March 2013

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ABOUT THE COVER Michael “Peach” Urban is our cover angler showing off a thirty-inch eight-pound Upper Laguna beauty landed on a MirrOlure “Paul Brown Original” with a Waterloo Ultra Mag rod. Congrats on the fine trout Michael – and Conservation Kudos on the release!

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

MARCH 2013 VOL 22 NO 11

34

44 Let’s Ask The Pro Jay Watkins 50 Shallow Water Fishing Scott Null 54 TPWD Field Notes Nicole Carrillo 56 Fly Fishing Scott Sommerlatte 58 Youth Fishing Marcos Garza 60 Kayak Fishing Chronicles Cade Simpson 64 Science & the Sea UT Marine Science Institute 66 Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

Eric Ozolins 70 Fishy Facts Stephanie Boyd 101 Boat Maintenance Tips Chris Mapp

WHAT OUR GUIDES HAVE TO SAY

78 Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene 80 Mickey on Galveston 82 The view from Matagorda 84 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays 86 Hooked up with Rowsey 88 Capt. Tricia’s Port Mansfield Report 90 South Padre Fishing Scene

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

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FEATURES 08 Beasts of Legend 12 Common Mistakes 20 More Surf Fishing How-To 26 Thieves and Pranksters 30 School of Hard Knocks 34 Double or Nothing 38 Spring Break Confessions

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com

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

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EDITORIAL

LOAD YOUR FAMILY & HEAD FOR THE BAY!

March means spring-like weather will soon sweep across Coastal Texas, and while hardcore grinders will long for one more good push from the north to extend their coveted “winter trophy” season, a far greater number of Texas salts will be happy to see Ol’ Man Winter packing his bags.

The month of March will include many anglers heading to Texas bays for their first outing of the year, kids onboard, everybody suffering spring fever, anxious to wet a line. But, are you ready?

Many times I’ve witnessed anxious spring anglers attempting to launch for the first great day of the new season – only to find the boat isn’t ready. A host of gremlins can creep into even the best and newest of rigs and unless you’re capable in a mechanical sense, a visit to your neighborhood boat dealer for a spring check-up is probably good advice.

Ethanol-blend gasoline left from last season has a way of creating havoc you will not enjoy discovering at the ramp, worse in the middle of the bay, and electrical systems exposed to marine atmosphere…well everybody’s probably already been through this at least once…and batteries will play possum on you when you least expect.

I cannot imagine a better way to disappoint a boat filled with kids looking for spring break fun than a boat that will not get them out there and bring them back safely, with a fish supper in the ice chest, huge grins, and digital cameras filled with great photos. Always

remember the parable of the six Ps: Proper Preparation Prevents P--Poor Performance; please pardon the French.

Another aspect of early-spring fishing trips that deserves mention is weather. Do not, under any circumstance, even if the skies look inviting, head out without checking the local marine forecast. Weather systems can arrive suddenly and calm bays can turn ugly faster than you can speed to the dock.

Packing slickers and extra dry clothing should be on everybody’s spring checklist. I’d rather pack it a hundred times and not need it rather than need it once and not have it, especially when you have the family with you.

The final and perhaps most important items on the checklist should be your best on-the-water etiquette and sportsmanship. You can bet there’ll be a crowd out there and everybody will be just as anxious as you to enjoy a fun day and reel in a great catch. But please do not allow your zest for a great outing cloud your judgment – being a good sport oftentimes means turning the other cheek – even when the other guy is acting like a complete jerk!

The fishing reports and forecasts you will find in this issue are prime indicators of a great season ahead. Our inshore fisheries are in good to excellent shape all up and down our great coast and we need to get out there and enjoy the fruit of good management and solid conservation efforts. Keep what you can enjoy fresh and always remember to take a kid fishing!

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STORY BY MIKE MCBRIDE

We Texans have an

almost morbid fascination with speckled

trout, and it’s quite interesting that we put them on a higher pedestal than any other state or region. That’s especially true for “big” trout, those elusive monsters we have all been conditioned to dream of. I’m going to point a stiff rod at Joe Dogget and Doug Pike for helping build that pedestal, as several times over the past many years, their sports-writing creativity would spark damn near riots to the water.

Some of their trout fishing stories conveyed visions of a green tide so mythically strong that the pair were often likened to Pied Pipers.

Many readers followed those saltwater flutes, which became for many a life-changing disease and I have to confess it got me too. To make things even worse, I recently found another bit of inspiration that probably makes me terminal with the affliction. I believe what I’ve found could be placed on par with a Boone & Crockett class shed antler. Whether it’s truly what I think it is or not, it has certainly inspired my imagination.

8 | March 2013

The “shed” I’m talking about appears to be a speckled trout skull.

And if indeed it came from a trout it’s not just a skull, I’d say it’s more like one of those mysterious Bigfoot tracks, evidence of ancient aliens, a Yeti or perhaps a sign comparable to catching a glimpse of Nessie, the famed monster of Loch Ness. I found it while wading the East Cut in Port Mansfield, and although we’ll have to get it to Dr. Greg Stunz for proper evaluation, it certainly looks identical to other confirmed trout skulls – even if ridiculously massive. Oh yeah…, I may just be hoping here, but regardless, I will use this mystical bone to fuel my own storybook imagination. But, what if? We can only imagine and that’s the greatest part of it.

We’ve all heard stories of beasts of legendary proportions. A bull elephant in Africa whose tusks reach the highest tree, a whale or giant squid that could sink Her Majesty’s ships at will, and a host of others beyond actual proof. Unfortunately, the storyteller never quite gets confirmation - all aboard perished, the film was destroyed or perhaps a camera failure.

Concerning big trout, most of us have our own near-miss stories.

Tales of the ones that always get away, equipment failures, never our own. They all must remain “just” stories though, until we either have a capture or kill, but are usually inspiring enough to spark high hopes for another outdoor quest.

But when it comes to speckled trout, one has to wonder what’s really out there, what actually swims in the depths or perhaps even the shallows? Are myths to be chased or not? Who knows, but for now all we have are the confirmed current record holders.

The heaviest confirmed speckled trout to date is a 17lb–7ouncer from Florida that handily beat out the previous world record specimen of 16 pounds. It strapped an impressive 39-1/2 inches, but you really don’t want to know the whole story. Yes - he caught it on a Zara Spook - but not only did the guy run aground three times that day, he shipwrecked again when he actually ate the world record fish.

As far as Texas record-fish go, Mike Blackwood’s record of 33-3/4 inches and 13lbs-9 oz landed in 1975 held for 21 years until Jim Wallace weighed in with 13 lbs-11 oz, stretching 33-1/8 inches. And for those willing to believe, we also have Bud Rowland’s fish. Although he chose not bring a carcass to the scale, his catch from the Lower Laguna is officially recognized at the incredible length of 37-1/4 inches and 15lb-6 oz…on fly no less.

So the question in my mind is – If Bud stuck a 37 here, why wouldn’t or shouldn’t there be a 38 or longer? Statistics say he probably didn’t catch the single biggest fish swimming, and if Florida can produce 40 inchers, it might be reasonable to imagine that we can as well. No proof yet, but we have our own urban legends, the ones we’ve all heard and read about, trout over 40 inches picked up in the Land Cut after the 1983 freeze, an so forth. As for me, just like most, we like to believe on our own personal “sightings” as well.

A 28” trout, the same size as the smaller skull in the picture....

What else is out there?

TSFMAG.com | 9

Concerning Bud Rowland’s fish, although some won’t quite bite because he didn’t kill it, I do fully believe and, if for no other reason, simply because we think we’ve seen them, numerous times. I get to fish basically the same zip code as Bud, and we’ve seen fish cruising our clear flats that look big enough to where you want to neither tell nor guess for fear of being called a whacko UFO hunter. Fuel for this fire comes from personally watching the world in front of you explode when a 16-inch trout, on your lure, gets hammered by a trout that looks incredibly like a tarpon. Of course, discussions like this are worthless without pictures, but are compelling enough to not only fuel the next quest, but can be driving enough to even alter whole lifestyles. That’s why many of us launch in ridiculously foul weather, slap mosquitoes for hours, and also get slapped for repeatedly tapping into family budgets and vacation time. Did I mention a disease?

Ok, if trout of mythical proportions do exist in Texas, where might this Land of the Giants be? Most anywhere I would suspect, but a strong bet might be guessing where they probably are not, which unfortunately would be in most areas I’ve seen the past few years. I sorta doubt that areas hosting armadas of flats burning tower boats, airboats fanning

If trout of mythical proportions do exist in Texas, just where might some of these “Lands of the Giants” be?

The two skulls on the right are from confirmed 26 and 28.5 inch trout. What sorta creature was the big one?

10 | March 2013

Mike McBride

Contact

whatever is left of the skinny, nor those the Winter Texans in their deep-vee long-shaft aluminums churn new ditches into shallow grass daily would be the best places to look.

I might also suspect areas with toxic effluents, abnormal algae blooms, or countless other cases of suspected ridiculous human intervention would be very worthy of hopeful plugger either. Actually, it’s almost hard to imagine what areas might be left out there for any fish to survive long enough to become a swimming myth, considering weather extremes, modern hooking efficiency, natural predation or continually growing habitat issues.

However, while this “thing” I found certainly lends great hope, it also raises many more questions, and one big one might be whether we are either protecting or destroying our highest potential areas for our highest potential fish. Another big question is does anybody really care? More probably should, as in 2006, a USFWS study showed coastal fishing in Texas to be worth $2 billion annually. Wow! Just don’t tell the wifey what your tackle is really worth.

So what’s the next chapter? Who knows, but I imagine we can, and should, all help write it. Subchapters might include something about habitat, boating ethics and hot grease. Again, who knows what’s really out there, but sooner or later existing records will be broken. We can only hope it’s a noble catch, more effort than luck, but with my luck that skull I found might only be comparable to seeing a divine image on a tortilla. Hey, I’m going for it anyway!

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

Skinny Water Adventures Phone Email Web

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STORY BY KEvIN COCHRAN

FIshIng For

sPecKled trout with artificial

lures in late-winter and spring can be fast, easy and fun.

It can also be frustrating and difficult. One complicating factor is the unpredictable weather. In the months of March and April, anglers are likely to encounter brisk, whistling north winds and sultry breezes gusting off the Gulf. These radically different conditions might even occur within a span of a couple of days!

Catching trout consistently during this transitional season means making sound decisions, accounting for the weather. Regular adjustments must occur in all phases of the effort: the selection of spot or area to be fished, the strategy to be used, and the choices of lure(s) and presentation(s). The need for versatility is perhaps at its highest level of importance this time of year.

Some anglers recognize the value of adaptability, so they gather all the relevant data they can prior to heading out on the water, then maintain an awareness of the need to be observant. They use a systematic approach to determine what things will work best. Others fall into various traps and repeat the same mistakes, without even realizing they are doing so.

12 | March 2013

Over the years, I’ve identified several mistakes commonly made by novice anglers. While these blunders will hamper the effectiveness of a fishing effort at any time, they are perhaps hardest to avoid when fickle, windy weather exerts a strong influence, as it often does in latewinter and spring. Stepping around these pitfalls can only be done if one recognizes they lie waiting in the path.

The first and most obvious problem many people have is the reliance on a short list of favorite spots, to which they return too frequently. I (and others) refer to the list of spots as a “milk run�. At its core, this term is somewhat derogatory, though working the milk run can at times be productive.

Anglers who want to expand their lists should study all available resources related to the waters in which they fish, including hot-spot maps, Google Earth images and GPS systems. Making a point to visit and explore new areas should become a priority, as should the maintenance of a detailed log related to these efforts.

Eventually, with experience in more areas, novice anglers can learn to avoid the crippling reliance on a select few spots. All anglers, including the best ones, rely on a catalog of spots, but better captains are different from

TSFMAG.com | 13

Doug Atkins caught this fat trout on a cold, clear, calm day, displaying patience in a persistent effort.

novice ones in several key ways.

Most importantly, better anglers have a more extensive catalog from which to choose. Their knowledge of the overall area to be fished is more thorough, providing them with numerous choices of where to make the fishing effort. This superior level of knowledge spills into a second distinguishing characteristic—experts carefully consider the prevailing conditions of the moment when selecting an area or set of spots to target.

Additionally, top-notch anglers don’t become too “married” to the milk run; they keep their eyes and minds open, always trying to recognize signs which might lead them to the mother lode in an unanticipated location. Especially in the spring, when weather changes rapidly and all kinds of fish are moving around readily, good catches can be made in unfamiliar places. These catches will be made most often by people who are actively looking for fish, not ones who are committed to returning to a few favorite honey holes time and time again, regardless of what they observe along the way.

In the second aspect of the effort, the choice of strategy, another common mistake is made by many anglers. I call this choice a mistake because of an acknowledged preference I have for wading, as opposed to fishing from the 14 | March 2013

boat. If anything, I’m perhaps too committed to wading, because I believe stealth and control almost always enhance the potential for catching more and bigger fish. I do recognize situations where fishing from the boat is a better choice, and I make this adjustment to strategy when I feel it’s necessary.

Many anglers make the “mistake” of wanting to fish from the boat all the time. In the spring, when winds are often strong, controlling the movements of the boat and reducing the noises generated by hullslap are difficult things to do. Even calm conditions can make catching fish from a boat more difficult, unless one deploys a trolling motor to create some movement.

Some people are forced by a limiting condition to stay in the boat rather than wade, but for more able-bodied anglers, the desire to fish exclusively from the boat results from fear (mostly exaggerated and unfounded), and/or a lack of confidence in knowing where to make the wading effort. With little faith in their ability to identify precise locations where fish should be present, these people figure they’ll just stay in the boat while it moves around and covers a lot of area, hoping to pass through some fish along the way.

Such a strategy is a recipe for mediocre to poor results. Anglers who realize they have this weakness should properly equip themselves for wading and learn to analyze conditions and situations more thoroughly, to identify when wading clearly offers superior potential over boat fishing. Of course, once anglers make a choice to wade, other common pitfalls potentially lie in wait.

Many waders move through an area too quickly. This happens, I believe, because these “greyhounds” or “track stars” incorrectly identify what “trying harder” means. To them, trying harder means covering more linear distance, when in reality, it often means covering a smaller amount of area more completely. Most wading anglers would catch more fish if they simply slowed down and made more casts without

Chuck Holloway used a slow, subtle presentation with a Paul Brown Devil to entice this 29inch trout to bite on a day when the catching didn’t come easy.

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moving much. Especially when strikes and hook-ups are happening, it’s best to stop, stand and fish.

Moving too quickly through an area is, at its core, a form of arrogance. Such a plan implies that a few casts made in a place should result in caught fish, and if no fish are caught, it can be correctly assumed no fish are in fact present in the place. Often, this isn’t the case; the angler simply hasn’t found the correct lure or presentation needed to elicit strikes. Or, the proper lure hasn’t been placed in close enough proximity to a fish to entice a strike.

In addition to moving through an area too fast, anglers also commonly move straight downwind while casting downwind. In essence, these anglers are rushing through the place on a narrow track, covering only a small corridor of water, while missing what’s out to the side of the path. A much better strategy involves shuffling sideways to the wind, zig-zagging along at a slow pace and casting in various directions, so a wide swath of water can be covered effectively.

I won’t pretend to understand all the reasons why, but I know lures work better when retrieved crossways to the wind, rather than directly into the wind. This is more true with some lures than with others.

While it’s important to recognize when long casts made straight downwind can be advantageous, it’s more important to acknowledge the need to fish crossways to the wind most of the time. A wader who zig-zags through an area slowly while fan-casting in a methodical manner, who then stops when bites are earned, will catch far more fish than one who races downwind while casting straight ahead, like a roadrunner with a coyote nipping at its tail.

For some of these speed demons, the only thing which consistently stops their forward momentum appears to be the need to change lures. Lesser anglers often fall in the trap of changing lures too frequently. They do so without any real plan, without implementing

Long, colorful trout like this one caught by Steve Ricks are often found in the shallows during the transition from winter to spring.

16 | March 2013

Honest ten pound trout like this thirty two inch specimen are rare in all places and all seasons. Perhaps the best time frame for catching them is from late-winter through the middle of spring.

sound and solid principles. This mistake, much like the insistence on fishing from the boat all the time, is based on a lack of confidence.

Without any real sense of what plug should work at a given time, these anglers seem bent on throwing everything in the box at the fish, hoping to stumble onto something productive.

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out slack, without any variation in the cadence, speed or length of the stroke. If they aren’t getting strikes regularly, they are practicing a form of fishing insanity, doing the same thing over and over again, while expecting the outcome to change. Conversely, supremely consistent anglers react to a slow bite by making subtle variations to presentation, in an effort to discover some triggering component.

Mastering the use of multiple presentation styles with various lures requires concentration and effort, acknowledging the difficulty of the sport. All of the above-referenced mistakes are repeatedly made by people who deny the inherent complexity of fishing with artificial lures. Catching trout on plugs during the time of change from winter to spring is not always simple or easy. Thoughtful anglers who acknowledge the challenges and who apply themselves in an attempt to become more skilled and versatile have a better chance of catching fish consistently.

Kevin Cochran Contact

Anglers who run through fifteen or twenty lures during a day, while giving each only a brief and cursory try, are wasting time and displaying a lack of focus. Rather than experimenting randomly and making such frequent changes, they’d be better off selecting a handful of lures and working to deploy each in a more thoughtful and precise manner, while contemplating a specific order of use, depending on the conditions of the day and the observations they make about how actively the fish are likely to be feeding.

Aggressively feeding fish are easier to catch on a variety of lures worked in a number of ways. Sloppy presentations won’t be exposed when jaws are snapping eagerly at anything within reach. Most of the time, though, executing precise presentations results in the catching of more fish. Identifying which subtleties of presentation are most likely to improve productivity isn’t easy in any case; doing so is impossible if one is unwilling to vary presentations at all.

Many anglers fall prey to a tendency to present each type of lure the same way at all times. All lures can be worked in various ways, and no lure is always effective when deployed just one way. For instance, many novice anglers know topwater plugs are effective when presented with their heads jumping side to side, so they work hard to learn the art of “walking the dog”. While trying to get the hang of this rhythmic technique, some become mindlessly committed to repetition. Much of the time, varying the rhythm, speed and intensity of the presentation with a floating plug results in far more strikes than simply bringing it all the way back in with a steady clack, clack, clack.

