September 2014

Only $3.95 www.tsfmag.com September 2014

TIDE PREDICTIONS & SOLUNAR FEED TIMES INSIDE!

about the Cover The Lower Laguna Madre ranks as one of the most exciting light-tackle fisheries anywhere in the world. Ruben Peña spent a day recently with Capt. Ernest Cisneros landing this great late-summer speck.

Kudos for the release, Ruben!

Contents

September 2014 VOL 24 NO 5

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

10 Surface Obsession 16 Introducing Primetime Trout Tactics 22 How To Series: Sharks from the Beach 28 Memories of a Fisherman 34 “No, your other left!”

40 Last Call for Ling 43 Jackie’s Stories

44 Let’s Ask The Pro Jay Watkins 48 Shallow Water Fishing Scott Null 52 TPWD Field Notes Mary Helen Israel 56 Fly Fishing Scott Sommerlatte 58 Youth Fishing Marcos Garza 60 Kayak Fishing Chronicles Cade Simpson 64 Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

Eric Ozolins 68 TSFMag Conservation News CCA Texas 70 Fishy Facts Stephanie Boyd 72 Inshore | Nearshore | Jetties | Passes Curtis Cash 100 Science & the Sea UT Marine Science Institute Chris Mapp 102 Boat Maintenance Tips

16

Mike McBride Kevin Cochran Billy Sandifer Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard Jack Campbell

WHAT OUR GUIDES

HAVE TO SAy

78 80 82 84 86 88 90

Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene The Buzz on Galveston Bay The View from Matagorda Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays Hooked up with Rowsey Capt. Tricia’s Port Mansfield Report South Padre Fishing Scene

86 6 | September 2014

Dickie Colburn Steve Hillman Bink Grimes Shellie Gray David Rowsey Capt. Tricia Ernest Cisneros

48

REGULARS 08 76 92 96 98

Editorial New Tackle & Gear Fishing Reports and Forecasts Catch of the Month Gulf Coast Kitchen

98

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918 NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net REGIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Patti Elkins Patti@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Donna Boyd Donna@tsfmag.com CIRCULATION SUBSCRIPTION – PRODUCT SALES Linda Curry Cir@tsfmag.com ADDRESS CHANGED? Email Store@tsfmag.com DESIGN & LAYOUT Stephanie Boyd Stephanie@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly.

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HOW TO CONTACT TSFMAG: PHONE: 361-785-3420 FAX: 361-785-2844 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, TX 77983 WEB: www.TSFMAG.com PHOTO GALLERY: photos@tsfmag.com PRINTED IN THE uSA. Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published monthly by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, Texas 77983 l P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 © Copyright 1990 All rights reserved. Positively nothing in this publication may be reprinted or reproduced. *Views expressed by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine contributors do not necessarily express the views of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

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EDITORIAL Summer is winding down but by no means over. If you measure the ending of the season by the likelihood of continued hot weather we still have quite a way to go. Officially though, on September 23rd the hours of daylight and darkness will again become equal, hence the term equinox.

Although September’s weather may not bring immediate changes to fishing patterns it sets the stage in several ways. Gone will be the super-low tides of dog days, ditto the throngs of boats on every shoreline and reef. Fishing will remain as important as ever to many Texas outdoors-folk but the addiction to football, dove and teal shooting many of us suffer will certainly make it easier to find prime water for wetting a line. And, when the tides bulge around the equinox, backwater areas and shorelines are sure to be filled with hungry trout and redfish eager to put the feedbag on. Cast and blast options, combining a dove or teal shoot with fishing, are always a September highlight.

In this issue you will find several items worth noting. Marcos Garza, our youth writer of several years, is heading to Huntsville and Sam Houston State University. It is always a joy to me having teenaged contributors to this magazine, seeing their views of fishing and writing skill develop through their high-school years, and we

8 | September 2014

have been blessed with Marcos. His farewell piece appears in its regular spot but this will be his last. I pray all will wish him well in his university endeavors.

Also in this issue we have a piece that we hope will be the first of many to follow; Jackie’s Stories penned by fellow Seadrifter, Capt.

Jackie Campbell. Jackie is a lifelong coastal fishing enthusiast and skiff guide with more great tales of growing up and fishing the middle-coast bays than most anybody you are likely to meet. Jackie’s perspective is wonderful and unique—sixty-something years on the water, commercial fishing in yesteryears to a highly-conservation minded steward of coastal resources, Jackie has seen the turn of many tides. Equally adept at slinging a fly-line as he is a lariat working cattle horseback, knapping flint arrowheads and making longbows, swinging a shotgun and picking bluegrass tunes; I trust you will find his recollections of great times on the water entertaining and informative.

Here at the Johnson place September is going to be an exciting month. If all goes according to plan, and in no specific order—trout, redfish, flounder, trolling for kings, jigging for bulls and jacks, hoping for tarpon. Lots of doves and teal, too. As my buddy Sandifer says, “What a hoot!”

STORY BY MIKE MCBRIDE

We’ve certainly come a long way from the days of the “Jumper.”

As i have been mentioning, it’s tough to talk much about fishing when you haven’t been fishing much. A bum back still has me mostly dry-docked and it’s gotten to the point of either I get it done or I’ll be done…and there is way too much fishing yet to be done. Looks like I will finally submit to a surgeon. But in the meantime, the calendar says another story is due. Our editor offered inspiration in the form of a storyline—something I might actually have fun talking about.

“Hey Mikey”, says Everett. I remember when you threw nothing but Super Spooks, even when I was kicking your butt on soft plastics. Would you care to explain that strange obsession?”

Yes, obsession is a good word, especially when you put compulsive in front of it. I was victim of a topwater spell, and for years would rather catch one up top than ten below. It started with the first big blow-up.

My first big fish up-top actually wasn’t on a pure topwater. It was on a Cordell Jointed Redfin, the floater-diver we called a Broken Back, but it still counted. Not only did you feel the strike, you got to see it and hear it. That one fish changed everything and the only plastic to consider for quite a while thereafter was of the hard variety and specifically—one that floated.

You felt like you were fishing for big fish on purpose, and you were.

The Redfin thing lasted for a few great years as there weren’t many other options, but when the Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow showed up, life took another big twitch. We were literally on top of the world with this lure and threw it in all but the most-bitter conditions, never imagining anything else as worthy of a knot. Then, for some unknown reason, the design was compromised in several critical areas. We had to search high and low for the more productive originals, spared no expense getting them, and became quite innovative restoring the old ones.

Thankfully, Heddon came to our rescue when they added a ball bearing to the venerable Zara Spook and the Super Spook saved us. It became the new magic. We’ve come a long way from the old “Jumper” days, but I would still like to jump the guy who tried to fix what wasn’t broke in the Jumpin’ Minnow. What does Jay Watkins say…“C’mon man!”

There are almost too many topwater baits to choose from nowadays, many are “special purpose” and seem only to work well in specific situations. The Super Spook, however, proved to be productive in most all conditions. If it says anything, when computers came around all of my passwords had Spook in them somewhere.

The fit and finish was attractive and didn’t chip easily, its cigar shape and heft sent it like a bullet even into the wind, and it floated flat the way the Good Lord intended. It was much easier to walk and didn’t leak like so many that have come and gone. And you could trust the hook-hangers if a big jack crevalle slammed it. Especially though, there just seemed to be something right about its sound. If you’ve ever read anything about marine or bio acoustics, there’s good noise and bad noise. Regardless, they just seemed to consistently catch fish even if we didn’t fully understand why.

Things got even better when the plug we’d grown to love became available in additional sizes—the much smaller Super Spook Jr., and eventually the intermediate One Knocker. Now we could adjust to many situations with the same familiar techniques, colors, and retrieves. Let’s look a little closer at each size.

TSFMAG.com | 11

Super trout on the Super Spook.

Sans the author’s “desperately not needed” middle treble…of course.

Many a big trout have fallen for these little morsels.

The original full-sized Super Spook at 5” length and weighing 7/8 ounces is the full-meal deal when big fish want big presentations. In fact, almost every tournament I’ve won either had all or at least a big kicker or two caught on it. Besides a string of top finishes, two lucky Troutmasters Series wins (Rockport and Galveston) came on Spooks, and also on one of my highest-confidence Spook color schemes— the Oakie Shad. I just like it, and especially like that I can see its chartreuse back in many light conditions.

Size figures into presentation in different ways. The Spook Jr. often produces when larger presentations will not. As many already know, less can be more in many cases, as there is a fine line between drawing a fish up and running it off—especially in calm-clear conditions. The Junior measures but 3.5-inches yet weighs in at a full 1/2 ounce, so it also casts well wherever you aim it. Many a big trout has fallen for this little morsel and will continue to do so.

Bridging the gap at 4.5-inches is the sweet-sized One Knocker.

We needed it, and opportunity is definitely knocking via its loud tungsten rattle. I personally like that type sound much better than

12 | September 2014

other baits full of BBs. The One Knocker reminds me of that old songStuck in the Middle with You. Pradco is the parent company of Heddon and I want mention another Pradco plug. I personally do not have near as much time behind this one, but I watched it produce a winning stringer in a major Port Mansfield tournament at the end of Doc Saenz’s line, a day when the bigger fish refused most everything else. From the Bomber Saltwater Grade stable we find the Badonk-A-Donk HP. The 3.5-incher was pure dynamite for Doc, floating perfectly flat as a mullet imitator should in the extreme skinny right on the shoreline. It just looks like something that needs to be eaten, and believe me, it will be.

Now all of these lures work fine right out of the box, but for me, a lot of plugging fun is in modification. Some of my tweaks are just plain quirky, some are practical, but all of the Super Spooks are built well enough to give the “McGivers” in us a good starting point.

One of the first things I like to do is paint on some exaggerated red gills and a red Sharpie works just fine. The theory is that it represents flared, injured gills, and being that predators are conditioned to pick off the wounded, it might help trigger a strike. Whether it really makes a difference doesn’t matter that much. I believe in it and it gives me confidence, and in reality, after finding fish we catch them on confidence. And for whatever it might be worth, in many side-by-side comparisons, with and without Sharpie gills; I have noted big differences between blow-ups and hook-ups—especially on bonecolored plugs.

As far as the stock hooks go, I always like to remove the middle “belly” hook on the full-sized Spooks. I often refer to it as “desperately not needed” and in fact, I have actually lost big fish when all three Kind of like a socket trebles are used. The plug can get stuck at set—a size weird angles on top of a head, gill plate, for every job. etc., and actually get pulled out due to

Reds love Badonk-A-Donks too.

There’s a bone Junior in there somewhere!

“leverage”. With just the front and back hooks the lure just seems to slide properly home into the jaw more often. Also, nine barbs can do some serious damage to fish needing to be released.

Both the One Knocker and Spook Jr. lend themselves very well to rigging with single hooks, which can help quite a bit with floating grass. The Gamakatsu “Live Bait with Ring” variety work great and we really don’t see any difference in hook-up ratios. I like to put one size larger on the front. It makes for good balance and seems to loosen the action up a bit; i.e. 2/0 up front with a 1/0 on the rear for Juniors and a 3/0 followed by a 2/0 seems about right on One Knockers.

Colors? Man, take your pick. Here again we’ve noted occasions

when even subtle variations can make all the difference. Here comes that confidence thing again. I think it’s almost arrogant to make declarations about which color scheme is best for whichever condition, though. I don’t pretend to be an expert in this but if y’all happen to meet one, please have him call me so I will at least know what he thinks. Not to say shopping isn’t fun, but I have honed my confidence baits to a few basics. A lure is simply a tool, and I believe in getting any job done with the least number of tools.

Basics for me are simply Bone-Silver, the Speckled Trout and Oakie Shad pattern. I tend to think in terms of loud or muted (in general), guessing that contrast with ambient light and water has a lot to do with it. Regardless, we can all have a lot of fun experimenting, early and often.

To summarize, topwater fishing is a three-dimensional experience, bound to raise adrenaline from even the dead. A thump and a tug is fine, but combining the audio-visual experience can become addicting to a compulsive level. There is no magic bait and we can’t buy skill, but we can surely buy good tools. The Super Spook and Badonk-A-Donk families are good tools and have been very good to me. For some of y’all who have yet to gain confidence in fishing on the surface, the next few moons should be prime times to try. Don’t be surprised if you develop a strange obsession.

The One Knocker and Spook Jr. lend themselves very well to single hooks.

14 | September 2014

CONTACT

MIKE MCBRIDE Mike McBride is a full time fishing guide based in Port Mansfield, TX, specializing in wadefishing with artificial lures.

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STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

i recently creAted A

neW video titled Primetime Trout Tactics, primarily

using footage I shot on charters last winter and spring. The content of the movie focuses on generating a list of strategies and tactics which help maximize productivity in catching monster trout during perceived moments of prime opportunity. In addition to the images captured on the water, I incorporated several charts similar to the ones I used in my first DVD, Advanced Trophy Trout Tactics (ATTT).

The charts graphically represent beliefs I have about lure choices and presentations as they relate to seasonal and conditional variables. I generated studio narration to summarize and clarify the content of those graphics. Most of the audio for the movie, I recorded in “real time”, while shooting the footage, so it presents the concepts in a casual manner, much as I would while talking to my customers during a charter.

16 | September 2014

Because I shot the footage with my new HD video camcorder, the quality of the images exceeds anything I’ve produced previously in a commercial fishing DVD. Additionally, I’ve become more skilled at making, editing and polishing videos, so the movie translates well to the television screen. Most importantly, it provides lots of useful information to people interested in becoming more proficient at catching big trout on artificial lures.

In one way, Primetime Trout Tactics resembles a combination of my first two DVDs, because it documents the catching of a good number of really big trout, like Trophy Trout Documentaries, while offering ample advice to help the viewer catch some of their own, as did ATTT. Because I and my clients caught so many big fish during the time-frame in which I shot the movie, we captured some rare fish on the screen, up to ten pounds and 32 inches! I tried to focus on the facts most relevant to the catching of those trophies while narrating the action.

Among other things, the movie attempts to relay some prevalent truths I’ve discovered related to the timing of outings in winter, and to emphasize strategies which help me consistently produce big bites during prime-time. In the end, consistently catching monster trout results from the thoughtful planning and execution of specific strategies, not from random, dumb luck. Some of the strategies or concepts might appear simplistic on first glance, but I include them because I see so many people making the mistake of not following their creeds.

The messages in the DVD reference when, where and how to catch more monster trout. They do not specifically apply only to the Baffin Bay/Upper Laguna Madre system; they apply most anywhere trophy trout are found. Having fished and guided on trophy trout excursions from the Land Cut to the Louisiana Shoreline, I believe a trout is a trout, meaning the basic concepts which govern consistency in

catching them apply everywhere.

I’ve learned over the years that people want to glean useful information and tips from a product of this kind, and I’ve attempted to include plenty of practical content in my new movie. I’ve also done the best I can to make the images enhance the entertainment aspect of the piece, to meld its authentic documentary component with its informational and educational purpose.

To date, my most successful DVD, in terms of number of copies sold, has been ATTT. Since selling the last of my replicated copies, I’ve been burning discs one at a time, but will be discontinuing that process.

Primetime Trout Tactics will replace ATTT in my Complete Works sets.

The price of the new DVD will be $18.99, to include cost, tax, shipping and handling.

This new fishing movie isn’t the only commercial video I’ve created recently. I also spent considerable time and effort this past spring

In some cases, the narration of Primetime Trout Tactics accompanies images of trout in the water.

generating a product to commemorate and celebrate another activity for which I have a growing passion. During the spring migration, I shot over 1,000 clips of birds and other wild creatures, and have generated a high-definition video which attempts to capture their beauty and essence.

As I finished the product, I came up with about thirty minutes of HD footage which includes over sixty species of birds and other wildlife. I offer this product burned on a Blu-ray disc, because I want the quality of the images to transfer optimally to a big-screen HD television. I’ve become something of a birding fanatic, having shot nearly 5,000 clips of birds over the last three years. This is the second commercial “bird movie” I’ve made. Prior to this past spring, I shot all my footage with a standard-definition camcorder, and I always experienced disappointment when I viewed my footage on the big screen.

The use of an HD camcorder fixed that problem for me! As consumers, we’ve become spoiled in a way, accustomed to the sharpest, clearest images on our televisions. My Blu-ray disc delivers the same kind of extraordinary footage, presenting the best kind of eye-candy to nature lovers of all kinds, especially those with a specific

interest in our feathered friends.

Mostly, when I go birding, I try to capture images which clearly depict the beauty of the various species I encounter. I’ve worked long and hard to develop skills with the camera which allow me to accurately document these splendid creatures. While doing the work, I realized something else was happening, almost accidentally. I also document many aspects of bird (and birder) behavior in my clips.

So, in this movie, titled Spring Migration 2014, I have attempted to document the physical beauty of the birds, but I’ve also tried to show how the birds interact with one another while sharing space during their long and arduous migration, and also the way bird-watching works for me.

Some clips capture birds jockeying for a spot at the watering/bathing hole, while others show them deciding who gets the next turn at a food source they’ve found. I’ve also recorded mating rituals and dances, fledglings demanding food forcefully from their parents, and hunting strategies in action.

In the audio of the movie, I’ve narrated things much in the same way I did in my fishing movie, providing real-time commentary while

Primetime Trout Tactics shows several monster trout fighting to escape the anglers who hooked them, and attempts to explain how the events unfolded.

18 | September 2014

by towering oak trees. I also sat close to a foraging Palm Warbler for over an hour, marveling at its movement pattern and the elegant simplicity of its plumage.

This year was “slow” for warblers, according to some of the more experienced birders I talked to, yet I captured good footage of some fairly uncommon species, including the Bay-breasted, Chestnutsided, McGillivray’s and Mourning Warblers. Additionally, I regularly got good shots of Black-throated Green, Yellow, Magnolia, Tennessee and other species of warblers.

Orioles, Tanagers and Buntings appeared in gorgeous flocks at times. I shot amazing footage of several species of these, including Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Scarlet and Summer Tanagers, and of course, Indigo and Painted Buntings. An immature male Lazuli Bunting lingered for at least a week at one of my favorite sites, and I captured him several times, once while he barely avoided a hungry Coachwhip snake at the watering hole!

One never knows what one might see when visiting Paradise Pond in Port Aransas or Packery Park Oak Motte on North Padre Island. These places, long revered by birders, have become dear to me too. I offer this educational and entertaining Blu-ray disc with a dual purpose. For one, I hope to entertain other people who’ve already been bitten by the birding bug. For another, I hope to stir up interest in nature lovers who have not yet figured out how rewarding and fun bird-watching can be.

