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2 | January 2021

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ABOUT THE COVER This month’s cover features Jay Watkins with a 31.5-inch trophy speck that weighed a pinch more than 10 pounds. Jay’s prize ate a Custom Corky in Pearl Harbor color and was released immediately after the photo. Jay was fishing near Port Mansfield with Michael and Lisa Laskowski and Lisa snapped the photo.

JANUARY 2021 VOL 30 NO 9

CONTENTS

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

8 14 18 22 28 32

36 40 42 44 46 50 52 77 78

My Perspective on 2020’s Fishing Two Pleasantly Ripe Scenarios Long Overdue Winter’s Wahoo Hooked on Trout Boat Show Preview

Steve Hillman Kevin Cochran Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard David Rowsey

22

Let’s Ask The Pro Shallow Water Fishing TPWD Field Notes Kayak Fishing Chronicles TSFMag Conservation News Fishy Facts Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

Science & the Sea Boat Repair & Maintenance

WHAT OUR GUIDES

HAVE TO SAY

58 60 62 64 66 68

Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene The View from Matagorda Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays Hooked up with Rowsey Wayne’s Port Mansfield Report South Padre Fishing Scene

Dickie Colburn Bink Grimes Shellie Gray David Rowsey Wayne Davis Ernest Cisneros

REGULARS 6 Editorial 56 New Tackle & Gear 70 Fishing Reports and Forecasts 72 Catch of the Month 74 Gulf Coast Kitchen

74

62 4 | January 2021

Jay Watkins Scott Null Jeffery Bayer Dave Roberts CCA Texas Stephanie Boyd Eric Ozolins UT Marine Science Institute Chris Mapp

44

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918 NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net REGIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Patti Elkins Patti@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Donna Boyd Donna@tsfmag.com

o t s ' e r e H g n i k o o L 1 2 0 2 Lot Better! a Hull

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HOW TO CONTACT TSFMAG: PHONE: 361-785-3420 FAX: 361 792-4530 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, TX 77983 WEB: www.TSFMAG.com PHOTO GALLERY: photos@tsfmag.com PRINTED IN THE USA. Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published monthly by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, Texas 77983 l P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 © Copyright 1990 All rights reserved. Positively nothing in this publication may be reprinted or reproduced. *Views expressed by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine contributors do not necessarily express the views of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

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TSFMAG.com | 5

EDITORIAL

JANUARY FISHING OPPORTUNITY & WEATHER PRECAUTIONS

Hello and Happy New Year! Winter has finally arrived, even though you cannot always tell by the thermometer. Two of the surest signs are the much shortened hours of daylight and the frequency of frontal systems arriving. Notice I didn’t say cold fronts, not all fronts are equal, and the majority so far this season have been rather mild. They did bring some north wind, all the same.

January is a special month, almost sacred to the hardest of hardcore speckled trout anglers, but you have to pick your days. Being out there in the last few hours before a front arrives can be the stuff of legend. Having said View The Video Open Camera and hover that, though, you can’t let caution fly with the over QR Code. When wind. Waiting until storm clouds are billowing link appears at top of and the north wind blows your hat off is both screen tap to open in foolhardy and dangerous.

YouTube.

Extra precautions are definitely in order.

Don’t Miss January’s Weather reports are valuable when planning an Great Fishing outing, but never trust the weatherman’s guess of exactly when a strong front will come ripping across the bay. I learned this the hard way. By the grace of God I somehow made it back to the dock several times and lived to become older and wiser. I’ll never do it again.

6 | January 2021

No fish – not even a ten or twelve pound trout – is worth a man’s life.

Part of being prepared should include an extra set of warm clothing and a slicker suit in your boat’s dry compartment in the event of an unexpected dunking. Hypothermia is a killer.

Wear your PFD. The auto-inflate vest style can be adjusted to fit over practically anything you might be wearing on a cold day. The autoinflate feature will bring you bobbing to the surface even if you’re out cold when you hit the water.

Mechanical gremlins have a way of showing up at the worst times.

Have your boat serviced by a trusted mechanic before winter sets in.

Losing power with a front approaching could be life threatening.

File a float plan with a trusted friend. One that is capable of coming to your rescue or at least notifying first responders of your plight.

You hear a lot about fishing pre-front and post front and you can experience great bites during both. My personal favorite is post-front, when the ridge of high pressure has moderated, usually a day and a half to two days following the big blow. Temperatures tend to rise, the water is warming, and fish that haven’t fed the past couple of days really put the feed bag on. Fishing post-front also provides the advantage of generally safer weather.

So, Happy New Year to all! Get on the water and enjoy January’s fishing opportunity…and be sure to take a youngster!

TSFMAG.com | 7

Birds working over countless numbers of small specks feeding on white shrimp as the sun goes down will be a common occurrence until the real cold fronts start coming.

E HILLMAN

STORY BY STEV

W

ell, here we are. Another year almost in the books. “Some dance to remember. Some dance to forget.” Although the context was slightly different, this line from the Eagles Hotel California summarizes how most of us feel about 2020.

Similar to 2019, I started out fishing mainly in East Matagorda Bay. Unlike 2019, we didn’t seem to catch the larger trout we had previously experienced. This is not to say that the fish were small. Many were in the 3- to 5-pound class with an occasional 6-pounder. The heaviest client trout weighed a smidge less than 7 pounds. The numbers were certainly impressive, though. The second week of January 2020 was crazy with us catching 100 to 150 keeper trout before 11:00AM most days.

We could’ve caught more but pulled off of them to look for reds and larger trout. Speaking of redfish, they were also easy to come by. MirrOlure Provokers were the best soft plastics during this stretch, especially for larger trout.

Another thing we experienced was catching many more fish when drifting versus wading compared to the prior year. We had a few good wading trips but the majority of our fish were caught drifting shell in 4- to 6-foot depths. Color streaks created by wind or current along with areas of active mullet were the most productive. Occasional slicks were another indicator. The only reason I can think of for this pattern change is that the majority of the bait seemed to be out in the middle of the bay most days. The few shoreline areas that were holding mullet were our best wading spots, but there were only a few. These shoreline areas also possessed characteristics such as marsh drains and bowl areas containing softer bottom and nearby shell.

MirrOlure Lil Johns worked very well, especially when drifting because of their faster sink rate and smaller size compared to other soft plastics. I probably threw fewer plugs (Corkies, MirrOdines, MirrOlures, etc.) last winter than ever before. Shrimp and small shad stayed in the bay longer than usual, so we stayed with smaller Lil Johns and Saltwater Assassin Sea Shads. My guess is that a colder winter would have sent the smaller forage to other environs and we

Ron Chapa with a beautiful five-pound flounder. The past year rewarded us with quite a few of these here on the Upper Coast!

Evelyn Orth with a monster redfish (released)! I think we caught more oversized reds than slots this year.

10 | January 2021

would have experienced a better plug bite with mullet and pinfish being the primary food source left in the bays.

Back here in Galveston, our focus was shallow flats with scattered shell adjacent to deep guts. We had some 30 and 40 fish mornings but very few trout in the older age classes. Most ranged from 15- to 17-inches but we did land an occasional 4-pounder with the heaviest weighing 5.25 pounds. The smaller keepers were 2 to 3 year old trout, which makes sense considering that the majority of the Galveston Bay Complex turned completely fresh a little more than three years ago when Hurricane Harvey dumped almost 60 inches of rain, forcing most of our trout through the passes to the Gulf of Mexico. I firmly believe they took a hard right to head westward toward the next available bay system with favorable salinity. In other words, we basically started over in late-August 2017 and we’ve been rebuilding our fishery ever since.

February and March were actually pretty good months both here and in Matagorda on the days we could fish.

February was very windy with a few fronts bringing hard north Brian “Triple” Phillips with a solid Galveston winds although none of them Bay trout on a warm late-November day.

Water temperature was 69°! dropped the water temperature very much. Historically, March is one of our windier months but March of 2020 was very fishable for the most part and fishing was good both wading and drifting. There were actually birds working in several areas and they had decent keeper-size trout under them. Things were clicking along pretty good until around the time of the Houston Fishing Show during the first week in March. Unfortunately, our country came to grips with the fact that we were in the midst of a very contagious Covid 19 pandemic. Many of my clients began cancelling trips, not only because of the virus but because of financial concerns as a result of shutdowns and quarantine measures. What few trips I ran were from noon to sunset Roy Krisanto with one of many average-sized trout which during the best bite period. It were a common theme on most of my charters this year. also helped us avoid extra heavy

TSFMAG.com | 11

12 | January 2021

This very nice trout (released) fell for a “Harvey” Texas Customs Double D in shin deep water over grass beds.

started catching a few over there as well, but only in a few spots.

Wading and drifting grass was the ticket down south for trout up to 6 pounds. There were also plenty of birds working over migrating white shrimp. Grass and shell were the ticket here in Galveston Bay. While there were birds working here, most of the trout beneath them were undersized. The one thing that really stood out to me was the number of good-sized flounder we caught here. Last year was similar but this year seems to be even better, especially for larger flat fish.

It looks like more of the same to close out 2020 with warmer than usual temperatures. There are a couple of cold fronts in the forecast as I type this but I don’t look for much to change. I pray for colder weather so we can experience some true wintertime patterns. There’s nothing like wading in cold overcast conditions and catching thick wintertime specks on plugs! Happy New Year!

View The Video

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

Small Lures Can Catch Solid Fish

STEVE HILLMAN

CONTACT

boat traffic as folks were “quarantining” in their boats.

Even weekdays were crowded! With so many people living on the water and “working from home” it became too easy to just drop their boats out of the slings and go fishing. Most trips were spent wading while throwing topwaters and tails with the best bite coming very late in the day after the crowds dissipated and fish pulled up tight to the shorelines.

We bounced around all over multiple bay systems during April, running what trips hadn’t been cancelled because of virus related issues. We fished East Matagorda, Lower Galveston Bay, West Galveston Bay and Upper Galveston Bay. Wind direction, wind speed, water temperature and salinity dictated the areas I would target. Trinity Bay was still very fresh because of excess runoff coming down the Trinity River from rains in the Dallas area and East Texas. Bookings seemed to be returning somewhat back to normal as many folks realized that being outdoors was a healthy escape from the chaos of the pandemic. Then, on April 20, 2020 oil dropped to negative $37.63 a barrel (West Texas Intermediate). Unfortunately, many of my regular clients are in the oil and gas business. Needless to say, my phone started ringing with cancellations. Fishing remained good but there weren’t many takers.

The month of May was plagued with high winds and inconsistent fishing overall, not to mention lingering economic impact of the pandemic. I ran only 13 trips, which is probably the fewest ever for that month. Most days were spent drifting shell reefs and shoreline structure, working what few slicks we could find. We also caught trout under birds in West Galveston Bay but we had to weed through tons little ones. Flattening the barbs on our jigheads at least made for quick releases of the small fish without harming them – Lord knows we’re going to need them down the road! Overall, it was definitely not one of my better Mays to remember.

June and July brought us very few fishable days due to prevailing south and southwest winds. However, we did have more than a handful of good days drifting and wading certain areas. Most of the areas where we caught fish were nook and cranny type spots with live oysters present in 2.5- to 5-feet of water. Lil Johns, Sea Shads, and Rapala Skitter Walks provided us with some 15 and 30 fish days.

We also had some 10 fish days, too. As usual, we caught countless trout ranging from 10- to 14.5-inches. It was uncharacteristically inconsistent for that time of year.

August and September found us fishing West Galveston Bay more than I have in a very long time. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve fished West Bay for many years, but seldom during these months. This is yet another example of how much our trout pattern has changed, due mainly to environmental changes (primarily habitat). The trout we caught in West Bay had some pretty good ones in the mix, up to 6 pounds. I believe these were fish that came in from the Gulf and took up residence over the live oyster reefs and seagrass beds we were fishing.

October and November found us travelling back and forth between Matagorda and Galveston again. Our better days were in Matagorda, but Galveston produced some decent days too, especially near bayou drains and in back lakes. Trinity Bay finally got salty again and we

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

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

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2

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STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

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Plea

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n Texas’ coldest month of the year, two basic patterns emerge which offer the best potential for catching numbers of big trout. One of these applies better on the Upper Coast, where shoreline coves provide a specific kind of niche habitat; the other works better on the Lower Coast, where north and west shorelines lie close to deep basins. In both these potentially productive scenarios, timing plays a key role, in multiple ways.

On the Upper Coast and to some extent in the Coastal Bend, in bays like West Galveston, both Matagordas, Espiritu Santo and San Antonio, numerous shallow coves and lakes adorn the shorelines lying on their southern sides. Strong north and northwest winds blow the water out of these coves and the fronts which spur them cause water temperatures to plummet. During the days immediately following the tide falling, the coves in bays like these become nearly barren, virtually void of life.

But once the weather takes a turn, tides and water temperatures typically rise again. If a warm spell lasts for three, four or five days, these shallow nooks and crannies often fill to the brim with water and numbers of prey species on which mature speckled trout depend. For a day or two, this creates ripe opportunity for catching some of the biggest trout in these bays, as they come out of the basins to hunt in these shallow areas. On the Lower Coast, the most productive January pattern does not depend upon such a prolonged warming trend.

In both Laguna Madres and in Baffin Bay, a slight upward tick in the weather after a dramatic cold snap often provides the richest opportunity for encounters with numbers of jumbo trout. If and when the Mercury in the thermometer falls low enough to drive water temperatures down to 53° or below, this scenario comes into play.

Normally, during such an event, strong north and northwest winds whistle over the bays. While the noise reaches a crescendo, usually for a couple of days, catching fish can prove exceedingly difficult. But, as soon as conditions moderate slightly, winds decline to 15 mph or lower and water temperatures stop falling, numbers of big trout often feed voraciously for a while.

Anglers then sometimes catch ten or more trout averaging six or

The hour or so leading into sunset and the hour or so immediately following the onset of night often provide ripe opportunity for catching big trout like the one Jason King’s holding here.

Tony Carroll caught this fat trout while fishing with the captain in the days immediately prior to the submission of this piece.

16 | January 2021

even seven pounds or more, normally by targeting them in shallow areas along west and north shorelines which lie close to deep basins where the trout gather when water temperatures plummet.

Sometimes, the fish show up right on the shoreline, especially in the Laguna Madres; in other places, they appear around the edges of structural elements lying farther offshore, like at Cathead, East Kleberg Point and the Tide Gauge Bar, in Baffin Bay. Typically, down south, a slight upturn in the weather which occurs on a bright sunny day elevates the likelihood that the best bite will occur during dusk and soon after night falls. This truth rings loudest in the Laguna Madres, where the water often looks like distilled spirits during winter. Clear water causes big trout, which prefer eating other fish, to become more active during low light conditions, when their prey cannot see them easily. In Baffin Bay, where the water often has some kind of turbidity or stain related to algae blooms, the timing of the peak of the bite depends less on the fall of night. Many times, when a cold snap moderates slightly, a vigorous bite develops in the middle of the day and continues into the afternoon hours in this famous, rock-studded bay.

The same generic truth applies in Upper Coast coves after a warming trend fills them with tepid water and attracts trout and their prey into their midst. On many occasions, the best January scenario for catching big trout in places like these happens in the middle of the afternoon, while a bright sun causes water temperatures to climb, and moderate to strong onshore breezes blow over the coast.

The bite can certainly linger into dusk, sometimes stretching into the early parts of the night.

Of course, the timing of tidal movements plays a key role on the Upper Coast of Texas, where daily tide cycles often cause the water to move up and down over a fairly long range. A strong incoming tide during the afternoon hours, especially if it peaks and turns quickly to move out, enhances the potential productivity of the pattern which favors catching big trout in the south shoreline coves of Upper Coast Bays this month. If a new front blows in at approximately the same time this happens, the fish sometimes chew with a seemingly reckless abandon for an hour or two.

