Fishing within the Government

Given the opportunity, it's safe to say that most people would opt out of a week of government meetings filled with indecision and postponement of meaningful action.  However... In an attempt to shape and brighten the future of the charterboat industry, I have chosen to involve myself with the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council process.  

A brief recap of the week includes reallocation, rescinding a rule preventing charterboats from fishing in state waters when the federal season is closed, and the council also chose to develop an electronic reporting system for the charterboats.  Although the council has decided to move forward on a few issues, none of them are expected to translate into many additional fishing days for Red Snapper season over the next few years.  

Looking ahead to the next meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It would be refreshing to see the council take steps towards developing solutions rather than just one attempt after another to extend the continually shrinking seasons by extending it in one way or another by a few days here and there. 

About Fishing Charters, what are you paying for?

Around the docks in Galveston, Texas or most any port across the gulf really. There are guides and outfitters ready to take people fishing on any given day, and in most weather conditions. These people make a living on the water, taking people fishing either part time or full time. But with all the different options to choose from, how can you decide what you're looking for from a website and a conversation over the phone?

Some people prefer to learn an area on their own, bringing their boat, and personal fishing tackle with them. But let's face it, not everyone owns a boat, much less a boat for bay fishing, offshore fishing, skiing/wake boarding, and fishing in freshwater too. Many people choose to just leave their boat and tackle behind, and rely on a fishing guide or outfitter for their local knowledge and expertise on the water. Whether you're looking to just catch and release or put fish in the box to eat for dinner, a good fishing guide can make all the difference between a chartered fishing trip and just an expensive boat ride.

There are a few things that set fishing guides and outfitters apart.  Service, quality of equipment, and price.   Any guide or outfitter can be a great guy as many of them are, but that is completely different than service.  A good question when you're searching for a trip is, will we there be a deckhand on our trip?  Only the most professional operations have a deckhand for their trips, it's a way to bring the price down.  A good deckhand will be there to help teach you how to fish, net or gaff fish, and help you throughout the trip with almost anything you need.  Deckhands always work for tips on fishing charters, so that's how you reward them for a job well done.  No one wants to leave the dock wondering if they'll make it back!  Look at some pictures on the website about the boat, see if it's new or has new engines, or does it look like it's just waiting to sink at any moment.  Finally, the price.  There's an old saying "you get what you pay for" and it holds true for fishing charters.  Fishing is their business, not just a hobby, and charters aren't the lowest price by accident.  Guides and outfitters may be chartering without permits, or insurance, licenses.  These are all highly illegal!  Other ways could be cheap or faulty equipment, no deckhand, lack of experience, and hidden fees for fish cleaning and bait for the trip.

It may seem like fishing guides and outfitter are just out to get you with all the things to look out for, but you can really notice the difference if you've been on the 'good deal' fishing trip.  Next time you're looking for a fishing trip, these things to consider should help you be much more prepared to ensure a great day on the water.  Make a few calls and see which fishing guide seems like a good fit for you, ask a few questions to know what to expect, and bring a camera to have some fish pictures to show your friends when you get back home.


For information about your next Galveston fishing charter with Fishin Addiction Charters go to: thefishinaddiction.com

What a Difference a Few Days Can Make

After another great week in Galveston, Texas the fish are still biting.  The week got off to a rough start with some horrendous weather , but the weather settled back down as the week moved along and we were able to get back on the water safely.  Thursday we were greeted with light winds and calm seas, fishing at the Galveston jetties was truly at its best!  On the left is a picture of the radar taken on monday... and on the right is the catch we brought in Thursday from our Galveston Fishing Charter.  

After catching enough for a meal or two, our guests decided to just enjoy the day catching redfish after redfish and safely releasing them.  A great way to ensure successful days of fishing for our future.  Overall we were able to catch over 20 redfish, with sheepshead, gulf trout, and some really nice speckled trout.  Captain Dan even caught an undersized snook, which is a very rare catch for the upper Texas Gulf Coast.  

Over the next 2 weeks the Captains of Fishin Addiction Charters will be taking two very different paths.  Captain Dan will be continuing to run fishing charters and going to school at U of H Clear Lake.  I have been invited to attend the FishSmart Gulf of Mexico/South Atlantic Workshop on Improving the Survival of Released Fish Focussing on Barotrauma in St. Petersburg, Florida as part of a continuing effort to improve our nations' fisheries.  The following weekend, we will have a full slate of trips before I head of to Corpus Christi, Texas for the highly anticipated Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council Meeting as a member of the Charter Fisherman's Association and it's ongoing goal to achieve sustainable and accountable status for our fisheries in a way that will increase all user groups' access to our nation's natural resource.

To reserve your next fishing adventure visit: thefishinaddiction.com

For more information about the Charter Fisherman's Association go to: charterfisherman.org

Tight Lines and Good Times

It's been a long crazy week here in Galveston, Texas but the Captains of Fishin Addiction Charters would like to take the time to say thank you to all of those that we were able to take fishing this past week for Spring Break. This has been one of our busiest and most productive years ever in terms of the numbers of fish caught and memories made for our customers. The weather has been near perfect and we look forward to more great days on the water as the Galveston fishing season moves along.

Here is an interesting picture I managed to take on our fantastic Galveston fishing charter on Friday afternoon. We were on the very end of the North Jetty looking back towards Bolivar Peninsula and nearly all of the fishing boats in the picture are charter guides, including 5 federally permitted charter boats. This was just one afternoon of an entire week of Spring Break fishing charters here in Galveston, Texas. I feel safe saying people enjoy their fishing charters across the entire Gulf of Mexico for Spring Break.

That's all for now as I have to get back to the Yacht Basin for another Galveston fishing charter this afternoon.

For your next Galveston Fishing Charter go to: thefishinaddiction.com
And for fishing charters across the Gulf visit: Charter Fisherman Association - Guide Finder

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

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