Galveston fishing report

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After today, we will be back to normal with the ability to check fishing reports on the Reel Report recorder.

One more day to enjoy the remoteness of the most easterly point in the continental United States, Eastport, Maine. One of the intriguing aspects of this area is the tidal changes. At home in Galveston, we rarely see a normal tide change of more than 3 feet or so. Here, the difference between high and low tides this morning was 18 feet.

From emails received from readers, it appears that fishing is improving and the weather is hot. Here, my only fishing trip was not productive as the haddock just were not biting; however, the cool conditions on the water were pleasant.

In Galveston, Paul and Stephanie Jeremy fished the causeway area Wednesday morning and landed three slot reds, a bull red, a 28-inch trout and two oversized black drum that were released.

Action in Chocolate Bay was excellent for Cheyenne Hyden, Alyssa White and Misty Denman. The young anglers managed an 18-inch gafftop, 16-inch flounder and a slot red. The action came at night under lights.

The second annual Ladies Casting for Conservation Fishing Tournament takes place Saturday at Stingaree Marina in Crystal Beach. The event brings together fishing enthusiasts while helping the Galveston Bay Foundation. Entry fee is $300 per team.

The second annual summertime Houston Lure and Tackle Show is Aug. 7-10 at the Crowne Plaza Brookhollow Hotel, 2801 Northwest Freeway, in Houston. For information, call 713-462-9977.

Our only offshore report came from Don Redding who, along with four companions, fished the East Breaks last weekend. Trolling Kona Classics, lead head feather jigs and natural baits, the anglers raised a large marlin that gave them a 45-minute battle before breaking off. Among their catch were two large wahoo, numerous bonito, bull Dorado and several sharks.

Galveston fishing report

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Fishing reports, actually the lack thereof, continue to reflect inshore fishing not to be at the levels it should be for this time of year. This is especially true for trout fishing. Reds and other species are being caught; however, overall action has been slower than expected.

Pan fish have been filling most of the stringers lately, and the catches have been coming from all around our area.

The only reports of action on trout have been at night by anglers fishing around lights.

Hank Settles and his son Henry fished around a lighted dock near Crystal Beach on Monday night and caught seven specks to 19 inches using live shrimp for bait.

Fred Askew was up early Monday morning fishing the Bolivar surf were he landed three sharks to almost 3 feet in length, a bull red and three large gafftop. All of the fish were released except for the red, which was tagged and retained. Cut shad was the bait.

Roy Beck, West End Marina, reported another fish placing in the Star Kids Division of the CCA-Texas STAR tournament.

Morgan Sellers, 10, landed a 3-pound, 15 ounce flounder that placed her in third place of the tournament.

The STAR Tournament runs through Labor Day weekend.

On the offshore scene, the action continues to be outstanding. David Uresti and Kent Collins fished the East Rigs on Monday and landed limits of king along with numerous sharks, spadefish and Spanish mackerel. Uresti said a cooler full of filets was taken back to Crockett where the anglers live.

The party boat Capt. John made an overnight tuna trip last weekend with Capt. Johnny Williams and his daughter Capt. Jill Williams sharing duties. The trip ended up well more than 100 miles offshore where limits of red snapper were taken along with 71 blackfin tuna, king, ling, grouper, Dorado and sharks.

Galveston fishing report

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The threat of thunderstorms slowed fishing, actually fishermen from being on the water, last weekend.

While there were no fishing reports from Saturday, let’s talk about what to expect as the weather improves this week.

We should be in prime time for trout action along the Houston Ship Channel Spoil Banks, both jetties and deeper shell pads and reefs, in Galveston Bay.

I say we should because normally there are lots of reports of hot action and prolific catches reported during July; however, this year has been different so far.

This week should be a good test for all of those areas, with the only fly in the ointment being tidal movement.

The good news is that it appears that the best tidal movement of the day will begin late morning and go through the afternoon.

That is a much better scenario for most anglers as earlier this month the best tides were anywhere from late afternoon to late evening thus eliminating the early morning fisherman.

If you are new to reading tide charts, the method to determine the strongest tides is to look at the respective heights of each low and high tide.

The heights are in relation to mean sea level.

Those tides reflecting the greatest measurement between the low and high are going to reflect the strongest tide.

For example, let’s view two tide change days (generally better as compared to single tide change days) and use today’s South Jetty Tide as an example.