Spring Migration 2014 can be purchased for $9.99 on the Captain Kev’s Products page of CaptainKevBlogs.com. A trailer for both these movies can be viewed on the Pics and Vids page of that website.

Primetime Trout Tactics can be previewed on the home page of FishBaffinBay.com.

The Blu-ray Spring Migration 2014 attempts to clearly document the beauty and essence of birds and other creatures in HD video.

20 | September 2014

Kevin Cochran Contact

shooting the footage. I also captured the voices of birding enthusiasts around me; their passion for the birds rings through loud and clear, enhancing the entertainment aspect of the piece.

Both birds and birders are plentiful in the Corpus Christi area during the spring migration. My home sits in the middle of a mecca for people who love creatures with wings, because most of the flyways used by our continent’s migrating birds pass through here.

Consequently, we see some unusual and rare creatures on our forays into the field during this time-frame.

While making my movie, I added several species to my current life-list. I had the honor of capturing a Yellow-billed Cuckoo as it displayed a unique hunting technique in an open area surrounded

Kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has created several books and dvds on the subject.

Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus Christi Bay to the Land Cut.

Trout Tracker Guide Service Phone Email Web

361-688-3714 kevxlr8@mygrande.net www.FishBaffinBay.com www.captainkevblogs.com

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STORY BY Billy Sandifer

WArning!

Shark fishing may be hazardous to your health, your marriage and your

bank account.

No question, 2014 has been the toughest year on surf fishermen in some time. Incredible mats of sargassum arriving nearly non-stop have made it impossible to fish kayaked baits much of the season. For decades I’ve preached that sharks could be caught in the first gut on casted baits but only a few anglers heed these words and most think it is an absolute necessity to kayak the baits farther out to have a chance at catching a shark. James Clark and his fishing partner, Dani Zirkel of San Antonio, are the exception and have had a stellar season casting baits while the kayak crowd has for the most part waited for the sargassum to subside.

James’ and Dani’s year-to-date total catch is 45 sharks; ranging from a 44-inch bonnetnose to a 7.5 foot bull. The fish have averaged 5’-2” length and 31 of them were caught on casted baits. Jeff Wolda is having troubles with sharks while fishing light-tackle in the surf, and all the while most shark fishermen aren’t even fishing. What a hoot.

Recently James got bit on the calf by a blacktipped shark he had just released and I queried him concerning the incident. The following is his direct quote.

“Yes sir. Released it and it turned and swam a circle around me. No question, all it wanted was to bite me. Followed me to shore and beached itself behind me. Dani had no clue what ‘It got me’ meant so she released it with no problems. Never had any shark turn on me like that on purpose. I’ve had my hands on between 300-400 sharks in my 14 years on the sand. I’ve got a few nicks on my fingers from teeth but never thought one would chase me down.”

Personally, I have no trouble whatsoever believing James’ story. Some years ago I released a 5’ 1” bull shark and it swam 20 feet offshore, slowly turned, slammed its tail on the surface several times, and then charged me going full blast. It hit me on my left shin so hard it knocked me down in the water and raked my shin with several teeth. Then it lay beside me too exhausted to move. My leg got infected and I had quite a bit of trouble with it. Upon another occasion I had a

TSFMAG.com | 23

big bull shark chase me to the point it beached itself and fell over sideways on the sand. These are dangerous predators and the utmost of care must be used when handling them.

Many years ago I was planning a shark fishing trip of several days down to the mouth of the Rio Grande and SPI and was looking for a fishing partner to go with me. I found one on Bob Hall Pier and made arrangements to pick him up at his home the morning of the trip. When I picked him up his wife made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that if he went she’d be gone lock, stock and barrel when he returned. He shrugged it off and when we returned several evenings later the locks had all been changed. A spotlight revealed the house was without furnishings and a 2X12 was nailed across the garage door.

A couple of years later I ran into him at a tackle shop and inquired of his marital status. He replied that the only time he had seen her since was at the divorce proceedings.

As you can imagine shark fishing has changed dramatically since my first exposure to it in 1959.

It was the poor man’s big game fishing and most often was carried out from piers, the jetties and the beach. Rather simple tackle and techniques were utilized and as many accessories as possible were handmade. Fighting belts were apt to be aluminum street signs with outdoor carpet glued to the back for padding. Baits were deployed using swim fins or inner tubes, sometimes a vinyl or rubberized life raft.

The vast majority of sharks caught in those days were killed for their jaws. Today the majority of sharks caught are released and all aspects of the equipment used has undergone many upgrades; from multi- speed reels to braided line to sleek kayaks for deploying baits offshore. One of the 24 | September 2014

biggest differences is the tremendous increase in the number of anglers seeking sharks. An educated guess would be there were never more than 100 serious shark fishermen in the 70s, and now Sharkathon will have over 600 contestants in a single day. Thank God they are releasing their catches nowadays.

Another major change is the tremendous amount of information readily available concerning fishing for sharks compared to the trial and error methods of bygone years. I am only going to address shark fishing from the beach rather than attempt to cover all of the various places and means of angling for them. Let’s start modestly and we’ll work our way up to visions of grandeur.

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One of the most common rail species, marsh birds with stubby upturned tails and short rounded wings.

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reels capable of holding 350 yards of line and 10 ½ foot rods. These can cast baits from shore or they can be taken farther out using some flotation device. A word of caution—despite the temptation, never take your bait out so far that you will not have enough line remaining in the reel to restrain a shark’s run. And—do not put heavy leaders and huge baits on small or medium-sized reels. You do yourself and the fish a great disservice by doing so as you’ll not be able to hold him and you condemn him to slow death wrapped in 30 feet of leader.

A short piece of nylon rope with dog snaps on either end (a snap-in rope) is ideal for cinching around a shark’s tail and working it up onto dry sand. Shark skin is very abrasive and wearing slicker suit bottoms is an ideal way to avoid getting road rash while handling sharks.

Ideal bait is whatever the fish are feeding on in the surf at the time.

Whiting is good and a bonus is tarpon, jacks, big specks and reds, king mackerel and other medium-sized game fish will eat them as well as sharks.

I find that dart tagging tools do a poor job on average and I carry a small dagger in my tagging kit to pre-start a hole for the tag.

Take the time to learn to identify the various shark species. Different laws apply to different species so it is necessary to be able to identify each positively. If a fish is being kept for food it should be bled promptly and put on ice.

Now the bigger your target gets the more complicated the entire process becomes. Obviously the more food chain activity that is taking place in an area, the better your odds of a really big fish being present. However, with all this feeding taking place this is also greater probability that smaller and also very toothy game fish also abound and can cut your line several times in one day. This calls for marker buoys on your leaders so you can retrieve or retie your line.

Always place your baits that are deployed farthest offshore well up-current of the close-in baits so the floats can clear your other lines without tangling.

The very good rule of thumb says your leader must be as long as the biggest fish you wish to catch.

When rigging a large bait and the hook is lying where you want it, drive a nail through the eye of the hook into a bone so the hook is firmly set in place, perpendicularly, and will not simply lie alongside the bait.

Always remember that shark fishing from the beach can be a dangerous game—in more ways than the obvious!

If we don’t leave any…there won’t be any. –Billy Sandifer

Photos by Jimmy Jackson 26 | September 2014

Contact

Billy Sandifer Retired after 20+ years of guiding anglers in the Padre surf, Billy Sandifer (“Padre of Padre Island” to friends & admirers) is devoted to conserving the natural wonders of N. Padre Island & teaching all who will heed his lessons to enjoy the beauty of the Padre Island National Seashore responsibly.

Website www.billysandifer.com

STORY BY Martin Strarup

He sat on the edge

of the bed cradling his head in his hands, trying to shake the last remnants of sleep from his brain. He looked over to where his wife lay asleep, thankful the alarm hadn’t wakened her.

He stood and stretched, joints creaking their discomfort as he flexed what remained of a once strong body. He looked again at his wife and smiled. There was a time she would have already been up, cooking his breakfast and making his lunch. Too many loads of laundry and raising his children had taken their toll.

He was heading for the kitchen when he paused at the door that lead to what they always called “his” room. He opened the door, flicked the switch, and stared at the contents of his special place.

The walls were adorned with memorabilia; paintings and aging fishing photos, charts of his favorite bays, and rod racks filled with the finest outfits money could buy. He stood a moment until his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the morning paper banging the front porch screen. And then, as he had done so many times, he walked in and closed the door.

He gazed first at the chart of West Matagorda Bay, smiling as his finger traced the familiar route from Palacios down to Green’s Bayou on Matagorda Peninsula. How many times had he run that course?

His finger drifted down the peninsula to Pass Cavallo. He chuckled to himself remembering the day he and a couple friends ran aground on a sand bar and the heck of a bad time they had getting the boat off. Odd, he thought, how something so scary at the time could seem comic now.

He moved down the wall and smiled at a yellowed photograph of him holding a large redfish in the surf. Sometimes he could barely remember being that young. And photos of people he cared about with fine catches, some of them gone, then finally to a chart of the Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay. Baffin Bay. The land of plenty, they liked to call it. He remembered the first time he fished there and the great hope of someday landing

a ten-pound trout from its ancient rocks. He had never been that lucky but he’d plugged his way through a slew of eights and nines. He always swore though, the one that somehow shook the trebles of a Broken-Back…she’d have gone ten or better!

He stared at a newspaper clipping his wife framed years ago about his fishing adventures and the writing he was doing for some outdoor magazines. Then he moved to the next wall, past the roll-top desk he hadn’t opened in years, the wall with the rod racks.

He smiled and reached for a rod, then paused, as if to pay reverence. He lifted it lovingly, flexing it and marveling at its action and balance. Without realizing what his hands had done he was reeling the practice plug from the wastebasket in the corner. So many years of endless practice had honed the skill until it was automatic.

Placing the rod back on the rack he took each of them in turn and repeated the motions.

His eyes roamed to the open closet and felt a twinge of excitement as he spied the big tackle box, and then hurried to it as if it were a treasure chest newly discovered.

Placing it in the middle of the room he sat beside it like a child about to open a Christmas package. Snapping the latches and opening the lid his eyes drank in the contents; lures, reels, fillet knives, assorted paraphernalia, all neatly in trays.

The tooth-scarred Jointed Redfin. Oh how skeptical he’d been at first, and how ironic that it became one of his favorites, back in the day.

A smile came as he spied the M-Series Hump lure, still brand new.

An elderly fisherman had presented it to replace the one he lost when the old gent’s cast crossed his line. It had been a chance meeting, two strangers on a reef. What was that old man’s name? He felt embarrassed that he couldn’t remember.

He picked up his father’s fillet knife, the one he wore around his neck on a cord through the sheath loop when he waded. “Keeps it out of the water…and handy when you need it,” Dad always said.

He lowered the front panel of the big box and slid out a drawer that TSFMAG.com | 31

32 | September 2014

He was desperate to know when he could once again wade the sand flats and shell reefs of his favorite bays but a nagging fear haunted him and he was afraid to pick up the paper. He knew his years were passing too quickly and he was afraid that five hadn’t been enough to fix the problem that he and so many others just like him had helped create.

Back when they shut it down, they said that the pressure had simply become greater than the fishery could handle. But he knew better. In the back of his mind he knew all along that greed and ego were the real cause of the problem. And he also knew that it was guys like him; guys that should have known better.

He reached for the edge of the big desk to steady himself and slowly rose to his feet. It was time. Time to get the paper. Was he going fishing or spending the rest of the morning in his room—remembering?

Martin Strarup

Contact

held a collection of Plugging Shortys. He ran his thumbnail across the deep tooth scars that were cut into several and wondered if he’d caught the trout that left them or maybe his dad.

He pondered the old days before limits and the first years after they’d been set; when a man could keep a decent day’s catch with a clear conscience. As a boy he’d seen many a washtub of solid trout, helped fill a few, and the hundreds of limit stringers filled with trout and reds.

Almost too heavy for a grown man. Those were the days all right.

He shook his head and frowned, “Where’d they all go?”

He remembered his fishing cronies and how they rarely got together anymore. They coaxed him half to death and finally he tried their new game, even bought clubs. But golf wasn’t his thing.

Looking back, it was dishonest to say they never saw it coming.

Oh there had been plenty of talk, but guys that knew their stuff hid behind the fact that they were still catching plenty. Most of them said that all the bays needed was a good flush, maybe a hurricane, “Mother Nature will fix it.”

Then all of a sudden it was all over the news. Parks & Wildlife started saying their net samples were too low and the limits needed to be lowered. Well, he didn’t really have a problem with that, and neither did most of his friends. But the new limits didn’t solve the problem, and so they lowered them again. And then they lowered the boom.

The official notice said that the moratorium on saltwater fishing would last five years, after which new guidelines would be created.

That was five years ago and he was anxious. The announcement was due today and he was anxious to see what the paper on the front porch had to say after five years of no-fishing.

Martin Strarup is a lifelong saltwater enthusiast and outdoorsman.

Martin is also a collector and dealer of vintage fishing tackle and lures, especially those made in Texas.

Email

Trouthunter@swbell.net

The 40th Port Mansfield Fishing Tournament Would Like To Say

THANK YOU

To all the Volunteers, Sponsors, Participants, and our community for the help you have provided to make the 40th Port Mansfield Fishing Tournament a success. We hope we created many memories for all of you.

We would also like to thank past and present students of Texas State University Aquatic Division for volunteering their time to be part of the weigh master team.

Thank you to our official weigh masters: Dr. Tim Bonner, Richard Moore, Tony Reisinger and Kit Doncaster for volunteering their time year after year.

We would also like to thank Metal Art by Bryan for our beautiful awards this year.

The Port Mansfield Chamber of Commerce would like to give a very special thank you to: The Port Mansfield Art League for all of the hard work and dedication that it took to create a beautiful mosaic on the tiki bar in the pavilion. It commemorates our 40th annual Port Mansfield Fishing Tournament, nature, and showcases all interests and businesses here in Port Mansfield. Thank you to: Kim Johnson, Karen Skidmore, Linda Sterling & Pam Whitley.

We appreciate and value your donation to the pavilion.

Lara Jordan Heaviest Overall 1st place Black Drum

The Port Mansfield Chamber of Commerce appreciates and values everything you do for our tournaments.

PortMansfieldChamber.org

The 40th PMFT Grand Champion Winners of Bay and Offshore: • • • • • • • •

Texas Grand Slam 1st place: Troy Monjaras Texas Grand Slam Runner up: Donald Green Grand Champion Bay 1st place: Troy Monjaras Grand Champion Bay Runner up: Donald Green Most Released Points Offshore 1st place: Stephen West Most Released Points Offshore Runner up: Joe Dixon Grand Champion Most Points Offshore 1st place: Stephen West Grand Champion Most Points Offshore Runner up: Joe Dixon

Sheyla Cavazos Heaviest Overall 1st place Sheepshead

Waco Robinson head baseball coach Bryan Kent with his first-ever topwater redfish.

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

For the majority of upper coast anglers

the concept of actually seeing a fish before you cast to it is probably about as foreign as going to a restaurant that doesn’t serve sweet tea—it’s just not natural.

Most anglers on their first trip with me are very surprised to find that we have water clarity good enough to actually see fish. This, they think, is found only in venues farther down the coast or some Caribbean island where the white sand is nearly blinding, not the upper coast of Texas or Louisiana.

Now don’t get me wrong, the water I frequent will never be mistaken for Belize, the Keys, or even South Padre but it certainly might surprise you. The water itself is just as clear but the lack of contrast from the darker muddy bottoms makes it appear otherwise. Once you actually see some shell or drop a bait to the bottom and realize just exactly how clear the water really is, all that most folks can do is shake their head. It is places like this where I choose to spend the majority of my time guiding and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sight-fishing is obviously an acquired taste and skill but once properly introduced many find that they simply cannot get enough of it. Over the past decade or so I have basically gone to sight-fishing exclusively whenever the weather and water conditions will allow. I still enjoy getting out in the open bay and chasing fish out there but the thrill I get from actually seeing fish and coaching clients to catch them is about as good as it gets for me. To stand on a poling platform and tell a fisherman on the front deck exactly where to throw and then watch it all unfold as a fish comes crashing down on the lure or fly is what gets me out of bed each morning. I can’t get enough and it never gets old.

I remember years ago when Mark Castlow would bring his famous Shallow Water Fishing Expo to Houston and some of the best guides in the world of light-tackle fishing would be in attendance. It was a free-for-all of knowledge as they generously shared techniques and stories of success and also hard knocks. I was relatively new to the sight-fishing game at the time so anything I could pick up to improve my own game and the trips for my clients was like finding gold.

Easily the most important piece of information that all those great guides stressed was to have the ability to coach your clients and communicate to them in a way that was easy to understand. In order to practice that I enlisted the help of my son Hunter, who was seven at the time. I figured if I could teach him how to chase these fish then it would be a snap to do it with adults. It would also make our days on the water even more enjoyable as we spent more time in the boat together. Some of our earliest lessons were comical, especially to the neighbors who happened to be watching. In order to teach Hunter how this style of fishing worked I parked my trailered skiff in our vacant lot next to our house. Next I went out and placed 2-liter bottles at different positions on the lawn to simulate fish, the neck of the bottle was the face of the fish so Hunter knew which way it was facing. Once our “target practice” was set up I grabbed a piece of chalk and drew a clock’s face on the deck so Hunter would know which way to line up when I called out the targets.

This game was an instant hit; Hunter enjoyed the competition and I loved watching him. Once TSFMAG.com | 35

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Bridge City’s Chad Landry with a beautiful shallow water brute of a redfish.

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we got the hang of how to cast ahead of the fish and to bring the bait into the strike zone we upped the difficulty a little bit. Instead of throwing at a motionless bottle, I would walk around the yard as if I were a fish swimming by and Hunter had to work with a moving target. Occasionally I’d stop, stand on one foot, and bend over, which meant I was “tailing”. If Hunter’s lure fell directly into the sweet spot in front of me I would grab it, just like a big red. If he threw too close to the side or behind I’d run off and tell him he had blown it and spooked the fish. It was hilarious, something I will always cherish.

When we finally took our game to the water Hunter was a machine.