Too often, I see people fishing with topwaters in what I call “auto pilot mode”, where they repeatedly twitch the rod tip and slowly reel

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

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

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STORY BY Billy Sandifer

As I begin this second how-to article

it occurs to me that many of our readers are experienced and excellent anglers and they will probably find these articles on basics of little interest. But I also know that I’m the guy who gets all the e-mails from newcomers begging for information regularly. And I also know that as I travel the beach front of PINS I regularly see experienced anglers using techniques that I would consider counterproductive. This leads me to think they were taught to do things that way and no one ever told them different.

What I am sharing in these articles is what I was taught or figured out and my way is by no means the only way to do things. Simply put – these are the techniques I’ve used successfully for decades. Feel free to use what you will and do the rest your way.

In last month’s article I advised you of how not to set out your surf rod holders, so it only seems fair to tell you the correct way to set them out as well. As I described, the bottom of the stake that is to be planted in the sand should be cut at sharp angles. Grasping the rodholder at the top and applying light to moderate downward pressure while rocking 20 | March 2013

the holders back and forth, they will literally cut their way down through the sand.

The trick is placing them where the sand is workable. If they are placed too far from the water you will find the sand is too dry and

Rod holder in the foreground is deployed correctly.

Behind it is a typical “rocket launcher” set up.

Mel Cooksey, renowned bird expert and co-author of the book A Birder’s Guide To The Texas Coast, with a nice slot red on a Friends of Padre “fence riding” trip.

TSFMAG.com | 21

tough to penetrate so they won’t cut their way into position. If you put them too far out into the water the sand is too saturated to be solid enough to hold them securely and they will fall over. The area right where the water meets the sand is perfect and will do a fine job. That’s really perfect since National Park Service regulations say that rodholders are to be placed AT THE WATER’S EDGE. I move rodholders as water level changes.

Don’t even attempt to reach down and grab a rod holder and pull it out of the sand.

Instead, shake the top back and forth and pull upward gently and they will come right out. The longer side, or corner of the angle stock if you will, should face the sea and the holders should stand upright or angled slightly toward the shore. Anglers often lean them at a slight angle toward the sea and we refer to these as “rocket launchers” because if you get a hard strike and the drag on the reel is set very tight it will launch the rod and reel out of the holder and skitter it across the surface of the water headed offshore. It really is cool to watch as long as it’s someone else’s tackle and not yours.

If rod and reel are left unattended (not within immediate reach), the drag must be loosened. When you take it out to fight a fish it must be tightened immediately. Never fish any reel with the drag locked down fully, whether you are holding it or not. The only exception is if you are almost out of line and are likely to get broke off anyway.

A word to the wise concerning factory built surf rod holders: Most

22 | March 2013

have one holder on each side of the rack pointing forward at an angle.

IF you carry rods and reels in them sooner or later someone is going to get stuck in the face with a hook.

The most common “cry for help” I receive via email usually asks me to tell them how to catch anything at all from the surf with a lesser number wanting to know how to catch something besides hardheads and whiting. The first thing that must be realized is that most species are seasonal in the surf and a species may be present in very high numbers in one month and totally absent in another. My web site at billysandifer.com has a “Best Times to Fish” tab which lists various

TSFMAG.com | 23

The only lark native to North America. Ground dweller that often travels in flocks. Brown-grey above and pale below, with a striking black and yellow face pattern. The summer male has black tufts of feathers or horns which give this species its American name. Eats seeds and insects. Has a distinctive black bib and a whitish or yellowish eye.

Phto by Jimmy Jackson

24 | March 2013

If we don’t leave any there won’t be any. -Billy

BILLY SANDIFER

CONTACT

Horned Lark -Eremophila alpestris-

specie’s availability in the surf every month of the year. Check with tackle shops and read internet boards to see what is currently available and what current conditions are. Walk out on jetties and piers and drive down the beach and see what others are using and for which species. I learned to fish off Bob Hall Pier for a wide variety of species. Hiring the local guide can save you a lot of misery and money and a good guide that will teach you is a bargain at the price. Jeff Wolda is the licensed guide on PINS. His phone number is 361-215-8400 and his web site is PI-Adventures.com.

Now I’m going to save you some money. Don’t go right out and buy all top-of-the-line equipment until you’re experienced enough to gain from the utility of it. Start with less expensive tackle for your early learning phase and as you become a better angler and more knowledgeable concerning a variety of species you can upgrade your tackle as per your needs. I personally suggest spinning tackle to newcomers over baitcasting for the simple reason it’s easier to learn to use well. And the better you are at using your tackle the more fish you’re going to catch.

Other anglers you drive by on the beach are wonderful indicators of how the fishing is at the time and what species are biting. If they are wading far out to cast, the fish are probably offshore in that area and unless you can cast well you would be well advised to drive on and find some deeper water close to shore. For example, pompano, which are a prime winter species, are rarely available without wading across one gut to enable you to cast farther out on the generally shallow north end of PINS – whereas 40 and 50 miles down the beach they can often be caught on relatively short casts on light tackle from ankle deep water.

This is due to the presence of deeper water closer to shore.

If anglers are holding their bait rods or standing beside them, the fishing is probably pretty good and they are regularly getting bites. If they are all passed out in the shade 50 yards from their rods it probably ain’t happening. It’s not brain surgery; it’s just being observant.

When lure fishing, look at what type and color of lures others are throwing or are on the rods in their rod racks. Knowing what type and color lures are working gives you one heck of a jump start on the day without having to try a large number of lures to find out what is hot.

And if you see quite a few anglers all throwing bait and none are fishing lures, you know right off there is probably very little reason for you to throw them either.

On the beach, people with good manners leave each other space.

Never crowd in on other anglers who are catching fish. Simply memorize what the surf looks like where they are fishing and go find a spot just like it and you’ll catch fish.

Speed limit on PINS beach goes back to 15 mph on 1 March.

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

Phone Website

361-937-8446 www.billysandifer.com

STORY BY Martin Strarup

I really didn’t notice

anything until after I had tied the

Whaler off to the pier and had started my walk up the ramp to get the truck. For reasons unknown, to me anyway, somebody had it in their head that my boat trailer would look better cocked as far to the left as they could move it and then set on top of a trailer that belonged to someone else. I looked around to see if anyone was reveling in my displeasure but there was no one in sight. I tried to move the trailer by myself but I couldn’t do it alone. The wheels of my single axle trailer were across the low bunks of the other trailer and I couldn’t lift it high enough to free it. As luck would have it a deputy sheriff pulled up. I could tell he wanted to laugh and deep down I probably did too but at the time I would have rather been able to put my very large hands around the person’s or persons’ neck that had done this. With the deputy’s help we freed my trailer and I got loaded up and headed home.

I tried to figure out a way to prevent someone from doing that to me again but I couldn’t come up with any ideas. If the muscle is there it’s a simple matter to move and lift a boat trailer and while it never happened to me again there really isn’t any way to prevent it.

I always used to put a bolt through the safety hole in the hitch on my trailer and secured it with a nut to prevent the trailer from coming loose from the vehicle while towing. It worked and I never lost a trailer 26 | March 2013

until one day at a boat ramp. A friend and I were running trot lines up Sandy Creek out of Lake Texana and had unloaded at the ramp next to Highway 59. We had left at dawn to run the lines we had set the evening before and we found multiple catfish on each set. Around lunch time we arrived back at the ramp and I backed the trailer down while my friend ran the aluminum boat onto the trailer. The trailer tongue jumped off the ball and the only thing holding it on the steep ramp were the safety chains. Without the chains everything would have rolled down into the water, my friend included. He could have been injured and had I been standing closer to the trailer so could have I. A prankster had removed the nut and bolt from the hitch, opened the latch, then put the bolt and nut back in place. Why? It could have been a bad deal had the idiot removed the safety chains.

My solution to that was to start using a padlock on the hitch and I still use one to this day. So far no one has unscrewed the ball or stolen a trailer while the lock has been on it.

Years ago I had some friends coming down from Austin to fish. I finally got to the boat ramp and was getting the gear loaded while I waited for them to arrive. It was dark, the forecast was good for the day and then it started to rain. I don’t mean a shower, I’m talking RAIN! One of those toad floating, blinding rains! I climbed in the truck and turned on my weather radio and listened to the man give the report for our area. “From Port O’Connor to Corpus Christi –

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28 | March 2013

café, in the pouring rain, someone decided they needed a new battery and battery box more than me.

That was another thing I couldn’t find a solution for preventing short of locking the spare in the cab of my truck which I didn’t want to do. Fortunately the boats that I’ve had since have all had the batteries installed in lockable hatches, not sitting on the stern deck as they did in the old Montauk.

In this day and age when you just don’t know who is packing a concealed handgun, it amazes me that anyone would pull any of the stunts I have related here. I know that it still goes on, I read about it quite often and I have to wonder what these people who steal from boats, who tamper with or damage someone’s boat trailers are thinking? Is a battery that doesn’t belong to them worth getting shot over? Is messing with someone’s boat trailer worth having their worthless hide perforated? Evidently it is.

Be safe, be secure.

MARTIN STRARUP

CONTACT

Today; clear skies, wind light and variable. Off-shore wave height one to two feet.” Yeah, right.

My friends arrived and through the small crack the driver risked to open in his window; I yelled instructions for them to follow me to a local café for breakfast.

I bought breakfast; it was the least that I could do. The two guys were very understanding, saying that I couldn’t control the weather and besides, maybe it would quit raining soon.

We told stories and caught up on current events, and just generally drove each other crazy for two hours while we watched the lightening and listened to it pour outside. Our waitress remarked that it hadn’t rained that hard since the last hurricane. Imagine that.

My friends said that they would sure like to try again the next weekend and I agreed to take them then. I figured I could explain to my wife why I wouldn’t be able to take her on that little shopping trip we had planned. So with handshakes and hugs, getting soaked on the way back to their car, they drove away.

I drank coffee and chatted with some locals for about 45 minutes after my friends left and the downpour stopped. Five minutes later the sky was clear and blue in the south and the winds were calm. Not wanting to waste the day, I decided to put the boat in the water and go fishing alone.

I floated the boat and tried to start the motor, grinding the starter until the battery went dead. That’s when I noticed the fuel line was disconnected. I hooked it up and squeezed the primer bulb wondering who had removed it in the first place. I removed the terminals from the dead battery so I could hook them up to the new spare battery and the spare wasn’t there. While we were parked at the

Martin Strarup is a lifelong saltwater enthusiast and outdoorsman.

Martin is also a collector and dealer of vintage fishing tackle and lures, especially those made in Texas.

Email

Trouthunter@swbell.net

Belle Chasse Braithwaite

LA

39

LA

23

Myrtle Grove

Point A La Hache West Point A La Hache Port Sulphur

Empire

Buras

Boothville Venice

Tidewater

Map Key LA

23

LA

39

Louisiana Highway 23 (LA23) Louisiana Highway 39 (LA39) City Ferry Crossing Fishing Marinas

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

VerySELDOM seldoM do V ERY DO WEwe leArn A lesson

thought I might oflessons the lessons I learned the hard way in thought I might shareshare somesome of the I learned the hard way in or acquire knowledge hopes that maybe it will help someone or spare them some grief or acquire knowledge hopes that maybe it will help someone or spare them some grief on on without first suffering at least one or a couple setbacks; this is true intheirtheir journey. own own journey. everything from fishing to life in general. It would probably be safe to One very One very painful lesson I learned and Ithat painful lesson I learned yearsyears ago, ago, and that wasI was say that most folks who are successful at any endeavor would tell you reminded of recently, is to always consult your tide tables before say that most folks who are successful at any endeavor would tell you reminded of recently, is to always consult your tide tables before had plenty of trials and tribulations the way, if they planning planning trip, especially during winter.

Like most anglers chasing they they had plenty of trials and tribulations alongalong the way, and ifand they a trip,a especially during winter.

Like most anglers chasing didn’t they were extremely gifted or just plain lucky. trophy winter fi sh or waterfowl along the coast, it’s normal to reach a didn’t they were extremely gifted or just plain lucky.

Professionals make most things look easy when in all reality they destination and get out of your boat to wade, sometimes for several Professionals make most things look easy when in all reality they destination and get out of your boat to wade, sometimes for several have already paid lots of dues.

The really good ones, professionals hours.

But let me tell you; a perfect fl at that seems to be just right can have already paid lots of dues. The really good ones, professionals that is, are not afraid to share their failures so that others may turn into a beach before your eyes if you aren’t careful. that is, are not afraid to share their failures so that others may turn into a beach before your eyes if you aren’t careful. mistakes or misfortunes.

Others honorable Generally weak winter tides coupled with stiff north wind can (less (less honorable or or learnlearn fromfrom theirtheir mistakes or misfortunes.

Others generous) are not comfortable sharing their screw-ups, choosing virtually empty bay leave and leave you stranded if you’re notyour on your generous) are not comfortable sharing their screw-ups, choosing virtually empty a bayaand you stranded if you’re not on to maintain an aura of perfection that is not realistic by any means. game.

If you happen to be in a smaller boat you may be able to push to maintain an aura of perfection that is not realistic by any means. game. If you happen to be in a smaller boat you may be able to push Probably the best example ofhas thisto has be outdoor television it to water deep enough to float out to a depth where it’s safe to crank Probably the best example of this betooutdoor television shows, they are the worst!

A few of the more popular ones would motor and On run.the Onother the other youinare in a bigger bay boat shows, they are the worst! A few of the more popular ones would your your motor and run. handhand if youifare a bigger bay boat lead you to believe that they never go on a hunt where Boone and pushing is out of the question, you are now at the mercy lead you to believe that they never go on a hunt where Boone and pushing is out of the question, you are now at the mercy of theof the and Crockett animals aren’t just walking around every corner and and that’s certainly not where you want – ever! and Crockett animals aren’t just walking around every corner and tidestides and that’s certainly not where you want to beto– be ever! nobody ever misses a shot.

Like the old saying goes, “I was born at The only time you want to be waiting on an incoming nobody ever misses a shot. Like the old saying goes, “I was born at The only time you want to be waiting on an incoming tide istide to is to night, but not last night.” fi sh, not to fl oat a beached boat.

I recently got bit by a low tide while night, but not last night.”

During this time of year the majority of TSFMag readers that fish duckduck hunting a coastal marsh.

I reached my destination well before hunting a coastal marsh. I reached my destination well before round one thing on their – catching a trophy shooting to return few hours to a boat that was year year round havehave one thing on their mindmind – catching a trophy trout.trout. shooting light light only only to return a fewahours later later to a boat that was The best methods and areas to make this dream a reality will no setting on a big mud flat that had about enough water left to fill up The best methods and areas to make this dream a reality will no doubt be discussed at length by some of the writing team in this very a baseball cap.I could All I could do laugh was laugh at myself and start pushing.

I doubt be discussed at length by some of writing team in this very a baseball cap. All do was at myself and start pushing.

I issue but that’s just part of the story. eventually pushed my boat out but the knee deep mud was tough on issue but that’s just part of the story. eventually pushed my boat out but the knee deep mud was tough on “How did these folks learn how to catch these fish?” a short fat take guy, take my word it. A quick glance the tables tide tables a short fat guy, my word for it.for A quick glance at theattide Most, if not all, learned from experience they gathered over and weather prediction (wind) will go a long way towards keeping Most, if not all, learned from experience they gathered over and weather prediction (wind) will go a long way towards keeping many years on the water.

Experiences are good and bad, each with you out of these situations. many years on the water. Experiences are good and bad, each with you out of these situations. its own of lessons.

Rather re-hash old information, I Another lesson that learned was learned the hard way is, “Always its own set ofset lessons.

Rather than than re-hash somesome old information, I Another lesson that was the hard way is, “Always tie ontie on

LEARN A LESSON

30 | March 2013 30 | March 2013

shock leader.”

Years ago during the “old school” big trout tournaments there was an event on Sabine Lake and I had a whole herd of good buddies from Houston who were going to fish with me. We had located a good bunch of fish before the tournament and developed what we believed to be a good pattern; all we had to do was execute.

Tournament day arrived and we hit the water with high hopes. The flat looked perfect and you could just see the potential as a few slicks popped up and mullet were jumping nervously all over the place. One of my partners was in such a hurry to get in the water and get after the fish that he neglected to tie on a shock leader and couldn’t make himself stop long enough to correct his mistake.

Surely you all can see what’s going to happen here, right?

Just as you might have predicted, a tournament winning trout inhaled his Super Spook, made a big first run, cleared the water in a terrific splash, and was gone. A $10,000 fish swam away leaving us all stunned.

To make matters worse, a few seconds after the fish broke his line, the Spook floated to the surface just to add insult to injury.

The massive fish had apparently landed on the line and broken off approximately 2 feet above the knot. My dejected partner picked up

his lure, turned around, and walked about a half mile back to boat without making another cast until he could get a shock leader tied on. To this day my partner still catches grief over that big fish and I always tie on leader. Period.

Speaking of shock leader, that’s only half of the equation, you also need to be aware of the monofilament or braid that you use. I have seen customers pinch a few pennies and buy cheaper line only to be disappointed in the worst way when a good fish breaks off. Always remember that the only thing that connects you to that fish of a lifetime is your fishing line so spool up accordingly.

In keeping with the theme of equipment failures, I witnessed a customer learn a very expensive lesson on how and where to clean his gear. My client was a good fisherman and seemed to be very meticulous about taking care of his stuff, almost too meticulous. After a day on the water he began to feverishly clean his gear while I cleaned our fish. In anticipation of the next day’s fishing he began spraying his reels with a popular lubricant and wiping them clean while still on the rods. I didn’t think much of this until the next day when all three of his rods broke in the exact same location – the reel seat.

It appears that the frequent application of that particular lube to his reels while still on the rods had reacted with materials in the rod

TSFMAG.com | 31

The liquid tape dries relatively fast and is easy to apply. I take a preventative approach and put it on all the seams, even on brand new waders. I have no doubt this process extends the life of the waders as well as their durability. The bottom line to the whole process is that it helps keep you dry and that’s the biggest factor one has to consider when you put a pair of waders on.

