January 2013

GREAT WINTER FISHING AHEAD BIG TROUT TURNING ON IN LOWER LAGUNA

Flounder Stealing THE SHOW ON SABINE

Only $3.95 www.tsfmag.com January 2013

TIDE PREDICTIONS & SOLUNAR FEED TIMES INSIDE!

ABOUT THE COVER Dickie Colburn says flounder have been stealing the show on Sabine and Keith Daley of Daley’s Hunt-N-Fish Supply will no doubt agree. Keith caught this fine flatfish and several others on a beautiful lateNovember day on Dickie’s boat.

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

CONTENTS FEATURES 08 Three Hour Tours 14 Mid-winter Fundamentals 20 The Perfect Day 24 Fishermen and “Other People” 28 Good Ol’ Fashioned Lagniappe 32 Survival Bag in the Boat?

Mike McBride Kevin Cochran Billy Sandifer Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard

8

NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net

JANUARY 2013 VOL 22 NO 9

DEPARTMENTS 40 42 46 48 50 52 56 59 60 64 81 94

60

Let’s Ask The Pro Jay Watkins Shallow Water Fishing Scott Null TPWD Field Notes Mike Birchfield Fly Fishing Scott Sommerlatte Youth Fishing Marcos Garza Texas Nearshore & Offshore Mike Jennings Kayak Fishing Chronicles Cade Simpson Boat Maintenance Tips Chris Mapp Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

Eric Ozolins Fishy Facts Stephanie Boyd Science & the Sea UT Marine Science Institute Book Review Joe Richard

WHAT OUR GUIDES Dickie Colburn Mickey Eastman Bink Grimes Shellie Gray David Rowsey Capt. Tricia Ernest Cisneros

74

REGULARS

90

4 | January 2013

06 68 84 88 90

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Donna Boyd Donna@tsfmag.com CIRCULATION SUBSCRIPTION – PRODUCT SALES Linda Curry Cir@tsfmag.com ADDRESS CHANGED? Email Store@tsfmag.com DESIGN & LAYOUT Stephanie Boyd stephanie@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly.

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HAVE TO SAY

70 Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene 72 Mickey on Galveston 74 The View from Matagorda 76 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays 78 Hooked up with Rowsey 80 Capt. Tricia’s Port Mansfield Report 82 South Padre Fishing Scene

REGIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Patti Elkins Patti@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265

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

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.

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EDITORIAL

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT FISHING?

It seems I have just grown accustomed to writing 2012 on forms and documents and it is time now to learn to use 2013. They say time flies when you’re having fun; evidently it is true. Entire seasons seem to pass as quickly as weeks did back when, and the scariest part is that it gets worse as I get older. I’m having a ton of fun though!

Jay Watkins included a questionnaire in his column this month and the first question piqued my interest. Rolling it around in my head for a few days I eventually came up with a truly honest answer as Jay asked that we should.

“What is it about fishing that you love most?”

I tried my best to be concise but somehow I cannot narrow it down to just one thing; to answer honestly and most accurately it has to be two but, they are very closely related.

So the two things I love most about fishing are the great sense of adventure I feel every time I leave the dock and, with it, I also love the freedom to enjoy that adventure in my own special way.

To me, even though I might be planning only a brief wade along a San Antonio Bay shoreline minutes from my house, every trip is special, a chance to be free, a chance to lose myself in my thoughts and my imagination. Sometimes I get interrupted by fish.

Let me take you back about fifty years and maybe then you’ll understand.

It is early March and winter’s grip is leaving the land. The ice

6 | January 2013

on Big Run Creek is breaking up. A schoolboy trapper notices the ice floating downstream from the foggy window of a school bus and knows it is time. The bus groans to a stop and he flies to the house to change into work clothes but barn chores can be done after dark. Hip boots and trap basket, axe and a baloney fold-over.

Down to the creek!

Fresh tracks and muskrat slides all along the bank, and maybe some mink sign. Hurried sets are made. And then a big chunk of ice slides by, big enough to ride on. That does it!

Out on the ice, carefully testing, swing the axe chopping loose a big chunk, a straight birch sapling makes-do for a push-pole. Shove ‘er out into the current. In his mind the schoolboy trapper is the first fur-seeker to enter the valley.

Steer the raft, can’t risk hitting a rock, ought to make a set there, good place to camp over here. Ice should be gone in another day or two if it stays warm.

Darkness comes too soon and with it the reality of barn chores.

Gonna be in trouble again.

Steer for the bank, current too strong, grab the gear, jump. Soaked to the chest, long walk home in squishy boots. Maybe they won’t be too hard on me. Don’t mention the raft ride.

I love adventure and freedom. On San Antonio Bay I’m usually a Karankawa.

Happy New Year!

Lady Luck, the ever-

present partner she is,

can work both for and against us on the water. Get on her bad side and we might even end up with a “Mayday!” situation. However, most of our bad luck can be avoided, and a couple of recent episodes beg for review, not only about our responsibilities as boaters, but also our responsibilities as humans. Let’s look at three scenes, where just like we saw on Gilligan’s Island, a simple three hour tour unfortunately escalated well beyond the float plan. Basic lessons here, more often than not, are that “Maydays” often come from operators brilliantly playing the role of Gilligan himself.

Case one was a typical misjudgment deal, where an errant crank of the wheel put three men high and dry on a shoreline. They were lucky to even have a meager cell phone signal, but even luckier that I happened to pick up. Trying to cut through a narrow “twisty” exiting a remote back bay, they chickened out at the last minute and made a hard-over evasive maneuver, sliding the boat sideways and depositing

8 | January 2013

them up a grassy bank. At the time it would have taken a sky-hook to get them out, and being 18 miles from civilization with darkness creeping soon, things could have gotten rather ugly. However, simple thinking could have gotten them home on their own. By the time I found them, the typical late afternoon wind increased enough to push in another foot of water making for an easy out, but they didn’t snap as they had already walked through some rattlesnake infested brush to a safe pick-up point. Obvious lessons are – know your water and navigate it well, well within your limitations, not to mention also understanding your upcoming conditions. Knowing who to call doesn’t hurt either.

Situation two was classic, and yes, with Gilligan classically at the helm. Most of us have seen some of the silly Internet message board wars about whose daddy can beat up whose and “whose boat will go shallower.” It may make for fun banter, but real world conditions tend to skew unrealistic claims. With five men aboard including a full

STORY BY MIKE MCBRIDE

Lady Luck can work for or against us in the water.

compliment of gear, ice and fuel, some of those claims go out the bilge pump, especially when the Professor isn’t there to calculate tides and offsets. These guys proudly pushed the skinny-water envelope in their newly purchased skinny-water boat, and promptly went hard aground about 25 miles from help in any direction and even farther away from anyone who would.

They had originally stuck themselves in water so shallow the great blue heron’s knees were dry, and finally made a call about two hours before dark when the grass started to stick up. They had been waiting for the tide to rise as predicted by their GPS but, totally unbeknownst to them, their position had over a seven hour tide delay not to mention a foot less of change. It could have been a very long night without food or adequate clothing but plenty of mosquitoes as company. The only option was to abandon ship and return under a more accurate tidal assessment. So your boat gets up in a heavy dew… really? Also interesting is how many folks misunderstand tide charts.

The most recent episode is the most telling with many issues, including social ones. I happened into our local store right at dark, where a man and his young daughter had just walked nine miles down the King Ranch shoreline looking for help. They were also hard aground after losing power in 35mph winds. Another “as seen on TV” episode. And if you can remember, the whole reason the SS Minnow became marooned was because Gilligan, during a storm, threw the anchor overboard with no rope attached. Similarly, this crew’s anchor was not stout enough to stall a dingy much less a 21-footer in inclement weather. However, this is only where the issues began to build.

Despite asking for help along the way, no one responded – including several other boaters fueling up at the time. Things got more interesting after finding out there were still four other castaways, including two more women plus a three year old child!

Here we go again. The “Captain” thought he’d run out of fuel, so with freshly filled gas cans we headed out in two to three foot chop under

TSFMAG.com | 9

When we hazard ourselves we also hazard others.

here; poor maintenance - unprepared for (and unaware of ) poor conditions - poor communication - and an even poorer response from several citizens.

To summarize, each of these events could have been avoided, and it is our duty as boaters to minimize the chances of them happening, as when we hazard ourselves, we also hazard others. Besides Gilligantype antics, most bad luck is simple to avoid but also simple to overcome in case bad stuff does happen. There are several ways to become marooned, but the most common are fuel, oil, batteries, propellers and proper tools. If we have a known problem with a boat we should never even leave the dock in the first place, kinda like not running with scissors. Flirting with weather is not very smart either, especially during winter, and especially without proper provisions to ride out a night if necessary. I’m not even going to mention what “proper” provisions are as the list is long and obvious, but it starts with Flirting with the weather is not a good idea.

a pitch dark moon with a dead spotlight. We finally found a pitifully weak light winking on the shoreline.

The next bit of luck came on the very first step out of the rescue boat; “Captain Dad” got slammed by a large stingray. Now I have a grimacing gimp, three women (neither of whom resembled Mary Ann or Ginger), a baby, plus another young male on the bank. We finally managed floatation, but it turned out to not be fuel – but fuel filters! They could only run a few hundred yards before shutting down, then having to wait ten minutes before the next attempt. In a nasty head sea we eventually got back to Port about midnight, and only then did I find out the Coast Guard had been searching for them since a confusing 2:00pm call. Two helicopters were dispatched but called off at dark due to poor directions. After answering half a dozen calls from both them and other local LEOs, let me tell you several were not too happy about the whole deal. Many issues

A three-hour-tour can escalate far beyond original plans. Know your water and navigate it well.

10 | January 2013

clothing, food, water, a charged phone and first-aid kit.

As far as our legal responsibilities in rendering aid, I cannot find any lawful definitions other than in the event of a waterborne accident.

The law is quite clear on this, but the moral laws we should all live by are a tad foggy. Amazing is how many boaters will pass waving arms with nary a glance…”Ah... let the next guy help.”

As a matter of fact, there is a fishing strategy that capitalizes on this. In Combat Fishing, a piece I wrote several years ago, I mentioned a tournament strategy about when you were on good fish and didn’t want to share, just take the cowling off your outboard and nobody will come near. Well, it’s the “Golden Rule” sort of thing…karma in some cultures, where what goes around comes around. I hope the

can do if not able to assist further. Unfortunately, we can get in over our head trying to be a hero and put our own vessel in jeopardy, and despite the Good Samaritan Law, there may be some Law Dogs that might chase liability issues. Even so, I would hope that all reading this magazine would also do the right things, both in preventing situations and helping out when others are caught in them. That’s actually what this magazine is all about; trying to help fishermen be all they can (and should) be. If we as fishermen only do what we are legally required to do, well, Einstein said it best, “If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.”

Be careful out there this winter, and as far as Gilligan goes – The more we go the more we know, and our “luck” gets better.

guys willing to leave a three-year-old on the bank slept well that night.

However, the rendering of aid needs to be smarter than the actions that caused the scene in the first place.

Me, I’ll do whatever I can including a midnight tow, but for the most part, rendering aid means at least stopping to assess the situation, and if no immediate danger is present, a simple phone call

12 | January 2013

MIKE MCBRIDE

CONTACT

“If not for the courage of the fearless crew!”

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

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Jason King used a low and slow presentation with a MirrOlure Provoker soft plastic to entice a bite from this fat trout during relatively negative post-front conditions.

14 | January 2013

STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

Fundamentally,

fishing for speckled trout in winter is much the same as

in the other three seasons. Success is achieved through effective implementation of all aspects of the effort: fish location, strategy, lure choice and presentation. Anglers who acknowledge how winter weather affects the movement patterns, habits and feeding mood of the trout have the best chance to catch them consistently.

Passing fronts cause dramatic weather changes during winter.

Strong, gusty north winds, plummeting air and water temperatures, and ballooning barometric pressure levels play a role in the selection of place, strategy, lure and presentation. On days in the immediate wake of strong fronts, staying off the water can be the only reasonable choice, but when harsh conditions first begin to moderate, the catching can be memorable.

Speckled trout inhabiting inland bays use deep, open basins and dredged channels as “safe havens” when cold weather settles in. Rapidly plunging water temperatures which bottom out in the high forties or low fifties cause many of the trout in an area to seek the relative comfort and safety of deep water. Apparently, they sit somewhat idle on the bottom in these basins and ditches while the weather is deteriorating.

Catching them in these places must be done from a boat, since the depths do not allow for wading. Locating mud streaks in the water

and/or verifying the presence of some bait fish are two key elements which aid in locating fish in “the swag”. When drifting open areas or jigging channels in search of bottom-hugging trout during cold snaps, soft plastics are by far the best lures to deploy.

The soft plastics need to be presented “low and slow” to the lethargic, relatively inactive fish. Adjusting jighead size to match the conditions is a critical component of success in this endeavor. Heavier heads become necessary when winds are blowing in excess of fifteen knots, while lighter ones work better when wind speeds are slower.

Most productive basins lie adjacent to shorelines which are protected from the effects of brisk, offshore winds. While any channel can be productive during post-frontal conditions, stretches which lead to dead-ends are often best, since currents are reduced in such places.

Cold-stunned fish generally don’t prefer areas which force them to fight against the effects of strong currents.

Some time after a front passes, winds will moderate, and temperatures will begin to rise. When this happens, large trout often respond by leaving the basins and heading toward nearby, shallower flats. The most productive flats lie in the lee of the land along north and west shorelines.

Areas with ample, shallow acreage and various types of bottom offer the greatest potential. On the Upper Coast, the bottom is usually a mix of mud and shell. On the lower coast, the list includes TSFMAG.com | 15

sand, mud, grass and rocks. Spots with plenty of dark, soft bottom covered by one to three feet of water are prime, especially if they lie close to points where trout move out of the basins (and/or channels) into the shallows.

Big trout found warming up, or “sunning”, in shallow water are sometimes almost impossible to catch. On occasion, they seem content to soak up the warmth, and are not in the mood for a meal.

Eventually, they will feel the pangs of hunger and become much easier to entice into taking a bite.

The presence of active bait fish in an area often indicates a turn in the mood of the trout. Many times, the need to feed arises in all the fish simultaneously, and a dead bite quickly morphs into a feeding frenzy. Maximizing production in such a scenario means adjusting lure choice and presentation to optimally match the moment.

Soft plastics on light jigheads (sixteenth-ounce) can and will work to catch large trout in the shallows. Floating and sinking versions of Paul Brown’s Original Lures are perhaps more effective for targeting trout which are actively searching for prey, particularly when deployed in a thoughtful and artful manner. These twitch baits should be worked slowly and rhythmically in the chilled waters. Persistence and patience are often required to coax strikes from scattered big trout on shallow shelves and flats, until “stimulators” come into play.

A variety of environmental and celestial events can stimulate an improvement in the aggressiveness of the feeding mood of trout.

Paying attention to the timing of these events and planning trips around them is one way to improve consistency when fishing in winter. Among the acknowledged stimulators are the rising and setting of the moon, the start and end of a tide cycle, and the return Sidney Shetley caught several memorable trout and flounder along a stretch of shoreline where Captain Kev discovered a new level of success in 2012.

16 | January 2013

of onshore winds after a dead-calm lull. If and when one or more of these stimulators occur, anglers should anticipate an upturn in the feeding mood of the trout and alter lure choice and presentation accordingly. Slightly faster, more erratic presentations with twitch baits and topwaters can become effective when the trout are actively chewing.

Two of the most obvious (and frequently overlooked) stimulators are the rising and setting of the sun. The hours immediately prior to dawn and following dusk are often the most productive windows of opportunity in Jack Frost’s months. Most people would rather fish during the relative warmth of the afternoon and through the gloaming, rather than rise early and embark on bone-chilling boat rides in the dark. Fishing from late-afternoon into the night is a great way to enhance the potential for catching trout in cold weather.

Some bays and/or areas where the water is extremely clear can seem void of life altogether during the daytime, but plenty of hungry fish appear in predictable places soon after the light in the west fades.

Shoreline flats, reef edges, rock piles and humps close to deep basins and channels can become crowded with snapping sow trout during the transition from day to night. At such times, Corkys, Catch 2000s and other twitch baits entice some of the most violent strikes of the year from trout which possess a fleeting, seemingly insane urge to feed.

When a tide change, moon rise or set, or upturn in the weather coincides with the setting of the sun at the end of a lull in the action brought on by a passing front, the potential for catching numbers of

In order to best take advantage of such a situation, smart anglers set up in an area which is well-protected from the harsh effects of a strong front, and which offers a safe route back to the harbor once the Sometimes, large flounder fishing trip ends. As with all aspects of winter intercept lures intended fishing, respecting the inherent dangers of for trophy trout, especially severe and unpredictable weather plays a in the weeks immediately prior to the onset of winter. part. Wearing the proper amount of the right kinds of clothing, thinking ahead and making plans to cope with deteriorating weather and rough water, and maintaining a constant vigil on the horizon are wise.

The severest winter weather will cause trout to become basically dormant for a time.

These temporary lulls, or shut-downs, in the feeding activity of the fish spur short-lived bursts of activity when they end. Winter weather winds its way around a “circle of change”. At the top of the circle is a frontal passage, accompanied by a frantic frenzy of feeding activity. Soon after strong winds settle in, a lull in the action inevitably occurs. Eventually, toward the bottom of the circle, the weather reaches a low point and begins an upward turn.

