Galveston Ship Channel

[MobyYack]

Fished along southern shore of ship channel in waist deep water....davy jones got me for a box of spoons and lures so if you see it let me know please ....my dad caught stingray gafftop croaker and whiting on live shrimp carolina rigged. i caught nothing throwing every lure/spoon/gulp product in my tackle box. croaker under popper trolled brought nothing...so

[MobyYack]

tired of looking at other peoples fishing reports ...i have caught a total of about 10 flounder 2 sea trout and 0 reds in two summers of kayak fishing and am seriously considering quitting fishing. cant get up early enough to get to the beach at dusk when i have to drive all the way from humble. even going offshore with groups i spread my skunk onto them. i have never caught a red larger than about 15 inches and ive fished galveston for at least 15 years...obviously the ship channel sucks ass but ive fished the beach plenty using mullet stingray lures topwaters .....even if my timing isnt exactly perfect on tides i should have gotten lucky by now...ive seen people on their FIRST TRIP OUT do better than ive done EVER.


so frustrated

[da_karr]

Im in the same boat as you man!! Ive caught some decent fish at the coast, but typically my trips aren't great. I just end up paddling around!! On a side note, Ive seen some reports that the trout are good in the surf..maybe go chunk some of those spoons in the surf..Im thinking about driving down from San Marcos one day soon to his the surf.

Dkarr

[MobyYack]

Im in the same boat as you man!! Ive caught some decent fish at the coast, but typically my trips aren't great. I just end up paddling around!! On a side note, Ive seen some reports that the trout are good in the surf..maybe go chunk some of those spoons in the surf..Im thinking about driving down from San Marcos one day soon to his the surf.

Dkarr

ill likely head down to west bay cuz surf is too high right now....let me know if you come down and ill try to join u

[Yakety_Yak]

I'm sorry to hear that your fishing adventures have been less than desirable. I'd be happy to have you guys join in on one of my fishing outings. Hit me up sometimes and we can go out to Galveston or Surfside for some inshore fishing. 832-588-7091

Happy 4th of July to you guys!!

[MobyYack]

I'm sorry to hear that your fishing adventures have been less than desirable. I'd be happy to have you guys join in on one of my fishing outings. Hit me up sometimes and we can go out to Galveston or Surfside for some inshore fishing. 832-588-7091

Happy 4th of July to you guys!!

first of all this is mmikle i just changed my username

Ive tweaked a few things...new locations...gonna try again tuesday. you interested in going? im trying to be in the water by 6 somewhere in galveston

[Yaklash]

tired of looking at other peoples fishing reports ...i have caught a total of about 10 flounder 2 sea trout and 0 reds in two summers of kayak fishing and am seriously considering quitting fishing. cant get up early enough to get to the beach at dusk when i have to drive all the way from humble. even going offshore with groups i spread my skunk onto them. i have never caught a red larger than about 15 inches and ive fished galveston for at least 15 years...obviously the ship channel sucks ass but ive fished the beach plenty using mullet stingray lures topwaters .....even if my timing isnt exactly perfect on tides i should have gotten lucky by now...ive seen people on their FIRST TRIP OUT do better than ive done EVER.


so frustrated

This is not an uncommon sentiment. I would never say what you should or should not do, but I can't tell you how many times I've heard friends of mine say, "that's it, I'm selling all my 'stuff'." And then they are back at it again in a few weeks.

The learning curve is steep in fishing, especially saltwater. The length to which many have to travel must be discouraging. I am not sure that finances would allow it, but what might do you some good is a multi-day trip to the coast where you can go out one day with a guide and then fish a few days on your own afterwards. See the Slowride adds on this site for the person I would recommend and the Coastal Bend can become a very addicting experience. It's beautiful and the water is usually a lot prettier than the Upper Coast, at least than Galveston. Plan it for the early fall, when temps are bearable and the good paddle friendly shallows of the coastal bend are thick with reds again.

[Cityfisher]

tired of looking at other peoples fishing reports ...i have caught a total of about 10 flounder 2 sea trout and 0 reds in two summers of kayak fishing and am seriously considering quitting fishing. cant get up early enough to get to the beach at dusk when i have to drive all the way from humble. even going offshore with groups i spread my skunk onto them. i have never caught a red larger than about 15 inches and ive fished galveston for at least 15 years...obviously the ship channel sucks ass but ive fished the beach plenty using mullet stingray lures topwaters .....even if my timing isnt exactly perfect on tides i should have gotten lucky by now...ive seen people on their FIRST TRIP OUT do better than ive done EVER.


so frustrated

This is not an uncommon sentiment. I would never say what you should or should not do, but I can't tell you how many times I've heard friends of mine say, "that's it, I'm selling all my 'stuff'." And then they are back at it again in a few weeks.

