February 2016

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about the Cover The Cold Pass area has long been known as a great place to intercept flounder during their migrations. This beauty was taken by angler Michael Johnson. Based on recent coastwide abundance, Texas coastal anglers can expect another great year ahead.

Contents

February 2016 VOL 25 NO 10

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

10 Under Pressure 16 Introducing the Inshore Angler’s Personal...

22 Walk-In Wade Fishing 26 Ready for the Next Chapter 30 Never Get off the Boat 36 21st Billy Sandifer Big Shell Beach Cleanup 40 The Coastal Brigade Youth Camp

44 Let’s Ask The Pro 50 Shallow Water Fishing 54 TPWD Field Notes 58 Fly Fishing 62 Kayak Fishing Chronicles 64 TSFMag Conservation News 66 Fishy Facts 68 Inshore | Nearshore | Jetties | Passes 72 Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

100 Science & the Sea 102 Boat Maintenance Tips

Steve Hillman Kevin Cochran Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard Billy Sandifer Scott Sommerlatte

Jay Watkins Scott Null J. Davis M.S. & C. Gelpi Ph.D. Scott Sommerlatte Dave Roberts CCA Texas Stephanie Boyd Curtiss Cash Eric Ozolins UT Marine Science Institute Chris Mapp

22

WHAT OUR GUIDES

HAVE TO SAy

78 80 82 84 86 88 90

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

Dickie Colburn Caleb Harp Bink Grimes Gary Gray David Rowsey Capt. Tricia Ernest Cisneros

44

REGULARS 08 76 92 96 98

86 6 | February 2016

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

98

Editor and Publisher Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918 National sales representative Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net regional sales representative Patti Elkins Patti@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Donna Boyd Donna@tsfmag.com Circulation Subscription – product sales Linda Curry Store@tsfmag.com Design & Layout Stephanie Boyd Artwork@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly.

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

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

Email store@tsfmag.com for all address changes or please call 361-785-3420 from 8am - 4:30pm. The U.S. Postal Service does not guarantee magazines will be forwarded. how to contact tsfmag: Phone: 361-785-3420 fax: 361-785-2844 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 Physical Address: 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, TX 77983 Web: www.TSFMAG.com photo gallery: photos@tsfmag.com Printed in the USA. Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published monthly by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, Texas 77983 l P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 © Copyright 1990 All rights reserved. Positively nothing in this publication may be reprinted or reproduced. *Views expressed by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine contributors do not necessarily express the views of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

Periodical class permit (USPS# 024353) paid at Victoria, TX 77901 and additional offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983.

EDITORIAL

Layer Up and Grab Your Waders!

It’s time! Coastal anglers from the SabineCalcasieu estuaries to the Tip of Texas will be hitting the water in droves this month and much of their fishing effort will be focused on the heaviest speckled trout of the year—some will land the best specimens of their careers.

February’s weather patterns and coastal water conditions combine to set the stage for exceptional angling opportunity.

Large speckled trout become available in greatest abundance when frigid weather systems blast our coast and blow the tides out of the bays. Fish that have been basking on shallow flats lazily sucking down juicy mullet are suddenly required to seek shelter in the closest deep water for warmth during the front. It is not uncommon to see water temperatures in shallow areas plummet more than twenty degrees in a few hours. An extreme situation for coldblooded creatures.

This is when the edges of channels adjacent to flats, deeper depressions and natural guts within flats areas, and dredge spoils come into play for anglers seeking wintertime action.

This all sounds pretty easy—all you need to do is anchor the boat on a good-looking drop-off and toss out something for them to eat. Oh, if it were only that simple.

No doubt some fish will be caught this way but rarely will they be the best the spot or area can offer and even rarer that you might luck into more than a few.

Fact of the matter is that it takes more than a bit of work and is as

8 | February 2016

much a hunting pursuit as a fishing endeavor. I often compare it with bowhunting for deer on foot. The greatest successes come to those who plan most carefully and pursue their quarry with greatest intensity.

You need to understand that not all channel edges, spoil banks, depressions and guts are equal by any means. There are ledges, nooks and crannies within each and the best method ever devised for probing them is by wading at snail speed and making dozens of casts to the same small point or piece of structure from an array of presentation angles.

The bottom is usually soft—OK, let’s just go ahead and admit that it is muddy—boot-sucking mud to your calves sometimes. And some of the best days can be colder than the proverbial welldigger’s backside.

But it has rewards!

Jim Wallace’s state record Baffin speck of 13-pounds—11-ounces ate a Corky on a raw February day in 1996—when boats on Texas bays probably numbered fewer than your fingers.

This issue is jammed with as much high-quality wintertime trout content as would fit between the covers, penned by some of Texas’ best trout anglers. Read carefully and apply what you find interesting and helpful to your own fishing efforts.

Please consider Catch-Photo-Release, even if you plan to have a trophy mounted. Replica taxidermy has come a long way.

Don’t be surprised if the grizzled angler you meet hunkered under the hood of a wading jacket professes to be a magazine editor. It might be true!

STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN

N

ew clients arrived at the ramp ahead of me, eager to experience their first-ever guided fishing trip. Referred by another customer, they’d heard plenty about catching lots of fish, so the bar was set high. As we were pulling away from the dock one of them asked how long it would take to catch their limits (not one of my favorite questions, by the way). One of the other guys commented how it was a perfect day and we should just flat-out hammer them.

The pressure of putting clients on fish doesn’t really faze me. Finding fish usually isn’t all that challenging.

Getting them to bite can be a different story some days, especially when we’re dealing with a different kind of pressure. The pressure I’m referring to isn’t measured by stress level or numbers of bites, but in inches of mercury (inHg) and millibars.

Barometric pressure is the pressure exerted by the weight of air in the atmosphere on the earth. In general, normal barometric pressure (also referred to as atmospheric pressure) in our region is around 30 inHg or 1016 mb (1 inch equals 33.864 millibars). The passage of weather systems directly influences pressure changes.

Warm fronts, tropical systems and rain are normally associated with a drop in barometric pressure. The days following the passage of cold fronts typically result in increased pressure. An extreme low pressure would be around 950 mb (28.05 inHg). Such low readings would be associated with tropical storms or hurricanes. A very high pressure such as 1037 mb (30.62 inHg) could be experienced after the passage of cold front. We really like anything in the “normal” range or lower, but the luxury of picking those days doesn’t exist so we have to make adjustments to increase our chances of success. Most experienced anglers in the speckled trout world have experienced a tough bite one time or another on a post-front day under clear blue skies. Those who haven’t, I would venture to say, are not being truthful.

Intuitive fishermen want to know the reasons they’re catching when they’re catching and the reasons they’re not when they’re not. It’s pretty easy to figure out when the catching is good, but the tough days sometimes leave us searching for answers. High pressure is frequently blamed this time of year, but do we really know why? Is high pressure really the spoiler or do other variables associated with cold fronts throw

Robert Dawson blocked the post-front high barometric pressure out of his mind and just made it happen with a slow methodical approach.

a wrench in our plans? I’ve heard many Valid Time: 1536 (CST) 12/21/2015 theories regarding high pressure. I’ve even read opinions saying that fish go shallow and Station: Morgans Point feed better during high pressure situations. I Wind Speed: 6.0 Knots strongly disagree as I believe that trout spend Gusting to: 9.0 Knots more time near the surface during low pressure Direction: 193.0 °T Air Temp.: 74.1 °F events because their air bladder expands Air Press.: 1012.2 mbar making them more buoyant. I spoke with Dr. Mark Fisher (Science Director of the Texas Parks Station: Eagle Point Wind Speed: 10.0 Knots and Wildlife Marine Lab in Rockport, Texas) and Gustin to: 11.0 Knots he offered his thoughts. “The pressure change Direction 208.0 °T associated with the passage of a front is Air Temp.: 69.6 °F equivalent to the pressure change a fish would Air Press.: 1012.6 mbar experience by changing its water depth by just Station: Galveston Bay a few inches (i.e., 1 inch of barometric pressure Entrance = 1 foot of water). I suspect the change in Wind Speed: 5.0 Knots temperature and wind speed and direction Gusting to: 7.0 Knots Direction: 254.0 °T associated with the front have a greater effect Air Temp.: 69.3 °F than the change in pressure.”

Air Press.: 1011.7 When winter fronts pass through they bring with them other factors that have an influence on the feeding habits of speckled trout. One would think that such variables would indeed have an impact. A prime example would be the tide not coming in like it was supposed to on a recent trip when post-front northwest winds kept it from doing so. Surface water temperature also dropped six degrees overnight. Water clarity was marginal at best because of the sudden wind shift. All of these factors definitely play a role in the feeding habits of trout and our ability to catch them. I’ve always believed that trout aren’t as willing to feed when they’re out of their comfort zone.

Another theory is that a rising barometer increases pressure on the air

NOAA Physical Oceanographic RealTime System (PORTS).

I look at this every morning when I get up to fine-tune my plans for the day.

bladders of trout keeping them somewhat docile.

This theory was dispelled by my many trips to Cape Cod while fishing for striper on high pressure blue bird days. Or was it? Could it be that striper have smaller air bladders than trout and are living in deeper water (50 – 80 feet)? If so, then it’s not a fair comparison. Speckled trout have larger (in proportion to body density) air bladders than striper, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel and dolphin just to name a few and frequent shallower depths. Could it be that fish with smaller air bladders don’t sense the pressure changes as dramatically and therefor their comfort/feeding level doesn’t drastically change? The bottom line is that something changes that temporarily negatively affects the feeding patterns of trout during high pressure situations. Just take a look at this line graph back when the Texas Parks and Wildlife Coastal Fisheries Department was Probably the most comprehensive weather forecast I’ve found.

December 23rd was a great day! Take a look at the barometric pressure that day. No surprise.

12 | February 2016

the barometric pressure is between 29.5 and 30.5, but it severely declines when the pressure is above 30.5. This is for private boat anglers, not guides. Keep In mind that, during this time period, there were two major freeze events and some regulation changes that also affected angler catch, but I believe this trend is pretty clear.” – Dr. Mark Fisher.

There’s no doubt that high atmospheric pressure and/or the changes with which it is associated tend to suppress a trout’s feeding habits. The data shows it and my own personal experience has proven it many times. So how can we still trick trout in high pressure situations? Regardless of the real reasons for lockjaw here are a few things that I’ve learned to do in such circumstances:

The pressure was through the roof so we chose to get back into the boat and drift a deep bayou drain. That plan paid off for Mike McDaniel: 6-¼ pounder (released)!

Spend More Time near Deep Water Fish a winter structure area (mud and shell) where there’s deep water nearby and grind on it. The sudden change in pressure (and probably water temperature) often sends trout deep or at least near the edge of deep areas. Theories aside, this approach has worked for me many times.

Rex Richards was able to capitalize on a small window of opportunity during a tide change and minor feeding period on this bluebird morning: 6-¼ (released)!

recording barometric pressure during their creel surveys.

“We recorded barometric pressure during every creel survey from May 1983-May 1992. Trout catch per angler-hour is reasonably constant when

No Surface Activity – No Worries Slicks and bait activity are often not visible the day after a cold front.

This doesn’t mean that the fish are not there. My clients and Reid and Robert I observed swirling mullet (not jumping) on a recent trip Dawson didn’t when there was zero surface activity. There was plenty of bait realize the barometer was in the area, but you would never have known it by surveying about to explode the surface from a distance. The mullet pretty much let us but I don’t think know the kind of docile mode the trout were in as well. Soft they cared. plastics on 1/16 ounce jig heads, Corkys and MirrOdine XL’s were a perfect fit for the conditions as these baits were able to keep us in the strike zone long enough to entice more than a few solid trout.

I asked Paul Brown a simple question years ago while standing in his garage where God only knows how many good fishing stories were told.

“Mr. Brown, why will trout eat a Corky when often times they won’t even touch another bait?” He smiled and said, “Well Steve, I guess it’s kind of like someone who’s on a diet but sees that Snickers bar on their desk that they’ve been looking at all day. Sooner or later, they’re gonna eat that candy bar.” That was the perfect answer.

Les McDonald Jr. caught this bonus flatty mixed in with plenty of trout and reds during the passage of a front in 20 mph north wind.

Consider All Other Factors While tide movement, solunar feeding periods, wind and water temperature are always important they become even more so after cold fronts pass through the area. Timing your wade or drift during what are sometimes small windows of opportunity can make all the difference. Refer to the solunar table in this magazine. Visit web sites like www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov which provide real-time wind, air temperature and barometric pressure information for your area. A great site for detailed marine forecasts is www.wunderground.com.

Winter fishing with regards to frontal passages can be broken down into three simple phases – Pre-front, during, and post-front. I would

14 | February 2016

Source: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department creel surveys from May 1983-May 1992

getting beat into oblivion on the boat ride back to the harbor. The third and final one is post-front.

This is when the action can really slow down, especially the day immediately following the cold front. I tend to think the gorging that took place the day before has quite a bit to do with the tough bite. Combine that with a sudden drop in water temperature which results in slower metabolism and catching can be like pulling teeth. This is when I will typically run afternoon trips to allow conditions (and trout) to stabilize.

The third phase of the process may dominate for two or three days but the cycle will eventually repeat itself. Knowing the dynamics of each phase of the cycle and how to prepare will enable a higher success rate as opposed to using a blanket strategy as if we were fishing in a vacuum. Good luck out there and try not to let the pressure get to you!

Steve Hillman

Contact

rank pre-frontal fishing as the best opportunity to enjoy a good and sometimes phenomenal bite, especially immediately leading up to when the frontal boundary arrives. This is the time in which trout seem to sense a change in pressure and other conditions thereby triggering a sense of urgency to feed. The second phase is during the front. Unfortunately, this is also when wind and weather can be the most treacherous. One of my best days ever was in East Matagorda Bay when we kept wading as the front pushed through. We caught and released more than a dozen trout heavier than six pounds and a couple just north of seven before

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

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

www.power-pole.com

TSFMAG.com | 15

STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

A

ll angling endeavors involve two basic skill sets, one related to the location of fish, the other incorporating the physical techniques used to catch fish. Proficiency in these interrelated sets enhances consistency, particularly when anglers deploy artificial lures exclusively. Maintaining a log with accurate and ample data increases the likelihood of improvement in both areas over time. In this way, fishing mirrors all other sports; the proper analysis of information aids in the quest to enhance achievement.

Simply gathering data over time will not guarantee improved performance, though. In order to improve, anglers, like all other sporting people, must learn to build on strengths and eliminate or reduce the effects of weaknesses. Generally, building on strengths proves easier than erasing frailties. For one thing, most people prefer to work on things for which they already show proficiency. Conversely, many people show a genuine disdain for working on things for which they show less ability.

Compounding the problem, many anglers find it difficult or even impossible to clearly identify their weaknesses. In some sports, the task of exposing shortcomings is much easier. Take golf, for instance. If a player keeps records and sees he’s three-putted five

greens per round the last ten times out, he knows he needs to work on putting. If he sees he’s driven into the right rough 80% of the time, he can likely go the driving range with or without the aid of a tutor, identify the root causes of the poor shots and make changes to eliminate those elements from his swing.

Of course, these aspects of the game of golf fall into the category of physical techniques; they involve the act of striking the ball. In this way, they mirror the physical techniques anglers use in attempt to elicit strikes from fish. As in golf, anglers’ weaknesses in this area prove somewhat easy to identify and improve, when compared to those lurking in the other arena. In both sports, tweaking physical aspects

often takes little time and effort when compared with attempting to make improvements to mental approaches and strategies.

A golfer’s mental approach generally reveals itself only cryptically through statistical analysis. Aspects of the game like pre-shot thought processes, club selection, tendency to gamble or play safe, ability to maintain focus on the moment and demonstrate grace under pressure can be quite difficult to analyze effectively. Consequently, identifying weaknesses in mental approach isn’t easy. A professional would likely need to observe someone playing a round in order to have the best chance of determining weaknesses in this arena. Conversation with the player during the round would further increase the odds of figuring out weak areas, though doing so would also alter the context used as a basis for analysis.

Anglers face a similar dilemma. Identifying weaknesses in the domain of fish location skills proves far more challenging than in the physical application skills arena. Furthermore, an expert hoping to help a beginner or novice angler identify and eliminate a weakness in fish location skill needs to either observe them during the process of making decisions related to locating fish, or at least to evaluate their decisions using detailed and accurate data recorded in a log of events.

Without help from an external source, even those willing and able to make the effort to record and analyze data to try and identify specific weak aspects of their fish location methods will likely find the process annoyingly troublesome. Certainly, failing to identify a weakness increases the likelihood of repeating it. Many anglers reside in precisely the world I describe, one in which they repeat mistakes because they cannot identify them and/or refuse to work to eliminate them.

Dreary, cold weather in February can create hot In such a world, such anglers typically rely on a short fishing for trophy trout. list of spots, returning to the same few places repeatedly, Jeremy Rhodes caught with little or no regard for whether the conditions of this thirty-inch specimen the moment lend credence to the idea of fishing those on just such a day in early-February, 2014. places or not. Likewise, they also tend to do the same things over and over again when attempting to catch the fish, either becoming excessively committed to one type of lure, or showing little or no commitment to any type, preferring instead to “throw everything in the box at ‘em” every time out. Completing a short “milk run” and employing techniques without thorough consideration of current conditions generally Sinking twitch baits consistently produce produces meager results. bites during winter I understand these concepts and can elaborate them and spring. The author fully because I’ve lived them in the past. I’d assert all caught this nine-pound expert anglers could recount moments in their careers specimen on a Catch 5 in February of 2015. in which they reached important conclusions about flawed processes and aspects of their methods so they could work to eliminate them. In order to do so, many used either competitive angling or a relationship with another expert or experts to get the jobs done. All of us need to compare our efforts and outcomes with those of other competent individuals in order to most clearly analyze the value of our results, to better illuminate what we do well and what we need to improve upon.