Often, the return of onshore winds accompanies rising tide levels and temperatures on the upswing side of the circle. Sometimes, the rise lasts for a couple of days or more, before the arrival of the next front starts the cycle over trophy trout is perhaps at its peak. In some cases, topwater plugs will again. Adjusting location, strategy, lure choice and presentation in draw explosive “blow ups” from the ravenous trout. accordance with this cycle aids in the quest for consistency in winter Generally, conventional floating plugs work best when water trout fishing. temperatures are at least in the low sixties, though they occasionally Astute anglers stay close to (or in) wintering basins, along produce when the water is a little colder, in the mid to upper-fifties. shorelines protected from the effects of north winds. They watch for If water temperatures rise from the mid-forties into the upper-fifties, signs of bait fish present in areas where trout are likely to be moving trout are much more likely to be active enough to strike topwaters in and out of deep, protected pockets of water. They also recognize than they would if water temperatures have recently nose-dived from the need to make adjustments to lure choice based on the specifics the upper-sixties into the mid-fifties. In essence, topwaters are more of the weather of the moment, and to utilize slow presentations most of a “specialty” lure in winter than in warmer weather, but when the of the time. In the end, winter fishing remains similar to fishing in the variables are aligned right in the cold season, unforgettable catches other seasons; the best-prepared, most knowledgeable, versatile and can be made with large, floating plugs. vigilant anglers outperform the rest.

Big, bulky lures seem better suited to winter fishing than small, slender ones. For one thing, trout have fewer options on the menu when it’s cold. Mostly, they dine on large mullet and other trout.

Consequently, larger plugs effectively mimic what the trout are eating Kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide on a regular basis. Additionally, large plugs are better suited to slower at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has created presentations, which work well with topwaters (as with all lures) when several books and dvds on the subject. water temperatures are low.

Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus During the period of time starting with the return of onshore winds Christi Bay to the Land Cut. in advance of the next front and leading right up to the arrival of the TROUT TRACKER GUIDE SERVICE front, topwaters have their highest potential in the winter months. In Phone 361-688-3714 fact, when strong north winds first begin to whistle, announcing the Email kevxlr8@mygrande.net arrival of a new blast of cold air, large trout often feed voraciously for a Web www.FishBaffinBay.com www.captainkevblogs.com couple of hours, and catching them on topwaters can be easy.

CONTACT

KEVIN COCHRAN

18 | January 2013

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Author Billy with one of 3 jacks caught in 7 casts on fly rod.

20 | January 2013

STORY BY BILLY SANDIFER

STORY BY Billy Sandifer

The finger mullet

migration from the bay systems to the surf is not a mass movement that occurs in one day or even a number of days, although at times there are so many of them it seems all of them are migrating at once. In reality, behind each drop in temperature and each cold frontal passage, a certain number will move into the surf and head south. Then as the temperatures increase as the norther passes through, the migration will temporarily slow or stop completely until the next front again blows the water out of the bays and drops the temperatures – and then more will migrate. This scenario is repeated over and over from September through December.

Redfish will follow the mullet out of the bay systems and jack crevalle and other species of fish will come inshore to feed on them as well. This is the heart of the wonderful fall fishing we experience.

Overall, this has been a tedious year for surf fishermen and good catching has been extremely sporadic throughout the year although some good catches have been made. With the weather remaining unusually hot this year we’ve really gone straight from summer to winter with almost no fall season at all.

Everyone knows what golden or Atlantic croaker are but there is a close kin most folks are actually unaware of. It’s known by various names including butter croaker, Norfolk spot or simply spot and is commonly mistaken for croaker. They have more of a yellowish tint, their bodies are a bit wider, they lack the barbells croaker have and their mouths are lower. Their skin is also smoother and softer to the touch due to their having smaller, smoother scales. They live in the TSFMAG.com | 21

Wanda Wilson with a pompano.

Life long friend, Ernie Whitson, with an oversized redfish.

grassy flats in good numbers and at some point each fall they migrate out of the bays into the surf in one big mass. Millions of them can be seen migrating at the same time and if you’re lucky enough to be there when this happens I assure you that you will never forget it.

I remember the first time I ever made a trip down to Boca Chica back in 1970. We stopped at the “Last Chance” grocery store to pick up supplies. I asked the old salt behind the counter what the best time was to go shark fishing down there. He grunted and said, “When the croaker run. There’s always sharks but they go absolutely nuts when the croaker run.” I had never seen a visible croaker run in the surf and was surprised by his answer but, I never forgot it.

The mullet have been trickling through in varying numbers for quite some time now. Likewise the catching has been very hit and miss. One day Jeff Wolda’s customers had over 50 reds and a few days later there were none.

On October 31, I caught three jack crevalle in seven casts with a fly 22 | January 2013

rod and then they disappeared for a time. But one could see catching was slowly but steadily improving when conditions allowed. Those among you who have not yet had the opportunity to experience the “Perfect Day” probably get awful tired of hearing your buddies reliving them all the time. It’s not really their fault as they are permanently seared into our minds. The Perfect Day; that illusive day when the moon and stars line up perfectly and the barometric pressure is equally perfect, and light wind blows over crystal clear surf. Most Important – there are untold millions of hand-sized spot and some croakers beaching themselves in a desperate attempt to escape massive numbers of predators of numerous species following them into mere inches of water.

I was taking Mrs. Wanda Wilson and Peggy Bull pompano fishing on November 15 when we came upon twelve solid miles of jack crevalle, sharks, and I am sure plenty of other species that remained unseen stretching from the 30 to the 42 mile beach front. Black shadows up to

eight feet long filled the water for the entire distance. Large explosions of white water were unending. In one spot we saw eight bull sharks up to eight feet long in one bunch. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen this phenomenal event any number of times but regardless of how many times I see it; it remains a spectacle that fills me with wonder and awe.

We were not seeking these large game fish and did not even have tackle with us that would have handled them; our target was pompano.

In a way this actually made it more enjoyable as we could just drive along and enjoy the show. Spots were beaching themselves all along the beach and I saw one twenty-five pound jack crevalle skid up onto bare sand and flop around momentarily before a wave helped it return to the sea. When we returned north in the afternoon there were dead spot lying all along the surf line that had gotten stranded and died on the beach.

We continued driving south of this “killing field” stretch of beach and found a location far to the south that provided a dozen beautiful pompano. I never put the truck in 4-wheel drive. The driving was as good as the fishing.

The fishing had gradually become increasingly productive over a two week period but was not truly dependable until that day. And then it all came together and peaked. By the following day the winds had increased as the next cold front pushed south across the plains. A one day window of opportunity we’ll never forget.

My pal from Wisconsin, Vern Foreman, had been keeping track of the fishing through me and wanted to come down for a few days of shark fishing when it got good. When I told him we’d just had the best day I’d seen fishing in over five years he was ecstatic and said he was coming to fish. I told him to hold off as we had a serious cold front due on the day he would arrive in Texas. No way; he was coming.

Well he got lost in Austin and the norther beat him to the coast by twelve hours. With fishing in eight foot seas totally out of the question I took pity on him and, against my better judgment, I took him riding fence so he’d at least get to see the beach. Tides were absolutely horrible, driving was brutal, and a limb slammed into my exhaust system and did $125 damage.

The Perfect Day was the second behind a light cold front with calm conditions. Vern’s trip 3 days later was in the middle of a full-blown norther. It’s really that simple. I’ve been telling you for years to go the second day behind a norther but it must have calmed. Vern’s trip was doomed from the onset because of his decision to ignore the norther.

One trip down island during these high tide and windy conditions do more damage to your vehicle and tackle than twenty average trips do. I expect good fishing behind the current norther but also expect it to be waning in general as I believe everything peaked on November 15.

Here’s wishing you and yours a perfect day. What a Hoot!

Black-crowned Night Heron “Nycticorax nycticorax” Its name is commonly abbreviated to simply Night Heron. Shortnecked and shortlegged, a stocky heron that forages for food mostly at night. Black crown and back with white hind neck plumes are very distinctive against white underparts. Primary nesting habitat is trees and bushes in fresh and saltwater marshes.

Widely distributed around the world except in coldest regions.

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

Contact

Billy Sandifer Retired after 20+ years of guiding anglers in the Padre surf, Billy Sandifer (“Padre of Padre Island” to friends & admirers) is devoted to conserving the natural wonders of N. Padre Island & teaching all who will heed his lessons to enjoy the beauty of the Padre Island National Seashore responsibly.

Phone 361-937-8446 Website www.billysandifer.com

Phto by Jimmy Jackson Length: 25-inches Wingspan 44-inches

TSFMAG.com | 23

STORY BY Martin Strarup

We all have family and friends who we enjoy

fishing with. They are those unique individuals who forgive us our shortcomings and we theirs, who don’t get in the way and who do without being told or reminded the things that need doing. They’re the ones who know which cleat to tie the anchor rope to, when to slip the anchor out, and how to do it quietly, without leaving a rusty smear on the gel-coat and rub-rail. They are fishermen and women who bring only what they need – no more than two rods and reels – and they are considerate of your equipment and, more especially, of you. These folks are a joy to spend a day with on the water. They speak when conversation is necessary and they are people who you would toss your boat keys to without giving it a second thought. They are usually the first to grab for a wallet to help pay for gas, ice and refreshments, they always pitch in to help clean the fish, wash the boat and flush the outboard before they head home.

Then there are the others.

I’m talking about those individuals who are forever bugging you to take them fishing and who finally are able to trap you into having to take them.

They show up at your home or the dock later than late and then have to make four or five trips to their vehicle to get the ton of stuff they… “might need.”

They bring equipment that won’t work or that they don’t know how to use and then ask if you have a spare reel – just in case. They’ll jump in the boat, slamming the hull against the bulkhead at the ramp, shove your stuff around to make room for theirs and generally make you wish that you had slept in that morning.

They’ll never have the things that they really need for fishing. Their reels won’t work right because they haven’t been maintained and the

bearings are rusty and rough, and their “hardware” is likely a collection of tangled and rusty speck rigs.

They won’t have a stringer or if they do the float will be missing.

Their waders leak or were forgotten on the porch. If during warmer wet-wading months, the pair of wading booties they threw in the boat are both left feet.

They will offer up some lame excuse for not having brought anything for lunch or to drink, but will be happy to share anything and everything that you packed in the cooler for yourself. Most of the time they’ll offer to buy half the bait, even though you don’t use it… just in case nothing is hitting hardware, they’ll say. They’ll pout when told that your boat is not equipped with a live-well. When told they can purchase a Flo-Troll bucket at the bait camp for their shrimp, they’ll decline saying that hardware is probably the best way to go so they don’t have to buy anything.

You’ll be forced to alter your plan of attack because your companion for the day will not have what is needed to wade a certain flat and you’ll more than likely have to anchor up or drift which is a rather drastic thing, considering the danger of being in the same boat with your non-casting visitor.

At some point during the excursion you’ll wonder how guides put up with all that they do, but then you’ll realize that they actually get paid for taking these folks fishing and are better prepared to handle all of the problems that occur on such trips. I think guides are welladvised to take some psychology courses these days.

Of course you’ll get all kinds of advice about where to go, what should be used once you get there and, how big the fish were that were caught there in the spring of ‘79. You’ll learn that before you issue any commands, you’ll have to think and rethink what it is that you TSFMAG.com | 25

26 | January 2013

the elements punish them to the point that they will be thinking of ways to sell all of the fishing equipment that they’ve borrowed and of raising the amount of their life insurance.

Or one other thing that you might suggest to your non-fishing friends is to hire a guide to take them. Suggest that they get a group together and then you recommend a good patient guide for them to hire. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend one of your best guide buddies though as he may be overcome by a powerful desire to get even. In fact you might want to make sure that your friends don’t mention your name to the guide at all so maybe it would be a good idea NOT to recommend someone verbally, perhaps just leave the victim’s…err guide’s information, on their desk or somewhere that they’ll find it. I mean that’s what guides get paid for, right?

My best advice for the New Year – Don’t be a pain in the boat!

Be Safe. Martin

Martin Strarup

Contact

want done. You can’t just say, “Slip the anchor over the port bow” lest you may be short one anchor due to it not being tied to a cleat. You also can’t trust this fellow to tie the rope to a cleat either, so you may as well figure on doing all anchor duty on your own.

God help you should you actually hang a big fish while anchored or drifting that would ordinarily cause you to have to start the engine and follow the fish to gain line…no way can you allow your partner for the day to run your boat. Should something along the size of a small kayak start stripping line you’d be well advised to thumb the spool and break it off rather than trust your boat and general well-being to your partner…less you find yourself on your back in the bottom of the boat, or even in the water after he has gone WOT from a dead stop.

A good captain however would take the time to point out all of the things that someone is doing wrong and try to help him or her to adjust. Education after all is what the person is lacking and perhaps if you’d take the time to show them the error of their ways, they’d become conscientious fishermen who you can depend on and someone you’d actually enjoy taking fishing. But then every time you show them how to do something and explain why, they simply ignore you and go back to doing it the way that they were.

But alas we all have to come to the conclusion that there are those who will never grasp the concept of saltwater fishing. They don’t really care enough about the activity to want to learn and therefore are not going to give you their full attention. Oh they’ll continue to want to go, not all of the time, just now and then when they’re bored and happen to hear that you’re going fishing. About all that you can do short of being ugly and telling them NO, is to either take them when the weather is really bad or the wind is really strong and insure that

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

28 | January 2013

Good ol’ STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

For those not familiar with the term “lagniappe”

One cast its a redfish and the next one its a bass. The true definition of “lagniappe”, you never know what will show up in a brackish water environment. * Chance Lemoine with a 6 pound largemouth bass.

(pronounced lan-yap), it is defined as a small gift given a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase; broadly: something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure. In everyday terminology “a little something extra” would sum up the definition of lagniappe quite well.

At the present time it would appear that Sabine Lake anglers are in for a big dose of lagniappe during the month of December and continuing into the New Year. Water conditions are about as nice as one could ask for considering the date on the calendar, and that will add bonus days to the fishing year no doubt.

Traditional patterns normally have all but the most hardcore fishermen stowing their gear until spring as water temps plummet and clarity resembles a stale Yoo-hoo. On those occasions where everything lines up right and the factors that influence fishing turn in the favor of the fishermen, the winter months can be absolute magic.

It’s no secret that Sabine is at the top of the list as far as variables go when you talk about the factors that influence fishing success. Very few if any bodies of water along the Texas coast are subjected to such a wide array of elements as Sabine. The biggest influence being the amount of freshwater runoff that’s received from the Sabine and Neches rivers – the watershed for these rivers is huge. With so much fluctuation between fresh and salt water, the fishery both benefits and suffers at the same time. Too much of either changes the makeup and that’s where things get nasty. Just the right combination of the two and Sabine is a paradise with something for just about everyone.

Now most anglers know the drill during the winter months when rain is scarce and the water in the bay gets almost too clear to be believed. Subtle color changes will often lead anglers to productive TSFMAG.com | 29

areas where fish will tend to congregate and ambush their next meal.

The mouths of small marsh drains, shallow points that protect pockets of water from the wind, eddies in tidal current, and places like this will offer up color changes and prime holding spots for fish during winter months. On one epic day in December I saw this firsthand as I staked out a small area near a marsh drain where clear water met dirtier wind-blown water in the lake. It was incredible to watch as each time my topwater plug crossed the color change it was inhaled by a big trout or redfish. They must have been stacked in there like cord wood eating everything that came out of the marsh, it was unreal. If you just worked your plug in the clear water you never drew a strike. Staying in the murkier water would get a strike every now and again. Crossing the line between the two was absolutely money.

Speaking of money, as outdoor enthusiasts we foot the majority of the bill as far as taking care of our natural resources. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department does an outstanding job monitoring our game and fish. Texas is usually on the cutting edge when it comes to conservation and supporting programs that ensure we will have game to pursue for years to come. Now don’t get me wrong, on occasion they make some unpopular decisions that upset the masses but for the most part they do a really good job. Some of the most basic data they collect is at the boat launch with creel surveys. I often see anglers choose not to participate in the survey and that’s certainly their option because the survey is 100% voluntary. I usually do my best to participate each time they ask and I often learn a little something along the way. The folks from TPWD are always courteous and more than happy to answer questions if they can, so take advantage of the opportunity next time you see them at the launch.

Looking ahead for the coming weeks as long as we stay dry and don’t get inundated with rain, there will be a few really solid patterns working. The action under the gulls in the main lake will slow down somewhat but it will still be an option. Wade fishermen will keep a close eye on the weather as each successive front will present a window of opportunity that only a few brave souls will take advantage of. The warming days after the front will push big trout into the shallows and onto the flats in search of a “super-sized” meal that will tide them over for a few days. The numbers of fish won’t set the world on fire but the size and quality will more than make up for that.

For the less adventurous angler, the friendly confines of the Sabine River will be a great alternative. The key to fishing the river is to incorporate some of the freshwater techniques such as crankbaits, drop-shots, and using quality to electronics to find suspended fish.

Covering lots of ground is the name of the game until the pattern is solidified, then it’s just repeating the pattern in different areas. Once you find fish at a certain depth it’s much easier to key in on specific locales. Rat-l-traps, Hoginars, and swim baits will be top choices for probing the river in the winter. Redfish should be plentiful as will the trout if the salinity stays up. The bonus fish will be the striped bass that will make an appearance and really stretch your string once you get hooked up. The great thing about fishing this pattern is that you have a great shot to catch all these different species of fish in the very same areas as well as a largemouth or two for good measure. That’s probably the coolest thing about a brackish water system like Sabine, variety and multiple species are an everyday occurrence.

One other thing to pass along would be to certain your hardware, hooks, split rings, and other gear is in tiptop shape this winter because

Pink colored baits have become favorites for winter fisherman.

TPWD creel surveys provide valuable information for managing our resources.

30 | January 2013

that’s usually when that fish of a lifetime makes an appearance.

Nothing is more sickening than to lose a fish because of faulty gear – it’s your own fault and you know it. On those really nasty days when you elect not to get out on the water it’s always a good idea to take care of those things you put off, like changing hooks and other chores.

I recently got a really cool pair of split ring pliers from Texas Tackle and they make that chore much easier. This pair of split ring pliers is smaller than normal pliers and they are spring loaded which makes them very easy and comfortable to use. The smaller points on these pliers offer up a little more precise bite which takes the time out of wrestling those split rings with bulkier models. Swapping out hooks and hardware on older plugs can come in handy when a color is sold out and hard to get.

