Alright, Charlotte and I are headed to the pass this weekend so lets hear some good reports. It should be time to see some good specks and flatties?

the trout have started showing at the pass finally!
if i knew how to post pitchers I'd show you what the 2 waders did today but I dont so check them out on my site www.northendbaitandtackle.com
click on the fishing report link

Hey Larry.........my wife and I too are regulars at Roll Over Pass, except we will be there next week Thurs-Sun.

TxHook'Em, Thanks for reminding me about stingaree.I'd forgot about the bait tanks.We should be able to catch the last of the low tide and the start of incoming on Friday.Charlotte's about to drive me crazy to get started that way so I better go finish my work and get home. I'll post as soon as we get back Monday Evening. We'll let you know about the litter, But you know it will be bad after a pretty weekend like this.

Hey partner I know the feeling, man I wish I could be there too. I'm counting down my days too lol. Go get-um and be safe!!!

Well, I've had better trips. After Sat. & Sun. of really high North wind we did ok on trout and flounder Sunday night and Monday. The pass is pretty clean, (Thanks mostly to the folks over at Hazel RV. They put out a lot of new barrel and were dumping them regularly.)The shrimp and mullet were coming in on the tide Monday and things should get really interesting there over the next week or so if the weather hold up.

Did you see anyone wet wading on the bayside or do you still need your waders..

No one wet, Most I saw were like us in Waders. The water was still cool but not unbearable.

I'm probably heading out to Rollover on Friday night/Saturday to try it out. I've never fished there or High Island before, so figured I'd give it a try.

I'm bringing my wading and surfing rods. Anyone have any advice on fishing rollover?

Hey Sherwood, they have been using mud minnows and little fishies. For more in depth info and advice, I recommend that you stop by the North End Bait and Tackle store, there they will give you what works best. By the way fishing on the bay side on the OUTGOING tide will almost give you good to great results. Good fishing and be safe!!!

I just looked at North End Bait and Tackle's website. Are they still on their winter schedule where they open at 9am (8am on Saturdays)? What baits do they actually have available there (since they're building their live wells?)

Also, coming from the northwest Houston area, which way would be shorter to Rollover, going I10 East or 45 South?

James, 45 south is pretty fast, as long as the ferry line is not bad. If you beat the party crowds to the ferry, it is pretty quick, as the road is long and strait to Roll Over. JBH and I made the drive about a month ago. Are you headed down this weekend?

Justin, as of now, I am positively leaving Friday night after dinner and staying until Saturday late afternoon. My girlfriend will be with me and we'll just sleep in the SUV.

Haven't decided if I'll be wading the bay for flounder, relaxing on the pass for some shore fishing, or be on the surf side to wade or surf fish. I'll bring everything and look at how the conditions are. Never been to the area. I'm having FISHING WITHDRAWALS. It's been too long since I've fished.

hAY SHERWOOD HERE IS A LITTLE INFO ON ROLOVER PASS
Fishing the Surf
The surf can be a tricky option, depending on the amount of current moving through the pass. By the way, current is something that is a factor in the pass. It's good for fishing, but life threatening if you don't treat it with respect. Definitely, you don't want to swim in the pass. Conversely, wadefishing is a very good option. You just don't want to throw caution to the wind.

Wading the surf and the back bay is one of the best ways to catch a mixed bag of flounder, trout and reds. However, fishing the surf, where the pass meets the Gulf, is definitely the hands down best tactic for catching big trout.

Again, be warned, the currents in the surf can be very strong. Don't wade out too far. If you can feel the sand being peeled out from under your feet, it's time to back up closer to the bank.

Mullet imitation plugs are deadly on surf run trout. Last fall I saw some incredible stringers of trout caught at the mouth of the pass. Most were caught on slow sinking MirrOlures. One of the best was the Catch 2000 in green/white.

That's a color combination that looks a whole lot like a mullet. Other good color combinations are black/white, bone or white/chartreuse.
The best time to fish the mouth of the pass is on an outgoing tide. That's when all sorts of baitfish will be moving into the Gulf with the current. What I like to do is set up on the west side of the pass and cast a lure up current and slowly twitch it as it moves into the surf. Quite often you can find trout bunched up in the guts adjacent to the mouth of the pass. Generally, where you catch one trout, there will be plenty more.

The unique thing about fishing the mouth of the pass is that the trout are normally pretty chunky, as in the 3 to 7 pound class. So go prepared to catch some hard fighting trout that have the current to back them up. I like to use a bait casting rig in that situation.

My favorite is a Pflueger Trion bait casting reel, seated on a Pflueger Trion rod that's 7 feet long and set up to fish 15 pound test line. The reel has a silky smooth drag, that is definitely an asset when big trout take off in the surf. The long rod is perfect for making long casts to pods of baitfish or trout slapping the surface. Plus it's got enough backbone to handle the bull reds that roam the surf along with trout.

To catch those bull reds you'll do best by soaking a chunk of a fresh dead mullet. Surf fishing ace Terry Harris has caught a ton of bull reds at Rollover Pass. His favorite bait is the head portion of a mullet. He says it puts out more scent than the tail half.

The fall bull red run can be outstanding at the mouth of the pass, especially on outgoing tides. If you've got a storm in the area that's creating a strong tidal situation the bulls will go on a major feed.

Fishing the Bay
Wadefishing in the back bay area of Rollover is one of the best ways to catch trout, reds and flounder. On either side of the pass you'll have 2 to 3 foot deep flats. On a high tide the flats can be loaded with flounder and reds.

However, your best bet is to wade the flat and fish the channel drop. More often than not you can see the drop, it'll have green water flowing through it. Don't wade into the channel. That could be a problem.

Soft plastic jigs are best along the drop. I like to rig up with a 1/4 or 1/8 ounce jig head. My favorite soft plastics on the Rollover flats are the Yum Houdini Shad, Samurai Shad and the Croaker Curltail. The Samurai is especially good since it looks just like a finger mullet moving through the water.

A Mansfield Mauler (or similar rattle float rig) is deadly when worked on the flat during an incoming tide. Actually it's best when worked right where the flat drops off into the channel. The slush and rattle noise made by this rig is deadly on trout, reds and flounder in the pass. I like to fish Samurai Shad or Croaker Curltail jigs about 18 inches below a Mauler. You want to work this rig with a stop-go-stop retrieve. The noise of the rattle float will attract the fish. And the slow sinking jig will catch them. It's deadly.

Another very good option in the pass is night fishing. Some of the best anglers here know that trout fishing under the lights can be fantastic. What they do is set up lights and fish live or artificial baits for trout. Small soft plastic jigs are good on a green tide. Live shrimp are best on a sandy tide.

Rollover Fish Pass is a bank and wadefisherman's paradise. It's good year round, but it really turns on during the fall. See ya there!

Thanks for the info John, that is very helpful to those not familiar with this area. I wish I could make it down this weekend, but I have plans here. Good luck to those who are making it out!