Though I’ve understood these concepts and have lived by their creed for years, I just recently experienced an epiphany related to a service-oriented product specifically designed to help anglers dramatically accelerate their learning curves, by identifying and eliminating weaknesses and building on strengths. This product shows strong structural similarities to those provided by personal

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a year-long and quarterly plan. A year’s commitment will entitle the pupil to fish four times with me in my home waters, and I’ll travel to fish with them in their home waters an additional three times. They will be allowed and encouraged to fish as much on their own as they can, wherever they want, and to record and submit data to me after they complete each outing. I’ll peruse and analyze that data as promptly, thoroughly and thoughtfully as I can each time, and will respond with my observations and recommendations, ideally leading to a meaningful dialogue about relevant issues of substance.

These various types of interaction between me and the trainee all carry the same purposeful intention—to aid the angler in identifying and eliminating weaknesses, identifying and building on strengths, diversifying and implementing more successful strategies and methods and increasing their knowledge of the bay system they call home. In the end, the process should accelerate their learning curve, increase their enjoyment of the sport and make them more competent, eventually independent of the need for help.

I’ve designed specific pricing plans for the IAPT product, dependent on quarterly or yearly commitment. In order to learn more about the details of the plans, pricing and everything else related to this new way of doing things, contact me by phone or email at the numbers and addresses provided at the end of this article or check out the related entry on the blogs page on my website--CaptainKevBlogs.com.

Kevin Cochran Contact

fitness trainers.

A fitness trainer develops a plan for the trainee to follow, then meets with them and demonstrates how things should be done, offering advice and encouragement as needed while Weston Pavlicek and this solid trout provided quite monitoring the trainee’s efforts. The trainer photogenic subjects for also gives the trainee some work to do on the captain to use on a their own. The trainee keeps a record of cold day in February. what they’ve done and shows the record to the instructor, who then analyzes the data and makes alterations to the fitness plan as necessary. In these ways, a personal fitness trainer plays three roles: model, mentor and cheerleader. Ideally, the trainee eventually becomes capable of maintaining and executing a sound fitness plan without the aid of the trainer.

I believe the plan I’ve generated can similarly allow me to help anglers develop their skill sets faster and more efficiently, to a point where they will become independent of reliance on my tutelage. The plan involves several parts, all designed to evolve over time, all focused on the critical needs—identifying key weaknesses and strengths. I call this product the Inshore Angler’s Personal Trainer and now offer it to all serious fisherpeople with a sincere desire to improve their proficiency and self-sufficiency through high-intensity one-on-one angling instruction.

The IAPT plan involves three main components: 1) charters run by me, on my home waters 2) charters run by the trainee, on their home waters, on which I accompany them, and 3) the joint analysis of data recorded regularly by the trainee when they fish on their own. For this third component, I’ve created a template for use in the recording of the data, one which will provide enough information on which to base important conclusions.

The charters taken on my home waters will focus primarily on the trainee’s physical application skills, at least in the beginning. In other words, we’ll work mostly on learning to improve proficiency at catching fish in a variety of ways.

When I accompany trainees on charters taken on the their home waters, we’ll focus more on refining the efficient use of boating equipment, navigation skills, knowledge of their home waters, and assess and address potential tackle needs. Further, we’ll discuss and analyze decision-making processes, including how they go about selecting areas and spots to target, how long they spend in each place, what strategies they deploy in those places, and how they adjust to variables which crop up during the day. All these statements reside under an evolutionary umbrella, and we’ll adjust priorities as necessary after an initial evaluation of the trainee’s strengths, weaknesses and needs and also in response to the growth of the trainee over time.

In addition to the charters taken on Baffin and the ULM, the student’s home-water charters with me aboard and the dialogue between me and the student about the trips they make alone, the IAPT plan provides a GPS data card, one which includes the waypoints and tracks I use regularly. It also includes some waypoints provided by me for their use and exploration on their home waters. I’ll provide advice about places I’ve fished and/or am aware of as potentially productive, to help increase their catalog of spots and knowledge of the body of water they call home.

I’m offering this Inshore Angler’s Personal Trainer product both as

Kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has created several books and dvds on the subject.

Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus Christi Bay to the Land Cut.

Trout Tracker Guide Service Phone Email Web

361-688-3714 kevxlr8@mygrande.net www.FishBaffinBay.com www.captainkevblogs.com

STORY BY MARTIN STRARUP

M

an it’s cold outside. This latest norther pulled the temperature down to below freezing and the wind blew what was left of the autumn leaves from the trees and into my yard and boat.

I called my old friend Red Childers and asked if he was going to be ready the next morning. “Ready for what?” he asked in that particular gruff and doubting voice of his.

I told him we were going to make a run over towards Panther Point in San Antonio Bay, and before I could laugh at my own joke he muttered something about whether I had started using drugs. Then he went into a tirade of expletives that proved beyond any shadow of doubt that he too was suffering cabin fever.

Of course he knew I was joking as the wind was howling around 35- to 40 mph and the temperature was somewhere near a processing plant meat locker.

There’s something about this time of year, though. The clear water and colder temperatures either make you want to jump into a pair of waders or snuggle into the blankets and sleep late on Saturday morning. Me? I love fishing this time of the year, and for a number of reasons.

TSFMAG.com | 23

Fewer boats on the water means more undisturbed places to fish and that scenario is becoming increasingly tough to find in the warmer months. There are no mosquitoes, no crowds at the bait camps and launch ramps, and a good bite from some vigorous coldwater trout makes me a very happy man. A winter school of husky redfish scouring a shoreline and eating anything you want to throw is another reason to leave a warm bed and jump into your waders.

In a lot of cases you can get your fix pretty easily and a boat really isn’t necessary for finding and catching what my son and I call “healthy” winter fish. There are a lot of places where you can drive your truck to the edge of the water and simply wade right into some pretty decent action.

Start with a Texas road map and take a look at the roads running along any of our bays. You should find areas that are accessible by the general public that will allow you to park and wade. A fishing map of the area should show you any reefs or other structures within reach of a wader and don’t forget to ask around at the local cafes and bait camps. There is a wealth of information available to you at those places and on the different internet fishing sites as well. One of the handiest tools for this type of reconnaissance is Google Earth with its satellite views of the Texas coastline.

Something drive-up fishermen need to keep in mind is that a lot of the places you’ll find are isolated and in some cases a cell phone just won’t work there. If you don’t have four wheel drive, and even if you do, pay attention to the roads that you may have to drive down to reach the water. I’ve seen some holes in dirt roads leading to the water that could swallow a jacked-up F-250 Super Crew, so be aware.

Also, this time of the year, the tides can be pushed way out due to the north wind, but tides do eventually turn and the water comes back and that neat little shell or sand bar that allowed you to drive up to the water may be a little wet when you want to return to civilization and blacktop roads. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Keep in mind too, that just as the isolated places give you some solitude and the chance to catch some fish without intrusion from others, there are those who realize this as well and who would love to find your truck unattended. It is a good idea to leave as few valuables; fishing gear, guns, knives, billfolds, binoculars; well, you get the idea. Don’t leave your stuff where others can see it if you’re going to be out of sight of your vehicle. Locking the doors doesn’t help, nor do those expensive tinted windows if someone really wants to get inside.

In any case, it’s one of my favorite times of year to be on the water and with a little cold weather preparation it could be yours too. Check your waders for leaks and if there is any doubt that they may not be water tight, you might want to consider getting another pair. The quickest and surest way I ever found to test waders is in a swimming pool. There is nothing worse than stepping into the water and having your waders filling with cold salt water.

A lot of my friends and I wear breathable waders all year long.

They are fairly cool in summer and also work well in winter, and they don’t bind me like neoprene waders do. The only drawback to breathables compared with the warmer neoprenes is that you

have to add layers of moisture wicking underwear and fleece to stay warm. You do not have to layer as much with neoprenes but that is their only real advantage. The choice is yours as to what you want to wear as far as waders go; check out both styles before you buy.

Wear a good knit watch cap or insulated beanie. Ball caps just don’t keep your head or ears warm, and while you will not perhaps look as sporty, the main objective is to stay warm and comfortable.

Experts say that almost half of body heat loss occurs in the head and neck; a neck gaiter and watch cap will keep you warmer longer. Dress for the elements and let those trying to make fashion statements do the shivering.

Pick up a few pairs of heavy wool socks or the new Under Armour socks that are no thicker than a pair of dress socks, but are said to keep your feet very warm.

Both natural wool and the Under Armor socks will keep your feet warm but the natural wool socks will keep your feet warm even if they get wet. That’s one of the advantages of this fabric; after all, it was originally designed to keep sheep and goats warm in cold and wet conditions. I have not tested the Under Armor socks to see how they work when wet. If your feet do get wet those wool socks will be appreciated when things go wrong a mile or so from your vehicle.

Pack some dry clothes and keep them in your vehicle when you head out for some walk-in wade fishing. Should you lose your balance, step in a hole and cut your waders on oyster shell, or happen upon some other underwater hazard and turn your waders into a water bag, the last thing you’ll want to do is drive home soaking wet. Your vehicle will appreciate it as well.

So have fun, be safe, pack right, dress warm and don’t let a little cold weather keep you out of the water this time of year. Find a spot that provides easy access and go catch some fish.

Oh, and one more piece of advice—lay off the morning coffee!

Needing to make two or three trips to the shore during a morning wade while your buddies are in a hungry school…well, you’ll figure it out.

It’s one of my favorite times of year to be on the water, and with a little cold weather preparation it could be yours too.

24 | February 2016

Be Safe, and may 2016’s winter fishing be the best-ever for all of us.

Martin

Contact

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

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

F

or years I have tried to stay away from obvious story lines, the ones it seems magazine writers invariably cover at certain times of the year. The typical year in review or New Year’s resolutions stuff have become almost too cliché for interesting reading. So- instead of the old tried and true reruns, new topics have always been my goal in order to bring our readers a new and different flavor. It would be easy to string together a handful of paragraphs cursing and moaning the crazy weather of 2015 and what it did to our fishing on Sabine. It would be even easier yet to tell you how the patterns and success rates for local fishermen were more up and down than most people’s stock portfolios. To put it all in a nutshell, 2015 was as much about extremes as I can ever remember. With all that being said, I will be the first to welcome a new fishing season and will be very happy to start a new chapter that hopefully has a better storyline than the

one we just finished.

I hope for all the readers out there, each of you received some warm winter gear at Christmas, for those late-winter and earlyspring fishing trips. Especially if like me, you will be doing plenty of wading. The forecast for our early months of 2016 looks like it could be a really cold one and that will certainly impact every fisherman who has hopes of tangling with a career fish on a perfect winter wade. As I have grown older I have become much more of a stickler for comfort than I was ten years ago. The old “go hard or go home” attitude has now been replaced by the “be smart when you go” mantra. Taking greater precautions to be dry and warm have made my nasty days on the water much more tolerable than in years past.

I have become a stickler for waders that don’t leak. I know there are wade anglers who reach in the bag and grab a pair of waders knowing they’ll leak “a little but not too much” and willingly head out to battle the elements. Quit putting yourself through the

Redfish cruising a back lake in winter; perfect cure for cabin fever.

This pair of Gulf Coast Waders has given me great service well into their second season – sans the nail sticking out of the duck blind incident. But that’s not their fault.

misery is all I can say about that. Get a quality pair of waders and have a backup pair just in case. I have been wearing breathables from Gulf Coast Waders for six years now and I love everything about them. Jason and the folks at GCW provide a great product that lasts and won’t break your budget. I have a set I’m currently using for fishing and hunting that are in their second season and have been through the wringer. I punctured a hole in them last year, on a stray nail in an old duck blind, and repaired them with the kit provided—and never missed a beat. I keep a couple of extra waders on my boat for folks who may need them. I’m a believer.

Under my waders in cold weather you can bank on me wearing the Under Armour brand of cold gear and fleece pants along with good socks. The socks may be the most important pieces of all when you get right down to it because as long as your feet are warm it’s all good. Let your feet get cold and you are as good as done. The thought of spending a full day in water as cold as 40-

50⁰ is not too appealing from the get-go, but doing it with the right gear makes it much more tolerable. If you are comfortable, you are far more likely to fish longer and harder, which in turn tips the odds further in your favor.

For what it’s worth, the winter months and early-spring see a ton of fishermen get on the road and travel to distant fishing places.

One would think that the less than desirable weather would keep folks close to home but that’s not always the case. The opportunity

to take a shot at a trout as long your leg is often enough to prompt many anglers to head to the hottest destinations. Baffin Bay, Laguna Madre, East Matagorda, Sabine Lake and Lake Calcasieu will conjure up all kinds of visions of giant trout crushing plugs for those willing to brave the elements. The prime time for chasing big fish is upon us and it’s just a matter of when, not if, the first doubledigit trout of the year shows up and sends the fishing world into a frenzy. It won’t be long after that when the crowds will show up hoping to duplicate the feat.

The ensuing crush of fishermen on a particular body of water is exactly what keeps local anglers awake at night—nightmares of nonstop boat traffic send chills up their spine. It’s inevitable, though. As soon as news breaks, the rest of the world will be on their way. Just like in the movie Field of Dreams where they say- if you build it they will come; here on the coast it’s more like- if you catch it and put it on social media…everybody will come.

(top left) The nail in the duck blind made it necessary to become familiar with Gulf Coast Wader’s repair procedure. Worked great! (mid left) Discovering the comfort of Under Armour changed my outlook on spending cold days in breathable waders. (bot left) Clammy under-layers can result in bone-chilling cold—no problem with moisture-wicking Under Armour! (right) A perfectly calm, cold winter sunrise in Sabine country.

28 | February 2016

my services and look forward to making a few changes. The overall positive attitude about the New Year is often very contagious and I hope that you get that feeling as well. For many folks, the past year was a rough one and the thought of a fresh start only arouses the optimist in all of us.

If you will be venturing out during these raw-weather days, please take every precaution to be safe and remember to wear your lifejacket. Strong wind and cold water are nothing to take lightly.

Enjoy the opportunity and make the most of the winter season.

Chuck Uzzle

Contact

Not only is this the time of year when fishermen chase trophies, it’s also the time when good fishermen get tight-lipped. Very few of the big-trout gurus will ever willingly provide a public glimpse of their catch; it’s usually someone who they thought had been sworn to secrecy. For some reason there are folks who feel the need to share everything with the world and then complain when the world shows up. Most of the time, by the time the story gets told all around, it’s too late to capitalize on the opportunity. A great way to look at this is- if you’re the guy that caught the fish, you are probably too late.

Right now is such an opportune time to be on the water, fewer fair weather anglers are out and the chance for a big fish is as good or better than any time of the year. Many folks will forego the speckled trout bite and set up shop on a solid redfish pattern that emerges early each year. Marsh drains and main channel points near deep water will often be areas where redfish will stack up in great numbers. Plenty of anglers will be content to stay dry in the confines of their boat and play tug of war with redfish and occasional large black drum. Live bait or cracked crab are often tops for producing both of these hard-pulling species. You can flat out get your string stretched at this time of the year and I can think of very few better ways to stay warm.

The first part of a new year always spawns hope for a successful future and I’m no different in that regard. My new website and guide service name “Wakes N Drakes” will debut soon and I’m really excited to get that project off the ground. I’ll be expanding some of

Chuck fishes Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes from his home in Orange, TX. His specialties are light tackle and fly fishing for trout, reds, and flounder.

Phone Email

409-697-6111 cuzzle@gt.rr.com

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TSFMAG.com | 29

STORY BY JOE RICHARD

O

ver the years I’ve seen a number of mishaps on the water. In our early years of fishing, mistakes were made and accidents occurred that were never expected. In retrospect we appear to have led a charmed life, after all the things we’ve seen and done. But there were mistakes, and most happened when we got off the boat.

I’ve categorized some of our mishaps from over the years, things to watch out for.

Offshore Oil Rigs Out there in the Gulf your luck can run out fast. Few anglers actually climb aboard Gulf platforms, but we did for many years and enjoyed some wonderful days out there, and had a bird’s eye view of fish below. But things happened that never would have, if we’d stayed in the boat. For instance, one day during a small, local tournament we launched in the surf and climbed onto a handy platform. My buddy soon yelled that a few big ling were on top of the water at the far corner of the rig on the up-current side. That was the only time I ever ran along the steel catwalk. And fell through a rare, small hole, one bare leg all the way to the upper thigh, which was gouged like a tiger had clawed me. Wearing shorts, of course.

Back in town, a bottle of peroxide from a coastal store boiled a bunch of rust out of my leg and had me shuffling in agony like a Sioux Indian.

During high school years we stopped at a rig 30 miles out. Climbed up and fished the up-current side. We turned around and—wow—the boat was 25 yards

Jump out of the boat and wading to the fish, a Texas coastal tradition. Watch out for oyster clumps, Vibrio, stingrays and sharks.

with a splash. His blue jeans were flayed and the palms of his hands looked like hamburger, that’s what I remember most. We had to take him home on a day when the water was dark green and three-pound trout were waiting on every cast.

Shannon Tompkins learned to fish out there with us, and rashly chased after a brute jackfish that was spooling his reel. He tripped, flew through the air, landed with a crunch, breaking his rod and exposing bone in the palm of his hand…

Off he went to the ER for stitches and Keflex antibiotic, the doctor’s choice for injured jetty fishermen.

One morning it was my turn. I’d borrowed some lame tennis shoes without checking the treads. On the first step off the boat, I slipped and fell face-first onto the green jetty wall. But I got my hands up first and lay half on the jetty, half in the water. In my palm, almost hidden, was a chunk of oyster the size of a quarter. At the hospital they ripped it out without anesthetic, and then blasted it repeatedly with Betadine, washing out shell chips. It wasn’t as much fun as it sounds, and took a long time to heal.

