HOUSTON (CW39) – Texas is a fishing-friendly state, and one city was ranked second in the nation as the best fishing city in the U.S.

FishingBooker is the largest platform in the U.S. for connecting anglers and, they highlight nearly 2000 destinations worldwide. The website ranked Galveston second on its list of the 12 best U.S. fishing cities for 2023.

Brad Turner from SeaPlay Sports fishing talked about the ranking.

Q & A session with Captain Brad:

Why is Galveston such a hot fishing destination? Is it something in the the water? Environmental conditions? Or does the community have something to do with it? 

I think the two main factors while we have such a great fishery here in the Galveston Bay complex. The fact that we have a very large bay system with many large rivers such as the Trinity River and the San Jacinto River that empty directly into our base system.

Along with the Brazos at the southern tip of our bay system and the Angelena River and the Sabine River just northeast of us. These rivers emptying into our bay system create a very rich ecosystem for fish spawning along with shrimp, crabs and other crustaceans along with much other wildlife such as birds, reptiles and aquatic mammals.

The second reason is the fact that our parks and wildlife and marine fisheries do an amazing job with creating artificial habitat as well as releasing millions of hatchlings of different fish such as trout, redfish, and flounder into our waters every year.

For example, our Redfish population in the last 10 to 15 years has increased to where we are the number one location in the country for catching redfish. I have customers that come with me yearly during the red fish spawn from places like Florida and the Carolinas strictly because our redfish are bigger and more abundant here.

How is your company taking advantage of the fact that Galveston has ranked #2? Are you expecting this to drive more fishermen or tourist to our coast? 

We all want to fish on perfect weather days but the best days for fishing are the days that have multiple tidal movements during the day. The more the water is moving the better the fish activity is. Knowing when a where to fish is always key but luck always plays a roll.

If someone wants to get their hands on the reel in Galveston, or get more information about your company… Where can they go?

We are gearing up for the season and staying on top of where the fish are moving. We expect it to be a great season. If anyone wants to fish with us, they can go to my website, www.fishseaplay.com, or give me a call at 409-443-7284.