The learning curve is steep in fishing, especially saltwater. The length to which many have to travel must be discouraging. I am not sure that finances would allow it, but what might do you some good is a multi-day trip to the coast where you can go out one day with a guide and then fish a few days on your own afterwards. See the Slowride adds on this site for the person I would recommend and the Coastal Bend can become a very addicting experience. It's beautiful and the water is usually a lot prettier than the Upper Coast, at least than Galveston. Plan it for the early fall, when temps are bearable and the good paddle friendly shallows of the coastal bend are thick with reds again.

Very true statement. I caught 1 flounder during the first 6 months (fishing every other weekend) after trying to learn saltwater fishing. And after 2 1/2 years of learning I still get skunked about 30 - 40 percent of the time. Mostly because I am stubborn and keep fishing the same area all through the year and seasons. But I am learning that area pretty good! lol
Last weekend I changed it up and went somewhere else. Caught 1 keeper flounder and I was happy. At least I didn't get skunked and it was delicious!
It really wasn't until I took a friend 2 falls ago to that same area I mainly fish and waded, that I started putting things together and actually looking for the signs of fish. Saw the signs and started catching.
Anyway, I think at first most of my attention was on kayaking, and without realizing it not really following my fishing instincts.
Don't give up. It happens!!

[frios]

Action Alert - Toxic Threat to Galveston Bay

What would you think if there was a toxic waste site leaking harmful dioxin into the bays and estuaries where you fish and crab? The bad news is that there is just such a site already contaminating Galveston Bay. Dioxin is one of the most toxic human carcinogens known to science and remains toxic in nature for centuries.

A site along the lower San Jacinto River that directly feeds Galveston Bay and its estuaries is leaking dioxin contamination into the Bay, prompting the Texas Department of State Health Services to issue a warning for adult males and non-childbearing women to consume no more than eight ounces of speckled trout a month. Pregnant women and children should not consume ANY trout from the estuary. It is absolutely shocking that warnings like this exist for Galveston Bay.

This growing environmental threat must be contained and removed for the future of Galveston Bay. CCA Texas members have invested their time, resources and conservation efforts to protect the Bay's strong coastal resources and recreational fisheries. The Environmental Protection Agency and responsible industry parties have the ability to clean this disaster up but have yet to take action. The EPA will soon rule on the timing and level of clean-up, and recreational anglers and conservationists need to make their voice heard so this threat is removed completely from Galveston Bay. Forever.

CCA Texas asks you to take action today to demand a full and proper clean-up. Please click the link below to send your comments and concerns directly to the EPA today.

[MobyYack]

i got skunked again today...the shitty part is my dad is outfishing me with dead shrimp (although all he usually catches is whiting croaker and flounder)...last trip he caught a stingray...today i dropped him off at the south jetty and paddled back to my truck. by the time i got back to pick him up he had a keeper trout in the net. i wanted to cuss

[YakMack]

1. It's hard to catch fish if the hook isn't in the water.
2. It's hard to catch fish if the hook is in the water, but there aren't any fish nearby. Spoons, live shrimp, croakcaine - nothing will catch fish that aren't there.
3. If the fish are there, some days they will bite anything. Other days they will bite nothing. Or, they would have bit your lure/bait, IF you would have presented it correctly.
4. Fish finders help, but visual (your eyes) is often the best fish finder. Where there is bait, there is often fish. Where there are sea birds, there is often bait (and fish) nearby. Now you at least have a chance.

I live in Atascocita. Skunk days are rare, but a single fish caught is 30% of the time. I usually catch that 1 fish because I trolled everywhere I pedaled/paddled and got lucky. Oh, and I've only caught them while trolling a jerk/crankbait. Weird, huh? Regardless, leaving at 4am in the morning and getting to Sabine Pass, Bolivar, POC, Galveston, or Baytown doesn't bother me, even if I got skunked the last 3 times, which has happened. I love the challenge and it's all I have since I didn't make it to the NFL (not that I stood a chance).

To leave on a good note: I fish Lake Houston when I don't have time to hit the salt. Luce Bayou is good and it allows me to see of my saltwater tactics will work on freshwater - and they do (sometimes). I found this cove near my house that I have fished about 10 times. I usually get skunked there or catch a dink bass. However, this time I decided to use a gulp bloodworm that is sold in Virginia for saltwater (not too many shrimp in Virginia). Well, that Gulp Bloodworm was ticket I've been waiting for. Caught 11 fish in 3 hours (two 16" bass, one 10" bass, four channel catfish, four yellow bullhead catfish). Was it the time I went, bait I used or time of season?