Now perhaps the most important recommendation I can possibly share with you concerns two things that may in-fact save your life some day. First off - always let someone know you will be out on the water and where you intend to be. I am terribly guilty at times for not sharing that information and I have personally vowed to do much better. For me it’s really important as I spend the majority of my time in some really remote places that only a handful of other folks are really familiar with. Having someone know an approximate area where you will be can be a big help if you get stranded and don’t show up for supper.

32 | March 2013

Some of you may already be familiar with some of the tracking apps available for smart phones, they are designed to locate your lost or stolen telephone. They can also tell your family and friends where you are if you are in trouble – providing of course the phone has service. If you have not done so already, I recommend getting yours setup as soon as possible.

Information like this could be the difference between having a buddy come get you or having a full-blown search party scouring the coast trying to locate you. The final piece to this recommendation is very simple, wear your PFD and always attach your kill switch. In the winter months especially, when there is far less traffic on the water, it’s even more important to be safe because you may not see another boat for quite some time. These are simple things that we all need to keep in mind.

All of these scenarios and examples listed here are just a few of the many that fishermen go through while enjoying their sport. Much like a tourist who goes to a new destination it’s always nice to learn from others mistakes so they are not repeated. Sharing helpful information that will allow an angler to peel away unnecessary difficulties and elevate their experience on the water is often times more valuable than any fishing report could ever be. Hopefully some of these examples will help a few anglers prevent the mishaps and increase the quality time on the water that we all crave.

Chuck Uzzle

Contact

causing them to weaken and break prematurely. I could dismiss one rod as an accident but for three to break in identical locations during the same trip was tough to ignore. My philosophy has always been “soap and water is your friend” and separate the rod and reel when you decide to clean or lubricate your reels. After watching three high-end rods snap like balsa wood I think I’ll keep to that line of thinking.

Now last on this list but certainly not least, especially in the winter, is caring for your waders.

We have all had that terrible feeling, you know the one when you feel your pants getting damp or water squishing in your socks. I don’t care what brand of waders you get they will eventually leak and it’s usually at the worst time possible. It’s bad enough to worry about your own gear but keeping up with gear for clients is even more work. With necessity being the mother of invention I stumbled up on a great way to deal with leaks – liquid electrical tape. A bottle of liquid electrical tape has solved many a problem with waders, especially the leaks along the seams which tend to plague breathable waders.

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

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

Inshore Ad.7.5x4.875

1/28/13

1:20 PM

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STORY BY JOE DOGGETT

Doggett uses aggressive double haul to drive a tight wedge into gusting wind. Note low left hand releasing line to shoot for extra distance.

34 | March 2013

The best clutch cast

I ever made with a fly rod was on a tarpon about 20 years ago in Belize.

We were poling in a skiff across a vast sand flat near Ambergris Cay. The solo tarpon was swimming slowly upwind. The five-foot fish looked as bold as a battlewagon in the three-foot water. Guide Gilberto Bradley leaned on the pole.

“Get ready to cast as soon as we get close enough,” he panted.

“I cannot gain much ground the way he is moving so it will be a long throw.”

The wind was 15-plus and we were forced to push straight into it. I stood with a 9-foot, 10-weight rod on the open bow and checked the coils of stripping line piled on the deck. Bradley gained slowly, then the going-away fish seemed to speed up.

“Señor, you must try now. I can get no closer.”

Bradley planted the pole and I let drive. Two false casts and a strong double haul fired the weight-forward line like a laser. The loop formed a tight wedge and drilled at least 90 feet straight into the gusts. I’m not sure where the wind-blown orchestration came from, but Lefty Kreh and Chico Fernandez could not have collaborated on a better effort.

The loop and leader turned over, dropping the dark streamer fly about three or four feet to the side of the swimming tarpon.

“Señor! Excellent!”

The fish sensed the faint splash, saw the settling fly, and turned with

a great chromium swirl. It came half out of the water to claim the sudden prize. We could see the dark maw open.

Naturally, I yanked the fly away. I literally snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. The startled tarpon bolted in a roiled wake across the flat.

“No, Señor! No!” Gilberto slumped over the pole. Distraught, I flung the rod into the water.

Recovering the tackle in the waist-deep water was easy, but retrieving the mojo of the world-class cast was not so simple. I definitely was playing way over my head. But one thing is certain: A strong double haul is the foundation of successful fly casting in saltwater.

You are doomed to mediocrity without command of the supercharger of the double haul. The coastal arenas are open and often windblown, no place for the traditional close-range finesse of a dry fly presentation.

The coordinated two-handed effort of the double haul increases the line speed during the final delivery. This aggressive technique not only allows the caster to “shoot” for extra distance; it provides crisper presentations at closer ranges.

You’ve got power to burn.

Put another way, the routine 50- or 60-foot shots are much easier when your maximum distance under favorable cross-wind conditions

The reward for a strong double haul is the ability to reach out for big fish, such as Doggett’s bonefish.

TSFMAG.com | 35

is 100 feet. A consistent 60-foot delivery is not so easy if that is your max.

The technique of double hauling was originated during the ‘50s by steelhead anglers on the big rivers of the Pacific Northwest. They devised heavy, compact shooting heads ahead of thin running lines (often monofilament) and began making remarkable casts. The concept was quickly embraced by pioneer saltwater anglers in the Florida Keys.

The double haul starts either with the pick-up of line already cast, or (when poised for sight casting) with the weight-forward belly of the line (about 25 feet) dangling and trailing from the elevated rod tip. Extra yards of shooting line already are stripped from the reel and piled close by.

The initial back/front sequence of false casting is made to load the rod with the heavy belly and a few additional yards of running line. The line hand (left, for the righthanded caster) is held close to the reel. Then, during the second back cast, the line hand pulls back and down, dramatically increasing the line speed; as the rod pauses at the end of the back cast, the line hand again drifts up close to the reel.

As the rod starts forward for the final presentation, the line hand tugs down smartly. This motion carries down near your waist. As the tight loop powers forward, jacked with speed, you release the lefthand line, allowing the forward acceleration to carry (or “shoot”) the stripped coils.

Done properly, all the line zings through the guides adding maybe 30 or 40 feet of distance. Presto - a 50-foot cast becomes an 80-foot bomb. If you’re on your game, the momentum of the cast snaps the end of the stripped line against the reel spool with a satisfying smack.

I think I’m telling you this correctly. It took me quite a while to figure out the drill. The mechanics are complex and there’s a lot of fluid timing going on. But, in fairness, I flogged through the learning stages back in the early ‘60s with a cheap fiberglass rod and a level “C” line.

No specialized fly shops or qualified casting instructors were available in Houston back then. My only guide were tattered copies of Field & Stream (“A.J. McClane Shows How To Double Haul In Several Easy Steps”) and Outdoor Life (“Joe Brooks Makes The Double Haul A Snap”).

Marcos Enriquez shows Port Mansfield redfish caught while blind casting with a streamer fly across an open flat.

36 | March 2013

Maintaining stripped line ready to shoot is critical for quick-draw casts on sighted redfish.

Guess again, Rookie.

The confounding diagrams and arrows were difficult to follow with my grasp and gear. I finally got it semi-down. Better equipment certainly helped but it just sort of started coming together - like riding the proverbial bike.

I don’t mean to discourage the newcomer; remember, my travails occurred 50 years ago. Things have dramatically changed for the better and anyone armed with balanced tackle and a reasonable feel for the dynamics of fly casting should be able to command a workable double haul after several lessons with an instructor (or competent friend).

Once you get a grip the power is undeniable.

Last year, for example, I was on a bonefish expedition to Christmas Island. The remote atoll is located in the mid-Pacific about 1,200 miles due south of Honolulu, and ranks as one of finest wade fishing venues in the world.

Ironically, our best fishing for large bonefish was not on the miles of knee-deep white sand but in a channel feeding an area known as Paris Flat. Schools of pre-spawning bonefish roamed the green channel during the full moon cycle. The situation was far from classic for the shallow-water sight caster, but the payback was repeated hookups with 5- to 9-pound bonefish.

(The flats purist might squawk at casting into a trench, but anytime I can light up a Tibor reel with a big bonefish I’m open to suggestions.)

It was exciting but it wasn’t easy. To reach the channel, we were forced to cast straight into a 20-mile-per-hour trade wind. And we were using large bonefish flies with heavy lead “dumbbell” eyes to get a decent sink rate amid the chops and currents. The heavier the fly, the harder the casting.

You stood near the green edge and waited for the dark mass of several dozen bonefish to appear. Then you loaded up and fired 70 or 80 feet, hoping to miss your ear and the back of your head and get the heavy fly in front of the passing school. A strong double haul, driving low and hard into the gusts, was critical.

Christmas Island south of Hawaii might sound extreme but Christmas Bay south of Houston can offer a similar circumstance for reds or trout. The double haul can put you in fish out of range of the conventional fly cast.

Expert fly angler Kenny Murph hooked baby tarpon by using strong side-arm double haul to slap streamer up inside mangrove overhangs.

The proficient hand learns a few tricks to enhance the program.

With a bit of practice, you can shoot line on the back cast, adding bonus yards to the final delivery. Just make sure to keep a firm grip on things; a good way to look really bad in a hurry is to bumble and fumble and lose control of the line during the backswing. The cast falls in a rubble behind you as tailing reds root out in front.

On the subject of “out in front,” shooting line with a double haul is not a terribly accurate presentation. As you release the line you forfeit the accuracy allowed by a firm hold. But it’s a great way to maximize distance when covering water.

For accuracy, shoot several yards through your fingers then hold tight for positive control on the presentation. Holding tight also is a good way to slam a low cast under low branches or docks. The sidearm loop turns over with maximum velocity; conversely, shooting without snubbing bleeds off power and robs you of the extra kick to bounce a fly or popper up into the shadowed kill zone.

A big mistake when hauling is to flail too hard; the motions should be smooth and tight, with a coordinated burst of juice during the final pull. The important thing is to allow the back cast to straighten, loading the rod before you power forward. If the casting arm and rod tip drift back a tad while allowing the back cast to unfurl, so be it.

Another mistake (common in all fly casting) is making too many false casts. Don’t grow old with the line snaking back and forth. You are not trying to fan the hackles of a dry fly. You are trying to drop that mullet-imitation streamer several feet ahead of that 30-inch trout cruising across the sand flat. The longer you struggle trying to hold the heavy line in the air, the sloppier the timing tends to become.

This especially is true if wind is an issue. Four strokes - two back, two forward - should do it under normal circumstances. Certainly no more than six.

And don’t strip off more shooting line than you can realistically use.

Be savvy; pay attention to changing circumstances. The extra coils that aren’t going anywhere are a tangle waiting to happen. And - trust me on this - when a fish is in your crosshairs take a moment to insure that all the stripped line is ready to rock.

Afloat, this means you are not stepping on the coils. Nor are they wrapped around a cleat or snagged under the hull. Afoot, this means stopping and pulling the trailing line closer, easier to rip from the surface. While you’re at it, make certain no stringing grass is clinging to the line.

Assuming the shooting line is clear, the properly executed double haul will seriously upgrade your coastal game. Come to think of it, in the realm of fly fishing it really is rocket science.

Less of an accessory, more of an accomplice.

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

But your boat is perfectly still and deadly silent.

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

TSFMAG.com | 37

STORY BY JOE RICHARD

38 | March 2013

On these very rocks our fishing action began years ago, the South Padre Island jetty during March.

Abundant green water here shows great promise.

Perched on the lAst rocKs

of the Port Mansfield jetty in March—the end of the road, so to speak—we were as far as we could get from Nacogdoches during Spring break. A hot sun beat down on a calm green Gulf as we battled the year’s first jack crevalle, brutes with attitude in the 18- to 20-pound class. There were too many jacks and not enough gold spoons; my card of a dozen were finally gone, mostly headed southwest toward Mexico, last we saw them. Gone without catching a single redfish or trout like we’d planned.

But then, predicting anything about a spring break road trip is futile anyway.

It was a trip memories are made of: Load a clattering volkswagen Thing with tackle, ice chest, sleeping bags and fraternity brothers (with very little money) and drive hundreds of miles in unpredictable spring weather, and you’re assured a memorable trip—for better or worse.

Hitting a fair weather window certainly helped, even if we had to pay our dues before the sun came out.

Our south Texas destination was a long drive from Nacogdoches but we were eager to explore completely new territory. Back then we were strictly upper coast anglers, mostly fishing Sabine Pass and sometimes Galveston, a

bountiful area that kept us well occupied. Lacking motel funds and driving in a pounding cold rain on a black March night, we pulled into the A&M campus in Kingsville looking for safe harbor. The place looked deserted. We asked directions and soon found our fraternity brother’s chapter house. Around back was an unlocked window so we eased inside, happy to have a roof overhead. (It should be stressed that the core hunter-fisher-camper dudes of our chapter were low maintenance.) There was Pete from Kermit, Jackson from Garland, Shmo from Clear Lake and me from Port Arthur. A real cross-section of Texas, blown south to the Mexico border in a Wehrmacht-style officer’s car.

Next day we arrived at South Padre Island, and found the cinder block shelters near the jetties. There was a community shower, and each cabin was cheap with eight bunk beds. A few cinderblocks were missing for ventilation.

The cold front that had blown my volks down through the King and Kennedy Ranches at record speed now kept our room chilled. We stuffed newspaper in the holes and cranked the four-burner stove to max. Good thing we’d brought coats and sleeping bags.

The pounding chocolate surf was appalling, waves crashing over the jetties, and we knew better than to try it.

TSFMAG.com | 39

Hordes of big jacks, first of the year, descended on us, wrecking my supply of gold spoons. Our red reels couldn’t stop a single jack from the jetty.

Sand swept the beach in low clouds, heading south, under ragged gray clouds that also scurried south. Out in the flying sand, a lone sparse figure appeared, wearing a digger hat. His name was Billy Boomerang, a recent vietnam vet, and he flung his hand-carved creations way out there, almost over the surf, and they actually returned pretty close. Otherwise the place was deserted; locals were holed up somewhere. In those days, Padre Island hadn’t been discovered much, even for Spring Breakers. Not when we were there, anyway. There were no huge motels with pools, or big clubs. We later saw a hundred hippies or so camping north of town, where flats and dunes ran 40 miles to the Mansfield Cut. We talked to Billy, who often shark-fished from the old causeway pier. We then wandered around the little island town, dallied in Burger King for our daily GutBuster and fries, then headed down to Mexico for some cultural exchange. Walked around windy Matamoros with its strange new smells, watching the litter and paper swirl around us. Waiting out the cold front.

Next morning we woke to relative silence, no booming surf, just seagulls. We piled up in the doorway. What? A flat, green surf beckoned. It was time to scramble. Who needed breakfast?

Already, locals were easing out to their favorite rocks. What followed was a long, warm day, the year’s first real sun beating down on bare backs, and we loaded up the stringer with big sand trout, whiting, the year’s first mackerel. Tourists from Iowa passed by, eyeballed our stringer with envy, asked many questions, we felt like heroes. But at the cleaning table on the old Isabella causeway, a salty veteran glanced over our heap of fish and advised us to try the Mansfield jetty next. “It’s 40 miles of beach-driving, lots of fish, and the tourists don’t make it that far.”

For the next three days, we fished hard. More fraternity brothers showed up, but we had room to spare. They brought a record player and speakers, but one of the potlickers forgot the album stack. One did remain on the turntable, however, the Moody Blues’ masterful Our Children’s Children’s Children, written to commemorate Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon in 1969. Day after day that one album played, many times, everyone knew the words. In that sandy environment the album grew scratchy, but remains in our memories forever.

I never thought I’d ever have my freedom; An age ago my maker was refusing me the pleasure of the view.

Today, listening puts me right back there in the sand, harsh sun, jetty smells and heavy stringers. Some of the old-timers remember this album well, especially the Austin crowd. Today the album can be easily heard with digital clarity on Youtube at: http://goo.gl/mUcOe Day after day we followed a simple regimen: follow the pavement north until it ran out, bump over a few acres of bad sand and then speed north up the beach, dodging tidal wash, driftwood and blue jellyfish, hungry for action up at Mansfield. It was a long way and we clung to wet sand when possible, but if the tide was coming in, there were detours. The top was down and when a west wind blew, we were sandy as the Afrika Korps—especially on early, ill-advised detours across 40 | March 2013

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the island to the Laguna side, where we fancied wading up on redfish or trophy trout. Instead we were bogged down in fine, dry sand on weathered tracks that led nowhere. Stuck, with no timbers for the tires. During one of those delays, Jackson gave up digging with his bare hands and slumped in the sand with his back to a tire. You said there’d be fishing, he whined. Garland was far away, and I think the light and air of Padre Island really put the zap on his head. Around us loomed empty dunes for 20 miles, with sand blowing from the crest of each. We peered around in the glare, and wiped sandy lips. Anyone bring the water bottle?

Somehow we escaped the sand trap by brute pushing; it helps when the car engine weighs only 40 pounds or so. After that, we got with the program for the remainder of the trip—stick to the front beach and firm sand. Finally nearing the fabled Mansfield jetty, we heard a distinct hissing outside, a disturbing sound, something like sss-sss-sss-sss. It was a punctured tire—we’d run over a dried-out catfish. With the jetties just ahead I sped up and, just in time, reached the rock wall. We piled out as the tire sagged flat. We had no spare;

Galveston jetties also play host to visiting spring breakers, though the barefoot babes in this photo were cruising the rocks in the mid-1980s.

42 | March 2013

space after all was scarce in the Volks. Not another car in sight, either.

Left without a hope of coming home, as our album said. However, the jetty beckoned with flat, clear, green water. It was the classic “f___ it dude, let’s fish” moment. We hit the rocks and fished all afternoon, building a stringer of mostly flounder, and our vibes must have been right, because a tiny dot appeared miles down the beach, soon magically forming into a Volkswagen van. We looked at each other, knowingly. It pulled up only feet away, and the hippies inside insisted we use their spare tire—they wouldn’t need it while camping, we could return it next day. And we did.

That was the day my precious spoons were lost in violent fashion, when jacks swarmed the jetty and our red reels couldn’t stop them.

Stripped of my favorite go-to lures, so effective back at Sabine Pass jetties, which seemed a different planet from this land of dunes and sand. With jacks feeding everywhere, there was nothing that could be done, except curse those yellow brutes. Spanish mackerel or pompano in the area would have to be tempted in some other fashion. At least we broke off each jack at the spoon’s knot; spare 20-pound line was scarce in dune country.

