April 2011

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Contents

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER

APRIL 2011 Volume 20 No. 12

Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com VICE PRESIDENT

FeatUres

20

PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

08 Spoiled Again 14 What We Know & Don’t Know 20 Current Events Bring Back Old...

26 Buzzbaits in the Bay? 32 How Much is Enough?

38 Wear Your Kill Switch - I Didn’t!

40 Tides & Tables or Fishermen’s Fables

Mike McBride Kevin Cochran Billy Sandifer Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Becky Haynes Mike McBride

departMents

26 52

24 30 42 44 46 50 52 56 60 62 66

Coastal Birding Science and the Sea Let’s Ask The Pro Fly Fishing TPWD Field Notes Conservation Kayak Fishing According to Scott Youth Fishing Texas Nearshore and Offshore Fishy Facts

56

92

Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net REGIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Patti Elkins

BUSINESS / ACCOUNTING MANAGER Shirley Elliott Shirley@tsfmag.com CIRCULATION SUBSCRIPTION – PRODUCT SALES Linda Curry Cir@tsfmag.com ADDRESS CHANGED? Email Store@tsfmag.com DESIGN & LAYOUT Stephanie Boyd Office: 361-785-4282 stephanie@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly.

Subscription Rates: One Year (Free Emag with Hard Copy Subscription) $25.00, Two Year $45.00

Dickie Colburn Mickey Eastman Bill Pustejovsky Gary Gray David Rowsey Capt. Tricia Ernest Cisneros

reGUlars 06 70 86 90 92 96

NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE

Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265

Billy Sandifer UT-Marine Science Institute Jay Watkins Casey Smartt Adriana Leiva CCA Texas Scott Null Scott Sommerlatte Jake Haddock Mike Jennings Stephanie Boyd

Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene Mickey on Galveston Capt. Bill’s Fish Talk Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays Hooked up with Rowsey Capt. Tricia’s Port Mansfield Report South Padre Fishing Scene

Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918

Patti@tsfmag.com

What oUr GUides haVe to saY 72 74 76 78 80 82 84

Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com

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:

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

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.

aBoUt the CoVer

Lower Laguna Madre anglers are enjoying an incredible big trout bonanza. The combined effect of a five fish limit and uncommon freshwater inflows over the past several years have sparked the best trout fishing on the Gulf coast. Capt. Mike McBride shows off a beauty that taped short of twenty-nine and weighed nearly ten pounds…now that’s fat and healthy!

4 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 5

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EDITORIAL

HAIL APRIL!

Here on the Texas coast, in terms of fishing participation, April is when the rubber meets the road. Improving weather, a brief taste of salt perhaps during March’s spring break, great tides, a general sense of rebirth in the estuaries, and the beauty of Texas in bloom completes the setting. Even though autumn and early winter can arguably bring the year’s best fishing, the throng of anglers headed coastward cannot all be wrong; April is great too!

Too often, though, we hear tales of fishermen who have not prepared well for the “opener” if April could be termed such. Outboards neglected during the hunting months tend to be cranky on the first outing and tempers flare in long lines at boat launches. Boat trailers burn up rusted wheel bearings and dry-rotted tires explode on highways. Boating and launching skills get rusty too, adding drama.

The upshot is that the first really big trip sometimes turns out to be less fun than had been anticipated.

I know it sounds corny, but a trip to your favorite boat dealer or mechanic’s shop is where the season’s first big excursion should start. In this age of ethanol-blended gasoline and injected outboards, fuel systems deserve attention by expert technicians and electrical systems definitely need a pre-season shakedown. Batteries suffer during downtime, sometimes to the point of being unable to hold a charge. Very frustrating; just ask anybody that’s been “next” at a busy boat launch.

Adrenaline and high expectation have a way of pushing boating safety and courtesy on the water to a backseat. Incidents of bay rage become common while near-misses and otherwise easily avoided accidents grab headlines and top all tales of fishing success at marinas.

In this issue we have included two tales to increase on-the-water safety awareness. Beck Haynes of Port O’Connor, lifelong boat operator and angler, relates the importance of kill switches. She is lucky to be able to share her experience. During a visit yesterday, I witnessed how an outboard propeller can mangle a leg. A gruesome image of what ignoring simple operating protocol can cause.

Also included is Joe Hunt’s story of his stringer getting wrapped in the prop while his buddy picked him up after a wade. Joe is no rookie and he too was lucky, way luckier than Becky. His account of how quickly and innocently everything happened should be a serious reminder to all wade fishermen.

Honestly, I could not begin to estimate how many hours I have operated boats with the kill switch tether draped across the throttle lever. And even though I have always fully understood the danger of climbing a boarding ladder with the engine running, I can recall a few times when haste in reaching the next spot seemed to justify it.

However, after speaking with Becky and Joe, I assure you these foolish stunts are all in my rearview.

Before heading to the coast this month, give your equipment the attention it deserves. And above all, please remember to think safety first and always display the greatest courtesy to your fellow fishermen, even if they are clearly in the wrong. We all live to fish, so let’s all be safe and courteous while we do it.

6 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 7

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

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Story by Mike McBride

Spoil banks can work under a variety of conditions.

The weatherman’s mystery math was dead on as usual. Whatever coastal wind is predicted, simply add ten knots and hope to Neptune the final outcome isn’t closer to fifteen. The forecast called for very fishable 12 to 15 knots mid-afternoon – yet there we were – leaning into a steady 25 knot blast from Hell, staring at a horribly shredded bay, knowing full well the worst was yet to come. With little alternative we reached for a rabbit and ended up finding a lively one that led us to a high-potential spoil bank. The dumps worked again, even in the ridiculous conditions, and the day was saved. Many days can be saved by working these man-made fish havens and there are literally miles of them lining the Intracoastal from the JFK Causeway to Isabel. Work them with confidence and you might just get spoiled yourself by the consistently good fishing they offer. This is good stuff and worth talking about, especially during spring.

Everybody knows about spoil banks, spoil islands, and every other hump of dredged material framing the entire ICW. Plain and simple, they offer distinctive structure near deep water and can often hold fair water clarity when the wind howls. In fact, most of my better experiences on them have been during tough winds. What’s also attractive about them is that they usually hold fish of all classes, from myriads of dinks to the big mamas, and everything in between.

Being able to stay busy with high hopes will make any fishing day worthy. However, just like any other area, you have to know when to be where and what to do when. Let’s look at a few examples, starting with the 25 knot trip mentioned.

Tony, Joe and I were scrambling. There was virtually no place left to fish after the weatherman’s prediction plus fifteen got on us.

Fortunately though, and as it often happens, the water in the ICW held cleaner and was lapping onto some nasty sand edges and grassy point breaks teaming with mullet. Most folks would automatically 8 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 9

go to the leeward side, and I suppose it makes inexperienced sense given the ease of downwind casting into calmer water, but we chose to anchor and wade the sudsy side, where the wind was catching the submerged barrier at about a 45° angle. In my experience, while there are quite often more fish down-current, the bigger fish tend to hold on the windward side. I can only guess that the bigger fish get first pickings and the down-current guys get what’s left. I think that’s also how it works with humans…agree?

Anyway, by throwing tails on 1/4 ounce jigs at 90° to the wind, allowing the offering to be swept up onto a foamy windward shelf, it was basically a solid fish every other cast for three “wave in your face” hours. One major and highly critical piece of the puzzle, though, was using braided line. I’m not sure we would have felt most of the pick-ups using rubber band monofilament. Keeping your rod tip low to the water minimizes the wind-driven bow in your line, and once again braid connected us to fish we would never have otherwise known were there. There is simply no way I could or would ever go back to “stretching” my luck.

Continuing on, spoil banks are strange yet somewhat predictable animals. Their entire length can be considered sweet spots by default, but there are always naturally sweeter spots within the sweet spots. Unfortunately for the “anchor at my favorite spot” type of angler, the sweetest spots vary with conditions. Wading is the most effective way to find them on any given day, and this particular day was no different. We had nothing to show for the first one hundred yards of effort but we did eventually find the Promised Land.

What we normally have on any dump site is a lengthy series of small points and hooks created by erosion of the spoil itself.

Depending on wind velocity and direction, usually one or the other will pay off. For example, if you find a better class of fish on

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

a windward point for now, chances are great that better fish will be holding on every windward point until conditions change. Same thing if they happen to want a leeward hook. Wherever you find what you are looking for, they all seem to use the same type of area until something makes them move. It’s like they have little pre-arranged meeting sites…“OK guys, today, everybody will stage on a windward points. Remain there until you get a memo to move.” Strange how nature works. This time they were on the windward points, and dark colored plastics hopped on the bottom and swept up the tapered shelf was the ticket. That’s just one technique though, and again, all based on conditions.

Spoils will always hold fish but the key is to dial into the “where” for the moment. Last April, Capt. Tricia and I pulled in to a spoil bank for a quick look and discovered balls of mullet being thrashed by unknown predators. It was so violent that we immediately thought jackfish for sure. Lucky for us it was a bunch of large trout. Raking She Dogs through pods of mullet struggling in 20 knot suds gave us a score of trout over six pounds. This time they were holding on the leeward hooks and for one rare moment it was visually quite easy. You could see the activity all the way down that particular bar and it lasted for nearly two hours. But as usual, everything suddenly stopped, almost as though another memo had been sent…“Stop feeding at 2:30.” (Tell me it doesn’t work like that.)

That session was typical of the windward feeding pattern but it is important to note that sometimes the larger fish we are looking for will be found extremely shallow on the crown of the spoil. For example, when you see dolphins working nearby in the ICW, you can almost bet that many of the larger and wiser fish will scoot up as shallow as they can get. They will continue to feed, but they will be very spooky and this is where a long cast is required with a floating Corky Fat Boy

The author with a prime spoil bank dweller.

10 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 11

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

be at least some current moving through these corridors and it is always best to fish with it, not against it. The bottom composition is usually different in these troughs than the surrounding spoil, softer and muddier. Big trout usually hold either in the middle of them or along the edges; all that is required is a bit of investigative effort to identify the pattern for the moment.

Spring winds are upon us and big fish are amongst us. Spoil banks can work under a variety of conditions, but you have to go there with serious intent to make anything happen. Six major ideas need to be addressed this spring. The weatherman basically sucks. There are always places to find fish if you are willing to work. Learn to cast into the wind. Use braid. Work the spoils with purpose. Maintain high expectations. Spoil yourself with some good decision making about where and when…see ya there!

Larger fish are often found on the windward face of the spoils.

or maybe a stealthily jigged paddletail. Walk slowly and cast to every small holding area you can see, and as Elmer J. Fudd often said, “Be v-e-r-r-y quiet.”

Other areas to target, especially during low-wind periods, are washouts, guts, or funnels bisecting the spoil bars. There will usually

Contact

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

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KEEPING OUR T R O O PS S AF E.

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Story by Kevin Cochran

On the first of February, 2011, frigid arctic air rode the high rails of the jet stream straight down into South Texas, rattling windows, ripping foam off crested waves and causing the palms of many local anglers to sweat. When temperatures remained below 34° in Corpus Christi from the morning of the second all the way to the afternoon of the fourth, those of us inclined to fret were pushing all kinds of panic buttons. Chipping ice off the windshields on the morning of the fifth did nothing to ease our fears.

On Saturday afternoon, temperatures climbed into the low sixties, and water temperatures rebounded from lows in the upper thirties back into the low fifties. Despite another cold night, Sunday’s high temperatures reached the seventies. Still, many feared the worst and went searching for dead fish. We found plenty.

Particularly along the east shoreline of the Upper Laguna Madre, the shiny carcasses of dead silver perch, spot croaker and sand trout cluttered the sand bars and grass beds. Gorging Jason King with a 7 1/2 gulls plucked out their eyes pound trout, caught and pelicans swallowed them February 7, in shallow whole. Stunned, dying and water tight to a Laguna dead sea turtles washed Madre shoreline. up by the hundreds; many perished despite the best efforts of locals who rescued all they could. Conspicuously absent were the corpses of speckled trout, redfish and mullet. Especially in Baffin Bay, where we expected to find thousands.

I’d been obsessing over numerous weather forecasts and reports and had done preliminary research in an attempt to determine how this cold weather would compare with terrible fish-killing freezes in the past. The website for weather underground gives historical data for many locations, and I was able to pull 14 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 15

Texas Saltwater Fishing

up the daily temperatures in Corpus Christi during infamous cold snaps which killed millions of fish in Texas.

I quickly learned the disasters of December 1983 and December 1989 were caused by lower extreme temperatures than what we experienced this year. Additionally, both those events lasted longer than this one. The monstrous chill of ‘83 lasted a full 15 days, with an average daily temperature around 35°. The low temperature recorded in Corpus that year was 14° on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas indeed! Fourteen million fish succumbed to the cold statewide as a result of that blast, 4.8 million of those in the ULM. During the eleven-day deep freeze of December ‘89, the lowest low recorded in Corpus was even lower, reaching a distinctly mean 12° on the twenty-third. The next day wasn’t nice for skinny dipping either, as the mercury plummeted to 18°. For the three days leading up to Christmas Eve 1989, the average temperature here in the normally balmy city of dunes and palms was a bleak 27°!

Clearly, this year’s event did not rival either the December freezes of ‘83 or ‘89 in terms of severity or duration. But when compared to the freeze of February 1989, the numbers were much closer. That event involved a rapid drop in temperatures, and for a four day span from the fourth through the seventh, the average temperature was 31°.

State officials estimated the destruction left in the path of that blast at 11 million dead fish statewide, 9.3 million of those in the ULM alone.

Doesn’t take a genius to figure out that losing 9 million fish would make for some tough outings in the months and years to come.

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

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This year’s event started off eerily similar to the one in February ’89. On the first, when the cold air came crashing in, the average temperature in Corpus was 49°, compared with 54° on the day the killer ’89 event began. Then we had averages of 30° and 29° for the next two days, putting us “ahead” of the ’89 event in terms of severity. Our luck began to change, albeit by a narrow margin on the fourth day, when the average temperature climbed to 35° due to an afternoon high of 43°. The saving sun, forecast to come out late, broke through the clouds before noon! Some of us hummed the lyrics to the old E.L.O. song which praises “Mr. Blue Sky”.

Day five helped us crawl farther out of the woods. Though the morning temperatures were extremely low again, bottoming out at 27°, the sun kept on smiling, and the afternoon high shot into the low sixties. Apparently, those “improvements” on days four and five made all the difference in terms of life and death to millions of valuable trout and redfish. Some came out of the depths with their jaws snapping on Sunday the sixth, according to reliable reports from those who were able to catch them.

In other parts of the coast, people did report finding some dead trout and redfish, but the overall effect of this event did not compare to the historically significant freezes in terms of causing widespread mortality among the two most sought-after species in the state’s inshore waters. One more day of temperatures hovering around 32° could have made a tremendous difference, bringing the temperatures and duration of this freeze right in line with those experienced in February ’89.

Trout and redfish have similar capability to tolerate cold water temperatures. According to TPW, trout lose their equilibrium in water about 43°, but don’t necessarily die until temps dip into the mid-thirties. Redfish are slightly less tolerant, dying off when the water gets below about 40°. TPW’s Scott Walker says many variables influence the ability of these fish to survive in cold weather, “including the nature of the temperature decline, the thermal history of the fish before the freeze, and environmental parameters (salinity, alkalinity, possibly pH and maybe even length of daylight).”

In the modern world, anyone with a smart phone can use their fingertips to instantly verify the temperature of the water at various locations around the Texas coast. The readings are reliable only for those specific spots, though, Captain Kev with an 8 and present only a partial pound trout caught in picture of what the fish the gloaming, also on are being exposed to at a February 7th, during a brief warm up between given time. The relevant two frigid arctic blasts. water temperatures are the ones where the fish are gathered, not at the sites of the sensors. Significantly, waters of different temperatures are known to layer, or stratify, given adequate depth.

Water at the bottom of a deep basin is somewhat insulated from the effects of rapid changes in the temperature of the air over it. Water at the bottom of such a basin will stay cooler in summer and warmer in winter when compared with water at the surface. A thermocline, or line between the water closer to the surface and that closer to the bottom inhibits mixing of the two Texas Saltwater Fishing

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

18 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 19

the stocks of fish which survive these deadly freezes will be needed to repopulate the bays.

Collectively, we the people must attempt to control our impact on the fish during these regularly-occurring freeze events. We can’t affect how low the mercury in the thermometer goes, nor how long it stays down in the danger zone. But we can make sure we don’t exacerbate the situation through excessive harvest of the fish which might survive the event, and that we don‘t drive barges over fish huddled in the ICW. It’s pointless to worry about something over which we have no control. I knew that before the first frosty gust hit the window last February, but that didn’t keep me from chewing all my fingernails down to the quick. The advice given in the Serenity Prayer is sage indeed, but sometimes I find it hard to heed!

Kevin Cochran

Contact

bodies of water. These facts are accepted by scientists around the world. But what do they mean for specific parts of Texas bays? The answer to that question is not well understood. For instance, how much stratification of temperatures happens in bays with four foot maximum depths as compared with deeper bays?

No one really knows what temperatures the fish are actually exposed to because we don’t have measurements of water temperatures near the bottom of the deep holes and channels, nor do we know exactly where they go. Hopefully, data taken from electronically tracked trout will help clarify where fish actually ride out cold weather events like the one we experienced this year.

Decades of anecdotal evidence indicates they make their way to places like Offatt’s Bayou, the Matagorda Harbor and the Land Cut while the cold passes over.

How safe these havens are likely depends on how deep the water is, and on how well the water is able to stratify (in addition to the other variables mentioned by Dr. Walker). Certainly, fish in the ICW are not helped by barges passing through and stirring the water, potentially moving fish around and sending cold surface water deeper. Nor is it good for people to line up on the banks in the harbors and pull stressed fish off the bottom in massive numbers with hook and line or to scoop stunned fish from the water before they die.

