Galveston fishing report

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Monday, conditions did not improve as much as expected, and a lingering easterly wind continued to dampen enthusiasm for fishing.

Improvement came during the afternoon and at least one angler was able to take advantage of it.

Shepherd McKinsey of Texas City fished the causeway area using live shrimp for bait and landed two slot reds and two nice sheepshead.

McKinsey said the water was in excellent shape between the two bridges and that a school of Spanish mackerel came through severing the leader on his popping cork.

Late Sunday, Mark Savage fished around the piers and pilings along Teichman Road and landed two specks, a slot red and several ladyfish using live shrimp fished under a popping cork.

Earlier in the day Savage fished near the entrance to the Crash Basin and encountered prolific action on small sand trout.

One of the bright spots lately has been crabbing. Jerry Armand found good-sized crabs in Moses Lake while working several lines off a dock near The Fish Spot Bait Camp.

Chicken necks on the end of a line attracted 15 large blue crabs. Armand said it was the best crabbing trip he has had in several years.

Allen Waddell and his family fished from a pier on the Diversionary Canal on Sunday morning and landed five good-sized crabs along with a number of croaker, whiting and hardheads all caught using rods and reels with dead shrimp.

Richard Belleau, 61st Street Fishing Pier, reported catches of croaker, whiting, sand trout, blacktip sharks and bull reds late Sunday.

Speaking of the 61st Street Fishing pier, Wednesday begins their month long King of Redfish Tournament.

This is the second year for this event. Entry fee is $20 per person with prizes awarded for the three longest reds caught during October.

Galveston fishing report

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Often, readers ask about tides, and the questions range from what tides are best for fishing to what are tidal movements.

Sunday, there was an excellent article on tides by Guest Columnist Joe Concienne of Galveston, and for a condensed version, he did an excellent job of explaining the basics of tides and how they operate. Anyone interested about this natural phenomenon should read his article.

In his closing paragraph, he states that wind and weather can significantly affect the tides in Galveston Bay.

I would like to expand on that and add what moon heights are the best for fishing.

Many times we have mentioned the effects of wind directions on tide levels. While the wind itself does not actually change the scheduled high and low tides, it can and does affect the water movement.

During periods of sustained southwest winds, we experience lower-than-normal tide heights and, conversely, an east wind creates higher-than-normal tides.

Recently, we experienced a perfect combination of strong easterly winds combined with new moon tides which, along with those of the full moon, are the strongest.

This recent event led to some minor flooding of low-lying areas with much higher-than-normal tide levels.

A strong north wind accompanying a cold front will empty the bays and thus prevent normal tide levels from occurring.

High pressure following strong frontal systems also impairs the incoming tides from reaching their normal levels.

Now, what about the moon heights? While the heights, meaning moon locations from the horizon to overhead, do not have a noticeable tidal effect on a day-to-day basis, seasoned coastal anglers know that moons on the horizon and directly overhead are best for fishing.

Anglers skilled at monitoring the moon heights calculate when the moon is directly below, meaning on the other side of the globe. That, too, is good for fishing.

Galveston fishing report

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On Friday, a sustained east-northeast wind held again, restricting fishing to protected waters.
 
Anglers who found sheltered areas found spotty action, with some cashing in on concentrations of fish while others found it slim pickings.

Friday morning, friends from Mariner Magazine joined me for a long-planned fishing trip with hopes of working the jetties. Unfortunately, the wind was just too strong for comfort and we concentrated on the Galveston Channel area around Pelican Island.

Brandon Rowan, Kelly Grose and Debbie Salisbury were my guests and, with their fishing skills, we were able to take home a respectable catch.  

Using live croaker and shrimp for bait, our catch included 22 large sand trout, four specks to 18 inches and a flounder. 

All of the fish were caught close to the shoreline of Pelican Island between Seawolf Park and the cedars.

A few anglers ventured to the jetties and were rewarded with catches of red fish, black drum and sheepshead. Ben Rath and Sells Oldham had one of the better catches reported from the rocks, that being six reds consisting of four slots and two bull reds that were tagged and retained. Rath said the water was rough along the channel side of the North Jetty and that their anchor kept giving way.

