Galveston Fishing report 6-27-15

Galveston fishing charter company

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A nagging west-southwest wind held fishing down Saturday and weaker tides did not help the situation. What is it going to take to get things back to normal in the bays and surf? Hopefully, a little time with no heavy rain and some good tidal movement will get the water back in good shape.

Capt. Mike Williams, who operates Tarpon Express Guide Service, looked at his records over the past 55 years and had an interesting observation comparing the summers of 1983 and 2015. 

“It is my opinion that the early summer of 1983 and the early summer of 2015 are carbon copies,” Williams said. 

“Both years started out on the slow side then heavy rains came in the late spring. Our area was bombarded by a deluge of rain in June. The results were that billions of gallons of fresh rain water came into our bays, rivers and bayous and all that water literally pushed most of the fish toward the better salinity of the Lower Galveston Bay and the open Gulf. At the same time, fish migrating from the Gulf were in the midst of their annual movement into our bays. 

“When these two events in nature come together, the results are a lot of fish in a very tight area. The only difference between 1983 and 2015 is in the size of the trout, with much larger trout being caught in 1983. The months of June, July and early August produced the best trout fishing I have ever witnessed, and 2015 could go down in the record books the same way.”

I have to admit that it is good to have an optimistic outlook on our trout fishing this summer. Certainly, we all hope this comes to fruition.

Galveston fishing report 6-23-15

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

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The big news on the fishing scene is not fish, but alligators. With all of the heavy freshwater runoffs from rivers, creeks and bayous into the Galveston Bay System, a lot of unwanted creatures are being flushed into areas where they are seldom found. Alligators are among those uninvited guests to the party and some anglers are concerned over their appearance in fishing areas.

Susie Dewitt called in to report the sighting of an alligator estimated to be 10 feet in length while wade fishing around Mosquito Island. She also cited a similar sighting by a wind surfer near Dollar Point and asked what should people do if they see a big gator while wade fishing or kayaking. 

First and foremost, leave it alone! I have had a lot experience fishing around alligators of all sizes in a freshwater lake in Brazoria County and also hunting them during the special alligator season during September each year.

Alligators can be destructive and deadly; however, rarely do we have any encounters with them. The most vulnerable times for an attack are during the alligator’s mating season and when nesting.

Almost every year there are reports of alligators around the Galveston area and often they are spotted around Lake Como at Pirates Cove. Texas Parks and Wildlife personnel have been called to that area to trap or remove an alligator on several occasions.

They have been seen on the beach front as well and most of the time it is associated with a lot of rain. Even in dry spells I have seen them in the canals at Harborwalk.

So, they are not new to the scene around here at all. Now, how best to deal with them is to keep your distance, do not antagonize them and do not try to feed one.  

Bacteria, in all of this fresh water, are of much more concern to me.

Galveston fishing report 5-16-15

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

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What else is going to mar coastal fishing this summer? While having to deal with close to record flood waters pushing through the bays and into the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Bill did its thing to the middle and upper Texas Coast. Besides repeat occurrences of what we are currently battling, all we would need is a red tide to cap things off.  

While it is difficult to forecast such events, there is one effect of all of the nutrient-filled fresh water entering the Gulf that we know will be detrimental. It is called a “dead zone” and marine biologists are forecasting a much wider expanse of this year’s oxygen-depleted waters offshore.

Steve DiMarco, a Texas A&M scientist who has researched the phenomenon for more than a decade, said the following in a recent article in the San Antonio Express-News:

“When (the dead zone) happens, the coastal waters become stratified, meaning that the lighter freshwater will stay at the surface and cap the saltier, and heavier, ocean water beneath. That is exactly what is going on right now and in the weeks to come, and when this happens, it almost always means many marine organisms, particularly those that live near or at the ocean bottom, can’t get enough oxygen and will die.”

A similar situation in 2007 left dead fish on jetties near Freeport, where the Brazos River enters the Gulf.

Now, the big question is when will our fishing bounce back to the levels of earlier this month?

At this time, we need to see how long the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill last before we can start forecasting an outlook for fishing.  

Galveston fishing report 6-9-15

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Today is the last day of the 2015 recreational red snapper season in federal waters. This year the weather cooperated with anglers, as each day conditions were such that the “mosquito fleet” could easily hit the Gulf of Mexico in search of the two fish-per-person limit of one of their favorite fish.

I made three long offshore trips during this time frame and we limited out each time, which was no challenge. Legal-sized red snapper were not everywhere; however, the smaller of the species was.  

During a recent discussion with Lance Robinson of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), I mentioned the large number of under-sized (under 16 inches in length) fish, with many being juveniles in the 12-inch range.

He said that the TPWD analysis shows that fish of that size will grow to the 16-inch range within a couple of years, so that is good news for the future of this valuable resource.

The near-perfect weather allowed many more anglers to fish for red snapper this year and it will be interesting to see how this affects the estimated poundage caught this season and its effects on next year’s quotas.

My only surprise was the very slow action on king mackerel. Normally, by this time of year, kings are thick around the near shore wells and platforms. That was not the case at the many stops we made during our trips.

Galveston’s party boats were able to make numerous trips the past 10 days, limiting out on red snapper each time.  

Monday, Capt. Matt Smith took 100 anglers out on the party boat New Buccaneer where in addition to full limits of red snapper they landed a Warsaw, 116 vermilions, five ricking grouper, five ling, eight almaco jack and a king mackerel.

Recreational red snapper catches will continue to be allowed on charter and party boats until July 15.