Galveston fishing report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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Trick or Trout is the slogan today; however, with the cold front making its way through, it will have to be something other than trout being offered.

Thursday, two friends joined me to fish for flounder and, while our plans were to begin with West Bay, the chilling wind and off-color water forced us to the protected waters of the Galveston Ship Channel.  

The morning fishing was about as slow as it gets and the few other boats fishing that area were having the same luck.  Sometime close to 11 a.m., the tide started moving and we were able to salvage our trip with two flounder and lots of large (12 to 14-inch) sand trout.  The sandies were hitting live mullet.

Wednesday was a better day for fishing as Sarah Melcer tore-um-up at the jetties. Fishing her favorite spot, Abby’s Hole at the end of the South Jetty, she landed and released six bull reds, three huge female stingrays, four sharks to four feet, four gafftop, a sand trout and a croaker.  White squid was the bait and Melcer said she left them biting.

Ronald Bodine fished the Bolivar area Wednesday and landed six flounder to 17 inches retaining his limit of five.  Live mullet was the bait.

Richard Belleau’s 1:45 a.m. report from the 61st Street Fishing Pier on Thursday indicated winds out of the east at 15 knots and catches earlier in the evening of black drum, sheepshead, bull reds, stingrays and croaker.

Fred Silvers fished the lights under the Causeway Bridge Wednesday night and caught two keeper flounder along with a lizard fish, ribbonfish, stingray and large hardhead.  Live shrimp fished on the bottom was the bait.

The early part of the weekend does not look favorable for getting on the water with north winds forecast to be in the 15 to 20 mph range.  Protected areas should hold a variety of fish.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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West Bay is holding a good number of flounder of all sizes. This is a typical pattern during the early part of the annual flounder run.

Hank Loftis and his wife, Jen, fished the mouth of Carancahua Lake early Wednesday and landed five flounder from 15 to 21 inches in length. A lone slot red rounded out their catch. Live fingerling mullet was the bait.

Starvation Cove was the site of a nice flounder catch by Merle Raymond and Pete Clairwood. The anglers caught seven, five keepers to 18 inches and two throwbacks. Live shrimp fished under popping corks in two feet of water did the trick.

Lori, better known as the Saltwater Hooker, fished with Flounder Pounder manufacturer Phil Ortiz on Wednesday and landed six flounder, three throwbacks and three keepers, that included 21 and 23-inch fish. The action came from West Bay on Flounder Pounders.

Darrell Moore fished Seawolf Park on Wednesday and landed two flounder, both keepers, measuring 15 and 15½ inches. Lots of sand trout were caught and released as well. Dead shrimp was the bait.

Ronald Bodine reported a catch of 14 golden croaker and a slot red by Eloise Lawrence. No mention of where the action took place.

The party boat New Buccaneer made an overnight trip 100 miles offshore last Sunday with Captains Smitty Smith and Cody Carter sharing duties at the helm. Kayla Garza reported that 49 anglers on board landed a wide variety of fish including 375 blackfin tuna, 19 yellowfins, 645 vermilion snapper, a Warsaw and six other grouper, along with big eye tuna, squirrelfish and rainbow runners.

I am sad to report that we lost another of our long-time saltwater fishermen last week. Melvin Sondock, more commonly known as “Soupy”, passed away at his home in Houston. Soupy loved to fish the Galveston area and will be missed by all of his fishing friends here.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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Anglers are waiting for a cold front to lower water temperatures and get the fish into their fall patterns. This weekend just might be the relief we need as a cold front is in the forecast and it should drop water readings and start the migration of flounder and bait fish out of the marshes.

Tuesday, Polly and I hit the Galveston Channel area looking for flounder. Upon arrival at one of our favorite spots we found the tide weak and moved to the jetties where the outgoing tide was strong. Not much activity except for a few boats hooking up with bull reds along the channel outside of the North Jetty.

Late morning we moved back to the Pelican Island area were the tide had begun to move and found a little action which included a couple of flounder both between 15 and 16 inches in length.

Except for the flatfish and some large sand trout not much besides bait snatchers were caught. The water temperature along the channel was in the 75 to 77 degree range, which still is high for this time of year.

A drop of five to 10 degrees will do wonders for our fall fishing.

