GALVESTON

Reported by CAPT. DEREK YORK

 

Time to Hit ‘Restart’

 

 

HEADING INTO THE EARLY FALL MONTHS is like a restart for a lot of us as far as routines go.  The kids are headed back to school, and we are starting to fall back into a routine, just like many of the fish we chase!  The redfish are schooling up for their annual spawning season in the nearshore waters.  Large schools of surfacing reds can be seen on the beach fronts and in the bays near passes.  This will continue into November usually with fishing being especially good along the jetties and deeper water areas.  

Targeting redfish this time of year means being prepared.  You can catch them up on the surface with topwater lures or by using cut bait and live shrimp near the bottom.  Either way, when you find them, you should have a pretty good chance of catching multiple fish.  I have had several great trips where we boated between 25 to nearly 50 fish in one day, in one spot.  This is always a lot of fun with lots of sore arms after the trip is over.  

Redfish are schooling up now for their annual spawning season in the nearshore waters.

(Photo: DEREK YORK)

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Redfish aren’t the only thing people are chasing this time of year.  Speckled trout are still biting great this time of year along scattered shell and bigger oyster reefs in the bay.  Live bait, soft plastics and topwater lures all produce great catches.  Drift fishing by boat is always a key to success in locating schools of trout and covering lots of water.  Wade fishing is also great, especially early in the mornings when the water temps are still tolerable in shallow water. The beach front is also a top location to cover for speckled trout in September and October.  Spoons, live bait and topwaters are a sure bet in the surf.  Regardless of where you are fishing for trout, if you can find bait and some moving water the fish should be there and be hungry.  

And when the weather is right, I am still always looking for opportunities to go searching for tripletail and cobia.  This year has been pretty good for tripletail so far with my customers catching them in the bay and offshore.  Always take the time to check stuff floating in the water whether it is a small piece of debris, a crab trap float or sargassum floating on the surface.  You would be surprised by some of the stuff we see them hanging out close to.  And the cobia fishing is usually best offshore with some nice fish being taken next to structure in state waters out to 9 nautical miles.  I will typically have a big swim bait or a free lined live bait rig ready to go.  

Hopefully you can get out and enjoy some time on the water this first part of the Fall before heading off into the field for hunting season and the football games start up!  With less traffic and somewhat “hopefully” cooler temperatures, it is sure to be a good time.