David Bullocks with a fine mangrove snapper, speared at a Gulf platform off Port Aransas. He dove down about 15 feet inside the rig for this one.

away, drifting away on the current. Should we camp on the rig or save the boat? Every second counted. Dan jumped after his dad’s boat, and ended up swimming about 200 yards before he caught up. He was so tired, he could only hang on to the low transom, resting, before climbing aboard. It was reach the boat or drown; there was no turning back against the current.

Surf fishermen don’t have Many years later I sold my 23-foot SeaCraft to a guy to worry much about who took it offshore and climbed a rig, he knew the getting off the boat, crew above and was invited up for dinner. Climbing because often they don’t back down, the SeaCraft was a half mile away, and an even have one. outbound ship had stopped and was trying to winch it aboard. Hanging vertical, it filled with water and was abandoned, upside down. Somehow Billy arranged for a crewboat to tow it back to Galveston.

A friend came visiting from Dallas and we headed offshore. At the nine-mile rig we tied up in rough seas. He felt bad, and I urged him to climb the rig and take a nap. He was agile and climbed up there, but a roughneck far above yelled at him to leave. So, it was back to the boat. It was too rough to pull the boat in very close, so Mike swung out on the heavy rope, let go, and flew like a bomb right into my boat.

Wadefishing Landing on his back on the anchor…wham! He writhed in pain but This is the most elemental and fun way to catch fish. Never mind what nothing was broken, and soon we were fishing again. For some reason the stingrays and vibrio and jellyfish and oysters can do to wading he hasn’t returned to Gulf fishing. anglers—that would take up a few articles. Wearing quality waders would prevent most of these problems. As for Jetties anglers who park their cars and wade the surf For at least a decade we left our boats and or bays, they don’t really fall into my story line climbed onto the Sabine jetties. You don’t about getting off the boat. They split from the see much of that today; it’s safer to use an entire program. electric motor and troll alongside instead The biggest hazard from wadefishing the surf of walking the rocks, often sloshing over is drowning. Too many have perished in Texas cruel oysters and barnacles coated with surf, either from rip currents or from drop-offs algae. We caught trout in heaps, and and outgoing tides at the passes. One day I redfish too. Boxes of Spanish mackerel. was motoring in from an The Sabine jetties in But everyone I knew was scratched or offshore trip and noticed about 1982, ten years gouged at one time or another. We didn’t a small patch of orange, after we started walking even know what Vibrio was, and were wet maybe a party balloon. this wet jetty wall. We had it almost to ourselves for almost every trip. Except in winter, when It was a skinny kid with a 10 years, suffering minor we wore rubber boots. small life jacket, with his injuries. Other fishermen Casualties: Our friend Jay climbed much bigger granddad sat in their boats where it green algae steps at least 10 feet up, hanging on to him. They was safer, but they were less mobile and often flailed his arms, dropped his Igloo, were sunk right down watched us drag many shrieked and tumbled back down, landing to their nostrils, drifting fish onto that wall.

32 | February 2016

Scuba Fatalities easily happen offshore with scuba divers. Gear malfunction, diving too deep, even a big fish can wrap a guy in his own spear gun cable. In Cozumel alone they were losing 75 divers annually in 1989.

That’s what the head of tourism told us while we were there, anyway.

Often, the current would just sweep them out into the Caribbean.

Charterboat captains would see people treading water far from land next morning, waving frantically, and several were picked up.

Apparently they weren’t fond of treading water all night in depths exceeding 1,000 feet, where mako sharks are often caught.

Today, guys are spearing wahoo and yellowfin tuna in blue water, and this while snorkeling. They make my dive trips of years ago look tame as crappie fishing. After I was nearly drowned while spearing ling while snorkeling, and also getting beat up by a goliath grouper in a

34 | February 2016

cave off Key West, I switched to smaller fish. I’ve also held a 40-pound ling finally on the surface after it pulled me deep, and had my friend shoot it in the head, (between my hands), and got some powder burns. I was later advised that a .22 bullet can ricochet pretty easy when it hits bone or the boat. Or maybe the top of a ling’s head…

Marina Docks?

I have to include this category, after I stepped off the boat onto a marina dock this summer, grabbed a bag of ice, and minutes later stepped back into the boat with one foot. The other foot, still on the dock and bearing my weight, broke through a rotten 2x6 plank up to my knee, and I was left hanging over the water, helpless, one foot in the boat and the other stuffed through this small hole in the dock. Since I only weigh 178, I was able to hang on for a while with fishing gloves, until two teenagers ran up and pulled me out of the hole. So, watch out for rotten planks on the docks, especially late. That would have been a tough way to spend the night.

Looking back, it might have been a boring life just sitting out there in the boat. I have a higher tolerance for excitement than most folks, so we often left the boat. As they say: you buy the ticket, you take the ride. But I would advise anglers leaving the boat to be careful out there, because there might be a tiger waiting.

Metaphorically speaking.

Joe Richard

Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arthur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast. He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida Sportsman’s book and assistant magazine editor. He began guiding out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, New Revelations. Available at Seafavorites.com

Contact

offshore in a moderate This picture is wrong outgoing tide. Too scared to on so many levels.

Catching a king from a speak the entire time, even Gulf platform with light after we delivered them back tackle, and Beaumont to the beach. friend Pete Churton Swimming—Even letting bare-handing it from the bottom of a ladder… someone swim around the boat can be dangerous.

Charterboat captains are quick to realize this; they won’t let anyone off the boat. Years ago we took a couple of young banker types from Houston offshore. The Gulf was so calm and the action so slow, we finally let them snorkel around the platform. So of course a small ling swam by and they mistook it for a man-eating shark. Both guys freaked out and climbed the platform in their bare feet. One of them gashed his foot on huge barnacles and was done for the day…

More reasons not to swim from the boat: One day while I was treading water by the boat, taking pictures, a kingfish jumped about 15 feet and hit me square in the upper back. With its mouth shut, fortunately. Another time Amy and I were swimming around, cooling off at a platform, when a big ling finally grabbed one of our drift baits. We had an underwater view as it swam through the oil rig and out the other side, the reel in the boat screaming. This was during a tournament…

STORY BY BILLY SANDIFER

H

aving loved and enjoyed the wonders of Padre Island since a youngster, I finally got fed up.

One day in 1995 I approached the then park superintendent of Padre Island National Seashore and proposed the idea of conducting a one day, all-volunteer beach cleanup in the rugged part of the 4WD-only region known as Big Shell Beach.

He bluntly stated he didn’t feel it stood any chance of being a success but that I had both their permission and blessing to proceed.

I chose the Big Shell because there is a convergence of two major ocean currents in that area that deliver an incredible amount of floating debris, driven ashore from all across the Gulf of Mexico. I had no plan in hand whatsoever when I met with the superintendent; the first step was to secure permission.

With permission in hand I began to make tentative plans and solicited help of anyone and everyone I could think of. Buddy Gough was our Corpus Christi Caller-Times outdoor-writer at the time and he was a huge asset in helping spread the word through his newspaper articles. Buddy had lots of contacts, too. Island House Condominiums was another great early supporter. We had to improvise as we went, kind of like engineering a bridge from midstream.

To my complete amazement (and everybody else) on the morning of April 29, 1995—300 volunteers showed up and removed 50 tons of trash from 11 miles of PINS beach. The Big Shell Beach Cleanup became an annual event. In the years that followed a total of 6530 volunteers have participated and picked up 1163 tons of trash. That would be 2,326,000 pounds, if you prefer to express it more impressively.

I started this effort because nobody was willing to do it—even though everybody hated the trash. It has always reminded me of the quote often attributed to nineteenth-century Irish political philosopher, Edmund Burke, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.”

There is no good to come from folks sitting around complaining. Good can come only from taking action to change the situation so, we took action!

As years went by Tyler Thorsen and I pretty much organized and coordinated the event ourselves while depending heavily on outdoor writer, David Sikes, (who took Buddy’s desk at the Caller-Times when he retired). Other outdoors and fishing publications also came onboard (including this one), expanding our publicity reach.

Longtime friend, Ace Leal, joined the team and was a blessing for years. CCA Corpus Christi and Brush Country chapters became and remain very valuable participants and supporters. Gaining the support of David Ainsworth-Ainsworth Trucking Co. was another windfall. David has furnished 4-WD trucks and trailers to haul trash off the beach along with countless ice chests of bottle water for thirsty volunteers over the years.

In 2007, Stephen Naylor and I founded a non-profit 501 c3 entity, Friends of Padre, the original purpose of which was to insure the continuation of the Big Shell Cleanup after my days at the helm were over and done. Since that time Friends of Padre has taken the reins of the Big Shell Beach Cleanup and has also become involved in other projects related to the wellbeing of Padre Island. More information on FoP is available at www.FriendsofPadre.com.

A handpicked number of conservation-minded and

38 | February 2016

knowledgeable island users comprise the FoP board of directors, folks Stephen and I know and trust to carry the tradition into the future. As the event has drawn more interest it has become more time consuming and complex to manage, Friends of Padre makes it possible to handle the job efficiently.

Sharkathon, the most conservation-minded shark fishing tournament and brotherhood of shark anglers I have ever known, began to make very generous annual donations to the event and we also began to receive occasional donations from several companies and private individuals. Mr. David Ainsworth purchased a large, rough-terrain tractor-type vehicle called a Rollagon, specifically for pulling large heavily-laden trash trailers during the cleanup and this has been a godsend.

Citgo Refinery began to participate with large numbers of employees and family members volunteering. Michael Laskowski Sr. and Jr. of Trac-Work Inc—Railroad Maintenance and Rehabilitation, located in San Antonio, began furnishing work gloves for all the volunteers. Scott and Brian McKinsey signed on, manning their very well-equipped beach vehicle as troubleshooter-roving patrol throughout the work areas, assisting volunteers and eliminating bottlenecks.

The speed limit on the PINS beach changes from 25- to 15 mph on March 1 each year, and for this reason we schedule the Big Shell Cleanup to occur on the last Saturday of February to take advantage of the speed limit transporting workers and hauling out trash. This year’s event will be held February 27 and will commence at 8:00 AM with work groups heading downisland. Volunteers are encouraged to arrive early at Malaquite Pavilion to receive their participant appreciation packages and work team assignments.

Volunteers without 4WD vehicles are very welcome and will be assigned rides with 4WD equipped team leaders and others willing to take them. Operators of 4WD vehicles who might own or be able to borrow a trailer for hauling trash are encouraged to bring one along. Caution is advised; long, heavy utility trailers are difficult to tow in loose sand. Shorter trailers with large tires in good condition (especially single-axle rigs up to 12’ length) are best-suited for this type of work.

Dress appropriately for the weather as the Cleanup has no “rain date” and we have traditionally worked through inclement conditions many years in the past. Long trousers, long sleeve shirts, windbreakers and slicker suits are highly recommended. Wear a hat and a pair of sturdy high-top work shoes or hiking boots!

Food will be available at Malaquite at the conclusion of the event and iced water and lite snacks will be available in the work area. By all means bring a snack or light lunch if you think you might need one. All volunteers will receive commemorative event t-shirts along with other fishing related goodies.

This is a one-of-a-kind event and it takes place in a wonderful kind of a place. It is considered the most successful cleanup of its kind in the USA. It is a wonderful way for parents to teach their children the importance and responsibility of caring for the great outdoors. Caring for it so it’s still suitable for them and their children. But it all depends on you stepping up and lending a helping hand.

Hope to see you on the sand February 27! -Billy Sandifer

TSFMAG.com | 39

STORY BY SCOTT SOMMERLATTE

E

very now and again an opportunity will arise in a manner that includes a unique chance to make a difference in either another person’s life or, to help the community as a whole. Such an opportunity came my way earlier this year when I received a call from a gentleman named Derek York. Derek asked if I might be interested in helping with a new youth camp called Coastal Brigade.

Having never heard of such a program, I began to ask questions before I committed. In a short amount of time I learned that the Coastal Brigade would be modeled around the very successful Texas Brigades program that started with a quail camp back in 1993 and now includes camps that focus on other species and activities such as deer hunting, waterfowl hunting, bass fishing and even ranching. All that was missing was a camp focused on coastal resources, which seems to now be becoming reality.

The Texas Brigades program was founded with the mission of educating and empowering youths with leadership skills, knowledge in wildlife and fisheries as well as marine and land stewardship, and to encourage our future leaders to become conservation ambassadors for a sustained natural resource legacy. Now, the previous statement was somewhat taken from the promotional literature put out by the Texas Brigades and was, along with another statement (more on that later), what convinced me to lend my assistance to the program.

For years I have watched young fisherman and hunters being taught, or perhaps more accurately not being taught, to appreciate

and value our coastal resources. This is a travesty considering Texas has a population now of over 25 million people (and our bays are already very crowded) and the population is projected to grow to 30 million by 2020 with over 60% of the population located within 100 miles of the coast. It is imperative, for the future of our coastal ecosystems, that we do all we can to educate our young people to value and protect the coastal resources. That is what the Coastal Brigade is all about.

The program will focus on and educate participants in subjects such as boating, angling, coastal fisheries management, ecology, habitat restoration, fresh water inflows and salt water stock enhancement. Instructors for these classes will be comprised of TPWD coastal biologists and technicians as well as members of conservation organizations and professionals from within the fishing industry.

Coastal Brigade will be available each year open to 30 youths, age 13-17. Cadets (what the programs calls them) will be selected to attend the camp based on a competitive application process that will include answering two essay questions. Now one might ask how educating 30 youths is a truly worthwhile endeavor? In addition to learning about the fish and their habitat, participants will also be taught leadership and communication skills that will include subjects such as critical-thinking, journalism and photography so that they can pass on what they have learned.

Now comes the question- how do you ensure that these kiddos utilize their newfound knowledge and ensure that they “pass on” what they have learned? Well, that is truly one of the most beautiful aspects of the program. Upon completion of the TSFMAG.com | 41

camp, participants are encouraged to take to the streets and pass on what they have learned and to promote and encourage the conservation messages. By doing so, they can earn points towards not only coming back the following year as an assistant leader, but will also be rewarded with a small scholarship towards their college education.

Upon arriving at the camp, cadets will be divide into six groups that will include a group leader (an adult volunteer) and an assistant leader (selected from the previous year’s cadets) and then, after a brief introduction, will begin attending classes. And I can assure you, after seeing a tentative schedule, this is a fast-paced program that will keep the kiddos quite busy over the course of four and one half days. We all know it would be next to impossible to master the full curriculum in less than a week but, this program will hopefully plant the seeds necessary to encourage future growth and also hopefully create a passion for the resource.

The tuition for this program might seem a tad steep at $500, but understand that it includes all meals, lodging and course materials. There is also the opportunity for potential financial support through sponsors in the event that is needed. Which actually brings me to my next point… even if you do not have a youngster who might benefit from this program, we all stand to gain from it. So, I will encourage you all, especially business owners, to check out the website mentioned below and consider contributing to the future of our coastal resources. We have responsibility, not only to future users of the coastal resource, but also to the resource itself.

Should you have, or know of a youngster who would be either be interested or might benefit from the program, I urge you to

42 | February 2016

check out the Texas Brigades website for more information at www.texasbrigades.org. Space is obviously limited but also, time is running out. Applications for the program are due in by March 15, 2016 to be considered for the first-ever Coastal Brigade class.

One final thought…I was/am very blessed to have been, and continue to be, even at my age, mentored by some of the finest outdoorsmen that anyone could ever know. Now I did not have a program like this to cultivate my love for the outdoors and the resource but, each of the people that took the time to teach me seemed to understand the Texas Brigades motto, even though they probably did not even know it.

And, to truly understand it, we must realize what we were all too young and naïve to know.

“Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me and I understand.” This is the other statement mentioned above that convinced me to be a part of what I perceive to be a remarkable endeavor in educating youngsters to appreciate and protect the thing that we all love most- our fish and the waters that produce them.

Now, not knowing exactly what classes or subject I will be asked to either participate in or instruct is kind of exciting because, if nothing else, I love a challenge. I just hope they do not ask me to do a class on fishing with live bait. I’m not sure that I am up to that challenge. LOL!

ONE H G U O T T E L L MU of r goes out e v e n t e ll u r Grade A good M er Saltwate b m o B e h T style. eath for w-sinking d lo s is t e shore ll u M and other in s k c e p S , h Redfis e new . Look for th h s fi r to a d retailer. pre rea tackle a r u o y t a t Mulle

BomberSaltwaterGrade.com

The sandbar at the mouth of this tiny drain, nearly obscured by mangroves, is a perfect example of what I call small structure. Note the water clarity.

J AY WAT K I N S

A S K THE P R O

Aim small – miss small!

Winter is notably one of the best times of the year to catch trout longer than twenty-five inches. Larger and heavier specimens are on many angler’s wish lists and I doubt there is an outdoor publication in Texas that doesn’t run at least one trophy trout article at this time of year. Strategies are publicized to the point that few anglers have not heard how the approach of a frontal weather system is a prime time for catching them. Let’s be honest though, we still have to be in the proper area, with the right tools and the skills to finish the job.

We (I am one) talk plenty about pre-front conditions and how fish feed the way they do at this time. It’s all about falling barometric pressure. In general, the more severe the approaching front, the more aggressive the feeding activity will be. I firmly believe fish and other animals can sense a front approaching and react accordingly.

It’s all about the change a front brings but, there can be exceptions. Over the years, when we experienced prolonged cold following a front, the approach of the next front also produced somewhat elevated feeding behavior, but not to the frenzy level of the one that preceded it. And what about the fronts when 44 | February 2016

high barometric pressure and clear blue skies appear immediately as they pass? This is hardest time to pattern quality trout, or any trout for that matter.

