Fishing and Hunting have been enjoyable pursuits on the Bolivar Peninsula since man first inhabited the area and are still popular sports, particularly fishing.
Bolivar has fishing available from the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston East Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway. The Bolivar Peninsula has water on every side and also a channel cut through its entire length - the Intracoastal Waterway.
Hunting of doves and waterfowl during the fall in the Bolivar marshes of Galveston East Bay is considered by many the best in the State of Texas.
Rollover Pass is one of our most popular fishing holes because it is the easiest to reach, it's free, it requires no special equipment and the fish are abundant.
Rollover Pass, also known as Rollover Fish Pass, is a strait 200 feet wide, five feet deep, and more than 1,600 feet long across Bolivar Peninsula; it links Rollover Bay and East Bay with the Gulf of Mexico in extreme southeastern Galveston County (at 29°00' N, 94°30' W). The pass was opened in 1955 by the Texas Game and Fish Commission to perpetuate state fish and wildlife resources and improve local fishing conditions; it introduces sufficient quantities of seawater into East Bay to increase bay water salinity, promote growth of submerged vegetation, and help marine fish to and from spawning and feeding areas in the bay. The pass is named for the practice of ship captains from the days of Spanish rule through prohibition, who, to avoid the Galveston customs station, rolled barrels of import or export merchandise over that part of the peninsula.
Fishing is also popular from the Gulf, from East Bay and in the Intracoastal Waterway which runs the entire length of the peninsula's north side. Galveston Bay offers some of the best saltwater fishing on the Gulf coast. However, due to the prevailing southern winds, the North side of the Bay is often to rough to enjoy fishing. West Galveston Bay offers good fishing but is extremely shallow in many unsuspecting places.
This leaves Bolivar's East Galveston Bay as the preferred area of the bay to fish. East Galveston Bay has numerous oyster reefs, shoreline marshes, and offers many areas with limited wave action due to prevailing southern winds. In addition, East Galveston Bay is further away from the Houston Ship Channel and chemical plants resulting in cleaner fishing grounds.
Fishing from the rocks of the North Jetty, which juts off the southwestern tip of the Bolivar Peninsula is a favorite of many sure-footed sportsman. Others prefer the safer and calmer retreat offered by fishing from piers that extend several hundred feet into the Gulf. Crabbing is also very popular from Bolivar's fishing spots.
Almost nothing is more fun and productive than from a jetty. There is no need for expensive boats or guides to catch a stringer full of fish; even trophy sized fish. Most all types of coastal species can be caught from the coastal jetties.
Fun can be had by the entire fishing family. The unrelenting bite of perch and various other rock dwelling fish can keep children entertained for hours just by fishing the edge of the jetty rocks. Even an occasional Mangrove Snapper, Pompano or Sheepshead may be caught just off the rocks. If you are into more serious fishing; fear not, for trophy Speckled Trout and Redfish are lurking out beyond those jetty rocks.
If patience and skill are your game and the conditions are right, fish such as King Mackerel, Cobia, Tarpon and various species of shark can be caught prowling the ends of the coastal jetties.