Only $3.95 www.tsfmag.com May 2015
TIDE PREDICTIONS & SOLUNAR FEED TIMES INSIDE!
about the Cover Jason Shive is this month’s cover angler, showing a thirty-inch speck from the Lower Laguna. Jason is the son of Pam Johnson, TSFMag’s seafood-cooking editor. Pam surprised Jason with a Port Mansfield fishing trip for his 30th birthday. How cool…a 30 for his 30th!
Contents
May 2015 VOL 25 NO 1
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
10 There’s No App for This! 16 Taking Another Shot 22 Sandifer Snippets 24 Tommy Has Some Trouble – Part VI 30 Pushing Tin 36 Kingfish and Deceivers 42 Wishes & Fishes
46 Let’s Ask The Pro Jay Watkins 50 Shallow Water Fishing Scott Null 56 TPWD Field Notes Heidi Heim-Ballew 62 Fly Fishing Scott Sommerlatte 66 Kayak Fishing Chronicles Dave Roberts 70 TSFMag Conservation News CCA Texas 74 Fishy Facts Stephanie Boyd 80 Inshore | Nearshore | Jetties | Passes Curtiss Cash 86 Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks... Eric Ozolins 116 Science & the Sea UT Marine Science Institute 118 Boat Maintenance Tips Chris Mapp
Steve Hillman Kevin Cochran Billy Sandifer Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard Pam Johnson
62
16
WHAT OUR GUIDES
HAVE TO SAy
92 94 96 98 100 102 104
Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene The Buzz on Galveston Bay The View from Matagorda Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays Hooked up with Rowsey Capt. Tricia’s Port Mansfield Report South Padre Fishing Scene
Dickie Colburn Caleb Harp Bink Grimes Shellie Gray David Rowsey Capt. Tricia Ernest Cisneros
REGULARS
98
08 90 106 110 114
Editorial New Tackle & Gear Fishing Reports and Forecasts Catch of the Month Gulf Coast Kitchen
114 6 | May 2015
Editor and Publisher Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918 National sales representative Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net regional sales representative Patti Elkins Patti@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Donna Boyd Donna@tsfmag.com Circulation Subscription – product sales Linda Curry Cir@tsfmag.com ADDRESS CHANGED? Email Store@tsfmag.com Design & Layout Stephanie Boyd Stephanie@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly. Subscription Rates: One Year (Free Emag with Hard Copy) Subscription $25.00 E-MAG (electronic version) is available for $12.00 per year. Order on-line: www.tsfmag.com Make checks payable to: Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine Attn: Subscriptions P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 * Subscribers are responsible for submitting all address changes and renewals by the 10th of the prior month’s issue. Email store@tsfmag.com for all address changes or please call 361-785-3420 from 8am - 4:30pm. The U.S. Postal Service does not guarantee magazines will be forwarded. how to contact tsfmag: Phone: 361-785-3420 fax: 361-785-2844 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 Physical Address: 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, TX 77983 Web: www.TSFMAG.com photo gallery: photos@tsfmag.com Printed in the USA. Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published monthly by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, Texas 77983 l P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 © Copyright 1990 All rights reserved. Positively nothing in this publication may be reprinted or reproduced. *Views expressed by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine contributors do not necessarily express the views of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine. Periodical class permit (USPS# 024353) paid at Victoria, TX 77901 and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983.
EDITORIAL
Welcome Dave Roberts & CCA on a Roll!
I announced last month that Cade Simpson’s final kayak fishing column was appearing in that issue and it brought a flood of email encouraging that we find another writer to continue this TSFMag tradition. We are pleased to announce that Dave Roberts is our new kayak fishing writer. Dave lives in the Sabine region and fishes Sabine Lake and surrounding marshes with occasional forays to surf and nearshore. He has incredible passion for the kayak side of the fishing sport. We look forward to presenting Dave’s work and trust his columns will more than “fill the bill.” Thanks to all the kayak diehards and kayak curious readers who expressed interest in the magazine. Switching gears—I want to talk a bit about CCA. CCA is on a strong roll here in Texas and also nationally, though I sometimes hear folks say, “Oh, I still believe in CCA…liked the old GCCA better though… before they went national.” This comment is curious to me as I am confused how continued growth in membership, accomplishing more in conservation and wielding even greater political influence could be anything but positive. I guess it’s the notion that the GCCA was a Texas thing, somehow diluted during growth, and that money raised for coastal conservation in Texas now leaks away to other places. But nothing could be further from the truth. Each state organization operates independently in fundraising and those funds are used to accomplish conservation work within that state. From its beginnings in 1977, the Gulf Coast Conservation
8 | May 2015
Association, shortened to Coastal Conservation Association since expanding beyond the Gulf coast, is an incredible model of growth and efficiency. CCA Texas currently comprises 58 chapters in Texas with membership soon to crest the 70,000 mark. Nationally, CCA has expanded to include 17 coastal states along the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Last year the Music City chapter was formed in Nashville, the first in a non-coastal state. All of these have been patterned precisely in the mold of the original organization here in Texas. Texas members should take pride in having led the way! CCA National membership now stands at greater than 120,000 and ability to influence fisheries management policy is now greater than ever. A recent landmark court decision in Oregon upheld a net ban, crucial to the recreational salmon fishery there, and CCA Oregon members helped lead the fight. The formation of CCA California was launched in March 2015 with an amazing 1,500 members coming aboard in the first weeks; 30 have already purchased life membership. I am personally very proud to be a life member and serve on the CCA Texas Board of Directors. If your pride has you longing for the good old days, still believing the GCCA was a better deal for Texas anglers, think of our original organization like a kid going away to school and then launching into a successful career. CCA is almost 40 years old and the future has never been brighter.
STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN
I
was fortunate to be able to experience the outdoors from a very early age. I started sitting in deer blinds with my dad around age four. Having a dad, uncles and grandpas to take me hunting and fishing was a blessing. There were no wrapped go-fast boats or GPSs. We wouldn’t have been able to afford them anyway. The closest we had to cell phones was tin cans and string. Even if cell phones existed we’d have likely dropped them overboard or lost them chasing rabbits with our pellet rifles. My wellrounded exposure to hunting and fishing started a fire that still burns forty years later and I pray the childish curiosity and desire to live and mesh with Mother Nature will remain forever. I’ll never forget how excited I was, riding with dad up to Pine Plaza Sporting Goods in Dickinson to buy a brand new Ambassador 5000C to fit my old Fenwick mediumaction rod. The best part about going to Mike Carlisle’s sporting goods store was listening to all the stories. He used to run a monthly big trout contest and A.C. Becker Jr. would post the results in his Galveston Daily News outdoors column. I recently found a newspaper article from January 1985 and the names of the all of the 1984 monthly winners were listed. It included some that I had the pleasure of fishing with as a teenager. I still remember catching my first trout on a MirrOlure with my uncle, BB Hillman. He would fish nearly every morning before work and I was lucky to go with him occasionally. The man truly had saltwater running through his veins as did his good friend, Gut Gutierrez. What I learned from them and my dad caused me to grow gills at a very early age. Not all boys and girls have the luxury of experiencing the salt on a daily basis, but as parents we must take time from busy schedules to introduce our kiddos to fishing. In today’s crazy world it remains one of the few activities that are truly pure. Done properly, it teaches responsibility, conservation and clear thinking. Family bonding while having tons of fun is a bonus! So how do we get our new-age youngsters to put down their smart phones and pick up a rod and reel? It starts with mom and dad. Scheduling a trip with a guide can be a good way to get started. Find one that is good with kids and is a good teacher. For those who choose to venture out on their own there are plenty of options that do not require a fishing guide. Live shrimp free-lined or under a popping cork around the jetties is almost guaranteed to bend rods. There are countless oyster reefs and structures throughout bay systems on every fishing map. Local marinas or bait camps should be more than happy to share information on where to put your kids on some fish. Depending on age, live bait may be the best choice. However, I take quite a few young boys and girls who do just fine using artificials. A lot of it depends on the time of year. With the summer months approaching there isn’t a better time to get them interested in fishing. May and June offer some of the most opportune times to catch trout and redfish. Brown shrimp are making their move to the Gulf and there’s nothing more exciting than getting youngsters on voracious schools of trout or redfish under birds. Undersized fish are usually not a concern if they’re getting hookups every other cast. Mixing in a little proper handling technique is encouraged. Pinching down barbs on jig heads helps prevent damaging trout that are to be returned to the water. This also makes for easier and faster hook removal. Instructing them to wet their hands before taking an undersized trout off the hook is good practice as is not letting them flop around on the floor of the boat (I’m talking about the fish, not the kids). Avoiding a “kill ‘em all” mentality is paramount. Just because a limit of something wasn’t caught doesn’t mean the trip was not a success. And, killing a big trout just because it’s the biggest trout they’ve ever caught is the exact opposite of doing the TSFMAG.com | 11
right thing. There is a reason why fewer nine and ten pound trout are caught nowadays (at least in Galveston Bay). I’m no tree-hugger but I believe in sustainability as well as giving others the opportunity to catch that 7-pound trout when she’s eight or nine pounds. Gluttony and ego propagate selfishness and waste, which is part of what’s wrong with our world today. Trust me; your little fishing buddy will take great pride in letting that big momma trout swim free. I’ve seen it 100% of the time. Setting a good example by radiating awareness and appreciation for the resource goes a long way. On-the-water etiquette is also important. Blazing through the middle of a reef where others are drifting or burning a shoreline occupied by waders qualifies as poor etiquette and may give the youngsters on the boat the idea that it is OK to do the same when they’re old enough to become boat owners. It sounds like common sense, but I see it almost every day. Safety is an obvious one. All kids twelve years and younger must wear a PFD when the boat is underway. Information about personal floatation devices and other safety requirements are available at www.tpwd.texas.gov. Wearing your kill switch is a great idea too! Having good equipment will help insure a more successful trip. A good spinning rig can be purchased for a reasonable price these days. Shimano offers a broad line that make casting and fighting fish a cinch. The Sienna is a good one to start them out with for around thirty bucks. The Sonora and Sedona are both very good choices as well for roughly twenty dollars more. The 2500 series is small enough to handle yet still holds an adequate amount of FINS WindTamer 20-pound braid (www.finsfishing.com). Make sure to spool the first 15 yards or so with a good quality 12 pound monofilament backing before finishing it off with braid. I use a uni-knot to tie the backing to the spool then a uni-to-uni for connecting the mono with the braid. Waterloo makes two very reasonably priced spinning rods that are durable yet sensitive. The Phantom and Salinity models are both great choices and very affordable (www. waterloorods.com). Teaching young fishermen how to catch fish on artificials is fun and rewarding. Quite a few folks have the perception that convincing a trout to eat something that is not squirming around on a hook requires masterful skill and finesse. Of course, there are certain times of the year when a specific twitch or dart of a jig will do the trick when nothing else will. But, we’re talking about summertime when trout are more concentrated in schools and their metabolism is higher. For all 12 | May 2015
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Steve Hillman Steve Hillman is a full-time fishing guide on his home waters of Galveston Bay. Steve fishes the entire Galveston Bay Complex, wading and drifting for trout, redfish, and flounder using artificial lures. Phone 409-256-7937 Email captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com Web www.hillmanguideservice.com
STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN
I
’ve watched many fishing shows on television, learning plenty from some, while scoffing and snickering at others. Episodes in which people attempt to catch trophy speckled trout with lures, of course, tend to pique my interest the most. I recall one I saw several years ago. The two famous Florida-based anglers hosting the show normally target other species, but chose this time to try and catch my favorite fish, large ones at that, and they stated they’d throw sinking twitch baits and topwaters primarily. All of it sounded interesting to me. I remember thinking, “Let’s see if these guys really know what they’re doing.” I smelled the first rat when they acknowledged they’d be fishing water shallow enough to wade, but would do so while standing on the deck of their boat. I know their choice made the cameraman’s job easier, but they clearly did not display a preference for getting in the water anyway, despite the warm weather which would have allowed them to wade wet without any discomfort. I counted their choice as strike one in the credibility game. The two anglers first tried throwing conventional floating plugs at
the fish without much luck, then decided they’d likely entice more strikes on slow-sinking twitch baits. They pulled out and tied on some lures with which I’m quite familiar. I am fond of many of MirrOlure’s twitch baits, including the Catch Five and MirrOdine, the lures of choice for our two experts. I watched them throw the lures out and listened as they explained how to use them, and they soon chalked up strike two. I quickly realized these captains did not have much experience using the lures, or they would never attempt to teach someone to present them the way they did. I noted they twitched their rod tips without turning the reel handles on the spinning reels they held, then stopped twitching altogether, to quickly reel up slack. “Dang,” I mused, “I’ve been trying to break people of that habit for years.” The anglers did eventually catch a handful of fish, some of which were trout, one of which stretched to about 21 or 22 inches. When they attempted to pass it off as the kind of trout they had set out to target, as a “trophy” trout, I rang up strike three and found some other programming to watch! No way these guys should ever have ventured so far out of their fields of expertise to film that day’s show;
they documented their inexperience and lack of real skill to anyone educated enough to know the sport. I share this story for a specific reason here, to caution the reader to think carefully about any source’s credibility when seeking out information or tips about a specialized form of angling. Listening to the advice of people who have limited experience with a specific method or with targeting and catching a particular kind of fish potentially leads to frustration and confusion in the end. With regard to the aforementioned show, I found the angler’s demonstration of their preferred techniques with slow-sinking twitch baits especially troubling. I’ve caught thousands of trout bigger than the three pounder the guys landed on their show on lures like the Catch Five and MirrOdine, and have published substantial written discourse attempting to explain how I like to present them to the fish. I’ve also created video clips to demonstrate the techniques. I would NEVER advise anyone to deploy them the way the two guys on the show did. People regularly ask me to give them advice on fishing lures like Paul Brown’s Lures, and pose questions like, “How are you throwing that lure in such shallow water without getting hung on the grass?” and “Why can’t I keep my Corky under the surface like you?” and “What is the secret to getting more bites with these lures?” Over time, I’ve identified the two main elements critical to effectively presenting slow-sinking twitch baits in the manner I prefer, one which closely resembles the way most anglers use conventional, cigar-shaped topwater plugs. In the following paragraphs, I’ll attempt once again to describe these elements, using some new ideas, which have recently come to mind. First, an angler must learn to twitch the rodtip while reeling at the same time. The rodtip moves the lure, while the reel handle serves to 18 | May 2015
Calm conditions generally make it easier to control the depth of presentations with slow-sinking twitch baits.
control the buildup of slack in the line. I have previously described the turning of the reel handle as “slow and steady”, but upon closer scrutiny, I realize I (and others who’ve mastered the technique) don’t turn the handle steadily while we twitch. Instead, we make partial turns, kind of like making a triangle with our hand, each movement equaling about one third of a complete revolution of the handle. In essence, each partial turn of the reel handle serves to take up some of the slack created by each twitch of the rodtip. The timing of the twitching and reeling takes on a rhythm, one I don’t consciously think about, but which comes about naturally. The development of the timing and rhythm of this twitching and reeling makes the presentation work, imparting a side to side movement in the head of the lure, while allowing the angler to control the depth of the presentation too. In order for this to work, the rodtip must pass back and forth through a fixed point, not move around over a long range, rising high over the angler’s head, then dropping back out in front again. Interestingly, I begin each series of twitches with a downward stroke, to throw slack. So, the cadence of my strokes would sound like this: Down-Up, Down-Up, Down-Up.....And I do make ten, twelve or even more strokes in succession at times, not just two or three or four. People who struggle to master this process do so because they stop turning the reel handle once they start twitching the rodtip. The cadence of their strokes would sound like this: Up, Up, Up...... (dropping the tip to repeat while reeling up slack).....Up, Up, Up.... (repeat). Instinctively, someone who begins twitching the rodtip without turning the reel handle will also begin lifting the rodtip to control the slack. They will make upward strokes in succession, without the offsetting downward strokes in between.
Eventually, said angler will have lifted the tip of the rod far enough to reach what I call a “fundamentally unsound angling position,” one where the butt of the rod lies closer to the lure than the tip. Once an angler reaches such a point, they will inevitably realize they’ve lost leverage, and consequently lost control of the lure, and they will return the rodtip to a point in front of them, closer to the lure, while taking up slack. Critically, this action causes a loss of control of the depth and movement pattern of the lure. I’ve demonstrated and narrated all this to people many times over. Some respond favorably and begin getting the hang of twitching and reeling rhythmically, keeping the rodtip in front of them and passing it back and forth through a fixed point, while others have tremendous difficulty mastering the technique. A person who’s spent lots of hours “walking the dog” with a topwater tends to get the hang of it much faster than one who’s spent decades fishing with soft plastics. My way of working a Corky Fat Boy or other similar slow-sinking twitch bait closely resembles a dog-walking presentation with a topwater, except I rarely stop turning the reel handle when I stop twitching. Normally, with a Super Spook or other floating plug, I will pause the reel handle between twitching sessions, sometimes for a full second or longer. I generally don’t like to pause for so long on the reel handle when deploying a sinking twitch bait, though. If I’m fishing a sinking twitch bait in fairly deep water, say waist deep or more, I sometimes find stopping the reel handle and allowing the lure to slowly sink after a series of twitches does prove effective. In fact, such a presentation won favor with me soon after I started using these types of lures nearly two decades ago. Significantly, I thought of them as specialty lures back then, for use in cold water, to coax strikes from lethargic fish found in water barely shallow enough for wading. I no longer think of these lures in this limited sense. Slow-sinking twitch baits can and do work well during all seasons, in both cold 20 | May 2015
Kenneth Havel caught on to the Captain’s preferred method with a FatBoy quickly, and this 10 pounder rewarded him handsomely.
and hot water, though they generate the most strikes in the mild seasons and moderate water temperatures. As with other lures, I fish them faster, with more erratic presentations in warm to hot water, and slower, with more subtle movement patterns in colder water. Most importantly, slow-sinking twitch baits allow for presentations of an appropriate speed in shallow water, where I often find myself targeting trophy trout. This family of lures revolutionized the sport specifically for that reason; they prove supremely effective when used in water depths ranging from less than two feet up to about three feet. Their effectiveness does, of course, depend on the skill of the angler deploying them. People who can’t learn to reel and twitch at the same time should probably forget about throwing these types of lures, and choose something they can control better. Furthermore, anyone trying to master the effective use of these plugs should emulate others who demonstrate mastery with them, not listen to the advice of people with limited experience using them. We all know you can’t believe everything you see or hear on the internet. Apparently, you can’t trust all the advice you get from fishing pros on television shows either!
Kevin Cochran Contact
An old-school presentation, involving vigorous twitches and long pauses allowing the Catch 5 to sink, produced this nine pounder for Kev on a cold day in February.
Kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has created several books and dvds on the subject. Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus Christi Bay to the Land Cut.