Note the 10:40 a.m. high and the corresponding lows. With the earlier low tide (1.59 feet at 7:37 a.m.) and the subsequent low (-0.45 at 6:46 p.m.), you easily can see that the afternoon outgoing tide is going to be the strongest while the strongest incoming tide is from 6:46 p.m. until 3:50 a.m.

Tuesday.

If you have an opportunity to be on the water, send us a fishing report.

Galveston fishing report

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If offshore fishing interests you, this week looks like a great time to head into the Gulf of Mexico if the forecasts hold.

Typically, mid-July through most of August is the best time of year to plan an offshore trip, barring a weather system in the Gulf.

Not only is the weather the most stable of the year, but fishing is at its best.

This year is no exception, and there are lots of large fish swimming around from just off the beach front and beyond.

Last week, I found most of the action from a trip that ranged up to 35 miles out at about 12 miles.

Other captains were reporting similar experiences.

Seaweed did not appear in the masses of earlier in the month; however, I am not about to say that the nuisance is out of here just yet.

Smaller seaworthy boats can easily make a run 12 miles out and, with seas running in the 1- to 2-foot range, it does not take long to make it to your destination.

Mitchell’s Reef, named after Galveston Philanthropist George Mitchell, has been in the center of an area loaded with offshore fish lately.

The area had an added bonus of a working platform nearby that offers another spot for boats to drift and troll.

Inshore fishing has been spotty lately with the best results coming at night from anglers fishing around lighted piers and docks.

Flounder gigging has been fair for anglers willing to work for a few flatfish.

Christmas Bay, Chocolate Bay, Virginia Point and the Bolivar Flats have been producing the best results for gigging.

The next Chorizo Texas Slam Tournament is scheduled Aug. 16.

The event will be headquartered at Serious Tackle in La Marque which, in conjunction with the tournament, will be celebrating its 20th year in business.

For information, call Lee Garcia, 281-216-3215.

Galveston fishing blog

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Good amounts of rainfall fell on the Galveston Bay Complex on Friday and that should give fishing a badly needed boost after conditions settle. Today appears to continue to offer unsettled weather; however, next week looks promising for inshore fishing.

While offshore action continues to be hot, Friday’s stormy weather kept boats in port waiting for better conditions. As soon as the threatening weather subsides, look for some excellent catches from the Gulf.

The influx of fresh water into the Galveston Bay System should reduce salinity levels and lower the overall water temperature for a while. Sunday, we should see some better results reported, especially from around the jetties and other areas.

Stan Watkins of Bellville called in to say that he caught an alligator gar in Highlands Bayou on Thursday night that measured more than four feet long. The fish hit a live fingerling mullet and Watkins was amazed that the 30-pound monofilament leader held. The mullet was attached to a 5:0 live bait hook.

Catches around the Seabrook-Kemah Channel area have been mostly panfish, according to Pat Moore’s report. Moore took his two young grandsons fishing in the channel as it was close to the boat ramp with the threatening weather all around. Using dead shrimp for bait, croaker, black drum, piggy perch and a mudfish were landed. All of the fish were released and all had a ball catching the fish.

Thursday night, Ted Hemphill fished the lights around docks along Dickinson Bayou and landed a slot red, three trout, two undersized and a keeper, along with several small sand trout. Live shrimp was the bait.

Offshore, the party boat Capt. John battled breezy and bumpy conditions to make it 35 miles out where 56 anglers limited out on red snapper to 15 pounds and also caught 15 kings along with blue fish, spade fish and Spanish mackerel.

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It appears that anglers are in for some stormy weather through Saturday if the forecast holds.

Hopefully, the rain will help improve daytime fishing inshore. Lately, daytime action has been slow, and for a good chance at catching fish, anglers are heading offshore. Night fishing under lights has been the better option for inshore fishing.

The early morning incoming tide has been producing good numbers of specks and reds from around midnight until close to daybreak.

Steve Albrecht took his brother Ray to the jetties Wednesday where they found the action slow. A small lemon shark was all they could attract from around the rocks. One of their next stops was between the old concrete ship, The Selma, and Seawolf Park. There, the anglers drifted patches of seaweed, and that is where a couple of monster fish hit, as Albrecht described it.