One alternate that worked was cast-netting marsh minnows in tidal pools just inland from where the jetty rocks began. They had stripes, something we’d never seen back east, and we called them tiger minnows.

Dragging them slowly on bottom through the rocks caught us a dozen flounder. That evening we bore down on the flounder with Rapala knives while Yankee tourists clustered around, perplexed. When we gonna catch some-a-them good ones? Pondered one to another. With another heavy stringer, we felt like pros among that crowd.

More nights followed with good music, huge cheeseburgers washed down with Dos Equis, good company, sore hands, salt and sunburn.

It was over too soon and the Volks was packed and headed north, this time on real highway. We checked out the jetties at Port Aransas, and Shmo acquired the makings for a dozen dry ham sandwiches from the MiniMart. (It should be stressed that, back then, credit cards were scarce, student debt unheard of, gas was 50 cents a gallon and a dollar would take the Volks 60 miles down the road. Yet we were cash-poor at times). Barreling north again, we soon found ourselves driving late after dark, battling another cold front on a near-deserted Hwy. 35, a tedious route to Clear Lake. The temperature fell and the car strained to make 55 miles an hour in cruel, head-on gusts. We really had no heating and in 45 degrees, took to our sleeping bags in the car. It was fortunate I owned a slim mummy bag and drove from inside, groping for the three foot pedals in socked feet. It wasn’t too bad…

Back in Nacogdoches on a chill Monday morning. I parked the sandy Volks just outside in my private parking spot, on the side of the Journalism building. When I ran into class 10 minutes late and plunked down in a far back seat, the old professor didn’t miss it. She pursed her lips tighter than a chicken’s asshole, then said, I see you’ve decided to join us.

Simms fingerless gloves are a must for me during cold weather.

J AY WAT K I N S

ASK THE PRO

the right gear &

the right attitude!

Without a doubt winter is my favorite season to fish.

There are multiple reasons behind this with the biggest being the possibility of catching one of the year’s best speckled trout. This said, it is also the season when we absolutely must have the right gear. I have a lot of anglers that ask, “How do you cope with the harsh conditions, the cold, wet and wind?”

Years ago we did not have the luxury of the highquality foul weather apparel available to us today. I know everyone that fishes with me understands how I feel about Simms Fishing Products. The reason I feel this way is solely because I believe they currently make the best waders, wading jackets, wading boots, under garments and accessories on the market. How good are the products? I still wear my original wading jacket that I purchased over 10 years ago! Over the years my guys and gals have followed my lead and acquired these products and by doing so they have allowed themselves the comfort (opportunity) to stand in the cold and allow good things to happen on days when many choose to sit on the side lines.

Enough on quality gear equals comfort. Now let me talk to you about finding and catching fish in extremely cold water. In January of 2013 I had a week-long period where water temperatures dropped to 46° and the mercury for the next few days never rose more than two 44 | March 2013

degrees. Winds were 20-plus out of the NE, tides low and water dirty. I know, sounds like one would have to

Nice warming trend trout.

Scott Stockdale with cold water red.

be insane to be out there fishing in such conditions, and without proper gear you’d be correct.

I have a father son duo that have fished with me for almost 20 years. Barry and Scott have come full circle in the gear department as well as the learning and confidence department.

Even though we did get cold, we were not terribly uncomfortable on the three days they spent with me. I had located an area of soft bottom, scattered grass beds and signs of bait fish. Swirls in the shallow water and the ever present osprey and brown pelican assured me that mullet were present even during times when bait was not visible.

I was continually reminding the two that water temperatures had slowed the metabolic rate and activity of the fish. This was our first real cold spell so game-fish had not become

A late afternoon fatty caught during peak feed period after several days of cold temps.

46 | March 2013

acclimated to the cold and reactions were slow. I also reminded myself and them that with a high speed reel it would be necessary to really concentrate on slowing retrieval rates. This is why during the coldest of times I will often switch to a reel with 5.3:1 gear ratio verses the higher 6.1:1 or 7.1:1 ratio. I’ll also go to slow sink MirrOlures and Corkys or the Bass Assassin Die Dapper series rigged with a Mustad 3/0 Power Lock Plus with screw type bait keeper. The key is giving the fish a really good look and time to react to a size of bait that they seem to be preferring.

Bites came slow over the three day period as the winds and water conditions remained less than good. Redfish dominated our catch but when a trout was caught it was a heavy fish with blistered bellies and tails. This is typically a sign of fish that have decreased their movements due to cold so parasites in the mud have the opportunity to attach themselves to a viable food source. When I see this I certainly know that we are in the right area to catch trout that possess the characteristics we all dream of. Even though we did not catch that trout of a lifetime, numerous reds were caught on two of the three days, keeping us focused during the long wades required to get the bites. With each day that passed, the next provided fish that hit harder and fought longer. They were becoming acclimated to the cold and started to react with more aggression. In the grand scheme of things the conditions are exactly what we want and need in order to have the best shots at an area’s biggest and best.

The day after my guys left we had a lull in the wind and slight shift in direction. More of an easterly wind but still air temperatures to start the day were in the mid 40s. By 3:00 PM the wind had swung to SE, ending a four day absence of any warming as the skies began to clear and the sun popped out. Drastic change in air temperatures equate to rapidly warming shallow water temperatures. Coupling this with a late afternoon major feeding period created a fantastic opportunity to catch the area’s big trout that had avoided capture for four days.

For the first time all week we saw mullet begin to first flip and then jump as the shallows absorbed the first warm rays of sun. Within two hours the water temperature had risen to the 50° mark and a trout feed was born. The feed continued into the dusk hours, producing trout to 6.5 pounds along with numerous thunderous strikes that somehow did not result with a hookup. I can’t get a Corky out of the package or tied on my line without at least one of my fingers bleeding but a big trout can inhale it and spit it out without breaking the skin. Amazing!

So the lesson here is: To fish in harsh conditions, we need the right stuff and the proper attitude. In my opinion, one cannot be accomplished without the other.

C O N TA C T

May your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins

48 | March 2013

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

Jason’s 25-pound fly-caught beast.

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

Louisiana Bulls – Part One Each winter the past five or six years I’ve been taunted by images of giant redfish sent from friends who prowl the delta marshes of south Louisiana. Photos of 20, 30 and even 40 pound reds held by guys and gals with silly grins and fly rods. Yes, I said fly rods.

A few years back when I was a sales rep servicing tackle shops I got to know a close-knit group of fly fishermen based out of Uptown Angler Fly Shop in New Orleans. These guys were telling tales of sight-casting to bull reds in the marshes of the Mississippi delta. At first I thought this was a fluke kind of deal. The more questions I asked, the more apparent it became that this was a fairly reliable fishery from November through February. I geared up to test it out any time I was in the area, but the unpredictable weather of the winter months always shut things down during my brief windows of opportunity.

With the advent of Facebook, the torture really ramped up. Being on the friends list of Captain Greg Dini, owner of Flywater Expeditions, will sometimes make you want to dump everything you own and move to Cajun country. Throughout each winter, fishing 50 | March 2013

reports of multiple bull reds on the fly show up on my computer. Then along comes the unbelievable video “Bulls on Top” just to make sure the wounds remain open. If you haven’t seen this video you can find it on Youtube, if you dare.

So when Jared Malone sent out a message that he was putting together a big group to go chase bulls I was quick to sign up. Twelve guys, five poling skiffs and four days in a big house near Grand Isle; nothing sounded wrong with that. I called my good friend and fishing partner, Jason Bryant to see if he’d like to tag along. Well, duh. The only issue being that Jason had not yet begun to fly fish. He had wanted to learn, but hadn’t gotten around to it. Now he had a deadline. One month to go from training camp to the big game.

We got him set up with some gear and a couple casting lessons. He got the basics figured out, but I was still a bit concerned how it would play out on the water.

Having guided plenty of beginners, I’ve witnessed a lot of frustration as they try to plant the hook into their first redfish. The sight of a redfish in skinny water can often

Yours truly with a “common” 15-pounder.

W or NoElors 1f 3 c 20

turn a good caster into a mess on the bow. On the plus side, he’s an accomplished sight-caster with conventional gear so seeing reds wouldn’t be a big deal. Remembering how to cast the fly and strip-striking instead of rod-setting, that could be interesting.

As the departure date arrived the weatherman appeared to be cooperating. After a solid week of overcast, cold and an overdose of wind; the forecast was showing a window of clear skies and light winds with temps creeping into the 70s.

We were rolling south on Hwy 1 by the time the sun creased the eastern horizon. Flags were hanging limp and the sky was clear. The closer we got, the faster I wanted to drive. It took a lot of restraint to slow down through the infamous speed trap of Golden Meadows. A few miles from redfish paradise we found winter. It got really ugly really fast. Stepping out of the truck at the meeting place was not very promising to say the least. A quick breakfast, a couple extra layers of clothing added and it was time to go exploring.

Jared had guided this area a few years back so he gave everyone a quick rundown on what to expect as well as a few areas to check out. As we cleared the channel and entered the open water my first thought was, damn this is a lot of water. It had looked large on charts, but seeing it in person made me wonder if we’d be able to locate any good concentrations of fish much less the oversized bulls we sought to target.

The conditions were about as bad as they get for sight-casting. Thick cloud cover, winds blowing 15-20 and cold. We elected to start off blind casting with conventional gear to see if we could kick start the trip and start putting some sort of pattern together. It didn’t take long.

I was on the platform poling down the first shoreline and Jason was firing off casts with a large soft plastic paddle tail when I noticed a large copper flash inside the mouth of a little bayou.

Moments later Jason’s drag was ripping and a submarine wake was headed towards open water.

My 30 lb Boga was no match for this beast and bottomed out with a third of the fish still in the water. Not a bad start. High fives, photos taken and fish released. Then Jason says, “that was fun, but I wish it had been on the fly rod.”

It wasn’t long before the fly rods came out and the casting rods were stowed away for the remainder of the trip. The rookie had his share of blown chances, but he wasn’t giving up.

Towards the end of the day we worked our way into a small lake and found a good many slot reds cruising the shorelines in less than a foot of water. As we eased up into a shallow cove a big tail

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your eyes are seeing.

We landed several solid reds as well as black drum (yes, the black drum over there readily eat flies), but couldn’t break the twenty pound mark we had set as a goal.

Jason was taking his turn on the bow and doing a little practice casting between fish sightings. He had just made his longest cast when a very large red appeared right in line with where the fly landed. The rook kept his cool and made a couple smooth strips to get the fly in front of the fish. One quick twitch and the bull crawled all over the fly. The eight weight rod was somewhat overmatched, but everything held together.

The beast pulled the Boga down just past the twenty-five pound mark. Awesome.

The rookie had my personal best beat by a solid ten pounds, but I still had two days to catch up. Stayed tuned.

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pierced the surface. A few yards closer and the red came into full view, a solid eight pounder. He was nosing along the bottom looking for a snack when the fly plopped down right in his path. He ate without hesitation, Jason hit him with a solid stripstrike and the fight was on.

One of my favorite things about guiding is putting people on their first red on the fly, doing so with a good friend was even better. I know I caught several good reds that afternoon, but I don’t remember much about them. However, I can close my eyes and picture everything that happened with his first.

Day two dawned partly cloudy with much lighter winds and the promise of increasing warmth. We went straight to an area where we had seen some big oversized reds the day before and started hunting.

Fly box fully The fish were a bit sluggish, but most every stocked for bulls. one that offered a shot ate a fly. The sun finally started peaking out around mid-day and the reds went on the prowl. It was amazing how many really large fish we were seeing.

The funny part was trying to guess size in the water. We were consistently light on our guesstimations by several pounds. When you aren’t used to routinely seeing fish over ten pounds cruising through a foot of water it’s hard to wrap your mind around what

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

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

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Author at work collecting red snapper data aboard the New Buccaneer.

By Nicole Carrillo Summer Intern | Dickinson Marine Lab

FIELD NOTES

Aging red snapper Red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, is a popular game fish and delectable table fare sought after by commercial and recreational fishermen alike. Since red snapper were declared overfished in 1988, there has been major controversy over how to best manage the stock to allow it to be recovered by 2032, the goal of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. There are many challenges to creating regulations to best manage the current red snapper population. Recreational fishermen believe that red snapper populations are not overfished based on the fact that they are still catching them with minimal effort; some argue that the size of the snapper has even increased in the past few years. Due to the fact that red snapper do not grow in a linear fashion, the size of the

Sectioned otolith photographed through microscope showing age of specimen to be nine years.

54 | March 2013

fish caught is not an indication of its age. Currently, the average age of red snapper caught is between two and six years old; being a long-living species, red snapper can live to be over fifty years old.

My thesis, as a Marine Resource Management graduate student at Texas A&M University in Galveston, is focused on using otoliths to determine age of red snapper for use in developing effective management in Texas waters. Data Embedded otolith ready to section with highspeed saw

was collected over a series of ten offshore fishing trips aboard the New Buccaneer, a catamaran style party-boat through Galveston Party Boats. With the ability of 100 anglers to fish at once, a predetermined area at the stern of the boat was selected and the length and weight of all red snapper landed within the boundary was recorded. Since fishing occurred over 75 miles off the shore of Galveston, all anglers were required to follow federal regulations: a two-fish bag limit with a 16 inch minimum size. Fishing effort was recorded by measuring the time fished, along with including an indication if the fish was not kept even though it was considered a “keeper.� Per federal regulations all fish returned to the water were properly vented to reduce mortality rates. Otoliths were collected from all red snapper kept within the selected group by extracting though the gill cavity resulting in minimal visible damage to the fish.

Unlike the majority of fish who grow continuously throughout their lifetime, red snapper grow rapidly during the first ten years of their life and then continue to gain mass without much more additional length; because of this, it can be hard to distinguish a difference between a five year old to a twenty five year old snapper. The best method to determine the actual age of the fish is by extracting and measuring the otoliths. Otoliths are bone-like structures composed mainly of calcium carbonate and used for balance and hearing in vertebrate fishes.

Calcium carbonate is accreted more during summer months in relation to growth forming yearly rings, or annuli. The largest of the ear bones, the sagittae, are found behind the eye socket and are the easiest to measure. To reduce the chance of breakage, otoliths must be embedded in a hard resin before they can be sectioned with a high-speed saw, the optimum cut being directly through the core. When viewing a cross section under a microscope, the annuli are viewed as alternating light and dark rings and can be easily counted like the growth rings of a tree.

As a summer intern with Texas Parks and Wildlife, I had the pleasure of working with the Coastal Fisheries division at the Dickinson Marine Lab. While gaining a multitude of hands-on experiences and an array of knowledge, the best outcome of this internship was the connections I made. Not only was I able to work with different groups within the office, the high level of collaboration within TPWD allowed me to travel to the Perry R. Bass Marine Fisheries Research Center and work with scientists whose focus is solely directed around otolith research. This provided me with the ability to process the set of otoliths I collected while learning to read the annuli rings with a high level of accuracy. Of the 124 samples collected, the majority of fish were aged between four and six years. The oldest snapper sampled came in at 14 years of age, at a size of 31 inches and 14.5 pounds while the largest measured in at 31.5 inches and 18.5 pounds turned out to be only 8 years old.

With growing fishing pressure from the recreational sector and the majority of the catch age ranging between four and six, red snapper are being harvested before they are able to reach peak maturity levels. As females continue to mature, the amount of eggs they produce increases greatly from two hundred thousand to over nine million, reaching peak fecundancy between the ages of 10 to 15. The fate of the red snapper recovery is dependent upon allowing the females to further mature and reach an optimum level to increase brood stock. Continuing age and growth research is the best method to determine the effectiveness of imposed regulations.

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

TSFMAG.com | 55

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

F lY F I S H I N G

SeeING WHaT IS OUT THere After a decade and a half of guiding fly anglers there are several things that truly baffle me in regards to gear my customers bring and one that stands out most is the eyewear some of them elect to use. Over the years I have seen it all- anglers who show up with glasses that are not polarized, all the way down to anglers who show up with no sunglasses at all. Come on, you’re killing me Smalls!

Let me tell you folks, if you are a fly angler, a quality pair of POLARIZED glasses is one of the most important items to own simply because- sight-casting is what we fly fishermen live to do.

I still remember my introduction to polarized lenses back in the early 80s when television-fishing personality Bill Dance started pimping his brand of sunglasses. You could get them at just about any store that sold fishing tackle and they cost something like $9.99. They had gray plastic lenses that were as flimsy as a business card and they were plum ugly. Well, considering that was all I knew at the time, I owned several pair. Of course this was more necessity than choice considering they were easily broken and I was of course a pre-teen possessing a Y-chromosome (meaning I could destroy or loose anything in a matter of minutes). Honestly, I would love to know how many pairs of those cheap sunglasses I went through over the years. Hell, I probably put one of his kids through college.

Anyway, years later I discovered that there were better glasses and moved on however, it was not until the Coast Guard sent me to Key West sometime in the early 90s that I bought my first pair of true quality polarized sunglasses. On one of my days off I wandered into the H.T. Chittum Co. fly shop and discovered Costa Del Mar. The person behind the counter made the 56 | March 2013

argument that I needed a better pair of sunglasses if I was going to be sight-casting to bonefish on the flats; I agreed and bought a pair. Mind you they were big ol’ ugly, bug-eyed looking things with side-shields but, after wearing them only a few days, I realized how much better they were in so many ways. For one, they were much more durable than any pair of polarized glasses I had owned previous and most importantly, I was no longer getting headaches at the end of the day from looking through the less than quality lenses of all of my previous glasses.

Since then, I have been through many pairs of expensive polarized sunglasses trying to find what I considered to be the perfect pair. But what constitutes the perfect pair, you might ask? Well, let us take a look at the pros and cons of what is available out there.

In my opinion, the first thing that should be taken into consideration when looking for a pair of glasses should be the quality of the lens. This is where optics and durability come into play. When choosing a lens, higher prices usually (not always), represent a company’s willingness to pay for the science, research and development to put forth a quality product with precision optics. If you have ever had a headache at the end of long day of fishing, chances are, it is because you are looking through a lens that has poor optics, has become distorted in the heat, or is even beginning to delaminate. Inexpensive, in regards to sunglasses, usually means cheap!

