Galveston fishing report 6-23-15

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-(FISH)3474

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

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.