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CONTENTS
EDITOR DITOR AND PUBLISHER Everett Johnson
JUNE 2010 Volume 20 No. 2
VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
FEATURES
Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com
08 Think Little, Catch Big 12 Brown Tide Science 16 Tsunamis While Kayaking... 20 Bodie Says Goodbye to an Old Friend 24 Past, Present, and Future of... 28 Sixty years in the making of... 34 Stingray Protection: Don’t Leave... 52 Miracle on San Antonio Bay
8
Everett@tsfmag.com
Mike McBride Kevin Cochran Billy Sandifer Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Ron Penczek Bonnie S. Brown Everett Johnson
DEPARTMENTS
12
20
18 38 40 44 46 50 54 56 60 62 68
Coastal Birding Science and the Sea Let’s Ask The Pro Fly Fishing Offshore TPWD Field Notes Conservation Kayak Fishing According to Scott Youth Fishing Texas Nearshore and Offshore
06 64 72 88 90 92 96
NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net
Shirley@tsfmag.com CIRCULATION SUBSCRIPTION – PRODUCT SALES Brandee Vickery Cir@tsfmag.com ADDRESS CHANGED? Email Store@tsfmag.com DESIGN & LAYOUT GRAPHICS BY DESIGN Stephanie Boyd Office: 361-785-4282 stephanie@graphicsbydesign.biz Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly. $25.00, Two Year $45.00 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
Editorial TSFMag Spotlight: ForEverlast New Tackle & Gear Fishing Reports and Forecasts Catch of the Month Photo Gallery Gulf Coast Kitchen Index of Advertisers
ABOUT THE COVER
Cody Stripling is our cover angler showing off a latespring Baffin beauty that taped thirty-one inches and pulled the Boga Grip to 8.75 pounds. Cody was using a Waterloo HP Slam Mag-2 rod, Shimano Core reel with a Bass Assassin soft plastic. Cody released his trophy and earns a hearty salute from TSFMag.
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Dickie Colburn Mickey Eastman Bill Pustejovsky Gary Gray David Rowsey Capt. Tricia Ernest Cisneros
REGULARS
92
Brandee Vickery Office: 361-785-342
Shirley Elliott
WHAT OUR GUIDES HAVE TO SAY
44
REGIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE
BUSINESS / ACCOUNTING MANAGER
Billy Sandifer UT-Marine Science Institute Jay Watkins Casey Smartt Bobby Byrd/John Cochrane Larimer, Neahr CCA Texas Scott Null Scott Sommerlatte Jake Haddock Mike Jennings
74 Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene 76 Mickey on Galveston 78 Capt. Bill’s Fish Talk 80 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays 82 Hooked up with Rowsey 84 Capt. Tricia’s Port Mansfield Report 86 South Padre Fishing Scene
Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918
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. Periodical class permit (USPS# 024353) paid at Victoria, TX 77901 and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983.
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4 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
7 5 6 9 9 * ' 0 ++ 6 .. 1 1 - ' & . + - ' %% . ' # 4 55 # + . + 0 ) W H i Hurricanes, $4.00 $4 00 gasoline, li more h hurricanes, i economic crises, NMFS drastically reducing bag limits and cutting or closing seasons, droughts and freezes; can there be anything left to pelt our beleaguered fishing industry? Well, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s see. How about the largest offshore drilling disaster on record? Just when it looked as though we might finally sail into calm seas as an industry and a pastime, the mother of all drilling disasters spreads a blanket of crude across the Gulf of Mexico. All fishing is now closed between the Mississippi Delta and the Florida Panhandle. The oil is still gushing. We all prayed a containment dome would seal the leak that fired and sank the Deep Water Horizon, claiming the lives of eleven workers. Alas, such was not to be, not yet anyway. Long the Mecca of bluewater anglers, Gulf of Mexico oil and gas platforms create aggregations of more species and provide more fishing structure than anything Mother Nature gave us. Trouble is though, the same as nature, oil and gas operations have the ability to take away, too. Thus far, damage to inshore and offshore fisheries is anybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guess. And apart from this, when all the investigations and environmental assessments are made and the blaming is done, fees collected and penalties levied, even greater damage and danger could arise from this whole affair. Oil and gas from the Gulf of Mexico is a highly endangered element of our entire social and economic structure the way I see it. Depending which side wins in the political nightmare that is sure to ensue, the heyday of supply and further exploration in the Gulf may have come and gone. Continued offshore supply and exploration can only be seen as a cornerstone in the giant and delicate equation of U.S. energy supply. Without it we would be held further captive to Middle-Eastern producers. Yet not all elected to high office will likely see it that way. Neither will they agree to tapping other domestic reserves that do not lie a mile beneath the waves and five miles into the ocean floor. More than fishing is at stake. Energy policy will no doubt be revised and process controls could be enacted that render Gulf oil too expensive. The heart of our entire economic system will be threatened, and if it fails, gone will be a way of life and standard of living for all Americans. In the reordering, if such a term is applicable, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have plenty to worry about besides fishing closures and fewer platforms to fish. Unless, of course, that is how one makes their living, and they will have already been ruined. It is impossible to fathom the full scope of damage to delicate estuarine and Gulf habitat as the makings of the mess are still flowing freely. Wind and current have been transporting the oil slicks away from Texas shores but that could change. Current eddies form in mysterious ways and June marks the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season. Either and both have potential to spread the oily sludge to any Gulf shore. And while Texans are currently breathing sighs of relief; donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hold your breath. Our prayers and thoughts go out to the families and friends of those who suffered on the Deep Water Horizon. Likewise, we send great sympathy to those in the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama fishing o face impending economic ruin in the aftermath. community who
6 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Story by Mike McBride
K_`eb C C`kkc\# As we are reminded often, just as soon as things change…things change again. Thankfully, my brown tide story of last month is now mostly old news. As worried as we were about having a tough, no visibility summer, a powerful tide of Gulf water took care of it almost overnight. However, dealing with change is a large part of what fishing is all about in the first place, so now that we are fortunate enough to have a clean spring to work with, what are we going to do about it now? Catch more great fish I hope, and spring and early summer are definitely times ake a difference, when changing lures can make especially size. uch Personally, I have never m much subscribed to the theory of gh ht”” having to have the “exact right” lure to catch fish, especially with regards to color, exceptt for io onss. some very occasional situations. ns There are certainly exceptions d to every rule, but day in and da dayy out, we have so many manith hours walking behind lures w with h clients that we see great fish hiis caught on most everything. TThis uy guy is throwing black, the guy nd d on the end is using pearl, and the one with the funny hat has a color you’d never buy unless you like fruit in your cereal. Repeatedly, the analogy I like to use is – “It ain’t the oe es arrow; it’s the Indian.” What d does ze, e seem to matter though is size, d especially during spring and early summer. We catch a lott o off n big fish throughout the yearr on bu ut large plugs in shallow water,r, but hs, during the wildflower months, n mullet is not always the main ro outt forage even for the bigger trout we all covet. Instead of throwing the s, standard full-meal-deal lures, o we have been catching a lott of le e impressive fish lately on Little ere Debbie Snack Cake sizes. There 8 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
are all sorts of small stuff on the menu right now; glass minnows (bay anchovies), scaled sardines, pinfish, croaker, shrimp, and small ballyhoo (needlefish) besides many other treats. The cleaning tables reconfirm that the fish we are after seem to eat it all. Downsizing makes sense, and Jody Norris pictured here has been around long enough to know that. The way Jody caught this one was cool and sure to be repeated often throughout the month of June. Anybody can catch dinks, but if we really want a toad, sometimes we just
Jody Norris went after this beauty with confidence and finesse.
Texas Saltwater Fishing
have to do it on purpose. We were working a shallow area where we knew big fish were hanging. We knew it because we had already been catching them and the conditions were right. By “right”, the tide had dropped and pulled some off-colored water and a tremendous amount of bait into the area. Most of it was horse mullet, but again, that’s not always the main target. Bigger fish love a lot of cover and will often “cloak” with rafts of mullet even though they are not eating them. Jody chose the black Super Spook Jr. and started pestering them by throwing into every little piece of opportunity he could see. It was an expansive grass flat about 12 inches deep laced with silty potholes and with a slightly deeper swale running the length of it just covering your knees. Perfect. Another reason to downsize lures in areas like this is that too strong a presentation can seem threatening rather than e enticing. A f dancing that little treat over After se ev several “micro areas” that looked lik ke they might hold a big fish, Jody like fin n finally gets a big flush. “She came up p for me once, so I just eased off an n gave her about a five minute and br re then I went after her again,” break, he e said. He knew she was there, bu u unlike many of us in this instant but br re breakfast world, he had enough pa a patience to approach her again in de e determined stalk mode. Several te ea teasing casts later, the fish finally lo os her cool and protested mightily lost ass the hooks were driven home. It wasn’t a Boone & Crockett fish; b but hey, eight and a half will work any day, especially when you catch it on purpose. That is real fishing, and as stated before, there’s something very special about catching a trout llonger o than the water is deep. Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
© 2010 Pure Fishing, Inc.
With SPIDERWIRE... Nothing Gets Away. Period
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Need a stronger fishing line? It doesn’t exist. Dr. Manny Sanchez proved a well-fed trout will take another tidbit.
For whatever reason, that little black lure Jody was using seems to catch fish when others fail. Perhaps it’s just a good silhouette they are used to seeing. Think about how many times during low-light periods when all a fish can see is a dark silhouette, and this applies to dirty water as well. That’s just my theory, but whatever, black topwaters seem to get hit hard often. Two other recent examples of “little bait - big fish” came with the Sanchez bunch. If you know Spanish, the “Sancho” bunch may be a bit more descriptive as they are quite colorful, but they pulled it off quite well with little teasing presentations rather than grandiose pounding. Dr. Manny stayed with a Norton Bull Minnow and kept pulling it through horse mullet in shin deep water. Luckily, an eight and a half snagged it as well. I say luckily because he saved himself from even more descriptive terms. He had earlier pointed his bat at the centerfield fence and casually mentioned, “If there is a big fish in here I’ll catch it.” Well he did, and about three casts later caught another almost as big. Manny’s catches are further evidence that smaller treats can be hard to turn down, even for a big fish that has already fed. As the picture shows, there was a sizeable mullet sticking out of the larger fish’s mouth, and this fish would have gone closer to nine pounds had it not been extracted. However, it was clear the animal didn’t really need to eat again, just couldn’t resist a little Snickers bar when presented well in the right place and time. Uncle Ed Sanchez followed Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 9
10 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
with enough confidence. Junior-sized topwaters and little paddletails work great, but there are many other options on the shelves to help us become the better Indian. Excalibur’s Spittin’ Image, MirrOlure’s relatively new MirrOdine and MirrOminnow, and Gamakatsu’s Dawg 100 are a few examples. Another bait responsible for some big shallow fish lately has been the now hard (impossible) to get midget Corky. Perhaps one day they will become available again. The old cliché that less can be more is holding true in other ways too. With this new five trout limit, five fish down here will now often weigh more than the average ten fish stringer along much of the coast. Think about that, and in the meantime, think about getting in there this June with a little bait and a big shot of confidence.
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Mike Mcbride Mike McBride is a full time fishing guide based in Port Mansfield, TX, specializing in wadefishing with artificial lures.
Contact
suite with another impressive fish; same type of deal, tickling them with a feather instead of pounding with a hammer. In the pictures Uncle Ed you can see Sanchez; in how a large this situation and loud bait large and may have loud would probably been out of have been too place. much. This spring, all the way through about the end of June, there are going to be many exceptional fish laying up in similar nasty shallows in every bay system in Texas. I think a lot of us miss them, either because we don’t fish shallow enough or don’t approach the areas correctly or
Contact Skinny Water Adventures Telephone 956-746-6041
Email McTrout@Granderiver.net Website Skinnywateradventures.com/ Three_MudSkateers.wmv
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
1HZ %D\ .DW 6SHFLÀ FDWLRQV Length.............................................. 21’7” Beam................................................... 94” Persons...................................................6 Capacity .....................................1750 lbs. Horsepower ........................................225 Displacement .............................1700 lbs.
)HDWXUHV • Self Bailing Deck • Rear Casting Deck • Aluminum Burn Bar • 45 Gallon Fuel Tank • In-Deck Front Storage • (1) S.S. Pop Up Cleat • Front & Rear Baitwells • (1) Large Rear Storage Box • Console w/Front Site Casting Platform • Aluminum Leaning Post w/94 qt. cooler
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 11
Story y by Kevin Cochran
1a^f] CXST BRXT]RT An outbreak of brown tide can be more than just a minor nuisance
Laguna Madres of Texas and Mexico. Published by Texas A&M
to fishermen; in the worst case scenario, the algae makes catching
University Press, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edited by John W. Tunnell Jr. and Frank W. Judd.
fish on plugs far more difficult than in clear water. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to
In this enlightening book, Kim Withers makes a contribution which
become frustrated by the way the murky water changes the game,
cites a study on both red and brown tide blooms in the Lagoons.
taking away our ability to detect bottom features and the fishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to see our lures.
Withers gives credit primarily to E.J. Buskey as having done the significant research and data collection regarding both the
Faced with such a hindrance, many begin asking questions about
initial causes and factors contributing to the persistence of brown
what causes brown tide and why it blooms only in some places.
algae blooms in Texas. According to these studies, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The algae
Until recently, I was reluctant to do more than guess at the answers
causing the bloom is a very smallâ&#x20AC;Śmorphologically indistinct
to those questions, because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d never found a thorough scientific
phytoplankton species in Division Pelagophyta, recently described
study focused on the topic. Without real, empirical evidence ,
as Aureoumbra lagunensisâ&#x20AC;Ś[which] is not endemic to Laguna
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m leery of generating elaborate theories on weather, water, fish
Madreâ&#x20AC;ŚApparently, the organism is present in low concentrations
behavior, even fish-catching techniques. Driving around in a boat,
in coastal bays throughout the western Gulf of Mexico, and
looking in the water and making up theories is not real science, nor
because it is both minute and visibly unremarkable, it is considered
is fishing with a hook and line.
part of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hidden flora.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? (255)
I have now become aware of a comprehensive scientific source
Withersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; discussion cites a detailed analysis of a major, long
of information on brown algae which lists the causes that typically
lasting bloom of brown algae, which commenced late in 1989 and
generate a bloom and the factors which affect its persistence. The
lasted uninterrupted until 1997 and persists sporadically to the
Laguna Madre of Texas and Tamaulipas is a text which attempts to
present day. The study asserts that the main cause of the bloom
reference all of the known scientific studies done to date on the
was an â&#x20AC;&#x153;extended drought that gripped south Texas in 1989... [causing] â&#x20AC;Śextreme hypersalinityâ&#x20AC;Świthin the upper reaches of Baffin Bayâ&#x20AC;?. (256) Salinity levels such as those measured in Baffin at the time are known to correspond with decreased populations of microzooplankton, which are major grazers of phytoplankton the size of the brown tide organism. In addition to the destruction of the microzooplankton, the high salinities also brought about the demise of benthic filter feeders and other invertebrates which graze on organisms like brown algae. So conditions were ripe for brown tide to flourish in the Baffin Bay system heading into the winter of 1989-90, due to a reduction in the grazers that normally keep its numbers relatively low. Then freezing weather killed nearly a million fish in Baffin and the Upper Laguna Madre. As a result of all the dead fish rotting in the water, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in Baffin Bay and Upper Laguna Madre more than
Small, subtle lures like the floating Corky Junior pull big trout out of knee-deep potholes in spring.
doubled between October 1989 and January 1990, peaking in March 1990.â&#x20AC;? (256) Significantly, most of the DIN was ammonium, which is useless, even toxic, to most other microorganisms, but not to the brown tide algae.
12 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
New Trilene TransOptic line. Now you see it.
Sissy Daniels’ personal best trout rewarded her persistence and willingness to learn a new presentation with a floating Corky FatBoy.
Since the bloom was documented to have started before the freeze killed so many fish, the elevated nitrogen levels aren’t cited as a cause for the bloom, but as a factor which likely intensified it. Similar freeze events along the Texas coast in other bays did not result in major outbreaks of brown tide, so freeze kills are not thought of as having the ability on their own to initiate a brown tide bloom. Blooms of this organism begin mainly in hypersaline waters in which there is “a breakdown in the factors that control algal growth.” (257) Since the water is basically stagnant in a hypersaline lagoon like the Laguna Madre/Baffin Bay system, the effects of “sinking, mixing and flushing are always minimal.” (257) Such areas are more susceptible to brown tide outbreaks and to the persistence
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is always present in the Laguna Madre/Baffin Bay system. When
The first and only nylon copolymer mono line to physically change color in the sunlight. Above water, the sun’s UV rays cause the line to change to a bright gold color. Under water the UV rays are filtered, causing the line to change back to clear. So you can see it. Fish don’t.
conditions are favorable for the organisms that graze on it and keep its abundance low, the brown tide will apparently disappear, but when conditions conspire to eliminate or drastically reduce its grazers, the brown algae will become so abundant as to become visible to the human eye, causing obvious turbidity in the water. Such turbidity can cause the loss of seagrass beds due to light reduction, and declines in abundance and variety of organisms within waters affected by the bloom. Neither of these effects is a positive one, that’s for sure. Comparing the assertions in this study to my own observations is
www.berkley-fishing.com
interesting. I (and others) have noted in recent years that the bloom tends to dissipate in times of drought, then bounce back with a vengeance once rain falls in adequate amounts to create runoff into the bays. A historically wet July in 2007 was followed by a strong bloom in the Upper Lagoon. Similarly, torrential rains associated with
Now they don’t.
Hurricane Dolly seemed to create a nasty blob of brown water in and around the Land Cut late in 2008, and a rainy weather pattern which commenced in September 2009 following sixteen months of drought
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in the Corpus Christi area preceded our most recent outbreak. I accept the premise that brown tide blooms when factors disrupt the balance between the algae and its grazers. Since most Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 13
Diane Jans seems impressed with the dimensions on her lifetime best trout, which plucked her black Super Spook Jr. from the top of the waves on a stormy spring morning.
rains and runoff will eventually cause
tactics and patience. Other times, fleeing
a bloom to dissipate, when the salinity
from it and fishing unaffected areas is a
drops enough for the brown tide grazers
much wiser choice.
to flourish and reduce the algae to normal levels. This type of “turnover” happens mixing, sinking and flushing, due to their close proximity to rivers and/or passes to the open Gulf of Mexico. One thing I can now say with certainty is that the severity and persistence of
Kevin Cochran
Contact
faster in bodies of water which have more
the latest brown tide bloom in the Lower Lagoon was intensified by high ammonia off the h recently l observed b d bl blooms gained d
levels in the water caused by the presence
a stronghold after significant rain events,
of dead fish killed by a red tide outbreak
it appears that runoff from pastureland
there last summer and fall. I hope some of
on local ranches affects the chemical
that “bad water” is flushed out of the system
composition of the water in a way that is
through the East Cut before the prevailing
generally favorable to the brown algae and
onshore breeze blows it over here and
not its grazers. Or, it could simply be that
makes our fishing tougher!
heavy rains occurring after a drought create
Unfortunately, having a better
optimal salinity levels for to the brown tide
understanding of the science of brown tide
phytoplankton at a time when its grazers
does nothing to help a fisherman catch
have disappeared.
more fish. Sometimes, coping with it and
Ironically, Withers’ study asserts that
14 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has authored two books on the subject. Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus Christi Bay to the Land Cut. Trout Tracker Guide Service Telephone 361-688-3714 Email KCochran@stx.rr.com Website www.FishBaffinBay.com
catching fish is possible through creative
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 15
Story by Billy Sandifer
In spite of the good conditions and the
wishing I could see the entire scene for I
correctness of the location, the two shark
knew it must be quite a sight.
haven’t a clue how or when that happened. On the right side of the center of my spine
rigs had stood silently all day. A recent cold
Although I had my knees firmly locked
I have a large lump where a kayak tumbling
front had dropped the water temperature
in the knee braces I was instantly unseated
end over end in a ground swell behind me
two degrees and the surf seemed without
and though the oar was still in my hands the
hit me 15 years ago. It was eighteen months
fish of any species. Then, a bit after 4:00 pm
kayak was gone and I was being hurled what
before my back quit hurting. Again, I was
the customers caught a large whiting and I
seemed a very long way down the face of the
wearing a ski jacket and I’ve always felt that
decided to kayak it out even though typically
wave. I hit the water so hard I bounced once
without it the impact might have broken my
I would start loading up for the trip back to
on the surface before stopping and when I
back. My helmet I wear looks like someone
town by that time.
bounced I felt the safety helmet ripped from
beat on it with an ax handle.
I didn’t even bother putting my wet suit back on but simply wore swimming trunks.
my head although it was properly secured. When I landed the second time it
Most often when I get rolled on a bar the kayak comes right over the top of me and I
The surf was three feet with a four footer ever
knocked the breath out of me and I realized
hear it bumping the helmet in passing. Karl
now and then and sloppy, but I succeeded
that without the ski vest I would be in very
Boardman used an Inuit kayak on Padre
in getting the bait out about 400 yards and
serious trouble. When I got my breath back
Island when I was new to the game. I’ve
began my return to shore. I never saw the
I rolled over on my back to locate the kayak
taken out baits with it but it used to scare
swell coming and still have no idea how
as I wanted to insure it didn’t blind side
the hell out of me because it weighed well
big it was but from the results I know it was
me with no helmet. It was twenty yards to
over one hundred pounds and I knew if I
something special.
one side and drifting faster than I was so I
flipped in it I would never get it righted. A
leisurely paddled in somewhat hindered by
while later two brothers from the Naval Air
the kayak oar.