The second thing to consider is whether glass or polycarbonate lenses are best suited to your needs and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Glass lenses have, as a rule, better optics and are hands down

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more durable in the department of scratch resistance. However, glass lenses are heavier and more easily broken. On the other hand, polycarbonate lenses offer shatter resistance (safety) and are much lighter but, they also scratch quite easily.

Next on the list for consideration is lens color. This actually boils down to figuring out where you will be fishing and, ultimately, what you like. So, instead of telling you what I like here, I will give you some guidelines. Gray lenses enhance contrast and are good for spotting fish and structure light-colored bottoms – bright sand. Copper, amber, green, etc., are better for enhancing color. What this boils down to is that only you can decide what color works best to enhance what you feel is best to make your day more successful. Some anglers own more than one and switch as light and bottom conditions vary throughout the day.

Moving on, not too many years ago I made the decision to try out a high-end brand of polarized glasses that offered only polycarbonate lenses. I loved how light they were, the optics were incredible and they had a couple of frames that fit me fairly well. They

sent me a few pair and I was quite pleased for the first month or so. That was right up until I realized that the lens had started getting cloudy from excessive cleaning, so I switched to one of the other pairs and the same thing happened. Long and short of it- I went through three pairs of expensive, high-quality glasses in just under a year. I was not happy about it so I started looking at other brands of glasses.

It had been nearly ten years since I had worn Costas but they had an impressive display at a trade show I attended so I went by to check them out. I had always been impressed with their lens quality (optics and scratch resistance) and frames (durability) however, I never really found any frames that truly fit me. And, since I failed to mention it above- the fit of your glasses is every bit as important as lens quality. They should block any light from the side or from behind to prevent reflections or glare on the inside of the lens that can distract your eye (a major cause of eye fatigue) and should be comfortable to wear. Anyway, after trying on numerous styles of frames I found a couple of pair that fit me perfectly so I chose one and got me a pair with copper Wave 580 glass lenses and wore them for a few months to see how I liked them and ultimately how they would hold up to my abuse. The short version- I have never, since that first pair of “big, ugly Costas”, been so happy with a pair of sunglasses and now have a half dozen pair.

Anyway, if you haven’t “seen what’s out there” you really should take a look at a quality pair of sunglasses. In my opinion, they will help make your day of fly fishing more enjoyable and will ultimately help you catch more fish.

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

Telephone Email Website

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

TSFMAG.com | 57

MARCOS GARZA

YO U T H F I S H I N G

anthony's excellent

fishing adventures

During the school year, my dad usually has fishing trips on the weekend. That means that most of the time I have to fish with other people. Well a few times, I have gone with two of my dad’s friends, Sonny and Dave. These guys are crazy, and like to have a good time when they’re fishing.

The few times I’ve gone fishing with Sonny and Dave have been interesting. It doesn’t matter when or where we are they always call me by different names than my actual one. I go along with it. It doesn’t bother me because I know they are just messing with me. This last time I went with them they called me Anthony, hence the title.

One weekend in this last month, my dad was fishing and I was stuck at home not doing anything, but playing Xbox. My dad got home from his trip on Saturday and asked me if I wanted to go fishing with Sonny and Dave.

I told him to tell Dave that I would go with them. The next day, I met the guys in the parking lot for the south 58 | March 2013

launch ramp here in Port. I pulled up and was ready to head out. Of course, I have to wait for them because they drove from McAllen. So while they are putting on their waders, we were talking about where to go for the day.

I had suggested a few places that had been producing some solid fish in the past few weeks. They said alright and we took off. We first headed to the hottest spot at the time. Dave decided to put us up right on the shoreline, since he has a Majek Redfish Line that runs super shallow.

We got out and started walking in search of the reds that had inhabited this hot spot for about a week. Sonny is the first one to hook up here. It wasn’t much though, just an undersized trout. Sonny gets the fish up, and yells “Hey Anthony, put this in your article!” I yelled back “Maybe when you can catch a big fish like me!” All Dave did was laugh at us.

The trout Sonny caught was the only fish we had on

that wade, so we moved to another spot that Dave just decided to stop the boat in. The water was trout green, and it was about waist deep. We were all throwing different lures; I had a Kelly Wiggler Smoke and Mirrors, Dave had some bubblegum pink plastic, and Sonny had a red and white plastic shrimp. We were all catching fish, which meant we could throw pretty much anything out there and catch them.

Sonny had the magic lure because what happened in this spot was just unbelievable. We walked for a good 100 yards and then Sonny

gets a massive hit. He’s fighting this fish, and when he gets it to him, he is just in shock. He lifted up a huge flounder.

This flounder was just massive. If we hadn’t measured it, we would have thought it was a 26” flounder. But, when we did measure it, the fish was 22” and weighed 6 ½ pounds. We took pictures, put it on the stringer, and got back to fishing.

We keep walking, I get a hit. I land and string a 16” trout and keep fishing. Next, I hear Sonny, and he’s hooked up again.

From the way he had worked the lure and how it hit, we thought Sonny had hooked up on another big flounder. But, we were oh so wrong. I was standing right next to Sonny when this monster of a trout came up and thrashed her head in the water. All I could manage to say was “Nice!”

Sunny got this fish in and measured it on his rod. It reached the 30” mark. Dave and I scrambled to the boat to find a camera. I get to my tackle bag and find my dad’s camera at the bottom. I turn it on and it’s just about dead. I get the pictures and just when I take the last one, it dies. So now that all the excitement is over we realized that Sonny had just caught two big fish within 30 minutes of each other. All of us got back to fishing and then Dave hooks up too. Dave lands the only redfish we see all day and lucky for us, it was legal.

We finished our day and headed back in. I can’t wait for my next adventure with Sonny and Dave because together we are Anthony, Dave, and Sonny the Three Fishkateers! Not really, but it was funny right?

TSFMAG.com | 59

CADE SIMPSON

K AYA K F I S H I N G C H R O N I CLE S

Anahuac National

Wildlife Refuge Where: East Galveston Bay (north shoreline) When: Late Winter Weather: Temps in mid-50s. Winds NE around 15mph.

Tackle: Wedge Tail Mullet, TTF Killer Flats Minnow, RatL-Trap HNL Map: F102 Accommodations: For anglers planning to arrive the evening before their fishing trip to the Anahuac Refuge or perhaps multi-day outings, the Winnie area offers several excellent choices: Winnie Inn Suites and RV Park, Days Inn, La Quinta, and Comfort Inn. Food: The are several choices for a quick bite or a nice sit-down meal in the Winnie area: Papa’s Place, Macho Mexican Restaurant, or Al T’s Seafood and Steakhouse.

Hitting the Water On all prior trips to East Bay I spent the majority of my time roaming the marshes of the south shoreline and through the skinny water off the ICW. Until this trip I had yet to fish the northern shoreline and I was excited.

There are two main access points to the north shore region of East Galveston Bay; one being Smith Point, the other is through the Anahuac Wildlife Refuge. I chose the Refuge. I studied my fishing maps and became especially curious about fishing in and around Robinson Lake.

60 | March 2013

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Access to the Anahuac Refuge is via FM1985. The park is open 24/7, there is no gate to contend with. When you pull into the Refuge you will drive a few miles on a hardtop road, eventually coming to the park’s headquarters. Continue past the buildings a few hundreds yards and you will find a gravel road branching off to the right. This is your road to the boat ramp. There is a sign at this intersection indicating the boat launch.

On an exceptionally low tide you may find yourself dragging your kayak a few yards from the launch to reach water you can paddle, but it’s no big deal. Of course if you’re with a partner or a group you can help each other.

In hindsight, with the wind from the NE, I sort of wish I had battled the wind on the paddle out and let it push me back in. However, I wanted to get to Robinson Lake so I let the wind push me in that direction – due west. Robinson Bayou, which leads to the lake, is a distance of roughly 2.5 miles from the launch point.

With a steady wind at my back, the paddle to get there was easy. In fact, little paddling was

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TSFMAG.com | 63

Science and the Sea

TM

Seeking Answers to Whale “Speech”

Whales do not imitate human speech the way parrots do, but scientific reports dating to the 1970s mentioned whales vocalizing in “garbled” human-like voices. Yet no one had ever recorded these sounds or confirmed they came from whales. Then a diver at the National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego surfaced near a whale enclosure asking, “Who told me to get out?”

A beluga whale, the same species as NOC. Credit: premier.gov.ru The diver and his colleagues traced the human-like speech he had heard to a beluga whale named NOC, whose vocalizations they eventually recorded and studied. They found that NOC’s “speech” had frequencies close to that of human speech (200–300 Hz) but a few octaves below typical whale songs.

The difference resulted from how NOC made the sounds. While humans make sounds through their larynx, beluga whales sing by changing pressure in their nasal cavities as air passes through a valve near their blowhole known as the phonic lips. But NOC was doing something else.

He was inflating a pouch in his blowhole called a vestibular sac, while also changing nasal cavity pressure and adjusting muscles near his phonic lips. So NOC appeared to be making an extra effort to produce the more human-like sounds he had heard from his keepers.

NOC has since passed away, and scientists cannot say why NOC or other whales might attempt to imitate human speech. But they are at least one step closer to understanding how these communicative creatures manage to do it.

The University of Texas

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

64 | March 2013

ever done. Much of the time getting to the cut was spent drift fishing the shallows along the north shoreline. Bait activity along the way was little-to-none and I noticed no sign of gamefish activity.

Arriving at the mouth of Robinson Bayou was a different story.

Bottom depth changes significantly where the channel runs into the bay. Staking out along the mouth of the cut was most beneficial. I threw a variety of lures in total, but mostly stuck to bumping plastics along the bottom. This method proved fruitful as a handful of reds took the lure. With decent success I called it a day and headed back to the Jeep around lunch time.

Wrap up Next time out in that area, I want to work the easternmost shorelines of East Bay. I have heard of guys catching good trout in that area and I would love to find them.

In other kayak news, I did a little spring cleaning on the yak recently. One of the screws securing the left foot pedal rail somehow worked itself out during a drive down to the coast, so that needed replacing. I also relocated my Scotty rod holder base to the center hatch cover. I had it mounted to the hull just behind the front hatch and though I used an extension arm, the reach to get my rod was still a little too far. I have used the stock seat that came with my kayak ever since I got it but finally broke down and bought an aftermarket high-back seat. The seat should make long hours in the kayak a little more comfortable.

Lastly, I was browsing random kayak videos on Youtube and came across one from Ty Southerland with “30MilesOut” where he recommended using WD40 to lube up your yak and help prevent the plastic from weathering/drying out. I accepted his recommendation and gave the ol’ yak a good wipe down. Good tip, Ty. As a reminder, I enjoy receiving reader feedback and questions.

Don’t hesitate to contact me with any kayak angling related questions you may have. Who knows, I may be able to include the question and answer in the next issue.

Until next time have fun, be safe, and bring a friend. anahuac National Wildlife refuge – (409) 267-3337

C O N TA C T

You’ve heard of whales singing, but what about talking? If that sounds crazy, most marine biologists would have agreed until they had heard it — a whale trying to imitate human speech. In fact, they had not realized it was physically possible for whales to make those kinds of sounds until a beluga whale named NOC spoke up.

Telephone email

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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

ER I C O Z O L I N S

The Big - The Bad - The Ugly In total darkness, with only the glow of a headlamp and the nav-lights on the kayak, things are about to get real interesting. I know this because it has become routine.

I have always had a single-mindedness when pursuing my fishing adventures, trying as much as possible to get away from the masses to enjoy nature one-onone. Under the cold and clear sky, peppered with recognizable constellations, the only proof of civilization is the faint glow of Corpus Christi – 20 miles away. I am kayaking various locations off the ICW when I suddenly hear a loud vibration resonating through the hull of the kayak. The game is about to begin!

I get stationed next to a dropoff along the ICW and open my ice box. I am not grabbing a beer nor tossing a fish into the cooler. This cooler has another purpose - a dozen live blue crabs for bait. Live crabs are irresistible to black drum and if they are around, they will devour them. I get my crab rigged on a large circle hook and launch it. Within minutes the bait gets picked up and sucked down by a hefty drum. I unclip from the stakeout pole and increase the drag as I begin to get towed down the channel. Fortunately, late at night there is virtually no 66 | March 2013

Author preparing to release a drum caught on crawfish.

Kevin

prepa

res to

make

a dual

releas

e.

traffic, and any boats you do see on the move give you at least a couple minutes warning. Enjoying my midnight sleigh-ride, I look back and see that my buddy Kevin is also hooked up, but we will be fending for ourselves as the battles rage.

The battle I am engaged in is fierce and steady. After several minutes I finally have the drum to the surface and alongside the kayak. I pull the big slimy beast over the side and into the cockpit.

The fish continues its thunderous drumming. The sound from these fish is a loud thumping you would expect to hear during some Indian ritual. I work the hook out and after a measurement and a couple quick photos, the 42� big-bad-ugly gets released to continue on its life-long spawning mission. These desolate battles with nature are what fuel me. On this particular night in lateFebruary I would land and release nine of these prehistoric looking critters, up to 45 inches in length and nearly 50 lbs. Several more evenings in the two weeks that followed I would wage many similar battles to get my fill of bay fishing.

Over 90% of my kayak fishing takes place offshore as I rarely have interest in the bay for big-game, simply because it is limited. I have caught my trout of a lifetime on artificial from the kayak, and no matter how many trout I do land, I just do not get the same thrill as BTB fishing for craziness. However, late February and March opens a rare avenue for me to take to the bay. This time period has been an alarm clock for the mature spawning drum. Due to their robust size and ability to use it to their advantage when hooked, oversized black drum (Pogonias cromis), dubbed “big uglies� by anglers, are an extremely fun species to catch on moderate-light tackle. Their battles can be tiring but nonetheless satisfying.

Black drum are a thriving species. They can be quite abundant in both the bay and surf and have been found as far north as Canadian waters. Their only real natural predators are sharks and humans. While most specimens average 10 pounds or less, they have been caught exceeding 100 lbs. The smaller ones have a unique and tasty flavor but the flesh of the larger individuals is coarse and usually full of parasitic worms. As they mature they lose any stripes or contrast they possess as juveniles and begin to look dull and ugly, hence the name. But make no mistake, they use their bulk to their advantage and will often swim along the bottom effortlessly when hooked. Due to often being stacked in huge schools, they are easily targeted by inshore fishermen. Here in Texas we are fortunate that there is a solid drum population along the coast. Conservation has helped preserve and protect the fishery for all to enjoy.

Drum have a particular taste for crab and crustaceans, but they are often caught on various artificials as well. When kayaking for trout and reds, it will not be uncommon if I hook a black drum on a soft plastic. During the spring time, I have sight-casted to them with Berkley Gulp and, while it is still considered bay fishing, I do have to admit it is a blast to see them pick up a bait and run TSFMAG.com | 67

How’d you like to have this “big ugly” in your lap?

C ontact

on the flats! As long as the weather is still cool in late-winter and early-spring, you can get these oversized monsters even during the daytime. Due to extensive boat traffic I really try to target the granders at night. There is just something about the whole “in-the-darkness” factor that adds to your already pumped-up adrenaline.

There is a slight issue though which may arise if the big ugly action gets heated up. Fresh bait can be in short supply at times and if conditions have been harsh, you may not be able to get your hands on crabs or mantis shrimp (sea lice). In times like these you have to improvise. You can use live/fresh dead shrimp and these can be effective, however these baits are usually hammered by the hardheads and perch long before the drum find them. Fishbites work extremely well especially with larger strips. Other similar baits or combinations have a great chance as well. I have gone so far as to resort to using frozen pre-cooked Cajun crawfish – and have actually CAUGHT oversized black drum on them! The common denominator with black drum is the ability to obtain the bait. If you can find your particular bait, it may be worth venturing out to give it a shot.

There is just something about this particular species of fish that has no reason for them to be glorified. They are a largely obtuse fish, and with their alien-like chin barbells, their appearance can be quite “ugly” – even freakish. The oversized fish are poor in terms of edibility, and legally have to be released anyway. There is no finesse or majestic make-up with the big specimens of this species. However, there is just something about these titans of the bay that keep me and many other anglers coming back on those long eerie nights. Perhaps it is the fact that these are the kings of our coastal bays and their sheer size makes them a formidable opponent. Or perhaps it is the natural and spiritual pursuit of hearing that thunderous biotic drum roll.

68 | March 2013

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

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A mid-coast marsh.

Photo by Jeremy Helms/TPWD.

STEPHANIE BOYD

F I S H Y F AC T S

Whiskey is for Drinking

& Water is for Fighting All of Texas affects estuaries and coastal communities.

Watersheds feed estuaries and can impact them in several ways. In biological terminology, it would be accurate to say that watersheds are mothers, estuaries are children, and rivers are the umbilical cords.

To understand the impact that rivers have on estuaries, it is necessary to understand estuaries themselves: what they are, how they are formed, what their ecological functions are, what the characteristics of a healthy estuary are, what their economic roles are, and of what value they are to people. Rivers have a significant impact on all of these characteristics.

The most accepted definition of an estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water where seawater is diluted by fresh water from a river or tributary. Freshwater inflows are the key element of that definition. Estuaries are not permanent bodies of water, although the life, or succession, of an estuary is measured most often by 70 | March 2013

centuries. Texas estuaries began life after the last ice age, about 18,000 years ago. As the great ice sheets melted, the sea level rose and filled the vast valleys created by the icemelt as it coursed toward the sea. These drowned valleys are our Texas estuaries.1 Estuaries are complex habitats with numerous components. The main ecological functions of an estuary are serving as a nursery for species that will live their adult lives in the ocean and providing an ecosystem where other species will live their entire lives. The young of numerous ocean-going species go through early life stages within the food-abundant estuaries before moving to the open ocean to complete their life. In contrast, there are species that live their adult life in the estuary, leaving only to reproduce, their young returning to the estuary to mature. Finally, there are many species that complete their entire life cycle within the confines of the estuary.

All these life strategies have one thing in common:

they depend on estuaries to complete their cycle. This is not surprising since estuaries are widely accepted as the most biologically productive habitats on earth.5 Because each estuary is unique, estuarine health can only be known by examination of the historical characteristics of each estuary individually. The health of most Texas estuaries can be ascertained through the study of indicator organisms, such as oysters. However, probably the only way to truly know if an estuary is in its best health is to compare it to what it was like before human intervention. In the absence of this pre-recorded history, scientists use other indicators of health.

