It’s Time to Get Outside GALVESTON

EARLY FALL IS HERE AND there are many opportunities to get out and enjoy the outdoors in the Lone Star State. From shing to hunting and everything in between it’s just a great time of year to be outside. Galveston Bay o ers some of its best shing opportunities this time of year for specks, red sh, ounder and more! And with so much going on this time of year, it is nice to be able to enjoy a day of shing without so much pressure from other anglers.

Reported by CAPT. DEREK YORK

Galveston East Bay Trinity Bay

SMITH POINT

SMITH POINT IS THE CONVERGEANCE POINT ON THE NORTH SHORE OF GALVESton East Bay, the east shore of Trinity Bay, where the two bays also join Galveston Bay. Vingt-Et-Un Islands, Van-Ta-Un Flats, and several reefs provide excellent redfish, trout and flounder fishing this time of year. Selected HOTSPOTS are shown in the table below, and on the map.

Red sh are spawning this time of year and can be found in huge schools in the bay and around the gulf passes. ese bigger schools are usually the “bull” reds, sh that measure over 28 inches, and provide some fast action and a great ght on lighter tackle. In the bay I sh with arti cial lures like a so plastic on a ½ ounce jighead to make long casts and get down to the sh quickly. When shing around the je ies, my typical setup is using some type of cut bait shed on the bo om. It is not uncommon to catch big numbers of sh this way. My best day at the je ies was 50 red sh one October a few years back.

Spo ed seatrout, or speckled trout, are a

Scan lot of fun to target this time of year if you like shing the birds and covering a lot of water. Sometimes it can be frustrating when you are catching lots of smaller trout, but just remember to change your tactics and try shing deeper or with a di erent type of bait or lure. A lot of the time, the bigger trout are down deeper, and you just need something to get down to them quicker and avoid the smaller “schoolie” trout. ere are several great places to look for birds from the shoreline if you are wade shing or shing from the bank. e Texas City Dike, Galveston Island State Park, Christmas Bay and the beach front are all great options for access to these sh.

FACILITIES KEY FACILITY NAME GPS LOCATION PHONE A Robbins Park N 29 32.819, W 94 47.250 Hawkins Camp Road 409-267-8364 SOURCE: TEXAS LAKES & BAYS FISHING ATLAS SPECKLED TROUT KEY HOTSPOT NAME GPS BEST BAIT & TACTIC 1 Hodges Reef N 29 34.963, W 94 44.574 Live shrimp under cork; anchor or drift, look for bait; dawn through dusk 2 Van-Ta-Un Flats N 29 32.920, W 94 46.419 Suspending twitch baits, wade shallow early, drift late; avoid midday REDFISH 3 Spoonbill Reef N 29 33.667, W 94 46.517 Live shrimp under cork, mullet; fish reef top and edges; dawn through midday, dusk 3 Richard’s Reef N 29 31.408, W 94 44.276 Drift north reef edge, cast to slicks, look for nervous bait & birds; morning through afternoon 4 Smith Point Flats N 29 31.258, W 94 45.095 Pumpkinseed soft plastics, gold spoon; watch boils; avoid afternoon FLOUNDER 5 Ving-et-un N 29 32.920, W 94 46.419 Live mud minnows, soft plastics; wade or drift slowly; avoid midday 6 Richard’s Reef N 29 31.429, W 94 45.323 Mud minnows, shrimp, fish shore and shell ridge; dawn through afternoon TEXAS FISH & GAME ® | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023 | 41 CAPT. DEREK YORK ounder And with so 2 1 3 4 6 5 3 A

Upper Coast

time and October has quickly become one of the busiest months to sh for them due to the closure during November and the rst half of December. A lot of these sh can still be caught in the marsh areas around drains and deeper areas, but we have also had some great days in some of the winter “hotspots” around the Galveston channel and other deep-water areas. A jighead with a Gulp swimming mullet is always one of my favorites along with Chickenboy Lures’ Bubba Cluckers. Chartreuse, hot pink, white and red are all great color choices for ounder, but sometimes all you must do is get a lure in front of them and they will eat about anything.

I hope all of you get to enjoy this time of year and remember to take a kid or someone who has never had the opportunity to go shing.

CONTACT CAPT. YORK:

Email: SportStalkerFishing@sbcglobal.com

Online: FishGalvestonBayTX.com