We all know the frustration of going to your favorite tackle store to pick up the “must have” bait of the season only to find empty racks. If you have an older bait of the same model you can just refurbish them with new hardware and save yourself some time, money and hassle.

I personally want to thank all of the readers of TSF for all their support and hope that each and every one of you finds that fish of your dreams and has a happy and blessed New Year.

CONTACT

CHUCK UZZLE

Less of an accessory, more of an accomplice.

You’ve just spotted a swirling school of fish. Your heart is in your throat and your knees are shaking.

But your boat is perfectly still and deadly silent.

That’s because you have a Power-Pole, the first name in shallow water anchoring that gives you the advantage you need to go undetected. So relax, and remember to smile when you’re holding your trophy fish. www.power-pole.com

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 Website

409-697-6111 cuzzle@gt.rr.com www.chucksguideservice.net

TSFMAG.com | 31

Wrap one of these chicken wire traps around your prop, and you’ll probably need wire cutters. Or camping gear.

32 | January 2013

Fishing and boating

has been characterized

as “a string of misadventures, broken up by occasional good trips.”

That doesn’t apply to most guides, who stay in a regular groove on the water, and know the area quite well. They’re paid to keep misadventures to a minimum.

Most of the public fishes the weekends, and sometimes months go by while the boat sits idle. We may forget about certain sandbars or hazards, or force a trip when the weather forecast is sketchy. During winter, the little things can become life threatening. There are fewer passing boats to render assistance, and the threat of hypothermia is only a few feet away. It’s best to prepare.

We were reminded of this in November, when I ran over a crab trap, wrapped it three times around the propeller, and tight. The engine revved down and stopped; we were stuck. This wasn’t a dreaded, abandoned, ghost trap coated with oysters—no, I’d hit a working trap in broad daylight with a buoy attached. While cruising along, studying the shoreline to port for an opening into the marsh, heading east into a rising sun. Thump! I clambered out into chilly, thigh-deep water and went to work with trusty Rapala fish pliers. Hmmm. Last time this happened was about 18 years ago near POC, while running at night.

There was a problem. My pliers have long tines but dull cutters, after nipping too many wire leaders. Snip. It was slow going. It could have been worse, but we were in fine weather and calm water. But I had to jam those pliers way into the torn chicken wire, dodging angry crabs, to make perhaps 40 cuts. The pliers were too dull to cut through double-twisted wire. Josh offered his newer pliers, but he’d dunked them a month earlier while wading, and they were too stiff to use. Mine were oiled, but getting dull. Snip. My prop had missed the thicker rebar on the lower side of the trap. Finally the mutilated trap unwrapped, and we were free. On we sped to the honeyhole.

STORY BY JOE RICHARD Which later left me thinking, what if we’d been unable to remove the trap? It was a Monday, and we didn’t see another boat, save for a crabber on the horizon, the owner no doubt wondering why one of his traps looked like a hand grenade had gone off inside it. But there we’d been, far from any marina, sketchy cell phone service, the motor paralyzed. Were we prepared to spend the night? No way. Neither of us smoke, so we had no matches. It wasn’t quite winter, so I’d left the survival bag at home. We had nothing but lunch. There was a patch of high ground a mile back in the marsh we could have poled to, but otherwise nothing but marsh grass, wet mud and wild hogs for at least eight miles. It might not have been too bad for us, but Josh is 75 years old with bad knees.

Since then, colder weather has arrived, so I’ve dug out the survival bag neglected during warmer days; it’s time to repack. I started carrying the darn thing after January 1991, when there were fatalities in Matagorda Bay off Port O’Connor, a big jonboat with four people from San Saba. Hypothermia and exposure got all but one of them— they said the survivor swam and then crawled back into marsh grass all night. We heard other grim tales as well, anglers or duck hunters caught in cold fronts, trying to return from the Army Hole, who tried and failed to beat their way back in a north wind. I figured if they’d just stayed on shore, wrapped up in a tarp, rustled up a hot meal over a fire, they’d have survived. Heck, there are sturdy buildings on the island. But things can go downhill quickly in stormy weather.

So, 22 years ago I put together that little survival bag with my favorite soups, a tarp and matches. I figured a marooned boat on a shoreline could provide enough gasoline for any fire, regardless of wet driftwood. Squeeze the gas bulb, and you could fill a coffee can. It worked many times with our Johnson’s fuel hose during adventurous high school years, anyway.

TSFMAG.com | 33

The bag went unused. Then, one morning A low tide day. Stick the boat way back in 1994, it was called into service. The in the marsh, and it may be some time variables of when and why a survival bag before you see the boat ramp again. will be needed are impossible to predict, but here’s how it went down: We were heading east into a rising sun, in Power Lake off San Antonio Bay, far from our ramp at Port O’Connor, when thump! At just-planing speed we hit a hidden sandbar with a very heavy, shallow-running boat. We walked around in chest waders, dug and pushed with bare hands. Nada. You know what they say: When the going gets tough, the tough go fishing.

That’s what we did, waiting for the tide to rise. Except it didn’t rise, not one inch. Three of us moved the boat about two feet, by sunset, digging and pushing when we didn’t fish. Sunset came and went, so I pulled out the survival bag. It was a calm and warm night, in early January. We built a fire on the sleep in moderate mosquitos. shoreline 50 yards away, the kindling and driftwood was dry enough.

Then it was 3 a.m. and I looked around. One of the guys was Wolfed down several cans of soup and beans. The Austin CEO with us, actually walking the boat into deeper water; the tide had risen four a college buddy, was mighty glad to wrap hands around his third of a inches during our 17-hour visit. We were far from the Gulf’s blessed can of pinto beans… tides. With a full moon, we were soon blasting north up Espiritu It was a nice night for camping. We slept under the stars, the little Santo Bay. There was no need for a light, and we easily dodged the tarp pulled over the three of us. Not much of a dinner; we lacked crab traps. Back in POC we hit the racks at 4 a.m. and lay comatose hot sauce and that soup was mighty bland. We had no Advil for until noon. Where we found the neighborhood smothered in thick, headaches or sore muscles, after pushing the boat. And we could warm fog. We celebrated our escape from the marsh with double have used a pint of something, to while away the evening or allow

Survival Gear Easier than spending the night is fixing the problem, and a small tool bag on the boat can make a difference. A wrench to change the prop, tin snips to get medieval on the next crab trap wrap-up, a small hammer, spark plug wrench, flathead and Phillips screwdrivers, back-up needle-nose pliers, and so on. Well-oiled and wrapped in a rag, then plastic. Distress flares and a loud whistle (for heavy fog or night rescues), both required by the Coast Guard, are nice additions.

Shannon Tompkins says he would add a Gerber multi-tool, insect dope, fresh water, fuel filters and spark plugs. No use swimming with a tool bag, however.

If your boat will carry a milk crate, bucket or both, these are handy during an impromptu campout. You can sit on them, carry items ashore, or haul kindling for the fire. They would also save squatting or sitting glumly on wet ground all night like a Karankawa. As for lighting a fire, large kitchen matches are far better at lighting gasoline on wet wood. You can stand upwind and pitch matches, without getting too close. Once a hearty blaze drives back the night, you can move in closer with the seats, wrap in the tarp and get busy with dinner. If you’ve run out of flares and a boat or helicopter passes by, you could even light a quick signal fire with gasoline. It’s hard to ignore a fireball, rising up from a shoreline.

You want a waterproof light that will illuminate navigation day markers from several hundred yards away. Not some pitiful thing from The X-files. Since we’ve returned to port many times after darkness fell, 34 | January 2013

a good light has saved us from many groundings and crab trappings.

A sturdy dive light with four D batteries served very well during our hardest years of running the bays. Of course a Q-beam can be seen miles away, but you’ll need a serious battery hook-up. You can’t swim far with a 12-volt battery.

As mentioned, you can’t predict the future. Some friend may talk you far back in the marsh where the big reds bite, but some Biblical three-day low tide could arrive, leaving you stranded and unwilling to abandon the boat. Perhaps in miserable weather. Or days of fog. With no cell phone coverage. Or the phone gets wet. If stuck, the least you can do is build a shelter, get a fire going, rustle up hot food, and sing around the campfire. Or not.

Just stay out of that cold water. If you get wet, get dry. If you can’t get dry, get warmer, preferably wrapped in a wind-proof tarp, eating up hot calories faster than you can shiver them away.

So, I’m packed for tomorrow’s trip. The little zipper bag holds a new 8x10 tarp, thin rope, Leatherman tool, stout soup, hot sauce, Advil, kitchen matches and lighter in Ziploc bag, waterproof flashlight, small strobe light, Irish snakebite medicine, a bag of Snickers for fast calories, plastic cups and spoons. Also a half-squeezed plastic gallon jug that can be fully inflated for extra buoyancy. You want that bag floating easy, when swimming grimly in cold waves. The jug can later be carved into a soup bowl—or to carry gasoline from a stranded boat to campfire.

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Photos courtesy of Dwayne Eschete and Angling Adventures of Louisiana.

guacamole jalapeno cheeseburgers from Hell at Josie’s. When the fog lifted we gave it another go, this time closer to POC. Except the CEO skipped town, drove back to Austin—he’d had enough fun. Soon we were anchored at Grassy Island, set out 40 decoys.

But within a half hour, an ominous black donut of a norther roared in from the northwest. Decoys swung around in unison, began to bob and dance, we were suddenly on a downwind shoreline. We scrambled to bag them up, and were soon scooting back into town as a cold rain fell. It left us wondering—what if we’d still been stuck back in Power Lake, food supply now gone, no shelter except for that little tarp. Not a life-threatening situation, but not as much fun as it sounds, either. And it could always be much worse, if another of those killer freezes hits the coast. If memory serves, there were perhaps a dozen fatalities along the entire Gulf Coast when the 1983 cold front hit, mostly stranded duck hunters who didn’t make it.

At any rate, there’s no way to predict the weird combinations of weather, tides and events that can sink or strand boaters. In winter it’s best to carry that zipper bag filled with necessities, and don’t risk swamping the boat in some storm-lashed bay where swimming and hypothermia means death is close at hand. If you can’t cross the bay in safety, (usually by taking an alternate route), you can always camp until tomorrow. If a bay shack or houseboat is available and life is threatened, I wouldn’t hesitate to jimmy a door or pop a window on the downwind side. I would imagine that very scenario has presented itself a few times, to the guys who fish isolated Baffin Bay, where a north wind offers cruel head-on seas back to Flour Bluff and shelter. Today’s boats are safer and far bigger, but can still become stranded. And cell phone coverage isn’t a given; even in Port O’Connor, I still have to stand in the middle of the street when using a Sprint phone. Even if your phone works, how many people will jump in their boat on a bad night, run through miles of hazardous, shallow water, especially at low tide, maybe in fog, just to tow you home?

Search and Rescue helicopter at work. A friend of mine running the CG in Port O’Connor said, “From a helicopter, looking for a guy swimming in the water is like trying to spot a floating coconut.”

Make is easier to be rescued, by carrying lights, flares, or by building a fire on shore.

36 | January 2013

a survivor’s taLe Tommy Bailey lived near Fulgham’s in Seadrift for many years, now resides in Port O’Connor, and has been running the winter bays there for many years. Years before, he was a helicopter pilot with the Army in Vietnam. He carries a survival bag after January 1977, when his airboat sank like a stone in the middle of Espiritu Santo Bay. His story: “Four of us hunted the morning out of Fulghams (west end of Espiritu Santo Bay), returned for lunch, and went back out for an afternoon hunt in my 15-foot Panther airboat,” Bailey says. “I didn’t know the area, back then. It was a fine day, but we didn’t check the weather. There were no cell phones, and weather forecasting was different back then. We headed across the bay to Pringle Lake, but a norther hit us just past halfway across the bay, with following seas. The airboat’s bow dips a little, we get a little spray, which hits the carburetor, and the engine quits. Real quick, the boat turns sideways in whitecaps. I’m wearing a life vest, but not the other guys. I yell ‘grab life jackets’, and two guys get them on quick, but the other guy doesn’t, and then the boat rolls over. We all have chest waders on, and struggle to pull them off. The guy without a life jacket floats away with the decoy bag, while trying to get his waders off, and we don’t see him again. We’re drifting towards Matagorda Island, the boat is gone, we’re in a pretty hard norther. We kind of give up on swimming, but the waves push us along. Some of the guys are so new to this area, they think we might be carried out into the Gulf. Maybe three hours later, we make it to shore. We’re real pleased to see the fourth guy, who we thought had drowned, just down the shoreline. He says he was just about done, when he felt his feet touch bottom.

“We’ve landed just about the mid-point of Pringle Lake, and take stock. None of our three cigarette lighters work. It’s sunset in January, and we don’t know the area.

I doubt if we could have walked to the barracks near the Army Hole, even if we’d known about it. The air isn’t freezing, but in the mid-40s or so. And we can’t get dry.

The guy without a jacket has it worse, after clinging to that decoy bag. He had no life jacket to retain body heat, and swimming wore him out.

“Now the wind is blowing and we’re cold, the air is colder than the water was.

We’re wearing goose down jackets, which are useless when wet. I have on a wool shirt, which probably saves me from hypothermia. The fourth guy, he’s starting to talk crazy. So we dig a hole on the back side of the sand berm that runs along the shoreline, it’s maybe three or four feet high, put him in the hole, and lay on top of him. Later that night, here comes this helicopter, cruising the low-tide bay shoreline with a bright spotlight. Looking for bodies, probably. We stand up, wave and yell…but we’re up behind the shore, wearing camo, no flashlight, no matches, no nothing. If we’d had any light at all, they’d have seen us. It’s a long night. Next morning a Coast Guard boat eases along the shore, spots us and picks us up. All of us are okay, after a hot cup of coffee.

“I’ve had five airboats since then, but I always take the shallowest route around the bay. The deepest water I’ll cover is the ICW. I see these guys crossing the bay in winter, saving a few minutes, but risking their lives. Today I never run without a life jacket on. In my jacket I carry a small (seriously water-proof ) Pelican case with matches, light, Leatherman, two waterproof cigarette lighters.

Even flint and steel. If you’re stuck out there, you have to build a fire. Our long night out there, we didn’t care about food, we only wanted a fire. I also now carry a bigger waterproof kit easy to grab in emergencies, with six aluminum bags to crawl into, food, all kinds of stuff.

“Most people have never been in that kind of situation, and probably don’t consider what can happen out there.”

A paid advertorial brought to you by Sportsman Boats

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On September 19, 2011, industry veterans Tommy Hancock and Dale Martin started Sportsman Boats.

Hancock and Martin met at Citation Boats, a company Hancock’s father owned. When Hancock’s father sold Citation in 1985, Martin went on to found Key West Boats. The following year, Hancock founded Sea Pro Boats. Both businesses grew quickly to become prominent players in the saltwater fishing boat industry.

Sea Pro was so popular that Brunswick Corporation, parent company of Sea Ray, Boston Whaler, Bayliner, and Mercury motors contacted Hancock in early 2004 about buying Sea Pro. After months of consideration, Hancock sold Sea Pro that December.

Coincidentally, Martin had sold his interest in Key West in 2003.

Hancock and Martin had kept in touch, each knowing the other still had a strong interest in building boats again.

The duo began looking at ways to reenter the marine industry.

They explored the idea of buying an existing boat builder but ultimately decided against that because technology had advanced so much and that technology although costly has helped them to bring a superior product to market.

With a combined 50 plus years of highly successful boat building experience, Hancock and Martin are possibly the brightest and most experienced in saltwater fishing boat manufacturing today.

On September 19, 2011, they launched Sportsman Boats. Their first model was the Heritage 229 Offshore which was introduced in February 2012, followed by the Masters 227 Bay, next the Masters 207 Bay, then the Heritage 211 Offshore and most recently, the Masters 247 Bay. A Heritage 251 Offshore and two Dual Console models are scheduled to arrive this Spring as well as two additional Center Console models sometime later in 2013.

“Having enough orders has not been a problem, the problem has been keeping up with demand and that’s a good problem to have” Hancock said.

“A dealer network has come together rather quickly with quality dealers from the North East down to Florida and over to Texas” said Hancock. In Texas alone there are eight dealerships carrying

38 | January 2013

Sportsman Boats today. Look for Sportsman’s full page ad (on page 3) to see a list of Texas dealers.

Sportsman has put together a lineup of high quality Bay and Offshore boats that have features that are fresh, functional and unique like the “Total Access” system. There is a lot to talk about on the Heritage Series Offshore boats but since we are in Texas, it makes sense to focus more on their “Masters Series” Bay Boats.

Along with extreme high quality, no wood construction, great ride and performance the “Masters Series” Bay Boats include 2 aerated livewells plus an aerated release / 3rd livewell that is standard on the 227 and 247 but optional on the 207, large anchor locker, 2 locking rod lockers that will hold 10 rods along with lots of other gear, a very comfortable leaning post, large front and rear casting decks, 5 pull up cleats, easy to clean yacht style non-skid. The ergonomically designed console features Yamaha digital gauges, hydraulic steering, stainless steel steering wheel with turning knob, built in deep footwell, large lockable glove compartment, easy front access to a large storage area inside the console and plenty of room to mount up to a 12” screen GPS / depthfinder just below your line of sight. Then there is “Total Access”. At first glance you see the large rear casting deck but when you raise the center lid it exposes a safe and comfortable ¾ bench seat that is large enough for two adults. Being positioned at center will protect your passengers from the spray, rain and wind that has always been a problem with side jump seats commonly found on other bay boat brands. Raise the stainless gas shock assisted seat bottom to expose a lockable storage compartment not found on any other bay boat that is large enough for an average size man to sit in below deck level. There you will realize how massive the storage area is but behind a removable bulkhead, you will also find easy access to the boats livewell, bilge and fuel systems as well as engine electrical and mechanical cabling.

Learn more about Sportsman Boats at: www.sportsmanboatsmfg. com or better yet, go test drive one at your local Sportsman dealer or see them at an upcoming Boat Show.