On the Lower Coast, where tidal movements generally exert little or no effect on the timing of the bite, the rising or setting of either a new

This 32-inch trout bit for Caleb McCumber soon after harsh post-front winds first diminished during the middle of a January day in Baffin Bay.

or full moon during the peak time frame for the water, expecting the fall of night and/or some bite will enhance the potential significantly. other celestial event to stimulate a vigorous This truth plays the biggest role in super clear bite. Rather than getting out and making a water, since full and new moons tend to rise bunch of empty casts in the last two hours of and set in the hours closest to dusk. Certainly, daylight, looking for concentrations of bait a full moon rising soon after sunset on the often pays more dividends. Given light crowds, day when water temperatures first begin to anglers sometimes have the opportunity to moderate after a big chill can pull trout to the try two or three tasty looking stretches within shorelines with their jaws snapping, as surely a relatively short period of time, right as as incandescent lights attract mosquitoes on a darkness falls and shortly thereafter. As in the summer night. other situation, waiting a long time for bites Savvy anglers try to place themselves in to come doesn’t really make much sense, but the right places when conditions like these deploying soft plastic paddletails in addition appear imminent. They also follow a set to slow-sinking twitchbaits does. Even actively of basic procedures leading into the key feeding trout often prefer the worm over all moments when the variables align themselves other lures in water temperatures stuck in the attractively. When fishing the mid-afternoon low- to mid-50s. pattern with warm weather and sultry winds on Whether deploying dark twitch baits or soft the Upper Coast, finding a dense concentration plastics on light jigheads in the gloaming in a of bait, primarily meaning mullet, often leads scenario like this, anglers should work them Slow-sinking twitch baits often draw one to the right nook or cranny. low and slow overall, but with enough action vicious strikes from hungry trout in the Warm January weather and rising tides to activate the rattles in the twitchbaits and gloaming during the year’s coldest month. often send many mullet into the shallows. the paddles on the tails of the soft plastics. In Given moderate temperatures, these fish often show themselves the dark, predatory fish like speckled trout find their food by sensing quite readily at the surface. And, they jump around vigorously movements with their lateral lines more so than by sight. The darker when alarmed by the presence of active predators in their midst. the darkness, the more this fact exerts influence on the ability of an Consequently, one would prefer to see lots of active, airborne bait in a angler to catch the prowling trout. cove before spending much time trying to coax a big trout to bite.

Profound darkness affects anglers in predictable ways too.

Experienced lure-chunkers also know active mullet flying out of Experience helps people cope with the loss of sight. Before attempting the water often indicates ripe potential for catching trout on floating to fish through the sunset and into the black pit of night, one should plugs, especially when water temperatures rise to 65° or more. Fullbecome as familiar as possible with the layout of the area. This sized lures like Super Spooks make good sense, given the typical size increases the chances of making casts into the parts of the place most of mullet found in the bays this time of year. When bait signs indicate a likely to hold feeding trout of magnum size, and reduces dangers high likelihood of some kind of large predators lurking within casting associated with wading at night. As does setting up the GPS with track range, anglers should expect something positive to happen in a lines and other marks, and keeping a bright light on the rail of the relatively short period of time. Standing and grinding in this situation boat’s helm, ready to illuminate the path ahead, to minimize the risks doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, unless many of the similar spots of safely navigating back to harbor when the action falls quiet. down the shoreline already have anglers working in them.

Given lighter crowds, which often prevail in the dead of winter, View The Video moving around if the bites don’t come fairly easily probably makes Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link more sense. In addition to adjustments to location, switching “down” appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube. to slow-sinking twitchbaits might certainly change the outcome.

This video describes a special offer for all Big trout sometimes prefer these over conventional cigar-shaped TSFMag readers. View to learn details. floating plugs, even when lots of jumping bait indicates they might blow up regularly.

Certainly, anglers fishing the other scenario, when frigid weather first takes an upward turn on the Lower Coast, stand ready to deploy slow-sinking twitch baits. Much of the time, these finfish imitators Kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide work best to urge strikes from hungry mature trout when water at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has created temperatures descend below 60°. Because water temperatures in several books and dvds on the subject. the mid to low-50s elevate the potential for this pattern to produce Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus best, anglers can expect to see less active bait around the surface Christi Bay to the Land Cut. when attempting to assess the likelihood of the presence of feeding TROUT TRACKER GUIDE SERVICE trout around them. Still, making a slow run down a shoreline facing a Phone 361-688-3714 deep basin, one protected from the effects of strong north winds, and Email kevxlr8@mygrande.net Web www.FishBaffinBay.com looking for mullet tight to the bank makes sense. www.captainkevblogs.com This truth applies strongly when anglers make efforts in crystal clear

CONTACT

KEVIN COCHRAN

TSFMAG.com | 17

New additions from Waterloo paired with Okuma spinning reels have quickly become favorites in my boat.

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

I

once read a quote that said, “Good friends are like the stars, you don’t always see them but you know they’re always there.”

Fishing has brought many great people into my life and that is probably the greatest benefit I have realized during my time on the water and being around it. Easily, one of the coolest and most influential of all those people has to be Jim Leavelle. Many of you will recognize his name and know of him as an outstanding guide for many years on the Galveston Bay complex and offshore.

Jim was one of the best tarpon guides around the Galveston region for many years before he moved his operation south to Corpus Christi. For years I have been trying to get down south and fish some of those areas but never took the time to do it, for whatever reason I can’t think of at the moment. I’ve had plenty of invitations to go but somehow couldn’t make time to get away. Literally every time I would call Jim on the phone, recognizing my caller ID he would ask, “Are you coming to see me?”, before even saying hello. Well I finally remedied that situation and made a road trip to the Promised Land of Speckled Trout and I can say without a shadow of doubt that I will return sooner than later.

The trip to South Texas actually started when I spoke to Jim’s son, Carlin, about duck hunting.

Carlin is an excellent fisherman in his own right who was just recently bitten by the waterfowl bug and he was more than gracious to let me tag along with him and his buddies to shoot some ducks. The South Texas coast is an amazing place to fish and is as equally impressive location for waterfowl – redheads and other diver species in particular.

I spent a couple days in the blind with Carlin and his friends, Parker Shelly, Will Davenport, and Liam Qureshi before we started fishing. As one would expect, I was blown away at the color and clarity of the water, especially compared to my home waters of Sabine and Calcasieu.

Endless beautiful grass flats with air-clear water served notice that I was a long way from home.

Jumping in the boat with Jim, in classic fashion we made the rounds in Corpus Christi and Nueces bays, probing shell in shallow water and picking up fish at most every stop we made.

The key for catching was soft plastic paddletails on slow, steady retrieves. Jim stayed true to his roots and threw old school Cocahoe Minnows while Carlin and his girlfriend, Melanie McBride, opted for Down South Southern Shads. I chose the new Mullet Run from Marker 54 and was really happy with the performance of the bait. Each of us got our fair share of bites but I must admit Melanie actually caught the most fish on that particular trip.

TSFMAG.com | 19

The highlight for me came when Jim and I, along with my lab, Joli, made the trip to Baffin Bay to look for a big fish.

Very few locales conjure thoughts of big trout quite the way Baffin does and I was beyond stoked to get my first taste of that famed piece of water. Our first wade produced only a few bites but the conditions would lead you to believe that good things were on the horizon.

The water was incredibly calm and full of life while boat traffic was virtually non-existent. Jim broke the ice with a very solid fish that fell for his Cocahoe Minnow in less than 2 feet of water. Our next stop allowed me to get in on the action as I hooked up with a nice fish on a She Pup that eventually pulled free after taking several yards of line and putting up a nice fight. The rest of the day saw us touring the bay and stopping on various rock piles where we Melanie McBride getting it done while working One of my absolute fishing heroes and great would catch a few and then move on. a classic winter pattern with a paddletail. friend, Jim Leavelle, with a solid Baffin Bay trout.

As we bounced around the rock piles I took the opportunity to try a little different strategy with some being an excellent reel for Corky or crankbait fishing. lighter lures fished from a spinning set up. The newest offerings from While Jim and I continued to make our way around the bay it was Waterloo in their Phantom and Salinity series were a pair of 6’9” rods incredibly cool to hear some of the stories of the great fish that had that were a joy to fish with. At first glance they felt a little too light but come from that body of water. Jim had been friends many years with I was blown away once I hooked a fish and felt the backbone these Jim Wallace, a name many will recall and associate instantly with big rods have built into them. trout in Baffin Bay. Wallace and Leavelle shared many great days and Both rods were fitted with Okuma Cedros reels which are not only caught some great fish together. Some hardcore anglers believe that very well made but also have incredible drag systems. I honestly Wallace’s incredible 13 pound-11 ounce trophy is still the rightful Texas believe the slower gear ratio on the spinning reels will allow anglers record speck, but that’s a conversation for another time. to catch more fish in the colder months as it naturally lends to slower The aura of Baffin Bay and the history of the biggest trout in Texas presentations. Speaking of slowing your presentation, I also tried the makes that part of the world special and I am so happy I not only new Serrano baitcast reel from Okuma which is a gamechanger for made the trip but that I made it with my friend. I can say with absolute saltwater anglers with its new finish. The model I tried out was a 6.5 certainty that I will be back down there very soon and I look forward to gear ratio, slower than many others on the market today. I can see this being there with a good friend.

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Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

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20 | January 2021

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

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t e n r i ’ s W STORY BY

JOE RICHA RD

WAHOO

Snatching a wahoo through the tuna door. The mate is wearing flip-flops. Watch those toes!

C

oastal fishing is at a low ebb in January, but there’s one fish that peaks out this month, and that’s wahoo. Prowling in blue water all year long, wahoo often are single fish caught by accident.

Except during winter, when they actually gather up at offshore pinnacles, such as the East and West Flower Gardens and also Stetson Rock, off the coast of Galveston. They’re way offshore and often can only be reached in winter during “weather windows,” such as the day after a cold front when the north wind subsides. These windows of low wind may only last for half a day, however, before an easterly wind picks up. With luck, the wind might turn to a lucky southeast and blow only mildly, assisting the boats right back to Freeport and Galveston after a day of furious action with these highperformance, ocean speedsters. Off Texas, it’s the big, fast center console boats that can race out to these hotspots and cash in on a winter wahoo bonanza.

Wahoo hits the deck with a high-speed trolling lure with a thoroughly-chewed up plastic skirt.

Speed trolling lure with streamlined, four-pound lead weight to keep it below the surface. Both are mounted on 400-pound cable to counter sharp teeth.

Speed trolling for wahoo with a big boat.

24 | January 2021

On the subject of speed, fishing for wahoo in many areas, especially tournaments, involves the highest trolling speeds in the world, from 15 to 18 knots. Literally plowing along back and forth over a designated mile or so, with four heavy Penn 50-class billfish outfits, 400-pound test cable leaders, often with a 4-pound streamlined lead weight above the leader. And heavy, one and twopound plastic-skirted baits with quality hooks sized up to 9/0. These fish are so fast and powerful, a big one will occasionally empty one of these marlin-class reels filled with something like 600 yards of 50-pound line. It can be hard work and to compound that, the boat is kept in forward gear while fighting the fish, keeping the line tight.

Why? The hook often wears a hole in a wahoo’s jaw, and will drop out without serious, constant line tension. Using this technique, pumping and reeling on a 40-pounder easily feels like a hundred-pounder. After catching a few of these powerful fish, I would imagine the crews have a hard time staying awake, on the long run back to the Texas coast. I certainly would. These days, I wouldn’t go without a beanbag chair and a pair of ear plugs. Wake me up at the jetties.

When we’ve caught winter wahoo, we started out with the all-important dawn bite, trolling slower with lighter Islander trolling baits with a fresh, “horse” sized ballyhoo attached. As the morning progressed, we switched to fast trolling without ballyhoo. One trip we had 11 wahoo strikes, but reeled in only four fish, all modest, identical 40-pounders. We had to pull our lines at 11 a.m. because we were filming a TV show, and they needed footage back at the docks…I wanted to fish all day, but they just wouldn’t listen.

Trolling and covering water is the ticket. Aside from fast-trolling, other options include pulling lipped, diving plugs at five knots or so. A spread of four, wiggling plugs may draw vicious strikes. You want flashy plugs that signal wounded baitfish, though bright colors work too, especially fire tiger. If the same plug catches several fish, set out more of the same.

Live bait is another option. Most big center consoles carry live wells, and it isn’t difficult to stop at a platform and jig up a few blue runners. Which means carrying lighter trout tackle on the boat, of course. Pull up to within 30 feet of the rig, lower those ½ ounce jigs down about 20 feet, and jig away. Actually trolling blue runners requires a much slower speed, however. But it’s worth it, to see a wahoo “sky” jump on a frantic runner. And it’s difficult to beat a live bait. It just doesn’t cover as much ground, trolling that way. The seamounts off Texas involve quite a few acres, and you need to find the action quickly on those short winter days. The fish might be ganged up a quarter mile away.

Wahoo may be built like kingfish and have been confused with kings during tournaments, but they’re different. Wahoo have white meat that is like turkey breast, when cooked. Wandering the world’s seas, they can grow to 150 pounds, and are said to be the world’s fastest fish.

TSFMAG.com | 25

Their teeth are smaller than kingfish, but sharp as razor blades, and can easily cut heavy mono leaders rigged for marlin. That’s why serious wahoo trollers use braided cable leaders. Like kingfish, wahoo can jump high and have injured anglers. One wahoo free-jumped right through the porthole of a partyboat south of California, trashing the galley where breakfast was being cooked. Another wahoo in the Florida Keys sat in the fish box for a few moments, then jumped out and clamped down on the nearest angler’s butt, causing serious injury.

Veteran wahoo anglers say it’s best to stick a strong gaff near a wahoo’s head, so it can’t twist around and bite someone in the boat. Boats should carry several gaffs of different sizes, and not some little 3-foot This angler on a partyboat brought sturdy A January wahoo tournament in The Bahamas. This Mickey Mouse gaff used for tackle and pulled a speed trolling lure, 101-pound winner was caught just off the reef’s inshore fishing. If the winter catching the trip’s best fish, a big wahoo. dropoff, within a few hundred yards of shore. doldrums have you down, a during winter tournaments—held in wonderfully idyllic weather wahoo trip might be the cure, if you have the right boat and tackle, for January, where everyone wore shorts and these ocean fish are and a weather window. caught only a few hundred yards from dry land and the water was flat calm. Sometimes a winter cold front will reach down that far Wahoo in the Bahamas If you want to try an adventurous trip this winter for wahoo, without however, and blow northwest at 40 knots. Those are the days when Miss Amy and I stayed ashore, sipping rum punch and holding making the long runs off the Texas coast, wahoo season peaks out on to our hats even on a restaurant’s outdoor patio. On that trip, in the Bahamas from December through February. San Salvador is several dozen big center console boats had to return to Florida the widely accepted there as the best island for wahoo, located about next day in what they said were 15-foot seas while crossing the 400 miles from South Florida, so they don’t get many visiting boats.

Gulf Stream current. We could see huge whitecaps a mile below At least, not the fast center consoles that have competed in winter our plane’s window. When that (always) north-bound Gulf current wahoo tournaments on islands closer to Miami. It’s best to just collides with a cold front, look out. fly to San Salvador and rent a charterboat. Wahoo exceeding 100 pounds are fairly common there and the locals know where they live. Especially a seamount 10 miles offshore that rises from 4,000 feet up to 180. Small tuna school there and the big wahoo feed on them. A charterboat will run about $1,500 for a “full day,” which starts after breakfast and ends at 3 p.m., which sounds pretty short.

However, it may yield more time with hooks in the water, than Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arrunning a hundred miles out of Galveston or Freeport and back. A thur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast.

Bahamas charterboat is big enough for six anglers, so that’s $250 He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida apiece, not too bad for a short boat ride to where the big ones bite.

Sportsman’s book and assistant Covid restrictions now apply in The Bahamas, such as getting tested magazine editor. He began guiding before arrival. Details listed on their websites. out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His Bahamas islands closer to Miami and West Palm Beach, in recent specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, years hosted a series of winter wahoo tournaments, but they now New Revelations. Available at have a problem—they got wasted by Hurricane Dorian and are Seafavorites.com still in recovery mode. I’m referring to Grand Bahamas and the Abacos Islands, where I’ve seen 100-pound wahoo weighed in

CONTACT

JOE RICHARD

26 | January 2021

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That’s me, twenty years younger, the same year as this story, before I began guiding. Note the Hodgman neoprene waders and camo jacket; lots of things have changed.