Duck season begins this Saturday, and I want to caution anglers fishing the marshes, back bays and lakes to be alert for decoys around blinds and to keep away from them. Not only is there that element of danger, the hunters in the blinds get upset when boats scare away birds about to be drawn in to their decoys.

Among the areas to be alert for duck hunters are Greens Lake, Carancahua Lake, Halls Lake, all located along the Intracoastal Waterway west of the causeway, and the marshes along Bolivar Peninsula fed by Yates and Big Pasture Bayous.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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Monday a strong south wind played havoc with anglers trying to fish deep, mid-bay reefs; however, areas along the Galveston Ship Channel were fishable and flounder were being caught.

Crabbing is good which is typical for October, with large blue crabs being caught in just about every area of Galveston Bay.

Bull red action continues at a fast pace along the beach front and around San Luis Pass.

Henry Homrighaus fished Ganges Bayou near 8-Mile Road Sunday where he observed reds tailing and found them hungry for live mullet. He did not mention the number he landed but added that he caught two dozen crabs in his crab traps and most were full and large.

Capt. Jaime Cantu has been placing his guests into limits of bull reds from around the jetties.

Nelson Bell fished the piers and pilings between the Galveston Yacht Basin and ferry landing early Monday and landed six flounder, two keepers to 17 inches and four throw backs. White Shrimp Gulps was the bait.

Along the beach front, Spanish mackerel have returned with the clearer water and anglers fishing the beach front piers and rock groins have been taking a few.

Richard Belleau, 61st Street Fishing Pier, reported whiting, blacktip sharks and bull reds being caught in addition to Spanish mackerel.

Last Saturday night,Cooter Compton fished from a lighted pier in Harborwalk and landed two keeper flounder, seven specks, three keepers and four undersized, and a large ribbonfish. Live shrimp was the bait.

The party boat Capt. John made offshore trips both Saturday and Sunday. The combined catch from the two trips included ling to 45 pounds, king mackerel, bluefish, blue runner, sharks, Spanish mackerel, spade fish and croaker.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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The new Sea Scout Center hosted its first event Saturday, the Combat Wounded Veterans Challenge.
 
While the facility is primarily for sailing by Sea Scouts, last weekend they catered to the veterans for fishing.  Dutch Kueteman, well known for his organization of the Annual Turning Point Drum Tournament for the physically disadvantaged each April, was involved in recruiting Captains Jimmy Anderson, Terry Burton, Eric Dixon, David Huddleston, Rob and Will Kirschner and Roger Robinson to take the participants fishing.

While not a fishing tournament, there still was a lot of enjoyment with redfish and lots of flounder being brought back to the cleaning tables.  One boat headed offshore and found snapper in state waters, returning with some nice fish.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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This week looks great weather-wise for fishing. The only hiccup for bay anglers is the summer like temperatures that are keeping the waters warmer than usual for this time of year.

Surf and jetty fishermen are less affected as many of the summer season fish continue to roam the warm waters. Jack crevalle, Spanish mackerel, pompano and an occasional ling or king mackerel are being caught.  

Bull reds and sharks continue to be consistent along the beach front.

Bay fishermen are catching fish; however, specks are hovering deep as they do during the summer and the best catches reported have come from deep reefs and shell pads in water 7-to-10 feet deep.

Preston Minter found fair trout action along the Houston Ship Channel Spoil Banks just off April Fool Point in San Leon. Minter and his wife, Carolyn, used live shrimp to land seven specks and three black drum while fishing the incoming tide Friday.

Frank Ledbetter of Bayou Vista fished Greens Lake late Friday and caught two flounder measuring 15 and 17 inches, respectively, using Chickenboy soft plastics. Ledbetter said the water is just too warm to encourage flounder to move out of the shallows.

Dick Rogers and Hap Hillman fished long reef in Offatts Bayou on Friday and caught 13 sand trout to 16 inches. Rogers said the 16-inch sandy was the largest sand trout he had seen in his 30 years of coastal fishing.

Jesse Hamilton is one of the late-night fishermen who fishes the surf to the early hours of the morning. Late Friday, Hamilton and his fishing friend Mary fished the from the rock groins and caught a number of croaker, sand trout, black drum and whiting. Dead shrimp was their bait of choice.

This week may offer a window for offshore anglers to head beyond the jetties. 

Galveston fishing report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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Until we get relief from the east wind, fishing likely will continue on the slow side.  The good news is that this weekend a shift is in the forecast and by Sunday southerly winds should be taking over.

