August 2016

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August 2016 VOL 26 NO 4

about the Cover

Contents

Tarpon! Capt. Scott Sommerlatte prepares to release a client’s fly-caught trophy. August weather and tides combine to give Texas anglers their best shot at the silver king.

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

10 The Quiet Man 16 Introducing: Sound Operating Principles 20 Tommy and the Jackfish: Part One 24 Texas Two-A-Days 30 Tarpon Time

36 Let’s Ask The Pro 40 Shallow Water Fishing 44 TPWD Field Notes 48 Fly Fishing 50 Kayak Fishing Chronicles 52 TSFMag Conservation News 54 Fishy Facts 58 Inshore | Nearshore | Jetties | Passes 62 Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

88 Boat Maintenance Tips 90 Science & the Sea

30

Steve Hillman Kevin Cochran Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard

WHAT OUR GUIDES

HAVE TO SAy

66 68 70 72 74 76 78

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

70

Dickie Colburn Caleb Harp Bink Grimes Gary Gray David Rowsey Wayne Davis Ernest Cisneros

48

REGULARS 08 64 80 84 86

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

86 6 | August 2016

Jay Watkins Scott Null Norman Boyd Scott Sommerlatte Dave Roberts CCA Texas Stephanie Boyd Curtiss Cash Eric Ozolins Chris Mapp UT Marine Science Institute

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 Store@tsfmag.com Design & Layout Stephanie Boyd Artwork@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly.

Subscription Rates: One Year (Free Emag with Hard Copy) Subscription $25.00 E-MAG (electronic version) is available for $12.00 per year.

Order on-line: www.tsfmag.com Make checks payable to: Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine Attn: Subscriptions P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 * Subscribers are responsible for submitting all address changes and renewals by the 10th of the prior month’s issue.

Email store@tsfmag.com for all address changes or please call 361-785-3420 from 8am - 4:30pm. The U.S. Postal Service does not guarantee magazines will be forwarded. 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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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983.

EDITORIAL

Toxic Waste Threat & August Tarpon I see wade fishermen shoulder-deep by ten o’clock. I was assured when I moved to Texas thirty years ago, if I didn’t like the weather all I had to do was wait a few hours. It’s going on a month and still every day seems hotter than the last. Welcome to August!

You may have noticed this on local news, CCA Texas has joined with Galveston Bay Foundation to encourage removal of an extremely dangerous toxic waste site where the San Jacinto River enters Galveston Bay. Dating back to the 1960s when waste disposal seems to have been directed largely by “out of sight, out of mind” thinking, highly toxic paper mill wastes were buried along the banks of the San Jacinto. Originally above the water levels of the river and bay, cappingin-place was practiced in belief that the toxic threat would remain safely contained. That was before nearly fifty years of subsidence, erosion and hurricanes. Leakage of dioxins and other carcinogens into Galveston Bay prompted TPWD to publish fish consumption advisories several years ago, most notably for speckled trout. The EPA and TCEQ are the agencies that will direct either another cap-in-place or complete removal of this threat. CCA Texas and Galveston Bay Foundation are strongly encouraging the latter and calling you to get involved. Your voice can help influence action that will be taken and writing your legislators is the best way to express your concern. Learn more on CCA Texas and Galveston Bay Foundation websites.

8 | August 2016

Texas tarpon are a bucket list species for many anglers and August presents some of the best opportunity to pursue them along beachfronts and nearshore waters. August weather patterns typically include light onshore wind and calm seas – perfect for small-boat angling and spotting rolling tarpon. In this issue Joe Richard shares his many years of tarpon experience to hopefully enable readers to land one of these magnificent trophies. Nearshore opportunities abound for other species as well during August and help insure excitement and angling success, should the silver kings prove elusive.

You will notice a new face atop our Port Mansfield column. Tricia Whitley began sharing her fishing wisdom and experiences with TSFMag readers in 2003 and hasn’t missed an issue in thirteen years.

My words cannot express how much she has been appreciated and how much we will miss her. Wayne Davis, a twenty-year Lower Laguna veteran with ten years guiding experience will take over. Please join me in welcoming Wayne.

We have a full month remaining to take the kids fishing before schools reopen. Get them signed up for the CCA STAR Tournament and get them on the water. They could be the lucky winner of $50,000 college scholarship!

STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN

We caught fish in ugly water that was less than two parts per thousand salinity for more than three months – all by ourselves. My clients did a great job of keeping it under wraps.

H

e left in the dark by himself most of the time. A buddy would join him on rare occasions, but was sworn to secrecy about the locations they fished. It was just fishing, but to him it was more, much more. He’d been fishing these waters since he was a youngster and he knew every nook and cranny between every reef and every sweet spot along all the shorelines. With each cast he clung to the hope that no one would see him doing what he loved to do in his small sanctuary areas.

He didn’t have many close friends in the fishing circles. He had discovered something he loved to do at a very early age but learned within a few years that others craved his knowledge. As he became older his awareness of overzealous fishermen lurking in the distance increased. He learned when to relocate once they started noticing his pattern. His own mother didn’t even know where he was fishing, so certainly others behind center consoles were not worthy.

He once caught a 31-inch trout and a smile of satisfaction found its way across his face as he admired her majestic beauty before allowing her swim free so someone else might enjoy the thrill of landing a giant. No photos. The image was burned into his brain and that was good enough. The internet did not exist but he wouldn’t have shared it anyway. These were his fish that he located on his own through years of experience and countless hours of hard work and sacrifice. His proficiency for studying the movements of trout based upon the influences of Mother Nature was exceptional. His ability to catch them would have placed him in the trout hall of fame if such existed. He had a gift and I’m certain he knew it, yet he would just say he was lucky. A humble man he was, spoke with few words, but always wise words.

Mike Silva with his personal best 7.25 pounder (CPR) caught while drifting a secluded stretch of shoreline with scattered shell.

He savored every experience that came with fishing. Beating his chest over a box of fish was not in his DNA. What others brought to the cleaning table was irrelevant. All that mattered to him was that he could catch ‘em his way and if he didn’t, that was fine too. The few fishermen he exchanged dialogue with at local marinas were not yet born when he was catching fish where they are now. It’s somewhat amusing to him that they gloat about the fish they’ve caught in areas that he has fished all of his life, but he can no longer fish there because of them. He hears of big trout being caught by these new fellows in areas that he cut his teeth on, and then becomes a little disheartened that he may never be able to fish those areas again. Seeing one or two fishermen is understandable, but he knows when the wrong ones find out, the news spreads like wildfire. It always does, and his heart sinks a little more each time. He wonders what is left for him to explore. A few days pass and he finds other fish that no one else knows about, but wonders how long it will take before they find him again.

Over the years, his hands along with his soul became callused. You could strike a match off his face because of too many hours in the sun but his deep blue eyes had taken thousands of Rex Richards with a beautiful CPR trout caught photos that others can only dream about. So, to him, it was in a location that no one worth the sacrifice. His dream was to catch that one for the will ever know about wall even if he died trying. Someone once asked him where except him and his two he was fishing. He never spoke to them again about fishing buddies. I threatened them with their lives! because they broke the cardinal rule which was to never ask a man where he was fishing.

As the man grew older and wiser he realized that he really couldn’t trust many fishermen. He would leave the dock well before sunrise his 50-plus years of fishing only a handful of people knew maybe one and park his boat in the marsh where few would notice. Over time, or two spots he fished because he was dedicated to remaining silent. others eventually found him but by then he had discovered other I’ve known a few quiet men in my lifetime. Some are no longer with areas. Staying 3 to 4 weeks ahead of the crowds was his specialty. us and some still fish among us. Of the handful who are still around I It was almost like a game to him until one day his window had have the utmost respect. It would be very easy for them to share their shortened to 2 or 3 days. As time passed his passion for fishing information with a few keystrokes. But they hold true to their secrets. faded, ultimately resulting in him vowing to never fish Galveston Bay Being comfortable in your own skin and not requiring praise or glory is again. He purchased a cabin in Baffin Bay in effort to avoid aggressive impressive to me, especially in this day and age. crowds. He enjoyed almost two decades of catching big trout down Quiet men are modest. A funny story comes to mind, the year there until others began to take notice. News of monster trout spread one of my old tournament partners won Angler of the Year in the quickly and trophy trout chasers flocked in from hundreds of miles Spectacular Series. Each weigh-in was filled with more than a few guys away. He initially resorted to nocturnal strategies to escape the who had the luxury of owning very fast and well-decorated boats with crowds but it eventually became too much trouble and his old body dozens of sponsor stickers and all the latest and greatest accessories. just couldn’t handle it any longer. In 2004 he sold his cabin, his boat, At the weigh-ins, anglers wearing jerseys printed with various sponsor and all of his fishing gear, and devoted more time to his grandkids. In logos waited with anticipation as they held It doesn’t take long for this to happen once fishermen start talking.

12 | August 2016

sacks of fish that would hopefully give them a shot at becoming champions for the day and eventually for the series. (By no means am I poking fun as I know the importance of taking care of sponsors.) My buddy was always one of the last in line, often arriving to weigh-in with only a few minutes before cut-off, just enough time to fish his three trout out of the makeshift livewell My great-uncle, BB Hillman, was a legendary “quiet man.”

(96 quart Igloo with oxygen bottle) of his old Montauk Whaler. As he stood on the stage in his white Fruit of the Loom V-neck and blue jeans still dripping from the day’s wading, he was asked to provide a few details. He would offer a few short comments but the one he always closed with was, “I give all of the glory to God.” That, my friends, is pure class.

This story is not meant to be gloom and doom. I’m simply trying to shed light on the way things used to be and the way I wish they still were. I was fortunate to spend the early part of my fishing days being exposed to good people, good etiquette and the quiet men who did things their way; the right way. That was a different time and place and we may never be there again. I still have hope, however, that we will try to be more like the legendary quiet men.

“When you’re good at something, you’ll tell everyone. When you’re great at something, they’ll tell you.” - Walter Payton

Contact

Steve Hillman

14 | August 2016

Steve Hillman is a full-time fishing guide on his home waters of Galveston Bay. Steve fishes the entire Galveston Bay Complex, wading and drifting for trout, redfish, and flounder using artificial lures.

Phone 409-256-7937 Email captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com Web www.hillmanguideservice.com

g n i c u d Intro STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

A

short time ago, I generated a list of operating principles I use on a daily basis in my life as a fishing guide targeting speckled trout with artificial lures. Partly, I wanted to create the document because I spend so much time explaining the edicts to the customers who fish with me. I also knew the clients in my Lucky Sevens Club and those on Inshore Angler’s Personal Trainer Plans would benefit from studying the concepts.

Predictably, after I composed the list, I found myself adding to it. Now, my catalog of sound operating principles includes dozens of truths, procedures and strategies, related to various aspects of the sport, everything from navigation skills, equipment, timing and location, lure choice, presentation styles and observation of signs on the water which might indicate the presence of fish.

Using this comprehensive, evolving inventory as an outline, I recently finished a new book, titled Sound Operating Principles, in which I elaborated on the listed concepts to clarify and refine them significantly. I did include the condensed list at the end of the piece, which comprised about 35,000 words when complete.

I find explaining the essence of dependable operational edicts meaningful because many of the skills and strategies useful in the sport of fishing apparently dwell in a dark room, behind a mystery door, hidden from novice anglers. This book attempts to bring them into plain view, into the light. “Few absolute truths exist in any aspect of the world in which we live.

The domain of fishing carries no exemption from the preceding statement. Though few absolutes govern the activities, many general truths regularly and profoundly affect the outcomes of all angling efforts. Consistently successful captains understand these truths and how they dictate and affect elements of strategy.� Conversely, many novice anglers fail to recognize these truths, causing them to regularly make and repeat mistakes.

I offer this new book in the hope it will allow readers to refine their methods and strategies in order to enhance productivity. I tried to articulate the concepts thoroughly and clearly, in an entertaining way. To address those goals, I ended each chapter with a thought-provoking statement, some of which I invented, some of which are famous, and a couple I quoted from anglers I know and respect.

Young Caroline Shankle showed persistence and a strong willingness to master some specific aspects of presentation and consequently caught about a dozen solid trout.

18 | August 2016

movement pattern of a lure can have on the number of strikes earned. They know, “Close only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades.” When attempting to figure out which presentation style best suits the needs of the moment, they rely first on sound principles, but also demonstrate a willingness to subtly tweak their style to maximize productivity.

All the concepts in my new book circle back around toward a central theme. Basing decisions on sound operating principles enhances the productivity of angling efforts.

In order to use sound principles, one must first recognize and accept those principles. The entire process seeks to hedge the bets favorably, to minimize the effects of Lady Luck. She plays a part in fishing in the short term, but in the end, serendipity plays only a cameo role in the saga of consistent productivity.

“In order to maximize consistency, anglers must operate in locations which offer ripe opportunity, at times which provide high potential productivity. They must carry and use well-designed, efficientlyrigged equipment and must make reasoned decisions related to lure choice and presentation style, using observations of the world around them to tweak those choices appropriately. Proficient anglers who do all these things acknowledge the need for relying on sound operating principles which concurrently establish and govern truths related to the endeavors.”

“I created this book to help people who possess a genuine desire to become better anglers streamline their processes and eliminate some common mistakes....I stand behind the veracity and efficacy of these principles because I’ve spent so much time deploying and testing them.”

Sound Operating Principles, a 134-page, 5.5” x 8.5” book, can be ordered electronically through CaptainKevBlogs.com and FishBaffinBay.com, or purchased directly at Fishing Tackle Unlimited stores in the Houston, Texas area.

Kevin Cochran Contact

All the provocative pearls of wisdom relate to truths illuminated by sound operating principles. The first one boils the main theme of the book down to its very essence.

“Luck happens where preparation meets opportunity.” The core concept of the book eloquently states the importance of basing all decisions on sound principles to reduce the impact of chance in angling endeavors.

“Productive anglers expect to catch fish and plan all their actions accordingly.” Preparedness and properly-adjusted expectations allow them to remain ready to seize upon opportunities which present themselves moment by moment.

These factors strongly affect their perceptions about what Recent catches in decisions matter most at a the Baffin/ULM area given time. Rarely do these continue to include anglers place the color of the good numbers of 22-26-inch trout. lure at the top of the list.

“Throw any color worm you want, as long as it’s plum,” my old partner Ari Schwartz asserted, after layin’ a whoopin’ on me one cold December day on which I committed most of my time to fishing with a twitch bait. I now realize his lure choice and presentation style held more importance than the color of his worm, but the comment reinforces an important fact--most expert anglers use fewer lures in fewer colors than lesser anglers. They place emphasis on more important things, like locating plenty of fish.

“When searching for fish, I look for nothing in particular, but I see everything that’s there,” said Captain Billy Sandifer, in a piece published some years ago, in this magazine. I admire the succinct wisdom of his words, which describe the artful way adept fish-locators operate, relying on their natural ability to draw accurate inferences, without seeking out specific things. They develop this abstract power through meaningful experience, which cleanses their doors of perception, so they can read the water confidently.

“Confidence can provide either a foundation for potential angling success or a catalyst for certain failure.” All successful angling efforts made with artificial lures result from some level of faith in the lure, presentation and/or location. But misguided confidence in lures and strategies used in places without enough fish causes consistently poor productivity.

We must find fish in order to catch fish. “90% of the fish swim in 10% of the water, and 100% of the fish we catch swim within our reach.” The profound influence of fish-location skills on the rate of consistency of production cannot be overstated. No amount of creativity or persistence will allow anyone to catch a fish swimming beyond their reach. Top anglers do exhibit creativity, particularly in their ability to adjust the subtleties of presentations to match perceived needs dictated by the conditions in play at the moment.

Elite anglers recognize the mighty impact slight variations in the

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

STORY BY MARTIN STRARUP

B

odie watched the flock of seagulls hovering and diving in a frenzy. The brown pelicans joined in and Bodie watched them hitting the water between floating gulls, paddling around and feeding hungrily on whatever was being driven to the surface. Bodie eased his boat into position just upwind of the activity and switched off the quiet-idling Yamaha.

From the bow of his Transport SVT Bodie cast a Hogie shrimp tail that was threaded onto one of Dusty’s 1/8 ounce screwlock lead heads and felt the thump as soon as the lure hit the water. He set the hook and a nice trout broke the surface shaking its head trying to rid itself of the offending hook. Bodie lifted the fish over the side of the boat, grabbed it, removed the hook and tossed it into the ice chest.

At the back of the boat Tommy Meyers had just released an undersized trout and had cast back toward the feeding birds.