Station showed up with the first sit-on-top
All I knew was that suddenly there was sky instead of water in all directions and I had the feeling of being lifted straight up in the air for
Gathering everything on shore I found
kayaks I ever saw. Then I had the third and
some distance. I remember thinking at the
the force had snapped the tether strap
you know where the story goes from there.
time that it must be pyramid shaped and I
connecting the oar to the kayak and the
Now every vehicle with a rod rack seems to
was on top of it. I also remember consciously
forward cargo strap had been ripped off. Still
have a kayak or two on top.
Eric Ozolin landed and released this 10.5 foot tiger shark from the PINS surf recently, quite a trick for a solo surf angler!
16 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
I am/have always been concerned about
on particular species, so I think this is great.
the somewhat cavalier attitude surrounding
After all, how can anyone manage a resource
the use of kayaks in the surf and near shore.
without full knowledge of and data on the
Maybe it’s the fact that I unintentionally
resource?
played a part in starting the “kayak craze”
Problem is they have limited manpower
that makes me worry about y’all so much.
to carry the work load. This being the case
But whatever the reason it’s important to me
they are hiring me for three days a week for
that you know there are very real dangers
the next month or two to collect data on the
involved. And as I’ve preached for decades,
birds. This is all still in the planning stages
“No matter how much you love Mother
and we don’t yet know how it will all be done.
Ocean she could care less if you live or die.” When I got my first kayak there was almost
As for fish, NPS interest is in which species are caught, not total numbers of individual
no information available about using them
species. More than likely the angler survey
and, trust me, I was learning by hard knocks.
will be a card that anglers could voluntarily
Seemed like half the time I was bruised up or
fill out and drop in a box at gate shack or
had skin knocked off from the kayak. Finally
something of that nature. There is a good
I bought a book on ocean kayaking and
chance I’ll be the one handing out the cards.
got some pointers and the dealer put me in
It makes perfect sense to stop and visit
touch with the world champion kayaker.
with anglers as I do bird surveys so don’t be
Well, the champion turned out to be a
throwing rocks at me. If it wasn’t a good deal
female and her first words were, “I’ve heard
for anglers as well as science I wouldn’t be
about you. You’re one of those old school
doing it.
guys that won’t listen but I’m going to tell
Man, can you imagine if I’d have had my
you something. If you do not wear a helmet
dentures in when I got knocked out of that
and a ski vest you’ll end up getting killed or
kayak the other day. If I didn’t swallow them it
others will see what you’re doing and you’ll
sure would have gotten old in a hurry eating
get them killed.”
oatmeal three times a day as I’m too broke to
It’s extremely rare to see me kayaking
buy new ones. What a Hoot!
without the helmet and ski vest and these
If we don’t leave any there won’t be any. -
have saved my bacon numerous times. If
Capt. Billy L. Sandifer
you don’t know what knee braces/straps are ask a friend. They help keep you in your to one side or the other which aids greatly riding swells back in. OK – Here’s some news. Not only are you going to hear it here first but I’m going to make sure you get the straight scoop and
Capt. Billy Sandifer
Contact
kayak and allow for throwing your weight
not some off-the-wall paranoid version about what Big Brother is trying to do, (as in stopping you from fishing, etc.) NPS at PINS has limited data on fish species found on PINS except for data from Sharkathon’s catch data report and a study Dr. Donna Shaver did years ago. They also want to gather more information on bird
Billy Sandifer operates Padre Island Safaris offering surf fishing for sharks to specks and nature tours of the Padre Island National Seashore. Billy also offers bay and near-shore fishing adventures in his 25 foot Panga for many big game and gamefish species.
species that use the island and migration patterns through the area. I have always wished NPS took more interest in all species on PINS and the well-being of the entire
Telephone 361-937-8446 Website www.billysandifer.com
eco-system rather than getting tunnel vision Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 17
Family Fishing Clinic Saturday,
June 26th, 2010 10 am - 6 pm
FREE Clinics & Seminars for all ages hosted by
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and Texas Fish & Game Magazine
BILLY SANDIFER’S
&RDVWDO %LUGLQJ Northern Gannet -Morus bassanusLarge, white seabird with long, black-tipped wings and a pointed white tail. Juveniles are dark brown. Breeds in large colonies on rocky cliffs of Eastern Canada. Flies above water and makes sudden headlong plunges to catch fish. Many are in our area from November through April and can be seen from shore but are most often mistaken for other species. I’ve seen over one hundred in a single day on PINS. Slimmer than pelicans with thinner wings and extended neck in flight.
Check it out!
Length: 37” Wingspan: 72”
CLINICS • Kids Casting Instruction and Contest • Tackle Review: Bring in your tackle to see if you have what it takes for the species you pursue • Surf Fishing Instruction: Get one on one tips from the experts on how to catch more and bigger fish in the surf • Fishing regulations: Learn the ins and outs of the latest fishing regulations • Kayak Demonstration • Fly fishing instruction
SEMINARS • Chester Moore: The Walkabout Angler (Products and Strategies for land bound anglers) • Capt. Mike Holmes: Trolling Strategies for Texas’ Pelagics • Bryan Treadway: Bank fishing Access for the Galveston Bay complex • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department: How Hatcheries Benefit Our Fishing (An overview of the flounder, redfish and trout stocking programs)
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Contact Camille Null at 281-481-6838 or camille@fishingtackleunlimited.com for more information .
18 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 19
Story by Martin Strarup
Bodie Says Goodbye to an Old Friend
20 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
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Bodie was nearly finished cleaning a well-used Shimano when his cell phone rang. Not recognizing the caller ID he let it go to message. A few moments later the message alarm sounded. Wiping his hands he decided he’d better see who called. Bodie’s suntanned face frowned as he hit delete. Stretching his tall and muscular frame he drew the stainless revolver that rested on his hip and flipped the cylinder open of habit, already knowing it was ready. Leaving the reel project, he grabbed his Stetson and stepped onto the porch. Closing the truck door he glanced at his watch. “Thirty minutes,” he spoke to himself. Plenty of time to think things through, all the while praying the situation would not require using the Smith & Wesson. The day had started well. He and old Captain Red had made a first-light run to the Pringle shoreline and found some decent trout on thigh-deep grass. They picked up self-imposed five fish limits with Ol’ Red adding a fat bonus flounder. Bodie had teased that if he didn’t fish so slowly he wouldn’t have to mess with those flatfish and Red laughed. “You know Bodie, speaking of slowing down, I told that danged Yankee carpetbagger if he could learn to slow down he might catch a flounder now and then,” Red said. “You’re dreaming Red, he’s a mile-a-minute, you’ll never change him,” Bodie snickered. Now that the wind had come up Bodie dreaded the ride across
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
the bay in Red’s boat. Actually, boat didn’t quite apply, “surfboard with a big motor” was his pet description. He did have to admit it ran as shallow as a shorebird and was easy to get in and out of, although Red would never hear him say it. Running Lighthouse Cove and Big Pocket to avoid the open bay, Bodie spied gulls hovering and pointed them out to Red. Shutting down, they took a minute to check it out. A moment later Bodie said, “Looks like a school of reds tearin’ it up…must have a bunch of bait corralled in there...look at ‘em.” “We got ‘em now,” Red cried, cranking the outboard and jumping on plane to make a wide circle. Bodie could tell this wasn’t the Old Reprobate’s first rodeo as the boat drifted on a line that would take them within easy casting distance. Bodie fired a MirrOlure Top Pup to the right as Red’s go-to gold spoon sailed left. “Glad to see you working the edge,” Red giggled with a wink, knowing full well Bodie would never cast into the middle of the action. The strikes came instantly and both men leaned into their rods, hoping to fight the reds away from the school and prevent a scatter. That’s when they saw the boat – planning straight at them – the driver seemingly oblivious to them and the still-feeding school. “Is that…surely the dad-blasted fool won’t…will he?” Red cried in disbelief. “Yep, I’m afraid he’s gonna do it,” Bodie sighed. Waving his cap and whooping like an Apache, Tommy Meyers
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 21
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22 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
was on a beeline. “He’s a damned fool Bodie and for the life of me I don’t know why you tolerate him,” Red snarled. “He makes me laugh, Red. And besides, he needs someone to keep him out of trouble now and then,” Bodie replied. Red and Bodie tried waving him off. Tommy simply waved back, plowing right into the middle of the school. Still fighting fish, Bodie and Red feared being rammed until Tommy finally jerked the throttle and spun the steering wheel. “Hey, ya’ll catching anything? Man, did ya’ll see all the bait I just ran through?” Tommy squealed. “Ignorant freak of nature,” Red mumbled under his breath and Bodie shot him a hard look. Bodie netted both fish and, releasing Red’s oversized brute, slipped his own into the cooler. “Man, y’all catch those right here, in all this boat noise and hollering and stuff?” Tommy asked in disbelief. Red had already turned his signature crimson and was about to bust when Bodie cut him off. “That was a really nice school of reds you just ran through, Tommy,” Bodie offered, very restrained. “Oh man, I’m sorry. Y’all should have waved me off or something. I would have gone around,” Tommy explained sheepishly. “I’m going to have to shoot him Bodie. So help me I don’t think any jury would convict me,” Red whispered. “You can’t shoot him Red,” Bodie said. “Not even just a little, like maybe in the knee or something?” Red pleaded. “Where are you headed Tommy Boy,” Bodie asked. “Well I was heading over to Lighthouse Cove but I saw you guys and thought I’d come over and see if ya’ll were doing any good, maybe bum a couple beers. I forgot to pick some up before I left,” Tommy replied. “Okay, you can shoot him now,” Bodie sighed placing his rod in a holder. “But just a little.” Bodie drove to the south pasture to check the windmill after Red dropped him off. He spoke with his pasture manager going over details. Mr. Connor would return from Amarillo soon and he wanted everything in top shape. Turning into the horse pasture he noticed one of the older but better cutting horses was down. Moonshine, Bodie’s favorite, had put on weight over the wet months and just yesterday looked and acted fine. Now though, he had a yellow discharge from his nostrils, felt fevered, and was not breathing well. Now Bodie knows a few things about doctoring horses. Rumor has it that he had worked for a vet out near Uvalde and hoped to attend vet school, but that’s all anyone knew. Any time someone brought it up Bodie gave a look that made them change the subject. Bodie told Monroe, his pasture foreman, to stay with the horse and move him into a stall if he got up while Bodie went for his doctoring kit. When he got back Monroe had the horse in a stall with a sling to keep him up. “He looks bad Boss, ” Monroe said. Bodie didn’t answer, went quickly to work administering an injection of Amoxicillin, then took a seat with Monroe. Bodie phoned Doc Young at his clinic and filled him in on the symptoms
Texas Saltwater Fishing
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Contact
and the injection. Doc said he would be by in about an hour. Bodie paced nervously then sat back down with Monroe to watch and wait. The old doc examined the horse and pulling the stethoscope from his ears grimly informed Bodie that Moonshine might be on his last legs. He told Bodie he would hang around for an hour or so and call if there was any change. Monroe stayed too to tidy the barn and other things while Bodie headed to the house. It was Doc’s call and message Bodie had received while cleaning reels. “No improvement yet, may even be worse,” Doc’s message drawled. “You should come for a look, might be decision time.” Bodie pulled up to the barn and Monroe and Doc met him outside. “He looks bad Boss,” Monroe said again. Bodie nodded and looked to Doc Young. “It’s really up to you Bodie, he’s very weak. I doubt he’ll make it until morning,” was Doc’s assessment. “I didn’t recognize your cell phone number Doc,” was all Bodie said. “I’m sorry Bodie. I just got a new number and haven’t had a chance to give it out yet,” Doc replied. Entering the barn Bodie could hear the big gelding struggling for breath. Slipping his arm affectionately around Moonshine’s neck he whispered how much he appreciated the many miles they’d made together gathering cows and cutting yearlings off their mommas. He smoothed Moonshine’s mane, thanking him for being such a fine companion. Monroe and Doc jumped at the shot and in a second Bodie was back outside. “Monroe, I reckon you better fetch the backhoe,” Bodie said weakly. Bodie stopped by Haddon’s for a cold beer as Captain Red pulled up on his golf cart. “Heard about your horse, sure am sorry to hear that,” Red greeted. “Appreciate it Red, buy you a beer?” Bodie asked. “I’ll take you up on that but only if I can buy the second,” Red quipped with a smile. Word travels fast in small towns and it seemed everyone had kind words to offer. Tommy Meyers had tears in his eyes as he ordered three beers, although Red would end up Martin Strarup paying for them. A new acquaintance of the Haddon regulars asked Bodie if Moonshine had been a good horse. “Good enough to ride the river,” Bodie said with a smile, Martin Strarup is a lifelong saltwater pointing to a faded enthusiast and outdoorsman. snapshot behind Martin is also a collector and dealer of vintage fishing tackle and lures, the bar of him and especially those made in Texas. Moonshine gathering cows in the river Email bottom. Trouthunter@swbell.net Everyone nodded and smiled. Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 23
Story by Chuck Uzzle
For readers of TSFMag, it’s no secret that a big part of life revolves around the water and the things associated with it. Our writers routinely offer a glimpse of what the sport of fishing means to them and how it affects their lives. Just a few months ago I wrote about a potentially catastrophic oil spill that occurred here on Sabine; fortunately we dodged that bullet and escaped without major damage to our eco-system. That
event now looks like a walk in the park compared to what’s going on in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Thousands of gallons of crude oil per day are gushing into the Gulf of Mexico as multiple state and federal entities try to stop the leak. Early damage predictions seem to concentrate on Louisiana and Mississippi but it’s still way too early in the game to rule anyone out and pronounce any part of the coast safe.
All of the emphasis on the uncertain future that awaits Gulf coast fishermen gives you ample reasons to reflect, to remember how things once were, and to hope how they will be in the future. The future of the sportfishing, like many other things, is in the younger generation. The young anglers of today are the ones who stand to be impacted the most over the long haul and that’s what probably bothers me the most. Anyone who
The memory of fishing the recent XRT Tournament with Hunter will last forever.
24 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
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jjust about aanybody aand hold his o own. Now I d donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t profess tto be the fi first or best o or anything like that w when it ccomes to iinvolving yyour son iin the o outdoors, not by a long shot. Here in our own magazine are other prime examples of how fathers have involved their kids in their love for the sport of fishing. Jay Watkins and Ernest Cisneros are both to be commended for the examples they have set with their sons. Jay Ray is an outstanding angler who has a resume that would make most coastal anglers blush; the young man has an incredibly bright future to say the
The future of fishing in the Louisiana marsh country is being severely threatened by the Deep Water Horizon oil spill.
has ever been in a boat with me, attended one of my seminars, or has just been around to me to talk fishing knows that I am a selfprofessed proud dad. My 14 year old son Hunter has basically grown up in the pages of TSFMag right before many of your eyes. It makes a dad proud when you can take your son to a boat show or fishing event and he can carry on his own conversations with
least. Aaron Cisneros has demonstrated a wonderful gift of writing and sharing thoughts about the sport that he also excels at; his future is equally bright. Both dads are to be praised for their commitment to sharing their passion with their sons and we should count ourselves to be fortunate enough to have been able to watch large parts of that unfold every month in TSFMag. Just last month I was able to do something I had wanted to do for quite some time; I fished a redfish tournament with Hunter. For years he had been after me to fish one with him and we finally got to make it happen. We fished the Extreme Redfish Tournament out of Port Neches Park on Sabine Lake and had an absolute blast. Our day was long as we made a 90 minute run to Calcasieu in order to avoid the other boats that had been buzzing all over Sabine during practice days. The run was hampered by thick fog for quite some time but it did enable me to do another thing I had never done before, actually pass another tournament boat! In the fog Hunter and I passed one of those super go-fast tournament boats as they struggled with direction in the white-out conditions. These guys actually followed us
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 25
important as anything – Mike McBride with no gray in his mustache – free spirit Billy Sandifer speaking in a seminar of protecting the places he loves. Back in the day when you couldn’t wait for the Thursday paper and read Sasser, Doggett, and Pike to learn the week’s hot spot on the coast. Back when Gene Baker ran a little rag of a fishing newspaper called Gulf Coast Connections that with Everett’s and Pam’s effort would grow up to become Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine. Those days seem like yesterday until you look at the calendar and realize that plenty of time has passed. Hopefully, for everybody’s sake, there are plenty more days like those to come and the younger generation will have just as many wonderful memories to share about a sport that lives and grows in all of us. My hopes and prayers are with all of those who stand to be affected by the looming spill now growing in the Gulf each day. The future of the sport and the way of life for many people hang in the balance and perhaps could be changed forever, only time will tell. In the meantime, we should all get involved in any way we are able. The angling community as a whole is a strong
ROY’S Bait and Tackle
and powerful group with enough resources and passion to certainly make a difference during this disaster. Please stay involved and do what you can when you can.