TSFMAG.com | 39

David Luna with a cold, shallow water, Corky trout – CPR!

J AY WAT K I N S

ASK THE PRO

MAKING ADJUSTMENTS Making ready for my two month stay in Port Mansfield, I took a break from packing to reflect on what was a pretty darn good year for me on my home waters of Aransas Bay. I feel better about our trout situation but by no means should this be taken as my endorsement of the current ten-fish trout limit. I still believe we need a five-fish limit along the middle Texas coast. Upper coast guru’s can call it as they see it up there but, down here, I think we need to cut it back to five.

Due to the growing popularity of black drum fishing in the Rockport area, many guides and anglers are now targeting this species, reducing the pressure on both trout and redfish and I’m all for it. These fish make excellent table fare when we run across them and they’ll eat a Bass Assassin or a small Gulp shrimp – you can bet I’ll string a few and recommend my clients do the same if they want fillets.

Redfish were at times harder for me to pattern this year. Having said that though, my primary focus is usually trout and many days we found the reds by accident. The fish we were able to pattern were heavier and often more plentiful than what the flats guys were reporting. Makes you wonder whether pressure on the 40 | January 2013

Nice cold morning trout for Jay.

When I went over these questions in my mind, my answers did not surprise me, although that first one really made me think a little.

Fishing has been mine and my boy’s life for over 30 years. Never really had a woman stick around long enough to use the words my family here, but Renee seems to be ok with it so far. Granted she is very independent and has her own career to which she is very dedicated and successful. Anyway – I thought I might take a few lines and give you my answer to that first question.

What I love most about fishing is the way it tests me. If every day was a gimme I’d have probably quit a long time ago. To me, it is not about what I already know – quite the opposite – it is the challenge of making what I think I know become reality. When I leave the dock I think I know how the day is going to play out. Truth is; I hope the day plays the way I see it in my head. The real truth is that it seldom does.

What I thrive on is the challenge of making adjustments to my game plan when the opposition runs plays that are not in the scouting report. Great coaches all make critical game-winning

changes at halftime. It’s what makes them great.

By nature, the priorities of the fish are simply eating, reproducing, and adapting to conditions. We are not even in the equation as far as they are concerned.

I think this is what makes fishing such a challenge even after a lifetime of doing it almost every day. Yep – it’s the adjustments we have to make that I love most about fishing. I also like winning and, maybe someday, I’ll be one of those great winning coaches.

Now I want to tell about a few things that will be new in my program for 2013.

I am going to make some changes in the tackle department. I am a big believer in using the best tackle I can afford. I love the toughness of many of the composite rods on the market today and I appreciate everything all the rod companies have contributed in the past and continue to offer this industry. At nearly thirty-three years in the business I am going back to custom-built, lightweight, high-modulus graphite rods. I have a client/fishing club member who is a premium rod builder and he will be building all my rods for me.

I have several that we are testing as I write this article. I will have a limited number of these rods to sell for those interested. Tons of good stuff on the racks at tackle stores no doubt, but I want the best blanks fitted with the best components, so custom is the route for me. In the reel department I will be switching to the Quantum EXO 100. This reel weighs a scant 5.9 ounces with three different gear ratios available and a silky-smooth drag system. I need light weight and variable speeds of retrieve for what I do. If Kevin Van Dam uses them, they must be good.

Last but not least, I’ll be running a 23 Haynie Cat with a 250 Pro XS Mercury while in Port Mansfield this winter. The shallow draft will aid in shallow water adjustments and the boat’s length and beam width will still allow for rough-water performance. I have been running the boat the past few days and love it so far. I’ll get another 24 High Output when I return in March for my home waters. If you want to order any of the Haynie boats I certainly would not wait too long.

Alright enough of that – What’s the game plan for January? Simple for me, I’ll be in Port Mansfield from December 26 until March 1 chasing that trout of a lifetime and making adjustments in a fishery that I don’t know all that well…yet.

Oh, and just for the record, that cup of coffee is always half full to me.

May your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins

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flats may be changing the way redfish Robert Mays with now use deeper water on average. nice flatty on a Corky.

I get lots of questions from those who fish with me or read my articles in this magazine. There is no such thing as a stupid question even though we might think differently at times. If you don’t ask questions you don’t get answers and without answers you cannot learn. So – I’d like to try something different this month.

I want to ask you some questions and I want you to be honest in your answers as this is the only way we can ever hope to improve our game. Here we go: • What is it about fishing that you love most?

• Are you comfortable with your present level of angling skill?

• What about your abilities with your rod and reel?

• Does lure selection confuse you?

• How about your fish-finding skills?

• Are you the run-and-gun type or more of a grinder?

• Do you consider yourself coachable?

• Do you ever practice before you play?

• Are you able to see underwater structure in a clear-water fishery?

• Do you understand how predation really works?

• What’s your feeling about consulting the tide and solunar charts prior to your fishing trip?

• Do you depend on others for fishing information or do you use theirs along with yours to gain a clearer picture of what is available?

• Does your phone battery go dead before day’s end? (Just kidding.)

• Are you comfortable running your boat in rough seas or shallow water?

• Do the articles in our magazine enable you to become a better angler? (Of course this applies most if this is your reason for purchasing it.)

• Do you see life’s cup of coffee half full or half empty?

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

361-729-9596 Jay@jaywatkins.com www.jaywatkins.com TSFMAG.com | 41

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

S H A L L O W W AT E R F I S H I N G

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

...AT LEAST A BIT CLOSER The late fall morning dawned clear and cool. The wind from the recent front had subsided and the water levels had returned to normal. As is often the case on the upper coast, the chilled water had cleared allowing some of the best visibility of the year. Shutting down the big motor we could hear the reds crushing lesser critters deep in the marsh. My customers were dedicated openwater trout fishermen who had booked with me to see what all this redfish hunting was about. These guys had plenty of salt in their veins and their well-worn quality gear boosted my confidence for a great day.

The reds had been feasting on small shrimp that were still hanging out in the edges of the cord grass. I rigged them up with a couple light-colored Buggs jigs and jumped up on my poling platform. As we eased through a small bayou towards a shallow lake the guys stood anxiously on the bow. Knowing we were nearing the fray, I went over the best way to present the lure.

These fish are bumping the grass edges and mud bottom looking to dislodge a shrimp for a quick and easy snack.

42 | January 2013

Last month McBride mentioned the term “metabolic cost” and it certainly applies here. They’re not going to waste much energy chasing down such a small piece of food.

In this situation their cone of attention is fairly small so the lure needs to be within a foot of their face. If you miss the mark they won’t chase it so just burn it back in for another shot.

The guys nodded their heads to let me know they were taking it all in. A few minutes later we slide into the lake. From my elevated vantage point I see a pod of reds prowling the edge.

“Three reds at one o’clock against the shoreline cruising left to right. Y’all got ‘em?”

In unison, “yep.”

“Good, drop it against the bank a foot or so out front of the lead fish.”

The next few moments involved a flurry of errant casts, cursing and finally…three large wakes fleeing past us and down the bayou we just left. The rest of the morning was like a broken record. Too far out front,

too far behind, short, long and hung in the grass, hit the fish on the head. You get the idea. Luckily these guys had a great attitude and were enjoying seeing reds do things they’d never seen before. They were also lifelong fishing buddies and the ribbing reminded me of trash talking your buds over the misses in a dove field. Eventually we found a few reds that were either very aggressive or mentally deficient enough to attack a lure that landed in the same zip code. As we parted ways at the dock both assured me they were coming back, but first they were going to practice their casting.

Sight-casting is a game that requires some cooperation from Mother Nature with her blessing of favorable conditions. She doesn’t always want to play fair and even when she does, the fish sometimes don’t get the memo. While these things you can’t control make it frustrating, we dedicated sight-fishing anglers learn to deal with it and do the best we can. The real frustration comes when the conditions and fish cooperate, but we can’t close the deal due to our own deficiencies.

I see it all the time. The majority of saltwater anglers are more interested in how far they can cast than hitting a specific spot. It’s understandable because in most situations it is more important to cover as much water as possible. Sure there are targets; you want to hit that raft of mullet or the edge of a slick. That is far different from quietly dropping a jig into a dinner plate-sized area ahead of a moving fish from a moving boat while playing the wind. Getting good at it requires practice. I often equate what I do to bow hunting. We’re stalking through the area hunting for a redfish. Once located you’ll often only get one shot. You wouldn’t wander off into the woods with a bow having not loosed at least a few arrows into a target, so why not TSFMAG.com | 43

44 | January 2013

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spend a little time practicing with your rod and reel?

Back when I was a sales rep with Shimano I spent a great deal of time hanging out at various events manning a product display.

Often times it was a tournament location and there weren’t a whole lot of lookers until the crowds started showing up around weigh-in time. I’d pick up a rig and start tossing. I’d throw from a variety of angles and work on hitting whatever was handy. Over time I got to a point where I was dropping a practice plug into a coffee mug nearly every cast whether it was underhand, overhand, from the right or left side. When I hit the water the game was a whole lot easier. Having confidence in a variety of casts let me choose the best angle for whatever direction the fish presented.

The best part of casting practice is that you don’t need a big space or any special equipment to get it done. There’s no need to head out to the driving range to hit golf balls or worry about an errant arrow ending up in your neighbor’s fence. Take an old jig head, clip the hook off and start tossing it around the yard. If you get inspired, scatter out some paper plates at different distances and make a game out of it. With just a few minutes here and there you’ll be surprised how easy it is to up your game.

This isn’t limited to conventional gear.

Fly fishermen tend to spend a bit more time practicing their casting simply because a good casting stroke takes some time to develop, but even the fly guys get hung up too much on distance. Most every saltwater fly fisherman I talk with knows how far they can cast and they’re always striving for more. While it’s great to be able to toss a fly eighty feet when needed, it doesn’t do a bit of good if it touches down ten feet off target. I much prefer to have a customer standing on the bow who can consistently nail a forty foot cast over one who can throw into the backing with no clue where it’s going.

I turned my fly casting practice into a game by scattering half a dozen aluminum cans around the yard and hitting them with an old fly I had clipped the hook from.

The pleasing “tink” of a hit was like a kid shooting a BB gun. I’d start off fairly close and had to hit each one in succession with a single backcast. Once done, I’d move back five steps and do it again.

My neighbors gave up making fun of me years ago, but if you’re not up for practicing in the yard you can get in some practice every time you’re out on the water. Next time you’re out there just blind casting, try picking out a small target.

Bubbles, pieces of floating grass, a crab trap buoy, or whatever else you see. Make every cast count and then when you do see that big ol’ red cruising by you’ll be much less likely to choke. It’s a lot more fun watching him inhale your lure than it is to stand there helplessly as you watch him throw up a rooster tail while heading for the next county.

Capt. Scott Null is a devout shallow water fisherman offering guided adventues via kayak, poled skiff, and wading.

Telephone Email Website

281-450-2206 scott@tsfmag.com www.captainscottnull.com

2013-TX-pb-red.pdf

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This product line, that MirrOlure has taken over and continues to develop, is one of my top lures in my tackle bag. My choice is the Fat Boy. I call it My Slam Bait, because it catches all three in-shore species, quite well.”

Look for the Paul Brown Original Series lures at a tackle dealer near you.

Paul Brown’s Original 22 Red Head

Paul Brown’s Fat Boy 15 Bone Paul Brown’s Devil 49 Bayou Green

Capt. C.A. Richardson

Flats Class TV Host and Professional Guide

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5 MODELS TO CHOOSE FROM All models available in 29 Colors.

Paul Brown’s Original Paul Brown’s Floating Original Paul Brown’s Fat Boy Paul Brown’s Floating Fat Boy Paul Brown’s Devil TSFMAG.com | 45

Fig. 2 Average length of landed spotted seatrout along the Texas gulf coast during1988-2008.

Although fluctuating landings have remained close to 17 5/16 inches.

By Mike Birchfield Coastal Fisheries Summer Intern | Corpus Christi

FIELD NOTES

DATA FROM HARVEST SURVEYS ALONG

THE TEXAS GULF COAST

If you’re one of the lucky people in Texas who frequently fish our coastal waters and launch your vessel at boat ramps, then most likely as you exited the water you were interviewed by the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). Working as a summer intern with the upper Laguna Madre ecosystem team I had the privilege to be a part of many

Fig. 3 Average length of landed red drum along the Texas gulf coast during 19882008. An average size landed remained close to 23 3/8 inches through the years.

46 | January 2013

harvest surveys, also known as creel surveys. One of the enjoyable aspects at the boat ramps was watching anglers show off their fish box full of spotted seatrout and red drum and seeing how much they enjoyed a great trip on the water. During the 14 eight-hour surveys I assisted with, I came to realize the anglers participating in the surveys all posed similar questions. The most common

questions being: Why does TPWD perform these surveys, and more importantly, what is done with these data and how are they interpreted?

Harvest surveys obtain necessary information for the effective management of recreational and commercial fisheries in Texas. This is accomplished by completing on-site trip-ending interviews of sport boat anglers at multiple boat ramps along the Texas coastline including private and party (guided) boats exiting the state’s bay and gulf waters. Survey questions are designed to estimate annual daytime fishing pressure (hours per person spent fishing), landings (number of each species harvested), catch rate (number of each species caught per person), and fish lengths (measured nose to tail in millimeters).

Where do all the data go once they are collected? Annually, Coastal Fisheries staff evaluates trends among fishing pressure and catch rates of individual species. These trends are used to identify concerns with individual species and can be addressed through the formal regulatory process if necessary. After several rounds of editing and database entry, data are compiled and published every 5 years with 2008 being the most recent compilation.

Let’s look at some data spanning the 20 years from 1988 to 2008.

An average of 9,511 private trips (comprising 22,788 individual anglers) and 625 party boat trips (approximately 2,344 anglers) were recorded annually along the Texas Gulf Coast. Annually, for every one guided trip, private boat anglers made 15 trips. Total estimated landings per year are calculated using actual harvest survey data at ramps as well as adjustments for estimates of landings and pressure when actual surveys are not conducted.

Through my observations during the internship, most anglers seemed concerned about fish and shellfish populations, fish lengths, and, most notably, if TPWD was going to reduce the bag limits on spotted seatrout.

It should come as no surprise that the two most sought after species along the Texas gulf coast are spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) and red drum (Sciaenops occelatus) comprising almost 79% of what surveyed anglers were seeking during their fishing trips. Annually, private anglers landed an estimated 632,430 spotted seatrout and 178,900 red drum and guided boat anglers landed an estimated 236,620 spotted seatrout and 50,435 red drum. Landings of trout and red drum appear to remain stable, with the exception of the 1989 winter freeze that hurt catches for years following the freeze and a rise in spotted seatrout landings from 1997-2002 stemming from increased license sales as well as a possible “trophy trout fever” after a

Fig. 1 Estimated landings of spotted seatrout and red drum during 1988-2008. The effects of the freeze of 1989 are apparent on both species, as well as the effect of ‘trophy trout fever’ in 1997-2002.

state record trout was caught in 1996 (Fig. 1). Given the landings data and along with record spotted seatrout recruitment rates (the number of new juvenile fish reaching a size/age where they represent a viable target for the sport fishery) being reported along the gulf coast in the last three years, it would seem that our gulf coast fishery has the ability to support the current fishing pressure of our anglers.

The average annual total length of harvested spotted seatrout and red drum between 1988 and 2008 has remained at approximately 17 and 23 inches, respectively. (Figures. 2-3). While talking about lengths, another comment anglers routinely made was the high number of undersized spotted seatrout they caught and had to throw back. Often in properly managed fisheries there can be a stockpile of fish right below a minimum length limit as observed with spotted seatrout. However, the length limit is in place to allow for the younger spotted seatrout to reproduce at least once before reaching a harvestable length of 15 inches.

One of the many things that I took away from my internship with TPWD was that fish populations are very fluid, increasing and decreasing from year to year, not only affected by anglers but also environmental factors. As the population of Texas grows, the number of anglers and amount of pressure placed on our fisheries will increase as well. This illustrates how important it is to monitor our fisheries for the possible need of regulation changes, not only for current use but for future generations. The information gathered from these surveys is necessary to protect our coastal fisheries and could not be obtained without the help of public participation. So, the next time that you pull up to the boat ramp after a great day on the water and you see a TPWD staffer heading your way, be sure to share your trip with them and don’t forget to show off your fish box.

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

TSFMAG.com | 47

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

F LY F I S H I N G

SO YOU WANT TO

LEARN TO TIE FLIES...

One of the things I love most about being a fly fisherman is the joy of tricking one of Mother Nature’s finest on a bait I have created with my own hands. As unlikely as it sounds, I learned the basics of fly tying years before I ever learned to cast a fly rod, but it was not a skill I mastered until I became a full-time guide and tying flies became a necessity. It was the need to save money and time that prompted me to learn all that I could and become proficient at tying. Over the years I have learned a few tricks that have made sitting down at the vise more productive and more enjoyable so… I thought I might share some of what I have learned.

Organization One of the first things I learned about productive tying is that organization is the key. Now coming from me, this concept is insanely laughable considering the fact that my life as about as organized as a, well… a twoyear-old’s toy box. But, knowing where everything is when you need it accomplishes two things. The first is as simple as- if you do not have to look for what you need, it saves time. The second is that, by being able to see all the materials separately, it allows your mind to relax and in turn, the creative juices to start to flow.

48 | January 2013

Over the years I have attacked the problem of disorganization many ways. If a person is just tying on a small scale and sticking to the basics, say like occasionally tying a couple of redfish flies here and there, a few divided Plano boxes for materials and a small tackle box for tools and such will do the trick. But say you are heading off to Mexico to fish for tarpon and, oh, by the way, there will be opportunities for bonefish and permit too and you want to fill your fly boxes.

Well, the amount of materials you need just tripled or quadrupled.

