Galveston Flounder Run: A Quick Guide

November 1st, 2018

flounder map Galveston Flounder Run: A Quick Guide

By Brandon Rowan

WHERE TO FIND THEM

A: UPPER BAY

Flounder from upper Galveston Bay begin to exit areas like Clear Lake, Dickinson Bay and Moses Lake. Fish the shorelines outside these back lakes as flounder migrate towards the Gulf.

B: JONES BAY

Marsh dwelling flounder will exit through Highland Bayou and into Jones Bay. Fish marsh drains, shorelines and structure.

C: WEST BAY

Flounder exit the numerous coves and marshes and either head west to San Luis Pass or east to the Galveston Ship Channel. Fish the bayou mouths, marsh drains and shorelines as flounder make their exodus.

D: BOLIVAR

Flounder congregate near the structure and wells around Bolivar as they head to the pass.

E: TEXAS CITY DIKE

Flounder will hug the rocks and shorelines of this 5-mile-long levee during their migration. This is a great location for shore-bound anglers.

F: GALVESTON SHIP CHANNEL

During the peak of the flounder fun, fish stack up as they funnel through the channel. Any given shoreline or structure can hold flounder in the GSC.

G: GALVESTON JETTIES

This is your last shot at a saddle blanket before they enter the Gulf of Mexico. Fish big mullet and heavy jigs along the rocks during the outgoing tide.

big flounder 2018 Galveston Flounder Run: A Quick Guide

HOW TO CATCH THEM

THE BITE

Flounder are ambush predators, concealing themselves on the bay floor and striking when opportunity presents itself. There a couple telltale signs of a flounder strike. The most recognizable is the satisfying “thump” of a bite during your retrieve. Sometimes, the bite is more subtle and all of sudden you notice a dead weight on your line. And other times, a fish might strike viciously and move.

THE HOOKSET

The most important aspect of flounder fishing is patience! Flounder often bite first to kill and wait before swallowing. Give yourself anywhere from 5 to 10 seconds before attempting to set the hook. Sometimes strikes from aggressive fish require no delay in driving the hook home. Flounder have bony mouths and require a stout hookset. The no-stretch qualities of braided line are perfect for hooking flounder.

Down South Lure in Kickin’ Chicken, Gulp Shrimp in New Penny and H&H Grub in Glow/Chart.

BAITS AND LURES

Berkley Gulp baits are some of the best scented plastics for flounder, but any soft plastic on a quality jighead can get the job done. Scent is important and helps flounder hold on to the bait longer. Apply Pro-Cure gels to your unscented plastics, like Down South Lures, Chicken Boy Lures or Flounder Pounders.  You can also tip your jighead with a small piece of shrimp tail section.

Popular lures colors include pearl, pearl/chartreuse, strawberry/white, chicken on a chain, pink, chartreuse, new penny and many more.

Live shrimp, finger mullet and mud minnows are all popular, successful flounder baits.

It’s hard to go wrong with the real thing. The most popular live baits are finger mullet, live shrimp and mud minnows. Fish these on the bottom with a carolina rig: swivel,  weight (1/4 oz. to 1 oz. depending on water depth), a live bait or kahle hook and a 18” length of 15-20 lb mono or fluoro.

UNDERSTANDING THE FLOUNDER LIFE CYCLE

Life cycle of the Southern Flounder. Illustrations by Brandon Rowan.

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Galveston Bay Spring Fishing

March 1st, 2017

By Capt. David C Dillman

Spec-tacular Trout Adventures | 409-632-0924

March and April is when the majority of the fishing community wipe the cobwebs off their rod and reels, crank up their outboards and set their sights on bending rods.

Spring along the Upper Coast starts with the 42nd Annual Houston Fishing Show, March 8-12 at the GRB Convention Center. This is one of the largest shows of its kind in the country. Everything fishing related from boats, tackle, fishing guides and marinas located under one roof. I will be there all week at the Eagle Point Fishing Camp booth #618.

On the fishing scene it all begins with the arrival of big black drum. The Galveston jetties, passes, Texas City dike and the Bolivar gas wells will all hold an abundance of these fish. The best baits to use are blue crab, dead shrimp and even crawfish. A medium/heavy action rod and reel combo, utilizing enough weight to hold the bait down on the bottom, will draw the bites. These fish range from anywhere from 20 to 50 pounds.