Steve’s fish took almost all of his line, and during an effort to turn the fish, the leader broke.

A similar thing happened to Ray’s fish as they attempted to chase it with the boat but finally lost it. Their tackle just was not suitable for whatever it was. Neither angler saw his fish.

Live fingerling mullet fished on the bottom was the bait.

Pete Hescock and his family fished from the lighted dock of the home they are renting at Pirate’s Cove and caught 12 trout to 18 inches and three reds, a slot and two throwbacks. The action took place between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. on free-lined live shrimp.

Charlie Moore and Bill Best spent Wednesday night and early Thursday morning flounder gigging in Christmas Bay. Roaming the islands with lanterns for five hours, the anglers from Clute managed seven flatfish to 19 inches. Moore said that there were lots of stingrays buried in the sand, especially around Christmas Pass.

Galveston fishing report

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Wednesday, the threat of thunderstorms caused me to change my plans from fishing to restringing several of my reels. This is an exercise I go through three or four times a year, especially after the line has been stretched and weakened.

Anyhow, the main purpose of mentioning this is to share a new (new to me) method of unspooling fishing line. In this case it was monofilament line.

Normally, I have used a battery-operated device that unwinds fishing line from reels and has a hook sharpener attached. The C-cell batteries had been in all year and were dead. Instead of replacing them, I recalled a tip in a fishing magazine that recommended placing a pencil in a quarter-inch drill, wrapping the end of the line around the pencil then turning on the drill.

It was amazing how fast that mechanism worked compared to my commercial line remover, and with the line wound around the pencil, it can easily be taken to a monofilament line disposal site.

For many of you this might not be anything new; however, there likely are those, like me, who have never tried it. It worked well and quicker than my old method.

Our fishing reports Wednesday were from offshore, where the action continues.

The party boat New Buccaneer made a 70- mile trip Tuesday, where Capt. Smitty Smith found the fish. Among the catch brought back were 185 vermilion snapper, 17 tomtate, four Dorado, two ling, kings, gray snapper, sharks, pompano, grouper and squirrel fish.

The party boat Capt. John fished near the old Buccaneer Field on Tuesday where my group fished Monday. Their catch included limits of red snapper along with mangroves, blue fish, Dorado and others.

Jeff Pate and Gary Griffia, visitors from Fort Worth, were on the Capt. John. Pate had a limit of red snapper to 22 pounds, and Griffia took home a 30-pound king.

Galveston fishing report

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Tuesday, scattered thunderstorms offshore held many boats back at the dock while others were driven in early as the storms became more widespread.

Along the beach front, sharks have been in a feeding frenzy and interfering with anglers trying for other fish.

Greg Hagerud was back in the surf Tuesday morning and was run out of the water twice by a shark he estimated to be 7 feet long.

Hagerud said that once the sharks vacate, the surf will turn on.

Another report of shark activity came from the 9 Mile Road area where James Teague found them thick in the surf.

The only fish Teague hooked that was not a shark was a gafftop that he estimated to weigh in the 4-pound range; however, all he ended up with was a fish head as a hungry shark intercepted the fish before it could be landed.

Teague was using live croaker fished under a popping cork.

San Luis Pass has had its share of sharks lately and that is where shark hunter Melvin Metcalf had his lines in the water Saturday night under a full moon.

Metcalf was using large chunks of bonito fished off the beach front on the Brazoria County side and landed several sharks in the 6-foot range and lost one that stripped his reel of 50-pound line.

Early morning fishing continues to be off, with action picking up close to sunset.

Our only report Tuesday of any inshore action came from Danny Foster of Iowa Colony who brought back four nice flounder from his gigging trip Sunday night.

The party boat Capt. John made a recent 12-hour trip that resulted in a red snapper limit for the 74 anglers aboard along with 21 sharks, spade fish and king mackerel.

Galveston fishing blog

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Monday was a great day to be offshore, with slight seas and just enough wind to help cool anglers in the shade.

Andy Horne and his son Anderson visiting from Greenville, S.C., joined me for a day in the Gulf and we found kings almost everywhere we stopped, which included numerous wells and underwater artificial reefs all the way to the old Buccaneer Field.

Surprising to me was that our most productive spot was the area around Mitchell’s Reef, about 12 miles south of the jetties.

At the end of the day, we had limits of kings along with Dorado and Spanish mackerel in the ice chest. Several sharks also were caught and all released.