Most of the better catches lately have come from the beach front where bull reds, large croaker, sharks and a variety of pan fish are being caught.

Bulldog’s Bait Shop sent in a couple of good surf reports along with one from the Pelican Island area.

Ten-year-old Cavance Holmes landed a 23-inch red while fishing the beach front using dead shrimp for bait.

Mike Riggins used fresh crab to land, tag and retain a 40-inch bull red.

Cut bait was Keith Hogan’s choice for fishing the surf and it produced a 40-inch jack crevalle and a three-foot blacktip shark.

Bulldog’s also reported a flounder being gigged near the Texas A&M-Galveston campus that hit the scales at over 10 pounds.

Richard Belleau, 61st Street Fishing Pier, reported his customers landing mostly blacktip sharks, bull reds, croaker, sand trout and whiting.

Bill Stevenson and Roger Smallwood worked Moses Lake Wednesday trying to land some flounder.
 
No flounder answered the call; however, they did manage several reds with only one of legal size.

  Live fingerling mullet was the bait.

Maurice Bulla called in to say that he feels that the east wind and poor tidal movement are the culprits for the slow flounder action lately.  Bulla and his fishing buddy Hal Harper fished the debris many call the barge grave yard just west of the Bolivar Ferry Landing.

Three undersized flounder and one measuring 15 inches was their catch for the morning Tuesday.  Fingerling mullet and Gulps were the baits.

Conditions have not been favorable for fishing the jetties this week; however, by weekend look for action to pick up with the forecast wind direction change.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Until we get relief from the east wind, fishing likely will continue on the slow side.  The good news is that this weekend a shift is in the forecast and by Sunday southerly winds should be taking over.

Most of the better catches lately have come from the beach front where bull reds, large croaker, sharks and a variety of pan fish are being caught.

Bulldog’s Bait Shop sent in a couple of good surf reports along with one from the Pelican Island area.

Ten-year-old Cavance Holmes landed a 23-inch red while fishing the beach front using dead shrimp for bait.

Mike Riggins used fresh crab to land, tag and retain a 40-inch bull red.

Cut bait was Keith Hogan’s choice for fishing the surf and it produced a 40-inch jack crevalle and a three-foot blacktip shark.

Bulldog’s also reported a flounder being gigged near the Texas A&M-Galveston campus that hit the scales at over 10 pounds.

Richard Belleau, 61st Street Fishing Pier, reported his customers landing mostly blacktip sharks, bull reds, croaker, sand trout and whiting.

Bill Stevenson and Roger Smallwood worked Moses Lake Wednesday trying to land some flounder.

  No flounder answered the call; however, they did manage several reds with only one of legal size.  Live fingerling mullet was the bait.

Maurice Bulla called in to say that he feels that the east wind and poor tidal movement are the culprits for the slow flounder action lately.  Bulla and his fishing buddy Hal Harper fished the debris many call the barge grave yard just west of the Bolivar Ferry Landing.

Three undersized flounder and one measuring 15 inches was their catch for the morning Tuesday.  Fingerling mullet and Gulps were the baits.

Conditions have not been favorable for fishing the jetties this week; however, by weekend look for action to pick up with the forecast wind direction change.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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Fishing continues to be adversely affected by an east wind; however, as the week progresses velocities are forecast to drop and a switch to a more southerly direction is called for the latter part of this weekend.

The good news is that once the wind drops or switches direction, we are in the new moon phase with good tidal movement.Flounder action should resume and my guess is that more of the flatfish are going to be found along the pathways to the Gulf.

One of the first spots for flounder to gather when the move is in full swing is along the Galveston Ship Channel from the Pelican Island Bridge to Seawolf Park.This weekend expect to see large numbers of boats anchored all along Pelican Island if the wind is at tolerable levels.

Not much has been reported on speckled trout lately and that has some fishermen worried.The lack of reports does not surprise me, as conditions just have not been favorable for specks.

This weekend just might be a good one for finding specks in the bays chasing shrimp with seagulls pointing them out.Last week reports indicated that shrimp were leaving the marshes and migrating through the open bays.Each year when that takes place speckled trout action busts wide open, especially for anglers chasing slicks and following the birds.

You might recall that last year was a disappointing year for anglers fishing the flounder run.Many days were just not fishable and once conditions settled flounder action was not up to par.

