The Galveston County Daily News

Wednesday’s calm weather was too much to pass up, and by 8 a.m. I was well on my way to the jetties. The cooler mornings are a relief from the summertime heat; however, by noon, it began to feel like mid-summer.

Bull reds and slot reds were thick along the channel side of the North Jetty. The Bolivar beach front was productive for them as well.

I retained a single 27-inch red for dinner and headed to some flounder holes before giving it up for the day.

Flounder action was sparse along the Galveston Channel and Bolivar Barge Dump, a far cry from the hot action earlier this week.

Trout action was hot in the bay, as reflected by Capt. Michael LaRue’s report. Hosting Joe Pritchart, Ben Faulk and Donald Macenroth, his guests landed 30 trout to 5 pounds and nine flounder to 28 inches. Jamail Bait Co. Goobers took most of the trout, while the reds went for Strike Pro Hunchbacks. The action came from fishing over shell in 6 to 7 feet of water.

Madison DeVries had quite a fishing trip last Sunday. Fishing Dickinson Bayou with her dad, Casey, they caught four slot reds to 26 inches and a 5-pound blue catfish. It was the first fishing trip for the 7-year-old, and she was excited, according to the report by her grandmother.

A reader sent a note recommending I again explain my recommendation in Tuesday’s Reel Report to puncture the bladder of bloated fish.

When fish, especially red drum and snapper, are retrieved from deep water, often their air bladders will inflate, and unless the air is emptied from the bladder, the fish cannot return to their habitat. The inflated bladder acts like a flotation device, keeping the fish near the surface.

Biologists recommend that instead of puncturing the bladder, a pinhole puncture in the abdominal cavity should be sufficient to equalize the pressure and allow the bladder to shrink. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Web site gives details and graphics on how to perform this procedure.

Lute’s Marine’s Flounder Roundup and Fishing Tournament drew a good number of participants and provided 22 live flounder for the Sea Center Texas Flounder Restocking Project.

The winners of the tournament were James Robertson with the longest flounder measuring more than 19 inches, Lucky Bryson with the red closest to 5 pounds and Keith Evans with the speck closest to 21 inches. Pam Bush took honors with the shortest flounder.

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.