Fishing Jetties

[fishingRED]

I dont have any experience fishing jetties. I have a friend from work who loves to fish but can not convince him to jump in the water and wade with me. So he wants me to make a trip to surfside with him. What are the fish seasons for the jetties. I know there is a bull run sometime, and I know of people who fish them for trout durring summer. My question is, are they good to fish during winter, what bait, and what does it produce when. Also if there are any other bankfishing areas around surfside that someone can recommend.

Thanks

[WestEndAngler]

MilkJug has fished the jetties in a yak, hopefully he will chime in

[fishingRED]

AH, Not trying to fish them in the yak... Just planning to stay in land.

[Tejasreds]

You can fish anywhere really, I personally like about 3/4's of the wat out or the very end. Any bait will work. Live bait, mullet, mud minnows usually work best for me. I also read you should fish the inboard side of the jetty on an out going tide, and the outboard side on an in coming tide. It is a crap shoot, but you can have alot of fun too! Good luck.

[plugger]

The surfside jetties turn on in the spring...they start seeing trout there earlier in the spring than Galveston . Never fished it in winter . I fish the south jetty , but , it's a lot more dangerous with the slimmy rocks and the break in the rocks near shore . IKE dug out deep cuts at the break . One needs to wear steel cleated baseball shoes at the south jetty for traction .

[SUPER SPOOK]

not much action in the winter.been catching flounder by the coastguard station but they are most likely gone by now.you can also try the pass,you might catch some reds or flounder.

[Swells]

Naw, you need to go outside the jetty on the left side off the end of the jetty and there's a big redfish hole there. These are big fish and I don't keep them, but great sport. Even the gafftop "bucket of slime" fish are fun. Yes, the fish want meat and anything will do, except if'n you use corn dogs, then you'll most likely catch a dork fish.

[Milkjug]

Go for it, ya'll will have fun.

This time of year I would just use dead shrimp on the bottom. You will be targeting black drum, sheephead, and the occasional red. I would my trout gear with 1oz pyramid sinkers and 1 size 4 (not 4/0) gamakatsu shiner hook (it will be a pretty small hook, but they work great). Fish near the rocks. A lot of folks try to cast as far as they can, when most fish are at the washout at the base of the jetty structure. If you use a lighter sinker, or an egg sinker, they will move, and you will get hung eventually. The goal is to plant the bait and have it sit there. You will still lose tackle.

The real good sheephead and drum fishing is around late April to June, as the water gets from 60-70F. Much higher than 75F or so, the trash fish are back in and the dead shrimp is not an option any more.

Spanish mackerel run follows shortly after that time, and after that the trout return to the surf. Surfside does get specks in the surf about a half-month earlier than Galveston, I have a buddy who used to go there to get surf trout in late spring.

[fishingRED]

Thanks for the input guys, this is enough info to get me started with him. I want to make a trip soon, jetties are not my thing, but fishing with a friend is always awesome. Hopefully we get something, me as usual going to do artificial, but I might sink some shrimp.....MAYBE!

MilkJug Ive heard sheepies are awesome eating....How true is that.. Also how efficient is it to fish on top with cork to try and avoid getting hung up or is bottom best technique around this time....

Well Ill keep yall posted when I go, wether I get em or the cold gets me...

[Milkjug]

Sheephead are great to eat. Hard to clean, and the fillets you get off the fish are small compared to its size. They are all head and ribcage. I like the meat better than any bay fish except mangrove snapper.

The cork should work, but the fish are feeding right on the structure or bottom, so it has to be right there "ticking" along the rocks now and then and you will hang up too. It's just part of the game when fishing the jetty. I am liking the way the surf looks tomorrow, with the N wind dying and the weak onshore beginning. I may go potlick with some dead shrimp, hopefully trash fish are gone.