At first, I started out just like I mentioned above but, over time, as I became more skilled and more creative, I needed more and better organization. As a rule, my every day fly tying necessities are contained within what I call my “fish camp” box. It is a large Plano tackle box that contains 100% of all that I need to maintain my fly boxes at near capacity while I am guiding the inshore waters of the Texas Gulf Coast. The shelves organize my tools, hooks and smaller packages of materials while the box section below contains all of my materials sorted in quart and gallon freezer bags.

However, when I need to tie in bulk or tie flies to travel with, I like being in the “man cave” where sits one

Think Outside the Box When people think about tying flies the first thing that comes to mind is feathers and fur. Well, if you are reading this and have an interest in fly fishing, it is a safe bet you have been to a fly shop and perused all the offerings. No doubt you already understand that flies are no longer crafted of all-natural materials. Synthetics have in fact become a huge part of modern-day tying.

Obviously, the place to find the best materials is at a fly shop.

In fact, one of the absolutely best shops that I have found for tying materials is smack dab in the heart of Texas at a shop called The Sportsman’s Finest just outside Austin in Bee Caves. Another great

place to find what you need, at least in regards to tying saltwater patterns, is Fishing Tackle Unlimited. However, another great place to locate materials and, surprisingly to get inspired, would be Hobby Lobby. I cannot tell you how many times, while strolling the aisles, I have spotted something that has given me an idea for, if not a new fly, a better or easier way to tie an existing pattern.

Another little tip that I have to offer is, while the tools that are necessary for tying flies are best located at your favorite fly shopthere are quite a few tools that make life much more enjoyable behind the vise that cannot be found at a fly shop. Probably the best example of this is the various pliers and cutters I use for cutting beadchain eyes, mono and hard nylon and wire. They are the Craftsman brand that can only be found at Sears. Another favorite that I have discovered is this killer little set of micro files that I found at a small hardware store in my hometown that are perfect for shaping balsa and foam poppers. Then there is the cauterizing tool I received from a customer that is a surgeon. The uses I have found for the cautery tip have been too numerous to even begin to describe.

The simple truth of it is that, like everything else in this world, you can only get out of time at the vise what you are willing to put into it.

Having more materials and a variety of tools at your disposal allows for a more productive session at the bench. The long and short of it is this- if you make fly tying easier, it is exponentially more enjoyable.

Be gude…and stuff like that.

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of my most treasured possessions.

For years I had wanted a desk specifically for tying flies but could never find one that encompassed my vision of what I thought I needed. I considered having one built and even got a few quotes to have it done but the prices that I got were far beyond my means.

Anyway, a few years back my aunt gave me a call and asked if I would like an old jeweler’s bench that she had. To tell the truth, I was not that interested but she described it in just a way that it piqued my curiosity so I had to go at least take a look. When I saw it, I had to have it. Unlike a desk, this was a bench that I could stand at and work or, if I was in the mood to sit and tie, it had a tray that I could pull out that was the perfect height and the tray caught all of my trimmings and kept small components such as lead eyes or beads from falling to the floor should my less than nimble fingers dropped them.

Made from aluminum, it has a wooden top and numerous drawers of varying sizes that contains everything that I could possibly need to create all of the “fish food” I could ever hope to use. In fact, I could probably tie for the next five years on just the materials contained within the bench today. If you are looking for a place to tie flies, I highly recommend that you make an effort to find a jeweler’s table. It truly makes tying easier and more enjoyable.

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

TSFMAG.com | 49

Larry, John, Ernest, Julian after a fun duck hunt.

MARCOS GARZA

YO U T H F I S H I N G

RODS, SHOTGUNS, OR BOTH? During the first half of duck season I had the privilege of accompanying my dad and his clients on a cast and blast weekend. The water was a little chilly and the sun was up high with a light breeze from the southeast. We were just starting our day in the great and wonderful place we call the outdoors. My dad’s plan was to head over by the north side of the East Cut to make sure that we were back in time to get all of our gear ready for the duck hunt in the afternoon. We hopped off the boat and our first instinct was to throw topwaters. After about an hour of topwaters, my dad had the only fish on the stringer. I decided to change it up and throw an avocado-red flake Kelley Wiggler tail.

With my new and lethal fish catching weapon, I began casting. My dad called me over and had me walk out to his left into deeper water. We walked up another 50 yards or so and immediately started catching fish. We looked around and saw that we were standing in trout slicks. We had trout swimming around us and popping next to us.

50 | January 2013

All four of us were catching trout on almost every cast. The trout we were catching were all pretty solid fish. Through all the chaos, Julian was lucky enough to catch the biggest trout of the day. After this, it slowed down a little, but not much. I waved for the guys to move over to me to because I was surrounded by trout. We caught a few more and then we headed for a different spot for the last 30 minutes of the morning. My expectations for the day had already been surpassed because of how many fish we caught even though most of them were small. We headed back in with a decent box of fish for half a day of fishing.

We got back in and my dad and I gathered all of our decoys and headed back to the dock. We met the guys, loaded up the boat and we were off to start our hunt. My dad beached the boat on an island south of Port. We set up the decoys, loaded our shotguns, and sat on the island waiting for the ducks to fly overhead.

First, they came in groups of three or more at a time but were too high to attempt a shot. We waited maybe 10

minutes and then suddenly, a large cloud of ducks flew in. There must have been at least 100 ducks in this one group. We were all so amazed and in awe, that we didn’t even think to shoot at them at all. We just let them come in and sit in with the decoys. The guys didn’t wait too long before taking a few red heads out. Within 15 minutes, we had our limits of red heads. So with our time left over, the guys thought we should wait for other species of duck to come in.

Julian Gonzales – CPR!

While waiting, giant clouds of ducks came through our area in the thousands. We couldn’t believe how many ducks there were. Even Ernest, one of the clients and the most seasoned duck hunter of the group, was amazed at the amount of ducks. We just sat there and watched them fly in and out without calling any of them in. All we had to do was aim and squeeze the trigger, not once did we have to pull out a call.

The experience of just watching so many ducks fly by and just land 10 feet away from us was purely amazing. All of us were full of awe because we had never seen anything like it before.

There are only a few people that duck hunt here in Port Mansfield and that is what makes it such a prime spot for fishing and hunting. It’s also the reason that there are so many ducks in our area. I enjoyed my first duck hunt with my dad and his clients.

They made my experience fun and enjoyable. I hope everybody enjoyed their holidays.

TSFMAG.com | 51

MIKE JENNINGS

TEXAS NEARSHORE & OFFSHORE

OFF-LIMITS BY DEFAULT As we enter a new year and look forward to warmer days on the water I find myself with lots of time to think of the upcoming fishing season. We have all heard of recent regulatory changes that reduce our fishing opportunity but I’m here to tell you there are many worthy game fish in the Gulf of Mexico that are commonly overlooked. One such family of challenging fish would be the sharks, and for the way I fish most of the time, we’re talking mainly blacktip and Atlantic sharpnose. Anglers seem to have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with sharks, with some thinking of them as a complete nuisance.

I personally love the aggressive nature 52 | January 2013

and strong fighting characteristics of sharks and enjoy watching a big blacktip go berserk and get airborne with jumps that rival even the liveliest tarpon.

It would probably surprise many seasoned coastal fisherman to learn how many of my clients ask about their chances of catching a shark. Many want to actively target them, especially the youngsters onboard. To them it really doesn’t matter how big it is, they just simply want to catch one. Being the apex predator of the world’s oceans and having been sensationalized in movies, TV documentaries, and Discovery Channel’s famed Shark Week; the fascination with sharks among youngsters is easy to understand.

I would venture to say the blacktip is the most sought-after species when people are looking to catch a shark in the Gulf. The blacktip is found along the coast of the United States from New England to Mexico but are most prevalent between North Carolina and Texas. The blacktip is a relatively fast-growing shark reaching maturity at about 4-5 years of age and commonly living longer than 10 years. They also have a relatively large litter of pups, about 6 per litter. Blacktips can reach a maximum size of about 6 feet in length. Two other popular sharks found in deeper water off our shores would be the mako and hammerhead, though both are thought to be currently overfished, due perhaps more to their slow rate of growth than anything else.

While the two most common sharks along the Texas coast (blacktip and Atlantic sharpnose) are currently in good numbers and not subject currently to overfishing, in many parts of the world sharks in general have definitely been overfished, some to the brink of destruction.

Shark finning – the wasteful practice of removing shark’s fins and discarding the fish overboard to die in support of the popularity and demand for Shark Fin Soup in some cultures – has taken a massive toll. Finning, though illegal in US waters, is unfortunately lucrative and widely practiced in some foreign commercial fisheries.

Various well-meaning measures have been implemented to protect declining shark populations around the world. Even our own congress has passed legislation specific to these species. Some have proved beneficial while others have fallen on corrupt foreign governments that turn a blind eye to illegal landings.

Some local measures have had limited success due to the misconception that all sharks are endangered. One such effort in Florida is called The Shark-Free Marina Initiative. This initiative has a singular purpose, to reduce shark mortality worldwide; encouraging shark conservation at sport fishing and resort marinas through prohibiting the landing of ANY shark at the participating marina. This group encouraged a blanket no-take approach rather than managing each species depending on its needs. As responsible fishermen and consumptive users of the resource, we usually have a hard time wrapping our arms around this style of management.

NOAA Fisheries’ own comments on the management of blacktip sharks reads as follows.

“Commercial and recreational fishing regulations are in place for this species in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, where they are part of the large coastal shark (LCS) management group. The status of blacktip sharks in the Atlantic is unknown, whereas the status of blacktip sharks in the Gulf of Mexico is that they are not currently overfished. In the Pacific, blacktip sharks are not landed in commercial or recreational TSFMAG.com | 53

54 | January 2013

not wanting to catch them anyway and snobbishly wondering why anyone would care if they were just completely off-limits.

Personally, I have seen the numbers of people who really enjoy the pursuit of our ocean’s apex predators and would like to see that option of retaining one for the table left up to that individual…if from a sustainability angle the resource can allow it.

It seems that many of my writings and much of the daily dock talk is becoming less about fishing and more about the federal management of our fisheries. To me it’s become a full time job just keeping up with the changes and trying to understand how we can balance the enjoyment of offshore fishing while following the rules and keeping my nose clean, so to speak. But one has to wonder – if a fishery is not undergoing overfishing and is sustainable at the current rate of harvest – then why are federal fisheries managers considering rule changes that would make these smaller species of sharks off-limits by default?

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fisheries and no management measures are in place for this species.

Finning is prohibited for all shark species.”

Taking a “short look” at the vulnerability and plight of certain shark species, NOAA has recently proposed a rule change increasing the minimum size for the taking Atlantic and Gulf sharks. NOAA has outlined several alternatives and wants to increase the minimum fork length from 54 to 96 inches. Wow – that’s a whopping 8 feet – including sharks that never grow to that length…and the final outcome will depend upon how the final ruling is written. The final ruling could also bring about other requirements for recreational fisherman catching sharks.

Now here is the kicker and let this one sink in – all recreational fisherman who want to take and retain any Highly Migratory Species; i.e. yellowfin tuna, are required to purchase annually, an HMS or Highly Migratory Species permit. This permit not only allows them to retain certain fish, it may also require those same anglers to follow federal guidelines regardless of where they are fishing, thus making the taking of sharks under 96 inches illegal even in state waters open to such fishing. This very rule was used against the federally-permitted charter boats preventing them from taking part in the Texas state water year-round-open red snapper fishery. Essentially – if you have the permits on the boat; you will be required to adhere to the more restrictive federal guidelines. I fear many will fall victim to this one important detail, making it unlawful for fishermen to take sharks that are legal in Texas state waters.

Much is still up in the air depending the final rulings; I also know that I am talking sharks here, and many will make comments about

Captain Mike Jennings is a professional charter captain with more than 25 years offshore experience. Mike is the owner/operator of Cowboy Charters in Freeport TX and is known locally for running further and fishing harder for his clients.

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CADE SIMPSON

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

"TROUT SCOUTIN' & RED WRANGLIN'" Where: Christmas Bay When: Mid-November Weather: Mostly clear, 50-60°F, winds SE around 10 mph.

Tackle: Conventional - Soft plastics and Spooks.

Hook-N-Line Map Series: F103 Sleeps: (Surfside area), Ocean Village Hotel, The Breeze Hotel and RV, Anchor Motel Eats: (Surfside), Red Snapper Inn, Hammerhead Bar Hitting the Water My mind is on trout, specifically big ones. I am by no means a trout expert so this trip was a “get my feet wet” learning experience to more or less just find trout of any size and learn to catch them. Rather than solely focusing on sighting for backs and tails of feeding reds, I also kept an eye out for trout slicks, working birds in the open water, etc. I also continually stuck my paddle down into the bay floor to test the water depth and floor type, be it mud, sand, shell, or a mixture thereof.

At one point mid-morning the birds did exactly what every fisherman wants by flocking together and terrorizing the water/fish below. My two fishing buddies and I took firm grips on our paddles and made haste toward the chaos going on about 400 yards away. We approached the scene and immediately began casting.

56 | January 2013

Sunrise on Christmas Bay!

One of the author’s Christmas Bay reds on a beautiful late-fall morning.

FISH ON! Cliff was first to get a hook-up on his Norton Bull Minnow. As he got the fish to the yak he realized it was a red. About that time, my second cast, I too hooked up on a red. After the battle and the release, my next cast was met with a solid thump and another nice slot red.

Cory meanwhile was working a Super Spook on top and kept getting kisses but no hook-ups. He finally got a hook-set and the fish turned out to be an undersized trout. Cliff’s second fish of this group was also a trout, a little better specimen at about 17 inches.

Just as things were looking really good, a flats skiff buzzed by, courteously giving as wide a berth as possible without grounding on nearby shallow reefs, but in that vicinity the damage was done and the birds and fish both vanished. Making note of the water and bottom structure where it all went down, we moved on hoping to put the information gathered to good use elsewhere.

For the remainder of the day we paddled the marsh shorelines and shallow flats and picked up a few more reds. We continued to keep our eyes peeled for trout signs and did chase one more group of working birds, but nothing like the first bunch.

Wrap up • The weekend of this fishing trip is easily one of my best-ever in the outdoors. Not only did we have beautiful weather and water conditions for kayak fishing, and some very willing reds; I was lucky the day before to harvest a very nice whitetail buck.

• Referring back to a goal set a few months ago about a 30+ redfish on fly; Cliff got it done on a solo kayak trip of his own.

• I received email from a reader recently asking my thoughts and knowledge of what I will call the fisherman’s and duck hunter’s right-of-way. The question was: What are the laws/protocols on the scenario where fishermen (in this case kayak fisherman) and duck hunters cross paths on the water?

I sent an email to TPWD inquiring of laws related to the matter but have no answers as of press time. I also began reading online and asking other knowledgeable hunters and fishermen TSFMAG.com | 57

#1 SEA HUNT Dealer in TX

small backcountry lake or cove. If you paddle to an area and find another fisherman, you hopefully will be respectful enough to leave them and find another spot.

Back to encounters with duck hunters; much of the time the hunters will pull out long about mid-morning, so just back off for a few hours, share the water and let them do their thing. You can always fish the spot later when they’re gone.

Always remember that waterfowl hunters are your fellow outdoorsmen and many of them are also anglers.

Until next time; have fun, be safe, and bring a friend.

Christmas Bay Region Contacts: Ocean Village – www.oceanvillagehotel.com Red Snapper Inn – www.redsnapperinn.com Guide Service – www.RicksKayakAdventures.com Milestone red – Cliff’s first 30+ on fly.

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their thoughts. I found a forum thread on Texaskayakfisherman. com devoted to this very topic. With no official response from TPWD or other law enforcement, here’s what I have to say – my opinion only!

What it boils down to is common sense and courtesy. On the side of sense, be aware of your surroundings and be well-informed as regards hunting seasons and the likelihood that you might be heading into a popular hunting area.

The last thing anyone wants is to be involved in a “Dick Cheney” on the water. Be courteous and unselfish, and by all means, always strive to be the bigger man.

The outdoors is everybody’s to share and the fact of the matter is that duck season is only a couple of months out of the year, whereas the fish can be chased 24/7/365. Now that I think about it, this situation is no different really than two fishermen meeting up in a

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t Chris Mapp’s Boa s Maintenance Tip What a great fishing season we had in 2012 and now we are doing much needed winter/off-season services and repairs to get ready for 2013.

Servicing your outboard’s lower-unit should be part of your regular Preventive Maintenance Plan, especially at the start of a new season. Shown here is a photo made recently that indicates very clearly the need for annual services and why pulling the prop regularly on your outboard is also so vitally important – and can be a real money saver in the long run.

Notice the bottom portion of the seal area that has degraded due to corrosion over the years. Pulling the prop on a regular basis would have caught this early. There is a large aluminum ring with teeth, this is the locking ring and allows us to remove the bearing carrier that has sustained the damage. This ring is critical to remove every year to lubricate and reinstall so when the seals or seal area is damaged and this piece has to be removed, the salt or mineral buildup will not require excess force or heat to remove the bearing carrier without the possibility of warping the gearcase. In this case saltwater has already entered the unit and the oil was pushed out causing bearing and gear failure.

From the first year of ownership to the last, an inspection of this area is simple for an owner to perform and should be part of the annual service by your provider.

Take a sample of the fluid every few fishing weeks; remove the prop to check for fishing line that might be wrapped there, and change the gear lube twice a year.

Need help? We have started posting how-to videos on our Facebook and Coastal Bend Marine website.

Mojo

Thank you and have a great 2013 season!

Chris Mapp Coastal Bend Marine 361 983 4841 www.coastalbendmarine.com TSFMAG.com | 59

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

THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY MAKING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR BEACH & KAYAKING PHOTOS Our great sport thrives due to the remarkable personal experiences we gather during countless unforgettable adventures. Photography has long been a prime medium to freeze and capture time, encasing the moment to reminisce upon. There is no greater joy than sharing these moments with others who were not there - allowing the eagerly anxious to be swallowed up within the vivid photos during your storytelling.