Chuck Uzzle
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for several miles at our break neck top speed of 39 mph and you could tell it was killing them. Once the fog lifted they rode beside us, thanked us for helping them through, and then left us like we were standing still. All we could do was laugh and continue on towards our destination. After the 90 minute boat ride we used the trolling motor to reach the final pond and we were instantly rewarded with four schools of redfish. After six casts we were culling fish and all the pressure was gone, it was just another day in the boat with my best buddy. We had an incredible day together regardless of where we finished in the standings because it was just Hunter and I, just the way any dad would have it. Hunter even took control at the weigh-in like he had done it a million times, all the right clothes on, thanked the sponsors, and strode off stage proud as a peacock. I think I busted a few buttons on my fishing shirt, but isn’t that how it’s supposed be? I truly hope that one day Hunter and all of the other young anglers can sit back and tell their kids how great the fishing was and how much they enjoyed every trip. I know as I look back the people in stories are as
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 cuzzle@gt.rr.com Website www.chucksguideservice.net
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Story by Ron Penczek
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A little over 60 years ago my father took the family on the first of the two week summer motor trips, going somewheres out west. That big mysterious overseas war that put a serious look on the grown-ups faces was over. War rationing was done, and so my Dad was free to see that part of the country we only knew through the movies. My dad was a cowboy. Being from Chicago you might think he was the drug store variety cowboy. But actually he and his brother had, from what I understand, some high-priced quarter horses. In fact my uncle could and did ride and rope with the best of them. My uncle competed in some of the world’s biggest rodeo competitions at the time, at the now long-gone Chicago stadium. So naturally the summer vacation was a trip to the wild west. My dad had a new red four door, fluid drive transmission De Soto with seats the size of a front room couch. I soon came to learn the hazards of long motor trips in the late 1940’s. Tires had a way of not lasting. Car radiators would not always cool. No expressways. No gas stations sometimes and sometimes no motels. Try sleeping overnight in the car with mom, dad, and your brother constantly kicking you and telling you to move over. And the boredom. Yes it was true then as it is now, Illinois and Iowa had corn, and red barns and white farm houses, and more corn. Some years later a friend said they ought to build a bridge over Iowa so that he wouldn’t have to look at it. Finally we came to a place mom called the Ozarks. It provided some relief with the green never-ending forest, great big hills and a new view around every curve. It soon became apparent that America was big, much bigger than I’d thought. By now I was about ten or eleven and beginning to think I knew almost as much as the big people. All my school grades were good and reading and arithmetic was no problem so how much more was there to learn? Yet every mile and every hour of this endless road travel was a lesson bringing me to things completely unexpected. The towns were somehow different. The highway was always two lane and went through the business district of every town. No building was taller than the trees. Frequently the sidewalks seemed raised above the street level. And every restaurant, I learned, was called a cafe. Menu’s listed chicken fried steak and for breakfast things like grits and biscuits and gravy. Biscuits and gravy was pretty good and grits up north was just called farina. There was other stuff I didn’t recognize but most important, I never left that cafe hungry. And that’s not all. The waitresses and gas station men not only used new words but pronounced everything in a way that told me I was somewheres away from home. Now the country side changed. It seemed more natural. Instead of crops running off to the horizon there were long grassy hills and trees following a meandering creek far off to the side. Like as not cattle dotted the landscape. They never would move at all 28 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
and seemed possibly to be not real. Houses were few and here and there were sheds that appeared to be built aimlessly and had no use. Except for windmills, most times overgrown with vines and weeds, there was no movement. No people, no farm tractors, no trucks hauling whatever. Instead there was an artists painting of a still life. It was green and bigger than what I had known. We passed over some very wide rivers. But there was no water. Just sand. Strange to me, but I figured that probably in the spring there would be plenty of water. I thought, they would surely need those bridges then. Then I thought; are we in Texas? Mom and Dad offered no clue as to where we were going. The incessant hot air now blowing through the car windows made me wish that whatever the destination, please make it soon. It didn’t take long. It seemed rather sudden that we pulled in and parked in front of a newer ranch style frame home in a city neighborhood of similar looking homes. Dad would not go to a place like this. There were no horses, no cattle, no corrals. This I soon learned was Corpus Christi. And here the heat outside the car is just as bad as in the car. Next thing I knew, we were inside this strange house. Dad and Mom apparently were good friends with the owner. He was introduced to me as Mr. Jack. To this day I wonder why I never knew his full name or what connection he had with my father. He was a younger man with a wife that seemed a perfect match. They were both very pleasant and mostly left me alone. That suited me fine because I had a frequently visited Grandma that was always chasing me and hugging me, much to my great annoyance. Mr. Jack was a carpenter and while he was working we toured the area and pretty much found out what was where. By the afternoon we were back at Mr. Jack’s house. There was plenty of room at his house and we were to stay there for now. Since I was free of chores (and school), I naturally wandered my new surroundings. I noted in the garage several fishing poles leaning in a corner that had big bobbers on the lines and a set to the poles themselves. Bent poles told me Mr. Jack must have been a frequent fisherman. So I thought, maybe I should try to talk more to Mr. Jack. I also am a fisherman. I must have been born that way because some of my clearest recollections in my fuzzy far past memory was finding Chicago’s Marquette Park. When first allowed to go out alone I was warned to not leave the block. Well the park was only about a half mile away and almost seemed an extension of my block. Mom would never know I went there if I got home on time. Anyone going out had to go to the park. It had every thing a boy can want with trees, and berry trees, expanses of bushes, big wide grassy fields and a big lagoon. And the lagoon had cattails, turtles always in view, and fish. Fish are somehow mysterious to me. I know they are there yet I can’t see them, how big they are or where in the water they swim. As sure as the water was there I knew
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absolutely the fish were there, and there could be no reason why I could not catch them. My first ever fishing excursion was with a rig basic and intended to do the job. Maybe four feet of fishing line, a small hook, (I don’t know how I got them), and a popsicle stick for a bobber. My bait was a small piece of bacon fat from Mom’s icebox that I wrapped in a sheet of wax paper. It was all conveniently small enough to stuff into my pockets so as to not slow me down as I ran and walked to the park. I knew exactly the right spot. There were large chunks of broken concrete in the water, easy jumping distance from the shore. I could kneel on one of them and drop in the bait. Catch fish I did. They were small bluegills, and now I think back, I might have been the first catch and release fisherman. That apprehension of an expectation in hooking the unknown has fueled a fishing fever in me not yet dimmed. When the chance arrived I decided I would talk to Mr. Jack about his fishing. Well I never did get that chance. Next day Mr. Jack must have been out working because he was nowheres around. My parents must have gotten tired of my restlessness since they agreed I could go out by myself. Well this Corpus Christi was strange to me, but our local touring supplied me with a general direction to a real salt water ocean. I remember walking through some vacant lots or fields where the ground was sand with sparse brown weeds about knee high. Everything was strangely new and a thought of rattlesnakes entered my head. Probably the strangeness caused a twinge of fear in a boy who walked through places completely new. Well keep walking I thought, my direction can’t be wrong. And there it was. The water, and close by a rock jetty, that attracted me as if I had found the emerald city. Usually I’m predisposed to preparation. I hate being caught out without the proper tools. But for the life of me I cannot recall how I managed to have a hook and line. Maybe I found them among the typical debris commonly caught or lost among the jetty rocks. What I do remember is a sun so hot it seemed to set two feet above my head. Forget about the glaring sun and heat. I was out of the boring house and on the water. Maybe I could catch something. Again the details are long gone. How I either caught or found a fresh crab I don’t know. But I did, and I knew immediately that this was bait. Scooting down the rocks close to the water, half expecting to catch nothing in such a new place, I threw out the baited line. I was amazed and delighted that I started to get bites. But no hook ups. Undeterred I got another piece of crab, baited up, and threw out the line again. The bobber bounced in the water and then instantly disappeared. Good bite, I thought, as I pulled back on the line. The line then pulled tight in my hand and I knew I had one. In one motion I lifted the frantically flopping fish and ran up to the top of the jetty where the fish broke free of the hook and flipped and danced on the jetty rock. Panic gripped me as I realized the fish could easily disappear in the deep cracks between the rocks or worse, back in the water. I swung at him in a swift slapping motion that was dead on. I got him and now I felt a pain in the palm of my hand like being hit by a bunch of ground hornets. Some introductions are painful but can be educational. The lesson was clear, I just met my first hard head catfish. When I got back I’m sure I told anyone who would listen of my catfish catch. Maybe my dad told Mr. Jack, because later that night he said I could go fishing 30 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
with him tomorrow morning if I wanted to. Want to? Of course I want to. I’m ready right now. Well I was told to go to bed early because we would be up before light. Someone shook me the next morning. For a young boy it’s hard to wake up before light and sleep has a way of lowering the fishing desire. Stumbling about in that strange house, I managed to put on my old clothes. Mr. Jack had told me the night before to wear my oldest pants and shoes. He didn’t say much. He never did. He seemed very efficient and it seemed only a matter of minutes before he said, “Ready?” The rods and fishing stuff were loaded and off we went in a car I remember as being cluttered and worn out. We drove pretty much in silence with me still trying to wake up. Mr. Jack apparently knew the route well because it seemed the car almost knew the way. The one impression left with me was that there was very little traffic as if we were the only ones awake. Suddenly we turned off the road onto two ruts of a path and it was then I noticed how black it was. Peering through the car windows the only thing I could see were the headlights bouncing through the tall tan grass in the middle of the ruts, and the grass on either side in the deep blackness. Are we in the right place I wondered? I couldn’t see three feet to the side. It seemed we drove a long time through the darkness down that jostling track. Mr. Jack didn’t say anything, yet I had somehow felt a security with him and knew that he knew exactly where we were going. Finally a light off in the distance. We stopped at that light and Mr. Jack got out. He said nothing and I stayed in the car. I know he went into a small shack of a building but all I could see was the almost blinding light that pointed at the car and hid the shack in the blackness. In short order Mr. Jack came out into the light carrying two wooden boxes. He put them on the back seat floor and then off we went. It seemed to be only minutes later we came to a beach like area where there was no grass and the tires crunched loudly as we crept along. He stopped the car and we both got out. It was then I saw we were on a beach, and the water had no movement and was as black as coal. I looked up and saw what I can never forget. No moon and a sky blacker than anything you could imagine. And the stars were not stars; they were tens of thousands of jewels, and they sparkled and changed brightness. In my mind I touched them. In my memory I retain the blackness and brightness that permanently imprinted my ten year old mind. It didn’t take long for the first slivers of light to slyly creep along the horizon. A deep purple first and then broadening out to a gauzy fading lavender. In his straight forward manner Mr. Jack said we would wade into the water to fish. This I didn’t expect but he was going to do it too so it had to be the right way to fish off the beach. He explained that I should tie that wooden box to my belt. It had a short piece of clothes line attached to it that I could tie to my belt. To my surprise the box held live shrimp. That was the bait he bought at the shack, and he then showed me how to put them on the hook. He then cautioned me to drag my feet when we walked and moved in the water. He explained that stingrays often lay on the bottom and if you stepped on one you were apt to get what could be a dangerous wound. Dragging your feet would kick them and they would then harmlessly swim off. This was great. He said come on, and I followed him slightly
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behind and to one side. The water at first was uncomfortably cold but soon became no bother. We waded a good distance until the water was over my waist. Mr. Jack said quietly this looks good, lets try it here. Mr. Jack cast out very quickly while I, with the lively shrimp, was a fumble fingers trying to bait up. I finally managed a greenhorn short cast with my baited line when Mr. Jack uttered, “Got one.” “Trout,” he said, which surprised me, since I knew trout only lived in cold mountain streams. He reeled it in, held it up, and stated this to be the saltwater type of trout and explained we might just be in a good spot to get a few. His bobber jumped, jiggled, ran and then disappeared and he had another one. And another. My bobber was doing the same dances but my lack of know-how kept missing the hook up. I got one, finally. Well through that morning we nailed them. Certainly the best fishing for keeper size fish that I know I could never even hope to catch back home. These saltwater trout were beautiful and looked to me the way a fish was supposed to look. They all were about the same size, maybe 15 to 20 inches each. Mr. Jack out fished me probably three or four to one. We kept them all and put them in a box with ice for the ride back home. I looked forward to the ride back home thinking it would allow me to see all that the darkness of last night had hidden. In short order I felt the bouncing on that pitted dirt road. But thats all, since sleep quickly overcame my curiosity. Next I knew, we were home. Mom smiled at my exuberance as she listened to the descriptions of my fishing adventure. Years later she confided her doubts we would catch anything. But the proof was on the platters of fresh pan fried
trout passed generously all around on that long ago evening. The long ride back to Chicago has never stayed with me. Instead only the memories of that hot day on the jetty and stinging catfish – and the brilliant starry black, black night sky that prefaced a day of constant fishing luck. Chicago was my home but now tucked somewhere and indelibly written in my mind, was Texas. I never heard or saw anything of Mr. Jack again. Well, of the several somewhat slanted opinions entering a ten year olds mind was the one I had about growing up. No way, I was firmly convinced, would I ever get old enough to be twenty. To me, that was impossible. As we all know, time itself it seems, has a way of changing things. Certainly I became twenty. I had passed the teen years with doubts and tribulations and now was expected to make decisions on matters never known before. Some were right and some were wrong. Looking back I think I could have done better. But I rationalized, “Who couldn’t have?” The years passed and just like I remember the adults saying, the older you get, the faster the years go. The first one to whom you seriously admit, that you are old, is yourself. You will admit that the age numbers are higher, but how can a person be old if he feels the same way he always had? Well, if anyone you encounter thinks you are old, then it’s high time to admit it and take advantage of it. Certain perks come along with age. For me the most prominent perk was the realization that I had the wherewithal to move away from Chicago. I wasn’t rich but there was enough for me to move, and hopefully somewhere warmer that had something other than carp to fish for and certainly not
one of those rural areas that were corn and beans in the summer and frozen mud or dirty snow in the winter. Where to go was the question. Everyone retiring I’d heard of headed to Florida. But I’d been to Florida several times, and found it full of tourists and most objectionable, bad traffic jams. Besides, in my mind, was the notion that going farther west would be better. Living all my life in a working city meant, I thought, to go south where the people worked but didn’t rely on tourists. That fond, long-ago memory of Texas was still in my mind. Well, a couple of trips down to Texas cemented the belief that I could like living there. Big city amenities were there, the ocean was there, and escape to rural unplowed countrysides and towns were just minutes away. And the housing costs are affordable. What’s not to like? So, sixty years later, after being struck as a boy by the lure of this state, I’m there, and with three small boats and a pick-up truck. Well 60 plus years of living in one place has a way of molding a person. I was no different so its probably true that a Yankee label laid on me was calling it right. But no matter, everybody has to be what they are. Certain things you don’t get to pick. Moving one thousand miles south to Texas and just getting yourself situated in many respects means starting all over again. Although it seems trivial this Yankee did not have a clue as to where any of the things were that everyone takes for granted. Finding a satisfactory barber, or car repair shop, restaurant, or even a local saloon was strictly trial and error, and frequently an error. Or find a medical doctor. So far I’ve been to three different dentists that I culled from visits to
six. This is not even talking about housing. First of course was an apartment (unsatisfactory). Then a house that I probably rushed into, probably due to the unhappy apartment. And not the least is the absence of old friends that are no longer around. Well I’m set for now and looking for places to go when I leave the house. Anything outdoors is my pastime; fishing mostly. Just searching out the several fishing venues available is fun. The variety is hardly surpassed anywhere else in the Lower 48. Consider the options: First class largemouth bass fishing, or crappie, or white bass, or maybe you might try for one hundred pound catfish or gar. This is in tall forest enclosed lakes and rivers. Or the rock bound Amistad Reservoir in the semi-desert. And so forth. The saltwater offers more. Take your pick from bay fishing, surf fishing, jetty fishing, nearshore boat fishing or deep sea fishing. What do you catch in saltwater? It seems like everything and anything. Although I’ve been to several bass fishing lakes with decent luck, I seem more consistently to gravitate to saltwater. Boat ramps into bays and ocean access are plentiful. I’ve been to several. Most times I end up at a ramp and bait and supplies place that’s tucked along side a high bridge passing over the Intracoastal canal. It’s one of those places that you mostly find by accident. No one told me about it and I can’t remember how I ever found it. At first glance it looks worn out and possibly a place that someone moved out of. The parking lot is unpaved rutted gravel. The building seemed to be several add ons, with what looks like an apartment on the second floor. If ever a building would be second thought
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and slightly askew this would be it. But no matter what they say, first impressions are commonly misleading. This bait camp and ramp has all the fisherman needs. The lot is adequate, (except on a summer weekend when the overflow sees boat trailers parking two blocks distant), and the bait shop never runs out of bait, there is fishing gear available and iced bins full of beer. Several charter fishermen dock there and frequently bring in catches that to my eyes are sometimes astounding. Enough so that usually there are men cleaning the catch for a nominal sum. The ramps are wide, not steep, and set your boat alongside the Intracoastal maybe five minutes from the Gulf. The docks are lengthy and don’t shake when bumped. Forget appearances, this place does the job, and I can think of no way to improve it. Lastly the help are as nice as you might want. And where else will you find workers who stay and kibitz and socialize when done with their shift? Last week I went out about two, three miles into the Gulf in water about 35 feet deep. The fishing is simple. Put a Spanish sardine on an ought-six circle hook, cast it over, let her drift, and kick back to enjoy the water and sky. Usually the drift won’t last long before the rod bends almost double. Be quick, grab the rod, heave back and then hold on while line starts running off the reel. Most times you expect the fish to be a big red or three foot shark. But you never know. I’ve seen sharks so big that I don’t want them in my boat. As it turns out this day was special. The next fish I hooked almost yanked the rod out of the holder. The drag was tight but this one stripped out line almost as if the reel was broken.
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
When he didn’t stop running I worried he could run the spool empty. Then he stopped about 300 feet out. I could tell he was close to the surface and then when he stopped, I thought he must be tired. This was my chance to gain back some line and I started to pump the rod and reel in. That lasted about twenty seconds when the ocean literally exploded out there and the line went slack. He’s coming back to the boat was my first thought, and I started to reel furiously. When the leader came in sight I saw only that I reeled in a bent hook. What had I hooked and lost? That would bother me but with the day still being young I put on a new hook, baited up and started another drift. In very short order, maybe five or ten minutes, I got another vicious hit. This one also showed enormous strength. First it veered to my left taking about 100 feet of line and then streaked right back with the line cutting the water five feet out running alongside the boat. And then not more than 20 feet out a twisting, writhing, must be 80 pound shimmering silver fish jumped 15 feet into the air. That spectacle, I’m sure, could wake the dead. It left me amazed. I knew tarpon were in these waters but hooking into them left me almost shocked. Well I hooked them, but didn’t put them in the boat. Nevertheless the memory will remain vivid. The rest of the day was typical and one shark was put in the boat. This week the weather is promising and the Gulf predicted to be flat. I’ll go out there again and with full confidence that I won’t come back empty handed.
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 33
Story by Bonnie S. Brown
;feËk C\Xm\ ?fd\ N`k_flk @k Pt. Mansfield, TX. June 14, 2009. The day that wade fishing changed for me forever. It had only been a short time since Mike McBride had been hit by a stingray and I should have taken that as a hint to wear the Ray-Guard shields I keep in my gear bag. Mike was likely still in the hospital on the day I didn’t even think about wearing them. (It would be two months before I read the article in TSWF Mag and saw the photos.) But like so many others, it takes a hard lesson to quit being blonde. That Sunday – Father’s Day – was my last shot at making it through the second round of the Texas Lady Anglers online “Summer Madness” tournament. In this competition, fisherwomen have a month to catch their best trout, red, and flounder, photograph each on a Check-It Stick, and submit them to the tournament moderator. Each month, the field of participants narrows until one winner is announced in September. This was the third year I’d entered, as it is the easiest way for me to participate in this group’s events as most are held on Galveston Bay. I had survived round one that was conducted April 15 through May 14; and now it was the last day of Round 2. I’d caught a decent trout and flounder, but no red. Husband and fishing guide Mark Brown said we needed to go up north to the spoil banks near the Land Cut to find a red. The water was like chocolate milk and the wind was howling; but we’d been dealing with that all spring. I
34 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
was willing to get out and wade the island shoreline to try for that elusive red. We were just about to quit; Mark said to keep trying and he’d get the boat. He waded back to join our friend Cynthia who wouldn’t dream of getting off the boat and who had just bought her fishing license that day. It had been years since she’d been fishing. I kept moving forward, shuffling my feet without even thinking about it. I couldn’t count on watching the bottom as I was in muddy, waist-deep water. And just like that, I caught a red! Finally! While stringing it, the hook got caught in the stringer rope. My right foot sunk lower and lower into the mud as I tried jerking the hook out. Taking one step back on my left foot to gain some leverage, the stingray hit me. The pain was instant and I can barely describe how intense it was. Like a lightning bolt coursing through my left side – from the foot all the way up – is the only similarity I can possibly think of even though I’ve thankfully never been struck by lightning. I screamed in agony! I turned to see Mark taking his time pulling the anchor, he and Cynthia laughing and talking. In the howling wind he never heard my screams. People who have suffered trauma say that time starts moving in slow motion, and so it was for me. I finally remembered to wave my cap, our standard signal for pickup, screaming all the while. The motor started, and slowly, he headed toward me. About the halfway point he saw that I was in trouble, hurried, and pulled me onto the boat. What began next would be a man-of-experience series of events. Mark has been hit three different times and only the last time did he take care of it properly. We already knew that Mike McBride hadn’t taken his wound as seriously as he needed to and, at one point, faced losing his foot. This is the important part for anyone who will ever decide to go wade fishing without some type of stingray protection – Get heat on it immediately. Mark had just a little bit of hydrogen peroxide left in the bottle in his First Aid kit. But from experience he knew to catch the hot water being discharged from the cooling system, soak an extra pair of wading pants, and place it on the wound. We were twenty miles north of Port Mansfield, though, and it would be a long ride back. The pain was excruciating. Mark stopped
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Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
every couple miles to soak the pants again in the hot water and wrap it around my ankle. When we got back to Port, he filled a deep pan with very hot water, added Epsom salts, and had me soak my leg in it until the water was no longer hot. Then, we repeated that process. It was the only thing that alleviated the pain. I tried taking Alleve, and it helped somewhat, but the pain was tremendous. We are blessed to be close friends with our family doctor, so I
headed to Raymondville and went to his house. He gave me my first round of antibiotics and I continued to soak my foot until late that night, sleeping with my foot propped on a pillow. The soaking continued through the next day as walking was difficult and the pain still quite intense. I also went in to our doctor’s office for an X-ray that Monday to be sure no part of the barb had been left behind. On the third day, it finally quit hurting so badly. A week later, the pain started again; so back to the doctor’s office I went for another round of antibiotics, more soaking in hot water, and more staying off my feet. It lasted for two days this time. Since then, I’ve had no trouble with it; although it took several weeks for the wound to start to close. Now, all I have is a small purple scar that looks rather benign compared to the time and effort it required to take care of the initial wound. I had always thought that stingray hits were so dangerous because of the bacteria in which the animal lives. However, in the Internet research I did while I couldn’t do much else, I learned that stingrays inject venom into their victims. That venom begins to break down the flesh; and if you go back into the water soon after, as Mike did, you risk other infection getting inside the opening. My red helped me to progress to Round 2; so the stingray hit wasn’t the end of my summer fishing by any means. But there was no more wading without leg protection. On September 15 I was announced winner of TLA’s “Summer Madness Tournament.” Since last June, my Ray Guards and Reef Boots have been in their permanent place on the boat, except when they’re on my legs. I made the decision – like that American Express ad – Don’t leave home without them. Just in case; be prepared! 1. Your boat/kayak First Aid supplies should include hydrogen peroxide. 2. Consider buying a Stingray and Jellyfish Sting First Aid Kit and keep a towel to soak with warm water from your outboard’s cooling system vent. Heat alleviates the pain and starts to draw out the toxins. 3. Consider keeping a baggie of Epsom Salt in your gear bag. 4. Stock Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer (plain—not flavored) in a zip-loc bag in your kayak or boat for jellyfish stings and stingray hits. It breaks down the protein in the venom. 5. If you’re hit, get to a doctor immediately! Antibiotics are not optional.
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 35
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6SHFLDOW\ 6KXWWHU 6\VWHPV Helping You Prepare for a Hurricane The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June through November. Below are some tips to help you prepare in case of a hurricane. Of course these tips are not to provide all the information you will need, but to help you plan ahead. Take Precaution - Listen to local TV, radio, or NOAA weather radio to be aware of watches and warnings - Be aware that the calm “eye of the storm” can be deceiving – The storm is NOT over! - Flooding along the coast can begin well before a hurricane makes landfall. - Stay away from floodwaters. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. - Never attempt to drive through water on the road, water can be deeper then it appears and water levels can rise very quickly. Prepare Your House - Hurricane Panels, Rolling Shutters, Force 12 Hurricane Screens, Colonial/Bahama Shutters, or Accordion Shutters help eliminate the hassle of covering windows and doors with plywood or other temporary devices during the approach of a storm. - If your home and other buildings are not protected by permanently installed devices, by all means cover all windows and doors with plywood or whatever might be available. - Garage doors are a weak link and frequently overlooked during storm preparation. Secure Door is a simple and inexpensive way to protect garage doors from collapsing in the face of hurricane strength wind. - Gable vents are frequently overlooked. At minimum, plywood
should be cut to fit and securely affixed to all gable vents. - Move everything that might be flood damaged to upper stories or attic if possible. - Flying debris can cause damage. Lawn furniture, patio and picnic tables, grills, anything that could blow away or slammed into buildings, should be stored securely inside the home, garage, etc. - Trees should be trimmed of dead or overhanging limbs that could damage your home. - Turn off electricity at the main circuit breaker or fuse box to protect appliances from power surges common during service interruptions. - If the house is supplied with natural or propane gas, turn it off at the meter or tank. - Remove perishable items from your refrigerator and freezer before evacuating as a power outage will likely occur. Prepare A Personal Evacuation Plan - Create a list ahead of time of places you might go if ordered or advised to evacuate. Include friends and family who live well inland, motels, and temporaryaid shelters. - Monitor NOAA and also local radio and television for evacuation advisories. If
36 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
advised to evacuate, do so immediately. - If you live in the affected area, call the toll-free Red Cross Hotline 1-866-438-4636 for the nearest Emergency Shelter. - Advise friends and family of your plans to evacuate, where you plan to go, and when you will arrive. - Familiarize yourself with hurricane evacuation routes in your region well before hurricane season. - Motorists should fill their tanks before evacuating. If fuel becomes low look for TXDOT signs that indicate key fuel supply locations. TXDOT patrols major evacuation routes and will assist you. Evacueesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Emergency Supplies - Maps, prescription medication and First Aid supplies, spare eyeglasses and sunglasses, clothing and bedding (enough for several days), rainwear, flashlights and spare batteries, extra sets of keys, three gallons of drinking water per person per day, water for sanitary purposes, three day minimum supply non-perishable food, Fix-A-Flat and tire patching kit.
