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CONTENTS
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com
J UNE 2009 Volume 19 No. 2
GENERAL MANAGER Pam Johnson
22
Pam@tsfmag.com
FEATURES
BUSINESS / ACCOUNTING MANAGER
10 Brain facts and theories to figure 14 Branching Out
36
Billy Sandifer
22 What a Spring
Martin Strarup
26 Summer brings options on Sabine
Chuck Uzzle
DEPARTMENTS 19 Coastal Birding
40
ADVERTISING MANAGER Pam Johnson Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918 Ads@tsfmag.com NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE
Billy Sandifer
Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net
UT-Marine Science Institute
30 Let’s Ask The Pro
Jay Watkins
32 Fly Fishing
Casey Smartt
34 Offshore
Shirley@tsfmag.com
Kevin Cochran
18 In These Troubled Times
24 Science and the Sea
Shirley Elliott
Mike McBride
CIRCULATION Debbie Dugan Cir@tsfmag.com
Bobby Byrd/John Cochrane DESIGN, LAYOUT & WEB MAINTENANCE
36 Conservation
CCA Texas
38 TPWD Field Notes
Tonya Wiley
40 Kayak Fishing
Scott Null
Jasmine@graphicsbydesign.biz
42 According to Scott
Scott Sommerlatte
Jackson@graphicsbydesign.biz
44 Youth Fishing
Aaron Cisneros
46 Every Man’s Offshore
Ruben Villarreal
GRAPHICS BY DESIGN 361-785-4282 Jasmine and Jackson Gordon
SUBSCRIPTION – PRODUCT SALES Debbie Dugan ADDRESS CHANGED? Email Store@tsfmag.com
WHAT OUR GUIDES HAVE TO SAY…
68
Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly. Subscription Rates: One Year (15 months for 12 months; Get Three Free. Offer valid until 06.30.09)
56 Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene
Dickie Colburn
58 Mickey on Galveston
Mickey Eastman
60 Capt. Bill’s Fish Talk
Bill Pustejovsky
62 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays
Gary Gray
64 Hooked up with Rowsey
David Rowsey
66 Capt. Tricia’s Port Mansfield Report
Capt. Tricia
68 South Padre Fishing Scene
Ernest Cisneros
Editorial
8
Letters to the Editor
* 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.
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, TX 77983 WEB: www.TSFMAG.COM
72 Photo Gallery–Catch of the Month
PHOTO GALLERY: photos@tsfmag.com
74 Gulf Coast Kitchen
PRINTED IN THE USA.
79 Index of Advertisers
Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published monthly by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, Texas 77983 | 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.
ABOUT THE COVER Blind hogs and acorns! TSFMag editor and publisher, Everett Johnson, with a prized catch from a Matagorda Island back lake. (CPR) Pam Johnson photo
Periodical class permit (USPS# 024353) paid at Victoria, TX 77901 and additional offices.
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our resilient fishermen
and fishing industry i was on my way to the west houston CCA Crawfish Boil last week. Driving up
US-59 I noted the number of boats on the highway. Stopping for fuel I chanced upon three guys returning from Port Isabel, raccoon eyes and fishing clothes are a sure giveaway. It turns out they had enjoyed an outstanding trip, so good in fact, they stayed two days longer than planned. When the subject of fishing pressure came up, they reported a surprising number of anglers on the water. One guy quipped, “They can only hold us down so long. We live for fishing and we just had to go, and we were not alone.” His smile broadened as he whipped out his digital camera, “And we caught some really nice fish…look at these!” Resuming my drive I pondered their tales until the phone rang. An advertiser friend wanted to tell me about the new products he would be introducing soon. “You know, we’re in a down economy but I think bold moves can payoff right now. We’re having a much better year than we expected.” He went on to relate how a few years ago he ran his business on the side. He and his wife built and shipped everything until they could not keep up. They added part time help until he took the plunge to leave his job and concentrate on the business. Last year they built a shop and warehouse and moved the business out of their home. They just recently added another fulltime employee. Entering the Houston Farm and Ranch Club grounds I met a guy who wanted to tell me that he too had made the plunge to open a fishing related business. He had a dream and was ready to make it come to life. The general attitude of the banquet crowd was anything but economic doom and gloom. If you didn’t know better you would have sworn it was 2007 all over again. Live auction bidding was brisk as the 650 seat event raised some real money. Tackle and boat sales are beginning to climb. Several of our friends are reporting decent numbers, and again we are hearing, “better than expected.” So, to what should we attribute these local economic phenomena? Well, the national economic news is still pretty stale. Two of the Big Three automakers aren’t doing worth a flip and it seems the banking/lending industries are still reeling. Despite all that, and hubris aside, Texans have more than a few reasons to be proud. The Texas economy is stronger right now than most other states and regions. Add to that, generally strong self-reliance, rugged individualism, and a ton of work ethic. Now top it off with some of the world’s richest marine resources, year ‘round fisheries, and diehard anglers. Sprinkle with a bunch of canny entrepreneurs who don’t know quit, and that’s our fishing industry. Back to that CCA banquet. Being that it fell within our magazine production schedule, the part we call Hell Week, I was a tad apprehensive about leaving the office. But you know what? I’m really glad I went. Being among so many dedicated conservationists and serious saltwater anglers, many of them small business owners, gave me renewed faith in who we are and the passion we share for this pastime. Here’s wishing all our readers a swift economic recovery and a great summer fishing season. The kids will be out of school soon and this is the season for making fishing memories. June 21 is Father’s Day. Don’t forget to take your dad fishing.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Mr. Everett & TSF readers, TSFMag is a great publication for learning and meeting fellow fishermen, we have looked forward to receiving it every month for several years now. On April 4, 2009 my wife, Janene Jones, Kyle Burges, and I were fortunate enough to enjoy an awesome day on the water out of Port Aransas. It was my wife’s first trip learning artificials. She hooked her first fish of the day on our first wade of the morning. She fought and landed this brute in knee deep water, almost getting spooled twice. After a quick photo shoot we showed her how to revive the fish and released it to continue to reproduce. The trophy measured 35” and weighed 14lbs. on the Boga! Ladies, she accomplished this all by herself and loved all of it. And I almost forgot to mention, Janene is five months pregnant with our first child. - Jeremiah Jones San Antonio, TX Dear Jeremiah and Janene, Outstanding! I can only imagine Janene’s excitement when the line was pouring from her reel. Congrats on the great catch and kudos on the release. Sounds like you guys will have another fishing buddy real soon, congrats again! Good fishing to you and keep the reports coming. - Everett Johnson Dear Editor, I enjoyed the article the Bastrop Bayou Cleanup. A few years ago after a poor morning of fishing, (the only thing caught was a large turtle and law enforcement watched closely as we cut the hook in half to remove it and returned the turtle to the sea,) I became bored and wandered into the dunes. There I saw several grocery bags. One bag of trash turned into three and one person picking up trash turned into all five of us. We filled both trash cans that had been placed there. We went home with no fish but a good feeling about cleaning just a small area. It is sad that folks use the dunes as a dumpsite. -T.B. Lake Jackson, TX Dear T.B., Kudos for a job well done! I know the feeling. Our Fourth of July camping trip at Matagorda Island ended the same way several years ago. The camping was fun but the fishing was pretty slow. The campsite was badly littered when we arrived and we stacked it off to the side while setting up with plans to haul everything back when we broke camp. We ended up scouring a mile of shoreline with four boats fully loaded and a good feeling inside. - Everett Johnson April 4, 2009 Mr Johnson, You do not know me nor I you. Being 80 years young I do not much
get into subscribing to magazines as most do not interest me. Having said that, enclosed is my check for $45.00 for a couple of year’s worth. (I am a gambler that I will outlast the subscription). There is no intent on my part to draw attention to myself nor to toot my horn but pure osmosis had allowed me to have seen a lot on the Texas Coast over the past 60 years or so of actively fishing as time and finances would permit. The February and March issues of your magazine were passed on to me by my son-in-law and I sort of liked what you are doing. For the past 20 or so years I have been coached by Jay Watkins some 8-10 times per year. Our relationship began when Jay Ray was a baby before Ryan was born. Jay’s mom is a good friend and one of the nicest persons I am acquainted with. His dad passed away before I got to know him but he was impressive. Lucky me, I am still able to wade alongside him. Jay once made the statement on his club website that “I guess I will have to wade the old man up to the Pearly gates and turn him over to St. Peter.” You are welcome to ask Jay about “That short old man who just won’t go away.” Hope he is right on the Pearly Gate thing. Now in your magazine you wrote of a visit you had with an old timer who grew up on Trinity Bay and reading that caused a lot of memories to bubble forth on how things were 60 years ago and to recall my own introduction to saltwater fishing. In particular a flood of memories came back on the two people who are long since deceased that introduced a poor, I mean dirt poor, orphan kid to saltwater fishing. It would make a good story for older guys but I doubt the younger set would find it interesting. In regard to conservation the record will reflect that at the original organizational meeting of S.C.O.T. in Houston, Bryan Snowden was elected Treasurer. My introduction to social political organizations was unimpressive and short-lived. In closing let me say that should time, circumstances and interest present themselves I would try to present a tribute to Mr. Ed Fisher, the first true conservationist I had ever met and how he introduced me to this sport in the right way. He was a giant and generous human being. There is a huge shortage of his kind. Best to you in your endeavors. Respectfully - Bryan T Snowden Harper, TX P.S. A lot of the Guides in the Rockport area are acquaintances of one ilk or another due to hanging out with Jay. They come and go. I have fished with others but Jay is the best “coach” in the business and he has mellowed some over the years or my understanding of constructive criticism has improved with the onset of poor hearing-still learning.
…Letters to the Editor cont’d on page 28 8
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e humans are purported to have relatively large brains. However, by watching the news we can find reason to question that theory. We may especially question that theory whenever a fisherman is involved. Statistically, the brains in question weigh more than most of the fish they catch. We plan, we scheme, we pot-lick and we dream; all to pick a fight with a creature whose total bag of tricks fits nicely inside a simple brain stem. We are obsessed to win. And to that end we wade through endless theories hoping to win bigger. Most theories contain at least a few shreds of relevant fact and we covet the ones we trust, sadly though, many only ring true at specific times and places. It is quite unfortunate that these darn things called “facts” can enter the equation and mess everything up. Sifting fact from fantasy can be extremely frustrating, especially for the beginner. In reality, you see, there are no absolutes. Just for fun, here are some classic cleaning table theories we’ve all heard, along with a few recent supporting “facts.” Perhaps some of us can find them interesting, or perhaps we can simply do as Mark Twain suggested: “Get your 10
June 2009
facts first, then you can distort them any way you please.” Nov 14 2008 “Incoming tide best for trout.” Day after a short-lived but thunderous norther, light and variable winds veered south to 15 mph later in the day. Hard NNE wind had pushed water into a major backwater area that was draining hard. Fish were stacked into a swale of thirty-yards width and enjoying the baitfish being pulled down this sandy colored, knee deep conveyor belt. Estimates were thirty trout exceeding five pounds, mostly on Corky Fat Boys, with a few over seven and one eight by Capt. Tricia on a tail. Topwater bite was non-existent despite textbook conditions. Pictured is Russell O’Riley pausing long enough for the snap. Sure wish we had stayed for that incoming!
Texas Saltwater Fishing
Dec 13 2008 “Fish are lethargic after a cold norther, fish deep and slow.” Two days after a norther, 42 degrees with full sun, blue bird conditions early, followed by return of light SE wind building to 25mph and gusting 35 by noon. Fish had pulled up to bask shallow in sun-drenched potholes bordering a drop-off. The taper went from ankle to knee deep before sloping to about four, bigger fish holding mostly around the shins. Legions of baitfish had pulled even shallower, but made a forced exodus as increasing winds began to evacuate their water. Trout were waiting for them, and so were the pelicans that put on quite a show as soon as the mullet dropped out to bombardment depth. Full-sized topwaters got hit, sounding like truck batteries dropped in the water, accounting for twelve trout over six pounds in two hours with a couple of sevens and one fat eight. Pictured is Brandon Saenz with “just another six.” The fish must have been lethargic out there deep. Dec 15 2008 “Fish mud and shell mix in winter.” 43 degrees at sunup, mostly cloudy, east winds of 10 to 15 backing to NNE and over 30 mid-afternoon. Good fish were holding shallow along a western shoreline with hard-packed sandy bottom, no grass, no shell. Most were concentrated in small depressions or currentgouged swales dropping from shin deep to upper thigh range. Full-sized topwaters floated over the swales were punished and the www.TSFMAG.com
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Feb 20, 21, 23 2009 “Fish shallow before a front, deep afterwards, or whatever…” Conditions varied from pre-norther, to norther, then to post-norther bluebird stuff. Concentrations of thick-bodied fish had been rimming a tapered shelf on the eastern side of a typical winter bail-off depression. It was shin deep on one end going to waist deep on the other with the fish getting smaller in that direction. Despite revolving winds checking every point of the compass, a kaleidoscopic sky and a thirty-degree air temperature drop, they never moved. The Davis Baker group, with estimates of thirty trout per day, each day, going over five pounds with a few kickers to twenty-eight inches. Pictured is Web Sellers with an average fun specimen. The “fact” is that trout seem pretty well acclimated by late winter and we’re the ones who get cold. Trout will stay where they want to stay because they want to be there. March 16,17 2009 “Its spring so get out www.TSFMAG.com
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the biggest topwater you can find, but Little Johnny needs bait.” Light north wind lingering from a strong norther two days previous, veering to southeast the first afternoon. A backwater area had been flooded by the north wind and a large school of redfish pulled into a warming depression about shin to knee deep. Robert Duncan and his six green-hand boys, ranging from seven years to freshman in college, all of them enjoyed ridiculous catches for two days of upper-slot to oversized reds on plastic tails. Despite the obvious concentration of fish and great conditions, one would never know by looking for them up top. Other critters were there too, such as this near-30 with 13-year old James Duncan. April 8,9 2009 “Best topwater time is when it’s calm.” Rafts of mullet were being harassed along the windward side of a spoil bank, easily betrayed by hand grenade explosions and the watermelon scent of death in the air. Southeast winds were strafing the bank at a 45 degree angle and gusting 25 to 30mph. The water was holding clean out deeper but was churned into frothy espresso along the spoil’s edge. Topwaters thrown ninety degrees to the wind would be swept into the terrified balls of mullet and were predictably slammed right on the edge of the milk line. Mike and Tricia; twenty trout over six pounds a few pushing to eight. Pictured is Kyle with one of his two twenty-eight inchers
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the next day…same conditions. Wonder what a subsurface bait would have done? Nah….never mind. The best I can figure about this trout fishing deal — and the more you fish the more you figure — is that whatever we think we know, something will eventually tell us how much we don’t. It is what it is. Fish are where you find them and we catch them when they let us. What keeps us going back is the discovery of what we don’t know, and we don’t know a lot. The average human brain weighs about three pounds. We can do better than that. “Doncha figger?”
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aggression increased with the wind. Eight fish over six pounds with others just under. Brandon Saenz again, with another good smile. Wonder how many of us bogged around in the mud that day looking for scattered shell?
MIKE MCBRIDE
Mike McBride is a full time fishing guide based in Port Mansfield, Tx., specializing in wadefishing with artificial lures.
