Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

While the weekend saw poor conditions for fishing, this week looks quite promising.

Five- to 7-foot waves are forecast to be replaced with slight seas with wave heights running 1 to 3 feet later this week.

That is music to the ears of our offshore fishermen.

Bay and Jetty anglers will benefit from the better conditions, and I fully expect fishing to bust wide open beginning midweek.

Before the siege of strong winds, trout were beginning to show in good numbers around mid-bay reefs.

In Trinity Bay, shell pads around gas wells were holding lots of specks and other fish.

Carl Canton, who fishes Trinity Bay all year long, said that trout are now in deeper waters although there are plenty schooling in the vicinity of the old power plant discharge canal and near the mouth of the river.

Canton and his neighbor Willie Bob Smiley fished several of the Exxon wells early last week and caught close to full limits of trout along with several jack crevalle and sharks.

The strong winds shut down crabbing along with fishing; however, before the wind picked up, crabbing was good all around the Galveston Bay Complex.

Shirley Reeves asked about the annual spawn of crabs in the surf.

She said that as a child, she and her family would crab the Bolivar beach front during the spawn and load up tubs of crabs to take home.

Reeves asked when the spawn usually takes place.

It is normally around the Fourth of July; however, I do recall a few years ago when the female sponge crabs waited until August to hit the surf.

Hopefully the seaweed epidemic will be gone by the time the spawn takes place.

If you are new to crabbing, crabs with sponge (eggs) attached are illegal to retain and lots of the crabs caught during the spawn do have orange sponge- looking eggs attached and must be released.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

This weekend has been a bust for fishing so far.

Strong winds kept serious fishermen off the bays, and the offshore waters were not suitable even for the largest of the sport fishing fleet.

While we had to sacrifice this weekend for the most part, the good news is the Fourth of July holiday weekend looks like it is going to be a good one for fishing conditions.

That has to be good news for local merchants, especially marina and bait camp operators.

While there was not much activity on the fishing scene, the big news is that a CCA-Texas Star Tournament Tagged Red was caught at San Luis Pass on Thursday.

Roy Beck with West End Marina called in to say he weighed in the tagged red Friday morning and the angler is currently undergoing the qualifications including a polygraph exam.

Beck’s name should sound familiar to many of you who visited the Sea Isle Marina and Richard’s On the Bay years ago as he was part owner and operated the bait shop and convenience store.

Beck, who along with his business partner Richard Power sold the facility six years ago, recently returned to Sea Isle and is managing the operation for the new owner.

I asked Beck how he enjoyed being back in the battle and he said he especially liked being reunited with Steve Rushing, operator of the Sea Isle Bait Camp.

Rushing provided the live bait to Beck’s bait shop before the sale in 2006.

Once conditions improve it will be interesting to see if all of the turbulent weather offshore had any positive effects in moving the massive amount of seaweed along the Upper Texas Coast.

It certainly would be a big plus for the holiday weekend if we could get a reprieve from all of the smelly stuff washing up on our beaches.

Galveston fishing blog

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Offshore fishing appears to be out for most anglers this weekend as small craft advisories are in effect.  

The recent siege of strong wind has taken its toll on the surf and bays as well.  

Lighter winds are in the forecast for the latter part of this weekend; however, once they set in it will take a few tide changes to clear up the water.  

Anglers wanting to fish for trout, reds and flounder should be seeking protected waters, especially in the vicinity of drains along East and West bays and other areas.

It seems that each time we mention fishing around drains, several calls and notes are received from readers asking what we mean by the term drain.  

Drains, as we use the term, refer to any flow of water from land.  

A good example and the most common use of the word around here refers to fresh water flowing from marshes into lakes, the back bays and the larger bodies of water.  

The reason they often hold fish after heavy rains is the marine life they sweep away and push into the body of water into which they flow.

The survival instincts fish possess tell them that flowing water is synonymous with food.  

A good example of this, while not a drain, is tidal movement. Tidal movement is one of the keys to catching fish.  

The same can be said for any water movement into the bays and includes flowing streams, bayous and creeks.

During the fall flounder run, one of my favorite spots to find flounder is in front of an actual storm sewer drain that flows into the Galveston Ship Channel. 

At times following a heavy rain, especially during November, flounder will stack up around the flowing water and are virtually sitting ducks for tossing a gulp, fingerling mullet, mud minnow or shrimp.

Where is that drain? Well, lots of my peers know about it, and if you see my boat anchored in fron

Galveston fishing bolg

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercomapny.com

While fishing is on a holding pattern, there are a couple of items that are of interest in this year’s CCA-Texas Star Fishing Tournament.  

First, and of utmost interest to the majority of anglers entered into the event, is that there has not been a tagged redfish caught by a participant in the tournament. 

So far, four tagged reds have been caught; however, the anglers were not qualified. Normally by this time, close to one-third of the way into the tournament, several truck and boat prize packages have been awarded.

Another item of interest is the leading speckled trout in the tournament.  

This year, Mike Eckhardt of Kemah leads the Upper Coast Division with a 9-pound, 4-ounce fish.  

That is exactly how much the leader from the Lower Coast Division weighed in.

Normally, the big specks are taken from the Laguna Madre area, and there is still plenty of time for that area to reclaim its lead.  

What this is indicating is the Galveston Bay Complex holds some really large speckled trout.