In years past, weather cold enough to send trout and reds into their safe havens guaranteed a “fish kill”; if Mother Nature didn’t put ‘em on ice, human beings would. Texas Parks and Wildlife now closes many areas to fishing during and immediately after severe cold-weather events. The people managing the resource realize

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has authored two books on the subject. Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus Christi Bay to the Land Cut. Trout Tracker Guide Service Telephone 361-688-3714

Email KCochran@stx.rr.com Website www.FishBaffinBay.com

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Texas Saltwater Fishing

www.TSFMAG.com / April 2011 19

Dec. ‘83 12/17: 40 (37-44) 12/18: 44 (35-51) 12/19: 34 (30-39) 12/20: 40 (37-43) 12/21: 42 (34-50) 12/22: 30 (26-35) 12/23: 32 (28-35) 12/24: 26 (21-30) 12/25: 22 (14-30) 12/26: 29 (26-32) 12/27: 39 (32-46) 12/28: 43 (35-50) 12/29: 32 (26-39) 12/30: 30 (19-42) 12/31: 44 (28-60)

35.13 12/25: 14 12/24,25: 30 12/25: 22

15-day event 8/15 with mean avg. 34 or lower 12/22-26 mean avg. of 27.8

14 million fish statewide 4.8 million fish ULM

Month/Year Date: Mean avg. temp. values in () give low/high

Mean avg. for “event” Low min. temp.

Low max. temp.

Low mean avg.

Highlights

Mortality

11 million fish statewide 9.3 million fish ULM

7-day event 4/7 mean avg. 34 or lower 2/4-7 mean avg. of 31

38.29 2/6: 26 2/6: 32 2/6: 29

Feb. ‘89 2/3: 54 (35-71) 2/4: 31 (28-34) 2/5: 30 (28-33) 2/6: 29 (26-32) 2/7: 34 (28-41) 2/8: 40 (33-46) 2/9: 50 (44-55)

6 million fish statewide 703,000 fish ULM Note: Mortality numbers likely lower due to close proximity to Feb. ‘89 event

11-day event 4/11 mean avg. 33 or lower 12/22-24 mean avg. of 27

37.73 12/23: 12 12/23: 30 12/23: 21

Dec. ‘89 12/15: 54 (34-73) 12/16: 30 (24-35) 12/17: 37 (35-39) 12/18: 42 (39-46) 12/19: 42 (41-44) 12/20: 41 (32-50) 12/21: 44 (37-50) 12/22: 27 (21-33) 12/23: 21 (12-30) 12/24: 33 (18-48) 12/25: 44 (24-63)

193,000 fish statewide 48,000 in the Land Cut Note: No significant fish kill in ULM

9-day event 3/9 mean avg. 34 or lower 1/12-14 mean avg. of 32.33

40.44 1/12: 28 1/13: 32 1/13: 31

Jan. ‘97 1/7: 39 (37-41) 1/8: 40 (35-42) 1/9: 48 (33-62) 1/10: 50 (30-71) 1/11: 40 (37-43) 1/12: 34 (28-41) 1/13: 31 (30-32) 1/14: 32 (30-35) 1/15: 50 (35-66)

Thousands of silver perch, spot croaker, sand trout, but fewer speckled trout, redfish or mullet Note: One more day of the 31 mean avg. temps would have made this event more similar to Fe ‘89

6-day event 3/6 with mean avg. 35 or lower 2/2-4 mean avg. of 31.33

40.83 2/2: 25 2/3: 32 2/3: 29

Feb. ‘11 2/1: 49 (30-68) 2/2: 30 (25-34) 2/3: 29 (26-32) 2/4: 35 (27-43) 2/5: 45 (27-62) 2/6: 57 (37-76)

Note: Listed values are Farenheit temperatures for the date in Corpus Christi, Texas

DATA COMPARING HISTORICALLY COLD WEATHER EVENTS IN TEXAS

Story by Billy Sandifer

This Kemp’s ridley selected a nest site well up in the fore dunes, but such is not always the case. Nesting turtles are often nearly completely buried near travel lanes.

Well, if you are alive to read this we have survived another winter.

I’m supposed to be sight-casting to tarpon at a river mouth somewhere far to the south. Oh well, maybe someday. I’ve written several times that I believe sooner or later the number of speckled trout Texas anglers will keep per day will go to five or less; if not

by TPWD regulations then simply because they won’t be available.

Like Jay Watkins, I begrudge no one their opinions or legal fishing practices. I will casually request that my customers keep five trout but, if they feel they need ten each, then ten it is for now. I have no children and fish for many species other than trout. My concern for the future of the trout fishery has always been for your children and the resource itself.

It’s ironic when I think about it. Above all other species in the sea I love tarpon. I grew up fishing for them and caught one six feet and three inches long off Bob Hall Pier when I was fourteen.

I have been blessed to have seen a single school of tarpon pass along the beach en masse from the rising to the setting of the sun.

Then they dammed up the rivers and restricted freshwater inflow into the bays and sea while the Mexicans gill netted and dynamited them in tremendous numbers to sell into the U.S. as fertilizer market and also for pet food. I was gone to their little Southeast Asian war and knew nothing about any of it. I came home four years later and was horrified to learn they were gone.

It just didn’t seem possible. I had loaded my tarpon rig and drove out to Bob Hall Pier and set out a live bait on the inside edge of the southern T of the pier which had always been known as the Tarpon Hole. Pretty day, right time of year and excellent water conditions so I was really surprised that there were no other tarpon 20 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 21

fishermen present. Shortly two young men walked out to the end of the pier and when they saw how I was fishing they laughed and informed me there hadn’t been a tarpon caught there in years.

This information literally stunned me and they laughed and said, “Where the Hell have you been man?” Had they have been closer to me their insolence might well have cost them dearly for I had just returned from a world they would never be able to imagine.

“I’ve been two years in Vietnam and two more in Cuba…where the Hell have you been?” I fired back. They re-evaluated the situation and came over and introduced themselves and explained to me what had happened to the tarpon fishery. I was utterly heartbroken for what had been so recently taken for granted, and a big part of my life was gone. To this day I still have old-time tarpon leaders rigged complete with large red and white corks among my assortment of fishing gear and every now and then I even float one off the panga. But I always remember something else when I take a short trip down memory lane watching that tarpon cork drift behind the panga. I remember how we killed large numbers of adult breeding tarpon for fun and ego and bragging rights photos, leaving them in piles to rot. Isn’t it bizarre that man must constantly seek and kill that which he finds most beautiful?

I have fished in the bays for fifty-two years but I’ve never been nearly as fond of bay fishing as I am the Gulf of Mexico. Papa loved bay fishing and we worked out a treaty where he fished in the Gulf with me one trip and then I fished the bay with him the next. This was subject to revision as per the time of year and the conditions. But the bays lacked the feeling of adventure and huge fish and the element of the unknown that the Gulf afforded

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me. I know lots of folks John Holbrook of N.C. with a 6 ½ pound who genuinely enjoy Mangrove snapper on a topwater. and excel at specializing in fishing for a limited number of species but that always seemed a bit too much like having a job to me. I like the diversity of fishing for a wide variety of species often utilizing extremely different techniques and equipment. Something new every day; not just each day the same as the last and the next.

Bad manners and large crowds have pretty much taken away any real enjoyment in the bays for me although I will sneak off with Mike McBride or David Rowsey on a play day occasionally. By the way, congratulations to Mark Holt and Capt. David Rowsey on winning the Baffin Bash.

The older I get it seems the more I enjoy nearshore Gulf fishing as well as the surf. I sold my Power Pole as it seemed constantly in the way when trolling or drifting shark baits. I’ve been running with

22 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 23

one engine; a 175 Suzuki 4-stoke and it does a great job but I’m going to add a small 4-stroke “kicker” shortly for safety as I often run fifty miles offshore. I am also putting collapsible fifteen foot outriggers on it. I have a set of goals for the panga and me and actually none of them have anything to do with money; just fish. Ha! I expect that panga to see plenty of blue water this year.

March, April and early May are unique to surf shark fishermen because we get three to four foot sharks that we rarely catch at other times of the year. Bignose, blacknose and finetooth are the three that come to mind immediately. All three of these species MUST be sixty-four inches total length to be retained legally. Very few are that big, so check up on your shark ID reference material to insure you aren’t in violation. By the way, should we ever meet, DO NOT go to impressing me by telling me Beach driving safety: This Hummer SUV you catch “sand was driven off the high spoil bank at the sharks” all the Mansfield jetties and fell several feet, landing on its side. time because there are no true sand sharks in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sand sharks belong to the carpet family of sharks and are found in the Pacific. Here in Texas, when you tell a shark fisherman you catch

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April is the beginning of sea turtle nesting season. Please drive with caution.

Bonaparte’s Gull Chroicocephalus (formerly Larus) philadelphia

sand sharks all the time, he may smile and let it pass but, in his mind, he’s thinking, “Boy, this guy don’t know squat.” Duck hunters fascinate me as they can identify species and sex of ducks in bad conditions at great distances, but for some reason shark fishermen don’t do real well identifying a shark laying right there on the sand and when we don’t have nearly as many species to choose from. I don’t think any of us truly want to kill endangered or threatened species but it happens because we study the “how” of shark fish to the extreme but bypass the species ID part. And honestly if you are in doubt, the easiest fix is to release the fish and catch another you can ID positively.

Sea Turtle nesting season is upon us so keep an eye out for all of God’s children and have a good time in the process.

Formerly known as Larus philadelphia, the Bonaparte’s Gull was moved to the genus Chroicocephalus by the American Ornithologists’ Union in July, 2008. Named after Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte, a zoologist and nephew of Napoleon.

Smallest of North American gulls. A migratory species, present in Texas coastal region November through April. Breeds on northern summer range. Winter plumage is white head with a conspicuous round black spot behind the eye. Adult flashes a white wedge on leading edge of wing. Breeding plumage includes slate black head, black bill, grey mantle and red legs.

Feeds mainly on insects, small crustaceans, and small fish.

There are seven Bonaparte’s gulls in winter plumage in the accompany photo, BUT, in the center of the image is an even smaller European gull that has been documented only approximately 25 times here in Texas. This wayward seabird is only 11” tall and a long, long way from home.

Length: 13.5 inches Wingspan: 33 inches

“If we don’t leave any there won’t be any.” -Capt. Billy Sandifer

Contact

Capt. Billy Sandifer Billy Sandifer operates Padre Island Safaris offering surf fishing for sharks to specks and nature tours of the Padre Island National Seashore. Billy also offers bay and near-shore fishing adventures in his 25 foot Panga for many big game and gamefish species.

Telephone 361-937-8446

Website www.billysandifer.com

24 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 25

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Story by Martin Strarup

I don’t know why I was holding the Q-Beam at the time. The moon was so bright that I could see well enough without it, but I still brushed the water with it now and then checking for any obstructions. The boat skimmed along on the slick water through the small channels that lead to the south shoreline of Espiritu Santo Bay and bait of all sizes flipped and danced in the powerful beam literally everywhere we shined it. A young raccoon was also taking advantage of the bright night, perched on his haunches enjoying an appetizer at the water’s edge and he gave us no more than a passing glance as we sped by.

We idled up to our fishing hole around 1:30 am to find a ton of bait and a lot of nervous water. As I was wading to set the

26 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 27

anchor, something big caused bait to explode in the first gut near the shoreline and something rather large slammed into my leg, nearly taking my balance with it. It left a pretty good wake as it sped past me and I almost forgot to do the “Texas Shuffle” in my eagerness to make it back to the boat to get my rod and reel.

We had taken some ideas from the bass fishermen of the world and had carried with us an array of buzzbaits in various styles and sizes adorned with pretty near every color skirt you could imagine. Sterling tied on a big ugly looking contraption with a chartreuse skirt and I chose a smaller one with a black skirt. We learned later that skirt color seemed to have little importance as we tried a rainbow of colors and caught fish on all of them. I also carried my usual topwater baits with me, just in case, but my primary mission that night was to learn whether the buzzbaits would produce. The idea was to work the noisy baits over the potholes and shallow grass and across and down the guts during a moving tide. To be honest with you, I don’t think we really needed any tidal movement that night.

Sterling’s first fish was a flounder that measured twenty-three inches and just fat as could be while my first fish was a big red that didn’t really know he was

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

hooked until I brought him to the net, but who then tested the drag system on my Curado 200 E7 to the max as he decided he wanted no part of the net or me. He finally surrendered about five minutes later and was quickly released back into the warm summer water.

I caught two more reds before my first trout came along and she didn’t come from where I thought she would be either. I heard the familiar slurping sound of a trout feeding out away from shore in about three to four feet of water and I cast out in that direction, reeling the water spitting, and noise-making lure back to me at a pretty fast clip. That trout went twenty-two inches and the night had just gotten better as far as I was concerned.

Interestingly, that was also the only fish that we caught in water that deep that night.

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We tried all manner of retrieves, slow, medium, and fast. We tried letting the bait fall and then bringing it back up to the surface and “ripping” it hard with our rod-tips and we caught fish on all types of retrieves. It didn’t seem to matter how we presented these baits; the fish just seemed to like them no matter the speed, depth of retrieve or any other variation we could apply.

We did find that bites were most consistent in one to two foot depths and far fewer when the water was three feet and deeper. We lost some skirts if we were lazy and didn’t “dress” them after we’d caught a fish or two. So we’d check the skirts after every second fish and we also re-tied our line at the same time, not wanting to leave a fish swimming with a bunch of hardware stuck in its mouth.

Sterling had brought a couple of the Tiny Torpedo bass plugs along and used them with impressive results. It seems that the fish on that bright full moon night wanted the Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

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noisemakers. I made about twenty casts with a non-rattling topwater bait and I got no hookups, just a couple of blow-ups and that was it. I snagged a mullet on a Catch-2000 but other than that, I got no takers with that lure.

So, we figured that the trout and several flounder that found their way into the ice chest, and all of the trout and reds that we released that night, wanted baits that made noise, and not just a little noise, but a lot of noise. I’m sure that had we been fishing with popping corks and live bait we would have done as well. Noise being the key; something along the lines of an Alameda Rattle Cork or Mansfield Mauler would have been right on the money that night.

We’ve repeated this on several occasions since that first night and we generally have decent results. We don’t always wear them out, but we seem to be able to catch enough for a good fish fry.

We haven’t picked up any trophy fish yet, but the odds are that we will should we place ourselves where a big fish is located.

I have no reason to believe that trout of magnum proportions would refuse the noisy buzzbait.

So we cut the lures off of our lines (not terribly anxious to divulge the secret, and definitely not wanting to be a laughing stock) stowed all our gear and made it back to the boat ramp about the time others were about to launch and begin their day. We got more than a few looks as we placed our catch on the cleaning table and started filleting them. One guy who was waiting in line to buy bait asked, “Did ya’ll catch all of those fish in the dark?” Well, I couldn’t resist, and the smart aleck in me replied, “Nope. They had little flashlights strapped to their heads so they could see where they were swimming. It’s called nighttime sight-casting.”

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Be Safe, Martin

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28 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 29

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Martin Strarup 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 Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

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LMangrove 3.6x9.8.indd 1

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Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Story by Chuck Uzzle

Jonell Joice with a 15 pound Sabine Lake “stud” redfish.

32 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 33

Several phrases come to mind concerning the amount of tackle and gear that some customers and even a few friends insist on bringing aboard my boat and I have uttered the one above more times than I care to remember. “Holy ----!” and “You gotta be kidding!” are also applicable here.

It seems some folks could use a skycap to check in their fishing luggage or maybe I’m going to have to take a page from the airline playbook and start charging excessive baggage fees. The question of why your average bay boat has grown so large is likely traceable to anglers that insist on carrying lots of stuff on fishing trips – the word “stuff” being used to describe that mountain of tackle in your garage that seems to get bigger each year and that you must take with you every time you go. Seriously, it just absolutely boggles my mind when I look at the stuff some anglers carry around, it’s enough to make Academy, Fishing Tackle Unlimited, and Gander Mountain blush with envy. No more, I say. It’s time to lighten the load.

A typical morning at the launch with three customers begins with pleasantries and is filled with optimism for a successful day on the water. Most anglers bring their own tackle and gear and this is where it starts getting sketchy. The first client walks up to the boat carrying four rods and a mid-70s vintage hard-sided tackle box, roughly the size of your average end table. Okay, no problem. I slip the rods into holders and slide the coffin-sized container into one of the large storage boxes. The next guy is a little better due to the fact that he brought only three rods and at least packed his other stuff in a soft-sided bag. Only problem is, he brought three of these too.

The third hopeful fisherman has it wired; two rods and one medium-sized bag very neatly packed and organized. A perfect assortment of tackle for a day on the water compared to the other two guys who give the impression they were going fishing with Noah; enough gear for forty days and forty nights.

Now you ask, “So what’s the perfect assortment of tackle?”

Obviously it differs from angler to angler, but the quantity is what gets me. When you pack the entire catalog of your favorite soft plastic baits, this is where I draw the line. Four or five storage boxes of just topwater plugs is another mystery I have Texas Saltwater Fishing

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Texas Saltwater Fishing

www.TSFMAG.com / April 2011 33

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yet to figure out. Unlike our brothers who frequent freshwater lakes and similar venues, we don’t need all the clutter. I have several really good friends who routinely fish high-end bass tournaments and I get blown away every time I start digging around in their boats. How in the world can one fisherman fill up all the storage space on a twenty foot bass all by himself? It’s just crazy in my opinion. I understand that conditions can change and techniques need adjustment during a tournament, but bringing everything to fish with including being able to dropshot for Nile perch is a bit extreme.

Let me preface this next statement as my opinion and my opinion only; “The well prepared angler can and will be more successful with a pared down version of their tackle.” By answering a few simple questions and taking a no-nonsense approach, you would be amazed at how little gear you actually need to carry.

One of the biggest wastes of space in my opinion is a rainbow assortment of soft plastics. The old saying that lures catch more fishermen than fish is gospel in my book. Crazy trendy names that become buzzwords on internet forums provoke normally sane individuals into across-town treks in search of the newest magical color. Instead of carrying the whole spectrum of colors, try and divide your baits into dark and light and stick with the most consistent producers. The vast majority of the time, if fish are eating a dark color like pumpkinseed or root beer, you can substitute another dark color and be just as effective. I know I will get all kinds of e-mails from folks swearing, “The fish would only take a Dipsy Wiggler with three red dots,” and I understand that can be the case every now and again. But, day in and day out, there are way more factors that determine success than lure color.

If we as anglers paid more attention to the subtleties of tide, wind, temperature and presentation, the color debate would a distant afterthought. Instead of throwing our attention towards a magic bait that will catch them when all else fails, we should try to amend our approach and concentrate on other, much more important, factors.