Richard Belleau’s 2 a.m. report from the 61st Street Fishing Pier listed gafftop, sand trout, bull reds and slots reds being caught by his customers Thursday night.

Subdivision canals are producing some nice catches of trout and flounder during the early-morning hours. Several unconfirmed reports of good catches have come from residents in Bayou Vista, Omega Bay, Harborwalk and Spanish Grant.

A gradual improvement in conditions is in the forecast, with early next week looking good for fishing under light easterly winds.

Galveston fishing report

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If you live in the Galveston area, there is little need to say that fishing was a washout Thursday. 

Strong easterly winds prompting small craft advisories along with heavy rain kept anglers away from the water.

Fortunately improved weather is on the way; however, a nagging easterly wind still is in the forecast.

Wednesday night there was a lot of activity in the surf. Jerry Selman fished the 13th Street Rock Groins and landed two bull reds along with a sheepshead and a stingray. 

Farther up the beach front, customers fishing the 61st Street Fishing Pier were landing blacktip sharks, bull reds, sand trout, whiting and specks.

The weather has been a bit rough for jetty anglers lately; however, 3-G Bait Camp at the Galveston Yacht Basin reported catches of reds and sand trout by anglers able to endure the elements at the rocks.

More flounder catches from the back bays are being reported. Chris Shell and Guy Erickson fished near the mouth of the Diversionary Canal Wednesday and landed six flounder ranging from 13-inch undersized flatfish to a 21-inch sow. Live shrimp was the bait.

Saturday, The Texas Tail Chasers are having their third annual charity fishing tournament. This event benefits the Sunshine Kids Foundation and takes place at TopWater Grill located at 815 Avenue O in San Leon.

This tournament attracts wade fishermen, kayakers and boaters. The entry fee is $300 per team and each team is allowed up to four anglers.

Weigh-in begins at noon with well-known weighmaster Ed Matthews weighing in the fish.

For more information call Jimmy New at (832) 576-3773.

For the upcoming weekend, wind will be the key to fishing. If we get a break from this current pattern of sustained east/northeast wind, look for fishing to pick up.

Galveston fishing report

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A combination of easterly winds and the new moon phase this week likely will result in extraordinarily high tides.

For fishermen, this tells us that flood tides will be likely and the back bays and marshes should be excellent choices for finding schools of feeding reds.

My experience with higher-than-normal tide levels, especially those in the range of a foot and more above normal, sends signals to fish that something out of the ordinary is taking place, and when that happens, lockjaw sets in.

Reds, however, tend to like flood tides for several reasons. One is that they trigger spawning in the fall and spring, and along with that a feeding frenzy. One other signal reds receive is that a lot of new territory will be covered by water, thus trapping bait and bringing out new sources of food. Anglers chasing the reds in the back bays should find flounder feeding along with them. Recent reports indicate that a lot of flatfish are in the marshes and back bays.

Not much was taking place on the fishing scene Monday except for some hot action in the surf on bull reds.

The 61st Street Fishing Pier reported 35 bull reds hitting the planks early Monday and that definitely signals that a run is on. Besides the big reds, large gafftop and a number of sand trout were caught.

The deluge of fresh water in the bays should help trout action bounce back once conditions settle. Look for schooling activity in the bays once the wind settles. The schools should be easy to spot as seagulls and other diving birds will be pointing them out.

Shrimp driven from the wetlands will have a double whammy with specks and other fish chasing them to the surface and the birds diving down for an easy meal.

Galveston fishing report

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Not much was taking place on the fishing scene Wednesday, so it’s a good opportunity to answer a question from readers.

One that is often asked is about “slicks.” We mention them in the Reel Report occasionally, and while seasoned trout fishermen know what we are referring to, many anglers do not.

Slicks are shiny spots on the surface of the water resembling light, colorless oil.

In fact, fish slicks that we refer to are actually the oil from bait that has been ingested by feeding fish and comes to the surface.

The slicks anglers seek out are those coming from schools of feeding fish, hopefully trout, and appear in small clumps or circles. Locating a slick is easy if the water is not choppy. The sheen, or shiny spot, is easily visible, and seasoned anglers know how to cull slicks looking for those that offer the best chances of finding fish.

