Episode 14 | How to Catch Sea Trout in Galveston Bay

Prepping for Galveston Bay Sea Trout Fishing

In this episode we’re going to learn how to catch sea trout on the Galveston Bay, TX. See all my trip stats and catches here.

I woke up at 4 AM to the odd feeling of Alex not being there. It took me a second to realize that he had left a few days ago as I got my bearings. I got all the camera gear together checked the batteries twice to make sure that everything was correct and began filming my morning. It was a challenge. While Alex is away, I have to do all the filming, the fishing, and the driving for the day. I drank two cups of coffee at 5 o’clock in the morning and bounced from the hotel to go meet Captain Cliff Baxter at the Top Water Grill.

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We put my gear into Cliff’s boat, pushed off from the dock, and headed out for an epic day of saltwater fishing.

When I arrived, Cliff was there with his center console boat rigged-out for speckled trout and reds. We put my gear into his boat and we pushed off from the dock, headed out for a day of fishing. He seemed fairly confident that we were going to put plenty of fish in the boat, so I was super pumped to get on some speckled trout for the first saltwater trip of the Tour. I’ve been waiting for this day since we started steelhead fishing in Ohio in the beginning of May. I knew deep down that I was going have a good day on the water.

Getting Started Catching Sea Trout

We rolled up to the first spot, rigged up Croaker’s on a 4/0 circle hook with a 1/16th ounce weight and barrel swivel up the line from them. We began fishing a technique called bottom bouncing as the boat drifted with the current. It wasn’t long before Captain Cliff hooked up with the first beautiful Speckled Sea Trout. It was a solid fish and our first “eater” of the day.

One of the biggest reasons I am excited for the saltwater portion of the trip is because of the good eats from a long day of fishing.

From that point on, it was trout after trout for an hour and a half. We caught our limit in no time!

Cliff got a call on his cell that there was a fired up school of Sea Trout on a nearby reef, so we moved locations and immediately got into the motherload of speckled trout. It was a blast! I could feel the weight bouncing against the bottom and then all of a sudden there would be a massive tug on the other end of the line! When that occurs, you need to let out a little bit a line and wait for about two seconds… then set the hook. That’s pretty hard for a Bass head like me to wait to set a hook.

From that point on, it was trout after trout for an hour and a half. We caught our limit in no time!

We knew that we were going to be eating a delicious lunch.

Back at the Top Water Grill, we filleted our catch and then gave them to the cooks.

Eating Fresh Sea Trout

This trip was super exciting and Cliff was incredible to work with! After that hour and a half of hot bites, the tide changed and the bite slowed.

We fished for another two hours with infrequent interest in our baits and then decided to head in for lunch.

Back at the Top Water Grill, we filleted our catch and then gave them to the cooks. We docked the boat and Cliff began chatting with all of the other guides. It turned out that we fared much better than most of the other boats so we did what every fisherman loves… Brag about the days catch.

It was an absolute perfect start to the ANGLR Tour saltwater episodes. After our brag session, we sat down at the bar, got our fresh caught fish, and enjoyed a delicious meal. We couldn’t have had a more relaxing day and we were even able to avoid the hostile afternoon sun for the most part.

Next… Back at Galveston Bay With Kim Hurt!

After lunch, I said my goodbyes to Captain Cliff at the bar and we parted ways. I took the Tour Jeep back to the hotel, uploaded footage, and passed out early.

I will be getting up early and fishing another day on the Galveston Bay with Captain John Havens and Kim Hurt! Can’t wait.

View the entire trip, every catch, every waypoint, tackle, pictures, water and weather condistions by clicking here.

Glaveston Bay

Current Species Count:

We’re gunnin’ for 20+ over the course of the tour. Here’s the list, so far:

Steelhead
Largemouth Bass
Spotted Bass
Rock Bass
Silver Red Horse Sucker
Quillback Suckercarp
Skipjack
Blue catfish
American Shad
Spotted Gar
Mooneye
Asian Carp
Pumpkinseed
Smallmouth bass
Bluegill
Brown Trout
Striped Bass
Rainbow Trout
Freshwater Drum
Speckled Sea Trout
Red Fish

This is the ANGLRTOUR. –Jacob Jesionek

About the ANGLR Tour

Follow Jake and Alex, collegiate Bass anglers, fish biologist, and vloggers, on an epic two-month fishing trip. They’re on a journey to catch 20 species, 10 state fish, and win the 2018 FLW college national championship on Red River, LA.

Will they be able to complete their whole challenge? Follow along as they catch bass, kayak fish Texas Bass Lakes, inshore Tarpon fish, have dinners with Bassmaster elites, jack Smallmouth Bass in Michigan, and Striped Bass fish Cape Cod. They’ll even have a Hobie vs. Bonafide kayak fishing challenge on Sam Rayburn. They’re vlogging, blogging, and recording it all right here.

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