We are living in an incredible time period in regards to media technology. Imagine if every outdoor enthusiast in the early to mid-1900’s possessed some sort of highend digital camera. The ability to look back in history with extreme clarity at what once was, both in society and nature, would be the greatest asset in historical documentation.

Unfortunately, technology of those early times produced a limited availability of cameras sportsmen could afford to purchase and carry afield. Photos back then were fair quality at best, made with expensive and bulky equipment, not to mention that attempting to make a quality photo was extremely tedious with low light and/or movement in backgrounds. High-quality, 60 | January 2013

user-friendly cameras just did not make their way into angler’s hands until well into the latter half of the last century. With this being said, we do have to be very thankful for what was captured on film during the founding years of angling and sportfishing along the Texas coast. If it were not for the sub-par (in terms of modern standards) cameras of the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s... could our imaginations really conjure up the black and white images of mammoth 500lb+ Goliath Grouper taken from various structures of our coastline? Or what about the monstrous sawfish such as the legendary Texas state record by Gus Pangarakis from 1939? These incredible photos, which in reality are classic visual artifacts, record but a mere micro-fraction of all the incredible catches and aquatic adventures that have ever been embarked upon.

Photographic documentation on today’s scale would have preserved many more unbelievable feats and encounters that were lost over time. There is no telling how many 15 pound seatrout over the past 100 years have really been caught from the bays. As an avid sharkfishermen, I wonder how incredible it would be to have

the chance to look at photos of countless 12’+ sharks that were caught or encountered before the 1960s and never photographed. The vast majority of these stories were lost when those who were there passed on. Photography is a means of record keeping and logging the past. It is not only about sharing a piece of time with your friends, but with humanity in general. So let’s jump ahead to present day and with the advance in technology, the shear capabilities are nothing short of amazing. More people than ever are utilizing digital media to capture and share their experiences and we are all better for it.

I make no claim to being a professional photographer. I received no training other than trial and error, the same as all of my computer-related endeavors. Thanks to technology though, you do not have to be a “scholared” professional or need to use the highest-dollar equipment to get stunning photos. Technology makes up for a lot but you do need to be keen about the main concepts of successful photography. Taking a good photo is far more than just pressing the

TSFMAG.com | 61

shutter while randomly pointing at your subject. Everything from lighting, framing, amount of movement, and the ability to properly focus contribute to taking a quality photo. With todays latest and greatest in digital cameras, the auto setting takes care of many of the finetuning issues.

I did not think much about photography in the early days of my fishing career. During beach trips I carried cheap disposable cameras – if I remembered to pack one. My mind was wrapped around just getting out there and having fun, hoping to fill the ice chest. If I managed to catch a decent fish, then of course I would take a picture. It was not until I purchased my first Canon digital with underwater housing in 2004 that I realized the endless possibilities that lay ahead.

The images were crisp and the colors brilliant. My trips soon involved a whole new area of fun... photography.

Not only did I take pictures of mine and other people’s catches, but also of the scenery. Anyone who has read my online reports over the years knows 62 | January 2013

that it is not just about the fish, it is about the experience – the journey in its entirety.

Everything from anomalous weather to the beauty of nature captures me, and in return I capture it.

For nearly a decade, I have every digital photo I ever made saved and backed up on hard-drives. Thousands upon thousands of photos reside on these drives, which is pretty much a visual data log of my life for the past 10 years. The more photos I take, the more I enjoy it and am constantly learning the tricks of the trade. For newbies or anyone just wanting to get more acquainted with the digital era and photography in general, there are a few tips I can give that will be beneficial to the success of making the best out of your beach and kayaking photos. First, above all if possible, get some sort of housing to protect and waterproof your camera from the elements. This is quite essential, especially for kayak fishing. Electronics and saltwater do not mix. If you get your gear soaked you might as well toss it down into Davy Jones’ locker. Canon for example has a fine line of compatible

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housings for many of their cameras. Secondly, whether on the sand or in the yak, always maintain a CLEAN lens. Any small droplet of water or smudge on the lens will ruin a photo. Keep a dry, debris free cloth handy to clean the lens at will.

When taking photos of a particular subject, whether an individual posing with a fish or something completely random, proper lighting will help bring your photo to life. Move to an appropriate angle to get your subject out of the shadows and into the light. Also, try not to zoom in too far on an individual, especially if they are posing with a fish.

You want the entire subject to be within the frame of your photo. In the same respect, you don’t want to be too far away from your subject.

Another useful tip while taking photos of an angler with a large fish or shark on the sand is to kneel down and get level with the subject.

Shooting down at an angle distorts the perspective, as does getting too low to the ground. Being on a level plane allows for an accurate photo that just wants to come to life.

For those of you that possess an intermediate or advanced level of photography skill and are looking for ways to enhance your possibilities even more, then I can offer a few additional tips. If you are computer savvy and really want the absolute most out of your photo - shoot in RAW mode. Nearly all DSLRs and high-end point-and-shoot cameras have a RAW data capture setting. This allows you to import the photo in various photo editing programs and tweak the image to its full potential, much more than just bringing a standard jpeg into photoshop to adjust levels. I cannot say enough about shooting in RAW mode and highly suggest people experiment with it.

Aside from shooting in RAW, practice taking timed photos from a tripod, even if it is of you. You never know when you will finally get that stellar catch and there is no one around to take the photo. One more useful tip that can prove quite fun is to play around with long-exposure images at night, especially on the beach. This can be tricky and the ISO speeds need to be just right but the final results can be very impressive.

Lightning shots can turn out killer and so can something simple as the throwing of glowsticks. The possibilities are bounded by your creativity.

Take plenty of photos! You may take 1000 photos, but only one may actually turn out to be that defining money shot. On some trips I’ll take anywhere between 200-400 photos, sometimes more. You can always delete ones that don’t interest you. With digital media storage is not really an issue. Of course quality equipment will help produce a better end result, but you can still take absolutely incredible photos with most of today’s off-the-shelf digitals. Just keep shooting and as with anything practice helps make perfect. Photography is a form of expression and in essence capturing a moment in time that will last forever. Just think, 100 years from now, generations can look back to this time period and get lost within all of our photos. It is my intention that photos like these depicting our fishery, environment, and the way things are will one day have future generations fantasizing about what it would have been like to take part in our classic adventures.

For the past decade, Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been a key figure promoting catch and release with sharks and assisting various shark-research programs. Oz is renowned in the kayaking world for extreme biggame fishing and runs Kayak Wars – one of the largest kayak fishing tournaments in the world.

Email Websites

Oz@extremecoast.com extremecoast.com kayakwars.com TSFMAG.com | 63

Visitor center, complete with touch tank.

STEPHANIE BOYD

F I S H Y FA C T S

WELCOME TO SEA CENTER “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.� ~ Albert Einstein After the success of the CCA Marine Development Center, the TPWD, DOW Chemical USA, and CCA Texas collaborated to construct a prodigy, a hatchery that would combine the best of current technology and research with education and outreach. Thus, Sea Center Texas was born.

Sea Center resides in Lake Jackson, Texas, on 76 acres of land, donated

by DOW. The hatchery has 26 spawning tanks, 14 incubation tanks, 36 one-acre ponds, one quarter-acre pond (for kid fishing), and one eight-acre pond (currently acts as a backup reservoir).

Water is pumped in 64 | January 2013

from a canal by the DOW Chemical plant (see map). *Fun Fact: After the attack on Pearl Harbor, DOW (then located right on the bayfront) decided the plant was too vulnerable to submarine attack. In six months, using the same equipment that dug the Panama Canal, engineers cut a canal over eight miles long and started building the new DOW.*

Aquarium exhibit, jetti region.

Sea Center’s hatchery functions in pretty much the same way the MDC’s does, with a couple exceptions. 1) Southern flounder from Galveston Bay and Sabine Lake are spawning naturally! While strip spawning is still necessary in some populations, there are enough flounder from Galveston Bay and Sabine Lake that the staff at Sea Center get to play matchmaker with the cream of the crop (and have the correct male: female ratio to boot, 3:1). 2) Though water purification is now accomplished with mechanical filtration, the hatchery used to employ ozone for this purpose.

But Sea Center’s unique side is its education and outreach department. Not that the other hatcheries don’t have this, but Sea Center’s is quite a level above.There is a visitor center open Tuesday through Saturday (9am-4pm) and Sunday (1pm-4pm) that Ozone pillar. houses a touch tank and several aquariums. The exhibits are in a progression as you walk through, starting with coastal organisms/environments, then to shallow water, and finally to deep water. You can also call and schedule a tour of the actual hatchery. If you’re into How Stuff Works, this is the tour to take.

Sea Center has about Wetlands.

100 active volunteers to help with education and outreach. In the visitor center, volunteers staff the touch tank and gift shop and give tours through the exhibits. In addition, they coordinate and lead kid fishing programs and help with angler education classes. Sea Center hosts angler ed TSFMAG.com | 65

classes several times a year, in partnership with the TPWD Aquatic Education Program, which is designed to certify volunteer instructors in the TPWD Angler Education Curriculum. Once certified, the instructors have access to an array of TPWD resources that they can use to help teach others about fishing. Some volunteers are certified to teach fly fishing, and they host fly fishing classes several times a year at Sea Center.

Not the teaching type? No problem. There are plenty of

opportunities to get your hands wet, literally. Sea Center is currently revamping their wetlands. Care to adopt a garden? Also, the eight-acre pond is being converted to an outreach tool in memory of Clarence Forse, a noted volunteer. Eventually, it will be available for kayaking, kid fishing, dive certification, etc. Extra hands for these projects and more are welcome.

Just want some activities to enjoy, sans planning? You’re covered.

The first and third Wednesdays of every month are public fishing days (by reservation). Aquarium fish feeding times are 10am and 2:30pm on Saturdays. On January 26th, from 8am-1pm, there will be a fly tying class (open to anyone ages 11 and up, pre-registration required).

February 23rd is Nature Day (varying activities from 10am-3pm). Check out the website if you have questions: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/ visitorcenters/seacenter.

At the risk of sounding like a New Year’s sales ad, don’t miss out! Okay, Sea Center’s not going anywhere, and you won’t get free shipping or 0% APR, but they do have a nice bonnethead shark you can see. And be sure to ask for the stories. Every hatchery has them.

Sources

Floating pier on 8-acre pond.

66 | January 2013

Shane Bonnot, Hatchery Manager, Sea Center Texas Connie Stolte, Coastal Fisheries Division, Sea Center Texas Patty Cardoza, Sea Center Texas

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TSFMAG.com | 69

DICKIE COLBURN

DICKIE COLBURN’S Sabine Scene

Sabine

Dickie Colburn is a full time guide out of Orange, Texas. Dickie has 37 years experience guiding on Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes.

Telephone 409-883-0723 Website www.sabineconnection.com

70 | January 2013

The arrival of each new cold front whittles away at our options, but the catching on Sabine for the past month has just been lights out. The weather compromised very few days and the only consideration was deciding which fish to target on any given day.

We have had our way with the trout and redfish both in the river and in the lake, but the flounder have absolutely stolen the show. While the numbers have been incredible, it’s the size factor generating the rave reviews.

The bite on the Calcasieu ship channel was as good if not better, but it was Louisiana’s ten fish limit that lured hundreds of Texas anglers across the border on a daily basis throughout the month of November. While we could only keep two fishing Texas waters, the numbers were here as well and the size

may have been even better.

The flats along the Sabine-Neches ship channel continue to draw most of the attention, but we are still catching flounder up to six pounds in the river while fishing for trout and redfish. We have been photographing and releasing most of our really big flounder as I still can’t grasp the long range benefits of harvesting only girl fish.

Hands down, the lure of Howard Watson caught choice in both ship channels this nice has been a Gulp mullet in pink flounder on or chartreuse. It has been just the river. as productive in the lake and river, but we are also catching a lot of these fish on a 3-inch H & H Usual Suspect. We knew the trout and reds would eat the swimbait, but the larger flounder apparently like it as well.

While it is admittedly a very user-friendly program, I am not that disappointed to see the bite under the birds finally slowing down. We are back to

targeting tighter areas and doing more fishing than running. I haven’t seen many trout over the seven pound mark, but we have done well on fish in the three to five pound class.

When we can catch a good incoming tide in the afternoon, the bite on the flats behind the islands on the north end has been very consistent. We aren’t having to deal with as many redfish as we encounter on the east side of the lake and there is much more acreage to fish.

We start most wades or drifts with a She Dog or Spook tied on, but more often than not a suspending lure or five inch tail fished on a light jig head dupes the majority of these trout for us. Corkys and Maniac Mullets usually get the first shot, but hard plastic suspending baits like the Catch V, MirrOdine XL and Kick A Mullet can be just as effective and are a little easier to fish. Pink is still our number one color, but it’s the slower presentation and larger profile that makes the difference.

Water clarity, which is exceptionally good right now, determines my choice of colors when fishing a five inch tail. There are days when a rat-tail version like an Assassin Texas Shad or TTF Trout Killer will out catch everything else, but I generally start with an Assassin Die Dapper.

It is a large profile bait with a paddle tail

that generates a lot of vibration even on a slow retrieve. We have done well lately rigging it on 1/8 ounce Shiney Hiney jig heads and the eyes on the head have made a difference. A little clear finger nail polish or a dab of epoxy will keep the eyes glowing longer.

After 41 years in the guiding business it would be much easier for me to simply rely on proven lures and techniques, but I am a better fisherman for having not given up on braided line and the 3-inch swimbait. Success generally has to be right on the heels of any change for me to stay the course.

Capt. Bob Fuston gave me a bunch of Mansfield Maulers back in the 80s that I carried onboard, but could never find a good reason to try. It took only two casts, however, for the Mauler to prove itself and I have fished the Original Mauler or similar versions year round ever since.

I mention this only because I may have been guilty of making the same mistake yet again with an Egret Wedge Tail Mullet.

It is a beautiful bait, but it rolled over on its side when retrieved on every jig head or weighted hook I tried so I wrote it off. Last Flounder have week I decided to just go ahead and rig one been stealing the sideways while “scratching the wall” in fifteen show on Sabine! feet of water and it fooled seven trout up to six pounds on one spot. It will get another try!

Too many fish…too little time.

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TSFMAG.com | 71

MICKEY EASTMAN

MICKEY On Galveston

Galveston

Mickey Eastman is a full-time fishing guide out of Baytown, TX. Mickey has 26 years guiding experience on the Galveston area bays and is the founder of Gulf Coast Troutmasters, the largest speckled trout tournament series of all time

Telephone 281-383-2032

72 | January 2013

Anglers are finding good fishing across the entire Galveston Bay Complex from north to south and east to west. From shallow flats, backwater lakes, bayous, rivers, and deep openwater structure, there seems to be fish all over the place.

Whatever your lure preference or natural bait; fishing reports indicate it’s all working for lots of anglers. The combination of a mild winter so far and above average salinity rates are creating good water clarity everywhere.

Water temperatures have been hovering around the magical low-60° mark which concentrates the baitfish making it easy to target trout and redfish.

An easy pattern for me lately on larger specks has been locating rafts of mullet along northern and eastern shorelines just after a norther as tides return

Slow sinkers and soft plastics have been our go-to baits; smaller topwaters are working in the clear shallows during warm-ups.

to normal and a steady two to three days of northeast winds. It really makes a difference to have a mud and shell mixed bottom in two to four feet of water near bayous, drains, towheads, or dropoffs. This has been a pattern I established about two weeks ago and the key is to stay with it until the weather drastically changes.

As mild as it has been this pattern could last a long time for us.

Topwaters have been paying off early at first light but keep them small in clear and calm conditions. The MirrOlure Top Dog Jr in mullet colored patterns and the Spook Jr are working really well when it’s calm or a light chop and the larger topwaters will work as conditions rough up. As the sun gets higher a great choice for me has been the Maniac Mullet

by Tidal Surge in a pearl bodied chartreuse back and the hot pink

in the slow sink for shallow applications and the fast sink for deeper structure as the fish start to roll off the flats by midmorning. Don’t discount soft plastics; I’ve caught some really nice specks on the MirrOlure Lil John and Tidal Surge’s Split Tail Mullet rigged on an 1/8 ounce jighead or an 1/8 ounce flutter jig. The 52M MirrOlure in chartreuse, white, orange, and pink have caught some big specks here lately drifting deeper flats and structure in five to six feet of water in pretty adverse conditions. No matter where you like to fish Galveston in the winter the key to producing day in and day out is to stay with the baitfish whether it’s shallow or deep; the fish are going to be there or pretty darn close by.

On Trinity and neighboring bays on the upper end of the Galveston System, fish are holding in normal winter haunts like Jack’s Pocket, Anahuac Pocket, Trinity River, Long Island Bayou, Red’s Bayou, Cross Bayou, the Spillway, Burnett Bay, San Jacinto Bay, Cedar Bayou, San Jacinto River, and all back lakes associated with these areas.

In East Galveston Bay, the south shoreline before a front and the north shore afterwards are producing some nice fish for waders. All the drains and primary points are paying off on an

Flounder are coming steadily all across the Galveston System – nice ones too!

outgoing tide, all down the south side of the bay. During warm-ups the deeper guts and bayous are holding good numbers of schoolsized fish over shell with soft plastics.

At Moses Lake and Dickinson Bayou, the bird action has been fair after fronts for specks and reds and drift fisherman have been doing fairing well with live shrimp and soft plastics.

Dickinson Bayou has been very good on warmups along shallow banks for specks, reds, and flounder.

Clear Lake has been holding some nice fish under birds and in the channel on points of rocks and dropoffs along turns and bends west of the Kemah Bridge.

Down in West Bay some nice trout are being caught over shell when water temps dip toward 60° after a front. Good areas have been North and South Deer Island, the Old IntraCoastal and Carancahua Reef.

Some decent bird action has been occurring behind San Luis Pass, Drum Bay and Bastrop Bayou. The grass flats along the north side of West Bay has been good for trout and reds on topwaters and soft plastics over potholes in post-front conditions. Redfish have been good in Greens Lake in the very back for sight-casters working shallows on higher tides.