So, toward the goal of lightening your load and streamlining your stuff, I would like to offer a few suggestions. Usually, in saltwater, the folks who throw artificials most of the time spend the majority of that throwing soft plastics. With that in mind keep a decent supply of major colors in various sizes. For me that consists of bone, chartreuse, glow, and salt and pepper. I keep a few short models for bottom bouncing and a few of the longer five inch versions for swimming. Darker colors like black, grape, pumpkinseed, and red, take care of the other side of the color spectrum. Jighead sizes vary by location but the two that fit the bill most often are 1/4 and 1/8 ounce. Farther down the coast the sizes tend to get lighter but that’s almost a special situation. The 1/4 and 1/8 will take care of most applications and 34 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 35

Texas Saltwater Fishing

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should be the bulk of will cover most of the other bases left open. Now your supply. you have a great variety of baits that will be the Hard baits like building blocks of the perfect tackle bag. Not too topwaters and sinking much clutter with just the right amount of variety. plugs can also be divided Bear in mind that I too was once guilty of carrying into colors and sizes. I way too much gear. I now enjoy taking only a How much tackle make mine simple by handful of lures and being able to concentrate on is too much? going black, bone, and catching fish rather than trying to decide what bait a natural shad or mullet to throw next. Take an honest inventory of the lures color. Hard to go wrong you use most frequently and how well they produce with that theory in my for you, keep them handy and cull the rest. The book. A few different lighter tackle bag will be a welcome surprise for you, sizes from Super Spook and certainly to the folks you fish with. to Spook Jr. will help you match the bait in the area you fish. With that in mind I always tend Chuck Uzzle to lean towards smaller Chuck fishes Sabine and than larger, this is why Calcasieu Lakes from his home the MirrOlure She Dog in Orange, TX. His specialties and She Pup are my are light tackle and fly fishing favorites. Same goes for for trout, reds, and flounder.

Corkys and other slow sinkers, presentation Phone 409-697-6111 in my mind is far more Email cuzzle@gt.rr.com important than color.

Website www.chucksguideservice.net A small collection of spoons, spinnerbaits, and a few rattling corks

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36 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 37

Texas Saltwater Fishing

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Wade Fishing Safety Advice

A Letter from Joe Hunt

Fisherman and reader of TSFMag

Dear Mr. Johnson, I want to share an incident that happened to me this past week.

Please mention to all to practice safety measures around boats all the time. Our attention drifts sometimes when on the water and when it does bad things can happen. As you will see, I was very lucky in this one.

away before it could drag me into the spinning blades. At the time I didn’t think too much about it but I have now had a few days to realize just how lucky I was. Believe me when I say that it happened very quickly and innocently.

“Believe me when I say it happened VERY QUICKLY”

While wading back to the boat, the engine was running at idle speed. I knew this but didn’t realize it was idling in reverse. I know better than to be careless around running engines, but just didn’t think; nor did the driver. By the time I realized the engine was in reverse the prop had already grabbed my stringer. Fortunately the loop on my wading belt tore

With spring springing, please remind everyone to check all their safety gear and “Think Safety” all the time. Accidents can happen to anyone, young or old, novice or expert. Both the driver and I are seasoned veteran boaters and fisherman. Just got careless and didn’t think!

Joe Hunt – Houston, T X

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Story by Becky Haynes Port O’Connor, TX

Quite a while ago the engine kill switch became standard equipment on outboard engines, and to most of us long-time boaters it has been little more than an annoying piece of unnecessary equipment.

Quickly we figured out how to make a loop in the lanyard and drape it over the throttle.

“I wear it if I am on the boat alone,” or, “I wear it when I am in rough water,” is what you will hear from most boaters you talk to. I sat in Mitchell’s Cut here at Port O’Connor late last summer and counted only one of thirty-five boats going by with the operator actually wearing their kill switch. Well, make that two if you count me.

My friends, family, and I used to belong to the “non-kill-switchwearing” crowd, but not anymore. Very soon we will be celebrating the first anniversary of my boating accident. Yes, I said celebrating because I am still here and able to write this story. I have both of my legs attached and can walk and run without any noticeable change in their function but there is quite a noticeable change in the appearance of one of my calves thanks to running our boat without the kill switch attached to my body. Did I mention that it was a calm day and I had someone in the boat with me?

“It couldn’t happen to me; I’ve been running boats for years,” you say. Well I have too. I was raised on the water here in Port O’Connor

38 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 39

and taught to run a boat safely at an early age.

There was no drinking on the boat the afternoon of my accident, I didn’t run aground, I was not going fast, the water wasn’t rough, I wasn’t trimmed up or out too far, the water wasn’t too shallow and there was no horseplay going on. I had been running the boat I was driving that day for five years and the boat had never “swapped ends” or even attempted to swap ends before, nor have other boats of the same make been known to swap ends. Basically, every reason anybody could come up with that might have caused the accident was ruled out. I wasn’t wearing my kill switch…the throttle was wearing it at the time the Good Lord decided for me to have a freak accident.

When the boat swapped ends I was thrown overboard and the few seconds that it took the person sitting next to me to reach over and turn off the engine was just seconds enough for the prop to pass over my leg and nearly remove it.

I was lucky, very lucky in fact, because we were a great distance from the dock and the prop had cut a blood vessel in my calf. I could have bled to death. My dad was in his boat a short distance ahead and heard the prop and exhaust noise as the boat spun. When he turned and noticed I was gone, he came quickly to investigate. I tease and say that was the day my dad straightened out the back bays, it

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seemed like we were at the dock in no time and made no turns. Thank You Dad! Over the past year I have had four surgeries, numerous hospital stays, on crutches for months, and more doctor visits and bills than anyone should ever have to endure. I have met a lot of people that have shared stories of prop related boating accidents that have happened recently all along the coast and on various lakes.

There are a lot more of them than we see in the newspapers, internet, or on TV. I’m blessed; mine seems to have had one of the best endings. The one thing all of these accidents have in common is that no one on the boat was wearing the kill switch.

As the doctor would let me, still using crutches and not able to stand more than ten minutes in an hour; I was back in the boat doing what I love, fishing and driving the boat again. But now the kill switch is securely placed around my wrist and not removed until the engine is completely off.

The little loop along the bottom edge of the pocket on your fishing shirts is there to attach the clip of your kill switch lanyard; life jackets (if you wear one) also have a loop for this.

Your belt loop works too. Since I am usually in a bathing suit, I found a comfortable wristband/kill switch holder at Academy for $12.99 that is designed for use on personal watercraft. If you choose not to wear the kill switch, make whoever is sitting next to you wear it and instruct them to jerk it immediately should someone fall off the boat or something goes wrong. What if you (as the driver) should suffer a heart attack or lose consciousness for any reason – what will happen?

There really is no reason for not wearing your kill switch and I can give you a lot of GOOD reasons why you should. I will even show you pictures if you need more persuasion; I promise they are not pretty. In an accident situation, a moving prop can amputate or maim in the wink of an eye and the kill switch being activated is the only thing that can stop it quickly enough to prevent disaster.

I would like to again thank my dad and boyfriend along with all the Volunteer First Responders that were at the dock waiting on the boat to arrive. I also want to thank, Dr. Barber, Dr. Mondolfi and the great medical staff at Citizens Hospital in Victoria for the prompt and great care I was given. I would also like to thank my family and friends for being so supportive through my long period of recovery, (I still have a way to go although we are nearing the home stretch.) It hasn’t been easy and I couldn’t have made it without you. I pray everyone that reads this learns from our experience and utilizes that “annoying little coiled cord” better known as the KILL SWITCH. It could save your life or the life of someone you love.

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Story by Mike McBride

Magical keys for successful fishing just don’t exist, but it’s that quest for the unobtainable that draws us back. We’ll never decode all of Mother Nature’s secrets, but there are tools available that can help us get close. A good tide-solunar chart is one of these and, using it correctly can unlock some of those mystical doors and help us work the elements to our advantage.

There are basically four ways to approach fishing: blind luck, sliding in alongside bent poles, working obvious signs, and planning ahead. The first two are reserved for the blind and the bent, but we can combine the last two for a more rewarding shot at a productive day. A little pre-planning before we go combined with some good old-fashioned work after we get there can save us lots of dead time and help us experience more of what coastal fishing has to offer.

Let’s look at this tide and solunar rt thingie and see if it’s worth messing with.

Tides: Volumes have been written about tides and their effect on fishing, but some confusion will always remain about how to use a tide chart to get real results. The chart that is included in our Tide and Solunar Table shows the predicted levels on the Galveston Channel, which is the baseline for all the Galveston area bays. A set of correction factors to apply to the far-flung corners of that vast bay system is also provided. Turn the page and you will find charts with information specific to Port O’Connor, Port Aransas, Corpus Christi, and Port Isabel. While some publishers will have you believe the Galveston Channel predictions can be “factored” and applied to the entire Texas coast, we believe otherwise. It is important to note that tide charts indicate predicted water levels and several factors can increase or decrease those levels in varying amount. Wind is perhaps the greatest factor affecting the water level that might be achieved on any given tide. Wind speed, duration, direction, and even the barometer can increase or decrease a prediction by a considerable margin. We need to remember one thing however, that while overall level can be important to predict where fish may have staged themselves, it is the horizontal movement of water (current) that has greatest potential effect on feeding activity.

Current: Moving water and its relationship to feeding activity is pretty much a no-brainer. Current flow is what makes things happen in many bodies of water, and it doesn’t matter if it is created by moons, planets or wind. Among other things, it’s simply a conveyor belt for food that stimulates feeding. It can also change the composition of the water for the better or worse. Inflow from the Gulf of Mexico might bring cooler, cleaner, more oxygenated water; or it might result in hot, grass-choked nastiness draining from a sun-drenched flat. Knowing what the conditions will likely be before we go can help steer us to a more favorable starting spot. We can certainly still catch fish in dead slack water, but I’d rather spend my time catching rather than grinding.

The spread between the predicted highs and lows, related to time, only tells us how much water should move in a day. It’s a fallacy that 40 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 41

four tides (semi-diurnal) are always best because two of those may be so slight as to be insignificant except in or near Gulf passes. On two tide days (diurnal), there can be a period of seven to ten hours of “slack” time, meaning little or no current in between. Current can also continue to flow for considerably longer or stop much earlier than the times of peak and/or minimum level shown on a tide chart. The trick is to position yourself where you know fish are likely to be when the current is moving. Some of the best times are right as it starts and then again just before it stops. However, the problem with a tide chart is that it really doesn’t tell us when, and that’s one of the main sources of frustration. Each area is different, and it’s something you have to determine for your particular location. There are sources of current prediction for various locations, but here again they are really only predictions. Take the time to understand how the water in your area relates to the tidal predictions, and be paid well for your efforts.

The moon stuff: We’ve seen it happen numerous times. Out of nowhere the bait comes to the top, things get ugly for a while, and death is on the surface of the water. It can last for a couple of hours, or it can be over almost as quickly as it started. It’s one of those biological mysteries nobody seems to have an answer for. This moon stuff is nothing new, and has nothing to do with voodoo, the paranormal, werewolves, or astrological love lines. There are major skeptics, but natural phenomena that occur within moon cycles are well documented. Previous cultures lived and worked closer to nature than we are required to, and they had to just to survive. We can talk about how ancient hunters, farmers, shepherds, fishermen, all learned cyclic patterns that helped them increase production.

More recently, the old market hunters, men who made their living by taking large amounts of game for public sale, heavily relied on moon patterns to predict all game movements. They swore by it and were quite successful. I swear by it too. It’s not a sure thing, but it is fun to play with and it can definitely make a difference barring other overriding factors.

There are two basic moon patterns fishermen need to be aware of; monthly and daily. The approach of a new or full moon traditionally brings increased activity. There’s something more to it than simply the increase or decrease of night light however, because we even see things happen in household aquariums. (As a side note, contrary to popular belief, trout do not feed all night under a full moon...trust me.) However, starting about 3-4 days before a full or new moon we begin to see weird stuff happen, like big trout floating dead because they attempted to swallow a mullet half their own size. Things tend to happen more aggressively, but usually only in small windows.

Something tends to make them come out and become more vulnerable, like that big buck finally stepping out of thick brush in broad daylight. The week following a full moon is usually suppressed, whereas exceptional activity seems to continue for as many as three or four days following a new moon. Currents are quite often stronger during and following new moon periods as well.

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Feeding Periods: There are four daily moon positions that influence feeding behavior; moon-rise, moon-set, moon directly overhead, and moon underfoot. These daily periods are more than just a relation to tides because we can also see increased activity in lakes and fields. Minor periods on the TSFMag chart are depicted in vertical green stripes and occur from the beginning of the moon rise, lasting about 1 to 1-1/2 hrs, and again beginning about 1 to 1-1/2 hrs before moon-set. (Ever heard the old-timers say that fish bite best when the moon is on the horizon?) Major periods occur when the moon is straight over your head or directly under your feet. Major feeding periods last a little longer than minors, hence their name. They are depicted on the chart as vertical red stripes, corresponding to one hour each side of the transit peak. Local weather can have overriding effects but in stable conditions these predicted feeding periods can be phenomenally accurate. Given that the “lunar day” is approximately fifty minutes shorter than the “solar day”, you will note that moon rise occurs fifty minutes later each successive day. So, all things being equal, if the fish went nuts yesterday between 1:00 and 3:00, expect the same to happen today between 2:00 and 4:00.

We stand a better chance of finding willing fish during one or more of these periods, and they are more pronounced with multipliers like good current flow and in concert with sun-up/sundown, which also occurs near big moons. They will often feed hard on at least one of them, and whichever it might be, the pattern will usually hold for a few days. Of course if you do not plant yourself where the fish are, this whole dissertation is useless.

Putting it altogether: Most of us do not enjoy the ability to cherry-pick prime times, we go when we can. Yet it can still pay dividends to pay attention and plan to be in the best spot at the most productive time. Let’s look at a couple examples.

March 04, 2011. We got lucky here with three prime feeding periods predicted to occur during daylight hours (daylight being depicted by a yellow panel on the grid and darkness in light blue.) We have a new moon, and we have decent current flow.

The moon-rise minor can be excellent as it coincides with sun-up, and depending on where you are, you may also see relatively strong outgoing flow. The moon-over major includes a rather weak incoming flow, but maybe still enough to boost feeding activity. The next feed period, moon-set minor, does not include significant water movement, but it does include the sunset which is another multiplier, if you will. For the reasons stated, March 04 rates four stars.

March 21, 2011. Here’s a potential stinker for you. We have a three tide day, two highs and one low predicted, and only two feeding periods occurring during daylight. This is not to say that fishing will be a total waste of time, it never is, but the major factors are not aligned for greatest potential success. We begin our day with the moon-set minor occurring during a potentially slack current period between 7:00 and 8:30 am. The moon-under major occurs during the last hours of a weak incoming flow. Looking over all the data, March 21 rates no stars. My prediction is lots of casting practice. This is where planning helps. Unless you absolutely have to go, you might be better off working on your boat and tackle or sprucing up the yard.

We’ve just barely touched on the subject of working tides and moon. Position yourself to take advantage of good current (either from tide or wind) during prime times and keep a carefully notated log of conditions and activity. Record the hours of greatest and least catching and see if they don’t line up with the solunar majors and minors…weather permitting, of course. The solunar theory is by means exact, but if you’re serious about fishing, my bet is that you will soon start to depend on it. Either way, go when you can and be happy you did.

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Jay Watk in s

It seems the majority of the Texas coast came through the harsh freezing temperatures during the first days of February in pretty decent shape. There were some fish killed in East Matagorda and the southern reaches of West Matagorda but overall it looks as if we might have dodged a really big bullet. Rockport and further south seemed to have had very few trout killed. I have personally seen only a few trout and no reds at all during my days on the water from San Antonio Bay all the way to West Bay at Port Mansfield. I am maintaining a positive outlook for the middle coast. If we get rainfall amounts anywhere near what we received in 2010 I think we’ll be OK. I truly appreciate the emails and comments I get from many of you about my articles. This magazine has tremendous writers and then it has reporters such as me. I try to translate to you what I think I have learned over the past thirty-two years.

If you want more story time out of me, book a trip, I have tons of stories and some are even true! With that said, let’s get your April game plan together.

With the windiest season of the year upon us it is time to start thinking about fishing windward shorelines where waters quiet often become less than desirable to our eyes. I am a firm believer that you can catch more and bigger fish in murky, wind-stirred water. Over the years I have continually found that

Havens proves it. Dirty water + Pink Fat Boy = Nice Trout!

fishing water with limited clarity and a good surface chop pays big dividends. Big fish, especially, thrive in such conditions.

Yesterday I had client catch a six and a half pound trout in waist deep water the color of drilling mud with waves slapping the middle of our backs.

Sustained winds near 20-mph will greet you most mornings for the next several months so get mentally prepared for it. You do not have to have clear water to catch fish on artificial lures.

You will need to adjust your arsenal to include lures that are visible in darker water and make noise. Scented baits are also very effective here. I like to use B.A.N.G. spray-on scent by Bass Assassin on baits that are not factory-scented. Topwaters such as the MirrOlure She Dog and She Pup John Havens in not afraid to fish dirty water. will get my skinny water work as will Super Spooks in all sizes.

Colors will be pretty simple; bone, black, chartreuse, and hot pink. Any combination of these colors will work .

On the plastic scene I will be throwing five inch baits, some of the rattail design and some paddletails. Use 1/16 ounce jigs for shallower applications and then 1/8 to 1/4 for deeper water.

The heavier head will create more action with your swimming type baits. The vibration created by the

42 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 43

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a sk the p ro

C o n ta c t

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 year-round for trout and redfish with artificial lures. Jay covers the Texas coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi Bay. Phone Email Website

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

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swimming action in dirty water is one of the keys to success. The new Die Dapper lures from Bass Assassins have big-time tail action and a slower sink rate due to body size and salt impregnation in some of the baits. Freshwater anglers are big on salt and I am quickly becoming more of a fan of the additive myself. Salt gives the bait more buoyancy, thus a slower sink rate. Slower falls between twitches has always seemed to produce bigger fish for me. Old standbys are sure to produce but I have found a place in my tackle selection for some of the new stuff too. Change is a good thing I think. Who knows, fish might grow accustomed to the same old look and be turned on by something totally different. Ryan says bass react that way so I wonder if redfish and trout might react likewise?

Over the past several months our water has been clear for the most part and tides low.