Trout Tracker Guide Service Phone Email Web
361-688-3714 kevxlr8@mygrande.net www.FishBaffinBay.com www.captainkevblogs.com
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STORY BY Billy Sandifer
B
illy has been a wonderful mentor and teacher in the ways of fishing and the natural world and given us tons of great reading over the years. I thought it might be fun and informative to look back on some memorable excerpts. This first one discusses weather phenomena and untimely presence of species. Billy has maintained meticulous records of weather for at least 30 years and “firsts” of various seasons. Comparing timely observations with his history of logbooks was always the basis for his fishing forecasts; it has never been his way to simply guess at what was going on. And he always had a conservation message. It seems the average angler is too busy making a living, hoping to fish on weekends, to be as busy recording natural events. But this has been Billy’s world. Here’s what Billy had to say in April 2003. - Editor An Early Spring — As of mid-March both air and water temperatures have been running a few degrees higher than they have for the past several years. Plants are budding out early, blue bonnets and primroses are blooming and several bird species have returned from their winter quarters. Everything shows signs of an early spring and it sure would be welcome around here. As a longtime observer and daily record keeper, I noticed in 1992 that our local weather pattern seemed to be going through a change. Spring can be a wonderful time to fish in the Coastal Bend, but starting in ’92 it seemed our spring season arrived later and later each year as Old Man Winter refused to leave on schedule. The result was that surf fishers lost some really fine fishing opportunities. I have almost gotten used to this pattern as the years passed because the situation seemed to exacerbate rather than return to normal. Last year was the most unusual that I ever remember in the surf. Sharks stayed through the winter regardless of the temperatures. A million or more little tunny showed up on March 16 and stayed a week, the trout fishing was unprecedentedly very good throughout July and August, large numbers of juvenile manta rays spent August in the PINS surf (first I’d ever seen in the surf in my entire life) and tarpon were present throughout the month of September in numbers not seen in many years. This winter, some numbers of sharks have remained present, a large mako was landed and released, tremendous numbers of Portuguese
man-of-war jellies turned miles of beach blue, and incredible numbers of baitfish shoaled nearshore and remained in the area throughout the period. And on 10 March a 25-pound-plus jack crevalle was sight-casted in the surf, a full six days earlier than any past record and 12 days ahead of my second earliest record. How wonderful are the prospects that we may enjoy one of those fine springs we used to enjoy regularly? One of the benefits of an early and perhaps even milder spring is that it affords shark anglers some of the best and easiest fishing of the year. The largest lesser blacktipped sharks are present in the spring months and these fish will come into extremely shallow water, which makes successful fishing possible by casting baits as well as kayaking them offshore. Scalloped hammerheads are also present in the highest numbers during spring. A word to shark fishers is appropriate here—these large female blacktipped sharks are full-term pregnant during April, so please take this into consideration prior to killing one as you are not killing one shark but several.
Speaking on developments in fishing tackle and accessories, Billy had this to say in January 2004. Billy was no tackle junkie, could never afford to be, but he was always keen to recognize opportunities to better equip himself and his clients because his business was catching fish. Continuing evolution of Texas saltwater fishing — I have always been told that change is inevitable and the only thing a man can manage is his own reaction to it. Somehow this has always made a lot of sense to me. There are so many things changing in the world of Texas inshore saltwater angling, and at such an unprecedented pace, that at times it seems almost overwhelming to an old hunter-gatherer like me. It’s as if I can hear the distant roar of change on the horizon, likened to the approach of a storm or a herd of large animals running hard across an open plain. New technology and products have a lot to do with it. Sophisticated new products are appearing on tackle store shelves faster than I have ever seen in my life. The diversity of new soft plastic lures alone is mindboggling. New lines, rods and reels appear regularly, along with
more efficient GPS units and other boating accessories aimed at serious, upper-end anglers. Today, choice is the only thing that remains truly simple. One either continues to do things as always and use the same tools year after year, or we adapt and accept newly available tools and equipment with open arms. I choose to utilize absolutely anything that has potential to make me a better angler and fishing guide. It’s not about keeping up with the Joneses; it’s about being the very best I can be and providing the very best possible service to my clients. It tickles me to read defenders of a long-accepted lure assure the world that the new “look alike” will be short-lived and never take the place of the original. Usually, some statement of how the new one “sinks too fast” is given as justification. If one really analyzes the situation, it may well be that he can remember days when the original couldn’t quite fill a need, and could have, IF the sink rate had been a bit faster. So to me, the new one is not attempting to gain the market from the original at all, but to offer the option of a similar but faster sinking lure. It would be ludicrous to assume the designer would not have matched the sink rate of the original if that had been the intent. So it’s not an “instead of” bait, but rather a new specialty bait the manufacturer hopes will fill a void in the modern angler’s tool kit. We live and fish in the era of specialty baits and I imagine we’ll be seeing plenty more of them. Today’s trout anglers fish in conditions that would have never been considered fishable in years past and it is only logical that a wider array of tools will become available due to the diversity of conditions now being fished. I have been around for some time and I remember lots of accepted truths from the past that would draw grins and giggles today. I remember when the only topwater lure used locally was the 7M MirrOlure. When the Cordell Broken Back arrived on the scene everybody knew it was too big to use for trout and would never work. I remember when common knowledge held that it was impossible to catch trout on topwaters until the water temperature reached at least 68 or 70 degrees. I also remember when shark fishing in the Texas surf ended in early fall and resumed in mid-March at the earliest. Don’t try for a split second to sell these theories to the anglers of the new millennium. I can remember when the complete tackle box contained but a handful of stuff and even fewer artificials. Now I have a bookcase filled with plastic containers of lures. Each performs more effectively than others during certain conditions and having each of them available greatly increases the chances of a successful outing regardless of conditions. The key to success is not only having a wide selection available, but also in knowing when each particular type will excel above the others.
Contact
Billy Sandifer Retired after 20+ years of guiding anglers in the Padre surf, Billy Sandifer (“Padre of Padre Island” to friends & admirers) is devoted to conserving the natural wonders of N. Padre Island & teaching all who will heed his lessons to enjoy the beauty of the Padre Island National Seashore responsibly. Website www.FriendsofPadre.com
T he I mpor tance
of
R ookeries
The spoil islands located in Texas bay systems are the nesting areas (also known as rookeries) of wading birds and several species of terns including black skimmers and laughing gulls. The wading birds that nest in our area include the herons, egrets, ibises, roseate spoonbills, American avocets, American oystercatchers and black-necked stilts. Suitable nesting habitat is limited and in many areas raccoons and coyotes make successful nesting impossible. Nesting birds are extremely sensitive to disturbance by man and simply intruding too close to a nesting area could possibly result in a nest being abandoned and the birds may or may not attempt to nest a second time. Seventy percent of the entire global population of reddish egrets nests within these coastal areas of Texas and there are only approximately 2,000 pairs on this continent. Reddish egrets almost went extinct due to plume hunting and it takes 3-4 years for them to reach sexual maturity. These are the comical appearing fishers that dance around in shallow water with their wings spread wide as if herding fish.
Part VI
STORY BY MARTIN STRARUP
A
fter Dale and Bodie got back from seeing Tommy in the hospital Dale immediately went to work on a warrant for one Raymond Woodford, and he piled on the charges. “I’m going to the County Attorney first thing in the morning. We’ll get the warrant details in order and see Judge Tiller,” Dale said. “Well, I need to go by the ranch and see Monroe about a few things. In the morning I have to see Mr. Connor about moving some cattle to a pasture we set aside last year,” Bodie replied. “Then I’d like to go by and visit Tommy for a while. Maybe take him a milk shake from the Dairy Princess or something.” Bodie left Monroe and the ranch late that evening and thought how lucky he was to have a man like Monroe to take up his slack when needed. He made a mental note to talk to Mr. Connor about increasing Monroe’s pay; he was worth it and that was for sure and certain. Bodie was tired but also pretty wired. He decided to drop by Haddon’s and see who was there. Grab a beer and something to eat, if Eloisa was still cooking. There was a good crowd of fifteen or so when he walked into his favorite haunt and saw Captain Red perched on his usual stool, holding court as always. Red saw Bodie, held two fingers up to Eloisa, and pointed to an empty table. “Any word on Tommy?” Red asked, sliding into a chair. Bodie told him of going to the hospital and getting to speak with Tommy for a while, and also of learning who had beaten and robbed him. “I remember that weasel from the tournament when he was with Tommy’s brother,” Red said. “Yeah, but there are things about the man you don’t know,” Bodie scowled. Eloisa came with two beers and Bodie ordered a chicken-fried steak. As she walked away he began telling Red everything he’d learned. “So this guy was in the Army, a Ranger sniper, got kicked out of the Army for God knows what, and then became a soldier of fortune?” Red was incredulous. “That’s what I know, Red. Now the only thing I want to know is where Raymond Woodford is at the moment,” Bodie replied. TSFMAG.com | 25
Red expressed doubt that Woodford was still around their parts, after having shot at Bodie and missed. But then you never know about those guys. “To be honest, Bodie, I cannot even remember what the guy looked like, except that he seemed to be in pretty good shape and very quiet.” “He did what I suppose he always did to stay alive when he was in a combat. Quiet, almost invisible, just another person in the crowd,” Bodie replied. “In fact, Red, if it hadn’t been that he was with Vince we’d have never paid him any mind at all.” Red nodded agreement and their talk turned to fishing and how long before Tommy might come home. “Me, and the VFD and the Ladies Auxiliary, we have his house all cleaned up. And when we know he’s coming home we’re going to stock the cabinets and fridge with things that he’ll be able to eat,” Red offered between sips. “That’s really nice of y’all to do that, Red.” Red filled Bodie in on some nice trout he’d gotten into on the south shoreline and how someone had stolen a bunch of tackle out of a pickup down at the marina. “Problem for the thieves, they didn’t notice warden Wigginton parked on the side of the road watching the boat ramp,” Red grinned out the side of his mouth, the way he did when relating a comic tale. “He nailed ‘em right there and later found out they’d been stealing rods and reels all the way down to Aransas Pass. They recovered a lot of gear and now they’re trying to find out what belongs to who,” he said. Bodie laughed and said that hanging would be too good for them. Red chuckled at that and drained his mug while Bodie stabbed the last bit of steak with his fork. “Well, I better head to the house,” Red said. “Mama said something about going into Houston tomorrow for shopping and a ‘go out and spend a bunch of money supper’ so I’m going to need my beauty sleep,” Red said with a laugh. “You’re not going to get enough sleep to get beautiful, you old reprobate.” Red called back something obscene but thankfully he was already out the door and partway down the steps, toward his modified golf cart. Nobody heard him. Bodie paid his tab and filled Eloisa in on Tommy’s condition. Eloisa said she wanted to name a cheeseburger after Tommy, and did Bodie think he would like that? Bodie allowed that Tommy would be tickled to death. He bid good night and headed to the house. He took a shower and then switched on an old western that was so good he stayed awake until it was over. “Always did think ol’ Tom Selleck was a better cowboy and gun fighter than a detective in Hawaii,” he mused. Bodie tossed and turned. He kept thinking about Raymond Woodford and wondering where the man was. “A combat veteran
and a mercenary and not scared to take a shot at someone. A good person to stay the hell away from,” Bodie said to himself as he closed his eyes, hoping sleep would come. Something felt wrong and his sleeping was not restful. Suddenly he was fully alert. He didn’t move a muscle, just listened until he was certain that no one was in the room with him and then slowly opened his eyes. His bedroom was dark and nothing seemed amiss but, something wasn’t right and he could feel it. Slowly he swung his legs over the side of the bed, grasping the .45 automatic from the nightstand. He stepped to the side of the bedroom door that opened into a hallway that led to the front of his home. Kneeling and tilting his head he could see with one eye the hallway floor that was partially lit from a nightlight that he kept on. Still, he knelt motionless and listened. He slowed his breathing as his heart stopped pounding in his chest. After three or four minutes he stood slowly and moved carefully into the hallway. Bare feet and BVDs, Bodie moved silently down the hall toward the den and using his thumb and index finger so no noise would be made, he moved the thumb safety on the big Colt from Safe to Fire. He took note that the doors to other rooms along the hallway were closed as they usually were. Then he stopped about three yards from where the hall opened into the den and paused again to listen. Bodie heard nothing but sensed someone was outside or possibly already in the house. He moved to the opening of the den and stopped again, listening, anything, that might give an intruder away. The only sound was the ticking of the grandfather clock across the room. He could see the front door was shut and the dead bolt was locked. He could make out that the back door on the far side of the kitchen was closed as well but the angle was wrong to see the lock. The only light in the kitchen was from the digital clock on the microwave and the fancy coffee pot that he had gotten for Christmas a few years earlier. They cast an eerie blue-green light in the dark room. Bodie began to move slowly and silently back to his bedroom keeping his eyes on the end of the hallway the entire way. He took his cell phone from the nightstand and dialed 911 then put it under his pillow and slowly retraced his steps back to the den. There were two ways that he could get into the kitchen. He could move straight ahead towards the back door or cross the large den and get into the kitchen from the doorway on that side. He felt safer crossing the den. Bodie knelt and with his pistol at the ready he peeked into the den. The constant tick-tock of the clock was driving him nuts as he scanned the room. No one was there, no boogieman hiding by the bookcase or sitting in his recliner. Bodie stood and as quietly as possible and
His bedroom was dark and nothing seemed amiss but, something wasn’t right and he could feel it.
26 | May 2015
28 | May 2015
door again before moving into the kitchen. He looked at the dead bolt on the back door and took note that it was still locked. It was 5:30 and no way he was going back to bed for thirty minutes. He spooned coffee into the basket and started a pot brewing. Sitting to enjoy a cup he noticed his hands still trembling from the nightmare. He put the mug he’d been clasping unconsciously with both hands on the table in front of him and that’s when he noticed the object between the salt and pepper shakers. A loaded 7.62x51 military round—with his name scratched on the brass case. Continued next month!
Martin Strarup
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inched toward the kitchen doorway. “The hell with it,” he finally muttered and slid along the wall and into the kitchen. The big Colt ready but no one was there. He felt foolish and looking at the clock saw it was only 1:00 AM. Bodie laid the pistol on the kitchen table, moved to a cabinet and removed a bottle of twelve year old George Dickel. Taking a glass from the dish drain he poured a couple fingers of the smooth whisky. Savoring the flavor as the liquid warmed his throat, Bodie dropped the glass and jumped backwards when the back door exploded and a man in camouflage stood pointing a large caliber rifle right at him! “You forgot to check the back door, Cowboy,” Raymond Woodford said. Bodie looked at his pistol lying less than two feet away on the table. “Forget it, Cowboy. You’re not that fast, you’ll be dead before you can reach for it. As a matter of fact, you’re already dead.” Bodie saw the muzzle flash. He bolted upright in the bed, grabbing at his chest with one hand and for his pistol with the other. Flying out of bed he hugged a wall, struggling for breath. He was dizzy and nauseated but managed to get a grip as he sank back to the edge of the bed. “A dream, a dang nightmare. That’s all it is,” he said aloud. “Good Lord Almighty… Whew... Where did that come from?” Bodie moved into his bathroom and splashed water on his face, then used a towel to dry his face and also the sweat beading on his entire body. Picking the pistol up from the lavatory he moved down the hall, scanned the den and checked the dead bolt on the front
Martin Strarup is a lifelong saltwater enthusiast and outdoorsman. Martin is also a collector and dealer of vintage fishing tackle and lures, especially those made in Texas. Email
Trouthunter@swbell.net
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STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE
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everal years ago I made a couple of great life decisions concerning my family and my fishing. My son, Hunter, who will turn 20 this year, had just entered high school and was an aspiring baseball player with a ridiculously hectic summer schedule. Weekend baseball tournaments put an absolute dent in your schedule and really made guiding fishermen a challenge for me. My days on the water began to get whittled down but I had no problem with that because I enjoyed every minute watching my son play ball. Once I got a handle on how many days I could guide each year I decided if I was going to run
a reduced schedule I would run the kind of trips I enjoyed the most and for me that’s chasing redfish in the shallow marshes around Sabine and Calcasieu. My love for that style of fishing has grown exponentially over the years and it gets better every day I do it. Recently I saw a Bible verse that sums up how I feel every time I climb up on that poling platform, “God saw all that He had made, and behold it was very good.” When I get the opportunity to climb atop the platform and survey the marsh surroundings, I think instantly to myself, “Yes, this truly is very good.” There are not many
places in the world I would rather be and if at all possible, I will continue to do this and catch a college baseball game as well. The months of April and May can be downright maddening for sight-angling because you can go from the highest highs to the lowest lows in the blink of an eye. The weather becomes almost “Chamber of Commerce” perfect with increasing hours of daylight and everything is great—until the wind decides to howl for several days. All of a sudden that gin clear water becomes murky as a stale Yoo-hoo and it would seem every fish in the estuary has packed up and headed off in search of more friendly confines.
Now the flip side to this is when it all just gets really, really right. Light wind, superb water clarity for days, and hungry, happy fish are what shallow water folks dream and pray for on a daily basis. Early in the year you can go from one scenario to the other faster than you can imagine so having a plan for both is a necessity. I have a couple of things I personally look for that have certainly helped me sift through the miles of marsh and locate more productive bodies of water. On days when winds are light and you have good water clarity, it’s obviously easy to really look things over. The first thing I start looking for is quality vegetation and/or grass. There are several
different species of grass that grow in our marshes and each can be a magnet for fish. The abundance of grass in a pond or shallow water area contributes greatly to water clarity as it acts like a natural filter. Comparing water clarity from ponds with grass to those without is like comparing night and day. Now sometimes due to high rainfall or really big wind, even ponds with good grass will murk up and be nasty. But on most days it’s a given that good grass equals good clarity. The abundance of vegetation also helps hold bait in the area like shrimp and smaller fin fish; shad, mullet, etc. Having a constant supply of food hanging around is like ringing the dinner bell every day for these redfish and you can bet they take advantage of the buffet. Another plus the vegetation provides is cover the redfish utilize for both ambush and safety. In the deeper ponds those fish will lay under the big mats of grass because the temperature will be much cooler there. June, July and August will drive the temperatures high in the shallow ponds so any relief from the heat is bonus to those fish. Next on the list is the presence of either crabs or shrimp in the area you want to fish. After years of looking at stomach contents from redfish I am convinced that they eat far more crabs than anything and that’s followed closely by shrimp. Now don’t get me wrong, I know those redfish will eat their share of shad and mullet but those crabs are tops on their snack list. If you are fortunate to find perfect sized crabs, meaning 2- to 3 inches across the carapace points, you have found a gold mine. It’s amazing to see that once you locate crabs like that it’s not long before you start seeing fish. Redfish have to root crabs from grass and other bottom clutter, and here comes another beauty of the tasty crustaceans, a redfish intent on having a crab for dinner will allow you some amazing opportunities to get into crazy close casting and photographic range. I know several excellent fishermen who “create” their own crab-attracting structure with pieces of wooden pallets and other materials in strategic locations. Habitat enhancement, if you will. Now if you have water clarity, grass, and crabs in an area you have
32 | May 2015
placed a ton of odds in your favor before you even start. It goes without saying a little tidal influence is always a welcome factor along with a tiny bit of wind. Those days when the water is slick calm will make it difficult at times to get close to those redfish because it’s just so hard to keep from spooking them with either noise or pressure from an approaching boat. A light ripple on the water will do wonders to cover up any mistakes you make on your approach. It’s well worth it to have the light breeze because it not only offers up some noise cover it helps out with your drift as well. Now with all these factors aligned in your favor there is one more thing that is an absolute “must have” and we’re talking eyewear here. I cannot even imagine leaving the dock without high-quality polarized fishing glasses. Several months ago I tried out the new offerings from Salt Life and I continue to be very happy with them. I really like how light they are and the Zeiss lenses rank second to none in my book. Perhaps one of the coolest things about the pair I wear is the fact they have very little rubber on them. In the past on some of the other brands I have worn I noticed that the
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rubber around the nose piece or on the frames would get almost gummy from sunscreen. The glasses would be fine but the rubber just got nasty and made it uncomfortable and very difficult to keep clean. The Salt Life glasses have been top notch for me and I would certainly tell anyone who is in the market to at least give them a look. I do not believe you will be disappointed. The best months of the year are ahead and from what I have seen lately the quality of fish and also the fishing is very impressive. I am really looking forward to seeing just exactly what this season will hold for us. As long as I’m not at a baseball diamond you can bet I’ll be somewhere in the marsh poling around my little aluminum skiff with a wide-eyed smile on my face.