“You gotta let the lure go down through the little fish to catch the big ones,” Tommy said…as if Bodie needed the advice.

No sooner had he said that when he set the hook on a fish that decided he wanted to leave the bay for the Gulf of Mexico. With line peeling rapidly from his reel he yelled to Bodie… “Crank up and follow this fish or he’s going to spool me!”

Bodie looked back at his buddy, noted the speed of the line leaving the reel and told Tommy to tighten the drag. “Thumb down on the spool if you have to, it’s a big jackfish, Tommy. You have to either turn him or break him off,” Bodie shouted as he added another fat trout to the ice chest.

Casting back to the birds he had another one on almost before he could get the line tight.

Tommy was still fighting the big fish—groaning, moaning and complaining in turns. “He’s gonna spool me Bodie,” Tommy cried.

“I told you to break him off, Tommy,” Bodie called to his friend again.

“Well I’m sure trying but I tied my braid directly to the lure and it doesn’t want to break,” Tommy whined.

Bodie placed his rod in a rod holder and walked to the back of the boat.

Taking the rod from Tommy he tightened the drag further and applied thumb pressure to the spool but, the fish just kept pulling line. Not as fast but still very strongly. Try as he might, Bodie couldn’t make the line break.

“Well if we can’t break him off we might as well try to catch him,” Bodie finally admitted.

Bodie handed the rod back to Tommy and told him to go to the bow of the boat. Bodie lowered the trolling motor and began following the direction Tommy’s line was going. Chasing after the fish Tommy started gaining line back on his reel and then started the fight again, pumping his trout rod and getting back a little line with each effort. Then the fish would make another run and Bodie would turn on the trolling motor and chase the fish again.

“My arms are getting tired,” Tommy cried.

“Hang on and catch your fish, Tommy. He’s a bruiserThat’s for sure and certain,” Bodie offered in encouragement.

For thirty minutes the two friends battled the fish until finally the big jack gave up and the two pulled it from the water. “That’s one of the biggest fish I ever caught,” Tommy yelled.

Bodie took his Boga Grip and hoisted the big fish into the air. “Looks like 42 pounds give or take, Tommy Boy.” “I’m keeping that fish,” Tommy announced.

“Why would you keep this fish, Tommy? It’s not good to eat. Let it go to fight again someday.”

“Nope, I’m going to have that fish mounted and I’m going to get Eloisa to put it over the bar at Haddon’s.”

“Well it’s your fish,” Bodie said and they put the big fish into the big ice chest.

Bodie looked around for birds but they were so far from where they had been catching them that if they were still feeding he couldn’t see them. He pulled a pair of binoculars from under the console and started scanning the horizon. “There’s another big bunch of birds about a mile over towards the island,” he announced. And with that he cranked the big engine and they headed that way.

“Everyone is going to be jealous of this fish Bodie and I bet Red is going to bust a gut when he sees it.” Tommy said giddily. “I bet he’ll wish he would have come with us today.”

“Well, seeing as how he’s in a Louisiana casino with his wife, I’m sure he would have liked to been here instead,” Bodie said with a grin.

There was a boat fishing the birds but Bodie maneuvered to where they both had plenty of room and he and Tommy started catching trout with their first casts. “These fish are big for school trout,” Tommy said.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Bodie replied. “These fish are averaging 19 or 20 inches…but let’s not complain about it.”

TSFMAG.com | 21

have to measure this guy,” he chuckled, and added it to his stringer.

Bodie cast parallel to where he was standing and almost as soon as the spoon hit the water he hooked up with another strong red. He looked toward Tommy and saw him wading back to the boat. Bodie added that red to his stringer and then caught one more to finish his limit.

“You get your limit, Tommy Boy?” “Yeah, but my rod is messed up,” Tommy said in a dejected tone.

“Let me have a look,” Bodie said as he climbed back into his boat.

“What’s wrong with it?” he asked?

“Try turning the reel side to side…it won’t stay in position,” Tommy replied.

With little effort Bodie could move the reel and the reel seat side to side. “Looks like that big jackfish broke the epoxy that holds the reel seat to the rod blank.”

“That’s my favorite rod, Bodie,” Tommy whined. “With my luck it probably cannot be repaired.”

Power-Pole shallow water anchors deploy down and out of your way so you can fish 360 degrees around your boat.

At the touch of a button it can be lowered for casting nets, low bridges or just getting into your garage.

www.power-pole.com

22 | August 2016

Martin Strarup

Contact

Tommy was putting his final trout into the ice chest when Bodie said, “Why don’t we go see if there are any reds around my favorite slough?”

“I’m game for that, Bodie. Let’s go!” Tommy replied.

They made the five mile run in good time and Bodie slowed the boat to an idle. Glassing the shoreline at the mouth of the slough he could see bait moving and it looked pretty nervous.

Idling the boat up shallower so they could get out to wade, Tommy was tying on a 1/4 ounce weedless gold spoon. After setting the Power Pole, Bodie grabbed a rod with the same spoon that Tommy had tied on and the two slipped into the warm bay water.

Bodie pointed his rod to where he wanted Tommy to go and he moved down the opposite direction. He couldn’t be sure but he either saw the tail of a redfish up on the sand bar to the right of the slough or it was a really big mullet. Casting up towards the grass he started ripping the spoon back when a big red slammed the bait. Bodie set the hook and the fish made a hard right turn just as his line went slack. Reeling in he saw that the small hook had broken where it had been soldered to the spoon.

Bodie reached into his small lure box and upped his ante with a 1/2 ounce version of the same lure. Casting back to the same spot he ripped the larger spoon back towards him with no results. Studying the water Bodie cast the spoon towards some mullet that were milling around.

Pulling the spoon back through them a fish nailed the spoon and Bodie set the hook.

“Break the hook on this one,” Bodie muttered aloud. Glancing quickly in Tommy’s direction he noticed him lifting a nice red from the knee-deep water. Bodie fought the strong fish up to him and with a quick grab he gripped the fish behind the gills and lifted it from the water. “Sure don’t

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

Port O’Connor , TX

FREE Fishing Tournament FOR Kids AGES 2-12!

AUGUST 13, 2016 PORT O’CONNOR, TX

This is an incredible event that gives kids the opportunity to get outdoors, try to catch some fish and spend some quality time with family and friends.

We Hope To see you this year!

register online at www.speedystop.com. online registration closes aug. 10th.

Seamus Gildea with one of many great redfish caught in summer heat.

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

U

nless you live under a rock in a dark corner of the planet, you are keenly aware how fanatical Texans are about football. The summer months are looked upon with great enthusiasm as thousands of football players from high school to pro begin their preparations for the fall campaign by first trying to beat the Texas heat. The football term two-a-days refers to the practice of working out twice a day, usually in the morning and again late afternoon, to escape the hottest hours of the day. Well, football players aren’t the only ones trying to beat summer’s high temperatures; fishermen face the same dilemma. Triple digit temps not only have an effect on fishermen but also on the fish, in some instances.

The whole key to successful summertime fishing is figuring out how to best cope with the heat and that means focusing on the best times of the day and the best tides. Anglers on my part of the upper coast who have to make the biggest adjustments in how and where they fish are those that stay in shallow water areas – like the marshes around Sabine and Calcasieu.

During late-summer these shallow and often brackish marshes can have some ridiculously high water temps, which

in turn can really do a number on the fish. Surface temps in the 90s will begin to make things uncomfortable, maybe even dangerous, for even the heartiest of redfish as oxygen levels decrease during the long summer days. Many times these fish will retreat to the deepest areas of the marsh in search of cooler water. Several years ago I was helping some Florida angler’s pre-fish for a tournament and watched them carve out a very unlikely but successful pattern by fishing deep ditches Dean Kahney with adjacent to larger back lakes bucket list red – and ponds. We watched several his first on fly! other anglers scour the shallow water and finally give up after having little or no success while the deeper ditch pattern steadily produced quality fish. It’s amazing the difference in temperature that comes from water only a couple of feet deeper than the surrounding area, especially if it has a decent tidal influence.

A godsend of sorts for shallow water fish is matted vegetation on the surface that functions as a canopy providing shade and slightly cooler water. Many of the areas I like to fish will get covered in widgeon grass, turtle grass, or even coontail, and the fish seem to gravitate to it like a magnet. Besides the immediate relief from the heat that mats offer, there is also the added bonus of bait that tends to gather there for cover. Shrimp, crabs, and various baitfish species will TSFMAG.com | 25

Stanley Ribbit Redfish-catching lure with plenty of action that excels in grassy situations!

Perhaps you have been rigging soft plastic lures for years in the weedless fashion bass anglers have dubbed a Texas rig. If so, I’m preaching to the choir. However, if this is new to you, here’s a series of photos to enlighten you to this weedless setup. Well – weedless is always relative to application – but this is about as weedless as you can get.

Thread a wide gap offset worm hook into the nose of the Stanley Ribbit and push it through to the eye.

seek the safety and comfort of those grassy areas just like redfish, and that’s a great combination for both fish and fisherman. Certain adjustments in tackle and technique will need to be made in order to properly fish these areas and it all starts with lure selection.

The Stanley Ribbit, hands down, is one of my absolute favorite ways to fish when live and floating grass becomes part of the equation. Taking a page from the freshwater playbook on fishing vegetation, the Ribbit opened up a new world for me and my clients. Fishing water that in the past was basically off-limits due to the grass nuisance enables me to fish virtually anywhere with confidence. The Ribbit is not only a versatile lure but the strikes it provokes from thick grass habitats are heart stoppers! Definitely worth experimenting if you’ve never done it before.

Bend the body of the Ribbit slightly and insert the point of the hook into the body, at the point where the shank bend will allow the bait to lie flat after the hook point is pushed through and the point lies in the groove.

Eric Gildea with a hefty redfish that inhaled a She Pup.

This is about as weedless a rig as you can – find some marsh reds in heavy cover and tie one on!

26 | August 2016

Now the shallow water folks are not the only ones who have to adjust to the heat – open water folks have to adapt as well. The fish in the open lake or bay are not generally as affected as the shallow fish but they certainly can be at times. Surface temps, high skies, bright sun and little to no wind can all be factors that stifle a bite. The most obvious factor is surface temperature and that necessitates perhaps the biggest adjustments. Tons of anglers will habitually patrol the shorelines barely a cast away from land, regardless of other factors. During certain times of the year that program pays dividends but not so likely during summer.

Another mistake I see often is boats anchored at the mouths of marsh sloughs that empty into Sabine Lake during summer, apparently oblivious to the fact that the water coming out is much hotter than the water in the lake. Most of these folks go there simply because it worked earlier in the year – so it must be good all the time.

28 | August 2016

Recently I had the good fortune to fish with Dean Kahney and George Sutherland of the Texas Flyfishers. Following our Texas heat protocol we launched well before the sun came up and took advantage of the cooler and calmer conditions. Both of these guys are good fly fishermen and pleasant company in the boat. The main goal for the trip was to put Dean on his first-ever redfish on fly tackle. Our plan came together early as we were treated to slick-calm conditions which made spotting fish all the easier. After a few lessons on how to approach the fish, it wasn’t long before Dean was able to cross catching a red on fly from his bucket list and I couldn’t have been happier for him. It’s always a great privilege to be part of a memorable occasion like a first- or biggest-ever and I get a big kick out of helping folks reach those milestones.

Make schedule adjustments to beat the heat and hang on…the first shot of autumn should arrive in less than two months.

Chuck Uzzle

Contact

Great idea in cooler months but not so much in summer.

Perhaps one of the best bets during the summer months is to burn a little gas, get off the shoreline, and go see what the open water has to offer. The telltale signs of gamefish feeding activity are slicks with skipping shrimp and greyhounding baitfish nearby. Best of all can be no crowd to dampen your enjoyment.

So – we’ve covered how sizzling temperatures affect the fish, now it’s time to consider what it does to anglers. For most of us the thought of performing physical work in summer heat is downright unappealing. The funny thing is that fishing in those same temps somehow doesn’t seem so bad. Standard precautions of staying hydrated, lathering on plenty of sunscreen, and wearing appropriate clothing go without saying. Many folks also adjust their time schedule and leave the dock during evening hours to beat the heat. Fishing in the dark has its own set of rules and precautions to follow so we’ll talk about that at another time. But if you do plan to navigate and fish at night – be sure to file a float plan with a responsible party – and make sure all your safety gear and nav lights, handheld spotlight, etc., are in good working order.

Back to our schedule change, the pre-dawn launch that allows you to grab that first hour or so before the sun starts cooking is a magical part of the morning and a favorite for many fishermen. The same can be said for the last hour of daylight until sunset. These times are tailor made for catching big fish in the summer and there are many anglers I know who try to do both in the same day. The thought of two or three fishing hours at dawn followed by two or three more at sunset is my idea of a “Texas Two-A-Day.”

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 409-697-6111 Email wakesanddrakes@yahoo.com Website wakesndrakes.com

STORY BY JOE RICHARD

A

Tarpon can be briefly hoisted up for a quick photo, but they should not be brought aboard a boat, which is often fatal.

number of anglers have mentioned over the years that catching a tarpon is high on their bucket list of fish to catch in this lifetime. It can certainly be done along the Texas coast, and August is prime time.

From around High Island south is considered best.

Last year, generally speaking, most were caught in “tarpon alley” from San Luis Pass of Galveston Island, east to High Island. And the middle coast had a pretty slow summer, compared to previous years. I think the tarpon action further south along Padre Island may be more relegated to jetty fishing, although you never know when a migratory school can pass through, even as late as early November, where the last of the herd migrates through for their winter in Mexico.

Not sure where the small tarpon have gone, but around the Port O’Connor jetties where we used to see them quietly rolling every day, that no longer seems to happen. Last summer if I sat very quietly and saw a small, rolling pod of mid-size tarpon out in deeper water, and drifted near them, they always refused to bite. Other fish weren’t so picky; one morning out there by myself, other fish attacked the baits instead: a 20- and then 30-pound king were unhooked and released, also three big jack crevalle landed, and five blacktip sharks in the 40-pound range, with the circle hooks left in those. (No use getting a hand maimed to save a cheap hook). It was dicey work by myself, going ‘round and ‘round the boat, almost soaked from splashing fish worked alongside—and I was ready for a nap when it was over.

This is big fish action and a cast net is critical for targeting tarpon with bait. Scoring a quart of live croakers or shrimp at the marina just won’t cut it, if you’re seeking the “man in the size-large silver suit.”

Cast net: If you’re serious about tarpon, learn to use a cast net. In Texas they’re only legal up to seven feet in radius, which is 14 feet in diameter. But it doesn’t take a big cast net to catch ample bait if you’re accurate and can hit the water with a full spread. Years ago while drifting in little oil field canals and blind throwing, we caught croaker, pinfish, sand trout, menhaden and mullet, and all of these work on tarpon, who are definitely not picky when it’s feeding time.

More recently this June, the hot thing this year is big pinfish, which are swarming under the fish cleaning tables. One would think catfish would be a hazard here, but somehow I caught 40 big pinfish with one throw at a popular cleaning table without a single catfish. It was amazing. And pinfish are hard-working live baits. The same big pinfish were also caught rapid-fire on small hooks in a waterside motel with boat docks.

The really serious tarpon guys who concentrate on Texas tarpon every year now mostly troll jigs. And the most serious of all use diesel engines, because the exhaust is above water and doesn’t spook tarpon. They troll a spread of jigs like they’re billfishing, except more slowly and deeper. Feeding tarpon are often down deep, and the captain can “bump troll” through an area, putting the engine in neutral when big fish appear on his depth finder, thus dropping the spread of jigs into the right spot. Sometimes, five tarpon are hooked at once, which is pure mayhem. I’ve been on a boat with a tripleheader going on, and that was plenty. Especially when there were only two of us to handle them.

TSFMAG.com | 31

compete with these guys or try for a bucket list tarpon, don’t run out there with trout tackle and expect to land one of these fish; it’s virtually impossible. Why? A hooked tarpon can and very often will sulk deep like a big shark, and tugging on them with Mickey Mouse tackle (in this situation) simply won’t do the job.

I managed a tarpon last summer with only 25-pound Ande line, though that fish spooled the reel in about 10 seconds and we chased it with the boat. The darn fish wouldn’t leave the school it was swimming with! I finally pried him loose, and fought him to the limits of that spin gear on a hot and glassy August day. Meanwhile the rest of the school kept rolling away on the surface, getting smaller and smaller on the horizon. If we could have landed my fish more quickly,

Scott Alford prepares to stick a satellite tag into a Texas tarpon, a big one. That’s Capt. Curtiss Cash on the left.