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or more than a decade, I’ve worked to establish a reputation as a capable captain who regularly catches trophy speckled trout on artificial lures. Placing a priority on chasing big trout drastically affected my fishing style. Long ago, I abandoned the use of live and dead bait and chose to wade almost all the time; I often ignored easy opportunities to catch school trout and other species of fish, most notably redfish. While I must say that I still prefer this hardheaded pursuit of catching wall-worthy trout, I will also admit that I now find a need to diversify my charter business. No one reading this is unaware that these are tough times economically. Guided fishing trips are luxury items, both for individuals and for groups spending some of a company’s entertainment dollars. In the slowest of times, luxury items are the first ones to be cut from many budgets. I’m not complaining. I’ve been fortunate enough to build a fairly deep base of core clients who share my passion for wading and chasing lifetime-best trout in the Corpus Christi area; the bays around here have been the staging grounds for the fulfillment of many lifelong dreams. In the peak trophy season, I stay as busy as I want to be. During the dog days of summer and also in autumn, when dove, duck and deer seasons, redfish rodeos and the flounder run distract some from the obsession to catch trophy trout, I find myself idle too much of the time. So I’ve decided to change some of the basic ways I do things in attempt to participate in more of the activities which motivate people to venture into the great outdoors. First and foremost, I intend to offer drift fishing trips during the warm part of the year. It’s not that I never fish out of the boat during the peak trophy season, but I’ve always done so on a limited basis, when I think that doing so is the only way to catch a fish. In the future, I will welcome those who can’t or won’t wade and will fish from the boat with more of a focus on catching numbers and variety of fish than on trophy trout specifically. I am also offering some other specialty outings. For instance, I intend to redevelop an old habit and make regular forays into the surf. On those occasions, I’ll run the boat through the Packery Channel or Aransas jetties and head down the beach in search of schools of baitfish and the hordes of hungry trout that follow them. I’m sure we’ll catch some other species of fish while we’re trying to hook and fight some of the vigorous open-ocean trout known to feed along Texas beaches. I’ll be doing some wade fishing at night too. Sometimes, big trout are easier to catch under a canopy of stars than they are in the bright light of day. One 14
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thing is certain; it’s easy to beat the summer heat and clamoring crowds by leaving the dock at dusk and returning when others are backing their boats down the ramp. In addition to charters which focus on different types, styles and times for fishing, I am now more aggressively offering what I call navigation/survey trips. The focus on such trips is the recording of information about a specific bay or part of a bay system. Ideally, a client booking such a trip brings along a handheld GPS and places track lines to use for safe navigation as well as marking as many fishing hot spots, anchor sites and obstructions as possible. On such an outing, some fishing will be done, so that the client can get a feel for some of the local sweet spots, but the focus is on a thorough survey of the area more than on catching fish. To aid in this endeavor, I do a lot of narration of things relevant to that goal, including stating the best times to fish various parts of the area, pointing out hazards to watch out for, and mentioning any other details which might help the client be safe and successful on subsequent trips. My home waters are notoriously treacherous. Some people underestimate the dangers that lurk in the often-murky waters of Baffin Bay, the Upper Laguna Madre and Nueces Bay, but I’m not one of them. Take it from someone with firsthand experience, there are more places and ways to ruin a lower unit around here than I care to admit. Additionally, locating fish in these “big waters” can seem downright intimidating to those unfamiliar with the area. A navigation/survey trip done the right way can drastically reduce the risks
associated with boating while increasing an angler’s productivity in catching fish. In addition, I’m also offering the use of my boat and captaining skills for outings unrelated to fishing altogether. I place these charters under the umbrella of sightseeing, bird watching and other boating tours. I and my friends love to head out in the boat to enjoy stunning sunsets and charming local scenery and we now offer the Haynie to others who’d like to share in the fun. More information related to these charters can be found on my website at www. fishbaffinbay.com by clicking on Custom Charters in the menu bar on the home page. I offer these outings from about June 1st through approximately Thanksgiving and want it to be understood that I intend to pursue all of these excursions with the same passion and intensity I’ve always had for my trophy trout trips. I also want it known that I will still book trophy trout hunts during the custom charter “season“. All of the custom charters require me to make some compromises in my fishing style or schedule, and I welcome the opportunity to make such changes. Two things I won’t compromise on are the reduced trout limits I enforce on my boat and my insistence on fishing strictly with artificial lures. This change in my business is more than an attempt to survive and pay the bills; it’s an attempt to become a more diversified and complete angler in the end. I hope that many of you who’ve fished with me during the peak trophy trout season will come for other reasons in other seasons, and that new and interesting people will call and join me on the water too.
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Big trout can and will be caught on lures from a well-equipped boat during the heat of summer.
KEVIN COCHRAN
Chris Landers caught and released this long, darkly dotted trout while wading in April. Catching and releasing trophy trout is still a priority for Captain Kev.
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t tickles me to realiZe that with all the negative stuff surrounding every aspect of our lives currently; in thirty years some nut will be referring to this time as “the good ol’ days.” This is just the nature of our species. I recently learned that 26-year-old Ryan Gregory, of Austin, is battling for his life with Stage-4 cancer. His parents, Stephen and Donna Gregory, are well known and treasured friends to many in the surf fishing community. They very graciously donated $7,750 to Friends of Padre, Inc. for the purchase of this year’s Big Shell Beach Cleanup tee-shirts and support for the continuing Hurricane Ike debris removal efforts by NPS on PINS. Ryan and his mom and dad are in my daily prayers and I ask that they be included in yours as well. While some folks steal the air they breathe, it really hurts to see upstanding and caring “walk the walk” types like the Gregory family in such a situation. Last issue I advised readers the speed limit on PINS beaches had been lowered from 25 mph to 15 mph effective 1 April – 1 July as these were the dates I had received verbally. Turns out this is wrong. The 15 mph speed limit will be in effect 1 April through 31 July. The main reason this was done was to protect nesting Kemp’s Ridley turtles from harm by vehicles although there is no record of such thus far in the 47-year history of PINS. Ridley nesting season typically
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ends in early July and patrol efforts usually end by the middle of the month. Visitors are urged to be observant for nesting turtles and report them to 361-949-8173 ext. 226 or 228 or 1-866887-8535. Beach travelers might also try CB Channel 1 to relay turtle information. Speeding on PINS is not a new problem and I have discussed it in my articles here and on internet message boards. For years I and others have begged that visitors police themselves so that more restrictive measures would not have to be implemented. However, the honest truth is that far too many people either don’t care, don’t know, or don’t listen and drive the beach like a bat out of Hell. My genuine feelings are that those who refused to obey the 25 mph limit are even less likely to obey the new 15 mph limit. Logic and common sense would dictate greater enforcement of the 25 mph; not a reduced limit. Incessant strong wind and very high tides have had us wishing we could drive as fast as 15 mph here lately but as conditions moderate in summer the new speed limit will impact visitor usage negatively. It’s got to be a genuine nightmare trying to manage the well-being of the resources while considering the needs of the user group and I do not envy NPS management. The first three nesting Ridley turtles were found on April 16th and as of 8 May fifty nests have been found on PINS. Friends of Padre, Inc.
Texas Saltwater Fishing
donated $2,525 to PINS for a beach wheel chair to replace the one that was stolen last summer. FoP, Inc. also donated $20,500 to PINS to aid in their continuing efforts to remove Hurricane Ike debris. I know they are and will continue to do their best, but the lower speed limit is impacting their beach driving the same as visitors. I remain extremely impressed with the work that Facilities Manager, Larry Turk, and his maintenance crew have done. I’d like him even if he wasn’t a card carrying Cherokee. Last month I mentioned the sharp decline in nesting and usage of historic rookeries by colonial waterbirds. I told you that two active rookeries remained in Redfish Bay. Well, during the past weeks these have been abandoned and are now inhabited only by gulls. Unusually low nesting activity is occurring at most sites however it is unknown whether this is a result of human encroachment or the current drought. I am certain a good 3” rain would improve local fishing. In the land of the hyper-saline bays and limited freshwater inflow a soaking rain can work wonders. I’ve been spending far too much time watching fishing shows and I have a couple of new pet peeves. I see professional crews cutting leaders and leaving hooks in released fish without
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the slightest attempt to remove them. What’s up with that? Do they figure the fish need a bit of steel in their diet? Sure sets a bad example and I wish their sponsors realized it. The other thing is that they show folks hand-grabbing fish boat-side and thus removing protective slime which could lead to post-release infection. What really cracks me up is that after they handle the fish extensively they grab the Boga Grip for further filming. This makes no sense. By the way, while many already know, there are undoubtedly others who do not so I’ll mention it here. I was taught decades ago to never use a landing net on trophy trout that I intended to release. I don’t even carry a net when I wade. I use the Boga Grip and before they came along I collared fish by hand, touching them as little as possible. I now consider this a poor second choice to the Boga Grip. While the Boga Grip is expensive; there are similar, less expensive alternatives. By the time you read this I will have been involved in quite a bit of shark fishing targeting large bull sharks. The Harte Institute of Texas A&M Corpus Christi will be kicking off a research project very soon with one of the goals being to catch ten bull sharks over six-feet and tagging with transmitters to learn more about their movements along our coast. I have been advised they want to utilize my services. Bull sharks, ranked as the most dangerous to man, are dangerous and extremely tough creatures to deal with. Ah, my favorite; high adventure and maximum adrenalin fix all rolled into one. I am really looking forward to it. The way it’s been around here the past few months I am sure in need of both; especially when there’s a paycheck included. Once again I’m mad at my log books. I had decided this was beyond doubt the windiest and most hateful spring weather of my life so I dug through my log books for confirmation. As often happens, I have determined that in reality it’s not that much worse than other years. After all, we live in Corpus Christi, the windiest city in the U.S.A. What is different is the harshness and duration of the drought and I heard on local news recently this is the driest it’s been here since the mid-1950s. My ol’ papa told me when I was a small boy that extended CAPT. BILLY SANDIFER periods of drought went hand in hand with extended periods of high wind. He also said weather that was good for farmers was likewise good for fishermen. From what I’ve been able to observe he was spot-on with that statement. Regardless, 2009 has certainly been a harsh and troublesome year thus far. We gotta’ have tough times or we get spoiled and take the good times for granted. This month marks one year that this old chain Billy Sandifer operates Padre Island Safaris offering surf fishing smoker has been without a smoke. And if that for sharks to specks and nature can happen anything is possible. Heck, I might tours of the Padre Island National even get a few charters. Y’all hang in there, quit Seashore. Billy also offers bay and near-shore fishing adventures in worrying and go fishin’. In a thousand years no his 25 foot Panga for many big one will know the difference. game and gamefish species. If we don’t leave any there won’t be any. Telephone 361-937-8446 Website www.billysandifer.com www.TSFMAG.com
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
Length: 62 inches Wingspan: 108 inches Weight: 16.4 pounds
Plumage: white with black primaries and outer secondaries visible only in flight; bright orange bill. Confined to North America. Feeds in flocks, often driving small fish to one another. Does not dive for food, feeds while sitting on the water and dipping bill while swimming. Prefers freshwater but also found in estuaries, bays and lakes. Colonial nesters, most breed in the northern Great Plains. The one and only known saltwater rookery is located in the Upper Laguna Madre near ICW marker 158 and is the location pictured. This non-migratory flock is present all year and nests Apr.-June. Does not impact commercially or recreationally valued fish stocks. June 2009
19
SASHIMI JERKBAIT™
NoEr 2W009 f
SASHIMI JOINTED™ SASHIMI PENCIL™ SASHIMI MINNOW™
The color schemes and patterns on the Yo-Zuri Sashimi lures actually change colors as the angle of view changes. Most baitfish will change colors to blend into their environment or signal that they are in distress; these are the ones that gamefish key in on to eat. These new highly-detailed lures mimic that color changing behavior, attracting your favorite inshore predators — redfish, seatrout, and more. The winning combination — YoZuri Sashimi Lures™ and Yo-Zuri H.D. CARBON™ Fluorocarbon leader. US Patent: U.S.#11/651, 615 • International Patent: #PCT/JP2007/068739
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June 2009
Texas Saltwater Fishing
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21
y knee had been acting up since an accident in November and I ignored it as long as I could. I think the defining moment, when I knew that I’d have to have something done, was during a fishing trip to Baffin Bay with Captain Black. I was unable to go out with the rest of the crew due to my knee hurting too much. April 1st rolled around fast and the surgeon’s skilled hands and eyes fixed the torn cartilage and meniscus and today it’s like I never had trouble with the knee at all. A couple of weeks later a sinus infection set in and led to bronchitis that in turn led to pneumonia; so I was down a couple more weeks. April was shot as far as fishing or doing much of anything related to the outdoors. And now May comes blowing in, literally. We have endured an uncommon number of days with sustained winds of around 20+ with gusts to 30-something. Even though I have elected to lay out during these windy days, my sources tell me the bays are full of water and if you can get to a protected shoreline the fish are there waiting. I can’t wait to get back into the water and go after them. While I was at home recovering from surgery and pneumonia I had time to tear down and put 22
June 2009
back together most of my favorite reels. Some needed some work, most didn’t but then those who know me will tell you that I’m pretty anal about keeping my gear in top shape. I also replaced the line on the two reels that I use the most and left the others empty. No need in having them spooled and the line coiled if they’re not in use. Have you checked your reels lately? While I was spooling some reels a friend stopped by to see how I was doing and noticed the gadget that I was using, the Berkley Portable Line Spooling Station. It’s a simple thing that has a reel seat that you set the reel into, either bait casting reels or spinning reels, and the line is anchored on a stainless rod that has rubber stops on it that adjust for tension. This really makes spooling your reels easier and comes with a battery Texas Saltwater Fishing
powered line stripper too. You can pick these up at your favorite sporting goods stores and it beats holding a pencil between your toes and winding line up on your reel. Speaking of reels have any of you tried the new Shimano Curado 200 E7? I bought one for my son for his birthday after he and I both tried one that Captain Black was using. Sterling loves his. The minute you pick it up you will be impressed with its smooth operation. If you’re in the market for a new reel, especially a lowprofile baitcaster, I encourage that you give the Curado 200 E7 a good look. I rate it way up there at the top.
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about this. My spring fishing was a bust but I’ll make up for it soon. Thanks to all who wrote and suggested lures to use and such; you’ll see some of your suggestions in pictures with the article. It feels great to be able to walk without limping and I know it will feel even better to be back in the saltwater. Would someone do something about the wind please?
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The Shimano Curado E7 is built with seven bearings and line capacity is stated as 8/180, 10/155, and 14/110. The 7.0:1 drive ratio insures quick line pickup, a boon to soft plastic enthusiasts. Weight is 7.5 ounces and the maximum drag setting is 11.0 pounds. The Curado 200 size is now built on a reel frame smaller than previous Curado 100 reels, but has the line capacity of a 200. It features a lightweight aluminum alloy spool, which allows anglers to cast small baits farther and more accurately. All Curado E bait casting reels include High Efficiency Gearing (HEG), the Super Free bearing pinion gear system, the Variable Brake System (VBS) with reduced Mass Hub, Super Stopper II and a QuickFire II Clutch Bar – all in a very classy green body. MSRP for the 200 sizes is $179.99. Since I’m writing about gadgets and fishing tackle I have to mention the new Stake-out Stik that has been redesigned for 2009. Brian has changed the design of the Stik to include a push pole foot that allows you to push your boat in and out of areas or to use the “spike” end to Stake-it-out. Kudos to Brian for always finding ways to make his products better through innovation and imagination. Contact them on the web at www.stakeoutstick.com or by calling 409-718-7694. I still plan on doing the nostalgic fishing trip with our editor soon. I apologize for the delays and hope I have answered all of the emails that I’ve received from readers wanting to know
MARTIN STRARUP
Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
23
s - SS mprint Info only
Mock-Up
SHOWN HERE IN WHITE, MULTIPLE SHIRT COLORS
WILL BE ASH HERE IN WHITE
rts
mprint Info only Mock-Up
Mock-Up
color process) 3.5” tall
Left Chest Imprint (2 color) r) lo co 6” (2 in t w in id pr e x Im 1. t 25 ” tall Left Ches Slee vellImprint (1 colo ” ta 6” in wide x 1.25 r) 16” in wide x 1. 25” tall tall x 1.25” tall Sleeve Imprint (1 color) 16” in5”wide .2 1 x e id r) 16” in w nt (1 colo 1 color imprint) ll Left Chest Imprint r) (2 color) int (2 colo prwide Im t s e 6” in x 1.25” tall h C t Lef 5” tall .2 1 x e id 6” in w
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June 2009
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
25
ne look at the thermometer says it all; summer is here. Those cool crisp mornings that were so common during spring are all but a memory now. Sweating like a family of rats in a wool sock before 7:00AM is something we will have to get accustomed to for the next several months. All those prayers for the wind to stop blowing will soon be answered and the fishing congregation will be begging for a breath as the summer heats up and Texas coastal fishing gets hot as well. The month of April and the first part of May were downright tough for us on Sabine and Calcasieu, the winds that were so noticeably absent earlier in the year behaved like a bad houseguest over-staying their visit. Besides cursing the wind we also got a big dose of rain locally and runoff from both the Sabine and Neches rivers. The water clarity went from penthouse to outhouse in the span of a few days and it has taken some time to recover. Hopefully, summer weather patterns will change all this and usher in better fishing. We look forward to calm mornings and fishing more water in a variety of ways. The open lake will soon be accessible and more fisherman friendly as the flags begin to droop. The big schools of shad that inhabit the fertile waters of Sabine will be easier to spot when the waves aren’t breaking over your bow and the water doesn’t look like a stale Yoo-Hoo. Being able to cover more ground is the key and those who venture a little farther into the wide-open spaces of the lake will be rewarded with some outstanding fishing and much lighter angler pressure. I’m not real sure why so many anglers hang within a half-mile of the shoreline. There is a big part of Sabine that sees very little pressure, it’s like it doesn’t even exist. I have made the analogy for years in seminars that when we were kids all we could think about was being able to cast as far away from the bank as possible because we knew all the fish were out there. Years later we grow up and buy a fancy high dollar boat and, what do we do? We go back and cast to the same bank where we stood as kids. I can’t figure it out. Now don’t get me wrong, there are all kinds of patterns and methods we can employ to catch fish. All I’m saying is be open to a different approach because you never know what you might be missing. Speaking of different patterns and approaches, I have really had to go back to school to learn some water that I once knew really well. So much of the shallow marshes that border both Calcasieu and Sabine were totally transformed during Hurricane Ike. Areas that I have fished for years don’t even exist anymore and many of the places that still exist are almost inaccessible. There are some new places that were opened up so it’s not all bad; it’s just going to be another learning process. My son Hunter and I have been locating and marking some of the new features as well as some of the debris. We stumbled up on a pair of really large portable fire fighting rigs not too long ago, big carts with tanks and hoses that you see in industrial settings. No telling where they
Ike re-arranged shoreline structure, learning has been fun. 26
June 2009
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and run away with all your line and your favorite plug. I have no idea why but it just seems like those fish that hang around the jetties pull harder, we always say the trout are wired up 440 as they just go ballistic when you hook one. That jetty pattern is a favorite of many local anglers and I can’t say as I blame them either, it seems like you always come back from there with at least a great story and most of the time with some good fish. Besides being able to look forward to better weather, many younger anglers will be looking forward to school being out. Graduation invitations in the mail signify the end of the school year is near and summer vacation is just around the corner. I thoroughly enjoy it when clients bring their kids; some of my most memorable trips have been of the family variety. For whatever reason it seems like when you bring kids on the boat you get a whole new perspective about many different things. Fishing with kids tends to help me get grounded; help me understand just what is really important. Some of the absolute best conversations I have ever had
School is out, time to get kids hooked on fishing!
with my son happened when we were fishing. It doesn’t really matter what your fishing for or how you go about it, having a kid fishing with you is a treat. Take a break sometime and change up your technique, soak some dead shrimp on the bottom and take the time to talk to your kids. The topics of conversation will amaze you and the memories will last a lifetime. One last thing to remember when it comes to taking kids fishing, make sure it’s fun. Don’t expect their attention span to be the same as yours, cater the trip to them. Remember that they may not be as excited about the trip as you are; the goal is to make them want to come back. If they want to go look at things or fish a while and then play a while, let them. Bring plenty of soft drinks and good things to eat and remember; it’s all about them. The summer months will provide anglers of all skill levels an opportunity to succeed. There will also be plenty of different methods to choose from and places to use them. Some of the best fishing of the year is upon us and I hope each of you take advantage of every chance you get to enjoy the time on the water.
