East Bay

East Bay- Anytime & Often You don’t need a huge bay for good fishing. A small bay with great structure plus marsh embossed borders can fill the bill. That’s the case of East Bay, the smallest of the major bays in the Galveston Estuary. For years it was the best redfish bay on the upper Texas Coast, but back in those years it was also the best kept secret. East Bay is still the best upper coast redfish bay, but that’s no longer a secret, and the bay now gets heavy play from boaters and waders alike. Starting with Hanna’s Reef on the southwest end, East Bay is rich with structure: scores of deep oyster reefs and pipe stands, Hanna’s Reef is a favorite of anglers who like to anchor their boats to fish cuts and drop-offs along the reef. Drift anglers favor the deep reefs to the northeast of Hanna’s Reef and Intracoastal Waterway and those who like to fish the birds. Areas like deep or Whitehead come to this writer mine……… Recently, Mike Heidemann and I tested the waters in East Bay. With a stiff North wind we found protected shoreline. I knew fish were holding, especially on an outgoing tide, flushing the bait out on the flats, but to both our amazement, we had no idea what was to follow. Using lime-truse Salt Water Assassins and pearl chartreuse Stanley Jigs, Mike and I found a bonanza of fish. Mike limited on reds to 27 inches and I had only 1 redfish. Then Mike caught another fish, thinking it was another red. He made the statement, “I’ll work on your limit”. This time when the fish surfaced, it was a huge speckled trout. Later we weighed the fish on a certified scale at Eagle Point Camp; it was a healthy 8.7 pounds and 27-3/4 inches long. Mike and I scored numerous other big trout that day. Our total that afternoon was 13 trout and 5 reds. Awesome Day…………… The boarders of East Bay offer excellent wade fishing, especially the stretch along the Bolivar Peninsula side. This stretch from Goat Island, the bay’s junction with Lower Galveston Bay, back to Elm Grove, offers excellent fishing for speckled trout, redfish and flounder. When the wind is light and parallel to the length of Bolivar Peninsula, some of the bigger coves can be fished by drifting. Whether you drift or wade, a boat is needed to reach these waters because you have to cross the Intracoastal Waterway that runs the length of Bolivar Peninsula. The whole of Chambers County side of East Bay can be waded, with the best action generally on the flats behind the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. Access is either by the refuge or near Smith’s Point. Some of the best redfish action in this bay is during the oyster season. Working oyster boats make the bay quite sandy and at times downright muddy. This isn’t conducive to decent fishing for speckled trout. The working oyster boats, however, stir up a lot of marine life upon which redfish feed. Don’t bother to fish in the immediate vacinity of the oyster boats. Instead, fish the flats and along the saltgrass marshes on the Bolivar Peninsula side of the bay. East Bay is like West Bay in that it is a Galveston Estuary body of water little affected by fresh water runoff from heavy rains. This bay has two close connections with the Gulf of Mexico. Consequently the salinity level in this bay remains fairly constant, The connection with the Gulf of Mexico is Rollover Pass about 20 miles from the tip if the Bolivar Peninsula. The other connection is the Lower Galveston Bay at the mouth of the entrance to the seaway between the North and South Jetties. Rollover Pass deserves special attention; it offers boatless anglers excellent flounder and golden croaker fishing every fall and spring. There is no lack of fishing facilities (tackle and bait stands, boat-launching ramps, eating establishments) on Bolivar Peninsula. They are located all along the Intracoastal Waterway. It’s a different story on the Chambers County side of the bay. There are launching facilities on the roads leading to the bay, but all the concession stands selling bait; tackle, ice and food are located near Smith’s Point. Located near Rollover Pass in East Bay, is two very important Bayous’ (Yates and Big Pasture). Wade near the mouths of either on a falling tide, and you will be rewarded with good stringers of spec’s and redfish. The bottom is a little soft. Wear proper boots with ray guards. Move slowly, always keying on nervous mullets or shad. Use top waters in this area for those speckled trout or redfish. Best bait is Baby Spooks or She Pups. Colors should be light in clear water and dark colors when the water is off-colored. Access to most of the south shoreline by boat is through String Ray Cut or Seivers Cut. Boat launching from the end of the Dike is by far the closest, unless you use the Bolivar Ferry and make use of a few ramps along the Intercoastal Waterway. Look forward to seeing some of you wading or drifting East Bay. Capt. Paul Marcaccio BOI/ U.S.C.G & T.P. & W License

