Galveston fishing report 2-21-15

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Not much in the way of fishing reports to pass on, so this would be a good time to visit about one of the best catches anglers can make for fun and food this time of year.

When the game fish and flounder are not making the fishing news, whiting seem to be a consistent among anglers fishing the surf, jetties and other areas. When the action is on during the late spring to early winter, whiting are looked upon by many as trash fish.

Why? I just do not know. It probably is because during the prime time for other fish whiting tend to be much smaller and just not worth fooling with at the cleaning table. It certainly is not due to their quality as table fare.

This time of year, we see more bull or large whiting than at any other time. Spawning likely is the answer; however, whatever the reason, the tasty little fish offer some excellent fishing for those interested in bringing home a good meal.

While the State of Texas does not mention the name “whiting” in their records, they are actually listed under two categories, Gulf kingfish and southern kingfish. The respective records for the related species are 2.38 pounds and 3.62 pounds.

Regardless of which variety you catch, the fish are going to be comparatively small. 

Like dynamite, whiting come in small packages and still are one of the tastiest fish around.

The fish are easy to catch, usually feeding on the bottom, and willing to take just about any natural bait offered their way.

Shrimp peeled down to the tail is one of the best baits and is the bait of choice for serious whiting anglers.

Just about any place you can cast a line in the water is a candidate for holding whiting. The best spots this time of year are the jetties and beachfront.

Galveston fishing report 2-18-15

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Often we mention both sand trout and Gulf trout in the Reel Report, and to newcomers at coastal fishing, this can be confusing. Even more confusing is trying to identify which of the two fish you catch. Hopefully, some pointers in this article will help you identify the two species.

For starters, the two terms are used interchangeably, as most fishermen have a difficult time distinguishing between sand trout and Gulf trout. There is an easy and obvious distinction between the two pan fish and their game fish cousin, the speckled trout. Speckled trout display prominent spots or specks on their bodies.

For years, I was among that group and would label the trout caught in the Gulf as Gulf trout and those landed in the bays as sand trout. While both fish are widespread, Gulf trout do favor the Gulf waters.

The best way to identify the two pan fish is to closely examine the fins. On the Gulf trout, the spine and ray areas on the back connect while they are separated on sand trout. Gulf trout have eight or nine soft rays on the anal fin while the sand trout has 11. The Gulf trout is noted as the heavier of the two species. When looking at the State of Texas Fish Records, the record Gulf trout weighed 6.91 pounds and the sand trout 6.25 pounds. 

My experience, based on the fish I have caught, has been that the sand trout have been overall larger than Gulf trout. Again, that has been my personal experience.

Other distinguishing factors include a more rounded tail for the Gulf trout while the sand trout has a square tail. A couple of canine teeth in the front of the top jaw of the Gulf trout also set it apart, and the mouths of the large females are yellowish-orange and the sides are bright silver.

Galveston fishing report 2-17-15

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The cold front that was expected did not hesitate making its way through our area Tuesday, and with it, expect fishing to be in the doldrums for a day or two.
Now that we are past my magical cut off point of Valentine’s Day, we should be in the clear as far as any fish-killing freezes are concerned. For well over 40 years, I have kept logs on fishing weather, especially major events, and since 1975, we have not had a major freeze hit the Galveston Bay Complex after mid-February.

There have been times when the thermometer fell below freezing, but it was for a short duration and was followed by a quick warm up. On at least two occasions, we had a light freeze in late March in Galveston but nothing the fish could not handle.

This is the time of year when we begin to switch our concerns from freezes to wind. While March is noted nationally for its wind, the windiest month along the upper Texas Coast is actually April.

Before the frontal system hit, there was some good fishing all around Galveston. The big Mardi Gras weekend offered favorable fishing conditions, and anglers that took advantage of those conditions found action all around our area including the offshore waters.

Sheepshead, black drum, Gulf trout, whiting and stingrays made up most of the action for anglers fishing the jetties and beachfront. Speckled trout were found around reefs and shorelines along West Bay including Upper and mid-West Bays. 