CHUCK UZZLE
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came from but the inspection tags were still intact, go figure. Despite all the changes, we have managed to find some fish and it appears the populations are in good shape. These next two months will be prime for chasing tailing redfish and the big schools that will still be together. The morning temperatures will encourage aggressive feeding and the fish will readily show themselves as they pay no attention to anything but their next meal. The same kind of behavior can be said for the fish in the open lake; the early bites will be aggressive and then taper off until tidal currents trigger them to feed again. The early-bird fishermen who enjoy the jetties will probably see the lion’s share of good trout for a while, that pre-dawn topwater bite is about as fine as it gets. Working the rocks with a topwater plug can be unpredictable and exciting. You never know what kind of creature is going to inhale that plug. Everything in that part of the world strikes violently and pulls hard. Big trout, bull reds, jacks, and even a tarpon or two can show up
Sabine backwaters will produce plenty of these in the coming summer months. www.TSFMAG.com
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
27
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR …Cont’d from page 8
Dear Mr. Snowden, Thank you for your kindly letter. I would be happy to run your story of Ed Fisher. Today’s anglers owe a great debt of gratitude to the pioneers of marine resource conservation. Without their efforts we would not have nearly as much to enjoy. Your opinion of Jay Watkins runs parallel with that of many, me included. He is truly one of a kind and we are very proud to have him on our team. I believe the shoreline to the Pearly Gates has been trod by many fine anglers. If you get there first; save us a spot where they’re biting real good. We’ll do the same. - Everett Johnson May 4, 2009 Dear Everett, Would first like to tell you how much I enjoy the Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine. As often said, please keep up the good work! You stated in the May issue that you enjoy excellent relations with TPWD, CCA Texas, etc. You also ask your readers to send ideas and suggestions. Well, I got one for you. It started last Thursday in West Matagorda when an 18” red inhaled my Spook Jr. with the rear treble hook in the gills. Try as best I could, it was a very sad sight to watch such a beautiful fish sink to the bottom belly up. The really hard part was just walking away. So my idea is why can’t we keep one undersized fish per day? The idea would be not to waste the resource which is already dead. The limits would remain the same and any undersize retained would count to the limit. There will probably always be the slob who will take advantage of the “mortally injured” fish rule but it would sure make hard times a little more tolerable on the majority of us who do remain loyal to the correct ethical values. By the way, that was my first fish of the day at about 2:00pm from 7:00am. Hard day but it is called fishing not catching. Also if you would, it is always a good idea to remind folks that when you change your plastic baits, the old bait goes in your pocket and not in the water. They remain fish bait forever and do not digest very well at all. Thank you for your time, your effort and your attitude. - Michael Kalil Brenham TX 77834 Dear Michael, You raise excellent points. Releasing a fish that has little or no chance always leaves a bitter taste. Whether or not the regulations could ever be changed to allow retention would of course be a decision for the resource managers. I will forward your letter to TPWD Coastal Fisheries and Enforcement Divisions. Meanwhile, as concerned anglers, there are some steps we can take. 1) Replace treble hooks on plugs with single hooks. 2) Anglers who use natural baits should switch to single hooks, better yet, circle hooks. 3) Always carry long-nosed pliers and remove hooks gingerly. 3) Soft fabric landing nets are kinder to fish. 4) Always use wet hands when handling a fish to be released. As for discarding spent soft plastic baits into the water; “Amen brother!” I commend your conservation ethic and respect for the resource. - Everett Johnson
SEND YOUR LETTERS TO: TSFMag, P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 28
June 2009
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THE ULTRA LIGHT WEIGHT RUBBER MESH EGO WADE NET.
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111739_09CDM110_TxSaltwtr 1
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Job#: 09 CDM 110
June 2009
L/S: 133 Size: 8.25 x 5”
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4/21/09 7:49:46 PM
JAY WAT K I NS
if you have been fishing very much this year along the middle coast you already know that there are two
bought and sold. My fishing logs reflect the same trends. Wet years bring more days of low
areas that have been very good when it comes
atmospheric pressure, higher tides, and
to catching speckled trout. Unfortunately,
more overcast days and generally lower
the Rockport area has not been one of them.
temperatures. Drought conditions bring
Thanks to Mr. Red Fish we are keeping our
strong winds, much of which is westerly,
heads above water but it has been tough. For
higher pressure, and more days of blue skies
my entire thirty-one years in the business, my
and lower tides. The contrast explains the best
clients are and have been trout fishermen. I
and worst of trout catching conditions.
have felt obligated to be perfectly honest
So what do we do when we are faced with
with them about the state of the trout fishery,
truly tough conditions that challenge us
and this has cost me some days. Most still
mentally as well as physically?
come as they are fishermen and enjoy the
First, I look for areas off the beaten path. I
chase. To these folks I am continually grateful
believe higher than normal salinity puts a lot
for the support.
of stress on the trout. Life is just not as good
The cause of our catching decline is not
and normal patterns are abandoned. Ease and
John Esley with a solid trout (CPR) caught in front of depression in sandbar last week.
necessarily all man-made. Severe drought,
comfort become paramount. I look for areas
lack of a major storm, closure of gulf-to-
of cooler water and moving water. Cooler and
bay passes and fishing pressure have all
moving equate to higher levels of oxygen
contributed. We have had some bright spots
during times like these. Bait holding over
throughout the water column. Therefore, I
but over-all it has been tough. Through all
shallow shell and sand edges gets swept along
believe the stress of adaptation is reduced.
this I remain optimistic; it will get better and
as current pushes through the cut and the
Less stress leads to more energy and stability
I will discover new methods of finding and
mouths of these cuts are often staging area
in feeding patterns, especially during prime
catching them. They run; I chase. Sometimes
for predators waiting for a meal to be pushed
feeding periods. You will need to be attentive
they win; sometimes I do. They continue to be
their way. Recently, the mouths of cuts and
to the major and minor periods and plan your
worthy adversaries.
drains have been my go to areas.
day accordingly.
TPWD data from 1977-2003 describes
Remember, an area with no fish prior to a
springtime salinity in the Aransas Bay complex
major feed period does not magically grow
to be 17.7 parts per thousand. At present,
fish. We still need to be where the fish are in
salinity is nearing 35ppt. Bay salinity is greatly
order to experience the true effects of the
major or minor feeding period. I like small cuts through reefs and sandbars
On a recent trip to Baffin I fished the popular Tide Gauge Bar and had a great day on fish over 25 inches. The key, which I discovered on …Cont’d on page 49
dependent upon rainfall and the Coastal Bend has seen little of late. Thus far in 2009 the Rockport area is running about 13-inches below normal. Danny Adams, my boys’ grandfather, used to run a fish house on Fulton beach. Years ago when I was getting started in business, he told me that wet years yielded twice as many trout as dry years and I never forgot it. He backed his statement with purchase tickets of fish he
30
June 2009
So what do we do when we are faced with truly tough conditions that challenge us mentally as well as physically? Texas Saltwater Fishing
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June 2009
31
C A SE Y SM A RT T
STORY BY CASEY SMARTT
Photo by Jon Fisher
over the phone to my friend Dean Thomas in Aransas Pass. “You better have your game face on, because it’s ugly down here brother,” he replied. It was overcast and the wind had been blowing 15-20 knots out of the SE for nearly a week. It was projected to blow even harder for the next 2 days. I would be fishing with my buddy Jon from San Antonio. Our plan was to kayak into a protected area of the marsh near Aransas Pass. We figured we could duck behind the mangroves and dodge the worst of the hatblasting gusts long enough to find a few targets feeding in the windblown currents. We arrived in AP around noon and by mid afternoon we had paddled our way back to a large tidal lake with a hard sand bottom. The water in the lake was clear but there was a significant chop on the surface and the sky hung low and grey. We knew the fish in this lake would be tough to see. About 100 yards into the wade we started noticing irregular wrinkles and boils scattered ahead of us. We weren’t quite sure what they were, but they were definitely made by some sort of fish. Jon snuck up on one of the mysterious swirls and started casting at it. After a half-dozen tries he dropped his fly in the right spot and a redfish busted it. That redfish convinced us that the funky ripples peppered across the shallow lake were indeed feeding reds and not
VIDEO 32
mullet or other ghostly creatures. And although we could not see the reds at all, we could see slight, almost imperceptible disturbances that gave away their locations. The tough part was making casts that accurately hit the strike zone of invisible fish. It was what you might call “intuitive casting.” Intuitive casting falls into the grey area between sightcasting and blind casting. With intuitive casting you never actually see the fish you are casting to, but you see a signal or combination of signals that tells you the fish is there. These signals are site-specific disturbances like subtle wrinkles or lumps in the water, jumping shrimp, head-wakes, swirling bubbles, or plumes of mud. Your challenge is to quickly visualize the position and direction of the fish based on what you see and intuitively cast your fly at the strike zone. The key to hitting the strike zone is to correctly predict which direction the fish is headed. For example, if you are casting at a head-wake you must aim well ahead of the wake to intercept your target. If you are casting at a stationary swirl or boil, you should drop your fly on the upwind or up-current side of the disturbance — not directly on it. You are trying to put the fly in the strike zone, not on top of the fish. It’s not easy, but intuitive casting is a valuable skill and pretty cool when you pull it off. Most of us have made intuitive casts at one time or another whether we consciously knew it or not. Have you ever shot a hopeful cast at a head wake? Or, perhaps you have fished on days
when the water clarity or visibility was so bad there was no way you could actually see a fish below the surface, so you made a few casts at swirls or boils along shoreline. Or maybe you’ve fished with a partner who could see fish better than you. He tried to guide you to them while you eagerly scanned the water for any signs of life. In each of these situations your eyes were fixed on a visual signal, not an actual fish. Intuitive casting skills are important for several reasons. First, not everyone has the opportunity to fish clear water. Some water bodies hold plenty of fish, but they are perpetually turbid, so anglers rely on visual anchor points to make casts. Another reason intuitive skills are important is that sometimes fish are extremely tough to spot even though the water is quite clear. Perhaps an evening glare turns the surface into a choppy mirror, or the combination of tide, wind, clouds, and the position of the sun significantly impairs visibility. But the most valuable part of intuitive casting is that it allows you to adapt to a wide variety of conditions on the flats, and that makes you a better angler.
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“we’re coming to ap and bringin’ our game face,” I joked
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.
check out casey’s fly fishing video library at www.tsfmag.com June 2009
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Spin-tastic! 04 11 12 13 14 15
Weight: STRAIGHT Jacket™ — 3/8 oz. Weight: STRAIGHT Jacket™ Jr. — 1/4 oz.
Dave Workman, Jr.Pro Series
STRAIGHT JACKET
TROUT • REDFISH • FLOUNDER • SNOOK
Colors: (04) Chartreuse
This lure has been tournament tested and proven to be a winner. Works best with a slow to moderate retrieve. Deadly on Trout, Redfish, Snook, Flounder and Striped Bass. STRAIGHT Jacket™ can be fished in the grass with confidence. The bright blade flash and tantalizing tail wiggle can produce line screaming strikes.
(11) Root Beer (12) Pearl (13) Clear/Blue Sparkle (14) Black, Silver Belly (15) Green, Silver Belly Available at your favorite tackle supplier.
Dave Workman, Jr.Pro Series © 2008 BOONE • Winter Park, FL • 407-975-8775
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
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some on board. Bait always bites better in the morning, so load up your live well and tuna tubes early, then you’ll be set for the day. Even if you’re pulling lures, it doesn’t hurt to have a live bait available for a pitch bait. Uh Oh… the tuna’s just popped up… they don’t like your big marlin lure… no problem, fire out a live bait and hang on! Versatility is the key and you need to be prepared to fish several different methods to find what works on that particular day. Early in the summer the cooler water is still mixing with the warm loop current eddies, so be sure to check your SST (Sea Surface Temperature) charts and look for temperature breaks which can also mean converging currents that cause rips, weed lines and color changes. Oh yeah… it also concentrates bait which attracts big pelagic predators like marlin and tuna. Throw in an oil platform or a nearby rock and you have the makings of
everybody else knows, because they WILL be using everything they can get their hands on to give them an advantage. It makes too much sense… Why waste time, fuel and your sanity running around looking for fish, when you can make some of those decisions before leaving the dock. Don’t get us wrong, you’re probably not going to run straight to the fish and win the tournament… but you might, and you have at least determined the areas that should be productive and eliminated those that are probably not. That’s a big deal in a big ocean with a long boat ride, expensive fuel and limited fishing time. Throw in tournament entry fees along with boat pools and you can see what we’re talking about. Give yourself the best chance possible for success! For more information on Big Game Fishing off Texas, buying, selling or rigging your boat, call us or come by Tops-N-Towers in Seabrook,
an epic fishing trip. Pretty simple game plan, right? Well maybe not so simple, but a great place to start, and that’s what you have to do at the beginning of the season. You want to put yourself in the best place possible with the information you are given. Online websites like www.hiltonsoffshore. com, www.roffs.com, www.texas-offshore. com and www.terrafin.com are great places to get SST and current data along with a myriad of other stuff like rig locations, water color, sea surface altimetry, salinity, weather, etc. These are great tools for the offshore Nansen Spar, 103 miles angler – Don’t leave home SSE of Freeport is a great destination for big game without them! anglers. It’s a whole big Really, in this day and age ocean out there; homework can help make you’re at a great disadvantage your first trip if you don’t use some, if not all, of the season of the information available to productive. you before leaving the dock. It’s just too easy. Especially in a tournament, you will at least need to know what
Texas. Our Fox Yacht Sales-Seabrook office has an extensive inventory of brokerage boats and Fox is the exclusive Texas dealer for CABO Yachts. We specialize in sportfishing boats and motor yachts. Come by and get a great deal on your next boat. For more information contact Bobby Byrd at 281-474-4000 or you can contact John Cochrane at 409-739-4827.
some fantastic fishing off the Texas Coast. In 2008, Texas bluewater anglers experienced a blue marlin bite that will be talked about for years. We can only hope that this year the fishing will be similar to what many of us experienced last season. With that said, June can be an unpredictable month, not from a fishing standpoint, but weather-wise. Right now the spring winds are blowing and some years we have a real windy June, other years we get a lot of nice days. But you really never know what you’re going to get. As far as fishing goes, June is prime time…no more waiting, its time to go fishing! Many large fish are caught in June. The bait is abundant, the water cooler and there has been very little pressure put on the fish compared to what they will see in the next few months. Many fish have taken up residency around different oil platforms over the winter and anglers can take advantage of this situation before conditions change. This is also a good time to check out as much area as possible to see what platforms and buoys have been added or taken away. This is excellent information to have as you begin the season. BAIT! BAIT! BAIT! Bait is normally plentiful in the early summer and less so later. Take advantage of the bait situation by fishing where there is a lot of bait as well as keeping
June 2009
Texas Saltwater Fishing
CONTACT
B O B B Y B Y R D & C A P T. J O H N C O C H R A N E 34
if this summer is anything like last summer, anglers are in for
Born in Galveston, Capt. John Cochrane has been a professional captain for over 25 years. 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
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
35
BROUGHT TO YOU BY…
the coastal conservation association teXas (cca teXas) Executive Board recently approved $25,000 to fund 150 tons of concrete and rock debris to be added to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Vancouver reefing area in the near-shore waters off of Freeport. The project will provide crucial habitat for many recreationally important species including red snapper, kingfish and ling. The undertaking will be a joint effort between CCA Texas’ Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow program (HTFT), TPWD and local and private businesses, which will provide services and expertise for transporting, storing and placing of the reef material. “This important project is the first of many habitat projects that will be put in place by the HTFT program,” commented CCA Texas State President Bill Schwarzlose. “This material, donated by Texas A&M Galveston, will not only be a magnet for numerous Gulf species and provide vital habitat, but it will also provide a prime fishing area within Texas waters for local anglers that is easily accessible.” As HTFT continues to move forward in expanding its habitat program, it will work to build more partnerships up and down the Texas coast for like projects. TPWD currently has many tons of material available for reefing projects as well as material available through private individuals and
businesses. This available material will provide an opportunity for more near-shore reefing projects along the Texas coast in the future and an opportunity to build habitat directed partnerships between CCA Texas, local and private business and others. “This project demonstrates the importance of working partnerships to accomplish win, win situations for Texas coastal resources and Texas anglers,” commented CCA Texas State Chairman Mark Ray. “By working with Texas Parks and Wildlife and local businesses, these habitat projects will bring much needed boast to the sustainability of the local fisheries by helping rebuild and enhance these fishery habitats.” These are challenging times for local communities and organizations. Through the hard and dedicated work of CCA Texas volunteers and members, these types of projects will be possible because of a strong belief in conservation and a vision to see Texas’s coastal fisheries flourish for future generations to come. This project is only the first of many by HTFT and is expected to be in place by the latter part of summer in 2009. CCA Texas is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the conservation of Texas’ coastal marine resources. For more information, please go to www.ccatexas.org. For more information about HTFT please contact John Blaha at 713.626.4222.
