The Handbook
Craft that applies to every trip, whatever’s biting. Straight from the IronJetty companion.
Release craft
Putting them back so they live — the habits that separate anglers from meat-hunters.
Use non-offset circle hooks with natural bait
Circle hooks tend to catch in the jaw corner rather than the gut, dramatically reducing deep-hooking mortality. Let the fish load the rod and reel steadily instead of a hard hookset. In Texas, non-offset, non-stainless-steel circle hooks are legally required when fishing for sharks in state waters (natural/dead bait), so keep a supply rigged for any bait fishing where release is likely.
Keep the fight short
A prolonged fight builds up lactic acid and exhausts the fish, sharply lowering survival odds. Match your tackle to the target so you can land it quickly rather than playing it to complete exhaustion, especially in warm summer water when fish are already stressed.
Minimize air exposure
Aim for zero to under ~15 seconds of air time. A fish's gills collapse out of water and it cannot breathe. Unhook it in the water when possible; if you must lift it for a photo, have the camera ready first, take one quick shot, and get it back.
Wet your hands and all contact surfaces
Dry hands, towels, dry decks, sand, and grippy gloves strip the protective slime coat that shields fish from infection and parasites. Wet your hands before handling, never use a dry towel or lay the fish on hot dry sand, and wet the deck or use a wet cloth/rubber landing mat.
Support the fish horizontally
Cradle larger fish with one hand under the belly and one near the tail, holding them horizontal. Do not hang big fish (redfish, black drum, jack crevalle, sharks) vertically by the jaw or with a lip-gripper alone; their body weight can damage the jaw and internal organs. A Boga-style lip grip is fine for weighing small fish briefly but should not bear a big fish's full hanging weight.
Handle deep-water reef fish for barotrauma
Fish pulled up quickly from depth (red snapper and other nearshore reef fish) suffer barotrauma: bulging eyes, a stomach protruding from the mouth, and inability to swim back down. In Gulf federal waters, anglers targeting reef fish are required to have a descending device or venting tool rigged and ready to deploy on fish showing signs of barotrauma.
Prefer descending devices; vent only if trained
A descending device (weighted release clip or inverted-hook tool) returns the fish to depth so the swim bladder recompresses; research generally favors descending for survival and it avoids puncturing the fish. Venting means using a hollow, sharpened venting tool (not a knife) inserted at a 45-degree angle a couple of inches behind the base of the pectoral fin to release expanded gas. Never push the stomach back in or puncture the protruding stomach itself.
Revive before release
If a fish is sluggish, hold it upright in the water facing into the current or gently move it forward so water flows over the gills (do not push it backward). Release only when it kicks off under its own power. In current, point it upstream; from a moving boat, idle forward slowly.
Cut the leader on deep-hooked, oversized, or prohibited fish
If a fish is hooked deep in the throat or gut, do not dig for the hook: cut the leader as close to the hook as safely possible and leave the hook in place; it often rusts out or is shed, and the fish survives far better than from a torn-up gut. For prohibited or oversized sharks and any big shark you intend to release, cut the leader and release it in the water; do not drag it onto the beach or gaff it.
Never gaff a fish you plan to release
Use a rubber-mesh landing net, a lip grip, or land the fish by hand. Gaffs cause lethal wounds and are only for fish you are keeping. For big sharks and rays, control the leader and remove the hook or cut the leader without lifting the animal out of the water.
Keep fish off hot decks and out of the sun
A sun-baked deck, jetty rock, or dry sand can be well over 100 degrees F and will burn a fish's skin and eyes and cook the slime coat in seconds. Work in shade where possible, keep the fish low over the water, and get it back quickly, particularly during Galveston's hot summer months.
Handle stingrays and hardhead/gafftop catfish safely
Do not lift stingrays by the tail; their barb causes serious puncture wounds. Cut the leader and let them swim off, or pin the disc and control the tail only if experienced. Hardhead and gafftopsail catfish have sharp, mildly venomous dorsal and pectoral spines; grip them from behind the pectoral fins or use pliers/a de-hooker, and use a shuffle-step 'stingray shuffle' when wading to avoid stepping on buried rays.
Account for summer water-temperature stress
Warm, low-oxygen summer water (upper 80s F in Galveston Bay and the surf) means released fish are already oxygen-stressed and recover more slowly. Shorten fights, cut air time to near zero, revive longer, and consider keeping fewer fish or targeting deeper/cooler water and cooler parts of the day when release survival matters.
Bait doctrine
Getting, keeping and fishing bait on the upper Texas coast.
Tackle doctrine
The gear decisions that matter before you ever make a cast.
On the table
Which fish eat well, and how to treat them from the moment they hit the deck.
Consumption advisories
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) maintains consumption advisories for the Houston/Galveston area due to dioxins and PCBs. Follow these in addition to mercury guidance for large fish and sharks.
Upper Galveston Bay
Advisory for dioxins and PCBs: adults should eat no more than one 8-ounce meal per month of all catfish species, spotted seatrout, and blue crab. Children under 12 and women of childbearing age should not eat those species from this area.
Galveston Bay Main
Advisory for dioxins and PCBs on catfish: adults no more than one 8-ounce meal per month; children and pregnant/nursing women should not eat catfish from these waters.
Houston Ship Channel
Do-not-eat ban (dioxins and PCBs): do not consume blue crab or any species of fish taken from the Houston Ship Channel and tidal tributaries north of the Fred Hartman Bridge.
Mercury Note
Large predatory and apex fish (big king mackerel, large sharks) accumulate methylmercury; women who are or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children should especially limit or avoid these. Verify current advisories at the DSHS Seafood and Aquatic Life website before relying on any specific limit.
Advisories are issued by the Texas DSHS and change — check current DSHS advisories.