Hopefully many of you have been taking mental notes as well as marking areas with suitable bottom structure on your GPS. Winter is the absolute best time to locate prime fish-holding structure. Humps of harder sand on a flat with softer potholes nearby and also shoreline guts where springtime grass will soon appear are sure to be prime producers. I am seeing some grass growth already along the shorelines as well as the flats. Small guts that cut up into and along shorelines can be easily seen during the lower tides. These systems of guts and bars, (can’t have one with out the other), will be used heavily as springtime tides rise and wind stacks water along windward shores. Guts, however slight, can hold large predators, so serious attention should be given to these areas. Consider how fish patrol the edges of a gut. With this in mind continue casting and easing along a line parallel to the gut. This, and patience, will afford the best opportunity for success. Shoreline guts are fish highways; keeping the bait in the road will eventually result in a head-on collision with success!

Last but not least, be careful on windy days. Big bay water can get mighty rough and carelessness on your part can lead to tragedy in the blink of an eye. Don’t become another sad story we tell around the marina in the mornings.

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C a sey S m ar t t

F LY F I S H I N G D E P A R T M E N T

Each year, the lengthening days and stronger tides of spring breathe new life into the marshes and estuaries of the Texas coast. Millions of small minnows, crabs, and shrimp hatched in protected backwaters gently flick their way through the shallows looking for microscopic bits of plankton and organic matter to satisfy their meager needs.

The warm waters of spring also trigger movement in larger predatory fish. They slip into the marshes in waves, determined to gorge themselves on the tiny but bountiful prey. For fishermen, it is a great time to be on the water.

A few years ago, I fished a series of large backwater flats during a mid-spring warm-up. Each afternoon, the flats heated to a very pleasant temperature and they were teeming with life. It seemed everywhere I looked there were little baitfish and juvenile shrimp dotting the surface like raindrops. But even better were the groups of redfish, sheepshead, and black drum that had moved in to harass them.

On the first afternoon, I watched and listened as slurps, splashes, and thumping sounds began to erupt from the shorelines. After taking a few photos, I succumbed to temptation and began casting at a few of the loudmouth redfish which were devouring shrimp like Skittles. But in spite of their shameless aggression, the reds not only ignored my flies, they went out of their way to swim around them. It quickly became apparent these fish were focused on bite-sized prey and they wanted no part of what I was trying to sell them. I thought back to a trip nearly fifteen years earlier when I witnessed exactly the same behavior on a shallow flat near Port O’Connor. It was not a coincidence…just fish doing what fish do. But, it was a clear reminder that large fish sometimes target very small prey, and when they do, packing a selection of small flies pays off.

The effectiveness of very small flies, however, is not strictly a seasonal phenomenon. Another situation where small flies work is when fish get really picky. Maybe it’s the weather, or the moon, or just plain grumpiness that makes fish stop eating.

Who knows? But, you can often draw a strike from these cranky predators by presenting a very small fly to them. It’s almost as though they’ll take a bite just because not much effort is required to do it.

This month, we’ll take a look at a few simple fly patterns tied in very small sizes. These flies can be effectively presented to fish eating pellet-sized prey, or to those that for some reason don’t respond to standard-sized patterns.

Seaducer The Seaducer has been around longer than most of us have been fishing. This classic fly is a model of simplicity

video

and versatility. The tail section consists of two opposing saddle hackles and a strand or two of flash material. The body is made from one or more saddle hackles palmered to the eye of the hook. A weed guard is sometimes added to prevent snags. Seaducers are usually tied on shortshanked hooks in red/white, chartreuse/white, or solid black color combos. Small versions can be tied on #6 or #8 standard saltwater hooks.

There are several keys to the Seaducer’s effectiveness. First, it lands on the water like a whisper and then slowly settles.

Second, the Seaducer can be fished in enticing slow-moving retrieves. In fact, the slower you fish it, the more the supple feathers of this fly come to life. Even when tied in very small sizes, the natural fibers on Seaducers retain their fluid action.

Red/white or chartreuse/white are great colors for reds and trout, while solid black or purple is a good choice for black drum and sheepshead.

Smartt’s Glass Minnow I started tying this fly a few years ago to match the small shad and silverside fry that were being hammered by striped bass on Canyon Lake. It worked fine for that, but was even better at whipping saltwater fish. This fly has caught a variety of species, including redfish, trout, sheepshead, bonito, and Spanish mackerel. The body is made from a small amount of synthetic fibers (craft fur or EP fibers) mixed with some micro-shredded flash (Ice Dub or EP flash) and dubbed onto the hook. The back is colored with permanent markers and small eyes are glued to the head. I tie the Glass Minnow in both grey/white and rootbeer/brown color combos and use either a #6 Mustad 34007 or a #8 Tiemco 800S hook. The finished fly really doesn’t have a lot of fluid action, but it looks exactly like a small, juicy, translucent

Check out Casey’s Fly Fishing Video Library at www.TSFMag.com

44 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 45

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Chin Slinky The Chin Slinky is a small black Crazy-Charlie style fly developed specifically for catching black drum. It will whip black drum, but also does a respectable job on redfish and sheepshead…especially

Remember…big fish don’t always eat big prey. They are opportunists and will take advantage of the best option available to them. Sometimes this means grabbing fifty small helpless minnows rather than one large feisty one. It pays to be prepared for this situation with a selection of small flies in your box.

Contact

Bead Chain Clouser Minnow I can think of very few fishing challenges that cannot be overcome with some sort of Clouser Minnow. Versatile, easy to tie, and easy to fish, these patterns are essential. A scantly tied bead chain Clouser Minnow tied on a #6 hook (Mustad 34007) is a great fly for mimicking small prey. I prefer either chartreuse or tan color schemes. Very small tan Clouser Minnows like the one shown here are dead ringers for tiny grass shrimp, and it is the first pattern I choose to cast at spooky or picky fish. The bead chain offers enough weight to invert and sink the fly without causing a big splash, and because it rides inverted, the bead chain Clouser Minnow is inherently weedless.

in off-color water. The Chin Slinky is tied on a #6 or #8 Gamakatsu SL45 bonefish hook. The body is made from supple craft fur and the fly is outfitted with small bead-chain eyes. One important component of this fly is the fluorescent orange thread on the head.

Having tied many different versions of this pattern, I can attest that the black-and-orange combo seems to work the best. Fish the Chin Slinky with a slow twitching retrieve across the bottom.

Casey Smartt has been fly fishing and tying flies for 30 years. When he cannot make it to the coast he is happy chasing fish on Texas inland lakes and rivers.

Phone Email Website

830-237-6886 caseysmartt@att.net www.caseysmartt.com

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FlY Fish i nG depa rtMen t

minnow suspended in the water. This is a terrific fly when fish are targeting very small baitfish like young mud minnows, shad, or small anchovies.

F I E L D

N O T E S

By Adriana Leiva | Fish and Wildlife Technician | Upper Laguna Madre Field Station, Corpus Christi

In 2005 the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved a proposal giving authority to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) executive director to close deep water areas along the Texas coast during freeze events. Historically, fish have been observed congregating in these areas, as they act as a thermal refuge providing warmer water than the surrounding shallow flats. This law was implemented for the first time in February 2011, when air temperatures dropped below freezing reaching 22⁰F and water temperatures reaching near 32⁰F coast wide. During this recent freeze, an estimated 30 fish species, totaling approximately 290,000 fishes, were killed, composed of over 82 percent non-game fish including silver perch, hardhead catfish, and mullet. Most of the fish killed in 2011 were reported from shallow water areas along the middle and lower coast with three major bays being the most affected.

The number of fish killed during an arctic wave tends to 122646_CDM11063_TxSaltwater.ai 1 2/17/11 PMthan if be higher if the air temperature drops rapidly, 5:35 rather the temperature slowly approaches freezing. When smaller

46 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 47

Texas Saltwater Fishing

cold fronts come in gradually, fish are able to acclimate, seek refuge, or if possible, leave the bays through passes into the Gulf of Mexico. The duration of the freeze is also a factor in the magnitude of fish killed during the freeze.

When water temperatures drop, fish’s metabolism drop, their heart rates slow, and their blood becomes more viscous.

Additionally, oxygen molecules become more densely packed in cold water. These factors contribute to an impaired ability of fish to extract necessary oxygen from their surroundings, causing some fish to suffocate and die. Dead fish will sink to the bottom until gases are released into the fish’s abdominal cavity through bacterial decomposition, causing the fish to rise to the surface.

For this reason, it is not advised to consume dead fish found floating in the water or ashore during a freeze-related fish kill.

Temperature is a major factor in triggering cues for behavior in many fish, including migration, spawning, and feeding.

Fish cannot regulate their core body temperature and rely on the temperature of their surrounding environment to

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Fiel d notes

maintain an appropriate body temperature. By changing their position in the water column fish can actively regulate their body temperature.

Water has a specific heat five times greater than that of air, which means it takes five times longer for water to change temperature. During events of rapid temperature change, water that is deeper will take longer to cool.

Fish will move to deeper waters in search of warmer temperatures. This is also true when the sun comes out; shallow water will warm up faster than deeper water, bringing the fish back to the surface.

In Texas, there are about Staff posting thermal two million acres of bays refuge closure sign. and estuaries which are susceptible to freeze. During freeze events, fish may congregate in deeper warmer refuges.

Thermal refuge closures are one more management tool that TPWD can implement to minimize impacts and ensure healthy fish populations. During these times it is important to reduce fishing pressure as fish may not only be gathered in these refuge areas, but they may also be stunned and more susceptible to being caught. It is beneficial to protect the fish spawning stock biomass to minimize the effect of a freeze on the overall fishery and to ensure its quick recovery.

The utilization of thermal refuges by fish populations has been documented visually throughout time. There are reports from the 1950’s of hundreds of people fishing along different areas using 3-pronged hooks, grabs, and dip nets rather than conventional recreational gears. Some people were even recorded raking in large numbers of stunned fish that may have survived the freeze if left to recover. TPWD staff monitored fishing activity during freeze events and identified 21 areas along the coast that were known as deeper

Graph generated from Division of Nearshore Research website showing water temperature drop near Bird Island Basin.

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areas where fish tended to congregate during cold events. Today, it is unlawful for anyone to fish within these thermal refuges by any means once the executive director has given notice of the freezeevent closure.

During the recent freeze event, TPWD game wardens patrolled these 21 closed areas to educate and inform anglers about the temporary regulations. TPWD biologist monitored fishing activity within these same areas during the closure. Relatively few individuals had to be notified of the specifics such as dates and boundaries of the closures. Recent observations, research and historical reports indicate these regulations are beneficial to our fisheries during these extreme cold events. TPWD appreciates anglers’ compliance with these regulations.

In the past, during these freezing events, the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association has volunteered to stop barge traffic through the land cut between the upper and lower Laguna Madre. The motive is to prevent the waters of the ICWW, a potential thermal refuge, from being mixed with cold water and to prevent sediment from being uplifted through the prop wash possibly harming stunned fish that congregate towards the bottom. Their effort to operate the waterway in an environmentally sound manner is greatly appreciated.

For more information on Freeze closures visit our website at: http://archive.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/fish/freeze/

Freeze closure regulation.

Specific sites are listed on TPWD Outdoor Annual and home page.

§57.975. Freeze Event Closures.

(a) Definitions. For purpose of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (1) Affected area - an area of coastal water where fishing from the bank is possible and where game fish are known or expected to take refuge from the cold weather conditions.

(2) Freeze - a period of cold weather that begins when the air temperature drops to or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and creates a risk of depletion of one or more game fish species. (b) The Executive Director shall provide appropriate notice to the public that a freeze has occurred and fishing in the affected area or areas is prohibited.

The Executive Director shall provide appropriate public notice as to when fishing in the affected area or areas is allowed to resume. (c) No person shall fish with a hook and line, pole and line, or throwline in an affected area during a freeze after the Executive Director has given notice to the public that a freeze has occurred and fishing in the affected area is prohibited and before the Executive Director gives notice that fishing may resume.

Effective June 27, 2010

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

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www.TSFMAG.com / April 2011 49 1/27/10 1:30 PM

CONSERVATION PAGE

Coastal Conservation Association has announced plans for a $100,000 reef project off the Texas mid-coast, funded by CCA Texas, CCA National’s Building Conservation Habitat Program, Shimano, and in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Artificial Reef Program. CCA Texas’s habitat program, Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT), originally dedicated $35,000 to the new reefing site located off of the Texas coast in state waters between Matagorda and Sargent.

With additional funds secured from CCA National’s Habitat program, HTFT has more than doubled the commitment to this new reefing site.

“In dealing with Gulf reef fish issues, working on advocacy issues alone is not enough,” said Robby Byers, executive director of CCA Texas. “Creating new, viable habitat is an equally important priority, and our membership is committed to putting significant structure in the water that will be a magnet for both fish and anglers. We are proud to be building a string of reefs along the coast, and proud to be working with corporate partners like Shell to improve marine habitat and angling opportunities.”

“CCA does a first-rate job of initiating progressive efforts on behalf of people who fish in coastal regions,” said Phil Morlock, Director, Environmental Affairs, Shimano American Corp. “Thanks to CCA and Shell, this Texas reef project will provide great fishing opportunities for generations of anglers to enjoy and we are pleased to be a partner in this conservation effort.”

This reefing project will compliment the Vancouver reefing site project, which deployed in excess of 250 tons of material off the coast of Freeport and the Port Mansfield project, which will deploy over 4,000 concrete culverts in near-shore waters between late spring and summer of 2011. With this recent addition of dollars to the Matagorda reefing project, HTFT has committed $200,000 to near-shore reefing in Texas waters in the programs brief two year history. HTFT is committed to enhancing Texas’s near-shore fisheries habitat through its partnership with TPWD and outside sources for the benefit of Texas’s fisheries and recreational fishermen. In December 2010, the CCA National Building Conservation Habitat Program announced a $1.5 million contribution from Shell Oil Company, with the first $250,000 going towards the Independence Island Reef in Louisiana’s Barataria Bay. The Building Conservation Habitat Program has contributed $60,000 to the Texas mid-coast reefing effort and is making plans for another reefing project in Alabama later this year.

“You have to go through a lot of hoops to get projects like these off the ground and into the water, but we are building real momentum with the habitat program. Tons of materials are going into the water, and the pace is picking up,” said CCA National President Pat Murray. “When we get recreational anglers, private companies and state agencies all working together, we can 50 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 51

Texas Saltwater Fishing

accomplish great work.”

Costal Del Mar commits to habitat restoration in Texas Costa Del Mar has recently made a three year financial commitment to CCA Texas’s Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT) habitat program. This increased level of support by Costa Del Mar further strengthens a long standing commitment to CCA Texas and both organizations commitment to conserving the coastal habitats and fisheries for present and future generations.

“CCA Texas has been a leader in the advocacy fight to conserve our coastal fisheries and habitat,” commented CCA Texas Executive Director Robby Byers. “As CCA Texas moves forward with the efforts of HTFT, partnerships with private companies, state agencies and other like organizations will be an important part in conserving, restoring and creating critical habitat along the Texas coast. CCA Texas is excited to have Costa Del Mar on board and looks forward to a long term partnership.”

HTFT needs your help CCA Texas’s HTFT program has had a successful first two years. As the program has evolved, one piece of the puzzle that has proven to be very important is partnerships. HTFT has worked closely with TPWD, Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program (CBBEP), Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) and others. As partners, each organization relies on one or another for different aspects of a project. HTFT’s support is often through monetary contributions, coordination efforts, and helping secure other needs for projects.

Securing monetary needs for HTFT is an important role of CCA. This is where you, our CCA Texas member, can play an equally important role. CCA Texas is currently seeking public and private foundations whose mission statements support coastal habitat restoration and creation. If you are connected to a foundation that supports this mission, please contact Matt Warren or John Blaha at CCA Texas to discuss possible solicitations. Each member also has an opportunity to take part in this process through company community grant programs that allow employees to apply for grant dollars to be used within their communities. Community partnerships are the key to success in CCA Texas’s goal of habitat restoration and creation.

State of Texas Angler’s Rodeo set for May 28th to September 5th The CCA Texas STAR tournament is set to kick off another great year. This year’s early bird deadline will be extended until May 27th and every angler entered by that date will go into a special drawing for a new boat, motor and trailer. This year STAR is offering a special STAR Platinum membership for $125 and includes your CCA Texas membership, CCA Texas STAR entry and the limited edition signed and numbered print “STAR Reds” by David Drinkard. For more details about STAR be sure to visit the new STAR website at http://www.startournament.org/ .

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Texas Saltwater Fishing

www.TSFMAG.com / April 2011 51

Capt. S cott Null

K A Y A K

F I S H I N G

Spring has sprung and it is finally time to hit the marsh. The last few days have held steady southeast winds pushing the first good flush we have seen in a while. And now that the marathon effort we put into the Houston Fishing Show is in my rearview it is time to go play.

All the signs have been pointing to a strong spring fishing kick-off. The last few weeks I’ve been prowling around the marsh drains finding redfish stacked and waiting to invade. Any place with shell outside the drain and even the slightest drop-off in depth has been holding fish. The water wasn’t too pretty and the mud was flat out nasty, but the reds were quite cooperative.

These were fat healthy fish with an aggressive attitude.

On one of the more extreme low tides a couple weeks ago I took a break from fishing for a little hike through the marsh to take a look at a couple lakes. The lakes were completely drained. I love doing that when all the water is gone allowing me to see every oyster, drain channel and pothole. It is always a learning experience and I carry along a camera to aid my old brain in remembering the details. But the coolest and most encouraging sign was a tiny detail I almost missed. Squatted down near the entrance to one of the lakes to get a different perspective on a couple photos, I saw some wiggling going on in a nearby puddle. A closer inspection revealed hundreds

52 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 53

Texas Saltwater Fishing

The old copper blade/white curly tail setup was too much for this guy.

of tiny shrimp feeding on the algae around an oyster patch. I started looking at the rest of the puddles and found the same thing. The shrimp hatch is looking awesome!

The only downside to early spring fishing is the wind. It is going to blow, write it down. And there will be days where it blows so hard that it makes locating these shallow water reds difficult. My article a couple months ago talked about looking for subtle signs in order to find the fish. Well that won’t always work this time of year. The water will get dirty to the point you can’t see an upper slot red in a foot of water. Those days will also have enough surface disturbance to hide the wakes of cruising reds and completely obscure the telltale jumping shrimp.

Sometimes the birds will still betray the feeding reds, but not always.