Each estuary has different characteristics to describe it as healthy. However, a typical healthy Texas estuary has a wide variety of species, a balanced predator-prey population, a healthy border of wetlands, a population of sea grasses, and a healthy oyster population.3 Healthy estuaries are of significant economic benefit to coastal communities, and to the state. Commercial and recreational fishing are major sources of income for coastal regions in Texas. Revenue for coastal regions of Texas, and even some inland regions, is dependent on the functional ecosystems of Texas estuaries, and estuaries are dependent on freshwater inflows.(4) Freshwater inflows are comprised of fresh water from rivers, tributaries, or local runoff that drains into an estuary. The most important functions of inflows are diluting saltwater and delivering nutrients and sediments to the estuary.2 Inflow volumes, like many natural phenomena, are not consistent. They fluctuate from very low during prolonged droughts to very high during floods. The effects of altered inflows can be quite striking. Some effects of above average inflows are decreased saline concentrations via increased dilution, and movement of nutrient and sediment loads farther out into the estuary.

Saline concentrations can be reduced from 20-30ppt to 0ppt overnight. For a fish this would be like drinking black coffee with no sugar if you are used to three lumps and cream. Nutrient levels do the opposite; they go up. Sediment loads carried by the inflows similarly increase, both in amount and grain size. The natural cause of increased inflows in Texas is floods resulting from large rains on the watershed. Floods are natural conditions for an estuary and the endemic marine life have adapted to these conditions.3 Below-average inflows are equally change-inducing. They increase saline concentrations, deposit sediment loads closer to the river mouth, and lengthen the salt wedge into the estuary allowing marine predators, parasites, and diseases to penetrate deeper into estuarine waters.5 This is like being safe one day inside your whole house with the prowlers locked outside, but the next day you’re only safe in your bedroom because the prowlers broke in through the back door. Already in some areas, lowered inflows have hurt economic production. Toledo Bend Reservoir in east Texas on the Sabine River, for example, so depleted the freshwater inflows to that estuary that Sabine Lake’s historical white shrimp fishery, which was based on the system’s late-winter floodings, was all but wiped out. Oyster landings in the Nueces Bay have all but disappeared. These activities were vital economic contributors for those local economies. Human activities such as on-channel reservoir construction and excessive diversion of water from rivers can also lead to drought-like conditions in the river and estuary. As with floods, droughts are one of the natural conditions for estuaries, and the marine life can adapt to these conditions. However, prolonged or permanent drought conditions can cause significant changes in the ecology and water quality of an estuary.3 Both floods and droughts serve to test the collective genomes in an ecosystem and ensure that the surviving individuals possess the most favorable genomes for that environment. Floods are short-term detrimental but long-term beneficial with increased nutrients and sediments. Droughts are also short-term detrimental but have no long-term benefits.3 For over a century, Texans have squabbled over the water that fuels our estuaries. Until recently, freshwater inflows to estuaries were not universally considered an important use of fresh water, especially during droughts. Officials considered it wasteful to let fresh water drain into the ocean when there were water shortages for municipal, agricultural, and industrial uses.

These “user groups” also fought amongst each other for the water. Because everyone needs water, planning for water distribution is often very contentious. There is an old saying relating to water planning: Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting. Nowhere is this more evident than during the SB1 water planning process. The stage was set for a major change in the way Texas partitioned water resources among user groups.3 Prior to 2002, all state water plans were produced by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) with little or no local involvement. That lack of local input caused problems with the people in the region because they had no say in how their water resources were managed. To TSFMAG.com | 71

solve this problem, the state legislature passed the comprehensive water planning legislation called SB1 (because it was Senate Bill 1 in the 1997 legislative session). SB1 laid out the framework for a new planning methodology. There would be sixteen regions, each with regional water planning groups (RWPG) that would be responsible for the water plan for that area. The new committees included individuals from communities across the state, and the TWDB would be responsible for integrating all regional plans into a state plan. An important aspect of SB1 planning is that each RWPG is mandated to provide for freshwater inflows to estuaries, which are now officially recognized as a viable user of water resources.3 The four water user groups that are central to the SB1 process are municipalities, industries, agriculture, and the environment. The environment has only recently been added to planning and is still often not listed alongside the other groups, though the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) planning rules require the sixteen RWPGs to provide for instream flows and freshwater inflows to bays and estuaries. In 1985, legislation was enacted which required the TCEQ to include provisions for environmental flows in the mandatory permits for diverting river water. This was taken a step further in the SB1 planning process. Now, all water supply projects have provisions developed by recent Environmental Flows planning (and now included in TCEQ rules) that recognize and provide for instream flows and inflows to estuaries.3 The unavoidable dispute in water planning has resulted in new water supplies being sought to provide for our growing population while also providing for more environmental protection as mandated by TCEQ rules. Unfortunately, some of these supplies can be environmentally damaging, such as excessive groundwater pumping, on-channel reservoirs, and inter-basin transfers. When the amount of water being pumped out of an aquifer exceeds the recharge from rainfall, it is called mining. Mining reduces spring flow and groundwater’s contribution to streams, which in turn reduces instream flows and inflows to estuaries. Also, on-channel dams, the most environmentally damaging of any water supply source, have been proposed on a few tributaries.

On-channel means the dam is directly on the river or tributary. These structures interrupt water flow to the estuary, and act as nutrient and sediment traps.

An inter-basin transfer (IBT), another supply option proposed in recent planning, is the practice of water from one river basin being piped to another basin. This water may not be available during a drought, however, because IBTs are automatically given junior status in the tributary of origin and put at the bottom of the water-receivers list, according to inter-basin transfer rules.3 Additionally, this option pulls water from 72 | March 2013

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TSFMAG.com | 73

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the estuaries, rivers, and people for the benefit of people in another watershed. Obviously, water planning has some pitfalls for estuaries.

There are ample positive aspects of the SB1 water planning process, such as forced emphasis on environmentally friendly water supply options. Water planning rules enhance the ability of RWPGs to provide for the environment. SB1 planning also increased focus on conservation, the least expensive water source, and on new technologies for more efficient water use (e.g. low-flow plumbing fixtures and conservative crop irrigation techniques). SB1 water planning also increased local involvement, which reduces the likelihood of on-channel dams because no one is going to want to give up their land to make room for the resulting lake. Although, on-channel dams are equally avoided for their thorough disruption of the ecology downstream of the reservoir. Plus, there are now open-waterplanning and environmental groups that can oppose them. These oppositions were not as easy to accomplish before SB1. As a less environmentally damaging option, water planners have begun offering off-channel reservoirs, which are filled when water is plentiful. Desalination of both brackish ground water and seawater has also received more attention. Desalinated seawater is the most significant drought-proof water supply; however, since it is dependent on energy from fossil fuels, it can be costly if the oil price continues to climb. Combined, the above positive steps could result in much more efficient uses of water and would aid in protecting inflows.3 Obviously, how water is used hundreds of miles from the coast can impact estuaries. Rigid rules are in place requiring RWPGs to recognize and provide for freshwater inflows to estuaries, at least at minimum levels. Even so, significant threats remain including on-channel reservoirs and excessive ground water pumping. It is clear that estuarine health involves all Texans, and sometimes other states and countries, such as Mexico, because Texas rivers aren’t restricted to Texas soils.

To manage our estuaries and provide for ourselves, we have to recognize what the estuaries need to function and how we can conserve water (and make that conservation mandatory), but we particularly need to recognize that water is our most important natural resource and treat it that way. We should expect and be willing to pay more for water and realize that we are really paying to protect our future. We need to decide if we want to maintain estuaries the way they are, or risk unknown consequences by allowing man-made changes in environmental flows. We also need to choose water supply options that bring about what we want. Finally, to make any of this a reality, we have to let our RWPGs and legislators know how we feel. Anything that’s accomplished will be accomplished through them.

Footnotes 1 2 3

Britton, Joseph & Brian Morton. “Shore Ecology of the Gulf of Mexico,” (University of Texas Press; Austin, TX 1989).

Boyd, Norman. “Freshwater Inflows 101.” (1996).

Interview with the author. “Freshwater Inflows 101,” 18 March 2006.

4

Longley, William, ed. “Freshwater Inflows to Texas Bays and Estuaries,” (Texas Water Development Board and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department; Austin, TX 1994).

5 Stickney, Robert. “Estuarine Ecology of the Southeastern United States and Gulf of Mexico,” (Texas A&M University Press; College Station, TX 1984).

74 | March 2013

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TSFMAG.com | 77

DICKIE ColBuRn

DICKIE ColBuRn’s Sabine Scene

Sabine

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

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

78 | March 2013

If your favorite fishing hole could use some rain I may be able to help by simply mentioning it in a column or on the radio show. I had no sooner hit the “send” key on last month’s column bragging on our water clarity when the bottom dropped out and it rained for a solid week. It not only poured locally, but north of Toledo Bend as well.

The lake level eclipsed the 170 mark for the first time in a long time and the SRA has been generating ever since.

Freshwater is the lifeblood of our estuary but the stronger current and muddier water have combined to all but shut down our deep water trout bite in the river. A higher salinity level is obviously a key component in this pattern, but the trout are equally concerned about their next meal and the suspended schools of shad and mullet are too scattered.

If the excessive runoff wasn’t enough to alter

the pattern, we also found ourselves fishing the afternoons in shorts the last week of January. Because the warmer temperatures have accelerated the trout bite I am hesitant to acknowledge that as being a good thing. It will probably snow tomorrow!

We have enjoyed the best big trout bite over the past two months that we have experienced on Sabine Dr. Norman's nice trout ate a in a number of years. While Fat Boy. C&R! there have been a few coveted 10-pounders documented and somebody catches an eight every day, it’s the incredible number of fish in the five to seven pound class that continues to make this a special winter.

The real blessing lies in the fact that the majority of these fish are coming out of the lake and due to too much of a stiff prevailing wind most days, we have only been able to consistently fish about a third of the lake. The east shoreline

is getting most of the pressure while the flats off the Neches and ICW have gone virtually untapped.

I never thought we would see another shortage of Corkys after MirrOlure acquired them, but we have seen just that with a couple of colors in the Fat Boy and the Devil. For the most part it was simply a matter of dealers underestimating the demand and the supply on hand went quickly. Dayglow and pink disappeared overnight!

It has been much the same case with the Maniac Mullet as more fishermen are discovering it works on big trout as well. It fishes much like the Devil, but even a little faster and that appeals to the folks that just can’t slow a Corky down. If you haven’t fished one I would recommend fishing it with a Norton or Tony clip rather than a loop knot as it will twist your line.

The bite could very well change even before I finish this column, but we are currently catching more big trout in four to six feet of water than in one to three. For that reason I have done far better drifting and occasionally burying my Talon than wading and trying to reach these fish with a long cast.

I have also not been able thus far to target isolated patches of shell and wait on the trout to come to me as they have been more mobile in their pursuit of both

shad and mullet. Homework still pays dividends as specific areas are holding better concentrations of fish, but locating them often requires a number of casts with different baits.

We have had a few great afternoons with a She Dog or a jerkbait once we find the fish, but the top choices for hunting have been an Assassin Die Dapper rigged on an eighth ounce Shiney Hiney jig, one of the aforementioned mullet imitations, or a Catch 2000. Bait on the surface usually seals the deal, but don’t bail too quickly just because you don’t see any Another great when drifting the deeper water. trout that was There is no sense in even discussing the released back into Sabine Lake. redfish bite as easy limits are a given most days. Unlike the trout, they are piled up in the shallow water and will crush anything you throw in front of them. Tails are the cheaper option for getting the job done as an oversized red can render your favorite Corky useless if you get it back at all.

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mICKEY Eastman

mICKEY On Galveston

After the cold nasty weather in late December good spring if good weather prevails. Water quality and early January, the weather turned in our favor and conditions are peak right now and should work to be one of the best late in our favor for an excellent big Capt. James Plaag with a nice seven pound January fishing stretches I can speck from Trinity Bay on a tough weather trout bite this spring. remember. Most of the fish There just seems to be fish day – “You won’t know if you don’t go!”

Galveston were right where they were all over the entire Galveston all fall and winter long. The Bay complex right now. Trinity redfish seemed to be a little Bay has concentrations of fish, tighter to the shorelines and primarily at the top end of the specks were balled up in the bay from shallow to deep.

Mickey Eastman is a full-time big schools in four to seven Look for surrounding flats near fishing guide out of Baytown, TX. Mickey has over 30 years guiding feet of water over oyster shell drains, channels, and drop-offs experience on the Galveston and clamshell humps. to be prime areas on warming area bays and is the founder One thing that helped trends to spark a shallow of Gulf Coast Troutmasters, Trinity Bay; there was a water bite for big trout in late the largest speckled trout decent fl ush of freshwater February and through March, tournament series of all time. from the Trinity River that late afternoon wades should be purged the marsh similar to very productive.

Telephone the one we had last February.

Balls of shad and rafts of 281-383-2032 It has already mixed in mullet are key indicators for beautifully setting us up for a gamefish in the area not to

80 | March 2013

mention an occasional slick or two. Traditional go-to baits consist of your favorite topwaters, Maniac Mullets, Corky originals and Fat Boys, and of course the usual assortment of soft plastics or flutter heads.

Turning to the rest of the complex most of these bait selections will apply for the hunt of a giant spring speck. Picking an area and formulating a game plan will always include other aspects like tidal movement, wind direction, water temperature, moon phase, cloud cover or clear skies and so on.

We as fisherman tend to make things more complicated than they really are. Hard work and time spent on the water are key elements to success for catching a spring monster especially late in the day or just before dark. Timing is everything this time of year and over the many years I’ve waded and chased big trout and late day fishing has paid off the best. I think the reason is that most of your bigger trout become more nocturnal in their feeding during late winter and early spring and if you’re wading a flat that’s loaded with bait near deepwater access your chances of raising a big fish is significant. A good moon phase and tidal flow play a big role in the perfect set up.

Looking at the rest of February and March for East Galveston and West Galveston Bays I like a strong incoming tide and a rising near full or full moon late in the day. When you combine this with clean water and plenty of baitfish the table is set for a most memorable experience and a chance at a double digit trout. This time of year I’ve seen more ten-plus pound specks come from areas like the coves of West Galveston Bay, the Brian Beach surf at Freeport, the Texas City flats, Seabrook flats, north shore of East Bay, and the west shore of Trinity Bay. It’s not like these big fish are cheap by any means but when you do see one or hear about these elusive fish these areas have paid off consistently over the years by a lot of good fisherman.

Another thing that makes these areas consistent year after year is warm water temperatures and baitfish, the key elements to holding good numbers of good fish. Apply these methods day in and day out with your fishing skills and it will make for a more productive spring and hopefully a fish of a lifetime.

Right now play the weather and make your best decision where to fish and you will have success just about anywhere in the Galveston Bay Complex. Our fishery is in real good shape right now and the fish have had a real mild winter and their body weights are up for this time of year. I hope to see everyone at the 38th Annual Houston Fishing Show at the George R. Brown Convention Center March 6th through the 10th. I wish everyone a Big Trout Spring!

TSFMAG.com | 81

BInK GRImEs

thE VIEW fRom Matagorda

Matagorda

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

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

82 | March 2013

Trees don’t lie - new green buds on branches and other flora indicate warm weather is here or just around the corner. That’s great news for springbreakers trying to add a little color to their skin and even better for anglers as warm water from equinox tides pump fresh recruits to barren back lakes and reefs that have been exposed all winter.

Julius Caesar was warned to “Beware the Ides of March,” (March 15). Likewise, anglers should beware of the Ides, for swelling spring tides stir large, aggressive fish to feed – rapaciously - much like Caesar’s conspirators.

We will still be chasing speckled trout and redfish along the deep shell and mud of East Bay. January and February were stellar for drifting with Chicken on a Chain, Roach, Opening Night and Morning Glory Bass Assassins. Some days the fish seem to prefer the swimming paddletail action of the Sea Shad, while other days they want the 5-inch traditional Bass Assassin straight tail jerk bait. My

advice is to keep both handy.

Make no mistake, we expect to catch some heavy trout in March, wading and drifting. You would be surprised how many big trout we release in East Matagorda Bay while jigging Bass Assassins out of the boat. That also applies during the summer months when we are drifting with live shrimp.

We never discount West Matagorda Bay this time

of year. Trout hang on the edges of the guts and sloughs and we gingerly wade these areas with plastics and Corkys. West Bay’s grass shorelines hold fishable water when spring weather gets blustery and, depending how mild March becomes, the first signs of glass minnows could begin to show right around Spring Break.

Redfish are usually everywhere. Spots like Lake Austin, Oyster Lake, Crab Lake and Boggy are great March hideouts. Make long drifts with live shrimp under a popping cork, or anchor on reefs. The cool thing is we can still catch fish when the wind blows hard.

There will still be a cold front or two during March, so revert back to winter patterns when the north wind blows out the tides. Move to the mouths of the lakes. The water and bait will be pouring out of the back lakes and the fish ride with the tide and bait. Camp out and wait for the redfish to come through.

Redfish are not the only drum in abundance during March, juvenile black drum, the eating kind, frequent nearly all the reefs in West Matagorda Bay. Twin Islands, Shell Island and Oyster Lake are all proven drum haunts in March. Live shrimp under a popping cork is usually the best bet although they will occasionally take a lure.

Over-sized black drum, those over 30 inches, are the spawners and are only catch-and-release, but that doesn’t mean they are any less fun to catch. Big black bruisers frequent the channels, rivers and jetties leading to the Gulf, and a cracked blue crab is the most popular offering.

We will be at the Houston Fishing Show March 6-10. Come by and see us in the Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay and Saltwater Assassins booth.

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TSFMAG.com | 83

CaPt. shEllIE GRaY

mID-Coast BaYs With the Grays

Port O'Connor Seadrift

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

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

Gary and Shellie also team up to fish many tournaments.

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

Apart from a few cold snaps, this past winter has been one of the mildest I can remember. With plenty of spring-like days our normally wintertime-vacant waters were frequented by enthusiastic anglers taking advantage of the weather. The fishing here on the Mid Coast has been fantastic the last few weeks.

While our trout bite has been strong there have been many days I struggled to get keepers in amongst the juvenile trout.