But we landed all three, because big circle hooks really dig through a tarpon’s bony lip. The tarpon jigs (photo attached) have their hooks clipped off, and then a big circle hook is wired on top, and the twister-tail worm jigs (of many colors) wiggle with the Smaller tarpon roam slightest movement. These jigs are proof that tarpon feed the Texas surf in August on very small prey. They’re called Coon-Pops, invented in and September. Here’s a couple of Port O’Connor Louisiana, and they’ve landed countless big tarpon in our gals with a tarpon, neighboring state. about to be released.

One thing to remember with tarpon: much extra care should be taken, reviving them. This is a precious resource for Texas, and tarpon numbers are a small fraction of what they used to be.

Every fish counts, and deserves to be released in good shape. That means dragging them forward with the boat engine in gear, until the fish powers away. It also means not fighting them for hours with inadequate tackle. Use at least 40-pound line and preferably heavier.

Don’t use a light drag—take the fight to the fish. An exhausted tarpon that fights to the last minute will sink to the bottom or stagger around, easy prey for sharks.

Texas once had a great tarpon fishery. Port Aransas, for years, was simply called Tarpon. The fishery was badly abused; countless people brought their tarpon to shore for pictures. The Tarpon Inn, which has burned down twice, is said to still have 7,000 big tarpon scales with the angler’s name and weight of the fish. There and in Homosassa, Florida, the tarpon have been driven off except on the Here’s a simple tarpon best days when a few can be seen or even caught. The rig: Live mullet on a main Texas fishery for tarpon is now offshore in 20 to 40 circle hook. Anchor up near the jetties and be feet of water off our upper coast. It can be a tough area prepared. Sunrise and to fish because of wind, but it generally calms down from sunset are prime times.

July through September. Find a rolling school of tarpon out there and you may have company in a hurry. If you’re going to we could have scooted and positioned our boat once again ahead of the school. To our dismay, a distant boat found the school and was soon hooked up. I’d grabbed the spin rod, thinking a long cast was in order, but the school veered right towards us, passing under the bow, about 40 fish. I simply flipped a live baitfish 15 feet in front of Big tarpon takes them, and a tarpon wolfed it down. If I’d grabbed something to the air, a like an Ambassador 7000 reel, capable of 30-yard casts with thrilling sight.

40-pound line, we’d have made short work of that five-foot fish. I haven’t owned one of those reels in a long time…back in the day we used them all the time until huge tarpon and their hour-long battles ruined these reels. We also used Shimano TLD-15 reels, capable of good casts but sometimes ruinous backlashes during critical moments. Captain Curtiss Cash, who casts and drifts for tarpon off POC, uses big, quality spin reels filled with 65-pound braid line.

32 | August 2016

coast. The upper coast was much more consistent. The inside bay fishery and the jetties were also blown out last year. This year could be a repeat.

“We have a new streamer tagging program (www.tarpontags. com) that is being run by our new non-profit that we recently formed to promote tarpon research – the International Tarpon Conservation Association (ITCA) (www.iTarpon.org). We have not filed for 501c(3) status yet, but will shortly. The fish haven’t shown up yet, as of Memorial Weekend. Currents have been running north to south until the last few days. The switch should get a good push headed this way from Some favorite “Coon Pop” south Texas and Mexico—if the runoff doesn’t rigged tarpon trolling jigs keep them moving.” for use off the Texas coast.

Scott’s website is: Projecttarpon.com

Will Early Summer Flooding Hinder Tarpon Action?

Scott Alford, who runs Project Tarpon on the Texas coast, and has done a number of tarpon tagging projects, had this to say about this year’s prospects on the Texas coast: “The huge runoff last year really hurt tarpon fishing on the middle

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. Available at Seafavorites.com

Contact

Anyway, we will try them again in August. Probably throwing pinfish in front of them, since that bait is suddenly plentiful this year. If you’re worried about getting poked with a pinfish’s sharp dorsal fins, and getting a saltwater infection, consider giving that pinfish a “haircut” with kitchen shears – a popular technique.

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34 | August 2016

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Note how the water change follows the contour of the shoreline.

J AY WAT K I N S

ASK THE PRO

Dog-day Trout & Day-Saver Reds The so-called dog days are in my opinion the toughest time of year to consistently catch quality trout. It’s just downright hot and fish activity is diminished during the daylight hours. I believe this to be true based on predawn wades when my best trout were caught up shallow, but as the sun rises this bite plays out very quickly. Smaller trout will often feed throughout the day but these are not the fish we are after although they provide quality entertainment and offer skill honing opportunities. I see this with anglers of all ages and skill sets; they just enjoy catching, no matter the size. I should also mention that care should be taken when handling and releasing these smaller fish, after all they are the next generation. With this said, what’s the game plan for staying on better-thanaverage trout when water temperatures top the 85⁰ mark?

Leaving the dock at first light or even in the dark is a given. Slightly cooler overnight water temperatures will provide a reason for fish to pull up shallow and feed under the cover of darkness, which can lead to them still being shallow and easier to catch just as the sun rises. I personally do not like running in the dark if I can avoid it - too many people blazing the shorelines with their face 36 | August 2016

glued to the GPS and that screen does not show other boats, wade fishermen, a channel marker pushed down by a barge or a gator lying quietly in the shallows. All can and will, if encountered, ruin your day and maybe your life or that of another. Better I think to leave when we have some visibility, still using my GPS, and making our way safely to the fishing grounds.

I choose my August areas based on proper bottom structure for the season – plenty of bait presence, moving water, and quick deep-water access. There are literally hundreds of areas in and around the Aransas Bay complex that meet these criteria. Many are so obvious that most anglers never even give them consideration.

I had a funny thing happen a few years back. We pulled up to an area that was very close to a new housing development. Immediately we started catching fish – very good fish. After a while one of the guys commented that he could not believe the fish would be in the area, with so many houses going up on the shoreline. I asked if he thought they knew the homes were there and, if so, how?

There were no piers or dock facilities nor were there roads running along the shoreline. He looked dumbfounded as

38 | August 2016

Very nice trout caught on the “dirty side” of a water change.

patterns that can be easy to target. I like two things to fall into place. I want the water temperatures to rise throughout the morning and the tides to fall. This pulls shoreline and flats redfish to the deeper dropoffs as the day progresses. More simply put – it concentrates them.

In August the reds will begin to gather in age classes with upperslot fish schooling together before making their spawning migration to the gulf in early fall. The majority of these do not return. I guess there are always a few that do not receive the memo but for the most part the upper-slot individuals leave and do not return. The midday to afternoon hours can produce fantastic fishing along drop-offs and deeper pockets of water on our flats. I have always called upper-slot reds day-savers because they so often take up the slack when quality trout boycott our efforts.

Stay hydrated in this heat and look for areas with less boat traffic that hold the right combination of depth, structure and bait. I think what I enjoy most today is fishing in areas that many believe to be void of fish or have too much pressure. To me, there is a sense of accomplishment in working outside the box. You never know, you may well discover a fishing area that no one else even knows exists – imagine that!

May your fishing always be catching! -Guide Jay Watkins

C ontact

I went on to say they don’t stick their heads up out of the water and decide the area is no longer a good place for them to live. He paused for a second and we all broke out laughing.

Fish live where structure is plentiful, water quality is good, and food is abundant. It’s that simple!

Watch a Bass Masters Classic. These guys are sometimes fishing under someone’s floating dock or boat house. Structure, food, shade and access to deeper water – everything a fish needs and wants in a confined area. There’s a lesson for you.

So, find an area that has the right stuff and then get out and give it a chance. For the record, a chance is not 15 or 20 minutes. It’s a full solunar feeding period for that specific day. You have to allow an area sufficient time to develop before you will know what it is truly capable of producing.

During August, I like to find probable nighttime feeding areas along shorelines holding tons of baitfish. Many times all we see are large mullet milling about but there will also be some of suitable size in the mix.

I think this is why bigger trout and redfish like to cruise under bait schools. In our clear waters we have the luxury of being able to see such things, and knowing this enables us to transfer what we learn to other bay systems where clear water is not so prevalent.

Next is heavy bottom grass near the shoreline and becoming scattered and sparse farther away from shore, usually toward a pronounced drop-off. This edge, where the grass plays out, forms a fairly defined line, the deeper side of which is usually sand and sometimes mud. With bottom grass less prevalent, current from tide and/or wind will form water changes that begin at the edge of the grass. Water changes are probably my absolute favorite summertime structures, when I can find them. True, the winds are calmest in summer, so wind-created changes do not occur as often as in other seasons.

A definite positive in the water change equation are the numbers of menhaden that typically seek refuge within the “safety” of the water change. Menhaden prefer deeper water than mullet anyway, and water changes typically occur along drop-offs, so it’s a good marriage.

Water changes bring bait and game fish together. By positioning yourself just within the water change zone and then wading or drifting a course that follows it, you can cast at slight angles to the wind (and current) and often find the best fish your bay has to offer.

I see it on a consistent basis, anglers running past areas of water change with preferred bottom structure and bait visible, sometimes even with slicks popping. They’ll run several hundred yards down the shoreline to a patch of clear-green water. Folks, we do need clear water to catch fish. Menhaden do not lollygag at the surface as mullet do, they stay deeper. You will often not even know they’re present until a predator puts them to flight – and you will likely miss this from a distance, running on plane.

If the trout fail you, summer’s heat also affects redfish and creates

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

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Kingfish rank high on the list for nearshore excitement in coming months.

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 ING

Another sight-fishing game Generally, when you think sight-fishing you think shallow, but that isn’t always the case. The next two or three months are prime for slipping out through the jetties to target a variety of hard-pulling pelagics. When the weather and fish line up it is one of my favorite diversions from the heat of summer.

While skinny water sight-casting to reds and trout in the backwaters and on the grass flats is all about slipping around and being library-quiet, nearshore and beachfront fishing is more like rolling up on a frat party. In the back lakes you are searching for an individual target or perhaps a small pod of tailing reds. Nearshore is about throwing into the melee and knowing something will eat. The visual stimulus is off the charts when the feed is on.

The nearshore and beachfront is often overlooked as the offshore folks aim for the horizon. Quite often they are driving right past the feeding zone which could be along the edge of the rocks or even just past the third bar. It isn’t always like that though, at times the best zone could be a couple hundred yards off the beach on out, two or three miles.

So what’s out there? Kings, bull reds, Spanish mackerel, bonito and jacks are generally the ones causing the biggest ruckus. When you see the birds working or frothing whitewater, chances are you’ll get your line 40 | August 2016

stretched by one of these bullies. A variety of sharks will also get in on the act and are attracted to the feeding commotion. A good blacktip or spinner shark is a blast and will sometimes put on a show to rival a tarpon.

Speaking of tarpon, that was how I got started playing this game. I was going out with some serious tarpon hunters who would snub their nose to these “lesser” species. Personally, I like anything that’ll eat a fly or lure and offers a visual target. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always looking for tarpon when I’m out there but I certainly don’t bypass a school of feeding bonito.

There are other less obvious targets in the nearshore this time of year as well. Tripletail and ling can be found around most anything that is floating. Everything from trash to sargassum. My largest ling was sitting under a Clorox bottle. I never pass a piece of trash without taking a swing past it for a quick look. Depending on how close the blue water has come in and what part of the coast you are on, these same floating fish magnets can also hold schools of dorado.

The most obvious floating fish attractors are shrimp boats. They’ll often come right up to the surf zone this time of year. Everyone that has ever pointed a bow towards the Gulf already knows a culling shrimp boat is a prime target, but don’t discount those that are lying at

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Jackfish crashing bait are common sights around jetties and willingly take whatever you throw.

Weather permitting I will be hitting the nearshore out of Port O’Connor as often as possible through August and on into the fall.

If you’re in the Aransas Pass/Port Aransas area, look up Capt. Dean Thomas with Slowride Guide Service. Further south, down Port Mansfield way, check in with Capt. Ruben Garza. Both of those guys are a blast to fish with and know the nearshore light-tackle drill very well.

C ontact

anchor during the middle of the day. Ling, tripletail and dorado are often lurking in the shade even when the cull isn’t flowing.

The drill for this style fishing is fairly simple. I like to clear the jetties at daylight and start the hunt right there around the rocks. Depending on what the tide is doing there could be action right along the rocks or perhaps a hundred yards or so off the tips. It’s all about the bait. Find the bait balls and the predators will be somewhere close.

If the jetties aren’t paying off I’ll start cruising the beach looking for flocks of feeding birds. It usually doesn’t take very long.

Once a feeding school is located, it is best to ease in on the trolling motor or try to set up a drift.

Running the big motor to casting distance works every once in a while, but knocks your batting average way down. It’s hard not to get overly anxious when faced with a crazy feed, but settle in and take your time. Most times they aren’t going How can you not get bit in middle to shut off. You have time to do it right. of this melee?

I’ll usually stop a ways off and try to determine what I’m looking at before tossing something into them. Try to get a feel for the size of bait being chased and match it as best you can. And, if you can determine what is doing the eating, match the tackle to the predator. I like a good fight so I tend to err on the light side with tackle. Sometimes it gets me in trouble, but I’m still smiling even when a really big king runs off with my Spanish mackerel offering. Eh, it’s just a fly and some leader.

If I’m doing a fly trip I’ll have everything from a 7wt on up to a beefy 12. Most will have a short length of steel ahead of the fly to combat the toothy critters, but you also need to have something rigged with fluorocarbon. Tarpon, ling, dolphin and tripletail tend to shy away from steel.

As for flies, most any baitfish imitation will work.

Have a variety of sizes handy, some flashy and some more natural. You never know what they’ll want on any given day. Big poppers and large shrimp patterns deserve a spot in your box as well.

Same general ideas for conventional tackle.

A variety works best, but nothing too heavy. I want rods capable of casting a lure accurately and then properly working the lure. I see guys out there with beefy sticks trying to lob lures all the time. With a proper drag and good technique, most everything out there can be handled with at most a med-heavy popping rod. Most times I’ll be throwing medium or med-light actions. Topwaters are by far my favorite for this style fishing, but there are times they won’t eat up top.

A big Rat-L-Trap or some of the smaller lipped trolling lures are killers.

And never overlook the old reliable spoon.

On the rare day when the fish just won’t come up and give themselves away, you can always try trolling while you look around.

This is actually not a bad option on those dead-calm hotter-thanHades days. It’ll keep your crew fresh and probably draw at least a few kings.

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

By Norman Boyd | Coastal Fisheries Division | Por t O’Connor

FIELD NOTES

Where did all those boats come from?

Does it look like there are too many boats on the bay to you? If you’re a half hour late getting on the water are there already three boats sitting on your favorite fishing hole? Where did all those people come from? Well, you’ve come to the right place, TPWD-Coastal Fisheries has collected that exact information, from you. No, we didn’t tap into some NSA database. Remember when a TPWD surveyor met you at the ramp with several questions about your trip? One of those questions was, “What county do you live in?” With that information we can show the residence county for all the anglers we encounter during our routine, coastwide surveys. Don’t worry, we don’t ask about names, addresses, phone numbers, or any other private information, just the county. TPWD-CF has been collecting this information since the seventies. Now, about all those boats.

Look around on this and adjoining pages and you’ll find some Texas maps. There is a map for each of eight bay systems on the Texas coast where we conduct angler surveys, along with a 9th map from the University of Texas, Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection to identify the counties. Using the color legend you can see where all those boats, or more precisely people, came from and were interviewed after fishing that bay system. For example, on the Galveston Bay area map it’s easy to see 44 | August 2016

that Harris County residents account for between 50% and 60% of the anglers interviewed in that area from 2010 to 2014 with the count representing the number of counties in that percentage category. However, not all the angler trends are as easy to follow. Although nearby counties are always prominent in angler origins, anglers often drive long distances to fish an area. Let’s look at some angler origin notes for eight different bay system destinations along the coast.

Sabine Lake: As expected Jefferson County is the top angler origin county for this estuary at the end of the Sabine and Neches rivers. Sabine Lake also has a higher out-of-state angler origin than the other estuaries. Of the anglers intercepted on the Texas side, almost 2% claim Louisiana as home. Also, a substantial number of anglers come from as far away as Harris County to fish this border bay. As we will see, Harris County is an important source of anglers for several estuaries.

Galveston Bay: Being located adjacent to the 4th largest city in the country it’s predictable that most of this bay’s anglers call Harris County home. Most of the remaining anglers come from counties very close to the estuary with relatively few anglers traveling long distances to fish the Galveston Bay system.

