Galveston Offshore Fishing

By Capt. Joe Kent

cuda Galveston Offshore Fishing

Barracuda can provide a fierce fight on light tackle.

I have been looking forward to this first article for the Gulf Coast Mariner Magazine ever since the invitation was received to write the fishing articles.  First, let me tell you something about my background in fishing.

Fishing has been a life-long passion of mine. One of the reasons I decided to take an early retirement from the legal profession was to devote more time to my passion in life.

I have been a licensed captain and fishing guide for over 15 years, operating Sea 3 Charters Guide Service and writing daily fishing articles for the “Galveston County Daily News” and several magazines.  My wife and I live on the water in Galveston where I have easy access to fishing upper West Bay and other spots including the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

I have fished both offshore and inshore waters along with the surf and jetties.  With that, let’s get started with the fishing column for “Mariner Magazine”.

By the time most anglers read this column, we are going to be entering the 2013 offshore fishing season.  Beginning Memorial Day Weekend and going through much of September, our migratory pelagic species of fish will be roaming the waters of the Gulf not far from shore.

mahi 300x201 Galveston Offshore FishingThis time of year, especially during July and August, is prime time for the smaller boats, collectively referred to as the Mosquito Fleet, to make Galveseton offshore fishing trips.  The Mosquito Fleet will venture well within its fuel range to spots that offer action on a variety of fish including king mackerel, ling, Dorado, bonito, sharks and many varieties of reef fish.

Not all boats are suitable for making journeys beyond the jetties; however, those that are can, find action as close as eight to ten miles out.  So, what does it take to go deep-sea fishing and what will you find in the way of fishing spots within 10 miles of shore?

First, the boat needs to be seaworthy, meaning that it can handle a sudden squall with strong winds and choppy seas.  The length is not as important as the style of hull.  Boats as short as 17 feet fall into that category.  Flat bottom boats and others designed more for inshore waters are not safe at anytime in the Gulf.

A whole article could address what is considered a seaworthy boat and discuss the equipment needed to make it offshore.  One of the best approaches is to make a trip in tandem with another boat.

offshore platformOffshore anglers generally target structure whether visible like wells and platforms or subsurface like rocks and reefs.  Weed lines and anchored shrimp boats are other popular destinations to find fish.

Within 10 miles of shore mostly wells and platforms commonly called oil rigs are the top choices.  Beginning in July anchored shrimp boats and weed lines add another dimension to the offshore selection.  Each area has its own unique way of being fished.  More on that aspect will come in a future article focusing of offshore fishing.

For now, the objective is to give an overview to the small boat operator who has not ventured beyond the jetties.

The required fishing equipment will be heavier than typical trout and redfish tackle; however, the big rods and reels that are commonly associated with offshore fishing are not needed for a short run offshore.

Most of the surface fish, such as king, ling, Dorado, bonito and sharks, are going to range in size from close to 10 pound to 30 pounds.  There will be that occasional hook-up with a really big fish well beyond that size range.

One of the keys is to have enough line on your reel to play your fish.  For this type of fishing, line strengths of 20 to 30 pounds are the most common.

There are lots of structures in the waters off of Galveston and around them are concentrations of reef fish of all sizes.  For this type of fishing, anglers normally use heavier equipment in the 50-pound category for mainly dragging the fish from the structure, as most everything that has been underwater for a while is covered with sharp barnacles that will easily cut line that comes in contact with it.

snapper

Many varieties of snapper can be found within 10 miles of shore.

Your choice of bait will differ from inshore fishing where live shrimp is one of the top choices.  While live finfish such as piggy perch and mullet are top baits, frozen Spanish sardines, ribbonfish, squid, ice fish and cigar minnows are widely used.

Trolling is a popular way to fish for the kings and other surface fish; however, newcomers tend to prefer drifting natural baits (mentioned above).  The key here is to keep the bait close to the surface.

If you are new to fishing the offshore waters, once you make that first trip and hear your reel scream with a strike, you will be hooked.  It is music to the ears of old salts.  Have fun and put safety as your number one priority.




Waterfront Lifestyle in Bay Area Houston – What Does That Look Like?

by Betha Merit

front yard Waterfront Lifestyle in Bay Area Houston What Does That Look Like?