The party boat New Buccaneer with Capt. Smitty Smith at the helm took 94 anglers 70 miles out Sunday and returned with 50 vermilion snapper, 47 king mackerel and a variety of other fish including Barracuda, ling, tomtate and grouper.

Capt. Cody Carter ran bay and jetty trips on the party boat Cavalier and brought back lots of sand trout and gafftop.

Capt. James Plaag, reported his charters have been limiting out on trout each day.

The fish have been coming from 9- to 10-feet of water on Bass Assassin Albino Seashads.

Plaag said the early bite has not been good with the better times being later in the day, and that Mirrolure She Dogs have been great for top water lately.

Capt. Ron Woods, hosted Cody, Trisha, Charles and Dylan Pratt from Stephenville to a jetty trip where the guests landed bull reds and sharks up to 5 feet in length. Cut bait was the bait of choice.

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Offshore fishing has been hot lately; however, it got even hotter this weekend as a record blue marlin was landed on a boat home, based in Galveston.

Richard Richardson landed a 972.7-pound blue marlin that will displace the current record of 875 pounds set in 1988.

The fish was caught on The Legacy, captained by Kevin Deerman, and was participating in Rockport’s Bastante Memorial Fishing Tournament.

Cameron Plaag was the first mate who helped land the fish.

Close to home, Dean Silvers and four friends made a two-boat offshore trip Saturday with both boats landing limits of kings.

The action took place 20 miles out of Galveston and the limits were in the boat by 11 a.m.

Several sharks were caught and released and a couple of ling just turned their noses up at baits tossed in their direction.

The party boat Capt. John made a 55-mile trip Friday and limits of red snapper were caught along with king mackerel, lane snapper, mangroves, sharks and stingrays.

On the inshore scene, Roy Beck from West End Marina called in to report a catch that should take the lead in the youth flounder category of the CCA Star Fishing Tournament.

Cameron Rodriguez landed a 4-pound, 3-ounce flounder that is expected to place the 11-year-old on top.

Speaking of the Star Fishing Tournament, this year’s first two tagged reds have been certified and the winners of truck and boat packages are Micah Nethercutt of Highlands and Mark Richmond of Temple.

There are a number of tagged reds still swimming around and also time to enter the event if you are among those still procrastinating.

Along the beach front, bull reds, whiting, gafftop, sharks and trout were reported by the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Action under the full moon has been good for anglers fishing with free-lined live shrimp around midnight.

Galveston fishing report

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Readers have been asking about the sporadic trout fishing this year.  

One of the more common questions centers on the lack of prolific action during conditions that in past years would produce easy limits of trout.

One example comes from Ted Westerman, who is an avid surf fishermen and each year has found easy limits of trout during periods of calm green water with tide moving.  

This year, he has caught trout, but somewhere around half of his normal catch during such conditions. He mentioned that he used one of the preferred baits for trout — live shrimp fished under a popping cork.

Hal Fite had a similar question from his jetty trips this year.  

He, too, has been catching far less trout than normal and asked if others were experiencing the same.

For a good indication of what is taking place, I visited with several well-known Galveston area fishing guides and each told me that this year they have had to work harder to place their guests into good numbers of trout, and still the numbers are down from trips in earlier years.

Lance Robinson, regional director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, reported earlier that their surveys of trout this year indicate a healthy stock in Galveston Bay.

Now, what is causing the lower catch rate?  

There are a number of theories cited by the guides surveyed, one being that the bay is full of bait and that trout are not feeding as aggressively and frequently.  

A fact to support that theory is the quality of trout being caught.

Another reason is possibly changing feeding patterns.  

Several guides said that they are finding trout in different locations than in the past.

Whatever the reason, don’t get alarmed, there are lots of trout being caught, and if you find the action slow during the morning today and Sunday, blame the full moon.

Galveston fishing report

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While there is a lot of good fishing being reported from around the Galveston Bay Complex, the big news is from the near shore waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where tarpon action has been outstanding lately.

So far this season we are way ahead in tarpon hookups compared to last year. Tuesday, Capt. Michael LaRue, LaRue’s Guide Service, had a tarpon charter that resulted in 10 of the silver kings being raised and seven landed and released. The largest measured more than 80 inches.