I always go back to my learning years and mentally replay conversations with tournament anglers and fellow guides. Mickey Eastman has always been one of my best teachers, freely gives his knowledge and beliefs, and that’s a good thing. He told me one calm and clear day after a front in the head of Trinity Bay that it was going to be about three days before they fed again. We were standing in slicks strong enough to almost make one ill and I thought, wellaren’t they feeding now? Mickey said they had fed on such a grand scale, they were still digesting all they had eaten the day prior. High pressure had set in and there was no wind. We drifted, waded, dredged and caught very little.

Long strings of what looked like cotton fibers covered our hats and rod tips. I believe they are called parachute spiders and this migration strategy only works when humidity is low and wind is very light—which goes hand-in-hand with high pressure in the winter months. As a matter a fact I had them all over my boat today.

With this said, what will be our game plan be when the

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only day you have to fish falls the day after a front? I have been doing this going on 37 years, developing strategies that allow me to succeed when conditions are stacked against me. Aim small – miss small has become my mindset.

This tactic allows us to miss and not waste valuable time in the effort. If we land on them we get huge rewards for small effort. If not, we execute Plan B. If fish are full from previous feeds and the general conditions that create normal instinctive feeding are absent, how should we go about finding fish and getting them to eat? I say finding because believe it or not I still find most of my fish with the lure on the end of my line.

I have a terrific new 23-Haynie Cat powered by a Mercury 250 Pro XS that can run up shallow enough to see every fish on the shoreline but I seldom do. Why spook them? Getting bites is how we confirm that fish are present and spooked fish probably won’t bite. I still key on mullet, even though mullet sightings can be few in the winter months. If I see some over or along small areas of structure, I am certainly going to investigate the area further.

Small areas of scattered shell, a slightly deeper shoreline gut, a small drain, or simply a small area of shallow sand in an area of solid bottom grass will concentrate the few baitfish present and can create an ambush point—and this tips the odds in our favor. Simple competition for food can and often creates what I refer to as reactive feeding. There are times when a trout eats a mullet simply to keep another from eating it first.

Another advantage to fishing smaller areas is our ability to totally access every plausible ambush point within the structure from a reasonable distance. Many anglers overlook small structure, believing the odds are better around larger areas of structure. More structure

more fish—not necessarily true.

I also like the fact that I can thoroughly work multiple small areas in the same time span it might take me to fish one larger area. The more small areas we can fish, the higher our odds of picking off one or several at each. Your math doesn’t have to be too sharp to discover that one or several at a half-dozen small pieces of structure is better than spending three hours exploring a large reef, only to learn they’re not there.

Our trout bite in Rockport has been very good the past several months but we still have days and conditions that make fishing tough.

This fall and through December, the smaller marsh drains created stacking points and saved many a day. Now that the majority of the bait and much of the prolonged higher-than-normal tides are absent, these drains are not as productive. No food, not many fish. So now I look to the outside shorelines and the small areas of structure along them.

Once the colder water temps and lower tides flush the bait out of the back lakes, trout and red fish will work the main shorelines.

Shorelines provide us windward opportunities, shallow water warming zones, smaller areas of scattered shell or grass, and deeperwater drop-offs. Seems like everything a fish would want and need, so these are the places I start looking this time of year, especially when high barometric pressure sets in. I don’t think the fish move once a food source and ample bottom structure are present, they just don’t eat well after a strong front.

Even though feeding is generally limited, fish will continue to feed during majors and minors on high pressure, so pay close attention to your solunar table. Yesterday, our best fish came right in the middle of a mid-morning major and again on the moonrise minor. Bites were scarce in-between but we did manage a few targeting small pieces of shell Mike Kuhn also scored a personal personal-best.

Reid Caspary with personal-best trout.

46 | February 2016

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structure found basically in the middle of nothing. The only time I do not key on bait activity I can see, and rely strictly on deeper structure, is during these high pressure periods. At these times – I go on the assumption that bait is likely present but I cannot see it in deeper water – so we fish deeper.

So – post-front high pressure sets in and the wind goes dead calm.

The water is wintertime air-clear and the bottom is bare because most of the shallow grass has declined or been eaten by ducks. Bait is scarce due to the cold water temperature. Bites are going to be few if you get any at all, but this is the only day you have to fish. Time to aim small – miss small!

Locate small areas of structure and go to work. After 20 or 30 minutes without bites or mullet activity, move to your next little area.

Repeat with confidence and patience and see what happens. I bet you will be pleasantly surprised.

May your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins

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Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 20 years. Jay specializes in wading yearround for trout and redfish with artificial lures. Jay covers the Texas coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi Bay. Telephone Email Website

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Independent tackle stores such as the new FTU Sugarland location are malllike in configuration, a storewithin-a-store, if you will.

C A P T. S COT T N U L L

S H A LL O W W ATER F I S HING

Shopping for tackle I’m a sucker for the independently-owned tackle store.

Large or small, rustic or fancy, one step above a bait camp or a high-end fly shop—it doesn’t matter as long as it’s not a big chain. Don’t get me wrong, the big chain stores have their place and I’ll shop them if I need to, but it doesn’t have the same feel as walking into a specialty shop where there’s a real good chance the owner is

walking the sales floor or manning the counter.

This likely stems from my time as a teenager working for the old Marburger’s Sporting Goods store in Pasadena.

My mom had been out Christmas shopping for me and my dad. When she came home she told me she had found a perfect place for me to work. She took me over there a few days later and I still remember walking in for the first time. My tackle shopping to that point had been slipping away to Roy’s Bait and Tackle is an the sporting goods aisles of K-Mart emporium for Corpus Christi area or Sage while she was shopping. anglers, filled to the ceiling!

Walking into Marburger’s was like sensory overload. Glass counters full of reels, racks with all kinds of rods and more lures than I’d ever seen in one place. Then there was all the hunting gear. Man, I was in heaven.

David Marburger hired me and I spent quite a few happy years working in that store. I even went back to help out with special sales after I had gotten on with the police department.

I hadn’t known it before then, but the Houston area had a number of other similar shops. Once I had wheels

50 | February 2016

Rod builders are sure to find everything they need at FTU.

I started visiting all of them. Sporting Goods Inc, Pine Plaza, McDowell’s and Cut Rate all got a portion of my paycheck from time to time. There were many others that came and went over the years. Unfortunately most of these simply couldn’t compete with the big chains.

Even though I now own enough tackle to probably last the rest of my life, I’m still drawn to visit the local tackle shop wherever I travel. You just can’t beat the knowledge available in these places when trying to get the pulse of the local fishing scene. The people working there are typically just as eat-up with fishing as I was back in my Marburger’s days. While they probably won’t put you on their favorite secret spot, most will gladly offer up tips and hints to at least get you in the ballpark and clued in to what’s happening. And every so often I end up really connecting with someone. One such connection in a small fly shop led to a hand drawn map to a spot well off the beaten path in the mountains of Utah where I had an epic session of sight-casting dry flies to hungry trout. I would have never come remotely close to finding this place on my own.

The Texas coast is blessed to still have a number of these well-stocked independently-owned shops. Daley’s, Marburger’s, Baad Marine, Hookspit, David’s Tackle Box and Fishing Tackle Unlimited have the upper coast covered. The middle coast has Port O’Connor Rod & Gun, Victoria All-Sports and Tackle Box. A little further south you’ll find Rockport Tackle Town, Port A Outfitters and Roy’s Bait & Tackle. At the far southern end you’ve got Hook-Line & Sinker.

If you’re a fly guy, some of these shops such as Fishing Tackle Unlimited and Roy’s have full-on fly shops within their stores. Then there are the specialty fly shops like the new Bayou City Angler in Houston, Swan Point Landing in Rockport and The Shop in Port Isabel. I hesitated to start naming shops because I know I’ll miss somebody and get a nasty email, but I wanted to spur you Photo made during final stages of FTU Sugarland store set up; this is what 3000 rods looks like.

TSFMAG.com | 51

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visited the newly-opened location in Sugar Land and was so blown away with the number of rods on display that he started counting them. He quit at 3,000. These stores are truly unique and well worth a visit.

Becoming a regular customer at your hometown shop or perhaps the one at your favorite fishing destination can have benefits beyond tips on spots, tackle and other gear. The folks in these shops are clued in to other related businesses as well. I’ve gotten some excellent referrals to trustworthy boat repair shops, guides, hotels and even the best places to eat. Another bonus is getting a little extra help if you ever have a problem with your gear. Independent shops depend on repeat business and know that providing personalized customer service is where they can outperform the big boxes.

In a world of cheap internet deals and sterile box stores, The eyewear the independent tackle shop is a true treasure in my section at FTU’s new eyes. I urge you to support them. The people who own Sugarland store. these businesses and those that work in them are just as passionate about our sport as we are and it would be a on to look around and explore as you travel. shame to see them disappear.

Houston area anglers are particularly lucky. Fishing Tackle Unlimited has three locations totaling over 100,000 square feet of pretty much Capt. Scott Null is a devout shallow water fisherman offering anything you’d want in the way of fishing. Any of the three would guided adventues via kayak, poled skiff, and wading. qualify as the largest independent tackle stores in the world on their Telephone 281-450-2206 own. As a trio they’ve got you covered from crappie to blue marlin.

Email scott@tsfmag.com Kayaks, trolling motors, rod and reel repair, aisle after aisle of lures, Website www.captainscottnull.com specialty clothing, sunglasses, shoes—you name it. A friend recently

52 | February 2016

By Jonathan Davis M.S. & Carey Gelpi Ph.D. Sabine Lake Marine Lab

F IELD N O TE S

Coastal Ecosystems are Habitats

Shared by Sharks and Humans Sharks occur in almost every marine habitat around the world. For example, the great lanternshark (Etmopterus princeps) occurs in the deep (4500 m) waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean while lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) can inhabit less than one meter of water in the tropics of the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Locally, within the last three decades twenty-one different species of sharks have been captured in and around Sabine Lake including nearshore state waters (9 miles) by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department personnel and independent anglers. The huge diversity in global and local shark species is due to resource partitioning and ontogenetic

Salinity, Temperature, and Dissolved Oxygen levels during bull shark catches in TPWD Sabine Lake gillnet samples taken each spring and fall from 1986– 2014. Each blue dot represents at least one bull shark capture.

54 | February 2016

shifts (i.e. what sharks eat and where they spend their time during different life stages). By evolving different swimming speeds, movement patterns, jaw sizes, teeth, and energy requirements sharks have been able to share habitats and resources successfully for epochs.

Estuaries are areas where ocean water and fresh water mix. They serve as corridors between freshwater and marine ecosystems. This connectivity and nutrient-fueled primary food sources makes estuaries some of the most productive and vital areas in the world and therefore an important focus of ecological research. One of the major roles of estuaries is to provide nursery habitat for

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numerous fish species including some sharks. These estuarine species face a plethora of both anthropogenic (i.e. man-made) challenges, due to the proximity of most estuaries to humans, and natural challenges such as fluctuating environmental factors like water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and salinity.

The interaction of estuarine organisms with each other creates a complex trophic system or food web. From water-filtering bivalves to apex migratory bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), the trophic system is a delicate balance of interactions between predator and prey. In most ecosystems where sharks occur, they are apex predators. As top predators their presence or absence influences the entire trophic system including what species are found in that system through direct predation or by inducing behavioral modifications.

Ideally, the ecosystem itself should dictate the densities of predators and prey at any given time depending on availability of resources and stability of environmental conditions. However, worldwide coastal ecosystems are becoming unstable as human populations have expanded. Today, approximately 40% of the world’s human population lives within 100 km (62 miles) of a coastline and most of these inhabitants rely on the coastal environment for their subsistence. With increasing fishing pressures on sharks as bycatch and intentional harvesting, coastal shark populations have declined along the coastal United States by ~70% in the past two decades and global percentages are likely even higher but difficult to discern due to a lack of data. As a result of this decline, trophic cascades are occurring and many coastal ecosystems are experiencing extensive degradation. For example on the Atlantic coast the depletion of many large shark species has been fingered as a primary reason for increases in skate and ray populations which in turn has been blamed for drastic decreases in their prey species such as bay scallops.

Although sharks have successfully inhabited most marine habitats, the bull shark is the only shark species that continuously occurs in both marine and fresh water. The bull shark is distributed across the world in tropical and subtropical coastal, estuarine, and often riverine environments. For most sharks, low salinities are a dominant factor limiting their distribution in estuaries but not bull sharks, which have been documented traveling nearly 2000 miles up the fresh water of the Mississippi River as far as Illinois; though this no longer occurs with modern construction of lock and dam systems. Since bull sharks are able to tolerate low salinities in all life stages the primary environmental factors influencing their distribution instead are the temperature and amount of dissolved oxygen in the water (Fig. 1) as bull sharks are typically found within temperatures greater than 20°C (68°F) and dissolved oxygen concentrations greater than 5 mg/L. As a coastal estuary, Sabine Lake is prime habitat for bull sharks.

From the five miles of tidal pass, into the ~100 square miles of shallow brackish lake and up the confluences of the Sabine and Neches Rivers, bull sharks have been cruising for many years. Texas Parks and Wildlife data from Sabine Lake have shown bull shark catches in almost all areas of the lake and as far up the rivers as we sample (Fig. 2), around Cow Bayou and Port Neches Park. The majority of sharks collected over the years have been juveniles and neonates (i.e. newborns) which supports the idea that Sabine Lake 56 | February 2016

Jonathan Davis releasing a bull shark back into Sabine Lake after tagging and collecting blood and a fin clip.

is being utilized as a nursery.

The bull shark is listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) but because of the close proximity of their critical habitats to anthropogenic influences, the status of bull sharks should be a focus now and in the future according to the IUCN. Since the 1950s sampling data (TPWD and other) have shown a decline in bull shark densities, but further sampling must be done to discern between the decline of movements into these estuaries by adults and the overall decline of the species in the Gulf of Mexico.

The bull shark may be a highly adapted apex predator and resilient to a spectrum of salinity regimes but millions of years of evolution has not made it immune to human habitat expansion, fishing pressures, or increasing pollution. The health and understanding of the Sabine Lake ecosystem is an important step to aiding the survival of this species. Sabine Lake is surrounded by industry and although miles of its bank are natural and uninhabited, unchecked human disturbance will continue to impact this and other species over time.

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

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

F LY F I S H I N G

FLY TALK I want to talk this month about all the various flies that populate our fly boxes. But strangely, to do so, I really only have to elaborate on one—the Muddler Minnow.

But before I actually get to the Muddler, consider that there are hundreds upon hundreds of different flies out there but, when you really dig into them, the only thing truly different is the name.

What I am trying to point out here is that someone took a fly one day and changed some natural material to whatever synthetic (or vise-versa), or perhaps added or removed some weight or eliminated whichever material; and he said, “Wow! I just reinvented the wheel.

What should I call this?” In truth though, in saltwater fly-fishing, every fly out there is based on as few as 6- to 9 root patterns, depending how you trace their origins.

To make my point, I will refer to a conversation I had with one of the most innovative of all the saltwater fly tyers in the country, Tim Borski. Now the Borski Bonefish Slider is without a doubt one of my favorites for redfish and the reason is because it can be tied to imitate a shrimp or any number of small baitfish. Here in Texas, I think it is the perfect fly to use when the fish are feeding on mud minnows. Anyway, I asked Borski how he came up with such a great pattern. “Well, I really didn’t,” he said. “All I did was turn a Muddler 58 | February 2016

upside-down and added some weight.”

So, the Muddler Minnow could rightfully be considered the first fly of the “slider” family, and was developed in 1937 by a man named Don Gapen, to imitate the slimy sculpin. It was conceived and created for targeting brook trout in Canada. Years later it took on its modern form and was ultimately popularized by Montana angler, Dan Bailey. It has taken many forms over the last 80 or so years and can be found in some shape, form or fashion in fly boxes worldwide.

But whether you are talking about deer-hair sliders or any one of a number of different patterns, each fly out there could probably have a chart, similar to that which taxonomists use to identify every species of flora and fauna on this planet. Here is a taxonomy chart, albeit fictitious, if such might ever be created for a Muddler.

Domain – Fly Kingdom – Saltwater Phylum – Streamer Class – Imitator (shrimp-baitfish) Order – Natural/Synthetic Family – Slider Genus – Muddler Minnow Species – Marabou Muddler

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Looking at the chart, the only thing that really has to stay the same is the domain, which will always be a fly. However, the rest could in fact change. First, the kingdom could change from saltwater to fresh, but hey, to quote my old friend Capt. Chris Phillips, “Saltwater is for fishing and fresh water is for drinking,” so that really does not apply here, right? It is at the phylum stage in which a fly can take on a whole new look and function as the streamer classification changes to something like surface fly or spoon fly. By now I am sure you get the gist of where I am taking this, so I will get to the point…

Once you get down to the genus classification, based on my chart, which in my opinion will always be the root, or original pattern; you can begin to see a lot of changes. But first, let us ask the questionwhy would anyone want to change an already proven pattern?

The answer is three-fold, I suspect. One is to change or enhance a particular style of fly’s performance under different conditions.

By changing from natural to synthetic material one can not only change the way a fly sinks, but also the way it moves in the water. In addition, these same changes can make a fly more durable when fishing for toothy critters or fish with rougher mouths. The other reasons could either lie in the lack of a certain material, necessitating the use of a substitute that either works or accidentally enhances the fly. Or simply, the change could lie in sheer and utter boredom of tying the same thing over and over.

Incidentally, I am guilty of all three.

Now let us just take a look at the flies below that take us through four different, yet significant changes to, as best I can replicate with the materials at hand, the original Muddler Minnow. Mind you, I did my best to recreate an original Muddler Minnow but, it took three or four tries. You would have laughed had you been a fly on the wall listening to the expletives.

tarpon fly. In fact, I bet it catches the hell out of almost anything you throw it at. Notice the subtle changes from the original Muddler Minnow. It tends to be a more “full” fly that breaths well in the current or while being stripped in.