The potentially productive slicks are going to be small, not much larger than a tarp or bed sheet. They will give off an aroma that resembles fresh-cut grass or watermelon.

We call those fresh slicks because they likely popped up relatively soon before being noticed.

What about larger slicks, are they productive? Often times yes. The key is whether they have retained their aroma. The longer they last, the less smell given off.

The only slicks that I avoid are large ones that resemble a tide line. Those slicks usually have joined together and traveled a distance.

How do you fish slicks? Much like you would birds chasing shrimp. The smaller the slick, the more likely fish are still beneath it.

Noise is the biggest detriment to fishing slicks, and I mean the noise of outboard engines or too much sloshing of water on the surface.

There are no guarantees that fish will be around; however, the odds are likely better than in areas with none.

Galveston fishing report

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Tuesday, the threat of rain kept anglers from venturing very far; however, there were some good reports from the surf and Seawolf Park.

Tyler Dexter had a good morning fishing the rock groins along the seawall where he landed two specks, four sheepshead and a Spanish mackerel. Dexter was fishing near the Pleasure Pier using live shrimp for bait.

Farther down the beach at 8 Mile Road, Earl Plumb and Betty Turner fished the surf and caught seven sharks to more than 3 feet in length and a bull red. The anglers from Spring used Spanish sardines and cut whiting for bait.

Fishing the shoreline of Pelican Island out from Seawolf Park, Maurice Higgins and Tony Day caught seven specks, four puppy drum and two Spanish mackerel. Live shrimp fished under popping corks did the trick.

Many of you have fished Fleenor’s Flats during the years. The popular red fish hole is located just off the far east end of Galveston Island and was named after Leonard Fleenor.

He would bring large numbers of reds to the cleaning tables of the old jetty bait camps that would raise eyebrows and curiosity as to where he consistently caught the fish.

Fleenor passed away last Sunday at the age of 90. Long before his death, his namesake fishing spot became recognized on fishing and nautical maps.

The 13th annual Kid’s Fishing Derby, sponsored by the Texas City Host Lions Club, takes place Oct. 11 at La Marque Highland Bayou Park. This is a free event for kids 4 to 14 who are registered for the tournament.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. with fishing underway at 8 a.m. Trophy categories include Longest Fish, Shortest Fish, Most Fish Caught, Most Unusual Fish and Best Looking Fish.

To register, send an email to lionsclubtc@yahoo.com, attention David Shinn. The only information needed is the child’s name, city, phone number and age.

Galveston fishing report

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Monday turned out to be a nice fall-like day, and the fish were biting. What more could one ask for?
Reports from the surf, Moses Lake, East Bay and Pelican Island indicated the bite was on.

Greg Hagerud was back in the surf Monday morning and found plenty of reds and trout swimming around. Hagerud said that fingerling mullet were all over the place, and if you threw a shrimp past them and reeled it under the schools, it was a fish every time.

While the water was rough, the color and temperature were right. One of the fish landed, tagged and retained was a large bull red. When the fish hit the cleaning table, Hagerud was reminded of why he stopped retaining bull reds.

Flounder and reds were the catch from Moses Lake on Monday afternoon. Tommy Meyer and Gene Jones fished not far from the Fish Spot and landed three keeper flounder and three reds, two undersized and one 23-inch slot. Live fingerling mullet was the bait.

Frank Moore, Paul Redding and Marcia White fished East Bay on Sunday afternoon and ended up with four specks and two large gafftop. The action came from near Sievers Cut and was on live shrimp.

Royce Edison tried the Pelican Island Shoreline near Seawolf Park early Monday and found sand trout close to the shoreline. Using both live and dead shrimp for bait, he landed 13 sandies and a 16-inch flounder.

Along the beach front, good catches were reported from the 61st Street Fishing Pier. Richard Belleau’s report indicated good numbers of reds, gafftop, pompano, whiting, sand trout, Spanish mackerel, croaker and specks were landed late Sunday night.

The party boat Capt. John made a 25-mile offshore trip Sunday. The 61 anglers aboard returned with 30 sharks, 121 spadefish, four kings along with whiting, blue runner, mangrove snappers, lane snappers, Gulf trout, gafftop and croakers.