It appears it will be another day or so before conditions begin to settle enough for offshore boats to make it back into the Gulf of Mexico.  

Wednesday, the party boat New Buccaneer attempted an offshore trip; however, wave heights were too high and a turnaround was made back to port.

On Tuesday, the party boat did make it out with 75 anglers aboard and Capt. Smitty Smith took them more than 70 miles out to find fish.

Their catch included 364 vermilion snapper, seven lane snapper, eight blue runner, four tomtate, four mangroves, four Almaco jack and two kings.  

Other fish in the box were African pompano, blacktip shark, red hind and rock hind grouper and some porgy.

The steady rain during the past couple of days likely will do wonders for our fishing in the near future.  

Expect to see some good action on and around the upcoming July 4 weekend.

Galveston fishing blog

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Fishing was shut down by early thunderstorms Wednesday, and while it was disappointing to those who had to change their plans, the storms and steady light rain that followed were beneficial to fishing.

While launching my boat was not an option, early Wednesday I took advantage of the situation to attend a presentation on all of the work going on to protect some of our endangered and threatened shore birds.

Kristen Vale’s presentation was given to the Park Board’s Nature Tourism Committee and was enlightening. Vale, who is associated with Houston Audubon and American Bird Conservancy, showed graphics of the areas where terns and other birds either on the endangered or threatened lists are nesting around Galveston.

Among the many threats facing the nesting birds are anglers.

The parks department has placed numerous signs and other alerts in areas where terns and plover are nesting and is asking the public to avoid those spots. This includes pets that run loose and children.

In a new regulation beginning Tuesday, boaters must drain all water from their boat and onboard receptacles before leaving or approaching a body of fresh water in Texas.

The new Texas Parks and Wildlife Department regulation is designed to help combat the further spread of zebra mussels and other invasive species. It applies to all types and sizes of boats, powered or not: personal watercraft, sailboats, kayaks, canoes and other vessel used on public waters.

The regulation requires the draining of live wells, bilges, motors and any other receptacles or water-intake systems.

On the fishing scene, our only report Wednesday came from Capt. Mike Williams, Tarpon Express Guide Service. Williams said during the last several days, tarpon continue to show in Tarpon Alley in windows where there is no seaweed.

Monday morning, Tarpon Express Guide Capt. Mark Gonzales boated a tarpon estimated to weigh 120 pounds after taking over for an exhausted client.

Tarpon Alley is an area that runs parallel to the Upper Texas Coast beginning just a few miles off the beach front to about 12 miles out. The alley begins in the vicinity of High Island and runs all the way to the Middle Texas Coast.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Unsettled conditions are setting in along the coastal waters, and while fish are being caught, wind and seaweed are presenting obstacles to fishing.

There are several offshore fishing tournaments scheduled along the Middle and Upper Texas Coast this weekend, and a number have been postponed or rescheduled as seas are predicted to be in the 5- to 7-foot range. If your plans are to participate in one of those events, you should check with the tournament officials as to whether to see if it still is on.

While water clarity and seaweed remain problems, anglers fishing the 61st Street Fishing Pier were reporting catches of whiting, bull reds, blacktip sharks, black drum and gafftop.

The Texas City Dike was productive during the early evening, with the outgoing tide giving fishing a boost. Sol Jamail and his two sons were fishing the dike Monday afternoon when the action busted wide open around 7:30 p.m. First, the gafftop were hitting, and as action wound down, a school of jack crevalle swam through, and reels started screaming.

Jamail and his family landed six large gafftop and two jack crevalle. Another two of the school of jacks stripped all of the line off the boy’s reels; however, they did have backups.

One fisherman nearby had his upscale rod and reel leaning on a piece of drift wood. When the jacks hit, his equipment headed to sea.

The party boat New Buccaneer fished 70 miles offshore Monday where Capt. Smitty Smith found fish for his 80 guests. Among the sizable catch were 473 vermilion snapper, 28 scamp grouper, mangroves, Creole fish, porgy, yellow mouth grouper, king mackerel, African pompano and a variety of other fish.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Anglers hitting the water early Monday found a brisk wind swaying from the southwest to south.

Many decided it was more than they wanted to deal with.

As the day progressed, windows of lighter winds appeared and at least one group took advantage of it and caught some nice fish.

Buck Benham and Maurice Kozart fished the mouth of Campbells Bayou during one of the calm spells and landed 12 specks and six large gafftop.

The action came just before noon on live shrimp fished under popping corks.

Benham said lots of well-defined slicks were in the area.

Sunday, Earl Potter and his brother Ronnie and their respective sons Capt. Russell Potter and Michael Potter fished the North Jetty and within less than two hours landed 22 trout. Earl and his brother were out the day before and limited out on trout; however, Sunday it was a bit breezier which may have limited the action.

Capt. Ron Woods, 2 Fish’Aholics Charters, described the shark action outside the North Jetty on Sunday as nonstop.

Wood’s guests, the Donald Driggs group, used a variety of cut baits and retained one shark each (their limit).

Three bull reds also were caught and were tagged and retained.

Capt. Cody Carter hosted 100 anglers aboard the party boat New Buccaneer on Sunday and at about 70 miles out caught 585 vermilion snapper (b-liners), 18 scamp grouper, 12 lane snapper, eight porgy and a variety of other reef fish.

Saturday, Carter hosted bay trips on the party boat Cavalier and returned with a total of 28 bull reds for the day along with gafftop, shark and sand trout.