Bay Area Houston is full of residential nooks and crannies where houses with waterfront access are home to a variety of people.  From condos with gorgeous lake views to single family dwellings with a private marina, there are an abundance of choices for those who want to partake of the coastal life from their own backyard.  Brian Yates and Joanna Yates are a couple that thoroughly enjoy the coastal lifestyle offered in Bay Area Houston.  They not only live and play here, they work and give back to the community as well.

Brian Joanna Yates 236x300 Waterfront Lifestyle in Bay Area Houston What Does That Look Like?

Brian and Joanna Yates

Married for 20 years, Joanna and Brian began their courtship and life together in big city style, near the Houston Galleria, where Joanna worked in the modeling industry.  However, when it came time to build their first house together, Joanna was won over by Bay Area native, Brian’s, tour and introduction to all the fun and lifestyle benefits of living on the water.  “I might have started out kicking and screaming at the idea, but soon was thinking I could so do this…” says Joanna.  So they bought a lot and started building in 1999.  And that lot grew into more than a house and became a gateway into an adventure.

Located in League City near South Shore Harbour on a peninsula at Clear Creek across from the nature preserve/bird sanctuary at Nassau Bay, the property has a private marina with deep water access to the Gulf.  Views of Clear Lake, Clear Creek, and Nassau Bay have brought the wild life and nature literally into their backyard.

“I was taken out of my comfort zone and engulfed in new opportunities,” says Joanna.  Instead of buildings and neon lights, there were pelicans, herons, and deer.  Joanna chose to embrace her love of nature and became a Galveston Bay Master Naturalist volunteer.  She can now identify the difference between the myriad waterfowl which inspired her to write her children’s book series, “A Bird’s Eye View of Life”; character building stories utilizing Black Headed Herons, Roseate Spoonbills, White Snowy Egrets and more.  “While this area was home to Brian, I literally had to re-invent myself,” says Joanna.  Wanting to meet new girlfriends she founded The Women Who Wine of Texas, a 501c3 organization that raises money for local charities.  She has produced fashion shows for several charitable foundations in the Bay Area and also has a flourishing business in motivation and self improvement called People Productions.

2303 Carina-39Brian is a well-known commercial real estate developer with current projects spanning from League City to Galveston’s Historic Strand District.  Brian brought the first Starbucks to League City and Emergency Room to South Shore Harbour.  He is a hands-on developer and valued for his personal management style.  “We built one of the first homes on our block, and I saw the potential of what this peninsula would offer in lifestyle and opportunity,” says Brian.

The Yates’ house supports the open hearted and freedom loving vision of its owners, with 3800 square feet of rooms that show 360-degree water vistas that take your breath away.  You barely notice the warm wood accents and slate floors (a decorator’s delight) because the beckoning of nature calls your eyes to the outdoors.  The bottom floor has an entertaining great room and long granite bar, that fully opens to a large patio, an almost Olympic-sized pool, and a practically runway-sized manicured lawn with a pavilion near the water.  Fish jump in that water, begging to be tonight’s dinner, and blue crabs await becoming your next feast.  All from the backyard.

Joanna and Brian have hosted a multitude of events and parties, including three weddings, 50th birthdays and anniversary parties with hundreds of people in attendance.  They have hosted smaller backyard gatherings, for example, enjoying the hot air balloons that fill the sky during Ballunar Festival and watching the 4th of July fireworks while floating in their pool.  Boat lovers themselves, they have hosted the annual Blessing of the Fleet for Lakewood Yacht Club’s Mosquito Fleet Swarm, with up to 20 boats docking at their marina for the afternoon. Brian agrees that the call of water and this idyllic lifestyle is actually in his blood, and Joanna refers to living by the water as a zen-like, healing experience.

IMG00037-20100924-1214However, life does evolve, as do our lifestyles.  Joanna and Brian are flipping the switch and adjusting their lives to include more freedom to travel.  Their home and all it offers is for sale, and they plan to divide their time between their Galveston property, a place back in the City, and parts unknown.  The goal is to pare down their lifestyle to allow for traveling on the spur of the moment, and yet to stay involved in the community they have come to know and love.  Will they miss it?  Yes.  But individuals with the same vision for a waterfront lifestyle, gift for entertaining and a desire for a private oasis will discover it and make it their own.  And that wildlife isn’t going anywhere.