Galveston Bay Flounders

Flounder Fishing – for Everyone Successful flounder fishing is not for everyone. If you simply cast out the bait and wait, you may catch a flounder or two, but in general you’re in for a disappointment and frustration. Successful hook and line flounder fishing rates right at the head of the class. If you can successfully catch flounder on hook and line, you have bragging rights and should consider yourself an expert. This writer can give a lot of tips on catching flounder, but when it comes to actually setting the hook in the mouth of a flatfish, it all boils down to two items: “Concentration and Experience”! “It seems everyone else can catch flounder except me.” I hear that so often this time of year, when the flounder make their migratory move to the Gulf. First off, the flounder has no swim bladder. This simply means the fish goes through life swimming or lying on or near the bottom. They are unable to suspend themselves motionless at any depth. Furthermore, it doesn’t have the fin structure nor body shape for fast swimming. It tends to move in short darts that appear to be fast, because when flounder move they raise a lot of silt off the bottom. The fish normally feed from ambush, lying partially hidden on the bottom until food matter moves or drifts close by. The fish quickly rises off the bottom, grabs the food and sinks right back to the bottom. This is where your experience comes into play. Most fish tend to engulf the bait. The flounder instead, hold it tightly with its teeth for a few seconds before ingesting. Some marine biologist says the fish does this to kill the bait before taking it deep into its mouth. If you try to set the hook the instant you feel a pick-up. Odds are excellent you’ll tear the hook out of the bait and give the flounder a free meal. Instead, wait approximately ten (10) seconds before striking or setting the hook. This writer prefers to palm my reel, letting the line run lightly between my thumb and forefinger. You would be surprised at what the flounder telegraphs up the taunt line. You can feel the fish working the bait, and you can feel when the fish takes the bait deep into its mouth. That’s the moment of truth to strike and set the hook. Experience this a few times and you will never forget it……… Since flounder normally feed on matter that drifts close by, successful flounder fishermen and women are those who fish every foot of the bottom within casting range. Do this by inching the bait along the bottom. When you feel the line taunt, treat it as if a flounder has grabbed the bait and not as if the hook fouled a snag. Wait the magic ten (10) seconds before setting the hook. This tackle can be modified to be used with a float in wading depth. Rig the float to hold the bait just a few inches above the bottom. Cast up current and allow the current to carry along the float so a lot of bottom can be covered. When a flounder takes the bait, the float will stop moving and simply lean over in the current. Wait the magical ten (10) seconds, and then set the hook. If the float starts moving against the current, you can bet money that the infamous blue crab has grabbed the bait and moved off with it. There are a number of good terminal rigs for flounder. I prefer a slip sinker attached to the line followed by a swivel, then 18 to 24 inches of leader line (20 to 30 lbs.) followed by a wide gap (circle hook) either #2 or #3. The best bait is either live mud minnows or finger mullet. When the bay temperature cools down less than 70 degrees. Live shrimp will also work as well. The most effective artificial lure is any soft plastic bait. Bass assassin, shrimp tail, or shad tails. Use either 1/8 to ¼ oz. lead head. I prefer the Norton lazer screw on hooks or the new Bass Assassin screw on as well. Work the bait right on the bottom with your yo-yo effect on lifting and dropping the rod tip. I prefer the new All-Pro titanium rod made by Fishing Tackle Unlimited in either 6-1/2’ or 7’. It’s called the GREEN ROD………………….. Hopefully, these tips give you a leg up on your next successful flounder trip. Good luck and good fishing. See y’all outdoors on Galveston Bay. Capt. Paul Marcaccio