anybody fished both areas? looking to get an idea of how much difference there is between fishing in Houston. FYI Im in San Diego possibly moving to houston.
Difference between San Diego and Houston fishing
- Thread starter ajon
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No ocean in Houston. Figure on driving a few hours. Better titty bars though
I just moved from Los Angeles to Houston in 2016. Pm me and I’m happy to share what I know.
The Gulf is 30 miles away. You can catch Redfish right off Kemah. Tuna, Marlin, etc are a long boat ride but they are out there.
Yes. The Gulf is very shallow near the upper TX coast compared to the Pacific, especially off Houston/Galveston, creating a choppy sea. Where the 100 fathom line may be as close as 3 mi off CA, it can be close to 100 mi off Galveston. The wind can be a problem early in the year but by July/August it will usually calm down. The wind is a major cause of bad sea conditions. The conditions a lot of people look for are seas less than 3 ft, at least 6 seconds apart and wind under 10mph. One reason cats are popular
Very different. You're going from a place that has world class fishing for many species to a place where you'll get eaten alive by mosquitoes anytime after dusk. Still, the redfish and shark fishing can be incredible and there's also good flounder and trout fishing. The tarpon are also making a strong comeback all along the gulf. Texas is awesome even if the fishing's a bit different. Get into bass fishing and head up to Sam Rayburn reservoir! 
Omarkayak
I've posted enough I should know better...
- Jul 26, 2007
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- Donald W. Clarke III
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When you get here look me up.Im down in Corpus work on Dolphin Express let’s go tuna fishing. I live in Cali for 12 years still do a 15 day trip each year on RR.Great fishing both places.
I've fished West Coast and GOM. Very, very different. I was told before I ever went to San Diego that I'd be spoiled. The advice was correct. Although you can catch great fish either way, I'd like to offer this comparison: A boat targeting tuna out of Freeport or Port A is like camping, while Excel or Intrepid are like going to stay in a nice hotel....a hotel that you can coincidently fish from.
Lots of nice people and crew in both areas. Although Texas is home, if I had limited time and $, I'd prefer to take fewer trips, but longer trips out of San Diego.
To answer a question above, seas are generally calmer in the Pacific (maybe that's why it's called 'pacific'...), so more weather/sea risk in GOM--especially true out of Venice in the winter (wahoo season).
Lots of nice people and crew in both areas. Although Texas is home, if I had limited time and $, I'd prefer to take fewer trips, but longer trips out of San Diego.
To answer a question above, seas are generally calmer in the Pacific (maybe that's why it's called 'pacific'...), so more weather/sea risk in GOM--especially true out of Venice in the winter (wahoo season).
Lots of great inshore fishing in the Houston area and surrounding cities. offshore seems to be great from the reports I read but I personally have not experienced it yet, but those trips report yellowfin to 150lbs on 3 day long excursions. The weather is WAY WAY WAY different, get really intimate with your favorite weather sites, the spring and early summer can see drastic weather changes in 30 minutes and winds of 30-45 knots are not uncommon. Those winds really affect fishing of all types throughout the year.
One time I was fishing in calm weather day and night in Corpus and slept in my truck. I woke up and was sweat and fish slime covered and was spraying off my rods and lures at the local pier when a squall came through. That squall literally blasted me clean as a whistle in 10 minutes (water came in at nearly sideways). Then the squall was gone. Drove home to Austin fresh as a daisy!!!
One time I was fishing in calm weather day and night in Corpus and slept in my truck. I woke up and was sweat and fish slime covered and was spraying off my rods and lures at the local pier when a squall came through. That squall literally blasted me clean as a whistle in 10 minutes (water came in at nearly sideways). Then the squall was gone. Drove home to Austin fresh as a daisy!!!
You can catch bass in Houston area in every single ditch, creek, pond, lake, mudhole, you name it. I grew up in Houston and have caught bass in every sand pit around Houston. My favorite is still top water zara spook in the surf wade fishing for specks, redfish, and my favorite spanish mackeral. Those things are hellish fighters and actually very good eating if you take the time to clean them properly. Kind of like bonito here in Socal. You're making me miss those days for sure.Very different. You're going from a place that has world class fishing for many species to a place where you'll get eaten alive by mosquitoes anytime after dusk. Still, the redfish and shark fishing can be incredible and there's also good flounder and trout fishing. The tarpon are also making a strong comeback all along the gulf. Texas is awesome even if the fishing's a bit different. Get into bass fishing and head up to Sam Rayburn reservoir!
