Role of the Wind in Salt Water Fishing

Make no mistake about it, the wind can make or break your upcoming fishing trip or trips. Obviously, the stronger the wind, the rougher the water will have on your fishing trip. For general sport fishing, anything over 12 to 15 knots will make for an uncomfortable day.

The story of Texan saltwater fishing and the wind, however, is more than one of velocity. Direction too, plays a very important role. Then, there is the duration of the wind out of the same direction.

Start by looking at a map of the Gulf Coast. Beginning at Sabine and moving toward Corpus Christi, the coast runs northeast to southwest. However, from Corpus Christi to Mansfield and further south becomes almost due north to south.

What would you say are the best fishing winds? As a rule, the best winds are east to southeast along the coast, less than 12-15 knots. These winds blow in from the sea to bring in clearer and sometimes cooler water. That, folks are the ideal winds for our coastline. Even stronger east to southeast winds may make your fishing a bit unpleasant, but will have little effect on water clarity.

Now look what happens when the blow comes from the land to the sea? Meaning from the dreaded northwest or west. These winds are not conducive to fun fishing, because they drop tides below normal and water clarity becomes non-existent. There is an interesting note about northwest winds in the winter from mid-November to April. These “blue northers” generally cross the coast in excess of 25-40 mph. Old and seasoned fishermen call it “blowing the water out of the bay”.

Look for areas that hold land structure to give you some protection, such as Clear Lake, Moses Lake, Taylor Lake, Offats Bayou and numerous other bodies of water you can find on your Gulf Coast maps.

In addition, it is an ideal time to survey areas normally covered by normal tides. Bottom structure such as reefs or wrecks will hold bait. Remember, finding active bait; will most often result in finding game fish.

Strong and sustained winds from off shore, especially, those from the east, can be a fishing bonanza, making tides run higher than predicted. These winds flood the salt grasses and generally on a falling tide, can result in excellent catching of speckled trout and redfish along with the 3rd member and sometimes over looked flounder.

And last but not least, dead calm wind is generally slow to poor for fishing. There are no ripples on the bay to offset the noise a wader or someone drifting might make. Make no mistake, sound underwater travels 5 times that of what you hear on top, or so the experts say.

Next time you and yours plan a trip, keep this information and use it to make a wise decision for your outdoor adventure on Galveston or any area along the Gulf Coast.

Enjoy the out doors.

See ya’ll on Galveston Bay.

Capt. Paul Marcaccio

galveston bay fishing reports

A Good Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

Memorable fish catches don’t come along on every fishing trip, but when they do, you certainly want a permanent record of the occasion. You could, of course, take your catch to the taxidermist and have a real fine wall mount made. I’ve gone that route, and it is satisfactory to a point. The problem is this can become quite expensive. I’ve been sport fishing since 1965 and if I had a wall mount made of every big fish I’ve caught or especially admired, I would be trophy rich and money poor.

No, not every fish I’ve caught was a record at the time. Other points figure in, like the circumstances under which the fish was caught, the tackle or special lure used, etc., etc.
There is an inexpensive way you can make permanent those memorable catches. Photograph the catch. If it’s to be a record of the catch, you need to do some planning in taking the photo. Simply pointing the camera and pressing the shutter release is not enough.

First off, consider the background. Don’t clutter it up with objects and whatnots totally unrelated to fishing.

Use a marine background. You can shoot from a low angle and have clouds in the background or shoot for a high angle and get the water in the background. Or you can take the photo in the boat with tackle, motor, and etc. in the background.

The main object in the picture is going to be the fish. Present its best side to the camera and wet the body before taking the photo. This will give it a more lifelike appearance. If the fish has been cleaned, don’t turn the cavity to the camera. And forget all about holding the fish out in front of you so it will look better. A photo like that will stamp you as a real hayseed and make you the butt of a lot of jokes.

When there is a person in the photo, the first thing viewers look at is the eyes. The viewers will then normally look at what the eyes of the photographed person is viewing. Thus hold the fish at shoulder level off to one side and look at the fish. Similar “blunder” photos crop up many times daily at the Grand Canyon. The photo is of someone looking right at the camera with the Grand Canyon in the background. Make the photo a lasting one by having the person stand off to one side and then look toward or point at something in the Grand Canyon.

Let’s say you come in with a 9-pound speckled trout and you want a photo of it. Hold the fish with both hands, one supporting the head and the other grasping the tail to extend the fish to full length. Hold the catch to one side with the head of the fish at eye level, but a little to the front.
Then look at the fish’s head. The resulting photo will show you with your head partially turned toward the fish and with your eye on the fish. The fish is what you want people to see when viewing the photo. Have the photographer move in close to snap the picture. You want the full length of the fish to show, but there is no reason for you to appear full length in the photo. After all, the important subject is the fish, not your fishing pants and old shoes. If there is any doubt at all about the light, use the flash.

The poorest light for a daytime photo is during the time period between 10a.m. and 2p.m.
Sure, the light may be strongest, but the sun will be overhead. A hat or cap will cast shadows on faces. Use a flash to eliminate those shadows. Avoid taking photos with the sun directly behind the photographer or behind the person in the photo. In one case, you end up with the photographer’s shadow on the person in the photo. In the other case, the result is a bright background behind a darkened subject.

Record fish come along only a time or two in a lifetime. Trophy size fish may be caught only slightly more often. With this in mind, never take just one photo. Film is not expensive. If your catch is big enough for a trophy, it is worth using a whole roll of film. If it is a record fish, there is nothing wrong with using two or three rolls of film. You may never, ever catch a fish so large again. And take the photos from various angles with various backgrounds. Very often what you feel is the best pose may turn out to be the fourth or fifth, etc. best when you get the processed photos back.

If the fish is to be taken to the taxidermist for mounting, make sure to take a number of color photos of the catch. It will enable the technician to better match the colors on the fish when he has to touch up the final mount.

God bless your families and good fishing.
See y’all on Galveston Bay.

Capt Paul Marcaccio
www.gofishgalveston.com