He followed every instruction to the proverbial T and became a really good sight-fisherman. I’d say, “Redfish at 2 o’clock going right to left at 40 feet” and he’d look down at the numbers in the boat, align himself, make a long cast, and ask me when to start expecting the fish. It worked like a charm and enabled us to have some absolutely epic days on the water. I now had my game plan and was ready to implement it on all my new clients.

Art Wright coaxed this one with a perfect sight-cast.

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Nothing to left to chance.

As the list of fishermen I guided began to grow, I continued to learn and develop my teaching techniques. For instance, I now ask my clients whether they would prefer target distances in feet or yards. Most fly fishermen like their distances in feet while light-tackle anglers seem to prefer yards. I also like to get a feel for how accurately they can judge distance. I routinely ask them to estimate the distance to certain features or objects in the water and I can readily spot the ones who are serious bow hunters or play golf as they tend to be surprisingly accurate.

Being able to follow a guide’s instruction is crucial to success when chasing fish in skinny water. Nobody is perfect and bad casts and other problems will always be a part of the equation. But for the most part, when a client is willing and able to follow instructions it makes for a much better day.

There is always a measure of good-natured banter and occasionally I can heckle a bit. Like the guy who continuously missed his marks to the left… “Hey, are you on Pacific time?” Somehow his attempts to lay a cast at 1 o’clock always seemed to fall somewhere closer to 11.

Or when a client casts to the tail of the fish instead of the head, I may give them the old “your other left” to get my point across. Most of these comments are met with a laugh and usually get the point across without hard feelings.

I really enjoy watching folks as they develop a feel for this style of fishing, they begin to really pay attention to any type of movement in the water and get genuinely excited each time a redfish presents itself. Some get a little over zealous, declaring every mullet swirl or sheepshead’s mud-boil is their next red as they cast with high hopes. That’s where the next lesson comes in, reading the fish and the subtle signs that point to success. When anglers begin to get the hang of that I feel like I have done my job. These days I seldom bring a fishing rod on my trips as I spend all day on the platform scanning the water for the next fish and doing my best to give my clients an opportunity to catch it.

Just recently I had the great privilege of taking Chad Landry and Bryan Kent. Chad was my son’s baseball coach at Bridge City High and Bryan is the head baseball coach at Waco Robinson. For two years it seemed inevitable that we would face Waco Robinson deep in the playoffs and those were some great games. Coaches tend to be quite athletic with exceptional eye-hand coordination and this makes for

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plugs and really opened their eyes with spectacular blowups and peeling line the way big reds do. The big smiles and good-natured competitive trash-talk was good as well. It didn’t take either one of them long to figure out the program and progressively get better by the hour. We had a great two days together and I look forward to doing it again very soon.

I can say with all honesty, that while I love to catch fish, my greatest joy is teaching and coaching from the poling platform, helping others do it. Sightfishing may not be for everyone but I have not met many who will turn it down.

Wonder if she’ll be as ready…next time?

quick lessons. Bryan is an avid freshwater fishermen and jumped at the chance to come down and chase redfish. For two days I stood on the platform and “coached the coaches” as they picked off some great fish in the marsh. The first fish for both Chad and Bryan came on topwater

38 | September 2014

Contact

Chuck Uzzle Chuck fishes Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes from his home in Orange, TX. His specialties are light tackle and fly fishing for trout, reds, and flounder.

Phone Email

409-697-6111 cuzzle@gt.rr.com

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STORY BY JOE RICHARD

September might not

seem like a prime month for catching ling offshore, but we’ve often had great luck with these fish after Labor Day. It’s probably a mix of lower fishing pressure out there, with so many people turning to dove hunting or football. In addition, ling tend to gang up for some reason during early fall when calm weather arrives; perhaps they’re thinking about migrating. In any event, we’ve found them schooling on top in calm weather in September, just like the good old days when these fish were more common.

Ever seen a brown patch of water on green? That’s what it looks like, when 20 ling swim together on top. The older, offshore guys saw it during various summers when these fish

were fairly thick back in the late 1960s. Anyway, last September we were startled to see the same thing, after Capt. Curtiss Cash in Port O’Connor told us where this might be going on. We bolted offshore and sure enough, 20 ling prowling on top at our first stop. We flung jigs and rubber eels at them, and they all turned and bolted. Not away from us, but after our baits! The water was thick with ling, and we put 10 in the boat, catching half of the school. All were netted and released, because we were looking for a bigger one.

Like the ling in the photo, friend Dale Fontenot of Vidor who “hammercocked” this estimated 70-pounder earlier this summer, gaffed and photographed by Pete Churton. Many of us, like Dale were raised in Southeast Texas, which certainly seems to have TSFMAG.com | 41

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42 | September 2014

the most consistent ling action on the Texas coast, being so close to Louisiana. Ling can appear anywhere along the Texas coast, but you really can’t beat far SE Texas for the best action during warmer months. We’ve seen schools of ling out there, often in September, and I knew one dad and son team in Port Arthur who used to fill the box with 30-inch ling back in the early 1980s, selling them like trout.

That was highly questionable even back then, and ling today are protected from shenanigans like that.

Ling have seen some down years, and bag limits today are tight.

That’s why it was such a treat to spot brown water again. Landing half of that school of ling, we proceeded to Curtiss’ next suggested spot, and it was an exact repeat, landing 10 more out of perhaps 20 ling on the surface. Our landing net was well-used that day, and the gaff never deployed. These smaller ling of 30 to 33 inches were greedy and fought well, and several of them jumped after being hooked, which we haven’t seen in a long time. They were frisky. Later that night we filleted one fish that was barely legal, as they say. Back at Marilyn’s house in POC, it was grilled on the porch. One bite, and it was enough to make your eyes roll back in your head. Life was good.

And 20 ling in one day ain’t bad.

We do try to handle smaller ling gently while releasing them. Any fish that can grow to exceed 100 pounds, and is worth so much in the tournaments, is worth extra care. We don’t just derrick them into the boat and let them flip and bang all over the deck. We avoid letting them bang their heads against fiberglass. They’re more frisky in the boat than perhaps any other fish, so it takes some care to make sure they go back in the water in a healthy manner.

Looking back, it was a September when we tagged and released so many ling, winning a tag trophy from Aftco in 1987. A wooden, carved ling that still sits on my desk. We tagged and tossed 107 ling that summer, big ones here and there up to 60 or more pounds, but most of them were 30-inchers that school in September. We’d pull up to a rig, a brown school would descend on the boat and mill around on the surface, and we’d get to work with baitcasting tackle with 20-pound line. It was warm work. Best baits were bucktail jigs, and the color didn’t matter. There was no treble hook to contend with, just work the jig loose and wrestle the fish onto a measurement tape, toss the fish overboard and fill out part of the tag card. A number of these ling were recaptured in distant lands, so we laughed off any suggestions that these fish didn’t survive.

Anyway, finding a school of ling on top offers great action, especially if you have matching tackle. And September is the time to do it.

Joe Richard Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arthur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast. He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida Sportsman’s book and assistant magazine editor. He began guiding out of Port O’Connor in 1994.

His specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, New Revelations, due for publication in 2013.

JACKIE’S STORIES “They’re going to quit sending me rods.”

STORY BY JACK CAMPBELL

One morning about

eight years or so ago

in the month of September, I woke to slick-calm conditions. I did not have a fishing client that day and planned to do some work around the ranch. And as is the case with most guides and true fishermen— the water was calling my name.

So I scrubbed the work detail and hooked on to my skiff which I keep ready to go. I had been on some tarpon off and on in the past week. I packed a lunch, some ice and bottled water, and hit the road.

On the way to Port O’Connor I wondered if the onshore wind would be blowing when I got there. It was still calm as I launched my skiff.

As the sun crept over the horizon I began a methodical search of the areas I felt were potentially productive. By 8AM I was in the big pond without a trace of a poon. The next few hours were long and uneventful except for a tripletail I happened upon on and enticed to bite a small crab fly. I saw a few boats in the distance but none close enough to identify. Then about 11AM I saw that familiar silver flash way in the distance. I felt an immediate rush of adrenaline while a few moments earlier I was trying to stay awake.

As I closed to within a quarter mile I could see lazy rollers here, there and yonder. I slowly idled in, upwind with a light breeze blowing. I killed the engine and drifted right into one of the most amazing sights I had ever witnessed.

There was maybe an acre or so of tarpon, so thick you could almost

walk on them. Some were cruising right on the surface but the majority were down 8- to 10 feet, schooled up tight as sardines in a can. They were all just lazily swimming around and under my skiff.

Happy fish for sure.

Now I have seen tarpon expel air but what these fish were doing takes it to another level. It was like you took a bucketful of air under the water and turned it up, letting all the air out at once. The air would come busting to the surface with a big “bloosh.” All this happening at the same time was one of the most amazing sights ever.

Now as I sit here writing this, calm and collected, I tell you there was nothing calm about the situation for several hours. As I was trying to wrap my mind around all of it, instinct had taken over. I ripped a 12-weight from under the gunnel and shook out some line. I made a 50 foot cast and on the third strip—Wham—silver in the air. Two jumps later she came unbuttoned.

As the fly hit the water I stripped twice more and, fish-on again.

Folks, it was like that for the next three to four hours. I tell you it was exhausting.

There was some downtime as I re-rigged after leadering a fish or breaking one off. I broke one rod and one fly line. I’m not sure how many fish I jumped but I leadered three. Most were 100 pound-class.

A squall built up in the east and it started getting rough. I had a fish on and finally leadered it. I headed in and by then it was very rough.

Continued on page 47...

TSFMAG.com | 43

Renee fighting really solid trout that I dropped before we could make a photo.

The look on her face was priceless.

J AY WAT K I N S

ASK THE PRO

The “Jay” Way It sure got calm and hot in a hurry. The daily 25-plus winds has laid considerably and bay water temps shot into the mid-80s almost overnight. While this is normal for August, given the tougher-than-average trout year we’ve been experiencing, it seems worse—at least to me.

So last month we talked about improving skills and working on staying power once good sign is located and confidence levels are high. I also touched on the importance of getting on the water early and working adjacent to nighttime feeding areas. Nighttime feeding becomes prevalent due to several factors: Excessive daytime heating, near non-stop boat traffic on shorelines, and also moon phases. Personally, I believe that most predators feed under cover of darkness in response to the daytime activities of man. If I did not make my living guiding I would probably fish mostly at night, and not just during the brightness of full moons. I know several exceptional anglers who fish almost exclusively at night and their stories confirm my thoughts.

With super-heated water and winds increasing by early afternoon we have to think about the effect this 44 | September 2014

has on fish and also fishermen. I run a lot of half-day stuff July through September. I do this because many of my clients (me too) want to get our catching done before WE get too hot. Cooler water temperatures and fish exiting their nighttime haunts can provide terrific early morning action as many will take one more quick meal before calling it good.

This game plan has served well in the past but 2014 has found me wading the best of everything and still not putting my clients on the fish they deserve. I take my job seriously and even though we throw only lures, I still believe day in and day out, I can put them in areas where catching can’t be much better no matter your choice of bait.

So what’s been different in 2014? Boat pressure has been extreme this summer around Rockport. The oil boom is boosting our economy and boat launches from Marker 37 to Goose Island are jam-packed on weekends and week-days alike and nearly all shorelines and midbay reefs have someone on them constantly. You’re forced to carve out small areas that contain the proper

structure and a food source and simply put in your time. Trying to run from one hot spot to another seldom works as there are no so-called secret spots anymore.

So what happens when morning feeding fades and you’re faced with more wind, lower tides, and extreme water temperatures? The first thing that happens is that long about midday you find yourself having most of the shallow water spoils and shorelines all to yourself.

When I see this type of effort pattern developing I often suggest afternoon trips, starting around 4:00 and finishing just after sundown.

Here is my take on why I think late afternoon and early evening can yield some of the best fishing.

Let’s say you buy my theory about predators adapting to nighttimeoriented feeding. If they are shallow at night, and I know they are because my commercial flounder buddies have been telling me this for years, where do they go during the day? Well, obviously, they go deep and stay deep until later in the day.

As dusk approaches these fish will start to move shallower, closer to their feeding areas. Key here is knowing where the travel corridor is located. In my area I like to concentrate on areas of slightly deeper water along spoils and shorelines as well as areas in front of marsh drains. As water exits the marsh it fans out and forms a mini-delta, much like we see from aerial photographs of river mouths. Water movement attracts them to feeding areas and brings them food as well, it’s the best of both worlds. The only thing that makes it sweeter is predicting the movement and then positioning to take full advantage. Let it be noted that I have documented many times—the guys standing closest to the deeper water start getting bites first. This proves that the fish are pulling up from the deeper water where they have been all day.

For the past week thoughts of late afternoon feeds haunted me due to the slow catching on my morning trips. When I received a last minute cancellation for Saturday I suggested to Renee that we go fishing. She informed me that she had to take her son to the Corpus airport on Saturday morning and she also had some gardening projects in preparation for selling the house. We are downsizing now that it is only three of us living here. Long story short, our fishing got pushed later into the afternoon. I certainly didn’t mind and Renee was really anxious as she loves catching as much as cooking and eating them. As I type this she is sipping wine and preparing fish tacos, and it smells delicious.

We hit the ICW spoil in San Antonio Bay around 3:45 and found the water a dirty green due to 20-ish SE wind. Whitecaps broke on shallow offshore bars in the low afternoon tides. I asked her if she could see the dark grass beds that formed an outer underwater line and she nodded yes.

Guys, take note here. Outfitting your wife with the best gear is a must. You can’t teach her the right twitch without the same rod as you use. She won’t feel the bites she gets unless it’s the same modulus and sensitivity as yours. If the reel’s ratio is different her lure will not run the same. Do not tie her a heavier jig simply for casting distance.

Teach her to throw a 1/16, if that’s what you’re using. It’ll take some practice in the yard but if that’s what you’re using, that’s what she needs. Her line needs to be exactly the same as yours. Comfortable wading boots are a must and let’s face it, Simms has the best women’s line on the market today. Your lady needs to feel like she looks good in order to play good. You need to make her understand that you are her fishing coach (not just a husband or boyfriend) and coaches want their

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So thank you Renee and all my clients that share the passion for my passion. It’s a passion to learn and get better with every trip. To learn why, where, when and how; putting ourselves to the test with every trip and taking pride in the fact that our way, the Jay way, is tougher. But we can become better anglers. Fishing is all about getting out there and kicking their butt, then letting that butt go so it becomes wiser and harder to catch the next time.

Finally, Renee I appreciate you wanting to love what I love and being such a good student.

As we enter our empty-nesting years we will spend more days fishing together and with our grandchildren. Fishing will provide us with memories that will sustain us in our later years. I love you!

players to succeed for themselves, not Balous Miller with solid for the coach. Coaches are allowed a trout caught along deeper few barks, so toughen up ladies. At structure and water change. this point I should have run most of you guys credit cards up to a point where you hate me, but believe me, it’s a small price if you really want her fishing with you.

We positioned ourselves offshore of the outer grass beds in thigh-deep water. Water temperature was 86⁰ and the air was 94. I stuck the first fish and then she upped me with a very solid 4 ½ pound trout that we quickly released. OK, so I dropped it, but we were going to release it anyway. For the next two hours she went crazy catching two more trout, three reds and four flounder. I caught a few dragging up the rear but honestly it was such fun watching her enjoy the afternoon.

She said, “I thought you said fishing’s been tough.” I just smiled, knowing I was not going to be able to explain that one. So the thought that fishing could be better in the late afternoon due to traffic and nighttime feeding was true for this day and it is a pattern that I have honestly put on the back burner for a few summers. See—fishing and continually being able to find and catch them is as much a mental process as it is physical. If you can think like a fish, and then physically put yourself to the test, you’ll often be successful. It is not an exact science and I honestly know that I‘ll never totally figure it all out.

46 | September 2014

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Fish tacos tasted even better than they look.

Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 20 years. Jay specializes in wading yearround for trout and redfish with artificial lures. Jay covers the Texas coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi Bay. Telephone Email Website

361-729-9596 Jay@jaywatkins.com www.jaywatkins.com

...continued from page 43.

On the way I thought— What a Day! I was happy and tired, and about out of equipment. The end of a good fishing trip? — NOT HARDLY! Pulling into Clark’s I saw a couple of buddies standing by their trailered boats. They motioned me over and I told them of my experience. They’d had uneventful trips and I could sense an air of disbelief at my story.

As we talked the squall moved on north and it grew calm again.

Kevin said, “Let’s go back.”

And, with only a little persuading, here we go!

I took the remaining intact rod out of my skiff and loaded up in his.

Off we went.

With a little dead reckoning and sonar we went right back to the spot and they were still there, doing the same thing. No longer in disbelief Kevin was in full-blown hyperventilation. His breathing sounded like a dog on a hot summer day with some wheezing thrown in.

We both shook out rods. I cast from the bow one way and he cast the other from the stern. A few strips later—Wham—we had tarpon in the air on either side of the boat. How sweet is that?

Well, before I could get my fish on the reel, a half hitch got around my hand and broke my fly line.

We leadered Kevin’s and he picked up the last rigged rod and started peeling out line. The line got a little tangled on something in the boat and Kevin was trying to clear it. His fly was dangling in the water.

I told him several times that it wasn’t a good idea for his fly to be

in the water—situation being what it was. But he acted as though he could not hear me. It might have been him breathing too loud.

Just as he got it untangled his rod lurched violently downward into the water and a few seconds later a tarpon exploded on the other side of the boat.

Now he is hooked up and the line is under the boat. He tries to walk the rod around the bow to get straight with the fish. He’s doing a good job and just as he reaches the bow the fish jumps again and the added pressure hangs the rod on the tip of the trolling motor on the bow. The rod breaks and the fish gets off.

Kevin sits down on the bow, head hung low, quiet and thinking.

Suddenly he raises his head and says, “They’re going to quit sending me rods.”

At that he drops his head again, maybe two seconds, and then raises it suddenly and exclaims— “It was worth it man!”

It was over as quickly as it started. We are left with only the memories engrained in our minds of a very special experience shared with a good friend.

Anytime the opportunity presents; take someone fishing— a kid, a friend, a family member. The memories made could be priceless.

Bio-sketch: Seadrift native and skiff guide; Jack Campbell runs fly and light-tackle charters in the Port O’Connor-Seadrift bays and nearshore Gulf of Mexico.

Jackie- as friends call him- has ranched cattle all his life in Calhoun County, worked as a commercial fisherman, loves wingshooting and has an intense passion for fishing and coastal resources. Visit his website www.skinnywaterflyfishing.com or call 361-920-4111.