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June 2009
Texas Saltwater Fishing
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12800 Gulf Fwy @ Fuqua Houston, TX 77034 281-481-6838
8933 Katy Fwy Houston, TX 77024 713-827-7762
7613 So Padre Island Dr Corpus Christi, Texas 78412 361-992-2960
For a complete listing of our dealers log onto our website! 361.573.0300, 805 S. Bridge St., Victoria, TX www.WaterlooRods.com
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
37
Field Notes
their odd appearance and awesome siZe made them a prized catch for fishermen along the Texas coast. Net fishermen considered them a nuisance because of the damage they would cause to their gear. Their unique elongated, blade-like snouts, studded with teeth on both sides, were often kept as trophies. But none have been caught in Texas for over 2 decades. The sawfish: large, distinctive rays once common in coastal waters of Texas but now gone. Two species of sawfish once made their home in the Gulf and bay waters of the Lone Star State: the largetooth sawfish, Pristis perotteti, and the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata. The largetooth sawfish was found throughout the Gulf of Mexico but was always more common in the western Gulf waters of Texas and Mexico. The smalltooth sawfish ranged from Texas to New Jersey and was always more plentiful in the eastern Gulf waters of Florida. Both sawfish species were considered “abundant” and “common” in Texas waters in the early 1900’s. Distinguishable by the number of teeth found on the rostrum, or namesake “saw”, both species could reach lengths over 18 feet. The Texas state record was caught in 1939, a 736 pound largetooth sawfish, measuring 14 feet 7 inches in length. Numerous postcards and photographs from the early 1900’s bear the scene of fishermen hauling in the large creatures to docks and beaches across Texas. A mural painted on the side of a building in downtown Rockport depicts a 17 foot sawfish captured by trawlers in Matagorda Bay in the late 1920’s. They were once so common that
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one fisherman caught 3 largetooth sawfish off Galveston in one summer weekend in 1940. Within 4 years, no largetooth sawfish would be seen again in the United States. The last confirmed record occurred in Texas in 1943. The smalltooth sawfish remained in Texas a little longer. Catches were plentiful in places like the Bob Hall Pier in Corpus Christi until the 1960’s. But the last confirmed record of a smalltooth sawfish in Texas waters was captured by Texas Parks and Wildlife personnel during their routine sampling in Aransas Bay in 1984. Today the smalltooth sawfish is found predominately in south Florida around the Everglades National Park. This vast expanse of natural habitat, and limited fishing pressure, likely served as the last refuge for sawfish in the United States. What happened to these grand creatures? What caused them to vanish from Texas waters? Overfishing, low reproductive potential, and habitat loss, are responsible for the decline of both species. Fishing mortality contributed significantly to the elimination of sawfish from Texas. Most sawfish caught were killed. Hung up to be photographed and their saws removed for a trophy. Their meat was used for food, their skin for leather, and their liver oil in lamps. Their fins are valued for shark fin soup, their rostral teeth used as artificial spurs in cockfighting, their cartilage ground-up for traditional medicines, and their saws sold as curios. Sawfish bear live young, take many years to reach sexual maturity, and produce very few offspring per reproductive cycle. This reproductive
Texas Saltwater Fishing
strategy didn’t allow the sawfish to replenish the population as fast as they were being harvested. Born at about 2 feet in length, juvenile sawfish rely on very shallow, coastal and estuarine waters close to shore for safety from predators, such as sharks, during the first years of their life. Throughout the Gulf coast, much of the shoreline has been developed. Seawalls, beaches, marinas, and docks replaced much of the natural vegetation and shallow zones used by sawfish as important protective nursery areas. Due to the dramatic decline of sawfish populations, The Ocean Conservancy petitioned National Marine Fisheries Service to protect both species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). When the status review was complete, there was no evidence that largetooth sawfish still existed to protect, although they remain a Species of Concern. The smalltooth sawfish was classified as Endangered in 2003, making it the first fully marine fish and first elasmobranch
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(sharks, skates and rays) protected by the ESA. Will they ever return to Texas? The largetooth sawfish is likely extirpated, locally extinct, gone for good. However, the smalltooth sawfish just might make a comeback to the Lone Star State. The National Marine Fisheries Service Smalltooth Sawfish Recovery Plan contains criteria to remove the species from the Endangered Species List including that verified records of adult smalltooth sawfish are observed in 12 out of 14 years, with consecutive records occurring in the last 3 years, in the area of the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to Alabama. However, this recovery is expected to take approximately 100 years if all recovery actions are fully funded and implemented. Meanwhile field research continues on the remnant population in Florida. Many more questions need to be answered to develop effective conservation measures to protect the species. It is still unknown how long they live, where and when they mate, how often they reproduce, and what habitats are needed for adults. The best method of monitoring the population as it recovers is the use of the National Sawfish Encounter Database (NSED). Facilitated by the Florida Museum of Natural History the NSED collects public reports of sawfish captures and sightings. This information can be used to examine the distribution and habitat use of the species. If you catch or see a sawfish, please report it to the NSED. Email: sawfish@flmnh.ufl.edu Telephone: 352-392-2360. As a federally protected endangered species, it is illegal to harm or disturb a sawfish in any way. Many states, including Texas, list both species of sawfish as prohibited take. Any sawfish which are caught while fishing must be immediately returned to the water unharmed. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) categorizes all species of sawfish as “critically endangered” on their Red List of Threatened Species. In 2007 the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) granted protection to all sawfish species, prohibiting
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The smalltooth sawfish (left) has 22 or more teeth per side of the slightly tapering rostrum while the largetooth sawfish (right) has less than 21 teeth along each side of the saw which is much wider at the base than at the tip. (Photo courtesy of George Burgess, Florida Museum of Natural History).
Two wo largetooth sawfish captured off the Galveston jetties in 1940.
The sawfish mural in Rockport.
Tonya Wiley releases a juvenile smalltooth sawfish (fitted with a satellite tracking tag) in the Everglades National Park, Florida.
the international trade of sawfish and their parts, except for limited aquarium trade. With these management rules in place, coupled with the protection and restoration of important habitats, the sawfish might just return to the coastal and estuarine waters of Texas. Maybe some day we’ll get to see one again.
Tonya Wiley secures an 11-foot smalltooth sawfish for measuring and tagging in Everglades National Park, Florida.
REPORT SAWFISH ENCOUNTERS Submit your Sawfish Encounters to the National Sawfish Encounter Database: Florida Museum of Natural History Florida Program for Shark Research P.O. Box 117800 Gainesville, Florida 32611-7800 Phone: 352-392-2360 Email: sawfish@flmnh.ufl.edu Website: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/sawfish
Texas Saltwater Fishing
ne day’s One catch of sawfish from Key West, Florida.
June 2009
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F I S H I N G
C A P T. S C O T T N U L L
remain fleXible. i’ve always tried to fish with that as my motto. Sometimes I listen to myself better than others. There are days when I stick with a topwater way too long. Other times I get overly enthralled with a particular area or style of fishing even though the conditions would dictate a change. If everything is right, my favorite kind of fishing has got to be sight-casting to redfish in clear water with a small topwater. I love to watch them react and go from calmly cruising along to fired-up aggressive predators bent on destroying my lure. Luckily my wife shares that passion and will stick with me on that quest even when it isn’t working. But sometimes enough is enough and she’s ready to just catch a dadgum fish. Our recent foray to the flats around Seadrift looked perfect on paper. Somehow we managed to put together three open days on both our calendars. The long-range weather forecast was looking good, the major feeding times were doable and the tides were going to be moving. Of course we arrived at the coast to find the weatherman was slightly off with his wind forecast. No big deal, I always figure on adding 10 mph to the forecast anyway. We launched out of Charlie’s and hung a left through the cut to hit one of my favorite springtime areas. I can always count on finding some tailing and cruising reds somewhere in the Lagoon. We hadn’t been chunking our lures for more than a few minutes when my
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topwater disappeared. I reared back into a solid pull. Yep, they’re here and this one feels pretty solid. And yes, I did a little trash talking but, in my defense, most foulhooked mini-reds do feel pretty good. That was about the highlight of the day for me. We tried it all; spending time on the protected shoreline, the windy shoreline, the secluded back lakes and even drifting aimlessly across the deeper grass. In all of that I think we counted maybe three confirmed sightings of redfish to go with a couple rats that fell for Camille’s soft plastic offering. They simply weren’t home. No problem, we’ve got two more days. The second morning we awoke to palm trees rattling in the now howling wind. Undaunted, we headed out of Charlie’s and hung a right this time. Different area, same results. I think Camille managed three little guys and one mystery fish that broke her off. They had obviously not gotten the memo about vacating the flats, but every other fish had. I don’t think I can recall a time when there was so little life in this area. I floated over a bunch of acres without seeing a crab, pinfish or even a shrimp. Well I ain’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I can take a hint. If these reds wouldn’t act like a dignified clear water flats fish, it was time to try something new. We headed back to Charlie’s and went a little ways down the ICW, partly to duck out of the wind that was nearing the ridiculous level and to try our luck Galveston style. I say Galveston style because the water in the ICW was less than inspiring. We started throwing flashy lures in the off-color deeper water. And we started catching fish. It wasn’t exactly fast and furious, but it felt pretty good to be getting bit consistently. Camille and her spoon put a whuppin’ on me and my spinnerbait Texas Saltwater Fishing
by bouncing the spoon off of the rip-rap and into the narrow gut running parallel to the structure. However, I did manage to salvage some dignity by pulling the biggest fish of the day out of the deeper water at the drop-off. Day three there wasn’t even any serious discussion about where we were headed. While patrolling the edges of the big ditch isn’t the same as sniping a big red in gin clear water, it sure beats the hell out of getting blown across an empty grass flat. The reds were still there and willing to eat. I learned my lesson and followed Camille’s lead in bouncing my spinnerbaits off the rocks into that little gut. It wasn’t glamorous, but it worked for a quick limit of fresh grilling reds. Should you decide to give this type of fishing a try please be mindful of the barge traffic. A fully loaded barge can and will suck an impressive amount of water off of the bank followed shortly by an equally impressive wave to replace it. This is not an area to be complacent. Always keep your head on a swivel and paddle to shore well ahead of the barge’s passing. Have fun out there and remember to remain flexible in your fishing styles.
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K A Y A K
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“The new Mirage Pro Angler maneuverability of a kayak, stability of a boat.”
— Hank Parker
tHe new Hobie Mirage
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Length: 13’ 8” Width: 38” Hull Weight: 88 lbs. / Fully rigged: 138 lbs. Capacity: 600 lbs.
a revolutionary design breaktHrougH witH extraordinary stability.
Lightweight, efficient, and feature-filled, the Hobie Mirage Pro angler is everything you need to maximize your angling experience without sacrificing comfort, functionality or storage. Powered by Hobie’s patented MirageDrive™ pedal system, the Pro Angler allows you to enjoy fishing without the noise or expense of a gas engine. Protected horizontal storage for up to six rods and two additional vertical rod holders. Space for 13 Plano® tackle boxes, three in-hull storage compartments, plus an additional large on-deck storage area for an optional livewell or cooler. Fully-adjustable, breathable Cool Ride seat, work area/cutting board and replaceable mounting boards on each side to attach your fish finder, GPS, lights or downriggers.
1-800-Hobie-49 www.TSFMAG.com
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June 2009
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aCCoRDinG to sCott
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O’Connor, I noticed one of my old Hell’s Bay skiffs sitting on the trailer out in front of Coastal Bend Marine. I had heard that the friend that I had sold it to was in the process of selling it so, being the sentimental fool that I am, I felt it necessary to pull over and pay my respects, not knowing where it might end up next or if I would ever see it again. Wow, the memories that that old boat brought back. Heck, I think I might have even been a little teary-eyed. Anyway, after all the nostalgia was done with, I could not help but notice how much difference there was between that old skiff and my newest Hell’s Bay. I still remember the day Hal Chittum asked me what accessories and options that I wanted on it. “As little as possible,” was my reply. And, when it arrived here in Texas, it was about as simple of a skiff as you could possible imagine. Other than the steering wheel, throttle and trim tab controls, it only had two switches — navigation lights and an on/off for the bilge pump. The deck was clean and free of obstructions and potential objects waiting to reach out and grab a fly-line and the accessories were kept to a minimum to facilitate easier onwater-repairs should they be needed. There was also plenty of dry storage which meant there was rarely anything out on deck other than the ice-chest. It was the perfect skiff. In fact, if it had any flaw at all, it was its owner. Back then, I really believed in the old “keep it simple stupid” philosophy. It is a concept that has served me well for years while poling sports around looking for redfish here in Texas and while rooting around the mangrove swamps of the Everglades looking for something big and mean to make a reel scream. Well, here I am now, at the fish camp, three skiffs later, looking over my newest incarnation and thinking — my how my tastes have changed over the years. The newest skiff is June 2009
smaller, runs with a lot fewer horses and the basic operation is controlled with a tiller handle and a small control box rather than a console filled with wires, switches and hydraulic steering. And, while I have simplified the basic operation of the boat, I have grown fond of certain amenities such as redundant controls for the trim tabs and tilt as well as cockpit and deck illumination for night-time operation. These are things that I had on my last skiff and they are included on this one. I guess one way to look at is- this newest version is the perfect example of what would happen if you crossbred my last four skiffs. Now, after finally getting the break-in hours on the engine and after having the opportunity to guide a couple of trips in it, I sit here and stare and cannot stop thinking about the changes that I might or might not make when it is time to order the next skiff. While I am very pleased with this particular craft and know that I will have seller’s remorse the day I part with it, I already see some things that I would like to change. For one, even though I really like having the dual-control stations and the lighting, I realize, after having fumbled with the numerous switches on a couple of occasions, that there are way too many and it becomes confusing at times. I think I have now come up with a way to have all of these extras but eliminate four of the thirteen switches and probably about ten pounds of wiring. The next thing on my agenda is to find a more comfortable seating arrangement for passengers. For this I might actually have to actually steal some ideas from my friend, Mr. Flip Pallot. Flip and I are currently running the Texas Saltwater Fishing
same Hell’s Bay model and I have to say that, he came up with a pretty damned sexy set-up for his that provide certain comforts for passengers that mine does not. In fact, I am ashamed to admit that, he told me of his idea while our boats were being concurrently built and I just could not see myself making a commitment to, what I thought, were pretty radical ideas at the time. Well, I have since had the chance to run and fish from his skiff and now have to say — I should have listened. Anyway, I think I am definitely going to have to incorporate some of his ideas into the next one. I guess what it all boils down to is that a skiff or boat, at least for me, is a very personal thing. In fact it would be safe to say that boats are my life. Since the day I turned 18 I have made my living on boats. I have evolved to the person I am because of boats and every boat or skiff that I own is an evolution that reflects who I am. Case in point, I am only a month or so into this one and I am already thinking about the next one. How sad is that? Fair winds and following seas to you all…
ContaCt
C a P t. sCot t soM M E R L at t E
RECENTLY, WHILE DRIVING THROUGH PORT
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
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LIFE’S TOO SHORT
MAKE EVERY CAST COUNT
Shrimp
ready for Summer fun! Join everyone at Seadrift Bayfront on Beautiful San Antonio Bay
15AF
Hypnotist AJ LaHaye friday Horseshoes/Washers June 12th 4:00pm - 12:00am Shrimp Eating Contest Kid’s Games, Beer Garden Tin Boat Race Shrimpfest Beauty Pageant 5K Run & Walk Dance - Los IV Del Barrio Sand Castle Contest Saturday Dance - Jokers Wild June 13th 6:30am - 1:00am Sunday Kid’s Fishing Tournament June 14th 11:00am - 5:00pm Co-ed Softball Tournament The fun continues! Volleyball Tournament fireworks each night. Kid’s Shrimpfest Pageant food and Craft Booths. Ms. Bayrat Contest new Games & t-shirt design! To register for events or for more info, call 361.785.3424 or visit Seadrift City Hall, Main Street in Seadrift.
