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This summer, I made a commitment to block off each Monday and Tuesday to go fishing. So far I have kept the promise to myself, and today was the day to hit the water. A light west wind greeted Polly and me as we entered upper West Bay, and that was the key to my decision to fish the Bolivar beach front. Just about every species of nongame fish common to that area hit our baits. About 10:30 a.m. we decided to go to the North Jetty Boat Cut and fish the channel side. The water was in excellent shape, and an outgoing tide was moving bait along the rocks — a perfect combination for catching trout. To no one’s surprise, the trout started hitting, along with Spanish mackerel and sharks. By noon, the hot west wind had taken its toll on us, and it was back to the dock with less than a limit of specks. Still, it was a great morning on the water. Capt. Greg Francis, Saltwater Assault Guide Service, did much better while fishing the jetties and Texas City Dike with his party of three. Using free-lined live shrimp, the anglers hauled in three limits of trout to 22 inches. Capt. Michael LaRue, LaRue’s Guide Service, fished Galveston Bay, and had his party of two limited out on school-sized trout by 8 a.m. Strike Pro Husky Vibe crank baits and Jamail Bait’s Goober worms accounted for all of the fish. Sarah Melcer and her fishing dog, Abby, made their weekly pilgrimage to Melcer’s favorite spot at the end of the North Jetty and caught sharks, bull reds, stingrays, croaker and gafftop. White squid was the bait employed. Marshall Spears, along with Jerry and Russell Read, fished the Crystal Beach surf using long rods secured along the shoreline. The anglers from Houston fished every day last weekend and caught a variety of fish including some large sharks, bull reds, a 5-foot stingray and a number of specks. Capt. Mark Smith, Galveston Party Boats, hosted a group of 60 anglers to a jetty fishing trip Tuesday. Fishing the end of the jetties, Smith’s guests landed a number of bull reds, tagging 17 and releasing the others. Rounding out the catch was a 30-pound stingray, 12 sharks and several stringers of trout and whiting. Capt. Garrett King took 100 anglers offshore aboard the Party Boat New Buccaneer on Monday and returned with 200 red snapper along with an assortment of other fish including king and ling. The West Bay Grand Slam Fishing Tournament, hosted by the West End Anglers’ Club, will be held Saturday. The event is headquartered at Avery’s Restaurant at Sea Isle and features both adult and kids divisions. Categories include heaviest flounder, slot red, trout and stringer. For information check the West End Anglers’ Web site at www.fishwestend.com. To get your catch in the Reel Report, phone Capt. Joe Kent at 409-683-5273, or send an e-mail to reel.report(at)galvnews.com. There’s no charge for this service. |
