How far out of Galveston/Freeport would you reasonably expect to go before you got into water that you could catch baracudda. I realize that it depends on the time of year and how far in the south breeze pushes the blue water. But all things equal..lets say in the prime time of the heat this summer?

Sometimes you can find them 10-15 miles under large weed lines.

I see them mostly in deeper waters out to 40+ miles near platforms and rigs.

Basically you would either look for reefs and platforms and then troll for cuda.

You can also post on 2coolfishing.com and ask people where they are currently finding the schools. That's something most will share willingly as most people HATE cuda's.

-Z-

Barstow,

I fished for many years out of Freeport/Galveston up to 30 miles offshore...never caught or saw a cudda during that entire time...in terms of untypical warm water species for our coast, we've caught tuna, wahoo, sailfish on occasion but never a Cudda within that range...but I'm sure someone has.

I think you will have to go much further out to find them in any reliable numbers.

I've caught them in shallow water flats in Mexico and they are an absolute blast...a very under rated sport fish IMO, but prized down in the Carib by locals.

just curious, why do u say people hate cudas?

Most of the complaints come from people trolling for dolphins and hoo's with the reason being they can really destroy an expensive setup quickly. Also, if you are specifically trying to catch hoo's it sucks having to run your spread out again and again.

they can leave you with only a head when fishing for snapper also. sucks to be bringing up a nice 26-28" snapper and then BAM!

Barstow,
Years ago I learned a very effective method of catching cuda. Use a kingfish leader and rig a ribbonfish weightless. When you get to a blue water oil rig troll the bait FAST around the rig in a circle pulling it near the legs. You want the bait to skip on or ride very near the surface. The cudas cannot stand it and will blow out of the water when they hit a fast pulled bait. Make sure your ribbonfish does not �helicopter� and be mindful of your wake. Cudas do not smell very good but are very good to eat. The cudas off Texas are safe to eat.
Good Luck