Anglers find fish despite wind

A moderate east wind has limited fishing activity, especially for boaters. The good news is wind from that direction can be fairly strong and still keep the water in good shape.

It appears the weather forecast for this holiday weekend is swinging like a pendulum. Early on, rain chances were slight to normal, meaning in the 20 to 30 percent range; however, it now looks like a higher probability is set for Monday and most of the early part of the week. Wind velocity forecasts have risen as well.

The surf should offer some of the better fishing; however, anglers fishing some of the back bays and protected areas found fish Saturday.

Priscilla, at Galveston Bait and Tackle, reported several nice catches, including a trout haul by Tommy and Connie Sharpe, of Dallas. The couple fished under the causeway bridge and had to cut the trip short because of engine problems. A trolling motor provided their power back to dock.

The Hoffer family found reds while fishing in the Bolivar area. Austin Hoffer landed a 9-pound red, while his brother, Alex, managed a 6-pounder along with a flounder.

Don Napps and his friend Mike ended up with 14 trout, while Ray Garza, Richie Jaso and Richard Ramirez brought in 13 trout, two reds and a flounder. No mention of where the fish were caught.

Joe Scruggs launched at Dollar Point and found the water in good shape; however, the east wind had the water rough, which forced him to Moses Lake.

Fishing the Moses Lake floodgates, he caught only rat reds. Finally, while drifting the north bank of the lake, Scruggs landed trout, black drum and whiting using live shrimp for bait. Free-lining and under popping corks were his techniques.

Ron Moore found good trout action around the mouth of Campbell’s Bayou. Using dark brown soft plastics, he caught a Texas Slam consisting of eight trout, a slot red and an 18-inch flounder.

Bobby Hill and Edward Parsons fished the surf near San Luis Pass on Friday night and caught lots of large sharks using whole shad and cut bonito for bait. Several bull reds were taken along with the sharks. The action took place about 2 a.m.

The 61st Street Fishing Pier reported catches of sand trout, Spanish mackerel, blacktip sharks, reds, king, croaker and specks. Cut bait, squid and shrimp were the baits of choice.

No reports from offshore had been received, and, at press time, the 30-mile buoy in the Gulf of Mexico reported winds gusting to 20 mph and seas running 4 feet.

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.