Making Waves

by Rod Evans

GW Freedom375 SWS Making Waves

Grady-White Freedom 375

After weathering some down days, the boating industry is poised for a breakout in 2013

Numerous business and personal horror stories arose out of the economic downturn that swept across the U.S. from 2007 through 2010. The housing market imploded. The American auto industry was on the verge of collapse and millions of Americans found themselves looking for work.

The boating industry was hit especially hard by the sour economic conditions, with both manufacturers and retailers struggling to survive in the face of a drastic reduction in demand for new boats. According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), demand for new power boats among U.S. consumers in 2010 dipped to its lowest point since the trade organization began keeping statistics in the mid-1960s, with a little more than 100,000 boats sold. That represented a 55 percent drop from 2006 and pales in comparison to the “boating boom” days of the early 1970s—and again in the mid-‘90s— when over half a million boats were sold.

“New boat sales became almost non-existent after 2007,” said Doug Hughes, general sales manager at Sea Lake Yachts in Kemah. “Manufacturers were building boats in 2008 and ’09 and were still sitting on them a year later in many cases. Dealers were still able to sell some brokerage boats, which kept us alive, but new boat sales weren’t even half of what they had been in previous years.”

The NMMA report indicates that 2009 through 2010 was the low point for the boating industry, with the total number of recreational boats in use in the U.S. dropping to a little more than 16.5 million, down from the all time industry high of over 17.5 million.

For Hughes, who’s been at Sea Lake Yachts since 1996 and working in the boating industry since 1989, the past several years have been a far cry from the recent heyday of boat sales in 2003 and ’04, and he says the evaporation of the new boat market had a trickle down effect that dampened the used boat market as well. He says buyers who wanted to buy boats that were two to three years old had a hard time finding those vessels and had to settle for buying boats that were six or seven years old.

But the boating industry was able to ride the wave and now faces a much brighter outlook. The NMMA reported an estimated 10 percent increase in new power boat sales in 2012 and predicts that 2013 will see continued sales increases of five to 10 percent. The NMMA credits manufacturers with producing more versatile and accessible 15- to 26-foot boats intended to appeal to buyers with a variety of interests and budgets.

These smaller boats—less than 27 feet—make up 96 percent of the estimated 12.4 million registered boats in the U.S. Boats that fall into this category include aluminum all-purpose boats and pontoons, fiberglass bowriders, fish and ski boats, and jet boats.
The results of two recent surveys also point to better days ahead. An NMMA survey shows that in 2011, boating participation increased 10 percent to 83 million Americans—the largest proportion of adults (34.8 percent) who went boating since 1997 (35.8 percent). And the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service reports that participation in fishing is up 11 percent in the past five years.

SO509 1JML3011 Making Waves

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 509
Photo: Jean – Marine Liot
texascoastyachts.com

David Hunt, sales director at Seabrook’s Lonestar Yacht Sales, says through the first quarter of 2013, his shop has noticed a marked increase in boating interest and sales.

“It’s been good so far,” Hunt said. “We’ve sold a few boats and are looking forward to a good summer. I’d say the first quarter has been good for the global market also.”

Hughes says Sea Lake Yachts is enjoying a good 2013 thus far and he expects the prime selling period, which begins in May, will be a good one.

“We’ve seen a little bit of an upturn in new boat sales. It’s still not super, but it is coming back,” Hughes said.

But in contrast to the NMMA report citing sales of smaller, more versatile boats as the catalysts behind the resurgence, Hughes says larger boats are fueling the increased sales at his shop and at other retailers along the Gulf Coast.

“Manufacturers keep coming out with bigger and bigger models,” he says. “Our sales of larger models are good, but sales of smaller models are not so good. I think a reason for that is guys with lots of money still have lots of money to spend, while guys who are more in the middle class of boat buyers who might have been able to afford a $100,000 boat 10 years ago are more cautious now. Right now boats that are 40 feet and above are selling greater than the smaller boats, which used to be our bread and butter.”

Hunt says powerboat manufacturers are also going big in the horse power department by equipping an increasing number of models with beefy 12- and 16-cylinder engines that are easily capable of pushing boats over 30 knots and, in many models, over 60 knots.