Mid-Coast bays (East Matagorda, Matagorda, San

Antonio, Aransas, Corpus Christi, and Upper Laguna Madre): Anglers using these bays typically come from nearby counties and the I-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio. Harris County (Houston) also contributes substantial numbers to all of these bays. Additionally, the Dallas-Fort Worth area is well represented in the angler populations of San Antonio, Aransas, and Corpus Christi bays.

Lower Laguna Madre: The Lower Laguna Madre is different from the other bays in that only three local counties contribute a substantial number of anglers. However, Bexar, Harris, and Travis counties all contribute meaningfully to that angling community, indicating anglers find the area attractive enough to travel long distances to fish here.

Other interesting observations are also possible from this database.

Aransas and Corpus Christi Bays each tied for having the most counties represented during the 2010-2014 survey period with 213 of a total 254 Texas counties. Sabine Lake had the least number of counties with 99. Only three counties didn’t show up during the 5-year period 46 | August 2016

reviewed: Deaf Smith (Texas panhandle), King (northcentral Texas), and Throckmorton (northcentral Texas). More broadly, all bay systems had at least 26 states represented with the Aransas Bay system leading the way with all 50 being recorded. Lastly, all bay systems had at least one foreign country in their database, highlighting the fact that angler origins are as diverse as the habitats along the Texas Coast.

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

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The Knot-2-Kinky hook guard.

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

F LY F I S H I N G

Weedless?

Fly-guides and anglers have debated for years whether a weed guard is a worthwhile addition to a fly. Many say that it is necessary when fishing shallow grassy flats or a mangrove shoreline while others argue that too many hooksets are missed because of weed guards. In fact, I know numerous guides that refer to weed guards as fish deflectors. As for my opinion on the subject, I believe that if you choose the right fly for the water you are fishing and that the fly is tied correctly, you should not need a weed guard much of the time. But what about the times when it is necessary?

Now before we get started, let me assure you that the best way to keep grass from fouling a fly is to make a perfect cast and have the fish immediately rush over and devour it. But, as we all know, none of us are that good.

In reality, I would argue that the best way to combat underwater vegetation and snags is tie on a fly that rides in hook up orientation. There are too many patterns in this category to name but I will throw a few at you regardless. First let us start with my absolute favorite of all time which is my Shrimp Slider. The Shrimp Slider is a pattern that I came up with years ago totally by 48 | August 2016

accident. And, if I remember right, I think I was trying to create a soft spoonfly out of rug yarn and the fly acted nothing like I thought it would. Instead of wobbling like a spoon it would dart side to side almost like a teenytiny jerkbait, which is pretty unique in regards to a fly.

However, that was far from the best part. The best thing about this fly is how remarkably weedless it is. Notice that I said weed-LESS and not weed-proof. Moving on, I want you all to remember that there is no such thing as a completely weed-proof fly.

Anyway, without getting too deep into the how-to-tie aspect of this fly, I will say that its unique construction enables it to literally climb over vegetation and snags and even seems to part and move through lighter-bladed grasses such as shoal grass and manatee grass. My guess is it is the combination of the wide body and a bent hook that provides this.

Another fly that works incredibly well in the grass and around snags is a light bonefish slider or a muddler tied to ride hook up. Again, the hook-rides-up aspect of these flies combined with a wide deer hair head seems to push the grass away from the hook point. The trick is to keep

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these flies light but not so light that they will not ride hook up. The trick to doing this is to use a light hook that the deer hair will be able to “flip” with Deer hair slider tied “hook up” to resist grass. very little weigh beneath the shank of the hook.

Then of course there is the good ol’ bendback fly. The bendback is a bucktail fly that is created by bending the hook shank near the eye and then tying the tail where it covers the hook-point.

And, not only is the bendback a very effective fly, it is ridiculously easy to tie making it must in every fly box.

Now let us move on to weed guards. Like I said before, anglers have a love-hate relationship with them in that most love to hate them. However, regardless of what I consider to be the best guides and anglers in this country have to say about them, I will tell you that they are, in fact, a necessary evil at times.

So over the years I have experimented with what I believe to be every conceivable type of weed guard that there is and have come to the conclusion that there is only one that should be considered. Imagine that, I have an opinion. Now that last sentence will most likely get a good chuckle from many of you, especially those who have spent time sharing a skiff with me or for even those of you who have been reading my stuff for a number of years. But, I can assure you that it is a very well-informed opinion.

As for the weed guard I speak of, it is a singlepost guard created by using a piece of light titanium wire. Now let me be frank, tying this guard into a fly pattern is a pain in the you-know-what, however, it seems to be the only weed guard I have ever fished that I feel has very little effect on the number of hookups we get but also significantly reduces the number of snags and grass-fouled flies.

So, have you ever heard the saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” Well, here is an example of an older dog teaching an old dog. I Sommerlatte’s shrimp slider. learned of this wire while having a discussion with friend Tom Horbey. I was explaining that I needed radius so that you can bend the wire. Then, once you secure it you to start filling my box with some snag-free flies for my Everglades must do so very, very tightly and then take a couple of wraps up the exploits and he asked if I had ever tried wire. I of course explained that post. Most important – you have to coat your finished head with I had but was not impressed. He then asked, “Did you use stainless epoxy. If you do not, the hard metal wire will be able to twist and turn wire or titanium?” I informed him that I had never seen titanium wire beneath the thread and can become twisted in such a manner that it and then proceeded to his closet where he rooted around for a bit does not protect the hook point. and produced a package. The name on the package was Knot 2 Kinky I hope this helps.

(18 lbs strength) and let me tell you, the product name is a perfect Until next month…be good and stuff like that. description. And, this is exactly what makes it difficult to incorporate into a fly but what also makes it the perfect material for a weed guard.

You see, the titanium is just stiff enough to push the fly away from Scott Sommerlatte is a full time fly fishing and light tackle guide, snags, yet flexible enough to fold out of the way and expose the hook freelance writer and photographer. point when a fish closes its mouth. The result is a remarkably high hookup ratio.

Telephone 979-415-4379 Email vssommerlatte@hotmail.com Now here are a couple of tips for tying in a Knot 2 Kinky weed Website www.mangrovefly.com guard. Number one is you need a pair of small tipped piers with no TSFMAG.com | 49

DAV E R O B E R T S

K AYA K F I S H I N G C H R O N I C LES

RIDE THE BULL I would guess that most people have fished in a tournament or at least been to a tournament weighin. The Lone Star Kayak Series is the biggest kayak tournament we have here in Texas with over 100 anglers that show up to fish each event. In addition, there are a few other smaller, local tournaments that average 2030 anglers and these are always a good time. Can you imagine going to the largest kayak tournament in the world and fishing against 800 other anglers?

Ride the Bull is the world’s largest kayak fishing tournament and is based out of Grand Isle, Louisiana.

Every year this event attracts a larger, record-breaking field of anglers. In 2015 they had more than 750 angler participants, from 23 states, some driving all the way across the country to compete in RTB. Tournament director, Rad Trascher, believes they could top 1000 kayak anglers in 2016. That’s a lot of plastic!

So what are you fishing for in the RTB? You guessed it, Bull Reds! During this time of the year, bull reds come through Caminada Pass for their annual spawning run to the gulf and this makes catching them both easy and fun.

The pass has long been known as an area to catch big reds year round so this makes the venue perfect for this 50 | August 2016

tournament. There is plenty of room for all contestants to scatter about the pass and an abundance of fish to catch.

What could be better?

The rules are pretty simple. You must fish from a paddle-craft, and apart from basic sportsmanship and signing a waiver, that’s about it! You can go about catching a bull any way you like, just as long as it is on rod and reel. You are allowed to use live or dead bait, or if you prefer, you can use artificial lures. The contestant who weighs in the largest red wins, only stipulation is that it has to be a minimum of 27” before it can hit the scales.

When that is the smallest fish you can enter, you know you are going to have a great time.

The RTB format includes several categories, all with cash prizes—individual, team, ladies, and juniors. The individual category is based on a single angler’s heaviest fish and the top 10 win cash. There are also prize packs distributed. If you are coming to RTB with a group of friends you can form a team and the team that catches the most bull reds will win a prize. They have just about everyone covered that will give them an opportunity to win something.

A few buddies and I went to RTB-5 two years ago

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and I cannot even begin to tell you how awesome it was. The previous year, they had 488 kayaks on the water and had all intentions on breaking that record during RTB-5. When we arrived at the captains meeting, the tournament director handed us the last of 600 shirts! He went on to inform us that people they didn’t even expect had been coming in steadily to register for the event.

The next morning we launched and got in the mix of all of the other kayakers. The tournament director was standing on a boat with a megaphone conducting the morning briefing in a sea of kayaks. He then told us that the final count was 733 paddlers, peddlers and paddle boarders!

After telling us that we had once again broken the record, he blew a horn and a frenzy of kayaks took off to their hopeful honey holes.

My buddies and I stuck together for the most part and tried our best to spread out and escape the crowd. Once we got to where we wanted to fish we anchored and got our rods ready. I threw a mixture of cut mullet and cracked crab and then kicked back and waited for my rod to bend.

The cool thing was in the lull periods I got to have conversations with other anglers that were near. I talked to local Louisiana guys and we swapped fishing lies about our home waters. I even met a few people from the east coast that drove down for the event, just to be a part of the world’s largest kayak tournament.

An event like this is what I love about the kayak community. We all come together with the same camaraderie to make these things happen; we all want to make this happen as one. Even though I did not catch a big bull red that day does not mean that I did not have a good time. It was worth the trip down to Grande Isle to be a part of the world’s largest kayak tournament. When on the water I never really got a good grasp on how many kayakers were around me. When I got on top of the bridge that crosses Caminada Pass is when the realization hit me of exactly how many kayaks were actually there! That aerial view is something that I will never forget.

Ride the Bull-7 is approaching and the expectations are even bigger than last year. The event will be held August 26-27 at Bridge Side Marina in Grand Isle, Louisiana. You can register at CalmWaterCharters.net and find other information on the site. I know we have a group of people going and I know a few others that will be there to represent Texas. My kayak is ready and it’s time to saddle up, I’m going to Ride the Bull!

Dave Roberts is an avid kayak-fishing enthusiast fishing primarily the inshore Upper Coast region with occasional adventures to surf and nearshore Gulf of Mexico.

Email: TexasKayakChronicles@yahoo.com Website: www.TexasKayakChronicles.com

TSFMAG.com | 51

Story by John Blaha | Photos by Lisa Laskowski

T S F M ag C on s e r v ation N e w s

St. Charles Bay

Oyster Reef Creation and Shoreline Stabilization Habitat restoration and creation is an important piece in the continuing efforts of CCA Texas to ensure that Texas’s coastal resources are healthy and available for generations to come. Habitat restoration and creation opportunities are executed in many different ways including oyster reef creation and restoration, marsh creation and protection, shoreline stabilization, and nearshore and offshore reefing. CCA Texas and its habitat program, Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT), work with several like organizations, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), and institutions such as Harte Research Institute to bring these projects to reality.

52 | August 2016

In May 2016, CCA Texas funded $75,000 for an oyster reef creation project in St. Charles Bay. This project will create 2,000 linear feet of oyster reef along the western shoreline. This shallow, subtidal oyster reef will be oriented parallel to the eroding marsh shoreline along the Big Tree Unit of Goose Island State Park. Oysters grow vertically into reefs that provide complex, threedimensional habitats for reef-dependent organisms including small fish and crustaceans. In turn, the organisms and crustaceans attract juvenile fish and larger crustaceans that use oyster reefs for foraging and predator refuge. With the presence of juvenile fish and larger

crustaceans, sportfish favorites such as speckled trout, redfish and flounder are then drawn in and create what will be an easily accessible fishing spot for local recreational anglers. An equally important benefit of this reef is that it will provide natural protection for coastal marsh habitat, benefitting a wide range of species that depend on coastal marsh for food and shelter, including shorebirds, water birds, and the endangered whooping crane. This area has lost two acres of marsh in the last 20 years and this project will provide a unique opportunity to restore oyster reef habitat in a way that will protect the marsh, enhance the estuarine ecosystem, and benefit sportfishing activities.

Still Plenty

of

Time

to

“Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the Harte Research Institute are excited to partner with CCA Texas on this important oyster reef restoration project in St. Charles Bay,” commented Jennifer Pollack, Assistant Professor of Marine Biology at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Jennifer continued, “The living shoreline will create fish habitat, enhance recreational fishing opportunities, and protect critical water bird habitat at Goose Island State Park.”

This new reef site will be created by using reclaimed oyster shells from Coastal Bend restaurants and seafood wholesalers. The proposed project will occur in two phases: 1) oyster shells will be deployed into the water along the 1-meter depth contour using barges and excavators into linear reefs with dimensions of 1 yard wide by 30 yards long by 0.3 yard high; 2) oyster shells will be bagged and deployed into the shallow subtidal area directly adjacent to the shoreline as part of community-based habitat restoration events. The end result will be newly created fish and crustacean habitat, increased oyster and finfish populations, eroding marsh habitat will now be protected and sportfishing will be benefited.

“CCA Texas’s Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow habitat program is excited to be a part of this project. As volunteers, it is exciting to see the monies raised by local chapters help create projects that will ensure our marine resources for future generations,” commented Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow Committee Chairman, Jay Gardner.

Gardner continued, “It is important for CCA Texas and other organizations to continue taking the lead in efforts such as this as development along the coast continues and the use of Texas coastal resources continues to grow at a rapid pace.”

Register

for

CCA STAR!

As we enter the final month of the 2016 CCA Texas STAR Tournament, with the story and asked where he should take it to be checked-in. coastal anglers are reminded that there is still plenty of time to At his brother-in-law’s advice Contreras proceeded to Roy’s Bait and register. Just ask last year’s fifth tagged redfish winner, Joe Contreras.

Tackle, official STAR weigh station on SPID in Corpus. A few days later With less than seventy-two hours remaining before the close of Joe passed his polygraph exam and became 2015’s fifth winner of a the 2015 event, Corpus Christi resident Joe Contreras made plans to loaded Ford F-150 Texas Edition XLT SuperCab, pulling a 23’ Haynie go fishing after work with a friend the Friday before Labor Day. After Big Foot rigged with a Mercury 150L Pro XS OptiMax and Coastline several hours waiting for his friend to get off work, the friend decided trailer prize package. not to go after all. Contreras was about to go back home, but then “Glad I went fishing that day!” Contreras says with a big smile. decided to check out the tide for bait. The finger mullet were abundant There have been a few tagged redfish caught so far this year, but along the shoreline so Joe caught some and went wade fishing. Two only one confirmed winner. At least 50 STAR-tagged redfish are hours of catching only ladyfish, he was down to his last bait. He was still swimming and four truck/boat/motor/trailer prize packages experiencing leg pain and decided this would be his last cast. are still available. The Texas Ford Dealers Redfish Division and STAR “I’m going to count to 300 – fish or no fish – I’m going home,” he Tournament continues until Labor Day, September 5 at 5:00 p.m. said to himself.

Still plenty of time to register for STAR — Don’t go fishing without it!

Between the leg pain and trying to count, Contreras wasn’t paying attention and suddenly realized his cork was gone. After a short fight he landed a nice red. The fish was covered with grass, but when he cleaned it off one piece remained. Taking a closer look he realized it wasn’t grass at all—a CCA STAR tag covered in moss! “I couldn’t Joe Contreras with his loaded 2015 Ford F-150 Texas Edition - XLT SuperCab, pulling a 23’ believe my eyes!”

Haynie Big Foot rigged with a Mercury 150L Pro XS OptiMax and Coastline trailer prize package.

Contreras phoned his brother-in-law TSFMAG.com | 53

One of our local plankton, Karenia brevis, off the shore of South Padre Island. K. brevis is most wellknown as the culprit of red tides. Photo credit: TPWD

STEPHANIE BOYD

F I S H Y FA C T S

Plankton

Ever look in a tide pool and think it’s just dead water?

Take a closer look. It’s probably teeming with millions of tiny plants and animals. Some of them you might see floating around if you scoop the water up in a jar. Others, you might need a microscope to see. Many of these tiny creatures are referred to as plankton. The name plankton is derived from the Greek planktos, meaning “wanderer” or “drifter.” Plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than any biological grouping. Any organism, freshwater or marine, that is nonmotile or too small or weak to swim actively against ocean currents is classified as plankton, a collective array that includes certain algae, bacteria, protozoans, crustaceans, mollusks, and coelenterates, and representatives from almost every other phylum of animals.