Wednesday morning, LaRue had a bay charter and, after cleaning the catch of 12 trout, returned to the Gulf that afternoon and raised another tarpon, this time the big fish spit the hook before being landed.

Dylan Loughney from Wilmington, Del., has been vacationing in Galveston and during the past six days has caught nine flounder to longer than 20 inches in length using Gulp Shrimp for bait. The action came from near the Galveston Yacht Basin.

Katy Davis and her friend Rob fished three consecutive days with Capt. Jaime Cantu and stockpiled some excellent fish.

Among the fish taken at the jetties were bull reds, mangrove snapper, king mackerel, spadefish, specks and Gulf trout. Free-lined shrimp and croaker were the baits.

Cantu said that the bite is on everywhere in this area.

Offshore fishing continues to keep up its fast pace. Rod Lyons and three friends made an offshore trip out of Galveston on Wednesday fishing areas from 10 to 40 miles out.

Using a variety of baits including squid, sardines and ribbonfish, the anglers landed and released lots of kings and sharks.

Retained were a 19-pound ling, 14 Dorado ranging from 14 to 26 inches in length and a 7-pound spadefish.

The party boat Capt. John had another successful offshore trip Wednesday with limits of red snapper caught along with kings, mangroves, sharks and stingrays.

The action took place up to 55 miles out.

Galveston fishing report

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The weather is hot and so is trout action.

After weeks of sporadic action, the schools of trout have finally fallen into their summertime pattern with deeper pockets of water producing some nice stringers of the popular game fish.

Both jetties along with the spoil banks along the Houston Ship Channel and deep shell pads in the bays were producing typical summertime specks along with other fish.

Ronnie Potter hosted guests Tommy Overstreet, Robert Taylor and Pete Davario to a great day of fishing the North Jetty. Before the anchor was pulled, 40 nice-sized trout and a slot red were on ice.

No mention of bait; however on Monday, Potter used live shrimp near the same location to take a stringer of trout.

Ken Marshall and Pat Powers of Longview fished along the Houston Ship Channel spoil banks west of the Texas City Dike with host Capt. Tom Marshall, Ken’s brother. Using live croaker for bait, the anglers landed 21 specks to more than 4 pounds, two keeper flounder and a 21-inch sheepshead.

Johnny Hendricks and his sons Ryan and John fished the South Jetty about a half-mile from the beach Wednesday and landed 12 specks to just less than 5 pounds, eight large gafftop, two Spanish mackerel and several small sharks using live shrimp for bait. All of the fish were released except for the specks and smacks, or Spanish mackerel.

Dr. Fred Lagrone, Dr. Stan Meyer and Chris Watkins fished the Trinity Bay gas wells Tuesday afternoon and landed 19 specks, two jack crevalle, numerous ladyfish and a stingray using live shrimp bottom-bumped with a quarter-ounce weight and size eight treble hook.

The specks were retained for the dinner table and the jacks for future bait for sharks and crabs.

Wednesday, the surf still was off-color for a half-mile or so from the beach. Once green water sets in, look for action to bust wide open.

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Now that the weekend crowds have subsided, inshore fishing is picking up.

Good tidal movement and water conditions also are contributing to the increased catches.

Offshore has been consistent all month with action on king mackerel hot and heavy. Dorado continue to be found stacked around thick patches of seaweed 20 miles out and farther. An occasional ling and triple tail are among them as well.

Tuesday morning Ronnie Potter, Pete Zavario and Robert Taylor fished the North Jetty where they caught 23 trout to 4 pounds and a slot red.

Brenda Rilat, Lee’s Bait and Tackle on the Texas City Dike, reported a big catch by Elvin Maxwell, Dog Maxwell and Greg Chapa. The three anglers fished near the Bolivar Ferry Landing and landed 37 trout, releasing those over their limit, along with five whiting and a sheepshead. Live shrimp was the bait.

Fred Tucker and Chris Henderson fished the Santa Fe Railroad Bridge on Tuesday and landed 13 trout to more than 5 pounds, six lady fish and a mangrove snapper. Live shrimp fished under popping corks was the bait.

Last Sunday, Mark Franks, Cecil Rhodes and Mike Lemon fished rigs 70 miles southeast of the jetties and landed 23 barracuda up to 7 pounds, 33 Dorado to 13 pounds and a 28-pound ling.

