Bass boat in Galveston

Is it a good idea to take my 21' bass boat to Galveston? If so what is the best approach to catching some fish? I'm thinking about hiring a guide for a day to get some ideas about what and where to go, any thoughts or suggestions?
Me and my family will be there 6/28 thru 7/6. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Leave the boat home and hire a guide.

ive seen plenty of bass boats fishing in the bay...hire the guide and youl get a general idea of what area to fish and what to use...just pay attn to where your at and stay deep...i wouldnt try running it through the flats

Does your bass boat have upright flotation? If so, take it fishing in Galveston, if not leave it home. Just ask those folks who had to crawl up on an offshore platform this weekend...from a 17 foot sinking boat.

yea well thats not very smart to take a 17 foot boat offshore any way

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...nce#Post2350971

i got a 16 footer but it sucks. I spend like hours driving it around in vain looking for fish but i get impatient and its noisy even with a trolling motor. Wadefish the kemah seabrook flats and you wont find a better fishing trip in all the bay this time of year...caught 27 inch trout two slot reds and a flounder this morning not to mention had my line broken twice(12 lb mono) and had 3 trout flipped off my lures. Tomorrow morning should be even better.

Depends on the boat and other factors. A properly outfitted 17 foot boat, with a buddy system, watching the weather, is far safer than a lot of crafts I've seen out there....but any boat, any boat without upright flotation should not be taken into open waters.

i take the TX-21 Triton to Port A.
stay in the bays mostly.
wouldn't hesitate to take off shore if it was really calm.
after all it really is a Bass boat,just without carpet !!!!

Take the bass boat but only if you have a galvanized trailer.


The seas are flat in late July - Aug. so that's your best time if you want to go offshore.


-Z-

What's not smart about it? I take a 19' boat offshore all the time. Not much difference between 17 and 19' Comes down to knowing how your boat handles, what it's limits are and what your own limits are.

your right,i have taken my 17ft princecraft with a 50hp mercury without a buddy boat out 40 miles on the gps,but on a good day. i have also taken the same boat out on a bad day and it got worst as thee day went on. took 3 hours to go 15 miles in 4 to 6 ft seas with a 8 or 9 ft swell coming through every 10th wave or so. had a few waves come over the bow and that was,well i had to clean my pants when i got to shore.i have to say, i have never been so scared in my life! you can use that bass boat in the salt, just make sure you wash EVERYTHING really good. i would let the trailer wheelbearings cool for a hour or so before i launch to prevent saltwater being pulled in to them. use a lawn sprinkler under the trailer when you get home to wash extra good. just set it under the boat/trailer and let it rip. i would think long and hard before i head out to far in this tyre of boat, but it is doable. i've seen some small boats out 25 miles and set back and wondering whats going on in their heads. flatcat out 25 miles killing the kingfish, but it was a nice day. can't say much for myself, i'm a hardhead when it comes to fishing offshore and it just about useless to try and talk me out of a trip, rough or not. one more thing,anywhere you fish, you and everyone on the boat should know where all of your PFD are. jetties,offshore or in the bay system. someone else said something about the guys that got picked out of the water last week offshore, what happen there. i know what happen, but why did it happen? wave over bow? over the stern? cracked bilge pump hose? sounds like they were taken on water from what i've heard, so fill me in please.

by the way, the guys that got picked out of the gulf last week were in some rough seas if i'm right. i work on the beach front and the water has been ROUGH for the last month or so. not something for a small boat if you ask me. today, its laid down nice. trout will be running tommorow i hope. fish on and stay safe.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=42035


try this. its the bouy 22 miles east of galveston south/north jetties. read the marine forecast 1 and 2. they will tell you alot.

The worst thing would be finding everything rusted/corroded in a couple of weeks, on that boat of yours, really.

That would be costly, but far from the worst thing that could happen. The worst thing that could happen would be not making it back in because the boat couldn't handle the cards that were dealt by the sea.

If you stick to the bay, away from the ship channel, you'll probably be fine and have a great time.

A few years ago on a very calm morning we took our 20 foot bay boat out to the end of the Galveston North Jetty, then went east somewhat parallel to land for 5 or 10 miles drift fishing. We noticed the sky getting dark back toward the ramp where we launched at the base of the North Jetty so we checked the weather radio and started to head back in. Looking to the left, farther offshore, I saw what looked like a lot of smoke coming off a ship or something. Then I realized it was a big water spout, so we sped it up to full throttle. The wind was coming from the front, but the waves were tolerable being stifled by the jetty. When we got to the small boat cut it looked really rough on the other side where we needed to go, but the storm was getting closer and was soon to be upon us, coming from the direction that we needed to go. We went through the boat cut, and it was a pretty wild ride. I used to keep type 1 offshore life jackets in the bow storage compartment, and decided it was time to get them out. When I tried to go to the front of the boat, with my wife driving, the shift in weight made the waves break over the bow. So much for that. I've had the boat for a long time and know how to drive it, and we made it in okay, but it really was on the edge. As usual, my wife and two young boys were with me. They later said it was a blast and wanted to do it again (the boys said that, not my wife). I always thought if things got bad and the engine died, I would tie a drift anchor or 5 gallon bucket to the bow to keep us pointed into the wind and rough seas. That trip made me realize I'll never be able to go to the front and tie it on. My biggest concern with a bass boat offshore is the low bow. The weather can change quickly and a bass boat will most likely not have a VHF radio on it for a Mayday call or to monitor the weather channel.