Contact
Chuck Uzzle Chuck fishes Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes from his home in Orange, TX. His specialties are light tackle and fly fishing for trout, reds, and flounder.
Phone Email
409-697-6111 cuzzle@gt.rr.com
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STORY BY JOE RICHARD
Kingfish caught off the upper Texas coast by Dale Fontenot. Sharp teeth as well. This one was released. Photo by Beaumont’s Pete Churton.
L
ots of kingfish are caught off the Texas coast every summer, but there are also what I call deceiver fish sometimes mistaken for kings. A big Spanish mackerel looks very much like a young kingfish, because both have spots. There is also the cero mackerel growing to 12 pounds, though it’s rare off Texas. I’ve even seen wahoo mistakenly weighed in as kingfish in tournaments, though not often. There are many kinds of fish out there. It’s always good to know your fish ID, however. Get into a school of Spanish mackerel mixed with small kings, and you’d best know your fish
before the game warden comes calling. Another bonus: you can school in that year class, as well, and we’ve mostly run into them in pick out prime fish from a mixed catch. Spanish are tastier than July. I used to release these smaller kings, but after recently baking kings, and the cero is the best of all three. And of course wahoo the filets from a 3-4 pounder, seven months in the freezer (vaccumfillets are like turkey breast. wrapped), they were so good on the table, we vowed only to keep The same mistaken identities sometimes happen with wahoo and only the smallest kings from now on. We release the bigger ones barracuda, at least for a few minutes. Troll a lure around a platform except in tournaments. in blue water, watch it disappear in a boil of foam, and you might Spanish mackerel often fall prey to big kingfish. Mixing together have either one—while targeting kingfish. Both of these alternate when young, the two species part their friendly ways when the species and the king have a different style of battle however, and an kings continue to grow up to five feet long and higher up on experienced captain will know the score within minutes and sometimes the food chain. Several times we’ve been shocked—while busily seconds. For the part-timer, a closer look when the fish is alongside the hauling in Spanish—to see a huge king skyrocket with a wiggling boat will show which of the five species he’s hooked up with. Spanish in his mouth. Once this happened only 20 feet away, a An experienced angler can spot the subtle differences in the three 50-pound king hanging above us in the sky with a three-pound mackerels, at least up close: The Spanish carries a coal-black dorsal Spanish held by a tiny piece of belly, wiggling desperately, before fin, while the king’s dorsal is a dull gray. And the cero, which is really the king pivoted and came down head-first with his luckless prize. a tropical mackerel from coral reefs and rum latitudes, has abundant This was in 50 feet of water at a quiet platform we were tied to. yellow dashes instead of dots, along with a long golden stripe down It was years ago and we were slack-jawed with wonder. We later the middle that is impossible to miss. Let’s realized that slow-trolling a Spanish mackerel (dead) behind look at these deceiver fish: the boat will draw hits from sizeable kings, even right in the A typical Spanish mackerel with prop-wash. One day off Port O’Connor a king the black dorsal fin. Very tasty and a bag limit of 15 per day. jumped at eye level with my trolled Spanish, almost hitting the cowling of our outboard motor, a near-miss. A little closer and it would have landed in the boat. Which might not have been as much fun, as it sounds.
Cero mackerel
Spanish Mackerel These tasty, sporty mackerel show up in decent numbers in the Texas surf in May and stay at least around the state water platforms into October. Great sport on the jetties, while slinging gold spoons; that’s how we caught a great many of them over the years. One notable Labor Day at the jetties, Miss Amy and I put a hundred pounds of big Spanish in the boat, using spoons. This was before today’s daily bag limit of 15 fish, which is very generous. Even now two anglers catching 30 big ones could still get very close to a hundred-pound day. The Texas record Spanish is 8.74 pounds. But sometimes Spanish mix with small, three pound kings that favor the same artificial A pair of fine cero mackerel baits. They fight exactly the same, caught in the Florida Keys along and have spots. Small kings seem to 38 | May 2015
the reef. One of these almost surpassed the state record.
The cero is the tastiest of the mackerel family, so if you catch one, save it for yourself! Unfortunately, this is a tropical mackerel that favors warm, coral reefs in southern latitudes, putting it out of reach of most U.S. anglers. On a typical day you can reasonably expect to catch a few ceros in The Bahamas while fishing the reefs. In the Florida Keys, at the northern edge of its range, the cero is often seen and they’re a welcome bonus while reef fishing. Our own Flower Gardens coral reef off Galveston and Sabine Pass would seem to be the best bet for catching a state record. I’ve searched and found no listing for a Texas state record cero. With the Florida record cero at 15.5 pounds, you can see how a mackerel of this size would be mistaken for a king, at least for several minutes. However, all of those golden markings on the cero are hard to miss. These tropical mackerel
Wahoo This is the heavyweight of the mackerel family, maxing out at about 150 pounds, a true pelagic wanderer found ‘round the world. The Texas record is 124 pounds. Hook one of the these babies on lighter kingfish tackle, and you’ll likely get smoked. In fact any number of anglers have been spooled by wahoo, and many remain convinced they were cleaned out, spooled by a big kingfish that couldn’t be stopped. Evidence: One day I was casting and working a 3-ounce spearhead bucktail jig That’s no kingfish, it’s a wahoo! This fish with a stinger hook a foot is always a welcome bonus on the water. Landed by a Bridge City angler. behind it. Attached was a fresh 30-inch ribbonfish we’d taken from a shrimpboat back in Galveston harbor, when these prime baitfish are available in large size every August. The strike jarred me and the reel fairly smoked, the rod bent deep. We were convinced this was the kingfish we’d hoped for. Problem was, my Ambassadeur 7000 reel was almost empty in a few seconds. We cranked both engines and backed down at full speed, while I hung over the transom in desperation with a couple of feet of 30-pound line left on the spool. Soon, and about 100 yards away, there was a sudden flurry on the surface…what? We’d never seen a kingfish do that before. Perhaps 20 minutes later and after many circles below, a ponderous shape appeared in the depths, a kingfish shape, but darker with tiger stripes. It was a 69-pound wahoo, with three rusty 8/0 hooks in his jaw, each hook connected through the eyes. The big fish had obviously spooled or broke off another angler, the year before. Who probably thought it was a kingfish, as well. Back at the Galveston kingfish tournament weigh-in, where we had nothing dramatic to weigh, we pulled the wahoo tail from the SSI cooler, just a little, hoping to alarm other contestants. But a beady-eyed old captain on the dock announced it was only a wahoo, which spoiled our fun. At least we had a pile of tasty fillets. The wahoo is a formidable, pelagic predator shaped much like 40 | May 2015
a king, but the wahoo’s stripes are a quick giveaway. The stripes fade quickly in the fish box, but there is usually blue coloring left on the head. Wahoo teeth are smaller than a king’s built like a fine saw blade, though still capable of clipping heavy mono leaders or inflicting harm. There are stories of wahoo flying into boats on occasion, one even sailing through a porthole right into the confined quarters of a kitchen/galley on a Pacific partyboat, creating mahem on a hot stove…
Barracuda This joker is built much like the kingfish, though with a weaker tail. But with far more damaging teeth that can sever and cleave bigger fish with little effort. Oddly, the ‘cuda is usually a poor fighter in deep water, wallowing sluggishly after the strike. On southern bonefish flats they can turn and burn however, sometimes jumping 25 feet on the strike—a thrilling sight. Capable of hitting almost anything, the ‘cuda is especially fond of live baits. Troll too close to a Gulf platform in blue water, and very likely that bait is sacrificed to razor teeth. The ‘cuda is widely scorned by some anglers, especially the tournament crowd. Why? ‘Cudas have maimed big, hooked kingfish during tournaments, getting the king disqualified from contention. They’re also toxic around certain coral reefs, carrying ciguatera poisoning, and since they travel widely, a poison fish may be caught far from any coral reef. On the Hefty barracuda dragged plus side, they’re handy aboard a partyboat. cut bait for the deepCaught at night under the drop guys out in blue water. lights in blue water. Watch out for those teeth, you might draw back a nub.
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hit the same jigs, trolling plugs and spoons that its cousins favor. And cero undoubtedly fall prey to hungry kingfish that grow huge in the Caribbean. A solitary reef mackerel of five pounds would make a fine dinner for a hungry, 60-pound king cruising along the coast of Cuba, for instance.
Excerpted from the book The Kingfish Bible, New Revelations.
Joe Richard Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arthur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast. He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida Sportsman’s book and assistant magazine editor. He began guiding out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, New Revelations. Available at Seafavorites.com
STORY BY PAM JOHNSON
P
ort Mansfield has always held a special place in my heart. Everett and I spent our honeymoon in Port Mansfield and it is also where I have landed several of the largest trout of my fishing career. So, what better place to take my son for his thirtieth birthday? We packed up and headed south on a Thursday afternoon. We spent Thursday night preparing all the right baits…so we thought…until the famous Mike McBride showed up on our front porch with a HUGE bag of “secret stuff” from soft plastic to topwater. Mike said, “I heard ya’ll were coming and I put something together that works down here.” He went on to explain how each one worked, when to use it and why it was going to work. I had booked Capt. Tricia for two days in search of a trophy trout for Jason’s birthday. The moon was right but the weather was iffy. We had a front that was going to move in on us on day two. I was hoping we could get the job done on day one and avoid the approaching front. No such luck! The boat was loaded and off we went, Jason and his buddy, Bryan Lawrence, aka Llama. Tricia and I shared bucket seats at the helm, the boys perched on a cooler seat in front of the console behind a mountain of wading gear and ice chests filled with food and drinks; after all, it was to be a birthday party. Everything pointed toward a great day of fishing. We waded a few places with only bites of small trout and an occasional red that we were all sure was “the big one.” We fished hard all day. My thoughts were that the big ones would feed before the front arrived the next afternoon. The guys decided they would hang out that evening with Mike and have a little jam section, Port Mansfield style, on the front porch. Jason on the guitar, Mike on the
harmonica and Patrick and Llama doing backup. This went on until about midnight. I finally told the guys we came here to fish and it’s time to go to bed. Mike said something about me being “Broomhilda” but then agreed it was time to call it a night. As the sunrise appeared and we headed into it, it was quite different than the day before. I felt a sense of caution and uncertainty, knowing we had a front approaching. We decided to fish closer to the harbor and not venture as far as we had the day before. The fish acted about the same as the day before, tons of bites, some nice fish but, all small. I could see the front approaching in the distance but we continued to fish. Just one more cast…gotta be a big one mixed in here somewhere. It was around ten o’clock as we headed to another spot, the phone rang and it was Mike. “Y’all need to get back to the dock now! The front is in Raymondville and has gusts of 30 to 40.” We headed in and made it to the dock just as the winds hit and the rain began to pour. The front moved though as fast as it arrived dropping temperatures and some lingering rain. Tricia asked, “Do you want to go back out?” Spirits heavily dampened, the guys said, “Well, uh, I don’t know.” Before they could get another word out, I said, “We came here to fish; Let’s go!” And off we went again. There was a definite change in the bite, fewer and farther between. We moved a couple of times and the result was the same. At the next stop Tricia decided to put a topwater bait on and…bam she was on a 29-incher! The guys quickly changed to topwaters. I told Tricia I would go back to the boat and get the camera so we could make photos of her fish. I was on the boat getting the camera when Jason had a huge blowup. Worried that he might not land it, I yelled, “She’s green, Jason, don’t horse her. Be careful or you’ll lose her!” I was able to zoom in with my camera and get some really cool action shots of him landing his lifetime dream speckled trout. A thirty-incher no less, and on his thirtieth birthday fishing trip. We shot photos as quickly as possible, got her revived, and set her free to fight again. Later, reminiscing over his catch, Jason said, “When I saw Tricia change baits I knew that’s what I needed to do and all I can remember is hearing Mike the night before saying, ‘Now you got to let that bait roll over the waves naturally and work it slow.’” “Best birthday ever…Thanks Mom!”
44 | May 2015
J AY WAT K I N S
A S K THE P R O
Do your thing
and let the fish do theirs! I had a really good story line in mind for this month but then the tides went low and we received even more rain, which led to even more run-off, which led to really stained water. I decided to talk instead about what I have been doing to catch trout in these conditions. It is widely regarded by many fishermen that redfish are not as affected by fresh water as trout. I owe my confidence in catching trout in brackish to downright fresh water to long time Galveston guide, Mickey Eastman. One afternoon on Sabine Lake, prior to a TroutMasters tournament more years ago than I care to remember, Mickey sold me on not worrying about fresh water run-off. There is of course a limit as to what the trout can or will put up with but seldom along the Middle to Lower Texas Coast do we have to worry about too much rain creating salinity levels that completely run the trout out of a system. Mickey tasted the water before his first cast, “Perfect,” he said. So I dipped a handful and tasted Heavy trout for the author during the recent influx of fresh water run-off.
46 | May 2015
for myself. You see, I was unsure what “perfect” tasted like. Never forgot that lesson and it has saved the day more than a few times for me over the years. In many cases the fresh water, due to being lighter, lies only in a thin layer at the surface of the water column. In St. Charles recently I could actually see the salty green water in my wheel wash as I motored into the shoreline. I am still concentrating on shallow areas of structure such as scattered shell, submerged grass beds and sandbars. The sandbars for some reason seem to be more productive than the other two types of structure lately. Not sure why but the mullet seem to want to congregate on these bars and the results have been good numbers of above-average trout and redfish cruising the adjacent deeper guts and drop-offs. One day last week was like magic, we eased up on a midbay bar and noticed hundreds of mullet milling over the top. I immediately instructed my two guys to NOT walk up on the bar or into the bait. “It’s going to happen right here if we allow it to develop,” I barked. I tend to do that when I get excited. My way of coaching. My group did terrific and we had a 40-plus release day and even kept enough for a fresh trout dinner. Here’s my theory on this; why the bait wants to be so shallow. Shallow evidently feels safer to them than the stained water that surrounds the bar. Gamefish stick out like a sore thumb on white sand, I promise, and hunting there has to be tougher for them. I believe the mullet feel safety in numbers, and up in the shallow clear water, they have a better chance of escaping. Probably hog wash but it has worked like a charm the past two weeks in about four different bay systems. I I named this fish the am headed to Baffin in Corky Stopper! Custom the morning to test my Corky – Gold Hologram, for stained or fresh water. theory in brown tide. My understanding is that during periods of abundant rainfall, run-off in the bay kills parasites that feed on shrimp and crab larvae. This allows for a dramatic increase in the population of these two forage sources which in turn congregates gamefish seeking them. The long term effect of
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the run-off we are experiencing right now can only be positive. Look for more gulls to be working over schools of trout and reds this fall with the abundance of shrimp we should have. One of the biggest misconceptions in saltwater fishing when working with fresh water run-off is that the fish can’t see the bait. The truth is they don’t have to see it, they can feel it. When sight is restricted other senses become keener. The water in the lake in the back of my house has never had more than about an inch of visibility and Ryan and Jay Ray have caught literally hundreds of bass out of it. Maybe the same one over and over but they still caught them. It is true that sometimes we employ rattles in our plastic baits or use other lures that have noise making capabilities. This definitely has its time and place but I am still always amazed at the ability fish have to find a lure, and this brings us to another topic. Scented lures were prevalent in bass fishing long before they made their way to us. Old timers used WD 40 on spoons and Bingos believing it added something extra. It very well could have but I never tried it. Anise oil has long been used in many soft plastic baits. It smells like licorice to me and I like licorice so if the trout and reds don’t eat them I guess I could. I ate my dogs beef jerky once without realizing that it was for the dog. It was a little stringy but tasty. Many of the Bass Assassins are impregnated with B.A.N.G. scents from the factory. B.A.N.G. comes in pure garlic, shrimp, crab, anise and menhaden and can be added to non-scented lures. B.A.N.G. is formulated for slow dispersion in water, and when applied to your lures, is said to elicit a feeding response. Be careful to read the rules if you’re fishing a tournament as some do not allow certain types of scent attractants. I put scent on my lures occasionally but not on a daily basis. I personally like both the anise and garlic versions of B.A.N.G. products. Then of course there is Berkley’s GULP, which is pretty darn close to natural bait, and I have certainly used it as a last ditch to get stubborn fish to eat. I have a tackle room with over 25 rods along an entire wall. I have never caught my dog on a Corky, Bass Assassin or Spoon. Leave GULP on a jig and I’ll be extracting the hook from Roxy’s mouth if I leave the door open. Think about that! So I hope I have given you a bit of insight on fishing in bays where fresh water run-off from time to time affects water clarity. Mentally, it affects fishermen way more than it impacts the fish. Redfish thrive in the brackish fresh stuff but trout fishermen often overlook some of their best big trout haunts when fresh water arrives. Maybe after reading this article you will give those areas a better effort the next time you feel that fresh water run-off has ruined your chances. Loyal readers and followers know that I do not shy away from dirty stuff nor am I deterred by fresh water when it arrives. Confidence in my fishing ability is one thing I am not short on. Neither are my boys, and believe me, that is a good thing in the fishing world as well as the job world. The next time you find yourself looking at day-old iced tea-looking water, think positive. Do your thing and let the fish do theirs. I’m betting you will find one another. May your fishing always be catching! -Guide Jay Watkins Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 20 years. Jay specializes in wading yearround for trout and redfish with artificial lures. Jay covers the Texas coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi Bay. Telephone Email Website
361-729-9596 Jay@jaywatkins.com www.jaywatkins.com
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Figuring out redfish Anyone who has read here for long knows I’m a redfish addict. I love studying their habits and trying to figure out what they’re going to do from day to day and season to season. Well, the spring transition is underway. Time to re-figure. The cold fronts are done and the water along the upper coast has crossed the 70-mark. This means several things in my world. First off, the gin-clear water of winter has turned green, or perhaps brown if the nasty southwest gets to honkin’. Sight-casting in the marshes has transitioned from seeing fish cruising in a foot or two to looking for signs and maybe doing a bit more blind-casting. All is not lost, though. Predators on the feed in shallow water produce a lot of sign—if you know what to look for. The most obvious, of course, are the times when they get skinny enough to actually show themselves. Almost every customer expresses hope that we’ll find tailing reds. True tailing though doesn’t happen all that much in the marshes of the upper coast, at least not enough to count on it. Reds on submerged grass areas are much more likely to do the classic headstand and tail wave. Marsh reds tend to tip upward briefly and 50 | May 2015
then disappear. Blink and you’ll miss it. The next tip may happen a few feet away or perhaps yards down the shoreline. Having observed them from atop the poling platform for years, it makes sense. The typical marsh shoreline is a vast mud flat. There are occasional crab burrows, chunks of oyster or maybe an old tire; but little else to hold their attention. Cruising redfish will slide over to these little pieces of structure and lean in to look around for a bite. While doing this their tail often slips above the surface. Once satisfied that nothing is there they’ll move on to the next spot. The exception is when they spot a crab. It’s fun to watch them tail like crazy trying to figure out how to get the snack. To catch these intermittent tailers in dirty water takes patience and a little luck. You can either wait them out for the next time the tail appears and make the cast, or make a guess-cast where you think they may have headed. When using spin or casting gear, a Buggs jig is our go-to when I see this kind of activity. When fly fishing, it usually takes a weighted fly to get down to the bottom and get their attention. What I tend to see more often than tailers are
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crawlers. Redfish aren’t shy about venturing into super skinny water to feed. A good low tide early or late tends to be best, but I’ve seen them plowing through inches of water in the middle of the hottest days of summer. Nothing gets my blood pumping like seeing a big red waddling across a mud flat with his back exposed to his eyeballs. These fish are there to feed and tend to be pretty aggressive. They’re also very spooky. I’m sure they feel pretty vulnerable while doing this. Approach only as close as you feel comfortable casting, the further away the better. A soft landing is critical. Non-weighted soft plastics like a DOA shrimp will do the trick. If you must have some weight in the lure to make the distance you’ll need to land it away from the fish and then reel it into position. If the red is cruising close to the bank I’ll throw onto the mud and then slip the lure back into the water. You want to position the lure in their path and let them find it. When you think he’s close enough to see it, give it a twitch. Too much and he’ll spook, not enough and he won’t notice
52 | May 2015
it. Fly fishing really shines when chasing crawlers. Dropping a nonweighted fly right on their nose will often get an impressive take. Absent tails or backs showing, it comes down to deciphering subtle clues. Baitfish will often snitch on a cruising red. We’ve all heard the term “nervous bait.” I am often asked what that actually means or what it looks like. Well, it can be a lot of things. Any baitfish that isn’t acting calm and going about its business could indicate a predator is near. Mullet nosing along the top or lazily jumping aren’t nervous, they’re just doing mullet things. Mullet gathering into tight groups on the surface are nervous; something is up and they’re not happy. Blind-casting in the area behind or to the sides of them will often get you bit. A mullet that jumps on a low trajectory one or more times has crossed from nervous to frightened. Try to hit right on his tail. You’ll get bit and save his life. It’s a win-win—unless you’re the redfish. Spring brings swarms of various juvenile baitfish. Often these schools will appear as a cloud in the water. They always look nervous on some level. When you’re the littlest guy in the marsh it’s understandable. What I look for with these big schools of tiny bait are little showers clearing the surface. Most often this will indicate little trout or ladyfish slashing into the bait balls from underneath. But sometimes it’ll lead you to a red that’s cruising below them. Small, shiny flies and spoons will usually be the best options, but I’ve been frustrated many times in these situations. It’s hard to imitate a bunch of microbait with a lure and I think the predators are just rushing into the biggest
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pile instead of targeting individuals. One day I had this happening with Spanish mackerel. After throwing most everything I could think of I had an idea. A clear, soft plastic paddle tail with lots of glitter. It must’ve looked like a small school had separated because it worked when nothing else would. Since then I’ve also used it on flounder busting into passing bait balls. The earliest of juvenile shrimp will also be showing soon. They’ll be really tiny and hugging the saltgrass shorelines. When a red cruises down a shoreline the little shrimp will dimple the surface like rain. They aren’t big enough to be on the red’s menu yet, but they apparently don’t know that. Lead the rain shower a little bit and throw tight to the grass. It’s just about a sure thing. Sight-casting in the off-color water of spring isn’t easy and it doesn’t always work out. If the reds are on the feed and you’re observant it can certainly be productive, but when they go neutral and the bite is off, it’s time to bite the bullet and start blind-casting. Still beats being stuck in the office or mowing the lawn.