So what’s a marsh rat to do in such a situation? Go Note oyster piles in background. Low to what I call my searching tide days are great for lures. Something obnoxious, mapping structure. noisy or stinky…or perhaps a combination. This is not the Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Texas Saltwater Fishing

www.TSFMAG.com / April 2011 53

kaYak Fishi nG

time for subtle presentations and slow moving lures. I want to get their attention and entice them into showing themselves. At the same time I want something with which I can cover a lot of water.

On days like that I’ll be constantly paddling and fan casting until I can locate a concentration of fish or uncover some sort of reliable pattern. On a normal day I try to slip in and passively observe, on the windiest days it’s more like stomping around trying to flush something out. It may appear to be a haphazard drill, but in reality I’m probably paying closer attention to the details than on the ice cream days.

This is the time to dissect the marsh. Pay close attention to where you are and what you are doing when the bump or bite occurs. Often times that one fish will lead you to the money pattern for that day even when you don’t have the visual clues.

Spend some time thoroughly working the bayou on your way in.

Try the edges, the middle, the depths of the inside corners and the shallows on the outsides of the turns. Continue the search hitting the outside of the marsh drains, the drain channel and then just inside the lakes. Once inside the lakes you’ve got the calm side, the windy side and the ones that are getting raked long-ways. Most days in the upper coastal marshes I find the reds up tight to the edges, but when the flags are popping the fish can be anywhere so

go ahead and work the whole lake.

Having said all of that, there are a few fairly reliable patterns that tend to emerge. If the shoreline parallel to the wind direction is irregular it will often hold fish off the points. The wind is pushing a current along the shoreline and pulls the bait with it. The points break up the flow and concentrate the bait drawing the predators in. An island perpendicular to the wind provides a similar situation in that the current and bait are pushed into the island and then swept around the ends. Quite often a larger island will have a gut carved out of the bottom by these currents. Perhaps my favorite is an area many kayakers avoid, the cove exposed to the brunt of the wind. It isn’t the most comfortable place to fish, but when the wind is really howling the baitfish will get pushed into these coves and they can’t escape. The off-color churning water disorients the baitfish and provides cover for predators to ambush them. In this situation you need to throw as tight to the shoreline as possible, that’s where all the action is taking place.

Now back to the lures. Like I said earlier you want something that gets their attention and allows them to hone in on your offering. Perhaps the most commonly used lure in these situations is a big noisy topwater. Walk the dog aggressively and get those rattles going. They won’t always eat it, but even when they aren’t on a topwater bite they’ll at least swirl or tail slap it. I’ve never really figured out whether those are missed attempts to eat or if they’re just aggravated into reacting. Either way, at least you know they are there. If you get some slaps, switch to something subsurface to get hooked up.

That something for me is quite often a spinnerbait. I prefer the

hook-ups. It eventually occurred to me that they were hitting the blade and ignoring the part with the hook in it. Through experimenting, I’ve arrived at using a curly tail plastic in white or something with a chartreuse tail to give them a target. The hook-up ratio has seriously improved.

When all else fails and I really need to get my line stretched it’s time to get down and dirty with lots of noise, commotion and scent. If there’s a red in the area a MidCoast popping cork with a gulp shrimp dangling underneath will get the job done. There are several models to choose from, but I prefer the Inticer or Mojo. They cast well in the wind and make a lot of noise when popped aggressively. When a red shows up to check on all the commotion there’s a smelly Gulp hanging down right in their face. Done deal.

By the time you read this those little shrimp will be the perfect snack size for those prowling reds and if the wind will lay I’ll be wearing ‘em out with my fly rod. If not, I’ve got an alternative plan. Come on out and join me.

safety pin style that allows me to attach my own jighead and soft plastic. My choice will usually have a copper blade; gold would be my second choice. In fact, spinnerbaits have become my go-to bait in off-color conditions. When I first started throwing spinners I used whatever paddletail soft plastic I had handy figuring color didn’t matter too much with the flashing blade. I noticed that in really dirty water I was feeling thumps, but not getting any

ContaCt

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Texas Saltwater Fishing

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S c o tt S om m er latte

ACCORDING TO SCOTT

I cannot believe I am here again so soon, sitting down trying to think of something to share with you all. Of course it is 0300 hours and I am scheduled to be boarding a plane at 0800. In short, I do not have much time so what I am going to write about this month is the only thing on my brain right now…

Hawaii! And, if Hawaii does not sound exciting enough, I will spice it up a bit by telling you about fly fishing in Hawaii.

For years now one of my best friends, Burt Moritz, has been living in Hawaii and he has been inviting me over to stay with him. Having always wanted to go, I just could never justify spending the money to go over and hang out on the beach.

Well, eventually Burt found a way to get me interested. “You need to get over here so we can chase some bonefish.”

At that point he had my attention and we began plotting.

Needless to say it never happened because I just could not scrounge the funds. So Burt went and did something drastic- he decided to get married and told me that he really wanted me there. Not wanting to let him down I started saving and told him,

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Texas Saltwater Fishing

“If I come over for the wedding, you have to find a couple of days to go fishing beforehand.” He agreed and in January of last year I found myself fly fishing in Hawaii.

The day after my arrival, Burt and I were given access to some private waters owned by a friend of his. These ponds are nothing more than coves of the island that were walled or bricked in by the natives hundreds of years ago. Weirs were built into the walls to control the tidal flow in and out of the ponds and to allow the tribesmen to trap fish. In short, the way I understood it, they were creating a fish farm to provide sustenance for their families. Now days, the ponds are used as recreation for a very lucky few and it is where I learned that an outrigger canoe makes a pretty darned good make-shift poling-skiff.

While fishing in these ponds we cast flies to a couple of very large bonefish. In addition, we had the opportunity to catch several good trevally. Now for those of you not familiar with the trevally, it is a fish that is highly coveted by the fly angler and

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

species in the fifteen to twenty pound range.

A few days later found us fishing with Hawaiian bonefish guide Terry “Coach” Duffington or Coach Duff as he is known. As I understand it, he was quite a popular and successful college football coach earlier in his life and the name has followed him.

Having the reputation as one of, if not the only reputable bonefish guides in Hawaii, Coach Duff proved over and over that day that he had game. His knowledge of the tides and where and when the bonefish would show amazed me. His knowledge was not the only thing he had going for him either. Somehow Coach has access to all of the military bases that are numerous on the island of Oahu. In fact, just moments before we stepped onto the flats where I hooked my first Hawaiian bonefish, we were driving through the hallowed grounds of Hickam Field, staring in awe at the bullet holes that remain in the buildings and pavement from Japanese machine gun fire on that dreadful December day in the year 1941.

After fishing the tide at Hickam, Coach asked us we had it in us to try one more spot. Moments later we were loaded up driving across the island to launch his panga for a short ride to an

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aCCorDING To sCoTT

people spend thousands of dollars to pursue them. Surprisingly though, there is nothing really that special about them in that they are actually nothing more than a jack crevalle colored a little differently. The exception to this is when you start talking about giant trevally. These fish grow to exceptional size (seventy to eighty pounds) and we saw some in these ponds that would go a minimum of fifty. Unfortunately though, we never hooked into a giant although we did manage to catch a couple of the lesser

them trying to get the angle that would allow your fly line to find its way through without breaking the fish off. Very intense! But the best part of the whole thing was, just as the sun was going down, Burt hooked and landed his first bonefish ever…a nice six pounder. None of us could have been happier with the day and at that point I knew that I would have to return sooner than later.

So here am now, at 0400, getting ready to leave for the airport, doing all that I can to stay awake knowing that in less than 24 hours, I will be sitting on the beach in my buddy’s back yard, listening to the sound of the Pacific while rigging tackle for my next Hawaiian bonefish adventure.

Be good, go slow… and stuff like that!

Scott Sommerlatte is a full time fly fishing and light tackle guide, freelance writer and photographer.

Contact

isolated flat. Upon arriving he grounded the boat, set the anchor and then, looking at his watch, announced that the fish should start showing within the next half hour. Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, we started to see small groups of bonefish weaving in and out of the mangroves.

Fishing these bones can only be described as “combat” fly fishing.

Once hooked they would take off through the shoots of mangroves and you had to be quick to react, sometimes even running after

Telephone 979-415-4379 Email vssommerlatte@hotmail.com Website www.scottsommerlatte.com

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YOUTH FISHING

TEXAS SALTWATER

A few months ago Kevin Cochran wrote an article in TSF magazine about how there are two calendars. One which most people live by in today’s world and one that is set by science.

In the one of the modern world, for a guy my age, seasons such as summer start when school gets out and so on and so forth; while the other calendar is set by equinox’s and such.

Anyways I found this article to be very true, and interesting.

I couldn’t help but think how this relates to the seasons of fishing throughout the year. I’m not necessarily talking about spring, summer, fall, and winter; I’m talking more about a yearly standpoint. Since we don’t have a set fishing season, such as like you do hunting, when does it end? For most diehard saltwater fisherman it doesn’t; Its 365 year after year.

However if I had to put a date on it I would have to say the spring equinox. Mainly because that is about when the big life cycle for many things restarts, such as the many aquatic plants that grow on the bottoms of the flats. Also all the little glass

60 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com

Texas Saltwater Fishing

minnows are hatched and the shrimp back in the marsh follow shortly thereafter. It’s like a new start for the fisheries. The cold weather is over and everything is starting to warm up. The fishing might start off slow, but it is soon to get better.

If I had to pick a time of year that is my least favorite for fishing it would definitely be this one. This time of year fishing just seems to be slow, fish don’t seem to cooperate that much, and there are a lot of days with 20 + mph wind.

These can be challenging times, but we will come out of it when the weather really starts to heat up. In these conditions it can be discouraging but if you keep trying different spots you are sure to find some fish. This was the case last time I was fishing in Port O Connor. We fished the first part of the day not even seeing a fish. The weather conditions were good and everything was right. It’s just hard trying to get on some fish down there this time of year. At least that’s what I’ve noticed the last few years. However we kept probing through coves and back lakes that historically hold fish all year, and finally found some. We weren’t able to find them by sight either.

We found them by clues.

Such as mullet jumping, contrasted bottom, grass to mud, grass to sand and so on. Also the water that we were in was about half a foot deeper than the surrounding flat. It may not seem like much but this time of year that can make a big difference; especially when the tide is out. All of these things added up too well, so I just had to make a wade and give it a try.

It didn’t take long before I had a hit; it was the first fish of the day, a twenty Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

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Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

two inch red. Before long everyone was out of the boat and catching fish. It turned the day around very quickly. The fish were so aggressive they were even crushing big topwaters. That’s always a plus for the spring season. We continued fishing, and didn’t move very far at all and we were out of the fish. They were very concentrated in an area maybe half the size of a football field. I managed to catch four more reds, one of them 27 inches. Not a monster, but he put up a good fight. This trip taught me a lot about locating fish. Maybe next time I’ll be a little more selective about the spots I fish. Until next month, keep the wind to your back, and also get ready to put your waders up for a while, but don’t jump the gun!

Page 1

Texas Saltwater Fishing

www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 61

YoUTh fIshING

THROUGH YOUTHFUL EYES

Mike Jennings

TEXAS NEARSHORE & OFFSHORE

In offshore fishing, most all understand that structure is the key to success. It can be as subtle as a hard spot or live bottom, a rip or surface flotsam. Much of this structure will change over time, some will improve as others diminish or just float away and disperse as the wind and waves take their inevitable tolls. Time, weather, currents and composition of the structure itself all factor into just how well a spot holds fish and its overall lifespan. Most all of us can remember places that we once fished with regular success, only to watch it disappear over time, to the point that it no longer exists.

One thing we are blessed with in the western Gulf of Mexico is vast areas of live bottom. Although theses areas change from time to time, for the most part they stay fairly consistent. Most are salt domes encrusted with soft corals and various other types of marine growth, providing the essential habitat needed for many fish to survive and thrive.

With the rise of the offshore drilling industry we saw a boom off the Texas coast in the number of production platforms. Theses platforms quickly became an extensive de facto reef system. Many of us can remember these rigs being

62 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 63

Texas Saltwater Fishing

some of the first places that we learned to hone our skills and regularly found success on reef fish as well as pelagic species.

I personally remember the old Buccaneer field when it still had many standing rigs. Now there are two TPWildlife buoy’s marking the location of a couple of the Buccaneer rigs that were reefed in place and the rest have been removed with no

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

enhance the artificial reef potential off the coast of Texas. TPWD under this directive would later develop the Texas Artificial Reef Program and begin working with oil and gas companies to reef the platforms that were no longer in production or those that had just reached the end of their working lifespan.

To date more than 100 platforms have been donated by the oil and gas industry. TPWD also receives 50% of an oil company’s savings from converting the rig to a reef instead of taking it to shore for salvage. The moneys received by the program are used to finance research, administration, maintenance, liability, and construction of new artificial reefs. The funds also make the Texas Artificial Reef Program self-sufficient, with no need for taxpayer dollars.

The federal agency that governs this activity is The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, (BOEMRE). This agency is tasked with the responsibility for overseeing the safe and environmentally responsible development of energy and mineral resources on the Outer

Texas Saltwater Fishing

www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 63

Texas Nearshore & offshore

sign they ever existed.

In the days of reduced bag limits and shortened seasons due to some species being deemed overfished, habitat is the one thing we need to hold onto. It just makes sense to me, that if we need to increase the biomass of our offshore fishery, we need habitat to support not only the fish we target but the entire food chain.

Every time we lose one of these rigs, we lose not only a nice fishing spot, but the very habitat that the resident fish have come to depend upon.

Production rigs make ideal artificial reefs because they are environmentally safe, are constructed of durable and stable materials that already support a thriving reef ecosystem.

Texas Parks and Wildlife currently has mechanisms in place to reef the current rigs that still exist. It is called ‘’Rigs to Reefs” and is the heart of the Texas Artificial Reef Program. It primarily involves the recycling of obsolete petroleum platforms into permanent artificial reefs rather than allowing them to be taken ashore as scrap.

The artificial reef act of 1989 directed TPWD to promote and

that is dedicating much of its resources to the preservation of our production platforms by working on changing the current regulations that will ease what some consider unreasonable requirements that currently discourage the success of the Rigs to Reefs program.

The SEA is currently looking for help from the likes of you and I in this worthwhile movement to save what is left of our vast de facto reef system sitting just off our shores.

I regularly fish many of the production platforms that were reefed in place off the upper Texas Coast and I can testify to their success as fish holding hotspots. For more information on SEA and what we can do to help promote this worthwhile reefing project, you can visit http://www.seatexas.org”www.seatexas.org With everything that is facing our offshore fishery and with the population along our coast increasing every year, it is inevitable that the number of people wanting to enjoy our Gulf will increase as well. Structure will always be a major factor in the sustainability of our fishing resources. Getting involved by writing a letter or volunteering a little time to help ensure that we preserve what we currently have is the least that we can do.

Contact

Continental Shelf.

Recently there has been a push to remove what is coined as “Idle Iron” and this current push to remove all rigs that are no longer production has all but halted the Rigs to Reefs project and we are seeing the rigs removed at an alarming rate.

The practice of what is called Reefing in Place by partial removal has become increasingly difficult under new regulations and requirements placed on the program by BOEMRE. The most recent mass removals of production platforms has been occurring in the Port Aransas , Corpus Christi area and has sparked a grass roots movement in that area in attempt to change the current regulations and save as many of the rigs as possible for reefing in place.

At the forefront of this movement is The Saltwater-fisheries Enhancement Association (SEA). This is a nonprofit organization

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Texas Saltwater Fishing

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Stephanie Boyd

Speck, seatrout, spotted weakfish, spotted squeteague, speckled trout... All common names for one of the most popular game fish off the Texas coast: Cynoscion nebulosus, the spotted seatrout.

This angling favorite ranges from the New York coast to the Gulf of Mexico. Though it prefers salt water, it can tolerate a wide range of salinity. It is a true estuarine animal. This fish is fond of its home roots and typically lives year-round within a thirty mile radius of where it hatched, so it’s a great long-term indicator of estuarine conditions.1 Its life cycle is fairly typical of fish born in the estuaries; let’s take a look.

Growth Spotted seatrout spawn at night from April to September, usually in coastal bays, estuaries, and lagoons. They prefer shallow grassy areas where eggs and young have protective cover. Newly hatched larvae are only about 1.5mm long. That’s smaller than that pesky sugar ant on your counter! They grow fastest in their first year, though, and by the time they’re a year old, they’re 1012 inches and half a pound.1 A one-year old, ten-inch seatrout is 170 times longer than it was as a newly hatched larva. If a twenty-inch newborn human grew that much in his first year, he’d be 283 feet tall!

Growth begins to gradually slow as the fish ages, so by the

time it reaches its ninth or tenth year (which is the average lifespan for spotted seatrout), it may only be growing half an inch per year. Their growth is also temperature-dependent; seatrout will grow least during the coldest time of year because of reduced metabolism and feeding. Females grow faster and live longer than males, though both are sexually mature by two years of age.2 The age of any bony fish, including seatrout, can be determined by counting the rings on the bony plate behind the brain, called an ear stone or otolith. Similar to tree rings, these growth rings reflect the conditions in which they grew, a “permanent historical record...of the environmental conditions” of that particular fish’s estuary.3 The maximum size seatrout can reach is a little over three feet and about 17.4 pounds; maxiumum age about 18 years.2 The graphs to the right show average size/weight ratios by year.4 Feeding Spotted seatrout are “opportunistic carnivores,” meaning they’ll pretty much eat anything made of meat that doesn’t eat them.

Tiny larvae trout eat mostly zooplankton and each other (now that’s real sibling rivalry!). Juveniles’ diets consist mostly of very

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Texas Saltwater Fishing

BOATS MOTORS TRAILERS SALES SERVICE PARTS & ACCESSORIES

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Female Male

Female Male

10 Weight in Pounds

30 Length in Inches

FISH Y FACT S

12

35

25

20

8 6 4

15

10

2

1

2

3

4

5 6 Age in Years

7

8

9

0

10

small shrimp. Young adults and adults eat shrimp, other fish, and a variety of invertebrates. The ‘other fish’ menu includes, but is not limited to, anchovies, pinfish, mullet, menhaden, snapper, gobies, sheepshead, toadfish, and of course, smaller spotted seatrout.5 And you can count on younger trout to be eating almost all the time, day or night, kind of like teenagers.

