Galveston Fishing Report 1-30-16

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

www.fish-n-lodge.com 

  There was not a lot taking place on the fishing scene Saturday. Whiting were about it for the 61st Street Fishing Pier fishermen. Sheepshead and puppy drum were being caught around the causeway and railroad bridges, according to a report from Galveston Bait and Tackle.
This time of year most likely is the slowest time for fishing and fishing reports. While there is good action taking place during windows of favorable conditions, there are not many fishermen out there.

Many of those anglers back off for the same reason I use as my excuse, the cold temperatures. Many of us can endure extreme heat during the summer; however, when it comes to a day when the temperature is in the 50s or lower, we chicken out.

Beginning some time in April, the return migration of fishermen begins. Much like the flounder runs, about the time the flounder leave the bays many fishermen coincidentally begin shelving their gear. On the reverse side, around the time flounder return to the bays, anglers return with them.

I don’t recall having heard that analogy from anyone; however, there is definitely a pattern that exists among the two events.

If your boat has not been used for over a month or your engine has not been started during that time, it would be advisable to at least crank the motor and run it for a few minutes. Obviously, you should use a flushing device if it is on a trailer.

Boats stored in slings over water have an advantage of being able to not only run their engine while in the slip but placing it in gear for a minute or so.

For those boats that have not been used for a while, hopefully you have used a good stabilizer in the fuel. This is imperative with today’s ethanol gas.

Galveston Fishing Report 1-29-16

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH(3474) 

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

www.fish-n-lodge.com

 

 

  A gorgeous weekend is in store for anglers, and we will discuss where the best fishing might take place, but first, I want to pass on a note from Scott Neilson who responded to our list of popular trout lures in Friday’s Reel Report. Neilson said he uses the Paul Brown Corkies almost exclusively from mid-December through early March and feels that they are as good as any bait for wade fishing and attracting big trout.

Last Thursday the angler from La Marque fished with Doug Barnes and Harold Parks. The three anglers drove to Baytown where they launched their boat and fished the Burnet Bay area. Neilson used his Corky Fat Boy while the others used soft plastics, and their total catch amounted to seven trout to close to 5 pounds. Neilson’s Fat Boy accounted for five of the trout. The largest trout hit a limetreuse Bass Assassin.

Now let’s look at the outlook for the remainder of the weekend. Mardi Gras activities are going to be generating a lot of attention; however, anglers that want to pass on all of the celebrations should have a number of options for fishing.

Wind velocities are always an issue this time of year; however, if the forecasts hold, we should be in good shape this weekend.

Wade fishing the shorelines of West Galveston Island along upper West Bay should be a good choice for finding trout and reds. Recently there have been some good reports on trout coming from Carancahau, Dana, Hoecker’s and Starvation Coves. The best times have been associated with the high tides.

The West Bay tide times shown on this page should give a good indication of when high tides will take place in those coves.

For a wider variety of fish, largely pan fish, areas along Pelican Island, the jetties and Texas City Dike should be worthwhile choices.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH (3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

www.fish-n-lodge.com 

 

  While conditions along the upper Texas Coast were excellent Thursday, there was not much in the way of fishing taking place. The flat water around Galveston early in the day was inviting anglers to hit the water; however, only a few decided to give it a try.
Derrick Powers of Herne was one who decided to give the Galveston area a try and after three hours on the water, had a few sand trout and two sheepshead to show for his efforts. Powers was fishing around docks along Pelican Island using peeled, dead shrimp for bait.

Last Wednesday, Dennis Hemphill called in asking about the most popular artificials used by trophy trout fishermen. Hemphill and a fishing buddy are going to focus on the big trout during February and March and will be wade fishing areas between Jamaica Beach and Sweetwater Lake.

Professional anglers and fishing guides tend to have their personal preferences for baits; however, there are a few that are cited often by those landing large sow trout this time of year.

Two Paul Brown baits are among them and those are the Paul Brown Fat Boy Corky and Paul Brown Devil Corky. Both are slow sinking baits and they are two of the most popular baits. The baits have been around for quite a while and were originally known as Corkies and now are part of the Mirrolure group.

Mirrolure manufactures several other baits that often are associated with tournament-winning trout. Among them are the Catch 2000, She Dog along with the 52-M series. Heddon produces two popular baits, the Super Spook and Super Spook Jr.

There are many more lures on the market that have good reputations for attracting big trout; however, I would venture to say that those listed above are the most popular.

If anyone has other recommendations, let us hear from you, as others anglers are interested in this information.

Galveston Fishing Report

Galveston Fishing Charter Company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

www.fish-n-lodge.com

 

 

 

A flounder run in mid-January? What is taking place with our traditional fishing patterns?

That is the question I asked when a report came in of two anglers landing six flounder Monday morning. The flat fish ranged in size from just below the minimum of 14 inches to over 17 inches in length. Four fish were retained that ranged from just under 16 inches to the largest.

The anglers, whose names were given as Thad and James, were wade fishing in the vicinity of Sand Island in lower Galveston Bay when the flounder started biting. They were targeting trout with slow sinking soft plastics including chartreuse Gulps and while trout action was nonexistent, flounder stepped up to the plate.

This is the first I have heard of flounder action of this magnitude in January around the Galveston Bay Complex. Where did they come from? Were they returning from their spawn in the Gulf of Mexico or did the recent cold front flush them out of the marshes?

The area where they were caught is along the migratory pathway and could reflect either a late departure or early return.

Not too long ago I visited with Lance Robinson of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department about the migration of flounder. I was trying to find out if all of the flounder leave during the late fall and winter.

Robinson said that not all will migrate and the decision is affected by how severe the early winter starts out and the availability of food.

While we have been experiencing a later run during the last 10 years, the recent season cold fronts should have been enough to trigger an exodus for the remaining flounder.

Other than the flounder action, there were no reports for Monday.