Several seasoned flounder fishermen felt that the fish migrated at night due to the more favorable tides occurring during the evening hours.

Whatever the answer, we all hope to see a good run this year with anglers easily taking their limits of flatfish.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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We are in that time of year when most inshore fishermen feel that fishing is best.  Mid-October through Thanksgiving is the time and, while conditions lately have not been the best for fishing, something out there is feeding.

We have mentioned that the east wind this week has handicapped fishing; however, it has not shut things down.  For example Bill Zimmer and Fred Grube of Jamaica Beach fished San Luis Pass Monday and got into hot bull red action.  The anglers caught 10 with only one falling into the legal slot and it barely made it, measuring 27 inches.  The remainder of the catch had to be released.

Jessie Hamilton and his friend Barry fished the Causeway Bridge area Monday night with Hamilton landing four croaker, a whiting and a sheepshead, while his friend caught four croaker, two sand trout and an undersized red that was released.

The golden croaker run is on and now the big ones are beginning to appear around Rollover Pass.

  

Harvey Kemp fished the pass Monday night and caught six with the largest measuring 15 inches. 

 Kemp said that he believes that croaker are ready to make their run through the pass and that by next week the action should be outstanding.

The Texas Outdoor Writers Association is holding its Third Annual Junior Outdoor Journalist Adventure Story Writing Competition for all middle and high school students in our area.  The contest is divided into two divisions, grades 6 to 8 and grades 9 to 12.

• First Place winners in each division will receive a new laptop or tablet computer. 

• Second Place winners will receive $100. 

• Third Place winners will receive $25. 

• Winners also will receive an invitation to the 2015 TOWA Conference in Corpus Christi Feb. 26 - March 1.

For more information check http://towa.org/junior-outdoor-journalist-writing-competition/.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

It appears that this year flounder are back to their old patterns and making their big run between the full moons of October and November. Last week, we were in the full moon phase for October and apparently that, along with the frontal passage that emptied the marshes, jump started the flounder movement.

A noteworthy observation is in the number of large, female flounder that are already on their way to the Gulf. Debra Deckard, Bolivar Yacht Basin Bait Camp at Sievers Cut, called in to say the run is on in her area. Friday, Deckard used live croaker to take three of the flatfish making their way out of the marshes.

Joey Dean and a buddy took their kayaks to Seawolf Park on Friday evening and fished the leeward side of the island where large schools of glass minnows were being chased by both fish and birds.  

The anglers caught several undersized flounder, which is typical for that area early in the seasonal run. Dean said he observed potato chip sized flounder all over the place. 

While action stopped for the two anglers when the tide stopped moving, they observed a flurry of action at sunset. One group of fishermen they observed had seven flatfish in the 16 to 18 inch size range.

Trout action picked up Saturday morning early for wade fishermen along the Seabrook Flats and along the spoils of the Intracoastal Waterway across from Pirates Cove.

Jimmy Miller and Cal Chaulser hit the water early off Todville Road and ended up with six specks to 19 inches by 9:30 a.m. Mirrolures and soft plastics were the baits.

Kenn Watkins fished on the bay side of the ICW Spoils and landed two flounder and four trout using live shrimp for bait.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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It appears that this year’s flounder run is getting on track earlier than in recent years and more in line with tradition. 

Flounder have started their move from the shallower waters of the back bays and creeks into the bays and getting ready for the run to the passes into the Gulf of Mexico.

Reports also indicate that shrimp are moving out of the marshes and into the bays, triggering some excellent action on trout. Numerous sightings of birds working in East and Trinity bays were reported.

Golden croaker also are making their presence known along the beach front, and it appears that the croaker run is on as well.

Joe Moughon, manufacturer of the popular soft plastics Chickenboys, has been finding outstanding action on quality flounder around the Diversionary Canal. Thursday he again took a limit of flounder to 23 inches from that area using Pyscho Chicken Barn Yard Pimp as bait.

Opa Miller is another longtime angler who feels the flounder run is on. Miller’s son and grandson, Kevin and Mitchell Miller, took their grandfather fishing Wednesday to a marsh drain near Texas City’s Snake Island. In less than four hours, they landed eight flounder and two slot reds.

Miller said that the flounder averaged 18 inches and that is a good sign this early in the season.

Jesse Hamilton fished the Galveston Fishing Pier both Wednesday and Thursday nights, landing 15 large golden croaker Wednesday, and a combination of large croaker and whiting on Thursday.