Capt. Johnny Williams hosted a private charter on the party boat Capt. John on Sunday and found action about 65 miles east of the jetties.

Their catch included full limits of red snapper, 18 kings, two jack crevalle and numerous sharks.

Along the beach front, gafftop, black drum, bull reds and sand sharks were being caught by anglers fishing from the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

The seaweed keeps pouring in. No doubt this has to be the worst infestation we have seen in Galveston.

Recently, I was visiting with Bugg Albertson, who just turned 90, and he asked if anyone can remember when Galveston was ever plagued by such an enormous influx of this “stuff.”

Albertson lived most of his life in Texas City and spent his free time on the island fishing. He said perhaps less than a dozen times he has seen enormous amounts of seaweed hit the Galveston beaches; however, it never lingered as long as this spell.

While most beachgoers and surf fishermen complain mightily, there are a few who see some positive effects.

One of those is Thomas Morton of Friendswood, who feels the seaweed has attracted a lot of fish to the Galveston Bay Complex that would normally be found offshore.

Recently, there have been an unusual number of reports of triple tail being caught. While the tasty fish is certainly not uncommon, usually there are only scattered catches reported.

Offshore, triple tail are found around weed lines, and it is likely that the acres of seaweed off the beach front are bringing triple tail and other offshore fish with it.

Ling are another fish that likes the shade, shelter and marine life (food) that are associated with weed lines, and there have been more reports of ling along the beach front and jetties lately than usual.

A nice-sized keeper ling (must be at least 37 inches in length to retain) was caught at the old Bolivar Gas Wells last week.

Dorado are another fish that are associated with weed lines; however, rarely are they caught within sight of land.

So far, there have been no reports of that species anywhere near the beach or jetties.

With all of the seaweed hanging around, we just might see some smaller Dorado close in, especially during periods of clear water.

On the fishing scene, our only report came from Bulldog’s Bait Shop and was of Eli Gomez and Felix Roman’s catch from the 61st Street Fishing Pier. They landed two blacktip sharks to 5 feet in length, a 4-foot sand bar shark and four bull reds to 45 inches.

The anglers saw several large tripletails that were caught by other fishermen using live shrimp.

Galveston fishing report today

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Lots of rolling tarpon were sighted in Tarpon Alley on Saturday and one of the larger silver kings hit a natural bait and put on quite a show.

Capt. Mike Williams took a guest to the well-known tarpon area off Galveston and hooked up with an estimated 150-pounder.

Michael Dorman of Conroe hooked the fish and watched it make six long jumps before throwing the hook.

Besides observing many others, the charter landed scattered kings, jack crevalle and sharks.

Friday, Gene Flores was fishing off the Texas City Dike and landed a tripletail that measured 19 inches and weighed more than 4 pounds.

David Giraldi celebrated his 23rd birthday with a fishing trip to San Luis Pass with Stephen Schneider and Ben Silvers, who hosted the trip.

Soon after arriving, the group got into a run of keeper-sized black drum, catching 12 and retaining nine.

The only other fish caught was a slot red hauled in by Silvers who said they were off the water by noon with their 10 fish.

Earl Potter, of Potter’s Pecans in Schulenburg, and his son, Michael, of Friendswood, made a quick fishing trip Saturday.

Fishing around Galveston, the guys limited out on trout to 4 pounds and were back at the dock by 8:45 a.m.

Jim Fortune did not have to go very far to land a good mess of nice specks. The action came from his boat dock Saturday on Lake Madeline.

Bill Hunter found the action slow along with lots of seaweed at the jetties.

Plenty of fishermen around but no bent rods, not even trash fish.

A waterspout passed close by and forced his group to move to the Cedars on Pelican Island where the action picked up.

Four keeper specks along with several throwbacks, lots of sand trout and a flounder was the catch.

Still a slow day, Hunter said.

Friday, the party boat Capt. John made a trip to the reef ship V.A. Fogg where the 83 anglers aboard caught their limit of red snapper to 14 pounds.

Galveston fishing report today

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Friday, the calmer conditions resulted in better catches from the surf and lower Galveston Bay. 

Sharks continue to be thick in the surf and around the jetties.  

Richard Belleau reported sand sharks, bonnet head sharks and blacktips being caught in good numbers from the 61st Street Fishing Pier.  

Bull reds, black drum and sand trout made up the rest of the catches early Friday.

The causeway and Santa Fe railroad bridges have been consistent for trout and other fish lately.  

Frank Ryan and Joe Dott fished just outside of the railroad bridge early Friday and landed 13 trout, seven gafftop and a 23-inch black drum. Live shrimp was the bait.

Justin Ramsey reported a nice catch of trout from between the two bridges Friday. 

The angler from Tiki Island landed 12 trout, retaining his limit of 10, using live croaker for bait. 

The action came from just off the mainland shore near the second tower.

Earlier this week, the Rabek family of Jeff, Barbara, Kathryn Turner-Rabek, Lisa and Eric Rabek and Paul Rabek enjoyed a family fishing trip with Aqua Safari Charters.  

Their catch included 16 kings, three jack crevalle and an Atlantic sharpnose shark.

The party boat Capt. John made a trip to the Heald Bank on Thursday where the 75 anglers aboard limited out on red snapper to 18 pounds along with 12 kings, two ling, a 30-pound Warsaw grouper and other fish.