28 | January 2021

STORY BY DAVID ROWSEY

I

on

finished my last job for the day near Ocean Drive at about 3:30 pm. The weather was abnormally beautiful for early September. There was an unusual northeast breeze and the clouds had been building all day. On the radio, the weatherman kept repeating that sporadic showers were scattered about. The only thing on my mind was the almost flat seas of Corpus Christi Bay. The fish bug was nibbling on my ear and by the time I got home she had taken a huge bite.

I quickly backed my truck up to the boat and had her hitched in no time. A quick change of clothes, grab my wading belt, favorite casting rig, a quick pet to my dogs, and I was gone. My home is only three streets from nearest boat ramp, and from that point it is about a thirtyminute boat ride to the mouth of Baffin Bay. I would not normally travel this far for a quick after-work trip but something was in the air. I couldn’t really describe it, and I figured what the hell. Want to catch a big one? Go where the big ones live!

I quickly dropped the boat in the water, parked the truck, and idled my way out to the bay. In no time I was southbound, cutting across the crystal clear waters of the Laguna Madre. I would not see another boat the rest of the day (try that today). Flying by spoil islands and submerged sandbars, I passed up no less than two dozen ideal fishing holes on my way to Baffin, but I had a plan, and difficult as it was, I was going to stick to it.

At last, I pulled into my closest honey hole at the mouth of the bay, quietly put out my anchor and let the now moderate east wind set it for me. (Remember this was 20 years ago, before I began guiding and before Power-Poles.) I quickly got my equipment strapped on, grabbed my rod, and eased off the edge of the boat into a sandy little pothole that was as firm as a city street. The first thing I realized was that I had the wrong lure tied to the end of my line so, with a couple of quick snips and a classic loop knot, I reared back and released the fury of a bone Super Spook – complete with new factory-sharp Cone Cut VMC hooks. In other words, some real mean and intimidating hardware.

It was exactly the fourth cast that the first eruption happened, but it proved to be all water and no lips. A few moments later I slipped around

Trout

the tip of the small island and found some mullet acting much too nervous for such a pretty day. As graceful as momma cooking etouffee, I launched the big lure just ahead of a line of mullet and began fishing it parallel to the bait. As I reached the end of the line I began thinking, “Damn, there should have been a fish trailing behind all of that.”

While in the middle of that thought I nudged the rod tip once, twice, pause, once more, and SUHHH-WOOSH! She was on and I immediately knew she was good. The drag was singing and I thought, “Oh damn, a big redfish.”

About that time a large silver/gray head, full of yellow mouth and quarter-sized eyeballs came out of the water and began shaking at me. “Oh my little son, hold on…Daddy’s got a good one.”

The drag was too light and I immediately started reaching for it, we had to have some adjustment, but not too much, this girl meant business. She was a real tail walker and it was all I could do to keep her head down.

I practically had my whole rod, up to the reel, under the water, and was biting my tongue for good measure. I could see that she had already shaken one of the hooks that had originally stuck her.

After a few tense moments I worked her closer and she seemed to become more docile. In about that same instant she whipped her tail with such force that she almost ripped the rod out of my hands and showered me with enough water to make it look as if I had fallen off of the boat.

With the enthusiasm of a baby dolphin she began the ferocious battle again, only this time I could not see her through my soaked glasses. Saltwater had gotten into my eyes and they were beginning to feel like they were on fire. Finally, when the moment felt right, I braved the nerve to fight her with one hand, while I removed the glasses and squeezed my eyes with thumb and forefinger. The battle continued for a few brief moments and she laid over on her side.

Easing her toward my belly, I reached for my Boga Grip only to find that in my haste I’d left it on the boat…DAMN IT, DAVID! Knowing that I was not going to keep the fish, I figured that it is no big deal if she shook loose at that point; however, I wanted to get an accurate TSFMAG.com | 29

weight before she was set loose.

Almost instantly I decided to reach down and land her barehanded.

This should not be a big deal as I land the majority of my fish this way.

So, as she passed by, I went for the first reach and she didn’t like it, not even a little bit. She started with the flailing and splashing again and I quickly jerked my hand from the sharp teeth and flashing hooks. Ooh wee…that was a close one!” I reconsidered the situation and decided to lip her on the side of the mouth, opposite the majority of the hooks.

I’ve done it a hundred times. No problem!

Pulling her around for another pass, the technique worked perfectly.

She gave another shake and we both now realized that I had total control of the situation. It was at this moment that the pain started shooting through my hand and I realized that I was hooked to the fish.

This is the point where my memory gets a little foggy, but to the best of my recollection I actually kind of giggled at my plight. Such humorous thoughts were shattered when she began shaking again.

Now, brother, this was serious business, and this once happy fisherman was in extraordinary pain.

As best I could, I looked over the situation and quickly realized that it would be quicker for me to remove the hooks from the trout versus my hand. With great reservation I dropped my $150 Curado and my $300 G. Loomis rod into the high salinity waters of the Laguna Madre.

I think that may have hurt more than my hand, but I didn’t have a choice. I needed both hands to try and free the fish from my body.

As I took a couple of deep breaths to prepare myself for the removal of the hooks, my mind began to flash back to the high grass in my yard, and the trim that I should have hung around the new French doors. It was then that she began to move again and I instinctively tried to pull her close to me so that she would not put any more pressure on the hook that was buried in my hand. I finally had to press her against my chest to keep her from moving, and when she stopped I knew I would have hell to pay.

Now picture this, I am dripping with saltwater from head to toe, I have what appears to be a 29- to 30-inch trout hooked to the back of my hand, I’m bleeding like someone took a switchblade to me, and I now have all the free hooks on my Super Spook tangled into my brand new, “quick dry” fishing shirt. Mother of God, this sow is a freak and I want no more of it.

Reassessing the situation yet again it took about a split second to decide that my best option was on the beach with this fish. I quickly dashed that way, dragging $450 worth of gear behind me in the mud and saltwater. Upon arriving I immediately dropped myself and the trout down into the mud, and grabbed for my hemostats. Thank God they were where they were supposed to be.

To the passerby this probably looked like some kind of strange fetish taking place on the beach, as I am humped over my hand, which is still connected to the fish, and I am having to straddle both. All my options were running thin so, in one semi-slick move, I managed to get my shirt pulled over my head, and at last I could sit up straight. I located the only hook still connected to the big trout and with surgical precision quickly popped it out of her mouth. In the words of the Reverend Martin Luther King, I said, We’re free at last!”

The big girl just didn’t look like she had much left in her, but before I began removing the hooks from my shirt and hand I slipped to the edge of the water to release her. At first she almost appeared dead, but she quickly got the oxygen flowing again and, with a final goodbye slapped her tail and drenched me with salty spray. As if to say, “I WON!” 30 | January 2021

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32 | January 2021

V I EW SHOW

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TSFMAG.com | 33

P R E V I EW

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34 | January 2021

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TSFMAG.com | 35

J AY WAT K I N S

ASK THE PRO

LET CONDITIONS SHAPE YOUR

FISHING STRATEGIES As I write this piece we’ve experienced very little cool weather and basically zero cold weather. The forecast for the next week is showing no significant frontal systems that would change much in my daily fishing strategies.

After nearly 40 years at this gig, it’s true that I can plan from day to day as the weather pattern presents itself but that is not really who I am as a fisherman or a guide. With that said, I want to dig into my game plan for each day, from a fisherman’s viewpoint as well as a guide.

You might think they would be one and the same, and for that matter you might think that all guides are good fishermen. You want your guide to be both, for sure, and not too much of one and less of the other.

There’s a nice common ground that we hope to find, that supplies all your needs for the day’s fishing. I will also say that I would want my guide to be a better fisherman than guide, if I could pick only one.

A great fisherman will unconsciously drag you right where you need to be if you’ll follow his lead.

No doubt my strong suit was fishing and not guiding

in the beginning of my career. To this day I know a lot of guides that are better guides than me from a perspective of taking care of the client’s physical and emotional needs. I kind of went off track a bit, so let me just stick to what I know and that’s winter fishing.

Thus far we’ve had no real winter conditions but it will happen, and when it does we need to be ready to act. Right now the water temperatures in Aransas Bay are nudging 70°. Daytime air temps are running lowto mid-80s and driving daytime water temperatures up slightly but cooler nighttime air is dropping water temperatures each night in the shallows. I much prefer mid-50s morning water temps and then slight warming throughout the day. This will allow trout and baitfish alike to push into shallower water to warm and feed… or be fed on.

Warming trends, no matter how slight, create periods of shallow feeding during winter. Just a few days ago we eased into a pocket were a creek mouth was dumping warm water into the bay from a back lake. Trout to 4 pounds were literally nosed into the current where the water temperature (according to BK McLaughlin – five pounds plus – CPR! my boat’s gauge) rose almost 3 degrees. We could feel the difference through our waders and verified it when I pulled the boat into the area after fishing it.

Winter’s colder bay water temperatures trigger the movement and migration of many baitfish species to deeper water, and even out to the gulf surf, if they have access.

Most of the larger mullet will stay in the bays through winter over soft, muddy bottom where decaying vegetation provides their food. The mullet then attract trout to the area as a primary food source first and foremost – not the warmer water temperatures. All fish acclimate to colder water temperatures and, once acclimated, will become very active, something I think many seem to overlook.

Ask any diehard topwater fishermen whether trout and reds can be caught in the months of December through February, even with colder water temperatures.

However, we must also keep in mind that a sudden drop in water temperature will push trout to the deeper sections of the waters in which they reside. And yes, they can become lethargic for short periods of time, which can require anglers to slow

36 | January 2021

䠀唀一吀䤀一䜀 䄀一䐀 䘀䤀匀䠀䤀一䜀 倀刀伀䐀唀䌀吀匀 圀圀圀⸀䘀伀刀䔀嘀䔀刀䰀䄀匀吀⸀䌀伀䴀

圀攀 䰀椀瘀攀 䠀甀渀渀渀最 愀渀搀 䘀椀猀栀椀渀最

伀唀吀䐀伀伀刀匀 TSFMAG.com | 37

Author (all masked up)…downsizing your lures can sometimes pay big dividends!

Lauren Sponsler preparing to release a great redfish to fight another day.

everything down for a day or so. But, I promise, as the surrounding shallows begin to warm, the bait and gamefish alike will be quick to head there for warmth. During this warming period savvy anglers will find the best feeds from the best fish.

I remember a late afternoon on Second Chain of Islands in San Antonio Bay when my boys were junior-high age. We took every opportunity to fish when they were younger. It was a bitter cold December day and the boys were on Christmas break. It was cold enough to make your hands hurt until about 10:00am. Tides were low and waters clear due to 52° water temperature. Yes, we carried aquarium water temperature gauges on a string back then and it worked like a charm.

I knew the Second Chain held deeper troughs of water between long shell fingers that extend from the main reef structure. In days prior I had been catching some great trout along the fringes of the shallow shell flats and guts that lie to the south of these fingers. It’s really soft in spots on the south side of the back bone as well as in between the smaller guts to the south of the fingers. We went early because we wanted to spend all day fishing together and, honestly, back then I was still guessing a lot when it came to strategy.

Early in the day we fished the deeper muddy troughs, almost dragging Red Shad Bass Assassins along the bottom. Every once in a while we’d feel a slight tick on the line but not really a take. Around 10:00am, just about when we could feel our fingers, the tick became more of a light but distinctive thump. Quick reel-downs resulted in solid reds, and while I’m no doubt biased, my boys were natural fishermen and they caught them right along with me. Their Watkins and Adams genes no doubt contributed, plus they used the same 38 | January 2021

rods, reels and lines I used. In short, they could feel what I felt in the bite category, something to remember when you want others to learn to become good anglers.

By about noon we began to get a few trout bites. With a light NE wind direction we were moving slowly to the south, leaving the trough and wading up on the shallower southern broken shell and gut-littered flat. Come early afternoon, and with midday sun warming our backs and the shallows, trout bites became more frequent and by 3:00pm the size of the trout increased dramatically. I was honestly amazed at the size of trout we were catching as this class of fish were not common in this area.

I noticed about halfway through the shallow bite that many of the larger fish had shrimp whiskers hanging out of their mouths. While cleaning fish we discovered these to be very large white shrimp, which I believed had long before exited the bays to spawn in the gulf.

Truth is, Mother Nature covers all her bases, which might explain their presence along that reef that day. I must also admit that in those days I was unaware of the potential harm I was capable of with my rod and reel and we didn’t release many. Boy, have times changed. The upshot of the story is that a winter pattern was embedded in my brain that day. We allowed the conditions to develop around us, even though at the time I was quite unaware.

This past week, with 68° water temps, light winds, air-clear water, and a lingering dome of high atmospheric pressure, my bite has been early versus later in the day. This is due to a lack of suitable shallow feeding conditions for the apex predators we know our larger trout to be. On Monday, I knew the fish were present, everything was in place, bait lines, windward shoreline, deeper potholes and shoreline guts.

fish establish each day what they want. In other words, have an open mind when it comes to your daily and even hourly lure selections.

Conditions of the day establish the game plan and it’ll be up to each angler to interpret the conditions and react accordingly. We learn just as much from our failures as we do from our successes. Failure is seldom fun but try seeing it as a victory from the standpoint that you are now aware of what does not work for the conditions at hand. The best anglers have short memories; they put both failure and success behind them at day’s end and move forward.

May your fishing always be catching! -Guide, Jay Watkins

View The Video

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

Tough Fishing Conditions...

Aim Small Miss Small

C O N TA C T

Bites from larger trout were very light, brief hookups from fish that were BITING at the lure, but not turning on it and actually trying to EAT it. We had 3 or 4 big trout on but landed none. Struggling for bites, I moved to a smaller area of bottom structure hoping to find a better concentration of fish that would bite out of shear competitive nature.

We chose to AIM SMALL and MISS SMALL, the subject of this month’s video clip. It worked like a charm with limits of trout caught in quick fashion but nothing over about 18 inches.

On the very next day we had some cloud cover developing as the barometer began to decline. On the very same flat we had totally opposite results. We caught and released five solid trout from 4.5- to 5.75-pounds, and numerous other from 18- to 22-inches on our first wade. All fish literally smashed our Bay Mistress and Pistachio Custom Corky Fat Boys. I returned to that area on Tuesday knowing the conditions had swung greatly in our favor. I also knew from Monday’s results that quality fish were present.

My winter lure selection will lean heavily toward Custom Corkys, Custom Soft-Dines and Texas Custom’s Double Ds. There’s only one Custom Corky and their color patterns meet all our middle to lower coast water conditions. I’ll throw the MirrOlure Lil Johns and Lil John XLs as well as the 5” Provokers and Bass Assassins in a heartbeat when the fish tell me to. Texas Custom’s 1/16-ounce 2/0 jigheads in Watermelon Red Glitter, Black Gold, Chartreuse-Blue Glitter are highly recommended.

As I have become older I have come to believe that I can make them eat what I want them to eat. Great when it works but a terrible habit that many experienced anglers often fall victim to. We have to let the

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 | 39

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

DON’T GIVE UP BECAUSE IT’S COLD! A common question I get from potential customers is, “What is the best time of year to sight cast reds in your area.” I’m sure my answer to “all of them” is met with some skepticism, but it really is the correct answer. It all depends on the conditions you’re presented with.

Many folks think that December, January and February would be too cold for the fish to get shallow. While that can be true during the most bitter fronts, the days between fronts can be outstanding. The calm winds and sunshine behind a front can allow the shallows to warm up fairly quickly. Darker mud or grass bottoms will warm faster than the sandy areas. As you go exploring different areas look for bait movement. If the mullet are moving, so are the gamefish.

Another advantage during the colder months is water clarity. Some of the clearest water you’ll see occurs during the winter months. While the lower coast enjoys clear water throughout the year, the middle coast can get a little cloudy during the warmer months. The higher tides of spring and fall get up into the mangroves and pull some silt out, causing the water along shorelines to be dirty.

The typically lower tides this time of year allow that silt to settle. The colder water also tends to hold less algae and plankton, resulting in gin-clear flats.