Monday’s 55-mile run by the party boat Capt. John resulted in limits of red snapper to 18 pounds and 10 kings.

The second annual Ladies Casting for Conservation Fishing Tournament will be held July 26 and headquartered at Stingaree Marina in Crystal Beach. Registration is $300 per team. The event is a fundraiser for the Galveston Bay Foundation.

A complimentary dinner will be provided for registered participants and guides at Barefoot Bill’s American Grill on Friday evening at check-in and Stingaree Restaurant on Saturday.

Teams can be guided or unguided. Guides are not counted as a team member. Call 281-332-3381.

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Morning showers helped cool things down on the fishing scene Monday and some good catches were reported from deeper reefs and shell pads in the bays.

Wade fishermen hitting the water early along the shoreline of Goat Island found reds chasing schools of mullet, while boaters fishing mid-bay reefs in East Bay along with shell pads around gas wells were reporting a variety of fish being caught.

Hector Cervantes and his uncle George Cortez fished the bay side of Goat Island using both live shrimp fished under popping corks and light-colored soft plastic.

About 30 minutes after the anglers began wade fishing, a school of reds was sighted busting up pods of mullet.

Soon after the first bait was cast, four slot reds were placed in their fish net basket.

For the next two hours after the catch, not a single bite.

Still, a great morning to be on the water and some nice fish for dinner.

Hannah’s Reef in East Bay was productive for Johnny Hughes and Shelly Hill.

The anglers from Pasadena used live shrimp to land seven specks and three ladyfish while anchored just off the reef.

A large jack crevalle occupied a lot of their fishing time before breaking off at the net.

Connor Kuykendall reported trout, black drum, mangrove snapper and flounder from his trip to a gas well in lower Galveston Bay on Sunday.

Live shrimp free-lined near the bottom did the trick.

Sand trout, gafftop, blacktip sharks and bull reds were being caught by customers fishing the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

The party boat Capt. John returned from its Sunday trip with a catch of red snapper, bluefish, king, Dorado, Spanish mackerel and a 40-pound ling.

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The Fourth of July holiday weekend overall was a good one for fishing.

This especially was true for the offshore group.

Inshore (Bay, jetties and surf) produced some nice catches; however, the action was sporadic.

Jimmy Meyers reported the best catch from the surf during the weekend.

Meyers fished in waist-deep water near San Luis Pass and landed limits of trout both Friday and Sunday mornings.

Also appearing on his stringer were three Spanish mackerel, a pompano and two blue fish.

Released were several small sharks and two large gafftop.

The bait was live shrimp fished under a popping cork and all of the action came during the first two hours following daybreak.

The Crystal Beach surf produced the largest inshore fish reported, a 95-pound blacktip shark caught around midnight Saturday by Justin Wheeler of Beaumont.

A large filet of a jack crevalle was the bait.

Boats able to dodge thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday did well offshore.

Kings were a given for most boats fishing 12 miles out and farther. Larger boats, such as the party boats New Buccaneer (Galveston Party Boats) and the Capt. John (Williams Party Boats), caught a variety of fish at distances from 50 to 75 miles out.

The largest fish reported from those boats was a 275-pound shark landed on the New Buccaneer.

While continuing to operate under a special red snapper pilot program for selected party boats, the Capt. John brought back limits of red snapper each day.

A large number of calls and emails have been received from readers asking about the absence of daily tide information that normally is found in the weather column below.

The Daily News is going to begin publishing a weekly tide report on Sundays that also will include the heights of the high and low tides each day. Hopefully this will allow anglers to plan ahead for trips that week.

Galveston fishing report

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Inshore fishing so far this holiday weekend has been slower than anticipated; however, the action offshore certainly has met expectations.

Tarpon were being reported just off the beach, and crabbing was at its summertime best.

Capt. Mike LaRue, LaRue’s Guide Service, placed his guests, the Fiuzat family, Mike and sons Henry and Austin, into the action along the beach front.

Austin raised and landed a 140-pound silver king, while his brother Henry landed a 20-pound ling.

Farther out in Tarpon Alley, Capt. Mike Williams, Tarpon Express Guide Service, found conditions about as good as they get.

Williams hosted Bucky Chandler and his father David of Garland to a trip to the popular alley where they caught eight kings in the 20- to 30-pound range along with sharks in the 50- to 150-pound class. All of their catch was released.