Planktonic organisms are part of the pelagic (water dwelling) division, distinguished from the benthic (bottom dwelling) division. They are the opposite of nektonic organisms, critters that are capable of swimming against a current, such as sharks, rays, seals, whales, etc. However, there is no defined speed at which an organism must swim to not be considered plankton, so a large gray area exists between planktonic and nektonic organisms. It doesn’t really matter though since these are just descriptive terms for life in the water.

Interestingly, some plankton can move several hundreds of feet vertically in a single day (or night), but it is their horizontal position, determined by the movement of the water, that classifies them as plankton.

54 | August 2016

Plankton are generally sub-categorized by one of three characteristics: size, life cycle mode, or method of obtaining nutrients. The size variance is wide, from thousandths of an inch to several feet in length (though most are less than an inch), and like the boundary between planktonic and nektonic, there are no sharp lines drawn between the size categories.

But in general… 1) megaplankton: mainly the large jellyfish and their relatives, the Portuguese man-o-war and the by-the-wind sailor; 2) macroplankton: 1 mm or more in length, can be collected with a coarse net, and morphological details of individual organisms are easily discernible, includes many copepods, amphipods, cumaceans, and arrow worms; 3) meroplankton: 0.2 to 20 mm in length; 4) micoplankton: also called net plankton because they can be collected by the finest cloth used for plankton nets, 0.05 to 1 mm in length, includes primarily eggs and larvae of invertebrates; 5) nanoplankton: also called dwarf plankton, less than 0.05 mm, includes unicellular animals that pass through nets; 6) picoplankton: 0.2 - 2 μm (micrometers - one thousandth of a millimeter, 0.001 mm, or about 0.000039 inch – the width of a single human hair ranges from approximately 10 to 200 μm); and 7) femtoplankton: less than 0.2 μm. As previously mentioned, these are not hard and fast lines of division. Some of these terms may have different boundaries in different situations or with different people, especially on the larger end. The existence and importance of nano and even smaller

5

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Go to www.sopadre.com for additional info.

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plankton was only discovered during the 1980s, but they are thought to make up the largest proportion of all plankton in number and diversity.

Life cycle mode divisions are pretty straightforward. If an organism spends its entire life as plankton, it’s classified as holoplankton. If it spends only part of its life as plankton, it’s classified as meroplankton. About 80 percent of benthic animals spend their larval stages as plankton, and almost every marine animal phylum has a meroplanktonic larval stage.

Like the size category, the consumption category is only semi-clear. The plant-like community of plankton (photosynthesizing for nutrients) is called phytoplankton, and the animal-like community (eating, at various trophic levels, for nutrients) is called zooplankton. Though convenient, this division is not without fault, for, strictly speaking, many planktonic organisms are neither clearly plant nor animal but are more aptly described as protists.

Phytoplankton comes from the Greek phyton, or plant. All phytoplankton use photosynthesis for energy, but some get additional energy by consuming other organisms. An adequate supply of nutrients, including carbon dioxide, in the sea enable phytoplankton and benthic algae to transform light energy from the sun into energyrich chemical components. Benthic algae are responsible for about 2 percent of this primary production. Phytoplankton contribute the other 98 percent. It is often mistakenly believed that tropical rain forests make most of the oxygen that we need to survive. But in fact, it is these microscopic phytoplankton, found near the surface of the ocean around the world, that are responsible for producing 80 percent of the oxygen on Earth. All other creatures in the ocean depend on phytoplankton directly or indirectly for food or oxygen.

The most common phytoplankton are diatoms and dinoflagellates. Diatoms are single-celled yellow algae whose cell walls contain silica, a glass-like substance. One half of the cell wall fits over the second half, like a lid. The name diatom actually means “cut in two” in Greek. There are many different kinds of diatoms, and they come in a variety of shapes, such as disks, needles, or linked together in chains. Diatoms are holoplanktonic.

When they die, they sink, the cell decomposes, and the cell wall breaks up and mixes with sand and mud. This combination makes a siliceous ooze called diatomaceous earth. Dinoflagellates are single-celled organisms with two tails, or flagella.

They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Some supplement their photosynthesized energy by wrapping themselves around food and absorbing 56 | August 2016

it. They are seasonally abundant and are one of the primary causes of red tides, seawater bioluminescence, and shellfish poisoning.

All algae are plankton. In fact, algae make up about 90 percent of plankton. Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, are also phytoplankton, although they are very unique. They photosynthesize, but some are also nitrogen fixers. They change free nitrogen into nitrates, which are used by both cyanobacteria and other plants in the ocean.

Zooplankton are the second step in phyoplankton-based food pyramids. Zooplankton comes from the Greek zoon, or animal.

Many zooplankton are herbivores on phytoplankton. Some small crustaceans, such as copepods and krill, are almost totally dependent on diatoms for food, so their population levels rise and fall with the diatom blooms. Crustaceans, particularly copepods, are the most important members of the zooplankton. They are the marine counterparts of insects, and the largest source of protein in the ocean.

There is a noticeable tendency for zooplankton to make daily vertical shifts. This migratory behavior fluctuates with stages in the life cycle, seasons of the year, latitude, meteorological conditions, and other variables. Generally, the plankton ascend toward the surface at sunset. When there is no moonlight or pier light left, some plankton descend back to the depths, only to approach the surface once again just before dawn. As the sun rises, all descend to their lower daytime level.

In addition to the broad producer and consumer groups in the plankton community, there are a couple recycler groups.

Bacteria and fungi found in water belong, by definition, to plankton, but because of special techniques required for sampling and identification, they usually are considered separately.

Bacterioplankton, consisting of bacteria and archaea, absorb nutrients dissolved in the water and remineralize organic material down the water column. Prokaryotic phytoplankton also double as bacterioplankton. Mycoplankton include fungi and fungi-like organisms and perform similar functions as the bacterioplankton.

Plankton are fascinating in their diversity of body designs, many made possible by the weightlessness of life in the ocean environment. Foraminifera are single-celled, shell-covered plankton, usually between a millimeter and a centimeter in diameter.

Depending on the species, the shell may be made of sand, calcite, or organic matter, and as they grow, they add chambers to their shells.

When foraminifera die, their shells sink to the ocean floor and break down. It is estimated that 30 percent of the ocean floor is made of the shells of foraminifera. Radiolarians are another tiny, shellcovered plankton. They make their shells with silica from the ocean.

Sometimes, they have long spines that radiate from holes in their shells, which help distribute weight over a large surface and slow the organism’s sinking. When radiolarians die, their shells also sink to the ocean floor. If enough shells sink together, the skeletal remains become sedimentary rock.

Plankton are the foundation of the oceanic food web and a unique ecological component of aquatic ecosystems. Water is the medium of aquatic ecosystems, just like air is the medium of terrestrial ones.

Finding the medium of an ecosystem saturated with life forms is not something we find on land (except during mosquito season). In the ocean, areas with plankton are like a nutritious soup, and many filter feeders simply scoop it up. This filter feeding mode isn’t really found

in terrestrial communities. Being the productive base of aquatic ecosystems, plankton are directly connected to the success of many fisheries. Fish rely on the density and distribution of zooplankton to match that of new larvae, which can otherwise starve. Plankton has only begun to be developed and utilized. Large-scale cultures of Chlorella, a green algae, have been found to be technically feasible, but the low degree of digestibility prevents practical use. However, other phytoplankton could be used in space travel as a source carbon dioxide absorption and oxygen production.

In the oceans, phytoplankton biomass appears to be sensitive to changes in sea surface temperatures, climate change, and ocean acidification. A study that examined records kept between 1899 and 2010 discovered that phytoplankton biomass declined by 1 percent per year in all but two of Earth’s 10 ocean basins, a cumulative loss of about 40 percent of all phytoplankton. This decrease was attributed to increases in sea surface temperatures occurring over the same period. Several other studies examining single species or specific regions of the oceans also report slow long-term declines in plankton. This is in contrast to rising levels of dissolved carbon dioxide. According to an article in 2007 by the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences, plankton actually increase their numbers in response to increasing levels of dissolved carbon dioxide.

However, this is creating another dilemma entirely. Phytoplankton are responsible for about 30 percent of Earth’s natural carbon dioxide processing; they absorb the carbon dioxide and release carbonic acid. As rising levels of carbon dioxide are absorbed by the phytoplankton, the oceans are becoming acidic. According to Professor Jean-Pierre Gattuso of the National Center for Scientific Research in France, the Arctic Ocean is becoming so acidic it will dissolve shells of sea creatures within 10 years. And a few years after that, the “No Swimming” signs will start appearing.

Where I learned about plankton, and you can too!

Woods Hold Oceanographic Institution www.whoi.edu/science/B/people/kamaral/plankton.html Plankton Chronicles planktonchronicles.org/en/ Ocean Facts, News & FAQ orma.com/sea-life/plankton-facts/ Science Daily www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071117121016.htm MarineBio.net www.marinebio.net/marinescience/03ecology/mlplankton.htm Plankton Portal www.planktonportal.org/#/science Nature Works www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep6d.htm Encyclopedia Britannica www.britannica.com/science/plankton Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plankton

TSFMAG.com | 57

Sawyer with one of many trout he caught on his birthday.

CURTISS CASH

I N S H O R E | N E A R S H O R E | J E T T I ES | P A SSES

SOMETIMES YOU JUST KNOW Sometimes you just know it when you see it. When you find the solution to a problem, a new trophy-catching lure, or even a new fishy area. It’s that moment when the proverbial light bulb comes on.

I first noticed the young angling prodigy two summers ago at Clark’s Marina. He hopped about the rotten dock boards dropping his hook near each piling. The pinfish were easily fooled by his stealthy approach and endless determination. His fishing prowess was impressive, but even more was his inquisitive nature.

I don’t believe he has ever met a stranger, his outgoing personality resonates through any crowd. As each boat pulls up to tie off he eases over to inspect their catch. He can identify all the fish easily and anyone could tell by the look on his face that he was “eat up” as they say, with a fishing addiction.

I caught his name, Sawyer, and after a couple of meetings, we were quick friends. I began to look forward to seeing his big smile as we pulled into Clark’s each Saturday. More often than not he was there to inspect the fish, ask questions and tell me about his latest big catch.

My wife recognized Sawyer‘s mother from their high 58 | August 2016

school years and their friendship picked up where it once left off. While I cleaned my parties catch of the day my wife, Meredith, would sit and visit Katie. Often I hear them laughing out loud during the telling of Sawyer’s

Rob Huron with a nice cobia caught on a recent nearshore trip.

latest adventures.

Recently Sawyer was a guest on my boat for the first time. His parents Katie and James brought him to the dock under the impression of seeing the boats.

It was his eighth birthday and he had no idea about our surprise outing.

With a quick once over for him to inspect the tackle and bait on hand we were off. He was quick to offer assistance at the wheel and intent on asking pertinent questions: where are we headed, which bait are we using, what will we be catching and, of course, how deep the water will be? We were all smiles as we made the short run to our destination.

Sawyer casts like a pro and picked up immediately on how to work the bait. Right away trout were coming to the net with Sawyer being quick to get the hook out and readied for the next cast. After a couple of hours he was fished out and with his limit of trout in the box we headed for the dock.

Easy to say it was the best fishing trip for me this year. I don’t know who had the bigger smile or was more pleased. Being with Sawyer that day brought back many memories from my youth. I have a feeling that we’ll learn a lot from each other in the years ahead. Hopefully we can make his birthday fishing trip an annual event.

The boys from “Gun Town” doubled up on a pair of quality kings.

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August Inshore August is easily the hottest month of the year for both temperature and fish catching. Most fish search out cooler temps the same as most humans. Up shallow early and headed deeper soon afterward is the everyday grind. There are always the exceptions though, when it comes to larger predators.

Often this month you can find individual trout over 25-inches and upper-slot reds in shallow depths. On or near hot mud bottoms with less than a foot of water. Why exactly they are there other than to feed I’m not sure but only speculate that being safe from predation is high on their list. The small non-navigable and mostly overlooked marsh tidal ponds are high on my list. Wading these areas is often difficult and the possibility of coming across snakes or gators is likely.

Targeting fish in these ponds is not easy, but neither is the passionate pursuit of most other trophies.

Many of these small waters hold an alpha fish that lingers on the outskirts of the big mullet schools lounging in the ponds. I approach these areas with the sun at my back and upwind if possible. Many times by surveying the water before casting makes the location of bigger fish apparent. If the mullet have not mucked up the whole pond, look to the edge of murky water adjacent to the clear. This is Jacks are always a possibility both inshore and nearshore during August.

Upper slot reds frequent shallow tidal ponds this month.

where the big ones often lie and wait. Many times their silhouette is all you’ll see, a ghostly outline blending with the bottom.

Smaller lures, 3-inches or less work well, think non-obtrusive, lightweight and quiet lures when selecting. I like a non-weighted soft plastic rigged weedless “Texas style.” A lure rigged this way spooks few fish with its quiet landing. It can be hopped slowly across the bottom or danced on top with the rod tip held high. These small ponds are out of the beaten path, good for both the fish and the angler.

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August Nearshore This is the month with the most species available in our nearshore waters. Many times the calmer weather conditions help with clearer waters and offshore currents push closer to the beachfront. Often true bluewater will be found within Texas state water boundaries.

My favorite method is trolling the green to bluewater color changes.

These current lines often hold sargassum or other debris to give away the most likely locations. Once found, put out a spread of kingfish trolling lures to cover the surface and below. Work the bluewater side slowly watching the surface for bait or floating debris to concentrate on.

Kingfish are the common target here, but don’t discount the possibility of sailfish. Sailfish school and follow preferred food sources like cigar minnows, ballyhoo and flying fish. Fishing a clear-water current change can bring out various catches. Dolphin, cobia, Spanish mackerel, barracuda and bonito can add to the excitement.

No matter where you fish this month, please be safe and consider the effects of outdoor heat and sun. Dehydration and heat exhaustion are very common on the water, remember to drink plenty of fluids and wear light-colored heat-dissipating clothing.

60 | August 2016

Capt. Curtiss Cash offers charters in the Port O’Connor area; specializing in fishing the bays, passes, jetties, surf and nearshore waters. Species targeted include speckled trout, redfish, flounder, tripletail, black drum, bull reds, sharks, snapper, kingfish, ling and tarpon, when seasonally available.

Phone

361-564-7032

Loren Hollen with a large bull shark – tag and release.

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

The Power of Conservation All around the globe marine resources reflect the impact of man. Fisheries of many species have declined to alarmingly low levels. Overfishing, both recreational and commercial, have diminished stocks that were once abundant and readily available to target. From the smallest crustaceans to the largest of game fish, especially sharks, nearly all species have taken a hit in some proportion. The role that the state of Texas (Texas Parks and Wildlife in particular) has taken in conserving and protecting our resources the last couple decades has produced a benchmark for other states to follow. Texas provides some of the best fresh and saltwater fishing available anywhere, along with world-class waterfowl and quail hunting. Many of us grew up learning and enjoying this outdoor way of life, and hope to see it conserved for future generations.

My entire life revolves around the water. The fascination and desire to be “part” of the water burns within me.

Having been acclimated into this outdoors lifestyle as a youngster, I have noticed and studied many things. I have encouraged conservation within the sharking community for well over a decade, but this is not the only area I have studied. Our flounder stocks, for example, have been Oz poses with a tag and release tiger.

62 | August 2016

all over the place. Through TPW’s implementation of seasonal closures on gigging and reducing bag limits for recreational and commercial fishermen across the board, flounder numbers have accomplished a marked rebound.

Gulf of Mexico red snapper are another species of great interest to me. It was not very long ago that federal fisheries managers declared snapper stocks to be seriously overfished. Extremely short seasons and reduced bag limits were implemented and in a very few years we are seeing what some are calling an overstock situation, at least from an angling viewpoint. On some offshore structure, snapper are now so numerous that is impossible to get a bait down to other bottom species.

Conservation is truly a power thing!

So, let’s now take a look at sharks. Sharks occupy a very important ecological niche in our oceans and no other aspect of sport fishing compares to the mystery and power of predatory giants on the end of your line. This is the second year in a row that our coast has been virtually clear of nuisance sargassum seaweed – an incredible boon to land-based shark angling. Perhaps as a direct result, the popularity of shark fishing in Texas has risen almost exponentially. There are currently more fishermen

Oz attempting to revive a large great hammer.

Fin clips taken from tag and release sharks for DNA research.

more and more are beginning to see the light and realize how important the release of every large breeder shark truly is. With illegal shark finning running rampant in the Gulf of Mexico, our sharks need more protection today than ever before.

I have a very good friend who killed giant sharks for decades, and recently changed his ways. He saw what others were doing and his comment was, “Today’s cameras can get you an incredible picture of you and your catch. A living shark is far more gratifying than any set of jaws.” I believe that if this iconic shark fisherman can change his ways there is hope for the rest!