July 5 is the date of the West Bay Slam Tournament and Fundraiser, sponsored by the West End Anglers Fishing Club. 

It benefits The Fisher House for Military Families.

The event begins at 6:25 a.m. with weigh-in from 3 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. 

Entry fee is $80 per person and there will be a kids division.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercomapny.com

It appears that anglers will be getting a break from the strong winds of the last several days. The forecast calls for light winds in the morning, increasing to moderate levels midday.

That should create excellent conditions for at least the first part of this weekend.

Thursday, East and West bays were the place to find trout.

Mid-bay reefs in East Bay and various spots along West Bay produced some nice specks for anglers using live bait.

Jetty Joe, Galveston Bait and Tackle, reported a nice haul of specks by guests fishing with Capt. Cecil Gray.

Ryan Hearst, Chris Donnen and Chuck Donnen used live croaker at locations chosen by Gray and ended up with 23 trout to 4 pounds.

Also on Joe’s report was a nice catch by Capt. Mark Salazar’s charter.

Dustin Hon and Brandon Bert caught 12 trout in East Bay using live croaker.

Timmy Howell fished the causeway bridge Thursday and ended up with a Texas Grand Slam — seven trout, three flounder and two reds was his catch from that area.

News of another nice catch from near the big bridge came from Walter Kidd and his wife, Kathy, on Wednesday afternoon. Using live shrimp for bait, the La Marque couple landed a variety of fish with the highlight of the trip being Walter’s huge black drum estimated to weigh 50 pounds. The “big ugly” was landed and released.

Rocky Perez and Frank Conte fished the Galveston channel near Texas A&M University at Galveston on Thursday morning and landed two keeper flounder, six sand trout and a speck that measured 18 inches. Live shrimp was the bait.

Fred Costa wade-fished the West Bay shoreline behind Galveston Island State Park using a variety of soft plastics.

Not much in the way of action, said the angler from Jamaica Beach.

Two undersized trout and an undersized flounder were the only hits.

Galveston fishing report today

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Weather is hot, fishing is not! That is the phrase Babe Ryan used to describe Wednesday’s fishing around the Texas City Dike.

Ryan and his son Johnny and daughter-in-law Estelle fished all around the Texas City Dike on Wednesday, choosing the few protected spots they could find. Both live shrimp and dead bait failed to produce more than a few small crabs, hard heads and whiting.

The highlight of their trip was Estelle’s hooking a large stingray which all felt was a bull red while she was fighting it. What a disappointment to see those wings flap on the water was Ryan’s comment.

Capt. Jaime Cantu hosted the Michael Rasmussen party of six to a jetty trip Tuesday where they landed a variety of fish. Their catch consisted mostly of puppy drum, Spanish mackerel, flounder and sharks. Live shrimp accounted for the drum, Spanish mackerel and flounder, while sand trout and shad attracted the sharks.

The CCA-Texas Star Fishing Tournament has been underway since Memorial Day weekend and still no truck and boat packages have been awarded for a tagged red.

Star tournament weigh-in stations around the Galveston Bay Complex include: Stingaree Marina, Crystal Beach; Marburger’s Sporting Goods, Seabrook; The Landing, Anahuac; Pelican Rest Marina, Galveston; 3G Bait & Tackle, Galveston; and West End Marina, Galveston.

The 2014 Houston Summer Boat Show is taking place at the NRG Center in Houston through Sunday. Show hours are 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. today and Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Admission is $10 for adults, $4 for children, 6 to 12, and kids 5 and younger are admitted free. The first 50 children to enter the show each day will receive a free rod and reel.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

We are entering into that time of year when the weather tends to be the most stable. This especially is true when we get farther into the summer. Events in the Gulf are the biggest catalyst for weather during the warm months, while frontal systems take control from late fall through spring.

Probably the most frequently posted offshore forecast calls for winds in the 10 to 15 mph range, while a close second would be winds 10 mph or less. When checking the forecast with winds in the 10 to 15 mph category, this could mean good conditions, especially if closer to 10 mph; however, a sustained wind near 15 mph will create choppy conditions and make the Gulf intolerable for smaller boats.

I must say that it has been a nice break from the first five months of this year when we seldom experienced winds in the tolerable range for being on the water.

Sometimes, the larger boats get blindsided by the forecasts and find the seas too much for comfort and safety, and that was the case Monday with the party boat Capt. John.

A 12-hour offshore trip had to be aborted not long after passing the jetties. It quickly turned into a four-hour jetty trip.

While guests seeking offshore fish had to be disappointed, they ended up with some good fish at the South Jetty.

Patrick Lemire, spokesperson for Williams Party Boats, said Mother Nature had 51 percent of the vote that prompted the change of plans. While fishing the jetties, sharks, bull reds and gafftop were landed.

Zath Conway, brother of one of the deck hands, landed two sharks, a bull red and gafftop.

Richard Belleau, 61st Street Fishing Pier, reported the water sandy and the wind out of the southwest at 15 mph early Tuesday. Customers had been catching lots of whiting, croaker and sharks.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

The early birds were catching the fish Monday.

Anglers drifting mid-bay reefs in East Bay and around Dollar Point were returning with nice catches of trout and a variety of other fish.

Unfortunately, those not dropping a line in the water until later than 8 a.m. found the action tapering off.

