Fishing action is picking up with more varieties of fish appearing. While reds have been the most common fish caught from the surf lately.

The surf and offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico shaped up Saturday and provided some good action to anglers fishing those waters.

While several bait camps remain out of commission because of damage from the tropical storm, most are reopening.

Fishing seems to be taking a back seat to the post-Tropical Storm Beta clean-ups. There continued to be flooding from rainwater making its way down already swollen creeks, rivers and bayous Thursday.

Water and tide levels are beginning to recede, along with wind velocities and rain chances.

While there will be remnants of Tropical Storm Beta hanging around for a day or so, conditions are set to improve considerably by this weekend.

The rough surf and high water levels are taking their toll on structures around the water’s edge.

While winds were gusting to over 30 knots on Sunday morning, there were fishermen out giving protected (if there were such) waters a try.

Like all other events of this nature, this will pass and we will be back to near normal soon. In the meantime play it safe and do not venture out in your boat, avoid low lying areas and the rough surf.

A strong northeast wind prevailed on Friday and, when the wind out of that direction is sustained with gusty velocities, it usually indicates a disturbance in the Gulf. That is the case today, as there is a tropical system in the lower western Gulf of Mexico.

Boaters should be alert to their wake, especially near docks and other structures where the water is over them or near that point. The wake aggravates an already perilous situation, as it pushes water into yards and further damages piers and docks.

High water levels have been with us for several days now and, for the most part, those levels do not help anglers fishing the Galveston area.

Many times it has been mentioned that September is a transition month for Galveston area fishing, as the cooling waters and shorter periods of daylight send signals to fish to begin a migration. The migration is from deeper to shallower waters.

Summer weather continues around Galveston, and fishing should bounce back as conditions settle from the recent turmoil in the Gulf.

This week should continue to offer some excellent fishing for reds, and if the wind can find a way to switch to the southeast, a lot of good action can be expected.

This is the time of year when we see offshore fish making a run into shallower waters and some make it well into the bays.

Conditions look good for fishing today and possibly Sunday. However, as we get into next week the Galveston area likely will feel some effects from the tropical systems in the Gulf of Mexico.

While the forecasts are calling for light winds for the next few days, a couple of tropical systems in or near the Gulf of Mexico could change things. While none are a threat to Galveston at this time, we could see high winds and waves as a result.

The week following Labor Day, like other post-holiday periods, tends to be slow, as far as the number of anglers fishing are concerned. This week seems to be no exception.