Along the upper coast most people tend to think the

DOA PT-7 topwater fooled this red into taking a bite.

40 | January 2021

water is dirty. I feel like it is just really rich in organic matter.

The plankton and suspended algae lead to the “trout green” water of summer that makes most fishermen happy. While it is nice, it isn’t all that great for sight casting. Once the water temps drop into the lower 60s the organic matter drops out and the water can get extremely clear. Actually, the colder the better. When I was guiding the Galveston region I took many anglers into the marshes during January and February who would comment that they’d never seen that level of clarity on the upper coast.

Clear water is awesome, but it doesn’t do you any good if there aren’t any fish in the area. Behind a front I’ll start my search near deeper water wherever I feel like the fish may have sought refuge from the cold. If the sun is out and warming the adjacent flats, the reds will creep out along the edges. If they aren’t on the actual flats I’ll start looking along the shoreline shelf of deeper bayous.

The longer the run of sunshine between fronts, the further the reds will venture from that deep water refuge. If it lasts more than three or four days with air temps into the 70s they’ll go all the way to the back of the marshes and shallow lakes as they would any other time of year. Again, if you are seeing baitfish moving about an area, then the water is warm enough for the reds. Finding fish this time of year often involves covering a lot of water. I’ll be on the

Ed Zyak with DOA Lures admires a beautiful backwater redfish.

If they refuse your offering...go smaller!

Beautiful winter morning...sans the boats of summer.

Happy anglers... and those are not Covid masks!

are reefs. You probably know where the reefs in your area are, but do you know exactly how they’re shaped? Learning the edges, points and depressions within a reef structure can pay off later when you can’t see them. If you run across anything interesting, pull your phone out and take a picture to refer back later.

If you’ve always been one to blow off winter fishing in favor of waiting until spring, you might want to get out there and give it a shot. The summer crowds are absent and the fish still have to eat.

View The Video

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

Dressing for January Fishing with AFTCO

C O N TA C T

move, poling as many areas as possible until we can get on a pattern.

Once you find the fish you’ve got to get them to eat something.

On the plus side, there is a lot less forage available to them during these months. On the minus side, the reds tend not to eat as much or as often with the slower metabolism of winter. The generally accepted thought among the trout guys in the winter is to go with bigger baits.

For redfish I go the other direction. I start fairly small and, if they seem to be refusing the offering, I’ll go smaller. For conventional gear I’ll go with the small DOA C.A.L. shad tail first and then move down to the new 2.75” DOA shrimp or a small Buggs jig. A 1/8 ounce gold spoon is also a good option. If you throw braid and tie directly you may want to consider adding a length of fluorocarbon leader.

This time of year is when fly fishermen often have an advantage over the conventional guys. We can keep downsizing until they can’t refuse. I have worked my way down to size 8 bonefish flies when they really get picky. The other hurdle you are often facing is spooky fish. Clear water and light winds sometimes call for longer and lighter leaders than you’ve been throwing the rest of the year.

There are no hard and fast rules, you just have to try and read the fish’s reactions to whatever you are presenting. Typically, if you run up on three or four reds that obviously refuse your fly or lure then it is time to change something.

And if all else fails you can always punt. This time of year is excellent for going exploring. The extra-low tides and clear water will reveal all sorts of interesting features that can be useful throughout the year. Back lakes and marshes often seem to be featureless bowls, but there is almost always a slightly deeper drain that winds around or through the pond. It is good info for later in the year when you spook a red off the shoreline. You can bet they know where that slightly deeper depression is and they’ll head towards it. Sometimes a cast into that area will get a reaction bite from the spooked fish. This can also be a good bet for blind casting while you hunt for a target.

Other structure features that I like to scout on the low-water days

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

Telephone Email Website

281-450-2206 captscottnull@gmail.com www.captainscottnull.com TSFMAG.com | 41

By Jeffery Bayer | Hatchery Biologist, Sea Center Te x a s M a r i n e F i s h H a t c h e r y | L a k e J a c k s o n

FIELD NOTES

TPWD’S MARINE SPORTFISH ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM - STOCKING ALLOCATION AND SITE SELECTION The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Coastal Fisheries Sportfish Enhancement Program is now in its fourth decade of operation and has stocked over 900 million Red Drum and Spotted Seatrout in Texas’ public waters. If you spend any amount of time on the Texas coast, there is a good chance you’ve seen our flatbed trailers with white fiberglass boxes emblazoned with the Texas Parks and Wildlife logo. These hauling units are used to transport and stock millions of

fingerlings into Texas’ bays and estuaries each year. But not every location is suitable for juvenile fish growth and survival. So how and why are some sites selected? And, how many fingerlings should be released? To answer these questions, we rely on the cooperation between two different Coastal Fisheries programs: the resource management teams, which monitor our marine fisheries resources, and the hatcheries, which produce and stock the fingerlings. It is this cooperation that has made stock

Table 1. 2020 Red Drum fingerling allocation by bay.

42 | January 2021

enhancement an effective tool in our state’s resource management.

The primary goal of the Fisheries Enhancement Program is to supplement the recruitment of juvenile Red Drum into the fishery because the success of natural reproduction varies from year to year. For a variety of reasons (like red tide and freezes), some years are better than others for newly hatched Red Drum. To ensure fingerlings are being stocked where they are needed most, the distribution of hatchery produced fingerlings also varies. This “allocation” is a percentage of the 15 million fingerlings that are produced every year by TPWD’s saltwater fish hatcheries.

To determine the allocation, Coastal Fisheries biologists sample shoreline habitat with a bag seine and count the number of juvenile Red Drum observed from November to March. This gives us an idea of how successful the year was for Red Drum reproduction. From these samples, we calculate the catch rate, which we call “catch per unit effort” (CPUE). If the CPUE is increasing from previous years, we know that natural reproduction of Red Drum was more successful.

If CPUE is decreasing, we can plan to stock more hatchery-raised fingerlings in those areas. So, based on average catch rates and the amount (hectares) of suitable shallow water habitat in each bay system, a percentage of the overall hatchery-produced Red Drum is assigned (Table 1). The 2019-2020 coastwide CPUE was the third highest on record, and six of the nine major-bay systems exhibited above average catch rates, indicating a healthy and increasing population of Red Drum on the Texas coast. (Figure 1).

Once we know how many fingerlings will be distributed to each major bay system, we can start thinking about exactly where to stock the fingerlings.

When choosing a stocking site, a primary concern must be: does this location contain the correct habitat for these juvenile sportfish?

The location should not just be somewhere they can survive but somewhere they thrive! Juvenile Red Drum and Spotted Seatrout can grow upwards of a millimeter a day. This means energy demands are substantial and require lots of prey items to fuel their growth. Good habitat also provides shelter that protects them from wading birds, larger fish, and crustaceans that prey on juvenile fish. Cordgrass, oyster shell, and seagrass beds can all provide suitable places for the fingerlings to hide, feed, and grow.

A secondary concern is identifying sites with adequate water

Figure 1. Coastwide seasonal (NovemberMarch) Red Drum CPUE from bag seines.

quality. Dissolved oxygen levels, salinity, and water temperature can all influence fingerling survival. Ideally, the water quality of a site should be the same as the water in the hauling unit. This is not always possible as conditions vary along the Texas coast. Therefore, in most cases, the fish are stocked after acclimation, the process of slowly replacing the water in a hauling unit with water from the site. This allows the fish to adapt to the local water conditions before being released.

Site accessibility must also be taken into consideration. Hauling units can safely transport and stock upwards of 300,000 fingerlings per trip. The sheer logistics of stocking millions of Red Drum annually make these trailerable life support systems the most common method we use. These hauling units can weigh over 8,500 pounds when loaded, so a site must be able to accommodate these heavy trailers close to the water. We prefer sites with good habitat, adjacent to a paved or gravel road or parking lot. In some areas, a boat is utilized to access areas unreachable by vehicle. Although logistically more challenging, using a boat can greatly increase our ability to stock fingerlings into the best habitats available. It is desirable to spread the allotment of Red Drum to as much suitable habitat as possible, so no more than 300,000 fingerlings are released into a one square mile area.

Over time, some stocking sites begin to feel like an old friend you see year after year, while others get eliminated due to land use, construction, or changing environmental conditions. Hatchery staff use tools such as Google Earth to identify new sites and expand the range of the stock enhancement program. After all, choosing excellent stocking sites is vital to ensure successful stocking and a healthy fishery. Your TPWD fisheries enhancement program helps to ensure there are angling opportunities for both present and future generations.

Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or tpwd.texas.gov for more info.

TSFMAG.com | 43

DAV E R O B E R T S

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

MOVING FORWARD Bob Seger said, “Turn the page,” and I am pretty sure I’m not the only person that is ready to do exactly that. I am sure by now that we all are ready to start a new chapter.

This previous year was nothing short of bizarre but hopefully it is all behind us now. As the new year begins I can’t help to look back and reflect on some of the better memories. With all the bad things that went on and worse things that I and others narrowly escaped; they are a great reminder of how truly blessed we are.

For starters, I believe it is a fair statement that the hurricane season along the Gulf Coast was nothing like we have ever seen. The last year that we had named storms that made it through the Greek alphabet was 2005, which gave us Katrina and Rita; so that should sum up how this year has been. Now I don’t wish it upon anyone but on my

end of Southeast Texas, we came out far better than our neighbors to the east. The storm surge ruined several piers on Sabine Lake but they can be rebuilt. On the other hand, it has pushed a good amount of saltwater to the north end of the lake and Harvey’s fresh water inundation is finally over. I know that the oysters and other aquatic life are happy about that!

Speaking of oysters, CCA Texas and TPWD have been working to restore the oyster reef on the south end of Sabine Lake. This area took a major hit during Harvey, due to the enormous amount of freshwater.

Since the project began in 2015, the reef has started to thrive. When I asked Shane Bonnot, the Advocacy Director for CCA Texas, about the health of it, he responded saying that it looked great and promising for years to come. If you have ever

A new year is here “and I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities that await.

44 | January 2021

”

View The Video

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

Post-Norther Redfish Bonanza

C O N TA C T

fished Sabine Lake then you know the importance of this reef. This is a huge win!

As far as fishing, this has been one of the better years and our fishery has shown major improvement. This fall I spent several consecutive days chasing birds and catching all the trout I could stand. Most were smaller, but still a great sign compared to a few years back when schools were nearly nonexistent. I also landed a few beautiful 5-pounders, and seen photos of some 6- to 7-pounders. It certainly makes me feel better about the situation compared with where we were.

Chasing redfish presented some challenges but once I got it figured out it was definitely on. We had a tremendous amount of grass this year in our marsh system. It was so thick that I don’t believe redfish could live in it, much less paddle across it. That being said though, once you found the places that could hold fish, you were greeted with crystal-clear water and more reds than you could shake a stick at. Even though I had the opportunity, I never harassed them too much, mostly because I just want them to stick around.

If they were schooled up, a majority of the time I would just watch them and the only time I ever caught them was when I had someone with me that has never experienced that sort of thing. It is always a thrill for a first timer and for me getting to see their excitement.

Although the acres upon acres of thick grass made fishing less than ideal, the other creatures that make our ecosystem go ‘round took advantage of the opportunity to flourish. The back channels and the main lake this year have been covered with rafts of shad, which is a necessary and vital food source. I also was lucky to see plenty of shrimp being washed out of the marsh and back lakes, which is another promising sign. To top it all off, I can’t recall a year with as many crabs in the marsh. I could have filled a cooler just about every time I went out but never did. I did take advantage of it one day and brought my parents out to catch a few. It’s hard to pass up a good fresh seafood gumbo!

All in all, considering what you may read or see on the news, everything is good in the world. No matter how bad it may seem, every one of us are fortunate to have the opportunities and live in the place that we do. A new year is here and I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities that await. Be sure to get out and learn something new and explore a different area this year. There is no better time than now to get outside and enjoy life.

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

Email: TexasKayakChronicles@yahoo.com Website: www.TexasKayakChronicles.com TSFMAG.com | 45

Contractors plant part of 40,000 smooth cord grass plants over 8 acres in the Egery Island Flats marsh restoration effort. Photo by John Blaha.

Story by John Blaha

T S F M A G C O N S E R VAT I O N N E W S

CCA TEXAS 2020 HABITAT REVIEW This has been a year of many challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic brought challenges on every level of operation to CCA Texas. In the end, CCA Texas has remained strong and successful because of the diligent efforts of both volunteer and staff leadership, the efforts of local chapters, and the continued support of members and sponsors. CCA Texas staff has worked tirelessly with local chapters to host online auctions and other virtual events.

The response from members and sponsors has been overwhelming and the support has been beyond what anyone expected in these trying times. Habitat restoration and creation has continued, and to date, CCA Texas and Building Conservation Trust (BCT) have contributed over $7.525 million to more than 40 projects since 2009.

A second row of segment oyster reefs established outside the original row placed in August 2017 along the Big Tree Unit of Goose Island State Park. Photo by John Blaha.

46 | January 2021

Partnerships are crucial in habitat restoration and creation projects. CCA Texas works diligently with partners from all arenas including governmental, nongovernmental organizations, academic, industry, and private foundations to make habitat projects become reality. CCA Texas and BCT are proud to work closely with these partners including: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD); Texas General Land Office (TXGLO); Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF); Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program (CBBEP); Friends of Rio Grande Valley Reef (FRGVR); Friends of Sabine Reefs (FSR); Texas A&M & Harte Research Institute (HRI); Shell Oil Company; Sempra Energy; Cheniere Energy; Valero; Phillips 66; Motiva; Yamaha; CCA Music City Chapter; and others.

TSFMAG.com | 47

This list alone shows the diverse partnerships needed to make habitat projects become reality.

CCA Texas and BCT support helped bring ten habitat projects to reality in 2020. These projects included nearshore reefing efforts, marsh restoration, and oyster restoration.

Nearshore Reefing Rio Grande Valley Nearshore Reef – Under the continued leadership of Friends of Rio Grande Valley Reef (FRGVR), this 1,600 acre nearshore site continues to receive materials for habitat creation. In March 2020, concrete railroad ties and broken concrete were deployed in low-patch relief areas of the “CCA Texas” corner. This effort deployed 10,000 tons of materials in the 400 acre nursery area called the CCA Nursery. The deployment consisted of 54 low-relief durable nursery reef patches. Each patch is made up with 25 tons of concrete railroad ties, 25 tons of broken concrete, and 6 pallets (420 blocks) of cinderblocks. In addition, 16 patch reefs made up of 250 tons of concrete railroad ties each were deployed in a line north of the reef to provide protection to the nursery reef. Capping it off, another 1,500 tons of material was placed in the SE corner of the reef site, known as the CCA corner. In October, FRGVR sank the EMR - Capt. Berry, a 96’ steel shrimp boat. This effort was followed up in November when a 78’ retired shrimp boat was sunk as the Genco Energy Services/Murray Meggison reef. Plans included sinking two more steel vessels and more materials into the RGV reef site. To date, CCA Texas and BCT have contributed $861,000 to the Rio Grande Valley nearshore reef site.

Corpus Christi MU775 Reef Site (Packery Channel) – In March 2020, 800 tons of durable nursery patch reefs were deployed within the MU775 reef site. CCA Texas/BCT contributions paid for 400 tons, and Friends of RGV Reef donated 400 tons for this deployment. This project was made possible by CCA Texas funding to the RGV Reef site, and in turn FRGV matched the material tonnage for the deployment.

Sabine Pass Nearshore Reef – HTFT / BCT have committed $230,000 to the Sabine HI20 site. This will deploy 150 pyramids into the site and be a part of the much larger TPWD project in the Galveston Big Man and Kate’s Reef sites. The $230,000 in funding comes from: CCA Texas/BCT - $100,000; Sempra Energy - $100,000; and Cheniere Energy - $30,000. This project was recently awarded and the contractors are currently setting up their construction plant to begin construction of the pyramids. Deployment is expected to be completed in the second and third quarter of 2021.

CCA Texas and BCT worked with Forterra Pipe and Precast to secure 543 pieces of off-spec concrete pipe for reefing materials.