All of the suggestions about hosing the boat and trailer off afterward are dead on. If the trailer's not galvanized or aluminum, I wouldn't launch in salt water.

Another humbling experience just came to mind. We launched early one morning in the dark at the ramp on the end of the Texas City Dike in Galveston Bay. The wind was noticeable, but from the opposite side of the Dike from the ramp so the ramp water was calm. People coming in asked us if we had a life jacket for our Cocker Spaniel. We didn't think much of the question and headed out. When we got out a ways from the ramp we were suddenly in 8 foot plus seas... in the BAY!. I didn't think I could turn around without capsizing. Pushed the throttle to go up the waves, eased off going down the waves. Big big waves. We eventually made it to calm water on the Bolivar shore, and the wind calmed down after the sun was up for a while and we had an otherwise uneventful day.

Really? Have you ever been offshore when a sudden thunderstorm comes up? Or when a nearby thunderstorm turns 1 to 2 foot waves into 8 to 10 foot waves?

Rust/corrosion is the least of your worries. Respect the Gulf, fear it, and you will be fine...ignore warning signs and you will regret it, if you survive.

I agree with u Meadowlark...but anyways the guy asked a simple question of whether or not it would be a good idea if he took his bass boat down and and some tips about where to fish and it turned into a big debate about taking his boat off-shore...no where did he ever even mention going off shore and im sure he had no intention of going out there anyways....thats probly why he hasnt replyed back once yet bc yall turned a simple quetion into a bunch of usless info he didnt even ask for.

spec,your the first one to say anything about taking a 17ft offshore. reread your replys. this is what you said. the other guy said something about a 17ft boat sinking offshore,and nothing about a bass boat going offshore and it got out of control

"yea well thats not very smart to take a 17 foot boat offshore any way"

That was just a reply to meadowlarks comment about a 17 foot boat sinking off shore...read my first reply...the one that actualy was an answer that had anything to do with what he asked.

Thanks for all your help. I don't plan on taking my 21' bass boat into the gulf. While I've been in some hairy situations on Texas lakes, I don't think I have the know-how to tackle the Gulf.
As far as catching some fish is best to target redfish, trout, flounder, croaker, sharks or other? My main focus is to get my family into something that will stretch their string. Thanks again.

fishin;

If your boat goes, if it's not carpeted, and you do the the things suggested to care for it after saltwater exposure it would probably be fine. Maybe a few more electrical problems but otherwise it would be OK.

As for your lack of experience, using a little common sense and care you would be fine inside the bay, and probably even most of the areas between the Jetties too.

Bad water on lakes does not compare to the same water on the gulf. For instance 4 foot waves on a lake get's scary and dangerous fast yet 4 foot waves on the gulf is failry easy to manage safely. It's not so much the wave height that kills you as it is the wave frequency.

4 Foot waves on a lake are usually 1-2 seconds apart which get's violent in the boat. 4 Foot waves on the gulf are usually 5-10 seconds apart which make them almost a gentle ride up and over.

Basically don't let the worst case stories scare you from getting out on the gulf. It would a huge loss of fun and enjoyment if you allowed that to happen. Most worst case horror stories would never have happened had those that experienced them used common sense and good judgement.

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To answer your question about what to target. I target Bull Reds which put up an amazing fight for their size. I also target Sharks which are pretty easy to find and catch.

Inch for inch I would say that the Bull Reds I have caught have put up a bigger fight than any shark I've caught in the same size. BUT sharks get a lot bigger and so does the fight.

I've never targeted any of the others so i cannot speak about them.

You're gonna have to assume that saltwater is going to get everywhere in your boat - spray some silicone sealant on electrical connections, be sure to flush the motor out thoroughly, rinse the trailer off completely in freshwater and so on. If you don't have a galvanized or aluminum trailer (ie = if it's just a painted trailer) you'll want to think carefully about dunking it in brine in the first place. Might be better off renting a boat or hiring a guide.

Stay in the bay and you should be fine. You need to be careful as the west bay, christmas bay, etc look like large deep lakes. They are large, but quite shallow. Be careful and wash your boat well, and you should have a good time... The wind is still blowing down there I just heard. The weather, especially the wind, is a real concern, even on the bays. Be careful, (yea, I repeated myself) get a good map with some marine details, and have fun!

If the wind is up fish West Bay. It is so shallow that it doesn't get the really big waves. Wash everything off and you will not have major problems. Make sure your anodes are in good shape.

I've never owned a bass boat, just a John boat that I carpeted and the current 20 foot center console bay boat that has carpet. Never had any issues with saltwater and carpet. What's wrong with carpet in saltwater?

All of my bullreds and sharks (there have been many of both) have been caught off the beachfront, never in the bay. In the bay I suggest targeting trout, redfish, and flounder. Get some live shrimp for your livewell, and take a cooler full of ice for the fish. One of the biggest differences between saltwater fishing and bass fishing is what the livewell is usually used for: Saltwater its for bait, bass fishing its for fish. Cover up the overflow drain in your livewell with a small piece of fiberglass window screen to keep the shrimp from going out the drain and/or clogging it up. Use CorrosionX in the red can for all of your electrical connections and switches, and CorrosionX in the blue can for exposed metal on your trailer, including the springs and lugnuts.

Don't do it. You will regret it. All kinds of corrosion issues.