# Whiting



## eyef1shin (May 16, 2014)

I'm new to the gulf coast and so I've read on what to use for whiting and sounds like you can pretty much go anywhere in the surf to catch them. Question is, how plentiful are they? I'm looking to take my daughter out and is she going to get bored? Sounds like its going to be in the mid 60's this weekend and I need out of the house after all this rain. Thought I'd take her and try to get dinner and hopefully more. I know that any day fishing is a good day.... not sure that she'll see it quite the same. East Beach in Galveston or should I head to Surfside?


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## zthomas18 (Dec 1, 2008)

Either one. Pick up some shrimp and rig it on the bottom. You will have all the action you could want.


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## Castaway2 (Aug 8, 2013)

yup they tend to be plentiful, along with croaker anywhere up and down the ICW will produce quality (8"-14") croaker and whiting like said above freah dead shrimp on a bottom rig!


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## eyef1shin (May 16, 2014)

Plentiful and good to eat... that sounds like a win/win to me. I'm used to filleting 6"-10" Yellow Perch and Sunfish.... so this sounds excellent.

Being that's all I plan on going for, planning on using my Med. 7'ft rods and Penn 2000's, hopefully I don't get into something else and get spooled..


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## iamatt (Aug 28, 2012)

I put the kids on some spinning rods and fish bites. Double drop rig and you can catch two at a time or better yet black drum and whiting at the same time. And you can keep the rebaiting down since the fish bites lasts a long time. Fill a cooler mess full of them. Fried the same day,whiting is pretty dang good. Each fillet is like the back end of a catfish fillet... the best part we all like. Good luck.


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## beachfisher9 (Jun 23, 2013)

*Surf*

Good eating and fun to catch. I use a small sport circle hook and a piece of shrimp about the size of the last joint on my pinkie finger. Sometimes I use fishbites or a combo. If they grew to 10-15lbs they would be all I fished for.


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## eyef1shin (May 16, 2014)

Looks like Sat. is going to be a great day. Going to give it a try. If the wife decides she wants to go looking at GISP, as she doesn't have a license and as little as she will go don't see the point in getting her one. If not, then probably head to the east beach area. Question.. do the small granite "jetties" (not sure what they are called) along seawall blvd. on the beach hold many sheepshead this time of year? Never really see anyone posting on fishing them. Thought that may be another option and something to try. Just looking to give the kid a fun time and good table fare.


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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

I think it's still a little early for sheepshead, I usually start getting them around February or March, but the surf is full of reds and drum, try using crab and jumbo shrimp right past the first bar and you might be surprised by what you can catch.


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## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

eyef1shin said:


> Looks like Sat. is going to be a great day. Going to give it a try. If the wife decides she wants to go looking at GISP, as she doesn't have a license and as little as she will go don't see the point in getting her one. If not, then probably head to the east beach area. Question.. do the small granite "jetties" (not sure what they are called) along seawall blvd. on the beach hold many sheepshead this time of year? Never really see anyone posting on fishing them. Thought that may be another option and something to try. Just looking to give the kid a fun time and good table fare.


They are called "groins", I think. Yes, I caught few sheepsheads off them in January last year. Put your bait (e.g. live shrimp) 3-4 feet under cork (with splitshot) and drop next to rocks (like really close, maybe 2ft away from your feet). Leave it bobbing there in waves and currents. It will either snag or get fish. If it snags -- don't pull, just leave it there and wait for waves to free it (i.e. check every few minutes).


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## iamatt (Aug 28, 2012)

It's amazing how fast those croaker can find your bait in dirty water. They must have a very good nose or the area is just overloaded with those things.


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## Jolly Roger (May 21, 2004)

Fresh dead shrimp, peel it before putting on the hook. You should be able to catch whitting and other misc fish mos of the day this time of the year. Whitting prefer an incoming tide, but when they are thick it does not matter.

here is one of my reports where we caught a bunch of whitting from a few years ago
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=201025&highlight=whitting


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## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

iamatt said:


> It's amazing how fast those croaker can find your bait in dirty water. They must have a very good nose or the area is just overloaded with those things.


Could be both. This summer I was fishing in the surf for specs and it was really slow (like 5 bites in 4 hours). So I decided to try Scrutu's rig which I had prepared before -- I could not keep it in water, almost instant croaker on every cast. Even caught a tiny flounder.