Wade fishermen focusing on the incoming tides did well in shallow areas from Jamaica Beach to Sportsman Road.

Richard Belleau’s report from the 61st Street Fishing Pier echoed the reports of others fishing the beachfront with catches of whiting, stingray and sheepshead.

Galveston fishing report 2-16-15

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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Conditions generally were good for fishing over the weekend, and a number of anglers took advantage of the light winds and warmer weather to hit the water and make some nice catches.
One lucky angler was treated to a fishing trip on Valentine’s Day. Crystal Keill enjoyed her special treat with husband Tony and ended up making her first Kayak fishing trip. Fishing Moses Lake, she landed a nice 17-inch flounder for a romantic dinner that evening.

Brenda Rilat, Lee’s Bait and Tackle at the Texas City Dike, reported a productive fishing trip at the Bolivar Gas Wells. Elvin Maxwell, Dog Maxwell and Dale Hill used live shrimp to land 20 whiting and two bull reds, one released and the other tagged and retained.

The popular gas wells off of Bolivar are also good spots to find large black drum later in their annual run.

Bulldog’s Bait shop had customers return from fishing the Jamaica Beach beachfront who told of outstanding action on bull whiting. The fish were caught using dead shrimp for bait.

One customer returned from San Luis Pass, bay side, where he limited out on trout and caught several undersized flounder. Free-lined live shrimp was the bait.

Oscar Moore took advantage of the light winds and slight seas Sunday morning to make a trip to Mitchell’s Reef, approximately 12 miles south of the Jetties. Moore and three guests fished the bottom using cut sardines and mullet and landed a variety of fish.

Gulf trout, spadefish, large hardheads and a few undersized red snapper were caught. Only the larger Gulf trout were retained. Most of the fish were caught around the reef marker; however, all of the small red snapper were landed at the nearby production platform.

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Galveston fishing report 2-13-15

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The pattern continues with one cold front after another hitting the upper Texas Coast and disrupting fishing. Thursday’s strong northerly winds kept anglers off the water; however, there is some good news ahead.

The weekend forecast looks good for fishing, as light winds are predicted and even better, they are blowing from a southerly direction. During these windows of fair weather, nice catches of trout and other fish have taken place.

Upper West Bay has turned on when the water levels are good and the winds light; however, we still are dealing with cold water.

Trout anglers should again find specks hitting in the vicinity of Confederate Reef, Greens Cut and around both Carancahua Lake and Carancahua Cove. While both areas carry the same name, they are actually across West Bay from each other.

The jetties should continue where they left off on Tuesday and Wednesday with good action on sheepshead and black drum. Reds have been plentiful around the rocks as well.

More and more large black drum should be showing up as the peak of the drum run usually takes place near St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.

Earlier this week lots of sheepshead were being caught around the jetties and with the action likely to continue this weekend, I want to remind everyone that there is a 15-inch minimum size for sheepshead and a bag limit of five per day.

The beach front rock groins and fishing piers should offer some excellent fishing for not only drum and sheepshead but whiting as well. Recently there have been reported numerous stingrays caught in the surf.

Fred Dexter sent a note asking if this weekend would be a good time to go after one of the wall-hanger trout we have mentioned so often and my guess is that it possibly will. It is interesting that the Texas State Record Speckled Trout was caught on May 23, 2002 in the Laguna Madre.

Galveston fishing report 2-8-15

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It has often been mentioned that we are in that time of year for trophy trout, and several readers have had questions about this.

A good example comes from Don Strange of Santa Fe who asked if there are any special techniques or baits recommended for catching one of the wall-hangers we talk about.

Wade fishing is one of the best ways to sneak up on a big sow. While finfish and even live shrimp are excellent baits, most of the big girls are caught on artificials. Corkies and Mirrolures are two of the top choices.

Most trophies caught during the late winter and early spring period in the Galveston Bay Complex are caught in shallow waters. The fish are there roaming for baitfish and spawning.

The fish did not live to grow that large without a sense of where danger lurks. Noise is likely the biggest obstacle to finding an elderly, overgrown fish. Specks, in particular, spook easily, and any foreign sound, like an outboard motor or other unusual noise, will send them running for safety.