Galveston fishing report

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There was not much to report from the weekend’s fishing as a steady northeast wind discouraged anglers from hitting the water, and those that chose to battle the elements found they had to work for some modest catches.

The only inshore and offshore reports from the weekend came from Williams Party Boats, who had both their offshore and bay boats in action.

Capt. Jill Williams made two trips to the jetties with her guests aboard the Texsun II where they landed bull reds, sharks, gafftop and stingrays on both trips.

Friday, Williams took the Capt. John offshore with 60 anglers aboard.

The group fished 25 miles east of the island where they landed 50 sharks, 37 spadefish, two stingrays and a ling, along with king, Spanish mackerel and mangrove snapper.

It is difficult to predict how fishing will be this week as unsettled weather is forecast to return to the Galveston area.

If the wind velocities are tolerable and the rain is not too wide spread, trout action might bounce back to where we left it early last week.

Among the events this week is the 20th annual Redfish Rodeo Ladies Tournament from Thursday through Saturday.

The Redfish Rodeo is unique in that it is strictly a guided tournament with guides drawing for teams. Also, all the teams and guides leave from one location for a shotgun start at sunrise.

The weigh-ins are Friday and Saturday at Pelican Rest Marina, 7819 Broadway, in Galveston, and open to the public to attend.

The scales open at 1 p.m., but boats must be in no later than 2 p.m. to avoid disqualification.

Winners will be announced at the Saturday evening 20-Year Salute and Dinner at The San Luis Resort Ballroom.

Galveston fishing report

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Our Capt. Logan 1 st Tournament,  1st place stringer! 1st place red and 1st place hard head!!! and we won the Calcutta. Thanks


Fishing was not exactly the activity of choice Saturday morning as a strong east-northeast wind was pounding the Galveston area along with threatening weather all around.

Before the arrival of the frontal system, fishing was at the top of the charts for the year.

Finally, speckled trout decided to make their move and were in a feeding mode during the calm conditions early in the week.

This was welcome news to both the anglers able to take advantage of the ideal conditions and those sitting on the sidelines, mainly at their place of work, who have been concerned about the poor results on trout this past summer.

We all are hoping that this tells us that the trout are here and that our fall fishing will be outstanding.

Speaking of outstanding, tarpon action has been about as good as it gets around Galveston.

Last week, several tarpon guides reported some of their best catches of the year while the water was in great shape along the beach front.

A late report Friday came from a fisherman at San Luis Pass who hooked up with one of the silver kings while fishing for bull reds in the surf.

The tarpon hit a live mullet and gave two leaps before tossing the hook.

Most of the guides are optimistic that tarpon will be around for several more weeks.

Night fishing continues to be hot as anglers using free-lined live shrimp are taking good numbers of specks and small reds from around lighted docks and piers.

Many of the specks are undersized; however, a fair number of keeper fish are among the schools.

The final results of the CCA-Texas Star Fishing Tournament are in and the winner of the upper Texas Coast speckled trout category was Mike Eckhardt of Kemah with his 9-pound, 4-ounce fish.

Eight tagged reds were caught with only four anglers qualifying for the prizes.

Galveston fishing report

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The big news on the fishing scene is the prolific action on tarpon recently.

Earlier this week, we gave a report of a sighting of 500 or more tarpon rolling in the waters around Tarpon Alley, and Friday, we received an update from another well-known tarpon guide in the Galveston area.

Capt. James Plaag, Silver King Adventures, reported outstanding tarpon action Monday, Tuesday and Thursday off Galveston.

Plaag’s group raised 50 and landed more than 25.

The fish measured up to 87 inches and weighed in the 120- to 150-pound range.

Fishing the same area was Capt. Michael LaRue, and Plaag feels that once this frontal system passes, the hot action will return.

Trout action continues to be some of the best of the year, with shell reefs and pads around gas wells producing good numbers of specks.

Marty Storks and his two sons fished mid-bay reefs in East Bay on Thursday and landed 22 specks to 23 inches in length using soft plastics while drift fishing.

Freddy Miller found trout biting around Greens Cut early Friday. Before being run in by the rain, he landed seven during the hour he drifted the cut. Live shrimp fished under a popping cork was the bait.

The beach front is alive with action and is offering up a wide variety of fish.