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## Fish-N-Fool (Sep 7, 2012)

I had "Cabin Fever" from all the rain we have been having and decided to run out to the surf yesterday afternoon in Surfside. When I got there the water was like chocolate milk and relatively smooth. It was cold and somewhat windy. I drove down to access #4 and decided to give it a shot. Was thinking that I could clean up on some whiting.

After fishing for an hour without so much as even a nibble, I decided to load back up and run over to Quintana to see if it would be any better.

I got to Quintana and the water looked a little better on that side. I drove down to the mouth and picked a spot to give it another try. After sitting for another hour in the cold and wind without even a single bite, I decided it was time to go. There was no bait anywhere to be seen nor was there anyone else out braving the elements catching anything whatsoever.

In a nutshell, if you are not local in the Surfside area, don't waste the drive right now to fish here in the surf. You will be disappointed. It will pick up soon enough though.


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## eyef1shin (May 16, 2014)

Think it will be any better Sat. with warmer temps and a few days to settle down? High tide around 3:00pm, thinking of trying to get there at 12:00 or so to fish the tide.


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## ellisredfish (Jul 5, 2005)

Whiting are one of my favorite fish to eat. I fish the surf several times during the winter months and have found the best time to go is two to three hours before high tide. I prefer the incoming tide. If the whiting are there, don't be surprised if you catch a red or two.


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## Bearwolf34 (Sep 8, 2005)

ellisredfish said:


> Whiting are one of my favorite fish to eat. I fish the surf several times during the winter months and have found the best time to go is two to three hours before high tide. I prefer the incoming tide. If the whiting are there, don't be surprised if you catch a red or two.


Bingo...On the high tide..set ya out 3 rods with double drop rigs and shrimp and you'll get a workout after a couple hrs.


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## iamatt (Aug 28, 2012)

Bearwolf34 said:


> Bingo...On the high tide..set ya out 3 rods with double drop rigs and shrimp and you'll get a workout after a couple hrs.


13-14..5 inch whiting all day long in the first gut. Fried some up earlier i prefer over catfish but yeah. One almost pulled rod in the water.. or maybe a big ugly. Nothing like watching the rod holder fall like timber and the rod dragging into the surf.


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## eyef1shin (May 16, 2014)

iamatt said:


> 13-14..5 inch whiting all day long in the first gut. Fried some up earlier i prefer over catfish but yeah. One almost pulled rod in the water.. or maybe a big ugly. Nothing like watching the rod holder fall like timber and the rod dragging into the surf.


Where did you head to? After looking at all the posts on FB and here of everyone getting skunked, I made the call to not drive the 1.5 hours. Looks like this week and into the weekend is supposed to be nice, with exception of Thursday. Maybe we can get together next weekend, send me a message if interested.


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## poobah_1 (Aug 2, 2013)

eyef1shin said:


> Where did you head to? After looking at all the posts on FB and here of everyone getting skunked, I made the call to not drive the 1.5 hours. Looks like this week and into the weekend is supposed to be nice, with exception of Thursday. Maybe we can get together next weekend, send me a message if interested.


So yesterday I went to SS and fished for whiting with fresh dead shrimp in between Access 4&5.

I got there around 10:30 and I got nada until about 1:30. I pulled in a 17" whiting.

Then nothing for about another hour. Then another fairly large whiting.

From about then until 4:00 pm I caught another 5-6.

All on shrimp. High tide was 5:15, so I will echo other in saying an incoming tide for whiting is a good idea.

PooBah


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## iamatt (Aug 28, 2012)

Maybe try next weekend.. btw that blood is mine


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

Buddie showed up Saturday night with a igloo full


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## eyef1shin (May 16, 2014)

Profish00 said:


> Buddie showed up Saturday night with a igloo full


That's what I'm talking about... Why not catch a cooler full if you can. I know when I'd go to Canada as a kid on vacation for panfish, we'd be cleaning fish for 2-3 hours. It would be enough fish to feed us for the year, and we loved to eat fish. Now that I look back on it, was very good way to save on groceries for the year and get in a cheap vacation.


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## FISH ON (May 22, 2004)

Still a lot of whiting in surf at Bolivar. Sat. drove the wife to beach about 1:30 we caught about 24 in hour or so.


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## iamatt (Aug 28, 2012)

They pretty fun to catch and kids all up in them. Not one hardhead or gaftop to be had. Gottah love it.


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## Tiapan (Jul 5, 2013)

I like to cook mine with a mix of breading and blackening seasoning. Then a quick fry in some olive oil. Then spray some lime juice on them


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## Big Guns 1971 (Nov 7, 2013)

I love me some bull whiting filet's all fried up.....


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