Waders themselves have to be careful about making noise, especially sloshing through the water.  

Experienced trophy trout fishermen will tell you that late afternoon, especially if there is an incoming tide, is the best time to hit the shorelines for a chance to hook a big one.

When the afternoon sun warms the water, dark bottoms, such as mud bottoms, will absorb the heat and offer warmer water that attracts bait fish. A school of bait has an amazing ability to be detected by the big fish and that is where potential action exists.

Pages of information could be written about techniques for finding and catching that once-in-a-lifetime trophy, and between now and the peak of the season, we will be sharing some tips from the pros on where, what and when as it applies to catching your wall-hanger.

Galveston fishing report 2-6-15

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The upcoming weekend should allow anglers to give the jetties and the surf a good test to see where we are on this year’s black drum run. While we are a month or more away from the time when the peak of black drum fishing occurs, we are at a point where a large number of the fish usually have arrived.

During windows of suitable fishing weather, encouraging reports were received that indicated the presence of the “big uglies” around the jetties and surf.

Boats fishing along the Galveston Ship Channel this weekend should start seeing the migration in that area and anglers fishing Seawolf Park also should find action on the big brutes as well as slot drum in the 14 to 30-inch range.

Drum larger than 30 inches in length must be released with the exception of one fish over 52 inches. The purpose of the exception is to allow for a possible new state record black drum to be caught. The current record is 81 pounds, with a length of 51.18 inches and was set in 1988.

The bag limit on black drum is five per day per angler.

During the annual run, a larger number of oversized drum are caught, as the fish are spawning and the brood stock of huge females is making its way down the channel.

Care needs to be given in the catching and release of the fish to ensure a safe return to the water and a productive spawn. Limited handling is a must in order to keep the protective slime coat intact and circle hooks definitely do less damage to the fish than conventional “J” and treble hooks.

One question that always pops up from readers this time of year is “Is it safe to eat fish containing worms?” Larger black drum often carry the parasites and we will address this in an upcoming Reel Report.

Galveston Fishing Report 2/4/15

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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Not much to report on the fishing scene around Galveston Tuesday, so let’s use this time to answer a question from Tom Henry of Friendswood. Henry moved to this area from Lufkin where he fished fresh water lakes and read one of the Reel Reports several months ago that gave some pointers on how to improve your odds when planning a coastal fishing trip.

He asked if we could address that again.

The article to which Henry is referring mentioned some key elements to look for when planning a fishing trip. Hopefully others will again find this information useful as well.

While there are a lot of similarities in planning both fresh water and coastal fishing trips, no doubt there are more factors to deal with when fishing saltwater.

While wind velocity, water clarity and heavy boat traffic are common elements between the two, tidal movement, wind direction, presence of bait and a wider expansion of territory to cover are additional factors in saltwater.

Inland lakes tend to be less affected by wind, as there usually exists more protected areas and the water is not as sensitive to wind direction as on the coast. For coastal fishing, a southeast breeze less than 15 mph is the most ideal with a light south wind being the second best.
 

Good water clarity is vital to catching fish, as murky conditions cause fish to become skittish.

Tidal movement is essential and the strength of the tide is equally as important. Try to fish the strongest tide the day of your trip.

Presence of bait is a key to finding fish. Look for “nervous water” which indicates concentrations of small baitfish.

In saltwater, a school of fish moves frequently and to find them often requires covering a lot of territory.

My opinion, in order of importance, is: 1. Tidal movement 2. Water clarity 3. Favorable wind 4. Baitfish and 5. Light boating traffic.

Galveston #1 Fishing Charter booking for 2015 Now!!!!

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Galveston #1 Fishing Charter booking for 2015 Now!!!!
Galveston Best Fishing Charters "Galveston Fishing Charter Company" Fishing is are Business and Business is GOOD!!! Voted #1 Charter Service in Galveston by Galveston.com Now Booking for 2015 Season......... Google #1 Reviewed Charter Service in Galveston. ...