# 3 The Tabory Snake Fly The snake fly is one of my favorite backcountry tarpon and snook flies of all time. Again, it is just one of many variations of the muddler. And, FYI- it catches the heck out of our fish on the Texas flats. This fly is has a more slender look but only because it is longer which, incidentally, makes this sucker really move. # 1 Muddler Minnow (as close as I could get anyway).

This fly was created by reviewing as many different photos as I could find and combining aspects of each. The point being, if I had 10 of them, I’m certain I could go to Canada and catch a few brookies even though I was missing a material or two. By the way, this kind of makes the point of this article. You do not necessarily have to have all of the “original” ingredients to create a fly that looks tasty to the fish. # 2 Marabou Muddler The Marabou Muddler is an incredible redfish, trout, snook and 60 | February 2016

# 4 The Borski Bonefish Slider As mentioned above, this is one of my favorite patterns, but in fact, like all of the others above, it is not tied exactly like the original. There have been substitutions in all. In this one, I used EP fibers instead of Craft Fur and an EP Wooly Critter Brush instead of the traditional Grizzly Hackle. But, if you look at the structure of the fly, it is just like Timmy said, it is a Muddler turned upside down with weight added to the bottom to make it sink hook up. In my opinion, it is tough to beat.

Now, after reading all this and looking at some of the many variations of the Muddler, realize that this formula applies to

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just about every fly pattern ever created. But also know, sometimes the most perfect fly pattern can be made even better, even if by accident.

Until next month…be good and stuff like that.

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

Telephone Email Website

979-415-4379 vssommerlatte@hotmail.com www.scottsommerlatte.com

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DAV E R O B E R T S

K AYA K F I S H I N G C H R O N I C L E S

THE FORTUNES OF FEBRUARY February in Texas can be downright nasty with some of the harshest weather of the year. Long bitter-cold days capable of making any outdoor activity unpleasant. But despite the weather, February is my favorite month to catch trout. An angler can have fishing days that exceed expectation when timed right, meaning between fronts, when the wind is at least relatively calm and temperatures not too numbing.

Throughout the past few years of winter fishing for me, I have had record numbers of trout caught during February.

And not just numbers, but impressive size-wise as well. I wish I had a reasonable explanation of why exactly this time of the year is more productive than any other, but I do not. This is just an observation that I have made during winter time. However, I do try and target specific days and conditions to have such luck.

The first thing I always look at is the moon phase. I

62 | February 2016

firmly believe that the moon is a major factor when it comes to catching fish. I like to plan my excursion around a full or new moon. I personally prefer fishing a new moon rather than a full moon. There is a 5 day window that I try to target; 2 days before, the day of, and 2 days after a new or full moon. Around this time is when the tidal movement has a large swing between low and high tide and can make for a very productive day. I have also found that fish will almost certainly feed well during the period which an outgoing flow ceases and the next incoming tide begins flooding through the passes and sloughs.

The weather is another factor that comes into play.

This is the one element that an angler cannot control and is difficult to plan around. If you were to wait for perfect forecasts you would likely end up fishing only a handful of days out of a whole year. Ideally, we pray for a day with little wind and lots of sunshine. However, any day that is warmer than average and not blowing a gale will work if you give it a chance.

Now comes the final piece of the puzzle and, in my opinion, the most important. A kayak angler has got to be quiet on the water! In regards to wintertime trout fishing, kayak fisherman have a significant advantage over boaters. I have had discussions over this topic with several people being skeptical of boats scaring fish off. Despite what they may believe, I know for a fact that being noisy on the water makes a difference. It can also help a

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kayak angler immensely when positioned correctly around other boats. I have seen times when boat traffic and general noise created by boat anglers will actually corral the trout and push them towards you. I try to stay away from others while fishing but sometimes it cannot be avoided.

With all of that being said, it is better to pick a day that is not as crowded as others. If you have the luxury of fishing in the middle of the week, do so! There is a lot less pressure on the fish and this makes all the difference in the world. So preferably you are looking for a day that has light winds, good tides and few people on the water; a perfect day…right?

This time last year, the stars aligned for me and I had my opinion of a perfect day. I had a Sunday morning trip planned with a few buddies coming to meet me. As I was heading to the lake I received calls from both of them backing out, so it was a solo day for me. I actually took my time driving around Sabine Pass that morning because I knew that the bite was not going to turn on until around noon. I watched the sunrise and leisurely made it around to my spot with plenty of time to

launch and get to my target area.

After paddling to the flat I wanted to fish, I staked out, picked up my Corky rod and made a cast. I may have bumped it 2-3 times and then it got slammed! My first cast produced a twentyfive-inch trout and I knew right away that it was going to be a good day. My very next cast was a perfect replay; the same 2-3 slow bumps and boom! This one measured twenty-six-inches and I quickly sent cell phone photos to let my buddies know what they were missing.

I slowly began making my way across this flat, picking up scattered fish as I went along. I eventually arrived at a reef that I had planned to visit with hopes of a few more solid fish. Sadly, after landing thirteen really solid trout, my leader snapped and I lost my lucky Corky. Planning to quickly tie on a replacement, I realized I had left my Corky box in the truck. I dug frantically through my tackle bag without luck and dejectedly tied on my favorite redfish lure, a weightless-weedless Zoom Fluke. Luck was still on my side—my first three casts produced three really nice trout. My buddy Stu called to say he was on his way as I was landing trout number twenty-two.

It wasn’t long when I noticed him making his way towards me and I decided to give him a call. I let him know that I had been steadily hammering trout, but he needed to slow his paddling and quietly sneak in beside me. He did exactly as instructed and shortly he too was on the action.

It was almost a shame that he arrived so late.

Great days are always greater when you have somebody to share them with and together it would have been monumental.

After all was said and done, I caught fortyeight trout that day, nine measuring longer than twenty-five inches. Stu caught twelve with one over twenty-five. A total of sixty trout between us made for an unreal day of fishing. The greatest part about it was that we were the only people on the water the whole day. I never saw or heard another boat. Some people just do not know what they are missing.

It may be cold, wet, or windy this time of the year but that is just part of it. The thing is that whatever the weather may be, the fish still have to eat. When the timing is right, an angler can have a day like he or she never witnessed. The fortunes of February are lurking in the shallows and offer memories that will last a lifetime.

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

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

TSFMAG.com | 63

Alton and Linda Voight of Rockport Tackle Town with Dr. Judd Curtiss (center) during Aransas Bay-Cedar Bayou seatrout specimen collection and tagging project.

Story by John Blaha | Photos by Lisa Laskowski

T S F M ag C onser v ation N ews

Supporting Science: Habitat Creation-Restoration Projects Habitat creation and restoration along the Texas coast is an integral part of the strategy to insure our coastal resources remain strong and healthy for the future.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF), Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CBBEP), Harte Research Institute (HRI),

University Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI), CCA Texas and other entities all play important roles. These groups are involved in many ways including design, construction and monitoring.

“Project monitoring and follow-up is key to fully assessing the impact of habitat restoration projects,” commented Dr. Greg Stunz from HRI. Stunz continued, “In the Cedar Bayou restoration project for instance, while very positive and immediate impacts were seen, it is important to document the trends long-term to see if the opening has lasting impact.

We are confident it will, but we want to put the science to it.”

As Dr. Stunz noted, immediate impacts are often seen, but the long-term monitoring will show the significance of the effort in the end.

Habitat restoration and creation is expensive. Funds that are secured to execute these projects often Sonar transmitters are surgically implanted in abdominal cavity of have post-completion monitoring specimens for tracking their movement. Incisions are sutured and the components attached to them fish is monitored in oxygenated live-well to insure health before release. to ensure the projects are fully

64 | February 2016

executed as planned. The data gathered to satisfy this requirement is then also available during the design and implementation of similar projects in the future. Some projects require pre- and postconstruction data collection and this scenario provides the most conclusive baseline comparison studies.

Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough Restoration is a project that had a significant amount of pre-construction monitoring and continues to undergo post-construction monitoring. HRI has provided this monitoring and it includes master’s program student Quentin Hall’s studies that focused on the intensity and immediacy of estuarinedependent species response to the reopening. Quentin’s studies included intense survey efforts both prior to and after the project.

This pre/post monitoring showed measurable increases of numerous species within days of the reopening. In addition, a component of his research also included tagging eleven redfish and tracking their movements through an acoustic array within Mesquite Bay and Cedar Bayou to the Gulf of Mexico.

HRI research team participating in Aransas Bay-Cedar Bayou trout tagging project.

Judd Curtis, PhD from HRI, recently began a study to examine spotted seatrout movement patterns and habitat use through the newly restored and re-opened Cedar Bayou tidal inlet. This project will use acoustic tracking techniques. HRI graciously donated a trip to the CCA Texas Aransas Bay Chapter banquet live auction for two individuals to accompany the HRI team in the efforts to catch, implant transmitters and tag 24 spotted seatrout for this effort. Linda and Alton Voigt, owners of Rockport Tackle Town, purchased the trip and fished along with CCA Hill Country Chapter volunteer Lisa Laskowski, CCA Texas staff member John Blaha, Capt. Jay Watkins and other HRI staff. The group collectively fished over a three day period in early December 2015 to catch, implant and tag the fish for the study. The size selected for study specimens was established at between 18- and 20” length and specific areas were chosen to fish within the Mesquite Bay-Cedar Bayou region. The process of securing and tagging the fish is a proven method used by HRI and other institutions, and has a very high rate of success in not only the survivability of the fish, but also in collecting valuable data.

After each individual fish is caught, it is carefully Dart tags are inserted near dorsal fin handled and placed into an oxygen-enriched liveto identify study specimens prior to well and the fish is monitored for a period of time. release. Anglers catching these fish are asked to release them and notify After specimen fish are deemed stable, a quick HRI of the capture and release. surgical procedure is performed to implant a sonar transmitter that emits a unique tone. When this has been accomplished the fish goes back into the live-well for monitoring prior to release. A green dart tag is placed in the back of the fish identifying it as a research specimen. This tag includes HRI contact information, and the public is encouraged to return the fish to the water if caught and to call HRI and report the capture and release.

Dr. Curtis’ project will last for 426 days, which is the life of the transmitters. Data will be downloaded from the sonar receivers quarterly, beginning in spring 2016, to begin the process of deciphering the fish’s movement through the array of acoustic receiving stations, types of habitat used, and also residency patterns. Seventeen receivers comprise the Mesquite Bay-Cedar Bayou array with the focus on the Cedar Bayou area, but there is coverage along the periphery of Mesquite Bay as well.

In addition to tracking the movement of the fish, these transmitters will also be able to transmit temperature values which will allow the project to combine movement and climate data to look at responses to changes in water temperature that spotted seatrout may exhibit, and compare seasonal movement and habitat use patterns. This information will be invaluable in making informed management decisions for the conservation of this key recreational fishery.

Habitat creation and restoration is important in the effort to ensure healthy coastal resources for the future.

Equally important to these efforts is the research and science prior to the execution of the projects and after they are completed. CCA Texas is committed to being a part of all of these efforts and will continue to work to ensure future generations have access to healthy coastal resources.

TSFMAG.com | 65

Halieutichthys aculeatus Photo by NOAA\NMFS\ Mississippi Laboratories.

STEPHANIE BOYD

F I S H Y FA C T S

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA...

BATFISH!

Pancake batfish, that is.

Okay, we know it’s not a bat, but does this even qualify as a fish? Despite being round flat fish, they’re not like a flounder. A flounder’s ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ are actually its left and right sides. A pancake batfish is flattened from the top down: back facing up, belly facing down, often described as a pancake with feet.

If you think sea turtles are awkward on land, you should see these guys move. They have small foot-like pectoral and pelvic fins, complete with elbows, which they use to ‘walk’ along the ocean floor in a bizarre motion – kind of like a crawling bat. As you can imagine, they aren’t the most graceful swimmers. While they might not be the most elegant fish, one species became quite popular: 66 | February 2016

the Louisiana pancake fish was named as one of the Top 10 New Species Discovered in 2010 – right after being described as “remarkably hideous (in a good way).”

Batfishes occur worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. Most species are bottom dwellers, inhabiting only soft bottoms, such as mud, sand, mangrove estuaries, and seagrass. During the day, they remain partially buried.

There are several species in three, perhaps four, genera occurring in the Gulf of Mexico.

Pancake batfish belong to the anglerfish order, Lophiiformes. Yes, those creepy deep-sea dwellers with long, inwardly-curved teeth and a glowing fishing pole sticking out of their enormous heads. The fangs – I mean, teeth – are free of any snags that might hinder an unwary

creature gliding in, but block any attempts at escape. The anglerfish can expand both its jaw and its stomach, since its bones are thin and flexible, allowing it to swallow prey up to twice as large as its entire body. Ranging in color from dark gray to dark brown, they can reach over 3 feet in length and weigh up to 100 lbs.

But not the pancake batfish. Most are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and are about as thick as a fluffy pancake (though some can grow over 15 inches in length). They don’t have the characteristic large, crescent mouth of the more sensationalized species of anglerfish; theirs is a small mouth situated on the underside of the body. But it can be protruded, for extra reach. Jaws and tongue have bands of villiform teeth (small, slender teeth so crowded they resemble bristles of a brush). Eyes are small and located on top of the head. Body is covered in tubercles (cone-like scales); some smaller individuals have small spines on the tubercles. They do tend to be rather drab in their coloration: browns and grays mostly, with varying spots or stripes and the occasional pink or reddish tint. But this also means they are well camouflaged, so it isn’t too hard to get some grub.

Their diet consists of small fish, crustaceans, and polychaete worms.

In true anglerfish style, the pancake batfish captures prey using a lure.

Its fishing pole is formed from a modified dorsal fin ray on the front of the head, complete with a fleshy ‘bait’ on the end. When not in use, both pole and lure can be retracted into a cavity at the front of the snout. The lure doesn’t glow, like the deep-sea anglerfish’s; it secretes a fluid thought to act as a chemical attractant. A simple wiggle of its dangling lure is enough to entice dinner, without the indignity of clumsily flouncing around the sea bed on its four little fin-feet.

Although we don’t know the batfish’s exact place in the food web, tuna and marlin from the Gulf have been found with Louisiana pancake batfish in their stomachs. Batfishes are taken regularly in commercial fishing operations, but they are rarely eaten and do not support a fishery. Two new species of Halieutichthys batfish were discovered in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, in the region directly affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In the initial trawl which led to their discovery, out of around 100,000 fish captured, only three were pancake batfish. *Fun fact: Halieutichthys translates, in Greek, to “fisher fish.”

Appropriate...

The first of the two batfish discovered in 2010, H. bispinosus (the two-spine pancake batfish), has a characteristic pattern of densely arranged spiny tubercles covering the body, reaches 4 inches in length, and is distributed along the northeastern gulf coast as well as along the Florida, Georgia, and Carolina coasts. “Bispinosus” refers to the well-developed inner and outer tubercles around the ear, which is unique to species within this complex. The second, H. intermedius (the Louisiana pancake batfish), has a smooth, non-spiny dorsal surface, reaches 3 inches in length, is only found in the Gulf of Mexico in a range entirely covered by the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and lives at depths down to 400 meters. This rather restrictive distribution catapulted the Louisiana pancake batfish into the spotlight during the aftermath of the oil spill, and even now, if you Google pancake batfish, this species still steals the show. “Intermedius” refers to ‘intermediate’ character states observed in this taxon when compared to H. aculeatus and H. bispinosus.

Because of similar morphology and distribution, H. bispinosus and H. intermedius were originally classified with another species, H. aculeatus, the (original) pancake batfish. H. aculeatus is characterized

by a comparatively sparse arrangement of spiny tubercles, reaches 3 inches in length, and has a geographic distribution similar to H. bispinosus. This species was re-described in 2010 when the two stowaway species were discovered. Several other species inhabit Texas Gulf seabeds: the Atlantic batfish (Dibranchus atlanticus), reaching 15.5 inches in length; the spotted batfish (Ogcocephalus pantostictus), reaching a foot in length and having a more triangular than rounded body; the longnose batfish (Ogcocephalus corniger), 9 inches; the slantbrow batfish (Ogcocephalus declivirostris), 6.5 inches; the polkadot batfish (Ogcocephalus cubifrons), 15 inches, not to be confused with the spotted batfish; the list goes on…

Although the Gulf of Mexico has been intensively and repeatedly surveyed by scientists, probed by anglers, and picked over by commercial fishing, it is still home to creatures not yet described. It’s amazing how we can live so close to, and so intimately with a place and still have so much to learn about it.

Where I learned about pancake batfish, and you can too!

World Register of Marine Species Halieutichthys: www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159189 Ogcocephalus: www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159191 Texas Marine Species txmarspecies.tamug.edu/fishdetails.cfm?scinameID=Ogcocephalus%20 pantostictus Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Halieutichthys: biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/taxon/3187 Ogcocephalus: biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/taxon/775 Dibranchus: biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/taxon/3185 FishBase Ogcocephalidae: www.fishbase.org/Summary/FamilySummary. php?Family=Ogcocephalidae pancake batfish: www.fishbase.org/summary/Halieutichthys-aculeatus.html two-spine batfish: www.fishbase.org/summary/65849 spotted batfish: fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/summary/SpeciesSummary. php?ID=12029&AT=Batfish Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico, Vol. 1: Myxiniformes to Gasterosteiformes

By John D. McEachran and Janice D. Fechhelm Tree of Life - Ogcocephalidae key tolweb.org/Ogcocephalidae/22028 American Museum of Natural History www.amnh.org/our-research/science-news/2010/scientists-describe-two-newspecies-of-fish-from-area-engulfed-by-oil-spill Arkive www.arkive.org/louisiana-pancake-batfish/halieutichthys-intermedius/ International Institute for Species Exploration www.esf.edu/top10/2011/10.htm Encyclopedia of Life eol.org/pages/223133/details CSIRO Friday Fish News csironewsblog.com/tag/fish/page/3/ TSFMAG.com | 67

Capt. Thomas Williams showing off a nice red taken on sight-casted fly.