Thursday morning, Frank Torres fished the third sandbar off Bermuda Beach and landed six sharks, two bull reds and six Spanish mackerel.

Live piggy perch was the bait.

Except for the “smacks,” all of the fish were released.

Richard Belleau reported whiting, sand trout, bull sharks, Spanish mackerel and black tip sharks being caught off the 61st Street Fishing Pier early Friday.

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Outstanding weather for fishing has settled in on the Upper Texas Coast, and anglers able to take advantage of the nice conditions are catching fish.

The surf and near-Gulf waters are prime for tarpon action. September is one of the best months for hooking up with a silver king, and there is little doubt in my mind that the big fish are roaming the surf and waters in Tarpon Alley.

Unfortunately, these conditions are occurring during the middle of the week in September and not many anglers are out there pursuing them.

Speckled trout continued to be caught along the beach front Sunday, and many anglers limited out. Live bait (shrimp and croaker) is the best choice.

West Bay produced some good catches Sunday. Dean Leathers and Chad Chambers fished that area and limited out on slot reds. Also added to their stringers were three specks, a sheepshead and Spanish mackerel. Several undersized black drum were among the fish released. Live shrimp and fingerling mullet fished under popping corks did the trick.

Mark Diebold and Zach Wilford fished with Reel Thrill Charters last week and caught and tagged two bull reds, each weighing 25 pounds.

Sherman Hancock was in the surf early Sunday with live shrimp and landed a full limit of specks to 19 inches by 9 a.m. Hancock said it was his best surf fishing trip in three years.

Also choosing the surf was Miles Strange, who selected the 8 Mile Road area to fish. Using live piggy perch, he landed two specks — 18 and 20 inches — along with a number of bonnet head and black tip sharks.

Action was hot and heavy on the 61st Street Fishing Pier on Sunday night.

Richard Belleau reported his customers catching 11 Spanish mackerel, 25 sheepshead, 15 black drum, and eight pompano, and several anglers caught limits of speckled trout with live bait.

Galveston fishing report

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A late-season flurry of action is taking place with speckled trout along the beach front.  

Conditions ripened for some hot fishing in the surf when the wind calmed. 

Contrary to other times this summer when such conditions resulted in marginal catches, this time, the bite is on.

Several reports from the weekend indicate that specks are roaming the surf, and anglers using a variety of baits, especially live shrimp and croaker, are taking good numbers of the prized fish.

Robert Emanuel of Port Neches fished the 17th Street Rock Groin on Friday afternoon and used up a pound of dead shrimp to catch a couple of specks and a large variety of pan fish.  

He returned Saturday morning with live croaker for bait and caught a limit of specks and large sand trout.  

Emanuel said the water was the best he has seen in a while but still infested with seaweed.

Recently, Jose Aceves sent in a report of the prolific action he encountered on speckled trout at night off Bolivar. Friday night he returned to the spot with his wife Juanita and brother Mike. Expecting another evening of nonstop action on specks, reds showed up instead.

Within two hours, they hooked up with at least 15, landing six keepers to 28 inches. Live shrimp, cut bait and gulps were the baits.

The Texas City Dike continues to produce some nice hauls of pan fish. C.J. Saddler fished the dike and landed sand trout, croaker and whiting.

Saturday, the party boat Capt. John made a 30-mile trip east-southeast of the jetties where 80 guests landed a variety of fish including spadefish, bonnet head sharks, sharpnose sharks, king mackerel, ling and stingrays to 125 pounds.

Galveston fishing report

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Light winds and good tidal movement have helped clear the water in the surf and bays.

Good action has been reported from the jetties, beach front, Texas City Dike and San Luis Pass.

Greg Hagerud was in the surf early Saturday and found the water in great shape and the fish biting.

Numerous pods of mullet were attracting the fish; between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., he filled an ice chest with sheephead, whiting, drum and trout.

All of the trout were in the 18- to 21-inch range with no throwbacks. The action took place at the east end of the seawall.

Hagerud said the high tides lately have done a great job of cleaning up the seaweed.

Paul Dillard of Gilchrist fished Rollover Pass on Friday night and saw several flounder landed.

Although his catch was limited to sand trout and black drum, he said he feels that flounder are sensing the migration coming soon.