Sheepshead will be there for the taking as well. Literally any spot along the Galveston jetties will produce these tasty fish. Shorelines with scattered shell and pier pilings should also be good. Live shrimp under a popping cork is a great method when fished tight up against the structure. While often overlooked, they are fun to catch and offer good table fare. There is a 5 fish limit with a 15 inch minimum size.

On the speckled trout scene look for the action to first heat up around the Galveston jetties. As we move into the latter part of March, the lower Galveston Bay area, around the causeway, Campbell’s Bayou and Sand Island will hold its share of fish. In April, East Galveston Bay and the western shoreline of Galveston Bay, from the base of the Texas City Dike, Dollar Point and towards Moses Lake will hold good numbers of trout. Don’t overlook the shorelines around Eagle Point. Last year this area gave up excellent stringers of quality speckled trout.

Until next time be safe on the water and enjoy what Galveston Bay has to offer.

costa rica sailfish Galveston Bay Spring Fishing

In January, my girlfriend and I visited Costa Rica for our first time. We fished aboard “Dreamworks,” owned and operated by Capt. Tom Carton and his Mate Jerry Carothers. We went 7-12 on Sailfish and lost a blue marlin estimated at 300 pounds. Capt. Tom has been fishing the area for over 25 years. He had the first Charter service in Los Suenos. I highly recommend him. You can find him on the web at captaintoms.com.

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Galveston Winter Fishing: Deep Or Shallow?

January 3rd, 2017

big speckled trout Galveston Winter Fishing: Deep Or Shallow?

Finding trout and redfish when the water goes cold

By Capt. Joe Kent

There has always been a rule of thumb for seasonal fishing.  You should fish deep in mid-summer and winter, and fish shallow in the fall and spring.  While I certainly do not disagree with that, there have been some modifications to that rule for winter fishing around the Galveston Bay Complex.

Several decades ago, anglers could pretty much rely upon the scenario that if you want to catch fish during the winter, fish in deeper waters.  One reason is that the winters were colder and more prolonged than they are today.  Still, fish tend to follow that pattern around the Galveston Bay Complex except in at least one area and that is West Galveston Bay.

West Bay, as we call it, is a relatively shallow bay with few deep holes when compared to other bays such as upper Galveston or East Bays.  West Bay is well-known for its cold weather fishing and in fact, tends to turn off during the warmer months.

corky 300x197 Galveston Winter Fishing: Deep Or Shallow?

Paul Brown’s Original Suspending Twitchbait in Copper Top.

Slow sinking lures retrieved at a slow pace produce the fish.

This small bay system that spans between the Galveston Causeway and San Luis Pass is one of the top spots to catch trophy trout during the winter and early spring.  Reds also are plentiful that time of year and when looking at the average depth it is surprising that it is so productive during the cold months.

Harry Landers, a retired and once popular fishing guide out of Jamaica Beach, told me that West Bay was a well-kept secret for winter fishing.  He felt the same way about Chocolate Bay, a shallow bay system that adjoins Lower West Bay to the north.

Landers caught many trophy-sized trout during his hey-day and placed many happy guests into trout that would go to the taxidermist rather than the kitchen.

Landers knew West Bay and Chocolate Bay like the back of his hand and shared a few of his secrets, many of which are common knowledge among fishing guides today.

While Offatts Bayou and its famous Blue Hole caught the attention of anglers during the winter, Landers was out fishing the shallower waters of West Bay.  Wade fishing, he felt, was the most productive way of fishing the shallow waters.

No doubt when freezes took place, Offatts was the place to fish. Once the water started warming, trout would venture out of the deep water looking for bait.

Mud bottoms during the afternoon tide, either incoming or outgoing, hold the warmest water and attract the small finfish and crustaceans.  In turn, predator fish such as specks and reds will be nearby looking for a winter’s meal.

Shell bottoms also are popular especially in deeper waters.

During periods of afternoon incoming tides, large sow trout can be found roaming the shorelines, especially grassy areas for bait.  Wade fishing is much preferred for trying to entice an older and wiser fish to bite, as boats make noise and noise easily spooks trout.