54 | May 2015
Capt. Scott Null is a devout shallow water fisherman offering guided adventues via kayak, poled skiff, and wading. Telephone Email Website
281-450-2206 scott@tsfmag.com www.captainscottnull.com
The author holds a moon jelly (Aurelia aurita) during a recent TPWD sampling trip.
By Heidi Heim-Ballew | Upper Laguna Madre Coastal Fisheries Division Intern
FIELD N O TE S
Are the Jellyfish Moving In? Jellyfish are gelatinous organisms that have been in existence for over 500 million years. While pulsating and drifting in the water column, they are commonly seen along the Texas coast among beachgoers. Jellyfish undergo an immobile polyp stage prior to broadcast spawning which releases eggs into the water column to be fertilized by adult jellyfish. Once developed, jellyfish will move through the water column, free-floating with the current or through self-propulsion, for the duration of this mobile medusa life stage until maturation is complete. The Texas coast is home to several loosely related jellyfish species including the purple stinging Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis), moon jelly (Aurelia aurita), Atlantic stinging nettle (Chrysaora quinquecirrha), the harmless cabbage head jellyfish (Stomolophus meleagris) and a variety of ctenophore species. 56 | May 2015
Many coastal areas worldwide, including the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and bays in Namibia and Japan, have observed and documented an increase in jellyfish abundances in response to changing ecosystems and environmental conditions. Much research has been conducted to determine why jellyfish abundances have been increasing over the past few decades and human induced factors seem to be at the top of list. Overfishing has removed many predators and competitors of jellyfish allowing jellyfish to live longer and achieve better reproductive success. Ocean sprawl through wind farms and oil rig platforms provide the hard substrate necessary for polyp attachment and reproduction in areas where this would otherwise not be possible. Higher jellyfish reproductive success results in an increase in jellyfish abundance. Additionally, continued increase in coastal
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Figure 1. Atlantic stinging nettle catch rates on the Texas Coast since 1983: Bay trawl sampling data since 1983 show highly variable yet stable abundances over time.
development has caused an increase in fertilizer and wastewater runoff. This runoff causes nutrient overloading resulting in nitrogen rich and silica poor waters. The available nutrients determine which microscopic fauna are available as prey for marine organisms. Jellyfish prefer to prey on the flagellate phytoplankton, a small mobile species, while fish prefer to prey on diatoms, a somewhat less mobile species of phytoplankton. In areas with increased nutrient
levels the flagellate phytoplankton out-compete the diatoms resulting in more abundant prey for jellyfish and less prey for fish. Coastal areas with higher water temperatures and nutrient overloading can result in ideal conditions for flagellate phytoplankton blooms, a great food source for jellyfish. Over the past decades, increases in air temperature as well as sea surface temperature have been documented worldwide. Higher Figure 2. Moon Jelly catch rates on the Texas Coast since 1983: Bay trawl sampling data since 1983 show abundance variability over time with an increasing abundance in more recent years.
58 | May 2015
hobiefishing.com hobiefishing.com
ambient temperatures increase water evaporation rates which can increase the salinity of coastal waters. Unlike many fish species, jellyfish are able to withstand harsh conditions making areas with higher water temperature, increased salinity and decreased dissolved oxygen a haven for foraging with increased reproductive rates due to reduced competition. Niche space, an ecological vacancy for an organism, is created as other organisms leave the system and jellyfish quickly fill these niches. Predation pressure is also relieved on jellyfish species as fish species normally feed on the larva of jellyfish. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Fisheries Division has been using standardized bay trawl sampling procedures to monitor the abundance of marine organisms on the Texas coast since the early 1980s. According to this data, jellyfish abundances along the Texas coast seems to be highly variable yet stable over time (Fig 1). In more recent years, however, the data shows that moon jelly catch rates have been at a record high (Fig 2). These recent increases may be related to extensive drought which has resulted in high salinities coastwide. Additionally, increasing trends in surface water temperature have been observed along the Texas coast and may also be linked to jellyfish abundance in some cases. The interplay between anthropogenic impacts (increased hard structure and nutrient overloading) and variable environmental conditions (water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, etc.) is causing a change in ecosystems around the world and in some cases results in more favorable conditions for jellyfish. An increase in jellyfish abundances can have many detrimental
60 | May 2015
effects on ecosystems and humans in coastal areas. For example, jellyfish “blooms� have caused power plants to shut down due to the clogging of cooling-water intake screens. Also, coastal areas that have experienced jellyfish blooms have had a decrease in tourism due to stinging events and beach closures. Predation on aquaculture species and commercially important juvenile fish species can also be a concern with an increase in jellyfish abundances. The removal of commercially important juvenile fish species can lead to new fisheries management regulations in order to restore or improve the fisheries that are being negatively affected. Monitoring conducted by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will allow for resource managers to assess any changes in jellyfish abundances and how these changes might affect local fish populations and regulatory protocols.
Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or www.tpwd.state.tx.us for more information.
Texas angler, Christian Harmonson, fighting his first tarpon on fly aboard my new tarpon sled.
S C O T T S O M M E R L AT T E
F LY F I S H I N G
So You Want a Tarpon on Fly? Yep folks, it is that time of year and spring fever has overwhelmed and consumed me. And, by spring fever, I actually mean tarpon season in South Florida. It is all that I think about and do from March through July (weather permitting). I then, of course, get sick all over again for a couple of months when I get back to Texas. Unfortunately for me, I get to do very little tarpon fishing for myself anymore. However, I do get to share in the success of my anglers, which to me, is the ultimate reward, especially when it is their first tarpon on fly. I can still remember all those years ago when I saw people tarpon fishing with fly rods on television and looked at my dad and said, “That is what I want to do.” I guess neither of us could have ever, in our wildest dreams, imagined where that statement would take me. And, that is exactly what a tarpon is…a fisherman’s wildest dream. So what does it take to catch a tarpon on fly? Well, it takes skill, dedication, preparation, sometimes a little luck and probably, and most importantly, a whole lot of patience. First, let us talk a little about skill. It is very important, before you go spending a bunch of money to go out and catch that first tarpon, to be prepared for the quest. By this I mean, there is a whole lot more to tarpon 62 | May 2015
fishing than just going out and being able to cast a line. For one, you need to realize that you need to make every shot count and there is very little room for error. Sure, tarpon are like any other fish and there will be a couple of days a year that the fish just loose their minds but, what are the chances of YOU being there when that happens? The point is you need to not only practice your cast, but also your strip, hook-set and even bowing (dropping your rod tip when a fish jumps) to the fish. Also, take time to research and read about hooking and fighting a tarpon. I recommend getting the book High Rollers by Bill Bishop if you are serious about wanting to catch a tarpon on fly. There is a lot of really great information in there for the novice. Now I am going to skip a few things and talk about the patience aspect. You see, on most days, tarpon fishing is hours of boredom interrupted by seconds of shear pandemonium. One of my customers, David Fleig, once said to me while fighting his first 100+ pounds of flying shad, “You know, this fishing for laid-up tarpon is one of the most boring things right up until it is not.” What he was conveying is that we had been poling and staring at the water for nearly six hours and had not had a single shot. When we spotted the fish it was only about twenty feet away from the boat. His first reaction
Christian and Brodie celebrating a monumental victory.
I always tell people that I hate football and baseball. In fact, I pretty much despise all team sports except for one. You see, for the most part, tarpon fishing is a team effort between the guide and the angler. It boils down to being with someone who knows not only how to find the fish but who can also get you in position to make the cast. Then it takes an angler who can get the fly to the fish quickly and accurately at the required distance. Once the fly is in the water, it takes an angler who can read the fish’s body language or a guide who can do it and instruct the angler, to make the fish eat. Now that a fish has eaten, a whole new set of skills are required, and so is a whole lot of luck. The hook-set must be executed properly by stripping until the line stretches and then hitting the fish no less that two or three times with the butt of the rod. Then you have to clear the loose line from the deck all while “bowing to the king” every time the fish leaps from the water. And, it all has to be done in seconds without thinking about it. That is where the luck and preparation comes in. Not only do you have to have some luck but you also need to know that the drag of your reel has been maintained, your rod has no unseen damage to the blank, and that all of your knots hold. Good knots are very, very important in tarpon fishing. Honestly, I cannot even begin to scratch the surface of the process of catching a tarpon on a fly in the short amount of space that I am allowed for this column. But I do want to touch on one more thing. While I mentioned above that tarpon fishing can be a very boring thing with long periods between shots or better described, opportunities. But here is where the dedication part comes in. Too many times I have had anglers tell me that they wanted to catch a tarpon on fly. I explain to them that they need to plan on fishing multiple days and have to be committed to the endeavor. They tell me they can do that and then half-way through the trip they look at me and ask, “Do you think there are any redfish that we could catch nearby?” Again, patience and dedication are a must. Now for one final tip. It is important to not let your expectations overpower your abilities. Tarpon fishing with a fly rod is a very humbling experience for even the most skilled anglers. If you can only 64 | May 2015
cast 30 feet and the majority of the shots are at 50 or 60, your chances of success are slim. Go practice and study the game and your chances of success increase. If catching a tarpon on fly is your dream you have to put in the time, make some mistakes, learn from them and stay dedicated. If you do all these your dream can become a reality.
Tips
Over the last nearly two decades of guiding fly anglers, I have on many occasions had to deal with anglers fighting a twisted fly-line. Recently, I had a couple in from Illinois, the husband would step on the bow and fish with no problems. The wife however, would step up with the same fly-rod and the same fly and her line (played out on the deck) would twist up to no end. I was determined to figure out why. After four days of fishing, I finally cracked the code. The long and short of it was when he was stripping in, he had a loose grip on the fly-line. When she stripped, she would pinch the fly-line tightly between her index finger, middle finger and the grip of the rod. The tension was causing the line to twist. The long and short of it is… if you are having the same problem, you might consider loosening your grip on the line when working the fly. Hope this helps all of those that have struggled with the same problem.
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was to try to cast to the fish at that range. Fortunately he heeded my instructions and held off while I slowly and methodically backed the boat away. His cast was perfect and he listened to my instructions and together, we put that fly in the fish’s mouth, which brings me to another important aspect of tarpon fishing—teamwork.
Scott Sommerlatte is a full time fly fishing and light tackle guide, freelance writer and photographer. Telephone Email Website
979-415-4379 vssommerlatte@hotmail.com www.scottsommerlatte.com
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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Economic and Property Damages Settlement The Deadline to file a Claim is June 8, 2015 June 8, 2015 has been established as the deadline to submit a claim in the Economic and Property Damages (“E&PD”) Settlement with BP Exploration & Production Inc. and BP America Production Company (“BP”) related to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. So if you are eligible to file a claim, you must act soon.
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is included?
The E&PD Settlement Class includes people, businesses, other entities, and properties in the states of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, and certain counties in Texas and Florida, that were harmed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred on April 20, 2010. The website DeepwaterHorizonSettlements. com has detailed descriptions and maps of the included geographic locations to help you determine whether you are a part of the E&PD Settlement Class. Additionally, you can call 1-866-992-6174 or e-mail questions@ DeepwaterHorizonEconomicSettlement.com to find out if a geographic location is included.
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are the payment
categories?
The settlement provides payments if you had economic loss or property damage because of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. By submitting a claim, you can request a payment in one or more of the following seven categories:
Economic Damage Loss of Subsistence Vessel Physical Damage Real Property Sales Damage Vessels of Opportunity Charter Payment Coastal Real Property Damage Wetlands Real Property Damage
Economic Damage payments are available for Individuals and Entities that lost profits or earnings as a result of the Deepwater Horizon Incident. Coastal Real Property payments are available for property that was physically damaged in connection with the Deepwater Horizon Incident. Detailed descriptions of all seven categories are available at the website. There is no limit on the total dollar amount of the E&PD Settlement. All qualified and timely claims will be paid in full once they are approved. The Settlement also allowed for Seafood Compensation claims, but the deadline for those claims has passed.
hoW
do i request a payment?
You must submit a Claim Form to request a payment. You can get a copy of the various Claim Forms by visiting the website or by calling 1-866-992-6174. Claims can be submitted online or by mail. If you have questions about how to file your claim, you should call the toll-free number for assistance. The claims process can be complex, so if you are eligible to file a claim, you should act now so you may complete your claim before the June 8, 2015 deadline.
DeepwaterHorizonSettlements.com
1-866-992-6174
DAV E R O B E R T S
K AYA K F I S H I N G C H RO N I C L E S
Why I Kayak Fish I have come to realize that life is too short not to experience and enjoy the great outdoors. Life is supposed to be an adventure. It is about exploring new places and being able to witness things few people have seen. The Texas coast is without a doubt a place to do this; a person could spend a lifetime exploring and never see the same spot twice. I was contacted a little while back about the opportunity Texas Saltwater Magazine had for a kayak writer. I feel privileged to be able to have the opportunity to share my adventures with everyone. When I asked what I could write about, I was informed that I basically have a blank sheet every month. I could write about any topic just as long as it pertained to fishing out of a kayak. After pondering my first topic, I figured I would tackle a question that I often am asked; “Why do I kayak fish?� Years ago a buddy and I got the idea to purchase kayaks, mainly because we were tired of fishing from the bank. We wanted to be able to fish new water and figured it would be a cheap way to go about it. After all, I was just a broke college kid with a fishing problem. My very first trip was one I will never forget. We launched at Texas Bayou in Sabine Pass and I paddled twice as much as I fished. From that point on, I knew that kayaking was for me. It was not long when the intrigue of a cheap sport started to turn into far more. I became consumed with 66 | May 2015
searching Google Maps, trying to find new places where I could launch, especially ones that motor boats could never reach. I was constantly exploring new places and was always on a new adventure. I would be miles back in the marsh and be the only person around. No noisy outboard motors, no nearby highways with passing cars, just you and the water. The only thing visible is marsh cane and occasional distant bridges arching over the Intracoastal Waterway. I would be so far back that
it seemed I was taking in one of the last places on earth untouched by man. Marsh that was still in pristine shape. The advantage to kayaking this unspoiled territory is that you are silent. By being so, I have been able to observe Mother Nature at her finest and I have seen fish and animals acting as they naturally should in their environment. I often feel that National Geographic photographers wait years and travel great distances to capture images of things I see on the regular. Being stealthy is a must when it comes to chasing shallow water fish, actually any fish in this case. Anyways, there is no better feeling than being just a short casting distance from a red that is oblivious to the fact that you are stalking him. After a precise cast and watching your bait being inhaled—the fight is on! Hooking a mad redfish puts into perspective the power these fish really have. They have the ability to drag you around the marsh before tiring to the point you can land them, a micro-version of “Jaws” dragging the Orca across the ocean. By being so close to the water you are going to get wet trying to net this fish, sometimes even muddy. That is just part of the challenge of catching fish in a kayak. If it was meant to be easy everyone would be doing it!