Venturing to the middle of San Antonio Bay has been my top priority when the winds allow but unfortunately it’s not as often as I would like. During the spring months wind will dictate what areas I can fish and more often than not I will be seeking the calmer waters of our region’s many back lakes. Since most of these lakes have muddy bottoms, wading will be an option only for the most hearty and physically fit anglers. Drifting can be very effective if you use a drift anchor to slow the boat and stick the Power Pole when you get into a decent bite. The Power Pole is an expensive little jewel but I assure you it is worth every penny. Quite often we find the reds and trout concentrated on windward shorelines

and being able to quietly deploy the Power Pole to position the boat a cast from the bank allows us fish these areas thoroughly before picking up for another drift. No clanking and banging of anchors and a whole lot easier on your back!

More on those windward shorelines – if you haven’t already learned, the current created by the wind pushes the bait to the shore and the water here is usually somewhat “colored” which makes good hiding places for predators, and so naturally the trout and reds will be there too. Leeward (protected) shorelines will also sometimes hold bait

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and gamefish but the clear water you find here makes it difficult to fool them with a lure, not to mention that if you are drifting you zip through it so quickly. Of course if you are a fly angler you would prefer the clear water scenario for sight-casting but that’s whole different ballgame.

Whether in the bay or the lakes I am constantly on the lookout for active bait. I’m sure everybody is aware that mullet seem to enjoy doing lazy flops and belly-smackers just for the fun of it but that’s not what we’re looking for. When they make a short jump followed by several frantic skips you can bet something spooked them, and that’s the bait activity we key on.

Wading our muddy back lakes can be tough but well worth it.

V I S I T U S

The grass in our back lakes is rather sparse in spring and is easier to fish without getting hung up on every cast as we’ll see later in summer.

Smaller topwaters have been getting big results as of late. Super Spook Jr. in clear or the redfish color are my first choice. If the wind is really blowing, I will go with a bigger, more “obnoxious” topwater such as the MirrOlure She Dog. If I am getting lots of blow ups but no hookups I resort to my trusty ol’ Bass Assassin 5 inch freshwater Die Dapper in the Houdini color that is impregnated with Bass Assassins’ Bang fish attractant. Because this soft plastic lure has a split belly it can be rigged weedless (my personal favorite) or used with a jighead. If I locate schools of smaller trout I will switch to Bass Assassin’s smaller 4 inch Sea Shad because the smaller trout tend to “short strike” the larger Die Dapper, biting the tail off without getting hooked.

On a final note, I am super excited to introduce female anglers to a stylish new fishing shirt made especially for those of us seeking protection from the sun. Piscavore Sportswear Company leant me their ears and together we have designed a shirt that not only protects our necks and chest from the sun but also our hands too!

The Shellie Shirt is tailored with long sleeves that have a finger loop built-in to help protect our hands from the many hours of sun we anglers endure every time we fish. Made with moisture wicking cool weave polyester this shirt is light weight, quick drying, and has a UPF rating of 50+. You can see the new Shellie Shirt in the Piscavore booth at the upcoming Houston Fishing Show held at the George R. Brown convention center. Gary and I will be there as well at booth #528 March 6th through the 10th. Feel free to stop by and ask any questions you might have or swap fishing tales.

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7 4 7 @ The Houston Fishing Show March 6-13 TSFMAG.com | 85

DaVID RoWsEY

hooKED uP WIth Rowsey to be provided for by grants, TPWD, and conservation groups such as CCA-TX (Coastal Conservation Association-Texas) and Corpus Christi’s SEA (Saltwaterfisheries Enhancement Association).

The SCB Baffin Cup just had its 2013 tournament out of Bluff ’s Landing here in Corpus Christi. The two day tournament had a three fish bag limit, and produced some heavy stringers of big trout. Mark Holt and I (Team Haynie) partnered again as defending champs from 2012, but we could not repeat in 2013.

Jamie Pinter and Mike Larue took top honors, with a better than 18-lb average for two days of grinding.

A six pound average over two days of fishing a tournament is a great accomplishment, and they were rewarded with a little better than $12,000 for their hard work. Congrats to them. Special thanks to Mike Beers and Bluffs Landing Marina for using their large, oxygenated, bait tanks to overnight the trout in to insure their survival. Between the marina and the use of Chris Thompson’s (unofficial mayor of Flour Bluff ) boat, the majority of the big trout were released

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Ah…March spring wind is already rearing its ugly head here on Baffin and the Upper Laguna. I had to cancel Upper today due to some typical weather that challenges us every spring. Yesterday blew 40 mph from the Laguna/ southeast, and today is a cold 35 mph sustained from Baffin the north. As the old Coastal Bend saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather down here... just give it ten minutes and it will change.” So true, and for the clients that have next seven days booked, perfect conditions.

David Rowsey has 20 years Gotta love it. experience in the Laguna/Baffin I have mentioned the brown tide numerous region; trophy trout with artificial times over the past year. I’m glad to announce that lures is his specialty. David has a I attended a meeting the other day that concluded great passion for conservation and encourages catch and with a vote to provide initial funding to begin a release of trophy fish. serious study into the algal bloom that has affected all aspects of Baffin, from the bottom end of the Telephone food chain to the recreational angler. Coastal Bend 361-960-0340 Bays & Estuaries Program (CBBEP) will be conducting Website www.DavidRowsey.com a three year study into the cause and effect of the email bloom. CBBEP research will require additional david.rowsey@yahoo.com funding throughout the three year period; hopefully,

Steven Schmidt with a 30+ weighing in close to 9 pounds - Chicken on a Chain Bass Assassin – Released!

very healthy back into the Laguna. The fish that did not make it were cleaned and bagged for the women’s shelter here in Corpus.

I expect the fishing in March to continue to gain strength and produce some “bigs” as we call them. March trout are as about as fat and healthy as they ever get in the Laguna Madre and Baffin.

As this winter continues to be unusually warm, my big fish approach will continue to be up shallow in thigh deep water or less. Not to say you will not catch some out deeper, but my money is on the skinny stuff for the most chances at a legit giant. The conditions will dictate my lure selection, and as a general rule I like the 5” Bass Assassin or MirrOlure Fatboy (Corky) in calm to light winds. Add a little chop and some off-colored water and the topwater starts getting lots of air time. If there is plenty of wind and no topwater bite, I am quickly back on the Bass Assassin to grind it out and try and hit them in the head for a reaction strike.

As the water continues to warm, the big girls are going to scatter out and not be as concentrated as they have been during the cold snaps. Larger areas of shorelines and flats will have to be investigated, along with a few more steps in the process (as in moving your feet).

Before you burn up a lot of precious energy, let your eyes do all the work for your feet. Take a few minutes before you get out of the boat and find what part of the shoreline or flat has most bait activity, keeping in mind that a handful of sighted baitfish can go a long way this time of year. Another thing to keep in mind is small male trout. This warmer weather will have them in the mood for you know what, and they will be pestering the big females from here through May. If you are catching a bunch of these overzealous little males, more times than not, it is a great indication that a large sow trout is in the neighborhood.

See y’all out there…but let’s not get close enough to talk.

Remember the buffalo. -Capt David Rowsey

TSFMAG.com | 87

CaPt. tRICIa

tRICIa’s Mansfield Report What can I say about winter fishing in deep South Texas? We have our heaters cranked up in the mornings and beg for some A/C while peeling off our waders in the afternoon. The catching part has also been just as extreme; on fire one day then mysteriously cold the Port next. However, things look encouraging for patterns to Mansfield become more consistent soon.

Recapping the past month, life on the water changed suddenly, and thankfully for the better. After grinding through a “less than hoped for” summer Capt. Tricia’s Skinny Water and fall, I became a bit concerned about the overall Adventures operates out of status of our Lower Laguna fishery. Lure folks seem to Port Mansfield, specializing in have worked harder for less than most previous years. wadefishing with artificial lures.

Although realistic fishermen always have to make the best of whatever we are given, many days became Telephone discouraging.

956-642-7298 However, after our water temperatures finally email dropped into the mid to upper 40s a few times, the shell@granderiver.net shallow flats suddenly filled with fish. Seemingly out Website www.SkinnyWaterAdventures.com of nowhere, and with a strong return of our “absentee” redfish. Large trout could be seen sliding along the flats in numbers not enjoyed for quite a while. Where had they been? Why?

Our best episodes were usually post-norther, the colder the better. During the first recovery period after a strong front, incredible numbers of fish often invaded the extreme shallows to bask in the clear, warming comfort. Pelicans and terns told us where to start.

However, the fish would sometimes pull up too shallow to be catchable. I don’t care who you are; fishing crystal-

Knee deep has been the zone for some very nice trout lately.

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clear ankle-deep is tough. Regardless, we were lucky to enjoy some exceptional fishing, and my new Haynie Cat could not only get us in there, but could get us out as well. Naturally, the best days came when they weren’t so far up in the skinny.

While we could sometimes catch them way skinny, the best action came when we found them about knee to mid-thigh deep. On winter’s low tides, that’s just about where the darker scattered grass begins.

Some real heavyweights started using the zone I’m describing on the east side, both before and after northers, but the strongest feeds seemed more predictable immediately after a hard blow. By working slowly and thoroughly targeting each knee-deep grassy area we were able to catch quality trout. When we worked thigh to waist deep we caught a few nice ones but mostly smaller fish, so Hallelujah…the there’s a tip for you. reds are back!

Despite some fishing myths, topwaters have been working pretty well, even on the coldest of early mornings. The key has been to not overwork the lure; long pauses between twitches will entice rather than spook.

I was also impressed with Paul Brown’s latest version of his Broken-Back Corky with the mylar insert (rather than the standard cork.) These baits are amazing in the shallows with incredible wounded baitfish action. Capt. Bruce Baugh helps Paul with marketing and he can get you

hooked up - www.tidelinechartersllc.com.

March means both higher water and winds so we’ll have to adjust our efforts daily as conditions dictate. Fishing with your eyes will be more important than fishing your “same old” spots. Learning to read the water well, deciphering the smallest of nature’s clues about where fish might be, is one of the most important skills needed to be a successful angler when the seasons are changing.

Quite often with the arrival of spring we see more frequent feeding and feeding for longer periods as mature trout are beginning to produce eggs. The earliest spawning could begin toward the end of the month and with winter fat and eggs aboard we could find the year’s heaviest weights. Don’t be caught unprepared – go over your reels, spool up with new line, use good leader material and replace hooks on all your baits.

Another very real possibility is sightcasting in the clear shallows. Redfish of course, but large trout can also found there as well. Little is more exciting than throwing to fish you can see, especially when they have dark green backs and silvery sides. Remember though, these speckled giants are the future of our fishery. Please handle with care and practice CPR. I’m sure we all want to do this for years to come, so let’s be wise about our “cooler” decisions.

Spring is almost here and new opportunities await.

What I’ve seen over the past several weeks makes me believe we’re in for a great season. Be excited, be ready, and be thankful.

TSFMAG.com | 89

CaPt. ERnEst CIsnERos

south PaDRE Fishing Scene I really hate to see our winter season ending so quickly.

It seems just yesterday I brought out my Simms waders and cold weather gear. In the next two and a half months we’ll see some of the windiest days of the year and I dislike nothing more than wind howling 25-40 mph churning the flats into chocolate slush. We deal with it though. I expect to see big trout coming out of winter lairs and migrating into the shallow grass flats for spawning.

March, April and first weeks of May are known for yielding trophy trout on the Lower Laguna Madre.

During these months they are still heavy from winter with a sizeable weight gain from the roe they carry.

Every big trout fisherman knows though, with changing feeding patterns that spring brings, even when you are able to locate these extraordinary fish, it’s no guarantee they will be caught. It will take lots of determination, patience and skill, but it can be done.

I find that when targeting big fish you can swing the odds in your favor by fishing during peak periods of tidal flow. Also, be observant of lunar activity. In past years we have done better the few days before, during, and a couple of days after the new moon. Don’t shy away from the full moon during their spring spawn

A rr oyo C olorado t o Port I sabel

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

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

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

TM

90 | March 2013

because traditionally we have also done very well on big fish in the late afternoons and into the evenings.

Bigger trout are always wary and usually feed selectively, so your presentation is critical. When they are active on top, my choice of baits varies greatly in size from the 3-inch Heddon Zara Puppy (shallow-clear water with little or no wind), Super Spook Jr, or the Skitter Walk. The floating Corky is also a good choice.

Our color selection will depend on water clarity. The norm is lighter colors in clearer water and darker

FTU's Green Rod and Kelley Wigglers new color's for 2013 will be available at the Houston Fishing Show.

baits in off-colored water. A bait that has recently been extremely watchful and take full advantage to see stuff you generally don’t see effective for us in shallow-clear water has been a “clear” Spook Jr with the next time our waters drop to lower than normal conditions.

Gamakatsu live bait single hooks – size 1/0.

Redfish have been showing up in their typical winter locales, When the trout are preferring something down in the water concentrated because of the cold weather. Starting this month column, our go-to bait has been Kelley Wiggler’s Ball Tail Shad in the we will begin to see redfish scattered on the shallow grass flats new colors; Lagunaflauge and Flomingo on weightless 4/0 worm and back lakes on a more consistent basis as the water rises and hooks. These new colors have already floods areas that were once to shallow to tricked multiple 29-30+ trout. fish. Redfish action on topwaters should Stacy had a phenomenal day! This is one of his Our current winter fishing season become more steady and sight-casting three trout over thirty inches he caught that day. started off as average in relation to the size should be lots of fun when the conditions of fish we were catching, but in the month allow. As always, I’m certain they’ll take of February it really picked up and we have Kelley Wigglers on 1/8 ounce heads in the been catching some exceptional trout. new colors I mentioned when they refuse Right now the excitement builds daily with to feed on the surface. multiple fish per trip in the seven to heavyThe Houston Fishing Show is always a nine pound range. From what we’ve seen lot of fun. I look forward to meeting new the last ten days, I’d say our prospects for people and seeing old friends. I will be spring are excellent. alternating my time at the Fishing Tackle Recently we experienced the lowest Unlimited booth in the Simms, Kelley tides I have ever witnessed. This extremely Wigglers, and Green Rod sections. If you low water allowed us to see structure and have any questions about these products dangerous obstructions we never know there will be pro-staff available to help you. existed. I noticed many deeper holes, FTU runs a show special on Green Rods depth changes, bars, etc. Exploring and and I’ll be happy to explain the lengths and actually walking over this structure was actions of each, especially the split grip interesting and it helped me gain a great version I have come to really love. deal of information that will aid me in the Fishing is awesome on the Laguna Madre! months to come. I encourage you to be

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FISHING REPORTS

ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

lake calcasieu louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 March is a transitional month. One day fishing is on fire; the next, it humbles you. Though patterning fish can be difficult, it's still a great month. Much of the beginning of March is spent in the same places we fished in February. As the month progresses, water temperatures will continue to rise, and fish will begin to move deeper. The reefs on the East Bank of Calcasieu are great places to spend your early spring. The mouth of Grand and Lambert Bayous should be superb.

Mass migrations of shrimp and menhaden will exit the marshes through these bayous and head for the lake to mature. These bayou mouths are great places to find trout and redfish. Any break in the strong current coming out of the bayou will hold fish. This includes nearby reefs, points, or other structures which create an eddy. Fish soft plastics on eighth or quarter ounce jigheads. Glow, opening night, black/chartreuse, and avocado are four colors we won't leave the dock without.

Trinity Bay - east Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James reports having good luck in various parts of the Galveston Bay system. “We are slammin' 'em pretty good on most days and in several different bays. Full limits of trout to about six pounds almost all the time and good numbers of reds mixed in. The best way to get 'em is

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by wading. We're throwing the Fat Boy that's clear with silver glitter and a chartreuse tail. Also doing really well on Catch 5s when wading, especially on the black/silver/white one. Lately the best bite has been in the middle of the day. We're also having success fishing out of the boat on some days, working three to four feet of water. For the drift fishing, soft plastics in pink colors are tearin' 'em up. Also catching plenty on pink MirrOlures. As we move closer to the end of winter and over into spring, I expect the wading to continue to be good. Our bays are all salty right now, so we are set up for an outstanding run. Most important thing, as always, is the weather. If it's not too windy, we will be whackin' some big trout in the near future.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 Jim has been working the afternoon wading plan lately, and he expects to continue doing so as much as possible in March. “If you want to catch a big trout, you need to get in the water with 'em,” he says. “The fish are already up shallow and they will likely stay there most of the time as we move into the early-spring. Most of our best bite is coming on sinking twitch baits. We are throwing several different lures of that type, including Corkies, Catch 2000s and Maniac Mullet. 5M MirrOlures are working well at times too. We've had a little topwater bite during the warm spells, and the action on plugs like Top Dogs and Super Spooks should get more consistent as the weather warms a little more. There have been quite a few big trout

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caught in the area bays lately. I've had confirmed reports of a few over 8 pounds, including one 10 pounder, which measured over 30 inches.

The guys that are catching them are all wading, and they are fishing in the afternoons, sometimes into the early part of the night. That's the best plan for March, by far.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - christmas - chocolate Bays randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Randall says the trout and reds have shown up lately around the shell, just like they usually do this time of year. “We are catching some quality trout, but we're having to grind to get 'em on some days. The biggest key is timing. In order to have numbers of fish around the reefs, the tide level needs to be relatively high. So, it's best to time trips to coincide with full tides. We are getting some bite on topwaters already, and that should get even better in March.

Mostly, we are throwing Paul Brown's Original Lures. Also, we are anticipating the onset of the glass minnow migration. Once they start moving in, we'll key on diving pelicans and terns to show us the location of the schools. They don't seem to prefer the same areas every year, so it's important to remain on the look out for them. The trout and reds will stay in close proximity to the balls of minnows, so we want to do the same. When targeting fish around the glass minnows, it often pays to match the hatch. Norton Sand Eels do a great job of imitating the minnows.”