CURTISS CASH

I N S H O R E | N E A R S H O R E | J E T T I E S | PA S S E S

Structure Orientation As mentioned in previous articles, the tides during February tend to be the consistently lowest of the year. These low-water conditions make it possible for structure, meaning seafloor anomalies and various hazards, to be exposed for all to see. What you find can help you locate fishy areas and navigate more safely when tides return. A perfect time to explore; create waypoints on your GPS or drop pins on Smart Phone locator maps.

Hard structures, such as reefs, channel drop-offs or breakwaters are fixed and usually remain in place. The records you make of these features can be referenced as fixed positions to which you can return for many years. Downed channel markers, tree trunks, pier and dock remnants, smaller derelict wrecked boats, etc., are another matter. These can move and for this reason they worry me. Quite often after a period of higher 68 | February 2016

water or storm surges they will drift away—mark them the same but be aware they might move.

I am ever-vigilant while navigating passages to the gulf and also around industrial harbors and commercial dock facilities for floating or semi-submerged hazards.

To aid in avoiding such hazards myself and also for others, I try to mark all that I find. Tagging a hazard in open water often requires teamwork involving everyone on the boat. Having markers ready, gloves and a boat hook or small gaff makes the task easier.

I normally carry gallon-sized bleach bottles or crab trap floats attached to 6-8 feet of 5/16 inch poly rope with a slip knot on the opposite end. The slip knot forms an adjustable loop which pulls tight for firm attachment. The loop can be opened to encircle the hazard or can be doubled around it by passing the marker through the opening before cinching down.

An orange triangle on a white buoy is the universal hazard or signal of immediate danger.

No matter the style, size or color; I believe any marker is better than none and prove valuable in the promotion of safe boating.

AREAS OF INTEREST For as long as I’ve been running boats, I have always noted areas of interest during my travels.

Some of these I fish occasionally, others have been go-to producers for thirty years. One in particular has drawn my attention for years but I never investigated this small point jutting from an otherwise featureless shoreline. I wish I had.

A few weeks back I was fortunate to be poled down this same stretch of shoreline by local fly-fishing guide, Thomas Williams. He and I had made big plans the previous evening for a sunrise run to the way-back lakes of Matagorda Island. The wind was forecasted to be NE 5-10 at daybreak, but I woke to a 20-plus blow from the north. With less than ideal conditions to run a poling skiff any distance across open water, we waited for a wind reprieve that never came. As the crisp air began to warm, we finally left port mid-morning with bright blue skies overhead.

Considering our late launch, the thought of a closer destination was on both our minds.

We chatted about where to start and Thomas nodded as I motioned toward the shoreline point I mentioned above. Getting close, we noticed some action a couple hundred yards upwind of the point. Even before his skiff came off of plane we could tell this was a good decision. Small slicks were popping from shallow grass beds, mullet schools were being harassed, and brown pelicans were diving the drop-off.

Thomas allowed me the honor of having the bow first with no complaint from me. He was anxious to get up on the stick for a better look anyway. I sight-casted to several fish and put two slot reds on ice before we made it halfway there.

Thomas really likes to stalk reds on foot and was getting antsy. Before he could step off the poling platform another pod was seen coming over the shoal 50 yards ahead. When red number three was placed next to his kin, Thomas proclaimed he could wait no longer.

With the Power Pole planted and fly rod in hand, he was over the gunwale headed toward the water’s edge. I couldn’t help but laugh as he crouched, mimicking the great blue herons nearby. I’m not sure if he did it consciously or simply to exhibit good form. Either way, it was genius of him.

I’m not kidding when I say I was excited to finally fish here. My fingers were trembling and TSFMAG.com | 69

of the day almost pulled the rod from my hands. Thank you, Mr. Tullis.

My point here is to highlight my longtime mantra – find the current, find the bait, find the fish – while also demonstrating the effect structure has on success. Quite often I get sidetracked, tangling my thoughts with wordy details, and never getting to the hard facts. Well, here are the facts of my findings from that initial wade.

1. The point in the area of interest was likely formed by a combination of environmental effects. There is a long, live oyster reef located diagonally to the shoreline a couple hundred yards offshore.

The predominantly onshore wind coupled with ebbing tides have pushed sediment onto the shoreline’s primary drop-off.

2. Water flow is increased dramatically as it is forced around the point. This current concentrates nutrients toward a secondary structure not seen from above the surface—more live oysters and a washout on the down-current side forms an eddy.

3. The current feeds baitfish into the eddy where larger fish line up to feed.

This scouting trip was very instrumental in my continuing fishing education. I hope the day never comes that I get complacent or stop learning. If I do, I will quit fishing and probably take some mind-numbing pursuit such as golf or basket weaving.

Stay vigilant on the water this month, look for areas of interest, and don’t be afraid to investigate and experiment.

I fumbled with my wading gear. I could Randy Boone barely tie the loop knot to the Dill Pickle, caught this red one of my go-to cool-weather trout baits. during a February This well-used (originally glow) Corky Fat warm up period Boy got his nickname from dark-green between fronts. internal corrosion highlights.

As good luck would have it, the boat was now anchored two long casts from the outermost tip of the point. I only needed to wade fifty feet to get thighdeep for the best angle of approach.

My first cast was parallel with the drop, methodically working the lure slow and dancing it lightly above the grass.

Halfway through the retrieve the Pickle was crushed by a nice slot red. On the next few casts it was impossible to keep it from spinning, especially when cast near the current seam, the core wire had been horribly mangled. .

With no other Pickle in the jar, I chose another slow-sinker I’d never tried. I had high hopes the MirrOdine 17MR might possess similar mojo but after repeatedly fan-casting I was once again rummaging through my wade box. While deciding what to tie on next, I remembered a conversation with my friend Richard Tullis.

He told of a time his fishing buddy, Coyote Hale, put a beat down on him with a lure that simply wouldn’t produce on his rod.

Something to the effect that his rod had a slower, more limber tip while Coyote’s had a faster action. Fish jumped all over it once he started really whipping it to mimic what Coyote was doing.

Being that this whole fishing trip was an experiment, I decided to give the MirrOdine another chance. Casting far out to the current seam coming off of the point, I paused several seconds to allow it to sink before giving it two hard jerks sideways. That first solid trout 70 | February 2016

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Jetty rocks and oyster reefs are February magnets for nice eatingsize sheepshead.

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

Phone

361-564-7032

Jacks could be seen hustling food in the shallows as late as Christmas.

E X T R E M E K AYA K F I S H I N G & S H A R K S F R O M T H E S A N D

ERIC OZOLINS

Surf Anomalies Avid Texas fishermen eventually come to realize and understand the constantly changing dynamics within marine ecosystems. The only true constant seems to be never-ending change. Normally fluctuating seasonal

Pound for pound, jack crevalle are perhaps the hardest fighting fish you can land from the beach. And they make great bait for big sharks!

72 | February 2016

patterns alone change our gulf and all the habitats associated with it. Winter lingers longer and colder some years while others may be shorter and warmer. The list of variables may be lengthier than a child’s list to Santa.

Nonetheless, marine life continues to surprise us with activity seen only perhaps by previous generations. You simply cannot rely on historic patterns.

Many factors combine to shape the foundation of our fishery at any given time. Torrential rain can drop salinity levels sharply while droughts bring increased salinity. Frigid winter and blazing heat can alter oxygen levels while horrific red tide blooms can kill or scatter fish until the surf zone is nearly barren of life. As anglers we adapt to change along our coast – good and bad.

Combinations of natural variables can produce bounty and scarcity alike and 2015 was a great example.

NEW

During the peak of their incredible presence in the PINS surf this year, dozens of freshly beached cownose rays could be picked up for shark bait.

We had surf zone red tide that affected nearly the entire coast at one point or another. In some locations it lingered for more than two months and during the worst of it one could hardly see a live fish or crustacean. Some locations experienced shrimp migrations beyond all expectation that lasted almost four weeks. The typical runs usually last just over a week. No doubt the bountiful rainfall and warmer than average temperatures contributed to this. In passes where these shrimp were found, large schools of trophy trout, flounder, and redfish appeared and were caught.

Fortunately, in late November, the red tide finally loosened its dreadful grip and life began to return to the surf, though we were stuck in an awkward weather pattern with December unusually warm.

One of the most unique events this fall was the migration of incredible numbers of cownose rays that caught anglers and other beach users by total surprise for several weeks. Cownose rays are usually seen in the surf zone during March and April. This rare occurrence was a boon to shark anglers who gathered all they could for bait; sharks love them. Like the shrimp, another species migration that is usually short lived, cownose abundance was widespread across nearly 50 miles of south Texas beach and they hung around the Big Shell for nearly a month feeding on juvenile coquina clams that were also uncommonly abundant. There is speculation that the red tide decimated the adult coquina population, and as Mother Nature usually does, she responded

Blacktip and bull sharks hung around well into winter.

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74 | February 2016

With winter not yet over, we may still encounter more anomalies before spring. We were finally starting to see drops in water temps at the start of the New Year and typically this pushes most of the predatory species offshore. Our downfall the past couple of months has essentially been poor water clarity, so targeting pompano was tough when they should be easy to come by. February is regarded as the slowest month of the year in the surf, but as seen over the past year, there may be more welcome surprises ahead. The biggest and most vexing question looming at present is whether we will enjoy another sargassum-free year or will we be inundated as in 2014?

My present plan is to continue hitting the winter sandbar sharks.

They sometimes stay with us in good numbers until March. And if we ever get some emerald green water along the coast this winter, I may try to target winter trout which has been more myth than reality the past few years. If there are any surprises yet to be had, that would perhaps be more welcome than any!

C ontact

with a bumper crop of young of that species.

The presence of the cownose did not go unnoticed by the larger predators that were hungry as well. Historically, most sharks move away from the surf by the beginning of December. The exception here is that December traditionally marks the appearance of sandbar sharks. However, with the marine food chain replenishing itself vigorously and food abundant in the form of cownose rays sucking down tons of tiny coquinas, large and fierce blacktip sharks stayed longer and larger bull sharks were present in some of the greatest numbers seen throughout the entire year.

The weather evidently also had influence on other predatory surf species. We enjoyed a great jack crevalle run. I look forward to this every year as jackfish offer great angling sport and they are one of my favorite big shark baits. Pound for pound there may not be a harder fighting fish to land from the beach. While the jackfish run tends to peak around mid-November, they were seen feeding in mass numbers as late as Christmas. Around this same time, the water temperatures coming out of the Port Mansfield Channel were running 72-74â ° - simply unheard of in mid-to-late December. Also around this time, using cownose for bait, I had a steel cable leader bitten through. Rare at any time, especially rare in winter. While the likely candidate was a toad of a bull shark, you cannot rule out the possibility of a late-season tiger. With so much life active in the surf at that time, it seemed like anything could have been be possible.

And while surf conditions were never quite favorable for me to target makos from the beach, I am fairly confident there was a window of several days when they were possibly within reach.

For the past decade Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been promoting shark catch and release and assisting various shark research programs. Eric offers guided shark fishing on Padre Island National Seashore. Also renowned for extreme kayak big game fishing, Eric runs Kayak Wars; one of the largest kayak fishing tournaments in the world.

Email Websites

oz@oceanepics.com extremecoast.com | oceanepics.com | kayakwars.com

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Dickie Colburn

DICKIE COLBURN’S Sabine Scene I was worn out after a less than stellar day of wade fishing and had already pressure washed enough mud off the floor of my boat to plant a garden when a neighborhood youngster unexpectedly tapped me on the shoulder. “Mr. Colburn… can I just climb up in your Sabine boat for a second when you are through,” he asked.

His request provided ample reason to take a break and I Dickie Colburn is a full welcomed him aboard. Prior time guide out of Orange, to his insisting that he help me Texas. Dickie has 37 years finish the job, he stood behind experience guiding on Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes. the wheel as if he were in the middle of the lake, inspected Telephone every compartment and asked 409-883-0723 questions about the myriad of Website lures piled on the console. www.sabineconnection.com He had never failed to waive when walking home from school, but apparently felt a little too intimidated to introduce himself. Following his courageous decision, we admired our cleaning efforts, shared a Coke and discussed everything from wade fishing to why algebra was so doggoned hard.

Aside from catching an occasional catfish in a nearby drainage ditch, he had never caught what he considered to be a “real” fish, yet there was very little that he didn’t know about bay fishing. “I read your column in the paper and every page of the Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine when a friend gives me his dad’s old copies.”

“Last year my grandmother took me to the Houston Boat Show and I met some of the guides that write for that magazine.” In the same breath he quickly added, “It was so cool, and the lady that owns the magazine gave me a decal and a hat.”

He has since become a regular at the house and while the “no fishing until you pass algebra” rule has temporarily put our initial trip on hold, he now has more than enough tackle to be successful when it does. I am ashamed that had he not taken a deep breath and made our first meeting happen, his dream would probably still be no closer to becoming a reality.

Those of us blessed to make even a portion of our living in the fishing industry would do well to consider shows and seminars as more than a hassle or necessary obligation to a sponsor. A large number of those folks standing in front of your booth are far more interested in what you have to say than anything you have to sell!

Even more importantly, you don’t have to be a guide or professional fisherman to be held in high esteem by a youngster or, for that matter, anyone hoping to learn more about fishing. Make yourself more accessible and openly willing to share your passion for fishing and you will enjoy fishing even more than you ever thought possible!

So much for my going overboard with that discourse, but getting more kids on the water is a win-win situation for all of us and there is 78 | February 2016

no better time to start than right now.

On the heels of catching a break with local rains and the SRA finally able to cut back the discharge rate on Toledo Bend, we experienced three weeks of better than expected catching in late-December.

A surprising number of trout in the six to eight pound range were taken by both waders and boat fishermen and the redfish Nice trout for provided a dependable Plan B. Mike Dore on a By the end of the month, cold morning. however it was déjà vu all over again and as of today one generator is running 24/7 with flood gates open as well. The lake has not been below pool level this entire month and they are currently dumping more fresh water at a rate of 41,000 CFS! We were forced to learn to deal with the negative effects of a glut of fresh water all of last spring and I am hopeful that some of those tactics will work in cold water as well. Thus far we haven’t had any really cold weather and surface temperatures have held at a balmy 60 to 65 degrees most days.

While we are not catching as many, we are still catching at least a few big trout most trips. The water clarity is not great, but suspending baits like the Corky, Maniac Mullet, Soft-Dine XL and Catch V in pink and chartreuse patterns have been our most productive lures. At this point, it does not appear that reduced salinity impacts the larger trout as much as they do the smaller fish.

Either way, the bite is currently good enough to warrant a little physical discomfort. Take advantage of pre-frontal windows and warmer afternoons when they coincide to put the odds in your favor.

We’ll know a whole lot more by the end of next month!

The future of fishing is in the hands of the kids!

Lot of fun, but a little too big!

Capt. Caleb Harp

The Buzz on Galveston Bay

February is notorious for big trout in the Galveston Bay System. This month can be absolutely fantastic on the flats during the first warmup days between cold fronts. A solid winter pattern is yet to emerge, trout got cold enough a few times to Galveston snap into winter pattern, but only briefly. When they do this they can be found over thick mud and shell Capt. Caleb Harp has fished the but, you have to get there Galveston Bay System since when it is happening. childhood and, now a charter February can be downright captain and fishing guide, he tricky but, at the same time, uses his knowledge to enable when it stays cold for a clients to enjoy the excellent long enough period it can fishing the area offers. His be substantially successful specialty is the year-around pursuit for trophy trout and on mud/sand transition redfish with artificial lures bottoms. We’ll be seeing a lot of varying conditions; Telephone clear frosty mornings, chilly 281-753-3378 days of solid cloud cover, Website harpsguideservice.com and we’ll probably see a few high-70⁰ days along the way. This weather whirlwind complicates catching heavy trout but if you time it right you can experience some phenomenal days.

Generally speaking, here on the Texas coast, we consider the winter months to be late-December, January and early-February. I am expecting that we will experience a colder than average February this year since it was so warm in December. It’s almost certain that since we were sweating all duck season throwing out decoys, that by the time duck season ends it will start to freeze. With the ever-changing Texas weather, we must keep our heads on a swivel but don’t venture too far from traditional wintering grounds. Wintering grounds are the sticky mud bottoms, deep drop-offs, and ledges close to deep water get-aways. The fish are still programmed to escape to these deep holes once cold fronts come and won’t sneak off far from these places despite the warming of days between cold fronts. It’s always key to keep hitting the same spots through February where you slammed them in January, they’re not going to pick up and go very far until the water temperature

gets a lot warmer for a significant period of time.

Fishing slower than normal is key to triggering more bites. Recently I have been throwing my Corkys out and just slow-rolling it back, almost as though trying to get hung on the oysters. These slow-roll presentations are almost a necessity when the water temp dips below 52⁰. A rule of thumb for whenever you’re not getting bit—slow your retrieve gradually until you get a bite and then mimic it. Working your lure any faster is likely not going to work.

Knowing the bottom you’re fishing is another key to winter fishing. If you’re unfamiliar with an area, hop out of the boat and walk it down.

You’d be very surprised how your brain is programmed to record the differences in terrain that your feet encounter.

If you slide off into a gut, walk over some crunchy shell or start to bog down in some really nasty gumbo mud… TAKE NOTE and come back!

West Galveston Bay West Bay has been very consistent this winter. The water has been beautiful and the fish have been hungry. Remaining on shell/mud bottoms is still key here, throwing MirrOlure’s and soft plastics. Redfish have been mixed with the trout on the mud flats. We should see even more big trout activity in February along the south shoreline coves and mid-bay oyster reefs. Keep West Bay in your February fishing plans.

