Galveston fishing report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Fishing overall was on the slow side over the weekend, with night fishing under lights offering the best catches.

Weak tidal movement associated with the half-moon phase was the culprit in slowing the bite.

While action might have been on the slow side, there were some nice fish caught. Azalia Deckard of Austin caught a 21-inch flounder while fishing at the Bolivar Yacht Basin Bait Camp.

All of our reports lately have been from inshore and included mostly flounder. While red snapper are no longer available for recreational anglers this year, there are a lot of other fish offshore that can make a trip worthwhile.

Capt. Shannon LaBauve fished the Clay Pile area last weekend and his guest Danny Leverette of Fort Worth landed a 65-pound black grouper at a cut off rig nearby.

During windows of light to moderate winds, the near shore rigs are excellent spots to find a variety of reef fish.  

A reader called in asking about flounder regulations beginning Dec. 1. In recent years, the November special regulations for bag limits and gigging ended Dec. 1. This year, an extension of the two-fish bag limit was imposed until Dec. 14, while taking flounder by gigging resumed Dec. 1.

December can be a crazy month for weather changes. One day tropical temperatures prevail and the next day a north wind blasting cold temperatures will take over. Capt. Mike Williams, Tarpon Express Guide Service, has kept detailed records of his December fishing over the years and has found that a major movement of fish takes place in advance of strong cold fronts during December. 

Williams said that when a big system is moving through Texas, the bite is on about the time the cold front passes Austin heading this direction. From that point until it crosses the coast, fish, trout especially, are in a feeding mode.