TSFMAG.com | 47

East Cape’s latest project hull; note the deadrise and the spray rail development toward the bow.

C A P T. S COT T N U L L

S H A L L O W W AT E R F I S H I N G

Just when I thought I knew…

A few years back I was shopping for a poling skiff and gave Kevin Fenn over at East Cape Skiffs a call. I was about to go from part-time guiding to making it a full-time operation. I knew I wanted something that didn’t exist. I have to cross open and sometimes rough water to access some very shallow marshes. I wanted a dry ride that could handle chop without getting my customers wet while still letting me pole two customers and gear into places where the top of a redfish’s back sticks out of the water. As we went through the models and my needs I started feeling like Goldilocks—too big, too wet, too small.

I’d first met Kevin and co-owner Marc Page several years prior while fishing the old Extreme Edge Kayak tournaments in Florida. At that time they were just getting started and had come out with their first model, the Gladesman. It was a really cool little skiff that was basically an overgrown canoe with a motor. It would float as shallow as my kayak with two people and a full load of gear. However with two young girls and a wife who all love to fish it just wouldn’t work. It also wouldn’t work for my guiding.

We kept in touch over the years and I watched as they added new models to the line-up. First came the Lostmen. It was based on the Gladesman, but wider and 48 | September 2014

more stable with a sharper entry to handle some chop while maintaining some crazy skinny draft numbers. The deck layout and ample storage were perfect for a guide boat. It was big enough to handle my needs, but not ideal for the open water I needed to navigate.

Then along came the Caimen. A totally new design for them that is a fishing machine. They incorporated spray rails which help greatly in big water while still getting skinny. It also poles like a dream, maintaining a line whether headed into or across the wind. It was just a bit too tight on the bow for two anglers. If I were strictly a fly guide with one angler on the bow at a time it would be awesome.

Their next model was the Vantage. It’s a beast of a poling skiff based off of the Caimen hull, just bigger in every way. Longer, wider, bigger spray rails and capable of handling a lot more horsepower. No doubt it could get my customers through the roughest conditions in style and comfort. My only concern was poling draft.

Bigger and drier are awesome, but if I can’t get to my fish none of that matters. Not that it isn’t a skinny floating boat by most folks standards, I just happen to like getting where most folks can’t go.

Throughout our conversation Kevin was honest about the advantages and disadvantages for each model. He

Looking at her from the bow.

could’ve probably steered me towards the Lostmen or Vantage by downplaying the parts I was concerned about. I’ve often said every boat is a compromise and I was about ready to settle into a Lostmen with some optional spray rails added to the bow. I jokingly told Kevin all I really wanted was a skiff that could handle big water like the Vantage with the deck layout of the Lostmen, and pole like a Caimen.

His reply, “How soon do you have to have it?” Wait, what? He then proceeded to tell me about their latest creation dubbed Project X. The big water easy poling hull of the Caimen, the wider deck layout of the Lostmen and the huge spray rails of the Vantage. It would be ready for production in a few months. I could wait.

A slick new Glide ready to go out the door.

The new creation was eventually named the Fury and I have hull #6. Dry, stable, easy poling and skinny. Of the eight boats I’ve owned this little skiff is hands down my favorite. When asked how I feel about the Fury my response has been, “If this boat were stolen from me tomorrow I’d order another one.” I’ve never felt that way about any of my other boats three years in.

So now that the time has come to order a new skiff I knew exactly what I wanted, a Fury with their new optional flush scooter deck.

Simple enough. I headed out to the ICAST trade show in Orlando with the intention of visiting the shop and sitting down with Kevin to order the new boat. I also wanted to get an up-close look at their latest skiff, the Gide. It is the replacement for the Gladesman. A little wider and more finished, but still a nimble little super skinny water boat.

As luck would have it I ran into him the first morning of ICAST. We chatted a bit and confirmed a Saturday meeting at the shop. I told him he could go ahead and write me up for a scooter-top Fury and

we’d work out the details of the build when I got there. A sly grin came over his face and he replied, “Maybe not, I’ve got something you need to see first.” Well hell, nearly a full week of wondering what this new project could be.

Saturday morning I pulled into the parking lot bright and early. Kevin was there with Paul Volkerson, owner of V Marine.

Paul is a good friend of the East Cape family and has put in a lot of hours running all of their boats. Just inside the doors sat an upside-down hull. It was a bit rough looking and obviously a prototype, but with some really sweet lines. Good volume in the bow and carried a lot of deadrise all the way to the stern.

Completely different from other

ECC hulls, yet still with those huge undercut spray rails. The rails are a lot higher than either the Fury or Vantage, eliminating any chance of hull slap when poling directly into a chop. Paul has been running the prototype and confirmed that it is an awesome ride. The extra volume in the bow keeps it from diving into large waves or wakes. He said he’s tried to bury the bow and it just won’t go under.

Hmmm. Guess I’ll be waiting a couple months to see how this thing turns out before I sign on the dotted line.

Out of curiosity I had been wanting to get out on a Vantage to see if I was missing something. It’s the only model I hadn’t ridden. Kevin set me up to fish the Indian River with Captain Jesse Register of Flyin’ High Charters. The next morning I met up with Jesse and headed out. I have to say I really like the ride. We busted through several boat wakes at high speed and it was rock solid. Jesse put me on several 20+ pound reds in skinny water, but they were the spookiest I’ve ever TSFMAG.com | 49

seen. Most of them fled before we could even get off a cast. Eventually I had one clean shot at a huge tailer. The cast was good, the fly landed softly in the perfect position and swoosh…he was gone like I’d whacked him in the head. Next up were rolling tarpon in the 30-40lb class. They were up on top over shallow grass. Tarpon make me stupid and I blew the first shot. No worries there were more.

Several refusals later and I decided it just wasn’t my day. I went to the platform and put Jesse on the bow. The Vantage surprised me a bit as it poled like a much smaller skiff. Very responsive and easy to maneuver. It also went a good bit shallower than I thought it would. Jesse didn’t have any better luck than I did so we concluded it must be the fish. It obviously couldn’t have been us, right? If you’re ever in the Titusville area look him up. Great guy running a damn fine boat in an absolutely beautiful place, full of crystal-clear water and miles of grass.

“As a long time Pro, I choose Custom Made rods because I want PERFORMANCE that I can count on.”

A closer look at spray rail detail.

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So will it be another Fury, a Vantage or perhaps the new “Project Y”? I’ll let you know in a couple months.

50 | September 2014

Capt. Scott Null is a devout shallow water fisherman offering guided adventues via kayak, poled skiff, and wading.

Telephone Email Website

281-450-2206 scott@tsfmag.com www.captainscottnull.com

TSFMAG.com | 51

Volunteer John Boettiger engaging a school group during a facility tour.

B y M a r y H e l e n I s r a e l | V o l u n t e e r | S e a C e n t e r Te x a s , L a k e J a c k s o n

FIELD NOTES

Sea Center Texas

WANTS YOU Sea Center Texas has one of the most versatile and active volunteer groups in the Texas Parks and Wildlife system. You may be asking, who and why would anyone want to be a volunteer? According to Webster’s dictionary - a volunteer is one who enters into any service of their own free will. Volunteering can be one of the most satisfying things you can do, particularly if you enjoy being around people. There are many different ways and places to volunteer, and there is great value in volunteering, both in value to yourself and to others. This value is not necessarily monetary, but value in your surroundings. Examples range from docents to highway and/or beach clean-ups. Some benefits of volunteering are that it can connect you to your community and make it a better place.

My name is Mary Helen Israel and I have served as a volunteer at Sea Center Texas (SCT) for 19 years. During that time, it has been easy to see that SCT is a place that brings joy to the hearts and minds of volunteers and visitors. We have the privilege of introducing the public, particularly youth, to the importance and pleasures of

52 | September 2014

our coastal waters and biota. Visitors learn about sea life (fish in particular), coastal conservation, and fishing. And, I would like to tell you a little about our volunteer activities.

SCT volunteers are involved in most activities conducted at the facility’s visitor center and youth fishing ponds. Volunteers can serve as greeters, touch tank workers, tour guides, in gift shop sales, fishing mentors, and perform lots of other duties. As you can guess, greeters are the first people you see upon entering the facility. They are always ready with a smile on their face to welcome you, and explain what we have to offer. This service is particularly suited for those who enjoy meeting people. Greeters are knowledgeable about tour schedules and facility operations. They also become familiar with other local places to go for fun, and receive a lot of questions about good places to eat. These are common questions from our visitors as many are from out-of-town, out-of-state, and even from foreign countries.

As a touch tank volunteer, you will get to meet lots of people but the majority of your time is spent educating

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the public about animals that live in our coastal waters. Watching the joy on a child’s face who touches a crab, sea anemone, and other sea life will bring a special warmth to your heart. And, then there are the tour guides. This is a very important service as these individuals tell the story of our fish hatchery operations. As they lead children and adults through our hatchery facility, they explain the process of spawning fish, rearing juvenile fishes, and releasing hatchery-reared fishes into the wild.

Information about the three fish species (red drum, spotted seatrout, and southern flounder) we work with is generously offered. You can be assured that there will be lots of discussion about the millions of hatchery-reared fishes that have been released into the Texas bays, and the associated good fishing in our coastal waters. Another opportunity for volunteers is in the gift shop, selling all of the fun things we have available for visitors as memorabilia of their visit. Gift shop volunteers are gracious, and display a willingness to meet the visitor’s needs. This job involves working a cash register during sales.

Volunteer Mary Helen Israel working a visitor’s center event.

If you like to fish we have a place for you. The youth fishing program is extremely popular, and requires a lot of effort (and sweat during warm weather) to keep it going. This program is run by a group of volunteer mentors who love to teach kids, both young and old, how to fish. Most of our fishing events are open to the public for groups of 10-20, but space is limited so it is best to confirm by reservation. SCT regularly schedules events for children with disabilities, and some of the local Assisted Living and Nursing Homes bring their residents to fish. If you want to really be overcome with delight just help a special-needs child in a wheelchair bring in that “big” red drum and look at the joy in that child’s face. Life doesn’t get much 54 | September 2014

gardens, and regular watering and trimming to keep them looking neat.

Sea Center Texas is a wonderful facility with lots of opportunities (those mentioned and many others not mentioned) for those who want to volunteer. It’s a fun place to be. We cordially invite you to join us as a Sea Center Texas volunteer.

For information about the facility and volunteer opportunities go to: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/ spdest/visitorcenters/seacenter/ or call at 979.292.0100.

Youth Fishing volunteers teaching the next generation of Texas anglers.

better than that!

Our outdoor wetlands are a popular attraction and provide other volunteer possibilities; we do lots of landscaping that can use volunteers who like to put their hands in dirt and mud! There’s planting and weeding of the wildflower and hummingbird/butterfly

Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or www.tpwd.state.tx.us for more information.

TSFMAG.com | 55

Various epoxy creations curing on the wheel.

S C O T T S O M M E R L AT T E

F LY F I S H I N G

Tying with Epoxy Over the years there has be a huge debate over what is considered to be a fly. There are quite a few traditionalist that will say- if it is not tied with natural materials (feather and fur) it is not a fly. Others are a little more cavalier in that they will utilize synthetic hairs and furs but then draw the line there. Then there are people like me that say- well, as long as it is crafted by hand and some part of the fly is secured to the hook utilizing thread, then it is still a fly.

Of course then, there are those that live and die by the mantra- if it can be thrown on a fly rod… I have prefaced this column to make a point. Utilizing epoxy in fly tying offers a little something for everyone- especially in regards to tying saltwater patterns.

Looking back some 25 or so years ago to the beginning of my fly-fishing career, the first epoxy pattern I can remember seeing was the MOE (Mother of Epoxy). This pattern was created by, I believe Jimmy Nix, and was tied to entice permit and bonefish. I quickly learned that they worked well for catching our Texas redfish and quickly set out to learn to create the tasty-looking, crustacean-like morsel. It took a while but I eventually learned several methods for essentially building the same fly. After that, working with epoxy became second nature and I moved on to other popular patterns such as the Cave’s Wobbler Spoon-Fly and the Popovic’s Surf-Candy.

56 | September 2014

As epoxy became more and more a part of my regular tying sessions, I started to utilize it in someway or another in just about everything I tied. I even began to create my own pattern. The simple fact is, epoxy cannot only be used to create unique patterns, but also to make flies much more durable, or even to add some weight. It can also be used to create components such as eye-stalks for tying various crab and shrimp patterns.

Should you choose to incorporate the use of epoxy in your efforts to fool a fish, there are several items that you must add to your (if you are like me) overflowing box of tying crap. The most important of these items is a low RPM turning-wheel that is driven by a small electric motor.

The purpose of this device is for holding your flies while epoxy is curing- to prevent the epoxy sagging or running during the curing process. I utilize a small turning-wheel made by Flex Coat that will run for 6 months on two AA batteries. Other things you will need are mixing cups, stir-sticks, alligator clips, roll of foil, toothpicks and a roll of paper towels. The cups, stir-sticks and alligator clips can be purchased from Flex Coat as well. In fact, just think of Flex Coat as a one-stop shopping spot for anything you want to do in regards to tying with epoxy. As for the other stuff, well you can just jack that from your wife’s pantry.

Now for what epoxies to use… All epoxies that you will

The heads of these tarpon flies were finished with epoxy.

of flies, say like a deer-hair slider, I tend to put the fly in a clothes pin with the eye of the hook up to let the epoxy soak into or run down the hook-shank making the fly more durable. This can also add and evenly distribute a small amount of weight to the fly.

For building up heads, coating poppers and spoonflies or creating epoxy bodies on flies like the MOE or glass minnow-type patterns, it is time to consider High Build or Devcon 2-Ton. For these type flies you will need to utilize the turning wheel. For smaller flies I suggest placing each in an alligator-clip prior to mixing your epoxy. It is a workflow thing that just allows you to get the most out of each mixing. Once each fly is coated or built-up, stab the clip into the foam wheel. For the larger flies, the hook can be jabbed into the wheel.

I guess the most important tip that I can give you about working with epoxy is to develop a workflow system that allows you to work fast. Once the stuff begins to cure it can become a pain in the butt. Again, it is important to mix the epoxy in a cup and then

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use at the tying bench are going to be two-part, hence the need for mixing cups and stir-sticks. In my opinion, there are only three to consider and each serves a different purpose. Well, sort of anyway. I utilize the Flex Coat Ultra V and High Build epoxy formulas and also the Devcon 2-Ton epoxy.

Here is what you need to know about them. The Ultra V is a slow-curing epoxy that stays crystal-clear and does not yellow when exposed to sunlight. This is probably my favorite because it gives you plenty of time to work with it and also because it is a relatively thin mixture, it can soak into materials to help strengthen the fly thus making it more durable. Unfortunately, its thin consistency is also its downfall. When trying to build-up flies From coating where the main material in the fly is the epoxy itself, the Ultra V poppers and tends to soak or bleed into the materials thus requiring several spoonflies to building the coats to build up the fly. When this is the case, I choose to use bodies of glass the High Build formula. It cures slowly enough to do numerous minnows, epoxy flies and because it has thicker consistency, it allows for buildingprovides versatility up of substantial heads and bodies when needed. It does resist to the fly tier. yellowing but not like the Ultra V. Last but not least is the Devcon spread it thinly over some foil. Also, when mixing epoxy, make sure it is 2-Ton epoxy. This product can be purchased at just about any hardware mixed thoroughly or you will have a sticky, half-cured fly that is good store and is a relatively fast-curing epoxy that serves many purposes. for nothing. The best way to know if you have mixed up the epoxy The best attribute of the Devcon is that, unlike the Flex Coat epoxies, it adequately is to make sure there is no marbling (swirly lines) in your cures very hard, very fast. Its shortcomings are that it sometimes cures mixture before pouring it onto the foil. Another tip or two is to consider too fast and, it yellows over time. adding a fine glitter to your epoxy for a little flash. And, if you really want As for 5-minute epoxies, I suggest staying away from these. They to speed up the cure of your work, once everything is in the turning allow for very little working time and yellow very quickly. If you are wheel, carry the wheel out to your truck on a hot summer day. Place it working in very small batches (1-2 flies at a time), I recommend the use inside with all of the windows up and let the heat do its thing. This can of a product known as Clear Cure Goo. This material is hardened with a decrease your complete cure time by a several hours.

UV flashlight and is quite suited for knocking out a fly or two the night Until next month‌ Be good and stuff like that. before a fishing trip.

In regards to the simplest, most basic use of epoxy, which is to finish off, or seal, the thread wraps of a completed fly. This is where I tend Scott Sommerlatte is a full time fly fishing and light tackle guide, to prefer the Ultra V. All that is needed is tie up 2 or 3 dozen flies and freelance writer and photographer. then mix up a batch of epoxy in a cup and then pour it onto some foil (spreading onto the foil slows the chemical reaction that cures the Telephone 979-415-4379 Email vssommerlatte@hotmail.com epoxy giving you a longer work-time) and then apply the epoxy to the Website www.scottsommerlatte.com thread wraps of the fly utilizing toothpicks or a bodkin. On some types TSFMAG.com | 57

MARCOS GARZA

YO U T H F I S H I N G

New Beginnings It has come to be that time—college. I will be heading to Sam Houston State University up at Huntsville and that means very little saltwater for me. I will, however, be starting a new chapter in my life with new friends.

One of my new friends came to fish with me and my dad for a few days during the summer. Rick is a student at Sam and member of the Theta Chi fraternity. My dad went to school there and was also a part of the Theta Chi fraternity. I would like to share this last story before I leave for college about fishing with my new friends.

Rick and Graves met us at the dock at 6:00 AM. We loaded up the boat and took off in the dark. The blue LEDs light up my dad’s boat so that we could see and move around more comfortably in the dark. My dad wanted to get to the area that he had fished the day before, early and before anybody else, so we left in the dark. We had a long boat ride ahead of us.

We got to the spot and we didn’t get out right away, we took our time. It was early and we were still waking up. We got off the boat and spread out. Rick and I went up shallow, Graves stayed about waist deep and my dad 58 | September 2014

was in the deeper water. There was a lot of bottom grass and floating grass in the area and it made it really hard to work a lure. It was either you got grass from working it too slow or too fast, there was no in-between. My dad was catching fish as soon as he got off of the boat, the rest of us were having trouble keeping our lures clean. It was to the point that I was getting frustrated.