Hughes says the sailboat market, while also crippled by the economic downturn, is more vulnerable to swings in the price of fuel.

“Because sailboats have a lower cost to operate, their prices come up when fuel prices go up,” he said. “Right now, fuel prices are not at an unreasonable level; still around $3 per gallon.”

According to industry reports, dual console boats are another growing market segment. Initially popular in the 1970s, dual console boats, which feature a helm station on the starboard side with the passenger station at port and a walk through at the windshield in the middle, are ideal for fishing and water sports activities and have been increasingly popular. But while dual console boats have traditionally been in the 18- to 30-foot range, a new breed of dual console vessels, like the Grady-White Freedom 375, at more than 36 feet and powered by triple Yamaha outboard motors, each producing in excess of 350 hp, represents a movement toward bigger, more luxurious dual console boats.

Whether it’s a powerboat or a sailboat, one thing remains a constant among today’s boat buyers: the desire to wrap themselves in luxury and convenience while on the water, including having all the latest technological gadgets at their finger tips and full connectivity.

“People are looking for high quality and luxury,” Hunt said. “Most manufacturers have really stepped up their interiors by using woods and granite and other premium materials. Most buyers want bed rooms and all the amenities. We see a lot of people who come down for the weekend who want to have basically a floating condo.”

The three leading sailboat manufacturers—Beneteau, Catalina and Hunter—are all producing sailboats that feature high quality cabin materials and state-of-the-art electronics, as are leading powerboat makers, such as Bertram, Azimut Yachts and Grady-White.

After nearly 25 years in the boating industry, Hughes has seen his fair share of market swings and corrections, but he says there are several reasons why this is a great time to be a buyer … or seller.

“When I started in 1989, we had luxury taxes, so interest rates on a boat loan were around 12 percent. Today, it’s four to five percent,” Hughes says. “So you could have a 20-year note on a $100,000 boat and have a monthly payment of around $600. Plus, if they don’t already have a second home, buyers can write off the purchase as a second home. The other plus is that manufacturers are holding steady on prices, we anticipate a good 2013.”

Kayaking is for Everyone!

by Barbara Meeks

IMG 4464 Kayaking is for Everyone!

As the weather warms up it is time to get outdoors.

One way that more and more people are enjoying the great outdoors is through kayaking.  Kayaking is reported to be one of the fastest growing sports in North America, according to a recent article in Time magazine.

The best news is that kayaking can be enjoyed in this area! The City of League City recently opened three kayak launch sites along Clear Creek.  Clear Creek is a scenic bayou that forms the boundary between Galveston and Harris Counties. The area of Clear Creek between Friendswood and Walter Hall Park has heavy vegetation that provides a natural habitat for many small mammals and birds.

Here are a few statistics:

  • There are nearly 8 million regular kayakers in the U.S.
  • The number of kayakers has more than doubled over the past 10 years.
  • The numbers are almost evenly divided between men (55%) and women (45%).
  • Fastest growth has been among women.

Do you wonder why kayaking so popular?

  • It is a user-friendly sport, even for a complete novice.
  • It appeals to outdoor enthusiasts of all ages.
  • It is an enjoyable way to connect with nature.
  • Anyone can reach a level of competence for that feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.
  • Today’s kayaks are lighter and easier to carry, handle, maneuver and transport.
  • An abundance of paddle trails are cropping up across the region and the state of Texas.
Clear Creek Paddle Trail Kayaking is for Everyone!

Another reason for the growing popularity is simply the basic appeal of the sport itself. Kayak enthusiasts point to the solitude, peace and quiet offered by kayaking. Others enjoy the fact that they can combine it with other pastimes such as fishing, fitness, photography and socializing.

The easiest way to see if kayaking is for you is to rent one before you buy and give it a try.

Kayaks are safe but it is always best to take a friend any time you go on the water. Single person kayaks or tandem kayaks are available and paddle clubs are springing up all over and they offer training and group outings.

A few hours on the water can be one of the most peaceful and stress relieving activities anyone would enjoy. If you are ready to try kayaking it is a great way to re-connect with nature and get a little exercise!

Gulf Coast Mariner Magazine