Through a $50,000 contribution secured by BCT, CCA Texas coordinated the shipment and receipt of this material. Eldridge 48 | January 2021

Contractors placing limestone rock to establish oyster mounds in Sabine Lake. Photo by Shane Bonnot.

Construction in Sabine Pass has provided dock side storage for the materials. CCA Texas is currently working with Friends of Sabine Reefs and local recreational fishermen to deploy the materials in the second and third quarter of 2021.

Big Man / Kate’s Reef Site – CCA Texas, BCT and Shell Oil Company are providing $329,000 in funding for reefing efforts in the Galveston Big Man and Kate’s Reef areas that will provide an additional 155 pyramids and 75 additional low-relief modules. This additional funding will supplement a $1.5 million effort by TPWD that will deploy 845 pyramids and 180 low-relief modules in these two sites. This project was recently awarded and the contractors are currently setting up their construction plant to begin construction of the pyramids.

Deployment is expected to be completed in the second and third quarter of 2021.

Marsh Restoration Dagger Island Shoreline Protection and Marsh Restoration – CCA Texas / BCT partnered with Ducks Unlimited to create critical shoreline protection and marsh restoration along Dagger Island in Redfish Bay. This project enhances 557 acres of continuous seagrass beds, intertidal wetlands, and coastal islands in the Redfish Bay State Scientific Area through the use of a half mile breakwater and beneficial use materials.

The construction was completed in August 2020. Funding for this project is provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, CCA Texas, BCT, and Ducks Unlimited.

Egery Island Marsh Restoration - The Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CBBEP) received a grant from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund for the project. The project replaced the old 30-inch round culverts with three 3’ x 6’ box culverts at each of the two locations. These new culverts

with Harte Research Institute to protect an eroding shoreline along the Big Tree Unit of Goose Island State Park. This early project completed just prior to the arrival of Hurricane Harvey was a great success and HRI moved forward with plans to expand the reef site. CCA Texas contributed an additional $50,000 through a contribution from Lone Star Beer’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Program that was used to expand restoration of 4,800 square yards of shallow oyster reef habitat along the shoreline in St. Charles Bay, part of the Mission-Aransas Estuary. This area has been federally designated (USFWS) as Whooping Crane critical habitat and currently experiences The Capt Berry being put in high erosion rates (2 acres in 20 years). place to go down as another The restored oyster reef will protect reef in the RGV Nearshore reef shorelines in this area and reduce erosion site. Another great effort led by Friends of RGV Reef. Hayungs / in lower-energy environments through Friends of RGV Reef. enhancement or restoration of the coastal habitat. The project will have additional benefits of habitat creation for oysters, fishes, and crustaceans, and have greatly increased water flow and restored critical hydrology. This support for recreational fishing. Post-restoration, HRI is conducting restored hydrology had immediate effects as salinity levels in the area seasonal monitoring to measure oyster population structure and began to drop and the water quality began to improve for more than restored reef development.

600 acres of emergent marsh, submerged vegetation, and tidal flats Sabine Lake Deep Reef Oyster Restoration – CCA Texas and BCT at Egery Flats. Prior to the start of construction, CBBEP worked with have contributed $200,000 to the restoration efforts of Deep Reef, Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve (MANEER) at located in the southwest portion of Sabine Lake. CCA and BCT’s funds the University of Texas Marine Science institute and TPWD to collect were included with $500,000 that TPWD received from Hurricane valuable preconstruction data, including water salinity and vegetation Harvey Relief funds to deploy 3,706 cubic yards of limestone ranging monitoring. These data will be valuable in the evaluation of future in size between one half and four inches. This material produced projects. The evaluation and ongoing data collection will last three 926 mounds, roughly 4 cubic yards per mound, with approximately 2 years beginning with the completion of the project. feet of vertical relief. These mounds were placed on 25’ centers and In early October, contractors harvested and planted 40,000-plus construction will be completed by the end of November 2020. native cordgrass plants that cover approximately eight acres. As the planted cordgrass takes hold and grows, it will then naturally expand, Thank you! collect sedimentation, and restore acres of critical emergent marsh.

This portion of the project is being funded in a large part through CCA Texas and Building Conservation Trust are committed to the $70,000 provided by CCA Texas and Building Conservation Trust. continued support and efforts to create a vibrant and thriving coastal Galveston Bay Foundation Headquarters Living Shoreline habitat along the Texas coast. These efforts are not possible without Restoration - HTFT / BCT funded $50,000 to this effort from funds the continued support of members, volunteer grassroots fundraising, through Shell Oil Company. This project restores and creates a living and the support of government and industry partners. CCA Texas and shoreline of habitat adjacent to the new Galveston Bay Foundation Headquarters. This project will not only restore and create habitat, but BCT wish to thank every partner and contributor that helps make the vital work possible. provide excellent community outreach for surrounding community For more information about CCA Texas and BCT efforts, and how students to better understand the local marine ecosystems. Project you can help, please contact John Blaha at jdblaha@ccatexas.org or work and construction was completed at the end of August.

Pat Murray at pdmurray@joincca.org.

Dollar Bay Shoreline Protection and Marsh Restoration – HTFT / BCT funded $50,000 to this effort from funds through Shell Oil Company.

This project is ready for construction Galveston Bay Foundation has received all bids, and awarded the project to move forward.

View The Video

Oyster Restoration St. Charles Big Tree Unit Reef Expansion – CCA Texas and BCT originally funded $75,000 in 2017 for an oyster restoration effort

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

Dagger Island

TSFMAG.com | 49

Photo by Hagerty Ryan, USFWS on Pixnio.

STEPHANIE BOYD

F I S H Y FA C T S

TEXAS DIAMONDBACK TERRAPIN Diamondback terrapins are the only land turtles in North America that inhabit the brackish waters of estuaries, tidal creeks, and salt marshes. There are 7 subspecies, ranging in the very narrow strip of coastal habitats from as far north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to the southern tip of Florida and around the Gulf Coast to Texas. Most have specific, narrow geographic ranges. They tend to live in the same areas for most or all of their lives and do not make long distance migrations. The Texas subspecies, Malaclemys terrapin littoralis, occurs from western Louisiana to Oso Bay, just south of Corpus Christi. Preferring brackish or salt waters, they are often found in Spartina marshes that are flooded at high tide, along with tidal flats, lagoons, coastal marshes, mangrove swamps, and the inner edges of barrier beaches. It’s unclear why they don’t inhabit the upper reaches of rivers within their range, since they can tolerate fresh water. It is possible they are limited by the distribution of their prey.

Diamondbacks get their name from the concentric, diamond-shaped scutes (bony plates) on their shell.

Overall pattern and coloration vary greatly between individuals, but tops of the shells range in color from light brown to gray or black, sometimes edged with yellow or orange. Undersides are usually yellow or orange with darker markings. Shell length ranges from 4-5.5 inches in males to 6-9 inches in females. Males weigh 11 oz on average, while females weigh around 18 oz. The largest females can weigh up to 35 oz. Individuals from warmer regions tend to be larger than those from cooler, more northern areas. Skin coloration is usually a pale gray, flecked with dark spots, blotches, and/or stripes. Each color pattern is unique and can be used to identify individuals.

Some have a dark ‘mustache’ on the upper portion of 50 | January 2021

the beak and/or sport a dark diamond on top of their heads. The shell is usually wider at the back than in the front, appearing wedge-shaped from above, and sports a knobby ridge in the center, running from head to tail – though older adults may lack this. Diamondbacks have strongly webbed hind feet (but not flippers like sea turtles) and strong jaws for crushing prey, such as snails. This is especially true of females, who have larger and more muscular jaws than males.

The name “terrapin” is derived from the Algonquian word torope. (Algonquian is a subfamily of American indigenous languages spoken across a vast area from the Atlantic seaboard to the Great Lakes and the Great Plains.)

The name was originally used by early European settlers in North America to describe these brackish-water turtles that inhabited neither freshwater habitats nor the sea. It still has this meaning in American English, but in British English, other semi-aquatic turtle species, such as the redeared slider, might also be called terrapins.

Though diamondbacks live in salty waters, they drink fresh water, and have evolved a few adaptations and behaviors to help with that. They have lachrymal salt glands around their eyes, which allow them to excrete the excess salt in their diets. During and after rains, they will drink the fresh water flowing on the surface of the salty water. Their diets consist of snails, clams, mussels, crabs, etc. and occasionally carrion, insects, worms, plants, and algae. Along the mid-coast, females frequently eat scorched mussels (Brachidontesexustus) and snails/ crustaceans are more frequently eaten by males. Horn snails and fiddler crabs are common meals for both.

Marsh periwinkles (Littoraria irrorata) are a favorite, and diamondbacks can sometimes eat enough of them to have

ecosystem-level effects, partially because periwinkles can overgraze Spartina grasses (technically, the snails damage the grasses and then feed on the fungi that colonize the damaged sections). Predators of diamondback terrapins include raccoons, foxes, rats, skunks, birds (especially crows and gulls), and humans (less so in modern times, but this turtle used to be a delicacy!).

During the day, diamondbacks spend a lot of time basking in the sun.

At night, they bury themselves in the mud, and occasionally, adults may hibernate like this over the winter. They are generally solitary, except during breeding season, which normally lasts from May through July.

Female terrapins can mate with multiple males and store sperm for years, resulting in some clutches of eggs with more than one father.

Mating occurs in the water, and females return to land to dig nests and lay eggs. Nesting occurs above the normal high tide line in sand dunes or scrub vegetation, during both day and night. Females often make several nesting forays before actually depositing eggs. They will quickly abandon a nest attempt if they are disturbed. Once settling on a nest spot, the female digs a triangular (more or less) hole about 6 inches deep and deposits 4 to 25 pinkish-white leathery eggs. Nest depth is crucial as shallower nests tend to be pillaged more readily by predators.

As it is, the majority of nests (often over 90 percent) are raided within the first two days. Females can lay up to three clutches of eggs per year in the wild, and they have high nest site fidelity, meaning that they return to the same nesting areas each year. The eggs usually hatch in 60 to 90 days, depending on the temperature and the depth of the nest (higher temperatures result in faster development). Like most reptiles, terrapins have temperature-dependent sex determination, meaning that the sex of hatchlings is the result of incubation temperature. If temperatures are warmer (above 86°F), the nest will produce more females; if temperatures are cooler (less than 82°F), then the nest will produce more males. The one-inch hatchlings usually emerge from the nest in late fall or early winter, but some may overwinter in the nest after hatching until warmer spring weather arrives. Even being newly hatched, they are freeze tolerant, which facilitates overwintering on land. Unlike other turtle species, diamondback hatchlings do not seek open water, instead choosing to move into vegetated marshes. As they have a lower salt tolerance than adults, young terrapins use different habitats than do older individuals. The sexes mature at different rates, with males reaching sexual maturity in 3 or 4 years (at about 4 inches long) and females at 6 to 8 years (at about 5 or 6 inches long). Their maturity is more a factor of size than age, so southern populations may mature faster than northern ones. The Texas diamondback can live up to 50 years, though life expectancy in the wild is much shorter.

In the late 19th century, along the East Coast, diamondback terrapins were the main ingredient in a gourmet turtle soup craze. At the time, terrapins were so plentiful that fishermen considered them a nuisance because they sometimes were unable to haul in their fishing nets due to the weight. Huge numbers were harvested from marshes and marketed in cities, as much as 400,000 pounds per year. Because of the high demand, populations were locally extirpated near large cities. By the early 1900s, populations in the northern part of the range were severely depleted and the southern part was greatly reduced as well. During Prohibition, the fad fell off (as one of the main ingredients, sherry, was not available), and the Great Depression made the dish too expensive for many people to purchase. This offered the diamondback terrapin a bit of a reprieve, and populations gradually began to recover. Plus, the craze never really hit the same high in the Gulf of Mexico region as it

did in the north, possibly because the southern populations were not considered as flavorful as the northern varieties.

Nowadays, the major threats are still humans, but not of the cuisine variety. Boat propellers, roadway mortality, loss of habitat from coastal development, collecting for aquarium trade, and abandoned crab traps are the worst culprits. Luckily, they’re also protected throughout their range, to varying degrees – closed seasons to harvest, size and bag limits, requiring terrapin excluder devices in traps, and some places have full protected status (no collection of wild specimens – Texas is one of these). Texas diamondback terrapins are currently listed as vulnerable to extinction on the IUCN Red List.

Where I learned about Texas diamondback terrapins, and you can too!

TPWD tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/terrapin/ tpwmagazine.com/archive/2010/mar/ed_2/ tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/nongame/grants-research/ media/2015-texas-diamondback-terrapin.pdf tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/nongame-and-other-species Texas Marine Species txmarspecies.tamug.edu/vertdetails.cfm?scinameID=Malaclemys%20terrapin%20 littoralis IUCN Red List www.iucnredlist.org/species/12695/507698 Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org/accounts/Malaclemys_terrapin/ University of Houston - Clear Lake www.uhcl.edu/environmental-institute/research/publications/documents/allemanguillen-2015-tas.pdf www.uhcl.edu/environmental-institute/research/publications/documents/allemanguillen-2017.pdf Semantic Scholar pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a630/d2b28397e5d0434454bd6645aad63156ef77.pdf Diamondback Terrapin Working Group www.dtwg.org/ Texas Turtles www.texasturtles.org/texas-diamondback-terrapin Canadian Journal of Zoology www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z90-225 Connecticut Dept of Energy and Environmental Protection portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Fact-Sheets/Diamondback-Terrapin National Geographic www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/d/diamondback-terrapins/ Animalia animalia.bio/diamondback-terrapin The Turtle Source www.theturtlesource.com/caresheet_diamondback_terrapin.asp Austin’s Turtle Page www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-texasdbt.htm Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamondback_terrapin

View The Video

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

Watch a short informational video from TPWD. TSFMAG.com | 51

Vintage photo from the “golden era” of Texas shark fishing – great hammerhead on the beach.

ERIC OZOLINS

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

VINTAGE ROOTS Since the dawn of recreational saltwater fishing, sharks have occupied the minds of daring sportsmen. The majority of beach goers and anglers avoid these leathery monsters, but since the invention of the fishing reel, thrill seeking adventurers have craved close up encounters with them. Like those who pioneered the sharking sport generations before me, I’m a part of this unique, misunderstood breed.

If I had a time machine, I’d enthusiastically travel back to the days when recreational shark fishing began, so I could see what the hardy pioneers went through to make

52 | January 2021

their historic catches with the gear available to them. If we turn the hands on the imaginary clock back roughly 50 years to the golden era of shark fishing, we can visit a vintage shark camp temporarily constructed on the scalding sands of a Padre Island beach.

Instantly, we welcome one aspect of the scene; the pristine beach appears nearly free of trash. As we walk around the desolate, circa 1970 camp, we recognize a more primitive way of doing things. A makeshift enclosure fabricated from driftwood and canvas replaces our modern EZ-up style shades. An inspection of the heavy beach trucks outfitted with Texas-legal non-stainless, obtuse tires reveals one enduring non-offset circle hook similarity with the present day... with Tru-Sand coating. profuse amounts of rust.

Aluminum platforms for placement on top of trucks had not yet been invented, so rods are anchored to the truck or in the ground by a variety of simplistic rod holders. Alongside the water lie a surf board and an inflatable tube, both used to deploy the massive shark baits.

For fishing setups, the anglers in this camp employ large Penn

Senator reels packed with Dacron fiber lines Grainy image from long ago and heavy monofilament.

– feeding frenzy in the surf.

Glancing at the terminal tackle, the leaders are built on 3/32” or 1/8” bare steel cable, the giant 16/0 hooks fashioned in J-style. These heavy hooks combine with the stoutly constructed leaders to create an archaic feel. A few feet away from the leader, a section of fresh-cut, bloody tarpon flesh stands ready to serve as bait. It’s odd to think of tarpon as legal for shark bait, but for our imaginary anglers it is quite effective.

