Zero for two this month in the surf - July 20, 2008

UPDATE - July 21 - After reviewing the fishing forums, it appears that there was good fishing in Surfside after all. In hindsight, I should have located an area in advance and committed to it. There was a mid-day bite on topwaters that I missed out on. I wasted too much time driving the beach looking for signs. Last year, I did very well in the surf and only frequented two or three spots. I would commit to a spot and stay there for the day. From here on out, I'll go back to that strategy.

Many accounts listed the surf as "turning on" beginning Thursday, July 17th. Since I was fishing in Port O'Connor and Aransas Pass, I missed the first two days of trout water to the beach. This typically happens for a few precious days each summer and early fall. The first couple of days can be magical as the trout and redfish gorge on menhaden and mullet right against the beach. Limits are typical and some people experience their best fishing day in their life.After a couple of days, the activity levels off and it is more difficult to find the fish. Most accounts from yesterday said that it had quickly played out and there was a chance for a mid-day bite. I thought I would try the surf in the early morning and continue until my interest wained. As I was driving down to Galveston, I listened to the local outdoors show on the radio and enjoyed the morning. I wasn't sure whether I should go East or West. Since I have long wanted to fish Bolivar and had yet to do so, I elected to try it first.

The first place I tried was Emerald beach. At this particular spot, the guts are deeper than what one would typically find off of Galveston or Follett's island. After waiting for the ferry for a longer time than I anticipated, I dropped into the water around 7:15 AM. I was a bit discouraged as the water was far sandier than I expected. Nevertheless, I started throwing topwaters in the first gut as the early morning bite can be had without getting your feet wet. I tried topwaters, touts, and the old standby 51 Mirrolure. I fished the spot until 9:15 without so much as a tap. Winds were around 2-5 from the Southeast.

I took the ferry back to Galveston in hopes of finding better water. Down at access 35, the water looked perfect - green to the beach, rafts of horse mullet, pelicans hanging out. Again, I threw topwaters in hothead SS jr and a baby trout skitterwalk without a blowup. I threw touts, a clown 51 Mirrolures, a Blu/CharCatch 2000 and a SW chrome rattletrap. The signs looked too good, so I swam out to the third bar and threw offshore and back into the 3rd gut. Nope, not here. I fished from 10:30AM to 1:00 PM without a tap. Where was the mid-day bite? Winds were around 5 from the Southeast.

Since I was so close to Follet's, I drove across the San Luis Pass bridge and the water looked beautiful. Lots of anglers, but no bent rods. I turned into access 6 and turned back to the East. The water was beautiful, but no obvious signs such as birds working, pelicans sitting, or visible bait. I decided to give it thirty minutes and waded out to the second bar. Pelicans began to crash bait offshore in front of me. Even if I had been on the third bay (a farther swim in this spot), I would not have been within casting distance. The Southeast winds began to build and I called it a day at 2:30PM

Date fished: Thursday, July 20th
Lunar phase: 2 days after the full moon

Winds: Southeast at 3-5 in the morning, building to 10 in the afternoon
Water Condition: Sandy to Trout green,
Baits: hothead spook jr, Catch2000 in blu/chrt, clown 51 Mirrolure, Baby trout Skitterwalk, blu/chro Skittwalk, SW blu/chro Rattletrap, 1/16 oz jighead with Texas chicken TTK, 1/16 oz jighead with LSU Gambler paddletail
Fish caught: none
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