Friday night, Josh Mitchell and Frank Ledbetter fished for bull reds in the surf near San Luis Pass and encountered a flurry of action on sharks around 11 p.m. Only one bull red was landed, tagged and retained; however, he estimated they hooked-up with more than a dozen sharks.

Joe Morris and his family fished the Texas City Dike early Saturday and landed 24 sand trout, five black drum and numerous hardheads. Dead shrimp was the bait.

Corinna DeMyers, 61st Street Fishing Pier, reported Hunter Gatlin’s first fish. The 7-year-old from Arlington landed an angel fish. Other customers were catching specks and Spanish mackerel.

Russell Ramsey and Jon Minter fished the channel side of the South Jetty, where they landed six sharks, 12 Gulf trout, two black drum, two stingrays and a bull red.

The party boat Capt. John made an offshore trip Friday and Capt. Johnny Williams placed his guests into fish near the old Buccaneer Field. Sharks, mangrove snapper, kings and Spanish mackerel were landed.

Galveston fishing report

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Fishing continues to be on the slow side, with the hottest action coming from the jetties and surf where bull reds and sharks are taking up the slack for other fish.

Steve Morrison, a longtime Galveston Bay fisherman, and I were talking Friday morning about the recent generally fair to poor fishing around the Galveston Bay Complex. Morrison has been seeing the same thing as many fishing guides this summer — trout are not stacking up in the same spots as earlier years.

Morrison was citing an example of just a couple of years ago when a high-pressure system set in, creating light winds and good tidal movement, which resulted in limits of trout from a number of different locations being boxed by 8 a.m. This year, he has had only two trips where he and his guests limited out on trout, and it took until noon to make the catch.

Many of his trips have resulted in only two or three trout, far less than in years past.

But, what is causing the poorer catches?

Several theories have emerged, and the one most commonly cited is the combination of increased salinity levels and warmer water.

One theory cites the long, cold winter and its effect on the early spring spawn. The estuaries where the hatch takes place and where young fish and shellfish thrive until they are ready for the open water were hit by cold weather and higher salinities.

You might recall that during April, our water temperature readings were well below the average.

Once warm weather set in, we have seen some of the highest water temperatures in years.

Most anglers still are satisfied that there remain large numbers of trout in the bays. It is just a hide-and-seek game to find them and entice them to bite.

Galveston fishing report

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There were no fishing reports Thursday; however, I will give the results from my trip to my regular summertime spots — the spoil banks of the Houston Ship Channel, the Bolivar Gas Wells, North Jetty and drop-offs of the Galveston Ship Channel near Pelican Island.

Those spots offer deep water where some of the better fishing takes place during the heat of the summer.

Summing up the trip, overall, it was a disappointment, though, we did catch fish — enough for several meals.

Among the stops were two of the Bolivar Wells that have a reputation of being the most productive, and nothing was there early. Actually, the tide was slack at 7:30 a.m., and that likely was a big part of the problem.

Another stop near the old Bolivar Barge Graveyard between the ferry landing and the Intracoastal Canal resulted in no fish. Several boats, though, were fishing the area, and I observed trout being caught by two boats, both anchored among the debris.

My absolute favorite spot at the North Jetty near the boat cut produced a couple of specks, black drum and hordes of ladyfish. At noon, we headed in and decided to make one last stop along the Galveston Ship Channel, where we fished in 10 to 16 feet of water. There, three specks were caught along with even more ladyfish.

While the results were marginal, it was sure a heck of a lot more fun than going to work.

While stopped at a bait camp to take on live shrimp, I visited with a well-known fishing guide about his results this season. The guide, who wished to remain anonymous, said trout catches this summer reminded him of years following a fish-killing freeze. Those years resulted in low numbers and lots of moving around just to find a few fish.

After thinking about it, I had to agree.

Galveston fishing report

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Holiday visitors finally got a break in the weather on Labor Day.

Conditions settled to the point that anglers were able to make it to their favorite fishing holes with added good news: The fish were biting.

Live shrimp were in short supply Monday, with many bait camps running out by 8 a.m.

The break in the weather was too much to pass up for me and my better half, so soon after daybreak we were off to the races.