Of course, seatrout aren’t the only fish in the bays dining off that same menu. They have to share their restaurant space with other local species, several of which are likely to order the seatrout

1

2

3

4

5 6 Age in Years

7

8

9

10

special for their dinner. The most significant of these predators are, depending on the area, sharks, striped bass, Atlantic croaker, tarpon, barracuda, and magazine editors...6 Demographics I’d like to focus briefly on the average income, education, and other demographics particular to age class of the spotted seatrout. What? Oh, apparently the specks have been a bit lax on reporting this information in their census... Well, fortunately, there

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are other relevant percentages available: ninety-three percent of spotted seatrout in Texas are less than three years old. Yes, the college voters really have an impact on this population (though trout off the Florida coast are trying to restrict voting rights by length, evidently to target the two-year age class). Typically, Two-year-old females are 15.7 inches; three-years are 18.7 inches; and four-years are 21.3 inches. Two- to four-year-old females contribute most to annual reproduction. Just how much? These three age classes tend to weigh between one and four pounds, and a single one-pound female can produce 2.5 million eggs per year. Since there are no distinct populations among Texas spotted seatrout (they’re a rather social group), these demographics are applicable to all Texas specks.7 Unfortunately, the spotted seatrout population is in decline over the mid-Texas coast. Though they can tolerate changing salinities to some degree, they can’t adapt fast enough to the deterioration of coastal waters due to urbanization, pollution, dredging, overfishing, and other human activities (5). So practice your CPR! Some fishy first aid is always handy to know.

Stay tuned next month for a spotlight on seatrout reproduction!

Footnotes 1

“Life History of the Seatrout,” St. Petersburg Times, 1 March 2011 <http://gallery.pictopia.com/tampabay/gallery/89412/

68 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 69

Texas Saltwater Fishing

photo/8453027/?o=12>.

2

K. Hill, “Species Name: Cynoscion nebulosus,” Smithsonian Marine Station, 2 March 2011 <http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/cynosc_ nebulo.htm>.

3

Frank J. Mazzotti, Leonard G. Pearlstine, Tomma Barnes, Stephen A. Bortone, Kevin Chartier, Alicia M. Weinstein, and Donald DeAngelis, “Stressor Response Model for the Spotted Sea Trout, Cynoscion nebulosus” (Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Dept: University of Florida, 2008) 4.

4

Norman Boyd via Bob Colura, “Texas female [and male] spotted seatrout total lengths [and weights] calculated from von Bertalanffy growth equation,” Email interview, 3 March 2011.

5

Darlene Johnson, “Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates Spotted Sea Trout” (National Wetlands Research Center: Louisiana, 1986) 1, 4-6, 11-12.

6

“Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus),” Texas Parks & Wildlife, 1 March 2011 <http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/ strout/>.

7

Britt Bumguardner, “Female Spotted Seatrout Growth,” Email interview, 9 March 2011.

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Texas Saltwater Fishing

www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 69

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www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 71

DICKIe CoLBUrN’s Sabine Scene With boat shows and freezing weather pretty much in the rear view, it has been business as usual on Sabine. It costs us a heck of a lot DICKIe CoLBUrN more to get where we are going than it did this time last year, but Dickie Colburn is a full time guide once we are there the catching has out of Orange, Texas. Dickie has been good.

37 years experience guiding on Because the most coveted trout Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes. of the year failed to show up on the shallow flats with any consistency Telephone 409-883-0723 all winter long, we are all hoping Website that they are simply late and that www.sabineconnection.com this will be the month. It wasn’t that they were not on the flats, but more a case of them spending very little time in the skinnier water due to the incredible numbers of redfish that simply crowded them out.

The few big trout we have caught were taken in five to six feet of water and that pretty much excluded our better wading areas. We just could not eliminate enough pieces of the puzzle to warrant spending most of the day hunting trophy trout in a hundred-plus square miles of water with an average depth of seven feet!

The redfish are not going anywhere and they have been a blessing in their own right, but the difference this month lies in the fact that the larger trout will start relating to hard structure in that deeper water.

Isolated shell pads, small clam shell reefs, the major oyster reefs on the south end of the lake and the revetment walls will eliminate a lot of wasted casting for trout fishermen.

I would not be at all surprised if we have the best couple of months we have had in years on the Causeway reefs. The water is in great shape with good salinity levels and there is shell from two to twenty-two feet deep. Even the lightest incoming tides usher in shrimp from the Gulf and the fish are right behind them.

This area gained notoriety years ago not only because of the size of the trout, but the manner in which local anglers chose to dissect it. For years everyone employed the same technique Brian Palmer caught this eventually termed “dredging.” It is nice trout fishing a tail simply a matter of getting a plastic under a Kwik Cork. tail on the bottom and dragging it

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saBINe over the shell on extended drifts.

Catch 2000 and Swimming David Laman’s oversized red ate a 5-inch That technique still works, but Image to the mix. Tails can Assassin Shad. more innovative anglers have since be equally deadly, but there discovered that everything from a is something about watching She Dog to a Catch V will work just a big trout do its thing nearer the as well fished over the shallower surface! shell lining both the east and west I have found that the five inch paddletails mentioned shorelines. I have made a living this earlier perform much better when I swim them on a 1/16 or winter swimming bulked up paddle 1/8 ounce Pro Elite head, but we have caught a world of fish tail plastics like Assassin’s Die Dapper this winter fishing them under a Kwik Cork as well. The same and TTF’s Flats Minnow XL over the lighter heads enable the tail to drift down more erratically shallow flats on the north end and I cannot wait to try them over this after each pop and that usually seals the deal. deeper shell.

If the shrimp show up earlier than usual, you will catch better A huge mistake many visitors to Sabine make this time of the year is numbers by downsizing to the smaller Sea Shad or Flats Minnow even overlooking the potential of the ICW on the north end of the lake. While when fishing them under a cork. The four inch versions also work much the trout on the south end ride out cold weather and freshwater in the better for me when fishing the drains and flooded Roseau for flounder. ship channel, the trout on the north end are only a short swim from You are still going to have to fish your way through the redfish when deeper water as well. targeting flounder, but I can think of worse problems.

As the water continues to warm, the fish will move up on the shallow It has been brought to my attention more than once that I seldom flats south of the islands and feed on a much more frequent basis. When if ever report on the fishing south of the Causeway, but I don’t feel that happens, any scattered shell as well as the revetment walls will hold qualified to do that. I have no doubt that the fishing down there is fish all day long. It is probably only because we choose to throw them far more consistent and diversified than it is in the lake and rivers more often, but we catch most of our larger trout fishing early and late combined, but I lost my soul on the north end forty years ago and the with MirrOdine XL’s, Catch V’s and Corkys. magic is still there for me.

Once the fish start frequenting the revetment walls you can add the Take no day for granted and keep the fun in your fishing!

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www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 73

MICKeY On Galveston Howdy folks, Capt. Mickey here to bring you another fishing report and forecast for the Galveston Bays. Now everybody knows that springtime fishing is all about wind and more wind and MICKeY easTMaN I have to say that I never would Mickey Eastman is a full-time have never believed we would fishing guide out of Baytown, get such beautiful weather as TX. Mickey has 26 years guiding the last two have been. When experience on the Galveston February began with an arctic area bays and is the founder blast I was ready to say we’d get a of Gulf Coast Troutmasters, late spring but it does not appear the largest speckled trout that way now. Spring is about tournament series of all time to bust loose and the fish are Contact starting to come around.

Mickey Eastman’s Morning bites have been pretty Guide Service slow of late, with low tides and Telephone all, but if you are willing to wait 281-383-2032 them out the afternoons have been pretty darn good. Here lately I have been taking a later start to cash in on the afternoon action. I have been leaving the dock around noon and then finding the fish and just sitting on them till 3:00 or 4:00 pm as that is when they are lighting up pretty good. The best part of the day has generally been from about 4:00 pm to dark.

74 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 75

Wade fishing could be better. We are starting to catch a few wading, but most of the trout have been out of the boat in around five to six feet of water. The best redfish action has been shallower, anywhere from one to two feet of water and some days a bit deeper at maybe three to four feet. For the most part, shorelines with scattered shell and mud mix have been holding redfish pretty good. Pretty near any lure you like to throw will catch reds right now. My wading plan has been covering lots of water fairly quickly with topwaters until I stick a few or see some blowups and then slowing down and continuing with topwaters or switching to Corkys or tails for more consistent action. You know one day they will eat the topwaters and the next day they only swirl on it, either way it’s a great plan for finding them. I do not typically throw spoons as often as I once did but I had some customers the other day throwing spoons and lit the reds up real good with 1/4 ounce gold weedless and Sprites. Here lately the best trout (six to seven pounds) I’ve seen landed or received reliable reports of have been caught in Burnet Bay, believe that or not. The grapevine says some of the tournament guys have been on them pretty steadily up there in Burnet Bay. I have not been fishing on the west side of upper and lower Galveston Bay or down the west shoreline between Seabrook and San Leon, but reliable reports indicate they have been catching some nice trout drifting outside the pier pilings in seven to eight feet of water.

Some of the guys are using their trolling motors to get inside the pilings and work the shallower stuff and they are doing well too.

Over in East Bay, one of Mickey Ray’s buddies has been on a good

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evening trout bite along the south shoreline and that seems consistent with other reports we have been receiving. It is pretty much an afternoon bite all over the bay systems but that should change soon as the approaching moon phase will bring higher tides and better morning and midday action. The water conditions are great everywhere as we have very minimal freshwater inflow. Clarity and salinity are great all across the system.

West Bay is still producing fairly steady trout action around North and South Deer Island reefs. Look for the coves along the south shoreline to really turn on. There are a couple of coves down that way that are full of redfish right now but as the bull tides of spring sweep into the area the trout will take the spotlight. Early spring always includes good numbers of solid trout running those guts up into the back of the coves on incoming tide and then retreating back toward the bay as it falls. Hardcore West Bay waders that get in there and pattern them should see some of the best wade fishing success the Galveston Complex can offer and it should kickoff real soon.

The Tri-Bay area (Chocolate, Bastrop, and Christmas) has been holding its own lately with pretty consistent catching going on down there, and with the arrival of bigger tides I expect it will only get better.

I received a photo via email the other day of a solid six and a half pound trout caught in Christmas that was released (way to go!) along with information he and his buddies also caught twenty-something solid fish that ranged three to five pounds that same day. Looks like the trout on that end of the system dodged the freeze bullet too!

Taking an overall view, it’s still early, things do not happen as early around here as they do on the Lower Coast. Large schools of baitfish

are prevalent GaLVesToN everywhere you look and that’s a good sign. The drum run is underway and the folks that enjoy catching them are having great days down around Texas City and also out at the Galveston jetty. The old timers always said that when you have a good drum run you can expect the trout fishing to turn on in about ten to twenty days.

I have great expectations for our spring season here in the Galveston bays. Everything is looking as though it could really come together.

We have plenty of fish and we dodged the bullet on the freeze; hopefully the traditional spring rains will not bring excessive flooding and freshwater inflows to change the clarity and salinity we have been enjoying. If my guess is accurate, April should deliver some of the monster nine and ten pounders this region has the ability to produce.

We haven’t seen any really heavyweight trout yet, but have no fear, they are out there and somebody is going to pop one any day now with continued good water conditions.

In closing I want to offer a word of caution in regard to boating and fishing safety. Springtime brings lots of wind and squalls can form and move across the bay in less time than it takes to wade back to the boat.

If you get in a rough situation, always remember these deep bays in our region can get ugly in the wink of an eye and running back across to the safety of the dock is not always the best option. Anchoring in the lee of an island or a cove to wait it out is a much better bet. If in doubt, always wear your PFD!

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www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 75

CaPT. BILL’s Fish Talk Whew! What a winter we’ve had. Even though our average temperatures seemed warmer than previous years, that nasty CaPT. BILL PUsTeJoVsKY freeze during the first week of February was one for the books.

Bill Pustejovsky is a full-time As spring overtakes the Texas guide at Matagorda, TX. coast, our senses are captivated Bill fishes year-round for trout and redfish in all the by the magic the season Matagorda Bays. Wading and brings with birds singing, drifting for trophy trout and trees budding, and cultivated reds are his specialty. gardens, not to mention, blowing winds and lots of Telephone hungry fish. Nothing brings 979-863-7353 life to the bays like rising water Email temperature and rising tides, CaptBill@GoldTipGuideService.com Website and Lord be praised, I’m ecstatic www.goldtipguideservice.com April has arrived. Trout and redfish have shed their winter habits and should be very hungry and aggressive by now.

Tuning into tide schedules to note strong incoming tides so that you can be there when it happens is never more important than in April. Strong currents trigger aggressive bites and fishing

76 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 77

current-swept shoreline points and guts can pay large dividends as trout and redfish both stage along these natural vantage points in their search for easy forage. Another key item to remember is that baitfish will be smaller this time of year initiating a call to downsize the bait you use.

April is normally a windy month, and this means our water clarity may be “off ” in East Matagorda Bay except on the south shoreline.

This in no way affects the way fish use the water and feed, but it does complicate catching them on artificial lures. The combination of noise and scent can be utilized to overcome this and fishing a bait such as Bass Assassin’s Blurp series of scented baits (Drunk Monkey is one of my favorite colors) under a rattling cork has traditionally been a great setup for this time of year for wading as well as drifting. Over the years I have witnessed more than a few occasions where a big trout came up and attacked the rattling cork rather than the soft-plastic.

If this should happen, immediately cut your leader and tie on your favorite topwater. I think you might be surprised at the result – which just might be a trophy trout.

The arrival of the equinox tides will soon push the general water levels in our bays well above the wintertime averages and this has a powerful rejuvenating effect with fresh schools of baitfish from the Gulf along with some tide-running predators. I have always believed that tide-running trout enter our bays every year during spring

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MaTaGorDa following the migration of various baitfish species. I also believe that some of these fish, especially trout, will stay in our bays and never leave unless pulled out as table fare.

The south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay becomes a hotbed of activity during April and this has much to do with the seasonal abundance of glass minnows. The bay anchovy (AKA Glass Minnow) is a staple food source for trout during early spring, and when large schools of these tiny baitfish can be located I find it rare that hungry trout are not in hot pursuit. Shallow reefs, grassbeds of all depths, and shoreline guts will all attract glass minnows. Brown pelicans can frequently be seen dive-bombing these schools so the action is generally not too difficult to spot. Some good plastic bait choices to toss into the melee would be Bass Assassins 4” and 5” Sea Shad in 10W40, Roach, Morning Glory, Hot Chicken, and Chickenon-a-Chain. Again – fishing an incoming tide in this area whenever

possible helps put you in the right place at the right time. In addition to tide-running trout, sharks of various species and sizes will also begin inhabiting West Matty’s south shoreline during April. A sealed, floating container for holding your catch is a good idea for wade fishermen hoping to take some trout home for dinner. Believe me, the sharks will be on the roam and it seems they have figured out that a wade fisherman’s stringer is a quick ticket to an Bob Carroll took the Texas Trio on easy meal.

Bass Assassin soft Stick tight to the shorelines for redfish this plastics fishing East month.

Oyster Lake, Crab Lake, and areas outside Matagorda Bay. the Diversion Channel should all produce some quality redfish action. I’ll be in both bay systems depending on wind conditions and looking forward to some A+ days. Texas Parks & Wildlife are commenting that there are plenty of fish in our bays but as I have mentioned before, conservative fishing should be at the top of the list. Those fillets taste a whole lot better cooked fresh rather than frozen. Remember there will always be a next time so take only what you can use fresh and put an end to freezer burn.

Good fishin and God Bless…Capt. Bill

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MID-CoasT BaYs With the Grays Despite freezes and isolated fish kills along parts of the middle coast, we still had some great fishing adventures here CaPT. GarY GraY in the Seadrift-Port O’ Connor Captain Gary and Captain Shellie areas during the months of Gray fish year-round for trout February and early March. I and redfish in the Port O’Connor/ expect good fishing to continue Seadrift area. Gary started his Bay throughout April.

Rat Guide Service 20 years ago.

The Grays specialize in wade and As I write this article on drift fishing with artificial lures.

March 10, we are already Gary and Shellie also team up to beginning to see glass minnows fish many tournaments. and finger mullet along the bay shorelines and inlets which Telephone tells me we are right on par 361-785-6708 seasonally. As of this writing I Email am concentrating my efforts on Gary@BayRat.com the south shorelines of Espiritu Website www.bayratguideservice.com Santo and San Antonio, fishing sloughs to the back lakes on Matagorda Island. The hard southeast wind this time of year usually keeps us on the south shorelines. Any lull in the wind will offer a

chance to move up into San Antonio Bay and do a little reef hopping to catch up with my speckled friends out there.

April is also an excellent month to catch that trout of a lifetime.

If my customers have interest in targeting a lifetime best trophy trout we will concentrate on main bay shorelines, targeting any irregularities we can find. By irregularities I mean points, coves, cuts in the shorelines, a small oyster reef or even the ledge where the sand bars fall out to deeper bay water.

There should be rafts of mullet and menhaden running up and down the shorelines using the many guts and bars as cover from the hungry predators that are searching them out.

There are a couple of ways to fish these rafts of bait. One way is to follow the schools of fish up and down the shoreline, the other and the way I prefer is to stay in one area and let Jason Westbrook the rafts of bait bring releases a good one. the fish to me.

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PorT o’CoNNor / seaDrIfT When the rafts of bait swim by, my favorite colors make casts in front, behind, or cast are sand trout and across the bait and drag you’re chartreuse dog. The Die offering through the school. However Dapper series is a new you do it pay close attention to the scented lure from Bass Assassin location of any bites or hookups as impregnated with their Bang scent. It this will describe a pattern you will has already proven itself along the middle coast. I rig want to zero in on. all these lures on 1/16 ounce Bass Assassin jig heads.

Calm days have When fishing this way in the Topwaters are always a big hit with my customers, been giving us a chance to do some locations mentioned, you are sure especially during the early hours of the day. On the reef hopping. to stumble into redfish. When this unusually calm mornings we will be throwing the Top happens, never assume the presence Dog Jr. in the 808 or the PS colors. For really windy of reds will not allow you to find trout there as well. I cannot tell days or muddy situations I try to go with the louder She Dogs in the you how many times I have been fishing for larger trout this way CHPR or GCRCH. and bumped into heavy reds. I actually regard it as a good sign. I Stingrays will show in greater number during April so don’t forget maintain focus and do not leave the area. I stick around because I to slip on your Ray-Guard wading boots or, if you prefer, slip on your know that the larger trout sometimes feed with these reds. I guess Ray-Guard Shields before exiting the boat. they may be working together to round up bait or maybe one species Another thing I am looking forward to in April is the arrival of heard the feeding of the other and wanted to get in on the action. my 2011 Shallow Sport. I ran this boat in all of 2010 and was very I won’t try to figure that scenario out right now as all that matters is pleased with its all-around performance. I used it for every aspect of they sometimes feed together in the same location. my guiding business, from duck hunting the shallow flats this winter There are a lot of different lures that work for the situations to fishing the many reefs of the open bay and also spent many days described but by far my favorite is the Bass Assassin Swimming fishing the Matagorda Island surf. My 2010 boat may still be for sale Shiner in the baby speck or chartreuse shiner colors. Another Assassin when this issue hits the stands, so if you are in the market for a good becoming a favorite of mine is the Die Dapper swimming lure and all-around quality-built boat give me a call.