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
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a a Ro n C i s n E R o s
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT
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drives us to love this sport so much? I feel privileged because I know from my past excursions that fishing has allowed me to experience things that most kids my age do not have the opportunity to be a part of. I have fished bodies of water that I never imagined or even knew existed. Not long ago I had the opportunity to fish Sabine Lake and Calcasieu Lake in the state of Louisiana. On the first day of fishing in Sabine it was all about absorbing the new territory. Their shorelines were nothing like what we have in the Laguna Madre. The shorelines were carpeted with tall grasses, and some even had tall trees which I found very interesting. Wading and feeling the bottom structure of these Lakes was very different than I was accustomed to. Lots of oysters and shells blanketed the bottom. I found it amazing that in some areas right off the bank were five feet deep. I was warned about gators, and it certainly looked like gator country to me. You could say that at the beginning my mind wasn’t totally focused on catching a fish; part of it was thinking where a gator might be lay’ in. Wading was a total different experience. I was not use to wading in such deep water and casting around line fraying oyster beds. It took some time to get used to, but when I got comfortable with that part, I then concentrated on reading the water and placing myself in the strike zone. The first part of the day went unproductive until we tried something that I had never done before. We went out to the middle of the lake and looked for birds. When we spotted a flock of sea gulls flying right above the water, we eased up on them with the trolling motor and proceeded to throw plastic worms right below where the birds were diving. That’s when our luck turned around; every well placed cast right underneath the birds was a guaranteed hook up on a redfish or a plump trout. When I landed my first Sabine Lake redfish, I was in total awe of the beautiful reddish-bronze June 2009
color they possessed. Our redfish are not as good looking as the ones we were catching, and I could not believe the size of the trout we were catching under the birds. The trout were in the four to five pound class, and there were lots of them. I mentioned that I had never fished the birds like this before which is true. At home when I have fished the birds, it’s been in one to two feet of water, and the trout underneath the birds are not even close to the size we were catching. When day one was finally over, we had plenty of action and lots of fun that was until we got to the boat ramp. I was quickly reminded of the very thing I so much feared while wading along the grass beds early in the morning. As we approached the ramp, on the bank was this real live wild alligator. Wow! I had never seen a real gator up close besides at the local zoo, of course. Right away the thought of me and a gator sharing the same waters didn’t sound too pleasing. We ended the evening with a meal fit for a king and went to bed early ready for another day of fishing. For three days we spent exploring the bayous and shorelines of Sabine Lake. You bet that gator was always on my mind, but I did survive Sabine Lake, and then it was off to Calcasieu Lake. It was in the surrounding areas of Calcasieu Lake that I was able to witness the destruction that the last few hurricanes had unleashed on the local people. Homes were still boarded up, some buildings were demolished, debris was scattered along shorelines and erosion on the banks was very noticeable. The lake itself looked enormous; I was really looking forward to wading its shorelines. Hopefully, no gators would show up. Lake Calcasieu was everything and more than I ever expected. It has a reputation for big trout, and the lake did not disappoint us. Some of its shorelines resembled that of Sabine Lake, the tall grasses and quick deep water. Again we explored from one end of the lake to the other Texas Saltwater Fishing
end. The fishing was great as it was in Sabine. Throughout the whole trip it felt good to know that fishing was the only thing on the agenda, but to be honest with you I was starting to miss home. Thinking about the shallow crystal clear flats of the Laguna Madre made me want to jump on my boat and fish my home waters. After getting back from Louisiana, I was eager to get out and fish some of the local areas I know. I got the boat ready and invited some of my friends. The day started picture perfect with a beautiful sunrise. The wind was calm, but not what laid in store for us. We were about to find out. As we left the ramp about a mile away, the engine started to act up. It turned off so I turned it on, but then it would not shift into gear. Upon drifting to the bank of the Arroyo, I made some phone calls but got no response. A courteous boater that was passing by saw that we were in need of help; he graciously towed us in. Afterwards, my friends and I were a little disappointed especially since we all pitched in for food and gas. But we quickly recovered and took it in stride; promising that we would do it again once the boat was up and running. The engine problem turned out to be the lower unit; water got in the seals and messed up the gears. As I write, my boat is out of commission but should be ready soon. I look forward to inviting my friends over again and sharing some great moments together. I have come to know that fishing is fun, and it can bring wonderful moments or sometimes scary experiences especially when fishing around gators. Good things and bad things will happen through your fishing career so take everything in stride and enjoy every moment of it. Who knows; perhaps there’s a gator swimming in your favorite fishing hole or your lower unit is about to give up. Fishing — it’s all fun. www.TSFMAG.com
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
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RU BE n V i L L a R R E a L
WITH SUMMER APPROACHING
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and fishermen’s thoughts turning offshore, I hear many stories of how the big one of yesterday got away. What comes to my mind is what can we learn from these experiences? In this article I will cover some the basics for hooking and landing red snapper. I hope these will make your next trip more successful. To make it really simple as regards tackle selection; I classify snapper in four basic size ranges. First are the smaller fish, up to about five pounders. Next comes the medium size, ranging up to about twelve pounds. Next are the sows of thirteen to twenty-four pounds. Next comes what I call super sows, twentyfive pounds and heavier. Even if the fish are running three to five pounds, we are never sure what size the next one might be. Proper tackle selection can help prevent another “one that got away” story. Fortunately, it doesn’t matter if you have a 21-ft bay boat or 36-ft Contender; opportunities to catch fish in these ranges can come your way with careful planning. TACKLE: Your tackle can be the problem that holds you back from catching bigger snapper. If you go out expecting to win a gun fight with a knife you are making a poor choice. Tackle up! If you’re after keepers and medium size red snapper, choose the right rods, reels, line, leader material, hooks and weights and lures. For this class I would go with a 6-6.5ft rod that’s rated for 20-30lb monofilament. The reel I would choose would either be a star drag or smaller lever drag model that can deliver
June 2009
16-20 pounds of drag and capable of holding 200 to 300 yards of at least 20-pound mono. As for line, I would use 20 to 30lb mono or 40-50lb braid such as Power Pro, Stren Sonic or Sufix. I would use fluorocarbon or other premium leader material in the range of 4060lb strength. I would choose a circle hook that matches your bait or lure and also matches your size of tackle. Medium and sow size snapper require heavier tackle. Rod length should be 6-6.5 feet rated for 30-60lb line. Reels would be of either star or lever drag design, capable of a 20-28 pound setting. Heavier line is a necessity, so we’ll suggest 30-60lb mono or 80-100lb braid. Leaders will also receive an upgrade. My personal preference is fluorocarbon of 80-130lb test or other premium leader material. Your swivel and hook should also be upgraded.
Finally, the class of fish everyone would love to catch, the super sow. This class of snapper requires even heavier and more specialized tackle. The rod I would select for this class of snapper is a 5.5-6.5 footer rated for at least 60lb line. The reel would again be a star drag or lever drag model, two-speed for maximum torque, capable of a 30-plus pound drag setting. The leader gets upgraded to 150-250lb fluorocarbon or other premium leader material. Heavier swivels and hooks are a must as well. Lures should also be upgraded in size and strength. Why such heavy tackle? Very simple; we are trying to drag a strong and mostly bottom-dwelling fish away from structure Texas Saltwater Fishing
that can cut or break your line in a fraction of a second. You need good gear and heavy drag settings working for you. WHEN: Currently, snapper can be caught and retained year around in state waters. Here in Texas the state water boundary is nine nautical miles. The 2009 snapper season in federally controlled waters (beyond nine nautical miles) will run June 1 through about mid-August. The closing date for this year’s season has not been established. Check seasons and applicable bag limit for red snapper before you go! WHERE: Red snapper are structure oriented fish. They love to hang on structure and therefore can be caught on rocks, reefs, wrecks, oil and gas rigs, wellheads and hard bottom locations. When getting ready for a trip, no matter if your boat is capable of only short runs of 10 to 12 miles or a very long run of 100 miles, mix it up, fish rigs and rocks and wrecks to catch your best fish. For inexperienced boaters, rigs make easy fishing targets and you do not have to anchor or tie up to be successful. Drifting the perimeter of the rig can be very productive. Given their height, they are easy to spot on the horizon and navigate to. But on the other hand, given these attributes, they can see a lot of pressure during peak fishing times. Natural bottom such as reefs, rocks, and hard bottom are great places too. Fish are attracted to these types of structure, and can …Cont’d on page 51 www.TSFMAG.com
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
5/1/09 10:06:14 AM
June 2009
47
PUSH POLE LENGTH. An old adage says; your push pole should be about the same length as your boat. In practical application, the length of your push pole has very little to do with the length of your boat. If you are poling from a platform, we recommend at least 18 feet, although a 16ft pole will suffice for platforms less than 24 inches. Rarely has anyone ever stood on a platform and complained, “This push pole is too long.” This is hard to understand until you climb up and start poling. The longer the pole, the fewer times you have to lift and replant it. Each time you pick up the pole you lose forward momentum. Momentum is crucial when poling into the wind or over soft bottoms. Longer poles allow you to maintain momentum while poling. Loss of momentum means that you have to work harder and you will tire sooner. Also, every time you replant the pole, you become more of a threat to spooky fish. So let me break it down: Longer Pole = More Fish. If you are poling from the deck, 16-ft and under should do just fine. Usually when people pole from the deck they are not interested in stalking fish. The pole can be used for positioning the boat quietly, such as nudging into a shallow flat. People also use push poles to get out of tight spots. So many times we stretch our drifts to the last second, and usually end up too skinny for the big motor. A push pole can be used to get back to water deep enough to chug out or get on plane. This is especially important in protected waters such as Redfish 48
June 2009
Bay area where uprooting seagrass can be a costly mistake. Now you have to decide what kind of pole is best for you. Fiberglass push poles are considered entry-level equipment. If you do not plan on poling often or poling extended distances, the fiberglass pole is likely all you need. Next in line are poles of dual-composition construction, usually E-glass and graphite. Poles like these can vary in the amount of each material. Our Hybrid is 20% E-glass and 80% graphite. The outer layer of E-glass helps provide impact resistance. This particular pole is less than half the weight of a fiberglass pole and twice as stiff. Poles of 100% graphite construction are top of the line. They weigh about one-third as much as fiberglass and are the stiffest poles available. Our lightest pole is made with high modulus HR40 graphite. The Stiff y Extreme 20-footer weighs in at 2.5 pounds and is only recommended for technical poling skiffs and people experienced in poling. Push poles come in several types of textures and finishes. Our Hybrid and Graphite poles have a ribbed, slick finish. The Guide Series and Extreme have a flatter, matte finish. There is no real technical advantage in either; it is strictly the preference of the user. Why is stiffness important? Without getting too involved with physics; when you “load” or bend a pole it stores energy, the same as stretching a rubber band. A loose and stretchy rubber band will not shoot as far or as fast as a smaller, tighter band. A stiffer pole will Texas Saltwater Fishing
give you back more of the energy you put in. Imagine pushing a boat with a floppy piece of PVC pipe. The pipe can store very little energy and will bend until it breaks, or until your boat begins to move. “Controlled Drifting” is a term that describes using your push pole to control the speed and direction of your drift. Quietly turning the bow slows your drift and allows drifting at various angles to the general direction of the wind. You can also use the pole to bounce off shorelines that run diagonally with the wind. This allows you to cover a shoreline from the boat without a trolling motor. “Staking out” is a risky deal when it comes to push poles. Keep in mind; it is a push pole, not an anchor. When done correctly, the risk of breaking the pole is greatly reduced. The pole should always be stabbed at a 35 degree angle, upwind from the boat, and tied off at the top to distribute load evenly. The best example is a fishing rod. They are only effective when you use the entire rod. Do you only feed your line through half the guides? A medium light rod can easily handle a twenty-pound redfish, and it can also be broken on a one-pound trout. When you put too much pressure on any one point of the push pole, it will break. This obviously also applies to using your push pole as a pry bar. We, and several other manufacturers, make poles designed exclusively for staking out. These poles are solid rods and nearly indestructible. Our version is called the Stiff y RamRod. Take care of your push pole. UV rays can degrade just about anything. Store your pole out of the sun when off the water. Graphite push poles are very strong, light, and brittle at the same time. Treat your push pole as carefully as your favorite fishing rod. Hopefully, many of your push pole questions have been answered. We got a great response on last month’s cavitation plate article turned infomercial. If you have any questions please give us a call or send an e-mail. We are happy to help you determine if a product is right for you and your boat.
Go Fishin’ Ya’ll Daniel Freer FiberTex & Supply – Manufacturers of Stiff y Brand Products 7533 Bay Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78414 361-991-5956 / Dfreer@stiff ypushpoles.com
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…Cont’d from page 30
my long wade back to the boat, was the cuts through the bar. Each low spot that allowed flow gave us a couple of solid 5-pounders. As I crossed the second low what a pass is.” Reaching the boat I had already thought of several areas along the south shoreline that might provide the same setup. My pattern had been set and I was totally comfortable sticking with it for the rest of the day. By the way, it did not payoff too well that afternoon but it did prove to be a moneymaker later in the week. I also like reefs that have large areas of broken bottom within the confines of the reef itself. You might call it a structure within a structure. These types of structure
jay wat k i ns
spot I muttered to myself in my best Forest Gump, “I may not be smart but I know
are common to the Rockport/Port O’Connor bays. You’ll have the tightly packed shell, but somewhere on the inside there are areas of broken bottom, a mixture of scattered shell, sand, and grass. In my home waters, St. Charles and Copano seem to have an abundance of this type of reef structure. More times than not the trout are concentrated in the scattered shell, sand and grass habitat versus the packed shell areas. My lure selection is slanted heavily toward the clear side. I like soft and hard baits with lighter body color and lots of sparkle. I believe trout react instinctively to the glint of the lure. In my mind sparkle and flash are realistic features of live baitfish and help sell the presentation, especially when dealing with stressed fish. Boil it down to two words; realism sells. I want instinct to take over at crunch time. She sees the glint of the lure and instinctively identifies it as a target. The reaction can be immediate, quite often the strike comes as the bait hits the water. Bass Assassins in Bone Diamond, Opening Night, Cajun Croaker and Croaker Shad in both 5” Shad and 4” Sea Shad are absolute musts for your box. The MirrOdine by MirrOlure in clear/silver is also a favorite of mine. By targeting smaller, more defined areas (cuts and drains) you place yourself where numbers of fish can be concentrated. When fish are concentrated, competition often creates a feed that might not normally exist during stressful conditions. At press time we still do not have normal conditions. Still no significant rainfall over 30mph on a daily basis. Salinity levels continue to rise all the while. Tough trout times, no doubt, but by narrowing the playing field you might find yourself in one of the best trout bites you’ve had in a long time. My dad always told me that the cream rises to the top. Fish smart, it’s time to
Contact
and hot, dry wind continues to gust to
start climbing.
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
49
Story by Everett Johnson
A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO we ran a piece here in TSFMag on the U.S. Reel SuperCaster 230SX spinning reel. We also mentioned briefly the little brother to this reel, the SuperCaster 180XL. I guess it would be fair enough to describe the 180 model as a 25% scaled-down version with all the basic design and functional features of 230SX included. When the original piece was written, we promised a follow-up to evaluate the long-term performance of these reels in the saltwater wade fishing application. Wade fishing is perhaps the most demanding service for reels. If corrosion doesn’t kill them, crystalline salt will clog them for sure. Sticky pickup bails, stuttering drag systems, and rusted bearings are but a few of the maladies that can afflict your reels in this cruel environment. To create the most severe test, I totally neglected this reel, purposely performed zero maintenance. The reel has been fished 41 days during the past 14-months, 18 of these were wade days. When I say, “zero maintenance,” that’s exactly what the reel received – not even so much as a single freshwater rinse. The reel has never been opened, the spool has never been removed. While I never dunked this reel on purpose, it did accidentally slip briefly below the surface a time or two. The test results are actually quite amazing. Apart from some cosmetic damage, mostly bangs and scrapes from bouncing in tube-style rod holders on my boat and riding in the bed of my pickup, the reel’s looks have suffered a bit but it continues to function flawlessly. Some of the jobs we asked it to perform were no doubt beyond the design parameters. On its maiden trip I was lucky to hook a beast of a redfish in San Antonio Bay. The fish taped almost 31-inches and emptied the spool no fewer than four times during the many hard
50
June 2009
Texas Saltwater Fishing
runs. The drag ran smoothly as the 20-pound Sufix braid poured from the reel. Next was a Matagorda Bay jack crevalle that pulled the Boga Grip to almost 23-pounds. Also in Matagorda Bay, we pitted the 180XL against several tripletail in the 10-15 pound class. Another great fish that tested the 180XL’s drag design and construction was the 15-pound tarpon I caught in Belize. That same day a 12-pound barracuda put it to the test. Perhaps the place where this reel shines the brightest is in sight-casting work. I learned years ago that I could drop a lure into the strike zone a greater percentage of the time with a spinning rig. Yes; I’m a levelwind baitcaster hardcase, but I learned not to argue when accuracy is the foremost variable in the equation. Flipping, pitching, and casting into wind include none of the “professional overrun” headaches common to baitcasters. The occasional fish that is “too close” will be less apt to spook from a subtle flick of the wrist required to launch a bait with a spinning rig. When you get lucky and hook a big one, the line capacity of the oversize spool (almost 120 yards of 20lb Sufix braid) allows a better than average chance to whip it. The U.S. Reel 180XL gets an A+ rating for durability in my book. It is one tough reel. To learn more about other U.S. Reel products, visit their website at www.USReel.com or visit your local tackle shop.
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Tip by Everett Johnson
require the joint to exhibit the same strength characteristics as the lighter of the lines being joined, the knot must never slip, it must be slim enough to pass smoothly through rod guides — and oh, by the way — one of the lines is about twice the cross-section of the other and they are of very dissimilar materials. OK- so maybe it’s not terribly easy, either. The Triple Surgeon’s Knot is an excellent method for splicing fluorocarbon leader to nylon monofilament and braided super lines. It is easy to tie, very secure, and possesses excellent strength properties. Finished properly and trimmed, it slips through rod guides almost unnoticeably. As with any knot, a little practice is in order before going fishing. STEP ONE: Cut leader of desired length, plus about 12-inches. Place the extra 12-inches alongside the tag end of main fishing line.
