Gulf Coast Mariner Fishing

WATER PRO

FRONT PERTY

135 Port St • San Leon, TX 77539

4 beds 4 baths 2,658 sq ft For sale, $549,000 contact Alisa Krajnik for information. 281-726-7422 | alisastar67@yahoo.com

This boat was capsized by a ship wake that came off Todd’s Dump.

By Capt. David C. Dillman

galvestonbaycharterfishing.com 832-228-8012

When you ARE young, perils that laid before you seemed distant. You seldom had fear and nothing scared you. Death did not seem real. You were willing to try most things, even if it involved cheating death. Now that you are older, you hear yourself say, “how did I ever survive?”

Becoming a first time boat owner, you never think about the dangers. The boat gives you a sense of freedom and escape from the world -- you become the king of the sea! My first boat was a center console 16 foot Monarch. I strictly fished East Galveston Bay, getting up in the wee hours of the morning, riding the Galveston ferry to the launch at Stingaree. There was a ramp and a drop box for the ramp fee at the time, nothing fancy. I fished every inch of East Bay in that boat.

I sold that boat and bought my first of three Pro-Lines, a 17 footer with a 115 Sea-Drive. After buying this boat, I ventured to Eagle Point Fishing Camp for the first time. Little did I know at the time, this would become my home for over 35 years.

Having no fear on my first outing, I was abruptly halted by a reef called Todd’s Dump. This was a wake up call that I needed to study and learn everything about this bay system, not just East Galveston Bay. Lucky for me the owner of Eagle Point, Johnny Valentino, took a liking to me as well as a couple of old timers that fished out of there for years. Luck never really played a part because God brings people into your life for a reason (Proverbs 3: 5-6). Under their guidance, I learned the area and the dangers to avoid. One of them the large wakes created by the ships.

I learned all about the dangers of the wakes by fishing the spoil banks and shell reefs that line the Houston/ Galveston ship channel. Even with all my knowledge of how the ships are loaded and which ships will throw a large wake, you should never let your guard down.

One day when fishing with an “old salt” John and his brother, we did just that. Anchored up on what was the south end of Redfish Island, we were catching fish, being mindful of the passing ships. A small tanker was heading down the channel, we never saw a breaking wake as it passed the north end of Redfish Island. Thinking nothing of it, we continued to fish, then it was too late.

“I offer a boating class where I go in your boat and teach you how to navigate Galveston Bay.”

I looked back to the North and heard the roar of a breaking wave. We had no time to start the boat and turn the bow into the wave. The water being sucked from underneath the boat held the anchor tight as the wave broadsided us, nearly flipping the boat. We slammed back down just as the next wave filled the boat. We let out guard down but God saved us from a catastrophe. We managed to get the boat started, pulled anchor while underway to drain the water from the boat. Needless to say, we called it a day.

In the last couple years there have been a few people caught by these wakes with fatal results. Who is to blame? This can be debated whether it is the ship pilots traveling in excessive speed or the boater lacking knowledge or not paying attention. This time of year many anglers are fishing near the channel. Even those with experience can get caught in a dangerous situation. One must keep their “Head On A Swivel” at all times, never letting your guard down. One life lost is one too many.

I offer a boating class where I go in your boat and teach you how to navigate Galveston Bay. We can even fish as you learn. Many have taken advantage of the knowledge I have and in turn made their angling and boating experience more successful. Safety while boating should be your top priority, catching fish is just a bonus.

Surf Strategies for Specks

By Brandon Rowan

It’s been a tryin year for wading the surf but there’s still hope for August. Unlike last summer, perfect flat conditions have not been the norm. The few days I’ve been out were filled with jump fishing and waves to the face, but I was rewarded with some decent trout.

Timing

The best time to wade the surf is when the green water first hits the shore. Trout use the improved visibility to their advantage and feed voraciously. That first day or two generally holds the best fishing.

I always make it a point to get in the water at least 20 minutes or so before sunrise. Sometimes the bite doesn’t turn on until the sun is up, but all the biggest trout I’ve caught in the surf were predawn on topwaters. It pays to be early.

Equipment

A medium action baitcast or spinning outfit around 7’ is the norm for surf trout. I use a 6’9” Shimano GLF rod with a Lew’s baitcaster for throwing topwaters and hard subsurface baits like

Rapalas or MirrOlures. I prefer a 6’6” St. Croix rod and Shimano spinning reel for throwing soft plastics.

I run 20lb Sufix 832 braid on both outfits and tie on a 4-6 ft leader of 15 lb fluorocarbon on the business end. You get the best of both worlds -- the unrivaled sensitivity of braid with the benefits of line abrasion and stealth from the fluoro leader.

On Top

Topwaters are always my first choice when fishing the surf. You can’t beat the blow up! You’ll catch numbers fishing under the waves, but usually bigger trout on tops. In calm conditions, a Heddon Super Spook Jr. is a favorite. I’ll throw bone early and switch to pink/silver once the sun is higher in the sky. A Bone/Silver One Knocker Spook also finds its self on the end of my line fairly often.

When there’s some chop I like a noisier bait like MirrOlure’s She Dog; Black/Chart for low light conditions and Pearl/Chart in the sun. Under the Waves

Some days it’s tough to work a topwater properly and soft plastics reign king. My go-to and most productive bait is a Down South Lure. They plain catch fish and are durable as hell. Lots of colors will catch trout but I like Purple Reign, Kickin’ Chicken and Chicken On A Chain. If I had to have just one color it would probably be Chicken On A Chain -- it works in all levels of water clarity.

Jerkbaits, from Bass Assassin and D.O.A. Lures, are also good baits with great action, although more delicate. I like the Assassins in Slammin’ Chicken and D.O.A.s in Texas Croaker.

I use 1/8 and 1/4 oz. Bass Assassin jigheads on all of my soft plastics. I’ll opt for the heavier head with a paddletail on choppier days. It can be tough working jerkbaits properly with a heavy cross current. My standard retrieve is what I’d call medium-fast, with double twitches, starting a few seconds after the bait hits the water. The fish will let you know if you need to speed up, change rhythm or even crawl a paddletail on the bottom.

Summer Magic

Some of my favorite summer memories involve walking out of the surf on a calm morning with a stringer of trout in tow or the memories of big fish released. It is a place of unlimited possibility. Trout are the usual suspects but I love the fact that you never know what you will see or might catch. When it comes to harvesting, keep only what you will eat fresh and consider releasing large breeder fish for the health of our fishery.