For anyone desiring to learn more about shark research in Texas, visit Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation on Facebook or their website: sportfishcenter.org.

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than ever soaking baits and catching toothy creatures.

Many are participating in tag and release programs encouraged by National Marine Fisheries Service and organizations such as Harte Research Institute. It would be impossible to place a value on the data that is being gathered. Science owes a big thanks to people like us that participate. While at times they don’t express it as often or loudly as you might expect or hope, I personally, on behalf of the scientists, would like to thank every individual that willingly participates in the tagging and release of these magnificent creatures.

Due to the number of anglers currently fishing for sharks and the numbers being caught, an incredible amount of valuable data is being collected, yet all is not sunshine and flowers for our shark fishery. This year alone a large number of sharks have died, whether intentionally or unintentionally, through the actions of anglers.

With so many shark baits in the water these days, people will end up catching some large specimens. Unfortunately, at times, large specimens do not survive the release. Large great hammerheads are notorious for this as they essentially blow their heart out during the fight. This however is not something the angler deserves to be blamed for. Hammers are simply genetically disposed to fight to the death.

The odds of successfully releasing a hammer greater than ten feet in length are actually very small. I recently landed a massive greater with full intention to satellite tag and release, but the revival effort was not successful. It is very unfortunate when this happens, but it does happen. Anyone who participates in tag and release shark fishing either already knows this or needs to know this fact.

The individuals who regularly practice catch and release on sharks make up a huge percentage of anglers that target them. That alone is an amazing accomplishment for conservation. However, there is still a breed of anglers that grew up killing sharks (for trophy and meat) and continue to do so. To get to the point - this is practiced primarily on gulf piers which are currently overrun by sharkers.

My introduction to shark fishing many moons ago came on these same piers of the Coastal Bend and I have witnessed firsthand the mentality of the piers. Since before the 1950s, piers were the best known hangouts for shark anglers. Shark numbers were of no concern and were considered over abundant and dangerous to humans.

Thus, virtually ALL sharks landed in those days were killed. Most were jawed and moved to dumping grounds. In retrospect it was quite unfortunate, but it was the way it was done back then. To this day coastal restaurants and touristy establishments have faded photos of large sharks hanging alongside the piers. Historically, these images are incredible and important – if for no other reason than to demonstrate how far sport fishing has evolved.

Today, the gulf piers of the Coastal Bend remain the favored fishing grounds of shark slayers who have yet to evolve in sporting ethic. Even pier anglers intending to release large sharks are often unsuccessful, due to having to drag it all the way to the beach from the end of the pier. Social media has been blowing up with dead shark photos and this is not good for the sport, especially when some pier anglers engage in belittling anybody attempting to practice catch and release.

These are not bad people, they just have not caught up with the times. While the majority of these anglers are legally harvesting sharks, it all comes down to a moral issue. With a lot of bad press looming,

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

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NEW

TACKLE & GEAR

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Read your owner’s manual! Do no use E15 unless your engine is designed for it. If your engine can safely use E15, use Star Tron to ensure that it burns even cleaner while restoring lost power. Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment does more than “just stabilize.” It improves combustibility while treating debris and moisture in all fuel - E5, E10, E15 and Rec 90 ethanol-free gasoline.

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Huk Kryptek Carolina Blue Ghost Icon Long-Sleeve The Huk Performance Icon is one of the most popular fishing shirts available. When you wear this comfortable and rugged long-sleeve you’ll be wearing apparel that not only looks great but is built from state-of-the-art fabrics for protection against the elements.

Features include stain release technology that keeps blood, mud, or other substances from staining your shirt, and you’ll love the poly knit moisture transport technology.

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Gone Coastal Slam Pendant One-of-a-kind custom made sterling silver and black enamel Slam Pendant featuring redfish, speckled trout and flounder. www.GoneCoastalJewelry.com 64 | August 2016

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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

66 | August 2016

The catching on Sabine Lake still hasn’t improved to the point that I am in a rush to reschedule trips washed out since early spring. Not unlike the rest of the Texas coast, the heat has been a factor, but in addition to that we continue to weather fast-moving thunderstorms virtually every afternoon.

The rivers and bayous are still high and muddy but Sabine River Authority has helped our cause by releasing very little water out of Toledo Bend over the past three weeks. The north end of the lake has just been dead, but improved salinity levels will eventually jump start that bite.

It is not like you just cannot expect to catch trout right now, but to do that you are going to have to compete with the tightly-packed flotilla and most of those fish are in the 15 to 18 inch class. All of that is so foreign to the user-friendly bite that we normally experience this time of the year.

The ship channel south of the Causeway, Lighthouse Cove and the jetties are yielding the most consistent bite and, regardless of tide direction, late afternoon forays have produced the largest trout. A lot of that has to

do with the fact that the fishing pressure is lighter in the evenings.

When the wind allows, the lion’s share of trout over the five pound mark are coming off the jetties and the beach front. Usual Suspect swimbaits and five-inch paddletails like Assassin Die Dappers are good choices, but nothing has consistently outperformed a freelined live shrimp. The folks fishing the ship channel are currently doing better with both live shrimp and Live This nice redfish obviously made ten-year-old Micah’s day!

Target or Vudu shrimp imitations fished under a cork or bouncing fourinch tails like the MirrOlure Lil’ John off the shallow shell-covered breaks.

Easily the prettiest water in the entire lake is that stretch of real estate between Garrison’s Ridge and Willow Bayou due to the prevailing southeast wind. We have enjoyed a few very decent days in the company of both keeper-size trout and redfish chasing shrimp to the surface, but it has not been an everyday thing.

Not only does that area attract most of the folks that prefer to stay in the lake, but a significant portion of that water is covered up with more crab traps than ever before.

That has always been a problem around the mouths of bayous like Bridge Bayou, Willow, and Johnson, but the mine fields of floats now extend well out into the lake.

Regardless of wind direction and water clarity, virtually every trip starts with a swing across the north end of the lake to check out traditionally productive summer spots, but to no avail thus far. I hope to be there the day that bite kicks off as there is a massive amount of water that has had no fishing pressure at all in the past year. I truly believe that with just a little help from Mother Nature that bite may light off even before you read these words.

Looking for working gulls or banging the shoreline have been the most shared approaches, but we are also targeting isolated patches of shell in five to eight feet of water with success. The trout stacked up on this type of structure when salinity levels were low last year, and they are back.

To best exploit them, we are burying the Talon a long cast away and slowly crawling four-inch tails across the shell.

The strikes are invariably on the light side but you can usually go through a number of small keepers before the bite ends.

Booking fewer trips is tough on the bank account, but it has afforded me an opportunity to fish with a lot of local youngsters with no expectations any grander than getting the next bite. Rather than scout alone, I extend an invitation to join me for the day and we make the most of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a bite that I would never even consider calling a client to fish.

Every fish is a big deal, as is learning to cast, tying knots, selecting the right lure and learning the value of catch and release.

The fresh Simply exploring the ecosystem with these water hasn’t slowed the wide-eyed youngsters is pure adventure. big flounders Kids make every fishing trip a good one! down.

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Capt. Caleb Harp

The Buzz on Galveston Bay

Galveston

Capt. Caleb Harp has fished the Galveston Bay System since childhood and, now a charter captain and fishing guide, he uses his knowledge to enable clients to enjoy the excellent fishing the area offers. His specialty is the yeararound pursuit for trophy trout and redfish with artificial lures

Telephone 281-753-3378 Website harpsguideservice.com

68 | August 2016

The rivers are receding and the bay is turning greener by the day. I almost hate to say this – seems every time I do we get another flood. Trinity Bay is still very fresh, as is the back of East Bay from fresh water draining through the Needmore Diversion Channel and flowing down the ICW. All in all, though, the bay is looking awesome compared to this time last year. Tide coming up the Houston Ship Channel cleaned up a lot of the San Jacinto inflow, turning a muddy mess emerald green in a short span of time.

Earlier this summer I was concerned that tiderunner trout would not enter the bay because the bay was so fresh. We actually got very lucky with great incoming tides boosted by strong southerly wind and equally hard-running outgoing tides.

It surprised me how quickly the salinity began to recover and the tide-runners came right on in.

To me, the tide-runner influx is a godsend, and I will try to keep this in a nutshell.

Trout that would normally be found in Trinity Bay and upper portions of Galveston become displaced by fresh water from the Trinity and San Jacinto rivers. Trinity fish migrate south along the eastern shoreline and eventually round Smith

Point. Here they meet with East Bay fish fleeing the freshed-out eastern reaches of that system, and a stack up occurs on major reefs at the front of East Bay. The fishing becomes exceptional and a flotilla of boats descends upon them daily. You could almost term it a massacre.

When the salinity begins to recover, the trout naturally head back north, predominantly by way of the Ship Channel. Last year, the guys throwing live croaker between Ship Channel markers 40 and 72 just

Open-water schools of redfish are always an August highlight.

Watch for mud-boils!

smashed them every day. Some made it back to Trinity but the fishing there just never developed in late-August and into early-fall as we normally see it. There seemed a dramatic decline in the late-summer deep-water schooling and slicking pattern – it just never really happened. I wonder why?

Perhaps now you might understand why I view the tide-runners actually coming through the jetties this summer as a godsend. Many longtime guides and Galveston old salts are of the belief that without them the Trinity refugees would get hammered in even greater number. I have my fingers crossed that we will not witness an exact replay of what we saw last year in Trinity, come late-August and through September.

Now let’s have a look at patterns that hopefully will develop as the salinities recover across the bay system. Trinity Bay has been out of play all year but with green water coming up the Ship Channel it could be only a matter of a few weeks and she could be back in the game. Mid-bay gas wells will light up first – Sun Oil, Getty Oil and Exxon C-Lease. Each well has its own foundation pad that offers structure for attracting and holding bait and gamefish. Each pad is unique and your depth finder will pinpoint the humps and undulations to target. The angle of presentation is always critical at the wells – throwing up-current and working lures with the flow out-produces all other techniques combined – because trout always

2016-TX-TSL-MMSS-redfish.pdf

feed into the current. Attacking from the rear just isn’t very effective.

Current velocity will dictate jighead weight. Lighter is better, but you have to get it down to them. We sometimes find it necessary to go as heavy as 3/8 ounce when the current is ripping.

West Bay West Bay has become less consistent lately but should improve down towards San Luis Pass as more trout come in. Wade fishing sand flats and guts around Bird Island and the pass itself can be phenomenal with MirrOlure She Dogs and other high-pitched plugs when this happens. Redfish action has been and should remain steady on north shoreline grass beds and in the back lakes.

Weedless-rigged paddletails should be deadly – MirrOlure Marsh Minnows are some of the best.

An exceptional August speck – the kind we’ll be hoping for every day in the coming month!

East Bay East Bay is struggling in the wake of heavy pressure. You can definitely see the effect of anywhere from 20- to 60 boats on every reef daily for the past couple of months. Back in June you could drift any hard spot and get a quick limit.

You’re lucky now to get 20 on a full-day effort. It’ll get better as the bays continue to clean up and more tide-runners appear through the passes.

We’re shaping up nicely and the bite will soon be on in places we haven’t been able to fish for months. Hallelujah!

Tidal Surge joins Paul Brown at MirrOlure.

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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 matagordasunriselodge.com

70 | August 2016

August is often categorized as the “heat” of the summer. I kind of like it, though, especially on those almost windless days when “cold” fronts stall and the bay glasses. Every piece of water becomes a player; and, any captain loves the problem of “which way to go” when multiple options exist.

East Matagorda is a unique estuary and its takes time to learn its quirks and summer patterns. Often west winds blow early, then calm to nothing around mid-morning. That means the bay may be off-colored early, but patient anglers know in August the wind lays, the bay greens and Leaving the dock becomes streaky. early is standard By streaky, I mean procedure in August. streaks of green in

the middle of sandy green, perfect ambush areas for aggressive trout; and, large schools of redfish do circles in the bay and many times leave small slicks alerting their location on a falling tide.

We will take advantage of surf action every day that conditions allow.

Though the water may not be appealing to the eye, trout continue to eat in off-colored water. We manage to catch some nice boxes of fish by being patient and waiting for fish to slick late in the morning.

When the water gets this hot, most of the trout leave the shorelines in East Bay during the day. Right now, the best fish in East Bay are in the middle in about five feet of water and just off the dropoff for waders fishing mid-bay reefs. Here’s a little secret: when winds go calm and the surf gets flat, you can have all those reefs to yourself. Most anglers will be pointing their compasses toward the surf.

I have had some amazing days in East Bay while every other boat was in the surf. More often than not, when the surf is hot so is the bay.

While we are talking about the surf, the few days we have been able to fish the beach have been fabulous. I can’t remember the surf being as consistent. Four days in late June and early July were the best I have seen in 20 years. We caught fish everywhere we stopped.

Normally, when the surf clears you have about two days of good fishing, then mackerel, sharks, sometimes kingfish and bluefish move in to the first gut and send trout running for cover. All of the above showed their faces during the above-mentioned stretch, but the trout remained. I think it had to do with so many shrimp on the beach.

You know the shrimp are thick when you toss a topwater and hook a shrimp, multiple times, on the retrieve. So, when the surf goes flat in August, you can bet I will be there.

When not in the surf, I’ll wade West Bay as close to Pass Cavallo as I can get, especially on days with weak tides. Tides are going to be strongest around the pass, so maximize your opportunity by finding a prime piece of sand and grass where the current moves the most.

Toss topwaters early and don’t be bashful about sticking to the surface through the heat of the morning.

No, we don’t stay out and bake all day. We leave the dock about an hour earlier than normal and then hit the dock again before we roast, just in time for a cold glass of iced tea.

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Capt. Gary Gray

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

Port O'Connor Seadrift

Captain Gary Gray is a full time guide born and raised in Seadrift. He has been guiding in the Seadrift/ Port O’Connor area for 28 years. Gary specializes in wading for trout and redfish year round with artificial lures.

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

72 | August 2016

It is almost mid-July and I just got in from what I would call an easy trip to West Matagorda Bay. I say easy, meaning everything went as planned, or did it?

Normally by mid-July we are headed straight out Pass Cavallo or the Port O’Connor big jetties and running the surf until we see signs of fish – bait, birds, or both. But as my buddy David Denbow would say, “Not today, round eye!” A high pressure system is parked over Texas and for five days we have been battered by strong wind.

Sitting on the couch sipping coffee this morning, I began sifting a mental checklist to decide my game plan for the day. This has become standard procedure, waiting to see weather developments that may have occurred through the night, you simply cannot trust a weatherman nowadays. The wind at 3:30 AM was sustained at 18 and gusting to 27, just like I thought it would be.

With our gear stowed we headed through POC’s little jetty, planning to fish the protected south shoreline of West Matty. We have been finding quality trout in the many guts that parallel that shore. Lucky that I run a Shallow Sport X3 because we were running through some pretty sloppy chop created by the southwesterly wind. The X3 still Picking up a amazes me how it doesn’t pound flounder this size is a bonus on any in such conditions. The hull just fishing trip. somehow soaks up whatever Mother Nature can throw at it.

Arriving at the spot I wanted to fish I noticed the water color had changed from previous visits but the clarity was still decent. A good 45 minutes into our wade produced a pair of solid 3½-pound trout but, I just wasn’t feeling it. The bait was not active enough and it was really choppy wading from sand bar to sand bar. The waves were beating on us like a rough day in the surf. I told the guys and the little lady with them that I would

Chris Sellers showing off nice shallow water redfish.

get the boat and pick them up.

Lesson 1: Always pay attention to your surroundings. Walking to the boat I noticed a lot of mullet jumping closer to the shoreline. The first gut there is unusual in that it runs waist to armpit in depth with a sticky bottom. I picked the group up and upon receiving the news of my discovery they were gung ho to try it.

Pulling up at the bar, we hopped out and headed for the Promised Land. One of the guys hooked another 3½ right where the bar ends and mud starts. We kept heading downwind and I just happened to look back after many empty casts and noticed the mullet were still acting scared behind us, so I headed into the wind to check it out. Once I got within casting distance of the skittish bait I started getting bites and started catching an occasional nice trout and a lot of acceptable trout. I thought to myself there must be a large school of fish hanging around next to this sand bar.

Lesson 2: Share the wealth. I could have stayed there and caught fish for a long time but I had guys that wanted to catch fish and I don’t need the practice. My new plan would be to load everyone back up, take them farther upwind, and begin again. Perhaps the third time really is the charm. Within minutes we were on quality trout, steadily hooking up and several double-ups. I am lucky to have clients that trust my judgment. A crew that didn’t know me probably wouldn’t have been as eager.

