — if not the first trip of the year — to fish both jetties. My fishing logs show some impressive numbers of trout, especially before bag and size limits were placed on the popular game fish.

In recent years, the weather patterns have played havoc in continuing that tradition; however, that has not changed the fact that this is the time to start fishing the granite.

Actually, April is a good month to find trout beginning to appear in good numbers and sizes. The action tends to be less consistent than May.

If you are new to jetty fishing, the techniques are a little different during May and early June than during the hot time of summer. Popping corks and free-lined (with no or very light weight) with live shrimp or croaker are usually the best methods.

The reason is that the water is not as warm as later in the season when trout tend to feed closer to the bottom. Free-lining is my favorite this time of year and, not to contradict what was said earlier, the option is to keep the bait suspended, and the size of the weight needed will depend on the strength of the tidal movement.

Expect to catch other species of fish as well, especially reds, sheepshead, black drum, Spanish mackerel and just about any other kind of fish that visits the jetties.

While the bait does not need to be fished as deep this time of year, all other basics of jetty fishing continue to apply, largely the need for tidal movement and good water clarity.

Galveston fishing report

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It appears that unsettled conditions are going to be with us for the next few days.

Strong winds and a good chance of badly needed rain are in the forecast; however, by this weekend conditions look much better.

With small craft advisories in effect Monday, not much was taking place on the fishing scene, as no reports came in.
Fishing reports for last weekend continued to be received and another good offshore report was among them.
The party boat New Buccaneer made a 75-mile offshore trip Saturday where Capt. Matthew “Smitty” Smith found some nice fish for his 97 guests.
Their catch included 432 vermilion snapper, also called B-liners, along with an assortment of other fish including mangrove snapper, lane snapper, spade fish, redhind grouper, tomtate, porgies and squirrel fish.
Galveston Party Boats’ bay trips last weekend were under the direction of Capt. Mondo and both trips returned with good numbers of mainly gafftop.
Jeanie Sampleton sent a note saying crabbing is getting better each week around Teichman Point.
Sampleton and her family enjoy crabbing and asked that we give more reports on the popular family sport.
Volunteers are needed to assist with Saturday’s Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s “Go Fish” event at Galveston Island State Park.
It is a free family fishing event that takes place from 8 a.m. until noon. Anyone desiring to volunteer or needing more information can contact Greg Akins at greg.akins@tpwd.texas.gov. Another youth fishing tournament is scheduled for this area on June 21 is the Texas City Parks and Recreation Division’s annual youth fishing event at Carver Park.
The event is from 8 a.m. until noon and more on that event will be coming in the near future.

Galveston fishing report

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Today’s Reel Report is being written while Polly and I are making our first trip through the Panama Canal.

What an experience and sight to behold.

Through the wonders of cellphones and satellite Internet, information on the fishing scene in Galveston can be easily obtained.
Now, let’s take a look at what is taking place on the fishing scene.
Mother’s Day typically is slow due to anglers needing to focus attention on the more important people in their lives; however, this year there were more boats than usual on the water.
Jetty Joe at Galveston Bait and Tackle reported good catches coming from reefs in both East and West bays.
Sunday’s crowds stressed live bait supplies and many camps were running short.
While live shrimp are available, supplies at bait camps are spotty and it is recommended you call ahead to check supplies at your favorite bait camp.
Jessie Crayton and his family fished the Greens Cut area Sunday and landed six specks and a slot red using live shrimp fished under popping corks.
Confederate Reef was productive for Mitch Salazar and Henry Moore, who landed eight specks and two flounder while wade fishing and tossing WD-40 Bass Assassins with chartreuse tails.
On the offshore scene, Patrick Lemire called in Saturday’s report for the party boat Capt. John.
Eighty-one anglers were hauled 48 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico by Capt. Johnny Williams where they caught most of their limit of 162 red snapper to 18 pounds.
On the journey back to dock, a stop was made in the vicinity of the old Buccaneer Field where the remainder of the red snapper limit was taken along with Gulf trout, bluefish, spadefish and sharpnose sharks.