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 37
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Marine Science Institute
www.ScienceAndTheSea.org
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38 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
The University of Texas Marine Science Institute Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
ETHANOL 101 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT E10/ETHANOL FUEL
4 MAIN PROBLEMS WITH E10 / ETHANOL FUEL PROBLEM 1: DEBRIS IN FUEL Gums rapidly form in the fuel tank and fuel delivery systems as ethanol fuels age. However, ethanol is also a powerful solvent that will strip away and disperse this build up back into the fuel as large, performance-robbing particles. This leads to clogged filters, injectors and carburetors.
PROBLEM 4: ETHANOL CAUSES LOST POWER, PERFORMANCE AND DECREASED FUEL ECONOMY Ethanol fuel does not produce as much energy as traditional fuel. This results in inefficient combustion, decreased performance, reduced throttle response and poor fuel economy.
STAR TRON® SOLUTION: Star Tron®’s enzymes break down debris into sub-micron sized particles that can be easily burned during the combustion process, restoring full performance.
STAR TRON® SOLUTION: Star Tron’s® enzyme formula helps to break apart large clusters of fuel molecules, creating more surface area. This allows additional oxygen to react during combustion, which results in a more complete burn of the fuel, improved fuel economy, engine power, throttle response and reduced toxic emissions. Star Tron® removes carbon deposits, keeping your engine clean and operating at peak performance.
PROBLEM 2: EXCESSIVE WATER IN THE FUEL AND PHASE SEPARATION Ethanol attracts moisture from the atmosphere, forming an ethanol/water solution mixed in the gasoline. E-10 fuel will naturally hold .5% water in suspension, but when water levels exceed this threshold, or when the fuel cools significantly, the water/ethanol mix drops out of suspension. This is phase separation. Excessive water in the fuel tank causes engines to run rough, stall, and can lead to internal damage to engine components. Ethanol provides a significant amount of the fuel’s octane, so when the ethanol/water solution separates and drops to the bottom of the tank, the remaining fuel is left without enough octane to properly operate the engine. Additionally, the ethanol/water solution can become partially combustible, which can lead to engine damage. STAR TRON® SOLUTION: Star Tron®’s enzyme formula reduces interfacial surface tension between fuel and water. The molecular cluster size is greatly reduced, allowing more water to be dispersed throughout the fuel. These sub-micron sized droplets are safely eliminated as the engine operates. Star Tron® treated fuel helps prevent phase separation by allowing more water to be burned off than with untreated fuel, drying out the tank and preventing water buildup. PROBLEM 3: ETHANOL FUELS BREAK DOWN QUICKLY Over a short period of time ethanol fuel begins to break down. As ethanol and other components evaporate, the fuel loses octane and becomes “stale.” This causes hard starts, pinging and engine knock, which robs your engine of power and can cause damage. ®
STAR TRON SOLUTION: Star Tron is a powerful fuel stabilizer which helps prevent fuel breakdown for up to two years. This results in easier starts and prevents pinging and knocking. Star Tron® improves octane levels of sub-standard, non-spec or old fuel and in many cases can rejuvenate stale fuel, restoring it to serviceable condition. ®
Star Tron® is a unique, multifunctional fuel additive that addresses all ethanol issues. Star Tron® has been solving fuel problems for boaters across the US since 2003. It will improve the performance of: boats, cars, trucks, motorcycles, snowmobiles, ATVs, PWCs, generators, lawn & garden equipment and all other gas-powered engines. Star Tron® is safe for use in all 2 and 4-cycle engines under all conditions, even in ethanol fuels. Star Tron® is an ideal all-season, all-purpose additive, and does all this at one of the lowest costs of any fuel additive. Be careful of what additive you use – many contain alcohol. Adding more alcohol to ethanol fuels can lead to engine problems. Read the MSDS of any fuel additive before using it with ethanol fuel. Star Tron® does not contain any alcohol and is 100% safe for use in all ethanol blends. Star Tron® is easy to use, effective and cannot be overdosed.
®
Today’s Fuels Demand New Additive Technology To learn the entire Star Tron® story and to find the nearest retailer, log onto WWW.STARTRON.COM or call (800) 327-8583
JAY WATKINS
The sunrise photo included here is the view from my office a few days ago at Tide Gauge. I thought it a fitting start to this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s article. The beauty of a coastal sunrise is something too few have the good fortune to enjoy. Mornings such as this will become more common as we get further into
40 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
summer weather patterns. In our last issue I spoke about how wind can be your friend and the second photo here is proof. Windsanded water along a normally crystalclear shoreline made this trout easier to catch. This was my first eight-plus in Aransas Bay for 2010 and I am always
Texas Saltwater Fishing
excited to see such quality fish still roaming my home waters. As the winds of spring fade and the heat of early summer pushes the thermometer to the 90° mark, deeper structure becomes my primary target. Decreasing wind allows us to leave the protection of shorelines and venture
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
do unexpected things so be prepared for a strike at any moment when working mid-bay reefs. Do you know a bay that does not have a reef named Half Moon? There may be one somewhere but all ours do. The reason many reefs resemble a crescent is the way wind and current shape them. Another common trait is that one end is deeper or has a more severe drop and this too is caused by wind and current. I prefer to fish the up-current side of a reef when conditions allow and this means we often have to throw into the wind but this side will usually hold the most and best fish. Wade-fishing on shell reefs is a continuous learning thing due to changes created by storms and oyster dredging. I have more than once stepped into a deep hole on a reef I thought I knew like the back of my hand. These holes form hiding and staging zones for bait and predator alike and I’m always happy to find one but without a dunking first thing in the morning. Copano’s reefs were the first oysters my old Converse basketball shoes ever touched. In the good old days our coaches always seemed able to find a kid a “slightly” used pair for fishing purposes. I can still see my dad in old khakis and white T shirt wearing a pair of those Converse shoes standing thigh deep on Lap Reef, grinning and pulling a 52M 19 Mirrolure from the yellow mouth of a solid trout. There were lots of two to four pound fish to be caught in the early 70’s when the winds allowed us to wade the middle part of the bay. Anyway, you need to pay close attention to the details of each and every reef that you wade. Some reefs have narrow spines with sharp drop-offs and others are more broadtopped and might have a shallow belly or two somewhere within the formation. Then there are those with pronounced cuts through them. These I reserve for the extremely hot days of late summer. Tidal movement is a must for this situation but again, another article and another time. The first few days of calm will yield the best fish. For some reason, the larger fish seem to get wise to us after a few trips and make themselves scarce. Fish from sixteen to eighteen inches can still be found in good numbers with a few over Texas Saltwater Fishing
ASK TH E PRO
into the open bay. From northern Aransas bay all the way to East Matagorda you can find mid-bay reefs. Many of these come within a foot or less of the surface but can be surrounded by waters as deep as 8 to 10 feet. Luckily most of the reefs have a more gradual drop so stepping off the edges will not put you in water over your head. Oyster reefs supply structure upon which fish can stage and also attract a variety of forage. Crabs, shrimp, and many species of finfish make the shell their seasonal homes. Mullet and menhaden are usually abundant around mid-bay reefs. Mullet schooled on top of a shallow reef at daylight tell us that predation during the night has most probably forced them to be there. If you pull up to your favorite reef and there are no mullet in sight I would suggest you go to your second favorite reef. NO BAIT typically means NO FISH. All mid-bay reefs have two important points, a beginning and an end. Reefs that begin at the shoreline may extend a mile or more offshore; Panther Reef is a good example. To get started, I suggest locating the end of the reef with the most bait activity. Current and wind come later, we first have to locate the food source. I bet many of you have grown tired of hearing me stress the importance of bait but honestly I don’t believe I can stress it enough. Finding bait over or around the seasonal structure you plan to target is critical to your success. Notice I said season not day. Different structures for different seasons, but that is another topic. Next to finding no bait, “crunching” the fish off the reef is the second most common mistake. Walking on shell produces a crunching noise and I figure if I can hear you crunching then the fish darn sure can. I am pretty sure most of the trout flew the coop before you made a cast. My dad taught me to avoid the shell and walk on the sand or mud as much as possible. Most reefs have enough shell or mud around them to allow this tactic and, luckily, this is also the zone that quite often holds the most fish. I position my boat on the end opposite of where I believe the fish will be and for sure you want to fish your way to the chosen area verses simply walking. Fish
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 41
going to tie some bucktails and see what happens over the shell this season. So when the wind finally lets up, and I promise it will, get out in the big water and find a reef with some bait around it and see what happens. Try not to crunch the best fish off by stomping down to the end where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen the most bait. Being quiet on the shell will pay dividends I assure you.
CONTAC T
May your fishing always be catching. Guide Jay Watkins
the twenty mark on each outing. A wide variety of plugs will work over shell. Some might find it hard to believe that a diehard soft plastic man like me throws plugs but I also use a variety of the Mirrolure line. The Catch 5 and Mirrodine
42 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
XL work well over the shallower shell and the 52 MR works best for me in the deeper stuff. What ever happened to chunking a 1/2 ounce gold spoon with a yellow or white bucktail? I used to catch truckloads of big trout on that setup. I swear I am a
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 20 years. Jay specializes in wading year-round for trout and redfish with artificial lures. Jay covers the Texas coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi Bay. Phone 361-729-9596 Email Jay@jaywatkins.com Website www.jaywatkins.com
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 43
C ASE Y SMART T
F LY F I S H I N G D E PA R T M E N T
One of the most rewarding aspects of writing for Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is the feedback I get from readers. Some folks write to comment on articles they have read and others send qu questions about fly tying, angling strategy, or kayaking. I value this correspondence because it provides a clearer picture of readers’ interests and how topics can be expanded or improved each month. Best of all, visiting with fellow anglers gives me an opportunity to teach and to learn. This month’s article focuses on a handful of questions I have been frequently asked over the past few years. Where is a good place to buy fly tying materials? TThere are e essentially 3 p places you can b buy fly tying m materials: 1) Fly SShop, 2) Online m merchant, 3 3) Craft/ d department store. If you are new to fly tying I recommend you buy your materials at a fly shop. Why? You can take a firsthand look at the materials and select exactly the right size and color for the flies you want to tie. Also, the staff at a fly shop can help answer your fly tying questions and guide you to the right products. If you don’t live near a fly shop or if you are looking for a very specific material that is not locally available, the best choice is to shop online. Online merchants often lack the one-on-one support offered by brick and mortar businesses, but they make up for it in selection. Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Feathercraft, and Saltwaterflies.com are reputable online dealers with extensive inventories of quality tying materials. Once you establish a degree of confidence in fly tying, check out a craft or department store for unique or promising new materials. Most of the stuff you’ll buy there, honestly, will not work out like you hoped. But experiments are educational, and every now and then you’ll discover a real gem. What is a good fly line for the surf? O Oh, the surf… N No other place ccan deliver such g generous helpings o of both joy and aagony. I learned tthrough (bad) e experience the iimportance of cchoosing the right 44 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
fly line for the surf. Years ago, I dodged waves and whacked away with a floating line. My reasoning was that since the guts in the surf were not more than about six feet deep I didn’t need a sinking line to get my flies down. That was true, but I soon learned the exaggerated wave action of the surf creates slack in a floating fly line. This slack compromises the fly’s action and it also makes it tougher to detect strikes or set the hook. So, I switched to an intermediate sinking line. It was a big improvement. An intermediate line slips below the waves and stays reasonably straight in the surf. This means better contact with the fly and more consistent hooksets. Currently, my favorite all-around line for the surf (for standard 8-wt. tackle) is Scientific Anglers Clear Intermediate Bonefish line. This line sinks about 1-2 inches per second, has a nice flat taper, and casts well in the wind. What’s the best kayak for fly fishing? TThis is a tough q question to aanswer because sso many variables g go into selecting a kayak, and w when you’re p prepared to lay d down $1000 you n need to be sure you’re choosing the right boat. If you are shopping for a kayak for fly fishing, ask yourself these questions- Where will I be fishing most? How will I be transporting the boat? How much gear do I plan to haul with me? Is primary stability or speed more important? Once you answer these questions, you can more easily narrow down your choices. I believe there are three boats with features that address nearly any kayak fly fisherman’s needs. They are the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120, the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160, and the Native Watercraft’s Ultimate 14.5. The Tarpon 120 is a 12-foot boat that’s perfect for exploring marshes and semi-protected bay front areas. It is light and easy to maneuver, paddles and handles smoothly, and tracks well. In spite of its modest length, the Tarpon 120 offers plenty of storage space above and below deck. It is easy to transport and is equally at home in the bays or on inland lakes and rivers. The Tarpon 120 is currently my favorite kayak for fly fishing. The Tarpon 160 is a sleek and fast 16-foot boat designed to make long runs over open water. It rides over chop with ease and has a solid, seaworthy feel. If you plan to cover large expanses of water on day-long excursions, look hard at the Tarpon 160. The 160’s length makes it tougher to maneuver than short boats and it’s a pain to transport. But this boat, like a high-strung pointer, was meant for wide-open country not confined spaces. Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
O
VIDE
fitting the action of the rod to your casting stroke is important. Beginners often make the mistake of impulse buying a high-end fast action rod because of the “cool factor” associated with it. When the newness wears off, they often realize a rod with a more forgiving action would have been a better choice. Remember- no matter how much it costs or how powerful it is, a fly rod alone will not make you a better caster. Casting skills are the product of practice, not pocketbooks.
CONTAC T
Can you recommend a fly rod for the Texas Coast?
This is perhaps the hardest question of all to answer because there are so many great fly rods out there these days. Sage, G-Loomis, and Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) all manufacture great fly rods in a variety of actions and price ranges. For general use on the Texas Coast, I recommend you select an 8-wt rod. The 8-wt offers a good combination of power and finesse. It can handle both large and small flies and it has the strength to whip powerful fish and overcome unpleasant winds in the bay or the surf. An 8-wt rod can do a lot of things really well. If you plan to fish only protected inshore waters or if you also want to use the rod on inland lakes and rivers, I cautiously suggest you consider a 6-wt. Although a 6-wt loses steam pretty quick against a stout Gulf breeze, it can handle most of fish you typically encounter on the flats and it’s a great rod for medium freshwater use. One of the most important aspects of selecting a fly rod is to cast as many rods as you can before your buy one. Correctly
Casey Smartt has been fly fishing and tying flies for 30 years. When he cannot make it to the coast he is happy chasing fish on Texas inland lakes and rivers. Phone 830-237-6886 Email caseysmartt@att.net Website www.caseysmartt.com
Check out Casey’s Fly Fishing Video Library at www.TSFMag.com
FLY FIS H I N G D E PAR TM E NT
The Native Watercraft’s Ultimate 14.5 is a hybrid boat. Part kayak, part pirogue/ canoe, the Ultimate 14.5 offers plenty of interior comfort, a dry elevated seat, and unmatched stability. You can stand and pole/paddle or cast a fly rod from the Ultimate 14.5, which is pretty cool. The Ultimate is a bit more cumbersome to paddle than sleeker boats, but it’s a great boat for angler/photographers and those who want plenty of room to move.
BOBBY BYRD & C APT. JOHN COCHR ANE
O FFSH O R E
BLUEWATER JOURNAL
The Gulf of Mexico is an incredible body of water. It is the nursery ground for many species of pelagic fish and is the only known spawning ground for the western segment of the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery. Warm tropical water is pushed into this basin by the Yucatan current and it makes a big turn near Louisiana and heads east. It continues south along Florida’s west coast until it meets with the Florida Current near the Florida Keys and forms the Gulf Stream. This warm water journey is called
ɰɉȐɑȨȐȽȃȐ ɜȣȐ ɰɜɑǸɄɑȇȨȽǸɑɴ
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All inclusive package from
$ 725* 4 nights at a luxury residence 3 days saltwater fishing All meals, airport transportation, fresh bait, tackle, fishing licenses and taxes included
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46 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
damaged well poses a different problem. We know that many species will be affected on shore, but what about open ocean species? The oil will eventually evaporate, oxidize, and basically break down. However this takes time and until it either ends up on shore or mixes with the water and sinks to the bottom, these open water species may be vulnerable. What will the oil do to larval forms of pelagic species that are carried by currents as they grow and mature? The answers to most of these questions are yet to be discovered. The loop current usually stays formed as it was described, but every so often, when the conditions are right, an eddy breaks off from the loop and heads west, ending up along the coasts of Texas and Mexico. If oil makes it to the Loop Current, it could be transported into the western Gulf. What about pelagic species? The larval forms floating on currents near the surface could easily come in contact with the oil. Mature pelagic species live in the open ocean, between the surface and the bottom and should be much less affected. Marine biologists are gearing up to study how the oil spill will affect these pelagics and other marine life. If you drive your boat through an oil slick, the hull surface is going to get oily. We have seen it with small oil spills along the coast; the main thing is to wash it off as quickly as possible. The systems on your boat may be affected differently though. Do not turn on your watermaker; the oil will kill the RO membrane. Oil can also coat the inside of heat exchangers and cooling systems, degrading their efficiency. Operating a vessel in thick oil should be avoided completely. However, if you happen to briefly encounter intermittent streaks of dispersed oil mixed with clean seawater, your systems should be OK. Our advice is to avoid any surface as much as possible. Stay in clean water. It is hard for us to believe a marlin or tuna would eat an oil soaked ballyhoo or lure. Hopefully, the spill will be contained soon and we will be spared dealing with this problem off our coast. We hope you will join us in Port Aransas on July 1-4 for the Texas Tuna Texas Saltwater Fishing
O FFSH O R E
the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current and it is the topic of many discussions at the moment due to the unfortunate oil spill caused by the Deepwater Horizon disaster. As of this writing there are ongoing efforts to stop the flow of oil from the drill site. Scientists are trying to predict what impact the oil will have on the environment and what coastlines will be involved. The Loop Current may play a vital role in this scenario if the oil manages to make it into the flow of this current. As with all deep structures in the Gulf, the Deepwater Horizon provided a habitat for baitfish species and attracted large pelagics like billfish and tuna. Sportfishing boats from Texas, Louisiana and other Gulf states have fished around this rig in various locations as it moved around drilling for oil and gas in some of the most productive fishing areas near our coast. The deadly explosion and subsequent environmental problems will be talked about and analyzed for years to come. These structures that have enhanced our offshore fishing are now under scrutiny by the entire world. It is obvious that many things will be learned from this disaster and hopefully what we learn will be implemented to prevent another one from happening. However, there are many unanswered questions of concern to Texas bluewater fishermen. As of this writing, commercial and recreational fishing in federal waters is closed from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Pensacola, FL. Will the oil make it into the western Gulf? What impact will the oil spill have on our pelagic fisheries? What problems does the oil spill pose for our boats and motors? Below the depths of the Gulf of Mexico lie vast reserves of oil. This oil seeps naturally into the Gulf in hundreds of places and according to scientists; the total volume of this seeping may even match the size of the Deepwater Horizon spill. However, the seeping oil is highly diluted because it is spread out over a large area. It degrades quickly and many of the species that live near these seeps have adapted to this type of environment over a long period of time. The highly concentrated flow from the
CONTAC T
Mania and Swordfish Championship. For more information, please go to www. tunamania.com. Learn more about big game fishing by visiting us at our Fox Yacht Sales office at Tops-N-Towers. At Fox we have an extensive inventory of brokerage boats and we are the exclusive Texas dealer for CABO Yachts and Jupiter Boats. Capt. John Cochrane has been a professional captain for over 25 years and is now a yacht broker for Fox Yacht Sales. He concentrates his fishing efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, promoting big game fishing and billfish research. A native Texan, Bobby Byrd has fished the Gulf of Mexico since he was eight. In 1995, Bobby combined his love of fishing and boating into a business when he opened Tops-N-Towers in Seabrook, Texas. Contact Fox Yacht Sales / Seabrook 281-291-0656 Tops-N-Towers 281-474-4000 Capt. John Cochrane 409-739-4817 Websites www.byrd-cochrane.com www.topsntowers.com www.foxyachtsales.com
Effects of Oil Spill Solutions Oil booms, sand bags, a junk shot, a containment dome... So far, most of the containment and clean up efforts have been physical. Only surface oil has been hit with chemical dispersants. After the failure of BPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s containment dome due to an ice-clogged pipe, the company may be forced to try less-researched methods. While they will first try to plug up the spewing well with shredded tires, golf balls, and other junk, using dispersants at greater depths is the runner up option. Unfortunately, very little research has been done on the effects of using dispersants at such a depth. Thousands of gallons of dispersants have already been applied to the surface oil, and while the toxic heavy metals present in the dispersants pose a threat to the organisms living in the Gulf, the consensus is that they pose less threat than the oil itself. Dispersants work in the same matter as dish soap on grease. They break up the oil into small droplets which then dilute in the water. At greatest risk are fish larvae from species that use the Gulf as spawning grounds. Bluefin tuna, red snapper, and spotted seatrout are three primary recreationally important species currently spawning, and the contaminated waters could be deadly. Natural light has been suggested to increase the toxicity of the oil-dispersant mixture which would be a danger to such translucent organisms as fish larvae. Others at high risk are filter feeders such as whale sharks all the way down to oysters and mussels. Ultimately, any creatures living or visiting the area are threatened. The effects on birds have only been scantily tested (and only in labs); dispersants might damage birdsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; abilities to regulate body temperature. Despite these concerns, this solution still appears by experts to be the lesser of two evils. Certainly, the chemicals in dispersants are less toxic than those in the crude oil spilling out by 5,000 barrels a day. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be years before anyone sees the full effects, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;the environmental impact of so much dispersant at one site remains widely unknown,â&#x20AC;? Environmental Protection Agency officials admit.