Throughout the years I have been fortunate to meet and fish with some great people. I have fished with first-timers to old salts, teenagers to 80-yearolds, and all having the same linked passion. The kayak community is a great group of people with a wealth of knowledge about the sport. Not just here in Texas, but everywhere. I have met people from many coasts—Virginia to South Padre. Every one TSFMAG.com | 67
of them has been kind enough to share ideas, stories, and have even offered to take me fishing if I happened to be in their area. I would do the same for anyone traveling through Southeast Texas, just so they could see my world and perspective of the sport. I was lucky to meet a gentleman recently that is a well-known face in the kayak fishing community. He is very avid person when it comes to promoting the sport of kayaking. He said something that really struck a chord with me and figured I would share. “Fishman” Fil Spencer said, “We all are preaching out of the same book, it just has a different cover.”
Though we have different ways of how we do things, at the end of the day we are accomplishing the same goal, and that is spending time on the water and doing what we love. We all share the same want and need to break away from the ordinary and explore new horizons. Everyone has a different experience when it comes to kayaking. We all have days on the water that are no walk in the park, as they say. Mother Nature sometimes throws a curve and you spend the majority of your day fighting wind or any number of tough weather and water conditions she can send your way. I have had several days when I fished from sunup to sundown and came home empty handed, with nothing to show but a sunburn for the effort. Other days I have caught limits within a few quick casts. No matter the outcome, when returning back to your launch point, there is always a sigh of relief. You forget about the grueling paddle and the constant grind of trying to entice fish to bite. Everything disappears from your mind as you gaze west towards a setting sun and this is when you realize that it was all worth it.
C ontact
Enjoy Life!
Dave Roberts is an avid kayak-fishing enthusiast fishing primarily the inshore Upper Coast region with occasional adventures to surf and nearshore Gulf of Mexico. Email: TexasKayakChronicles@yahoo.com Website: www.TexasKayakChronicles.com
EL CAMPO BOATING CENTER 3598 W. BU 59S Hwy, El Campo, Tx, 77437
Toll Free: 1-800-843-2201 or 979-543-2201/www.elcampoboating.com
• • • • • •
68 | May 2015
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T S F M a g C o nse r v a t i o n N ews
Cedar Bayou after Six Months It’s been six months as this article is written that Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough have been open and flowing to the Gulf of Mexico. I made a trip on March 10, 2015 to check things out and spent a good bit of time walking both Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough channels. It had been some time since my last visit and was curious to see how everything looked after several strong northers and a few good high tides. Overall in my opinion, Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough were in better shape than they were the last time I had been to the site. There was good flow in both channels. The following are my most recent observations and we should all keep in mind that the system is very dynamic and changes continuously. This report will be at least six weeks past when you read it. • The point in the bayou from where it necks down (area 70 | May 2015
where excavation began through solid dunes) to Vinson Slough seems to be stable in depth since the original silting occurred closer to Vinson Slough. I feel this area has been stable for some time now and in talking with the project engineers they feel the same. • The bayou has obviously moved south as per Coast & Harbor Engineering’s (CHE) last report in January 2015 to Aransas County’s Judge Mills. The mouth has moved
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approximately 400 feet to the south in 75 days (historical movement has been 265 ft/year average). On this trip, I could see “bank cutting” on the large spit at the mouth on the Matagorda Island side, as if the bayou was taking some of the spit back out and widening out. • I would say where the main channel (the deep section) necks down and hits the surf is probably 60 to 80 feet wide, maybe a little more. I walked the edge and it would immediately go to stomach/ chest deep and the current was ripping so I did not attempt to wade across. There was very significant flow. I tried crossing at several spots and it would be stomach to chest deep back up towards the mouth of Vinson. I never did walk all the way across, but friends with me did just to the surf side of the mouth of Vinson and it was roughly chest deep on a tall man. On a subsequent visit roughly two weeks later, I walked across the mouth just past a line with the beach front and the water was thigh to stomach deep with a very strong outgoing tide. As you walked inland from this line the water depth quickly began to deepen to chest high.
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• Vinson has considerable amounts of sand as we have seen, but I felt it was in better shape than last time I had been to the site. There are two primary narrow guts from Cedar into Vinson ranging in depth from knee to waist deep on this day. Water was flowing across more, just shallow, from ankle to calf deep. There was a considerable amount of outgoing current in the main gut and I walked it all the way until it emptied into the wide part of Vinson headed to the back lakes. Again, lots of flow and I feel in better shape than last time I was out. In the end, I feel like the project is doing its job and it is changing all the time. Harte Research Institute (HRI) masters student, Quentin Hall, gave an update to the Redfish Bay Chapter at a recent meeting and spoke about some of the early findings in the winter surveys. Reflecting back to the surveys prior to the opening of Cedar Bayou, no redfish larvae had been found in the immediate Cedar Bayou area. Early indications from this winter’s surveys, show that since the opening, the densities of redfish larvae at Cedar Bayou are significant and in line with other inlets. HRI sampling has also shown good presence of blue crab and Atlantic croaker, and the presence of southern flounder. The sampling analysis still has to be completed and reports written, but indications are very encouraging from a biological standpoint. Cedar Bayou is once again drawing recreational fishermen on a daily basis and at times the fishing has been phenomenal by reports received. Please remember to obey the navigation rules and stop where the signage indicates you must stop and walk to the beach front. The channel is not a designated navigable channel and has been declared a fish pass by Texas Parks Wildlife Department for generations. Spring is here and the temperatures are rising, so be sure to watch for snakes as you make your way to the beach. Lastly, if you pack it in, pack it out. It has been frustrating at times to see the trash that has been left behind by some, so please respect the area and respect the resource.
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STEPHANIE BOYD
F I S H Y FA C T S
MOTION OF THE OCEAN When the tides of life turn against you and the current upsets your boat, don’t waste those tears on what might have been, just lie on your back and float. ~ Unknown As the sun rises in the east and the stars shine at night, we expect the tides to rise and fall. Tides may seem simple on the surface, but their secrets baffled scientific minds for centuries. Even Galileo only partially succeeded in his explanation, correctly linking tides to the inertia of the oceans and the Earth’s orbit around the sun, but completely leaving the moon out of the equation. Newton was the first to explain how ocean tides result from the gravitational attraction between the earth and the moon. Put simply, tides are created because the moon is constantly pulling at everything on the earth to bring it closer. This has only a small effect on Earth’s land surfaces because they are less flexible, but not completely stationary, as we know. Movements within the earth’s crust are called terrestrial tides. Terrestrial tides can move land surfaces up to 22 inches a day and are important for such things as radio astronomy, calculating coordinates on a GPS, and volcanology (because sometimes terrestrial tides can trigger a volcanic eruption). Though tides do occur, to a much smaller extent, in the solid crust of the earth, as well as in large lakes and the atmosphere, the word “tides” is generally used to define the larger motion of the ocean responding to inertial and gravitational forces, distinct from windactuated waves and the continuous ocean currents. The moon’s tidal force has a much greater effect on the surface of the ocean because water is fluid and responds more dramatically to the moon’s insistent tug. This type of gravitational force is called tractive force, from the Latin tractus, a form of the verb trahere, meaning “to pull.” The sun also has an effect on the tides. Why then, does the moon always get the credit? When measuring tidal forces on Earth, the distance between two objects is more telling than their masses. Our sun is 27 million times larger than our moon and, subsequently, has a greater gravitational attraction to Earth. If tidal forces were based solely on comparative masses, the sun should have a greater tide generating force than the moon. However, the sun is 390 times further from Earth than the moon. Thus, the sun’s tide-generating force is only about half that of the moon. 74 | May 2015
So we’ll take the sun out of the equation, for simplification purposes. What if we also took out the moon? If there were no moon, as Earth spun on its axis, ocean waters would be kept at equal levels around the world by the earth’s own gravity pulling inward and centrifugal force pushing outward. However, the gravitational force of the moon is strong enough to disrupt this balance by drawing water towards itself, causing a bulge. But it’s not just pulling the water. Remember, it pulls everything on Earth, so the earth is also being pulled toward the moon (and away from the water on the far side). The water on the far side is under inertia’s influence (the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest - or in motion to remain in motion - unless acted upon by an outside force). As the earth is pulled away from the water that wants to remain in place, another bulge is formed, opposite and equal the moon’s bulge. Over the rest of the planet, gravity and inertia are in relative balance. As the moon orbits and the earth rotates, the bulges stay aligned with the moon. These bulges are responsible for high tides and low tides. You are familiar with a 24-hour day. That’s a solar day, the time it takes for a specific site on Earth to rotate from a point under the sun to that same point under the sun. A lunar day is 24 hours and 50 minutes. Since the moon orbits the earth in the same direction that earth rotates around its axis, the earth needs that extra 50 minutes every day to catch up with the moon. Because the earth experiences two tidal bulges every lunar day (one with the moon, one opposite the moon), coastal areas experience two high tides and two low tides every 24 hours and 50 minutes. Add another variable: the moon’s orbit, which happens to be elliptical. When the moon reaches the closest point to Earth in its orbit (the perigee), tides are slightly larger. When it reaches the farthest point (the apogee), tides are slightly smaller. Add the sun back into the equation. The sun generates a noticeable tidal force, but solar tides are only about half as large as lunar tides and are, therefore, generally expressed as a variation of lunar tides. When the sun and the moon are at right angles to each other, with respect to the earth, the sun’s gravity draws some water away from the moon’s bulges, leaving only moderate tides, called neap tides. These tides occur during quarter moons. When the sun, moon, and earth are in alignment, the gravitational forces of the moon and sun combine, creating extra large bulges, which results in very high high tides and very low low tides. These occur during the
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full and new moons and are called spring tides, from the German springen, meaning “to leap.” The Proxigean Spring Tide is a rare high tide, even higher than normal spring tides. The new moon occurs when the moon is between the sun and earth; the perigee is the point in the moon’s orbit when the moon is closest to the earth; and the Proxigean Spring Tide occurs when the new moon is at its closest perigee (the proxigee). This tide occurs, at most, once in every year and a half. The distances and positions of the sun, moon, and earth all affect the two tidal bulges. At a smaller scale, the tides can be influenced by additional non-astronomical factors, such as configuration of the coastline, local depths of the water, the shape of the ocean floor, etc. Subtract the continents. If the earth were a perfect water-covered sphere, uninterrupted by landmasses, the globe would experience two equally proportioned high tides (and low tides) per lunar day – the bulge towards the moon and the bulge opposite the moon. However, continents constantly block the bulges as the earth rotates. When these ocean tidal bulges hit wide continental margins, the height of the tides can be magnified. Unable to wash over the large landmasses, the tides find alternate routes, creating complex
patterns that differ from region to region, even within the same ocean basin. *Fun fact: tides travel west. The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia is a classic example of how the shapes of bays and estuaries can alter tides. Funnel-shaped bays, like this one, can dramatically increase tidal magnitudes; this one has the highest tides in the world, over 48 feet (more than four stories). FORCE, the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy, estimates the Bay of Fundy pushes 110 billion tons of water with every tide. Conversely, narrow inlets and shallow water tend to dissipate tides. Inland bays, such as the Laguna Madre, are even classified as non-tidal. Estuaries with powerful seasonal river flows, such as the Delaware River, can alter or even mask incoming tides. Where rivers empty directly into the sea, instead of into a bay or estuary, a tidal bore can form. A tidal bore is a strong tide that pushes up the river, against the river’s current. The Amazon River’s tidal bore reaches 13 feet tall, travels up to 9 miles an hour, and invades 6 miles of the river. It is a true tidal wave, unlike a tsunami. Tsunamis are not caused by tides. Also, red tides have nothing to do with actual tides; nor, for that matter, do rip tides. All this bad press, and the tides were innocent all along...
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides daily tide predictions for several stations throughout the U.S. Sometimes the predictions are spot-on, like this one to the left from February 18/19. (Blue line is the prediction; red line is the recorded tide.)
Sometimes the predictions are off, like this one to the right from July 2010. You can find past predicions from various stations at tidesandcurrents. noaa.gov/stations. html?type=Water+Levels The data for the Port Aransas station starts Oct 11, 2005.
76 | May 2015
www.power-pole.com
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Weather patterns can affect tides, locally. Strong winds can push water away from shore, exaggerating low tide; or drive water onto the shore, practically eliminating low tide. According to NOAA, “high-pressure systems can depress sea levels, leading to clear sunny days with exceptionally low tides; [and] low-pressure systems that contribute to cloudy, rainy conditions typically are associated with tides than are much higher than predicted.” Despite the many complex tidal patterns found in the nooks and crannies of Earth’s shorelines, the major shorelines experience one of three basic tidal patterns. 1) Diurnal tide: one high tide and one low tide every lunar day. Many areas in the Gulf of Mexico have this tidal cycle. 2) Semidiurnal tide: two high tides and two low tides (where the two high tides are of approximately equal size, as are the two low tides) every lunar day. Many areas on the eastern coast of North America experience this tidal cycle. 3) Mixed semidiurnal tide: two high tides and two low tides (where the high tides are different size, as are the low tides) every lunar day. Many areas on the western coast of North America experience this tidal cycle. Back to the nooks and crannies. Tides definitely have a global impact, but they also contribute to smaller, localized ecosystems. High tides transport sand and sediment that shapes the shorelines. Estuaries depend on tides to replenish nutrients and remove pollutants, in order to sustain biologically diverse communities. Tides also transport floating animals and plants between breeding areas in the estuaries and deeper waters. The part of the shoreline directly affected by tides is called the intertidal zone. Many organisms have evolved to live in this particular type of ecosystem, from seals and sea otters to snails and hermit crabs. The intertidal zone can be broken down into four mini-zones. 1) Splash zone: this area is only splashed by water and mist during high tide; it is never fully submerged. Here, you can find the seals, sea otters, etc. 2) High-tide zone: this area is pounded by strong waves. Only animals with strong shells and the ability to cling tightly to rocks live here. These animals include mussels, barnacles, crabs, etc. 3) Mid-tide zone: this is where tide pools are usually found, and is the busiest mini-zone. Mobile animals from all other mini-zones come here to feed. Animals that live in this zone can have softer bodies than those that live in the high-tide zone, but they must still be strongly anchored to the substrate. These include anemones, snails, hermit crabs, etc. 4) Low-tide zone: this area is only exposed at the lowest tide. It is the home of sea slugs, and the harvest ground of humans. People with simple nets can catch fish easily here; others can collect crabs, clams, mussels, etc. It is a plentiful resource for many cultures. Predicting tides has always been important to people who make their livelihood off the sea. Both commercial and recreational anglers use a knowledge of tides to improve their catch rates. Combined with a knowledge of local species, water depths, and underwater topographies, anglers can predict when and where fish may concentrate. Knowing when and which certain places are safe to navigate a boat through is useful as well, not only to fishing vessels, but also to merchant and cargo vessels. The swelling of marine traffic and the expansion of ship sizes over the last few 78 | May 2015
centuries make predictions of water-level, tides, currents, and weather increasingly important. Coastal construction projects, such as bridges, breakwaters, channels, and docks, also require monitoring of tide levels. But how to predict the tides? Though a definite relationship exists between the moon and the tides, providing one factor of predictability, there are so many other factors involved that it is not feasible to predict tides purely from a knowledge of the positions of the moon (and sun). A record of actual observations of tides in many areas over an extended period of time, combined with astronomical calculations, is necessary to achieve maximum accuracy. This particular period of extended time is 18.6 years; the amount of time during which all significant astronomical variations of tides will occur. To this effect, NOAA maintains a network of 140 tide gauges along the coasts of the US (and a few other places). Tidal energy is also a renewable resource that is just starting to be harnessed in places like Ireland, South Korea, and the US. Someday we will harness the rise and fall of the tides and imprison the rays of the sun. ~ Thomas Edison (or possibly Nikola Tesla, but that’s another story)
Where I learned about tides, and you can too! NOAA oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/tides/tides01_intro.html oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/tides/media/supp_tide07a.html co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/restles1.html Education Portal education-portal.com/academy/lesson/what-are-tides-causes-effects. html#lesson Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Portal ocean.si.edu/ocean-news/currents-waves-and-tides-ocean-motion National Geographic education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/tide/?ar_a=1 Moon Connection www.moonconnection.com/tides.phtml Enchanted Learning www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/ocean/Tides.shtml Live Science www.livescience.com/29621-what-causes-the-tides.html University of Alaska Fairbanks www.sfos.uaf.edu/msl111/updates/TIDES_notes.pdf HiWAAY Information Services home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moontides/
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Bruiser bull sharks will be anxiously seeking a meal this month.
CURTISS CASH
I N S H OR E | N E AR S H OR E | J E TT I E S | PA S S E S
The Mother of All Months Several years back my wife, Meredith, decided she would like to catch a tarpon on Mother‘s Day. Over the years she has hooked, jumped and battled many tarpon without success. Trying to accommodate, I prepared to do my best to make that happen. The next morning could not have offered better conditions to target them off the beach. We soon found ourselves in 25 foot depths of clear-green water and huge schools of menhaden. Other than the occasional surface explosion from feeding predators the water looked like a mirror. She was blind-casting lures and standing vigilant for the rolling fish that never showed. We had both willed them to be there but, they were being tarpon and not cooperating. To save the day I pulled out the big cast net and filled the live well with 8-inch pogies. Action was now fast and furious but an hour of repeated tug-of-war with jacks, 80 | May 2015
sharks and bull reds took its toll. Meredith was exhausted, needing a cold beverage and a rest from the hot sun. She urged me to fish while she recuperated but I did not want to take away from her day. After a few minutes I agreed to one cast. As I stepped up on the bow the strangest thing happened. Up from the depths a large tarpon emerged and swam to the boat like a dog expecting a treat. I turned back to tell her, but thinking it was a joke, she chuckled while telling me to catch it! After multiple jumps the six footer was alongside within twenty-minutes due to expert boat handling by my bride. Meredith snapped photos while I revived the first tarpon of the year. Once released, I ran to the front deck to dance about while singing “Happy Mother’s Day to Me!” Meredith enjoys telling this story, but due to my end zone antics I’ll never live this one down. Maybe this year she’ll seal the deal on Sunday, May 10.
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HEADING INTO SUMMER For me, May is the month I start getting back into my fishing groove. Catching slot-sized trout, reds and drum during the cooler months is a hoot, but the big fish and variety really get me going. As the water temperatures and levels rise, the quantity of forage and predators increase. Many seasonal fish make a showing in larger numbers this month. Tarpon, ladyfish, shark and trout began to work the shorelines littered with fresh forage.
In the open bay and near areas with gulf water exchange, the jack crevalle, bull reds and tripletail ride the tide lines and currents. I always say, “Find the current, find the bait, find the fish!� Gulls and terns will be working shoals of shrimp pushing out of the bays on ebbing tides. New forage of juvenile ribbonfish, menhaden and anchovies will be riding on flood tides getting the birds attention. Trout, redfish, ladyfish, gafftop and jacks will be nipping at the tails of the baitfish schools. GEARING UP
Redfish caught from secondary drop-off.