TSFMAG.com | 73

BINK GRIMES

THE VIEW FROM Matagorda

Matagorda

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

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

You typically do not get scarlet earlobes and numb extremities in what I call good fishing weather.

Nevertheless, if you plan to fish in January, expect a cold boat ride and icy fingers and toes. It gets cold, but the colder it gets the more water that is blown out of the bay; and, the lower the tides the better for catching redfish It takes an ardent angler to brave the frigid winds of winter and makes the hourlong boat ride to the friendly confines of the western reaches of West Matagorda Bay. Work all the deep guts in proven locales like Cotton’s Bayou, Middle Grounds and Green’s Bayou. Nine times out of ten, the redfish are there.

You may have to park a long way away and walk across the sand to get to

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them, but when you get there it is usually easy limits.

During low winter tides, the bars are exposed and so are the guts; reds get landlocked until the tides rise and your favorite soft plastic work great.

My choices in January are Chicken on a Chain or Opening Night Bass Assassin Sea Shads when the water gets really clear.

When cold winds blow, most opt for the short ride to the Colorado River, and the leeward cover it provides. It is not the most glamorous fishing around, but neither is hours on the couch watching way too many footballs games. Some days they bite, some days they don’t – just like any fishing trip. It is a slow, methodical approach in the cold, but there are some solid speckled trout to be caught on the dropoff.

When it is bone-chilling cold, we put rods in the holders and troll down the middle until a rod bends. If a fish hits we mark the spot, circle back around and troll through them again.

Of course, January is not always frigid around here, so when the

sun warms in the afternoon, I like drifting all the favorite deep shell spots in East Bay. Last January was phenomenal in East Bay, with most fish coming on Bass Assassins, MirrOlures and Corkys. The water was so clear at times we saw every piece of shell in five feet of water.

That’s too clear sometimes, so we went to natural colors like Opening Night, Glow and Violet Moon. I am anxious to throw the new Lil’ Tapper Bass Assassin this year. Results from the fall were good.

Never dismiss the night. Piers along the river turn on lights at night to draw mullet, shad and shrimp. Often, some of the largest trout of the year are caught on the coldest nights.

Corkys, MirrOlures, ED Lures, MirrOdines and glow plastics worked gingerly through the water column excite lethargic fish.

If you don’t have access to a pier, set up lights along the bank of the Diversion Channel and go to work. Time does not allow me to do it as much as I once did, but I can sure show you some impressive pictures of winters past when the wind was blowing the bay out but the water remained clear in the Diversion Channel and Colorado River.

Most of my fishing trips will be afternoon affairs after duck, goose and sandhill crane hunts. It goes without saying a pair of waders, a slow-sinking bait and patient casting could coax the heaviest trout of your life in East Bay. You don’t hear tales of big East Matagorda Bay trout on the shorelines like years past. That’s not because they are not there, rather, fewer pluggers are taking the time and persistence to chase them. Trust me, big trout still live here.

TSFMAG.com | 75

CAPT. SHELLIE GRAY

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

Port O'Connor Seadrift

Captain Gary and Captain Shellie Gray fish year-round for trout and redfish in the Port O’Connor/ Seadrift area. Gary started his Bay Rat Guide Service 20 years ago.

The Grays specialize in wade and drift fishing with artificial lures.

Gary and Shellie also team up to fish many tournaments.

Telephone 361-785-6708 Email Gary@BayRat.com Website www.bayratguideservice.com

With the New Year upon us there will be many individuals contemplating New Year resolutions.

Some of the more common are losing weight, saving money, possibly quitting smoking and others look to begin a fitness program. In my line of work the one I hear most often is, “to spend more time fishing and improving my angling skills.” My question is how many will have the courage and dedication to stick to their promises for more than a week or two and break those old bad habits?

A habit I would truly love to see wading anglers drop is rushing through their wades as if they were running a 100 yard dash. January and February are some of the coldest months with frequent cold fronts and little sunshine, so slowing your wade is more important now than any other season. When weather and water conditions

turn wintry there are fewer windows of opportunity so we must make the most of every cast.

Just recently, Gary and I had the pleasure of fishing with Ryan Overholt and six buddies from Oklahoma.

These guys get together once a year for a three day wade fishing trip to the Texas coast. Unfortunate for them a bitter cold front blew in the night they arrived. With wind gusting to 35 mph and some frigid temperatures, we gave the Okie boys the option of rescheduling but they came prepared with warm layers and optimistic attitudes to knock Mother Nature’s curve ball out of the park.

Now let me say right here I am a bit of a sissy when it comes to cold weather so I don’t venture into the cold Anabel Mondolfi had fun catching without many layers beneath redfish on a my neoprene waders. And chilly winter day. speaking of waders, it is a

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good idea to check for leaks before sliding over the gunwale on a chilly morning. You probably wouldn’t believe how many customers I have had over the years that got a cold water surprise. Leaky waders can make for a short day of fishing – fish or no fish!

With the wind howling and air and water temperature falling like a rock, our only option was to head to the back lakes. The soft and darker bottom in these lakes will warm quicker when the sun breaks through and will hold that warmth longer than bright sand and shell. We find these lakes to be as much as 5° warmer than the sandier bottom shorelines. This may not sound like much but to the fish this is substantial – enough to initiate feeding activity when you cannot buy a bite elsewhere.

Wading muddier bottoms is physically demanding for everybody and downright impossible for some. Since I hadn’t fished with Ryan’s crew prior to this trip I wasn’t sure how well they would do in the sticky mud. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised to see how well they took to it, with only one tiny misstep when one temporarily lost his footing.

We knew the fish were not going to

be as willing to bite as they were before the front, so moving slowing and fishing thoroughly was a must. I have seen so many anglers rush through an area only to return to the boat with an empty stringer while their more patient buddy who chose to take his time and fish thoroughly come back with dinner.

It is equally imperative to plant your feet when you get that first bite. It amazes me how some anglers begin walking toward their fish once they are hooked up and that is another big no-no.

Where there is one fish there is usually a few more so standing your ground and saturating the area in front of you with many casts can be the difference between getting just one bite or many. Lucky for us the Oklahoma boys understood this completely and managed to catch not only a bunch of fish but quality ones as well under such bad conditions.

So if fishing more often is one of your New Year’s resolutions and you plan to start in January, remember to dress warmly and fish slowly. With the way time flies we should all learn to slow it down and just Sean from Oklahoma enjoy what life has to offer anyway. Good showing enthusiasm after fishing and Happy New Year! netting a nice redfish.

TSFMAG.com | 77

DAVID ROWSEY

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

Happy New Year to you all and hoping that you had a big time celebrating Christmas with your families.

2013 is in our laps, and it is time for the new year’s Upper resolutions (or broken promises) and all the dieting in the months that comes due the past month of Laguna/ holiday overeating. Being over forty now, it sure Baffin is not like it use to be, so it looks like I am going to have to start getting serious about my health if I want to continue guiding throughout the next decade. I can remember when I was in my twenties David Rowsey has 20 years and thirties, and “older” guys would say, “Wait ‘til experience in the Laguna/Baffin region; trophy trout with artificial you hit forty; it will all change.” I always laughed lures is his specialty. David has a it off, but darn if they weren’t right. Moderation, great passion for conservation moderation, moderation! and encourages catch and Besides that resolution, another one will be to release of trophy fish. notch up a couple of legit ten pounders for clients, and maybe one for myself. Looking back at old Telephone logs, January has been second only to March when 361-960-0340 Website it comes to giant trout over ten pounds. Of course, www.DavidRowsey.com others may have different entries in their logs, but Email January has been a good one for those of us that david.rowsey@yahoo.com have departed in no light, cold conditions to satisfy

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our quest for the hardest trophy to be had in Texas waters or land. Giant trout do not care about social status, bank accounts or excuses. They do care about eating and fattening up for prolonged winter blasts of cold air, and surviving. That’s where we come in. In true human form, this is our chance to take advantage of their desire to eat like we do during the holidays. Just imagine January as Thanksgiving and Christmas months to the trout. Speaking for myself, I know if you throw a big plate of turkey and dressing in front of me, it’s going to get eaten...quickly; as the chances are it will be the only time I will get it all year.

As are we, trout are gluttons this time of the year.

We have all heard the stories and theories about fishing the soft, muddy bay bottoms during the coldest parts of the year. Unlike so many fishing myths, this one is true, although not perfect. When I head out daily during cooler weather, you can bet there is some mud in my game plan, but I am typically not hitting it until the sun gets up good.

We are blessed with mile after mile of undeveloped shorelines that has knee deep water right up the

bank, some of it is soft, but the majority is firm. That bank has been absorbing the sun’s rays all day, and as the night cools off it is radiating that warmth back into the water; or at least not letting the water there cool so fast.

These early-morning, shallow water wades in the cold of winter seem implausible and go against mythical wisdom; however, it is no longer myth if you have proven it to yourself and clients again, and again, and again.

Just to make sure we understand each other, I am not saying that this is the only way to pull a giant from cooler water but it is overlooked by the masses, and a proven one that works if you desire to not be fishing within casting distance of a stranger.

Seriously – Cat Head can only hold so many people. (For those of you who don’t know, Cat Head was once, arguably, the best big trout spot in Baffin during the winter. It has become somewhat of a community hole now that gives up a mere fraction of what it used to.)

Donnie Seay with a big, “chocolate water” trout – CPR!

I am back to utilizing my slow sinkers and mullet imitations this month. The MirrOlure Paul Brown Original series (“Corky” as we Texans call it) gets top dibs out of my wading box. I am especially fond of the Fat Boy when fishing shallow to crotch deep. The original Corky moves into first position as the water gets a little deeper in front of me. The original also prevails during windier conditions (faster sink rate). My number-one “find ‘em and catch them big and quick” lure is my trusty 5” Bass Assassin rigged on a light 2/0 jig head.

Others would argue, but my opinion is that if you can’t catch them on this, nothing short of an explosion is going to do you any good. Topwater enthusiasts need not waste too much space in their box with surface plugs.

One big and one small will be plenty – if not too much. Carry more Corkys!

Remember the buffalo!

- Capt David Rowsey

TSFMAG.com | 79

TRICIA’S Mansfield Report gets hit consistently when others do not. Plastics (as always) have accounted for the most fish and quite often the heaviest, especially when the bite was off and we had to basically dredge the top of the grass to get a response. Colors were basically the same old standard choices; neutral in the clear stuff and darker in murky to muddy conditions. Kelley Wigglers’ new Lagunaflage (great name by the way) really snuck in there when the Redfish of late have not disappointed.

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After a “less than we’re used to” summer, late fall finally kicked in and is showing great promise for winter.

It’s inspiring to see large trout in numbers using the clear flats again, and redfish have not disappointed.

The Laguna Madre- still the best place to be with your waders on!

Thankfully, cooler weather ushered in some classic Port settings and “wildlife in motion” would be a pretty fair Mansfield description. With a sky full of roaring ducks to compliment areas full of flipping bait, anticipation ran high each morning. On calm runs it was exciting to count numerous V-wakes from prowling redfish, Capt. Tricia’s Skinny Water and by looking close you could often see wideAdventures operates out of bodied trout cruising away that you just dream of Port Mansfield, specializing in wadefishing with artificial lures. catching. If you were in the right place at the right time, the dream came true on several occasions.

During November and early December it was Telephone mostly all about grass flats dotted with bright sand 956-642-7298 pockets. Knee to thigh deep was just about right Email most days, which non-coincidentally, often aligned shell@granderiver.net Website with bait lines and color changes depending on www.SkinnyWaterAdventures.com winds. Topwaters earned more confidence and one in particular that we watched get hammered repeatedly was the full-sized pink Skitter Walk. I don’t know what they see in pink but that color

The whole fishing world is becoming more vivid.

Science and the Sea

TM

Circling the Globe on Cruise Control While Magellan’s first circumnavigation of the world made history, circling the globe is a regular annual trip for many albatrosses.

fish were spooky, and the yet to be named electric blue back/chartreuse belly made some of the bigger fish angry in stirred water. We mostly used 1/8 ounce jigs but a true 1/16 was often called for, especially when you needed some extra hang-time to tickle wary fish out of the skinny.

Basic fish-finding signs have been standard stuff lately. A little bait, a few birds, and some color to the water should be an attractive place to start. Then as Jay Watkins says, “You just have to know they are there, and know you can catch them.”

As for January, what we need but have yet to receive would be some fireplace-hugging northers. Last year was abnormally mild and our bigger fish rarely used their time-honored cold water patterns. If we are lucky this year, we will soon be able to count on the push-and-pull of northers to position fish into the stack-ups we long to see. Of course timing is always everything, but even the traveling angler can have good shots at good fish on almost any part of the cycle – save during the very worst of blows.

Typically, with strong pre-norther south wind, we will work the shallow lee sides of grass flats or flooded western shorelines along with a few backwater areas. It’s easy to see where the bait goes; all you have to do is follow. After (and even during) strong north wind, fish will usually drop into deeper depressions and guts. Usually under these conditions, when you find them you find them all, and the dream comes true. Even if the thought of a morning run might make you want to sleep-in and pull the covers tighter; do not buy the myth that winter fishing is always better later in the day. Those proclaiming such must like “covers” better than “discovers.”

Speaking of this, although cold-weather opportunities can be extreme, so is the opportunity for hypothermia. It just doesn’t pay to dress inappropriately. Layering is everything, and our good friends at SIMMS have you covered from Waderwick liners and fleece to high-end lightweight jackets that will keep you warm and safe in the worst of coastal conditions. Dress so that you can fish all day and catch fish in comfort.

More on clothing, I guess all I can say is that drab fishing clothing no longer makes much of a fashion statement. The world of inshore fishing is definitely becoming more vivid. Although most of our clients are colorful in their own way, the guys in the attached photo drew some attention with their stylish flare on the water.

Good luck this winter. The dream can come true but, you’ll never know unless you go. And you might as well go ahead and look good when you do!

There are 21 species of these great seafaring birds — 19 of them are threatened or endangered, mostly due to being caught on baited hooks set by longline fishing boats. Albatrosses spend about 80 percent of their lives at sea. They don’t breed often and may spend one or two years between breeding seasons at sea foraging for squid, krill, fish and crustaceans.

Albatrosses spend most of their lives at sea. Credit: Andy Collins/NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Albatrosses can cover 600 to 1,100 miles in a single day. One greyheaded albatross circumnavigated Antarctica in 46 days. Using special tracking tags, scientists have learned that grey-headed albatrosses tend to follow one of three flight patterns. They may stay close to their breeding grounds. They may migrate to an area in the Indian Ocean. Or, they fly around the world, sometimes two or three times.

How do they do it? Large wingspans — up to 12 feet for great albatrosses — help, but they’re also great meteorologists. They use wind patterns to make flying so efficient that their heart rate while gliding is almost the same as their resting rate.

The technique, called dynamic soaring, involves flying close to the ocean’s surface and then quickly turning into the wind to climb. At about 50 feet, the birds turn and glide downwind, sometimes going hundreds of miles without flapping their wings. Take-off, landing and hunting require the most energy, but those long trips around the world are chiefly done on nature’s cruise control!

The University of Texas

Marine Science Institute www.ScienceAndTheSea.org © The University of Texas Marine Science Institute

TSFMAG.com | 81

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

Fishing is once again “fin-tastic” here on the Lower rule out warmer water during a string of sunny days.

Laguna. Water temps running in the 65-70° range have Conditions will deteriorate for a day or two following made catching more predictable and we have been most fronts but recovery is usually quick on the enjoying some outstanding days. The water is cool Laguna Madre. enough to spark steady feeding activity but not so cold To find the new pattern following a front, I like yet that you have to “crawl bottom” to get strikes. to hit the water as soon as the north winds begin to With cooler weather in general, feeds are lasting subside, swinging around to the east. It’s during these hours rather than minutes and a crack-of-dawn start is light east wind days that our waters become slick not nearly as important as it was in late-summer and and calm. That’s when I use these conditions to my early-fall. Adjusting our schedules to take advantage advantage. I’ll pick a flat that I think may be holding of late-afternoon feeding has really been paying off, and in general, allowing the sun to climb over the horizon and begin warming the shallows is often a good strategy in cooler months. If you’re longing to catch a trophy redfish, a sow trout or perhaps a giant snook, the next couple of chilly months are certainly prime times to do it but you cannot lay on the couch and dream about it – you have to get there and fish!

Our weather has not be been wintry yet but that could change any day as the northers A hard fish to trick will become more frequent and carrying a was no match for bigger bite. Water temperatures will soon Eddie's hand tied fly. descend into the 60s and upper 50s, but don’t

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fish and make a run from the edge of the Intracoastal Waterway and all the way across to the sand flats on the east side. As I’m running, I’m looking at several things – depth, bait availability, mud boils, bird activity, bottom structure, and of course schools of fish. Any of these can give a sign of where to start – but remember – just because we found them does not mean they are ready to eat. This is called angling and it’s a whole different story.

You usually have to be very patient to catch post-front fish and quite often it takes a good tide current to get them going again.

Keep in mind, the direction of the current will always dictate how Flounder were caught in good numbers this past year as this one took a Kelley Wiggler.

we should approach any structure they might be holding on.

Casting from the wrong angle will probably only turn out to be casting practice.

Sadly, we are no longer finding redfish in the shallow back lakes as we were last month. They have moved toward deeper water and the most productive depth is now thigh to waist deep and “trout green” is the water color to key on.

Limits of keeper trout have been fairly easy in three to four feet of water and we are still seeing lots of undersized. Please remember to handle with care when releasing as they are tomorrow’s trophies. Top baits have been dark plastics such as the Kelley Wiggler plum/blue metal flake on 1/8 ounce jigs. I am once again inserting a short piece of solder wire in my plastic baits (right where the point of the hook comes out) to give it a slight weight increase and keep my bait nearer bottom. This technique has worked wonders especially with all the surface grass this winter that our record numbers of redhead ducks have uprooted.