We were among the fortunate anglers who found live shrimp late morning and ended up fishing a number of spots from the Bolivar Gas Wells to the jetties and the Galveston Ship Channel.

The only area holding specks was the gas wells where we picked up four.

The North Jetty was alive with reds, and our stop there resulted in two slot reds and a puppy drum.

Wave action increased and forced us to the Galveston channel, where lots of rat reds were feeding along the cedars of Pelican Island.

Good-sized bull whiting also were hitting.

Overall, it was a good day on the water, and we have some nice filets for a few meals.

Dan Gessner, who is visiting from South Korea, had a successful morning of wade fishing West Bay on Monday near San Luis Pass.

A 20-inch slot red and 22-inch trout were his catch for the morning.

Dean Silvers and his son Ben hosted Sam and Carl Adkins to a fishing trip Sunday where they landed 11 specks, three sand trout and two black drum while fishing near a structure along the ship channel near Bolivar.

Silvers said they tried the jetties and found the water too rough for comfort.

Sunday, the party boat Capt. John made a 10-hour offshore trip 35 miles east of the jetties.

The 83 anglers aboard returned with a catch that included 297 spade fish, sharks, lane snapper, Gulf trout and blue fish.

Galveston fishing report

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Holiday visitors finally got a break in the weather on Labor Day.

Conditions settled to the point that anglers were able to make it to their favorite fishing holes with added good news: The fish were biting.

Live shrimp were in short supply Monday, with many bait camps running out by 8 a.m.

The break in the weather was too much to pass up for me and my better half, so soon after daybreak we were off to the races.

We were among the fortunate anglers who found live shrimp late morning and ended up fishing a number of spots from the Bolivar Gas Wells to the jetties and the Galveston Ship Channel.

The only area holding specks was the gas wells where we picked up four.

The North Jetty was alive with reds, and our stop there resulted in two slot reds and a puppy drum.

Wave action increased and forced us to the Galveston channel, where lots of rat reds were feeding along the cedars of Pelican Island.

Good-sized bull whiting also were hitting.

Overall, it was a good day on the water, and we have some nice filets for a few meals.

Dan Gessner, who is visiting from South Korea, had a successful morning of wade fishing West Bay on Monday near San Luis Pass.

A 20-inch slot red and 22-inch trout were his catch for the morning.

Dean Silvers and his son Ben hosted Sam and Carl Adkins to a fishing trip Sunday where they landed 11 specks, three sand trout and two black drum while fishing near a structure along the ship channel near Bolivar.

Silvers said they tried the jetties and found the water too rough for comfort.

Sunday, the party boat Capt. John made a 10-hour offshore trip 35 miles east of the jetties.

The 83 anglers aboard returned with a catch that included 297 spade fish, sharks, lane snapper, Gulf trout and blue fish.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Conditions are beginning to improve and the fishing is picking up.

Today is Sept. 1, and as mentioned in a recent Reel Report, this is usually when reds beginning making their move.

Well, it appears that started Sunday.

Bulldog’s Bait Shop reported that the cooler temperatures and rough surf has triggered a “run of the reds.”

Customers of the bait shop fishing the surf and jetties were returning for additional bait as the reds were biting.

Eleven year-old Sammy Nevarez was one of them. The young man fished East Beach off Boedecker Drive and landed a 35-inch bull red using crab for bait.

Other anglers using a variety of baits including mullet, crab and cut bait were encountering good action.

Fred Cravings landed and released three bull reds while fishing off Pelican Island near Seawolf Park on Sunday. Cut whiting was the bait.

Nighttime action on trout heated up Saturday night. Mario Conti fished under the lights of piers and docks on Highland Bayou until the wee hours of Sunday morning and landed six keeper trout along with a bunch of throwbacks. Live shrimp was the bait.

John Sabo fished the back reaches of Greens Lake on Sunday morning and landed three slot reds while releasing several rat reds. Texas Trout Killer soft plastics were his baits.

Unconfirmed reports from Crystal Beach indicated good action on reds in the marshes around Yates Bayou.

This week, a good outgoing morning tide should help anglers who like to fish the bays and jetties during the morning.

The surf is in poor shape from all of the stormy weather; however, it still is a good spot for possibly hooking up with bull reds.