Chris King and Jerry Adams of Kingwood were on the water before 6 a.m. and drift-fishing reefs out of Stingaree Marina 30 minutes later.

Using soft plastics in purple and white and root beer colors, the anglers landed 16 trout to more than 5 pounds by 8 a.m.

King said it seemed like a switch was flicked around 8 a.m. as the action slowed considerably.

Other fish caught were three reds, two slots and a rat red, at least a dozen sand trout and a lady fish.

Dollar Point was the spot for Jason Creecy, Tommy Dunn and Rick Rushing.

The anglers were fishing before 6:30 a.m. and landed a variety of fish including specks to 19 inches, a slot red and several throwbacks, several black drum and two sharks.

Like the report from East Bay, the action took place for almost two hours then hardly a hit. Live shrimp was the bait.

Galveston Party Boats had both of their vessels offshore last weekend.

The New Buccaneer with Capt. Smitty Smith at the helm fished 70 miles offshore and returned with 667 vermilion snapper, 10 mangroves, eight kings, a ling and other fish including rock hinds, scamps, lane snapper, porgy and tomtates.

Capt. Cody Carter took 50 anglers 35 mile out aboard the Cavalier where they landed 35 kings, two jacks and six sharks.

Both of Williams Party Boats fished the jetties Sunday with Capt. Johnny Williams hosting a group aboard the Capt. John and Capt. Jill Williams doing the same aboard the Texsun II.

Their combined catch included sharks, whiting, gafftop, stingrays and jack crevalle.

Galveston fishing report today

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Sunday, the surf was off-color, resembling chocolate milk, and not much in the way of catches took place.

Rock groin fishermen were reporting hard heads, gafftop and stingrays coming from the sandy water.

Night fishing well past midnight has been productive as fish were feeding under bright moon light.

Terry Miller fished his canal in a subdivision near Crystal Beach and landed eight specks and four reds.

Only five of the specks and none of the reds were of legal size.

The bite was on between 1:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. and live shrimp was the bait.

Capt. Rick Mosely reported an excellent catch from offshore Saturday.

Fishing about 80 miles south of the jetties, Mosely and his three friends landed eight barracuda, 13 Dorado from chicken-size to 17 pounds. The highlight of the trip was a 28-pound wahoo that took a green tube designed for barracuda.

Other fishing reports from Saturday include the party boats Capt. John and Texsun II.

Both boats fished the jetties and ended up with a mixed catch of whiting, reds, sharks and gafftop.

Austin Calhoun fished near the flood gates of Moses Lake and landed two nice flounder.

The Texas City Dike has been producing mostly pan fish lately.

Night fishermen around the dike have been hooking up with some large sharks.

Crabbing has been excellent lately from all around the Galveston Bay Complex.

Davis Jones and Carla Kennedy crabbed around some old piers along the diversionary canal and filled a tow sack with blue crabs.

The action was good all day Saturday and after seven hours of running crab lines, the couple headed back to Houston with their catch.

As the size of the moon decreases this week, daytime fishing should pick up again.

Galveston fishing report today

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

The full moon slowed fishing during the first part of the day Saturday.

With clear skies Friday night and the big full moon shining down on the water, fish took care of their appetites before sunrise.

Saturday, Bob Whitten and his sons Trey and Will joined me for a morning of fishing and fortunately, we hit the water early.

All of our fish were caught before 7:30 a.m. and from then to just after noon, it was slow sailing.

Only a few undersized trout and a jack crevalle were interested in our live shrimp and croaker up in the morning.

 Rebekah Walling of College Station, her boyfriend Ricky Richards and their respective fathers, Mark Walling and Mike Richards, to a jetty trip on Saturday.

Their catch included more than 20 sharks to 6 feet, releasing all but four, two bull reds and a mess of gafftop.

The action came from outside the North Jetty.

Earlier this week, Capt. Cody Carter found good action for his guests aboard the party boat Cavalier.

Fishing both afternoon and morning bay trips, the catch included shark, reds and gafftop, sand trout and jack crevalle.

Offshore, the action remains hot and heavy.

Both of Galveston’s major party boat operations were out Friday with William’s Party Boat’s Capt. John fishing 45 miles out and Galveston Party Boat’s New Buccaneer going 70 miles.

The Capt. John returned with a boat limit of red snapper to 19 pounds, along with 14 kings and a jack crevalle.

The New Buccaneer’s catch included 604 vermilions, 17 kings, 12 tomate and lane and mangrove snapper, almaco jack, squirrel fish and whitebone porgy.

Four of CCA-Texas Star Tournament reds have been caught recently; however, unfortunately, none of the anglers were in compliance with the tournament’s rules and could not be confirmed as winners.

That means that all five truck and boat packages are still available.
  

If you have not registered for the tournament, you still have time.

To qualify your catch, you must have entered before landing your fish.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Friday, the Galveston area was hit by a rainstorm that produced some of the heaviest lightning I have seen. 

The rain was certainly welcomed, and fortunately we received a fair amount, more than a half inch near Moody Gardens.  

The lightning was frightening and even more so were two sets of wade fishermen who remained in the water fishing as loud bolts struck all around. 

The anglers, who appeared to run in age from teenagers to young adults, just were not using good judgment, and I feel they should thank their lucky stars that one or more of them did not get hit. 

Hopefully everyone knows that when lightning is around, you should stay out of the water.

On the fishing scene, Jim Perrette’s note Friday afternoon probably summed up the situation for most anglers fishing Friday.