Rick, Graves and I caught a few fish, but my dad was catching one every few casts or so. We all moved over eventually and then we started to catch some. At the end of the wade we had a few keepers, not many but it was something.

We moved to a different area because most of the fish we were catching were undersized. The area that we were in now was deeper, about belly deep. We walked about 75 to 100 yards before we really got into the fish. From then on, it was almost every cast was either a hit or a fish. A lot of these fish were small but it didn’t matter, we were having a blast catching them. All we wanted was a tight line and we got just that. Graves was with me this time, and Rick was with my dad. The area

that we were fishing has lots of potholes. If you don’t know what a pot hole is, it is a small area of sand surrounded by grass. We all had on a Kelly Wiggler ball tail shad in Mansfield Margarita. This lure was the key to catching fish.

We waded there for about an hour and a half, catching trout left and right, casting at the potholes. Almost everyone caught a limit. Graves said that this was the most fish he had ever caught while wading in one area and that it was phenomenal fishing. I’m so used to stuff like that because I’ve been fishing in Port Mansfield for so long that it’s become the norm to me. I forget how hard fishing really is at times. You could say that I’m “spoiled” in a way. Well that day, everybody on the boat was spoiled; we were having a great time just catching small ones. It was a great day and I’m glad that I’m going where I am going because I will be joining a great group of people there.

With the end of this story comes the end of my time here at TSFM. It was great writing for the magazine and it has taught me a lot. I have learned more about fishing these past few years than I have my entire life. I’ve learned the struggle and the hard work that goes into being a fishing guide by fishing with my dad and various other guides. I hope that you all enjoyed my stories and maybe you learned something that I learned while writing. I would like to thank Everett for giving me the position and my parents and others who have helped me craft my stories for you all. If you would like to contact me, you can find me on most social media.

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Backcountry reds like this one always make the work to locate them worthwhile.

CADE SIMPSON

K AYA K F I S H I N G C H R O N I C L E S

abandon ship!

I greatly enjoy hosting friends on fishing and hunting trips. Being that I am originally from Baton Rouge I have many friends from that area that I keep in touch with, many of whom make a trip or two to Texas each year to join in my outdoor adventures. Recently my good buddy Jonathan made the trek over to Texas for just such a weekend. Jon thought he was in for a peaceful paddle around the marsh. He didn’t quite realize (and I didn’t exactly clue him in) that there might be a little bit of work to be done to find our fish.

The tide was out, way out. The morning started with us dragging the kayaks through the marsh about 100 yards to a small ditch that would lead us to our main 60 | September 2014

travel canal. Not only was the dragging of the yaks a fair workout, given the muddy conditions and all, but we were being simultaneously attacked by hordes of bloodthirsty marsh mosquitoes.

Once in the water, it wasn’t quite so bad, at least for a while. We paddled a couple of miles towards the back of the marsh where we were hoping to find pods of redfish. Probably three quarters of the way there the water began to get really shallow again. More and more frequently, we were having to get out and drag the kayaks where the water was too shallow for them to draft. Eventually this lead to not being able to paddle at all. At this point we were about 10 yards from being in

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the back pond I wanted to fish.

I left Jon and the kayaks and made my way through the mud up to the marsh grass that blocked my view of the desired area. Once standing in the grass I was overlooking the pond.

I slowly gazed across the shallow water. To my right I noticed a group of birds standing in the water and a familiar object breaching the surface that wasn’t a bird or a rock. It was a redfish’s back. The fish was right amongst the birds, slowly crawling along. I had a rod in my hand, so naturally, I decided to go after it.

Jonathon’s first-ever marsh red and I was proud to put him on it.

Creeping up slowly and quietly I intercepted its line of travel. I placed my Egret soft plastic right in its path, a few yards ahead. When the fish got up

Brilliant in contrast, the blue edge of a redfish’s tail is part of what makes them special.

62 | September 2014

to it I twitched the rod slightly and WHAM the fish slammed it. It took off, rooster tailing through the ridiculously shallow water and I set the hook, well tried anyway. Upon my attempt to set the hook, the lure flew from its mouth.

The fish didn’t go too far before returning to its slow crawl. Again I went after it. In my pursuit this time, I spooked about a half dozen other fish and began to see many more. I turned back to get Jon.

C O N TA C T

By the time we got underway back to our launch point we had enough mud tracked into the boats to plant corn!

It was serious work trudging through the mud but there were fish everywhere and it just had to be done. I got to Jon and we grabbed a couple of extra Egret baits, a few extra hooks and a pair of pliers, leaving the kayaks beached in the middle of the mud pit.

The next hour and a half was spent creeping as best as we could through the shallow, shallow pond chasing these crawling reds. It was laughable how many there were. They would just about cruise right into us as they searched for prey. The breeze kept what water was there a bit murky so lure placement was key. We honed our casts as time went on and finally we began to get hook-ups. After landing a few we decided to call it a job well done. The walk back to the kayaks was long but we survived.

I was proud for Jon. He caught his first-ever marsh redfish and boy did he work for it. We had a good morning and another adventure and memory for the books.

Until next time, good luck on the water. And always feel free to send me your kayak fishing photos and stories.

Telephone Email

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Smoker-class king mackerel landed by the author while kayak-fishing the jetties.

E X T R E M E K AYA K F I S H I N G & S H A R K S F R O M T H E S A N D

ERIC OZOLINS

Jetty Mechanics Perhaps the greatest advice in the realm of fishing is when trying to find the fish, pursue structure. There is no larger structure in our coastal waters than the man-made marvels that are our well known jetties. Those who fish the rocks of the various Texas jetties demand a certain amount of respect. A combination of algae-covered granite and ruthless gravity have caused many vicious injuries to fishermen over the years. While these rocks are notoriously dangerous, those who take to them via their specialized “jetty goat” instincts can be rewarded for their commitment. In addition, the accessibility of a boat or kayak can prove very helpful along these long massive structures. Whether it is the century old Galveston Jetty or recently engineered Packery Channel Jetty, each set of structure contains a unique ecosystem of marine life with great fishing potential.

Throughout the years I have fished most of the jetties Texas has to offer. I have battled enormous sharks off Fish Pass and wore my arms tired reeling in oversized drum and reds off Surfside. Massive king mackerel have destroyed my baits while in the kayak off Port Aransas and explosions of tarpon and jack crevalle commonly erupted off Port Mansfield. When mass congregations of predators show up demolishing bait, there is no other place I would like to be fishing than the rocks. These structural meccas are our only inshore locations to likely encounter various exotics. Each year, sailfish are hooked 64 | September 2014

and landed just off the Port Aransas jetty. Going back in time to the 1930s, legendary angler Gus Pangarakis landed two iconic records off the Galveston north jetty, a goliath grouper and a monumental largetooth sawfish— Gus’ records still stand today.

Efficiency requires experience and knowledge at any jetty. In no other area along the gulf do the tides play such an important role in fishing as they do in these channels and passes. Outgoing tides can suck out a plentiful supply of bait that gets ambushed and ravaged by predators. During the boiling summer doldrums, these submerged mega-structures provide valuable habitat. Early morning and late evening can produce an array of trout, jacks, snook and tarpon.

Drifting ribbonfish in the kayak will likely result in some exciting kingfish activity. Launching a live mullet out and fishing just off the bottom is all too enticing for a lurking bull redfish. On calm clear-water days, spearfishing can yield a limit of healthy sheepshead and mangrove snapper. The possibilities are truly endless, just pick your aquatic poison.

It is no secret that I am a full-on shark fisherman.

During the harshest of conditions, the jetties allow for protected waters. Whether a blisteringly cold norther, or springtime’s endlessly raking southeast winds, you usually can find some sort of refuge when all other options appear impossible. In regards to shark fishing,

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I have come to terms many times with the great fishing late-spring has to offer. I will often resort to lacing up the cleats and flirting with the slippery rocks in search of monsters when all others are cancelled by weather. Both Port Aransas and Port Mansfield’s north jetties allow you to shark fish when southern winds blow in excess of 25mph.

One of my favorite methods of floating live baits out under balloons. With ripping winds, you are able to float your bait (skipjack or whiting are ideal) up the surf as far as desired. Blacktips and bull sharks are common visitors to these areas and are usually the targeted species. Over the years, even large tiger sharks and hammerheads have come off all jetties throughout Texas.

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A very respectable bull shark tagged and released from the rocks by Brad Tabor.

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Visit us at www.legacylifts.com 66 | September 2014

Shark fishing is a dangerous game when granite hopping. It is very important to keep focused at all times. You could very easily slip or misplace your footing within a crack resulting in a very unfortunate injury. Depending on the particular jetty you are on, help could be hours away. And for sake of the fish, when landing a shark, be sure to not to drag it up on the rocks too far. You will often injure or possibly even kill the shark. Find a level slab of rock as close to sea level as possible.

There you can land and release accordingly. Even then you are still susceptible to danger, as proven with an encounter of my own nearly a decade ago. Rough conditions slammed a wave into the rocks as I was working on releasing a 150-lb sandbar shark. Unpredictability led to the shark swinging its head out towards the water (with its mouth open) and seriously scraping my hand,

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have moderate populations (fat snook species) that will partake of the bounty of this prime feeding time. Our snook are most often caught using small artificials and usually speckled trout will appear in the mix. The numbers of fish associated with this habitat is quite impressive and incredible list of species that can be caught will never allow you to lose interest. I have walked the granite labyrinth of the jetties for years and each new day brings a new surprise. Having dived a couple of the jetties, it is really not until then that you appreciate and notice all the life that truly accumulates at these astonishing structures. Though dangerous in general, a keen sense of awareness and smarts will nearly always keep you safe on the jetties, allowing for a most adventurous trip.

severing tendons. Horrible driving conditions resulted in a four-hourPlugging topwaters along the rocks can produce a variety of eternity of a ride off the beach species – angler Kevin Eager straight to the hospital. shows off a jack crevalle.

While I do enjoy shark fishing off the rocks, there is nothing more exciting and flat out fun than pursuing schools of tarpon or jacks on lures. Starting in lateSeptember, jackfish begin piling up along the jetties for the annual mullet migration. At times, a mix of jacks, reds, and tarpon will all work together annihilating pods of mullet. Over the years our best selection of lures have always been either topwaters or a variety of swimbaits. Witnessing frenzying jack crevalle chasing down topwaters rivals footage only Nat Geo could provide. In contrast, throwing large swimbaits for tarpon is ultimately the surprise strike of the day. Unlike the jackfish you see crashing the topwater lures, the tarpon often will gracefully suck down the swimbaits. Your initial thought is that you are hung up on something, only to realize it is indeed a fish. Then, in most cases, you are treated with a brilliant aerial display of the silver king launching out of the water showcasing the sheer size of the beast you are tangling with.

The magical “witching” hour is usually an hour before sunset. It is not uncommon to see mackerel, tarpon, and blacktip sharks all breaching the surface while ambushing tide-trapped bait. While snook along Texas jetties are not as common as in Florida, we do

C ontact

A “granite” tarpon for angler Jay Gardner.

For the past decade Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been promoting shark catch and release and assisting various shark research programs. Eric offers guided shark fishing on Padre Island National Seashore. Also renowned for extreme kayak big game fishing, Eric runs Kayak Wars; one of the largest kayak fishing tournaments in the world.

Email Websites

oz@oceanepics.com extremecoast.com | oceanepics.com | kayakwars.com TSFMAG.com | 67

By John Blaha

T S F M a g C onse r v a tion N ews

CCA Texas Enjoying Another Strong Year After enjoying a short break through July, CCA Texas volunteers and staff have picked up the pace once again to make a final push for another great year for the coastal resources of Texas.

After a very successful spring and summer banquet fundraising season and a busy schedule for our local chapters hosting membership events, CCA Texas is poised to have another record breaking year with a strong finish. CCA Texas continues to enjoy the strong support of coastal conservationists across the state.

This includes volunteers, sponsors, banquet attendees, auction buyers, corporations and everyone in the general public.

The cornerstone to the success of CCA Texas remains the efforts of its volunteers. These volunteers make things happen from the local banquet and activities, all the way up to the decisions that the State and Executive Boards make. CCA Texas would not be successful without these dedicated efforts. Are you a CCA Volunteer? Would you like to get involved with the top conservation organization of its kind? Contact CCA Texas at (713) 626-4222 and let them know you would like to volunteer.

Ask for the Assistant Director for your area, and they will be glad to help you, or you can pick up your latest edition of Currents to find your chapter president. Be sure to check out www.ccatexas. org and click on the Chapter tab for your chapter information.

Getting involved is a great opportunity to be a part of the continuing effort to ensure that Texas’s coastal resources are here and thriving for present and future generations.

If you don’t feel that you have the time to spend with a local 68 | September 2014

CCA chapter board, you can help ensure our coastal resources in many ways. First and foremost, respect the resource. With the continuing explosion of population in our coastal communities, the increasing number of fishermen on the water, and the natural changes in our coastal eco-systems, we must stay on alert to ensure these resources have every opportunity to flourish. Always leave the bays and offshore waters cleaner than you found them. It is totally unacceptable to leave any trash in the bays or offshore, and unfortunately there are those among us as recreational and commercial fishermen that see the coastal waters as their personal dump.

This past spring on a trip to Aransas Bay, the amount of trash I found left at Long Reef point made me flat out angry.

The attached pictures show just a sampling of what has been left there. Once the weather cools and puts the snakes in a colder weather mode, we will make a trip out there and clean someone else’s mess. We all wish this was an isolated case, but unfortunately it is not. Every little bit helps, so please consider carrying a small trash bag with you and pick up as much trash as you can. It doesn’t take up a lot of room in the boat, and our casting arms could always use a break.

What about those shorelines and flats, those prime fishing areas? With an unbelievable amount of traffic on the water, be aware of who and what is around you. There really isn’t a need to run up on the shorelines. That is where the fish like to hang out and where the majority of fishermen like to fish. Run farther

out, away from the shorelines and flats, and always have a keen eye out when in the back lakes. The technology built into today’s boats allows us to get into places we only dreamed of before, so respect the resource and your fellow fishermen.

The following point is for our seasoned anglers, both guides and non-guides. Many have done an awesome job of bringing new people into the sport of saltwater fishing, but have we all done as good a job educating our fellow fishermen about responsibility to the resource, respecting our fellow fishermen? Everyone loves to take something

home to eat, but make sure to pay attention to everything else the coast has to offer as well. Looking past the bulging bags of fillets at everything else will only make you want to visit the coast that much more, and in turn, you have more fresh fish to eat.

Bottom line is that for our current generation and future generations to have a bountiful coastal resource, we all have to step up and make a difference. Whether you join your local CCA Texas chapter or just do the little things when you go out, pass your love of the resource on to your fellow fishermen, and let’s make sure it’s there for the future.

Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough Restoration At the time of this writing, work continues to progress well at Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough. Despite some downtime for the dredge, the completion date target of mid- to late September remains intact for the completion of dredging and excavation of sand from the site. When you read this article, hopefully we will only be two to three weeks from seeing the water flow once again between Mesquite Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, a day that many fishermen in the Coastal Bend have longed for. The project has presented its far share of challenges, but RLB Contractors, and Coast and Harbor Engineering have kept the ball moving forward. Be sure to visit CCA Texas’s website for weekly updates and pictures. The direct link for these updates is http://www.ccatexas.org/conservation/ habitat/cedar-bayou/.

TSFMAG.com | 69

STEPHANIE BOYD

F I S H Y Fa C T S

pUFFErFISH My sister had a puffer fish, She caught it from the pier.

An oily, slimy puffer fish, It lasted for a year.

And if you took it by surprise Or frightened it or swore, It puffed till it was twice the size That it had been before.

Alas, one day the puffer fish Completely disappeared.

Puss looked rather devilish With whiskers oily-smeared.

And none of us believed our eyes When suddenly we saw Our puss puff up to twice the size That she had been before. ~Doug MacLeod

Few fish are as endearing as the pufferfish, with its big expressive eyes and pouty little mouth, though many people might not recognize a puffer in its non-puffed state. They normally have the appearance of a large tadpole, with bulbous heads and tapered bodies. Some wear wild markings and bright colors, while others have a more drab look. The main feature shared by all pufferfish is the ability to ingest large amounts of water (or air, if necessary), dramatically increasing their body size and turning them into oddlooking ball-like creatures.

There are about 120 species of puffers worldwide. They are most prevalent in tropical and subtropical waters, relatively uncommon in temperate zones, and completely absent from cold waters. Most are marine, but some live in brackish and fresh water environments.

The different species range in size from one inch long to over three feet! In fact, the smooth puffer, one of the species found off the Texas Gulf Coast, can reach just over three feet in length, though they usually top out at about two feet.

Here in Texas waters we have two species of puffer: the smooth puffer, Lagocephalus laevigatus, and the least 70 | September 2014

puffer, Sphoeroides parvus. The smooth puffer has a grayish-greenish back and a white belly covered in tiny prickles. It differs from the least puffer in that it lacks small spines on the head and back… and that it’s two feet long!

The least puffer is averages about six inches in length.

It has a brownish-goldish back and a white belly, also covered in tiny prickles.

A daily diet includes small invertebrates and algae; larger species crack open and eat clams, mussels, and shellfish. They are particularly well-adapted for this meal. The scientific name of the pufferfish family, Tetraodontidae, refers to their four large teeth, fused into an upper and lower beak, which are ideal for crushing the shells these particular prey. Puffers get around by a combination of pectoral, dorsal, anal, and caudal fin movements. They are highly maneuverable, but very slow, and therefore a comparatively easy dinner target. Surprisingly, the characteristic puff is not their first line of defense.

Usually, the tail fin is primarily a rudder, but it can be used for a sudden evasive burst of speed, foregoing all the care and precision of the puffer’s usual movements.

Their excellent eyesight (they can even move their eyes independently), combined with this speed burst, is the first line of defense against predators. When that fails, the well-known inflation comes into play. An extremely elastic stomach allows puffers to suddenly double or triple their apparent size, and even if they are not visible when the puffer is deflated, most puffers have spines, so a hungry

Diane Lynn Ramirez caught this smooth puffer at Oso Bay in Corpus Christi. Photo

by Homer Ramirez III.

predator may suddenly find itself facing a poisonous, pointy ball rather than a slow, tasty fish. Oh yeah, did I mention poisonous?

Pufferfish are generally believed to be the second-most poisonous vertebrates in the world, after the golden poison frog. Certain internal organs, such as liver, and sometimes the skin, contain a neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin. To humans, tetrodotoxin is deadly, up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. There is enough toxin in one pufferfish to kill thirty adult humans, and there is no known antidote.