Friday, Jim Bevill hosted friends Mark Grabowski and Craig Vandergrift to an offshore trip in his boat where his guests landed nice-sized kings about 19 miles out.

The bait of choice was Spanish sardines.

Sparky Miller and his wife, Rita, fished the Gulf side of the North Jetty near the end of the rocks Friday and landed six sharks, a large stingray and three large gafftop using squid for bait.

The party boat Capt. John made a 50-mile trip on Friday resulting in Capt. Johnny Williams placing his customers into fish.

A full limit of red snapper was taken along with ling and Atlantic sharpnose sharks. Closer in, spadefish, bluefish and stingrays were caught.

Crabbing has been excellent lately, with families dropping baited crab lines in the water and taking home some nice-sized blue crabs.

Fortunate for crabbers, just about any spot on the water is a good candidate for catching crabs. By far, the preferred baits are chicken and turkey necks.

Mosquitoes have been a big problem recently, especially early in the day, so don’t forget the repellent when heading out.

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Offshore conditions continued to be favorable for hitting the open Gulf of Mexico on Friday and lots of boats were seen around popular fishing grounds 10 to 50 miles out.

Ken Shockley and Bill Kaplan took their families out on the 48-foot charter boat Rolling Waves and fished more than 70 miles out of Galveston.

Shockley reported lots of kings, sharks and bonito at their first stop 25 miles east of the jetties, and farther out, ling, Dorado and barracuda were plentiful.

Most of the fish caught were released except for a 22-pound grouper and two large Dorado.

Capt. Smitty Smith found action 75 miles out for his guests on the party boat New Buccaneer.

Besides returning with 448 fish, a huge bull shark weighing 275 pounds was caught.

Thursday, the party boat Capt. John hosted a private charter for a group from Schlumberger and had a successful trip, returning with full limits of red snapper to 15 pounds, 14 Dorado and a king.

A moderate east-southeast breeze greeted anglers fishing the surf Friday and slowed action a bit from the day before.

Still, good numbers of specks, jack crevalle and sharks were caught by those tossing live shrimp fished under popping corks.

Richard Belleau reported croaker, whiting, gafftop, bull reds, specks and sand trout being caught by his customers early Friday on the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Sylvia Wright reported lots of nice-sized blue crabs were being caught off piers along Teichman Road. Best catches have taken place early in the day.

The inaugural Hitchcock Hooks Fishing Tournament is set for July 26. The event is sponsored by the Hitchcock Bulldog Football Alumni Club with proceeds going to a scholarship fund and special projects for the football program.

The entry fee is $30 for adults, $10 for high school and middle school students and $5 for kids under 12. For information, call Craig Smith at 409-502-7496.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

The big Fourth of July weekend is approaching, and conditions are shaping up for some fine fishing.

 Wednesday, weak tidal movement slowed action; however, that did not stop Capt. Dean Chiles, Hook’um Guide Service, from finding some nice trout for his guests.

Chiles hosted the Roberts family of Sugar Land and placed them into fish along the Galveston Ship Channel. Using jigs and croaker for bait, the group landed nine trout to 4 pounds.

The forecast continues to call for light north winds today and Friday — a perfect setup for some outstanding fishing in the surf.

We now have two tagged reds that have been caught in the CCA Texas STAR Tournament, and the anglers are undergoing polygraph tests this week. Gina Rice, tournament spokeswoman, said she hopes the results of the tests will be known soon.

Rice also had some good news for tournament participants seeking a tagged red. The STAR tagging teams are releasing 25 percent more tagged redfish just in time for Fourth of July fishing. That means more than 60 tagged redfish will be in the water and worth truck/boat packages valued at more than $70,000 each.

The sixth annual West Bay Slam Fishing Tournament will be Saturday at West End Marina at Sea Isle. The entry fee is $80. For more information, call 713-594-4252.

For boaters who enjoy participating in a boat parade, the Havre Lafitte Homeowners Association will be hosting one Saturday. The event will begin at the Galveston Boat Club at 6 p.m., and the parade route will go from there to Lake Madeline, where boats will circle the lake and return to the starting point.

The parade is designed for smaller boats, as larger vessels could have a problem making it under the Jones Drive Bridge.

The event is free. For details, call Randall Laine at 409-741-0035.