After several days of inactivity thanks to the infamous Hurricane Rita, most of the Galveston Fishing Pier reopened Friday for what turned out to be a terrific day of fishing, fun and frivolity.
Staffer Samantha Hallman said that only the pier’s T-head remained closed, but half of that dilemma was expected to be taken care of by late Friday. It was stated that the left side of the pier’s T-head would return to service sometime Friday evening while the right side was still being overhauled — but will reopen ASAP, if not sooner.
As for the day’s action, Hallman said that the early morning hours produced an unusually good number of speckled trout and bull redfish while the remainder of the day offered angler a nice variety of species. Included on the day-long hauls were sharks, drum, sand trout, croaker, flounder, Spanish mackerel and keeper redfish, and most of the action was on live shrimp, live finfish (mullet or shad), cut bait, squid or fresh dead shrimp.
Elsewhere, it was noted Thursday that former Houston Rocket superstar Calvin Murphy caught a pair of nice keeper redfish, but what wasn’t reported is the fact that, as staffer Jay Wohleb noted, he was “hooked on fishing.”
“We expect him out tonight (Friday), and fishing has turned out to be his new thing,” said Wohleb.
Friday activity at the 61st Street Pier was off somewhat, mainly because just a few, as in two, anglers ventured out. Still, those few caught jackfish, sand trout, whiting and “lots” of sharks. It was also stated that the excellent croaker action of the past several days had slacked off a bit.
In area tournament news, Capt. Joe Kent will conduct the inaugural Arabia Shrine Sportsmen fishing tournament where anglers have a shot at some nice trophies for the best slot redfish, speckled trout and flounder along with a nice “grand slam stringer” (one each slot redfish, speckled trout, flounder) prize.
The event will be conducted out of Teakwood Marina with the starting time set for 7 a.m. today.
The entry fee is $20 per person, and persons looking for more information may e-mail jrw396 fishingtournament(at)yahoo.com or call (713) 805-6114.
All proceeds will benefit the Arabia Shrine Sports- men Club.
Don’t forget that Bonnie Harrell of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will hold a Boater Education class today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Texas City Prairie Preserve, 4702 state Highway 146. Be sure to bring a sack lunch, snacks and a friend.
Fee is $13 and no preregistration is required.
To get your catch in the Reel Report, phone Stiglich at (409) 683-5273. There’s no charge for this service.