The source of tetrodotoxin in puffers has been a matter of debate, but it is increasingly accepted that they synthesize their deadly toxin from a particular bacteria in their diet. Some predators, such as sharks and lizardfish, are immune to the poison and happily slurp down any puffer they come across. Other predators eat the puffer and just pray they don’t die. That’s us.

Pufferfish is actually a delicacy in some parts of the world. Chefs train for years to safely prepare this dangerous dish. Despite the care taken in preparation, some diners still experience temporary numbness in the tongue and lips. If they’re unlucky, these symptoms are followed by headaches, nausea, vomiting, and paralysis of the face and extremities. If they’re really unlucky, they’ll experience acute paralysis, respiratory distress, convulsions, cardiac arrhythmia, speech impairment and finally, death. In a serious poisoning, death can occur within hours.

So why is this such an attractive dish? People pay oodles to dine on pufferfish! Well, it turns out that neurotoxins, though extremely deadly, get people pretty high, provided the doses are low enough.

And humans are not the only animals to have discovered this. In a documentary by John Downer called Dolphins: Spy in the Pod, dolphins were caught on camera carefully chewing on the puffer and passing it between one another, like that craze a few years ago when people started licking toads to get a buzz. Even if Down hadn’t had prior knowledge of pufferfish toxin, the dolphins’ subsequent behavior was a dead giveaway. In addition to other strange behaviors, suddenly their own reflections on the water’s surface were terribly fascinating.

Zoologist and series producer Rob Pilley said that it was the first time dolphins had been filmed behaving this way, though Piley thought the dolphins’ practiced, deliberate handling of the puffer implied that this was not their first trip.

Now, not all puffers are necessarily poisonous, and toxin level varies wildly even in fish that are. Also, Japanese fish farmers have

grown nonpoisonous puffers by farming them in environments free of the bacteria that produce the poison. But as it turns out, consumers aren’t quite as interested in the puffer without its narcotic side effects. I guess the only thing worse than a fish that can kill you, is a fish that can’t.

Where I learned about puffers, and you can too!

Texas Marine Species Smooth puffer: txmarspecies.tamug.edu/fishdetails. cfm?scinameID=Lagocephalus%20laevigatus Least puffer: txmarspecies.tamug.edu/fishdetails. cfm?scinameID=Sphoeroides%20parvus Fish of the Gulf www.rodnreel.com/gulffish/gulffish.asp?cmd=view&FishID=248 Fish Base www.fishbase.org/summary/4297 National Geographic animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/pufferfish/ A-Z Animals (a bit hyperbolic, but entertaining) a-z-animals.com/animals/puffer-fish/ University of Maryland www.life.umd.edu/grad/mlfsc/zctsim/pufferintro.html Soft Schools www.softschools.com/facts/animals/puffer_fish_facts/59/ Smithsonian Magazine www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dolphins-seem-to-use-toxicpufferfish-to-get-high-180948219/?no-ist The Independent www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/dolphins-deliberately-gethigh-on-puffer-fish-nerve-toxins-by-carefully-chewing-and-passing-themaround-9030126.html IFL Science www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/dolphins-get-high-pufferfish-toxin

TSFMAG.com | 71

Slot-sized jetty redfish by angler John Wetjen.

CURTIS CASH

I N S H O R E | N E AR S H O R E | J E T T I E S | PA S S E S

September’s Sweet Success Each September we anticipate the arrival of the Autumnal Equinox with its cooler temps and decreasing daylight. A coastal transformation begins while these changes kickoff a time of transition for many fish. Some species move shallower, some deeper, some stage near passages to the gulf while others set a southerly course chasing warmer water temps.

With fall arriving you can expect finger- to hand-sized mullet starting to leave bays as early as the first days of the month. Many ride the daily tides while occasionally being swept into the surf where game fish are eagerly waiting. The mass exodus of this migration normally follows later in the month. My friend Mark Mohr refers to these mullet as “candy bars” because everyone likes them.

I can’t think of a more delectably inviting description of these game fish favorites.

Dusky anchovies are hitting their peak numbers in our nearshore waters and the size of the bait shoals increase dramatically this month. As much as bay and inshore game fish enjoy candy bars, most other nearshore fish adore these tiny “Red Hots” even more.

I’ve seen very large sharks, kingfish, Spanish mackerel, 72 | September 2014

bonito, bull reds, cobia, jack crevalle and tarpon gorging simultaneously in the same shoal of anchovies. I would have previously thought the apex predators were there targeting smaller game fish attending the feast. Not quite correct though; when the cloud of little red fish were all vacuumed up, they all left together, peacefully heading to the next bunch nearby.

When the current pulls these bait clouds near oil and gas platforms they get absolutely clobbered. Red and mangrove snapper come up top to join the blitz of bluefish and Spanish mackerel although the snapper rarely oblige an artificial offering when this is going on.

Terns and bonito birds hopping across the surface are a dead giveaway for the anchovies’ location. Smaller fish like Spanish mackerel and bonito can be caught readily on 1/8 ounce speck rigs, with pink and bright orange colors getting most bites. Might be a good idea to offer a “candy bar” to the bigger fish, considering the general liking they display for mullet.

Slot-sized redfish start coming off the flats and sandy shorelines to gather and move toward the gulf. Look for increased numbers of redfish to situate themselves near

deeper transition zones than normally found. It is not uncommon for large schools to congregate around grass beds and shell reefs in water with five foot depths or more. Many times there will be patches of muddied water on the open shorelines in the bays where they are feeding. Often they join schools of black drum making double the fun once found. In the deeper water, dark-colored soft plastics or dead shrimp threaded onto a 1/4 ounce jighead or a 1/2 ounce silver spoon slow-rolled through the school gets bit. Look for the schools to become concentrated nearer the gulf later in the month.

Angler Joe Hamm picked up this respectable Spanish mackerel on a 1-oz silver spoon. This fish came from a surface-roving school traveling in search of a bait cloud.

Nearshore Submerged Structure September is an excellent month to fish shallow wrecks, reefs and submerged wellhead obstructions.

These types of structure really come to life with the fish in transition.

With the majority of state water depths running 70 feet or less, most bottom structure will host a variety of species. Red snapper, mangrove snapper, kingfish, Spanish mackerel, shark, cobia and bonito are all available. Worthy of note; larger red snapper start migrating into state waters and mangrove snappers will congregate in the 40 foot depth range, peaking around the full moon.

There are many commonly known structures found in Texas state waters. Most Texas offshore fishing maps as well as some books published on Texas waters can provide plenty of numbers to input into your GPS. One of the best methods of finding fish in these areas is by drifting. This method is similar to targeting trout on a deep bay reef by casting jigs downwind and also by dredging natural baits behind the boat.

For casting I like throwing a 2 or 3 ounce white bucktail jig or similar-sized leadhead rigged with a soft plastic on a 36 inch leader of 60-lb mono. These TSFMAG.com | 73

Drift marker and terminal rigging for fishing with live and dead baits.

Many different baits can be used, ribbonfish are deadly as well as live baits such as croaker, pinfish or mullet. Whole bay squid 3- to 6 inches long work very well on the Carolina rig due to the toughness of the bait keeping smaller fish and the occasional bottom bounce from knocking it off.

The use of a drift marker and fresh chum of frozen sardines can really increase your odds of boxing fish. I make drift markers using empty 16 ounce soda bottles, 70 feet of 30-lb mono and a 16 ounce bank sinker. Make several markers to use in the area, sometimes you can bounce from marker to marker to keep the bite going. Always pick up your markers before exiting the area. To keep from tangling slack

jigs work equally well cast and retrieved with an exaggerated hop along the bottom or jigged vertically directly below the boat. Tipping the jigs with peeled shrimp, a squid head or a fresh baitfish strip always helps.

When drifting baited rigs, I normally deploy two or more upwind in the boat’s drift—some with and some without weights. Rods are secured in rod holders and reels are set on a light drag with clickers engaged. The light drag helps to keep hooks from pulling during a quick bite from a fast-running fish. One rod has a These smacks and bonito were frothing the Carolina rig with 36 inches of 60-lb mono leader, water full of rain minnows on the beachfront. a 5/O-9/O Mustad 39941 circle hook (depending Anglers have the most success approaching on bait size) and an egg weight of size chosen from upwind and drifting into the frenzy. for the wind and current. Weights need to be marker lines in the propeller, casting and snagging the line with a jig heavy enough to allow for occasional bottom contact, but not so simplifies the retrieval process. heavy that the bait constantly drags bottom. The non-weighted rigs Nearshore shallow wrecks and wellhead debris many times are will have wire leader with a live or dead finfish attached. If the nonstrewn about being broken and scattered due to wave or storm action. weighted rig contacts the bottom, either reel it up a bit shorter or These smaller almost undetectable pieces sometimes hold the larger attach an inflated balloon the size of a grapefruit. Attach the balloon to the main line with two stacked square knots at a distance from the fish and the best way to find them is while drifting. When a good bite is felt or a fish is hooked a marker is tossed over along with a couple bait of approximately one half water depth. handfuls of 1-inch chum chunks.

The marker allows for returning to the chummed spot. Casting a jig Meredith Cash with a double handful of little tunny- aka bonito. This brute back toward the marker often results was boated after a 10-minute battle in multiple hookups. Continuing on trout-sized tackle. to drift in the main vicinity of the main structure can result in multiple species caught. Being that the water depth is relatively shallow, anchoring within casting distance, up-current and/or up-wind of a marker is recommended. Light chumming can only increase your odds of success.

Get out there this month and look for candy bars, Red Hots and schooling fish. High fives and big smiles are sure to be shared among your crew.

74 | September 2014

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DICKIE ColBuRn

DICKIE ColBuRn’s Sabine Scene

Sabine

Dickie Colburn is a full time guide out of Orange, Texas. Dickie has 37 years experience guiding on Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes.

Telephone 409-883-0723 Website www.sabineconnection.com

78 | September 2014

Catching has not been as consistent as we expect this time of year, but with more user-friendly wind we are taking advantage of several different patterns. Gulls are ratting out schools of reds and solid trout in the open lake and pre-dawn wades are yielding some very nice trout.

The only fly in the ointment has been fresh inflow negatively impacting the north end of the lake. Even at that, it probably hurts angler confidence more than the actual bite!

Prior to putting too much stock in my reports it is important that you understand; my assessment of Sabine fishing is sometimes flawed by my election to basically ignore any bite south of the Causeway. There is almost always something good going on in the ship channel all the way to the end of the jetties, even when I am struggling in the lake and the river.

On the rare occasions when I do fish down there, I am amazed by all of the options, but logistically it is a nightmare from a guiding standpoint. Launching and tying up the boat alone to wait on clients is all but impossible at any of the launches and cleaning your catch on the tail gate in the parking lot does not appeal to me at all.

There are, however, a number of very good guides more than willing to put up with those inconveniences.

Many will even launch on the Louisiana side so that you can keep more liberal Louisiana limits. I will be happy to pass along their names and numbers if you will email or give me a call.

While floating seaweed has been a bit of a problem with topwaters, I can tell you the ship channel and the east side of the jetties has been on fire for trout and redfish. The much anticipated flounder bite is also

Elaine Cunningham took advantage of the calm conditions. CPR

swinging into gear from the LNG terminal to Light House Cove. It took two flounder that totaled almost eleven pounds to win the Cops Helping Kids Tournament last month!

As far as I am concerned, the best news is that an easier bite in the lake has shown signs of exploding lately. Huge schools of redfish are blasting ribbonfish daily on the surface and you don’t need screeching gulls to locate them. You can both see and hear them from quite a distance.

In a best case scenario, big sand trout and 3- to 4 pound specks are also in the mix. Long after the redfish have gorged and moved on, the trout will continue feeding on everything from small shad to shrimp.

It is always a mistake to run off the moment the gulls leave or the

Zack’s first-ever speck was a good one!

surface activity ceases.

While She Dogs and Spooks are easily the most exciting lures to toss into the melee, I am more confident with five inch tails like the Assassin Sea Shad and Tidal Surge Spit Tail, or a slow-cranked four inch H&H Usual Suspect. As we move into the fall, 5-inch tails still tend to work better than four-inch for me, but the three inch swimbait usually out performs the larger version.

Once the trout start driving shrimp to the surface on the north end, we throw the heck out of a cork with a Vudu shrimp or four inch paddletail Sea Shad or Flats Minnow. Leaders should be two feet of 30 pound mono. Attaching the lure with a loop knot will generate more strikes.

I fish the cork on spinning gear simply because I can throw it farther with less effort, even in a stiff wind. Twenty pound braid makes for quicker hooksets and handles nicely on a 2500 or 3000 series reel. I have found no better rod for this type of fishing than a Laguna Liquid Series 7-ft medium action.

This is the time of year we start most of our trips well before daylight as long as tides are in our favor. It is not unusual to catch our largest trout before most folks arrive at the dock. Depending on client preference, we will either drift or wade the skinny water bordering the ICW. A black/chartreuse She Dog is invariably my first choice, but regardless of color it will be a topwater.

Switching to a swimbait or tail will quickly determine whether the fish are backing off into the ICW or following the bait across the shallow flats in the lake. More often than not, this time of the year, they are moving into the lake and that is very much in your favor.

Schools in…But the kids can still fish with you on weekends.

TSFMAG.com | 79

CaPt. stEVE hIllman

thE BuZZ on Galveston Bay

Stiff winds finally subsided in early August and and above average number of 5- to 7s. On the other everyone was able to spread out and catch fish. end of the spectrum, many 9- to 14 inch trout are Occasional showers have kept the water temperatures being caught. I’m still not convinced that we have a little cooler than normal and I think that has really more trout bay-wide than we had last year, but it helped the bite. We even had a little cool front that seems pretty good. Furthermore, the overall health of dropped early morning air temperatures into the lowthe bay appears to be in great shape.

70s. The worm bite is good as it always is this time of We seem to be in a similar wind pattern for the year and the topwater action is outstanding at times, past several summers; a westerly breeze early then Galveston even out in deeper water. It’s nice to finally be able slick as glass by late morning. In the afternoons the to follow a more predictable trout pattern.

A slow day right now consists of catching Jeff Sadler and son Easton having a great fourteen or fifteen keeper trout and a few day before Easton Steve Hillman is a full-time reds which is still plenty in my book. In my heads off to the Navy. fishing guide on his home opinion a fishing trip should be about the waters of Galveston Bay. Steve whole experience, not just numbers. After all, fishes the entire Galveston Bay we’re not grocery shopping. If everyone has Complex, wading and drifting a good time and hopefully learns a thing or for trout, redfish, and flounder two then that’s a successful day on the water. using artificial lures.

The abundance of forage throughout Telephone the entire complex continues to impress, 409-256-7937 especially shad. As a result, the trout are Email captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com extremely healthy with most females chockfull of roe. The overall size of the trout is just Website www.hillmanguideservice.com as impressive with scores of 2- to 3 pounders

80 | September 2014

wind switches to due south or, on rare occasions, southeast. The most reliable strategy for us has been drifting deep reefs and spoils along the ship channel and working a few reefs west of the channel until the conditions allow the water to clear in other areas. Once that happens you can pretty much go wherever you want. Trout are being caught from the upper reaches of the bay down to Lower Galveston Bay and over into West Bay. East Bay and Trinity have been consistent as well.

The jetty fishermen are doing very well free-lining live shrimp. Our best baits have been Salt Water Assassins, MirrOlure Lil Johns, Heddon One Knocker Spooks and Rapala Skitterwalks.

Working slicks in 7- to 10 feet of water will continue to be

Angie Maroul with an “almost 29” trout she released.

productive for early September. Quite a few schools of trout are holding on the transition from shell to mud. Sometimes they’ll pull out 100 yards or more from the shell. Just follow the slicks. If it’s too calm to see slicks, just put the boat back on the trailer. Seriously though, when it’s too slick, trolling to active bait where you’ve been having success usually works. Many times you can smell the trout even though you can’t see them. Having good trolling motor batteries on those kinds of days is essential. I recently switched to a lithiumion battery and on-board DC charger that charges my trolling battery while the outboard is running. It has been a dream come true under the circumstances mentioned and also for on-the-run open-water redfish schools. A huge thanks goes out to Breakwater Marine for hooking me up with my Stealth One charger and battery. I now have one 36 volt battery that weighs 28.8 pounds and never runs low. It replaced three batteries that had combined weight of 150 pounds.

The second half of September will be influenced by early cold fronts. If fronts are somewhat frequent and cause water temperatures to fluctuate, we could experience a bit of a transition. We saw this last year. Transitional fishing requires more moving around, but it actually presses you to mix things up a little. You may catch a few good trout on a shoreline reef on topwaters then drift slicks in 8 feet of water throwing tails. There are usually a few groups of gulls working as well.

It’s been a fun summer. Now it’s time to get ready for dove and teal season, football and a little taste of fall fishing. My hat’s off to all the parents that took time to get their kids on the water this summer. I saw lots of memories being made and tons of big smiles.

Keep it fun!

TSFMAG.com | 81

BInK GRImEs

thE VIEW fRom Matagorda

Matagorda

Bink Grimes is a full-time fishing and hunting guide, freelance writer and photographer, and owner of Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay.

Telephone 979-241-1705 Email binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net Website www.matagordasunriselodge.com

82 | September 2014

Summer is set to officially end on the Autumn Equinox this month, sometime around the South Zone dove opener. Though the calendar may claim it is fall, chances are the heat will still be hanging around through the end of the month.

How does the weather affect Matagorda fishing? That’s a tricky question to answer, since there are so many variables.

Like every fall, tides remain above normal until the first hard cold front blows water out of the bays. As long as tides remain bloated, expect redfish to fill the back lakes and grassy shorelines. Water levels also encourage large, solitary trout to extend their boundaries to the upper reaches of estuaries. Back lakes like Oyster Lake, Crab Lake, Lake Austin, Boggy Lake and Horse Trailer Lake are prime redfish holes. The north shoreline of West Matagorda Bay, including Shell Island and Twin Island, are always September players.

Watch for tails popping up in the grass – fall

redfish give away their position easily. A gold spoon, Gulp or live shrimp under a popping cork are solid offerings. Watch for large schools cruising the grass line and make an educated cast in front with jigs or spoons.