Galveston fishing report

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Mother’s Day is often a time when families that fish together get out on the water and enjoy the camaraderie of honoring mom by taking her fishing.

Lots of moms would just as soon be enjoying the luxury of having her line baited and fish removed by the kids as taking on a big noon buffet.

Mom, whatever your pleasure, it is your day and hope you enjoy it.
Now, on the fishing scene, forecast choppy conditions could make a fishing trip less comfortable than at other times; however, the fish are there and a trip to the jetties or other areas could be productive. Friday, there was a flurry of activity in East Bay and lower Galveston Bay.
Jetty Joe, Galveston Bait and Tackle, reported a nice catch by Bob and Vanessa from near Sand Island where the Intracoastal Waterway cuts through Pelican Island.
The Friendswood couple landed four reds and five trout using live croaker for bait.
Over in East Bay, Capt. Michael LaRue, LaRue’s Guide Service, had a productive day for his guests while fishing reefs.
Customers Paul Baker, Travis Thomas, Andrew Keys and Jacob Haster landed 25 trout using root beer and chartreuse lures.
The beach front continues to be choppy and sandy with south winds gusting to more than 15 knots.
Richard Belleau from the 61st Street Fishing Pier reported catches of whiting, gafftop and sand trout by his customers.
It is that time of year when anglers start to think about catching a big prizewinning tagged red as the annual CCA-Texas Star Fishing Tournament is around the corner.
May 24 begins the 25th year this event will take place and it runs through Sept. 1.
Not only are pickups and boats awarded, but scholarships and monetary prizes as well for the many categories of fish listed.
Sixty tagged reds will be released along the Texas Gulf Coast during the week of May 19. Last year, 11 of the tagged reds were caught; however, only six of the anglers catching the fish were entered into the tournament.
Do not let that happen to you.
Online registration and information about this year’s event are available at www.startournament.org.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Crabbing is a very popular summertime activity around the Galveston Bay Complex and generates a lot of questions from readers, especially on how and where to crab.

If you are new to crabbing, let’s take a look at some of the basics to get you started.

Equipment:
A ring (hoop) net or hand-held crab trap that opens when landing on bottom and closes as it is pulled up, or for those preferring the hand-held line with bait on the end, a ready-made crab line, together with a long handle dip net, or for the lazy crabber, a crab trap.
All of the above are available at most bait camps and tackle shops. Academy Sports and Walmart carry a good supply and assortment.
Bait: Chicken or turkey necks, fish heads or carcasses, or just about any other internal parts of chickens work well.
Where to crab? Just about any spot where there is access to saltwater. If the location is privately owned, be sure to get the owner’s permission before entering.
How to crab? For simplicity sake, let’s discuss the most common method, and that is with crab line and dip net.

 After choosing your location, place your bait — let’s use chicken necks for example — on the end of your crab line. The clip is designed to clasp the bait so it cannot be easily pulled away. Toss your baited line in fairly shallow water. When you notice the line stretched out, pull it slowly toward you with your dip net just touching the water. Once you see the crab, quickly dip it up.
My suggestion is to use multiple crab lines, with each tied to a stable object such as a nail in a pier, and spread at least 10 feet apart.
To keep your catch alive, do not place the crabs in water; rather, just keep them moist. If using a tub, moisten your crabs and keep them out of the sun. You also may place them on ice and keep them cold until cleaning.
Regulations set a minimum size of 5 inches for the blue crab, measured from spine to spine, and the right claw on the stone crab is the only one that may be taken and must be at least 21/2 inches long.

 Stone crabs must be returned to the water alive after removal of the claw. Crabbers are under the same license requirements as fishermen.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-fish(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Another sign that our summer fishing season is about to begin is the annual closing of the commercial shrimp season each May.
 
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced the Gulf of Mexico season for both Texas and federal waters will close 30 minutes after sunset Thursday until a still-to-be determined time in July.