STEP TWO: Form an overhand knot, pulling the entire length of leader material through the loop.
STEP THREE: Repeat step two twice. Make sure to keep the successive loops running smoothly around the original, not overlapping.
STEP FOUR: Moisten the wraps and begin tightening by grasping both strands on each side of the tripled overhand and pull smoothly.
STEP FIVE: Trim the tag ends and test by pulling both lines. Caution: Wear gloves; fishing line can leave a nasty cut.
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often be found in greater numbers as these spots are somewhat more difficult to locate and therefore receive less pressure. This is where good navigation electronics come into play. Wellheads and hard spots are great places to find bigger red snapper but can be challenging to locate, even with a color sounder. Many of these are as small as only 2 to 10 feet in diameter. Good places to try from close in to far out are: nearshore oil rigs, Tall Rock area, Heald Bank, Middle21s, any kind of wreck or sunken rig like H.I.480. Hilton’s Offshore Atlas is a great source to begin to understand snapper structure. BAIT: Having a livewell filled with frisky live bait can be one of the surest ways to get into solid snapper action. It is important to match your hooks to the size of the bait you are using. I would not recommend large, heavy hooks on small baits, nor small hooks on larger baits. Snapper can pull hard, they resist being pulled from the structure, and large fish can straighten a small hook or one fashioned of thin wire. Some fishermen believe snapper can be bait shy if too large a hook is used. I prefer piggy perch of four to six inches, live vermillion snapper, live croaker, live mullet, live sand trout, live ruby red grunts and live blue runners. Dead baits can also be very effective. I recommend “butterflying” any that might die in your live well. Dead piggy perch, small vermillion snapper, and small blue runners seem to work better when sliced in this fashion. Larger species such as bonito, rainbow runner, and bluefish can be cut into steaks about one inch thick (i.e. sliced across the lateral line.) Running the hook through the tough skin helps prevent the bait being stolen. Whole squid, sardines and mackerel work well also. I like to take lots of variety to see what exactly the snapper want that particular day, (i.e. live bait, dead bait and lures.) Finding hotspots near larger structure is often a ticket to finding bigger snapper. If by chance you are reeling up a good snapper and it breaks off or finds its way off the hook; pay close attention to the direction it swims. Ruben Villarreal grew up fishing Sometimes a junk Galveston and Freeport party boats pile or abandoned and moved on to working in the wellhead lies near a fishing tackle industry at Fishing Tackle Unlimited for the past 13 rig and these can years. Ruben has worked as a hold much bigger deckhand on sportfishing yachts snapper than the such as the famed AKELA. major structure you Email have targeted. capt_ruben73@yahoo.com
ContaCt
JOINING TWO LINES is not terribly difficult; unless of course you
…Cont’d from page 46
Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
51
TSFMag Spotlight – Mt. Houston Marine t s F M aG s P o t L i G H t
SHOPPING FOR A NEW BOAT and reaching a buying decision is never easy. We’re talking major investment and there’s always the question of dealer relations after the sale; not to mention whether the model we select will continue to be the boat of our dreams after a few seasons. Obviously, the dealer has great input here. Office staff and service team become key players for as long as you own your boat. Mt. Houston Marine invites you to drop by and learn how they can serve you; before, during, and after the sale. Mt. Houston Marine was founded by Rudy and Carolee Kleimann and have operated their dealership in the same location since 1972. In business for 37 years, their reputation has been bolstered through the quality, service, and special attention that only a family-owned business can offer. Along with a large selection of top quality boats from well-respected brands, Mt. Houston Marine also offers boating accessories and supplies, repair and service, and even covered boat stalls for rent. Rudy is a lifelong fisherman. The decision to enter the boat business grew from a love of the sport and fervent desire to provide a solid future for his family. Today, under his guidance, Carolee and daughter, Leah Bradshaw, along with general manager Danny Thrower, remain the heart and soul of the operation. Mt. Houston Marine’s stellar reputation was earned through exceptional service provided to loyal repeat customers and is reflected in the many awards bestowed by the boat and engine brands they represent. Their total lineup is designed specifically to serve saltwater fishermen. Mt. Houston was recognized as the top dealer in the U.S. by Maverick Boat Company and named “Best in Class” by Yamaha Motor Company, both awards coming during model year 2008. They have also earned the coveted 5-Star Yamaha Dealer rating. The lineup at Mt. Houston Marine currently includes, Pathfinder, Maverick, Hewes, Scout and Cobia boats along with Yamaha outboards for inshore and offshore anglers. Rumor has it that another exciting boat brand will be added soon. Their rigging and service center is also staffed by highly trained and experienced professionals. Chief mechanic, Terry Strack, has been with the Kleimanns for 26 years. Rigger, Alvin Francis, boasts 20 years of dedicated service to the firm’s valued clients. Give Mt. Houston Marine a call at 281-447-7689 to learn more about joining the Mt. Houston Marine Fishing Team.
52
June 2009
Texas Saltwater Fishing
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ROCKPORT, TX – A full field of 126 teams braved wind again for the second stop of the Cabela’s Texas Redfish Series powered by Majek/Evinrude. With month-old Port Aransas windburn barely healed, 25 mph southeasterly gust presented new challenges for the field. The majority arrived in waders as the secret to catching the murky-water reds seemed to be jumping out of the boat and blanketing an area carefully. This method is not new to Aaron Loomis and Gary Harvey having used the technique a month earlier to win the brand new Majek boat. Although other teams were onto their plan, no one was able to beat them at their game as they brought in over 16 pounds to win a second fully-rigged, Texas Redfish Series Edition Majek Skiff powered by Evinrude, rigged by Kresta’s Boats & Motors and outfitted with aluminum from Texas Tops. Harvey & Loomis fished the upper Laguna Madre throwing soft plastic lures. According to Loomis, unlike the last tournament when they caught only three redfish, the team caught fish the entire day from a group of mostly oversized reds. Team Strike Pro Lures, Mike Larue
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and Billy Howell of Galveston took second crediting the Strike Pro Hunchback lure to find solid reds feeding on leftovers under schools of ladyfish. “We had weekend anglers drifting around us while as we waded waist to chest deep water. We caught about 15 redfish and a lot of trout up to six pounds.” Third place went to the local team of Darryl Walter and John Martin who ran about five miles north of the tournament site for protected sight-fishing. On Sunday, 80 kayakers faced 35 mph gusts in the Cabela’s Texas Kayak Series. The wind took a toll as only 20% of the field weighed fish. Jason Gordon took home a brand new kayak from Kokomo Kayaks courtesy of a 6.3 lb redfish. Second place in the Kayak Series went to local kayak guide, Steve Utley, who missed first by one-tenth of a pound. Phillip Bowker brought home the third with a six pounder. The next event in the Cabela’s Texas Saltwater Series tour will be at Freeport’s Bridge Harbor Yacht Club and Marina. Teams will meet in Freeport for the first time in series history on May 29, 30 and 31. Events will be televised on the Texas Saltwater Series TV show which can be seen every Wednesday morning at 6:00 AM on FSN Southwest (Fox Sports). For more information about the Texas Saltwater Series tournaments or fishing show, visit www. saltwaterseries.com.
Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
53
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June 2009
Texas Saltwater Fishing
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(SK) models in a variety of sizes and colors. The bait’s tie-to-the-nose design allows it to be darted, jerked or walked on top depending on the model and its designed depth. For more information about Stick Shadd and all SEBILE hardbaits, visit www.Sebile.com.
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
55
it sHoULD CoME as no sURPRisE to anyonE DICKIE COLBURN
that fishes at least two to three times a month that accurately predicting what Dickie Colburn is a full the fish will do even one day in advance time guide out of Orange, Texas. Dickie has 37 years can be a challenge. You have to go to ever experience guiding on Sabine know for sure and there is no substitute and Calcasieu Lakes. for time spent on the water, but keeping detailed logs helps eliminate much of the Telephone 409-883-0723 guess work. Website My logs from the past month, however, www.sabineconnection.com will be of little value as a future reference. We were blown off the water virtually every day by gale force winds that would not give it a rest even at night and then came the rains. The Neches and the Sabine rivers hovered around the flood stage mark much too long due to both local flooding and the water released from Rayburn and Toledo Bend. While we will just have to wait and see, the good news based on the
past two years is that we endured basically the same conditions only to experience incredible fishing in June. Assuming the winds will eventually subside and salinity levels will stabilize, I see no reason not to expect another great bite this month. Slightly lower salinity levels should also limit the shark activity in the lake and that is a bonus. I have no beef with sharks until they waste a She Dog or eat the better half of a solid trout in mid-fight! The jetties and the extreme south end of the lake will be the first areas to recover. The trout bite was nothing short of unreal down there last June. Tide is always a critical factor, but the more important decision may be whether to fish the Gulf or channel side of the granite. Wind direction may make that decision for you, but the same lures and tactics work on either side. The most enjoyable bite involves duping both trout and redfish by working a topwater tight to the rocks at first light. When that bite slows, crawl a soft plastic tail rigged on a jig head down the wall into deeper water. Suspending mullet imitations like the MirrOdine XL or Catch 2000 work well as do soft plastic swim baits. We have done well with Assassin’s 4-inch
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June 2009
Texas Saltwater Fishing
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s a B i n E swim bait in pearl-silk chartreuse and baby bass. The 5-inch shad is also a good choice in a variety of colors depending on water clarity, but our go-to colors have been opening night, glow-chartreuse, and Texas roach. As the incoming tides continue to clear, the Causeway reef will attract both huge numbers of fish and anglers as well. While most of the resident anglers prefer to drift and bounce plastics over the deeper shell, the largest trout usually fall for a faster retrieve in the shallower water. Slicks are a dead giveaway, but covering territory and making long casts with tails, Traps, swim baits, and the Catch 5 can produce the trout of a lifetime. Keep an eye out for gulls riding herd on schools of slot reds and trout between Blue Buck and Garrison’s Ridge. They will test a troll motor as they can push bait in a hurry, but it is an exciting bite that can hold up all day long. If you are catching trout rather than redfish, hang around after the gulls leave and slow down your retrieve. They are still there and will be back on the surface about the time you drive out of sight. The flats on the north end could also get hot, but conditions are going to have to improve in a hurry. We have had a good shad hatch which bodes well for that area so it could kick off overnight. If that happens, you can also score by soaking live bait on the edge of the ICW or drifting the flats with artificials. Some days we do both depending on the fish. Hopefully, everything will come together and we will kick off another great summer of fishing. Remember…It’s the thrill not the kill that keeps us coming back!
The backwater flounder bite helped salvage a very tough month!
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
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TRINITY BAY – Man, it is a mess up here. I am doing this report on Thursday April 30, 2009 and in the last ten days here on Trinity Bay we have had twenty-three inches of local rainfall. All of our rivers, creeks, and bayous are running like broken commodes. I don’t know how much it has rained upstream. Probably about half of the system has been swallowed up and overwhelmed with freshwater, not to mention the craziest period of sustained high winds I can recall. Water and weather conditions just haven’t been favorable for several weeks now. We expect rain during spring months and some wind but the upper Texas coast weather patterns usually begins moderating by early May and we are always glad when the winds
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turn light and southeasterly. Right now our best game is wade fishing protected shorelines. Fishermen who prefer to stay in the boat have had a tough time with the wind. There is still a little bit of good wading water left on the east shoreline of Trinity Bay with some pretty nice trout, up to about seven pounds and sometimes an eight pounder coming on soft plastics and topwaters wade fishing. You have got to catch it when it is just right, though. If the tide is low you can do pretty good but when the full tides get in there it makes it difficult to cover a lot of water as that is a fairly deep shoreline. EAST BAY AND GALVESTON BAY - East Bay has been holding a lot of good fish down that south side from Marsh Point to Elm Grove Point. Dark soft plastics are the bait of choice in 2-3 feet of water where bait and slicks are prevalent. Fish are beginning to show in pretty good numbers around the Texas City flats and Dollar flats areas and some pretty nice specks are being caught. It’s getting to that time when things get rolling pretty good. We have some brown shrimp moving in the bay and a few moving out. Most of the fish we are catching over this way have shad in them or they are swelled up solid with small glass minnows. The glass
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G a L V E s t o n minnow population appears to be quite healthy and the fish have been on them for several weeks. WEST BAY - Same deal, find the right cove you’ll find the right fish. These fish move from day to day all up and down the south shore line. It just depends on which cove they decide to pull in on, when you locate a good school in a protected cove it can be very good. I’d say trout action has been the highlight in West Bay as the redfish have been acting kind of funny. I think a lot of our reds are holding on deep shell in open water regions and we are just not able to target them because of the high winds that we’ve had. Redfish may be scarce until we get a lay-down or they move to other structure and shorelines. This is just an unfortunate reality of a windy season. WRAPPING IT UP - Everyone is pretty much in the same boat around here, pinned down to fishing protected coves and shorelines. One thing about it, we are catching fish. It is not great, but not bad either. Depending on how much rain falls up north, the rivers and creeks could remain high and muddy which does not help us recover from local runoff. Local runoff does not usually hurt us too bad for too long, but when you get twenty-three inches, well that’s a lot of water. Tide flows have been running normal for this season or slightly above and that always help heal a freshwater inundation. Now if we can just get the wind to stop.
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June 2009
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JUNE HAS SAILED IN AND HOPEFULLY will bring cooperating winds. I don’t know about you but I have just about had it with these schizophrenic winds the past couple of months. In April, they frequently blew in excess of 30 mph and from every direction on the compass. Our bays looked like muddy duck ponds minus the ducks. May was a wee better requiring us to fish mostly dirty water while throwing big topwaters and Bass Assassins under Rattlin’ Corks to do any good. I believe these have worked due to the added bonus of the noise. My wife can tell you, boy can she ever, I had to cancel more trips in April than ever trying to do the right thing. It’s tough when clients have been waiting to go fishing and you have to give them a negative report. I’ve always said that honesty is the best policy even though my back pocket has felt the pinch. Talking about fishing is almost like predicting the weather because you base your thoughts and decisions on previous records and circumstances with the end result oftentimes
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M A T A G O R D A resembling a toss of the coin. What June will actually bring…your guess is as good as mine. If I had to look at the past two months to figure it out, I’d be looking for that coin. EAST E MATAGORDA BAY For the most part, I’ll be heading toward East Matagorda Bay come June while sticking to shell reefs and drifting scattered shell out in the middle of the bay. Bass Assassins and a few topwaters here and there will likely be the plan. Jumping shrimp, mullet, and shad will be my green light indicators for fishing stops. Since I’m not much for crowds, some days could see me heading over to West Matagorda Bay checking out sandbars and grassbeds. Oyster Lake will be my Capt. Bill with a nice East destination when redfish are Bay speck. in the picture. You know if the surf turns flat and green I’ll be there.
WEST MATAGORDA BAY And then they came…the big sharks finally showed up in West Matagorda Bay as April phased out. Those 4-6 ft bulls and black tips shredded many a stringer and chomped down a lot of fish to boot. If you failed to load your catch in a hard, floating container, you probably know what I’m talking about. I experienced one of those delightful fellows one day knocking my five gallon floating bucket all over the place. It was a sight to see and the same thing happens every year. For the most part, these bullies will be gone soon but wise fishermen will continue to use some kind of floating device because a big shark can show up out of the clear blue at any point and time over in West Matagorda Bay. Tripletail should be showing as well in June as these fish normally migrate into the bay about the same time as the sharks. In the past, I’ve caught a lot of tripletail in early May, winds allowing. Here again, June should be a good month for fishing tripletail if the winds don’t get us. Back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, it was fairly common to catch anywhere from four to ten trout over 25-inches with several pushing 27-28 inches. On some days you would get on a big school of trout and it was nonstop catching trout over 25 inches and a few in the 30-32 inch class fish were not uncommon. In the fall, October-November, fishing the birds in East Matagorda Bay was awesome. We caught trout from 20-30 inches under birds with most of these fish 20-24 inches. Occasionally, you would catch a monster 28-30 incher. Ask any guide that fished during this time and they will tell you the same thing. Well, all of our croaker guides are in full swing again and catching limits every day. Our fishery is not the same as it was just a few years back due to fishing pressure from live baiters and artificial chunkers. It really doesn’t make a difference what you throw. So what do we do? Look at Port Mansfield. Just a few years ago you had trouble finding keeper trout down there. They were forced to do something so TPWD went to a 5 fish limit on trout and I’m here to tell you they are catching some real good fish now. There will be people out there that might not like my thoughts on the issue but I’m going to speak them anyway. To keep our fishery in good shape… Just Keep Five! Let that sink in and don’t overreact because it is the most sensible plan in my opinion. You probably never thought you would hear me say it.
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
61
I’M GLAD THERE IS ONLY ONE MAY IN EVERY YEAR, because I don’t think my body or mind could handle the stress that the fishing has put me through lately. There were many days that you could catch plenty of redfish or trout in a given location just to show up the next day and not even get a bite. After making our first wade in the morning it’s pretty disheartening when your customers turn to you and ask, “Are we going to your best spot now?” Most of the time they were joking…. sometimes they were not. Because of the fluctuations in weather and tides the fish were extremely hard for me to pattern consistently. In June it should be a whole new ballgame. We should see the winds decrease to their normal velocities and the tidal patterns should also become normal. June to me means reef hopping in my home waters of San Antonio Bay. San Antonio Bay is where I honed my plugging skills on my speckled friends; back when I started guiding professionally in 1986 I would steer away from redfish and anything else that wasn’t speckled with a mouthful of jagged teeth. Sure, redfish inhabited certain areas of the reefs I waded but, I usually steered clear unless someone
Leon Leopold with an oversized redfish on the reefs.
