Bolivar: GOOD. 60-65 degrees. Reeling in the new year with consistent fishing. Catches of redfish, sheepshead, big croaker, sand trout and whiting at the jetties using live or dead shrimp and finger mullet. Most catches of trout in East Bay. Report by Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp. Fish deeper ends of the reefs or wind protected cuts with wind and cooler temperatures. The jetty holding sheepshead and trout on live shrimp close to rocks. Yates Slough’s holding redfish on grass lines close to Siever’s Cut. Stingaree to Rollover Pass holding redfish in deeper marshes on popping cork with shrimp and artificial twitch bait, or split tails. Report by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service.
Trinity Bay: GOOD. 59 degrees. Anglers fishing the Jack’s Pocket area of Trinity can find decent trout on soft plastics in 6 feet of water. Tabbs, Burnett, and Scott Bays continue to be good for speckled trout, along with a few redfish, black drum, and sheepshead. Best bite is on live shrimp. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Trout are great off the main channels in the morning in flats with rocks and water movement on lime green swimbaits. Redfish are tucked in holes on drains on weedless gulp in penny and chartreuse. Sheephead are on flats drop-offs, same as redfish. Drum are mixed in with trout and sheep heads, same baits. Happy New Year! Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.
East Galveston Bay: FAIR. 57-60 degrees. Those fishing near marsh drains and in deeper bayous catching scattered trout and redfish. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter. Surface water temperature 57 degrees and the water clarity is good. Northeast winds have once again forced us to adjust our tactics, so we have concentrated back in the marsh areas where we can get some protection from the wind and wave action. This week the Redfish bite has been good around areas where good current flow has bait up against the shorelines and grass lines in 2-3 feet of water on shrimp imitation lures under Fish Smack popping corks with an 18 inch leader. Our best solid trout bite this week has been on ¼ ounce jig heads with the Deadly Dudley 5 inch Rat Tail in Blue Moon or Chartreuse, fishing deeper pockets with shell, close to mud flats, triggering the most strikes. As in previous weeks if we do not see any nervous bait activity, we move on rather quickly and cover more water finding the zones where the fish are active. Report by Captain Jeff Brandon, Get the Net Guide Services, LLC. North shore of Smith Pointe holding redfish and trout under the birds. Gas wells in East Bay holding black drums on the bottom with shrimp. Deep Reef to Whitehead Reef is holding fish under birds on twitch baits and soft plastic split tail. Report by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service.
Galveston Bay: FAIR. 59 degrees. Good catches of sheepshead over hard shells and around old pier pilings on the shorelines. Some keeper redfish showing up as well. Best bite on live shrimp. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. The railway bridge by causeway holding some drum and oversized redfish biting shrimp, crab, or mullet. Bull redfish are in the channel on both jetties. The surf side is holding sheepshead and trout using shrimp under popping cork or free lined near the rocks. Redfish are in the harbor at both ends of Pelican Island Bridge. Report by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service.
West Galveston Bay: FAIR. 61 degrees. Drift fishing the “dirty streaks” with soft plastics producing fair catches of trout. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. When the winds are out of the North, look for sloughs off of the ICW holding fish in calmer water. The sloughs leading to Greens Lake, Carancahua Lake and Chocolate Bay holding redfish and trout on topwater baits early then switch to soft plastics and work the birds watching the tides in the shallows. South of Cold Pass waders are still getting trout and redfish in deeper waters. Jones Bay holding a few fish early on soft plastic. Report by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service.
Houston: GOOD. Water slightly stained; 58 degrees; 0.26 feet above pool. Recent rains have flushed the creeks in white bass. Couple days and small jigs and spins will do well. Crappie are spread out holding tight to brush in 8-14 feet of water. Gar are heavy in the creeks hitting rattletraps and spins. Catfish are mid to lower lake on bulkheads and bridges on shad. Bass are in run offs of the main lake on worms and cranks. Happy New Year! Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.
Texas City: FAIR. 59 degrees. Fishing on the Texas City Dike is slow. Few catches of bull redfish and oversized black drum. Flounder remain good in the Galveston channel. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. The rock barriers between Swan Lake to the dike still hold redfish and trout on Texas roach or purple or chartreuse artificials. The croaker run is fair at the dike. Bull redfish are good from midway to the end on crab or cut bait. Gas wells, holding black drums on shrimp on the bottom. Report by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service.
Freeport: GOOD. 59 degrees. Trout and redfish are good working the deep oyster reefs in Bastrop, Christmas, and Chocolate Bay with gulp shrimp, live shrimp, or ¼ ounce jighead on a down south lure. Catching drum, sheephead, trout and redfish in the Brazos River and Bernard River using live shrimp. Report by Captain Jake Brown, Flattie Daddy Fishing Adventures.