Perrette and his brother Charles were fishing the causeway just beneath the bridge on the Galveston side early Friday. 

They were having good success on trout, flounder and sheepshead until the storm hit. The brothers from Houston sat in their car until the rain and lightning passed and then resumed fishing. Not a bite after the storm.

Perrette asked if fish are spooked by thunder because the water was in good shape when they returned to fishing. 

 Fish, especially in shallower waters, will head to safe haven when loud thunder occurs. Unfortunately, not all fishermen are as smart as fish when it comes to this weather phenomenon.

The weekend looks to be good for fishing. 

Moderate southeast winds are in the forecast with a slight chance of rain. 

Trout action should pick up where it left off Thursday, and plenty of other fish are out there waiting to be caught.  

It is hard to predict where the best action will be; however, for trout, both East and West bays were holding some nice specks earlier this week. 

The jetties produced a wide variety of fish with few trout being reported.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

This year’s seaweed epidemic is the worst most of us old-timers have seen around Galveston.

Capt. Lloyd Pepper and I were discussing this earlier this week, and we both agreed that during our long tenures of fishing this area, this is the worst we have experienced.

For offshore anglers, it is a plus, but for everyone else, especially surf fishermen, it is a nuisance we all hope goes away soon.

The seaweed in the bays has not adversely affected fishing nearly as much as it has along the beach front.

Thursday, a number of good reports came from West Bay, Lower Galveston Bay, the jetties and East Bay.

Capt. Jaime Cantu hosted Ron Kethan and his brother-in-law Larry to a jetty trip where the East Texas anglers caught a variety of species including speckled trout, bull reds, slot reds, puppy drum, Spanish mackerel and bonnet head sharks.
  

Free-lined live shrimp was the bait, and the action took place in 13 feet of water.

Jetty Joe, Galveston Bait and Tackle, reported two successful trips by the father-and-son guide team of Cecil and Nathan Gray.
  

Cecil hosted two guests who returned with 14 trout and two reds, while Nathan’s group landed a Texas Grand Slam consisting of 15 trout, two reds and a flounder.
  

Most of the fish were caught around the causeway using live croaker for bait.

Deep shell reefs in East Bay continue to give up some nice catches of mainly trout.
  

Steve Hester and his two daughters Michelle and Carrie drifted Hanna’s and other reefs using live shrimp fished under popping corks and landed 17 specks to 23 inches.

The party boat Capt. John is taking part in an experimental program that allows a quota for red snapper rather than being confined to the short season the rest of the recreational fishermen are limited to.

As a result, they will continue trips until their quota is caught.

Wednesday, the boat made a 50-mile trip offshore where the 52 guests onboard limited out on red snapper to 18 pounds and landed 14 spadefish, a king and sharpnose sharks.

Galveston fishing report today

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

When the wind calms and the water clears, the fish will be biting. Wednesday was a good example of that slogan. The abrupt change in conditions from Tuesday to Wednesday is something rarely seen around the Galveston area this time of year.

Tuesday, small craft advisories were in effect with southwest winds blowing at near gale-force strength. By late evening, the wind died and the bays were flat.

When I awoke Wednesday, I saw the flat water and knew it likely would be an excellent fishing day, and it was.

While I could not go fishing, those who did found specks hitting around the causeway and railroad bridges, East Bay and along Pelican Island.

Bulldog’s Bait Shop reported a nice catch of sow trout to more than 25 inches by Trey Ferguson. The action took place along Pelican Island on live croaker.

Henry Abel and George Cutler fished outside of the old Santa Fe Railroad Bridge early Wednesday and landed 14 specks to 19 inches, four sheepshead and a slot red. Live shrimp fished deep under a popping cork was the bait.

Also fishing the old bridge but closer to the opening for the Intracoastal Waterway was Sal Gomez and his cousin Raul Mendez. The two anglers from Missouri City landed eight specks, two flounder, two sheepshead and a 23-inch black drum while free-lining live shrimp.

Jack Gilbert, Andy Meyer and Pat Scott fished reefs in East Bay on Wednesday and caught 11 specks, several ladyfish and a small jack crevalle using live shrimp while drifting over shell.

Jimmy Garner, 3-G Charters, landed a king that hit the scales at more than 44 pounds Monday. The big fish was caught during a last-day red snapper trip. Wednesday, Garner’s son Matt landed two ling in the same size range as the big king.

Garner, who also operates 3-G Bait Camp at the Galveston Yacht Basin, said mostly sharks were been brought in from the jetties Wednesday.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Tuesday’s southwest wind, gusting at times to more than 30 knots, created sandy, off-color waters and virtually shut down fishing. The bays and surf are showing the effects of the wind and, hopefully, a change will take place before the weekend crowds hit.

Mid-June through mid-July typically is when we see the ill-wind set in and create havoc for fishermen and boaters. At velocities like those Tuesday, there just are not many places holding fishable waters, at least for game fish.

Offshore waters are not as badly affected, especially when the wind speed is much lower. With velocities like those Tuesday, even the offshore waters are out, as small craft advisories take over.

Tuesday, I visited Seawolf Park and toured the new fishing ramp with John McMichael, the park manager. The new facilities along the Galveston Ship Channel provide badly needed additional and open space for fishermen. Those fishing Tuesday were catching mostly bottom feeders; however, McMichael said earlier in the day, an angler caught several specks on the north end of the new bulkhead.