East Galveston Bay East Bay is pretty crowded right now on the weekends but there are still plenty of fish to be caught. The back of the bay is full of mud flats inundated with rangia clams and oysters, which make some of the best wintering habitat for big trout. MirrOlures, Corkys, and topwaters are all go-to lures this time of year. Redfish are mixed with the trout up tight on the shorelines over mud. February should promise even better fishing on these flats along with adding more weight to the fish.

Upper Galveston Bay The Upper Galveston Bay region has been the most dependable. The deep water getaways and drop-offs scattered all across this region make it one of the best in the whole complex for wintertime trout fishing.

Oyster filled mud flats make for some great habitat for trout and redfish in the cold months. Corkys and soft plastics on 1/16 ounce jigs are killers here. February will bring lots of great days, especially toward the end when bait activity increases.

Stay safe and respect your fellow anglers. And yes, Trinity Bay is still fresh and nasty. -Capt. Caleb Harp

80 | February 2016

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CAREER EARNINGS: $464,010 TOURNAMENT WINS: 4 CAREER TOP 10 FINISHES: 34 TOTAL EVENTS FISHED: 164 CUP APPEARANCES: 2 YEARS AS FLW TOUR PRO: 7

• Started guiding in Galveston Bay Complex in 1979.

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James Plaag

Richard “The Fish Dude” Tatsch • Lake Conroe Fishing Guide Since 1979.

• Professional Fisherman since 1986.

• Specializes in adapting to new challenges, and teaching people various fishing techniques.

• Started guiding in Galveston Bay Complex in 1983.

• Started Silver King Adventures in 1990 • Writer for numerous Magazine and Newspapers • Has won numerous local and national tournaments.

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Caleb Harp • started fishing professional trout & redfish tournaments at the age of 16.

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Specialist are wading, chasing slicks, and working schools.

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The View from Matagorda

Matagorda

Bink Grimes is a full-time fishing and hunting guide, freelance writer and photographer, and owner of Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay.

Telephone 979-241-1705 Email binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net Website www.matagordasunriselodge.com

82 | February 2016

Football is over, baseball has yet to begin and hunting season is history. Thank goodness February is the shortest month of the year!

Now the good news—you can catch fish this month—good ones. It may require you leaving your fishing comfort zone, but February fishing can be productive.

By now you have read countless times how dark, soggy bay floors hold the warmest winter waters. It’s true. One degree of difference is often the only variable in an area holding schools of fish.

Now, look for bait. It probably will be scarce. Frigid waters turn baitfish lethargic as well, so if you see one mullet flip, you better fish that area.

Sometimes all I see are a handful of mullet all day, but trout don’t need a whole lot of mullet this time of year—they may only eat a few times a week.

Redfish, on the other hand, are readily available in guts and bayous. Some of the lowest tides of the year occur this month, so

eliminate miles of shoreline with only inches of water. Concentrate on the areas that fall from waist to chest deep during the summer – those same areas are probably shin to waist deep in February.

February redfishing is often too easy. If your boat can get you in those sloughs with only a few inches of water, lots of redfish will be waiting in the guts. Sure, it’s a cold boat ride, but these cold reds will pull your arms off.

Find points of sloughs and bayous and anchor within casting distance. These points normally hold the deepest water as

outgoing and incoming tidal flow provide depressions. Live shrimp under a popping cork works every time, but plastics and gold spoons work as well.

A species that rarely gets rave reviews is the sheepshead. The convict-looking striped fish with human-looking teeth is a winter staple along riprap, rock jumbles and granite jetties. Most sheepies hang just below the surface and dine on crustaceans and organisms hanging against the rocks. Live shrimp under a popping cork is the most effective bait; and, once you get past its motley mug, the sheepshead’s white meat will surely please your palate.

Sand trout are another winter option that requires minimal skills.

Channels and bayous with tidal flow to and from the Gulf of Mexico receive regular influxes of these shrimp-loving bottom-feeders.

Carolina-rigged fresh shrimp put plenty of fillets on the deck; and, despite the rumors, the white fillets fry up really nice and store well in the freezer with a little lemon juice.

Provided flooding rains do not persist, the Colorado River and Caney Creek in Sargent should be winter players at night. Pier anglers set up lights and find trout, reds and sandies on shrimp and glow plastics.

When the wind allows, we will be drifting over deep shell in East Matagorda with plastics. Some of the largest trout of the year are caught over these locales.

Never overlook guts in West Bay for wading. Many February days last year I took a MirrOlure Soft-Dine and came home happy.

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TSFMAG.com | 83

Capt. Gary Gray

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

Port O'Connor Seadrift

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

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

84 | February 2016

January fishing has been right on par with what it be a recipe for disaster. should be this time of year along the Middle Coast.

I have been caught off-guard a few times and a We’ll have a cold front roll in and strong north wind front can be moving a lot faster than you might think. for a couple days, then a calming trend when the Picking up members of your wading party strung wind switches back south. During this calming trend along a shoreline requires precious minutes when you usually see numbers of fair weather fishermen the clock is ticking. Fishing from the boat might be showing up. A perfect case of what they don’t a slightly different situation, simply turn the key and know won’t hurt them or, in my case, won’t hurt my haul butt to a protected area or the dock. favorite fishing areas.

Here are two examples of what might happen if We often see some of the best fishing of the year you wait too long to leave an aggressive bite. occurring during these cold snaps or right before the front makes its way to the coast. A word of advice for anybody planning to fish when a front is predicted, it can get very dangerous on the water. Especially so if you have to cross expanses of open water to make it back to port in the face of the storm.

I know what some might already be thinking; “Hey, I’m not a rookie. I’m an experienced boater and I know when to leave in order to cross open water One of my winter and make it back safely.” clients enjoying a But let me tell you from redfish struggle. experience—cutting it too close can

One February while wading a back lake, I saw a front looming and idled along picking up my two clients. As the last guy boarded my Shallow Sport the blow hit us, 50 mph or more. Hurriedly stowing gear and swinging the bow into the wind, my lower unit was dragging bottom. The water was leaving that suddenly. We sat in amazement of Mother Nature’s power as eighteen inches of water disappeared in a few minutes, and Sure was glad to be it took forty more before it returned. With back at the dock before this baby hit! the worst of the wind having passed, we got back in the water and continued fishing.

Another memorable trip with a front approaching came while wading the deep slough that connects Contee Lake with Espiritu Santo Bay. Actually my brother called from work in Port Lavaca to warn me it had already hit there and it was a wild one.

I looked north and sure enough the dark line of the front was barreling down on us.

I made it to the boat fast as I could and ran on plane to the mouth of the slough. The wind hit as I was picking up my first guy, hard enough to ground the bow on the bank. I finally got it turned back around in time to see my other three guys struggling to cross the deepest part of the slough.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The

wind had pushed a wall of water across the bay and it was funneling into the slough. My guys were trying to cross a raging river and I yelled to them to get on the bank. I’d retrieve them from wherever they ended up. Controlling the boat was all but impossible.

This was a much worse scenario than the previous story where all the water blew out from under us, we had too much water and the current was almost too strong to navigate. Had one of those guys lost their footing and been swept deeper into the slough they would surely have drowned. I eventually gathered my stunned fishermen from the bank and made it to a safer spot to wait out the worst of the blow before heading across the bay to the dock. Needless to say, back at the dock, all were happy to call it a day.

I know that I barely mentioned fishing in this article. But I have been thinking—how when sipping a cocktail from the safety of a warm recliner—fishermen love to spin tales of incredible fishing right before a front slams the coast. All of this can be true but, you should be asking yourself whether a nice box of fish is worth risking your life.

Hindsight being 20/20—I say NO! Fish hard, fish smart!

Knowing there’s

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TSFMAG.com | 85

david rowsey

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

Upper Laguna/ Baffin

David Rowsey has 20 years experience in the Laguna/Baffin region; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty. David has a great passion for conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish.

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

86 | February 2016

The holidays have passed, the bow has been back in its case for a month, what is left of the quail will go on to breed for another year, and I have been back in the full swing of monster trout fishing since December.

As evidenced by all of the flashy boats showing up in

the best big trout water on the gulf coast, everyone seems to have trophy trout on their mind.

This February marks the twentieth anniversary of Jim Wallace catching the new state record of 13lb-11oz in Baffin Bay that nudged out Mike

Blackwood’s previous record of 13lb-9oz that held for twenty-one years. I remember the news like it was yesterday. I headed straight for Roy’s Bait and Tackle to confirm the truth or whether it was just another rumor. Rocky confirmed the rumor for me. “It’s true,” he said, “weighed in last night…the new state record.” I was in a state of awe, and, admittedly, a little bit jealous. Come to think of, I still am. Trout like Wallace and Blackwood have landed are simply mind-numbing.

My cap is forever tipped to them.

One thing I know these two men have in common is that they fish hard. I do not claim to know either, but I am as observant as a wild cat, and have spent countless hours on the water. I have not run across Mr. Wallace in a long time, but he pounded the water of Baffin for many years. Many times while I would be night-fishing, I would hear another boat in the distance puttering around, only to recognize his white Kenner when the sun came up. Mind you, this was after he had broken the record, and he was still grinding it out like a wild man. Mr. Blackwood is still working at it hard, and I see him on a regular basis, always fishing by himself. He doesn’t know me from Adam, but I like to brag on him to my clients when I see him poling that little boat backwards.

My client’s will say something like, “Look at that guy poling that boat backwards, he must be new at this.” I just grin and let them know, “That guy has about 40 years on you, held the state trout record for twenty-one years, and caught more big trout than most fishermen could ever imagine even live here.” Their jaw will drop and they will start asking me questions about him that I cannot even begin to answer.

February is quite possibly the month big trout hunters take most seriously and also a pretty safe bet that you will have a legitimate shot at a personal best fish. By now, the weather has stabilized into a cold-water pattern that concentrates the fish. The warming southeast winds that occur between fronts can, and often will, be like a light switch flipping for big trout to pull up skinny and harass bait on the flats. The Baffin and Upper Laguna bay systems are chocked full of deep water areas that jump abruptly onto these shallow feeding areas. Any sign of bait activity will be a plus, and a good place to start.

Bait is limited...a little means a lot during February!

All the rain over the past year has added an abundance of clean water to the system. No one knows what the long term effect will be as regards brown tide, but for now the water is as green and pretty as I have seen in the past five years, especially in Baffin. This will benefit everyone. Being able to see grass lines, edges, drop-offs, and rocks is a major plus for making every cast count towards a big hookup. The other big attribute of cleaner water is that boats and anglers should be more spread out due to “good water” options, not stacked on top of each other as has been the norm several years down here.

The 5” Bass Assassin is still my “find ‘em” lure and continuously produces big trout for us. The Corky bite has improved dramatically over the past month and is just a lot of fun to fish when floating grass is not a nuisance. Days of off-colored water has me going a little deeper into the wade box and plastic inventory, and coming out with either a Bass Assassin Die Dapper or the 5” Turbo Shad rigged on a 1/8 oz. jig.

Remember the buffalo! -Capt. David Rowsey

TSFMAG.com | 87

Capt. Tricia

TRICIA’S Mansfield Report I recently had opportunity to do some traveling and while doing so I found something that has been missing in me for quite some time—the pure, clean joy of life. Or as they say in Costa Rica, “Pura Vida.”

We all enjoy traveling to new places for different reasons but I know in my case it was a chance to slow Port down, get taken in by open solitude, see other ways of Mansfield fishing, and spend time with some folks that do it with joy and integrity.

We didn’t visit any of the popular fishing lodges that Costa Rica boasts and, we Capt. Tricia’s Skinny Water almost didn’t fish at all, until our tour guide Adventures operates out of and bartender, Ernesto, suggested his Port Mansfield, specializing in amigo for a chance at a roosterfish off the wadefishing with artificial lures.

Golfo de Nicoya.

We didn’t get to tangle with an elusive trophy that day, but we missed one. What Telephone 956-642-7298 we did get though was the most awe Email inspiring experience of a lifetime. I enjoyed shell@granderiver.net watching the sun rise fully, because for Website www.SkinnyWaterAdventures.com once I was not the captain and navigator, but mostly I saw the passion in my captain’s face. The joy of fishing and sharing it with others is truly universal.

88 | February 2016

So, I do not have a recent report for Port Mansfield because I have been enjoying a much needed respite from my busy fishing schedule. What I do have is a renewed spirit and years of Port Mansfield fishing experience to share.

We were able to learn and witness the absolute stewardship and conservation ethic the Costa Ricans have established for their fishery. I pray it stays that way.

Sunrise on the Golfo de Nicoya.

What I witnessed there reinforces my belief in catch and release and continued conservation strategies here at home. I spent a month living the green life, and let me tell you, it felt pretty darn good.

So in saying all the above, I believe fishing during February and into early-spring will meet lure fishing enthusiast’s expectations for trophy trout opportunity. I haven’t been back on the water as of this writing, but I will be running steadily from mid-January through June. I do know that so far we have experienced very mild and wet conditions, much like last year. We can again expect an abundance of shrimp and blue crabs near the sloughs that bring fresh water to the Laguna Madre later in the season, barring a freeze event.

Shoreline view from the panga.

Going into February and probably also into March, I will spend a good deal of time near some of those sloughs I mentioned. We will also be targeting spoil edges, grassy-muddy guts, and potholes surrounded by thickly grassed flats for trophy trout. We will not be in these areas just to get bites, we will be there looking for “One Bite.”

The best days in these areas will often be during a recovery period after a strong front has pushed through, usually on the second day, before the tides fully recover. Remember, the colder the norther, the more prolonged and productive the recovery period will usually be. Also remember that extra strong north wind pushes a great amount of water out and this decreases opportunities in guts on the flats and also along spoil edges. I believe it is because of this that I have personally caught more trophy fish on the second, third, and fourth day of recovery periods.

Corkys and tails should be the lures du jour with topwaters sprinkled in situationally. My soft plastic lure colors vary with water clarity. When it is murky I usually tend to throw darker colors with some chartreuse on them. When the water is lightly sanded to clean-green, including air-clear, as it is sometimes in winter, anything light that mimics natural forage is a good choice. Corky color can vary, I’ve witnessed clients catch trophy fish on lures that broke all the color rules. Most importantly – do not leave home without some Fat Boys.

I can sum up the process with an excerpt by George Santayana from his essay The Philosophy of Travel — “We need sometimes escape into open solitudes, into aimlessness, into the moral holiday of running some pure hazard, in order to sharpen the edge of life, to taste hardship, and to be compelled to work desperately for a moment at no matter what.”

February promises just that. Pura Vida!

TSFMAG.com | 89

Capt. Ernest cisneros

SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene

A rr oyo C olorado t o Port I sabel

A Brownsville-area native, Capt. Ernest Cisneros fishes the Lower Laguna Madre from Port Mansfield to Port Isabel.

Ernest specializes in wading and poled skiff adventures for snook, trout, and redfish.

Cell 956-266-6454 Website www.tightlinescharters.com

90 | February 2016

Sitting here to write this month’s report I am reminded how much fun fishing has been over the past month. The numbers and quality of fish we have been catching have both been very good and boat traffic has been very light. What a change from summer and fall, to locate schools of fish and be able to return to them day after day.

You do not have to wait in line to launch and the few people around the dock all seem to be in a good mood. The sunrises and sunsets have been spectacular and the rush of duck wings overhead adds a certain wildness to the scenes. The tranquility alone is enough reason to call winter my favorite time of year on the Lower Laguna Madre.

Northers have become more frequent and the tides are finally beginning to recede to more-normal winter levels. With water temperature declining to low-60s and occasionally the high-50s, our fish are beginning to settle into the deeper places with muddy bottom we expect to find them this time of year. Strong northers that empty the flats definitely makes getting on them easier. Pelicans resting and diving along edges of drop-offs are one of the surest signs for getting on a steady bite.

Trophy trout are on everybody’s mind this time of

year. I catch myself daydreaming as I wade along and the scenes in my mind are vivid down to the exact pothole a ten-pounder will come from, thrashing violently and tail-walking to dislodge my Corky. Every thump at the end of the line could be the bite we have waited for all year.

February is generally the coldest month of the year, and with that being said, on really cold days, most of our trophy trout wading effort will take place over A personal best winter beauty that was CPR’ed!

mud-shell bottom, too laborious and challenging for all but your most diehard fishermen. A welcome change from boot-sucking muck is found near spoil islands and the deeper ends of flats during warming days behind strong fronts. Likewise, waist-deep potholes scattered amid solid grass are notorious for being sow trout hangouts when the tides creep back and water temperatures rise into the high-60s.

My go-to baits will include the K-Wiggler Ball Tail Shad in flomingo, plum-chartreuse, and the usual assortment of natural colors. Paul Brown’s Fat Boy and Original Corky are always on my winter list, and I never leave the boat without a couple of clear Zara Puppy floaters for sight-casting large trout foraging and sunning in clear water on warm afternoons.

One word to describe our current redfish situation is scattered. A few times in recent weeks we have found them stacked in slightly deeper holes around spoils, but that has been the exception. On most of our trips we are picking up a few here and there but nothing to call a sure pattern. They are definitely not in tight schools just yet, but that might change if turns colder and remains so later in the month.

Warm and calm mornings and afternoons, say three to four days after a front, is a good time to look for pods and schools of reds waking across grassy, shallow flats. During

colder periods they don’t tend to swim very far from deep guts and channel edges. Most of our reds have been taken with plastics, working slowly near bottom. Don’t expect a solid thump, more often all we feel is a slight peck. Be assured though; that light bite is no indication of the size of the fish.

