Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

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.