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To successfully target multiple species my daily operation and techniques change up quickly. I realized long ago that being prepared and geared appropriately enables me take advantage of each situation. To support this effort my arsenal is increased with another half-dozen rods and reels and thirty pounds of lures, weights and terminal tackle. All this gear is not needed daily, but depending on fishing conditions and species available it all has its time and place. My go-to tackle consists of what I call light spinners, casters, medium-heavy spinners and heavy conventional. Light spinners are 4000-sized reels like the Daiwa Exceler, lined with 20-pound braid, paired with 7-foot medium-fast action rods. These combos are light enough to fish popping cork rigs, free-lined live baits, casting soft plastics, or speck rigs for ladyfish. Casters are 250 or 6000 series round baitcasting reels, lined with 20-30 pound mono and mounted on 7-foot
parabolic medium-action rods. These combos work well fishing vertically at the jetties, fishing heavy structure (docks, platforms and artificial reefs) and “tight lining” for redfish. When fished in a stationary position the slow-action rod actually increases the circle hook’s effectiveness. With the outfit placed in a rod holder with a taught line, this hook is allowed to slide through the mouth to penetrate the corner of the jaw. Hook-setting success rate at 90+% is common with this method. Medium-heavy spinners consist of 6000 series reels lined with 40 pound braid and mounted on 7-foot heavy fast-action rods. These combos work well while drifting for bull reds and king mackerel, casting large topwaters to jack crevalle schools and tossing jigs to curious cobia. The heavy conventional combos consist of lever drag reels. I prefer the Shimano TLD 20, lined with 40-pound hi-vis monofilament on 7-foot 20-40 pound standup-style rods. These combos are used while drifting for sharks and tarpon in the bay, jetty and near shore. Heavier tackle like this is used often at the short rigs and reefs nearshore when the size and species of fish may vary considerably.
Happy Mother’s Day to me tarpon.
TARGET SPECIES LADYFISH- Easily one of my top five to catch. They put up a great fight, feed in schools and make some of the best cut bait. You’ll find them on the edges of current flows and in open water feeding on schools of shrimp. Any kind of lightweight lure will catch them, speck-rigs work great. Once caught, use them in “steaked” chunks one inch wide for reds on the flats and three inches wide for bull reds. With the tail removed, a ten inch section with the head for shark. Filleted, cut and trimmed to one inch wide, one half inch thick and two inches long strips for trout and flounder. TROUT- Bay shorelines with significant secondary drop-offs are the areas to target. Finfish will be a more important food source now with the influx of finger mullet, shad, glass minnows and croaker.
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REDFISH & JACK CREVALLE- These totally unrelated species will be situated in and around direct access to strong current areas. Jetties have a significant water flow that transfers and concentrates food sources. Incoming tides pull baitfish near the bottom, with ship channel ledges producing upwellings concentrating bait on the surface. Look for bird action near current for jacks on top and reds underneath.
TRIPLETAIL- Slowly moving into our bay systems this month, individual fish may be seen. They can be found coming through jetties and passes from the gulf, as well as open water near ship channels. NEARSHORE- Kingfish should be moving into shallower water this month. Depths of 50 feet seem to be the minimum unless there is clear-green water pushed in closer toward the beach. Cobia will be lurking in small groups near sargassum weed and petroleum platforms. Bonito and Spanish mackerel will be in the same areas as kingfish, look for diving birds for schooling fish.
C ontact
May is a great time to enjoy the coast before it gets scorching hot and the summer crowds arrive. While you are here try a new area or tactic each trip to broaden and enhance your experience. Always remember that a change in the lineup can give a player a new perspective on the game.
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Capt. Curtiss Cash offers charters in the Port O’Connor area; specializing in fishing the bays, passes, jetties, surf and nearshore waters. Species targeted include speckled trout, redfish, flounder, tripletail, black drum, bull reds, sharks, snapper, kingfish, ling and tarpon, when seasonally available. Phone Website
361-564-7032 www.captlowtide.com
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The author with a giant surf-caught lemon shark, tagged and released.
E X T R E M E K AYA K F I S H I N G & S H A R K S F R O M T H E S A N D
ERIC OZOLINS
When life gives you lemons The arid beauty of the South Texas coastline lends a unique and majestic allure to its diverse fisheries. A rugged beach, hammered constantly by wind and waves, is on one hand a cruel place while serenely captivating on the other. Prevailing weather and currents do not lend to year-round clear water like that of the fabled Caribbean, neither do we enjoy the calmer seas found along Florida’s gulf coast. Ours is harsher and murkier by comparison, and the gradient to the continental shelf far more gradual. Our water temperatures can range from very chilly 40s in winter to as high as 90s during summer’s swelter. The winds typically blow with relentless power for months on end, broken only by the relatively brief calm of late summer. It always amazes me how the fish and wildlife of 86 | May 2015
the region are able to adapt and thrive in such a climate. Equally amazing to me is that even with the vast array of fish species in abundant numbers, I believe it safe to say that ours is largely a recovering fishery. During the golden age of Texas shark and tarpon fishing—the 1950s through the 1970s—the old-timers say there was no shortage of sharks or tarpon, and many of great size. Overfishing, commercial and recreational, took a huge toll. The magnitude of illegal slaughter for jaws and fins can only be surmised. Then came the 1990s, a decade documented with some of the lowest shark and tarpon numbers on record. Recreational anglers noticed, and fisheries managers, too. Change was needed desperately but getting users
to change their ways is never easy. Communication was the key and the explosion of the internet dovetailed perfectly to help spread the word. Suddenly message forums and chat rooms began filling with a new brand of conservation ethic. Fascinated with sharks since childhood, my original desires to become a shark fisherman were spawned by this movement and eventually led me to creating a website and forum of my own. With all of this positive influence over Cayman Islands lemon shark, tagged and released.
a decade, things finally began to change for the better. Twenty years of conservation-minded fishing later, we see a remarkable and beneficial change. Tarpon numbers are some of the best we’ve seen in decades, and should only get better. Offshore, red snapper have become so concentrated at some locations it is hard for other species such as grouper to populate within the mix. Sharks, while slowly rebounding, still manage to be the unfortunate group due to careless illegal finning from foreign parties in our waters. Because of this we may never see shark populations as they once were back in the heyday of the sport. However, it is amazing to see the current shark fishery Florida has to offer. While Florida has illegal shark activity in their waters as well, they are hardly affected to the critical state of the matter that we are involved in. Their shallows are teaming with bull sharks, hammerheads, and hordes of lemon sharks. Of these sharks, the lemons are Texas’s rarest species. While the modern-day ratio of lemons among Texas shark landings is tiny, it was not always this way. Though seasonal, this species was very common in the 60s and 70s. During that time, a very large specimen was landed by Dale Whitehead at Indian Point Pier—a far piece from the gulf near the back of the Corpus Christi Bay system. Lemon sharks in decent numbers were also documented in the Intracoastal Waterway near Port Isabel. The Chandeleur Islands off Louisiana and Mississippi are known historically to be a pupping
TSFMAG.com | 87
ground for lemon sharks. Certainly not the most ferocious or physically menacing, the lemon shark is nonetheless a remarkable species. They are not as fast and aggressive as some of their cousins, yet lemons can be very determined. Visually, they are easily identified by the equally-sized second dorsal fin and the pale yellow-green color of their skin. Today, any lemon shark caught in Texas water is considered a trophy. Over the past decade the average landings of lemon sharks from our beaches is about two or three per year. This could easily fluctuate to near double digits or down to zero as seen in some previous years. The month of May has traditionally been the most active period in which we encounter them. Much of the time they are caught on casted baits intended for blacktips. Perhaps the greatest difference between the two species is size. Lemons can exceed 10 feet in length and attain weights greater than 500 pounds. This fact alone may contribute to the low number of landings. The largest lemon shark I have landed taped out at 10’-1” and was pure mass. While a solid contender for a possible state record, I elected to tag and release it unharmed. Given the limited number of lemon sharks we see I cannot personally imagine wanting to kill one for bragging rights. To me, seeing one for the very first time here in Texas is as awe-inspiring as
catching a large tiger shark or hammerhead. Targeting lemon sharks from our beaches is fairly difficult, given their rarity. To be honest they are highly-regarded bycatch in most cases. I have caught lemons on large and small baits, amazingly close and also exhaustively far from the beach. Swimming in the shallows and the flats seems natural for the lemon shark, as is often verified on the southern portions of Florida’s gulf coast. This is the only species of shark that I have caught in all three; Texas, Florida, and the Caribbean. Their range worldwide is remarkable when you look at it. Yet, interestingly, there has been little in regards to recaptures of lemon sharks that were tagged in Texas waters. We can only guess where they go—a long voyage around the gulf to Florida, do they stay off the mouth of the Mississippi River, maybe around the Chandeleurs? This is a question that has puzzled biologists for years. Like the lemon shark, all sharks demand our greatest respect and conservation for future survival. It is up to us the anglers to continue paving the pathway toward sustainability in their ongoing recovery. Shark fishermen tend to be highly passionate about their sport, and passion escalates when the battleground is a strip of harshly carved and battered sand at the edge of the sea. The old-timey stereotype shark fisherman may have been a crusty and ruthless killer but, in contrast, today’s sharkers are a brotherhood of stewards. We look after our targets and care about the fishery so that one day the sport will be shared with future generations. It is important to acknowledge today’s recreational shark fishermen and how vastly responsible we are for the data obtained from sharks we tag and release. For some, it is a curious interest. For others, it is merely who we are and a way of life.
C ontact
Pure mass- check out the girth on this lemon!
Typical Texas surfcaught lemon shark.
88 | May 2015
For the past decade Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been promoting shark catch and release and assisting various shark research programs. Eric offers guided shark fishing on Padre Island National Seashore. Also renowned for extreme kayak big game fishing, Eric runs Kayak Wars; one of the largest kayak fishing tournaments in the world. Email Websites
oz@oceanepics.com extremecoast.com | oceanepics.com | kayakwars.com
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Dickie Colburn
DICKIE COLBURN’S Sabine Scene
Sabine
Dickie Colburn is a full time guide out of Orange, Texas. Dickie has 37 years experience guiding on Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes.
Telephone 409-883-0723 Website www.sabineconnection.com
92 | May 2015
If I only had a dollar every time over the past month salinity is a life and death matter for the trout! that yet another cancelled trip has ended… “I don’t Easily the most frustrating aspect of the flooding, know, but I will call you as soon as things improve.” aside from missing paychecks, is that we were not “Things” being a lake as fresh as a farm pond and only catching some of the largest trout of the past muddy enough to track coons across. several years but, the redfish bite was out the roof The SRA did their best to control the level on Toledo and the flounder were already making their way back Bend but way too much rain in the watershed above to the lake. In February alone I either personally saw the impoundment altered that plan. The deluge that or received photos of five double-digit trout and inundated Orange on the third day of the Bassmasters several more over nine. Elite dumped six inches and slammed the door on a very good bite in Sabine Lake. As of today, the massive impoundment is just holding its own with one generator running 24/7 and seven flood gates opened at least a foot which translates to a flow of 17744 CFS rolling down the Sabine River. The river is holding at flood stage just above Orange. Oversize reds have provided A rising Neches isn’t helping and we are a solid Plan-B. expecting more rain tomorrow. In spite of our best efforts we have not figured out what the trout are doing to adjust to all the fresh water. For the most part, the mud is only a confidence breaker for the angler, but seeking sufficient
Another nice Sabine trout, just before the freshwater flood.
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Those are the kind of fish that keep us forcing the issue and trying to figure out how the trout are going to adapt until things improve. I look for the trout on the south end to gather on the deeper Causeway reefs and the ship channel all the way to the jetties. Incoming tides ushering in saltier water and more bait should be strong enough to counter the fresh water in the lake. The trout on the upper end of the lake, however, will probably retreat to the ICW and the lower river channels. The permanent deeper band of heavier saltwater will offer safe haven, but they will still have to make brief forays to the shallows to hustle their next meal. I personally love to exploit these deep water fish, but it is next to impossible when there is little bait available at that depth and the trout are in survival mode! Two to three weeks with no significant rain is probably an overly optimistic guess as to a return to more normal conditions. I personally think the bite on the Causeway reef will be the first to recover, but both the north revetment wall and Coffee Ground Cove should not be far behind. For the short term, the most consistent bite will take place along the ship channel from the Causeway to the jetties on big incoming tides. I have no doubt that the flounder and redfish bite will recover much quicker as they key in on shad exiting the marshes on the east side. Willow, Madam Johnson’s, Three Bayous and Black’s all afford productive water and some protection from wind as well. I would not be surprised if you find a few trout homesteading the deeper canals. A GULP Swimming Mullet on a 1/4 ounce jig has to be the most dependable lure for these backwater areas, but we also catch a world of fish on 3” Usual Suspect swimbaits, three- to five foot diving crankbaits, and single-spin 1/4 ounce spinnerbaits. Both curl tail and paddle tail plastics work well on the spinnerbait. If indeed it is once again “game on” before the next month’s edition, expect to find good numbers of larger trout frequenting the shallow flats bordering the ICW. These flats should produce before those on the Louisiana shoreline, but the fish will make that call. An incoming tide that floods those flats is the prime time to be there. The water is usually clearer and trout in the three to seven pound class chase shad and mullet out of the ICW and up on scattered shell in 3 to 5 feet of water. She Dogs and Spooks, Die Dappers rigged on 1/16 ounce heads, Catch 5s and a four inch Usual Suspect are all hard to beat when the fish are aggressive. A tail fished under a cork is never a bad choice either. Sign the kids up for the CCA STAR and take them fishing!
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Capt. Caleb Harp
The Buzz on Galveston Bay
Galveston
Capt. Caleb Harp has fished the Galveston Bay System since childhood and, now a charter captain and fishing guide, he uses his knowledge to enable clients to enjoy the excellent fishing the area offers. His specialty is the year-around pursuit for trophy trout and redfish with artificial lures
Telephone 281-753-3378 Website harpsguideservice.com
94 | May 2015
In my last article I talked about how freshwater was not such a big deal anymore and how abundant our spring catching would be. It seemed like as soon as I submitted that write-up, the heavens opened up and flushed us out again. We had a lot of rain in the northern part of the state so consequently it all came our way. Livingston Dam pumped 58,000 cubic feet per second for about a week and held a consistent 43,800 cubic feet per second outflow for over two and a half weeks. It seemed like it would never stop but it finally has. Floods call for adjustments. As a kid, I always remembered hearing Mickey Eastman and James Plaag talk about how a flood will separate the boys Galveston from the men. Although this redfish have flood was very minute to what been plentiful many of us have seen in years and fat as past, it was the biggest influx footballs. of freshwater we’ve seen in the last five years. Although a lot of freshwater inflow can take us for
a whirlwind, it has its advantages as well. Once you locate the fish on the edge of the freshwater, you’ll be in store for an amazing bite. Trinity Bay, or shall I say Trinity Lake, is still wiped out. If you come around Smith Point or Houston Point, you’ll run into a mud pit of logs, oak leaves, and all kinds of other debris. I don’t expect it to get right again for another month, maybe. Although with the right tides and weather, we might get lucky and see some later May action on the well pads and east shoreline. Upper Galveston has been spotty but still holding a lot of fish. As normal for April, you can still go up there to catch a trophy trout throwing suspending twitch-baits like MirrOlures or topwaters but the fast and furious bites that we’ve been used to throughout the winter are starting to slow down up there. With that being said, the redfish will pick up. The upper Galveston Bays supply great
Alex Leath with a healthy East Bay 8-pounder on a MirrOlure She-Dog.
redfish action in late April and May. The fresh shrimp and shad hatches that are finding their way around in some of the inlets and oyster/mud spoils make for great ambush points for redfish and trout. The upper Galveston Bays can also make for great places to get out of the wind. East Galveston Bay is shaping up nicely for a great May. There’s still a lot of freshwater in the back of the bay, but nothing that we’re not already used to. Wading on the south shoreline around bayou drains has been producing solid numbers of redfish throwing Bagley HammerFinish Spoons and scented soft plastics such as the new MirrOlure Marsh Minnow. The trout bite has been consistent on the south shoreline flats over sand and scattered shell throwing top-waters and 51MR MirrOlures. The fish are starting to congregate better and feed more aggressively with the warmer days. The transition of fish moving onto the oysters out deep is going on and you can catch a few already but it’s not quite right yet. But by May, it will be in full swing! The reef drifting game can be fun and produce plentiful catches but also very populated so always remember to be courteous to your fellow anglers out there. The West Bay late spring bite in April started off nicely with warm weather and abundant fish. The fish are congregating on the warmer shorelines over grass, oyster and shell. Baitfish have really started to show up in plentiful numbers and the fish are feeding on them good. We are having great action on topwaters in the early mornings and late evenings. Once the action slows on tops, we are catching them on soft plastics like Tidal Surge Split-Tail Mullets in red shad for dirty water and Guano or Plum/Chartreuse in cleaner water. Flounder are moving in, in good numbers, and the guys throwing GULP on jigs are finding great catches of bigger than average fish. There has been a small influx of shrimp, so expect the redfish to be working the shorelines pushing around looking for shrimp. With the deluge of rain in the last few weeks we are already seeing tons of shad and that is going to make May an incredible month. As a whole, April fishing has been productive despite all the rain and May should be even better. I don’t know about y’all, but I am ready for the heat and summertime rush. Be safe out there and stay tight! –Capt. Caleb Harp
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TSFMAG.com | 95
Bink Grimes
The View from Matagorda
Matagorda
Bink Grimes is a full-time fishing and hunting guide, freelance writer and photographer, and owner of Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay.
Telephone 979-241-1705 Email binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net Website www.matagordasunriselodge.com
Find a piece of shell, any piece of reef in Matagorda, and chances are there are fish lingering nearby. Bloated tides around the full moon coupled with southeast winds have raised water levels nearly a foot above normal. That’s normal for early May. When prime aquatic real estate like reefs become submerged with clean saltwater tides, species like speckled trout and redfish gravitate to the structure and potential is limitless. Captains have worked large pieces of shell like Oyster Lake, Crab Lake, Shell Island, Twin Islands and smaller reefs along the south shoreline of West Bay for redfish. In East Bay, the Chinquapin Reefs, Boggy Reef and reefs in Lake Austin hold May fish. Higher tides have hindered waders a bit. I can speak from experience as trout seem to be scattered on the flats with the overabundance of water. When water levels are normal, there are hotspots on flats and shorelines where fish appear first on the incoming or outgoing tide. That’s not necessarily the case on flood tides. Waders who enjoy good catches concentrate tight to the
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shorelines or relocate to shorelines in the back lakes. Fish disperse with all of the water, but when the water begins to fall with the outgoing tide, the trout show up where they always do. So when tides are above normal, fish the falling tide. Another bright spot this month could be the surf. If the past two May’s are any indication, light north winds early allowed the surf to green to the beach with the morning incoming tide. Trout to five pounds and more redfish than you can handle are normal, especially around the jetty. We toss Bass Assassins and MirrOlure Soft-Dines, but a live shrimp free-lined along the rocks really gets rocked. The mid-bay reefs in East Matagorda Bay really start to hold fish in May. If the middle of the bay is green with an incoming tide I beg my clients to get wet and wade the shell. I can’t tell you how many large trout have come from these reefs on She Pups, Top Dogs, Super Spooks and Skitter Walks. Likewise, red shad and Chicken on a Chain Bass Assassin Sea Shad and straight-tailed shad have duped their share of big trout over the years. If anglers are reluctant to get out of the boat, all that scattered shell in the middle of East Bay holds just as many big trout and redfish. Some days they school and other days you have to hunt for them. You would be surprised how many huge trout are caught out of the boat by Matagorda captains. You don’t always see them at the cleaning table, thanks to conservation-minded attitudes, but there are some long specks that hit soft plastics, Gulps and live shrimp under a popping cork. Sand and grass along the south shoreline of West Bay will consistently hold solid trout and redfish. Glass minnows, mullet and shrimp flood the grass beds and the fish thump topwaters better than any month of the year. Wading or drifting, May is a good month. We at the Sunrise Lodge are kid-friendly, family-friendly and just friendly. Call, text or email for info.
