Friday, West Bay was about as nice as it gets. The water was warmer than usual for November and that is what Capt. Greg Francis, Saltwater Assault Guide Service, feels is keeping West Bay’s normal wintertime hot spots from producing larger trout.
Francis and I decided to try some of the prime winter spots Friday to see if any of the larger fish had moved in. We wade fished several of the cold water hot spots from near North Deer Island all the way to mid-West Bay. Lots and lots of smaller reds and trout were hitting the top waters and soft plastics we were tossing.
Top waters are fairly new in my repertoire of artificial baits used for wade fishing, so I stuck with my favorite soft plastics in plum with a chartreuse tail.
Conditions could not have been more pleasant, and the action was good. Twelve trout and four slot reds were the catch of the day.
Once the water temperature drops another 10 degrees, look for West Bay to really turn on with large trout.
Patrick Lynam took his dad, John, fishing Thursday and spent all day on the water. Their catch included 20 sand trout, 12 specks, two whiting, two flounder, a mangrove snapper and a large sheepshead.
The fish were caught while fishing the weeds along the Intracoastal Waterway at Bolivar, Hanna’s Reef and Seawolf Park.
Sam Deveoteaux, 82, fished with Capt. Kurt Sauer and his nephews, Steve Braswell and Jerry Garrett, and limited out on reds and trout. Rounding out the young man’s catch was a 35-pound drum that he landed and released.
The action took place out of Eagle Point and live shrimp fished under a popping cork was the bait chosen.
Capt. Chris Jamail, Hookset Charters, found full limits of trout for his guests while fishing Galveston Bay on Thursday.
Hosting Sal Garza, Pablo Vega and his wife, Doro, they caught 30 trout while fishing over shell in five feet of water. Lemon Drop and Red Shad Goobers were the baits that worked.
Moses Lake continues to produce a variety of fish, according to Vicki Pike at the Fish Spot.
John Brasher and Weston Strubey fished the lake with artificials and caught two reds and one flounder.
Stephen James used live shrimp to take seven specks from Moses.
Texas game wardens have been writing a large number of citations and making arrests of violators of our fishing regulations. The most common violations are exceeding the bag limits and retaining under and oversized fish.
Seawolf Park and the Galveston Causeway area have been worked hard by our wardens, and it is good to see them out there enforcing the regulations.
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.