As this machismo crew clumsily rows their baits out beyond the breakers, we come to appreciate the effective utility of modern sit-ontop kayaks. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the baits find their way to the bottom, about 400 yards from shore. Kicking back, our boys of summer relax in a stress-free setting, content in their own state of Zen. Just as one of the sun-baked beach cowboys dozes off, the clicker of the 16/0 reel begins to scream like a banshee. Frantically, one of the younger guys straps on a homemade leather harness and clips it to the rig. The shark relentlessly smokes line off the reel. Another camper grabs hold of the angler as he digs his Coyotes have long been heels into the sand to prevent being launched regarded as the spiritual into the surf. This scene of organized chaos is guardians of Padre Island. not this crew’s first rodeo.

Both the shark and the angler eventually tire, and it’s unclear who has the advantage.

A grueling 45 minutes have passed and the shark runs back and forth in the first deep gut, less than 100 yards off the beach. A short time later, the quintessential hardcore anglers catch their first glance of the beast, their nemesis.

The tall saber-shaped dorsal fin punches through the surface of the water like a German exemplified by the classic movie Jaws, filmed contemporaneously with U-boat. Two guys ready an old nylon tail-rope and wait for a prime our invented events. Generally, conservative practices to preserve opportunity to secure the fish. species were not established or widely practiced for another decade or Still resilient, the shark resists coming in. Another ten minutes pass, more. Shark populations stood at high levels, so even with primitive and the shark starts swimming right in front of the camp, just outside tackle, anglers subdued giants from time to time. the first sandbar. Out on the bar, the leadering crew chooses the A historical perspective makes it easy to note the changes with precisely right time to grab the line with a pair of battle worn gloves. the protocol and overall setting of beach sharking. In today’s The shark thrashes violently, trying to escape, but its energy has been angling world, technology has altered the logistics and dynamics of almost completely depleted. As the lasso closes around its tail, the sport fishing. This rings especially true in the competitive spectacle men have their prize secured. They finally drag the dying shark onto of shark fishing. Each year, advancements in the components the sand to confirm the catch. and qualities of rods, reels and lines provide anglers a growing Our victorious men of old have their trophy—a great hammerhead advantage over the fish. pushing 13 feet. Eventually, as was the custom of the time, these The clunky, robust reels of yesteryear have given way to smaller, victorious sharkers will load the shark onto one of the trucks, haul more dynamic units paired with stronger, thinner lines. Similar to the it back to town, hang it for photos and a bragging session. A halftrend in the tuna fishing world, sharking gear continues to evolve and century ago, anglers commonly brought one or more sharks to the become lighter and more user friendly, thanks to superb engineering landmark Bob Hall Pier in Corpus Christi to hang for display, using technology. Better gear, utilized correctly, leads to better results. winches or a front-end loader.

Today’s gear is superior in terms of efficiency. Along with the Crowds gathered and gasped; conservation of sharks was not advances in reels and various lines, I’m happy to be part of the part of their mindset. People considered sharks dangerous threats, TSFMAG.com | 53

54 | January 2021

much more efficient. I land 90% of my big sharks on this size leader, including my recent 14-foot hammerhead, documented as one of the largest surf-caught sharks in the world.

I’m proud of my gear and wish I could travel back in time to the golden era of shark fishing to soak some baits with it, often wondering what kind of unfathomable beasts I’d encounter with my leaders and present day tackle! Who knows, for every single big shark landed 50 years ago, 20 bigger ones might have been swimming around waiting to pick up a bait. Without a working time machine, we’ll never know for sure. The uncertainty provides part of the fun when dreaming of days long gone.

View The Video

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

Eric Ozolins – Drone Deployment of Surf Shark Baits

C O N TA C T

terminal tackle aspect of the industry. The days of all-cable or 1200 lb. monofilament leaders are over. After making and field testing numerous leaders for many years, I’ve learned each rig pairs best with an optimal size and combination.

Since state laws require Texas anglers to use circle hooks, rigging methods have adapted to best suit their use. Like J-hooks, circle hooks come in giant sizes; placing a large circle hook at the end of a big chunk bait works well to catch a monster shark. Significantly, the circle hook is designed to lodge in the corner of the mouth to facilitate ease of removal. These changes contribute to the conservation of sharks; they reflect enlightened standards. With the current shark population levels standing at just a fraction of former values, anglers seek every edge they can get.

I’m fortunate to conduct shark fishing charters and have a line of shark fishing tackle which I constantly work to improve. Chartering throughout the year allows me to constantly test and design new innovations. My brand, Catch Sharks, combines the latest legal gear with my own personal modifications; all of it can be viewed at CatchSharks.com.

My hooks come covered with a patent-pending sand-colored coating, so they blend in with the sea floor. I’ve had plenty of encouraging success with them. My leaders have become streamlined; my current preference is 700 lb. ultra clear mono with my cable coated the color of sand for the drops. This phenomenal combination provides an incognito presentation. While the previous generation preferred 900 and 1200 lb. mono leaders, I find the 700 lb.

For the past decade Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been promoting shark catch and release and assisting various shark research programs. Eric offers guided shark fishing on Padre Island National Seashore. Also renowned for extreme kayak big game fishing, Eric is the owner of Catch Sharks Tackle Company.

Email Websites

oz@oceanepics.com oceanepics.com | catchsharks.com

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56 | January 2021

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Anglers will find Daiwa’s Advanced Tournament Drag (ATD™) a benefit for setting the hook and fighting fish. Learn more and view our catalog: www.Daiwa.com/us/ MSRP $169.99 – $179.99 TSFMAG.com | 57

DICKIE COLBURN

DICKIE COLBURN’S Sabine Scene

On Monday before Thanksgiving, Jim Hughes and I waded back to the boat with seven solid trout and the bite hasn’t slowed down since. While that modest catch admittedly fell short of any rave reviews, it was still significant S ab i n e to me for two reasons.

The first being that all seven fish were in the 18- to 20-inch class and we caught and released at least a Dickie Colburn is a full dozen more that would have been time guide out of Orange, solid keepers as well. We had hoped to Texas. Dickie has 37 years catch three redfish for an overdue court experience guiding on Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes. bouillon , but the unexpected trout bite changed the menu.

Telephone Secondly, that was the first time 409-883-0723 since Harvey purged the Sabine Website system that I have caught that many www.sabineconnection.com solid trout wading on a single trip.

Between all of the fresh water and my diminishing fishing skills, catching keeper trout has been a struggle at best!

With the exception of one week of steady, but not frog-strangling No one complaining about the size!

58 | January 2021

rains, it has been dry around here and the fish are apparently as pleased with the stable conditions as we are. That enables us to fish more water with confidence between fronts resulting in more helpful information via local anglers.

We have waded flats and shorelines from Rabbit Island to just south of Willow Bayou and found at least a few good trout at every stop. It has not been unusual to find them in very shallow water at first light and only a few feet deeper throughout the day.

When they have been feeding tight against the bank, schools of finger mullet have been present on the surface as well. I enjoy even the most half-hearted blow up on a topwater, but I have been hard pressed to fish anything other than a five-inch Assassin on a oneeighth ounce head or a MirrOdine XL. As soon as that first six-pound plus trout ambushes one of those two lures, however, it’s back to a slow-sinking Corky Fat Boy. The bite has been good enough of late that proven areas like Middle and East Pass are once again drawing a crowd, but they can still be dynamite when the traffic is light. The most popular approach is to bounce a four-inch Sea Shad or Lil’ John along the deeper breaks, but we also catch a lot of Plan B fish on three-inch Usual Suspects when nothing else will work for us.

Flounder and redfish are equally fond of the little swimbait and that enhances your opportunities when the trout bite is slow. Most days, regardless of water clarity, we get it done with two colors, Bunker Shad or Morning Glory.

As good as these programs have been, we still spend at least a little time most days drifting water depths of three to five feet water with a cork and smaller soft plastic. Coffee Ground Cove has been a good choice for this technique as have the flats between Stewt’s and Pleasure Island. Regardless of what you choose to fish with at the time, the cork set up usually keeps both the kids and any novice guests in the hunt.

Redfish are an expected bonus when fishing the open flats with the cork. Keep your eyes and ears open for terns that refuse to abandon a relatively small patch of water. They might be ratting out trout, but more often than not they are right behind schooling reds. There is no wrong lure as long as you can reach the school!

I have been so excited over the more user-friendly trout bite lately that I have all but ignored a very decent flounder bite for the past month. You really can’t get a feel for the numbers with the reduced limits, but the size factor has been off the charts.

Some really good flatfish are coming off the north revetment wall and marsh drains on the east side of the lake, but the largest flounder I have personally seen have been caught by live bait fishermen fishing 10 to 12 foot breaks along the ship channel and Intracoastal Waterway.

It has been a long time since I looked forward to filing a positive column and the only thing that could make this one any more enjoyable would be reporting that our bragging-size trout were back in the river and the lake. I am once again confident, however, that it will happen in the not too distant future.

Remember…..any day spent on the water with a youngster is a great day!

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BINK GRIMES

THE VIEW FROM Matagorda

We made it. Put a smile on your face and adjust your attitude; 2021 is going to be a good one!

It may take you leaving your fishing comfort zone, but winter fishing can be very productive. Look for bait. It will M ata go r d a probably be scarce, as frigid waters turn baitfish lethargic. However, if you see even one mullet flip, give the area a chance. Sometimes all you see are a Bink Grimes is a full-time fishing handful of mullet all day. That’s okay. and hunting guide, freelance Trout don’t need a whole lot of mullet writer and photographer, and this time of year – they may only eat a owner of Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay. few times a week.

Trout and redfish are readily available in guts and bayous up and Telephone 979-241-1705 down the coast. Some of the lowest Email tides of the year occur during the next binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net 30 days, so you can eliminate lots of Website water. Concentrate on the areas that matagordasunriselodge.com fall from waist to chest deep during the summer – those same areas are probably shin to waist deep now.

We normally don’t worry about getting an early start. We make long drifts and catch most of our fish beginning around late-morning.

When the sun comes out it seems like the fish bite better.

One day specks will want Chicken on a Chain Bass Assassins and Down South Lures. The next day they want plum. One day they want Pumpkinseed/Chartreuse and the next they want Morning Glory or Opening Night. Savvy anglers figure it out.

Find points of sloughs and bayous and anchor within casting distance. These points normally hold the deepest water as outgoing and incoming tidal flows create depressions in the bay floor.

Sand trout are another winter option that requires minimal skills.

Channels and bayous with ardent tidal flow to and from the Gulf holds plenty of sandies. Carolina-rigged fresh dead shrimp and squid get plenty of pulls.

Winter’s low tides reveal reefs, flats, and other structures you never knew were there. Take advantage of the free look and mark all of these fish magnets on your GPS, then hit ‘em again when tides return later during spring.

As charter boat captains, we often see boats pulling next to ours on drifts with heads down, marking points on their GPS. Use that same pattern with oyster boats and mark their spots and come back and fish that valuable structure when the boats are gone. Those oyster boats dredging in the middle of the bay have a story to tell.

The captains are not dragging blind - they are using years and years of established coordinates.

Eventually we will get our strong tides back in the spring.

Remember those drop-offs on the edges of reefs and be ready to toss a Texas Custom Corky and MirrOlure Soft Dine when the opportunity presents itself. Log all that you see on cold winter days in the part of your brain that processes fishing information and be ready to capitalize when the time is right.

A successful day is not always measured by what hangs on your stringer. Some of the most profitable days in my fishing career came on days when catching was tough; I searched for answers that made life easier the next time the conditions were not so conducive.

Let’s get 2021 going in the right direction. Happiness is a choice. God remains on his throne. We are blessed to live in Texas. God Bless America!

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January’s Low Tides Concentrate Matagorda Trout & Redfish 60 | January 2021

TSFMAG.com | 61

CAPT. SHELLIE GRAY

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

Port O'Connor Seadrift

Captain Shellie Gray was born in Port Lavaca and has been guiding in the Seadrift/Port O’Connor area full time for the past 18 years. Shellie specializes in wading for trout and redfish year round with artificial lures.

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

Old Man Winter has finally arrived to the Middle Coast after a considerable delay.

Back in late-summer I couldn’t have been more ready to see some cooler temperatures, but the downright chill that we have been feeling for days lately makes me almost miss the summer heat. Not really…but a little bit warmer weather wouldn’t hurt my feelings at all.

Now that we are in more of cold mode when it comes to fishing, there a few things that you will want to consider before heading out into the chill.

One of the great parts of fishing in the wintertime is that an early start is not nearly as important as during summer. On the coldest of days, look for fish to feel more like feeding during the warmest time of the day, somewhere between 10 AM and 4 PM, especially in the shallow back lakes. And because the weather drastically affects fish activity level, some of the best conditions can be right before a cold front passes through.

If you happen to be fishing post-frontal,

shoreline is the one protected from the wind.

In mild to moderate wind, I will typically opt for fishing the windward shorelines because the water there will have a bit of “color” rather than perfectly clear, which can greatly improve your catching. You see, most baitfish that haven’t ventured out to the deeper waters will be looking for some type of protection and/or structure. In this case, the structure that helps them hide is the off-colored water. The grass they usually hide in is greatly reduced in our area due to colder temperatures and shorter days.

If it’s one of those days when the wind is howling 20- to 30-mph from the north then I will choose to fish the quiet “leeward” side seeking protection from the wind gusts. This leeward side will also have better clarity and less turbulence so baits that are more buoyant with slower action are a good call. In clear water, they can see much better and as such become pickier in what they eat. In dirty water, your darker baits get bites because it provides an excellent shadow for the fish to chase.

Noisy lures are also a good bait to have in your arsenal when fishing off-colored to dirty water. Opt for baits that have rattles in them, lures with paddletails and spoons like “Nacho Daddy” that has a rattle built into the spoon itself. MirrOlure’s Pro Catch 2000 is a suspending twitchbait that emits a low-frequency vibration and greatly mimics an injured baitfish in shallow water. In clear water though, opt for baits in more natural colors like whites, bones and translucent, these will be more effective than blacks, blues, and chartreuses – for all lure categories.

On those really cold days, when fish tend to move slower you can expect them to be a little more hesitant to accept what you are offering.

Rachel Herndon and Paige White witnessed Old Man Winter’s good and bad sides.

We started the day fishing windward and sought shelter leeward later in the day.

keep in mind that fish tend to be less tide dependent and more sun dependent this time of year.

Unlike summer months when water color is almost always off, during the winter months clear water (think aquarium clear) will quite often be the norm. That might not sound too bad but, honestly, fish are at their absolute wariest in clear water. Always remember that if you can see the fish they can see you, which quite often leads to them tending to stay just out of casting range. This is one of the many reasons I will look for water that is somewhat off-colored or even slightly muddy this time of year.

Strong wind is the most obvious reason that water will become muddy in winter and most of the time this happens along windward shorelines.

I get asked often which shoreline is windward and which is leeward. A windward shoreline is the one being impacted by wind. The leeward 62 | January 2021

This is when scented baits can really be effective in their ability to encourage strikes and for the fish to hold onto the bait when they do.

I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year. While I still feel like I have so many blessings to be thankful for, as crazy as last year was, I think I will double up on all the good luck food on New Year’s Day… just to be safe!

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DAVID ROWSEY

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

With all that occurred during 2020 I am ready for things to get back to normal as we kick off 2021. The charter books filled up really fast this year and Upper I would like to thank all of you that Laguna/ have already booked charters with me Ba f f i n throughout the winter, spring, and on into the summer. Your confidence in what I do is humbling, and your business is appreciated more than I can David Rowsey has over 25 years express. May through August books are in Baffin and Upper Laguna now open for more wade fishing with Madre; trophy trout with artificial lures. No Live Bait! artificial lures is his specialty.

In anticipation of doing some yard David has a great passion for work today, I am dressed in flip flops conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish. and shorts, and we are now well into December. Winter has been warm so far Telephone this year. In fact, it has been just like the 361-960-0340 two past winters. If the pattern holds Website true we may have an arctic blast that www.DavidRowsey.com Email pushes water temps into the 40s again. david.rowsey@yahoo.com I sure hope not, but seeing diver ducks rafted in Baffin in early November may @captdavidrowsey be a sign of things to come. We have been lucky and dodged any fish kills this far south, and the fishing after these fronts has been phenomenal, so there is some upside if it happens.