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hooKeD UP WITh Rowsey Despite high wind, lack of grass, and super low tides; February and March brought some great fishing to the area. It should DaVID roWseY not be a surprise that many big David Rowsey has 20 years fish have been caught down experience in the Laguna/Baffin here this spring. Pictures of region; trophy trout with artificial an eleven pound trout, talk of lures is his specialty. David has a a twelve pounder, and a few great passion for conservation fish over thirty-two inches and encourages catch and have been the talk around the release of trophy fish. marina. The largest weights I Telephone have witnessed range from nine 361-960-0340 Website and a half to ten and a half with www.DavidRowsey.com lengths up to thirty-two and a Email half inches. Folks, these are big david.rowsey@yahoo.com fish, no doubt members of that mythical 1% of the trout population we strive so hard to catch. To be fair, I also have to give the mud apes some love, (redfish that is) they are everywhere you launch a lure. I cannot remember a year when we have caught so many heavy reds while specifically targeting trout.

Off-colored water conditions this spring have been the norm. The big loss of grass from the bay floor has left the Laguna and Baffin

without its natural water filter. The good news is that it is already growing back as the bay water temperatures are averaging around 70° most days. Speaking of warming water, April is the month that we will be shedding our Simms waders for the Simms Flats Boot, so double check your old laces, and get ready to get wet again. Hard to believe that it is that time of year already. It just seems like yesterday that we were sweating out a fish kill with super low tides and water temperatures.

April is a super month for large fish. As the full moon (April 18) approaches, we will be greeted by spring equinox tides. Riding on that tide will be an influx of new baitfish, and trout. Some of the fastest action we will see all year, on quality fish, will be in April and continuing on into May. In years past, the greatest migration of trout would be coming from Port Mansfield (south), but over the last few years the Packery Channel pass has also given us some new fish from the north. Areas like Rocky Slough and Penascal Point will be the first places for these stud trout to show up from the south, while areas like Boat Hole, Nighthawk, and Emmordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hole will be where migrants from the north will show first.

Trout will be on a wide variety of structure in April but my main focus will be hard sand and grass. There will still be some slow movers hanging out in the mud but most will be headed for grassy potholes in shallower water. This scenario works out great for me

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Texas Saltwater Fishing

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UPPer LaGUNa/ BaffIN as I love sight-casting and finding been getting lots of playing large trout in less than knee deep time at the end of my Waterloo water is the perfect combination of rod. There are literally days when hunting and fishing. these loud surface plugs are all they’ll Baffin Bay is famous for its rock eat. Also noteworthy here – any that have formations and April is a great fished with me know that I also rely heavily on the five inch month for focusing on them. If you Bass Assassin. I don’t do it because it is cute or because it have never seen a school of mullet comes in lots of colors – this lure flat out catches them, and swimming in circles around a rock big ones too! before, you may want to come on I had the pleasure to fish the 2011 Baffin Bash with a good down. What you do not see, while friend that I consider one of the best fishermen to ever make watching those mullet stay in footprints in Texas coastal mud. Mark Holt is not only an offperfect formation, is the big trout the-charts-good angler, he is a great Christian and family man, that are keeping them there. They and just one of those guys that makes you feel good when he are just waiting there as the perfect is around. Mark and I won the tournament by less than .25 bay predator to slam the first thing pounds with Mark landing a thirty-two and a half inch beast Mac McCune – personal best – 30.25 that leaves the safety of the rock for our anchor fish. The tournament format calls for only inches weighed 9.5 pounds – CPR! pile. Find this scenario, cast a Bass two participants on the boat but Mark and I had a third hand Assassin or MirrOlure Corky off to the outside edges, and hold on. aboard guiding us that winning weekend. God was with us as he is Like calling the eight ball in the corner pocket, you will have a better each and every day. Mark and I both know that nothing can be done than average chance of impressing your friends with your trout savvy without him and anything is possible with him. when you call the cast that will produce a big trout bite.

“When a person stands before other people and says he We have already been experiencing a great topwater bite, and that believes in me, then I will say that person belongs to me.” will continue throughout the warm months. Due to the high winds Matthew 10:32-33 and ugly water, the loud-rattling MirrOlure He Dog and She Dog have “Set ‘em loose.” -Capt. David Rowsey

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Texas Saltwater Fishing

portmansfieldchamber.org 956-944-2354 956-944-2515 pmft@granderiver.net P.O. Box 75 Port Mansfield, TX 78598 101 E. Port Drive Port Mansfield, TX 78598

www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 81

TrICIa’s Mansfield Report Ironically, and in a good way, there’s just not a lot of new “news” to report from Port Mansfield. Almost every month CaPT. TrICIa I have been bringing you pretty much the same old story – Capt. Tricia’s Skinny Water “fishing is great, throw tails and Adventures operates out of Corkys in color changes and Port Mansfield, specializing in topwaters when the bait is on wadefishing with artificial lures. the surface, catch lots of great fish and have fun.” Inasmuch Telephone as you may be growing tired 956-642-7298 of that same old report; that is Email shell@granderiver.net honestly and truly what’s been Website going on down here. But think www.SkinnyWaterAdventures.com about it for a second…how awesome is that?

In addition to being blessed with the best fishing on the Texas coast, we were also blessed that we escaped a serious fish kill event during the February freeze event. We made several long boat rides to investigate the damage just as the temperatures began to rise and we found quite a few mullet and hardheads floating dead in and around the East Cut along with scores of dead and cold-stunned sea

82 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 83

turtles. We found only a very few gamefish floating although we did find a monster trout that weighed a bit over ten pounds floating in the Saucer area. It is always very sad to see such a great specimen meet its end that way. This is nature at work and there is nothing we can do to prevent it. It is however a great reminder that we should strive to conserve our fisheries on a daily basis.

I want to thank TPWD for the fishing closure enacted in the Port Mansfield harbor during the freeze and the near-complete voluntary cessation of barge traffic on the ICW. It amazed me that as soon as the closure in the harbor was lifted, a horde of folks lined the banks to take advantage of the fish that remained Our clients have there for almost a full been catching week. And even though trout like this on barge traffic was greatly almost every trip. reduced via voluntarily

Texas Saltwater Fishing

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PorT MaNsfIeLD shutdown, a few tugs went The trout and redfish are Reds are butterball through the Land Cut during the gorging on them and what a fat with the lowest of temperatures. Perhaps mess they make on your boat incredible amount of forage in the we can do better next time. and in your ice chest.

Laguna Madre.

Our water is holding a For April, expect continued excellent beautiful clear green during fishing, lots of big trout, big tides, lots of wind, and lots of lower winds, but it is not holding fishermen as the word is out about the quality of fishing so well in strong wind due to going on down here. Hopefully everybody will remember the loss of grass from last year’s their manners and will be courteous to their fellow freshwater flood. The good fishermen. With so many places producing great catches news is that the grass beds are there is simply no good reason for crowding and cutting recovering rapidly and should off. Display the respect you hope to receive and try to soon be back to normal very soon. Stingrays seem to be showing be tolerant of folks who aren’t there yet. Hopefully by setting good earlier than normal as is the slimy, green filamentous algae we always examples and avoiding temper tantrums we can get everybody up to see in springtime. Wear your stingray guards and be prepared for lots speed on this. of salad on your lines and lures.

Speaking of manners and respect; it won’t be long until we’ll Flounder numbers seem to be on the rise. Two to three flounder per have a major tournament or two in Port every weekend. I would like trip have become common lately. I’m not sure whether this should be to encourage tournament directors to help conserve our resources attributed to the reduction in flounder bag limits or a natural cycle on during these events. A tournament stringer per boat rather than each the upswing, either way it’s really cool to see the flatties. participant taking a daily bag limit of trout including one over 25 Here’s something new and different for you – polychaete worms inches would be an awesome start. Many say they only do this once a in the LLM. Everybody should by now understand that last summer’s year, but when hundreds or maybe even thousands do it “once a year” floods have created an explosion of marine life in our otherwise hyperthe problem is magnified. saline lagoon and lately we have been seeing swarms of polychaete Here’s to good fishing, responsible use, and many days on the water marine worms. I had no clue what they were; thank you Wikipedia. when dreams are fulfilled.

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www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 83

soUTh PaDre Fishing Scene The month of February brought the Texas coast a cold surprise; the good news is most of our bays fared quite well considering CaPT. erNesT CIsNeros the extreme three day chill. In A Brownsville-area native, my part of the Lower Laguna Capt. Ernest Cisneros fishes there were signs of a fish kill, the Lower Laguna Madre from but nothing like the dreadful Port Mansfield to Port Isabel. memory of the 1983 Christmas Ernest specializes in wading freeze. Spring is now upon us and poled skiff adventures for and the worry of freezes has snook, trout, and redfish. passed but you can rest assured Cell weather will continue to play a 956-266-6454 major role as this is our windiest Website season. Already there have been www.tightlinescharters.com numerous days when the wind howled over thirty-five mph. Lower Laguna anglers are lucky that our abundant seagrasses contribute to decent water clarity in all but the harshest gales.

On a recent trip we awoke to gusty twenty-five mph south winds with forecasted forty mph possible in the afternoon. I tried talking my client into rescheduling. His remark was, “Do you think we have a chance of catching fish today?” And to this I replied, “We will have a small

84 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 85

window of opportunity, and yes I think we can catch fish today.”

We headed to the spot where we caught plenty the day before but to my surprise even this protected area was as murky as chocolate milk. Past experiences flashed quickly through my mind as I made the decision to cross the bay, my greatest concern was the bumpy ride my client and his two boys would have to endure. Arriving at the protected shoreline we jumped off the boat into decent water with high hopes. Our first hookup came about ten minutes into our wade and soon everybody was catching fish. We were indeed lucky as this

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Fish can be caught even in blusterous conditions as this young angler displays.

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arroYo CoLoraDo To PorT IsaBeL shoreline was our only option.

Spring will bring The reason for sharing this lots of these. experience is to point out that in April we need to keep our options open. I knew from previous experience that this particular area (my second choice) could possibly hold decent water despite the windy conditions, but in retrospect I should have gone there first. Allowing yesterday’s success to control your thinking for today is not always the best plan and I could have saved my party the bumpy boat had I been on my toes.

This month the fish will be roaming the warming flats chasing bait along pothole-ridden areas. Shorelines on an incoming tide as I mentioned last month will be where you would want to be especially if the high tide occurs during low light periods of early morning or late evening. It’s no secret that my favorite fishing is in the winter, but for the next two months our focus will be on trout that will display their heaviest weight as their bellies will be full of roe. In the spring, spawning trout will take full advantage of strong tidal movements that occur during new moon and full moon periods. Take the time to study your moon and tide charts to know when the currents will be strongest and the fish mostly likely to feed. Homework of this type will give you an

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extra advantage, and we surely need all the help we can get.

This time of the year redfish will favor shrimp and crabs, of which there is currently no shortage down here. Their noses will be rooting the bottom for these critters.

It will be very common to see shrimp scurrying the surface with a redfish or two in pursuit. The back lakes will fill as the tides rise and we will have plenty of new areas to explore. I have already begun to see a fair number of stingrays so don’t forget to shuffle your feet and be sure you are protected with a pair of Foreverlast Ray-Guard shields or boots.

Long about the second or third week of April we should be able to fold our waders and place them in the closet until next fall. Gone will be the warm headgear, the Simms fleece garments and the extra layering that kept us warm throughout the cooler months. I remind you to make sure your topwater hooks are sharpened and ready to experience bonecrushing bites on the shallow grass flats of the Laguna. Last but not least, prepare for strong southerly winds, study your charts, and do play it safe during windy conditions by always checking the weather before you head out. Look on the bright side; these strong winds will bring new Gulf water into our bay system, and that’s always a good thing. Good luck in your fishing, and don’t forget your homework!

Texas Saltwater Fishing

www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 85

FISHING REPORTS

AND

FORECASTS

from Big Lake to Boca Chica

Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 In April, big trout will be busting big mullet on the flats. With water temperatures in the seventies, topwaters are the hottest thing going. We love Super Spooks, SkitterWalks, and MirrOlures. Let the fish dictate what to throw. Match the lures to water colors. Pay attention to the size of the baitfish on the flat. Around smaller mullet, use SkitterWalks, SheDogs and TopDogs. In clean, green water, go with natural colors like chrome/black, chrome/blue, or chrome/green. In sandy, more stained water, try colors like bone, pink, orange, or chartreuse. Around big mullet, switch to Super Spooks and really try to move some water. As the morning goes on, move from flats to reefs in deeper water. Switch to suspending baits like MirrOlure 52MR’s, MirrOdines and Corkys. Look for fish on the south end of Calcasieu, in West Cove and Joe’s Cove. If winds allow, try up north too. Redfish will be at the weirs on outgoing tides. Try the marshes behind the weirs on incoming tides. Gulp! on quarter ounce heads work well.

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - www.silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 Fishing for big trout is already turned on, James says. “We had two trout over 28 inches, two over 27 and a bunch more over 25 inches the other day.

One of my clients would have had about 58 pounds on his ten best fish.

We were catching ‘em wading, but we were wading deep, up to near the

top of our waders and throwing out as far as we could. We aren’t finding nearly as many fish up shallow, except on the “dark thirty” expeditions.

During the day, we are finding the fish deeper. In fact, the boat fishing has been good too. The biggest trout aren’t quite as big, but the numbers are good, and the quality is there too. Most of the bite while wading is coming on Paul Brown’s Original Fat Boys. I’m also throwing a new soft plastic by Bass Assassin. It’s got good bulk to it and a large paddle tail. I’d expect to keep catching some big trout throughout the spring, as long as the wind don’t blow too hard. The back ends of East Bay and Trinity are both holding solid schools of fish, and the action should move shallower in April.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 Jim reports steady but not outstanding fishing lately. “We have lots of reds and the fishing is pretty easy most days for them, but the trout fishing has been kind of inconsistent. We are wading a lot, and there are some solid trout in several locations in the back of East Bay, but the numbers aren’t really good. When tides are going out in the morning, you better get your fish early. The middle of the day can be a struggle. The bayous and marshes are starting to fill up with fish, and when tides get higher in April, that should only help. We’ll be wading almost exclusively, until right at the end of the month. The fish are shallow already and will stay shallow through most of April, and wading gives better protection from the spring winds. If and when the wind does lay some, fishing out in the middle

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Texas Saltwater Fishing

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around the reefs will start to pay off more and more. We should also have some birds working by the time this is printed. If the water stays salty in Trinity Bay, the flocks will probably start over there first.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service - 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Good fishing promises to turn into great fishing in the coming month or so, predicts Randall. “We already have some button shad and glass minnows showing up and that’s a good thing. When the fish are feeding heavily on the shad, they throw a lot of slicks, and that makes finding them a little easier. We’ve been catching some solid trout on LSU-colored Fat Boys, no big numbers, but good solid trout. What we are really anticipating is the major influx of other forage species, like the shrimp and the ribbon fish to come through the Pass from the Gulf. Fishing around the baby ribbon fish is one of my favorite patterns. When it’s really on, you can just stand in one place and watch for the ribbon fish as they are trying to escape. They will be skipping and jumping real fast right above the surface. Then the catching is easy, it’s like leading a dove with a shotgun.

Just chunk a topwater right out in front of the ribbon fish, work it fast and erratic and hang on! Some of our best trout of the year are usually caught in April on the shallow flats.”

Matagorda | Tommy Countz Bay Guide Service - 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037 Both East and West Matagorda Bays have tremendous potential in the middle of spring according to Tommy. “I really like West Bay this time of year for both trout and reds. I will fish all along the south shoreline, working the shallow grass beds on the shoreline early with topwaters, then moving out to the deeper grass beds and outside sand bars as the day

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wears on. It’s a good idea to stay off the sand bars and throw the lures onto them, then bring the lure into the gut. When not throwing topwaters, I throw dark soft plastics, like black magic Sand Eels and Bull Minnows. Over in East Bay, the mid-bay reefs are a great place to target some of the bigger trout. When winds allow, I like to wade those and start off with slow-sinking twitch baits like Paul Brown’s Original Lures and MirrOlure Catch 2000s. Topwaters will get their chance out there too, as will soft plastics on light jigheads. When drifting the scattered shell in East Bay, I like to key on slicks and schools of mullet using soft plastics on heavier jigheads to make bottom contact.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 The good news from the Palacios area is we have lots of fish in the bays!