Jim Carmer of Omega Bay landed a Texas Grand Slam while fishing West Bay on Wednesday morning. His catch consisted of a 21-inch red, 18-inch flounder and 26-inch speck. Silver spoons and Gulps were the baits, and the action came from near South Deer Island.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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Weak tidal movement and low water levels handicapped anglers fishing the bays; however, the surf and jetties again were different stories.

Reports from along the beach front indicate good action on whiting and large croaker.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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Sorry no report Today

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Copany

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Low water levels and a moderate north wind held bay fishing to a standstill Tuesday. The beach front was a different story, however.

The norther that blew through Monday and Tuesday lowered water levels and that, along with a single tide change for Tuesday, discouraged anglers from fishing the bays.

The bright spot Tuesday was the surf as the leeward shore from the wind turned on with action on golden croaker.

Ken Scanlan, a long-time fishing enthusiast in Galveston, was on the 61st Street Fishing Pier for a couple of hours Tuesday morning and caught 10 bull croakers and several smaller ones. All of the fish were caught using dead shrimp for bait. Scanlan said he started out using squid and did not get a bite. When he switched to shrimp, the action started with several duel hookups among his catch.

Everyone on the pier was landing croaker.

A similar report came from the vicinity of the pleasure pier, where Don Wright landed 17 large croaker while fishing from his kayak. Live shrimp was the bait. 

Based on those reports it certainly appears that we are in the midst of the annual golden croaker run.

 In recent years, the run has been a disappointment to most anglers, targeting the tasty pan fish. 

Hopefully this year the run will be more wide spread.

One of the traditional hot spots for action during the croaker run is Rollover Pass. No reports came from that area; however, if the run is on, that should be a good spot to fish.

By the upcoming weekend, water levels should be back to normal and tides improving. My bet is that a flurry of action on flounder is awaiting anglers at that time. Conditions are prime to get the flatfish to moving and one of the first spots they show up is in upper West Bay.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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Near-gale force winds canceled out fishing on Monday; however, the cold front following behind should give fishing a shot in the arm.

Capt. Mike Williams, Tarpon Express Guide Service, fished Tarpon Alley last weekend and found lots of blacktip and spinner sharks in the area along with a few kings and ling; however, no tarpon were spotted. His group did land a 250-pound bull shark.

Williams feels that most of the tarpon have left; however, a few will continue to linger until the beach water temperature drops below 76 degrees.

Red fish activity in the bays has been picking up. Kim Doreck of Omega Bay caught a limit of slot reds while fishing Jones Lake Sunday morning. Jones Lake is noted for red fish; however, most of the fish caught there tend to be undersized,

Greg Hagerud fished the East End Surf Sunday and found redfish thick along with sand trout. Lots of anglers around him had bent poles.

Daryle Hall, Drew Thornhill and Pecke Carson fished Chocolate Bayou on Friday night and landed nine gafftop, six specks, two slot reds, two bull whiting, four croaker and lots of sand trout.

Hall said that seagulls were working around the geotube and pointed the way to the fish.

Capt. Cody Carter made three offshore trips with guests aboard the party boat, New Buccaneer, last weekend.

Their combined catch from the three trips was 493 vermilion snapper, 186 lane snapper, 46 mangroves, eight African pompano, two kings, six almaco jack, two barracuda, 17 spadefish, 356 gulf trout, a Spanish mackerel and the highlight of the trip, a 120-pound black grouper.

Along the beach front, anglers on the 61st Street Fishing Pier were catching golden croaker, bull reds and sand trout late Sunday.

Galveston Fishing Report

                                                 Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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This year’s flounder run appears to be getting underway. Definitely the time of the month (Columbus Day Weekend) is ripe for flounder to begin a serious move. A coldfront headed our way likely spurred the move, as flounder have a sixth sense when it comes to predicting a change in the weather.

Joe Moughon found the flatfish on the move at the Diversionary Canal on Sunday morning and caught several, with the largest measuring over 25 inches. All of the fish were caught on Chicken Boy soft plastics in red shad Psycho Chicken. Moughon said the bite was aggressive.

Debra Deckard, Bolivar Yacht Basin Bait Camp, called in and said the flounder are running in her area. Deckard fished Sievers Cut Sunday morning and landed two nice-sized flatfish.

