Yay or nay? Is the fishing good this time of year? I have usually been fishin SLP, but havent caught anything worth keeping so I want to try somewhere different. If anyone fishes this area and thinks its worthwhile for this weekend or this time of year and has any exact locations to drive to and park, that would be great. I don't need the exact spot, just a place to get my legs in the water...i can go from there.

If you're not catching fish at SLP you're in the wrong spot. They are there on the flats by Bird Island.

The water was pretty good last weekend, but the heat seems to have driven the fish into deeper water by mid-morning.

Tx4guns, that's what everyone says but I have not caught anything but stingrays, sheepshead and a trout or somehing. I have no idea where the flats by bird island are. Can you get to it by wading?

I'm assuming you don't have a boat or kayak, correct?

San Luis Pass:


If the tide is coming in strong the flats north of the marsh island can be good too. Find the guts and trout will be waiting to ambush bait coming in on the tide.

Christmas Bay (east entry point):


Fish the south shoreline and work your way east to the channel in the NE portion of the picture. That's Churchill Bayou. Watch your step as there are stingrays and you need to mind the boat cuts.

Christmas Bay (west entry point):


Fish the south shoreline west. Lots of oyster reefs toward the old ICW (channel to the NW of this pic) and pretty clear grass flats on the south shoreline. Again, watch for stingrays. There are fewer boat cuts here but the water gets relatively deep (4'-4.5" near these oyster reefs).

Tide predictions (use the Christmas Point prediction):
http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/texassites.html

Your best bets are going to be the couple hours ahead of a rising or falling tide.

Watchlisted.

Good info Finn. I've used the east entry point you mention and done decent damage.

Oh, and for Bird Island plug these coordinates into Google Earth. Great spot but if you don't have a yak or boat you ain't getting there.

29° 5'41.10"N, 95° 8'26.99"W

Anybody wanna offer something like Finn did for ESB and SAB complexes?

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I learned virtually everything I know about where to go and how to get there from these books. After figuring out where to go it was just getting out there:

http://www.texascoastalfishingbooks.com/

Thanks a ton everyone! I am at work and all the images are blocked but I will check tonight. Im guessing the best thing to do is try to get there by 6am?

Also, FWIW- I really like the south shoreline all along Christmas Bay. The grass flats there consistently hold the clearest water I've ever found in the Galveston Bay complex.

You really can do the sort of sight-casting that normally requires being POC and further south. BUT...


...it's really hit-or-miss. Sometimes there will be reds everywhere but usually it's just a bunch of big mullet and the occasional Texas permit (sheepshead) which spook like crazy.

jed- watch the tides, very important.

I have always fished the bay at SLP. I have seen bird island, now that I know what it is. We are always considerably more to the east of it and just walk around and fish the second gut. I don't like water being above my waist. I like to try to be as safe as possible and always fish with a buddy.

If I try to fish Christmas Bay (the spots in the post on this thread) what is more important....being there before the sun comes up for cool temps, or being there when the tides are coming up or going out?

Sorry for all the questions...ill just have a chance to go this weekend and I usually only get to go once or twice a year...so I want to make the most of it.

[This message has been edited by jed1154 (edited 6/8/2011 10:18a).]

OK...were gonna go out early early and fish. We are going to grab live shrimp and maybe ill pick up some penny gulps from academy. Fish those on the bottom I guess. We will see. Hopefully we can at least get something keepable and edible.

If you're going to use live shrimp get a poppin' cork or mansfield mauler. Then run a leader of about 18-24" below it with 1/0 hook.

Keeps it off the bottom and away from the crabs & stingrays. At least a bit anyway.

Isnt live shrimp the best? I have used mullet before...guess we could grab a few of those.

Best? That's a pretty subjective question.

Personally, I've only ever used live baitfish in the surf or once on a guided trip to Sabine Lake with a couple newbs. In the surf I was hooking live mullet, piggy perch, or croaker (whatever we caught in the cast-net) through the back (just behind the dorsal fin) and casting it way the hell out there with long (11-12' rods) and on Sabine we had live shat the guide netted which we drifted across main-lake structure.

If you're trying to keep it relatively simple just get a quart or so of live shrimp and fish it under a popping cork/mauler-type rig.

If you're not getting bit with live shrimp you're not likely to get bit with arties.

What is the deal with the mansfield mauler? Isnt it just a cigar style popping cork...metal rod with beads and two eyes?

Click-click, when you give it a quick tug... attracts the attention of fish.

I know that, i just meant, H&H makes something that looks identical to the mansfield mauler and I think its been around for 30 years or more...comes in a package of 4...3" cork, etc.

Well, we got there a little later than planned by about an hour. Anyway, we got live shrimp and started fishing. We stopped by 11 and left to get a burger. Wish I could say we loaded up but we didnt. I tried live shrimp under a mansfield mauler type rig, Gulp Penny shrimp, some kind of gulp chartreuse mullet...and a chartreuse sand eel.

A few hits on the artificials, but nothing worth noting. Switched back to live bait and snagged this guy:



Not huge, but pretty much a 100% improvement over my last three trips where we kept nothing.

Also, ran across this place...which I though you guys might like:

Trying to search info on Christmas bay as I have not had much luck there and this thread was in the search! I have only caught a few keepers over the years, but I usually do day trips leaving CS at 2AM to get on the water by 530ish. I am making one of those trips this week and feel like it might be more fishing than catching. Only get down there a few time a year these days so want to make the most of it.

Im a full time guide and fish that area year round. Christmas Bay is named for the time of year you really should be fishing there.... Cold Pass is also named that way for a reason....

Having said that you won't know if you don't go. There have been a couple schools of redfish on the walk in wade accessible shorelines....but they are finicky for sure. There is better trout action in other places right now so haven't targeted that area much. But there are some. The heat scatters em right now..... cuz its not Christmas time. Lol.

I'm assuming you don't have a boat or kayak.....

I have a kayak but wasn't taking it this trip. I love surf fishing but thought I'd try the bay side this round. Going solo for the day and just need to get in the salty air. Haven't been down since October! You think I should try slp instead since I'll be bank fishing or wading? I know it's pretty dangerous and I don't really know that area well.

If you do go there, please don't wade at the pass without wearing a PFD.

I won't. I have been to the pass and followed others out but more on the bay side towards Galveston than into the actual pass. I have friends who won't even kayak in the pass bc they have had scares with the currents