Who knows? But it gave me confidence and caused me to spend $66 more on fishing crap (I probably already have) the next day.

[MobyYack]

1. It's hard to catch fish if the hook isn't in the water.
2. It's hard to catch fish if the hook is in the water, but there aren't any fish nearby. Spoons, live shrimp, croakcaine - nothing will catch fish that aren't there.
3. If the fish are there, some days they will bite anything. Other days they will bite nothing. Or, they would have bit your lure/bait, IF you would have presented it correctly.
4. Fish finders help, but visual (your eyes) is often the best fish finder. Where there is bait, there is often fish. Where there are sea birds, there is often bait (and fish) nearby. Now you at least have a chance.

I live in Atascocita. Skunk days are rare, but a single fish caught is 30% of the time. I usually catch that 1 fish because I trolled everywhere I pedaled/paddled and got lucky. Oh, and I've only caught them while trolling a jerk/crankbait. Weird, huh? Regardless, leaving at 4am in the morning and getting to Sabine Pass, Bolivar, POC, Galveston, or Baytown doesn't bother me, even if I got skunked the last 3 times, which has happened. I love the challenge and it's all I have since I didn't make it to the NFL (not that I stood a chance).

To leave on a good note: I fish Lake Houston when I don't have time to hit the salt. Luce Bayou is good and it allows me to see of my saltwater tactics will work on freshwater - and they do (sometimes). I found this cove near my house that I have fished about 10 times. I usually get skunked there or catch a dink bass. However, this time I decided to use a gulp bloodworm that is sold in Virginia for saltwater (not too many shrimp in Virginia). Well, that Gulp Bloodworm was ticket I've been waiting for. Caught 11 fish in 3 hours (two 16" bass, one 10" bass, four channel catfish, four yellow bullhead catfish). Was it the time I went, bait I used or time of season?

Who knows? But it gave me confidence and caused me to spend $66 more on fishing crap (I probably already have) the next day.

we should definitely hook up...im headed to west bay tomorrow (GISP) and then probably again sunday (not necessarily GISP but somewhere salty). feel free to join me either day. as far as luce bayou...ive fished duessen, lake houston marina and ponderosa but not much luce. I also have limited freshwater stuff but like the close access. i can meet one or two afternoons next week if you are free.

[YakMack]

Thanks for the invite, but I gotta work and this weekend is reserve drill.

GISP was not good to me (skunked), which makes me wanna go back and try different tactics. I've found that when the fish aren't biting the spoons and plastics, I try the ol' popping cork with various colors of Gulp Shrimp or just some Gulp Shrimp SLOWLY jigged on the bottom. If the reds or flounder are there, they'll usually save my day.

Good luck and keep puttin' that hook in the water!

[MobyYack]

Thanks for the invite, but I gotta work and this weekend is reserve drill.

GISP was not good to me (skunked), which makes me wanna go back and try different tactics. I've found that when the fish aren't biting the spoons and plastics, I try the ol' popping cork with various colors of Gulp Shrimp or just some Gulp Shrimp SLOWLY jigged on the bottom. If the reds or flounder are there, they'll usually save my day.

Good luck and keep puttin' that hook in the water!

thanks...keep me posted...been wanting to fish luce for a while...probably go next week

[Cityfisher]

GISP is where I caught the flounder weekend before last on a paddletail. My buddy caught 1 19" trout also. That was it. We went straight out and fished the geotubes. There is a lot of grass on the way out I saw a lot of bait in it. Im thinking of throwing something weedless with no weight over that grass or a ribbit frog drug over it to see if there are preditors lurking beneath it next time.

[Squidward]

I started saltwater fishing off the Galveston jetties and after two years got pretty dialed into the big reds.
Paddle as far out as you can on the south jettie on a calm day and soak cut mullet or blue crab on a pretty solid weight anywhere from 10 feet to 100 feet out from the jetties and you should be able to hook up with some nice reds.
Bringing shrimp and free lining them right by the rocks can get some nice trout or a ton of sheepshead which are a blast to catch. But just be ready to lose a ton of hooks to the rocks.

If you have more questions feel free to pm me. I know the feeling and would love to help get you on the fish like people have helped me.

[redshad]

CityFisher, a weightless Texas rigged fluke has worked very well for me over the grass at GISP, have caught several nice redfish on it, also, drifting 400-500 yards north of the geotubes during early fall has produced some really nice trout for us. Hope this helps

[MobyYack]

CityFisher, a weightless Texas rigged fluke has worked very well for me over the grass at GISP, have caught several nice redfish on it, also, drifting 400-500 yards north of the geotubes during early fall has produced some really nice trout for us. Hope this helps

three of us were at GISP and didnt do well (last i heard, unless they caught some stuff after i left)