GALVESTON

Reported by CAPT. DEREK YORK

 

A Year to Remember

 

EVERY YEAR, TIME SEEMS to keep going by faster and faster and this year was no exception.  Great fishing, record heat and crazy weather hoping to be followed by a great winter of fishing and hunting sure has made 2024 one to remember.  We’ve had some major changes to our fishery concerning spotted seatrout with the new statewide size and bag limit going into effect along with the trophy trout tag system.  With the new 15-20” slot and 3 fish bag, we are all hoping to see a dramatic increase in our trout populations up and down the Texas coast.  This time of year, we still must remember that the flounder season closure will be in effect from November 1 to December 14, with no fish being able to be kept during this time. 

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With flounder season closed, that doesn’t mean you cannot keep fishing for them.  It has been a lot of fun to just go catch and release so many flounder. It is a great time to practice new lures and techniques and get ready for when flounder season opens back up on December 15th.  This time of year, they are usually stacked up in all the normal spots such as the Galveston channel along drop offs and back inside many of the dock areas. Seawolf Park and the Texas City Dike are also great places to catch them from the shoreline.

Flounder fishing is closed until December 14. You can still have fun catching them, though. You just can’t keep ‘em.
(Photo: Derek York)

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I spend a lot of time chasing those Bull Reds out at the jetties and inside the bay in deeper water.  I have a lot of clients that just want to play catch and release with those massive fish all day long!  I am typically using a bottom setup baited with fresh shad, blue crab or mullet (*Remember, mullet over 12 inches cannot be used for bait from October – January).  Live bait will also work such as shrimp and croaker or try using a larger bucktail jig or soft plastic on a heavier jighead fished along the bottom.

The spotted trout fishing has been consistent all year and should be great this winter.  Fishing around working birds always tends to produce lots of numbers, as well as drifting mud and shell around the bay system.  There can be some great days for trout fishing in Moses Lake, Clear Lake and the upper bays along the ship channel.  Soft plastics and live shrimp always produce this time of year.  And for those trophy trout try using Corky’s, topwaters, MirrOdines and Soft Dines.  Slower presentations on colder days over mud bottom can be the key to getting a bite from one of Galveston Bay’s biggest trout.  

Since we are in the Holiday season again, be sure to spend some quality time with family outdoors this year.  For some of us, it may be the only time we see a lot of our family and there is no better way to pass the time than on the water or in the woods!  

 Happy Holidays!