# Weed on west end



## ElGallo (Aug 5, 2006)

Lot of weed on beach and more coming in. This is Saturday, near water tower, looking towards San Luis Pass.....


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## bubbas kenner (Sep 4, 2010)

Wow that stink's through the screen ,really shows how bad it is ouch.


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## lipjerker (Apr 27, 2012)

I have watched this sargassum weed come on the beach since i was a kid. They (City of Galveston) used to remove it due to it's insightlyness and foul odor as it decayed. later they discovered they were loosing too much beach from errosion. So they started to leave it as it layed. It would then get covered over by sand and make dunes (duh). On the west end of the island, land owners now have to remove it themselves if they want a clear place on the beach, of coarse you have to get a permit to remove it. So most don't. This weed comes from the sea of Sargasso in the atlantic ocean. when the currant is right and the seas get rough, large portions break off and come through into the gulf between Cuba and Florida and is carried west until incoming tides deposit it along our beaches. Lucky us...Sure messes up soaking baits for us surf fisherman. Soon it should break down and start to dissapear. But in the meantime...YUK!


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## Chief5x5 (Apr 25, 2005)

To weed or not to weed. Thus is the question.


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## spicyitalian (Jan 18, 2012)

So, I know there is no definitive answer to this question, but I'll ask anyway. In the past my surf fishing was limited to our annual October trip. Weed was not a problem. Starting last year, we tried in May on mustang island. It was horrible. I had read that it was particularly bad last year, so it didn't bother me that much, but it seemed like it stuck around for longer than normal. Last summer we started making trips to Surfside in July, and the weed was gone, same in October. So we're going to try our luck here in a couple of weeks in Surfside again, and I've been watching the weed, hoping we can get some breaks at least. 

Is there some general rule of thumb about when the weedy season is? Seems like April-June maybe? Someone with many more years experience might could shed a little bit better light on it. 

It would be tough to convince the wife to go much earlier in the year since she's so cold natured, but I just can't wait until summer to start fishing again after winter.


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## dreamer (Aug 12, 2005)

I hope it's not too bad on Saturday. Taking the kiddos down to Galveston, maybe surfside. Want to see them with some tight lines, and not from the sea weed.


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## Chief5x5 (Apr 25, 2005)

dreamer said:


> I hope it's not too bad on Saturday. Taking the kiddos down to Galveston, maybe surfside. Want to see them with some tight lines, and not from the sea weed.


 Check the tides and try the some of the Bay piers with the kids.


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## burkerust (May 3, 2011)

*Bay piers*



Chief5x5 said:


> Check the tides and try the some of the Bay piers with the kids.


What bay piers are you talking about, I'll be vacationing at SLP June 1 ?


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## westtx77 (Oct 8, 2011)

I drove down to East Beach/Apffel park area yesterday afternoon, looks like the city has at least pushed it into big piles. I guess if you don't mind paying to park it's a better option than "snow bank" weed in other places...


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## agonzales1981 (Jun 12, 2008)

We have a beach house on jamaica from the 16th-20th, was really hoping to do some fishing. These bad seaweed reports are discouraging.


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## lonestranger (Aug 20, 2005)

whew, with that kind of weed in the water it makes me want to throw a Spro Frog for bass LOL. I sure hope it is gone by June.


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## lipjerker (Apr 27, 2012)

*what to do?*

I understand your frustration. When you have a house booked your going no matter what and now at the mercy of the wind and tides. But all is not lost on the kids when there is a lot of sargassum weed on the beach or better yet still coming in. 
If the kids are young enough they will be entertained with what they can find in the floating weeds. Once you let them know that it is safe to pick it up in large floating clumps and run it up to the beach. Then shake it out over a water filled bucket and watch their amazement at all the tiny creatures that fall out. They might even be lucky to find one of the coolest fish, the "Sarassum weed fish" http://www.google.com/search?q=sarg...dHcfM2gXkpKHpCA&ved=0CGsQsAQ&biw=1525&bih=622
They will be entertained all day doing this. Just enjoy the day and hope for clear clean water ,light winds, a easy tides. Also you might take a pitch fork with you and a shovel so you can remove to a pile some of the weeds to make a place to sit at the waters edge.:rybka: Now go have some fun!!!