Big trout fishing was, let’s say, hit and miss through November and early-December. As far as I am concerned, it has everything to do with warmer than average water temps. The fish just never went into full-on winter mode, but everyday gets them closer, and I expect it to be outstanding by the time this article reaches you. We have been fortunate and picked off some healthy “scout” trout that are leading the way towards winter patterns for the masses, but the biggest push will start in January. When it happens, you can expect some big days on the salty old bay. Prefrontal, and a few days after the fronts have come through, will be my favorite days to be on the water. In some cases, depending on the air and water temperature, we may find ourselves leaving at midmorning and fishing until dark. This is something I like to do when the coldest fronts make themselves present. The afternoon bite of a sunny day, following a front, can be unbelievable if you are willing to change up the routine a bit.

Seriously, who doesn’t want to sleep in on a super-cold morning? I know the trout and I do.

January has always been a productive month for sow trout, and more and more of my clients have caught onto what I have long known and tried to hustle to the guys that insist on February dates.

With 90% certainty, the big trout are in full-on winter mode this month. The congregation of numerous large trout in a very small area becomes reality now and throughout the next few months. If you are chartered with me or any other guide during January you will be one of the first to get a Corky or Bass Assassin in front of a possible lifetime trout.

For what it’s worth, I see myself as a very patient guide. Any firsttimer that gets in the water with me will hear, “There is no such thing as a stupid question. Ask away if unsure or curious about anything.” I also tell them, often, “If I tell you to do something, I’m not being critical, consider it as a tip and me trying to help you improve your chances.”

Saying that, one area I can sometimes lose my patience with a client is when they wade too fast and continually get out in front of the group. I’ll fire off some friendly advice the first time, and maybe a second time. But after that you are probably going to get ridiculed pretty hard in front of your buddies.

The reason I mention this is due to its relevance when wading for big trout in cooler water temperatures that occur in January. I cannot stress enough how important it is to move slow and fish an area thoroughly with many angled casts before you creep forward.

Regardless of who you may have hired as a guide, have confidence that your guide has enough snap and days on the water that he/she has put you in an area holding the quality of fish you are looking for. Speaking for myself only, “I’ll never waste your time, and I damn sure will not Michael Fry with a gorgeous waste mine fishing ‘guess’ water.”

Baffin trout - CPR! Remember the buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey

64 | January 2021

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TSFMAG.com | 65

WAYNE DAVIS

WAYNE’S Mansfield Report

Greetings from Port Mansfield! We are quest. There are fewer than 3% of these “genetically-gifted” trophies finally beginning to experience cooler out there to begin with, plus we have to consider the fish, or YOUR fish, weather. I say “finally” because we fished does not get caught somewhere along the way and not released. Also, without waders through Thanksgiving weather plays a huge role and weather is unpredictable. However, one weekend. Also of note, our tides have thing is for sure, we know we have a window of opportunity and we Port remained higher than normal, right into know it can occur and often does occur each year for many anglers.

Mansfield December. As northers become more Remember, a personal best is just that; a personal best for YOU. That frequent we should start to see lower is the goal and, if reached, we can then move forward to push the bar water levels on a consistent basis, which even higher. Oh, and in case you were wondering, that guy never called can help concentrate fish, somewhat. I back after picking my brain for 30 minutes. Makes you wonder why he Captain Wayne Davis has have, however, accepted the challenge called in the first place. been fishing the Lower of hunting for them in not-so normal During the coming winter months I will be focusing on flats with Laguna-Port Mansfield for locations while the water has been high. scattered grass and potholes near deeper water. Other prime area will over 20 years. He specializes This has opened my eyes to new areas be boggy drains that lead to flats. I will also keep an eye on small points in wade fishing with lures. and new opportunities and has been that lead to small coves. rewarding with some great catches.

Our most reliable baits have been KWigglers Willow Tails (about 90% Telephone Over the last 45 days we have of the time) on light 2/0 black nickel jigheads. The rest of the time we are 210-287-3877 witnessed a couple of cold fronts Email throwing topwaters, KWigglers Ball Tail Shads and 4-inch Paddle Tails. captwayne@kwigglers.com immediately followed by rapid Colors have varied but Bone Diamond, Turtle Grass and Tide Runner warming trends. This was an excellent have been hot in the Willow Tail. Lagunaflauge and Strawberry Cool Tip opportunity for me to witness the eating, or “gorging” cycle of feeding, have been consistent with the Ball Tail. particularly noticeable in trout. The water temperature touched 60° and, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I am so looking forward sure enough, the trout looked like footballs. As the water temperatures to 2021! Stay safe out there and remember to practice conservation rose over the course of a week the fish thinned out. As another cold because you never know…you may be releasing your next personal snap came through the fish gorged again, thus leaving them a little best, or someone else’s. stockier than the previous time. As I watched this unfold, I A perfect example of scenario #1.

Kimberly Terk with her personal recalled a conversation I had with a potential client recently. He A gorging heavy-weight for Larry best on the final day of wet wading, asked a question that every guide that targets trophy trout has Higgins after a cold front - CPR. Thanksgiving weekend 2020 – CPR. heard many times; “When is the best time to catch a trophy trout – a heavy 30-plus incher?” Well, let’s explore my thoughts and I will describe three scenarios…

Scenario #1 – I believe it possible that a genetically-gifted 30plus trout could attain its heaviest weight after the first several cold fronts – based on their tendency to gorge on big mullet.

Scenario #2 - That same 30-plus might attain even greater weight in early spring, based on the weight of eggs alone, just before her first spawn.

Scenario #3 (best-case) - That same fish eating from the first cold front through its spawn; with the caveat that we had a cold snap about two days before she spawned, gorged again just before you showed up. This equates to capitalizing on both egg and gorge feeding weight gains.

I have seen the “best case” scenario play out only once and it was during an epic two days of fishing with numerous large trout landed. The timing couldn’t have been better, and the highlight was the 10.25 pounder landed by Glenn Ellis of Mississippi. Having said all this and based on what I know, I’d take any of the three scenarios. These opportunities can occur anytime between December and mid-April. I will add that your chances View The Video under Scenario 3 increase significantly between late-February and Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link continue through March, in my opinion. appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

The next question from the potential client was, “What are my Capt. Wayne Davis - Low and Slow chances?” In full disclosure mode we must consider a wide range of with KWigglers Willow Tails variables, but let’s just touch on a few that we know can impact your 66 | January 2021

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12/5/19 1:49 PM

CAPT. ERNEST CISNEROS

SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene

Hello 2021! The older we get; I’ve noticed that the faster the years seem to pass. The past year was hard on everyone, but I noticed that many took Arr o y o to the water to relax and escape the C ol o ra d o sad reality of dealing with the Covid t o Po rt situation. The bays were largely empty I sa bel the first few weeks of the pandemic but as restrictions were lifted we saw more boats on the water than I can ever recall.

A Brownsville-area native, Boat builders, tackle and bait shops, Capt. Ernest Cisneros fishes the Lower Laguna Madre from and eventually fishing guides, became Port Mansfield to Port Isabel. busier than ever. We are hoping for a Ernest specializes in wading complete turnaround and return to and poled skiff adventures for normalcy in the coming year. snook, trout, and redfish.

I gave a seminar last month at Fishing Tackle Unlimited’s Shallow Cell 956-266-6454 Water Expo and one of my topics was Website how long should you stay in a spot www.tightlinescharters.com before moving to another. I typically allow fifteen to twenty minutes but there are many other factors that influence my decision to leave or to stay. One of the essential factors is the amount of bait in the area and how the bait is acting. Other factors include the amount of fishing pressure in the area at the time, the frequency of bites, and how our effort fits with the day’s solunar feeding periods. Of course, nothing beats experience, but keep in mind that every day is different and, undoubtedly, the more aware you are of your surroundings the more accomplished angler you can become.

Last but not least is to always fish with purpose, as though that next cast could produce a trophy.

Water temperatures and tide levels here on the Lower Laguna have both begun to decline. These two factors cause fish to congregate in the shallows near deeper water or in the deeper water itself. Perhaps more than any other season is the importance of bait presence and bait activity. Your patience is equally important and it will be tested.

If you’re seeing plenty of bait and getting occasional strikes, then hang in there. The results can be worthwhile.

Our redfish are growing fatter by the day on a diet of mostly finger-sized mullet and pinfish. Our best catches have been coming during solunar feeding periods on days with lower tides during warming trends. Feeding activity has been best toward the afternoon of the second day and definitely the third day after a cold front. Locating schools of mullet has certainly helped us find the reds. Redfish are hearty creatures and will begin venturing back onto the grass flats as soon as the front goes through and the sun pops out. Check out the 68 | January 2021

accompanying video to pick up some winter pointers.

Redfish aren’t the only ones getting fat these past few weeks; we have also been seeing trout of 22-inches weighing as much as five pounds!

Inspection of stomach contents at the cleaning table shows that they’re primary forage is mullet, and some of pretty substantial size at that. My prediction for trout fishing in the coming months is that the fishery is in decent shape and all we need are the right weather patterns to develop for fish to begin staging reliably on prime winter habitat.

Over the years, I have seen the trophy-class trout liking the shallows to absorb the sun’s energy and feed in between fronts. Targeting and catching wintertime trophy-size trout in shallow water is never easy but some of my clients manage to get it done each year. It’s usually not about how many spots we visit but more about knowing they are there and waiting on them to begin feeding. One of our best lures in these grassy and muddy shallows the past several years has been the KWiggler Willow Tail Shad in Mansfield Margarita and Turtle Grass, very natural colors for our waters. The Paul Brown Fat Boy and Original are also proven producers when conditions call for slow-sinking and suspending baits.

What do I call ideal conditions? I prefer fishing during a front and also two to three days after a front. Keeping an eye on the barometer definitely helps. In general, fish do not like high atmospheric pressure. A steady or falling barometer usually produces a more consistent bite.

Wintertime fishing is all about dressing appropriately. I highly recommend layering in quality cold-weather gear from AFTCO and Simms Fishing Products. I sincerely wish everyone a happy and successful New Year filled with excellent fishing!

Calvin Carter was very pleased to land this 30-plus trout.

Jeremy Perez shows off an upper-slot red on a recent charter.

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Tips for fishing slower in colder water.

TSFMAG.com | 69

FISHING REPORTS

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 January is a prime month for catching fish out of the boat in West Galveston Bay, James says. Wading is more of a specialty thing, but it can produce great catches too. “Wading is usually an afternoon or evening thing around here in January. If we get a big cold front and the wind pushes all the water out of the bays, the wading won’t be any good for a couple days. Then, when the water comes rushing back in on the first big tide, the bite usually kicks off good. This is especially true when the tide fills back in late in the afternoon. Bite usually happens around some of the main bay reefs in a situation like that.

Most days, drifting the open water out in the middle works better. We catch lots of fish throwing soft plastics and reelin’ ‘em in super slow, close to the bottom. Sometimes, when I get tired of that drill, I tie on an old school 52M MirrOlure and catch my fish with it. Pointing the rod tip at the water and pulsing it while you reel in is the key to making that lure work. Sometimes the bigger trout like the hard baits better.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 Like other fishing guides who also specialize in hunting ducks and doves, Jim splits his time between the marshes and the fields this time of year. “Fishing is usually good in places pretty close to where we hunt ducks. The trout and reds stack up nicely in holes in the bayous when the weather’s cold in January. This can make for easy catching. Shorelines around the drains leaning into the backwater areas produce really well at times too, especially when the water has been warm and high for several days and a strong front blows it out of the marshes. The bite can be epic in the eddies around the mouths of the drains at such a time. Bite is often good late in the afternoon and into the early part of the night this time of year, so wading around the edges of the main bay reefs is a great drill to try, especially when winds are fairly light. Of course, I’ll be running lots of hunts this month too, so I stay really busy. It’s a great time, because of the variety of options we have as lovers of the outdoor sports.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Randall reports excellent catching in the San Luis Pass area lately, despite the area being somewhat inundated with lots of freshwater after the heavy rains. He expects the action to remain steady through January. “We’ve been catching limits of trout pretty easily lately, throwing Norton Bull Minnows in colors like pearl/chartreuse, which seems to show up best in the sometimes murky, stained water. Best bite has been in water of medium depth, from four to six feet, in the bottom half of the water column. Keeping the lure low, close to the bottom, with an occasional brush with the bottom works best, especially on the colder days. Next month, we’ll do most of our fishing out of the boat, keying on these same depths, maybe a little deeper, and focusing on areas with muddy streaks breaking up the monotony of the clear water, particularly when we find bait in areas like that. This is the staple pattern if the weather is in the normal, cold range. If it warms up and stays warm, we’ll target some big trout and slot reds by wading in the shallower backwater areas and throwing slow-sinking twitch baits like Paul Brown FatBoys.”

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ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

Matagorda | Bay Guide Service Charlie Paradoski – 713.725.2401 As in all months of the year, numerous options await anglers heading to the Matagorda. “Today, I saw several people cleaning nice trout they caught in the Colorado River. The water in there right now looks pretty ugly, stained, and it seems kinda fresh. But the fish are still there, and the birds are leading people too ‘em. The river is always a great place to hide from strong winds and make something good out of dicey weather. Drifting the deeper parts of East Bay is another great plan this time of year. We catch some of our biggest trout pulling long drifts over a muddy bottom with some scattered shell, in parts of the bays close to the big reefs, especially when the tide gets really low. Lots of reds out there too; today, they wouldn’t leave us alone. Wading the pockets and reefs closer to the shorelines in East Bay is better when the tide’s high. When the water comes back up and the weather warms up in January, fishing for monster trout with Paul Brown Lures and Catch 2000s, Catch 5s, MirrOdines and other lures like that can be great. Topwaters work too, on some of the warmest days.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 Cold weather fishing in the Palacios area has gotten off to a great start this year. The trout bite has been steady under birds, with lots of solid keepers in the sixteen to eighteen-inch range coming to hand.

Three-eighths ounce jigheads rigged with Norton Bull Minnows in pumpkinseed/chartreuse have worked best to catch ‘em. Fishing in the Tres Palacios, Colorado and Lavaca rivers has been productive too, using the same lures along the ledges and drop offs. The Palacios Seawall from The Point all the way around to The Harbor has been holding good trout on days with the right winds. Pink/silver ShePups and Skitterwalks tossed far out over the shell have accounted for the best number of keeper fish. Fishing for reds has been best far back in the marshes of Redfish, Coon and Oyster lakes, with quarter-ounce gold spoons drawing the most strikes. Lower tides have moved fish out of the inundated fields and improved sight-casting opportunities.

January should be good as the water gets colder and concentrates fish in deep holes and basins. Sight-casting for reds on falling tides in flats in front of drains is usually great this month in the shallows, since the water’s super clear.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 In the month with the coldest average temperatures, Lynn adjusts the timing and location of his outings. “I like to let the flats heat up before I make a concerted effort to catch fish this time of year. This means leaving the dock late in the morning and fishing through the afternoon hours on most days. The bait moves into the shallower water as the day heats up, and locating the trout and redfish becomes easier. It’s easier to make ‘em bite once the water warms up too.

Mostly, I key on places with a soft, muddy bottom this time of year, usually in the vicinity of reefs, so there’s some scattered shell on the bottom too. We throw slow-sinking twitch baits most of the time, working them slowly, with light movements of the rod tip. Soft plastics on super light jigheads work best for us on the days when the bite’s toughest. Topwaters are mostly a specialty item in January, but when it’s right for them, the bite can be epic. This is usually after at

least three days of relatively warm weather. Finding bait is a key this month, and it doesn’t have to be a huge amount. A few mullet are sometimes enough.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 In January, Blake is usually a busy man, splitting time between three locations: the back-lakes and marshes, the main bay shorelines, and the fields just outside of town. “This is still cast and blast season. I’ve been having lots of fun and success starting off the days hunkered down in the blinds and calling at the ducks. We’ve got plenty of ducks this year, so the shooting has been pretty fast and furious on lots of days. Once the birds stop flying much, the flats have heated up some, and the fishing for reds in the backwater areas is usually good, if the tide is at least medium-high to high. Most days, we’re able to locate some fish in the deeper parts of the lakes with the air boat and catch ‘em. Once that drill ends, we sometimes target trout around grassy patches and reefs adjacent to the drains leading into the marshy areas.