TSFMAG.com | 97
Capt. Shellie Gray
MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays
Port O'Connor Seadrift
Captain Shellie Gray was born in Port Lavaca and has been guiding in the Seadrift/Port O’Connor area full time for the past 12 years. Shellie specializes in wading for trout and redfish year round with artificial lures.
Telephone 361-785-6708 Email bayrats@tisd.net Website www.bayrat.com
98 | May 2015
Spring has sprung and springtime fishing patterns are in full swing. Sometimes I feel like a broken record, talking about springtime fishing tips and tricks but, that doesn’t mean they are any less important. Weather conditions still play an important role when deciding when and where I will be able to concentrate my efforts. Luckily we’ve had a good amount of rainfall and salinity is back to normal over much of the bay system. Our main obstacle or hindrance will be prevailing high wind through the rest of spring. Fishing this time of year can pretty awesome but when you encounter a string of windy days the options of where to fish can become somewhat limited. This naturally tends to concentrate fishermen into protected waters and when you add weekend traffic to the equation you often find several boats trying to work the same area. So now you aren’t only dealing with high winds but now overcrowding becomes another problem. On super blustery days, find an area that gives you some protection from the wind and make sure you see some baiting running about. Back lakes will probably be one of your choices to
fish due to the protection but wading our back lakes can be quite daunting unless you can endure ankle to calf-deep mud. Drifting will probably be the best option for many. On slow days where you might catch a few on each drift it’s best to stick with that area and just work for them. I’ve watched many anglers drift an area once, catch a few, then decide to look elsewhere. Pretty soon they’re back because those “few” were better than none. Having faced this dilemma many times, sticking with an area and working it over repeatedly Robin Conner with a solid springtime trout.
provides better results than running from one spot to the next in search of better numbers. Boat riding does not produce bites. If you want to wade but are not looking to get bogged down by mud, I would suggest the leeward sandy shorelines of our major bays like Espiritu Santo and San Antonio. These shorelines can be very productive fishing the guts and drop-offs. On those rare, calmer spring days, San Antonio Bay reefs are always a good choice. Quite often I get avid lure-chunkers that will bring a buddy or two that prefer all natural bait. Artificials and live shrimp can work well on the same boat because they pretty much involve the same chunkretrieve method. Grass is starting to present problems now that the temperatures have risen so most of my rods will be rigged with a Texas rig “weedless” setup. The Bass Assassin 3.5 inch Die Dapper in Houdini color, enhanced with their BANG Fish Attractant impregnated into the plastic works great on the Texas rig. Topwaters will be another good choice. My go-to is usually the Heddon Super Spook Jr. although on windier days I opt for the larger and noisier Super Spook and MirrOlure’s He Dog or She Dog. This is due to the fact that larger and noisier plugs draw more attention in the choppier conditions. For the all-natural (live bait) anglers, live shrimp under a popping cork is a sure winner. I prefer to use a 4-inch Alameda rattling cork connected to the main line above the leader. The length of your leader will vary anywhere from 18 to 30 inches depending on the depth of water you will be fishing. Your leader should be rigged with a #10 barrel swivel at the top (the swivel helps keep your line from twisting) and a Mustad 2/0 Kahle-style “croaker” hook tied to the bottom. When using any rattling cork it produces best results if you “pop” it vigorously every so often to make a chugging sound and also so that the beads inside the cork can rattle, which in turn draws more attention from nearby fish. All in all, don’t let the strong winds keep you at bay. May is a great month to fish and because we are lucky enough here on the mid coast to have so many protected back lakes and shorelines, we can all be a part of great catches if we remain patient, respectful of other anglers, and our resources. I really am excited to see what is in store for our area over the course of the next few years. With the opening of Cedar Bayou, recent rainfalls and lower bag limits on trout, I think we are going to experience some of the best catching we have seen in a long time.
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david rowsey
HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey It’s official! My books are now open for summertime charters. If you are thinking about chasing a CCA STAR trout, tagged redfish or maybe just some serious grinding, please contact me now before the days fill up. Hard to imagine that summer is coming on so Upper fast. It seems like just yesterday we were layered-up Laguna/ in Simms gear and hoping the sun would come out to warm our freezing hands. Well it’s warm down Baffin here now, the shorelines are bright green from the numerous rains this spring and the air is filled with songs from shorebirds. I will admit that the second half of March David Rowsey has 20 years and early April provided some unusually tough experience in the Laguna/Baffin region; trophy trout with artificial fishing. I and quite a few others often found lures is his specialty. David has a ourselves scratching our heads at the end of great passion for conservation the day like we’d been in a car wreck. Some and encourages catch and of our best days during this time span would release of trophy fish. have been considered tough under normal circumstances. It was a tough run, and one I do Telephone not care to experience again. 361-960-0340 Website The actual cause could be any combination www.DavidRowsey.com of things, but I think the primary issue is water Email quality, followed closely by fishing pressure. david.rowsey@yahoo.com With the water in Baffin being negatively
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affected by brown tide, most boats are piled into the cleaner waters of the Upper Laguna. There were days when it seemed you could walk the entire King Ranch Shoreline jumping from boat to boat. I have never seen traffic in this area comparable to what we have witnessed this spring. With the popularity of bay fishing, social media and internet forums, it may well be the new norm emerging. About the time this magazine hits the newsstands Great friend and client, Craig Kiefer, with an 8.25 pounder on white Bass Assassin in dirty water. CPR.
we should be in full swing of our larger spring tides. This will be like a shot in the arm to the bay system. If history repeats, green water from the south will push into Baffin and dilute some of the brown water. Riding the tide will be baitfish in all forms and predators in pursuit. The thought of wet wading and bombing topwaters into rafts of mullet sounds pretty good to me right now. I know the clients are looking forward to it, as it is one of the most common questions I receive… ”How’s the topwater bite?” In the event that the water does not clear up to sight-casting quality, we are going to have to step out of our normal comfort zone to be successful day in and day out. I was fishing here in the horrible brown tide of the 1990s and it was not until Hurricane Bret hit in August of ‘99 that we got some relief in the form of clear water from the brown monster. I was in my early-20s during that tough time period and likely has a lot to do with me fishing confidently Craig again, on through dirty water, treating it as another charter, 8.75 though it was crystal-clear. Young, on a Fat Boy. CPR. dumb to advice from others, and pure determination kept me pluggin’ through it all. In the process, a few tricks were learned that I still utilize today when conditions call for it. My first-ever trout over nine pounds (1990) was on a Mansfield Mauler with a roach-colored Queen Cocahoe Minnow dangling underneath. The
water color looked like coffee with cream. I went on to use this rig to catch many more big fish with a wide assortment of plastics rigged under it. That combo is as effective day as it was twenty five years ago. Plastics with exaggerated actions were next in line. Big curly-tail grubs were then and still remain a favorite. As my lovely Hispanic wife likes to say about her gringo husband-captain…”White is right.” In my opinion, solid white lures seem to stand out in the stained water better than any other color choice. Along with the insane action of the grubs, the vibrating paddle-tailed lures are super effective when swam in on a steady retrieve. No need to overthink the swimming paddle tail—just cast and reel for the best results. Along those same lines, another great one is mostly underutilized nowadays—the 1/2 oz. silver spoon. The flash, vibration, and ability to work effectively within layers of the water column make it a proven producer. Noisy topwaters, especially those by MirrOlure in the She Dog/He Dog series, are very effective for obvious reasons. Color choices are not as important here but I tend to always have something tied on with bright chrome or gold sides. Like the spoon, reflecting sunlight through the dimness of the water is always a plus. Remember the buffalo! -Capt. David Rowsey
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Capt. Tricia
TRICIA’S Mansfield Report Despite lingering patches of brown tide our flats trout weights for length so far, and the weights are alive with bait, redfish wakes, and great fishing should continue heavy until the middle of May. Trout opportunity. Seemingly overnight winter’s grip of twenty-nine inches and longer are commonly relaxed, at last revealing what has been so close yet stretching into the nine pound range but we have not exactly where we could find them. As of this yet to see a true ten. Hopefully May will also deliver writing the tides remain lower than average level but a steadier supply of three to four pound trout as the Port the strong southeast wind experienced last week has larger spring tides roll in. Mansfield been doing its thing and we are seeing increasing Redfish seem numerous, no doubt due to low tides, flows of beautiful water streaming in from the Gulf. and have been fairly easy to target except during high Nothing beats a strong flow from the Gulf for cancelling the poor clarity of brown tide. With Capt. Tricia’s Skinny Water hope of history repeating itself, the bull tides Adventures operates out of should offer even more relief. Port Mansfield, specializing in Additional good news is that the system is wadefishing with artificial lures. teeming with small shrimp, mullet, menhaden, and juvenile blue crabs. An aggressive topwater bite has begun to develop as the Telephone 956-642-7298 trout and reds take advantage of all the forage Email skittering on the surface. shell@granderiver.net April is living up to its deserved reputation Website www.SkinnyWaterAdventures.com for trophy trout here on the Lower Laguna. I am speaking more of quality than quantity, Ben Ramsey scored a as we are not quite seeing the numbers of Port Mansfield trophy. the past. We have been very pleased with
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traffic days. It seems any area with decent water clarity and depth are getting run over more and more, and it completely shuts off any feed and scatters them badly. This too should change when higher water levels open more areas for fish to hide and forage. Another worthy topic I would like to discuss is “spots” and the “spot fishing” trap some fall into. It seems that with continuous heavy traffic and fishing pressure many of these holes are no longer dripping honey and, unfortunately, they may never again. Many areas with seagrass still not fully recovered but with longstanding reputation as producers are taking a regular beating…boats burning and taking off too shallow. It would make way better sense for more anglers to seek new places away from traffic while these recover. This plan works very well for me the majority of the time. Basically, the gamefish and bait that ride the spring tides makes this
Todd Moore upped his personal best from last year, this one will be tougher to beat!
month one of the best to fish here, and the entire Texas coast for that matter. I always become twitterpated in May. The waders are off, more sunny days than cloudy, and new areas to explore. Oh yes I am stoked, as you should be too. It is certainly not going to be as good of a “get bit” month maybe as June but large trout and bruiser reds trump “just getting bit” as far as I’m concerned. What we can expect this May? Well-everything is similar to last spring. We did not begin to regularly see roe-laden trout until late March. I can assume it is because of low photo periods due to cloud cover and lower water temperature from lingering cold fronts. So, what I am saying is that May’s predominant fishing patterns may be anybody’s guess but I definitely expect it will be much like last season. Just as last year our tides are currently still low, but if you check out NOAA, they are predicting higher levels and stronger flows the next several weeks. This should create even more changes and I’m guessing for the better. Last May was pretty great for both quality trout and redfish action, so I just know this month will bring us awesome fishing. I still have something to say about the way we fish. Yes, tournaments are fun (me too). Some tournament directors and corporations that sponsor these events have changed their formats for the better in recent years, but unfortunately there are many others that still have not. I am hopeful I will see more adopting conservative formats this season. Competition can lead us to do things we otherwise would never consider, and with technology being as advanced as it is I pray we can find new ways to compete without raping the resource we so thoughtfully care for when not tournament fishing. Please consider the future and keep practicing C&R. Hope to see ya out there.
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Capt. Ernest cisneros
SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene
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A Brownsville-area native, Capt. Ernest Cisneros fishes the Lower Laguna Madre from Port Mansfield to Port Isabel. Ernest specializes in wading and poled skiff adventures for snook, trout, and redfish.
Cell 956-266-6454 Website www.tightlinescharters.com
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I read a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson recently— “Life is a journey, not a destination.” This got me into thinking what fishing is all about. One big fish, a coveted 30-incher, or maybe catching all you see or come across on a given day? If you think this way, I believe you have lost the true meaning of the sport. In my opinion, you are truly enjoying fishing when you consider the full package of experiences, rehearsals for that one big show, and of so many more to come. Think about the great memories and relationships you have built over the years through this great sport. That’s what it’s all about. I remember vividly my most memorable fish. Not the 140 pound tarpon on 12 lbs-test in Costa Rica, not the 15 pound snook here in Texas, nor my personal-best 10-plus pound trout I caught years ago. It was a lowly 20-inch redfish I caught on a topwater a long time back. I was fishing a local tournament when I found some huge reds on a skinny, clear-water flat. It all happened while I
was wading in knee-deep water when all of a sudden the redfish I was looking for was no further than 20 yards away. I made a cast and began twitching my plug. The red looked to be a perfect tournament specimen and began to show interest. To my dismay out of nowhere came this barely keeper, beating the much larger one to my bait. Everything seemed to be running in slow motion; Christmas came early, or maybe you could say very late.
desperately reeling the insignificant (so I thought) fish for another shot at the big one. I brought it in so quickly, still very strong, and it dashed abruptly between my bare legs and impaled a hook into my calf while violently shaking its head. Anyone within a mile no doubt heard my screams. Limping to the boat in intense pain I clasped it to my bleeding leg as best I could to prevent the hooks going deeper. To this day I recall so clearly that redfish’s dart to eat my lure.
Justin’s recent personalbest trout—8+ pounds.
Speaking of redfish, despite all the rain, they have transitioned nicely into their normal spring/early-summer patterns. Reds can be found on shallow sand flats both east and west of the ICW. They can be harder to target on the west side due to recently low tides where they’ve been mostly calf- to ankle deep during the prime, high-visibility hours. Now on the east side it has been the complete opposite since it’s slightly deeper but still clear. Sight-casting opportunities have been numerous and on most occasions all it takes is a well-placed cast. K-Wigglers soft plastics in the old faithful plum/chart and their new bone diamond have been good producers. Topwater success has varied lately. Large schools are not yet evident, mostly pairs and smaller groups of cruising fish. We are enjoying outstanding trout action, one of the better latewinter/early-spring seasons in a while. If you are hoping for the curtain to open on a personal-best, weight-wise, now is the time to be on the water as they will lose weight quickly when spawning activity gets seriously underway. As aggressively as they’ve been feeding and the abundance of shrimp and pinfish in the bays, you can bet that the topwater bite will really turn on this month. If you prefer numbers to trophy fishing, focus on the drops to the ICW, they may not be big but there will be plenty of keepers around. The sand on the east side will also provide lots of sight-casting to single trout. Potholes surrounded by large patches of turtle grass have been and will continue to hold good numbers of trout ready to pounce on anything that comes within their strike zone. When it comes to trout this time of the year, think shallow for bigger fish and deeper for solid keepers. In closing, I would like to say as a Simms ambassador and field tester, I am very proud and honored to carry a great relationship with a company that has earned such an outstanding reputation for quality and service. The innovation they bring to gear and apparel makes our passion of chasing fish in all weathers much easier and more comfortable. Even though we are at the season’s end of fishing in waders, I wanted to mention that through my affiliation I will now be able to provide Simms G3 waders to all my clients who would like to experience the best on the market. Thank you, Simms! I hope that your rehearsals go well, and when that curtain opens for the big show you will make a perfect cast. TSFMAG.com | 105
FISHING REPORTS
Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 May is when the trout fishing really starts heating up. Trout will be located on reefs in the lake in four to eight feet of water, as well as under flocks of working birds. They’ll also be found in the ship channel from the intracoastal, south to Nine Mile Cut. The fish in the lake will take topwater plugs and plastics rigged on quarter ounce jigheads regularly. In the channel, points and cuts will concentrate schools of feeding fish. The eddies these structures create will hold plenty of trout during periods of tide movement. Quarter ounce jigheads are the standby lures, but sometimes heavier heads are required due to strong currents. Large schools of redfish will be crushing bait in the middle of the lake. These fish are willing to eat anything that lands in front of them. Look for them under birds, as well as around slicks and mud boils. Flounder will be located at those same points and cuts that the trout are, in the ICW. Fish them with your bait traveling against the current. Make sure that your lure maintains contact with the bottom. Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James says the topwater bite along area shorelines was outstanding on days leading up to this report. “We are getting 60 or 70 bites on a regular basis. Of course, we are catching all the fish that bite us; that’s the way it is with topwaters. But the action is steady. A good solid average size
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ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica
AND
to the fish too. Best lure lately has been a chrome/pink ShePup. We’ve also had good luck with MirrOdines at times, and rat-tailed soft plastics are working like they usually do. I have been wading all the time, and I’ll continue to do that throughout the rest of April. Wading helps us cope with the windy conditions, and the fish want to be shallow anyway. As we get into May, we’ll start seeing the fish move out around the reefs in the middle a bit more, and we’ll do more fishing out of the boat. We’ve have plenty of rain this winter and early in the spring, so we’ll have a good shrimp crop. That means we’ll have lots of working birds and easy fishing. As long as the wind isn’t screaming in May, we’ll be catching plenty of trout and redfish.” Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 Jim says the recent reduction in rainy weather brought an excellent run of fishing, one he expects to continue through the spring, with any luck. “We finally got rid of most of that freshwater that came rolling through after all those heavy rains. Seems like once the water temperatures came up some, the fish moved out of the backs of the bays and hit the shorelines. We’ve had some really good days lately, wading shorelines and catching all the trout we want. Mostly, they are liking topwaters. At least, we are catching most on top. Normally, when the bite is on this time of year, you can catch ‘em however you want. We should see plenty of good action along the shorelines in East Bay throughout the spring when tides are high. If the tide pulls out, we will need better weather,
West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 When submitting this report, Randall said “Fishing for redfish has been off the charts. Mostly, the best catching had been on a Norton sand shad in voodoo color, rigged on a three eighths ounce jighead. The schools of fish had been tight, and moving fast, so once found, they were easy to catch, but it was a challenge to stay connected with them. For the trout, the bite had been best on woodpecker Skitterwalks (white with red head), and they’d been catching fish up to five pounds or so. “This year, the strong winds cranked up a little early and have things kinda messed up as we speak, but typically, May brings a bit of relief from the gusty conditions, and we should get right back to catching consistently. We’ll be looking for migrating schools of bait fish and shrimp, and trying to match the hatch as best we can. One thing is for sure; I’m loving my new G-2 Etec motor. I’ve been getting incredibly good fuel efficiency out of it, averaging nearly five miles per gallon. I’d like to thank Sport Marine for their support.” Matagorda | Tommy Countz Bay Guide Service - 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037 May is one of Tommy’s favorite months in Matagorda. “May is a great time to throw topwaters. Water temperatures and tides are right for it. I spend most of my time in West Matagorda, working shallow shorelines with grass beds early, keying on bait. We won’t hesitate to switch over to soft plastics if we’re catching for a while on top, then watch the bite dwindle
down. Sometimes, we find it effective to move out to grass beds along the outer bars later in the morning to keep catching. In May, we also like to target trout on deeper reefs like the newer ones put in by the state, using heavier jigheads to keep soft plastics close to the bottom. I will do the same drill in East Bay, in places around the reefs in the west end. We will keep our eyes on the surf; May is often the first month we see green water to the beach on occasion, and we catch some of the best trout of the year out there when we do. I will also start targeting tripletail this month. It can be a great month for those tasty fish, especially when winds are somewhat calm.” Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 The recent rains have pushed our fish out of the rivers, onto the local shorelines and into area bays. We have been targeting trout, drifting over shell in three to four feet of water, throwing VUDU Shrimp covered in VUDU Shrimp Sauce. These trout have mostly ranged in size from fifteen to twenty inches, with a few up to twenty three inches. The reds are starting to school up a little and are feeding pretty good on Egret Bayou Chubs in cajun/pepper and strawberry/white. The reds have been located close to drains and have been feeding best on falling tides. Flounder are also starting to migrate back into the bays, we have been seeing more and more on our gigging trips, with lots of undersized ones in the bay right now. May is one of my favorite months to fish, as the local bays and surf come life. The glass minnow migration should be in full swing on the shorelines, the trout ought to be in the surf on calm days, and tripletail ought to start showing up, providing lots of options for all kind of anglers.
