Thursday, February 23, 2012

Finally Fishing Again



Now that Mardi Gras is over, the spring time fog banks have decided to just take over the Galveston, Texas beachfront almost every day now.  But if you find the right day there is still a great escape from the gloomy weather pattern leading into the spring and the beginning of Galveston deep sea fishing season.

This past sunday was one of our first Galveston fishing charters of the new year.  The forecast called for a cool and windy morning, so Captain Dan decided to push the trip to the afternoon and what a great call that was.  Our clients were rewarded with near perfect weather for their trip as the wind calmed down and the sun came out for the entire afternoon.  With the recent cold front passing through Galveston, the water was still dirty at the jetties for the first hour until the tide finally brought us back some nice green water to get the fish biting.  We ended the day with 8 nice sheepshead and release a few undersized redfish.

Tuesday, I was blessed with an invite from a friend to go offshore for the maiden voyage of a friends new 31 ft Cape Horn offshore fishing  boat.  He wanted to just take it out for a quick offshore trip to see what it was made of.  We got a bit of a late start and met up with that familiar fog bank until about 20 miles offshore.  After the fog finally broke, it was blue skies and calm seas all the way out.  We fished around Stetson Bank for Kingfish and dropped down a few times at some rigs for Amberjack or Grouper with no luck.  But with a couple hours of fishing behind us and a long trip in to be home about 5 hours later than they told their wives, we decided to call it a day. That boat has got to be one of the best riding fishing machines I have ever fished on, and gets great fuel economy the entire trip.  We made it back to the dock in the late evening with 3 nice Kingfish and two upset wives.  It was a great experience to teach them a little bit more about the secrets of charter fishing and how to get the most out of your boat and gear.  A big thanks to my friend for the invite and I look forward to the next deep sea fishing trip on that awesome new boat!

For more information on Fishin Addiction Charters or to book your next Galveston fishing charter check us out online:
Fishin Addiction Charters

Monday, February 6, 2012

Great Time For Galveston


As what we called Winter in Galveston, Texas this year finally coming to an end, our little island is about to start the transition into tourist season.

It all starts this Friday with the kick off of Mardi Gras presented by Yagas Entertainment, followed by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Art-walk, Spring Break, and an early Easter weekend at the beginning of April.

After the extended Easter weekend, there may be a few last weekends to relax and soak up the sun, but all bets are off once the new, highly anticipated Historic Galveston Island Pleasure Pier opens as projected sometime in May. By this time, summer will be in full swing as Memorial Day officially kicks off the Summer season and tourism will be booming again!

As these events unfold we look forward to finally taking people out on the water again to enjoy a great days of Galveston fishing charters to complete their trip to Galveston Island. With the beginning of Spring also comes the warming up of the fantastic fishing we have grown accustomed to in the bays, along the jetties, and in our offshore waters.

Stay tuned for more updates, articles, great events, and Galveston fishing reports as we get back on the water to continue making memories with Fishin Addiction Charters. So give us a call and book your next adventure on Galveston Island today!

For more information on the events listed in this blog check out:
http://www.mardigrasgalveston.com/

http://www.hlsr.com/

https://www.facebook.com/galvestonislandpier

http://m.galveston.com/

http://thefishinaddiction.com



Friday, February 3, 2012

Lets just go fishing

Greetings from Mobile, Alabama at the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Meeting. We have had the pleasure this week to work with fishermen and fishery management officials as we continue an effort to improve our nations' fisheries through sustainable management practices developed by all user groups involved. It's been a relatively quiet week, but there are some crucial decisions coming up at the next meeting in Corpus Christi, Texas this April. Among the highlights of the week were an update on the Grey Triggerfish population, moving forward on the proposed Greater Amberjack regulations, and a step towards adding artificial reefs as an Essential Fish Habitat.

The update on Grey Triggerfish revealed a concern that the population is declining, and will possibly be closed in the near future. Further exploration should reveal more insight as to why the population is decreasing. There were suggestions made by several fisherman during public testimony that Red Snapper predation may be a source of this decline. Possibly the most important of the topics discussed for our industry was with Greater Amberjack. The council entertained possibilities of increasing the size limit and changing the season. After much debate among council members and input during public testimony, the amendment was moved forward and will recieve final action in April. The concern by fishermen as well as some council members is that by raising the size limit and adjusting the season we will be disregarding our current plan after only one year. The largest concern with respect to size limit is that although from a biological standpoint, 34 inches is the best for the stock. The increase in discard mortality to catch fish of that size will be very high while at the same time reaching the total allowable catch faster as larger fish are being targeted. The proposed seasonal closure in March, April, and May does not offer flexibility to any recreational fishermen any prized species to target outside of the expected Red Snapper season. This will drastically cut the number of fishing days of all recreational fisherman and essentially cripple charter guides already hurting from a very short Red Snapper season. There is also work being done to attempt to add artificial reefs to the list of essential fish habitats, but this possibility will be further explored in April after reviewing the current language of the EFH definition.

The actions taken and items discussed in Mobile this week set the stage for some possibly monumental decisions coming out of the meeting in April with regards to the charter for hire industry and recreational fishermen. The biggest and most heated topic will be a scoping document regarding sector separation for the charter boat fleet. Sector separation in the recreational fishery would essentially be giving recreational and charter fishermen the ability to create a flexible, accountable fishery management plan that allows more access to the fishery for the American public. Adding the final action on Greater Amberjack, possibly making artificial reef an essential fish habitat, and the announcement of the federal Red Snapoer season coming in between make for a very packed agenda effecting recreational fishermen across the Gulf of Mexico.

For more information about the Charter Fisherman's Association visit charterfisherman.org