Matagorda trout hang on to a summer pattern when water temperatures remain in the 80s. Trout stage over sand and grass in West Bay and hold over deep shell in East Bay; and, don’t be surprised to find bird action on calm days with light boat traffic.

The best bet for drifters seeking trout is live shrimp under a popping cork around Raymond Shoals in East Bay. Scattered shell and mud on the west end of the bay around the Tripod is also a good spot to catch specks out of the boat.

The first north breezes of September slice overnight mercury readings by 5- to 10 degrees. Those cooler nighttime temps do wonders for coastal fishing, knocking water temperatures down at least a couple of degrees. It may not seem significant to us, but there is a big difference in 78⁰ and 80⁰ when it comes to coastal fishing. Only a few degrees cooler puts new life in a stagnant fishery.

Higher tides encourage waders in East Bay to return to the shorelines for larger trout. Muddy bottoms on Brown Cedar Flats and Catch-All Basin are prime locales to toss a topwater for gator trout. These are also solid spots for reds.

Teal season runs Sept.13-28 and we will hunt every morning and fish the afternoons. Most of our mornings we are done with plenty of time to get a bite to eat before hitting the bay before noon.

At the time of this writing, we still had weekday teal dates available.

The South Zone dove season opens Sept.19 and this gives us another blast option through the end of October before regular duck and goose season begins November 1.

TSFMAG.com | 83

CaPt. shEllIE GRaY

mID-Coast BaYs With the Grays

Port O'Connor Seadrift

Captain Shellie Gray was born in Port Lavaca and has been guiding in the Seadrift/Port O’Connor area full time for the past 12 years. Shellie specializes in wading for trout and redfish year round with artificial lures.

Telephone 361-785-6708 Email bayrats@tisd.net Website www.bayrat.com

84 | September 2014

Fishing here on the Mid-Coast has been unusual to say the least. Extremely low tide levels and unseasonable southwest wind have left us with off-colored water.

And if that wasn’t crazy enough, good Ol’ Mother Nature blessed us with a couple of fronts that actually helped change things up for a while. Although our water levels didn’t rise much the clarity certainly improved. Lower wind, some days, allowed anglers to take advantage of some much needed surf action. So what can we expect for September? That all depends on what the weather brings us. (You had to know that was coming.)

The first half of September will remain seasonably warm, the earliest fronts probably won’t arrive until maybe the third week. Whenever the wind allows, anglers need to be headed to the surf. I know I sound like a broken record every summer but the surf can deliver some of the best action during the hotter months.

The fish there tend to be quite aggressive and typically of better quality than those of the bays, redfish included.

Now with all that being said, the surf

can still be a tricky area to fish. The wind needs to be no greater than 5- to 10 in order for shallow water boats to access and anchor safely. And while the surf in general can be a hot spot, you can’t just stop anywhere and expect success. The signs, as always, will be active bait and bird activity. I mention bird activity and everybody instantly thinks of birds wheeling and crashing but remember that inactivity is still a good clue. Numbers of pelicans and gulls resting at the water’s edge can be

Don Bulloch with a healthy summertime trout released to fight another day.

an indicator that lots of fish are in the immediate area.

If you have some bigger baits you’ve been dying to try, the surf may be just the place. Soft plastic in the 5- to 7 inch range often get slammed by the larger, more aggressive trout we find there. On larger topwaters, be prepared to lose a few to Spanish mackerel and smaller sharks; heavy fluorocarbon leader helps... sometimes.

When fishing from the boat, I typically anchor just inside the third sand bar to be able to reach the second gut. If it is reds you’re after, consider anchoring in the second gut so you can cover all of the water right up to the beach. If you decide to wade the surf, I use a long stringer, and never with a tight knot. If a shark hits your stringer you want him to be able to take it!

Bill Wiemann took advantage of some big fish in shallow water.

When the surf gets a little too choppy I will be in the bays wading shorelines and guts for the most part. Lately, Cotton and Green’s Bayou has been producing some decent catches while wading the sand bars and deeper guts. Channel spoils in Matagorda Bay are another good place to try. Remember that when fishing near Gulf passes the tidal currents influence feeding to a far greater degree than further up in the bay.

Closer to Seadrift, San Antonio Bay reefs are producing decent trout and redfish action. I have noticed recently that the busy boat traffic seems to be pushing the better quality fish right up against the shorelines, even in the hottest part of the day. Now I’m not talking about quantity, but definitely for quality.

Just the other day, while sight-casting to reds in less than a foot of water, I had what looked like a 29+ trout swim right past me. And as luck would have it, while ripping my weedless Die Dapper back to try for a shot at that speckled beauty, a 26-inch red slammed my lure and the sweet possibility of playing with that great fish was lost. The red took a while to land and I never saw her again.

If you do decide to wade close to the marsh sloughs you need to keep an eye peeled for alligators. I have had some up-close and personals on a couple of occasions recently that left me trembling in my ForEverlast RayGuard boots. Alligators are masters of disguise when lying close to grass lines. It’s easy to get caught up sight-casting on a shoreline and walk right up on one of these beasts (like I did). And while these prehistoric-looking creatures usually just want privacy, they tend to get quite curious when they see or hear splashing fish at the end of a stringer.

TSFMAG.com | 85

DaVID RoWsEY

hooKED uP WIth Rowsey Well that was a quick summer! The bay waters will soon be cooling off from all the hot lower units buzzing around the bay. I can certainly understand everyone’s desire to be out there but, man does it ever get crowded during summer. School, football and Upper hunting season will reduce fishing activity so if you are Laguna/ looking for some less-crowded conditions, September Baffin will be the month for you.

Speaking of hunting; dove season is just around the corner and this is like waiting for Christmas when I was a young kid. Seven buddies and I were able to get some early shooting David Rowsey has 20 years experience in the Laguna/Baffin in this year. Nothing illegal—we made region; trophy trout with artificial the “bucket list” trip to Argentina. It was lures is his specialty. David has a nothing short of amazing and I highly great passion for conservation recommend it for any wingshooter. I have and encourages catch and already started saving up for the next one. release of trophy fish.

Overall I would say fishing has been above average this summer. July and Telephone 361-960-0340 August found us catching some big Website egg-laden females of eight-pound size on www.DavidRowsey.com an almost daily basis. All were released Email healthy and still out there for the next guy david.rowsey@yahoo.com to catch. Most of the big catches have

86 | September 2014

come from very skinny water. In fact, in a few cases, their backs have been out of the water. Seeing a big trout before she notices you will make you shake like the worst buck fever you ever had. I think I would hang up my rods if I ever lost that feeling.

Tides have been SUPER low. Many of the flats have little to no water and the fish have retreated to transition zones with more depth. In many cases they’ve gone much deeper. This is especially true of black drum and redfish. I have been running across

some very large schools of drum that include a few reds. The redfish schools are still around but harder to find, the burn boaters keep them nervous and running for their lives up in the skinny stuff. As long as this practice continues, the harder our redfishing will become. My guess is they’ll change their habits from shallow water to 5- to 6 foot depths where we’ll have to drift for them.

With tides low and likely to remain this way I am starting skinny and staying there until the sun gets well overhead. The mullet will let you know when it is time to move from skinny to shallow. They start retreating from the flats and the game fish go right along with them.

At this point the trout has usually slowed down. If trout is your game,

I would advise a slower presentation, just off bottom. Reason being— you can catch a trout that has already fed if you go low and slow with a Bass Assassin right in their face. Gorged or not, they are not going to pass up an easy meal.

Main areas of focus for catching in these conditions will be the north shoreline of Baffin from Cat Head to East Kleberg Point. The south shoreline is equally productive from Penascal Point to Black Bluff. We have also been hitting Rocky Slough during these low tides and having some great trips, especially at midday. It’s rare down here, but we have spotted a few tarpon to add to the fun, so don’t be surprised if you see the silver king roll in front of you.

Closing out the summer and with CCA STAR coming to an end, I have a tale to relate. I was fishing brothers Trent and Kirk Childress and Mark Richner. It was a half-day trout trip as they had to be headed for Georgetown by noon. We’d landed plenty of trout and with an hour left to fish I asked if they’d like to try for some reds. Everybody agreed and headed for the school I’d found the day before.

We fanned out and I started catching right off the bat. I called them over and backed out of the way so they could enjoy. Everyone hooked up pretty quick and stayed that way until it was time to go. As they approached the boat I noticed one of their reds had an orange tag in its back. I pointed it out and the crowd went nuts.

They had signed up for the STAR the night before and Mark Richner was the lucky man who got to claim the prize of a new Ford truck, Haynie boat, and trailer. That was a first for my boat, and I do not think any of us will ever forget it.

Remember the buffalo! -Capt. David Rowsey

TSFMAG.com | 87

CaPt. tRICIa

tRICIa’s Mansfield Report Despite the heat and near-relentless wind, the fishing patterns have not changed significantly over the past month. The Lower Laguna water conditions have remained surprising clear, given that the tide levels are amazingly low. The persistence of stifling, broiler-like wind has been hitting us right around noon most days.

Port Mornings, of course, have been giving us the best Mansfield feeding activity.

You need to hit it early and you want to be right on the edges of color as the wind stirs the water.

The shallow flats are staying relatively clear Capt. Tricia’s Skinny Water early but after the coolness of morning passes Adventures operates out of most of the better fish have retreated to waistPort Mansfield, specializing in deep potholes and grass beds. Topwaters wadefishing with artificial lures. early, for as long as conditions allow, have been the best baits, and then tails for the remainder of the day has been the plan.

Telephone 956-642-7298 Although the system is full of juvenile trout, Email we are still occasionally catching some nice shell@granderiver.net ones. We are seeing larger trout on the flats so Website www.SkinnyWaterAdventures.com we know they are there, and if you stick with it, catching a trophy is a reality.

For whatever reason, miles and miles of super-clear knee-deep water are not showing

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the iconic schools of redfish from years past. There are some, and most days we find a good sprinkling of scattered singles and small wolf packs. We are seeing quite a few in the backwaters and some tailing action.

Unfortunately, this usually occurs very late in the day, the last hour or so of daylight, when most fisherman are at home eating supper. I blame increased boat traffic on the flats. Come to think of it, I have trouble remembering the last time I saw a large group of reds

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tailing during “normal” fishing hours.

We understand there are up and down cycles in fishing. We see the parking lots filled with trucks and empty boat trailers and we see the bait docks bustling every morning. The trawl boats are hard at it every morning desperately trying to keep those yellow bait flags snapping in the breeze. So, what do we do? We adapt.

Traditional summer areas, such as the Saucer, Rattlesnake, Gladys’ Hole, and Greens are packed daily, and for the most part not producing as in yesteryear. Leave in the dark, rethink areas and try new things. Until the relief of fall, we just need to manage our expectations and keep on fishing. Staying diligent in areas with a few flipping baitfish and a bird or two have paid off. When I have been lucky enough to have those signs and little boat traffic, walking into a group of scattered fish smacking topwaters has been a consistent reward for me. The keyword is diligence. Floating grass is still an issue. I know it is becoming redundant but single hooks can turn a so-so day into a good one.

Except perhaps when the first cool fronts push through, September is going to be hot. Hopefully though, higher tides and decreased boat traffic may usher in better fishing. Going skinny is part of the Mansfield experience, and I always start there following a good nighttime cool down, especially later in the month. If the bait is there, be confident, the fish will be there too. Last September and October the shallow sand with scattered grass patches were holding trout of our dreams. Redfish too.

Going off topic a bit, I’d like to brag a little. We just finished the 40th Annual Port Mansfield Fishing Tournament. A new division called Team Trout was created and quite a few artificial anglers were delighted with the rules and conservative format. It consists of a two-angler team weighing two trout both days, length less than 25 inches. There were enough entries to make it exciting and challenging, and Mike Jones, my partner and I won it. I also won 1st Place Redfish and 2nd Place Heavy Stringer in the Ladies Open Division. With this said, I would like to encourage all my artificialenthusiast friends to think about signing up next year. Another awesome contribution to the Tournament was the beautiful mosaic that the recently formed Port Mansfield Art League created for the pavilion. All the ladies are amazing artists and I would like to honor them, and the gracious sponsors. Thank you Linda Sterling, my sis Pam Whitley, Karen Skidmore, Kim Johnson and Laurie Glaze.

In closing, let’s all hope September brings great fishing opportunity.

Get out there and adapt!

TSFMAG.com | 89

CaPt. ERnEst CIsnERos

south PaDRE Fishing Scene

A rr oyo C olorado t o Port I sabel

A Brownsville-area native, Capt. Ernest Cisneros fishes the Lower Laguna Madre from Port Mansfield to Port Isabel.

Ernest specializes in wading and poled skiff adventures for snook, trout, and redfish.

Cell 956-266-6454 Website www.tightlinescharters.com

90 | September 2014

Everybody has their favorite month for fishing and been very good. Redfish numbers have been off the mine is February. On the flip-side, when asked which is chart and the size of the trout we are catching and my least favorite, based on past experiences I will often releasing has also been very good. say it would be September. This is not to say that I have The wind continues to blow down here more often not had great fishing in September; I say it because than not but on calm days the wakes of redfish on September has potential to bring a lot of unstable the flats have been much easier to find. Though the weather. Tropical storms and hurricanes anywhere in schools are smaller than in the past we are seeing the western Gulf can push Laguna Madre tides way them in more places lately throughout the Laguna. above normal and storms that impact this part of The surprise is how shallow they’ve been holding, the coast more directly can create a lot of runoff and even during lowest of tides. With school and dove significant changes in salinity. When this occurs we are usually confined to fishing closer to the passes where the exchange of tides lends to more stability—Mansfield’s East Cut and Brazos Santiago Pass at Port Isabel.

Even though September can sometimes throw us some tough curves weather and conditions-wise, I am very hopeful it will be different this year. Fishing on the Lower Laguna Madre has really taken off in the right direction after suffering a tough period the last couple of Mauri notched months. As a matter of fact, aside from a few slow a personal best recently with this days, and I blame these on poor tidal movement 30-incher. and strong wind, the past several weeks have

season reducing the boat traffic on the flats and the tides returning I am hoping this will get even better. Currently, the East Side sand flats are holding good numbers of reds from sunrise till mid-morning. Late afternoon we find them belly-deep over sandy-shell in sandy-looking water. Large potholes off the edges of the ICW have been holding schools of redfish and plenty of singles. As water temperatures begin to cool I expect these deeper-holding fish will move onto shallower flats areas. The late evening redfish bite under birds has been very good—best I’ve seen in a very long time.

What has us really excited is the size of trout that have finally showed up on our flats. Reports, photos and recent catches from my

Rusty’s 31-1/2 inch snook was fooled by Super Spook Jr.

clients have revealed great promise for the future of our trout fishery.

It was awesome in the months of July and August as we caught some beautiful fish on small to mid-size topwaters. The Super Spook Jr and the Heddon One Knocker Spooks in redhead, bone, and anything with chartreuse and pink have been very good lures for us. With the amount of floating grass we have been facing the switch to single hooks makes a big improvement. Spoil edges and guts off the ICW have been producing good numbers of big trout as well as adjacent grass flats with numerous sand pockets. The bigger trout have been way more predictable lately than they were in the spring. The only drawback is that they have lost a lot weight from spawning. With fall coming and winter sneaking up before we know it, I am excited to say the least.

Snook fishing has been a great disappointment this summer.

Numbers in general and especially the size of the fish have been very substandard compared to the past three years. My dedicated snook charters have always been 100% catch and release in hope that this fishery would continue to thrive; so for all that we’ve given back it is agonizing to see them in such decline.

On the brighter side, along with the improvements in redfish opportunity and the excitement of so many big trout, our flounder fishing has improved to the point that we can target them specifically on spoil banks and deeper guts along the many of the major channels.

And while all this is going on, if you’re interested in hard pulls and long fights with the silver kings, September is a great month to look for tarpon rolling and feeding near the tips of the jetties at Brazos Santiago and the East Cut. Fishing opportunity in the coming month has me very excited. Come join the hunt…on the water that is!

TSFMAG.com | 91

FISHING REPORTS

Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 Recently, we are absolutely wearing the trout out. Over the last few weeks, trout fishing has been as good as it gets, but enough about August, let’s talk September. It’s a transitional month for the fish, but it is usually very productive. Redfish will be devouring shrimp in the middle of the lake as well as all shallow marsh ponds around the estuary. The surf is a great place to try for both redfish and trout. However, trout action will be most consistent on deeper reefs in the lake, as well as reefs along the edge of the ship channel. At the beginning of September, temperatures are usually sweltering, so look for trout to be adjacent to deep water. This is why reefs on the edge of the channel are so productive. As the month moves along, and we get a front or two, the trout will start to move north into the lake. Once the transition from summer patterns to more fall patterns start, birds will start picking over schools of trout again. Then, oyster reefs mid-lake in six to seven feet of water will become very productive as well.

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James plaag Silver King adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James was in Venice, Louisiana fishing for tarpon when he gave this report. “The tarpon fishing has been good over here and in the Galveston area too. People have also caught a couple of sailfish close to the beach over there too. We’ll continue heading out into the nearshore

92 | September 2014

ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

waters in search of the silver kings during September, if the weather allows it. We tend to catch a lot of bull reds smoker kings mixed in with them as the month wears on. I was doing quite a bit of trout fishing before tarpon season kicked off really strong. We’ll still be doing quite a bit of trout fishing if the winds blow us off the big water. In the bays, the fishing has been best along the ship channel. We were catching limits or near-limits most days recently. The best bite is on the turn of the tide, especially if that happens early in the morning. When the steady bite slows, it is sometimes possible to pull out a noisy topwater like a She Dog and kind of aggravate the fish into biting and catch some more.

