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Galveston Bay system

6K views 18 replies 15 participants last post by  Salty_UH 
#1 ·
My wife and I recently moved out to Katy and we're thinking of buying a boat. I've never fished the Galveston bay system and don't know what to expect. I used to fish the Lower Laguna Madre which had tons of shallow water. A shallow water boat was a must. Using google maps and looking at the distance to the bay it looks like west bay and maybe trinity bay will be the area fished the most.

What are the depths like? Is sight fishing pretty common up here? I a shallow boat a must in these waters or is it better to look for something that takes the chop well?

I've been considering several cat boats from shoalwater, haynie, and trans.

So far not having much luck with test rides from two different dealers. They both water a deposit for a test ride. Is this normal in this area?
 
#2 ·
Trinity averages a 7 foot depth. The predominant winds are from the SE and it is known to get rough. Kenner, Pathfinder, and the like are great boats here. You can get glass and a flats will work but the bay can turn in a heartbeat and that can make for an interesting ride back to the launch.
 
#3 ·
X2, can't really describe it much better than that. Plus, you don't want to be on the sidelines due to waiting for light winds. Almost need 2 boats for our areas. Big V and a Poling boat.

Yes, there are numerous sight casting opportunities even in upper trinity bay when the water is right.

See if you can find some good ole 2coolers with the boats you want and offer to pay there gas for a day on the water. You'll want to go on a windy day though. The 23 cats seem to do fine although I haven't had one in trinity on a super rough day. Some of the guys I know have a big boat and something like a kayak or solo skiff for sighcasting.
 
#5 ·
If you are going to fish West Bay only, you can get by with a shallower boat. For west bay, we run a 17' Whaler Montauk. It can get pretty shallow but if the bay gets choppy, you can run in it pretty good in that boat. Typically waves aren't near as big as rest of the bay system. For Trinity, Galveston and East, you need something that can take on rougher water. We run a 21.5' Seaswirl Striper and it takes on the rougher water really good. If I was going to buy a boat today, I'd probably get an old 22' Whaler and repower. You can go with a shallow running boat but will be very limited on a lot of days. If you're in the middle of Galveston Bay drifting on a light wind morning and a storm pops up with lots of wind and waves, you probably don't want to be in a shallow running boat, lol. If you want to try out a certain kind of boat a guide runs, I bet you could call them, figure out a fee and they would take you out for 30 minutes after they wrapped it up with their morning trip.
 
#8 ·
Like they said, Trinity/East bay usually hang around 7-8ft. West bay is pretty shallow. It averages at I'd say about 4ft. As far as boat, I'm running a 22 Majek Extreme. I can fish West Bay easily on most any day, but East/Trinity is a different story. I typically don't fish those bays unless the wind is 10mph or under. I've been out to Hanna's in East Bay on a 15-17mph day, and I made it back in one piece safely, but it wasn't fun. Sum it all up, West can be fished pretty easily in most conditions but is better to be on in a shallower boat, East/Trinity can get real bumpy quickly, but that's not too big of an issue with a good deep V boat. I'd say if you can find a Pathfinder, Bluewave, Kenner, nautic star, haynie, etc, you'll be good for all around. The majek does good in probably up to 2 footers, but anything over that can get real bumpy. Good luck!
 
#9 ·
Bigfoot

After a lot of research , I bought a Haynie Bigfoot for the Galveston Bay System. It gets up shallow once you learn how to use the jack plate and trim tabs, and handles the swells you see in this system well. Chop is no problem. I spend a lot of time fishing in 1 to 2 feet of water, and don't worry when out deeper, or on the 20 mph days. The knock on the Bigfoot is that it isn't fast, so if you need to go more than 50 mph then you'll want to find a different compromise.
 
#13 ·
Easiest way to west bay in my opinion is fat boys. Just put in, follow the channel to the ICW, and your there. For east bay I put in at the dike. Little run but not bad. I've never hardcore fished trinity, but the one time I was there I put in at the kemah ramp under 146. If you put in at Thompsons though then trinity bay is right there
 
#11 ·
Cats do fine in the bay system. Wind can get bad quick just like any bay. Whatever boat you do chose just make sure it suits the kinda fishing you enjoy. The easiest launch i think at Trinity is Thompsons. But its all on what part of the bay you like to fish.
 
#12 ·
To answer your question about launches, you can launch at fatboys, Louie's bait camp, a new place on 61st in Galveston. That would be the main west bay launches I believe. You can mark Louie's off the list if you get a raised console due to the bridge you have to idle under.
 
#15 ·
Launch options that I use....

Upper West Bay - Fat Boy's
Middle West Bay - Waterman's Grill and Marina
Lower West Bay - San Luis Pass County Park

You can reach both ends of West Bay from either the lower and upper launch spots. I threw in that middle launch spot in case you go down there and rent a beach house. The upper and lower launch spots are free. The middle spot has a fee ($5?). There are a few other ramps, but these work well and give me access to where I want to be.

East Bay launch options...
- Texas City Dike (TCD) - several ramps along the dike, I use the one at the far end; take a short run across the channel and you're in East Bay
- Stingaree Marina - on the Bolivar peninsula side, takes more time due to having to take the ferry across to Bolivar; I only use this option when I want to eliminate a rough ride across the channel from the TCD launch

Haven't spent any time in Trinity bay.

I live in Houston, not far from Katy, and I keep my boat in storage down near Galveston. You may need to do that if you're not allowed to keep a boat at the house. PM me if you have questions.
 
#16 ·
My wife and I recently moved out to Katy and we're thinking of buying a boat. I've never fished the Galveston bay system and don't know what to expect. I used to fish the Lower Laguna Madre which had tons of shallow water. A shallow water boat was a must. Using google maps and looking at the distance to the bay it looks like west bay and maybe trinity bay will be the area fished the most.

What are the depths like? Is sight fishing pretty common up here? I a shallow boat a must in these waters or is it better to look for something that takes the chop well?

I've been considering several cat boats from shoalwater, haynie, and trans.

So far not having much luck with test rides from two different dealers. They both water a deposit for a test ride. Is this normal in this area?
Definitely want a hull that can handle some wide open and deep water. You won't be running a lot of shallow flats and GBAY System can get rough big time. I do believe the bigger cats will handle it just fine, and give you the best of both worlds so to speak.
www.solarscreenguys.com
 
#17 ·
old school mako

I'm fishing a 1975 20 foot mako, purchased for $4,500.00 in 1989, but have spent about a million bucks over the years remotoring, re-trailering etc. A boat that has a simi-v and can get you shallow if needed. Not 1/2 inch of water shallow but shallow enough to wade. And you do not need a shallow runner for west bay. There are allot of all-around boats out there. I'd personally stay away from low profile shallow water boats for Galvetraz. Good luck and hope this helps.
 

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#19 ·
c hook, NICE mako.....

I am in a newer model pathfinder and thinking about ditching the high $ ride and go with a remake i can do on my own like your mako.

How long did it take to get it "fishable" and would you recommend to do it again or was it a pain in the arse?
 
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