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2018 Fishing - Year of the big one


fattyflattie

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Looks like Florida has expanded the red and snook catch and release area and also extended it through May of next year. Those that make a living in the fishing business are taking a beating. I stopped by the bait shop I’ve always used and they said it has been rough, no bookings and really no one coming through. I helped them out with 2 new setups and replaced rods on two others reels. Only ended up fishing one afternoon/night and didn’t see anything. Try again Nov/Dec I guess. Hopefully this stuff clears out.

Edited by Brew
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Southeast Texas / Houston guys - Are Sabine Lake and/or Galveston Bay washed out with fresh water?

Considering stopping for a day to fish on my way west to hunt next week, but don't want to waste my time.  Love Oct. fishing but I'm fearful it may be a muddy freshwater mess.

Thoughts?

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Southeast Texas / Houston guys - Are Sabine Lake and/or Galveston Bay washed out with fresh water?
Considering stopping for a day to fish on my way west to hunt next week, but don't want to waste my time.  Love Oct. fishing but I'm fearful it may be a muddy freshwater mess.
Thoughts?

Galveston bay isn’t. It is definitely getting fresher. We went monday afternoon to Trinity bay. Lots of bait and birds working.


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2 minutes ago, TXLNGHRN10 said:

My son has been after me to go surf fishing so I 'm trying to plan something either in Port A, Matagorda or PINS
I have no gear for that. What basics and must haves do I need to start gathering?

 

If you have wade fished in a Texas bay you are pretty much there.  Depending on the waves, you need to plan to be able to change lures/plastics under constant wave action.  In the old days guys wore stryo hats and kept their lures on the hat.  

Assuming you don't have any wading gear, you'll need either a donut or long stringer--get a long line to keep the donut/stringer away from you (sharks).   And get a wading belt that allows you to release the line quickly in case a shark gets after your catch.  I like the donut with the small tackle box on top.  Get a net with an elastic cord you can keep on your wading belt (with needle nose pliers) or attach it to the loop on the back of your shirt.  Make sure your net has a cork handle so it will float.  Some guys don't need a net--but I like a net.  Most people in Texas use a bait casting reel.  If you plan to do it often, I would get a good Shimano.  I like my Chronarch.  I forget the brand, but I have a 7 foot rod that IIRC cost about $90.  You can spend more or less on a rod.  As far as lures, I like gold spoons in the surf and bass assassin plastics also work for me with 1/8 oz. or 1/4 oz. jig heads depending the surf.  I don't usually fish with bait in the surf.  Get wading shoes.  And PFG shorts and fishing shirts should work.

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There are still plenty of flounder to be found at Thanksgiving and all you need is your freshwater gear and some Flounder Pounders. Seawolf Park area in Galveston isn't a bad place to wade or take the ferry across to Bolivar and take the first left. There's a little bridge there where folks fish and some wading access too.

Speaking of which, the weather is starting to turn, has anyone gotten into any good flatfish?

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5 hours ago, El Diablo said:

There are still plenty of flounder to be found at Thanksgiving and all you need is your freshwater gear and some Flounder Pounders. Seawolf Park area in Galveston isn't a bad place to wade or take the ferry across to Bolivar and take the first left. There's a little bridge there where folks fish and some wading access too.

Speaking of which, the weather is starting to turn, has anyone gotten into any good flatfish?

remember that the nov limit for flounder is 2 per day.  and you must really hate him if you are recommending seawolf park.  that place is a giant fucking zoo in october and november.  i wouldn't wish that experience on anyone.

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4 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

remember that the nov limit for flounder is 2 per day.  and you must really hate him if you are recommending seawolf park.  that place is a giant fucking zoo in october and november.  i wouldn't wish that experience on anyone.

I didn't realize they had lowered the limit, tells you how long it's been since I got my flounder on. Seawolf isn't that bad on a weekday. There's a lot of offroad trails on the north side of the island if a person wants to walk and do some exploring. I always parked before the entrance to the park and then hiked.

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Flounder fishing this year, and maybe next, is not going to be very good. The 15-16 and 16-17 winters did not get cold enough for them to spawn, so there was not much recruitment. Thus, not many 2-3 year old flounder out there. And the fish from 17-18 winter will be too small to keep. 

Edited by Dry Elbows
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6 hours ago, Dry Elbows said:

Flounder fishing this year, and maybe next, is not going to be very good. The 15-16 and 16-17 winters did not get cold enough for them to spawn, so there was not much recruitment. Thus, not many 2-3 year old flounder out there. And the fish from 17-18 winter will be too small to keep. 

I'm going to be in Mississippi at the end of the month so called a guide in the Pass Christian area and was told that flounder there are a no-go. He said it was due to bad red tides the past couple of years. Inshore trips they run over to LA marshes for trout and reds.

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5 hours ago, El Diablo said:

I'm going to be in Mississippi at the end of the month so called a guide in the Pass Christian area and was told that flounder there are a no-go. He said it was due to bad red tides the past couple of years. Inshore trips they run over to LA marshes for trout and reds.

I don't doubt it. A friend of mine has been at his place in Florida this week and said the red tide was horrible. 

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On 10/4/2018 at 12:05 PM, El Diablo said:

I didn't realize they had lowered the limit, tells you how long it's been since I got my flounder on. Seawolf isn't that bad on a weekday. There's a lot of offroad trails on the north side of the island if a person wants to walk and do some exploring. I always parked before the entrance to the park and then hiked.

Seawolf is an absolute zoo 24/7 in November. 

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Central Texas man catches record-breaking tarpon at son's bachelor party

Quote

A Central Texas father made a record-breaking catch at his son's bachelor party in Port O'Connor Friday morning.

His 247.6-pound tarpon, if approved by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, will top the previous state record by nearly 20 pounds.

