Bolivar: FAIR. 70 degrees. Most of the changes this week are weather related. Slightly breezy winds from the south mostly with some north winds coming this week and three tide days changing back to two tides means the fish will only be active a few hours in the morning and night. Check the forecast before you head out or call ahead to your favorite bait shop. Water temperatures are still hanging in the 70s in the bay and gulf. Anglers are catching plenty of redfish and trout almost everywhere using finger mullet and mud minnows. Speckled trout, sand trout, croakers and crabs are hit-or-miss at the jetties. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
Trinity Bay: GOOD. 70 degrees. Northwest region of the bay, in Tabbs, Scott, and Burnett, are producing decent numbers of speckled trout on live shrimp. Few redfish are being caught along with black drum and starting to see better numbers of sheepshead. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Water clarity across Trinity Bay is ranging from good to great, though anglers should keep an eye out for dredging activity in a few areas. Shrimp are producing well in the main bays, mullet are abundant, and croaker are showing up in many spots. Redfish action is excellent off points and in guts with moving water over mud-and-shell bottoms, with WAC Attack Wacky Flukes in Sparkle Chartreuse or Pepper Pumpkin working especially well, along with live shrimp under a Redemption Outdoor Gear popping cork on a two-foot leader. Speckled trout are also strong in guts and drains with sand and shell near mud flats, hitting topwaters and rat tails in shrimp-like colors on ¼ ounce jigheads with an aggressive bottom-bounce retrieve. Drum and sheepshead are holding along rock banks and biting live shrimp under popping corks, as well as crankbaits trolled along the shorelines. As always, monitor the weather, wear your kill switch, and take advantage of the good clarity and salinity during this unusually warm fall. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.
East Galveston Bay: GOOD. 73 degrees. Most of the changes this week are weather related. Slightly breezy winds from the south mostly with some north winds coming this week and three tide days changing back to two tides means the fish will only be active a few hours in the morning and night. Check the forecast before you head out or call ahead to your favorite bait shop. The trout bite has turned on. Starting to see less shrimp than before, and now seeing an increase in medium to large sized mullet. Redfish and flounder have also been very prevalent. You can find most of your redfish working grasslands picking off what little shrimp we have left. Report by Captain Jack Blume. Surface water temperature is 73 degrees. The water clarity is still very good for most of East Galveston Bay. This week the early morning trout bite was good in areas close to deeper channels. Active bait in the area is important, so if you do not see bait or signs of life move to a new area. The presentation has varied depending upon the day, time and tide, so you will just have to experiment until you find the perfect recipe. Cast paddle tails under a popping cork with a 12-18 inch leader to trigger bites, soft plastics, or flukes on 1/8 ounce jighead. Imitation shrimp is also performing well for our anglers, tipped with scented synthetic bait. Redfish are in and around grass lines in 1-2 feet of water. Target areas with indentations, drains, or points. When conditions allow, good numbers of sand trout and oversized redfish can be caught on reefs. Birds are still working in the bay, so if you like chasing birds, now is the time to hit the water and enjoy all that East Galveston Bay has to offer. The crowds have now thinned out, and the weather looks to be great, so now is the time to schedule a trip. Report by Captain Jeff Brandon, Get the Net Guide Service, LLC.
Galveston Bay: FAIR. 72 degrees. The area around Eagle Point has been producing scattered catches of speckled trout. Bull redfish are showing up along the deeper waters near the Houston ship channel. Watching working birds is the key to finding fish. There are still a few fish in the gas wells hitting live shrimp, but the bite is not as productive as a week ago. Tabbs Bay, Burnett Bay, and Scott Bay are fair for catches of speckled trout, black drum, and redfish drifting over shell. Anglers fishing the spoil islands are picking up some big sheepshead, redfish, and black drum, along with a few trout. Best bite on live shrimp fished under popping corks. Look for a change in conditions this weekend after the forecasted cold front. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.
West Galveston Bay: FAIR. 72 degrees. The area around Eagle Point has been producing scattered catches of speckled trout. Bull redfish are showing up along the deeper waters near the Houston ship channel. Watching working birds is the key to finding fish. There are still a few fish in the gas wells hitting live shrimp, but the bite is not as productive as a week ago. Tabbs Bay, Burnett Bay, and Scott Bay are fair for catches of speckled trout, black drum, and redfish drifting over shell. Anglers fishing the spoil islands are picking up some big sheepshead, redfish, and black drum, along with a few trout. Best bite on live shrimp fished under popping corks. Look for a change in conditions this weekend after the forecasted cold front. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.
Houston: GOOD. Water clear; 77 degrees; 0.11 feet above pool. Water clarity across the lake is good, with about a foot of visibility in the West Fork, East Fork, and south end, up to a foot and a half on the south end, and roughly six inches in Luces Bayou. Largemouth bass are snapping from midlake to the south end, as well as in pockets of the East Fork and West Fork, hitting spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, crankbaits, Texas-rigged worms and grubs, and even some early topwater if you time it right; points, second drop-offs, and nearby docks are producing best. Catfish are great around the train track bridge in 12-15 feet near the thermocline. Crappie are strong in Luces Bayou and the East Fork, tight to structure and biting minnows and small jigs, especially during low-pressure periods. White bass are active on the south end with good size, caught trolling jet divers with #12 pet spoons, vertical jigging half-ounce slabs, or working deep-diving crankbaits over humps. Always wear your kill switch and be safe! Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.
Texas City: GREAT. 70 degrees. Most of the changes this week are weather related. Slightly breezy winds from the south mostly with some north winds coming this week and three tide days changing back to two tides means the fish will only be active a few hours in the morning and night. Check the forecast before you head out or call ahead to your favorite bait shop. Anglers are catching plenty of speckled trout, redfish, and sand trout with some croakers. Mangrove snapper and pompano have been sporadic but are still around. Wade fishing along the levee and Mosquito Island from the dike has been productive with the south winds, or the right pocket on days with north winds. Live shrimp and finger mullet have been the best baits. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
Freeport: FAIR. 78 degrees. Birds are leading the way to speckled trout, sand trout and redfish in Bastrop Bay, Christmas Bay, and Chocolate Bay. Drifting in areas with mullet has produced catches with gulp shrimp or live shrimp under a popping cork. Freeport Harbor and the Brazos River are producing redfish, trout, sheephead, drum, and mangrove snapper using mullet and live shrimp. Report by Captain Jake Brown, Flattie Daddy Fishing Adventures.