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## That Robbie Guy (Aug 11, 2009)

... I know a guy who knows a guy.


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## dreamer (Aug 12, 2005)

We went to surfside Saturday, had to use a shovel to clear a 50' path thru the weed on the beach so the kids could get to the water. sucked pretty badd!!!


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## lipjerker (Apr 27, 2012)

*have fun with the kids in the weeds*

I understand your frustration. When you have a house booked your going no matter what and now at the mercy of the wind and tides. But all is not lost on the kids when there is a lot of sargassum weed on the beach or better yet still coming in. 
If the kids are young enough they will be entertained with what they can find in the floating weeds. Once you let them know that it is safe to pick it up in large floating clumps and run it up to the beach. Then shake it out over a water filled bucket and watch their amazement at all the tiny creatures that fall out. They might even be lucky to find one of the coolest fish, the "Sarassum weed fish" http://www.google.com/search?q=sarga...w=1525&bih=622
They will be entertained all day doing this. Just enjoy the day and hope for clear clean water ,light winds, a easy tides. Also you might take a pitch fork with you and a shovel so you can remove to a pile some of the weeds to make a place to sit at the waters edge.:rybka: Now go have some fun!!!


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## Tail Chaser (May 24, 2004)

lipjerker said:


> I understand your frustration. When you have a house booked your going no matter what and now at the mercy of the wind and tides. But all is not lost on the kids when there is a lot of sargassum weed on the beach or better yet still coming in.
> If the kids are young enough they will be entertained with what they can find in the floating weeds. Once you let them know that it is safe to pick it up in large floating clumps and run it up to the beach. Then shake it out over a water filled bucket and watch their amazement at all the tiny creatures that fall out. They might even be lucky to find one of the coolest fish, the "Sarassum weed fish" http://www.google.com/search?q=sarga...w=1525&bih=622
> They will be entertained all day doing this. Just enjoy the day and hope for clear clean water ,light winds, a easy tides. Also you might take a pitch fork with you and a shovel so you can remove to a pile some of the weeds to make a place to sit at the waters edge.:rybka: Now go have some fun!!!


We did this with my nephews who came in from Dallas last July, they had a blast finding all the little shrimp and crabs. Also, surprisingly enough we were still able to fish the surf early in the morning pretty effectively with plastics so don't just give up on it. Here are our strings from those two mornings, you can see some of the weed in the sand, but the photos don't do justice to just how much of the stuff was in the water. We found we got hung up less with a slow retrieve bounced on bottom. The fish didn't seem to care.


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## goldie (Nov 17, 2008)

I was out there this entire weekend, that sea weed was a mess, but the kids still have fun! That is what its all about anyways if you have kids


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## SurfRunner (May 22, 2004)

spicyitalian said:


> So, I know there is no definitive answer to this question, but I'll ask anyway. In the past my surf fishing was limited to our annual October trip. Weed was not a problem. Starting last year, we tried in May on mustang island. It was horrible. I had read that it was particularly bad last year, so it didn't bother me that much, but it seemed like it stuck around for longer than normal. Last summer we started making trips to Surfside in July, and the weed was gone, same in October. So we're going to try our luck here in a couple of weeks in Surfside again, and I've been watching the weed, hoping we can get some breaks at least.
> 
> Is there some general rule of thumb about when the weedy season is? Seems like April-June maybe? Someone with many more years experience might could shed a little bit better light on it.
> 
> It would be tough to convince the wife to go much earlier in the year since she's so cold natured, but I just can't wait until summer to start fishing again after winter.


Not a pattern to it...Some years are worse than others.

Seaweed used to seldom be an issue before 10 years ago. You would get it in May, and usually not so bad, but sometimes it was. However, it usually cleared by June. I have heard the reason was it used to be harvested but they stopped it.


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