While the flounder are on the run, so are some lesser desirables. Bret Vollmer called in to say that large alligators to 15 feet in length are on the move in the vicinity of the Highway 146 Bridge over Dickinson Bayou. He cautioned wade fishermen to beware.

I can verify that the gators are moving, as there were a large number of sightings of large gators last week at Mallard Lake in Brazoria County. This is a private hunting and fishing club where I spend a lot of time during duck season and in the early spring.

During gator season last month, the average size of the reptiles harvested was approximately two feet longer than the average over the past five years. During my 15 years of being part of the club, we have not had an incident with humans being attacked; however, two of the member’s dogs were victims.

In other fishing news, the party boat Capt. John made another offshore trip over the weekend fishing 30 miles out of Galveston on Saturday. Their catch included 18 sharks, 171 spadefish, 131 Gulf trout, other common reef fish and king mackerel.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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 Saturday, fishing conditions were much improved over Friday; however, about the only fish that showed up for the crowds were reds.
Lots of boats were fishing along the channel side of the North Jetty and many were hooking up with bull reds. Two friends from Aldine fished with me Saturday, and one of our stops was among all of the boats inside the North Jetty.

While we were using live shrimp for bait, most of those fishing for reds were using finfish in the form of live or dead mullet and other fresh bait.

Bull reds did not interest my guests so we did not hang around very long choosing to go to areas where sheepshead, black drum, Spanish mackerel and sand trout could be caught. We ended up with a variety of fish; however, the overall results were disappointing.

Shirley Pike, Fatboy’s Bait Camp, reported a catch of specks, reds, black drum and croaker by Leo Johnson. Pike said croaker, rock and blue crabs and reds were being caught from their pier.

Don Robinson of Tiki Island landed a 22-inch trout while fishing West Bay Saturday morning.

Offshore conditions settled under lighter winds, and a few boats headed out to the rigs for some late season action on king mackerel and other pelagic fish.

Dean Silvers along with his son Ben and Joel Turman fished the short rigs Saturday morning and found good action on kings and ling of all sizes. While most of the ling were below minimum length, they did manage one measuring 40 inches. Several “smoker” kings were hooked but managed to escape the gaff.

The party boat Capt. John made a 25-mile offshore trip Friday and Capt. Johnny Williams found action for his 50 guests.

Their catch included 131 spade fish, 24 bonnet head sharks, 20 Gulf trout, 15 croaker, five blue runner, a king, Spanish mackerel and other fish.,

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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On Friday, Tom Brown, his son Shannon and grandson Hunter joined me for a morning of fishing, and that is exactly what we did the first four hours — fish and not catch.

A strong south wind limited our ability to get to the open bay and also to fish the channel side of the North Jetty. We managed to get across the channel to the boat cut and find protected water on the Gulf side of the jetty.

There was hardly a bite at the four spots we stopped and none of us observed any bent rods the whole morning. One last stop on the way back to dock salvaged the trip.

We anchored in approximately 10 feet of water off the Cedars of Pelican Island, and action on sand trout busted wide open. Before running out of live bait, we must have caught and released well over 30 of the fun-to-catch fish.

We attributed the slow morning action to the effects of the Full Moon the night before.

Capt. James Plaag, Silver King Adventures, limited out on trout with his guests Monday through Thursday. Plaag said that trout are still in their summertime patterns, with the action coming from shell pads, slicks and birds in seven to eight feet of water.

Bass Assassin Sea Shads in Houdini color worked best along with Slammin Chickens and the fish were not really big, just good-sized fish.

Greg Hagerud sent in the following report on his trips to the surf three days this week.

“While the surf may not look its best, it is loaded with a variety of fish. There are plenty of speckled trout and redfish. The only problem is getting the bait past the numerous croaker and whiting. Dead bait fishermen can have a field day.”

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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Recently several readers called or sent notes asking about reports from Sarah Melcer.

We had not heard from her in months and attempts to contact her were not successful.

I am glad to report that Sarah is now back on the water and fishing at her favorite spot at the South Jetty.

Sarah said her better half had shoulder surgery in early July and could not captain their boat so it was a dry spell until last Wednesday when they returned to action.

Sarah, who is well known as one of the best gafftop anglers around, did not catch any Wednesday; however, after she gets back in practice, gafftop better start hiding.