A quick look at another species that may interest you. During winter, actually anytime the water temp drops below 60, snook go deep and hunker down. The Brownsville Ship Channel is a good place to target them. It can be a world-class Victor Villareal experience if you get lucky enough to catch tricked this fat the right conditions. Soft plastics on 1/4 and 29-incher using a flomingo K-Wiggler.

3/8 jigs are necessary to probe the channel ledges and deeper holes. They sometimes hold as deep as twelve feet, so do not be afraid to let the lure settle a few seconds before beginning the retrieve. Rat-L-Traps are another bait to throw at them.

A final note of caution—February weather can be highly changeable and you should always check the forecast before you go.

Checking multiple times throughout the day to keep track of approaching fronts and storms is also highly advised. Do not get caught out there unprepared for the conditions. It’s always better to be overdressed than cold and miserable. Best of luck in your trophy endeavors!

TSFMAG.com | 91

FISHING REPORTS

ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 February should be almost a repeat of January, with hopefully a few hints of the coming spring. Trout should be found throughout the estuary, unless we’re having flooding conditions. Most of the best action will be as far North as water conditions allow. Salinity is not as important a factor as clarity at this time of year. Sometimes, the best fishing will be in the cleanest dirty water around. Good areas to start would the reefs between Commissary Point and Turner’s Bay; the shallower reefs usually produce bigger trout. Best lures are soft plastics, sub-surface twitch baits and occasionally topwaters. Normally, soft plastics work better over deeper reefs and twitch baits over shallow reefs. Redfishing is usually good around the weirs and the adjacent shorelines along the east and south shorelines of the lake. Best lures are usually soft plastics, but at times both live and fresh-dead natural baits work better. Flounder will usually make an appearance sometime before the month ends on their return trip from the Gulf.

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 “We have had really good fishing lately when we’ve gone. We’ll be starting to target the big trout for the next few months. We will be fishing mostly in the afternoons, targeting fish over soft bottom in shallow areas, wading. Incoming tides in the afternoon usually create

the best chances. I like to throw the pearl/black sinking FatBoy a lot.

I also like the pink/yellow 51M MirrOlure quite a bit too. Also a pink/ chartreuse Catch 5. The other thing I throw a lot is a Bass Assassin rigged on an H&H Flutter jighead. I use the red shad and the slammin’ chicken colors mostly. We do have a lot of freshwater in the system right now, and that will affect where we choose to target the fish. We will try to stay in areas where the incoming tide is bringing salty water in on a regular basis. The south shorelines of both East and West Bays are good, as are some of the flats close to the Texas City Dike. We are set up for a really good run. Those who are willing to get out of the boat and work for the fish will do better catching the big trout.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 “Wadefishing got pretty good once the water got cold over here in East Galveston Bay. There’s been a decent bite right around dusk, when the fish get more active in the clear water. Most of the biggest fish are hanging around areas which are protected from strong north winds.

Some people are catching quite a few quality fish throwing 51 and 52M MirrOlures over deeper structures. In February, we’ll be wading the warmer periods in coves protected from the onshore winds, targeting big trout in the shallows where the bottom is muddy. We’ll throw Corkys and other sinking twitch baits when the pattern sets up. Those low pressure systems which allow the onshore winds to blow the tide in and fill the shallow backwater areas generally provide the best opportunity

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to catch the big trout this time of year. Some fish will still be caught in the deeper water, but those willing to wade will catch them more consistently. As long as the onshore wind isn’t too strong and has some east in it, the situation sets up really good during warm spells.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Fishing in January was really good, Randall says, with the exception of the frigid, blustery days. “Most of our fishing was done out of the boat, drifting over areas with a mix of mud and scattered shell on the bottom. Norton Sand Eels have been the best lures. We’re throwing the full-sized chicken on a chain on overcast days and red magic Sand Eel Juniors under bright skies. In February, standard operating procedure will be fishing deeper water, up to about ten feet. I expect the fish to be hugging the bottom on the colder days, so we will be using heavier jigheads to keep the Sand Eels down in their faces. On warmer days, the fish will move shallower and become more active around shallow oyster reefs and in muddy coves, where we’ll key on active bait, primarily jumping mullet, to locate them. When the fish do move shallow, we will target them with full-sized topwaters like Skitterwalks and Super Spooks and also slow-sinking twitch baits. This scenario is a good one for catching some big trout.”

Matagorda | Charlie Paradoski Bay Guide Service - 713.725.2401 “February stands out as the very best month for catching big trout in the Matagorda area. If you are really interested in catching them, the best way is wading the shallow areas with slow-sinking twitch-baits like Corkys and MirrOlure Catch 5s and Catch 2000s.

Sometimes topwaters will work too, depending on how cold the

water is. A couple days ago, we caught a couple of really big trout in the back of one of the coves. I had seen a bunch of bait getting harassed and caught one over seven pounds on a Corky. I threw in there a few more times and didn’t get another bite, so I tied on a red shad Bass Assassin and caught one about ten pounds!

She was a real monster. I also had reliable reports of other ten pounders caught in East Bay last week. We should see some real monsters coming in this month. We do still have a higher than normal tide most of the time lately, and this keeps the shoreline coves full of water. When the tide pulls out, the fish move out in the middle, and we catch them drifting areas with scattered shell and mud.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 Fishing has been outstanding in our area waters. We have been on a consistent pattern, finding trout and redfish over shell and mud, with a few flounder thrown in the mix. Our trout have been holding in about three to five feet of water. On colder days, we have been hammering them on a new lure from Egret baits called the Mambo Mullet. White/ chartreuse has by far been the best color, and we have caught some solid fish up to twenty four inches. On warmer weather days, we have been catching them on pink topwaters like Super Spook Juniors and Skitterwalks. Redfish have been holding in the same areas, but have been a little shallower. The cajun pepper Mambo Mullet seems to be working better for the redfish. February is a good month to chase big trout up on the flats by our area rivers, where they have good access to deep water if it gets super cold, and some good mud flats to hunt mullet when the days warm up. Paul Brown’s FatBoys in pearl/

TSFMAG.com | 93

chartreuse and pearl/black are two of my favorite colors for the Palacios area.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 In February, Lynn plans on targeting his fish in areas which have a muddy bottom. “I’ll be going after big trout in places with a mix of mud and shell or mud and grass. We’ll use Corkys and other twitch baits a lot, sometimes topwaters, depending on the temperature of the water and the activity level of the bait fish in the area. More jumping mullet means a better chance of the topwaters working. We’ll also throw soft plastics on light jigheads too, when the bite is tougher. Normally, we throw a lot of dark-colored lures, since the sky is often cloudy when the weather is dreary. I like to fish the warmer part of the day, so I will generally leave the dock late in the morning and fish into the late afternoon. Those big trout will move into shallow areas with a muddy bottom when the mud warms up, and that’s what we’re after. We’ll also catch some big reds in the same places, but we’re really after the big trout. This is the best time of year to get ‘em and in order to catch ‘em you’ve got to spend time patiently fishing the shallows.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 In February, Blake expects to continue doing what he’s been doing all winter. “I’ll be targeting redfish in the backwater areas, on the edges of the drains and in open areas of the lakes when the tide is higher. I also try to target them on shorelines adjacent to drains which lead into the back lakes when the tide drops out. I have been using Norton Sand Eels in colors like purple and pumpkinseed/chartreuse. But in February, I’ll start targeting the trout a bit more, using topwaters as much as possible.

When it’s colder, we’ll focus more on the areas with a soft, muddy bottom and some scattered shell, places with feeder guts leading into

the shallow areas, using slow-sinking twitch baits. When it warms up, we’ll move to the shallower adjacent places, which have more of a sandy, grassy bottom and throw topwaters more. February sets up really good for us, fishing-wise. I have been catching trout and redfish in some areas where I rarely find them in January, and I expect this to continue in February, especially if the weather stays warm.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 The month of February is a great month for going after trophy trout and big redfish in the Upper Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay. The water clarity is still good in some areas of Baffin Bay, and I will be looking for water that is not gin-clear but, slightly milky or sandy colored. The water temperature in February will drive the fish into deeper water with muddy bottoms overnight, and then as the sun gets higher in the sky and warms the surface and shallow water, the fish will also come up into shallower water.

The fish will be moving very slowly, and I will be moving even slower and as quietly as possible, being careful where I step and fanning my casts in front of me as much as possible. I will practically be dragging an eighthounce Screw Lock jighead rigged with a scented bait like Bass Assassin Die Dappers, Blurps or Berkley Gulp! on the bottom. On windy days, a quarterounce jighead will work better for feeling the bites. Power Pro braided line with about 24 inches of 20 lb. test fluorocarbon on the end will help detect the light bites.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 Water quality is really good all over the Baffin/Upper Laguna Madre system, Joe says, and the fishing is predictably excellent too. “We have clear water all over the area right now, and this makes for some really good fishing. On the warmer days, we are catching big reds and trout close to big mats of dead grass on area shorelines. They will bite soft plastics, sinking twitch baits and topwaters too, at times. When it’s warm

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and winds are light, we like to target them up really shallow, using light jigheads on our soft plastics when throwing them. On colder days, with stronger north winds, we will target our fish a little deeper, working drop offs and deeper rocks and grass edges, using heavier jigheads to keep the lures in closer contact with the bottom. The clear water is making it easier to stay in close contact with deep structures and drop offs of this kind, so it helps us catch more fish. February sets up really good for us.

The fish usually like to stay shallow much of the time this month, making it possible to sight-cast on some days.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins With the seasonal drop in temperatures, larger gamefish that have been over-extending their stay have finally moved offshore, out of the surf. February is historically our slowest month, with only a few species readily targetable. Redfish and slot drum should remain and will likely be caught when targeting pompano with shrimp and Fishbites. The optimal time is when the wind lays and the water gets clear. As in the past few years, the winter trout fishery will be a crapshoot. Suspending MirrOlures worked slowly into the current around holes and suck-outs will work best. Shark fishing will be generally slow for the next month.

However, large wintertime sandbar sharks will be around and are usually hungry. Sandbars have an uncanny appetite for whiting and sheepshead.

Bait and bird activity will be scarce, structure will be your number one friend on these tough winter days. On a good note, driving should be exceptional as we come off some of the lowest tides of the year and tire hazards (fish skeletons) from the red tide are nearly all gone.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 The weather has been crazy, and winter patterns not really applicable.

Mostly, I just went all summer mode on them. The trout we have been

catching in the North East Cut area have been really solid. We’ve had days when clients scored multiple hookups on 20+ inchers. Even slow days have given us fair to decent numbers. We have been getting the most trout bites over thigh to chest-deep grass. Some days we get lucky and find a few reds sprinkled in, but the best redfish action has been knee-deep on average, over sand and scattered grass. Truth be told, when targeting reds, the closer to the East Cut the better. I believe that when we get into February and consistently colder weather the trout and likely also the reds will begin living along spoil island and channel drop-offs more than simply roaming the flats. Old oilfield cuts are another perennial hotspot during sustained colder temperatures. Until something changes weatherwise I’m probably going to keep jumping back to summer mode. Hey, it’s been working pretty good so far!

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty – www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 The harsh holiday weather ushered in some really great fishing. We’ve had some of the best trout fishing in recent memory, since right after hurricane Ike in 2008. Catching twenty four inch or larger trout cast after cast is about as good as it gets! We have also had a great season on redfish, but a recent trip in drizzly, cold conditions, amped up the action even more, with all six anglers limiting and one tagging an oversized.

The average size of the reds boated increased, and some of the fish looked like they swallowed a football! Freddy says, “Once winter weather gets bad, we always tell our clients to dress in layers! Staying dry is very important, even when it’s not so cold and especially when it’s windy.

Remember, you’re in South Texas and the weather can change hourly.”

We’re killing the trout on Cajun Thunder round corks with Berkley Gulp!

Live three-inch shrimp and will be switching to bait when the water temperature drops and the hard heads leave the area. Be safe, dress for bad weather, and help stop open bay dredge disposal.

TSFMAG.com | 95

Brianna Barousse first flounder!

Peter Hayes Crystal Beach - 38” red

David Moreland Palacios - 26” redfish

Bryan Miguez Port Aransas - 43” jack crevalle

Bill Pilling Galveston Island - 32 lb redfish

Lucas Friesenhahn Cedar Bayou - 27” trout 96 | February 2016

Russ Roup Seadrift - 26” speckled trout

Josh Allen Sargent - trout

Kaylie Friesenhahn Rockport - redfish

Anna Hovdey - 30” red snapper “He is a keeper!”

Jason Swindoll Palacios - 24” redfish

LeeAnn Werler West Matagorda - first drum!

Emily Friesenhahn Rockport - black drum

Juan Pacheco, Jr. SPI - 31” red drum

Tim Berry - Crab Lake 40” black drum CPR

TSFMag

Catch of the Month &

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Pam Johnson

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

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

PREPARATION

Shrimp Mousse INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

1 can condensed tomato soup (10 ž ounce) 3 packages cream cheese (3 ounce) softened and cut into chunks (can use light; see note) 1 envelope unflavored gelatin 1/4 cup cold water 2 cups peeled-cooked shrimp (I did a seasoned boil to cook about 1-pound and cut into pieces) 1 cup mayonnaise (can use reduced-fat or fat-free; see notes) 1 small onion, grated 1/2 cup finely chopped celery Dash of garlic powder, salt and black pepper 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 Tbsp. snipped fresh parsley

Place undiluted soup in a large saucepan over medium heat and add cream cheese. Stir while heating until cream cheese has melted. In small bowl, soak gelatin in cold water until dissolved and then stir into hot cheese mixture. Cool about 30 minutes. Add shrimp, mayonnaise, onion, celery, garlic, powder, salt, black pepper, lemon juice and parsley; stir to blend. Pour mixture into a large (2-quart) oiled mold, and chill until set.

When read to serve, run a knife blade around the edge of the mold, then dip the mod quickly into hot water. Invert onto a serving plate. Serve with crackers.

NOTE: Substitute 1 package chive cream cheese for 1 package plain cream cheese for more flavor. If desired, add 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish to mayonnaise.

I like to serve with a spicy Triscuit or bagel chip.

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Using the Buddy System Fish often stick together for protection from predators. Staying within a school of fish is usually safer than swimming alone. But it turns out that some fish lend a helping fin when it comes to feeding as well.

Rabbitfishes have been observed watching out for one another while searching for food. Credit: BS Thurner Hof, 2005, GNU Free Documentation License Scientists have recently observed four species of rabbitfishes, a type of coral reef fish, watching out for one another while foraging for food.

A single rabbitfish on its own would have to watch for predators at the same time it searched for food in reef crevices. But when a pair of rabbitfish work together, one can dig more deeply into those crevices and eat more while the other stands guard. Then the partners switch places. Scientists call this behavior “reciprocal altruism“ because each fish takes a turn helping the other based on the expectation that the favor will be returned.

What makes this discovery so remarkable is that scientists have long believed animals required a high level of complex cognitive ability to cooperate in this way, something fish were not thought to be capable of. For such reciprocal altruism to work, fish have to recognize their partners and recall their own and their partner’s previous actions.

But fish have surprised researchers in the past with other advanced behaviors, such as punishing or trying to appease other fish. It appears fish have evolved more complex lives than scientists previously realized.

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The world of outboard marine power has been trending heavily the past decade toward more fuelefficient and environmentally-friendly four-stroke outboards—away from the traditional two-strokes.

This trend has been overall very positive in the sense that it gives the consumer a broader range of products to power their boats.

This change has slightly altered the way we maintain the product in some areas and yet there are a few basics that never change.

With the majority of engine manufacturer’s emphasis being on reliability, the environment of the Texas coast where we operate presents very unique challenges and requires more frequent and focused attention in certain aspects of maintenance.

Engine lubricants for all outboards, four-stroke and two-stroke, are currently of the best quality that has ever been available and provide excellent lubrication and protection of internal components— bearings, pistons, piston rings, etc.

Engine crankcase oil is serviced at 100-hour intervals in four-strokes or, in the case of twostrokes, is added each time main reservoir level is consumed at an average rate of one gallon of oil to 30- to 40 gallons of fuel, depending how the engine is operated. Engine oil engineering compensates for all rpm ranges.

The lower unit gearcase oil for use in all outboards is also currently of excellent quality and is subject to much more rigorous and varying demands of temperature and terrain, (usually fully submerged but sometimes jacked-up to the extreme of six inches out of the water on tunnel hulls) in coastal

boating applications.

The lower unit oil should be checked at minimum every quarter on a year-round boating schedule by removing the lower drain screw to inspect a sample of the lubricant for water contamination (water turns lube milky), fine metal filings, and also odor (burnt lube has a distinctive smell compared to new).

The propeller should be removed to check for fishing line wrapped on the prop shaft at least once a month during peak usage and a new stainless cotter key or tabbed locking washer installed each time.

No matter how good oils are made and improved for lower unit gearcases, the lack or absence of this oil combined with the intrusion or complete replacement of lube with salt water due to fishing line destroying prop shaft seals and allowing water to enter the gearcase, will shorten the life expectancy and/or destroy this piece of wellengineered equipment.

Water can actually be considered a lubricant of sorts, but sorely lacking in its ability to deliver protection to the bearings and gears in a lower unit gearcase. Gear lube is very inexpensive by comparison.

Enjoy a safe and fun winter boating and fishing season!

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High -2:14 -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14 +0:33 +3:54 +6:05 +10:21 +10:39 +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -0:09 -0:44

Low -1:24 -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06 +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15 +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:38 +2:33 +2:31 -0:09

For other locations, i.e. Port O’Connor, Port Aransas, Corpus Christi and Port Isabel please refer to the charts displayed below.

Please note that the tides listed in this table are for the Galveston Channel. The Tidal Corrections can be applied to the areas affected by the Galveston tide.

Minor Feeding Periods coincide with the moon on the horizon, and the last from 1.0 to 1.5 hrs after the moon rise or before moon set.

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

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

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

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