Have a game plan before starting your wade.
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P ORT O'CON NOR /SE A DR I F T was really interested in them. Please don’t take me wrong, I was not too good to catch redfish; instead I preferred chasing my speckled friends and figuring out their patterns. Looking back on my logs from previous years and by patterning the fish so far in May I can say that the fish are and will be holding on the reefs in San Antonio Bay. In June we will be targeting reefs that have cuts through them and also have deep drop offs and troughs that still have shell, we should be steering away from the muddy areas of the reefs. The lure I prefer for this scenario is the Texas Assassin rigged on a 1/16th ounce Assassin jighead. The colors I prefer are usually plum/chartreuse or pumpkinseed/chartreuse, on most days when you are in the fish, color doesn’t seem to make that much difference. For those of you wondering; yes, topwaters do work on the reefs but normally you will have more consistent action and will catch more fish on soft plastics. When wading the reefs there are a few things to remember. Always move slowly while wading on shell due to the crunching noise the shell makes as you walk on it, once you or your buddy hooks a fish stop! Work the area thoroughly before moving on, many bites have been shut down due to an excited angler walking into the fish. The eastern sides of the reefs in San Antonio Bay are generally better than the western sides
because the eastern side has more of a gradual slope to it and there are many guts and depressions forming the needed structure to help the trout hunt down the mullet and shrimp. For anyone wading the reefs, no matter what time of the year, you should always wear long pants. You will encounter lots of jellyfish. There is hardly anything worse than getting into a bunch of trout and having to return to the boat and tend to the burning sensation that the hot jelly has inflicted. Some tips here on jelly stings; meat tenderizer rubbed into the affected area will stop the sting almost immediately. Vinegar works but makes you smell like a pickle. I prefer the meat tenderizer; actually I prefer the long wading pants. When the reefs get blown out in San Antonio Bay you will find me chasing my speckled friends on the shorelines of the same bay fishing the many guts and bars. If anyone has any questions regarding the reefs and how I fish them, or any fishing/boating questions, please feel welcome to contact me by telephone or e-mail. Fish hard, fish smart!
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
63
LAST MONTH WE LET Y’ALL KNOW THAT THE GREEN water was pushing its way through the Landcut via the East Cut in Port Mansfield. By DAVID ROWSEY the time that this issue hits the shelf, we will hope that it is having some positive impact David Rowsey has 20 years in Baffin. Rocky Slough and Yarbrough area experience in the Laguna/ have been much clearer than months past; Baffin region; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty. however, they are a long way from perfect. David has a great passion for If there is any upside to the high winds, it conservation and encourages is that it acts as a driving force to move this catch and release of trophy fish. water into our desired areas. There is a large dredge that has been set up at the north end of the Landcut 361-960-0340 for some time now. Although a necessary www.DavidRowsey.com evil, the timing of this could not be more inappropriate. The dredge itself is being pumped onto a spoil island, which is good, but it being the only option/ pass for the fish to come through is not an ideal situation for the fish or us as fishermen. If you think an outboard makes fish turn and run, can you only
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Brian Keifer, with a 31” trout @ 9.25#. Released.
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UPPER L AGUNA/BA FFIN Capt David Rowsey with a 9.25# Trout measuring ONLY 28.5”. Released!
imagine what a 30” vacuum hose, barge, and pump sounds like in 75 yard wide channel? I am not sure if it is the Corp of Engineer’s or a state agency that permits the dredging, but I certainly wish they would be more in tune with historical fish movements, and the impact that they are having on them. Hopefully the big tide runners just swim on through it, and my concerns are moot. We will see. June is a great month for fishing down here. Our big trout will start losing some girth, but they will not get any shorter. Water temps are comfortable for wet wading, but not so hot that the fish are seeking out super deep structure. Early mornings will find us starting out in shallower water (knee to thigh deep) with a good presence of baitfish. The trout will
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be on just about all kinds of structure, given that there is something for them to eat. My preference will be for combinations of sand and grass, and shallow rocks and sand. Combine those with a food supply, some deeper water to lounge in, and you will be on your way to some great days on the water. Lure choices for this time of year are pretty straight forward. 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 Rapala Skitter Walk “SW-8”. If you are into larger topwaters, the full sized Super Spook is my favorite, but I strongly recommend slowing it way down on the retrieve while in shallower water with calm conditions. A good chop on the surface can dictate a more aggressive retrieve, but I still throw in the pauses for good measure. Speaking of full sized Super Spooks (and other large three hooked lures), remove the middle treble. It is not only not needed, but allows for less action in the retrieve, picks up more grass, and, most importantly, promotes some awkward hookups that can result in broken lines, and trebles in the fishes’ eyes, gills, etc. 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 thigh deep or less, my fist choice is going to be the straight tailed 5” Bass Assassin on a 1/16 oz. jig head. I’ll stay with the same jig head even in 5’ water if the winds allow me to do so, but if it does not, a 1/8 oz. jig head is suggested for more lure control. Finfish season is now in full swing up and down the coast. The lovers, haters and debaters of them will be lined up to take pop shots at the methods, the full ice boxes, and each other around all of the marinas and internet forums. 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. However, irresponsible harvest is another issue. Port Mansfield is having a banner year. They were cut to five fish on their daily bag limit in September of 2007, and the results have been outstanding to date. They have gone from pencil trout to solid fish in less than two years, while we have come off one of the slowest springs in many years. The bottom line is that conservation works, and needs to be practiced by lure and bait fishermen alike. If a picture is worth a thousand words, watching a large trout swim off after she has been photographed is truly priceless. If you can afford a boat or a charter to get to them, I’ll bet a camera is within your budget.
Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
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LATE SPRING ARRIVED IN THE LAGUNA MADRE WITH WHAT would constitute a blowout for most other systems. This is such a unique area that even with a long stretch of dry and windthrashed conditions the waters held mostly clean and the fish mostly cooperated. We are still enjoying some great catches and things should become even more interesting as we move through June. As fun as it is, we certainly look forward to days with less than 4Omph gusts. Even before the waders came off, pesky critters like skipjacks, jack crevalle and even a few small sharks started showing up. The skipjacks were especially annoying, and if your retrieve was too high you could expect frayed leaders in most places where good trout were holding. They were all after the same thing and it seemed the entire food chain was concentrated around an
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exceptional shrimp population. It was also all about the shallow grass as that was where the favored forage was. Most of the better catches came skinny including some lengthy trout, albeit a tad skinnier than those cooler water heavyweights we had been enjoying. Pictured is Casey Rollins releasing a beauty just short of thirty fooled by a plastic tail, which remains my confidence bait. Between larger specimens such as this, the trout bite running twenty to twenty four inches has been inspiring to say the least. We may have made a good decision going from cooler-based to cool-based fishing; the fish just seem to get larger. With recent gale force winds our best catches have been made earlier in the day before the floating grass becomes oppressive. The problem hasn’t actually been the normal Laguna seagrass, we are plagued with nasty florescent green algae that seems to have flourished over the past several years. I am not sure of its proper name, maybe filamentous algae; we just call it “green spooge” and no lure will get through this stuff, even Gamakatsu single-hooked topwaters will clog. It is best to set that alarm clock early as the mid-day wind stirs it up. Besides the exceptional trout population, redfish also appear to be
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PORT M A NSFIELD pressure. We always get spoiled in cooler months when the rays pull off the flats and we have the water to ourselves. So much for a five trout limit deterring the masses. Even so, pressure remains lighter here than in most other areas plus there is plenty of water for all if approached respectively. More on rays; we have actually had two men hit in the past two months, which is rare here. The entire ecosystem seems to be alive with things we want, but also with things we don’t, so please present yourselves accordingly when wading. It is suggested to either wear protective gear or do the stingray shuffle as we all know how. Nothing to freak about, but there is just a lot going on down here. June is a fun month. Everything is here and in place and opportunities
Bigger trout have remained shallow; Casey Rollins releasing a great trout that taped just shy of 30.
thriving. They can be fickle, though. One day they will push wakes as far as you care to run and the next day they simply vanish. It seems that they will either invade the flats or disappear completely. Redfish action should grow more consistent as summer eases closer and those coveted sight-casting opportunities should become more predictable. I’ll still be throwing a tail most days, although oversized redfish crashing topwaters in the shallow sand is always a thrill. As a side note, two things we have no shortage of are stingrays and fishing
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abound. Sightcasting to redfish will come into greater play and also those stack up schooling situations where you think about an elbow massage on the way home. Trout will be feeding on deeper grass beds and spoil bank edges, and don’t think that big mama can’t show up without notice. Our own Capt. McBride stuck a 32.5” right next to me last year the second week of June on the edge of a spoil bank. It was one of the most violent explosions I’ve ever seen. The only thing I’d rather do than fish is to find better ways to cook the ones we keep. Redfish on the half shell, when done correctly, is gourmet fare and those of you discounting the throats are missing out. Take what you need and leave the rest, and perhaps we can all continue to enjoy the best sport available standing up. Just get in the water and get you some. Here’s to a great summer.
Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
67
HOW QUICKLY SUMMER HAS ARRIVED! Can you believe almost half of 2009 has gone by? Before I start with the meat of this article, I want to take the time to thank the loyal readers of TSFMag. I’ve been getting calls, emails and letters and I enjoy hearing from readers. For the last two months the prevailing south winds have been relentless. Winds of 25 to 35 mph and sometimes gusting to 40 have been pretty common down here. The good news, with the exception of a few days; we are still catching good numbers of fish. If you read my April article, I mentioned that in windy conditions we like to start off in productive areas that can lose their clarity once the wind starts howling and then resorting to protected back bays or coves that will tend to hold clarity even in windy conditions. We continue to follow that same pattern. On most occasions we find ourselves right next to the color change. As the dirty water progresses we try to stay ahead of it, or as mentioned, right on the contour. If you can recall back to June of last year, you will remember that we had to deal with windy conditions throughout the month of June
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when ordinarily it is a month that the winds tend to diminish. June is when we begin to see schools of redfish concentrating in their usual summer holes. These normal haunts are also areas that attract large bait schools. The appearance of both bait and redfish occurs almost like clockwork. A major factor in this is the amount of water present in that particular body of water. In the summer months the water tends to recede all night. As you start Billy scored with a your day, look for the topwater red in 35 deeper holes within the mph winds. area to hold the greatest concentrations of fish. A sure sign will be nervous mullet on the surface. As the water level starts to rise, remember the fish will migrate with the bait onto shallow flats. This month we should also start seeing better numbers of flounder caught along the ICW and guts or depressions nearby.
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ARROYO COLORADO TO PORT ISABEL Most of the edges of the ICW north or south of the Arroyo are pretty firm. Finding flounder is just a matter of putting in the time, but make sure you plan your flounder quest while a current is flowing. When targeting flatties I like to work plastic bait that has a fluttering action or a tail that sends some kind of vibration through the water. Working it slow near the bottom will surely increase your chances. Currently our trout numbers are way up although their size and weight have decreased from the previous past months. We are catching some trout up shallow along Protective clothing will be with our reds, but for better important in the coming months. numbers you might want to focus in three to four feet of water with visible potholes. Despite the strong wind we have been sticking with topwaters as our
number one choice. When it’s not as windy, smaller baits like the Spro Dawg 100, Super Spook Jr, and ShePups have been working really well for us. In windy conditions we switch to noisier and larger plugs. Over the past three windy months I have been amazed at the number of people who gave up on topwaters. It is a general misconception that you only throw topwaters early in the morning, late evening and in near perfect conditions. I am amused by the look on my clients faces when I tell them we going to be throwing topwaters most of the day, especially when they know we’ll be fighting wind. As windy as it has been, even in thirty mph winds we have been doing really well on surface lures. When the fish have not been interested in surface lures, a gold spoon usually does the trick. A quick note to remember, June will bring plenty of floating grass. That’s why I like to rig my topwaters with Gamakatsu live bait hooks with a ring. The 1/0 is the size for your smaller baits, 2/0 for your medium baits, and 3/0 on the larger baits, single hooks are easier on the fish and the fisherman as well. In closing, the summer months bring increased heat index and UV rays. It’s important to dress properly to protect yourself and stay cool at the same time. Simms fishing wear does both for me. I like to layer with a Solarflex tee and Bluewater shirt on top. They deliver UV protection, quick drying, and comfort during a full day of fishing. Go to www.simmsfishing. com to learn more.
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June 2009
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June is one of our favorite months. With strong spring winds, we haven’t been able to fish places like the beach and near shore rigs. Now that summer is around the corner, we are anxious to get out there. Look for the ship channel to heat up later in the month. The jetties are always a good place to look for trout and reds. Try a Berkley Gulp! on the bottom for monster bull reds and throw normal plastics for trout. June is also a great time to fish birds. Look for groups of diving gulls around Long Point, Washout, Nine-Mile Cut, and West Cove. Always start upwind and use a trolling motor to get into casting range. Try Norton Sand Eels, H&H Salty Grubs, and MirrOlure’s new line of soft plastics. We have been using the Soft Shad in chicken/chartreuse. We fish these on quarter ounce heads unless the current is strong, then we go to three eights. Topwater action will be hot! Try Skitterwalks, Super Spooks, and SheDogs.
“Fishing is outstanding,” Randall reports. “We have been blessed with some real pretty water and the catching has been good. Our average trout lately have been running around three and a half or four pounds. Mostly, we are getting them on Norton Sand Eels in glowsickle. It’s a new color, clear with a glow injection. We rig them on three eights ounce heads most of the time. Use the big eel if the water’s a little off, the junior if it’s clearer. The topwater bite has been good too when the winds are light. On that note, the surf has been really hot on the days when we can get at it. There’s lot of bait out there and the fishing is easy when the wind’s calm. I look for more of that in June. In most years, the first few times the wind lays and the surf gets green to the beach, some of the biggest beachfront trout of the year will be caught. If it stays a little windier, we’ll keep working the bays in protected pockets.”
Overall, James rates the recent fishing in Galveston as an 8 out of 10 despite higher than normal winds. “Trinity got a lot of fresh water, but I think the fish might just ride it out and let it go right over, especially if we don’t get too much more. East Bay has a lot of fish right now, especially on the shorelines. There is some bird activity in Lower Galveston too, and that’s usually good after a flood, so Campbell’s Bayou and places like that will likely be good in June. West Bay, the end near San Luis Pass, is also holding some good fish. We had two trout over eight pounds down there recently and another one about seven. The soft plastic of choice lately has been a clear glitter/chartreuse tail Bass Assassin. The best topwater has been a white/silver/white Top Dog Jr..” He predicts that light winds in June might cause the mid-bay areas to go off. “I can’t wait to see what’s biting out in the middle when we can get at it.”
Tommy typically focuses on the south shoreline of West Bay in June. “We’ll start of early fishing the shallow shorelines, throwing topwaters. The key early is to find where the nervous bait is in order to find the fish. Usually, in the mid-morning hours, we get off the topwaters and head to the deeper dropoffs along the outside bars, using soft plastics. You’ll find me throwing Norton Sand Eel Jrs. in dark colors most every day. In the middle of the day, we often go back to the shallower areas and fish the grass beds slowly and meticulously. Often, a light jighead like a sixteenth ounce is best. We work each grass bed separately, throwing first at the left edge, then the middle, then the right. If a bite is felt, it pays to throw repeatedly back to that spot.” The surf is, of course, always an option. “We’ll be looking to walk across to the surf whenever it’s calm enough. And the tripletailing should be back in session too on the calmer days.”
“We’ve got the squeeze effect going on around here lately with all this rain,” Jim reports. “Trinity took a real flushing and the bayous in the upper end of East Bay are all over the banks. That means that the parts of East Bay closer to the ship channel have a bunch more fish than they had just a short time ago. The key to catching them is the weather and tides. When the morning tides are high and the fish are on the shorelines, it’s Katy Bar the Door. We’ve been catching good numbers of trout on days like that, with some nice fish in the 25 to 27 inch class mixed in. On days when the tide is out in the morning, it’s tough to catch them wading, and if the wind is up, the middle is mucked up. If we get some calmer winds in June, that problem should be easier to deal with.” On another note, he mentions that the Rollover Pass area is producing some monster trout for persistent anglers who work the tides intelligently. 70
June 2009
Fishing has been decent in the area despite winds blowing in excess of twenty knots daily. Redfish and flounder have stayed pretty steady in protected coves and back lakes, and trout are still being found over local shell pads. Big tides have pushed our fish tight to the shorelines with most being caught in water waist deep and shallower. Good lures for redfish have been SheDogs in chrome/bone, pearl Skitterwalk and half ounce weedless gold spoons. Flounder have been coming on Gulp and DOA shrimp rigged about eighteen inches under corks. Topwaters in bone and white/redhead have been the best plugs for the trout. The structure (wells/wrecks/shell pads) out in West Matagorda Bay will be good areas to target this month as the water temperatures begin to rise and the trout seek cooler depths. The surf should be another area to target, with June being one of the best months for trout and reds along the middle coast.