Readers often ask why the closure takes place, and hopefully the information contained in Thursday’s announcement below will answer those questions.
The closing date is based on samples collected by the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department using trawl, bag seine and other information gathered from the shrimping industry.
Data collected regarding TPWD bag seine catch rates of brown shrimp, mean lengths of shrimp in April 2014, percent of samples containing shrimp and periods of maximum nocturnal ebb tidal flow indicated the Thursday closing date is appropriate. Typically, once the shrimp reach about 31/2 inches long, they begin their migration to the gulf.
“The purpose of moving the closure date this year is tied to when the shrimp are projected to leave the bays,” TPWD’s coastal fisheries science director Mark Fisher said. “Due to cooler spring temperatures and higher salinities, shrimp growth rates appear to be slower this spring.”
Fisher said the data suggest that keeping the closure date will afford protection to small shrimp as they begin their movement from the bays to the gulf.
“The closure is designed to allow these small shrimp after escapement to the gulf to grow to a larger, more valuable size before they are vulnerable to harvest,” said Robin Riechers, TPWD coastal fisheries division director. “The goal is to achieve optimum benefits for the shrimping industry while providing proper management to protect the shrimp.”
The Texas closure applies to gulf waters from the coast out to nine nautical miles. The National Marine Fisheries Service has announced federal waters out to 200 nautical miles also will be closed to shrimping to conform to the Texas closure.
While the statutory opening date for the gulf season is July 15, TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries Division will be sampling shrimp populations to determine the optimum opening date.
   The date of the reopening of gulf waters will be based on data collected in June, but the closure may not be longer than 60 days.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

There is good news regarding the windy conditions that have been plaguing the area lately — the direction has changed from the southwest to the favored southeast. Later this week, velocities are forecast to drop, and that should create good fishing conditions, especially by the weekend.

Saturday, Capt. Jaime Cantu hosted Ed Sacks and his son Ben and friend Scott to a successful jetty trip despite screaming winds. The high winds forced the group to find protected waters and once that happened, the bite turned on.

Lots of reds, gafftop and sharks were hitting the fresh shad and whiting used for bait; however, the highlight of the trip was a 60-pound ling that measured more than 4 feet.

Several readers have expressed confusion about the current red snapper regulations and cite reports of one of Galveston’s party boats bringing in red snapper from recent fishing trips.

While it is understandable how the reports could cause confusion, the red snapper regulations have not changed. The Williams’ Party Boat’s Capt. John is taking part in a two-year experimental program in which they are issued a poundage quota for red snapper and can take it anytime during the year. When the quota is filled, the boat has to discontinue taking red snapper for the remainder of the calendar year.

While the two-fish, 16-inch minimum size applies, they are not restricted to the short season set to begin June 1 for all other anglers, including other charter vessels.

In their last report, the Capt. John returned to dock with 110 red snapper to 20 pounds along with a 40-pound ling and other fish. The catch was made around the sunken ship wreck V.A. Fogg, about 44 miles south of the jetties.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Moderate to strong south to southwest winds continue to plague our area and almost shut down fishing. Sean Edwards of Austin sent a note asking about the persistently strong winds and if anyone could give a reason for it.

The windy situation is not unusual for this time of year. On several occasions I have mentioned the three windiest months along the Upper Texas Coast are March, April and May, with April having the highest average wind velocities.

Does this mean we are in for a windy summer? No, not necessarily. While we could have higher-than-normal winds during the next few months, a windier-than-usual spring does not give an indication for what can be expected during the summer.
As a rule, when wind velocities hit the 15-knot range, fishing begins to be adversely affected. Faster than 20 knots and most fishing trips are canceled or postponed.
When strong winds are out of the east to southeast, tide levels begin to increase and are higher during the duration. The reverse is true with a southwest wind and, of course, a north or west wind.
Southwest winds occur often from mid-June to mid-July and have a definite adverse effect on fishing.

 Besides creating lower tide levels, they cause the water, especially in shallower areas, to become sandy and off color.
During periods of southwest winds, fishermen try to find protected water and deeper water. The deep waters do not become off color and unfishable as fast as other areas.
When velocities are in the range of what we have seen during the past few days, very few spots are in fish-able condition. Before the onset of the wind, we a couple of good fishing trips. Last weekend he hosted the McGuire family from Huntsville to a jetty trip that resulted in landing 19 bull reds with four tagged and retained.
Woods’ other trip included the Smith family — grandpa Brad, son Steve and grandson Patrick. Their catch included three reds, two gafftop and 16 sharks all released except for a red-fish. Cut bait was the choice for both trips.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Specks are coming to life with some nice catches coming from East and West bays and the jetties before the wind picked up Sunday.

