Conditions look good for holiday

Thursday, scattered showers around the Galveston area brought a little relief to the intense heat that has dominated the weather lately. The rain should help fishing as well.

There was not much in the way of reports from anglers; however, this is not unusual considering this is the first full week of school for the kids, and fishermen tend to take a break from the water during this time.

Calls and notes are beginning to come in asking about how fishing will be during Labor Day weekend. From the volume, it appears we might have a good number of visitors this weekend who want to go fishing.

At this time, the weather looks as if it will cooperate, with a slight chance of rain and winds that are tolerable for both bay and offshore fishing. My prediction is, if the forecast holds and winds are light and southeasterly, tarpon action will break open.

The tarpon guides have seen lots of the silver kings offshore; however, recent conditions have not been favorable for sighting the fish. Bull reds should be around the jetties and surf in increasing numbers, and if the beach front is calm enough and the water in good shape, some of the offshore species should be making runs.

Wednesday, Capt. Mike Williams, Tarpon Express Guide Service, placed his charter into some good action on blacktip sharks and bull reds. Fishing Tarpon Alley, just north of Rollover Pass, Williams’ guests landed numerous blacktip sharks to 150 pounds, a 200-pound bull shark and scattered bull reds to 35 pounds. The fish were caught under slicks using natural baits.

Audie Janek, of Santa Fe, called in asking about the situation with boat ramps at the Texas City Dike. We will have an update on the facilities closer to the scheduled opening on the second weekend of this month; however, it is my understanding that the boat ramps will be in operation. More information will come on that subject later.

Often the Reel Report receives inquiries from readers asking about how to tell the difference between Spanish mackerel and king mackerel. Normally, this is easy as Spanish mackerel are much smaller; however, there are instances when either a small king or large Spanish mackerel is caught, and the angler has difficulty identifying which fish it is. King mackerel have a minimum length of 27 inches while their cousins can be retained at 14 inches.

Patrick Lemire, one of the frequent contributors to the Reel Report, offered an easy way of distinguishing the two fish apart. While both have similar features, king mackerel have a pronounced dip in their lateral line between the first and second dorsal fins.

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.