"As far as memories, that's probably one of the best...I guess because I had both my boys and it was my son's bachelor party," said Greg Heine, who caught the large fish.

The group had gone in the hopes of catching bull redfish and sharks, and they caught plenty of those as well, Heine said.

The tarpon was the surprise. It was the only tarpon Heine had ever caught.

He said he didn't immediately realize it would be record-breaking.

"(She) hit, and we didn't know how big (she) was 'til we got (her) up," Heine said. "At that time we knew (she) was big."

It took him about 15 minutes to reel the fish in. The group took photos and measurements (81 inches long and 46 inches of girth) and released the fish back into the water.

"I felt like keeping her would have been the wrong thing to do," Heine said.

It wasn't until they sent photos to some friends from the area that they realized they might have a scored a record.

The record is still pending while staff officials look into it. Heine said he’s hopeful that with the photos, measurements and several witnesses, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will accept his fish as the new record. The current record, caught in the Gulf of Mexico in August of 2017, was 229 pounds and 90 inches long.

30284201777_52d9f74ccc_z.jpg

I’m happy they released it, but I learned in Florida that removing the large fish from the water can cause internal damage to the fish (actually, it’s a violation to boat large tarpon in Florida these days).  Fish of a lifetime, no doubt.

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Central Texas man catches record-breaking tarpon at son's bachelor party
A Central Texas father made a record-breaking catch at his son's bachelor party in Port O'Connor Friday morning.
His 247.6-pound tarpon, if approved by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, will top the previous state record by nearly 20 pounds.
"As far as memories, that's probably one of the best...I guess because I had both my boys and it was my son's bachelor party," said Greg Heine, who caught the large fish.
The group had gone in the hopes of catching bull redfish and sharks, and they caught plenty of those as well, Heine said.
The tarpon was the surprise. It was the only tarpon Heine had ever caught.
He said he didn't immediately realize it would be record-breaking.
"(She) hit, and we didn't know how big (she) was 'til we got (her) up," Heine said. "At that time we knew (she) was big."
It took him about 15 minutes to reel the fish in. The group took photos and measurements (81 inches long and 46 inches of girth) and released the fish back into the water.
"I felt like keeping her would have been the wrong thing to do," Heine said.
It wasn't until they sent photos to some friends from the area that they realized they might have a scored a record.
The record is still pending while staff officials look into it. Heine said he’s hopeful that with the photos, measurements and several witnesses, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will accept his fish as the new record. The current record, caught in the Gulf of Mexico in August of 2017, was 229 pounds and 90 inches long.
30284201777_52d9f74ccc_z.jpg
I’m happy they released it, but I learned in Florida that removing the large fish from the water can cause internal damage to the fish (actually, it’s a violation to boat large tarpon in Florida these days).  Fish of a lifetime, no doubt.

I wonder if that fish will survive.
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2 hours ago, HouTex said:

I’m happy they released it, but I learned in Florida that removing the large fish from the water can cause internal damage to the fish (actually, it’s a violation to boat large tarpon in Florida these days).  Fish of a lifetime, no doubt.

I wonder if that fish will survive.

i've always wondered if that was true with big tarpon. the reality is you spend over an hour beating the everliving shit out of eachother during the fight...is raising it out of the water really what redlines the fish?

just saw 15 minutes, woah...maybe different with light tackle versus fly?

Edited by DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt
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The surf has been very unusual the last two days as Michael approaches and has brought in a ton of seaweed. When walking in the washout I noticed a bunch of these little guys that blend perfectly with the seaweed. About the size of a quarter. Juvenile flounder perhaps?

82292edcf91baf65639a959b7cc1dc67.jpg

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48 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Body shape says trigger fish, or something similar.

When the sargasso comes into Texas, we see all kinds of critters like that in the seaweed.

Ever eat the baby shirmp that live in that seaweed?  Taste like watermelon, no lie

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2 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Old saying is "wind from the North, fisherman go forth!"   I don't think they meant that much wind though.

 

2 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Old saying is "wind from the North, fisherman go forth!"   I don't think they meant that much wind though.

At that point, it just becomes hard to fish. The protected areas get blown out with those winds. 

Ive been in lots of rough Wx, the boat can handle it, but one of the scariest trips I’ve been on was a norther that blew in sooner than anticipated in Aransas. I was digging the lifejackets out for the guys onboard and thinking we might actually need them this time. It was everything that Pathfinder wanted and then some getting straight across from Allyns to Little Bay. 

Im still sulking over this Wx.  I’ve been working pretty much straight for last few months and haven’t had the boat out since May (fishing anyhow).  First multi-weekday trip comes and big ass norther. I’m right in that sweet spot between projects that only lasts a week or two before the next kicks off. FML 

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fish will follow the bait.  bait will follow the tides.  this front should start the migration but it may take a couple of more fronts to flush the bait fish and shrimp out of the marsh.  tide had been pretty high due to all the rain and the hurricane.  it will take a few strong fronts and north wind to flush the marsh.

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On ‎10‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 2:33 PM, crash_davis said:

fish will follow the bait.  bait will follow the tides.  this front should start the migration but it may take a couple of more fronts to flush the bait fish and shrimp out of the marsh.  tide had been pretty high due to all the rain and the hurricane.  it will take a few strong fronts and north wind to flush the marsh.

All this rain's gotta go somewhere. Prolly gonna screw shit up for a while.

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Lol the road to the johnsons bayou ramp is staked out with PVC pipes driven into the shoulders so that local residents/Crain Bros employees can follow the roadbed and not slide off into the 4 foot deep ditches along all the roads during high water.

I wish there was an alternate ramp on the LA side of sabine other than at the causeway, which was flooded too.

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