Home Forums Fishing Saltwater Need some Galveston fishing tips

My wife and I were offered the use of a "beach house" next weekend in the west end of Galveston. We are told that fishing in the canal off the back deck is good for flounder, trout and reds???......having never been there or done that type of fishing, I am hoping someone here can give me some tips.

The homeowner lost all fishing equipment in the hurricane, so we thought it would be a nice gesture if we bought some equipment to use while there and leave it for them........so, some equipment/tackle suggestions would also be appreciated. I have a bunch of freshwater stuff if any of that would be appropriate??

Any suggestions on technique, rigging, tackle, baits or just general info would be appreciated.

Thanks

Gonhuntin ,

I lived on the gulf of mexico for 21 years - i mostly big game fished but have wet a line inshore a time or three.

Your freshwater tackle will do fine -i just bought two midgrade inshore fishing set-ups $500.True saltwater stuff can be expensive.

Anyway for fishing techniques [i'm in nw florida right now] look for redfish/trout/flounder in the passes.
If you're going to fish from the back deck -get a little rig called a sibiki it is a little baitfish catching rig or a very small hook w/a piece of shimp will do about the same thing.
Fish for the little fish you will see in two feet of water they are pinfish/pigfish etc.
Get a float known as a popping cork [hollow on top] it will make the sounds a trout makes when chasing baitfish if you twitch it.
Don't free line these little baitfish they will swim down and tie your line in a bimini twist around any and all junk =lots of lost tackle .
This type of fishing is easy to catch onto generally they are there and biting or not.
You can chum-up inshore fish with dog food placed in something that will dole out small particles to the small fish -bringing in bigger fish chasing the small ones.A tablespoon of cheap canned dog food flung out every five or ten minutes will do.
Live shimp in a bait well [minnow bucket for you land locked folks] aways works well -same set-up popping cork -sinker half way to the hook.
Hook the skrimp through the hard part of the tail right where it fans out -they hang in the water column nicely that way and can still swim.
Don't be afraid to cast any lures you have for freshwater -a lure is a lure.
You might want to get some "AVON" "SKIN SO SOFT" there are no-seeims biting bugs- in many places on the gulf coast and unless you want to spray repellent on every five minutes get some.DON't fall for skintastic or anything else other than diesel fuel.
Have fun -let us know if'n you catch any [you will] !-Mike

Back to say the fish will bite best when the tide is moving fast.

Gotta go benoit family deer hunting is on tv..

Fishing in a canal, I'd buy some live shrimp, fish them under a popping cork as Ol' Mike mentioned. Use monofilament leers and small treble hooks. If they have a lighted dock, night time is the right time. Casting a creation known as a "speck rig" - two small bucktail jigs, sometimes with a "worm" trailer on a tandem leader with light tackle is a great way to catch both sand trout and speckled trout at night under lights. Reds will normally hang back on the outer edge of the lighter area and prefer a gold spoon i the way of artificials. Some folks use underwater "green lights" in the canals to attract fish, also. The Texas coast is just coming out of the worst drought in recorded history, and a very prolonged heat wave, to boot, so water salinity in the back bays has been high, and the water clear. Tides have generally stayed up due to strong inshore winds. I've caught nice flounder in subdivision canals with cut mullet on the bottom - a couple of times - but they generally prefer a moving bait, and are partial to live mud minnows. If the canal doesn't work out, wade the Gulf beachfront. If you try San Luis Pass, be very careful of the currents, several folks drown there every year.

I fish the Pass all summer long from May to Oct ...Texas99 is dead on...watch the pass- its will suck you up and spit you out !!