Her trip did produce a bull shark over 3 feet long along with four hardheads, a croaker and a sand trout.

For years, Melcer and her famous fishing dog Abby turned in numerous reports of their success at the jetties.

In Abby’s honor, she named their favorite fishing hole at the end of the South Jetty after her dog. Their favorite spot is now Abby’s Hole.

In other fishing news, the surf was alive with action Thursday morning with jack crevalle tearing up tackle all along the beach front. Dizzie Green, Galveston Fishing Pier, reported hot action on the jacks early Thursday.

Fred Taylor had a large jack spool his reel while fishing the rock groins across from Academy.

Before losing all of his fishing line, Taylor had three nice Spanish mackerel and a 16-inch sheepshead on his stringer.

Richard Belleau, 61st Street Fishing Pier, reported excellent fishing under the full moon Wednesday night.

His 2 a.m. report told of croaker, sand trout, bull reds, gafftop, blacktip sharks and Spanish mackerel being caught by his customers.

It appears that conditions will be excellent for fishing in the early part of this weekend; however, Sunday is plagued with a good probability of rain.

Galveston Fishing Report

 Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH (3474)

 www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

No Report today, Sorry Here some pictures of our trip today.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH (3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

The full moon is upon us again. Many observers will say that it is the Harvest Moon and no doubt because of events like Lakewood Yacht Club’s Harvest Moon Regatta taking place in October along with October being a big month for harvest in the southern United States.

The fact is that October’s full moon is called the Hunters Moon, while September’s moon has the designation as the Harvest Moon.

The October moon has significance, regardless of what it is called, and that is with flounder fishermen. Before the delayed winter pattern we have experienced recently, seasoned flounder fishermen felt that the peak of each year’s flounder run took place at some point between the full moons of October and November.

Today, there is little doubt that the October moon triggers movement among the flat fish; however, several longtime flounder fishermen tell me that they now look for the peak between the next set of full moons, November and December.

Regardless of your views on the moon, flounder fishing is beginning to pick up and the flat fish will be moving out of the shallows soon and into the bays as they head toward their Gulf wintering grounds.

The bright moon over the past few days has triggered a lot of good night fishing, especially as it rises and when directly overhead.

Horace Sims has been flounder gigging for many years and always looks forward to the October moon as one of the better times to be tromping along the shorelines with a Coleman lantern and a flounder gig.

Sims plans to be at his secret spot the next few nights.

Tuesday night after the wind calmed there was a lot of speckled trout activity around my dock lights, enough to pick up a few fish for a meal this week. Speck rigs did the trick and they even enticed a large ribbon fish to hit.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH (3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Monday was one of those scary days anglers try to avoid. The day started out with relatively clear skies, light to moderate winds and the Internet weather radar showing nothing on the 50-mile scan.

The forecast called for a 40 percent chance of rain, which mostly was predicted for the afternoon.

I was on the water around 7:30 a.m. and headed to the jetties. Once I hit the Bolivar Roads, the wind picked up; however, it still was tolerable for fishing the rocks. I had been anchored for less than 30 minutes when I heard thunder and looked toward Texas City where a large storm system appeared to be headed my way.

The lightning was the key to my pulling anchor and heading back to more protected waters. As I approached the Pelican Island Bridge, the system appeared to be gaining strength, so that was it, and on to the dock.

Just after arriving, the wind howled with gusts over 50 mph and was I happy to be on land. My only catch was an undersized flounder and a large hardhead. The water at the jetties was in fishable shape early.

A group of anglers going by Wayne, Phil and Ronald were out fishing Monday morning and were driven in around 10:30; however, not before they landed seven flounder to 17 inches and three reds, two slots and a bull.

Before the storms hit, jack crevalle, bull reds, blacktip sharks, Spanish mackerel, stingrays, pompano and croaker were being caught from the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Sunday, the party boat Capt. John made a 30-mile trip offshore where Capt. Johnny Williams placed his guests into action. The tally for the trip was 174 spadefish, 68 sharks and a variety of other fish including king, ling, rainbow runners, blue runners, Spanish mackerel and blue fish.

GALVESTON FISHING REPORT

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

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The news on the fishing scene, although not big news, is that flounder are beginning to appear along the pathways to the Gulf of Mexico.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday a number of small flounder ranging from a foot long to just over the minimum size of 14 inches were being caught along Pelican Island, Rollover Pass and around the old barge graveyard on Bolivar Peninsula.