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
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www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 49
FI ELD
N OT ES
By Amy Larimer, Fish and Wildlife Technician Todd Neahr, Natural Resource Specialist Upper Laguna Madre Ecosystem, Corpus Christi, Texas
To put it simply, no, the upper Laguna Madre (ULM) is not dying. Some anglers believe that the large amount of seagrass washing ashore is an indication of ill health in the ecosystem. To the contrary, the large amounts of seagrass washing ashore may be the result of the increasing size of seagrass beds. Seagrass beds in the Laguna Madre have been increasing in extent since the 1940â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, and healthy seagrass beds are vital to productive estuaries such as the upper Laguna Madre. Seagrasses play an important role in the functioning of healthy marine ecosystems. Seagrasses, which are flowering
plants, not algae, form large beds that serve several purposes within an estuary. They provide shelter and protection from predators for a number of important fish and invertebrate species, including spotted seatrout and shrimp. The blades host organisms (algae and small invertebrates) which are food sources for other animals. Redhead ducks also feed on the blades and rhizomes of one species of seagrass, Halodule
This is a shoal grass bed with a small school of pinfish in the foreground.
A photo h t off th the upper LLaguna M Madre d near Pit Pita IIsland, l d showing h i the th extent of seagrass beds (dark green). The lighter green area on the right is the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
50 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
beaudettei, or shoal grass. Sea turtles feed on some species of seagrass, especially on turtle grass, Thalassia testudinum, a species that is uncommon in the upper Laguna Madre but found in patches in the northern end. In addition to providing food and shelter for other organisms, seagrass beds also stabilize bottom sediments, improve water quality and can serve as indicators of an ecosystemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health. A decline in the amount of seagrass coverage can indicate problems in the ecosystem, and estuaries surrounded by high human development typically have shown declines in the extent of seagrass beds. Seagrass beds in the upper Laguna Madre comprise nearly 30% of the total seagrasses on the Texas coast. Prior to the completion of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (ICWW) in the late Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
This hi iis a manatee grass b bed. d Thi This species i off seagrass has long, round leaves.
1940’s, seagrasses were rare to non-existent in the upper Laguna Madre-Baffin Bay area due to extremely high salinities. Dredging the ICWW moderated the salinity and changed circulation patterns, allowing seagrasses to colonize the shallow areas of the upper Laguna Madre. Seagrasses require warm, salty water to thrive and are generally absent from bays to the north of Pass Cavallo due to high rainfall amounts, large freshwater inflows and average salinities less than 20 ppt. Six species of seagrasses are found along the Gulf coast. Five of these are found in the ULM (star grass, shoal grass, widgeon grass, manatee grass and turtle grass). Of these four, shoal grass and manatee grass (Cymodocea filiformis) are by far the most abundant in the upper Laguna Madre. All species of seagrass require light to photosynthesize and are thus restricted to the shallowest parts of the bays. The ULM is generally quite shallow (average depth is 3.3 feet), providing a lot of potential habitat for seagrasses. While seagrasses can reproduce by seeds which are dispersed by currents, they more commonly reproduce vegetatively by sending out rhizomes (or runners) along the bottom, forming extensive beds or meadows. Aquatic ecosystems like the upper Laguna Madre are dynamic environments. They undergo a process called succession in which species assemblages are displaced by others in an orderly process that occurs over many years. This succession continues until a Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
t bl or climax li it develops. d l F stable community For seagrasses in most estuaries, the typical order is shoal grass, followed by manatee grass, eventually leading to beds of turtle grass, (the typical climax species). Shoal grass is called a “pioneer” species, because it usually arrives first when suitable habitat opens up. Currently, many shoal grass beds in the ULM are being replaced by manatee grass. The ULM is not a typical estuary due its higher salinity, and the pattern of succession may end with manatee grass as a climax species rather than turtle grass. Seagrasses undergo growth cycles associated with changes in seasons. Seagrass blades are typically short-lived, on the order of weeks to months, while rhizomes (the part of the plant found in the bottom sediment) live longer. The blades detach from the rhizomes, float in long windrows and deposit on any windward shoreline of the Laguna Madre. As seagrass beds continue to increase in extent, we would expect to see more of this dead seagrass washing ashore. The change in seagrass species composition is also reflected in the increasing amount of manatee grass washing ashore. While this drifting or washedup seagrass can interfere with some human activities, it is part of the natural life cycle of these plants and neither a cause for concern nor an indication of poor ecosystem health.
Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or www.tpwd.state.tx.us for more information. Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 51
Story by Everett Johnson
4ȨɑǸȃȵȐ ɄȽ LǸȽ ȽɜɄȽȨɄ Ǹɴ ȨɑǸȃȵȐ ɄȽ L LǸȽ ȽɜɄȽȨɄ Ǹɴ April 2, 2010, is a day Benny Judice will never forget, at least the parts of it he can remember. It was Good Friday and Benny was fishing with longtime friend Jeff Larson and Jeff’s nine-year-old son,
Brennen. They were in San Antonio Bay at the southern tip of the First Chain of Islands. The fishing there was fast and steady the day before, solid trout took their lures almost as fast as they could cast. Benny and Jeff have been fishing and hunting waterfowl together for nearly twenty years, many times on the very reefs this tale took place. Just recently Benny was able to retire and pursue his dream of guiding fishermen and duck hunters on the Port O’Connor bays. Brennen, of course, is new to the team but coming up fast. Growing up in the company of hardcore outdoorsmen does that. Jeff has 52 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
been teaching Brennen to drive bay skiffs and airboats since he quit wearing diapers. The angling and wingshooting skill he has developed are remarkable. The day started well, although the action was slower. “We had some bites, soft little pecks, and landed a few. They weren’t biting like the day before,” Benny explained. “I figured we’d find them feeding somewhere along the reef and get into them.” Spreading out, Benny began exploring to the north while Jeff and Brennen worked slowly to the south. At the north end of the reef Benny crossed the trough to an adjacent island and began working
getting in pretty deep and the water was lapping over my waders but it wasn’t that cold and I didn’t really mind,” was Benny’s description of how he got into trouble. “Next thing I know I took a step and there was nothing there, I went in over my head. I tried stepping back but it was a sharp ledge and the bottom was soft, gooey mud. I managed to push off and get my head up a couple times and I remember letting go of my rod and trying to swim, but that’s all.” Being fairly close to Benny but separated by deep water, Jeff could not believe he was watching his friend drown right in front of him. Shouting at Benny not to give up and for Brennen to get the boat, (lucky that he could), Jeff began wading and probing with his fishing rod when Benny did not surface, all the while frantic to avoid the same fate. “My mind was racing. Brennen had started the boat and pulled the anchor but he was stuck on
that side back toward the others. “We were covering the whole gut and I couldn’t believe we hadn’t found them yet, but that’s fishing,” Benny said. Determined, Benny ventured into a deeper area, almost directly across and about fifty yards from Jeff and Brennen. “I was Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
he’d try to save me and drown too. I shouted for him to stay in the boat with Benny’s words, ‘I ain’t gonna make it, tell ‘em I love ‘em,’ the last time he came up still ringing in my ears.” Jeff says what happened next could have only been divine intervention. “I was holding the rod about two-thirds of the way up and stabbing to find him. I can’t say how long he
the reef,f screaming.” th i ” “Daddy, Daddy, don’t drown. Don’t let Benny drown.” “Benny’s cap floated up and that helped mark the spot. I kept going even though my waders were filling. I was trying to tread water when I couldn’t feel bottom. The last thing I wanted was to drown in front of my son knowing
was under but I knew it was too long. How he managed to grasp the rod handle and hold on will always be a mystery, I believe it was the hand of God.” Sensing that he had at least snagged Benny’s clothing, Jeff began tugging. Barely able to keep his own head
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
above water he finally grabbed the limp form. That’s when he realized Benny was clutching the rod handle. “He was unconscious and I thought he was dead. Actually, being out cold like that was probably a blessing because he wasn’t fighting me. I pressed my fingers to his neck and found only a weak thump every few seconds. I knew there wasn’t much time.” Managing to drag Benny back toward the shallow part of the reef, Jeff was relieved that Brennen’s screaming had attracted the attention of two other fishermen. With their help he got Benny aboard just as he began coughing and spitting up saltwater, still unconscious. He came to about ten minutes into the boat ride to the dock where an EMS team was waiting. Thank God for cellular phones. The EMS team made cursory checks to determine Benny was not in immediate danger and advised he go to the hospital in Port Lavaca right away, which he did. That afternoon he walked out counting his blessings. So what can be learned from Benny’s Good Friday miracle? For starters, Benny purchased two inflatable PFDs the next day and swears he will wear one at all times he is on the water wearing waders. Curious whether I would be able to save my own life wearing waders, Pam and I conducted an experiment in our pool and here’s what we found: -Air trapped inside your waders could help save your life. -Wearing a belt outside your waders, cinched tightly about your upper abdomen, will keep your waders from filling…at least for eight or ten minutes. -Wade belts with foam padding such as Wade-Aid greatly increase your buoyancy. -Swimming in waders, even with belts that increase buoyancy, is difficult. The dog-paddle is about the only stroke you can Continued on page 55... www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 53
CONSERVATION PAGE
BROUGHT TO YOU BY...
Story by John Blaha
CCA Continues Fight for Proper Fisheries Management and Recreational Angler Representation Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) is comprised of 17 state chapters, spanning the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Each state operates and raises funds that stay at home to support the chapter’s activities in conservation advocacy, communication and habitat programs. CCA, the national organization, is funded though membership dollars to centrally manage fishery and resource issues that are regional, national or even international in nature. Many federal issues have come to the table in recent years in which CCA worked hard for the benefit of our marine resources as well as the interests of recreational fishermen. These recent issues have only underscored the importance of the CCA National organization. From the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), to catch shares and to the Obama Administration’s National Ocean Policy, CCA has been at the forefront of efforts to conserve our shared marine resources and represent recreational anglers’ interests. Magnuson-Stevens Act - The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation Act, first passed into law in 1976, was re-authorized in 1996 and again in 2006. This act is the overarching law that manages America’s marine fisheries and throughout its 30-plusyear history, it has been dogged by a persistent problem that affected both recreational and commercial fisheries – its inability to end overfishing. As a result, when MSA was reauthorized in 2006, unprecedented requirements were included that placed definitive deadlines on overfishing of all species by 2011 and rebuilding of overfished species within specified time lines. Though the MSA mandates of the reauthorization in 2006 may be the recipe needed for good conservation, in combination with an agency that has utterly failed to properly manage our marine resources, they are causing real short-term hardship. Users of the resource have been understandably irate at the prospects of closures for popular species, but have directed their anger at the new provisions of MSA, rather than at the agency which has failed miserably to discharge its duties under law. A veritable train wreck is upon NOAA Fisheries as a result of its dearth of data and lack of effort to manage recreational fisheries. CCA, together with coalition partners including the American Sportfishing Association, The Billfish Foundation, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, Center for Coastal Conservation and the International Game Fish Association, are continuing to work diligently to see that a reasonable, workable solution is implemented to address the roots of the problems in federal fisheries management. Catch Shares - Catch share programs set a biologically based annual catch limit for a fish stock and allocate a specific share to entities, such as commercial fishermen, cooperatives or communities. When designed correctly, catch share programs in purely commercial fisheries may help eliminate the race to fish, reduce overcapacity, and improve economic efficiency. Unfortunately, in fisheries where there is large and growing recreational sector, exclusive fishing rights proposals maximize 54 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
benefits to the commercial fishing industry while ignoring the participation and beneficial economic impacts of recreational fishing. Catch share programs will cement outdated allocations as we have seen with Gulf red snapper. CCA has long called for reallocation of fisheries where appropriate, based on an economic analysis to provide the greatest economic benefit to the country. CCA has been, and will continue to be, very involved in this debate. Most recently, Jeff Angers, president of the Center for Coastal Conservation, delivered testimony before the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Oversight Hearing, on behalf the Center, American Sportfishing Association, CCA, International Game Fish Association, National Marine Manufactures Association and The Billfish Foundation. The testimony was pointed and presented the serious concerns of the coalition about the impact of commercial catch shares on the recreational sector in mixed-use fisheries. CCA is currently engaged in a lawsuit filed in September 2009 challenging the adoption and implementation of Amendment 29 to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Management Plan, which gives away a majority share of Gulf grouper to the commercial fishing industry through a catch share program. Obama National Ocean Policy - In June of 2009, President Obama created the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force. The Task Force, led by the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), was charged with developing a national policy and implementation strategy for conserving and managing the United States’ ocean territory and the Great Lakes. The policy will govern ocean and Great Lakes resource management and coordinate efforts among federal, state and local agencies. The Task Force’s Interim Framework for a National Ocean Policy was out for public review and comment until February 12, 2010. The single most obvious flaw in the report upon its release was the omission of responsibly regulated recreational fishing as a key activity for the oceans and the Great Lakes. In addition, as a national policy document governing the oceans and Great Lakes, the report skewed toward a preservationists policy of locking up public waters instead of one that promotes sustainable uses such as recreational fishing. CCA has submitted comments and testified at multiple hearings throughout this process and has maintained not only that anglers must be a key part of any National Ocean Policy, but access to angling opportunities must be a priority in the policy as well. Summary – In today’s fisheries and coastal resources management, CCA National continues to play a crucial role for all state chapters. In federal waters and with fishery issues that cross state lines, CCA has the ability to affect policy with the goal of creating sustainable marine resources and increasing opportunities for all recreational anglers to enjoy those resources. For more information about CCA and these federal fishery issues, please visit www.JoinCCA.org and click the Newsroom tab. Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
...continued from page 53 Always use caution when wading and remember we cannot go fishing tomorrow if you drown today!
perform for long. -The inflatable PFD is very light and fairly comfortable to wear. Pulling the cord to inflate it is simple but should be practiced in the water so you know what to expect if and when you actually need it. Always remember you have to pull the cord; it does inflate automatically. Being thrown into deepwater, possibly unconscious, as might occur in a boating
accident, would make you a goner. Playing in a swimming pool is hardly the situation that nearly took Benny’s life…no fear of drowning, no sticky mud pulling at your wade boots, no current, no reason to panic. Panic is probably the singlemost deadly element. I learned a lot in the pool this afternoon and encourage others to do the same.
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www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 55
K AYAK
FISH I N G
C APT. SCOT T NULL
9 9Xpfl Ile n`k_ k_\ 9Xpfl I Ile n n`k_ _ kk_\ We all look forward to those times when we can W put in a full day on the water. Planning the trip, checking the tides and weather forecast, readying the tackle and the general anticipation of a great day of fishing are almost as much a part of it as the actual time on the water. Many times however, it’s the quick unplanned trips that do our psyche the most good. Kayaks are tailor-made for unexpected opportunity of only two or three hours. Back in the days before kayaks I’d have to go pick up the boat, make sure the battery was charged, get gas and then drive to the nearest boat ramp. Afterwards, there was the requisite cleaning and post-trip maintenance. More often than not, the mere thought of the process would keep me landlocked. Nowadays I keep a couple rods rigged and ready along with a minimalist tackle box and a few necessities in a “to-go” bag. My favorite paddle and PFD are hanging on the wall nearby. When opportunity presents, all I have to do is strap the yak in the
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
bed of the truck, grab the gear and point the truck to the salt. Organization is the key for me because if I have to start searching for things or thinking too hard about what to bring the moment is spoiled. Keeping it simple also means having a library of quick-hit launch sites for various conditions with a reasonable chance of catching a few fish. These aren’t necessarily my prime fishing haunts, but rather places I can access with a minimal amount of fuss and paddling. Catching fish is always nice, however the main mission is just getting on the water to help refresh my outlook. Earlier this week was a prime example. After a morning round of phone calls I found myself with no appointments. A quick glance at the computer showed a good incoming tide and light southeast winds. Twenty minutes later I was in the truck and headed for Highland Bayou. The launch at Louie’s is one of my favorite spots for these quick trips. I can drive right to the
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
the speed of operation but at moderate levels it can easily carry you through an entire day of fishing. The remote throttle has an on-board computer with integrated GPS that determines the battery level, speed, and remaining range. All of this information is displayed right there on an LCD screen on top of the throttle unit. Another cool feature is a magnetic kill switch that stops the motor should you happen to find yourself overboard. The whole Torqeedo rig, including battery, weighs less than eighteen pounds. The eVolve model I was using is designed to fit directly into the Hobie Mirage Drive well. It installs easily and locks securely in place just like the Mirage Drive. There is also a mounting option that allows you to install the motor on the rudder. Other Torqeedo models can be mounted on the stern with a Ram ball mount and steered with your foot pegs the same as any standard rudder. Once I was away from the dock I powered up the unit and hit the throttle. It was surprising how much thrust the motor generated and within moments the
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www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 57
K AYAK FISHING
water, drop in, and paddle a short distance to some decent fishing. The area has a variety of habitat including deep water structure, marsh and drains, all with good tidal current. This trip was made even easier by the kayak I was trying out, the Hobie eVolve with electric drive by Torqeedo. I was first introduced to the Torqeedo at last summer’s Outdoor Retailer show. It is not your typical trolling motor. The unit is about the equivalent of a one horsepower engine and runs on a lightweight 28.8 volt lithium manganese battery. The range varies depending on
integrated GPS was clocking me at just over 5 mph while heading into a light wind. I easily overtook a fellow kayaker who was paddling at a pretty good clip. The look on his face was priceless. I’d really like to see what this motor could do when mounted to a sleeker hull. Within a few minutes I was at the
58 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
entrance to a marsh full of active bait. The only drawback to the unit I was using is that it hangs down quite a ways below the hull making truly shallow water access impossible. As near as I could figure, it takes a little over a foot and a half of depth to keep the motor off bottom. But simply unlocking a couple latches allows you to pull the unit out and continue on with a paddle. Since I was in the super stable Hobie Outback I chose to stand and take a look around. Mullet, mullet and more mullet. The place was overrun with huge mullet. Over the next hour I poled in and out of several marsh ponds hoping to find a few reds. I finally found one huge red resting on a mud flat but she didn’t want to play and
Texas Saltwater Fishing
snubbed my offering before hightailing to a deeper channel. The only other one was cruising along the edge of the grass just out of range and disappeared before I could catch up. It was becoming obvious that the fish weren’t really up in the marsh so it was time to try something different. As I said earlier, this is a favorite area due to the variety it provides within a fairly small area. With the tide rolling in
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
It didn’t take long to get a hard thump followed by a solid run into the deeper water. I was thinking oversized until I finally got the red to the surface. It was probably the thickest and fattest 24-inch redfish I’ve ever seen. It easily pulled the Boga down past the 7 pound mark. This thing was shaped more like a bass than a redfish. With renewed enthusiasm I hit every bit of structure I could find, no more luck. But that was cool, I had accomplished my goal of getting away for a while and felt much better for it. Do yourself a favor and don’t hesitate to hit the water, even if you have but an hour or two. When you have a kayak; there’s no excuse not to.
CONTAC T
I headed for some structure along the edge of the deep water of the bayou and started working it over with a diving Russelure. In my youth we used the larger versions of this lure to troll for kings. After an absence in the market, the lure has been brought back by a local family and they are producing these great lures in ten colors and eight sizes from 1 to 6 inches length. The 2.5 and 3 inch models are perfect for reds and trout. This lure is basically a nearly indestructible aluminum crankbait that wobbles and flashes like a spoon.