Baitfish have been the best key to finding steady trout also and also redfish. You can tell the fish are healthier and more active in the cooler water as they are now fighting much harder. The only thing that could bring more excitement to our days would be more topwater bites but the plastics are really the way to go right now – topwater action has not been nearly as steady. Never pass up diving birds or even a few just sitting on the water for that matter – they are there for a reason.

Dress in layers and be prepared to fish long and hard; your trophy is only one cast away. I would like to close in saying Happy New Year to everyone and enjoy the great outdoors while you can.

TSFMAG.com | 83

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 January can be a great or really frustrating month to fish. What makes it tough is you have to be able to pick your days. Most of the fast and furious action that we have been experiencing in November and December will be over. We will move on to big trout, and the bites are sometimes few and far between. We will fish Paul Brown's Original Lures and other suspending baits 97% of the time. Most of our fishing will be done by wading. Where we fish depends on water clarity, water temperature, and tidal movement. With big north winds being the predominant wind of the season, we are usually on the northern end of the lake. Also Joe's Cove and West Cove are protected from these winds, so they are great places to start your search. Look for bait, but I wouldn't necessarily stop the boat because I saw one mullet jump. When I pull up to a flat, I look for any signs of life. If the flat is alive with bait or slicks then usually some kind of predator fish is around and active.

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 The quality of the fishing in the Galveston area is always heavily dependent on the weather, especially in a month like January. “It's been lock and load lately; you can catch 'em pretty much however you want to. We've had birds working over school trout and reds

making mud stirs and slicks out in the middle, and the coves hold plenty of both species when the weather's been warmer. That's been the key, the good weather. In January, if this weather pattern holds, it will be much the same. We'll wade the coves when it's warmer and winds are southeast, and fish out in the middle soon after the fronts. Bass Assassins rule the roost out of the boat, while twitch baits are better for the wading. I still catch plenty on my old standby 51 MirrOlures whether we're wading or boat fishing. Catch 5s and Catch 2000s and Corkies work better in the shallows for most people.

Topwaters will produce some big catches at times in January, but it's more of a hit or miss thing. Can't go wrong with a dark Bass Assassin for the most part.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 Jim was busy with both duck hunting and fishing when we talked.

“I fish two or three days a week, hunt the others. There have been a lot of ducks; hunting is pretty easy. Fishing has been excellent too, with the good weather. I've been catching them out of the boat and wading. Catching lots of fish in the two to five pound range, a few bigger ones. Other people have been catching some really big trout.

Mostly, those guys are wading and throwing Paul Brown's Original Lures, Catch 2000s and topwaters. Best bite for the bigger fish is around the frontal passages. Right now, we've still got some birds working, but that will probably end by January. During the middle of

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winter, we'll key more on reef edges and colored streaks in the water when fishing out of the boat, and we'll also make some afternoon wades. Particularly if the weather gets colder, wading around dusk and into the night is a great way to catch 'em. Most of the action will be on soft plastics and slow-sinking twitch baits.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Randall says the fishing has been good lately, and they've been catching some big trout. “Yesterday, we had two over 28 inches and some others around five pounds. Most of the time, we're catching good numbers, like today we had 16 trout and four reds.

Best bite the last few days has been on Corkies fished with a slow twitch. Seems a little early for that now, but it was there, so we took advantage of it. In January, if the weather gets cold, our fish will move deeper, but if it stays the way it is, both wading and working open-water mud streaks will pay off. I like to key on streaks in areas with a mix of mud and shell on the bottom in the deeper parts of the bay when I'm fishing out of the boat. By the way, the guys at Gulf Coast Trolling Motors did a great job for me recently, repairing my Talon. I really like to use that thing to enhance precision when we're fishing out of the boat, and to eliminate work when we're wading.

Also, I'm still loving my JH Performance Outlaw boat. Every time I get into something else, I appreciate it more.”

Matagorda | Charlie Paradoski Bay Guide Service - 713 725 2401 Charlie mentions a variety of options for fishing around Matagorda in January. “The weather hasn't been cold very much yet, so all kinds of patterns are in play. Since the marshes haven't emptied, it's possible to catch plenty of fish in the coves and lakes, and the birds

are working. Most likely, those things will come to an end at some point in December. The river is holding some fish right now too, because we don't have much fresh water flowing. One of the best lures to use in there is the Maniac Mullet. It sinks faster than Corkies, so it seems to work better in the depths and currents. Fishing in the river and Diversion Channel is usually good in the middle of winter, especially when it's too windy to work the open areas of East Bay. When winds are lighter, the mid-bay reefs in both ends of East Bay will produce plenty of fish, as will areas adjacent to those reefs, where the bottom is a mix of scattered shell and mud. Soft plastics tend to work best when we're fishing from the boat; Corkies and Catch 2000s work great when we wade the reefs.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 Fishing has been outstanding on our home waters. White Gulp! shrimp rigged on a chartreuse quarter-ounce jighead has been deadly. We have been fishing this about three feet under a popping cork over shell and mud, and it has been effective. Later in the day when the flats warm up, we are catching some good fish on small topwaters like the Super Spook Junior in bone and the MirrOlure ShePup in black/gold/orange. Night fishing continues to be good as well. The fish have seemed to eat best on incoming tides, taking small salt/pepper paddletails rigged on sixteenth-ounce jigheads best. Hopefully, with colder weather likely on the way, we will have some bigger trout start showing up. As of now, we still have tons of shrimp in the bay, and the fish have not changed their diet over to mullet yet. The ledges and drop offs in all three local rivers hold good

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fish on bad weather days when it is windy and cold.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith - Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 With all the warm weather, Lynn has been fishing a little differently than he might if the weather were colder. “Lately, we've been fishing the back lakes quite a bit. The water is warm and the tide is pretty high most of the time, and the fish are stacked up in the shallows pretty good. Mostly, I'm keying on soft, muddy bottoms with some grass and scattered shell mixed in lately. And that will be the pattern in January too, especially if we continue to have a warm winter. The back lakes will produce well as longs as it's not too cold.

If temperatures do drop quite a bit, it might mean we have to make a move toward the drop offs closer to the deeper areas of the bays.

Either way, we'll throw soft plastics and slow-sinking twitch baits most of the time, saving the topwaters for those really nice weather days when lots of mullet are jumping. And, we'll sleep in and leave the dock a little late, around nine thirty or ten o'clock in the morning. In winter, I see no reason to be fishing really early in the morning. I'd rather let the sun get higher in the sky and heat up the flats some. The fish tend to be more active then.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Blake's cast and blast season will be winding down during January.

“Both the hunting and the fishing has been good. We've had plenty of birds in the back lakes, and with all the warm weather, the fish haven't been too hard to find. On some days, we're finding them inside the lakes, by running around in the air boat. On other days, the shorelines adjacent to the drains hold more fish. If the weather continues warm through January, I look for the trout fishing to be a little easier. The shoreline wading will remain productive. If it gets colder, the fish

86 | January 2013

might move into deeper water. We usually catch 'em pretty good in some of the deep holes in the bayous leading into the lakes when it's like that. Wading around the drop offs of mid-bay reefs is good when the weather settles after a front too. Mostly, we'll be keying on areas with a mix of mud and shell or mud and grass, slowly working Corkies and other suspending lures to try and catch some big trout. Of course, if the bite is slow, we pull out the old Norton Sand Eels to grind.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 January is a quiet month on the water because many fishermen are still hunting for monster whitetails, while others are hunting for their trophy trout of a lifetime. The colder water temperatures will drive the trout into deeper water, especially during frontal passages, but they will quickly come up to shallower water as the sun warms shallow areas with soft muddy bottoms. Signs that the trout could be in the area will be diving brown pelicans and swirling or jumping mullet. Try a medium to slow retrieve with a Texas Assassin in plum/chartreuse, bone diamond or pumpkinseed/chartreuse or the three-inch Berkley Gulp! Shrimp in new penny/chartreuse or pearl/chartreuse rigged on an eighth-ounce 5/0 Bass Assassin Spring Lock jighead. Sightcasting for reds, black drum and some trout continues to gain popularity with my clients, and this will continue through the month of January.

The fish are going after shrimp-flavored Fish Bites. Good polarized sunglasses are necessary tools when working this drill.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 Joe says he plans on fishing around the channels and drop offs in the northern reaches of his area during January. “Usually, January is a pretty tough month for fishing out of the boat. The keys to catching are to stay close to specific parts of the area. When working deep open basins like Beacroft's and Emmord's Holes, it's important to stay

in contact with the deep grass beds. Lots of times, the fish will be lurking in the areas where the deepest beds can barely be seen. Other times, dirty streaks in the water indicate the fish have moved off the edge entirely. A more productive drill during this month is to fish around the drop offs of all the channels, including the ICW. As always, it's important to cast right to the edges of the shallows and let the lures flutter down the face of the drop off. Maintaining contact with the edge during the drop is best done by matching jighead size to the conditions. Calmer conditions mean lighter heads, while stronger winds and currents bring heavier ones into play.”

Padre Island National Seashore Billy Sandifer - Padre Island Safaris - 361.937.8446 It’s all about picking the right time to go surf fishing this time of the year. The angler MUST target calm periods in-between incoming cold fronts. Beware of NE winds as they make for very high tides and muddy water. Pompano will be readily available in green water and along with whiting will be readily taking fresh dead shrimp and Fishbites scented lures. Slot and oversized reds will be available as will slot black drum and sheepshead. Sandbar and occasional other shark species will be available; mostly on kayaked baits during the cold months. Make sure you have all your emergency supplies with you as the beach can get really empty during this time of the year – no passersby for help. It is possible there may be some speckled trout available but for the past few winters they have been in such low numbers as to not justify fishing for them. Expect a long grind if they’re your target. M51 and M52 MirrOlures were always the top choice for winter surf trout when present.

Port Mansfield | Terry Neal www.terrynealcharters.com – 956.944.2559 We are seeing lots of ducks and geese arriving to the Lower Laguna

Madre - still waiting for the winter fishing pattern – a good signal will be flounder moving off the flats and concentrating along channels.

Redfish and trout remain more scattered than we’d like to see this time of year. Schools of mullet and other baitfish are the best keys right now to finding a decent bite. Sometimes it takes only a few waking or breaking the surface to point the way – giving away the location of feeding predators. Resist the urge to race about from one spot to another. Once bait is located you need to fish slowly and thoroughly.

Even though the water is not that cool yet the slower presentation will usually accomplish more when feeding activity is not visible at the surface. Snapper fishing in state water is very good right now. Lots of boats fishing the new structure about 6.5 miles off Port Mansfield.

Keep what you will eat; release the rest.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty – www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 Fishing these past months has been super; we've cast at tailing slot reds, herds of oversized, and caught some huge trout and flounder.

The excitement of walking the boat up to a group of six to eight reds nosing the bottom, and casting a Berkley Gulp! three-inch shrimp or a plastic worm just past them and then hopping it right in front of their eyes is hard to beat, unless you hit a small school of oversized reds ready to grab anything. Both of these activities are more likely to happen when conditions are calm, which has occurred often this fall, allowing the water in the LLM to clear up for a change. Freddy says, “Usually we’re fishing around northers, to the tune of about one a week, but this season the weather has been pretty mellow, and the crowds have been a non-issue. However, the winter Texans are beginning to make their presence known on the water.” We’ve had some exceptional days lately, limiting on reds and trout, and are looking forward to a new year. Please help us try to stop open bay dredge disposal, before it’s too late!

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Draper Anderson Packery Channel - 16” black drum

Taylor Glass Rockport - first redfish!

Albert Gonzalez Laguna Madre 45” personal best red! CPR

Anthony Gallo & Chad Dobbs Port Aransas - personal best reds!

88 | January 2013

JonCarlos Maldonado Lavaca Bay - redfish

Richie Laguna Madre - 27” trout

Raj Maharaj South Padre - 6’ 1” bull shark

Sue Geraldi Boliver surf - 22” Spanish mackerel

Trevor Seerden & Bella Rockport - 25” first redfish!

Matt Serrano & Dawson Nunez Kemah - 29” 8lb redfish

Pete Sanchez Rattlesnake Bay - 27..5” redfish

Klarissa Pinon Troy Bollom Nueces back bay - 26” red Rollover Pass - 45” first taggable red!

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Ryan Uhlenhake Galveston - 44” first bull red!

Christopher Thomae Arroyo City - 22” redfish

Stephen Sargent - first flounder

Destanie Speers first blacktail shark!

Henry Thomae Arroyo City - 25” red

Ryan Thornton Pelican Island - 37” jack crevalle

Leroy Thomae , Chris Thomae, & David Salinas Arroyo City - 16” trout & 27” red

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Spencer Scheps West Matagorda - 24" red

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PAM JOHNSON

GULF COAST Kitchen

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

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

Crab & Savory Bacon Bread Pudding Eggs Benedict

Ingredients 1 tablespoon butter (for ramekin dishes) 6 cups dried bread cubes 4 strips bacon, chopped 1/2 cup minced onion 1/2 cup minced red bell pepper 2/3 cup chicken broth, or more as needed 2/3 cup heavy cream 2 large eggs for bread pudding 6 large eggs for poaching ½ lemon, juiced 2 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon 2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest 8 ounces fresh lump crabmeat salt and fresh ground pepper to taste 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste 1/2 cup hollandaise sauce 1 pinch cayenne pepper, for garnish

Directions Preheat oven to 400° Butter the insides of 6 (10-ounce) ramekins and place on a baking sheet.

Place bread cubes into a large bowl, set aside.

Poaching Eggs

Cook and stir bacon until browned and almost crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove excess oil from skillet.

Fill medium saucepan with 1 quart of water, bring to boil over high heat.

Sauce

Stir in onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in red pepper and cook for an additional minute.

Stir in chicken broth and heavy cream; cook until mixture begins to simmer, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add 2 tsp white vinegar, reduce heat to simmer.

One package of Knorr Hollandaise sauce 1 tsp lemon juice white pepper

Pour cream mixture over bread cubes and mix thoroughly until all liquid is absorbed.

Stir in eggs, lemon juice, tarragon, and lemon zest. Mix in crabmeat, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Spoon mixture into prepared ramekins and bake in preheated oven until tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

90 | January 2013

Crack one egg into small bowl. Holding the bowl just above the surface of simmering water, gently slide egg into the water. Repeat with remaining 5 eggs. Poach until whites are firm and yolks have thickened but are not hard, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.

Remove eggs with slotted spoon, dab on a kitchen towel to remove excess water, and transfer to a warm plate.

Prepare sauce according to package, add pepper and lemon juice.

Remove ramekins from oven and top each bread pudding with a poached egg.

Spoon hollandaise sauce over each egg.

Garnish with cayenne pepper.

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TSFMAG.com | 91

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BY JOE RICHARD Texas coastal fishermen who read fiction, especially the Carl Hiaasen genre, may well be entertained by a new book published by Texas A&M consortium. The action is strictly coastal from Matagorda Island down to the Land Cut, below Baffin Bay. It’s centered around Rockport/Fulton’s shrimpboat fleet, but the chase scenes, shootouts, bar fights, general ass-whuppings, a major

94 | January 2013

hurricane, fishing, shrimping, cussing and drinking happen in locations very familiar to Texas saltwater anglers.

Set in the fall of 1979, Thin Slice of Life is a fast-paced mystery chronicling an encounter between a longtime family of fishermen on the Texas Gulf Coast and a murderous expatriate Vietnamese gangster exploiting his own people in the shrimping community, eliminating anyone who gets in his way.

Author Miles Arceneaux’s storytelling reflects three authors’ deep Texas roots and describes a Texas seldom seen in Lone Star fiction. Thin Slice of Life’s collision of old and new cultures yields a fresh perspective on the “Texas” of popular imagination. Miles Arceneaux is the nom de plume of Austin-based writers Brent Douglass, John T. Davis and James R. Dennis, who began the novel as a lark—a daisy-chain manuscript with participants writing chapters in turn. Critical encouragement, a Best Mystery Manuscript award, and friends’ enthusiasm for the book helped the trio finish and have it published.

I’ve already read an early edition, and was captivated, recognizing so many places along the coast, having lived briefly in Fulton. I’m impressed by the writers’ attention to detail, Texas humor and dialog.

I was also startled to find myself in the book, along with my wife and kids. It seems that co-author Brent Douglass and I were neighbors in Lubbock way back in the mid-1960’s, after his dad Don played football for Texas Tech. My family escaped to Port Arthur after a few dozen dust storms too many, and the Douglass’ settled in Rockport, where Don was originally recruited from high school. Both families missed living on the coast. In the book, there is of course a Texas Ranger from Lubbock, who is assigned temporary duty to Rockport, a different world entirely.

Thin Slice of Life is actually the start of a trilogy; the second will likely be printed in 2013. I’ve already read through the entire second manuscript: While it uses some of the same Rockport characters, it’s based this time in 1995, mostly out of Port Lavaca and Palacios. This one deals with colorful characters and skullduggery in the State’s archaeological recovery of LaSalle’s shipwreck in Matagorda Bay— and his undiscovered fort somewhere up the Lavaca River. More bad men, greed, life on the bay, and cruel coastal weather. Babes and Frenchmen, too.

Thin Slice of Life can be ordered through Amazon.com or more locally through the publisher, Texas A&M University Consortium Press, which I prefer to support. This book is great reading, especially on a cold winter’s day.

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96 | January 2013

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galveston tides & Solunar Table Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine January 2013

The BEST Choice‌ Any Place, Anytime!

To find a location near you, please visit us at www.speedystop.com

Tidal Corrections Location Calcasieu Pass, La. Sabine Bank Lighthouse Sabine Pass (jetty) Sabine Pass Mesquite Point Galveston Bay (S. jetty) Port Bolivar Texas City, Turning Basin Eagle Point Clear Lake Morgans Point Round Point, Trinity Bay Point Barrow, Trinity Bay Gilchrist, East Bay Jamaica Beach, Trinity Bay Christmas Point Galveston Pleasure Pier San Luis Pass Freeport Harbor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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