Larger flounder are being reported from the upper reaches of bayous and back bays.

Lawrence Arnold fished Halls Bayou near the entrance to Halls Lake Saturday and landed a 23-inch saddle blanket using live shrimp for bait. Arnold was fishing bottom and landed several reds as well.

Roy Orvis wade-fished Jumbile Cove near Jamaica Beach early Sunday and landed two flounder both close to 20 inches in length using Chicken Boy soft plastics.

Sand trout still are concentrated around the Galveston Ship Channel where Horace Perez and Mary Rico were fishing Sunday. The couple from San Leon landed 22 to 13 inches in length using a combination of live shrimp and cut sand trout. Perez said that when the live shrimp ran out, they took the smaller fish from the ice chest and cut them up for bait. Unbelievable to them, the action did not slow down with the new bait.

Rollover Pass has long been a hot spot for flounder and large golden croaker during the fall. Annette Henderson and her two sons fished the pass Saturday night and caught several small flounder with only two meeting the minimum size to retain. Live shrimp fished on the bottom was the bait.

The jetties continue to be productive and reports from the North Jetty Bait Camp indicate that flounder, black drum, sheepshead and sand trout are being caught by anglers using shrimp, both live and dead, for bait.

GALVESTON FISHING REPORT

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

North winds gusting to over 20 knots helped keep fishing down Saturday morning; however, by early afternoon velocities started dropping and anglers began to appear on the water.

Kayakers were among the boats hitting the water and the shallow, more protected, areas produced a few slot reds and flounder.

During an unstable Saturday morning with high winds and rough water, Nick Voris from Sea Isle and his two guests from Michigan, Shelly and Brian Bowser, caught several sand trout, stingrays, hardheads, a slot red fish and a bull red.

Their total catch was caught off the Sea Isle Pier with live shrimp for bait. All fish were released.

Saturday morning the party boat Texsun II made a jetty trip in bumpy and breezy conditions and Capt. Jill Williams still was able to find fish for her guests. Their catch for the morning consisted of bull reds, gafftop and whiting.

Friday, while seas were not as bad but still choppy, the Capt. John made a 20-mile offshore trip where the 34 anglers aboard landed and released 28 bonnet head sharks, along with spadefish, whiting, blue runners, stingrays and Gulf trout.

Mike Rath took his kayak to Chocolate Bayou Saturday afternoon, launching at the FM 2004 Bridge. 
Fishing within a half mile or so of the ramp, Rath landed two slot reds and three sand trout using Norton Sand Eels in ivory with chartreuse tails.

The mouth of Greens Lake was where Tony Sandlin and Harvey Moore found a few fish. Using live shrimp fished under popping corks, the anglers from Hitchcock landed a slot red, two flounder and five sand trout to 15 inches in length. The action came between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.  

Sandlin said lots of kayakers were fishing along the Intracoastal Waterway shoreline and they appeared to be catching fish.

GALVESTON FISHING REPORT

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Not much is taking place on the fishing scene with the cold front moving through Friday, and it looks like a good portion of this weekend will be affected by the aftermath of the frontal system.

Sunday will likely offer the best chance of getting out on the water and doing some serious fishing.

  Following most early cold fronts, fish tend to scatter from their spots of concentration before the front.  

Prior to the arrival of the cold front, fishing had been spotty, especially for trout.  Last week’s sustained east/northeast winds created higher than normal tide levels. One benefit of this system is that once it passes, tide levels should return to near normal.

Redfish activity, especially around the jetties and the surf, should continue where it left off and we might see trout start schooling in the bays and chasing shrimp.  If so, bird activity will increase and by that we can determine what type of pattern trout are in.

Look for lower than normal tide levels while the front is making its way past the coast which should push flounder out of the shallows.  I don’t expect a genuine flounder run to be ignited; however, action on flatfish should pick up.

Reports from anglers who have been flounder gigging recently indicate a good crop of flat fish along the shorelines; however most are on the small side.

One thing we might see is the beginning of a run of smaller flounder to the Gulf.  Each year the smaller fish head out first.

Phil Ortiz, inventor and manufacturer of the popular Flounder Pounder Lure, told me that he feels that the reason the smaller flounder head out first is that they swim slower than their larger relatives and thus take longer to reach their winter grounds.

If you make it out this weekend, let us hear about your results.