Matagorda | Tommy countz Bay Guide Service - 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037 Charlie was in his boat using the trolling motor to slowly cover water in East Matagorda Bay on a calm day when we talked. “We've been catching fish steadily out here in the middle lately, keying on areas with scattered shell over a mud bottom. That pattern will hold

together into March, as long as the water doesn't get too warm. If it warms up too much and the March wind is steady, the middle will be too muddy to produce. Mostly, we fish by wading on the shorelines in either West or East Bay in March. If I'm after numbers of trout and some redfish mixed in, I prefer West Bay. If the goal is to catch big trout, East Bay is a better bet. Lately, some big fish have been caught in the afternoons in East Bay, good numbers between about 27 and 30 inches. March will likely produce some more big trout for those willing to stay in the shallows and grind for a few bites, throwing plugs that look like mullet and shad and perch. If we get a good run of glass minnows, it will be wise to stay around the clouds of bait and throw small, life-like lures.”

Palacios | capt. aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 With the recent cold weather and subsequent warming trends, we have the fish patterned out pretty well. When the water temperatures have been in the low fifties, 90% of our fish have come from the area rivers (Tres Palacios/Lavaca/Colorado). When the temperatures get into the sixties, 90% of our fish have been coming from the guts on the south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay. The main lures we have been throwing in the rivers are chicken on a chain paddletails rigged on three-eighths ounce jigheads slow-rolled along the ledges. When fishing this method, set the hook when the lure stops and it will be “fish on”. The main baits we have been using in the guts on the south shoreline of West Matagorda are quarter ounce weedless gold spoons for reds, and neon pepper/limetreuse Gulp! jerkshad. When you find the fish in the guts, don't walk

TSFMAG.com | 93

through them, stay still and fish the area thoroughly before moving.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 Lynn will be focusing his efforts around shell and mud in March, he says, and he plans to stay in shallow water almost all the time, trying to catch big trout. “Lately, the redfish have been thick, can't really get away from them. That's okay though, because usually they like the same areas as the big trout this time of year. I'm still running most of my charters by leaving late morning and fishing through the afternoon. We are fishing mostly knee-deep flats with reefs and scattered shell set in mud, close to drop-offs to deeper water. I like to throw topwaters a lot this time of year, and of course, slow-sinking twitch baits like Paul Brown's Original Lures and other MirrOlures like Catch 2000s and Catch 5s. I also use the floating versions of Paul Brown Lures too, especially when we locate the fish in really shallow water, less than knee-deep. I still keep my soft plastics handy. I use the old plum and red shad Bass Assassins rigged on super light jigheads to scratch out bites when the going gets really tough.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Now that the shooting seasons are over, Blake expects to be fishing hard during the coming months. “In March, I'll try the fishing in several of the area bays. I like to stay shallow and wade most of the time during the transition from winter to spring. All different types of bottom can pay off, especially in the early part of the month. On the colder days, we tend to find fish over softer bottom with some dark grass beds. As it warms up, areas with a sandier, firmer bottom can pay off better. And, the reefs produce well too, especially when winds are fairly light, allowing us to get to the shell humps in open water.

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Topwaters work great this time of year in general. I prefer Super Spooks in color patterns including some chrome, like the black-backed one and the blue-backed one. Slow-sinking twitch baits like Corkies and Catch 2000s are much better than the topwaters on some outings.

And, we never forget our trusty Norton Sand Eels, which we normally rig on light jigheads, since we'll be throwing them in shallow water.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 The month of March is known as a windy month, and it will probably live up to its reputation. With the air and water temperatures on the rise, the fish will be coming into shallower water. My fishing logs indicate the fish will be in water depths of three feet or less. Now is the time to bring out your favorite topwater lures like natural-colored Heddon Super Spooks and MirrOlure She Dogs. Keep changing your speed of retrieve until you start getting blow ups or hits. Two of my favorite soft plastic lures for this time of the year are the Bass Assassin Die Dappers and Berkley Gulp Ripple Mullets in bright or black colors if the water clarity is poor, or natural colors if the clarity is good. I prefer the Bass Assassin sixteenth-ounce Spring Lock jigheads for the soft plastics, tied to at least fifteen inches of 20-25 lb. fluorocarbon shock leader. This is also a good time of the year to fish with live shrimp under a popping cork. Whether fishing with artificial lures or live bait, look for areas with scattered pot holes.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 Joe plans to spend quite a bit of his down way down south in March.

“I'll be heading down to the Land Cut and Nine Mile Hole most of the time. In Nine Mile, it's good to take what the conditions are giving you. If it's windy, we will make long, power-drifts, looking to see the fish first before casting to them. The wind will break up the glare on the water and make it easier to see the fish. If it's calmer, we normally

look for wakes instead. When fishing in the Land Cut, I'll work the ledges, fluttering soft plastics along the shelf, trying to maintain contact with the wall. Matching jighead size to the winds and currents is key. I also look for tailing fish on the bank. There are plenty of pods of tailing reds close to the edge this time of year. I'll also fish around Rocky Slough quite a bit. Over there, I mostly stay just off the outside edge of the rock line and cast toward the structures. Hopefully, we will have clear water in the entire area by then. Lots of years, the spring winds blow good water in from the Lower Laguna Madre.”

Padre Island National Seashore Billy Sandifer - Padre Island Safaris - 361.937.8446 March marks the arrival of many of our summer species in the PINS surf. Jack Crevalle are usually present at the water’s edge early in the month and many bottom feeding species such as black drum, redfish, big whiting and pompano will be the mainstays of this month’s fishing. Most anglers will fish with fresh-dead shrimp and Fishbites when targeting these species. There may be a few speckled trout around but it’s a tediously slow grind most of the time. Blacktip, bull and scalloped hammerheads become available this month and they can often be caught by casting from shore rather than going out deep with kayaked baits. This is particularly handy as March is a month of long periods of strong SE winds. Tides can be very high and driving on the high tide is not recommended. Figure on a rough trip in and out and take your time as trying to speed through the bumpy tracks will tear up your vehicle. The speed limit on PINS will be 15mph beginning March 1 and will remain so through Labor Day. Port Mansfield | Terry Neal www.terrynealcharters.com – 956.944.2559 Drift fishing is good in many areas to the south of Port. If you keep at it you will get plenty for dinner. Wade fishing offers a more

concentrated opportunity to stay on the structure they’re using.

Grass beds are holding most of the good sized trout. Fish your bait slow and deep off the edge of the grass. Lots of reds on shorelines.

Schools of black drum can be found in many areas; fun to catch and eat but tougher to clean. Streaks of muddy water are sure signs of fish activity. The head boats running out of Port are still catching good red snapper. Remember to keep what you will eat and release the rest whether offshore or in the bay. Note: There is no fuel in Port Mansfield right now so bring fuel with you before arriving if you’re planning to fish multiple days. Hopefully by end of February this situation will get fixed. Poco Loco Bait & Tackle (marina on the north side) is working hard to get fuel back on the water for us. lower laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty – www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 We've been able to limit on trout and reds daily, if the wind is cooperating. When it's blowing more than 30 mph, it's too muddy and rough to catch anything; if there's no wind, it's tough to get near the predators, so we will occasionally switch to hooking up on drum. Large schools of black drum are easy to find on the east side when the water is calm and the silt bloom is a dead giveaway. Put your Power Pole down and wait--sooner or later they will cycle back towards the boat. Some guides use dead shrimp to lure drum to the bite, but we like to throw Berkley Gulp! three inch shrimp on a quarterounce jighead with a good twelve to fifteen inches of leader line at the schooling herds, which consist of everything from small, striped “puppy” drum, to very large oversized bulls. "Freddy says," Most people enjoy eating small black drum, the fillets are thin and tasty.

But, the bigger the drum, the more parasitic worms you'll see in the meat, and cleaning a large drum is not easy." Let's all help stop open bay dredge disposal in the LLM.

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Ashley Bedsole Port Aransas - 36” 21lb first bull!

Julia Gardner Matagorda - 38” 24lb bull red

Grant Bible San Antonio Bay - 25” 6lb trout

Ricky Chavez Dickinson Bayou - 23” first redfish!

Dylan Givens Neches River - 13” first flounder!

96 | March 2013

Austin Apicella Port Aransas - 40” red

Roger Rodriguez & Lisa Limon POC - 42” bull red CPR

Rainy Chavez Galveston - 18” first flounder!

John Freytag Port Aransas - jack CPR

Cody Fish Trinity Bay - 22” personal best trout!

Charles Dailey Port O’Connor - first fish ever!

Capt. RD Machen Mike Chavez Port Mansfield - 27” 7lb trout CPR Galveston - 22” & 20” flounder

Diego Gonzalez Shamrock Cove - 22.5” 3.75lb flounder

Capt. Steve Hillman Galveston - 29+” 8.25lb trout

June Marie Sheldon SPI - first pompano!

Corey Mangone Port Aransas - 41” 28lb bull red

Don Matthews personal best red!

Oscar Perez & Tony Pena Corpus Christi - 40” bull red

Joe Ruiz Port Mansfield - 26.5” flounder

Victor Ramos South Padre - 22” flounder

Rolando Rodriguez Quintana Beach - 38” bull red

Beni Rodriguez 6lb bass

Please do not write on the back of photos.

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

Kyle Stacks Port Mansfield - 58” personal best king!

Ryan Swindell & P.J. Young Lake Calcasieu - redfish

Mail photos to: TSFMag P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 TSFMAG.com | 97

Pam Johnson

Gulf Coast Kitchen

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

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

Contributed by Kyra Hudson at Shallow Sport Boats You will be amazed at the unique flavor this recipe will give your fillets – without even a hint of wasabi heat.

2 pounds fresh fillets 1 cup Wasabi Asian Snack Peas ½ package (sleeve) Ritz Crackers 1 egg white ½ cup milk salt and pepper 2 Tbsp melted butter

• Preheat oven to 350°.

• In food processer; pulverize wasabi peas and remove to large bowl, and then the Ritz Crackers. Mix the pulverized peas and crackers together very well.

• Add egg white to milk and mix well.

• Place coated fillets on greased baking sheet and drizzle with melted butter.

• Bake 20 minutes then change oven to broiler setting, watch carefully and allow coating to brown slightly, (varies with broiler temperature…a couple of minutes on average.)

• Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper then dip each in egg-milk bath and dredge through wasabi We served our fillets with wasabi tartar pea-cracker breading mixture. sauce, coleslaw and hushpuppies.

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Wasabi Tartar Sauce ½ cup Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise 2 Tbsp. minced onion 2 Tbsp. minced sweet pickles 1 tsp. wasabi paste (from a tube) 98 | March 2013

Stir to mix all ingredients well, chill before serving.

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TSFMAG.com | 99

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floRIDa Capt.Mike Wilbur’s

CHASER KEY WEST FISHING

Tarpon + Bonefish +Permit Fly-fishing and light tackle www.chaserkeywest.com 305-296-7201

fIshInG REtREats

CoRPus to PoRt IsaBEl

Sharkman Surf Fishing South Padre ISland

Specializing in big game & light tackle for Shark, Pompano, & Snook.

ClassIfIEDs BENTLEY’S INTERCOASTALS HOUSE RENTALS

Kayak and Shore Fishing Adventures 956.566.7744 Sharkmansurffishing.com Trips starting at $225.00 100 | March 2013

Port O’Connor, Texas: 3 Bedrooms, Sleeps 6, Fully Furnished. Great Location between the little Jetties & Clark’s Restaurant. Boat Slip upon availability. Guide service available with Capt Keith Gregory. Call Steve or Lydia at 361-983-4660 or 361-482-9095. Special winter rates available.

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

361-649-2265

t Chris Mapp’s Boa s Maintenance Tip

Are you ready to

start a new season?

Summer boating and fishing will be in full swing before you know it and this is a great time to schedule a pre-season service visit.

Owners often ask what is included in this, what are the benefits, and what is the cost?

A full-annual service should be performed on all four stroke and two stroke outboards on a calendar year basis, or every 100 hours of operation. If you have not logged 100 hours since your last fullannual service, all outboards should at least have the lower unit lube changed and 4-strokes should have crankcase oil and filter changed to start the new season. Everybody understands oils are for lubrication but they are also designed to suspend contaminates, keeping them from damaging gears and bearings. New oil and lube at the start of the season prolongs outboard service life.

Average price for lower unit and engine oil services described above runs about $250 on 4 and 6 cylinder 4-strokes and usually less than $60 on two strokes.

The full-annual service is more comprehensive and consists of: Engine oil and lower unit lube service – spark and compression tests, installing new spark plugs as required (S/B 200 hrs on 4-stroke and 100 hrs on 2-stroke) – battery inspection (age and condition, wet cell batteries S/B replaced at 24-30 months), battery terminals cleaned and terminal locknuts installed, cables inspected for wear, cracks, etc. – fuel lines inspected for wear, cracks and soft spots (in general fuel lines S/B replaced at approximately five years). High and low speed fuel filters changed, fuel/water separator filter changed.

Vapor separator tank is removed for inspection of internal filter and all components for ethanol degradation. Main engine lube reservoir filter on 2-strokes inspected and/or replaced.

In addition; all fittings, fasteners, and powerhead are lubed and sprayed with Corrosion X Red. Lower unit is removed and water pump is inspected/replaced as necessary, prop is removed and seals inspected for fishing line wrap damage, prop shaft is inspected and lubricated, anodes inspected and/or replaced. All control switches are flipped to insure circuits and systems are working properly. Trailer lights are inspected, wheels are spun to check for bearing noise and bearing end play. Tires are inspected and inflation is checked.

The boat receives an on-the-water test run for proper propping and handling, the boat is washed and motor is flushed, trailer is rinsed. A full engine history service report is provided.

This full-annual service averages between $650-$750 for parts and labor on the average, not including batteries. This is excellent insurance toward preventing expensive failures down the road or possibly being stranded on the water. Peace of mind and protecting your investment go hand-in-hand and the best plan for long and trouble-free service life is comprehensive preventive maintenance.

Have an awesome season!

Chris Mapp Coastal Bend Marine – Port O’Connor TX 361-983-4841 – www.coastalbendmarine.com

fluoro, braid, mono: fish anything

$5.00 Kanzen™

Mail-in Rebate* details online

Ultra-Thin High-Performance Braid

Super-Strong Premium Monofilament

learn more at www.seaguar.com ©2013 Kureha America, LLC. *Offer valid only in the 50 U.S. (and D.C.). Purchase must be made between 01/01/13 and 06/30/13. Submissions must be postmarked by 07/31/13 and received by 08/15/13. LIMIT: One $5.00 rebate per person. Seaguar VIP Program purchases are not eligible for rebate. See www.seaguar.com for complete terms.

TSFMAG.com | 101

TROUT REDFISH FLOUNDER

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

Wade & Drifting the Back Bays & Surf

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

102 | March 2013

South Texas Aluminum Worx and Upholstery Custom Aluminum Fabrication & All Your Upholstery Needs

Come See Us! 10020 Compton Road (behind Gulf Coast Marine)

Corpus Christi, TX 78418 Phone: 361-657-0555 Fax: 361-939-8973

Console covers and full boat covers custom fit

Vaya Con Dios Charters

ffin Bay Now Booking Ba s Jan-April Trophy Trout Trip

Back Bay to Blue Marlin Capt. Wayne Timmermann 361-648-4103

ON THE WATER

Saltwater Fishing Clinics WITH

Capt. Robert Zapata

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

For Information Call 361-563-1160

tEXas saltWatER fIshInG holEs Build Your Dream Home

Lee ReaL estate, Inc.

Angie Hickman 361-960-1917 angie4619@clear.net

Split Ring Pliers

New, “PATENTED,” Easier/Faster/Better

Lot 32, The Bahamas, Rockport, Tx. MLS #209011. Oak trees, lighted fish pier, private beach.

Fisherman’s Paradise.

FLOUNDER·REDS·TROUT

www.chickenboylures.com

•Roy’s Bait&Tackle •Cabela’s •Fishing Tackle Unlimited •TackleWarehouse.com •Henry’s-Pitman Creek TSFMAG.com | 103

secure YOUR GEAR

H2O XPRESS QUICK-DRAW WADING BELT Padded and ventilated back support Heavy-duty ripstop pliers sheath One size fits most Includes two tackle utility cases Includes two removable rod holders

THE GREEN ROD Solid Titanium GUIDE FRAMES, That’s Right Solid…

Now that we’ve got your attention… double footed titanium guides that are 45% stronger and 60% lighter than conventional guides. Now available, a new addition to the series, our All Pro Series Rod with titanium RECOIL Guides.

We put over 60 years of fishing experience to work to design and manufacture a rod that stands up to the elements and improves sensitivity and action which help you catch more fish.

Available in:

HIGHEST QUALITY MODULUS GRAPHITE SHAFT

Spinning and Casting Models

Thing is,

there’s only one place to get your hands on one...

MODELS AVAILABLE WITH

Double Footed Titanium Guides Ultra Light

SOLID TITANIUM GUIDES DOUBLEFOOTED NANOLITE RINGS CORROSION PROOF

5” Aluminum Plier

5" anodized aluminum plier. High grade 316 Stainless Steel jaws with Tungsten carbide cutters. Comes with a cordura sheath and a tangle free lanyard. FTU-ALM

Deluxe Back Support Wade Belt

This 5" belt with 8" support includes stainless steel pliers with holder, ABC plastic rod holder, 12' heavy deluxe stringer with stainless stell spike and float and 2 accessory "D" rings. The belt has reinforced ribs for extra back support. FTU-125

Pro Wader Belt

This 4" Reinforced Back Support Wading Belt features a Tackle Box & Pouch, ABS Plastic Rod Holder, 15' Deluxe Stringer with Brass Spike and float and an accessory "D" Ring.

We have one in just your size. FTU 112

Single Chest Pack

This Single Chest Pack features a strap which drapes around your neck, a drop down plastic box - hands-free Velcro to get lures - rot proof rubber coated bag - fast drain bag - easy to open and close and drain holes in the bottom.

FTU 99

Come check out our Spring Kick-Off Sale at

the Houston Fishing show.

March 6-10, 2013

Geo. R. Brown Convention Ctr www.houstonfishingshow.com for hours and ticket information SHOP WITH US ONLINE AT

12800 Gulf Freeway @ Fuqua Houston, TX 77034 281-481-6838

www.FishingTackleUnlimited.com Lay-A-Way AND Gift Certificates Available

8723 Katy Freeway Houston, TX 77024 713-827-7762

l

l

GALVESTON TIDES & SOLUNAR TABLE Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine MARCH 2013

The BEST Choice‌ Any Place, Anytime!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

w w w. t e x a s s a l t w a t e r f i s h i n g m a g a z i n e . c o m