Capt. Scott Null is a devout shallow water fisherman offering guided adventues via kayak, poled skiff, and wading. Phone 281-450-2206 Website www.letsgofishing.net
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 59
C APT. SCOT T SOMMERL AT TE
ACCORDING TO SCOT T
When I was a teenager, I honestly, deep down believed, that I would never be able to say, “I remember the good old days.” I thought that b between the efforts of conservation organizations such as Ducks Unlimited and the Gulf Coast Conservation Association, and the fact that people were recognizing the errors of old ways; things could and would continue to get better. Boy was I ever wrong. You see, the one factor that I did not take into account is the out-of-control boom and redistribution of this country’s population. This increase and shift delivered a flood of new “users” to the coast. I use the term users not to describe people from the urban underground who use illegal drugs, although the allure of fishing the coast certainly gets people hooked (pun intended), but to describe the people who come to the coast to use and enjoy all that the Texas coast has to offer. Years and years ago, these users were lumped into one big group. And, while I am sure they were labeled somehow, I will refer to them collectively as coastal enthusiasts. These people, who fished, duck hunted, sailed or in some cases, just went for a walk on the beach, mostly got along famously. In fact, not unlike today, some people took in more than one of the previously mentioned activities. Then, sometime down the road, something happened that divided this group. And, many years later, we see the fishing community continue to splinter into so many factions that we hardly know where we fit in. In short, we are no longer just fishermen. In today’s world, fishermen are categorized and labeled based on the way they fish. Examples are wade fishermen, fly fishermen, kayak fishermen, airboaters, drift fishermen, pot lickers (bait fishermen) and tournament anglers. Now what is funny is that these labels, while originally intended to identify primary methods, are now days often used in a negative way. In fact, it is not uncommon for labels to be preceded in conversation by a derogatory explicative. The point is, as a rule, wade fishermen do not like airboaters, kayakers do not get along with drift fishermen, fly fishermen are typically considered to dislike everyone and, I
60 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
know many that have nothing but the worse things to say about tournament fishermen. I am not certain where I fit in as I have worn many hats over the years. I have been called many things, some not nearly PG-13 enough to print in this publication and, for the most part, I am pretty much okay with it. And, while my fellow fishermen have the right to like or dislike me personally, I am not okay with the divisions that are widening within the fishing community. In fact, it is division that could eventually destroy the thing we all love most. Fishing! Years ago, fishermen from all walks joined to form the Gulf Coast Conservation Association using “Save the Redfish” as their war cry to accomplish one of the greatest resource conservation successes ever recorded. In today’s world, I wonder if we could get enough fishermen to agree any issue or course of action that could or would have such profound effect on anything. With that being said, it is time to look at some issues at the fore of coastal fishing in Texas. Two of the biggest issues facing the fishing community today are the decline in our fisheries and the growing conflicts between the users. I believe they are directly related. You see, back when fisheries managers enacted bag limits that are still law, I doubt very seriously whether they could have understood or even predicted the pressure on the resource we see today. Not only has our population grown and to some degree shifted toward the coast, but the average fisherman now enjoys a much improved income and lifestyle and can afford more days on the water. And, through enormous advances in technology, there is no way they could have known how efficient we would become. There used to be an old saying, “ten percent of the fishermen catch ninety percent of the fish,” and I would agree it was probably pretty accurate twenty years ago. But now, with all the information and technology available, the playing field has been leveled. Think about it; between the internet, cell phones, GPS, Google Earth, photo charts, better boats, motors, rods, reels, lines and lures, the fish have nowhere to hide. I hear it daily, “Where are all the fish?” Well, we have caught them all or, we have driven them from the
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
CONTAC T
ACCO R D I N G TO SCOT T
shallows. Who really knows? Catching all or at least the majority of them (I’m talking speckled trout) would have seemed far-fetched ten years ago. Yet how else might we explain so many mid-coast drift-wade trout guides now targeting backcountry reds? Wade-drift trout fishermen, guided and non-guided together, by far comprise the majority of Texas coastal anglers, always have. It seems that lately, though, the only time they go trout fishing is during “croaker” season. The rest of the year they are drifting or staked out in the backcountry and shallows hoping for reds. How long will it be before this shift in effort can be seen in the fishery? My take – I think it already is. Please understand; my intention here is not to single out guided effort. Now days, we are seeing trout fishermen who rarely or never used a guide to fish the traditional knee to chest deep haunts of the speckled trout moving into the extreme shallows – historic turf of the hardcore redfish angler. Fewer redfish are being seen and/or caught and the grass flats and lakes are covered with prop scars. Conflicts between the user groups are becoming increasingly common as both guides and non-guided sports run the shallow bay-fronts and lakes in their tunnel-hulls and airboats “looking for fish.” And then of course, there are those who run circles around the redfish and stop to throw a couple of baits, only to repeat it in 15 or 20 minutes, all the while rendering nearly every area they enter unfishable for hours and sometimes the rest of the day. And, while many want to blame it on the airboats and tunnel-hulls, remember, it is not the boat but the operator that decides to burn a flat or rodeo the redfish.
I guess what I am trying to say here is – things are getting o out of hand and it could be tto the detriment of us all. It is jjust a matter of time before rregulations will come down to g govern the way we access the aareas we like to fish. For example; there is a g group known as Texas Wade, Paddle and Pole that would like to see the implementation o of Low-Impact Fishing Zones. TThese areas would be set aaside for those who like to w wade, paddle canoes or kayaks and for those who enjoy poling a skiff. The operation of internal combustion engines would not be allowed inside the zone. I for one support this concept and would welcome the implementation of these types of areas along the entire Texas coast. However, rather than getting the state involved, I would prefer to see it happen through policing ourselves. There is no reason, through common courtesy and peer pressure on those who refuse to acknowledge and respect other’s space, we cannot create areas where anglers can fish and expect not to be run over by inconsiderate boaters. Imagine that – to go fishing without worry of being burned or wonder if someone burned the flat an hour earlier. If we do not possess the wherewithal to handle this ourselves, I believe TPWD could some day intervene. I for one am tired of having my day ruined by inconsiderate boaters. And, personally, I do not wish to see the state stepping in and regulating us but, if we do not learn to respect each other and the environment, I do not see how there is a choice. I have always said it is a privilege, not a right, to have access to all the public waters we have enjoyed for so long. Folks, we are playing with fire because privileges can be taken away.
Capt. Scott Sommerlatte is a full time fly fishing and light tackle guide, freelance writer and photographer. Telephone 979-415-4379 Email vssommerlatte@hotmail.com Website www.scottsommerlatte.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 61
YOU T H
FISH I N G
TEXAS SALTWATER THROUGH
A ARON CISNEROS
-RXVSHYGMRK Hello, my name is Jake H dd k and d I am excited to be your Haddock next TSFMag youth writer. I know many of you, including myself, will dearly miss Aaron’s writings. However, the show must go on and I hope that I can do half as good of a job as Aaron. Anyway, as far as my fishing background, I was brought up fishing by my family. I think that if it wasn’t for their influence then I probably wouldn’t have ever started fishing. As a young child I would fish just about anywhere. I fished in ditches, creeks, ponds, rivers, and even a puddle if I thought there was a fish in it. When I was little I would get so excited when I got to go fishing on the bay. I remember some of my first few big fishing trips. I couldn’t even sleep the night before because I was
eaten up with anticipation. Some how, I would still wake up at the crack of dawn and have enough energy to fish all day. Now days I don’t get quite that wound up, but I still thoroughly enjoy fishing on our wonderful coast line. I was taught how to fish by my father and older brother going to the Galveston Bay complex. Around the age of seven I was taken on a life changing fishing trip to Port O’ Connor. That trip left a memory that will last forever. That following year I returned to POC with a little more experience under my belt. Before too long, I was going to the fishing haven multiple times each summer. Today it’s almost an every other weekend occurrence; which is okay with me. Since that first trip, POC is where I have
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spent most of my time saltwater fishing. It is also where my fishing skills have evolved from blind casting with a gold spoon to spot and stalk fly fishing. Of all the other fishing tactics I have tried over the years I would have to say some of my favorites are: sight casting with soft plastics, topwater fishing, fly fishing, and throwing Corkys to big wintertime specks. I don’t think I could pick just one because each has its own place and time. The best tactic is always the one that the fish cooperate with the most whenever you are fishing, because no one likes to get skunked. Since I don’t live right on the coast, in between trips I have to resort to fishing local ponds with friends and family, which is fine too. Other hobbies of mine in between trips are fly tying
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and lure making. Fly tying was something I’ve attempted to do ever since I was a little kid. When I was ten years old my family and I went on a nice vacation off the coast of Belize. We stayed at Turneffe Flats Lodge on the Turneffe Atoll. One night when we were all gathered in the lodge, I saw a man sitting at the tying desk tying a fly. After a few minutes of observing, he was kind enough to let me try. With help along the way he helped me tie the best fly that I’d tied at that point of my life. After that I began taking classes with Andy Packmore at Fishing Tackle Unlimited who has taught me so much about fly tying and the sport of fly fishing in general. Of all the flies that I have invented, the best yet is a baitfish pattern that my uncle has rightly named The Animal. On one particular morning I caught a limit of reds on this fly in under an hour. I started lure making when I saw an episode of “Hunt for Big Fish.” The host of the show, Larry Dahlberg, was making a mold of a topwater lure out of a RTV material. Then he poured a lure with a two part plastic resin. I was completely amazed by this. Right away I ordered some of the products. The lures turned out quite well, but I found it to be a lot of work, somewhat costly, and required many of the proper tools. So I turned to a cheaper alternative, soft plastic lure making. I like making soft
YOUTH FISHING
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plastics more because it’s easier, cost less, and you hardly need any thing to make them. It’s very rewarding to make a lure or fly and then take it out and catch fish on it. I’m looking forward to sharing fishing adventures with y’all in the following months, but until then, get off the couch and go fishing!
TSF MAGA ZINE SPOTLIGHT
TSF MAGA ZINE SPOTLIGHT
ForEverlast Hunting and Fishing Products “We live hunting and fishing,” is more than a slogan or catch phrase with Billy and Amy Gerke of ForEverlast Hunting and e Fishing Products. Billy, president and founder, says, “There are lots of folks in the hunting and fishing business so we try to stay on our toes. This is our life as much as it is our business. The heartbeat and spirit of the Texas outdoor tradition is what our company and products are founded upon. We know what works here in Texas…what the hunters and fishermen need…because we are hunters and fishermen.” Billy grew up at East Bernard and graduated Texas A&M with a degree in Ag-Economics. Leaving Aggieland he went to work in the agriculture chemicals industry as a sales rep. Halletsville was central to his sales region, and since Moulton, very near Halletsville, is Amy’s hometown, it was natural to settle there. Amy’s dad introduced Billy to coastal fishing, wade fishing in particular, and the young man with a lifelong passion for hunting was soon equally passionate about salt water. ForEverlast was started in 1998 and the first products were
64 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
skinning tools for Texas deer hunters, gambrels, block and tackle setups, hitch hoists, tripod stylee d the h llike. k “I game h hangers, and would work all day in my ag-chemicals job and Amy had a fulltime job too. Wee d had stuff stacked all over the house and t. on the porch, anywhere we could put it. When we gott tart home we’d start packaging product for shipment on our living room floor, that’s how we got started,” Billy says, “It was pretty cramped and when we were not at work or hunting or fishing that’s what we did, we were building a business, a dream actually.” Amy’s dad made an unlucky step one day and was hit by a stingray. “That stingray hit is what got us to thinking about developing protective gear for wade fishermen. Amy’s dad can make or build about anything and has been a big help to us. We put our heads together and eventually came up with the original Ray-Guard Wading Boot that we began selling in 2003. We listened to lots of fishermen and some liked the wrap-around guard concept but not the whole boot idea. So in 2004 we brought out the Ray-Guard Shield and the ForEverlast Reef Boot which could be worn separately or together, whichever the fisherman prefers.” Organizing the supply and marketing of the Ray-Guard Wading Boot, Reef Boot, and Shield seemed an endless uphill battle. Given the excellent reviews and quick acceptance in the marketplace, the Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
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supply could rarely match the demand, even during winter. However, Billy and Amy are long on entrepreneurial spirit and
66 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
work ethic and they continued to make improvements. In 2005 they added wading belts and other wade fishing equipment to
Texas Saltwater Fishing
the ForEverlast line. “It was plain that we needed to make some changes. Our home simply wasn’t big enough for us and the business. We already had Ty, our oldest son, and Layne was on the way. Momma said something had to go,” Billy said with a grin. “I really enjoyed my job, but our hearts were in ForEverlast and deep down we believed if we worked hard we could make it go. So I told my boss I wanted to concentrate on ForEverlast and rented a building. It wasn’t an easy decision, when you have a family coming up and all, but it’s the best one we ever made.” Today, still at Halletsville, ForEverlast’s third home is a recently completed 12,000 square foot structure with plenty of space for product storage and room for growth. “I even have an office,” Billy beamed. Strolling along the warehouse aisles required making way for the fork truck busily unloading a shipment
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
of Ray-Guard Boots. Signing the freight ticket, Billy said, “Believe it or not, we’re still barely keeping up.” No business creates itself and ForEverlast is no exception; it takes a good team with vision, skills, and determination. “I owe
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
a lot of credit to my father,” Billy offered. “He taught me how to communicate with people, to work hard and be self-reliant. I still make deliveries to some of our retailers. I could have somebody else do it, but I think it’s a great way to stay in touch with those folks and feel the pulse of the market.” The ForEverlast fishing product lines have grown considerably since the days of the first wading boots. Today’s offerings include wade belts, tackle management systems, stringers, shoes, boots, landing nets, and there’s more on the drawing board. The new G-2 line of RayGuard boots and shields will be hitting the stores just any day now and bring some serious upgrades fishermen have been asking for. On the hunting side, the Foreverlast lineup has been expanded to include snake boots and chaps, bird hunter’s belts, shell bags and holsters, more game processing equipment, game feeder systems, trail-cam stands, receiver and tailgate style sendero feeders, protein feeders and hog traps. And just like the fishing side, there’s more to come. “This is a family business. Amy is our business and office manager and I am involved in every way with our suppliers and our customers. We try to get our two boys involved and we hope to pass everything to them someday so Amy and I can just go hunting and fishing,” Billy said in closing. Sure sounds like a good plan, and knowing the Gerkes, I’m betting they’ll pull it off. Texas Saltwater Fishing
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www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 67
TEX AS NEARSHORE AND OFFSHORE
MIKE JENNINGS
Summer S ummer P Patterns atterns a and nd T Tactics actics Put a few fishing guides together and ask their opinion on how to approach a given fishery. You will see ma many similarities in their knowledge of any given species and fishing patterns, but you will likely be surprised at the stark differences in their tactics. The definitive step by step how-to book has never been written, you see. Oh, there has been plenty published, but no matter your skill and experience in any fishery, Mother Nature can throw you a kink just about any time she wants. Back to the guides – Ask that same group ask about fishing regulations and conservation and you probably won’t get two answers alike. It’s been said that time is a great teacher; unfortunately it kills all its pupils. While the later part of that statement may be a given, the first part is not. Time teaches only those that have the foresight to record the past and the ability to learn from it. This year will be one of those lessons to look back on. The Texas upper coast estuaries were impacted by one of the coldest winter events in over a decade. These estuaries feed our offshore fishery and only time will tell if we see any real effect from this winter’s freezes. These freezes came shortly following Hurricane Ike that obviously impacted some of our
h d shallow h ll water t structure. t t I kknow nothing thi off th nearshore and the science that might used to calculate the long-term effects of extreme weather or speculate on climate change but I can take advantage of these events as they unfold and make myself a better fisherman.
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
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Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 69
E V E RY M AN ’S O FFSH O R E
In every walk of life we keep records and fishing should be no different. Now we have all seen and heard of the importance of keeping detailed notes of every outing but how may of us thought we would ever face such a wicked combination as hurricanes, exceptional winter temperatures and a huge oil spill impacting our fishery at the same time? I cannot help but think we will see patterns emerge in this year’s fishery that will teach us a lesson or two. I also know that as we enter our summer season some of the old and familiar patterns will hold true and make our little piece of the world such a great multi-species fishery. This spring was a slow-starter to say the least. Our spring-break crowds were greeted by a nearshore fishery that was almost nonexistent some days while our deep water fishery was stalled in winter pattern. This caused many of us to start our year with a different approach than we have been accustomed. Our saving grace through it all was our bull redfish and snapper fisheries. I’m not talking
about red snapper, but rather the less famous vermillion snapper or beeliner as it is commonly known. Both fisheries are definitely alive and well off the upper Texas coast. We never saw our beach water temperatures begin to warm until mid-April, but when they did the bull redfish were there en masse and I can only smile at the success of the conservation measures enacted in this fishery over twenty-five years ago. In contrast, our vermilion snapper are a much deeper species holding to structure in excess of 150 feet. They see very little fishing pressure and this is reflected in the fairly liberal bag limit. Combine them with amberjack, kingfish, cobia, dorado, tuna and the occasional grouper or wahoo and you have the makings of a fun day on the water. Now that June is upon us, the focus for many offshore anglers will turn to our most sought-after reef species, Gulf red snapper. This species has undergone a
journey from one of the most prolific in the western Gulf to being declared overfished some two decades ago with the first truly restrictive regulations going into effect in the early 1990s. We have seen our bag limits and seasons reduced several times,
70 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
the most drastic of which came during the last couple of years. The National Marine Fisheries Service recently stated that the red snapper is no longer undergoing overfishing and has increased our annual catch limit for the 2010 season. This increase has been applied to our season length not bag limit, but in light of having overfished the limit in 2009, it brought us only a 53 day 2010 fishing season. Yes, this whole issue is confusing, but I personally choose to view it from the “glass half-full” perspective. As bad as a 53 day season may sound, I see this increase in
Texas Saltwater Fishing
our annual catch limit as the turning point we have been hoping for and I remain optimistic about the future of this fishery. I receive calls daily from customers concerned with lack of opportunity due to the reduced snapper limits and shortened season and I find myself constantly reminding them just how diverse our total Gulf fishery really is. There are not many places in the United States where you can target eight to ten species in a single day. We have that fishery right here on our doorstep so don’t let a simple reduction in the bag limit of one species prevent you from enjoying the rest of what the Gulf has to offer. With everything currently facing our offshore fishery and all that it has endured, it still stands as one of the best in the nation and only time will tell just how much we have learned from our successes and failures. As fishermen we know that we can take any given lesson and turn it into tomorrow’s tactics. As conservationists and stewards of the resource, will we take these hard lessons gained with red snapper and apply them to other species in tomorrow’s fishery? As we look back on this year’s events will we be able to see that
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
CONTAC T
our fi fishery h iis strong t enough to not only enjoy now but also something we can pass along to our children? June is a wonderful time to spend days offshore with family and friends. Take the opportunity to enjoy our Gulf and take pride that our fisheries are the envy of fishermen around the world.
Captain Mike Jennings is a professional charter captain with more than 25 years offshore experience. Mike is the owner/ operator of Cowboy Charters in Freeport TX and is known locally for running further and fishing harder for his clients. Telephone 979-864-9439 Email texassportfishing@gmail.com Website www.cowboycharters.com
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Fin-Nor® Offshore® spinning reels took little time to prove their worth in salt. In just three seasons, they’ve already become favorites among anglers who want no-nonsense reels that hold lots of line. The Fin-Nor OFS9500 is at the top of the series and holds an amazing 600 yards of 20 lb. mono or 100 lb. braid. Now let’s go to the other end of the spectrum, adding the two smallest members yet – the OFS4500 and OFS5500 – but keeping with the same “no guts, no glory” line of thinking that sets this family apart from the pack. For more information about these and all Fin-Nor products, visit Fin-norfishing.com.
Texas Saltwater Fishing
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 73
DICKIE COLBURNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S
Sabine Scene Not unlike the growing number of
was that if Capt. Cisneros thought Calcasieuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clarity was bad, he would
saltwater anglers across the state,
have totally written Sabine off. As a matter of fact, we trailered to
I eagerly anticipate my copy of
Calcasieu most of May because that water looked so good!
DICKIE COLBURN
Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine
Dickie Colburn is a full time guide out of Orange, Texas. Dickie has 37 years experience guiding on Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes.
each month. Even after 40 years
wind, Sabine surrendered very few productive days of trout fishing
of guiding, I scour every column
last month. The wind was obviously an obstacle, but the lack of
for any different technique or
water clarity was the biggest issue. With very little runoff from the
approach that will not only make
impoundments and minimal rainfall, it is a little puzzling as to why the
me a more effective fisherman,
entire lake was slow to clear.
Telephone 409-883-0723 Website www.sabineconnection.com
Outside of a phenomenal redfish bite totally dependent on the
The good news is that much of the lake is now clearing up pretty
but broaden my perspective on the future of the sport as well. I have enough confidence in the experience level of Everett
and Pamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stable of fishermen/writers that if they predicted the sky
quickly following any break in the wind coupled with a strong incoming tide. The trout bite on the north end has been spotty as that end of the lake is always slower to improve, but it should be in full swing by now. I would recommend checking out the revetment walls after drifting
to fall on a certain date I would exit the house tentatively. In the May edition, Capt. Ernest Cisneros mentioned the fact that he had recently
or wading the north flats this month. Take advantage of incoming
fished Calcasieu and how ugly that water was compared to his home
tides and look for slicks to narrow your search. The She Dog and Spook
water in the south Padre area.
Jr., swim baits like the Crème Spoiler Shad, and five-inch tails rigged on
He still caught fish, however, and returned home confident that he could catch fish in water that he had been avoiding. My initial reaction
Assassinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pro Elite 1/8 ounce heads are excellent choices most days. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put your Corkys away too early either as our largest trout of the
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¸0 YLJLP]LK [OL +=+ HUK NP]L `V\ HU ( VU HSS ZLNTLU[Z š e:[L]LU *VWLSHUK 74 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
SABIN E year are still chasing mullet. A four-inch Sea Shad
bite can be unmatched at times, but
rigged on a 24-inch leader
anglers willing to give up jigs to the
under a Bass Assassin Kwik
unforgiving debris in three to eight feett of
Cork will also keep you in the
tion water will enjoy the most consistent action.
game every day. It is a great
You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always choose your fight when fishing the jetties.
the end of the jetties. The topwater
On most days it is simply a matter of which side of the jetties the
rig to hunt fish with as it keeps
wind will allow you to fish, but I would advise never passing up the
your lure suspended in the
channel simply because most of the boats are fishing the Gulf side.
strike zone and the subtle
Regardless of which side you fish, spend a little extra time in any area
clicking noise attracts fish
where the water is washing over the rocks. Once again, you are going
from an even greater distance.
to lose some jig heads, but it is not uncommon to limit fishing a single
While I continue to bet on the north end of the lake and the submerged grass
washout! On the calmer days, the short rigs as well as the pocket on the Louisiana side are excellent options. You can drift the pocket, but the
on the Louisiana shoreline by choice, the most dependable bite will
waders more often cash in on the biggest days. The very end of both
take place from the Causeway reef all the way to the end of the jetties.
jetties can also yield a variety of huge fish depending on your choice of
There has already been modest gull activity as they patrol both reds
bait, but both areas can get over crowded in a hurry and dangerous as
and trout chasing shrimp and redfish to the surface, but there is a more
well for boats on anchor!
dependable program than that.