One of the more interesting catches came from Don Robinson, who reported two nice reds being caught by Esther Robinson in West Bay.

The interesting thing about this lady angler is she is 96 years young and she still is fishing.
Jack Cassidy landed a limit of trout while fishing West Bay on Saturday.

Also taking good numbers of trout was Dobie Hess, who fished West Bay early Saturday.

The jetties continue to attract numerous fish. Early in the weekend, good varieties of fish were being caught including specks, reds, sharks, black drum, jack crevalle and sheepshead.

Before the wind picked up, Williams Party Boats had its boats out, and both the bay and offshore trips were productive.

Thursday and Friday, Capt. Johnny Williams and his backup Capt. Jill Williams hosted an overnight trip for 37 anglers. The group fished the Stetson Rock area and the Boon Vang floating platform well more than 100 miles out. Their catch included two-day limits of red snapper to 18 pounds, amberjack, Warsaw grouper, vermilion and mangrove snapper and 169 blackfin tuna.
Minh Nguyen landed 16 of the tuna.

Saturday, the Capt. John made a 12-hour trip that resulted in limits of red snapper and 11 sharpnose sharks.

The Texsun II fished inshore and around the jetties Saturday where whiting, stingray, gafftop, bull reds and sharks were caught.

Galveston Party Boats has its fleet of boats in action during the weekend. Friday, The Cavalier had a successful morning trip returning with reds and sharks.

Saturday, Capt. Smitty Smith hosted 100 anglers on the New Buccaneer and among their offshore catch were 410 vermilion snapper, eight lane snapper, five mangroves, five amberjack, a Warsaw and almaco jacks, blue runners, big eyes, scamps and red grouper.

Captain Cody Carter took the morning and afternoon bay trip groups on the Cavalier and returned with red drum and sharks.

Sunday’s 30-mile offshore trip on the New Buccaneer resulted in kings, jack crevalle and sharks.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Often, we mention the old concrete ship Selma in the Reel Report, as it is popular fishing spot. Many readers ask about the old ship and its history.

For more than 85 years, the USS Selma has attracted the attention of sailors and tourists entering Galveston Bay from the Gulf of Mexico.

The ship was built in Mobile, Ala., and launched June 29, 1919. It plowed the seas for only a few months before foundering off Tampico, Mexico, on May 31, 1920.

When the Selma arrived in Galveston on Aug. 15, 1920, inspection revealed it had a cracked hull and was in serious trouble.

The Galveston County Daily News’ files show the wounded concrete ship arrived here in tow by tugs.

The repairs were for naught and the concrete-hulled vessel never would ply the waters of the Gulf again.

Instead, after two years of attempting to find a shipyard to make it seaworthy again, the U.S. Shipping Board ordered the Selma to a watery grave off Pelican Island.

The ship is named after the town of Selma, Ala., and was chosen as a result of a bond drive during World War I where the town with the highest sale of war bonds would be honored by having a ship christened with the town’s name.

Records show the government chose concrete instead of steel during World War I.

Fabricators could not produce enough steel for ship bottoms during the conflict.

Instead, the Shipping Board turned out 12 vessels of heavily reinforced concrete.

The ship is privately owned and has had an interesting history of ownership.

One of the more interesting owners was a gentleman named Clemsey N. LeBlanc. Deed records show Leblanc paid $100 for the Selma in May 1946.

LeBlanc made the Selma his home for several years, during which time he paid no taxes on the sunken ship.

In 1948, “French,” as he was called, told a Houston newsman he enjoyed living on the Selma because “automobiles could not run him down, the cool breezes always blow” and he catches all of the food he eats.

The estate of the late Pat Daniels, once a reporter for The Daily News, is the current owner of the ship and was successful in having it placed on the rolls of state and national historic sites.