Galveston Fishing Report

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Monday was one of those scary days anglers try to avoid. The day started out with relatively clear skies, light to moderate winds and the Internet weather radar showing nothing on the 50-mile scan.

The forecast called for a 40 percent chance of rain, which mostly was predicted for the afternoon.

I was on the water around 7:30 a.m. and headed to the jetties. Once I hit the Bolivar Roads, the wind picked up; however, it still was tolerable for fishing the rocks. I had been anchored for less than 30 minutes when I heard thunder and looked toward Texas City where a large storm system appeared to be headed my way.

The lightning was the key to my pulling anchor and heading back to more protected waters. As I approached the Pelican Island Bridge, the system appeared to be gaining strength, so that was it, and on to the dock.

Just after arriving, the wind howled with gusts over 50 mph and was I happy to be on land. My only catch was an undersized flounder and a large hardhead. The water at the jetties was in fishable shape early.

A group of anglers going by Wayne, Phil and Ronald were out fishing Monday morning and were driven in around 10:30; however, not before they landed seven flounder to 17 inches and three reds, two slots and a bull.

Before the storms hit, jack crevalle, bull reds, blacktip sharks, Spanish mackerel, stingrays, pompano and croaker were being caught from the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

Sunday, the party boat Capt. John made a 30-mile trip offshore where Capt. Johnny Williams placed his guests into action. The tally for the trip was 174 spadefish, 68 sharks and a variety of other fish including king, ling, rainbow runners, blue runners, Spanish mackerel and blue fish.

GALVESTON FISHING REPORT

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The news on the fishing scene, although not big news, is that flounder are beginning to appear along the pathways to the Gulf of Mexico.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday a number of small flounder ranging from a foot long to just over the minimum size of 14 inches were being caught along Pelican Island, Rollover Pass and around the old barge graveyard on Bolivar Peninsula.

Larger flounder are being reported from the upper reaches of bayous and back bays.

Lawrence Arnold fished Halls Bayou near the entrance to Halls Lake Saturday and landed a 23-inch saddle blanket using live shrimp for bait. Arnold was fishing bottom and landed several reds as well.

Roy Orvis wade-fished Jumbile Cove near Jamaica Beach early Sunday and landed two flounder both close to 20 inches in length using Chicken Boy soft plastics.

Sand trout still are concentrated around the Galveston Ship Channel where Horace Perez and Mary Rico were fishing Sunday. The couple from San Leon landed 22 to 13 inches in length using a combination of live shrimp and cut sand trout. Perez said that when the live shrimp ran out, they took the smaller fish from the ice chest and cut them up for bait. Unbelievable to them, the action did not slow down with the new bait.

Rollover Pass has long been a hot spot for flounder and large golden croaker during the fall. Annette Henderson and her two sons fished the pass Saturday night and caught several small flounder with only two meeting the minimum size to retain. Live shrimp fished on the bottom was the bait.

The jetties continue to be productive and reports from the North Jetty Bait Camp indicate that flounder, black drum, sheepshead and sand trout are being caught by anglers using shrimp, both live and dead, for bait.

GALVESTON FISHING REPORT

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North winds gusting to over 20 knots helped keep fishing down Saturday morning; however, by early afternoon velocities started dropping and anglers began to appear on the water.

Kayakers were among the boats hitting the water and the shallow, more protected, areas produced a few slot reds and flounder.

During an unstable Saturday morning with high winds and rough water, Nick Voris from Sea Isle and his two guests from Michigan, Shelly and Brian Bowser, caught several sand trout, stingrays, hardheads, a slot red fish and a bull red.

Their total catch was caught off the Sea Isle Pier with live shrimp for bait. All fish were released.

Saturday morning the party boat Texsun II made a jetty trip in bumpy and breezy conditions and Capt. Jill Williams still was able to find fish for her guests. Their catch for the morning consisted of bull reds, gafftop and whiting.

Friday, while seas were not as bad but still choppy, the Capt. John made a 20-mile offshore trip where the 34 anglers aboard landed and released 28 bonnet head sharks, along with spadefish, whiting, blue runners, stingrays and Gulf trout.

Mike Rath took his kayak to Chocolate Bayou Saturday afternoon, launching at the FM 2004 Bridge. 
Fishing within a half mile or so of the ramp, Rath landed two slot reds and three sand trout using Norton Sand Eels in ivory with chartreuse tails.

The mouth of Greens Lake was where Tony Sandlin and Harvey Moore found a few fish. Using live shrimp fished under popping corks, the anglers from Hitchcock landed a slot red, two flounder and five sand trout to 15 inches in length. The action came between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.  

Sandlin said lots of kayakers were fishing along the Intracoastal Waterway shoreline and they appeared to be catching fish.

GALVESTON FISHING REPORT

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Not much is taking place on the fishing scene with the cold front moving through Friday, and it looks like a good portion of this weekend will be affected by the aftermath of the frontal system.

Sunday will likely offer the best chance of getting out on the water and doing some serious fishing.

  Following most early cold fronts, fish tend to scatter from their spots of concentration before the front.  

Prior to the arrival of the cold front, fishing had been spotty, especially for trout.  Last week’s sustained east/northeast winds created higher than normal tide levels. One benefit of this system is that once it passes, tide levels should return to near normal.

Redfish activity, especially around the jetties and the surf, should continue where it left off and we might see trout start schooling in the bays and chasing shrimp.  If so, bird activity will increase and by that we can determine what type of pattern trout are in.

