[Miles]

Went out early on 6/7/04 in a 21' Sea Pro to the North Jetty, things were slow all around. Headed out into open water after a few hours because the sea wasn't too rough and found 2 rigs almost straight off bolivar beachfront about 10 to 15 miles away. This was the first time we'd ever been rig fishing and shark seemed to be the only thing around. Are there any rigs within 20 miles of the galveston jetty that harbor good snapper, ling, or king fishin? Didn't seem to find them on those 2, and no more rigs in sight so we headed back that afternoon. Nevertheless, a good day to be out on the water.

 

[Ernest]

Maybe not snapper, but sharks, kings, ling, spanish, trout, and reds. Buy a Hilton's map at your local academy or on line. Tons of spots within 20 miles of the ends of the jetties.

 

[Fish-a-mon]

I've caught Lane Snapper at those rigs.

 

[bg]

Maybe not snapper, but sharks, kings, ling, spanish, trout, and reds. Buy a Hilton's map at your local academy or on line. Tons of spots within 20 miles of the ends of the jetties.

Just remember that outside of 9 nautical miles, it is a Federal Offense to be in posession of a Redfish, regardless of the size or where you caught it. If you catch a Redfish in state waters, you need to take it to the truck before you go into Federal waters and if you catch one outside of 9 nautical miles, you need to put it back to be legal. I'd hate to see someone get busted for something like that...

 

[Freshwaterman]

I'll second the Hilton's Guide. Some of Tom's hangs are hard to locate with a $200 POS fishfinder, like mine. This time of year, I would just head out to a weedline on the edge of blue(ish) water and work the dorado, tripletail, ling, and kings. In June and July, those rips move within 8 miles of the beach. There will plenty of time for perch jerking in September.

Speaking of fishing...who are we going to sacrifice to the wind gods to get a couple of days of 5-10kts??? My vote is to throw in a couple of those furniture salesmen from TV.

 

[Miles]

weedline

Being new to the offshore thang, what is a weedline and how do you find one using your depthfinder? Is the best fishing just drifting over it?

 

[Dutch Treat]

Weedlines

Being new to the offshore thang, what is a weedline and how do you find one using your depthfinder? Is the best fishing just drifting over it?

Miles, weedlines are accumulations of seaweed on the surface. The stuff will gather up along current changes with other floating junk and sometimes stretch out for hundreds, of yards, or longer. Just keep an eye out for brownish looking patches on the surface.

All sorts of bait fishes hide under the big patches of weed and the bigger, hungry predators show up to feed. You can troll alongside, or cast lures or bait along the edges and see what comes out to play. This can be very productive fishing.

Good fishin'..................Bob

 

[Miles]

Thanks, Bob, I was way off on that one

 

[Badhabit]

Not only weedlines

Timbers, plywood, old mattress, and plastic or metal drums.... Ling really like to lay in the shade under stuff floating, and the chicken dolphin can be a blast, here is a tip on the chickens, when you hook one the school will follow him to the boat, leave him on your line in the water beside the boat till someone else hooks one, then pull yours on in, and throw back out asap, have them leave thiers in the water till you hook up again, and so on, and so on... It's not unusual to catch 20 to 30 chickens off of one peice of floating debris...

Good luck...

 

[Miles]

That sounds pretty cool. I've only tried offshore using live bait, what kind of arty's are good for stuff like king, dolphin, and ling? Besides rigs, weedlines, floating debris, are shipwrecks worth fishin at?

 

[Badhabit]

Ling love live piggy perch and live hardheads with the fins clipped off, for the dolphin use a 3/8 jighead tipped with a small peice of squid... Plastics will work also...