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because the fish will pull out onto the reefs. When they do that, lighter winds help us get out there and chase after ‘em. Should see some birds start working in the near future too. That will make for some easy fishing on the better days.”
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Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 Lynn likes to fish on shallow flats in the area adjacent to Pass Cavallo during the middle of spring. “The trout will be coming in and out of the Pass, and I’ll be trying to catch them on shallow flats in those areas, targeting spots which are holding lots of bait and trying to maximize production during incoming tides, particularly early in the mornings. I spend most of my time throwing topwaters during May. Of course, I like Super Spook Juniors, particularly the white with chartreuse head. I also throw pink Skitterwalks quite a bit, both the baby one and the regular-sized. I won’t hesitate to switch over to soft plastics on days when the bite is tougher. I like to stay really shallow and make lots of casts into parts of the flat having a good mix of sand and grass, using the potholes or sandy spots in the grass as targets. Fishing has been pretty steady so far this spring, and it should only get more consistent as the weather settles somewhat and becomes more predictable.” Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Blake expects to be fishing sandy shorelines in May, targeting trout and redfish in water depths about knee to waist deep, using topwaters like chrome and blue Super Spook Juniors. “Topwaters have been working well in the bays lately. We’ve been having a good topwater bite on a steady basis. I’ve already been focusing on areas close to the main passes mostly, in Aransas and Corpus Christi Bays. That area should remain hot for me as we get further into spring. Also, we are also having a good run in the surf already. I’ve had about ten days when I’ve been able to catch lots of trout out along the beachfront already. In the surf, we’re catching best on soft plastics like Bass Assassins and Norton Sand Eels. I expect to hit some days where the topwater action is good out there too. It’s a good sign for us to be catching trout so early in the
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108 | May 2015
surf, so I expect it to be an outstanding year for that kind of fishing. I also expect to keep hitting some of the reefs in bays like San Antonio, Mesquite, Carlos and St. Charles too.” Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 Everything is warming up in May, including the water and air temperatures, along with the fishing and catching opportunities. With the trout actively spawning, I’ll be fishing along grass lines and potholes in less than two feet of water. I’ll be fishing in water holding good numbers of bait fish like mullet or shad, and I’ll be approaching the selected areas by shutting down my outboard about a hundred yards away from my target and getting closer using my trolling motor. If the water clarity is good, and it is not too windy, I’ll start using my favorite MirrOlure SheDog. I also like to use the Bass Assassin Kwik Kork with about twelve inches of 25 pound fluorocarbon, tied to a 1/8 ounce jighead, rigged with smelly baits like three inch Bass Assassin Blurps or Berkley Gulp! shrimp. May is also the beginning of croaker season, and I like to use them by free lining them with a #3 Mustad Wide Gap Croaker hook, and I like to fish with them along the edges of grass lines and drop offs. Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 Joe has been targeting and catching plenty of trout and redfish on shallow flats lately, using soft plastics. Water conditions vary with the tides, and he adjusts his locations and strategies accordingly. “When the tide goes out, the brown tide moves from south to north, so I spend more time in areas around the bridge, or even north of there. The water in Shamrock Cove and East Flats is beautiful lately, and deeper parts of the cove are holding plenty of fish. It’s possible to see the fish and sightcast quite a bit in places like that, even on the windier days. In water with less visibility, I am finding my fish really shallow. It’s easier to see them
by looking for wakes and nervous bait fish in the murkier water. I am using paddletails with strongly contrasting colors when fishing in water which has some of the brown tide in it, using the vibration of the tail and brighter color of the tail to get the attention of the fish. I’ll continue fishing the fringes of the clear water on days with better conditions and heading north into the clear water when winds blow.” Padre Island National Seashore Billy Sandifer - Padre Island Safaris - 361.937.8446 May can be a fantastic month for fishing PINS beaches. It’s never a question of fish abundance; it’s about wind and the amount of sargassum in the surf. A variety of warm-water species are generally present throughout the month. Tides are mostly favorable and driving is not nearly as difficult as the earlier months with more northers. Ladyfish, bluefish, redfish, pompano, black drum, sheepshead, whiting and Spanish mackerel can all be available. Jackfish can be seen working bait shoals, and tarpon begin to make their appearance. Stray ling and king mackerel are occasionally found. Deeper pockets and wide, deep guts will hold lots of bottom fish; dead shrimp, cut mullet and Fishbites are good bait choices. Target birds and other obvious signs of food chain activity for steady action on lures. Silver spoons and chrome-blue Rat-L-Traps work well in May. Various shark species can be available and the best baits for these are the species present at the time. Drive cautiously—May is a busy month for turtle nesting. Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 Fishing has been unreal lately. Don’t get me wrong, there has been the occasional day where it has been a grind to catch fish but for the most part it has been very good. The redfish are finally starting to cooperate on the flats, gold and silver weedless spoons have been the lure of
choice. Trout fishing has also been epic. We have had several trout over 30 inches caught and released in a short period of time. We have been using Skitter Walks and Kelley Wiggler Ball Tail Shads on 1/8 oz jig heads. Most of the keeper trout have been in mid-thigh to waist deep water. The bigger trout have been along the shoreline in knee to calf deep water. The snapper fishing in state waters has also been very productive. Several 24lb snapper have been brought in. At times the average catch has been 12-15 lbs. To me it is just amazing that we can catch snapper and still see the sand dunes. Hope everyone stays safe on the water, until next time tight lines and calm seas. Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty – www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 This time of year, it’s all about the wind. Our prevailing southeast wind is the strongest factor that effects fishing on a regular basis. Over the last few years, we have changed some things to deal with the muddy conditions. Using the Cajun Thunder round cork with a Berkley Gulp! Live three-inch shrimp on about a fifteen-inch leader addresses several of the problems you have when the water is cloudy. Popping the cork makes the lure hop up off the bottom and then it drops back down from the surface, so the noise, or vibration, plus the scent from the Gulp! help the fish find the bait and then react to the hopping and dropping. Freddy says, “When fish can’t see the bait from any significant distance, you have to use vibration and smell to get the predator close, and then natural instincts will kick in, so don’t ignore dirty water. The fish are there.” We’ve been catching more trout each trip, some over twenty five inches. We’re still landing oversized reds and at least two keepers on the slow days, with limits when the tide is right. Stop OBDD!
TSFMAG.com | 109
Case Dahlman Seadrift - 18” first redfish!
Jonathan Aquado Indianola Fishing Marina - jack
Daniel Engler Rockport - 45” black drum
Randy Parker Rockport - 29” trout CPR
Chris Mitchell Little Shell Beach Padre - first red!
Stevan Hurtado High Island Surf - 6’ blacktip 110 | May 2015
Matthew Stewart San Luis Pass - 45lb jack
Josh Jordan & Chayse Jones Port Aransas - 67” 78lb ling
Cynthia Jacqueline Garcia Adolph Thomae, Jr. Park - 39” black drum
Rick Kelly Indianola Fishing Marina - 27” trout
Shaye Rosenbrock Indianola Fishing Marina - 36” red
Kirsten Laurie Port Aransas - 31” 12lb redfish
Robert De Leon, Jr. Port Mansfield - 41” kingfish
Armando Martinez, Jr. Arroyo City - 22” first red!
Christopher Roussos red snapper
Efrain Trevino Arroyo City - 29” red drum
Kaden Livell Freeport - sand trout
Alysha Jasek redfish
Chad McClean world class mullet
Juan Gerardo Pastrana Port Mansfield - 29” 7.9lb trout
Greg Stone Lavaca Bay - 31” red
Elvira Vaughan South Padre - 29” trout CPR
Brandy Medus & Glen Davis Packery Park - 28” 7lb & 25” 7lb trout
Annie Quysner & Lily Miskimen Corpus Christi - 23” first gigged flounder!
Brian Mitchell Little Shell Beach Padre - first sheepshead!
Eric Sepulveda South Padre - 28” snook CPR TSFMAG.com | 111
Sule King Ranch Shoreline - 27” trout
James Robokowski North Padre - 25” red CPR
Isaac Morales South Bay - 31” trout
Pete Chase Ayres Bay - 43” black drum
Ryan Smith Trinity Bay - 25” trout
Jessie Hernandez, Jr. Olivia - first redfish!
Bernardo Rivera San Antonio Bay - back-to-back reds
Michelle & Colin Tran Sabine Pass - 32” first redfish!
Keelyn Ritchie personal best redfish!
Please do not write on the back of photos.
Email photos with a description of your Catch of the Month to: Photos@tsfmag.com
Lorie Kraus 25” redfish 112 | May 2015
Justin Pechal South Padre - 28lb kingfish
Mail photos to: TSFMag P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983
Waterloo
Rod Company U.S.A.
Pam Johnson Got ideas, hints or recipes you’d like to share? Email them to pam@tsfmag.com or send by fax: 361-785-2844
114 | May 2015
Designer & Manufacturer of Specialized High Performance Fishing Rods Office: 361.573.0300
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TSFMAG.com | 115
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Sea Otter Moms Work Double-Time As utterly exhausting as it is to care for a newborn, most moms would never dream of abandoning their child. But what if it were a question of life and death…for the baby or the mom? That’s the dilemma that sea otter moms sometimes face when they can’t provide enough calories to meet their pups’ incredibly high energy demands. Researchers at a sea otter pup rehabilitation program measured the metabolic rates and daily caloric needs of sea otter pups and found the mothers need to provide more than 222,000 Calories to raise pups from birth to independence.
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A sea otter mom and her baby. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. From its first weeks of life until just before it is weaned, a sea otter pup’s metabolic needs more than triple, from 547 Calories a day to 1,770 Calories a day. For the first month all that energy comes from mom, followed by about five months of nursing while learning to eat – and eventually forage – for other foods. Initially, mom only needs to eat 17 percent more to produce enough milk for her baby, but as her pup grows, she needs to nearly double her food intake. Twice as much eating means twice as much hunting for a mom who may already be dangerously low on energy. When food is plentiful, parenting can be challenging, but a sea otter can manage. However, when food is scarce, a sea otter mother faces a difficult decision: struggle to support her pup until it can make it on its own, possibly working herself to death, literally? Or, abandon her pup early so she can recover and have a better chance of successfully raising a pup the next time she breeds? Sometimes a sea otter mom must make life and death choices for both herself and her baby, decisions no mom would ever want to make.
The University of Texas
Marine Science Institute www.ScienceAndTheSea.org © The University of Texas Marine Science Institute 116 | May 2015
texas saltwater fishing holes ON THE WATER
Saltwater Fishing Clinics
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WITH
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If you are having difficulty catching fish on a consistent basis, the clinic is designed for you. Learn Capt.Robert Zapata’s secrets to finding and catching more fish from his 25 years of experience as a professional fishing guide.
For Information Call 361-563-1160
Galveston
Capt. Billy Penick III
USCG & TP&W Licensed • Galveston Bay System • Full and Half Day Trips • Trout, Redfish, Flounder
281-415-6586 www.gypsyguideservice.com penickbilly@yahoo.com
M ATA G O R D A B AY Speckled Trout / Redfish
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Galveston Bay 281-814-0119
J.R.Land@att.net *Accepts all major credit cards
USCG Licensed Captain Stan Sloan
832.693.4292 fintasticcoastalcharters.com TSFMAG.com | 117
CHRIS MAPP
B OAT M A I N T E N A N C E T I P S
What a Busy Spring! Chris Mapp, owner Coastal Bend Marine. Yamaha, Evinrude, Suzuki, Mercury, Honda, BlueWave, SilverWave, Haynie, El Pescador Service, Parts and Sales.
We have seen a recent rash of problems where boat owners could have eliminated downtime and prevented costly repairs with a simple preventive maintenance remedy that usually requires only minutes to apply. Outboard motor manufacturers place grease fittings at key points on the motor and hitting them with a few shots of grease periodically is critically important to avoiding problems stemming from lack of lubrication. There are generally five grease fittings on outboards; two on the engine tilt tube (not to be confused with the hydraulic steering bleeder fittings); two on the steering shaft/tiller handle that runs vertical with the engine between the powerhead and the gear case. An additional fifth grease fitting is located behind the prop on some models for lubricating the bearing carrier assembly. If you are On the first four fittings mentioned, a unable to push grease until a witness of new grease should flow out witness shows, the top and bottom of bushings being seek help! lubricated and this is often easier to say Steering tilt tube requires than accomplish as old, hardened grease frequent application of can sometimes be difficult to displace. new grease. Anytime a witness of new grease is not clearly visible at top and bottom of bushings when grease is applied I highly recommend taking the boat to your dealer or local service center for assistance. Another area that should be addressed in regular preventive maintenance is the prop shaft. The prop shaft should be wiped
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Note the witness of new grease at pivot point.
clean and a generous coating of grease should be applied every time the prop is removed or at least once annually. Don’t forget to check for fishing line wrapped on the shaft behind the thrust washer when changing props or PM’ing the shaft. Fishing line can be quick death to prop shaft seals. All grease becomes hard over time and applications of fresh grease on a regular basis can stave off undo wear and tear. Waterproof marine grease is my first choice; please note that all grease is not waterproof. The label will clearly read waterproof if it is. This is not the same as wheel bearing grease but, in a pinch, use what you have on hand...any grease is better than none! Have a safe and happy boating and fishing experience! Chris Mapp Coastal Bend Marine | Port O’Connor, TX 361.983.4841 | www.coastalbendmarine.com
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• Bay Fishing, Offshore, Floundering, Waterfowl, Dove • Night Fishing off Lighted Pier • Right On The Water • Lodging with/without Meals www.matagordasunriselodge.com 979-241-1705
fishing retreats
corpus to port isabel classifieds BENTLEY’S INTERCOASTALS HOUSE RENTALS Port O’Connor, Texas: 3 Bedrooms, Sleeps 6, Fully Furnished. Great Location between the little Jetties & Clark’s Restaurant. Boat Slip upon availability. Guide service available with Capt Keith Gregory. Call Steve or Lydia at 361-983-4660 or 361-482-9095. Special winter rates available.
Your Ad Could Be Here! for rates call 361.785.3420 or email ads@tsfmag.com
TSFMAG.com | 119
feel the
PULL
Great for catching Trout, Redfish and Flounder, the Live Target 3” and 4” pre-rigged Shrimp has a realistic appearance designed to outfish the real thing. The body is infused with real shrimp, while the rear swimming legs create the illusion that the bait is propelling itself forward, which fish can’t resist!
M
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The BEST Choice… Any Place, Anytime!
Introducing Shimano’s latest in comfortable and light weight footwear - the Shimano Evair Marine/Fishing shoes. The Evair are an ‘open’ style shoe, meaning they’re quick drying and allow your feet to breathe even in the hottest day time conditions. A non slip sole gives the wearer added confidence when navigating slippery decks.
Utilizing the new CI4+ material for construction, Stradic CI4+ is the ultimate in lightweight reels designed for the ultrafinesse angler using lightweight fluorocarbon, braided or monofilament lines. From drop shotting to shakey heads and small texas rigs, this reel has you covered.
The Shimano Curado I Series Low-Profile Baitcast Reel features an aluminum frame that is lightweight and durable. X-Ship technology ensures great gear durability and a high gear ratio allows for fast retrieves, while the SVS Infinity centrifugal brake system provides smooth control. S3D Shimano spool design for stability.
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The Shimano Chronarch 200-E7 Baitcast Reel features 7 bearings for precise, smooth casts. The Super Free bearingsupported pinion gear system helps prevent friction on the spool shaft for increased freespool. Super Stopper II antireverse with a 1-way roller bearing helps eliminate backplay for instant hook-setting power.
ROY’S Bait and Tackle Outfitters
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Tidal Corrections Location Calcasieu Pass, La. Sabine Bank Lighthouse Sabine Pass (jetty) Sabine Pass Mesquite Point Galveston Bay (S. jetty) Port Bolivar Texas City, Turning Basin Eagle Point Clear Lake Morgans Point Round Point, Trinity Bay Point Barrow, Trinity Bay Gilchrist, East Bay Jamaica Beach, Trinity Bay Christmas Point Galveston Pleasure Pier San Luis Pass Freeport Harbor
High -2:14 -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14 +0:33 +3:54 +6:05 +10:21 +10:39 +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -0:09 -0:44
Low -1:24 -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06 +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15 +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:38 +2:33 +2:31 -0:09
For other locations, i.e. Port O’Connor, Port Aransas, Corpus Christi and Port Isabel please refer to the charts displayed below.
Please note that the tides listed in this table are for the Galveston Channel. The Tidal Corrections can be applied to the areas affected by the Galveston tide.
Minor Feeding Periods coincide with the moon on the horizon, and the last from 1.0 to 1.5 hrs after the moon rise or before moon set. Major Feeding Periods are about 1.0 to 1.5 hrs either side of the moon directly overhead or underfoot. Many variables encourage active feeding current flow (whether wind or tidal driven), changes in water temp & weather, moon phases, etc. Combine as many as possible for a better chance at an exceptional day. Find concentrations of bait set up during a good time frame, and enjoy the results.
Te x a s S a l t w a t e r F i s h i n g M a g a z i n e l
w w w. t e x a s s a l t w a t e r f i s h i n g m a g a z i n e . c o m