Anglers finding success with alternative baits

Anglers switching to alternative baits are finding good success in catching fish.

The live shrimp shortage continued Tuesday. However, live mullet, mud minnows and croaker were available at many of the bait camps.

Live croaker was the bait of choice at the Bolivar Gas Wells early Wednesday. Seth Rollins and Cary Greenfield fished several of the old gas wells around the Bolivar Field and limited out on trout using live croaker for bait.

Rollins said the action was ongoing from around 6:30 until 8:30 a.m. when the wind picked up and the bay started white capping.

Live fingerling mullet did the trick for Henry Post, Harold Moore and Ed Black. The Houston anglers fished the channel side of the South Jetty on Wednesday morning and caught five reds, two slots and three bulls. Several sharks and a black drum rounded out their catch for the morning. The slot reds and one tagged bull red were retained, and the other fish were released.

Billy Morgan and Stanley Watkins battled sloppy seas to make it to a platform approximately 10 miles southeast of the jetties. Using cigar minnows and cut bait, the Galveston anglers caught two king mackerel, a bull red (released because of being caught in federal waters) and two bonnet head sharks.

Early morning action was good for Terry Hornburg, who fished the south shoreline of East Bay on Thursday. Using Super Spooks in chrome along with jerk baits with chartreuse tops, he caught four specks and a large gafftop. Hornburg said it was the first time he had ever caught a gafftop on an artificial bait.