Another of the popular choices is narrow channels for reds.  While West Bay has a limited number of those channels, offshoots from the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) are plentiful.  Carancahua and Green’s Lakes, along with several man-made canals just north of the ICW, offer excellent action on reds during outgoing winter tides.

Winter fishing styles apply to all of the areas mentioned and probably the biggest of the techniques is a very slow retrieve of the lure.  Slow sinking lures retrieved at a slow pace produce the fish.

While there will be some good fishing in deeper waters this winter, try shallow and go for the glory that is a trophy trout.

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Wading West Bay

November 1st, 2015

redfishrowan Wading West Bay

Wading West Bay: A Winter Wonderland For Wade Fishermen

By Capt. Joe Kent

When I first started fishing Galveston’s West Bay during the late 1970s, several fishing guides referred to it as one of the best kept secrets for winter fishing.

Since then, the word has spread and today this body of water is a popular spot for late fall and winter fishing, especially by wade fishermen.  From late October through much of the winter, wade fishermen score well on the big three, flounder, reds and trout.

Upper West Bay in particular tends to be the favorite of anglers as opposed to Lower West Bay.  Beginning in the vicinity of Jamaica Beach and running all the way to the Galveston Causeway, Upper West Bay holds numerous spots that are productive during colder weather.

We will discuss some of the favorite places waders choose and talk about the baits and conditions that produce the best results.

For starters, we need to mention that insulated waders are a must this time of year.  Also, fishing with companions is highly recommended over fishing alone.

While there are spots that anglers without boats or kayaks can fish, they are limited and the use of a boat to get you to the better spots is almost essential for increasing your odds for good results.

Let’s start out by mentioning some of the spots that offer access to the bay for fishermen without boats.  While actually across the line into Lower Galveston Bay, the shoreline from the Causeway Railroad Bridge down to Campbell’s Bayou is accessible by driving under the railroad bridge.  You should plan on lots of walking if you fish this area.

Carancahua Cove behind the Galveston Island State Park near Jamaica Beach is a popular spot and offers easy wade fishing.

flounderface1 Wading West Bay

The flounder run will soon be in full stride on the Texas Coast.

The Sportsman Road and Anderson Ways areas, just off of Eight Mile Road, are spots where wade fishermen can access the south shoreline of Upper West Bay.  Starvation Cove is in the vicinity of this area and is quite popular.

All of those spots are easily accessible by boat as well.

For boaters, North and South Deer Islands and the surrounding areas are top spots for early morning wade fishing action. From Mecom’s Cut all the way to Green’s Cut, the spoil Islands offer great opportunities for taking all of the big three.

On the north shoreline of Upper West Bay lays the spoil area beginning at Harborwalk and extending all the way to the entrance to Chocolate Bay in Lower West Bay.

Off of Jamaica Beach is Shell Island that is covered by water at normal high tide; however, it is an excellent spot to fish for trout and reds.

While it will be impossible to fish all of those spots on the same day, the variety is good.

Live bait, especially shrimp and mullet, fished under popping corks is excellent; however, for waders it presents obstacles with the extra equipment needed to keep the bait alive.

Artificial baits are by far the best choice as they are easy to carry, allow you to cover more territory faster and present a wider range of baits.

Soft plastics are the top choice and the brand, color and style will depend on where you fish and the clarity of the water.  Bass Assassins, Saltwater Assassins, Down South, Norton and corkies (Paul Brown Originals) are among the most popular soft plastic bait brands.

Gold and silver spoons, along with a variety of Mirrolures, are used by a good number of waders.  One category of artificial baits may surprise you as the top waters are used during the winter.  Super Spooks, Super Spook Jrs. and Bombers are credited with some big trout during cold weather.  Pre-sunrise and dusk are the times that they are most effective.

The patterns of fish change as the water gets colder, with a shift to an afternoon bite rather than early morning taking place later in the winter months.

Tidal movement continues to be important with high tide offering the best results for waders along the shorelines.

When the water cools down, wrap up, put on your insulated waders and give West Bay a try.

troutrowan

Fall is great time of year to try West Bay for a variety of species, trout included.

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