Monday ended red snapper season for this year, at least in federal waters, and the party boat New Buccaneer made its last trip of the season. Capt. Smitty Smith took 99 anglers out 60 miles where they limited out on red snapper and also caught two kings, a shark and lane snapper.

Capt. Cody Carter took a bay group out on the Cavalier and returned with a catch of gafftop and sharks.

Before the wind switched to the southwest and picked up, tarpon continued to be caught just outside of Galveston. George Dehoyos of San Antonio landed an estimated 140-pound silver king fishing with Capt. Mike Williams of Tarpon Express Guide Service.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-Fish(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Weekend anglers saw some good action both inshore and offshore before the wind kicked up Monday and virtually placed a halt on fishing.

Greg Hagerud sent a note saying there are plenty of fish and a good variety swimming in the surf.

The problem, he said, is connecting with your bait and feeling the fish bite. Braided line is his answer as the best solution.

Sunday, Hagerud fished around the 14th Street Rock Groins and landed lots of small mangrove snapper.

Blacktip sharks, sand trout, pompano, black drum, bull reds and whiting also were being caught further down the beach at the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Bulldog’s Bait Shop called in to say you don’t have to go very far offshore to find some good fishing.

Customers John and Carl Walters from Oklahoma brought their 25-foot boat with them and took it offshore for the first time.

Fishing approximately 15 miles out, they landed a 22-pound jack crevalle, a 13-pound King, a 3-pound Spanish mackerel, four red snapper to 18 inches, four triggerfish and lots of sharks.

The last weekend of red snapper season in federal waters was hot and heavy with action.

Galveston Party Boats had both of their boats offshore Sunday.

The Cavalier with Capt. Cody Carter at the helm fished 70 miles out and returned with a boat limit of red snapper, 55 vermilions, 10 Dorado and a king, ling and lane snapper.

Capt. Smitty Smith took the New Buccaneer out 70 miles and returned with a boat limit of 100 red snapper, 11 b-liners (vermilions) along with a Warsaw, Dorado and mangrove.

Williams Party Boats fished the Texsun II offshore Sunday where Capt. Jill Williams found action from 26 to 50 miles offshore.

Their catch included a boat limit of red snapper, two ling to 35 pounds, nine Dorado, a Warsaw and a King.

Saturday was the day of the Ladies of Tiki Island Fishing Tournament and Kim Stiefel took first place with a 3.9-pound trout.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Almost always when we get reports of good shark fishing, a number of readers ask questions about the safety of wading or swimming in the surf.

Sunday’s picture of a large jackfish being severed off the 61st Street Fishing Pier along with an earlier column about shark fishing around San Luis Pass triggered a lot of responses.

My short answer to questions about sharks is anglers need to respect them and not necessarily fear for their lives.

While there are encounters with sharks from time to time, it has been decades since the last known shark fatality took place along the Texas Coast.

There are some basic common sense rules that anyone swimming in the surf should follow, and let’s start with the wade fisherman.

Wading the surf for fish is a very popular and inexpensive method of fishing.

Anglers being bitten by sharks while wading the surf are usually fishing in and among large schools of bait, especially pods of mullet.

Also, attacks have occurred when stringers of recently caught fish were pulled too close behind the fisherman and a leg was mistaken for one of the fish.

Keep a safe distance from concentrations of bait, especially in waist-deep and deeper waters.

Use extra-long stringers that carry your catch several feet behind you.

I have had the experience of feeling a tug on my stringer, almost like I hit a snag, and turned around to see only the head portion of the fish remaining.

Believe me, a sight like that will wake up anyone in the surf.

Sharks, particularly the larger variety, prefer feeding at night and in the early morning hours.

Avoid the surf late at night. If you drive along the beaches on either side of San Luis Pass at night when serious shark fishermen have their lines in the water, you will observe that none are wade-fishing.

Another common sense rule is to avoid getting into the surf if you have an open wound.

All of you know how sharks have a sixth sense when it comes to smelling blood.

Enjoy the surf but keep in mind that you are an intruder in another’s territory and give the respect it deserves.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

A southwesterly wind set in Saturday; however, except for the beach front, the water remained in good shape overall.

Around the South Jetty, it was in great shape as king mackerel and other offshore fish were making appearances.

Another tarpon was landed in tarpon alley, and trout action was good early in most spots around the Galveston Bay Complex.

The Silvers family was on the water again Saturday, this time with Steven Schneider as their guest.

While fishing the South Jetty, Schneider landed a nice king, and later on while fishing that area, a chair floated by with two triple tails swimming around it.

Immediately, Ben Silvers cast a shrimp toward the chair and one of the fish hit it and was landed.

As the chair floated away the group chased it with Schneider successfully hooking and landing the other tripletail.

Capt. Mike Williams, Tarpon Express Guide Service, was back in Tarpon Alley on Friday and found the water in excellent shape and the fish biting. His guest, George Pedoyos of San Antonio, landed a 140-pound tarpon along with kings and blacktip sharks.

Red McMahan and Steve Summers fished East Bay early Saturday and limited out on trout to 20 inches while drifting Pasadena and Deep Reefs.

Chicken on a Chain Bass Assassins were the baits. McMahan said the water was beginning to show signs of stress because of the southwest wind.