Look for lower than normal tide levels while the front is making its way past the coast which should push flounder out of the shallows.  I don’t expect a genuine flounder run to be ignited; however, action on flatfish should pick up.

Reports from anglers who have been flounder gigging recently indicate a good crop of flat fish along the shorelines; however most are on the small side.

One thing we might see is the beginning of a run of smaller flounder to the Gulf.  Each year the smaller fish head out first.

Phil Ortiz, inventor and manufacturer of the popular Flounder Pounder Lure, told me that he feels that the reason the smaller flounder head out first is that they swim slower than their larger relatives and thus take longer to reach their winter grounds.

If you make it out this weekend, let us hear about your results.

GALVESTON FISHING REPORT

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Wednesday, we were discussing fall fishing and the next day, hot, summerlike weather reappeared with the heat index reaching 102 degrees in Galveston.

The warm temperatures prompted some excellent action around the jetties as fish must have thought that summer had returned.

Henry Homrighaus along with Ernest Bernard, Rick Campbell and Cassidy Defel fished the rocks with Capt. Mike Eden and landed a wide variety of fish.

Included in their catch were pompano, slot reds, bull reds, sheepshead, black drum, sharks and jack crevalle.

John Gradwall and Ted Rosenbaum fished the channel side of the South Jetty Thursday morning and landed two bull reds, five sharks and a 22-inch flounder.

All of the fish were released except one bull red (29 inches) that was tagged and the flounder. Live fingerling mullet was the bait.

Johnny Baldwin fished Clear Lake on Wednesday and landed three reds while working the area near the cut into Lake Pasadena. A large flounder was hooked but broke off before it could be netted.

Baldwin said that there was a big influx of floating vegetation from Clear Creek all around the lake.

The Kemah/Seabrook Channel continues to produce good stringers of a variety of pan fish for anglers fishing near the state Highway 146 Bridge connecting the two towns. Black drum and gafftop have been plentiful.

Ken Scanlan reported a 19-inch triple tail being caught by Craig Carter of Houston while fishing from the 61st Street Fishing Pier. Scanlan said it was the first triple tail any of the employees had seen caught off the fishing pier.

The sixth annual West Bay Showdown and Fundraiser is Oct. 25 at the West End Restaurant and Sand Bay at Sea Isle.

The event benefits the Shriners Hospital for Children in Galveston. Call 713-594-4252 or visit www.fishwestend.com

GALVESTON FISHING REPORT

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Today begins what many anglers agree is the best month of the year for fishing the bays.

That was especially true years ago when cold weather tended to set in earlier than it has in recent years.

Still, this month will see a number of transitions in bay fishing, with trout getting into their fall patterns and the annual flounder run making its debut for the season.

Also, don’t forget about croaker, as the big ones called bull croakers will begin to make their run to the Gulf at some point this month.

Actually, the runs might have started, at least around Seawolf Park, according to a report from John McMichael, the park manager.

McMichael said that flounder and croaker have started their run through Seawolf Park.

The croaker are good-sized but many of the flatfish are not keepers.

A good number of flounder in the 18 to 20-inch range have been caught and the bait of choice has been finger mullet.

Croaker are hitting exceptionally well in the evening and under the lights of the pier.

McMichael also mentioned that the park will be open 24/7 at least through October.

A change is on the way for labeling life jackets or PFDs — personal flotation devices.

In a move that’s expected to benefit recreational boaters, on Oct. 22 the U.S. Coast Guard will drop the current life jacket type code scheme — Type I, II, III, IV and V — that has been used for years to label and differentiate the types of life jackets and their specific use.

“The boating safety community believes this move by the Coast Guard will help lead the way toward more comfortable and innovative life jacket designs, help boaters stay on the right side of the law, lower costs and save lives,” said Chris Edmonston, Boat U.S. Foundation For Boating Safety President and Chairman of the National Safe Boating Council.

Galveston fishing report

Galveston fishing charter company

832-917-FISH(3474)

www.galvestonfishingchartercompany.com

Today begins what many anglers agree is the best month of the year for fishing the bays.

That was especially true years ago when cold weather tended to set in earlier than it has in recent years.

Still, this month will see a number of transitions in bay fishing, with trout getting into their fall patterns and the annual flounder run making its debut for the season.

Also, don’t forget about croaker, as the big ones called bull croakers will begin to make their run to the Gulf at some point this month.

Actually, the runs might have started, at least around Seawolf Park, according to a report from John McMichael, the park manager.

McMichael said that flounder and croaker have started their run through Seawolf Park.

The croaker are good-sized but many of the flatfish are not keepers.

A good number of flounder in the 18 to 20-inch range have been caught and the bait of choice has been finger mullet.

Croaker are hitting exceptionally well in the evening and under the lights of the pier.

McMichael also mentioned that the park will be open 24/7 at least through October.

A change is on the way for labeling life jackets or PFDs — personal flotation devices.

In a move that’s expected to benefit recreational boaters, on Oct. 22 the U.S. Coast Guard will drop the current life jacket type code scheme — Type I, II, III, IV and V — that has been used for years to label and differentiate the types of life jackets and their specific use.

“The boating safety community believes this move by the Coast Guard will help lead the way toward more comfortable and innovative life jacket designs, help boaters stay on the right side of the law, lower costs and save lives,” said Chris Edmonston, Boat U.S. Foundation For Boating Safety President and Chairman of the National Safe Boating Council.