Regardless of whether you attribute tougher fishing to the
Lighthouse Cove will garner the most attention from both artificial
conditions or the unthinkable possibility of fewer fish, respect the
and live bait fishermen, but the ship channel itself will yield incredible
resource. Remember, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is the anticipation and thrill of the bite that is
numbers of solid trout and reds all the way from the LNG terminal to
so addicting. Get a youngster hooked today!â&#x20AC;?
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 75
MICKEY
On Galveston Goodness gracious is has been a wind tunnel here on the Galveston area bays. I can barely remember the last time Mickey Eastman is a full-time we had more than a couple fishing guide out of Baytown, days of calm conditions in TX. Mickey has 26 years guiding experience on the Galveston a row but when they come area bays and is the founder we are catching some pretty of Gulf Coast Troutmasters, good trout over the deep the largest speckled trout shell. A lot of our trout are set tournament series of all time up deep right now over reefs and scattered shell, especially Contact through East Bay, Hannah’s Mickey Eastman’s Reef, Deep Reef, Elm Grove, Guide Service and Pepper Grove Reefs. Telephone Trouble is we only get a shot 281-383-2032 when the wind lays and the water cleans up. Soft plastics on 1/4 ounce heads have been producing and they’ll take any color you throw. We have been getting a few on crank baits too. Once it lies down and everything comes together we are keying on slicks and nervous-looking bait. Another problem we are having right
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now is the unbelievable number of shad and glass minnows this spring. I have been to a couple places where it looked like you could float the boat in the glass minnows and when they are that thick you know the trout are staying full of natural food and could hardly care less about eating a lure. Trinity Bay is as full of baitfish right now as I have ever seen it. Trinity Bay – On the days I have fished Trinity recently we were pinned down to wading protected shores and right now most of the fish are out deep. We have done OK but it can become a grind. Corkys and topwaters are working but soft plastics have been more consistent. Every now and then somebody pops a five or six pound trout but it has mostly been smaller fish averaging about two pounds and while you might grind out a limit it is not common. You would have to stumble into a better concentration of keepers than we have been able to find. Trinity is holding lots of trout and as soon as the wind allows us to work some of that deeper shell there will be lots of folks catching lots of fish. Bet on it! West Bay – The guys wading the protected coves from San Luis Pass back toward Jamaica Beach area are still picking up some nice trout. This pattern has held longer than we normally expect and
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76 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
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GALVESTO ON for the most part has been pretty much an early morning thing, two or three good ones on a morning wade with a few running to five and six pounds. The mid-bay reef thing seems to be playing out and it is only natural as this is usually more of a late-winter and early-spring stack-up situation. This is not to say you cannot drift these reefs today and pick up a few trout but I think it is safe to say the big number opportunity has passed. Judging from reports, I’m guessing that a lot of the West Bay redfish have moved up into the marsh as the bite along bay shorelines has definitely slowed down. East Bay – Right now East Bay gets my nod for the most consistent fishing in the whole Galveston complex. Most of the south shore has been good for the wade fisherman and when the wind lays the deeper reefs down the middle starting with Hannah’s and Bull Shoals and running all the way back have been very good. Surf – We can generally expect a few good surf days to come along just about any time now. Those first few days when the surf runs clean to the beach can be an absolute slugfest for pluggers. Don’t miss it. Keep your eye on the weather and the surf cams. Jetties – The Galveston jetties have to be one of the best fish magnets on the entire Texas coast. Just recently we had a couple of calm days and the guys working the rocks had a field day
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
with slot and oversized reds and I received reports of some very nice trout as well. At this time of year there is just no telling what you might catch out erything in there, black drum to blacktips, and everything between. A word of caution is in order here. Rough water conditions can call for some pretty tricky boat handling along the rocks. If it is rough or the forecast calls for the wind to increase; you would be wise to wait for a better day. General Comments – There have been a good number of fish hanging in the corner by Texas City Dike along Mosquito Island back toward Moses Lake there on the Texas City Flats. – Never discount the Galveston Bays as a producer of trophy trout. Several weeks ago there was a 9.75 pounder weighed during the Specktacular Tournament and that’s a big fish; I don’t care what part of the Texas coast you call home. That fish is alleged to have been caught along Bull Shoals. June will bring the kind of conditions we need to be able to get out in that open water and look for another just like it. Capt. Mick signing off until next month. Don’t let the good weather days pass you by; there are a lot of good fish to catch in the Galveston Bays!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 77
CAPT. BILL’S I swear this has to have been one of the more challenging spring seasons I can recall. Just about the time a good fishing pattern starts coming together Bill Pustejovsky is a full-time guide at Matagorda, TX. we get another front followed Bill fishes year-round for by lingering unfavorable wind trout and redfish in all the and we have to start over. We Matagorda Bays. Wading and have managed to pull some drifting for trophy trout and good days amid the setbacks reds are his specialty. and I surely hope the arrival Telephone of June will bring more stable 979-863-7353 fishing conditions. By the Email time this report comes off the CaptBill@GoldTipGuideService.com press the water temperatures Website www.goldtipguideservice.com should be stabilizing near 80° (and rising) which is just about perfect for keeping our fish active and feeding on a daily basis. Hopefully, we will have mild early summer daytime temps and not the 100° scorchers that came so early last year. I have been noticing surface baitfish activity increasing along
Fish Talk
shorelines and also over deeper mid-bay structure. From past experience this tells me the trout and redfish will be feeding on the surface with greater regularity. My personal advice is to scrutinize your tackle box and get your topwater baits shined up. Replacing hooks and split rings is always a good idea if they are showing any sign of rust or weakening. A trip to the tackle shop is always fun and who can’t use a few new plugs? If you haven’t learned the importance of preparation by now it is a good time to start. While throwing topwaters, I normally let the fish dictate my retrieve. My normal starting retrieve goes like this. Throw the bait as far as I can, get the slack out of my line, and walk-the-dog in a slow rhythm while pausing often during the retrieve for a second or two. Quite often the strike will come on the pause or with the first twitch following a pause. I think it is important whether using a slow, medium, or fast and erratic walk-the-dog to include the pause; I’ve caught too many fish this way to believe otherwise. Fish that do not commit immediately require some experimentation to get them to eat it. We see them jumping alongside and sometimes completely over the lure, rushing it hard enough to create a bulge of water, swatting at it, and sometimes ramming it straight up out of the water. Calm conditions help us spot this type of activity and this is truly where the fun begins.
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
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M ATAG O R DA surf could get hot and this, my friend, can and often does happen without ve much prior notice. In past years we have nd clear seen days when the surf turned green and d We W will ill to the beach as early as Memorial weekend. just have to watch and wait to see if this year falls in line. East Matagorda Bay I’ll be fishing the mid-bay reefs when the wind allows. Also, the south shoreline off the points on a good hard bottom with a little grass will work. Chances are I could be drifting over scattered shell noisily chunking topwaters. Don’t overlook East Bay for drifting over scattered shell in the middle of the bay. Quality fish have fallen to top waters in 4-6 feet of water with this method. West Matagorda Bay Over in West Bay, my tactics include fishing grass beds and sandbars on incoming tides. Oyster Lake will also be a good choice for catching some big reds on top. I might even get a wild hair and go chase some tripletail if the wind allows. Until next time, good fishin’ and God bless. - Capt. Bill
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Longer or more frequent pauses, ripping it following a pause, or maybe just lifting the rod slowly to drag it a foot or two following a pause can all work at different times. Note that all the techniques I have described include the pause. Now when the surface is choppy we are not always able to spot the fish’s reaction to our lures and this is where you kind of have to run on faith. Have confidence that they are there and possibly just no committing and experiment the same as if you were receiving the calm water feedback. Mix up the retrieve speeds, vary the length of the pause, etc.; but whatever you do, do not forget the pause. If the wind is strong enough to create small swells I try to time the pause to occur just as the plug crests the top of the swell. Traditionally, June brings a good bite in both Matagorda Bays including all back lakes. When conditions stabilize as projected, the Will Cline convinced this 31” redfish to eat a “Chickenon-a-Chain” Saltwater Assassin.
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 79
MID-COAST BAYS
With the Grays Fishing thus far during May has On the windier days when the surf is too rough you will find me been excellent for me and my near the passes wading one of the many sandbars located in the CAPT. GARY GRAY customers while concentrating middle of West Matagorda Bay between the Matagorda Ship channel Captain Gary and Captain Shellie mostly on the south shoreline jetties and Pass Cavallo or wading any one of the shorelines near the Gray fish year-round for trout of San Antonio Bay. I love passes or jetties. and redfish in the Port O’Connor/ exploring the shoreline guts While working the American Rodsmiths booth at the Corpus Christi Seadrift area. Gary started his Bay and also the drains that connect International Boat Show, Scott Null introduced me to Dave and Karla Rat Guide Service 20 years ago. The Grays specialize in wade and to the back lakes of Matagorda Burch, the owners of FINS Superlines. Scott suggested I get out of the drift fishing with artificial lures. Island during late spring but Stone Age and try Fins premium braided line. I had to stop him right Gary and Shellie also team up to June will bring a few changes. there as I had tried braid and didn’t like backlashes that came out fish many tournaments. The first week of June will of nowhere and snapped my Assassin off the jighead. I called them find me fishing Espiritu Santo “whiplashes” which made everybody laugh, but whatever they were I and West Matagorda, closer to didn’t want any part of them. Telephone Port O’Connor’s gulf passes. My Dave suggested I try his Windtamer line. I chose the 20# test which 361-785-6708 plan will be slip out to the surf has the same diameter as 6# test monofilament. As of this writing I Email Gary@BayRat.com when conditions allow while have used it for eight days and caught many redfish and trout and I’ve Website keeping a good backup plan yet to have first “whiplash.” It took a while to learn the sensitivity and I www.bayratguideservice.com working in the bay. I have always believed that surf trout fight harder and feed more aggressively and I’m hoping June will bring us lots of opportunity. On one notable occasion I left a picky bite we could Mark Odom with a nice Espiritu hardly feel in San Antonio Bay and made the long run to the Santo shoreline trout. surf hoping for something better. We were stunned as we walked into almost nonstop action and those surf trout were nearly ripping the rods from our hands on the strike. The summer surf is also famous for schools of redfish that think they own the first gut along with every She Dog and Bass Assassin we can throw at them. I truly enjoy the change of scenery and the many different things you will see while running up and down the coast between Pass Cavallo and Cedar Bayou. I have witnessed huge manta rays swimming under my boat as my customers and I threw topwaters under birds, catching a smorgasbord of sharks, trout, and Spanish mackerel.
80 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
P O R T O ’CO N N O R / SE AD R I F T Chad Starr of Coastline Marine trying out my new wading ladder built by Tops-N-Towers.
am finally no longer trying to set the hook every time my lure bumps a mullet or tickles shell or a few blades of grass. The lure control and sensitivity of Windtamer has me sold on braid and I’m ready to fill the rest of my reels. You can learn more by calling Dave or Karla at 859-
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
282-1448 or go to www. finsfishing.com and take a look at all their products.
Another new and very important rtant tool I recently added to my arsenal is my 24’ Shallow Sport. I took delivery recently from Coastline Marine in Seabrook and have been on the water everyday since. I am very impressed with the quality and workmanship of this rig every time I take it out. The fit and finish is second to none and the guys at Coastline Marine www.coastlinemarine. net did an outstanding job of rigging without me having to stand over them. Chad and Cole talked me into the new Yamaha 225 SHO and I am so glad they did. I have never driven an outboard that pulled from bottom to top end like the new four stroke Yamaha. Bobby Byrd at Tops and Towers www.topsntowers.com worked with me and we put together some new aluminum designs that will make your Shallow Sport or any other boat more functional as well as better looking. I will be bringing more reports on this awesome ride next month. Until then, if you would like a test ride or would like to see and feel the performance of the new Yamaha, give me a call or stop me when you see me at the docks. Fish hard, fish smart!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 81
HOOKED UP WITH Sitting here watching the wind blow high-20s I am very happy to have a day off to rest my shoulders and enjoy more than one cup of coffee; extra sleep is nice too. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not DAVID ROWSEY getting soft on fishing but it David Rowsey has 20 years has been nonstop plugginâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in the Laguna/Baffin around here. Although a little region; trophy trout with artificial tired at times, great catches lures is his specialty. David has a have helped roll me out of bed great passion for conservation every morning. and encourages catch and release of trophy fish. Springtime tides have made a great impact on the Upper Laguna Madre and far into Telephone 361-960-0340 Baffin Bay. Although the water Website still looks brown in Yarbrough www.DavidRowsey.com and the Land Cut, Baffin has had unbelievable water clarity over the past month. The Upper Laguna and Corpus Christi Bay are the same. The normal push of springtime tide caused our water level to rise sharply for several weeks but are now starting to get back to traditional levels overall. This flushing brings all kinds of new life to
Rowsey
our bays and really Bill Senglemen with gets summer kicked a pair of really great off in high-fashion. flounder caught with The dredging of Bass Assassins. Packery Channel has been a big help and has allowed an array of fish into the Upper Laguna that many locals are not accustomed to catching on a routine basis. Jack crevalle, mangrove snapper and skipjack are showing up in places I have never seen them before. Menhaden are quite abundant in June, and where you find them you will also find the gamefish. May and June are the months when the trout start â&#x20AC;&#x153;slickingâ&#x20AC;? down here. Fishing slicks is one of my favorite ways to get a jump on the
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82 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
UPPE R L AGUNA / BAFFI N
Matt Rotan with a solid Baffin trout â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bass Assassin lure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Released!
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catching part of fishing. The trout will be on just about all types of structure. My preference will be for combinations of slicks on sand and grass, and shallow rocks and sand. Combine those with an active food supply, some deeper water to rest in, and you will be on your way to some successful days on the water in these bays. Water temperatures are very comfortable for wet wading, but not so hot that the fish are seeking out really deep structure. Early mornings will find us starting the day in knee to thigh depths with good baitfish presence and, unfortunately, stingrays too. Speaking of stingrays, Simms Fishing has come out with a new flats boot that will add protection and comfort to our days in the water. I just picked up a pair and am excited to give them their first run in the thick grass that hides those little swimming land mines. As the day heats up we will head into a little deeper water and allow our lures to run deeper in the water column. Lure choices for this time of year do not differ much from the rest of the year for me. However, the order in which I choose them does. If it is calm, I generally start with a Super Spook Jr. in a color that is appropriate for the water clarity. My next favorite small topwater lure is the She Dog or She Pup. A good chop on the surface will dictate when I switch to the larger He Dogs, Top Dogs, and full-sized Spooks. I will fish topwaters as long as they let me, but when the bait goes down, you need to follow their lead. If I am in water that is thighdeep or less, my fist choice is going to be the straight-tailed five inch
Bass Assassin on a 1/16 oz jighead. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll stay with the same jig head even in five foot depths if the winds allow me to do witching so. When the wind affects lure control switching ourse the Paul to the 1/8 oz jighead is suggested. Of course, Brown Original (Corky) is a staple in my wading box and is always at the top of the list when I am seeking a monster in the crowd or sightcasting a big trout. Finfish (as bait) season is now in turbo mode. For me, the method is just another way to catch fish and I have gotten to the point where I have no problem with the method itself. Irresponsible harvest is another issue however, and one that all of us (guides and recs) need to consider. TPWDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seatrout regulations lend a sense of entitlement to kill way too many fish on a daily basis to sustain a vibrant fishery. I not only encourage, but plead to all, please take what you will eat fresh and let the rest go to reproduce. Driving off the beach one afternoon with Capt. Billy Sandifer, I commented, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sandy, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m tired and ready to get home.â&#x20AC;? He looked at me out of the corner of his eye rolling the stump of an old cigar in his mouth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kid,â&#x20AC;? he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Someday you will realize that you have been home all dayâ&#x20AC;Śall you are doing now is going back to the house.â&#x20AC;? His words made a lot of sense to me then and still do. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Set â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;em loose.â&#x20AC;? - Capt. David Rowsey
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 83
TRICIA’S Mansfield Report Hopefully, all is back to
and I believe this adds
situation normal in the
lots of appeal. The
Lower Laguna. We received a
Brown Lure Devil Eye is
powerful surge of springtime
still my go-to straight-
tide and, for now, most of the
tail bait when working
Capt. Tricia’s Skinny Water
brown tide has dissipated and
water deeper than
Adventures operates out of
fishing is in high gear. Forage,
three feet.
Port Mansfield, specializing in
gamefish and angling options
wadefishing with artificial lures.
are currently abundant and
–Note to topwater
wide-open, except perhaps on
junkies: Know when to
nasty wind days.
take it off!–
Telephone 956-642-7298 Email shell@granderiver.net Website www.SkinnyWaterAdventures.com
The long awaited topwater bite is finally here!
As of this writing, trout are thick-bodied and full of
We have had some
roe. Redfish have started
excellent topwater
bunching up in the shallows
days, but soft plastics
more consistently. Most of our better trout continue to come from
i llures. When Wh they’re h ’ not coming i up and d are still the most productive
knee-to-thigh-deep grassbeds sprinkled with potholes. I am very
feeding aggressively, go down and catch them. These fish are simply
partial to paddletail plastics when the fish are staged on this type of
too good to miss.
structure and especially at these depths. I am really liking the four
As mentioned, best areas have been in heavier grass marked
inch Kelly Wiggler paddletail, especially in the root beer-metal flake.
with sandy potholes. However, reds are hitting the high sand with
The silhouette of this bait is larger than most paddletails of this size
increased regularity and we have seen quite a few upper-slot to
84 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
POR T MANSFI E LD Beware the oversized reds on the spoil banks.
oversized fish tear up
or put other waders out
poorly maintained
front of people already on a line.
n in
tackle. Even if they are
-It is NOT OK when you see people
scattered, a nice walk
o wading, poling or drifting up shallow, to
in the park will catch
sh and ruin burn the whole area up looking for redfish
them, unless careless
it for everybody.
boaters push them
-It is NOT OK to go burn somebody up just because they are on
down…more on that later. Trout have been
fish and you are not. -These “NOT OK” practices teach others that retaliation is a proper
in most places you
response and the cycle simply continues. An “eye for an eye” doesn’t
might expect them;
work on the water.
everywhere from
It IS OK, though, to see what others are doing and then attempting
knee-deep depressions
to duplicate, just make sure you do it at a respectful distance. Look
on shallower flats to
at the pattern those bowed-up rods are on instead of the spot, and
deeper grassbeds, some
simply target a similar area. And, it is ALWAYS OK to be nice and do
wade Spoil banks and drops d almost too deep to wade. near deeper water
unto others as you would have them do unto you. Crowded water
have also produced some thick and aggressive trout, but of course
can still work for all of us if we remember the real reason we go
these open areas are very wind sensitive. As always, good bets are
fishing in the first place.
along water color changes and seeing active baitfish never hurts. Not much will change in June pattern-wise, although we will soon
Right now all signs point to a great late spring and early summer season. However, you can’t catch them if you don’t go. Let’s be
begin to feel the heat. I usually start shallow and then walk the fish
thankful and all try to keep only what we need and leave the rest.
down as they bail to deeper water with the sun. On cloudy, windier
We’ll probably want to do this again!
days we can often stay shallow longer, but for the most part, just slide down to the color changes when you start to sweat. June will continue to produce some heavy trout, but look for those brutal redfish to become an even a surer bet up shallow. There’s nothing like the pull, and a redfish crushing a topwater shin deep is about as gamey as it comes unless you are a pure trout snob. For me, and if you love fishing, you love it all. June will bring lots of fishermen to the Lower Laguna and this also qualifies as “heat” in my book. We all just have to deal with it, but we can all help increase each other’s enjoyment by practicing good etiquette. -It is NOT OK to burn up and torpedo schools of redfish and there are actually new laws on the books about doing so. -It is NOT OK to run in front of waders, drift through them,
L 319
Live bait. Made in the USA. Perfect combination of strength, sharpness and design Available in a wide range of shapes, sizes and finishes for every application U Lazer Sharp hooks are fished by top pros, anglers and guides around the world U U
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Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 85
SOUTH PADRE
Fishing Scene
Good News – The Lower Laguna rebounded very well from the brown tide and as of 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
early May our entire bay system has returned to its normal clarity. As I write, the Laguna is yielding great catches for many fishermen. There have been days when harsh wind pinned us to protected shorelines and coves but even then we were able to find good redfish numbers and scattered
Dad’s birthday trip brought lots of smiles.
trout. Lately it seems we are finding an uncommon number of pesky and lightning-quick ladyfish everywhere we go. May got off to a great start with both quantity and quality of fish.
regularly. What I’ve noticed is that when the ospreys are fishing the
Evening wades have been exceptionally productive and this pattern
bait is usually active and the bite is usually good. In turn, when the
will continue through the summer months, especially when planned
ospreys are resting we usually find a tough bite. Being observant and
around the full moon. If your desire is to get on a good bite on a less
learning to use Nature’s clues will make you a better fisherman.
crowded bay, which is hard to find these days, I highly suggest you
The topwater bite has really turned on for us and should continue
do a little studying of the solunar charts. Take note of the predicted
to produce lots of reds and trout this month. Currently, the best
feeding periods and then compare these with your actual results. An
times have been during the low-light of dawn and dusk. Remember
exercise that I have always found informative was to hit the water at
that water temperature will be rising quickly during June and during
daybreak and fish all day, keeping careful notes as to feeding activity.
the hottest part of the day the fish will tend to go deeper and hug
You will be surprised at how closely your catching and the solunar feeding periods align. Do this for a few months and you will begin to understand the science of fishing. We will never learn everything, but we can always learn more than we already know. In winter, pelicans will tell you where the bait is holding even when it’s not visible at the surface. This time of the year, the osprey (best fisherman on the water) gives us the same clues. I have learned to watch the ospreys that inhabit some of the locations I fish
86 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
AR ROYO CO LO R AD O TO P O R T I SABE EL
Cindy was on fire with multiple landings of trout this size.
to find tailing reds in depths of a foot or less. Patchy grass and potholes in heavyy grass have been the key to finding the o show up better trout. The flounder should start to along the edges of the ICW and also along defined guts and channels that stretch into the flats will have their fair share of doormats. June will be a busy month, both for catching and also in regard to boat traffic. With the increase in the number of anglers trying to get their boats launched and underway, greater caution around the launches and access channels will be necessary. Please remember to be courteous around the docks and especially on the water. Get yourself a note pad and start looking at the tidal and solunar charts and how they all interact. The fun part is that every time you get out
bottom. This will be the cue to switch to plastics worked right on bottom
on the water, you will be tested. Will you pass the test? If every time
top of the grass beds. A gold weedless spoon is a good choice when
youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re out on the water you are learning something new, then you
the reds slow down during midday. The weedless spoon can easily
are doing well.
be worked in the heaviest of grass, and when a fish is hooked on a
In closing I would like to thank Marty at Coastline Trailers for building the best trailer I have ever owned. I trailer my boat
spoon, it is usually stays hooked. The key depth right now seems to be right around knee to thigh
everywhere I go and I can say that I have great confidence in my
deep. Pay close attention to shorelines and look for any clues the bait
Coastline to get me where I need to go. These trailers are very well
or birds are willing to give. This month the winds usually tend to die
built and their customer service is unbeatable. Give Marty a call and
off. When they do, the back lakes will offer excellent opportunities
let him tell you why your next trailer should be a Coastline.