When a commercial crabber worked in a little too close and the fish shut down, I loaded them up and headed to a very similar bar and gut structure a short distance away and we walked right into a duplicate bite. They ended with limits of nice trout.

Lesson 3: This is what bass fishermen call a pattern or patterning the fish. As a guide I try to decipher what the pattern of the day is but it is something you as an individual angler should also incorporate into your daily game plan.

You might be wondering what the secret lure of the day was. Well, I hate that it was not really all that secret. I started the day using a 5” Bass Assassin Saltwater Shad but was getting too many short strikes, so I switched to the 4” Sea Shad and that sealed the deal. I had one guy throwing a red-white paddletail.

Looks as though I will be running this same game plan as long as the wind continues. But, if the wind ever gives us a break, look for me to be pointing the bow of the X3 toward the surf or offshore, every opportunity I get.

Fish hard, fish smart!

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david rowsey

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

Upper Laguna/ Baffin

David Rowsey has 20 years experience in the Laguna/ Baffin region; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty.

David has a great passion for conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish.

Telephone 361-960-0340 Website www.DavidRowsey.com Email david.rowsey@yahoo.com

74 | August 2016

It is downright stifling outside. The humidity only intensifies the heat and I am finding our wades ranging a little deeper each day to escape it. Lots of bottled water and a Propel drink are a must for me between wades. Keeping a cotton towel in the ice chest to wipe the face and drape around your neck is a trick I use a lot to keep the core temperature from spiking. Another trick is to pull the drain plug on the ice chest and let the ice-cold water run across your feet – throwing a few handfuls on your head and face helps, too. These may seem silly but I have had the unfortunate displeasure of overheating in the past and these little tricks, absolutely, keep the heat beaten back.

It’s no secret that August is one of the toughest months of the year to be comfortable on the water – and to be humbled by the fish gods. As a diehard lure guide/fisherman I have learned over the years to keep my expectations in check and go with whatever fish are available to make the day enjoyable. We are still going to get our trout bite early in the day, but the bite is rarely prolonged as the sun begins to climb. Many of my clients know that I am willing to leave the wading depths when necessary, deploy the

Motor Guide trolling motor, and do some deep-water “rock hopping.”

Fishing rocks in 5- to 7-feet of water can be quite effective during the dog days. Almost every visible rock formation will produce at least one bite and sometimes many more. Of course, baitfish presence (mullet) always increases your odds when you find them schooling on the tops of rocks, in fear of what is going to eat them down below.

Another favorite pattern while out on the deep structure, and don’t laugh, is finding schools of drum.

Yes, black drum!

Now before y’all think I have lost my mind and trying to sell drum charters with topwaters…just hear me out. At some point over the years, quite a ways back, I accidentally mistook a school of black drum for a school of redfish. As I cruised in to “crush” them, I couldn’t get a single bite from one of those “schooling reds” but the pesky trout were constantly hitting my lure in the process.

Every time I got a hit, I would set the hook thinking it was surely a red, only to discover another trout.

After landing maybe ten or so I finally got the redfish bite I was looking for, and it was a rodbender. The fish

looked to be fully 30-inches from a distance but, when I got it to the boat, I realized she was a big trout!

Call it a light bulb moment. As the sun rose higher I realized that I was chasing drum instead of reds, but the whole time I continued to catch trout, some big, some small. I finally figured out that these Ol’ Wily Coyote trout were letting the drum do all the heavy work Michael Fry popped this long trout in a shallow pothole on the Kennedy Shoreline with a 5-inch Bass Assassin. CPR!

by scaring the bait in their path out to the edges of the school. The trout were just cruising the fringes, gorging on the free buffet the drum provided.

Over the years I have utilized this strategy many, many times with great success. In August 2007 I used it to win the Baffin Troutmasters and Angler of the Year for the series. As much as I love to wade, I never got my feet wet that day, and caught trout to 30-inches while letting the black drum “guide” me to the winning fish.

On a side note: If you accidentally catch a black drum, you don’t have to tell anyone. Just eat the evidence. They are delicious.

August lure choices: The topwater bite has been good in the early morning when you can find the mullet rafted up. The flats on the south shoreline of Baffin have been loaded for this early morning action. Once the sun comes up the bait will start dropping below the surface pretty quickly. When this takes place, it’s all about the 5” Bass Assassin for the rest of the day. I have extreme confidence in this lure to keep the bites coming throughout the day. The higher the sun rises and the heat increases, we are progressing out to deeper wades to keep the action going.

This same pattern will likely continue throughout the month and on into September.

Remember the buffalo! -Capt. David Rowsey

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Wayne Davis

WAYNE’S Mansfield Report

Port Mansfield

Captain Wayne Davis has been fishing the Lower Laguna-Port Mansfield for over 20 years. He specializes in wade fishing with lures.

Telephone 210-287-3877 Email captwayne@kwigglers.com

Editor’s Note: Capt. Tricia Whitley’s association with this publication began in 2003, the same year she hung her shingle as a fishing guide for hire. More than a regular contributor, Tricia has become a great friend to Pam and me and we have shared many enjoyable days wading the Lower Laguna. It is rare when we are afforded the opportunity to handpick our successors in whatever endeavors we pursue, and quite gratifying when we are able to accomplish it. When Tricia and I discussed her intention to restructure and adjust the focus of her guiding services (and the future of this column – monthly writing chores do grow tiresome), she recommended that I consider inviting Capt. Wayne Davis to join the team as our Port Mansfield correspondent. Her professional association and friendship with Wayne suggests admiration and respect for his character and reputation in the fishing community and I share the opinion. Please welcome Capt. Wayne to the TSFMag team. -EJ From Capt. Wayne Davis: It is my honor and privilege to be presented the opportunity to fill, or attempt to fill, the shoes of a well-respected Lower Laguna angler and fishing guide in this column. I have enjoyed Capt. Tricia’s friendship more than 10 years, running charters together

and confidentially sharing fishing information. An artificial lure purist, Tricia has built a successful fishing business in a highly-competitive and traditionally maledominated market – wonderful testament to her courage and tenacious spirit. Tricia’s guiding and angling skill in all seasons and water conditions is widely revered – ask any who have fished alongside or competed against her. Her impressive record of Port Mansfield tournament wins has been the envy of many Lower Laguna guides and she remains a very serious threat in any event she enters. Tricia’s passion in guiding has evolved to focusing on trophy trout charters during cooler seasons with longtime clients and others seeking the thrill of “lifetime” fish. Summertime will be more laidback, still running what she calls her “fun charters” but on a less aggressive schedule. I am humbled that she recommends me to carry the torch and will strive to meet her standards of sportsmanship and stewardship while keeping readers informed of angling conditions and opportunity in the Port Mansfield region.

And now for some Port Mansfield fishing news…

With water levels averaging higher than normal we have been fishing flats adjacent to the ICW. The flats

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I refer to are specific, not more than 100 yards wide but they vary in length, some as long as 1000 yards. The fish have been in grass more than sand bottom and a slow-worked paddletail or Ball Tail Shad over the grass will provoke strikes.

On windier days, when the water tends to become somewhat murky, the 4-inch paddletail has clearly been the more effective lure.

Short bursts of movement with the rod during the retrieve creates “vibration” from the paddletail that seems to entice trout, reds and flounder to strike when they would pay less attention to other lures.

Many good fish have found their way to our stringers utilizing this method and should continue to work as long as the water level does not fall out – which is actually due any day now.

Barring tropical storm activity, August will bring us lower water levels and calm wind that could extend well into mid-morning, but by noon we should be seeing the common 10-15 mph SE breezes coming up. This time of year you can get an early morning bite with small topwaters but you will have to move out to deeper water once the sun rises and begins warming the shallows.

Moving to waist-deep water, I prefer throwing Ball Tail Shads on 1/8 ounce, 2/0 short shank jigheads. With August’s water temperatures running very warm I find that slowly bouncing it on or near the bottom works best. If I am fishing deep grass I will try to let it drop deep and tickle the tips of the grass blades. Feeding activity this time of year typically occurs over deep grass beds more often than cleaner bottoms.

Another area of interest this time of year is the East Cut when the tide is moving, especially outgoing. Consider fishing near the drains where currents are concentrated. This outgoing tide movement pulls small baitfish from ultra-shallow areas and larger gamefish will be waiting just on the outside break. You may consider a heavier jighead such as 1/4 ounce to help keep your lure in the strike zone.

I am looking forward to fall already and you can expect pods if not small schools of reds to be forming. I will admit redfish have been challenging to locate lately but I am optimistic we will see a comeback.

Until then stay safe and be courteous to your fellow anglers.

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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

Hot…too hot! That’s the way it’s been down here lately, and the water’s mighty hot, too.

Sunrise water temps have been running 81⁰ to 84⁰ depending upon the depth where you check it and also the distance from Brazos Santiago Pass – gulf water is much cooler. During afternoon I’ve seen it reach as high as 91⁰. I wish the fishing was as hot.

We have had a few outstanding days and in general the action has been decent for this time of year. Our slower days have come during wind extremes – like, slick-calm and gale force. We have had to revise our normal summertime strategies since the heat set in and high wind became a daily nuisance.

I like to call it finesse fishing – selecting fishing locations based upon the tide movements, bait presence, water temperature and water clarity. If everything looks “fishy” we give it a good effort with the attitude that the fish are here, we just have to wait for them to feed. We might dedicate up to three hours methodically working an area of only an acre or two.

The best feeding activity has been happening when we have good tide movement. You can still catch fish when the current is weak but you really have to slow down and work for them. As if the heat and high wind

were not enough, weaker tidal flows through much of the daylight period has been another factor. Study your tide charts. Two-tide days as we see heading into new and full moon, typically give us strong tidal currents during the daylight hours while four-tide days of the quarter moon periods tend to be much weaker.

Finding redfish has been slightly easier than during June but still not up to par. A few schools have appeared in normal summertime areas but even these are arriving a full month later than normal. Topwater Pam Johnson managed this snook on a tough day.

Seeking Bids for Kenedy Ranch Fishing Cabin Lease The Kenedy Memorial Foundation (KMF) Ranch is taking bids for the right to construct a fishing cabin and acquire a hunting lease on up to 35,000 acres of private, KMF mudflats lands west of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from north of El Toro Island south to Gladys Hole.

The winning bidder will be able to select the lease acreage and location of the cabin.

In addition to some of the best fishing in South Texas, wildlife crossing spoil islands in KMF’s mudflats include nilgai, white-tail deer, and water fowl. Access to the leased acreage will be provided through the KMF Ranch along with the use of a KMF boat ramp located in a channel north of Gladys Hole. The deadline to submit bids is August 31, 2016. For information on how to submit a bid, visit KMF’s website at: www.kenedy.org

78 | August 2016

bites have been surprisingly few and I’m not sure why. Maybe increased boat traffic? K-Wiggler Ball Tails get it done when the reds refuse surface plugs, plum-chartreuse on 1/8 ounce heads are hard to beat.

On the speckled side of things, our trout fishing remains strong. Lots of little ones but also enough good ones to keep it interesting. Most of our trout are coming off sandy bottoms in waist-deep pockets. The bite is strongest when mullet are present and active on the surface. For the most part we have not been seeing redfish hanging out with the trout.

Maybe a red or two here and there mixed with trout but certainly not as common as we are accustomed. Slicks during “moving tides” in early morning and late evening have been very reliable indicators. Look for trout to concentrate along ICW ledges and drop-offs when tides are low and temperatures rise.

August patterns will be almost identical to July. It’s equally as hot, and tides will again run strongest during darkness and twilight hours, unless a tropical weather system appears in the gulf and then all bets are off. Even small tropical depressions can send tide levels and current much higher and stronger than normal. I believe these higher “flushing” tides are good for our bays in a general sense but they definitely scatter fish. Late-August is the beginning of our rainy season and fresh water reaching the bays is another long term positive. Hopefully some cloud cover will provide relief from this heat.

The number of flounder we find by accident on nearly every charter is impressive. You can now actually target flounder and be pretty successful, which is something I could not say four or five years ago.

Even the smallest of guts between spoils have been holding good numbers of flatties. The edges of the ICW and old oilfield cuts have also been producing well. I expect flounder fishing will get even better as fall approaches.

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Snook fishing is another bright spot when compared to the last two years. This is only a personal theory but I believe the bountiful rainfall over the past year and a half deserves most of the credit for the rebound.

Feisty linesiders have been putting lots of smiles on my client’s faces. The good news is that we release all our snook to give another angler the thrill of landing one.

In closing I want to give an update on my Catch & Release Incentive Program. Since launching in February, my clients and I have released 556 legal (keeper-size) fish – trout, reds, flounder and snook. I want to thank all my sponsors for their continued support in providing the incentive prizes: Fishing Tackle Unlimited, Shallow Sport Boats, Simms Fishing Products and Costa Del Mar.

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TSFMAG.com | 79

1/12/16 10:10 AM

FISHING REPORTS

Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 Fishing has been excellent over the last month. We are looking forward to fishing the months of July and August due to improving water conditions. We are finally getting rid of the freshwater. Trout are being caught throughout the estuary. August is a great month to look toward the Gulf for trout. Nearshore platforms, the surf, and the jetties will be on fire. Other places to try will be the ship channel and any flats adjacent to deep water. Trout will readily take topwaters on these flats early in the morning and then slip off the flats into deeper water as the sun gets higher and water temperatures rise. Redfish will be plentiful. Look for them to be shallow in marsh ponds. Look for grassy ponds with heavy vegetation on incoming tides, and toward the mouths of those ponds on outgoing tides. Sight-fishing in our area will be at its best from now until November. Reds will also school in the middle of Calcasieu Lake.

These fish are easy to spot under birds or slicks. Often, the trick is to have a trolling motor fast enough to keep up with them.

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James sees some changes happening in the Galveston fishery lately, most of them related to the improving freshwater runoff situation. “The fish stacked up again in East Bay, kinda like they did last year, but it’s never been quite as easy, and I see evidence that the fish are starting to

80 | August 2016

ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

spread out and head north again. Fishing at the jetties has been good at times. If we get some calm winds, I expect to see a run of catching lots of trout and big ones out there. Areas in Lower Galveston Bay are producing quite a few trout lately, mostly around abandoned well pads and other structures along the channel. Most of the water is ugly right now, with a layer of freshwater layering over the greener salty water. I’ve been doing best on rat-tailed soft plastics, which seem to sink faster and stay down where the fish are. Several areas around Bolivar are holding big schools of reds. Finding them in the dirty water can be tough, since it’s hard to see the mud stirs. Things should only improve in August. We’ll be slick hopping and fishing out of the boat, mostly.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 Fishing has been good when the weather’s right, Jim says. “We’re catching a lot of solid trout, nothing real big. Most of the catching has been done out in the middle around the shell humps. Lots of people are fishing that pattern, because the fish have been stacked up due to the freshwater. We’re starting to get more salty water in the bays again, and the fish are starting to show up in some other places on a regular basis.

We had a good topwater bite on the shoreline for a couple days last week, catching very few throwbacks and lots of two and three pound trout. Since then, the tide pulled out really low, and the fish moved back out into deeper water. Once they move out in the middle, we have to go back to looking for slicks and mud stirs to locate ‘em. Often, when

we find the big mud boils out around the reefs, we will find schools of redfish, sometimes big ones. For some people, catching a bunch of those is fun. We’ve also got a few birds working, and that makes for some easy fishing out in the deeper water at times too.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 “As long as we have a southeast set in the wind, the water stays in good shape and the catching is pretty easy,” Randall says. “When the water stays salty and green all over the place, we’ll catch plenty of trout and redfish, either along the beachfront, in the surf, or in the back bays. We have the best luck when tides are moving, particularly on early-morning incoming tides this time of year. When tides fall slack, I often spend time fishing areas close to the ICW, because the water does tend to keep moving there a bit better than in other areas. Best lures lately have been Norton Sand Eels in colors like chicken on a chain. Topwater bite is also generally good this time of year, on lures like pink Skitterwalks. Calmer days with higher tides tend to elevate the potential for catching fish on top. Of course, south and southwest winds make things tougher around here, especially with all the dirty water still flowing out of the mouth of the Brazos River. I do expect August to be good. Light winds and hot water make for predictable catching.”

Matagorda | Charlie Paradoski Bay Guide Service - 713.725.2401 Both East and West Matador Bays are full of fish, and the fishing has been really good lately, according to Charlie. “This is the prime time of year to fish in the surf. We’ve had limits of trout on the beach several days in a row when conditions are right. Out there, One Knockers are working best. On the good days, we really don’t need anything else.

