Need guidance...

[pdowney]

My wife and I are bringing our camper down to Galv.Is.St.Park in for a few days (3/20-24) and I would like to do some fishing. I fish a *lot* here in cent. Ark (cold/warm water fly fishing, bass fishing - all strictly light tackle stuff) but I've never done any coastal fishing. Could anyone provide some guidance (other than hiring a guide - maybe next trip) re how where what when? Elbow to elbow on a pier is not appealing.

A general purpose rod/reel? Should I bring my canoe? Will it be too early in the season to fish (and catch something) off the beach?

Any pointers would be very much appreciated!

Pat

[B&P]

I'd imagine you will be able to find somewhere with calm enough winds for a canoe. Besides, anytime you can wet a line and fish it's worth it. I'd pack as if I wasn't planning on leaving.

[9121SS]

On the weekdays that you will be here the piers will be fine. They get a little busy in the afternoon but that's it.

[Curmudgeon]

GISP is a great place to fish and one of my favorites! Pull it up in GMaps. There are 2 or 3 great places to put in on the bay side or you could always wade into either side. You can fish light tackle for trout & reds with topwaters, suspending twitchbaits, soft plastics on a jug head or corkys. It should be fairly warm, but you might want waders if you've got them. Most of the guys down here fish with baitcasters, but plenty use spinning rigs as well. Let us know when you get ready to come here. I'm sure you can hook up with someone!

[Milkjug]

That is one of my favorite areas to fish. I would definently bring the canoe, although that time of year has a lot of strong SE winds. The bay will be protected, but it can still get choppy, and canoes tend to catch the wind badly.

You can also wade fish.

Your standard bass tackle will work fine, rinse it every time you use it in the salt.

There should be good fishing in the channels (either end of the island) for large black drum, and you could also catch smaller black drum, whiting, sheephead, and the occasional red in the surf. Still a bit early for the warmer species like trout and sharks.

Let us know when you get here and I could try and meet you there with my yak.

[SUPER SPOOK]

all good info!

[Swells]

I could joke around and say you needed a 50 or 80 pound test rig such as for sharks and large stingray, a winch of several pounds with a barrel 4 inches in diameter - optional electric reel attachment. Or the winch tow on your pickup truck would work too!

Nah ... light gear is all you need although you do want to be in the 12-17 pound class with some good leader sometimes. Nearly all these fish have very sharp teeth, even the speckled trout with soft mouths. Sheephead and mangrove snapper (and others) will try to run around piers with sharp barnacles, oyster beds, and whatever to try to break your line.

Everything seems to have sharp edges - some wear "stingray boots" when wading because the barb can inflict severe pain in the ankle area. The hardhead catfish, which you will catch when using dead bait, has a barb so sharp it can go clean through your hand. Maybe you already know this but coastal fishing is a wee bit more dangerous than the inland lakes and streams.

Otherwise, you'll have a blast. There's always something biting but some local knowledge about the bite definitely helps. No mosquitoes yet!

[pdowney]

What is "good leader"? The only leader I ever use is 4lb test for trout (freshwater flavor). Is there a bait shop that you all recommend that can get me set up? I have lots of soft plastic, topwater, jerk/crank baits that, from what I can tell, might do OK. Wade fishing sounds like a blast. Can the folks at the bait shop tell me where specifically where to go or can some of you all? Don'tthink I'll be able to bring the canoe. I'm about to pee my pants already!!!

[small bites]

A good leader... 4 lb is not going to work except well maybe, well even not for the piggy perch. I usually use heavy duty florocarbon. Ok I over do it, but no less than 14# (20# depending on what is out there). That's with live bait. we have fish with TEETH. Watch your fingers. And take Swells advice about the hard heads. The whiting are in the surf now and usually out there no matter what time of year, easy to catch, not bad to eat. Start reading the fishing reports. Texas Parks and Wildlife has a website for that, and the local paper has a column by Capt Kent nearly everyday. That would be a good place to start.

[small bites]

DONT FORGET TO go to the home site here. There is a bunch of information to read and that will help you plan your fishing trips. Bring your summer clothes, and jeans, March is my favorite month to fish, and it can be bi-polar too. I so hope you have a fun time down this way.

sb:>

[Milkjug]

I would plan to wadefish then. There are normally a number of bank fisherman casting into the cut that goes into Lake Como and the cut that crosses over from Dana Cove into Lake Como. You will certainly see them there on the weekend. They may catch fish, and I've caught keeper-sized specks from the gut there, but it is not my favorite area. Certainly worth a few casts if I am there early before everyone else.

I would wade off to the NW of the E. side launch. Find the dropoff from the mud/grass to the harder sand, you will have grassy islands to the E. of you, and more open water to the W.

There will probably be other waders here on a busier day (weekends). You could always potlick and follow them

Shuffle your feet, I would hate to have the highlight of your trip be a stingray hit. They are incredibly thick in that area.

[Swells]

About 15 to 20# test on the leader, mono or fluorocarbon, not sure if there are any mom & pop bait stores down there these days. I use about 3 feet or whatever so my splice knot is outside the rod guides when I cast. I've used 30# mono leader sometimes but that's hard to tie onto light line, especially braid. A drop of Super-Glue on the knot helps me a lot.

The trick it to cover some ground quickly, which can be done fairly well in a canoe, kayak, or Jon Boat such as by drifting. Always go up into the wind and current and blow back towards home base, covering as much distance as possible and casting downwind. It's all in a drift that is neither too fast or too slow, and not too rough either. If I had three rigs to bring I would have one for a Mirrolure bass rig, a "Corkie" lure very popular down here and available at Wal-Mart, and a bait shrimp rig. Shrimp rigs for the bay are usually a float with about 14 inches of leader which can "pop" when you jerk the line. Others like to free-line live shrimp or use artificial shrimp, to keep the bait suspended and not on the bottom.

For surf fishing, you want you bait on the bottom and we use various kinds of weights such as a spider weight with has copper wires so the weight doesn't drag too much in the surf. A "surf rig" is a little beefier like for catfishing. For artificial lures, you want to bounce the lure off the bottom slowly. The catch has been whiting lately on small pieces of bait, as was said, since the water is still cold as heck.

[kenny]

West Bay bait & tackle is about 1/2 mile West of the state park on the right. They have tackle and can help with advice. Like others have said, bring the canoe and fish Lake Como & Dana Cove. The beach should be good to depending on the wind...... onshore wind = rough surf.

[small bites]

Are you bringing kids? That makes a difference.

[corndog]

Give us a shout when you are down and someone will hook you up. You at least deserve a boat ride around west bay to really appreciate it. I PM ed you my number.