< Previous30 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2022 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2022 31 FEATURE BEHOLD THE BOTTLENOSE Make good timing and location part of your dolphin-sighting strategy story by SARAH GRUNAU | photos by STUART VILLANUEVA V isitors have many reasons to travel to Galveston Island, historic architec- ture and beaches being among them. But for many, the most cherished and memorable sightings are graceful dolphins. Although dolphin sightings can be elusive and never guaranteed, there are ways to up your chances of spotting one of the friendly-faced marine mammals frolicking in the water. The Galveston Bay Dolphin Research Program, which has longed work to better understand the bottlenose dolphins that live in the Galveston Bay estuary, has cataloged more than 850 distinctive dolphins seen in Galveston Bay at least once. One recent esti- mate suggests a seasonal fluctuation in numbers with an abundance of between 846 — in the winter — and 1,417 dolphins utilizing the Galveston Bay estuary in the summer. (From left) Madison Ivy, 7, and her brother, Ayden Ivy, 12, look for dolphins while on a Baywatch Dolphin Tour excursion in Galveston Harbor; a bottlenose dolphin emerges from the water in Galveston Harbor.32 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2022 FEATURE Primarily through boat-based surveying, the program studies ecology, behavior and health of this population while raising public awareness about Galveston Bay dolphins. So where are the best places to spot dolphins? Dolphins are found in most bays, estuaries and coastal near-shore areas of Texas. “You can see them while boating, but also from the beach or from jetties and docks where you can watch from land,” accord- ing to the program. “Dolphins can often be seen riding the bows of ships or follow- ing shrimp trawlers in Texas waters. They also sometimes forage near bulkheads and marinas. Always keep at least 50 yards away from dolphins and follow dolphin-watching guidelines when boating.” Good timing increases the odds of seeing a dolphin during a visit. That’s because salinity and water temperature might be predictors in bottlenose dolphin encounters, according to the Galveston Bay Foundation. “Unless heavy precipitation occurs and low- ers salinity, June through September are the months of the year when you are most likely to see dolphins in upper Galveston Bay,” according to the Galveston Bay Foundation. “While many of upper Galveston Bay’s dol- phins are known to leave during the cooler months, this is the best time of year to have high hopes of dolphin sightings.” Researchers from the Galveston Bay Foun- dation suspect dolphins might congregate in the lower Galveston Bay area during the cooler months of the year. The month of September saw the high- est rate of dolphin sightings per kilometer, according to a 2019 foundation survey con- ducted during a three-year period. Tourists and locals also swear by the Gal- veston-Port Bolivar Ferry as a fun free ride with a high probability of seeing dolphins in their natural habitat. The Galveston-Bolivar ferry is the link between Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula on state Highway 87. During their journey across the Hous- ton Ship Channel on the ferry, passengers should look for schools of dolphins around shrimp boats or swimming along side pass- ing ships. Another way to increase chances of a dol- phin sighing is to find a guide through one (Above) A dolphin rides the bow of an incoming fishing boat in Galveston Harbor. (Right) Jen Thommason scans the waters for dolphins while on a Baywatch Dolphin Tour in Galveston Harbor. of the many dolphin tours, which operate from Galveston’s harbor. Such excursions are scheduled frequently COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2022 33 through a variety of boat tour companies on the island, including Baywatch Dolphin Tours and Historic Harbour Tours and Dol- phin Watch, to name a few. This time of year, some of the best sites for spotting dolphins are anywhere around the ferry lane, around the Port of Galveston and around the harbor site, according to Baywatch Dolphin Tours. 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NATE SKINNER T he Lower Laguna Madre has become one of my favorite fishing destinations. I think the vast differences between the waters down south and our upper coast bay systems create new chal- lenges and new experiences, and that’s what has driven my affinity for the southern locale. Plus, a change of pace is always nice. As much as I love my home waters of the Galveston Bay complex and its surrounding marshes and estuaries, I strongly feel that venturing outside of my comfort zone is the only way to become a better angler. I recently had the opportunity to spend a couple of days wade-fishing the flats of the Lower Laguna. My friends at Get- away Lodge at Port Mansfield invited me down to shoot pho- tos and videos, and to participate in their second annual Reel Lifesaver Invitational Catch and Release fishing tournament. The weather was about as good as it gets on the lower coast; light winds prevailed for the duration of my trip. The catching was pretty good, too. Before tournament day, I spent some time fishing with Getaway Lodge owner Mike Sutton and the lodge’s general manager, Sandra Garza. We were joined by Fishing Tack- le Unlimited’s Lawren Garza and David Sams of Lone Star Outdoor News. It was a fun crew with which to spend a day in search of quality trout and redfish. Jovial antics and lighthearted con- versation were abundant. We made a run pretty far north of the port, and started wade-fishing along some grass beds and sand pockets in super clear water. The flat was teeming with mullet, (Above) Seagrass beds along the shallow flats of the Lower Laguna are swarming with redfish. (Opposite) The shallow waters of the Lower Laguna Madre provide excellent wade-fishing just about anywhere you can float a boat.38 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2022 