I'm new to fishing. I live in Baytown, Tx and fish in Texas City, Galveston, and Trinity Bay. What kind of artificial bait can ya'll recommend for pier or shore fishing. Also what kind of reels? I bought a abu garcia c3 6500 and a pro max 2 used from a pawn shop. I was thinking about getting a Calcutta 400. Does anybody have any near by fishing holes they recommend?

Get a copy of Ray Crawfords book, wade and kayak fishing. It has quite a few wade fishing places.

As for baits if you are just getting started i'd get one bone super spook or a skitter walk. Learn to walk the dog...twitch it and make it zig zag right and left. Get a spinner bait and replace the skirt with a red and white Tidal Surge "the Thing' or Chicken boy lures shrimp. And get one Mann's WakeBait crankbait, and one gold spoon. That's pretty much all you need. You can learn to use Tidal Surge or Kelly Wiggler soft plastics with 1/8th oz head... you might have to suspend that 18" under a cork to cast with your rig, but they are good lures. With them under a popping cork or click cork... cat it out and work the cork like a topwater.

The more important part of fishing around those areas is going to be learning to read the water for fish 'sign'. Don't just fish anywhere, there is literally acres and acres of empty water. At a minimum, make sure some mullet or shad are around and fish near oyster shells in 18" - 4 ft of water. Find the bait over structure and you'll likely catch something. That should get you started at least.

Tobin

In Baytown you can try the nature center, and McCoullum Park on Beach city rd. Also the park near Gou hole rd. I normally use live or or fresh dead shrimp or mud minnows they had a bait shop on gou hole at one time. At Mccollum DOA, shrimp, Vuduu shrimp. Norton Sand Eels, and chicken boy lures and a gold spoon. Also get a popping cork you can put all of these lures under it and it will work. That are holds reds year round trout are hit or miss in the winter.