Best lures this time of year, by far, are soft plastics. In a pinch, we’ll throw the Gulp! Split-tails. Dove hunting is usually good this time of year too, and heading out to the fields in the afternoon can be a great way to cap off a full day of excitement.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 In January, the action on the water in the Upper Laguna Madre usually falls to its lowest level of the year. Cold water and air temperatures will allow for some fast catching at times, for people who know how to adjust tactics with the weather. As cold fronts pass over the coast, the trout will react by seeking the relative warmth of deeper water, in holes with muddy bottoms. After a couple of warm, sunny days, the shallower water will warm up, and the bait fish like mullet will move into it, soon followed by the trout. I’m excited to try Bass Assassin’s new four-inch Sea Shads in colors like chicken on a chain, pumpkinseed/ chartreuse, Calcasieu brew, purple chicken, purple moon and salt & pepper silver phantom/chartreuse on sixteenth-ounce jigheads this month. I’ll be leaving the dock fairly late, and fishing the warm, afternoon hours, when the fish more often move into water less than three feet deep. Assassin Die Dappers in colors like salt & pepper/ chartreuse, trickster and chicken on a chain also produce plenty of bites this time of year. With so many people headed into the brush country to the deer blinds, it’s a great time to be on the water.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230 January can be a prime month for catching fish in the Corpus Christi area. Best fishing occurs when the weather has settled somewhat after a strong front. Once the winds lay somewhat, the water clears up quite quickly. And, when the sun comes out for a while, large trout and redfish come out of deep holes and basins to shallow sandbars, grassy flats and shorelines, where sight-casting them becomes possible. Best conditions for this drill include light to medium winds, which break up the glare on the surface of the water, and clear to partly skies, which help us see into the water better. A paddle tail soft plastic rigged on a sixteenth-ounce bighead usually works well to earn strikes from fish who’ve shown up in the shallows this time of year. Throwing the lure well out past the fish and reeling it slowly in front of its face normally does the trick. If the water’s really cold, one might need to place the lure close to the fish’s nose in order to get a response. Action will be best this month in shallow areas in the vicinity of the ICW, or adjacent to dead-end channels which run from the ICW into the shallow flats nearby.

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins 361-877-3583 | Oceanepics.com

In December, cold fronts finally rolled in regularly, dropping air and water temperatures. This has turned on the pompano bite. As with other species, fishing for them is best about two or three days after a front passes. For pompano, I like to throw a Fish-bite/shrimp combo on a shall 2/0 or 3/0 circle hook. It’s fairly easy to make a double drop pompano rig using 40 lb. monofilament.

Long casts make a big difference; the farther the bait lands from shore, the better. Drum and redfish will also roam the surf when the water is relatively clear and calm. The drum might hit the shrimp and Fish-bites, but the reds favor cut or live mullet. Sharks will also be present, particularly the sandbar sharks. They have large triangular dorsal fins and an inter-dorsal ridge running along the spine behind it. This is our largest species to target in winter, built like a cross between a blacktip and a bull, attaining sizes well over seven feet in length. Sandbars love whole whiting. They’re federally protected, and all must be released. Jacks might be present, if the weather’s warmer than usual. Plan all trips after a careful check of the weather, and prepare accordingly.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 During the coldest months, large numbers of fish gather in small spaces, so once fish are located, plenty lie within reach. The bite can be quite subtle, more of a tiny tap than a hard thump. Using a sensitive graphite rod and Power Pro Slick 8 braided line aids in detection of light bites. Normally, the best fishing happens the day before a front hits, and a couple days after it passes. On days with north and east winds, I like to stay on the west side, from Glady’s hole to the Oak Mottes, or on the east side from the game warden shack to Jones’ Cut. On south or southeast winds, I like to fish the saucer behind the cabins, and in West Bay. Keying on any kind of bait activity can be the key to locating fish. With cold water, even a few piggy perch or mullet flipping can lead to the mother lode. Topwaters can work this time of year, in the warmest weather, but sub-surface lures like Paul Brown Lures, MirrOdines, Catch 2000s and SoftDines produce more strikes then the floating plugs on average. KWiggler Willow Tails on a 3/32nd-ounce nickle jighead, also made by KWiggler work better for some folks.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com – 956-639-1941 With water temperatures on the decline, we’re making ready for some winter fishing on the Lower Laguna Madre. Our fishing spots will change somewhat this month from the ones we fished in the fall, as we find most of our trout hanging in water with a muddy bottom on most days. Trout have been biting best in three to five feet of water. We’re throwing KWiggler Ball Tails in Mansfield Margarita rigged on eighth-ounce screw-lock jigheads, using slightly heavier ones on calm days, to better facilitate making longer casts. Most of the trout we’re catching are ranging between two and four pounds.

The bigger trout we’ve caught lately have been found in areas with a mud/shell bottom, in guts and along shorelines. Willow Tails on eighth-ounce heads in colors like Mansfield Margarita and turtle grass have worked well. Redfish have been numerous on sandy flats lately, biting topwaters when the bait activity is high. With less bait jumping, KWiggler Ball Tails in plum/chartreuse worked fast have produced more strikes. These patterns should remain productive throughout the month of January, as long as temperatures remain steady, and on the colder side.

TSFMAG.com | 71

Jhenna Stegemoller Port Aransas - blacktip shark

Ralee Ramey Rockport - redfish

Sydni Janik East Matagorda Bay - trout 72 | January 2021

Christian Garcia Baffin Bay - 24.5” trout CPR

Karleigh Baffin Bay - trout

Trey Presley Seadrift - 23.5” sheepshead

Cody Arpin Sabine Pass - 29.875” 10.2 lb personal best trout!

Cody Schiefen Port Mansfield - 28” 7.5 lb trout CPR

Ridge & Darren Stegemoller Port Aransas - 42 lb jack crevalle

Sean Walsh Port Aransas - 31” red

Steve Corley West Matagorda Bay - 28” red

Claire Alford East Matagorda Bay - trout CPR

Christian Ontiveros South Padre - 39” bull red

Photo Gallery Guidelines First come – first published!

Photos are judged on artistic merit and sporting ethic displayed. No stringer, cleaning table, or hanging board images allowed.

Digital images only. Adjust camera to high or best quality. All images become property of TSFMag. Email to: Photos@TSFMag.com Include short description of your catch with name, date, bay system, etc.

Ridge Stegemoller & Clint Smith Port Aransas - 42 lb cobia

Danh Tran Dewberry Island - 29” red TSFMAG.com | 73

PAM JOHNSON

Gulf Coast

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

Email them to pam@tsfmag.com or send by fax: 361 792-4530

Savory Seafood Souffle INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

Crust 1 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 cup breadcrumbs 1/2 cup melted butter

Preparing vegetables Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat olive oil in large skillet add onions, garlic, and bell peppers with 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning sauté until soft.

Season shrimp with 1 tsp.

Old Bay and add to vegetables, cook until pink. Remove from heat.

Filling 2 Tbs. olive oil 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning 1 cup chopped onions 2 cloves minced fresh garlic 1/2 cup red bell pepper 1/2 cup yellow bell 1 1/2 pounds peeled, deveined, uncooked shrimp, coarsely chopped 1 pound lump crabmeat 2 – 8 oz. pkgs cream cheese softened 1 – 8 oz pkg Mascarpone cheese 5 eggs 1/2 cup flour 1 green onion chopped 74 | January 2021

Preparing crust Melt butter in microwave-safe bowl, mix in parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and press into 9x13 inch Pyrex baking dish. Set aside.

Preparing filling Mix cream cheese and mascarpone in mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Do not overmix. Add flour and the other tsp. of seasoning mix until flour is incorporated. Gently fold in shrimp mixture, crabmeat and chopped green onions.

Baking Place mixture in crust and bake 50-60 minutes, or until firm and top is golden. Cut into squares or slices. Can be served as appetizer or main course.

TSFMAG.com | 75

PISCATORIAL TRIVIA: OYSTER EDITION

By Brian Henry Just when you thought you knew everything, here’s a list of maritime facts and tidbits to enrich your knowledge. Sure to impress when you casually drop a few of these on your fishing buddies!

Oyster shell middens in South Africa, estimated to be 140,000 years old, prove that human harvesting of marine life predated the development of agriculture and cities.

Union Oyster House, established in Boston in 1826, claims to be the oldest restaurant in the United States.

An oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day.

An oyster can change its gender multiple times during its ifespan.

Most oysters are ambisexual. They begin life as males, then become females, then change back and forth multiple times.

Oysters Rockefeller was introduced around 1900 at Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans as a nameless dish until the first customer sampled it and declared it “as rich as Rockefeller”. Its name appeared on the menu thereafter.

A tiny crab called an oyster crab lives inside oyster shells.

Spiny, or thorny oysters are also known as chrysanthemum shells because of their likeness to the spiky-petaled flowers. But they’re not really oysters and are relatives of the scallop.

In 1819, English immigrant Thomas Kensett was the first person to can oysters and other seafood, and in 1825 established a thriving cannery in Baltimore.

Chinese tradition holds that oysters can cure freckles.

Depending on their makeup, pearls can be white, pink, blue, yellow, and even black.

Oyster are the most profitable mollusks that are farmed.

Musician Billy Joel once worked on an oyster boat.

A female oyster can produce more than 100 million eggs in a single spawning.

The only commercial fishing vessels in the United States still powered by sail are the Maryland skipjacks, sailboats that dredge for oysters.

Oyster larvae is called spat.

Only about one oyster spat in a million survives to adulthood.

At one time, oysters were America’s number one fishery product.

There are more than 400 varieties of oysters.

The oyster cracker was invented by Adam Exton, a baker in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1847 and was known as the Original Trenton Cracker (OTC) and is still produced today.

The world’s only oyster museum is located on Chincoteague Island, Virginia.

It’s a myth regarding the seasonal safety of oysters, that is, that they should be eaten only in months with the letter “r”. About 40 percent of instances of illnesses occur from September to April, all “r” months.

Mounds of discarded oyster shells have been found during archaeological digs in ancient Rome.

The Romans were the first to create artificial oyster beds to satisfy their demand for the mollusks.

The New York legislature passed a law in 1908 restricting the use of the term Blue Point oysters to those harvested in Great South Bay on Long Island’s Suffolk County coastline.

The American Indian is credited with creating the first oyster stew.

Oysters were first served commercially in the United States in 1763 when a saloon was opened in New York City in a Broad Street cellar.

In ancient Rome, oysters were so highly prized that they were sold for their weight in gold. Ancient Greeks used oyster shells as ballots in elections.

The Wheaton Shucking Machine uses infrared light to open 60 oysters per minute.

The National Oyster Shucking Contest(since 1967)is held each October at the St. Mary’s County Oyster Festival in Maryland, and pits the best female shucker against the top male shucker for the national title.

A Chesapeake stabber is an oyster shucking knife.

76 | January 2021

Science and the

Sea

TM

Changing Melodies Mean Migration The singing of blue whales has long held scientists’ fascination, but researchers are still learning how, when and why whales sing. Now biologists have connected the time of day that blue whales sing to the time they begin their long migration south.

A blue whale in the Santa Barbara Channel. Credit: NOAA, Jess Morten The researchers used an underwater microphone, called a hydrophone, and electronic tags on 15 individual whales to record songs from individuals and the whale population as a whole. The whales sang their summertime harmonies mostly at night, getting louder as months passed until reaching a crescendo around October and November. As the whales prepared to head toward warmer water, they began singing during the day.

The shift from nighttime to daytime singing had been observed before, but data from the individual tags helped scientists realize that the shift was a clear behavioral sign. In summer, the whales feed most of the day, in preparation for their migration when winter approaches. It’s when migration begins and daily eating has stopped that whales switch to belting out their notes during the day.

PESCADO PARK RV PADS & BOAT STORAGE

Baffin Bay

near Kaufer-Hubert Boat Ramp DAN WARD 832-860-4600

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These findings could help devise ways to protect whales from collisions with ships. If scientists listen for changes in song schedules through hydrophones, they can predict when the whales will begin migrating south. Then they can warn ship captains further south about whale pods heading that way. Continuing to track variations in whale singing might reveal other ways the songs are linked to behavioral or environmental changes, potentially helping protect these endangered animals.

So, when these blue whales begin their southward migration they change the time of day they sing. Important questions now are, is the singing a signal to other whales that food is sparse and it’s time to go, and what signals their northward migration when it’s time to return?

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

TSFMAG.com | 77

S P O N S O R E D B Y C O A S TA L B E N D M A R I N E

C H R I S M A P P ’ S R E PA I R & M A I N T E N A N C E Maintenance is never-ending for boats, motors, and trailers.

When our shop completes service on a boat, we check the tires, wheels, and lights before the customer takes delivery.

Chris Mapp, owner of Coastal Bend Marine.

Trailer axles are a common Evinrude, Suzuki, Yamaha, replacement item for springMercury, Honda, BlueWave, type axles, about every seven SilverWave, Shallow Stalker years. Torsion axles can last Boats, Coastline Trailers, eight to ten years.

Minnkota & Motor Guide Inspection of tires, wheels, Trolling Motors. lights, wiring, winch straps, Great Service, Parts & Sales “What can we do for you?” safety chains, couplers, and bunk boards should be done annually. Some of the most commonly overlooked items are valve stems. Salt and other minerals are highly corrosive, attacking even valve stems.

Seawater finds its way into the tiniest spaces. When it dries, the crystalline form needs more space than the liquid. Overtime, crystalized salts destroy the bond between the vulcanized rubber and metal inserts of valve stems, and the insert can shoot right out of a freshly inflated tire.

Check your valve stems regularly, and every time you add air. Any

78 | January 2021

hint of green where the metal meets the rubber is a sign that salts are working to separate the bond, and trouble is around the corner.

Have a great New Year on the water!

Chris Mapp Coastal Bend Marine | Port O’Connor, TX CoastalBendMarine.com | 361-983-4841

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING HOLES M ATA G O R D A B AY Speckled Trout / Redfish

Fin Tastic Coastal Charters

USCG Licensed Captain Stan Sloan

832.693.4292 www.fishfcc.com

GET YOUR USCG CAPTAIN LICENSE Operator Uninspected Passenger Vessel (OUPV 6 Pack) Masters Upgrade 100 GRT Weekdays or weekends ● Small classes ● Successful teaching methods Established 1994 ● Located in Seabrook TX

Captain Roy’s Marine Training info@capt-roys.com

281.461.6186

www.capt-roys.com

• Bay Fishing, Offshore, Floundering, Waterfowl, Dove • Night Fishing off Lighted Pier • Right On The Water • Lodging with/without Meals www.matagordasunriselodge.com 979-241-1705 ON THE WATER

Saltwater Fishing Clinics WITH

Capt. Robert Zapata

Designer & Manufacturer of Specialized High Performance Fishing Rods Office: 361.573.0300 805 B. South Bridge Victoria, TX 77901

TROUT REDFISH FLOUNDER

Fax: 361.573.0304

Capt. Lynn Smith’s Back Bay Guide Service Port O’Connor Area

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

For Information Call 361-563-1160

Wade & Drifting the Back Bays & Surf

Call 361.983.4434 (cell 361.935.6833) Email lynn@tisd.net (tswf.com/lynnsmith) TSFMAG.com | 79

Ranging from a light wading rod to stout tarpon rods, Coastal Clearwater has specialized saltwater actions covered. These rods feature the increased sensitivity, crisper actions, and greater torsion resistance provided by a proprietary multi-directional carbon fiber. The resulting crisper actions result in increased accuracy and casting distance. Upgraded for 2020 with 100% Fuji K-Frame “tangle free” guides, “ClearWater” meets the challenges of precision light tackle saltwater.

The Falcon Coastal takes saltwater performance to the next level with Fuji exposed blank reel seats for improved sensitivity. Beginning with Falcon’s proven graphite blanks, Fuji stainless steel chromefinish guides are added for improved corrosion resistance. Falcon Coastals are designed to deliver optimum balance of power, sensitivity and durability.

Pick up one today at

www.academy.com falconrods.com 80 | January 2021

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