Galveston Surf/Wade Fish Guide

[Dirt_Dance]

Looking for any good recommendations for a guide to teach me how to surf fish, or wade fish. We go down to the surf a few times a year and I enjoy standing in the surf throwing everything from artificials to live bait. Just want to better understand how to find the fish. How do you find the cuts, how do you identify structure in the surf, etc..... I pick up a bunch of stuff on YouTube, but nothing can replace hands on training.

Appreciate any direction y’all can point me in. Personal experience referrals generally beat web searches.

[BBBGP]

I think the trout support videos are pretty good. Reading water is the same be it surf or bay. for my money I would by something I could watch over and over again before I took a guide.

I think Steve Hilman is a great teaching guide.

One other thing is there a bunch of good people on the GS so let us know when your fishing and someone might join you.

God Bless.

[kevin nicholls]

The surf is a fickle mistress according to Joe Doggett, the old Houston Chronicle outdoor writer. Try a Google search for him. He had some great articles on fishing the surf years ago. It's been the worst year for surf fishing I can remember.
Here's my best advice-
Try to find a day the surf is reasonably flat. Be there at sunrise and an incoming tide is best.
Get on the first bar (knee deep) and start throwing a Super Spook Jr, moving along the beach throwing on either side of the sandbar. The fish are closer than you think early in the morning.
Mix in a few paddle tails on 1/4oz heads.
Get on the salt water fishing thread and ask for an invite, they're very helpful guys.
This is just a small start but I hope it helps. Kevin

[HighwayHunter]

I’d second the last post but replace the spook with a skitterwalk. Blue w/orange throat. As the tide comes in and waves get bigger throw a silver Johnson spoon and bounce it off of the bottom.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[panhandlehunter]

I don’t consider myself an expert on the surf but fish it every time it gets right. I like to wade to second bar and fish the guts on both sides. You will figure out where they are at. Some people like topwaters in the surf, I don’t like to waste my time using them. Takes too long to unhook fish, you have to worry about getting a hook in your hand or getting it tangled in the net, but a lot of people like that kind of bite. I prefer 1/4 oz. jig heads, if the current is bad or I need to throw against some wind i will go up to a 3/8 oz. For lures, it’s always a plum/chartreuse Down South Lure for me. To catch numbers fish in the surf, you need clean water. I fished it Saturday and we caught a bunch of fish, it was rough, but we had the clarity. A good website to look at is Magic Seaweed, it’s fairly accurate about surf height predictions. The thing about the surf, is you can’t plan a trip in advance around surf fishing for trout. When it gets right, you need to be able to go. It may only be good for a day or two, and if you’re not there in that window you’re wasting your time. I take people fishing in the surf all the time, I could type forever about what to look for etc. my recommendation is to watch that forecast, and try to hit it when it is right. If you are wanting to go just shoot me a message and we’ll see if can get on some fish.

[cbd10pt]

Yup got to be flexible with timing.
Best days are the morning after the last cold fronts, in early summer late spring.
I have seen the water clarity 6' deep in Galveston on these rare days.

[Dirt_Dance]

Thanks for all the advice. We just rolled into town. Got a storm for a few days I guess. Worst case I’ll find a guide and go try and hit some reds inland.

[MarkV]

If you d up wanting a guide to take you out I would recommend Ben Boudreaux. Idk if he would be the one to teach you to surf fish but he can out you on the fish. Good dude.

7 one 3-3 zero 3- 1 zero 9 five

[npe001]

I’d second the last post but replace the spook with a skitterwalk. Blue w/orange throat. As the tide comes in and waves get bigger throw a silver Johnson spoon and bounce it off of the bottom.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Skitter walk is good but a one knocker in pink/chrome is the ticket (lol everyone has their preference) but Good call on the spoon if you dont want to throw plastics, that is a bait that is way under rated.. bronze and gold are good colors too.