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 87
fishing Reports and Forecasts from Big Lake to Boca Chica BROUGHT TO YOU BY... Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337 598 3268 June is one of the most consistent months of the year here on Big Lake. One can catch trout in a variety of ways. Topwaters will trick some big fish on the flats, birds picking will lead anglers to quick limits, and soft plastics hopped around the reefs can take big fish and easy limits too. Early in the morning is the best time to throw Super Spooks and Skitterwalks for some exciting action. Birds and busting fish will be seen all over the lake, so keep a steady eye out across the water. The trout are mainly eating shrimp, so be sure to use shrimp imitating lures like Sand Eels and Sparkle Beetles on quarter once heads when targeting fish under the flocks. Trout will also be heavily concentrated around the oyster reefs all over the lake. Reefs can be hit in the middle of the day, when the birds stop picking and the topwater bite is slower. Redfish can be caught at the jetties or in the marsh on the east side of the lake. Using Berkley Gulps always increase one’s odds when trying to catch some reds. Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay - James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409 935 7242 June is right up there with October as the most consistent month in the Galveston area, James says. “There are a ton of options this month. The surf can be good if it’s not too windy. Same thing with fishing the openwater reefs in four to six feet of water. That works best when it’s less windy. Keying on reefs or other deep structures which have bait and/ or slicks will produce more fish, obviously. Wading can be great too, especially early in the morning. The topwater bite is normally an everyday thing in June, so that’s a good tactic when wading. One of the good places to wade this time of year is around San Luis Pass. You want to catch it when the water’s moving, but not too hard. Too much current there will muddy up the water and ruin the catching, but slack water is no good at all. It pays to use loud topwaters if the water’s off color. Small ones seem to work best, especially the She Pup. Some years, June is a great month for chasing birds in open water as well. We’ve just had a good hatch of shrimp, so this might be one of those years.” Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409 996 3054 “As usual,” Jim says, “the weather dictates the level of success in the fishing. When the wind isn’t blowing too hard and tides are at a decent level and moving some, we’re having some great days. I got on a two day run just a short while back and it was about as good as it gets as far as catching quality trout in Galveston goes. In two days, we caught over thirty trout that weighed five pounds or more. Eight of those weighed between seven and eight and a quarter. We caught them on Corkys and topwaters out in the middle of East Bay on a famous shell reef. As long as winds are light, this kind of fishing will be productive, either by wading the reefs or by drifting and keying on slicks. Birds should be working too for most of the month of June on the calmer days. Our shorelines have a bunch of good fish as well. The shoreline fishing is a better option when the wind gets up. There is usually some protection from the wind on the lee side of the bay no matter which way the wind is blowing. I look for June to be great in the bays and the surf.” 88 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service - 979 849 7019 - 979 864 9323 “Our fishing is improving rapidly. We had an influx of menhaden or shad, or whatever you want to call them, and the trout and reds came in right behind them. In fact, we’ve been fishing a cool pattern. You find the balled-up shad and the trout are right underneath them. Then you pitch the lure out past the shad and bring it right up to them and then jerk it up where it makes the ball of shad break up. Then the trout slam the lure! It’s a cool deal. Best lure for that drill, and overall in fact, has been a full-sized Norton Sand Eel in glow sickle. We’re seeing some good sized fish too. One day, the combined weight of my best eight fish was well over forty pounds. Didn’t kill them all, or course, but that’s what they weighed. We’re catching some nice reds too on topwaters. The action is real consistent unless the wind is up. If there’s too much wind, especially from the south and southwest, things get mucked up pretty bad. But if the wind is calmer, the action is steady. Should last right on through June.” Matagorda Tommy Countz - Bay Guide Service - 979 863 7553 cell 281 450 4037 Tommy likes to do a variety of things in June. “Mostly, my choice of where to fish will depend on the wind. I do like to concentrate on West Bay this time of year. It has a great combination of trout and redfish. The drill for catching them is basically the same. We’ll focus on the south shoreline, working the shallow grass beds along the bank early with topwaters, then make a move out deeper with soft plastics in mid-morning. Later, we’ll often move back to the shallow grass again, using a really light jighead and working each grass bed super slowly and thoroughly. Anywhere, anytime, I tend to favor dark soft plastics, black in particular, so I’m almost always throwing those. We also like to fish East Bay some too. We’ll fish a similar drill, working the shoreline coves early and favoring the mid-bay reefs later in the day. In the calmest weather, the reefs can be great at daybreak too. Needless to say, we’ll look to head to the surf if it gets calm and clears up. Fishing the beach is a specialty thing in this area, but it can be world class.” Palacios - Capt. Aaron Wollam - palaciosguideservice.com - 979 240 8204 The fast-rising spring tides have finally brought in lots of bait and lots of game fish as well. Glass minnows, mullet and shrimp are flooding into the bays right now and fishing is predictably fantastic for both trout and reds. Redfish pods have been shadowing schools of glass minnows along area shorelines and any soft plastic tails that are colored clear with salt/ pepper flake in them have been hot. Trout have been holding over grass beds in two to three feet of water and have been consistently hammering topwaters in bone and chrome. In June, some tripletail should show up around the wells and similar structures. Best bet for catching these migrating fish is still a live shrimp fished about four or five feet under a popping cork. Look for these brutes to be lurking very close to the structures in the shaded areas around wells and channel markers. Night fishing is still good on the area piers with glow and pink beetles with the red eyes being the best lures for tricking the schooling fish in the lights.
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Port O’Connor - Lynn Smith - Back Bay Guide Service - 361 983 4434 “Fishing is picking up around here the last few days. Seems the fish are settling into a warm weather pattern. Today, we had good luck early on Super Spook Jrs., the white one with the chartreuse head. Caught both trout and reds early on those for a solid two hours or so. The trout were solid keeper size, running from about sixteen to twenty inches. The reds were mediums, right in the middle of the slot, about twenty five inches on average. This type of action should be available into June. In the calm period early in the morning, the small topwaters work well. Once the wind gets up and the sun warms the flats, soft plastics often work better. I’ve been throwing red flash Assassins and morning glory Assassins once the topwaters stop working as good. Speaking of topwaters, they tend to work well in the surf. We’ll keep our eye on that as we get into June. When it’s calm enough to get out there early, the trout are often the best ones of the whole year. And they’re typically easy to catch. That’s a great combination.” Rockport Blake Muirhead - Gator Trout Guide Service - 361 790 5203 - 361 441 3894 Blake anticipates excellent action in all Rockport area bays in June. “Our fishing has really picked up lately, especially for trout. We seem to have gotten a good inward migration of bait and all sorts of fish from the Gulf. I’ve caught and seen some mackerel and jacks and other fish in the bays that are normally in the surf. Speaking of the surf, we’ll head out there as much as we can in June, when wave heights are less than a foot. Otherwise, we’ll be fishing most all of the bays. We’ve been finding fish on sandy, grassy shorelines, on some of the shell reefs and around migrating schools of bait fish and shrimp. Best catching has been on Sand Eels, but we’ve had some good sessions on chartreuse and chrome Spooks. I’ve either caught fish or heard good reports from every bay around here, including Copano and San Antonio, two bays which weren’t as good as normal last year. The redfish were the savers last year, and they are still abundant in their usual places, in the back lakes and along shorelines adjacent to the drains into those lakes.” Padre Island National Seashore Billy Sandifer - Padre Island Safaris - 361 937 8446 In a word, June is typically good – good for just about whatever you are fishing for in the surf. Redfish will be on their summer haunts in the bays but there will be a few on the beach. Sharks of various species, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, Atlantic bluefish, whiting, ladyfish, palometa and tarpon are all possible in June. June also marks the beginning of successful topwater lure fishing for speckled trout and is the best month for adult bull sharks. The water is typically clear and winds lighter than in earlier months. A lot depends on how much sargassum is on the beach. Currently there is quite a bit but it is to be expected at this time of year and does not necessarily mean it will be abundant in June. Overnight shark fishers should throw a nighttime bait in the first gut as big blacktips and bulls often come into the first gut to feed after dark. Occasional large jack crevalle will still be encountered. Watch for children and nesting sea turtles. Speed limit is 15 mph through June. Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 563 1160 Much of the water in the Laguna Madre, including Baffin Bay, has cleared up quite nicely and this is very encouraging. The water levels have come up to normal levels and this has opened up more areas for us to fish. The trout are showing up in greater numbers or, we are fishing with greater confidence and therefore having greater success. My fishing clients have been catching good numbers of trout reaching lengths in the upper Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
twenties. We have also been catching very good numbers of redfish and they have been in shallow water, less than fifteen inches deep. The trout have been in two to three feet of water, and I think this will continue thru June. With the water being as clear as it is, I will be using light colored and natural colored Bass Assassin Blurps but I will use Berkley Gulps if the water is muddy because of strong winds. When fishing with soft plastics, I prefer to fish with swim baits, with button tails, because of the action and the noise they create in the water. This is also a great time for sight casting. Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361 937 5961 “Since this water cleared up all over the place, the fishing has gotten good. It should be great for the next couple of months too. There aren’t that many people on the water, so it might be kind of like the old days. I’ll look to fish some rocks near drop-offs to deep water in places like Rocky Slough and the spoil banks down that way, also around Penascal and on into Baffin. The clear water makes it easy to see the rocks, so it allows you to place the lures right next to the rocks without getting hung up as much. Most of the time, when fishing that pattern, it pays to keep the lure as close to the rock as possible. The fish will hang right on top of the rocks or right next to them. We’ll also try to do some sight casting in shallower water. The shallower flats are the place to do that, of course. Much of the time, the reds are easier to catch sight fishing, but we’ll see and catch some big trout too. This clear water makes it easier to do that with flies, so I hope to be able to get in on that drill, especially on days when it’s bright and not too windy.” Port Mansfield Terry Neal – terrynealcharters.com – (956) 944 2559 The brown tide has cleared and the water conditions are the best we’ve seen in a long time. It has almost reached the too clear stage but if I had only two choices I’d say better clear than brown. Running north of the East Cut there are still some patches of off-colored water that gets pushed around by the wind but it is not widespread. The grass line south of the Saucer has been holding good redfish and this should continue through June. If sight-casting is your thing, get up on the sand and have fun. Drifting close to the I.C.W. will continue producing some nice trout. In general this season seems to be about 30 days behind schedule and we see it in trout that look as though they’ve only begun to spawn. Please handle those big mamas with care when releasing. Offshore temperatures continue to rise so get ready for some great kingfish action and an occasional tarpon. Remember to keep only enough to eat fresh and release the rest. Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty – fishingwithpettys.com – (956) 943 2747 Trout fishing has been exceptional in 2010, and we’re netting some of the nicest specks we’ve seen since the eighties. Even when the wind is howling, we’re limiting and boating personal bests every trip. We’ve seen some dirty water in the LLM, however it’s from heavy winds, not brown tide. Perch are beginning to bang the Gulps, even though it’s a little late; spring-like conditions are signaling new growth and a new season. We’re hitting herds of reds regularly on week days; however, Saturdays are not a sure thing because of heavy boat traffic. Cajun Thunder corks are still our go to tackle. By the way, if you have problems finding our favorite CT lures, just give Janie a call or go to our website. Gulp three inch shrimp in pearl, glow or molting under a CT round or cigar cork have been getting the best results. Freddy says “ If you’re having trouble getting the big guys to bite in herds, try letting a Precision Tackle half ounce gold weedless spoon drop down to eye level in front of the lead fish and bounce it slowly…then hold on!”
Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 89
Catch of the Month! All upcoming Photo Galleries are now online! Check out when your photo will appear in the magazine.
Kim Sweat Padre Island Natl Seashore 25” redfish
Parker Staley Redfish Bay - 30” redfish
Jake Ratcliff Mosquito Island - 40# Jackfish
Sierra Sanchez Corpus Christi - first redfish!
Andrew Tatton Ayers Dugout - 37.5” black drum
Joe Krejci San Luis Pass - first keeper trout!
90 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Rex Stanley Todd’s Dump - 30” redfish
Ali Lalonde Port O’Connor - 41” redfish
Texas Saltwater Fishing
John Klenk Galveston - 22# kingfish
Debbie Schwarzer Port O’Connor - 43” redfish
Eric and Hub Phipps Galveston Harbor - 35” black drum
Leslie Jorgensen King Ranch Shoreline - 36.5” redfish
Michael Lazo Shamrock Cove - 26” redfish Zach LaBonte Laguna Madre - 26” redfish
Falin Lalonde Port O’Connor - gafftop
Cindy Lopez Hampton Bay - 23” redfish
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Eric Macek Port Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor - 48â&#x20AC;? bull red
Mike Howard 30" trout
Blake Hunter Trinity Bay - 26â&#x20AC;? redfish
Colby Marshall Lavaca Bay - redfish
Ashlee Dee Huffman Laguna Madre - 21â&#x20AC;? trout
Caleb Killian South Padre Island first trout!
Beto Hinojosa 28â&#x20AC;? redfish
Nathan Honeycutt San Luis Pass - 41â&#x20AC;? redfish
Efren Lozano Arroyo City - 22.5â&#x20AC;? trout
Ryan Jones Mitchells Cut - 39â&#x20AC;? bull red
Nikolas Mabry Corpus Christi - 20â&#x20AC;? redfish
Jeff McDaniel Nine Mile Hole oversize redfish C&R
3OHDVH GR QRW ZULWH RQ WKH EDFN RI SKRWRV
Kelli Laube Laguna Madre - 28.5â&#x20AC;? redfish
Jonathon Schneider Laguna Madre - 27â&#x20AC;? first redfish
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
A Lopez, S Babich, J Stewart, D Miers, F Padua 326# broadbill swordfish, Texas Record Texas Saltwater Fishing
(PDLO SKRWRV ZLWK D GHVFULSWLRQ RI \RXU &DWFK RI WKH 0RQWK WR 3KRWRV#WVIPDJ FRP 0DLO SKRWRV WR 76)0DJ 3 2 %R[ 6HDGULIW 7;
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 91
GULF COAST
Kitchen
Pan-Fried Orange Seatrout This recipe is reputed to be a creation of the chefs at the original Landry’s Seafood Restaurant in Houston and was given to us by Mrs. Julie Moritz of Seadrift, TX. We tried it and our guests just raved about it.
PAM JOHNSON Got ideas, hints or recipes you’d like to share? Email them to pam@tsfmag.com or send by fax: 361-785-2844
4 medium seatrout fillets (about 3lbs. total) 1 Tbs. olive oil Tony Chacere’s Creole Seasoning (to taste) 1 medium orange H Heat olive oil over medium heat in llarge, heavy skillet. Season fish with TTony Chacere’s Creole Seasoning. (I tthink the Landry method might have u used cayenne.) Place fillets in hot o oil and squeeze juice from half the orange directly over fish. Fry 3-4 m minutes until light brown and turn. Squeeze other half of orange on fi fillets. Continue frying only until the fish is cooked through and not a ssecond more. Serve with lime wedges. Serves four adults.
Shrimp Salad From the kitchen of Shirley Elliott – Port O’Connor, TX 1.5 pounds boiled shrimp 2 cups uncooked pasta 1/2 cup mayonnaise
Chop: 1-medium sweet onion 1-medium green bell pepper 1/2 cup green or black olives 1/4 cup pickle relish (dill or sweet)
If shrimp are small-use as is. If shrimp are large-cut to bite-sized pieces. Elbow macaroni and rotini (spiral) pasta both work very well. Sometimes I use a cup of each. Colored pastas really dress it up. Cook pasta per package instructions, drain and set aside. In large bowl, mix all ingredients.
92 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
l b d off lettuce l h tomato wedges d d crackers. k To serve, place on bed with and Notes: -You can include any vegetable that suits your taste. -Recipe can be doubled or tripled to serve large groups. -Keeps well in refrigerator three to four days.
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
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YOUR AD COULD BE HERE for rates call 361.785.3420 or email ads@tsfmag.com
LOU ISIANA BENTLEYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INTERCOASTALS HOUSE RENTALS Port Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor, Texas: 3 Bedrooms, Sleeps 6, Fully Furnished. Great Location between the little Jetties & Clarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant. Boat Slip upon availability. Guide Service available. Call Steve or Lydia at 361-983-4660 or 361-482-9095. Special winter rates available.
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
www.TSFMAG.com / June 2010 95
I N D E X O F A DV E R TI S E R S For more information about these advertisers visit: http://www.texassaltwaterfishingmagazine.com/contact_advertisers_product.html BOAT ACCESSORIES
D & P Coastal Marine Contruction . . . . 86
Wade Aid Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Boat Lift Distributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Eco Vantage Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Waterloo Rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Coveralls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Specialty Shutters Systems . . . . . . . . . . 82
Yeti Coolers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Gulf Coast Trolling Motor . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
FISHING PRODUCTS (RODS, REELS, ETC.)
FISHING RETAIL LOCATIONS
House of Fiberglass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
All Star Fishing Rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover
LB Outfitters- Stake Out Stick . . . . . . . . 70
American Rodsmiths 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Fish-N-Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
McClain Trailers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Bass Assassin Lures Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Fishing Tackle Unlimited . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover
Safe Floor Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Brown Lures-JB Outdoors . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Roy’s Bait & Tackle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
South Texas Trolling Motors . . . . . . . . . 86
Costa Del Mar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Speedy Stop Solunar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Solunar
Specialty Aluminum Works . . . . . . . . . . 7
D.O.A.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Stick It Anchor Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Eagle Claw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
MISCELLANEOUS
Tops-N-Towers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 1
EZ Drainer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Aventura - Jewelry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Fins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
CCA - Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
BOATS, KAYAKS, OUTBOARDS
Flying Fisherman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Cove Harbor Marina and Drystack . . . . 21
Anchor Marine of Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 1
ForEverlast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Crab Master - Pearl Products . . . . . . . . . 92
Bernie’s Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Fishing Tackle Unlimited Rods . . . . . . . 75
Exmark’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Busha Boat Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
FTU-MinKota/Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Hillman’s Seafood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Carolina Skiff, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
GuideLine Elite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
TSFMag Subscription Form . . . . . . . . . . 93
Coastal Backwater Marine . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Gulp Alive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Coastline Marine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 1
Hook Holster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
PLACES TO STAY
Dargel Boat Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Kevin Cochran Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Aransas Bay RV Resort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
El Pescador Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Mirrorlure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Baffin on the Rocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Flatstalker Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Livingston Lures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Bluff’s Landing Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Gulf Coast Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Livingston Lures Sponsor . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Bentley’s ICW House Rental . . . . . . . . . . 95
Gulf Coast Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 1, 6
Luresafety Wrap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Floating Cabin Rentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Hobie Kayaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Mud Hole Tackle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Serena Residence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Huff Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Night Angler Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
The Inn At Clarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Kroll’s Marine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Penn Fishing Tackle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
LMC Marine Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Pflueger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
REAL ESTATE/RENTAL
Majek Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Pier 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
The Oaks at Bentwater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Mt. Houston Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Power Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Ron Hoover RV & Marine Centers . . . . . Solunar
Rapala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
SERVICES
Sail & Ski Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
REC Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Gary Lucas - Business Card . . . . . . . . . . 95
Sea Eagle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Rods by Pepper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Kevin Severance Insurance . . . . . . . . . . 93
Shallow Sport Boats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 1
Russelures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Solunar
West Point Boat Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Shoalwater Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Sebile USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Texas Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
SmartShield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
TOURNAMENTS/EVENTS
The Sportsman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 1
Spiderwire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Fishing Tackle Unlimited
Trans Fiberglass Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Starbrite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Family Fun Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Yamaha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Strike Pro America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Outdoor Texas Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Stunt Grunt Lures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Port Mansfield Chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
BUILDER & BUILDER PRODUCTS
Texas Tackle Factory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Redfish Rodeo, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Building Products Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Third Stone Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Serena Residences Tournament . . . . . . 68
Trilene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The Harbor Children’s Alliance . . . . . . . 71
Fibertex & Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
96 June 2010 / www.TSFMAG.com
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!
Who has more than 380 IGFA Records?
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8933 Katy Freeway Houston, Texas 77024 713-827-7762
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