Saltwater fishing around Galveston

[Luke Barnes]

My family and I are going on a vacation to Jamaica Beach in Galveston next week and I am wanting to try my hand at salt water fishing. After looking at the satellite images it looks like the in shore bays would be the easiest. I have ZERO experience in salt water and want to atleast try it and if I can increase my chances of catching a fish, all the better!

 

I am bringing one 6'6 M spinning setup because it's a two piece and we are going ti be tightly packed into the SUV for the drive down. 

 

Does anyone have any experience on where, what lure or baits, and when is the best time of day? 

[NavyToad]

I’d bring a 1/2 and/or 3/4oz white bucktail with a grub trailer. For surf fishing it’s a pretty universal lure and a proven fish catcher.

[Luke Barnes]

8 hours ago, NavyToad said:

I’d bring a 1/2 and/or 3/4oz white bucktail with a grub trailer. For surf fishing it’s a pretty universal lure and a proven fish catcher.

So basically a hair swim jig and a curly tail grub trailer. Hmm I wonder how a white regular swim jig with a paddletail for a trailer would work. I do have white grubs for trailers but not any bucktail or hair jigs in general. 

 

Ive seen people online use shrimp. Whole, tails, heads, raw, cooked, live. I may try some form of shrimp under a bobber too but would love to do some casting with a swim jig!

[DitchPanda]

I grew up about 45 minutes from Galveston and spent alot of time in my teens fishing there and San Luis pass which is just south of Galveston. If your just looking to catch some fish its hard to beat fishing live or dead shrimp on the bottom. For inshore fishing its kind of like a nightcrawler...will catch anything.

[bigbassin']

Grew up fishing that area. Tons of trout and flounder, caught reds as well. Sharks and stingrays were very common catches as well.

 

White gulp swimming mullet or a copper penny gulp shrimp were the standards for artificial. Water was always muddy, 6” or less visibility so I think the scent played a big role.

 

On the flats, if you could find harder bottom with oysters in 3-5’ of water you’ve found the fish.

 

Trout and reds could also be caught right off the beach. Calm day if the water was green (compared to the normal brown) we’d do the beach over the flats. Saw some monster trout caught this way

You could still go with gulp or use live mullet with 1-2 split shots. Unlike other places where most folks are using surf rods to get out past the breakers, most folks just wade out to the first sandbar then work the deep area between the next sandbar.

 

The stingray density there was insane, I’d make sure to shuffle your feet and not pick them up to step forward.

[Luke Barnes]

14 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

I grew up about 45 minutes from Galveston and spent alot of time in my teens fishing there and San Luis pass which is just south of Galveston. If your just looking to catch some fish its hard to beat fishing live or dead shrimp on the bottom. For inshore fishing its kind of like a nightcrawler...will catch anything.

I thought about taking a rod with a carolina rig tied on it for bottom fishing. I think I may just do that now. 

 

14 hours ago, bigbassin' said:

Grew up fishing that area. Tons of trout and flounder, caught reds as well. Sharks and stingrays were very common catches as well.

 

White gulp swimming mullet or a copper penny gulp shrimp were the standards for artificial. Water was always muddy, 6” or less visibility so I think the scent played a big role.

 

On the flats, if you could find harder bottom with oysters in 3-5’ of water you’ve found the fish.

 

Trout and reds could also be caught right off the beach. Calm day if the water was green (compared to the normal brown) we’d do the beach over the flats. Saw some monster trout caught this way

You could still go with gulp or use live mullet with 1-2 split shots. Unlike other places where most folks are using surf rods to get out past the breakers, most folks just wade out to the first sandbar then work the deep area between the next sandbar.

 

The stingray density there was insane, I’d make sure to shuffle your feet and not pick them up to step forward.

Im not experienced with anything ocean related so I probably won't wade out into it. 

 

From looking online it sounds like sheepshead are common bait fish and readily bite a hook unlike a shad. 

[bigbassin']

5 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

I thought about taking a rod with a carolina rig tied on it for bottom fishing. I think I may just do that now. 

 

Im not experienced with anything ocean related so I probably won't wade out into it. 

 

From looking online it sounds like sheepshead are common bait fish and readily bite a hook unlike a shad. 

Just my experience but I don’t believe we ever caught a keeper trout/red/flounder from the bank, only ever got trash fish (cats, stingrays, small sharks). If you’re not comfortable being in the water maybe look at a pair of stingray boots and a set of waders, you’re really hurting your odds without a boat if you won’t get in and cover water.

 

 I always hear how easy sheepshead are to catch but they sure haven’t been for me. I’ve caught one keeper on a fiddler crab and one on the fly. Probably landed 10-15 over the years under 12” on shrimp.

[Luke Barnes]

43 minutes ago, bigbassin' said:

Just my experience but I don’t believe we ever caught a keeper trout/red/flounder from the bank, only ever got trash fish (cats, stingrays, small sharks). If you’re not comfortable being in the water maybe look at a pair of stingray boots and a set of waders, you’re really hurting your odds without a boat if you won’t get in and cover water.

 

 I always hear how easy sheepshead are to catch but they sure haven’t been for me. I’ve caught one keeper on a fiddler crab and one on the fly. Probably landed 10-15 over the years under 12” on shrimp.

I want to catch anything that will bite from the bank. I seriously don't care about which species, just anything that will bite. 

[bigbassin']

17 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

I want to catch anything that will bite from the bank. I seriously don't care about which species, just anything that will bite. 

Copy.

 

If that’s the case, @DitchPanda is spot on with live shrimp on the bottom. 

[Luke Barnes]

On 6/6/2022 at 6:26 PM, bigbassin' said:

Copy.

 

If that’s the case, @DitchPanda is spot on with live shrimp on the bottom. 

Would a light carolina rig with a number 1 straight shank hook be good for shrimp on the bottom?

[bigbassin']

Yessir.

1.5’-2’ leader with a quarter ounce weight would be were I would start. I’d have some 1/2 and 3/4 ounce weights handy if fishing the surf.

 

A Cajun thunder popping cork is also a very effective technique. Tie the shrimp (or a gulp) 12-18” below the cork, give it a small pop every 15-20 seconds. Enough to hear the cork rattle but not so hard you are ripping off the shrimp. The sound seems to draw in fish much better than a traditional bobber, not uncommon to have a fish hit the cork.

[heyitskirby]

Since someone mentioned catfish...

 

I recommend looking up a video on them before heading out.  You'll want to get an idea of how to hold them prior to trying to take a hook out. 

 

You can also flip them off of the hook using boca grips.

 

Believe me, no one warned me the first time and it haunted me for several months afterwards...

[bulldog1935]

Sorry I'm late - should have been here last week. 

nite-lite dock fishing is one of the best things you can do in summer, - summer mullet under the lights will be tiny and this is where you use your finesse tackle - 2" swim shad. 

Next best to that will be the surf.  Here's the primer on reading the surf.  2-oz spider weights are handy for keeping your bait out, kastmaster spoon is go-to. 

 

Most everything happens offshore in the summer - snapper season, king mackerel, cobia. 

(you can buy Dramamine patch over the counter)

 

Wade fishing can be tricky, finding good bottom - pretty much have to move to Matagorda to find easy wade fishing.  Renting a kayak is not a bad idea, hiring a bay guide is even better. 

Where you'll find the most people talking about that area is TKF forum