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Lynn says that the fishing in Port O’Connor lately has been pretty good considering the nagging winds. “It’s been a little windy, but we’ve been able to catch some fish in protected areas most of the time. Usually, June brings a little calmer conditions, and that should open up more and better opportunities. Of course, we will be targeting potholes or sandy areas along grassy shorelines on most outings. In the morning, I like to give the topwaters a good try, mostly the Super Spook Jrs.. As the sun moves higher, I often switch over to soft plastics and won’t hesitate to use the slow sinking twitchbaits like Corkys and all the MirrOlure products too. Keying on areas with plenty of bait is always a key in June.” One area that holds bait this month is the surf. “We will surely have our eye on the surf. From now until August, it’s a good idea to run out there when the wind allows. The topwater action along the beach is a real blast.”
“Our trout fishing has picked up pretty nicely in the last few weeks,” Blake comments. “It seems that every time San Antonio Bay gets a flush of fresh water, things pick up around here. I don’t know where all these trout came from, maybe the surf, but they are here all of the sudden. We have been catching them on shorelines where there’s mostly sand and grass, also a little oyster shell. Best lures have been topwaters early, Super Spooks mostly, and then Norton Sand Eels later in the day.” He echoes the ideas of others in these reports when he says, “We’ll be hoping to get into the surf as much as possible in June. I like to head through the jetties at Port A and turn north, looking for rafts of bait, pelicans sitting on the beach, diving birds, slicks, anything to show that the fish are there. Also, it’s great to take that walk across the sand at Cedar Bayou and try the surf in that stretch. It’s been great for years.”
For the past five years sargassum has overwhelmed those seriously fishing for large sharks during the month of June. So far, there is much less present this spring and it looks like kayaking baits could be an option. June is the month for big bull sharks in the surf at PINS. It’s also the highest percentage month for the most species of large sharks. June and July are the best months for speckled trout on topwaters as well. Whiting will be abundant as will lesser numbers of many fish species. Skipjacks, Spanish mackerel, Atlantic bluefish, tarpon, king mackerel, jack crevalle, little tunny, an occasional slot black drum, mangrove snapper, sheepshead and pompano are all possible. As always; “Fishbites” and peeled dead shrimp for your bottom feeding species, and a variety of artificials or live bait will work on the predators. Mirrolure He Dog and She Dog in chartreuse/ chrome and Skitterwalks in chartreuse/silver/chartreuse are long term highest producers. Remember the speed limit is 15 and report all nesting turtles after marking their nest sites to turtle patrollers. www.TSFMAG.com
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Even though we have not had much of a break from the wind for the last few months, the fishing has been pretty good. The water clarity in much of the Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay has been poor due to the strong winds and/or the brown tide. Adapting to the conditions of the water has been a real test, but we’ve been successful. There are areas holding water with decent clarity. One of the keys has been finding good concentrations of bait in shallow water (less than two feet deep). The speckled trout that we’ve been catching are in very good shape, with many getting close to twenty five inches and a few reaching the upper twenties. In areas where there is not too much floating grass, my bone colored MirrOLure SheDogs will be seeing a lot of action in the mornings. Otherwise, I’ll be fishing with Assassin Kwik Corks rigged with four inch Berkley Gulp shrimp or Assassin Blurp shrimp about five inches off the bottom. “The fishing in the Land Cut has been really good for the last month or more,” Joe indicates. “The best results have been for those who fish at anchor with live bait. With all the high winds, it’s hard to keep control of the boat on a drift and work the west dropoff when you are lure fishing, but as long as it’s not over twenty knots or so, it can be really productive. Using heavier jigheads like one quarter, three eights and half ounce help. It also pays to use more than one drift anchor too. The redfish have been thick in there, and the trout are of a good average size.” Another good option is to head north to Port A to where the clear water is. “I like to fish up there in the shallow water with flies when I have customers who are interested in that. The water is crystal clear and the sight casting potential is great.” It is important to respect the no-prop zones, he says, since the local TP&W officials are serious about enforcing them.
Terry says early spring wind blew with a vengeance. The good news is that’s behind us and fishing continues to get better. Most fishermen have been experiencing some of the best trout action they have seen here in years. Water temps are in the 80’s and strong tides are replenishing the system with lots of water from the gulf. Bait is plentiful. Drifting deep grass beds north and south of the pipeline area is producing good trout and occasional reds. The King Ranch shoreline will continue to produce good number of specks and reds. Many types of lures are working, color doesn’t seem to make a difference. Conditions are prime for topwaters. Warmer water means moving to deeper water, the three to four foot grass beds should be holding fish all day for drifters during June. Some of the trout will be big and since you can only keep one over 25-inches, handle the ones that are “Too Big” with tender loving care. Take a picture and get her in the water quickly so she can continue to spawn.
Super high winds have kept the deeper water muddy and rough making limiting on trout less consistent than earlier in the year; however, the Pettys like fishing in the wind. We’re limiting on reds and tagging oversize daily, with the only exceptions being weekends when the boat traffic has been the heaviest ever on the LLM. We’re still catching some nice trout, just not the numbers we’ve gotten used to. We’re experimenting with some other lures like gold Precision Tackle weedless spoons, several different topwaters and worm rigs, but the top producer continues to be three inch Gulp shrimp in glow, new penny, and molting under Cajun Thunder cigar corks (both colors). Freddy says “On the weekend, get to your spot early to keep the sightseers from ruining your drift. Some boats will run right down your line in an effort to jump in front of everybody else. Be courteous…run upwind!” Summer fishing is set up nicely.
Texas Saltwater Fishing
June 2009
71
Sonny Trujillo gave this 27.5” red CPR!
Rhonda Sky-Eagle couldn’t believe it when she saw this 20” mangrove snapper as she reeled it in!
Dana Bissel and his first redfish measured at 38” in Matagorda! Way to go!
Carey Bratusek caught this stingray after a 30 minute fight Powderhorn Lake. Robin Killion 38” tarpon Port Mansfield jetties. CPR
Ashley Johnston with her first south Texas redfish, 27” caught in Aransas Bay.
Bill Crouthamel, Amier & Candy landed this 49 inch drum while fishing at Goose Island State Park.
Rodney Pedraza fishing in the Upper Laguna scored this nice sized redfish! 72
June 2009
Devlyn Lovell pictured with a 25.25” Flounder caught in South Bay.
Jim Collins, tripletail, “on the fly!”
Lauren Sammons caught this 28 inch redfish at Carlos Reef.
Kaleb fishing with his Papa, Bill Warren, caught his first keeper trout on his first saltwater fishing trip!
Not bad for a beginner, Art Barboza shown with his first keeper trout. Congrats!
Matt Mauger caught and released this nice 8 pound trout near Baffin Bay.
Huge tarpon Larry Benham and friends, Port Isabel.
Michelle Gauthier affectionately named this 25” trout, “Big Bertha.”
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(Left) This hammer head couldn’t escape Sal Angela Arroyos fishing in Port O’Connor.
Kim Dziuk reeled in this 32” redfish. She was so happy she had to plant one on him!
(Right) Labor Day weekend was the time of his life for Frank Arroyos as he smiles holding his speckled trout.
A rootbeer/chartreuse Trout Killer II and Justin Hilbrich was a killer combo for this 19” flounder in Mesquite Bay. This 29.5”, 11.5lb drum couldn’t resist the Berkley Gulp Shrimp Michele Walters presented in South Padres Island South Bay.
Martha Pennington first ever saltwater fishing trip.
(Left) Gary L. Goldsmith bull red CPR.
(Right) Thatta boy! Taylor Chaney, 4 yr old, reeled in this redfish with no help in Lavaca Bay.
27 inch 8 pound red was caught by Chuck Milligan at Magnolia Beach (Lavaca Bay.
Age 3, Rebecca Huizar pictured with a 27.5” hammer head caught on Bob Hall Pier.
Linda Petereks’ first red caught at the King Ranch Shoreline. Dustin Gee CPR 40” red drum at Sargent.
Please do not write on the back of photos.
Rufus Castro caught this 26” flounder in Port Mansfield. www.TSFMAG.com
Blas Huizar 28.5” hammer head - Bob Hall Pier.
Tim Armstrong CPR 29lb bull red with friend, Dustin Newcum.
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Texas Saltwater Fishing
Email photos with a description of your Catch of the Month to: Photos@tsfmag.com Mail photos to: TSFMag P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 June 2009
73
Large shrimp (26 to 30 shrimp per pound) are essential here. Lay’s Kettle Cooked Original is our favorite brand of potato chips. Panko is a Japanese-style bread crumb available in most grocery stores. Instant polenta is available in the international section of most supermarkets.
2 ¼ 1½ ¼ 1 ¼ 2 ¾ 2 1½
cups Panko bread crumbs (see note) cup instant polenta (see note) teaspoon paprika teaspoon cayenne pepper teaspoon salt cup vegetable oil cup potato chips (about 2 ounces), crushed to fine crumbs cup all-purpose flour large eggs pounds large shrimp, headed, peeled and de-veined
1. Adjust oven rack to upper position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss bread crumbs, polenta, paprika, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and oil in microwave-safe bowl until well coated. Microwave crumb mixture until golden brown and crisp, usually takes about 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time. Stir potato chips into crumb mixture, then transfer to shallow dish. Spread flour in second shallow dish. In third shallow dish, whisk eggs until evenly combined. 2. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt. One at a time, coat shrimp lightly in flour, dip in egg mixture, then dredge in crumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Arrange breaded shrimp ½ inch apart on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. 3. Spray shrimp with cooking spray and bake until crumbs are deep golden brown and shrimp are just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve. Note: The five minutes (or so) it takes to cook these shrimp isn’t enough time for the breading to turn brown and crisp in the oven. We discovered that toasting the instant polenta and panko in the microwave gave them a head start and ensured a crisp coating on the shrimp. BUILDING A BETTER BREADING: Three unlikely ingredients combine to make the perfect coating for our Oven-Fried Shrimp. Light, crisp Japanese-style bread crumbs act as a foundation for the crunchy coating. Instant polenta adds corn flavor without being too chewy. Crushed potato chips add even more crunch and give the coating a great “deep-fried” flavor. This recipe is provided courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen.
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June 2009
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USCG Licensed Captain Stan Sloan 76
June 2009
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“Be Kind to Shorelines” is about leaving a piece of shoreline better than you found it. When you happen upon an unsightly mess on your favorite shoreline; clean it up. Have a fishing buddy snap a photo of your clean-up effort and another of the trash being disposed of properly. Submit photos via email to Everett@TSFMag.com or by mail to TSF Capt.Mike Wilbur’s
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Magazine – PO Box 429 – Seadrift, TX 77983. Categories for this contest will be Greatest Haul, Most Unusual, and Most Helpers. The contest will run from October 2008 through Memorial Day 2009. Texas Saltwater Fishing
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GET THREE MONTHS FREE! PLUS FREE E-MAG! Order today and receive a 15-month subscription for the regular price of $25.00. Hurry and sign up family members and friends at the SAME rate! WWW.TSFMAG.COM / 361.785.3420 Offer expires 06.30.09
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TSFMag SPECKLED TROUT CATCH & RELEASE PHOTO CONTEST All you have to do is catch a really good speck and release it alive‌ and send us some photos! Photos will be judged on photographic quality, artistic merit, demonstration of conservation ethic and, of course, you must include a shot of the release. The winner will be featured on the cover of TSFMag and receive a high-quality rod and reel combo. Four runner-up prizes will also be awarded. Fish must be caught in Texas waters and TPWD regs apply. Make sure your camera is set to capture high-quality images. Photos become property of TSFMag, employees and writers are not eligible. Submit entries via electronic mail to: Everett@TSFMag.com. For more info please email Everett or call 361.550.3637. www.TSFMAG.com
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For more information about these advertisers visit: http://www.texassaltwaterfishingmagazine.com/contact_advertisers_product.html
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Anchor Marine of Texas................................. Cover, 1 210.599.1415 www.anchormarineoftexas.com Bernie’s Boats..........................................................16 361.573.7809 www.berniesboats.com Busha Boat Works................................................... 17 979.245.3369 www.bushaboatworks.com Coastline Marine........................................... Cover, 1 713.614.2057 www.coastlinemarine.net Dargel Boat Works..................................................67 800.749.2628 www.dargel.com El Pescador Boats...................................................... 56 361.983.4832 www.elpescadorboats.com Flatstalker................................................................58 361.813.8040 www.flatstalker.com Gulf Coast Boats....................................................... 3 713.477.7119 www.gulfcoastboats.net Gulf Coast Marine.......................................... Cover, 1 361.937.7800 www.gcmboats.com Hobie Kayaks............................................................41 760.758.9100 www.hobiefishing.com Huff Marine............................................................. 25 361.991.0369 www.huffmarine1955.com Kirby Marina............................................................80 713.560.4453 office@bassmeineke.com Kroll’s Marine.......................................................... 61 281.342.4461 www.krollmarine.com Majek Boats................................................ 4, Solunar 361.991.3102 www.majekboats.com Mt. Houston Marine................................................37 281.447.7689 www.mthoustonmarine.com Rockport Marine.......................................................7 361.729.7820 www.rockportmarineinc.com Sail & Ski Center...................................................... 21 512.219.2705 www.sailandski.com Shallow Sport Boats...................................... Cover, 1 956.233.9489 www.shallowsportboats.com Shoalwater Boats.....................................................12 361.983.4134 www.shoalwaterboats.com Texas Marine........................................................... 60 409.832.2027 www.texasmarine.com The Sportsman.............................................. Cover, 1 956.399.5123 www.sportsmanboats.com Boat Accessories
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Academy Sports + Outdoors................. Back Cover 281.646.5000 www.academy.com Fishing Tackle Unlimited.......................... Back Cover 281.481.6838 www.FishingTackleUnlimited.com Roy’s Bait & Tackle.................................................... 3 361.992.2960 www.roysbait-tackle.com Seaworthy Marine...................................................47 361.727.9100 www.seaworthymarine.com Speedy Stop................................................... Solunar 361.582.5100 www.speedystop.com Tackle Box............................................................... 68 361.575.8700
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Full Stringer Realty.................................................. 78 361.972.3200 www.FullStringer Realty.com The Boardwalk at St. Charles Bay........................... 47 512.804.1455 www.stcharlesbay.com/ The Oaks at Bentwater............................................ 12 361.790.0001 www.capstonemanagement.com TideWater Properties LLC................................ 68, 78 512.659.4754 www.tidewatertexas.com Tracy Cliburn RE/MAX Realtor................................61 361.550.1965
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Majek Boats Owners Tournament................ Solunar 361.991.3102 www.majekboats.com Port Mansfield Chamber of Commerce.................16 956.642.7357 www.portmansfield.us Shrimpfest / Seadrift Chamber............................. 43 361.655.9690 www.seadriftchamber.com Texas Redfish Series............................................... 53 210.385.3333 www.redfishseries.com Miscellaneous
Coastal Conservation Association...........................35 281.953.6603
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250 Pro U.S. Reel’s exclusive lightweight WIDE-spool reels assure long casts and minimal line twist. And, set your drag higher with our exclusive Steady Drag System— it starts with less effort than other reels and stays steady until you land the fish.
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS DESIGNED IN THE MIDWEST AND MANUFACTURED IN THE FAR EAST, U.S. Reel brings you the most truly innovative reels to come along in over 50 years.
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The traditional
energy-robbing levelwind eyelet is gone! This means much greater lure speed and distance with a lot less effort.
When Performance
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A M E R I C A N I N N O VAT I O N • A M E R I C A N D E S I G N • W W W. U S R E E L . C O M
galveston tides & Solunar Table l
Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine l
june 2009
The BEST Choice‌ Any Place, Anytime!
To find a location near you, please visit us at www.speedystop.com
Tidal Corrections Location Calcasieu Pass, La. Sabine Bank Lighthouse Sabine Pass (jetty) Sabine Pass Mesquite Point Galveston Bay (S. jetty) Port Bolivar Texas City, Turning Basin Eagle Point Clear Lake Morgans Point Round Point, Trinity Bay Point Barrow, Trinity Bay Gilchrist, East Bay Jamaica Beach, Trinity Bay Christmas Point Galveston Pleasure Pier San Luis Pass Freeport Harbor
High -2:14 -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14 +0:33 +3:54 +6:05 +10:21 +10:39 +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -0:09 -0:44
Low -1:24 -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06 +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15 +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:38 +2:33 +2:31 -0:09
For other locations, i.e. Port O’Connor, Port Aransas, Corpus Christi and Port Isabel please refer to the charts displayed below.
Please note that the tides listed in this table are for the Galveston Channel. The Tidal Corrections can be applied to the areas affected by the Galveston tide.
Minor Feeding Periods are in green, coinciding with the moon on the horizon, and the last from 1.0 to 1.5 hrs after the moon rise or before moon set. Major Feeding Periods are in orange, about 1.0 to 1.5 hrs either side of the moon directly overhead or underfoot. Many variables encourage active feeding current flow (whether wind or tidal driven), changes in water temp & weather, moon phases, etc. Combine as many as possible for a better chance at an exceptional day. Find concentrations of bait set up during a good time frame, and enjoy the results.
Te x a s S a l t w a t e r F i s h i n g M a g a z i n e l
w w w. t e x a s s a l t w a t e r f i s h i n g m a g a z i n e . c o m