The Pelican Island Bridge was the place for sand trout and stingrays Saturday morning. Harold Smith and his family anchored under the bridge midmorning; in a span of just more than two hours, they landed 19 sand trout and five stingrays. All of the rays were small. Live shrimp fished on the bottom was the bait.

Jerry Ellison of Conroe fished San Luis Pass for sharks late Friday night and did not lose a bait.

 Ellison said the conditions looked good, just nothing was interested in his big hunk of jackfish.

As this year’s red snapper season is winding down, the party boat Texsun II was back for another haul. Friday, Capt. Jill Williams found limits of red snapper for her guests 50 miles south of the jetties. Along with the snapper, 15 Dorado were caught.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

The last weekend of this year’s red snapper season is here, and it appears that seas will be tolerable for larger boats heading out for that last limit of red snapper for the year.

Galveston’s party boat operations have been busy this week taking advantage of the nice conditions, and each trip has resulted in limits of red snapper for each of the guests.

Kayla Garza reported a variety of fish being taken aboard the party boat New Buccaneer along with limits of red snapper.
  

Wednesday’s trip included sharks, Dorado, lane snapper and vermilions in addition to the target of the trip, red snapper.

Thursday’s run of 70 miles produced vermilions, lane snapper, ling, sharks and rock hinds along with red snapper.
  

Capt. Smitty Smith was at the helm on both trips.

Garza also reported some nice gafftop being caught on Galveston Party Boat’s bay trips run by Capt. Cody Carter.

Capt. Jill Williams has been running Williams Party Boat’s offshore trips this week from the party boat Texsun II.
  

Thursday’s trip resulted in a limit of red snapper plus 23 Dorado.
  

The highlight of the trip for one fisherman was the landing of a ling weighing more than 59 pounds.
  

Gene Marigliano, who caught the fish, was registered for the CCA-Texas Star Fishing Tournament and entered his big ling, which immediately fell into the third-place position.

Maurice Goldman and Joe Greenfield fished the end of the South Jetty on Thursday afternoon and landed four bull reds, four blacktip sharks to an estimated 5 feet in length and two large gafftop. All of the fish were released and cut shad and mullet were the baits.

Richard Belleau, 61st Street Fishing Pier, reported catches of pompano, lots of whiting and sharks by his customers.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Galveston area fishing continues to be excellent with the beach water temperature hitting the mid-80s.

The higher-than-normal tide levels are attracting a lot of fish to the beach front and among them are good numbers of sharks.

Sandy Sanderson, a self-described shark hunter, said that conditions have been ideal for catching large sharks in the surf lately.
  

Sanderson fishes for the big creatures at night and moved to this area from Port Aransas two years ago.
  

I asked Sandy where he fishes and he said that the absolutely best spot for hooking up with 8-foot and larger sharks is within a mile or two of San Luis Pass during an incoming tide late at night.

The hours from close to midnight until just before first light of day are his favorite times.

Early on Monday, the shark hunter hooked a huge shark that gave him a long battle before breaking his 150-pound coated wire leader attached to 90-pound test line. Earlier this season, he said he landed several sharks in the 10- to 12-foot category, releasing them all.
  

Some of the sharks do not survive the release and end up as attention-getters when they eventually wash up on the beach.

One observer watching him land a shark criticized him for not eliminating them rather than releasing.  

He pointed out to that person the fishing regulations that prohibit wasting fish.

Sanderson said his favorite bait is a bonito with the head and tail cut off.
  

Other baits he likes are any oily or bloody fish with Jack fish being high on his list.

In other fishing news, Dean Silvers and Jeb Braue fished offshore Wednesday with Capt. Shannon Labauve and ended up with red snapper limits to 17 pounds, four large kings and a 62-pound ling.

Brenda Rilat, Lee’s Bait and Tackle, reported a nice flounder haul from the Bolivar area by Elvin Maxwell, Dog Maxwell and Greg Chapa.
  

Their catch included eight flounder, three trout and two sheepshead. Live shrimp was the bait.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Wednesday, the winds dropped and continued out of the southeast, which brought clear, trout-green water almost to the beach. While no surf reports were in by early afternoon, there no doubt was some good catches.

Tony Keill continues to catch large black drum in the Kemah-Seabrook Channel. His latest and fifth fish came earlier this week after the dead shad had disappeared. The latest drum measured 30 inches and was safely released.

Our only inshore report Wednesday came from the jetties where Capt. Howard Martin and his parents fished the Gulf side of the South Jetty and limited out on specks. Also landed were gafftop, jack crevalle, ladyfish and sharks among lots of seaweed.

Kayla Garza sent in the results of Galveston Party Boat’s trips from Monday and Tuesday. Both trips were made by the New Buccaneer with Capt. Smitty Smith at the helm. Each day, full limits of red snapper were caught along with a variety of other fish including vermilion snapper, ling, Dolphin, grouper (including a Warsaw) and jacks. The action took place 70 to 75 miles offshore.

Capt. Jill Williams hosted 54 anglers including her son Justin to a 55-mile offshore trip aboard the Texsun II Tuesday. Their catch included limits of red snapper to 16 pounds, and six small Dorado.

Capt. Lee Sinclair hosted a group of six passengers aboard his 31-foot sports fishermen and ended up with full limits of king mackerel, lots of sharks, 10 chicken Dorado and an undersized amberjack that was released. Most of the fish were caught at the 18-mile rigs and a nearby weed line.