Need advice?

[austinp52]

Hey everybody, I'm new to the forums and fishing West Bay today inspired me to make an account. I don't know much about the bay but I'm trying to learn. Just a teenager so don't be harsh.

Anyways, today I was at West Bay right off of San Luis for about an hour & a half throwing plastics with my friend. Neither of us have done this before but have both always watched it happen and thought it was the coolest thing. I haven't even caught a trout in Galveston before, so I was real bummed today. We didn't a single bite. I asked another man who I had seen wading out and he said he was throwing croakers or something like that and had no luck. He suggested we went to the bridge to try for Reds because it seemed like we were wasting our time out there.

We didn't even know how far to go out. We would walk until we got kind of parallel with other people (were only about 4 others out there this morning) and just started there. I have school in September and one thing I really want to do is at least catch a trout out here. Thanks everyone

[grown in Tx]

Don't get discouraged about not catching fish every outing. I have been fishing for years and usually come home empty handed. Throwing plastics is fine, I had better luck free lining shrimp while wading when I could afford it. Your on the right track though, you'll find them.

[ROGUECUSTOMRODS]

Dont put so much on catching and the fish will come. The past month i was in a bad slump. Fish were there but I couldn't get bit. Its bad when your wife pulls a limit of trout to the boat with the same lure,line,reel,rod and presentation and you just hold the net....all dang day. The pass gets hammered hard. I would buy a hotspot wade map and google earth were you want to fish. Find reefs close by or maybe ones you can wade to. If surf is your thing look for a stretch of beach with shells on it. For some reason those shorelines usually produce. Maybe someone can chime in on that. Watch the tides for your current,look for bait,birds(big gulls and sometimes turns produce...no liar birds)but most important... Just have fun

[austinp52]

Oh I'm having a blast, even if we're aren't catching a single fish! Thanks both for the help, I appreciate it

[scanoefisher]

Keep exploring and learning. Be very careful wading by San Luis Pass. There are quick drop offs there. Pick up a Hook-n-line map from Academy ($10 ish) and study it. There are a TON of places to walk in/Wade in in West bay.

[ROGUECUSTOMRODS]

Here's a few walk n wade spots Sportsmans rd , Pelican island-there's a rd to left before seawolf...take it in it puts you on a good flat that drops to houston ship channel. Theres is also a trail between todd rd and seawolf that puts you right on Galveston channel. Great during flounder run. I think its 109th street by mood gardens that has a reef and flats to fish. Theres a million more that i cant think of

[SCHU]

Whatever you do, if you go wade fishing at San Luis Pass, please make sure you have a PFD on. Too many good folks have drowned there due to shifting sands from the current. You might walk out ok, but in an hour the track could be gone. Behind the pass is a lot safer. Sportsman road used to be a good wading spot, but rumor as it that one cannot park there anymore. At the end is ok, I think. Also along the levee road to the north of the dike can be good, but there is a deep hole closer to the dike that has claimed several lives as well. Get a wading map and have fun, but do shuffle (slide) your feet along the bay bottom. This helps shoo the stingrays out of the way. Above all, have fun and learn something wverytome you go. Keep a log of your trips and you will be surprised how much history repeats itself.

[plugger]

By all means wear a PFD around San Luis Pass . The current can rapidly suck the sand out from under your feet .
With the summer heat , the fish will be in deeper water . At night and sunrise the shoreline water cools and the fish are often there hunting . You should as well .

[westbaytroutassasin]

I don't get on here very much anymore but listen to these men. Your safety is priority 1. The pass and that hole by the dike are very dangerous. wading can be fun but don't assume anything. Keep at it you will do fine.

[OR19]

Move slow when you wade if you don't know an area until you learn it. The flats on the back side of the pass have been decent all year, especially on tops early, and are much safer than the pass itself. Look for bait, and work the crap out of it, the fish are there if the bait is, you just have to figure out when and what they want to eat. If you like throwing plastics a lot use braided line and you'll catch more fish, the learning curve is much shorter vs. mono in my opinion. Get the lightest and most sensitive a rod with a mod. fast to fast tip as you can afford...when I started I didn't think it made a difference but it does, especially on half day plus power wades. It's a process...I was a freshwater only guy in 96 when I moved to LC, now I'm a 95% salt guy, nothing compares to busting trout on tops as the sun rises. I've got a boat, but if I'm on a good walk in bite I choose that option more than not. good luck.

[plugger]

Yep

[rtoler]

OR19 pretty much hit it on the head. I usually try to throw top water lures very early in the morning then when that bit stops I go to soft plastics and suspending lures. If you fish with a buddy use different color/type lures to see what the fish like to eat at that time then both guys switch to the productive lure. Key is finding bait in an area like small mullet. And don't think the "man in the grey suit" (shark) won't come to visit you some day. Keep your stringer long and away from you.

[OR19]

"And don't think the "man in the grey suit" (shark) won't come to visit you some day. Keep your stringer long and away from you.[/QUOTE]

I walked in and fished the slam tourney...had about 12 -13 lbs for my best 5 trout out of 6 on the stringer...not in the money but I would of went to weigh in. Around 11am my stringer floated by me and my 4 lber was missing, lips and all gone from the stringer, never felt a thing. I knew what had happened. Started walking in shallow to see if I could luck into a red, hooked up in about thigh deep water, heard a huge splash behind me and turned in time to see about a 6 footer take 2 more trout from the stringer. It was awesome! Again, I barely felt a tug and the entire 2 fish were gone. Let the 3 survivors go, went home and took a nap! My stringer is 25 ft and if they made a forty footer I would buy it for the pass in the warm months! Once your trout die, go put them in the ice chest, because its only a matter of time before they sniff them out!

[plugger]

Yeah , you feel exposed and creeped out with those big ones around . Yikes !

[grown in Tx]

Wow that's nuts. Hey it sounds like you found some fish though