That works really well in waters slightly too deep for wading.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 Jim was on his tractor doing some work in preparation for dove season when we spoke. “Dove hunting looks promising. We’ve got some birds in the area already. They aren’t really bunched up, but they will be by the time the season starts. Also looking forward to teal season. It’s always fun to see the first ducks of the season move in. As for fishing, our patterns have been steady, and should stay the same throughout the next month. We’re catching our fish in five to seven foot of water, around reefs and other mid-bay structures, keying on slicks and balls of shad. We have had a few birds working too. I hit a really good school of trout by keying on the one flock. We left ‘em biting after we got our limit. Most of the fish were small keepers, but we managed a few bigger

ones too. That’s been the norm lately, we’ll catch a lot of small trout and sand trout, then pop a few bigger trout in there with ‘em. Have seen some up to twenty eight inches. The reds are steady too. Finding them means finding the big mud boils in the middle.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Randall says the summer fishing in his area has been pretty typical, and that he expects a slight change during September. “We’re slammin’ ‘em every time we get in the surf. Great topwater bite out there, and some of the fish are really nice for surf fish. Otherwise, our fish are pretty stubborn in staying around the shell right now. We’re catching plenty of trout and redfish by targeting the reefs when the tide is high and moving. Once the level drops and the movement stops, we’ll back off a little and be persistent around the fringes of the reefs, where the shell becomes scattered, and there’s more mud. Once the weather starts cooling down some, two things will likely happen. For one, our opportunities in the surf will decline. We’ll still get some shots out there, but it becomes less consistent. Also, we’ll start to see movement in the schools of bait fish and other critters toward the Gulf. Our fish typically pull off the reefs to follow the migrating schools. So, we’ll start scanning the horizon for the squawking flocks of gulls.”

Matagorda | Charlie paradoski Bay Guide Service - 713.725.2401 September is a great redfish month in Matagorda, Charlie says. “We catch lots and lots of reds this time of year, roaming in herds. We catch ‘em really good wading and out of the boat. This month is also the tail end of the time-frame for getting in the surf. We catch some pretty good sized trout on topwaters in the surf when winds allow us to work

out there. Light winds also allow for wading the mid-bay reefs in East Bay. They produce some pretty good catches of both trout and reds, especially early in the mornings on topwaters.

You can usually keep catching for a while by switching over to sinking twitch baits and soft plastics as the day heats up, if it’s not too windy. Of course, the scattered shell and muddy areas around those same reefs will produce trout and redfish, primarily on soft plastics.

Toward the end of the month, we might start getting some decent fronts, and that will change everything. Then we’ll start seeing bait migrations and birds working over the schools of shrimp. Things can blow wide open then.” palacios | Capt. aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 As I am typing this report, we’ve had a stretch of extreme low tides and west/southwest winds for the last two weeks, making for some tough fishing. These conditions have moved us out of our local bays out into the Tres Palacios River and the wells out in West Matagorda Bay. Our best catches have come trolling the drop-offs in the river using live shrimp and popping corks rigged about two feet deep. We’ve had scattered catches of lower slot reds, drum and a few flounder in the mix. Out at the wells, free-lined live shrimp rigged with a split shot have accounted for most of our fish. The key is moving until you find the right rig--some will hold gafftop and sharks, but when you find the one holding trout, stick with it until they eat. When we get some water back in the bays, fishing should go off the charts. All the rains we got in the area have been great for our local bait hatch; lots of bait equals lots of fish. Redfish should be cruising shorelines busting bait and trout should be out in East and

TSFMAG.com | 93

South Bays chasing shrimp under gulls.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 Lynn expects the fishing in September to be much the same as it has been at the time of this report. “We’ve been working shorelines with lots of sand and grass and keying on rafted mullet. Chrome and blue Super Spook Juniors have been working well to take some pretty good trout out from under the mullet. The bite has been fairly easy for this time of year, if you can find the thick concentrations of bait. In September, that drill will normally work well too. We’ll also head out into the surf every time the winds allow us to. Fishing has been steady out along the beachfront over recent days. Out there, we’re throwing Spook Juniors and She Dogs mostly, and keying on areas with lots of bait, just like we are when we’re fishing in the bay. Sargasso weed has been an issue in the surf, for sure. Sometimes, we are forced to keep looking until we can find an area which isn’t too badly inundated with the weed, and then we are able to catch fish. The blow ups on the morning incoming tides are pretty much guaranteed.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Blake expects to target redfish as they make their move toward the passes on their way to the surf. “Generally, fishing for herds of reds on shallow flats adjacent to deep water close to the passes works very well this month. We sometimes follow them all the way out to the jetties.

Trout fishing in the surf can be really good at times this month too.

Mostly, we do the same things when fishing for trout in September that we are doing right now. We tend to key on shorelines with lots of sand and grass and throw topwaters and soft plastics like Norton Sand Eels in pumpkinseed and plum/chartreuse. Some years, the bull tide rolls in shortly after Labor Day. I have found the fishing for both trout and reds to be good around mid-bay reefs in Aransas, Copano and San Antonio

94 | September 2014

Bays when the tide gets really high. We use live bait a lot during August when fishing those areas, but in September, I switch over to lures most all the time. Dove hunting also looks promising, so I’ll be heading out into the fields with the shotguns this month.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 We are having a great summer! And the fishing is not bad either! I have been finding a few schools of redfish early in the mornings when the winds are calm. Many of the reds are in the slot and a few are oversized.

The schools have been in less than three feet of water. Light and natural colored Bass Assassin Die Dappers rigged on eighth ounce Spring Lock jigheads or half ounce weedless gold spoons are what I recommend for the schooled up redfish, along with a quiet approach with a trolling motor. This action should continue well into the end of September.

Free-lining croakers, and/or piggy perch will also be very effective for trout and reds during September. I will use the live bait during the early morning hours along grass lines, potholes and drop-off in about two feet of water and then move a little deeper, into three to four feet of water, as the sun gets higher in the sky and warms the shallows. On sunny, cloudless days, reds and black drum can be good targets with shrimp flavored Fish Bites in ultra shallow water.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 Joe says the improved water clarity in the area has provided for some good catching this summer, and he expects things to continue on through September. “We’re catching decent numbers of both trout and redfish, using mostly soft plastics. The area up around the JFK has good water, especially after incoming tides, when we get a push of ocean water. The water south of Baffin looks great too. I’ve been fishing up around the bridge quite a bit, locating schools of redfish by watching for wakes on calm mornings, seeing them in the water on the windier,

brighter days. They normally prefer the shallower water when it’s cool early in the morning, then move out into the areas where it’s deeper and grass is more sparse once the day heats up. The trout are harder to locate, but we’re having good luck keying on deeper edges of the grassy flats, and by keying on slicks and concentrations of bait. Baffin still has more pronounced brown tide, but the bait fishermen are still catching plenty of trout in there. Overall, things bode well for September, especially for the reds, which usually become concentrated in the north end during this month.” padre Island National Seashore Billy Sandifer - padre Island Safaris - 361.937.8446 Many factors determine the quality of September fishing on PINS. Tropical storms, red tide or heavy amounts of sargassum impacting the beaches can kill fishing altogether. The most important positive players are the arrival of both shoals of anchovies and the first cold front of the season; which will kick off the finger mullet migration and flood the beach with redfish. If the anchovies are present in numbers, ladyfish, tarpon and many other medium sized game fish will be feeding on them and sharks will be in good supply. The real quality fishing usually starts with that first cold front and if it’s early in the month, September is a dream come true. If the first front is late to arrive the fishing can be slow. Watch for food chain activity and fish the birds. Various artificials, cut and live bait will all produce. This is the long awaited “time of the frenzies” and it is important to be alert for the presence of sharks feeding in close. All species that frequent the surf are present in September. port Mansfield | ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 Fishing this past month has been very good with limits of trout coming

pretty steadily and some days we are getting redfish limits along with our trout. Lately the trout have been holding in deeper water; my guess is that this is probably due to the very low tide levels that have persisted. We expect low tides this time of year but this been exceptional. To find trout we are lining up along the ICW and working the deeper grass and the drop-off to the channel. Darker colored lures have been working best. You find lots of small fish but the keepers are pretty solid. Redfish have been holding much shallower and we are seeing the schools somewhat larger and more numerous. I suggest starting shallow for reds early, they’re easier to spot when it is calm, and then going deeper for trout. Be patient; when you find the trout you need to stay put and work carefully before going deeper. I expect this pattern will continue into September.

Lower Laguna Madre - South padre - port Isabel Janie and Fred petty – www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 We’ve had a lackluster couple of weeks, mostly due to slow tide movement. We’re catching some awesome large fish, but not the numbers we were hoping for. Low tides and high temperatures combined with the heaviest boat traffic of the year, clear the flats. In past years, we would traditionally move to drop-offs where deeper, clearer water held large numbers of trout. This year, unusually windy conditions and silt from dredging, have made the water cloudy and the depth changes are not producing like we would hope; not even leaving us the option to find schools of drum. We’re catching reds, some oversized, but when tides are slow, it’s mostly small herds, that leave the flats early. Freddy says, “When the heat is on, it’s time to go deeper and work potholes that are less traveled and cooler than surrounding areas.

Sometimes, allowing the boat traffic to run fish towards your drift will pay off.” We’re throwing Cajun Thunder round corks with Berkley Gulp!

Live three inch shrimp in new penny and pearl white. Help stop open bay dredge disposal!

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Ethan Hust Old Levee Road - first redfish!

Kailynn Bradley 17” first flounder!

Stephanie & Jackie Eveslage Galveston - first jack!

Josh Hollis POC - 27” 6lb first gator trout!

96 | September 2014

Israel Diaz Texas City Dike - 34” redfish

Ruben Cortez & Sam Williams Arroyo City - 34” redfish

Guy Focke Lake Calcasieu - 9lb trout

Javi Fernandez Estes Flats - 26.25” red

Anna Berry West Bay - first keeper red!

Ruben Balles 27” trout

Edgar Chavez McCollum Park - 41” bull red

Dustin Jahns Matagorda Bay - 27.5” red

Jack Hutson Redfish Bay - 44” black drum CPR

Alex Martinez Texas City Dike - bull reds

Coby McCoy Bryan Beach - bull red

Grant Jones Trinity Bay - 8.25lb trout CPR

Blas Rodriguez Rollover Pass - 34” black drum

David Wigley Pleasure Island - 45+lb black drum

Jeannie Lehmann Caranchua Lake - black drum CPR

Justen Aranda West Bay - 19” flounder

Bobby McCoy Drum Bay - 8lb personal best trout!

Line Poulain South Padre - 43” 31lb redfish

Jose Aleman Bay City - flounder

Please do not write on the back of photos.

Email photos with a description of your Catch of the Month to: Photos@tsfmag.com

Heayden Daly Jetties - 3.5lb trout

Hong Leung, here from England!

St. Luis Pass - 24” trout

Mail photos to: TSFMag P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 TSFMAG.com | 97

Pam Johnson

Gulf Coast Kitchen

Got ideas, hints or recipes you’d like to share?

Email them to pam@tsfmag.com or send by fax: 361-785-2844

Spicy Cilantro Shrimp with Honey-Lime Dipping Sauce

For the shrimp: 1 teaspoon paprika 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Combine the paprika, salt, cumin, cayenne, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to fully coat the shrimp in seasoning. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook about 2 minutes on each side.

You’ll know the shrimp is done when it turns pink and curls into a “C” shape. Add to skillet fresh lime juice, cilantro and toss. Serve with Honey Lime Dipping Sauce.

For the dipping sauce: 1 cup sour cream 1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon honey 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime peel 1/4 teaspoon salt

98 | September 2014

Mix all the ingredients and chill until ready to serve with Spicy Cilantro Shrimp.

Vitamin Sea Charters Galveston Bay Complex Redfish, Trout, Flounder, & Shark Captain Chad Handley USCG# 3475367 CaptChadHandley@gmail.com www.VitaminSeaCharters.com 832-309-1079

TSFMAG.com | 99

Science and the Sea

TM

Of Boneworms and Shipworms For almost any object in the sea, there’s a creature who will feed on it – even if it’s a whale skeleton or a shipwreck. Though not related to one another, boneworms and shipworms share the remarkable ability to locate their meals in the vast ocean. Boneworms consume the bones of mammals, fish, reptiles and other animals, while shipworms – actually a type of mollusk – use their tiny shells to burrow into the wood of wrecked ships, trees adrift, or other wooden structures in the sea. Despite having neither stomachs nor mouths, both boneworms and shipworms have symbiotic bacteria in their gut that release nutrients from the bones or wood which these “worms” absorb as food.

Left: a boneworm on a fish bone. Credit: Greg Rouse. Right: shipworms burrowed into a piece of wood. Credit: Christina Bienhold, MPI for Marine Microbiology.

Though they are found throughout most of the world’s oceans, a recent experiment showed that they don’t live everywhere.

Researchers placed whale bones and wooden planks at two sites near the west Antarctic Peninsula and then hauled them up a little more than a year later. Boneworms, it turns out, were plentiful; some bones had as many as 200 worms in an area the size of a deck of cards. But the wood was untouched; shipworms were nowhere to be found.

Scientists suspect the boneworms were there because whales have historically frequented waters off the Antarctic Peninsula, providing plenty of meals for boneworms. However, trees haven’t grown that far south for more than 30 million years, offering little reason for shipworms to move in. But that also means that shipwrecks in the Southern Ocean, such as that of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, may survive intact at the bottom of the sea, waiting to be found.

The University of Texas

Marine Science Institute www.ScienceAndTheSea.org © The University of Texas Marine Science Institute

100 | September 2014

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CHRIS MAPP

B O AT M A I N T E N A N C E T I P S

“Who needs navigation lights?

I don’t fish at night!”

September is a great month to be out on the water and as we start getting the first mild cool fronts you will notice as the air temperature drops, your outboard just seems to run better. Actually, it does. This is due to greater air density. It is amazing to feel the extra horsepower you have been missing all summer.

With the temperature changing you will also notice the days are a bit shorter, which brings me to this month’s topic: Do your navigation lights work?

In the early morning and late evening, not just during total darkness, navigation lights are a must for safe operation. During an annual service at our store we flip every switch Light fixture corrosion can be to verify system operations, reduced with frequent use. and did you know when most owners are called to talk about this issue the owner will often respond with; “We only fish during the day.” Even with this answer I ask all the obvious questions and go on to explain the importance for Corrosion of nontinned copper wiring. keeping navigation lights in good working order.

A common denominator that is consistent with

Chris Mapp, owner Coastal Bend Marine.

Yamaha, Evinrude, Suzuki, Mercury, Honda, BlueWave, SilverWave, Haynie, El Pescador Service, Parts and Sales.

102 | September 2014

High quality light fixture – note silver color of tinned wire.

navigation light system failures is that if you don’t use the system regularly it is almost guaranteed to fail.

Moist salt air will destroy the contacts in the fixtures and the copper wiring will act as a wick and draw the moisture inside, destroying the integrity of the copper.

During rigging, whether in original installation or repair, using “tinned” wire (although more expensive) is vital to the life of the electrical system. High-quality bulbs are also more expensive but they are going to last much longer, given their better resistance to corrosion in the salt air environment.

The bottom line here is simple, turn on the navigation lights every time you get on the boat for at least fifteen minutes. Getting caught on the water at night with no lights is dangerous and it is easily preventable.

Have a great September! - Chris Mapp Coastal Bend Marine | Port O’Connor, TX 361.983.4811 | CoastalBendMarine.com

tEXas saltWatER fIshInG holEs fIshInG REtREats

ClassIfIEDs

BENTLEY’S INTERCOASTALS HOUSE RENTALS Port O’Connor, Texas: 3 Bedrooms, Sleeps 6, Fully Furnished. Great Location between the little Jetties & Clark’s Restaurant. Boat Slip upon availability. Guide service available with Capt Keith Gregory. Call Steve or Lydia at 361-983-4660 or 361-482-9095. Special winter rates available.

Dolphin Point 50 x 150 drive-through lot between Maple & Commerce, Port O’Connor. Wet Boat Slip included!

361-649-2265

TSFMAG.com | 103

Mojo Shrimp… it’s not just for trout

H2O Xpress 3” or 4” Mojo Shrimp - 2 pk.

Great for drawing a variety of saltwater fish to your line, the H2O Xpress 3” or 4” Mojo Shrimp is made of soft plastic and Kevlar ® and features natural colors with luminous eyes.

M

www.sportsmanboats.com San Benito, TX 800.503.4044

www.coastlinemarine.net Seabrook, TX 281.291.0101

www.gcmboats.com Corpus Christi, TX 800.622.2449

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www.southaustinmarine.com Austin, TX 512.892.2432

The BEST Choice… Any Place, Anytime!

Introducing Shimano’s latest in comfortable and light weight footwear - the Shimano Evair Marine/Fishing shoes. The Evair are an ‘open’ style shoe, meaning they’re quick drying and allow your feet to breathe even in the hottest day time conditions. A non slip sole gives the wearer added confidence when navigating slippery decks.

361-992-2960

Shimano gives you more with the new Curado I series reels.

Now featuring the latest in Shimano fishing reel technology and offered in multiple gear ratios, Curado builds on its legacy as the ‘go to’ baitcasting reel for both fresh and saltwater action.

7613 SPID Corpus Christi, TX 78412 www.roysbait-tackle.com

Strength to withstand any situation, toughness to endure intense fight, durability to withstand the harshest conditions. Models for inshore use up to big-game size for Bluefin tuna.

The professional’s choice!

HEG Gearing developing incredible power and torque.

Available in multiple gear ratios to cover entire applications.

New modern compact design and appearance that ties in perfectly with new Cumara rods.

ROY’S Bait and Tackle Outfitters

To find a location near you, please visit us at www.speedystop.com

TIDAL CORRECTIONS Location Calcasieu Pass, La. Sabine Bank Lighthouse Sabine Pass (jetty) Sabine Pass Mesquite Point Galveston Bay (S. jetty) Port Bolivar Texas City, Turning Basin Eagle Point Clear Lake Morgans Point Round Point, Trinity Bay Point Barrow, Trinity Bay Gilchrist, East Bay Jamaica Beach, Trinity Bay Christmas Point Galveston Pleasure Pier San Luis Pass Freeport Harbor

High -2:14 -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14 +0:33 +3:54 +6:05 +10:21 +10:39 +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -0:09 -0:44

Low -1:24 -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06 +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15 +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:38 +2:33 +2:31 -0:09

For other locations, i.e. Port O’Connor, Port Aransas, Corpus Christi and Port Isabel please refer to the charts displayed below.

Please note that the tides listed in this table are for the Galveston Channel. The Tidal Corrections can be applied to the areas affected by the Galveston tide.

Minor Feeding Periods coincide with the moon on the horizon, and the last from 1.0 to 1.5 hrs after the moon rise or before moon set.

Major Feeding Periods are about 1.0 to 1.5 hrs either side of the moon directly overhead or underfoot.

Many variables encourage active feeding current flow (whether wind or tidal driven), changes in water temp & weather, moon phases, etc. Combine as many as possible for a better chance at an exceptional day. Find concentrations of bait set up during a good time frame, and enjoy the results.

Te x a s S a l t w a t e r F i s h i n g M a g a z i n e l

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