On a few days, we wind up throwing soft plastics for a while to reach our limits. Really, the catching is all related to the weather.

Wading is generally better than boat fishing in August. Wading allows us to stay right close to the structures that hold fish, and also to fish closer to protected shorelines when it’s windy. It’s also easier to function when we’re out in the surf. If winds are pretty light and people don’t want to wade, we can catch good numbers of trout in East Bay. It’s holding trout, we just need the right weather days to make it work right when fishing out of the boat. This month can be good for reds too, especially in West Bay, if tides get really low and isolate the fish in the guts.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 We are still dealing with high levels of freshwater runoff from the Colorado and Tres Palacios Rivers. The rains have pushed all our fish out to the wells and deep reefs in the saltier waters of West Matagorda Bay. We have been working the wells with free-lined shrimp and paddle tails in dark colors. Some days they hammer the soft plastics and just about knock the rod out of your hands, but on other days you’ll feel just a light tick and know you got one on. Another downer with all the freshwater is the lack of triple tail; they have been few and far between in the bay, but I have heard some good near shore reports from the Gulf. In August, we should begin seeing the redfish gathering in large schools, provided we don’t get more heavy rains. When searching for them, be on the lookout for egrets roaming along area shorelines. They are often following the feeding schools. The surf should still be good as well. Since winds are usually light, August is a great month to give the beachfront a shot.

TSFMAG.com | 81

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 In the hot summer weather, Lynn likes to spend as much time at the beach as possible. “We’ll be fishing the surf as much as we can. Top waters work well in the first gut early in the morning along the beachfront. Once the sun gets higher, we like to switch over to Mirrors like the old 51 and 52M, which sink pretty fast and work well in the deeper guts. We also throw a lot of soft plastics later in the day for the trout, once they move deeper, like Kelly Wigglers and Gambler Flapping’ Shads. Usually, we’re able to limit on trout pretty early, then target reds by moving back to the first gut. They tend to stay shallow longer than the trout, and seem a bit easier to catch once the specks move out of the way. When we aren’t fishing the surf, we’ll be targeting areas close to the surf, working shallow flats close to deep water early in the morning, especially when tides are coming in. As with areas along the beach, we like to use top waters first, staying shallow around sandy pockets in the grass, then move to deeper potholes with soft plastics later.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Blake expects to continue fishing in the surf this month, when calm conditions allow. “Fishing out along the beachfront has been really good lately, when winds are light. I’ll continue to head out there every chance I get during August. The fishing for trout has been really good lately.

When it’s calm, we can park close to the beach and catch a bunch of fish up shallow, where we can see the bars and guts well. When fishing in the bays, we’ve been using croaks some, when conditions are marginal, but on lots of days, lures like fire tiger Bass Assassins and chrome top waters are catching plenty of fish. Fishing for redfish has been a bit slower lately, but August is the month when they typically start schooling up

82 | August 2016

and moving toward the passes. Since the water is pretty fresh and ugly in the upper reaches of our bays with the continued run off, targeting the schools of reds in areas of Corpus and Arkansas Bays close to the channel should be a good idea this month. Overall, conditions and fishing have been well above average.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 I’m really excited about how the water clarity has improved in our part of the Laguna Madre over the last couple of months. The fishing continues productive, with good numbers of trout and redfish, with an occasional flounder. Baffin Bay continues to produce many trout between eighteen to twenty five inches, and they are looking healthy. Almost all the redfish we’ve been catching have been slot-sized with an occasional over-sized.

I’ve spotted a few schools of redfish along the edges of some of the spoil islands. When you find them, get upwind and use the trolling motor or drift to approach the school so as to not spook them. Use your favorite Bass Assassin Die Dapper rigged on an eighth-ounce Spring Lock bighead or a half-ounce weedless gold spoon. Free lining croaks along grass edges and potholes continues to be very productive for trout, redfish and flounder. Good numbers of redfish and black drum have finally moved up into ultra-shallow water and they get your adrenaline going with shrimp flavored Fish Bites.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 The blazing hot air and bright blue skies of August provide excellent opportunity for hunting redfish in the clear waters of the Upper Laguna Madre and Corpus Christi Bay, Joe says. “Normally, the reds will pull up close to the spoil islands in the Laguna Madre, or move a ways up onto the flats late at night and into the early morning hours, when the water is at its coolest point. Later in the morning, as the sun gets higher, they will move off the shallow areas and begin roaming around in the deeper

water. As long as the water and the sky are clear, and some wind is blowing, it is still possible to see the schools in the deeper water. They look like reddish brown blobs, lighter than the dark green grass on the bottom. When a school is spotted, it pays to determine which direction they are moving, then work the boat well around and upwind of the fish on the big motor. Once in place, use the trolling motor to sneak into their path, remaining ready to cast. Using fairly stiff rods and reels which hold plenty of line helps in battling the brutes.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins What a roller coaster of surf conditions! Incredible rainfall and freshwater inflow from rivers reaching PINS beaches resulted in cold, dirty water and upwelling for the start of summer. Even though surf sea trout action is reported stellar further north, the conditions on PINS totally squelched it. I expect all manner of crazy action as our surf zone clears and warms.

Dusky anchovies should appear closer to the beach. Follow the birds and you could find anything from trout to tarpon to sharks. Schools of slot redfish should be swimming in the guts and will readily hit spoons.

Spanish mackerel and skip jack should be abundant on spoons as well.

Jacks will be further offshore but may make their way in closer to feed on the bait balls. Shark fishing will remain fairly slow with the exception of the occasional big shark overnight. Now is a great time to practice with the fly rod for the winds should remain calm. If you are lucky, you may get into tarpon and they are often a sucker for a fly. Beware of stingrays in the shallows!

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 Plenty of trout being caught, mostly nice keepers. Lures and natural baits are both producing well most days. We are seeing a fair number of trout over 25 inches and an increasing number of anglers releasing

them! We are catching knee-deep at first light with top waters – Spook Juniors and One Knockers. As the surface action plays out, we have been moving belly-deep and deeper, keying on grass beds with potholes.

K-Wiggler Ball Tail Shads on eighth-ounce heads are our go-to lures. Red fish have been a challenge, rather scarce on the flats. Deeper grass beds around the Pipeline and Weather Station have been holding scattered reds; drifting is usually more productive than wading as you can cover more water. These fish will sometimes take a top water, but weedless spoons are a better bet. The East Cut jetties are holding good numbers of Spanish mackerel and kings, plenty of jack fish and sharks too.

Depending on the tide movement, tarpon can sometimes be spotted rolling on the surface at the ends of both lines of rocks.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty – www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 Fishing has been very good when we have some wind. A recent trip netted eighteen slot reds and many trout, though not all keepers. We’re having all kinds of luck, even in heavy wind, making for very muddy conditions, throwing FP3s and Cajun Thunder with Berkeley Gulp! three-inch shrimp. On days where there is no wind, we are managing to limit on trout with the same set up, but only catching around three reds. This is not unusual for summer months, but this year it seems to be even harder to find redfish, due mostly to high boat traffic. Freddy says, “You need to fish early mornings or late afternoons to avoid the crowds. Unfortunately, every morning a number of boats will burn your drift right off the bat, simply driving to their spot, regardless of well, anything! So, you just have to stick to the plan or try fishing a little deeper water.” Summer crowds are a fact of life on the Lower Laguna Madre. Luckily there are lots of flounder around to make up for the lack of redfish. Stop open bay dredge disposal!

TSFMAG.com | 83

Rolando Gonzalez Port Mansfield - 40” black drum

Sandra Hanzik Offshore - first keeper ling

Lauren Morgan East Galveston Bay - first big redfish!

Samuel Patterson Bacliff - 20 lb first jack crevalle!

David Turner Sabine Pass - redfish 84 | August 2016

Tami Pausewang Gulf Cut - first flounder!

Paige Porter Upper Laguna - 8lb red

Chelsi Valden 39” first redfish!

Hayley Blanchard Matagorda - 27” first solo red drum!

Nathan Barnett Packery Channel - 40” 32 lb red

Lynn Webster 26” 6 lb trout

John Trevino 30 mile marker - 23” redfish

Jim Arnold Freeport Marsh - 29” red CPR

Mike Kolb Destin Pass - redfish

Larry Bell Aransas Pass - 28.5” 10 lb red

TSFMag

Catch of the Month &

Silverstar Fishing Jewelry

Photo Contest Sponsored by Mike Mackey & Matt Boettcher Port O’Connor - 7’ 200 lb tarpon CPR Jackie Holman Bolivar Peninsula - 39” red

Beginning with the November 2015 issue, Silverstar Fishing Jewelry will be sponsoring a brand new photo contest. Winners will receive a beautiful 1-inch diameter custom-designed sterling silver pendant that would look great worn on a neck-chain.

Contest Rules Miles Walthall 27.75” personal best kayak slot red!

Grant Schramm 28” 8 lb trout

1. Only current magazine subscribers, their dependents, and members of household are eligible to win.

2. One winner each month selected by TSFMag for photo quality and content.

3. Single-fish photos only, please. We do not publish multiple-fish images or stringer shots. Photos are judged for display of sporting ethics and conservation.

4. Send entries to photos@tsfmag.com **Photo entries must be submitted electronically— prints cannot be accepted. All images submitted to Catch of the Month become property of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

AUGUST WINNER

Robert Hooker West Galveston Bay - red

Leroy Radtke Bob Hall Pier - 39” first bull red!

Michael Pope - Galveston Hope Slaughter - Copano Bay Noah Smith - Sargent 38” personal best red! 50+” personal best black drum! 45” black drum CPR

Paulette Landry

East Bay - redfish TSFMAG.com | 85

Pam Johnson

Gulf Coast

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

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

Avocado-Panko Fish Fillets INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

6 fresh fish fillets (medium-size speckled trout or small redfish) 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp mayonnaise 1 large or 2 small ripe avocados 6 Tbsp panko bread crumbs 1/2 tsp paprika (hot Hungarian for kick or regular for mild)

I use a 10x14 All Clad Baking pan, or you can use a glass baking dish. Thin metal baking sheet is not recommended. No preparation of pan required.

86 | August 2016

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Fillet preparation – remove any blood line. Rinse fillets and pat dry.

Place fillets in baking pan or dish, season with salt and pepper, both sides. Rub with olive oil, both sides. Place one teaspoon of mayo on each fillet and spread evenly – top side only.

Cut avocado in thin to medium slices and put 2-3 slices on each filet. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp panko bread crumbs on top of each fillet and then a dash of paprika. Place in oven at 475 and bake until fillets flake easily – approximately 9-11 minutes depending on thickness.

This recipe goes well with a variety of side dishes. Broiled tomatoes, a nice salad and a piece of garlic bread make an awesome meal.

IMPORTANT: This dish is so easy and tastes so good you will want to have a little bit of flour handy, not for the recipe -- to sprinkle on your face so it will look like you worked real hard.

Many thanks to Charlotte Fontenot of Port Bolivar, TX for sharing this recipe. We loved it!

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18 Acres of Towable RVs Indoor Showroom Hwy 6 in Alvin, TX CONTACT Brent Garrison 281-303-1095

TSFMAG.com | 87

CHRIS MAPP

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

Preventing Outboard Cooling System Woes Chris Mapp, owner of Coastal Bend Marine.

Evinrude, Suzuki, Yamaha, Mercury, Honda, BlueWave, SilverWave, Shallow Stalker Boats, Coastline Trailers, Minnkota & Motor Guide Trolling Motors.

Great Service, Parts & Sales “What can we do for you?”

Summer is in full swing and the fishing is great. You are running across the bay or offshore at 4500 RPM, the outboard is running smoothly and sounds great. Life is good.

Next thing you know your tachometer drops to 2500 RPM, the engine is running very erratically, and the alarm is sounding. There is just no power when you throttle up.

The boat is brought to a slow stop and the motor seems to run well at idle, don’t see a warning light on, water is coming from the overboard indicator, so you bring the boat to a complete stop and the alarm goes off. The engine is switched off and restarted - all sounds good and it idles smoothly.

Powering back up, you cruise up to 3500 and then 4000 RPM, and all is good. (Must have been a fluke).

Now, increasing the throttle slowly and building to 4500, you go about 500 yards and here comes the alarm again and now you see the overheat light. So the whole process starts over and you spend the rest of the day cruising under 4500 RPM. Seems that all is good so long as you do not push it harder.

What happened and what can you do?

The answer is likely salt or other mineral buildup in the crankcase and cylinder heads.

Water can flow and exit the telltale indicator, yet the cooling process is inhibited due to the mineral buildup. Even a thin layer of buildup holds the heat in and does not allow the cooling water that is circulating to carry heat away while underway at higher engine speeds.

This is actually rather common on outboard motors over 5 to 7 years old with low or high hours and flushing the engine while the motor is running for at least 10 minutes at idle before placing it in storage is the best preventive measure. Salt buildup is released to a greater degree when warm to hot water is allowed to circulate through the cooling system during the flushing process.

An acid bath mixture run through the engine at your repair center will cut the mineral buildup and restore the engine to top condition at higher RPMs. The cooling system is the heart of your motor, a little maintenance and regular flushing pays off in the long run.

Have a great season and practice safe boating.

Chris Mapp Coastal Bend Marine | Port O’Connor, TX www.coastalbendmarine.com | 361-983-4841

88 | August 2016

texas saltwater fishing holes matagorda to corpus M ATA G O R D A B AY Speckled Trout / Redfish

USCG Licensed Captain Stan Sloan

832.693.4292 fintasticcoastalcharters.com

• Bay Fishing, Offshore, Floundering, Waterfowl, Dove • Night Fishing off Lighted Pier • Right On The Water • Lodging with/without Meals www.matagordasunriselodge.com 979-241-1705 TSFMAG.com | 89

Science and the

Sea

TM

Radioactive Clocks on Sea Turtles’ Backs Nearly all of the world’s seven sea turtle species are facing a high risk of extinction, in part because of illegal trade of their eggs and shells. Yet scientists still know very little about the lives of these turtles, making it difficult to accurately track their populations and choose successful conservation strategies. One of the most basic tools marine biologists lacked was a way to calculate a turtle’s age — until now. The solution has been right in front of them the whole time, on the backs of the turtles themselves.

PESCADO PARK RV PADS & BOAT STORAGE

Baffin Bay

near Kaufer-Hubert Boat Ramp DAN WARD

OWNER / OPERATOR

832-860-4600

dwPescado@gmail.com

ON THE WATER

Saltwater Fishing Clinics WITH

Capt. Robert Zapata

If you are having difficulty catching fish on a consistent basis, the clinic is designed for you. Learn Capt.Robert Zapata’s secrets to finding and catching more fish from his 25 years of experience as a professional fishing guide.

For Information Call 361-563-1160

Adult hawksbill turtle. Secret Harbor, St. Thomas, USVI. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earlier this year, scientists discovered that a sea turtle’s shell not only offers protection but also an opportunity to accurately estimate the turtle’s age using radiocarbon dating. This technique usually measures how much radioactive carbon remains in a remnant of a dead animal.

However, scientists are able to use radiocarbon dating with live turtles’ shells because the source of the radioactive carbon is fallout from nuclear tests conducted in the Pacific Ocean during the Cold War. Scientists measured background levels of radiocarbon in Hawaii’s corals to establish how quickly radiocarbon from those bomb tests is decreasing. With that information, researchers compared the radiocarbon present in the shells of 36 deceased hawksbill turtles to the amount in various living turtles whose ages and growth rates were known. The end result is a method by which scientists can determine the age, typical growth rate and age at sexual maturity of living turtles — all essential information for effective conservation efforts.

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

90 | August 2016

texas saltwater fishing holes

corpus to port isabel

Galveston

Reel Magic

Full-Time Fishing Guide Service

Capt. James Cortinas

Galveston and East Matagorda Bay Complex jhcreelmagic@hotmail.com 281-727-6220

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BAFFIN BAY LAGUNA MADRE

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DUCHARME GUIDE SERVICE CAPTAIN JON M. DUCHARME 830-719-9097 TEXAS GUIDE LICENSED

USCG LICENSED USCG TOWING ASSISTANCE

FULL TIME GUIDE

jonmducharme@gmail.com

Designer & Manufacturer of Specialized High Performance Fishing Rods Office: 361.573.0300

805 B. South Bridge Victoria, TX 77901

Fax: 361.573.0304

TSFMAG.com | 91

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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

w w w. t e 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 . c o m