After escaping a major hit from Mother Nature, the trout and redfish responded to warming water temperatures and rising tides. We have been on some good trout up to twenty three inches on pearl/chartreuse paddle tails, fishing along area shorelines with an abundance of mud and shell on the bottom. When the water temps have warmed up in mid-morning, the good old reliable Super Spook Jr. in bone has accounted for some awesome blowups and hookups in the same areas. Redfish have been staging on mudflats in depths of two to three feet, and have been actively pursuing bait. We’ve seen no big schools yet, but we are seeing quite a few smaller groups working together. Purple/chartreuse and pearl/chartreuse rat tail soft plastics have been the best bet for reds. April should be an awesome month, with loads of bait arriving from the Gulf. We’ll keep an eye on the

Texas Saltwater Fishing

www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 87

brown pelicans, as they will always help us find the fish following the migrating glass minnows.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith - Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 Lynn had been working hard on his boat to get it ready for the spring season and expects to be hard at it in April. “I’ll be targeting big trout and redfish on the shallow flats this month. We like to wade hard sandy bottoms mostly, especially those flats with plenty of grass growing on them, so there are good numbers of sand pockets to target. When wading flats like those, I’ll throw top waters a lot and also soft plastics. The soft plastics are great for precisely targeting the sand pockets. I also like to wade some areas with soft, muddy bottom and scattered shell this time of year. I like areas with guts or drains running from the shallow water to deep water. I will throw conventional topwaters in those areas too, and also the floating versions of Paul Brown’s Original Lures. Soft plastics can be tougher to work around the shell bottom. As always, one of the most important keys to catching fish this time of year is to find good concentrations of bait fish. With all the bait migrations in full swing, it pays to fish where there is plenty for the trout and reds to eat.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 - 361.441.3894 Fishing has been steady for both trout and reds in the Rockport area since the warm weather came at the end of winter, and Blake predicts a great spring run. “It’s starting to feel more like the old days. We’ve had some decent topwater action on the trout and that should only get better. I’ll be targeting the sandy, grassy shorelines in area bays, staying shallow most of the time. The bigger trout mix with the redfish along the shallow fringes of our bays in April. I like to key on areas with a good mix of the sand and grass. If the blow ups aren’t coming, I’ll switch over to my old stand by fish catchers, the Norton Sand Eels in purple/chartreuse and pumpkinseed/

chartreuse. The redfish action should be good in the back lakes this month too. We usually have a high tide in April so the lakes are full and the water stays pretty clear in there with all the southeast wind. We can usually locate the schools pretty easy. Sightcasting is often possible. It’s a great time to be on the water in the Coastal Bend.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 Spring has sprung and fishing is great! Our fishery made it through the freezing temperatures experienced in February and the fish are carrying a lot of weight. April is a great month for trophy trout because this is when their average weight is the heaviest. The trout are spawning, so they are loaded with eggs and this adds much to their weight. Look for the trout along shallow, grassy shorelines. Nervous and jumping bait along the shorelines will give the trout away. My ultimate, favorite way to catch these fish is with topwaters. I will start with a MirrOlure Top Dog Junior or a SheDog in natural colors. I will also use bone diamond or plum/ chartreuse Bass Assassin Shad or the Berkley Ripple Mullet rigged on a sixteenth ounce Spring Lock jighead. Sightcasting for trout, reds and black drum has been very good recently and the action should continue for the rest of the season. I’ll be sightcasting in water less than fifteen inches deep with four inch Blurp shrimp or three inch Gulp! shrimp rigged on sixteenth ounce jigheads.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 April is historically the best month of all for fishing the Land Cut, Joe asserts. “This is the time to be in The Cut. The trout caught in there just seem to be bigger on average in April than they are the rest of the year.

Fishing for them is not really that complicated, provided you have the right equipment. You need a good trolling motor and at least one, if not two, drift anchors. When the wind is calm, the trolling motor allows you to

ON THE WATER

Saltwater Fishing Clinics WITH

Capt. Robert Zapata

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

For Information Call 361-563-1160

88 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 89

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

keep moving down the edge. Most of the time, the wind is strong from the southeast, and the drift anchors and trolling motor allow for keeping the boat within casting range of the dropoff without blowing onto it. Adjust jighead sizes with the strength of the wind. Use heavier heads to keep the soft plastics in contact with the edge as it falls when winds are strong, lighter ones when it’s calmer. Or throw topwaters onto the shallowest part of the edge and bring them across the dropoff. On the calmer days, it’s also fun to run into Nine Mile Hole and look for some of the herds the monster reds that live in there.”

Padre Island National Seashore Billy Sandifer - Padre Island Safaris - 361.937.8446 Over the years, the quality of fishing in the Padre Island surf has depended almost totally on the varying amount of sargassum weed we receive from one year to the next. Barring massive qualities of sargassum, April can bring excellent fishing. Spring tides are unavoidable so always check your tide tables when planning your trip and avoid being caught down there during strong northeast wind as the water can go to the dune line quickly.

Large numbers of adult jack crevalle are often encountered and the key to spotting them is to target the areas of diving and turning brown pelicans following them up the beach. Pompano, sheepshead, whiting, redfish and black drum are all available to bottom fishermen on fresh, dead shrimp and Fishbites. A wide variety of shark species are available to those casting shark baits as well as kayaked baits. Sargassum is often heavier on the north end than the area south of the Big Shell. Speckled trout are possible and seem to prefer silver spoons and Rattletraps to other lures in the spring.

Port Mansfield | Terry Neal www.terrynealcharters.com – 956.944.2559 Three days below freezing during the first week of February had everybody

worrying and expecting a major fish kill. Wrong again! It was as though somebody laid a giant blanket over the Lower Laguna Madre and we experienced only a very minimal fish kill. Water temperatures are currently in the lower sixties and Lower Laguna anglers are enjoying good fishing from the Land Cut all the way down to the Causeway. We’ve had some of the best topwater action I’ve seen in years and I expect it will continue.

Three major factors are contributing to this. We have lots of fish. Due to the demise of much of our bottom grasses in last summer’s floods, there is now very little floating grass, which allows playing with surface baits any way you want. Last, the trout and redfish are feeding daily on the huge schools of mullet cruising the flats. Add these things up and you have great fishing.

The best is yet to come. Keep the small ones and let the big ones go.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty – www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 We’ve had to cancel several trips because of high winds; when you add the nasty water spreading across the LLM from dredging, fishing can be a challenge. Water clarity has been a problem since the loss of much of our filtering grasses in last summer’s floods, but we’re managing to catch limits of reds most days. It’s always easier to get reds to hit on outgoing tides.

The trout bite has been great as temperatures warm, and we’re looking forward to an excellent spring. Best baits for muddy water are the Cajun Thunder round corks with Berkley Gulp! three inch shrimp suspended over the bottom for long periods. The scent from the Gulps is an enormous help in focusing a hungry predator’s attention when sight is limited.

Freddy says, “Throwing a little heavier line than usual will give a distinct advantage when popping a large cork. It’s not for the weak hearted, though…you’re going to feel the pop in your wrists and elbows, but with the added inflexibility comes more vibration and better results when the water is cloudy.”

Custom-Built Waterfront Home on Matagorda Bay at Alamo Beach, about 8 miles from Port Lavaca * 3 bedroom/2 bath, open floor plan * Detached two-car garage * Natural sand and shell beach * Storm shutters and pier permit approved * Great fishing in bay; only about 10 miles to POC by boat

Priced to sell at $359,000.00 Call 361-550-0599 or 361-550-7762

Boat Lifts PWC Lifts & More Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Sales & Service Since 1974

www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 89

JD Big Shell - 40+” redfi sh

Christian Kahl Matagorda - first flounder!

Jennifer Todd Rockport - 24” first keeper redfi sh!

Pauleen Baffin Bay - 28” 7lb biggest trout!

Big Joe Port Lavaca - 44” black drum

Chad Rhea redfi sh

Desmond Rivas Port Aransas - 33.4” bonnethead 90 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com

Hillarie Rollins Galveston Bay - 27” redfi sh

Nora Hooker Bastrop Bay - 28” trout Rick Pantoja Arroyo City - 28” red C&R

Kharina Rivera-Cantu 32” 12lb first redfi sh!

Lance Easterling & Chris Kahl Surfside - 48” red Texas Saltwater Fishing

Katie Thomas Galveston Bay - 24” 1st place trout!

Ruben Reyes Arroyo City - 49.5” 28lb jack

Eddie Pena Port Mansfield - 40” amberjack Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Mark Williams Baffin Bay - 48” redfi sh

Andrew Cabello Galveston - 43” red Kenny Weston Laguna Madre - 27” trout C&R

Judy Healey 40lb red

Jacob Flores 85 Mile - 70” amberjack

Doug Ramsey Sabine Lake - 27” redfi sh

Charles Williams Cedar Bayou - 38” redfi sh

Amanda Richter Corpus Christi - 27” trout

J’anvieu Bonner Galveston - 39” jack crevelle

Joe Harris 31” 10.3lb trout

Nathan McGaughey Brazos - 28” redfi sh

Taytum Rosett e Port Aransas - first sheepshead! CPR

Please do not write on the back of photos.

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

J.C Munoz, Joe Michael Garcia, & Jerry La Rue Baffin Bay - 40”+ reds Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Jonathan and Tim Alford Port Isabel/South Padre - 25” & 29” reds Texas Saltwater Fishing

Mail photos to: TSFMag P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 www.TSFMAG.com / April 2011 91

GULf CoasT Kitchen

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

Brunch for four - sautéed Crab over eggs Benedict 2 English muffins, sliced in half, toasted and buttered 4 eggs, poached (see method below) 8 slices Canadian bacon, pan fried ½ cup fresh lump crab meat (fresh is always better than canned or frozen) Prepare crab meat: 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 tsp. olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add crab and parsley, sauté three minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Putting it all together: Place buttered muffin half on serving plate. Add two slices Canadian bacon. Top with poached egg, Hollandaise sauce and sautéed lump crab.

Serving tip: When serving brunch, we like our Eggs Benedict with steamed asparagus and crab-stuffed baked tomatoes.

1 Pkg Knorr brand Hollandaise Sauce, prepared (according to package (an optional teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a delightful zest) 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

For great poached eggs: 2 quarts water and three ounces white distilled vinegar in 4-qt saucepan.

Bring to mild boil. Crack each egg into small cup, keeping yolk intact.

Carefully slide egg into poaching liquid. Continue at mild boil three minutes or until egg white is firmly set. Remove eggs from liquid with slotted spoon and blot carefully with paper towel, serve immediately. *For best shape & texture of poached eggs, never add salt to poaching liquid!

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5516 Hillman Dr., Dickinson, TX

281-339-2897 281-339-1994 Fax: 281-339-1501

92 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Braman Winery – A New Label with Deep Texas Roots!

TSFMag Cooking Editor - Pam Johnson

The Braman Winery is truly a labor of love created by the Braman family and located just across the cattle guard at their ranch in Refugio, Texas. We recently had the pleasure of visiting and experiencing true South Texas hospitality and tasting their unique collection of wines.

Chef Joe Braman’s history of rodeo accomplishments, along with wife Dee’s display of heirloom antiques, influence The Tasting Room’s décor and create an unforgettable ambiance inside the rustic two story barn. Here you will discover an array of must-have wine related items that are decorative and functional, indulgent and essential for your shopping pleasure. Shop your heart out while sipping a complimentary sample or two of their delicious wines.

The knowledgeable staff at The Braman Winery Tasting Room will greet you warmly and answer any questions you may have about the variety of wines they offer. Their wine selections range from bubbly to robust. Not to be missed are the award winning Braman Winery Legacy wines. Both Braman Winery Legacy Chardonnay and Cabernet, proudly boast the family’s brand.

Whether a budding wine enthusiast or connoisseur, you must try these amazing selections!

While The Braman Winery Tasting Room provides the ideal setting to accommodate small planned or impromptu gatherings, their private monthly wine dinners have been a huge success. Limited reservations are taken for this intimate, poolside evening of fine dining. The impressive menus created and expertly prepared by Chef Joe are paired with wines to complement each course.

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at the Braman Winery and look forward to taking friends on our next visit. For more information and fine recipes from the Braman kitchen, as well as some suggestions on which of their wines would pair best, visit www.bramanwine.com.

Visit us

Braman Winery TasTing room

424 FM 774 Refugio, TX • (361) 526-2722 Open Thurs. – Sat. Noon – 7 p.m.

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Your Ad Could Be Here! for rates call 361.785.3420 or email ads@tsfmag.com

MaTaGorDa M ATA G O R D A B AY Speckled Trout / Redfish

USCG Licensed Captain Stan Sloan Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Texas Saltwater Fishing

832.693.4292 fintasticcoastalcharters.com www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 93

Texas saLTWaTer fIshING hoLes PorT o CoNNor/roCKPorT

Your Ad Could Be Here! for rates call 361.785.3420 or email ads@tsfmag.com

Rockport RedRunner Captain Chad Verburgt

Specks

Reds

Bay Fishing Fly Fishing Professional Fishing Guide Matagorda/ USCG #276518 Port O’Connor Area

P.O. Box 31 Port O’Connor, TX 77982 (361) 983-2265

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Capt. Kenneth Hauff, Jr. U.S.C.G. #842333

Specializing in shallow water flats fishing for redfish, trout & flounder.

* Full day/Half Day * Baffin Trips * Cedar Bayou Trips * Kayaks Shuttle Drop off / pick up * Kayak Rentals Call (361) 463-6545

Saltgrass Charters

2828 Del Monte Bay City, TX 77414

Drift & Wade Fishing East & West Matagorda Bays

(979) 244-9117 Mobile (979) 240-3614 capt.hauff@sbcglobal.net

www.rockportredrunner@yahoo.com www.rockportredrunner.com

CorPUs To PorT IsaBeL

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Capt. Jay Nichols

for rates call 361.785.3420 or email ads@tsfmag.com

Baffin Bay * Nueces Bay * Rockport Laguna Madre * Port Aransas

TROUT REDFISH FLOUNDER

Capt. Lynn Smith’s Back Bay Guide Service Port O’Connor Area Call 361.983.4434 (cell 361.935.6833) Email lynn@tisd.net (tswf.com/lynnsmith)

Wade & Drifting the Back Bays & Surf

Capt. J.C. Algueseva

Guide Service

361.332.6342 361.906.8812

www.fishingwithmojo.com Baffin Bay | Aransas Bay | Nueces Bay USCG & TPW Licensed

Trophy Trout & Redfish 94 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com 95

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Texas saLTWaTer fIshING hoLes

BENTLEY’S INTERCOASTALS HOUSE RENTALS

fIshING reTreaTs

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

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

361-649-2265

Port o’Connor

14th and Monroe $26,500 ea

Two Lots - Sold together only Water Meter | No Sewer | Electric Meter included | Culverts

361-655-3544 2005 21 ft Shallow Sport • 150 Yamaha TRP • Low Hours • HYD. Steering • HYD Jack Plate • Alum. Trailer • Marine Radio

Great Condition

Retail value $22,900.00

Asking $19,900.00 281-900-8700

Texas Tackle Split Ring Pliers New, “PATENTED,” Easier/Faster/Better •Roy’s Bait&Tackle •Cabela’s •Fishing Tackle Unlimited •TackleWarehouse.com •Henry’s-Pitman Creek

CLassIfIeDs Flounder / Fishing Boat • AlWeld Alum. Flat Bottom- 18’ • 60 HP Johnson- New S/S Prop • 11 HP Honda Air Motor • 4 Blade Composite Prop • Galv. McClain Trailer • $6,500.00 Port O’Connor area

Ron – 361.655.3544

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

Texas Saltwater Fishing

www.TSFMAG.com /April 2011 95

I N De x of a DV e r T I s e r s For more information about these advertisers visit: http://www.texassaltwaterfishingmagazine.com/contact_advertisers_product.html ADVENTURES

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St. Croix Rods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Avian Skies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Elie Sport Kayak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Stanley Jigs, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Big Country Outdoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Rockport Marine, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Star brite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Cabo Magic Sportfishing . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Sail & Ski Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Texas Tackle Factory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

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Third Stone Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Solunar

Bass King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

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Waterloo Rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Montauk Tackle Company . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Building Products Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Wiley X Eyewear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Peligac Offshore Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

D & P Coastal Marine Contruction . . . . 88

Yeti Coolers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Salt Water Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Legacy Lifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Your Fishing Pal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

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Marine Lift and Dock Supply LLC . . . . . 22

Yo-Zuri America, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Chrysler - Dodge Ram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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Z-Man Fishing Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

General Motors Communications . . . . Solunar

Outdoor Texas Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Z-Man Fishing Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Mac Haik Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Port Mansfield Tournament. . . . . . . . . . 81

FISHING RETAIL LOCATIONS

Port Lavaca Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Redfish Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Academy Sports/Outdoors . . Inside Back Cover

Xtreme Fuel Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Serena Residences Tournament . . . . . 86

Fishing Tackle Unlimited . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

BOAT ACCESSORIES

Texas International Boat Show . . . . . . . 7

Fish-N-Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Boat Lift Distributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Slam & Jam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Roy’s Bait & Tackle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Breakwater Marine Electronics . . . . . . . 87

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Seaworthy Marine Supply . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Coastline Trailer Mfg., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Costa Del Mar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Speedy Stop Solunar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Solunar

Coveralls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Eagle Claw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

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Fibertex & Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Engel USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Fishing Jewelry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Gulf Coast Trolling Motor . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

EZ Drainer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

MARINA

House of Fiberglass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Falcon Rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Cove Harbor Marina and Drystack . . . . 69

Power Pole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Fishing Tackle Unlimited Green Rods . 57

MISCELLANEOUS

South Texas Trolling Motors . . . . . . . . . 86

Flying Fisherman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

2Cool Fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Specialty Aluminum Works . . . . . . . . . . 49, 84

ForEverlast Hunting/Fishing Products 21

Braman Winery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Stick It Anchor Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Goyen Electric Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Coastal Conservation Association . . . . 55

BOATS, KAYAKS, OUTBOARDS

H&H Lure Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Exmark’s Mfg.-Adventure Advertising 15

Bayside Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Mirrorlure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Hillman’s Seafood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Bernie’s Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Line Keeper Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Trout Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Coastal Backwater Marine . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Marsh Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

TSFMag Subscription Form . . . . . . . . . . 59

Coastal Bend Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Mud Hole Tackle Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

PLACES TO STAY

El Campo Boating Center . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Norton Lures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Baffin on the Rocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Fishing Tackle Unlimited - Hobie . . . . . 29

Okuma Fishing:Okuma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Bentley’s ICW House Rental . . . . . . . . . . 95

Flatstalker Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

All Star Fishing Rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Floating Cabin Rentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Hobie Kayaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Berkley Gulp Alive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Serena Residences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Coastline Marine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 1

Spiderwire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

The Inn At Clarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Gulf Coast Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 1

Rapala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Ron Hoover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Shallow Sports Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 1

Rockport Rattler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

SERVICE

The Sportsman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 1

Rods by Pepper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Kevin Severance Insurance . . . . . . . . . . 83

Kresta’s Boats & Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Russelures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

SPONSORS

Kroll’s Marine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Power Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Costa Del Mar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Majek Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Simms Fishing Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

WEBSITES

Marshall Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

SPRO Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

The Chupacabra Outdoors . . . . . . . . . . . 48

96 April 2011 / www.TSFMAG.com

Texas Saltwater Fishing

Please use our Texas spotted seatrout resource wisely!

9 th Annual

SALESMAN SAMPLE SALE 70% A 8 &9 Up to Off

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GALVESTON TIDES & SOLUNAR TABLE Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine APRIL 2011

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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 are in green, coinciding with the moon on the horizon, and the last from 1.0 to 1.5 hrs after the moon rise or before moon set.

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

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

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

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