Some areas not up to par yet

Thursday, fishing overall was not as good as it should have been.

While conditions were good, some areas were just not up to par for this time of the year.

The San Luis Pass area produced some fish early Thursday; however, Capt. Lloyd Pepper found the fishing to be slow.

Pepper, who is now retired, has guided lower West Bay and the San Luis Pass area for more years than he likes to admit.

When he says it is slow, rest assured not many fish were being caught.

Capt. Josh Arscott, of Non-Typical Outfitters, is a flounder-gigging specialist who went out Wednesday night and gigged his limit of five quickly.

Arscott said when the water has been calm, floundering has been good.

Thursday morning, he fished the surf and found the current a bit strong and that, along with the large amount of seaweed moving in, caused fishing to be slow.

Saturday should be much better he said, as the tides will not be as strong.

In reply to my comments about the lack of speck runs at the jetties this year, J. Brice sent a note saying he has been fishing the surf since the 1970s and since last Saturday, the specks have been running along the beach front.

Brice and a friend have been landing 30 to 40 trout to 25 inches since the run began.

He feels the fish might be bypassing the jetties for the surf.

You might recall my comments in Thursday’s Reel Report about the best catches for me this year coming from the surf off Bolivar and Crystal Beach.

Dueux Bon sent a note asking about surf fishing and how the tide, wind direction and wave action affect fishing. He also asked how close specks and reds come to shore.

Experienced surf fishermen look for several key indicators before deciding to wade out and fish.

An incoming tide is almost always preferred, along with good water clarity and light winds.

Wave action is an issue only if it causes the surf to become sandy and off-color.

The darker it is, the closer fish come to shore.

As the sun rises and becomes brighter, fish will retreat to deeper waters beyond the second and third sand bar.

The best way to learn to fish the surf is to fish it.

Trial and error probably is the best method to get started.

Wednesday, the party boat New Buccaneer returned from an overnight tuna trip.

The choppy conditions slowed fishing; however, the anglers aboard managed to catch several varieties of grouper, including a Warsaw, along with 309 vermilion snapper, three kings and 55 blackfin tuna.

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.