By Captain Bryan Brawner
I have been asked a lot about what I think will happen after Rollover Pass is filled in so, with the beginning of the new year and decade, I am going to share a short experience I had a few years back before Ike while fishing with clients in East Bay. It was a brisk fall weekday morning with the marina nearly deserted like I like it. My clients pulled up in a cool looking custom Jeep and I met them in the parking lot. It was an older gentleman and his grandson.

It looked like it was going to be a fun day and I was correct! As we chased schools of trout and reds in the back of the Bay with Rollover Pass in sight most of the time, he told me of past experiences he had had fishing all over the United States and Canada. He also told me of a house they had in Gilchrist in the 40’s before Rollover Pass was ever dug. He pointed to areas in the bay where he said there were oyster reefs and clear deeper water with grass where you could see the “fish moving in and out like in Port O Conner.” He said the back of the bay had beautiful water and outstanding fishing conditions then.

This gentleman’s name was McFaddin ; whose ancestor was who McFaddin Beach was named after.

People have asked me for years what I thought the closure of Rollover would do to East Bay fishing. I just answer, I don’t know. All I know is that it will be different and we will adapt. I can always remember this experience and have hope that it will be as Mr. McFaddin remembered as a young man.

It is a new decade and year with a lot of changes behind us including the aftermath of Ike, floods, and now the closure of Rollover. The Bolivar Peninsula that I loved was gone and forever changed after Ike and East Bay will have changes with the closure of Rollover. Let’s just hope the changes will be for the best like Mr. McFaddin remembered.

I am finally back on the water after many delays but everything has worked out for the best! It’s never too late to do the right thing!

Spring breaks are right around the corner and I currently have several days open. This time of year we can run trips where the whole family can be successful with a large variety of fish. Email for questions and availability.

Now is the time to book an East Bay Class with the prime fishing just around the corner.

For exact fishing locations and techniques, I am conducting one-on-one classes of the Galveston East Bay System. We will spend a half-day trip exploring that bay and the techniques and timing of fishing there. Bring your hand-held GPS and a map and note pad and I will further your knowledge of the bay and patterns for fishing in all of the seasons of the year. These classes include everything from locations to tackle and lure selection; thus have a lot of content. So, I limit them to 2 persons max at a time. Call 409-256-1265 for more information. We cover a lot of area and burn a lot of gas.

Text or call 409-256-1265 for availability of trips and to reserve your fishing adventure.You can also e-mail me [email protected] for updated fishing conditions and trip availability.

Check my website www.galvestoncoastalfishing.com for prices and more information.

Captain Bryan Brawner

[March-10-2020]