HOOKED and with nothing more than a light ripple on the water’s surface, we all decided to chuck topwater plugs in hopes of some explosive action. It wasn’t long before a few reds fell vic- tim to our floating fakes. Sams and Sutton hooked up first, and enjoyed drag-peeling battles with a couple of lower slot redfish. I saw a pod of baitfish moving around nervously about 30 yards in front of me and fired a cast in their direction. A few twitches of my lure rendered an impressive blow-up from an aggressive, bronze-backed spot tail. The fish was stout, and she made several runs in the knee-deep water before I was able to wear her out and bring her to hand. After landing the brute, I took a knee in the brine to take it all in. The clear, shallow water along the flats of the Lower Laguna is always a sight to behold, especially when you’re used to the deeper waters of upper coast bays. I was surrounded by seagrasses and the aquatic life they attract. The orange and copper scales of the redfish shimmered in the morning sunlight. Watching the beautiful specimen swim away when I released her back into such a pristine, remote place made the trip worthwhile. After tangling with a few more redfish, we made a move and found some trout along the edges of spoil banks a little closer to port. It never ceases to amaze me how you can just jump out of the boat and wade- fish smack-dab in the middle of the Lower Laguna Madre. But there we were, waist-deep in water, catching trout. The water was clear enough to see our feet scooting along the bay bottom. We ended the day with poolside drinks back at Getaway Lodge and a Texas-sized gourmet dinner of the caliber for which the establishment is renowned. If you went hun- gry, it was your own fault. The next morning was game day. I was paired with Houston pilot Sean Arbogast, and our guide for the tournament was Capt. Wayne Davis. As we left the dock when “go time” finally came, Davis informed us he had a pretty good idea of where some solid trout were holding. Our plan was to target specks first, and then go look for redfish later in the day. For the tournament, each angler need- ed to enter one trout and two redfish. The fish were to be photographed on a certi- fied measuring board, and then released. Photos would then be submitted to a panel of judges via email. Awards were given to the angler with the longest total combined length stringer of two redfish and one speckled trout, as well as to the angler who caught the longest trout and to the angler who caught the longest redfish. Davis took us to some spoil islands that were swarming with bait, and it didn’t take long for us to start getting bit. I was throwing a small topwater lure that many anglers in the area had reported good success with. It was drawing plenty of strikes, but for whatever Sandra Garza landed this solid trout while fishing with a Mansfield Knockers topwater lure. COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2022 39 gast borrowed one of my spares and started hooking up on almost every cast. About 10 a.m., we decided to look for redfish. Under tournament rules, we had to cease fishing by 2 p.m. We pulled up to an area Davis said might be good for a couple of bites. He was right. I landed a 25.5-inch red and a 26.5-incher in a matter of four casts. The action came to a lull about noon. We had gotten word that another tournament angler on a different boat had an impressive stringer that included a trout and two reds that were all longer than what we had land- ed. I had racked up a decent stringer myself, but none of the fish likely were to place in the tournament. We made one last-ditch effort with an hour of fishing time left. Davis put us out on a waist-deep flat with large grass beds. Two other anglers in the tournament were there, under the guidance of Capt. Ruben Garza, and we started wading alongside them. One of them was David Sams, and as time began to wind down, we ended up within about 20 yards of one another. The wind had picked up, causing a lot of floating seagrass to spread across the water’s surface. Fatigue had begun to set in, and the grass was fouling my lure on almost every cast. With only about 10 minutes left in the tournament, I turned to Sams and said, “I’ve been throwing this topwater all day. The grass is starting to make it tough. I think this is my last cast with this bait.” I fired the pink lure downwind. On my second twitch, a huge red exploded on it. I played the fish for several minutes, and was finally able to land her. Davis, who was watching from his boat about 75 yards behind us, saw the commo- tion and idled over to me. We got the fish measured and photographed at 1:55 p.m., with just five minutes of fishing time to spare. She measured 28.5 inches, and secured a first-place finish in the redfish category for me in the tournament. This experience is proof that what works for catching fish in one estuary will likely work in another, regardless of how different the two places are. And that there’s always value in making one more cast. You just never know when the next unforgettable fish is going to hit. reason, I wasn’t getting many hook-ups. After missing several fish, I switched to a bait that I would typically throw back home — a pink Skitter Walk. I immediately started hooking up with feisty specks, and I kept that same lure tied to my line for the rest of the day. After weeding through plenty of trout in the 17-to 20-inch range, I finally landed one that was 21 inches. It wasn’t going to win the tournament, but it was a respectable fish to have as a part of my stringer. Ferocious topwater bites continued for several hours along the edge of various spoil islands north of Port Mansfield. The pink lure was catching so many fish that Arbo- Capt. Nate Skinner won the redfish division of the second annual Reel Lifesaver tournament put on by Getaway Lodge at Port Mansfield by catching this 28.5-inch redfish with only five minutes to spare on tournament day.Next >