November 2007

Gulf Coast Connections

Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine

November 2007

Tide Predictions & Solunar Feed Times Inside!

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November 2007

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November 2007

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Texas Saltwater Fishing

nov emBER 2007 Volume 17 No.7

Editor and Publisher Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com Executive vp Pam Johnson

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Pam@tsfmag.com

10 Mothers Beware!

Mike McBride

16 The Irony and Urgency of Autumn

Kevin Cochran

22 Cleaning the Shimano Calcutta Reel

Martin Strarup

26 “It Is What It Is”

Billy Sandifer

28 Chasing Cajun Cruisers

30 Tripletail

Shirley@tsfmag.com inside sales Tracey Johnson

Chuck Uzzle Everett Johnson

46

Tracey@tsfmag.com Regional Sales Representative Scott Null

27 Coastal Birding 34 Let’s Ask The Pro 38 Fly Fishing

Scott@tsfmag.com

Billy Sandifer

Jay Watkins

42 Tournament Trails

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Business Manager Shirley Elliott

Casey Smartt

Brandon Jenewein

46 Offshore

Bobby Byrd/John Cochrane

52 Conservation

CCA Texas

54 Science and the Sea

UT-Marine Science Institute

56 TPWD Field Notes

Leslie Williams

60 Kayak Fishing

Scott Null

64 According To Scott

Scott Sommerlatte

68 Youth Fishing

Aaron Cisneros

72 Tech Tips

Louie Baumann

National Sales Representative Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net Design, Layout & Web Maintenace GRAPHICS BY DESIGN Jasmine and Jackson Gordon Phone: 361-785-4282 Jasmine@graphicsbydesign.biz Jackson@graphicsbydesign.biz Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly. Subscriptions available for $17.00 per year. Offer valid until December 31, 2007.

E-MAG (electronic version) is available for $12.00 per year. Offer valid until December 31, 2007. Order on-line:

76

76 Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene

Dickie Colburn

78 Mickey on Galveston

Mickey Eastman

80 Capt. Bill’s Fish Talk

Bill Pustejovsky

82 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays

Shellie Gray

84 Catching up with Cliff

Cliff Webb

86 Capt. Tricia’s Port Mansfield Report

Capt. Tricia

88 South Padre Fishing Scene

Ernest Cisneros

www.tsfmag.com Subscription – product sales Michelle Tyson Store@tsfmag.com Make checks payable to: Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine Attn: Subscriptions P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 * Subscribers are responsible for submitting all address changes and renewals by the 15th of the prior month’s issue. The U.S. Postal Service does not guarantee magazines will be forwarded.

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Editorial

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Letters to the Editor

Phone: 361-785-3420 Fax: 361-785-2844 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 Physical Address: 58 Fisherman’s Lane,

74 New Tackle & Gear

Seadrift, TX 77983

90 Fishing Reports and Forecasts 92 Photo Gallery–Catch of the Month

Printed in the USA.

94 Gulf Coast Kitchen

99 Index of Advertisers

This month’s cover angler is Chris Wolff of Austin, Texas.

Chris’s Port O’Connor trophy speck measured 29-inches and weighed 8lb-12oz. Frank Lockhart was wading with Chris and snapped the photo.

Texas Saltwater Fishing

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November 2007

Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published monthly by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, Texas 77983 l P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 © Copyright 1990 All rights reserved. Positively nothing in this publication may be reprinted or reproduced. *Views expressed by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine contributors do not necessarily express the views of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

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

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I think if I could have my pick of any month to be repeated all year long it would have to be November. November weather is just too beautiful for words and the tides are very favorable for shoreline wading and back lake drifting. The cooler water temperatures spark some of the best feeding activity we see all year. To my thinking November is pretty near Heaven on Earth and a fisherman’s dream come true.

Along with great fishing, November also brings plenty of waterfowl hunting and I like to mix them. We get a two week chance to cast and blast during the early teal season and there are some chances during dove season, but these are really only an early season tease compared to what November brings. The best of the C&B opportunity along most of our coast comes during the first split of the general waterfowl season. Widgeon cupping over the blocks while redfish wake and wag from across the way are a real hoot in my book and if you haven’t tried it you owe it to yourself to do it this month.

Of course November also ushers in the general deer season all across Texas, and though not typically part of a coastal cast and blast, Muy Grande always bats high in the line-up during this season. We’ll be heading to Sonora for a few days and when we’re on the water we’ll enjoy the ability to stop and fish just about anywhere we choose. The bays will be uncommonly quiet as lots of our fishing buddies plan similar trips to lay in a store of prime venison.

The greatest highlight of November comes at Thanksgiving and I’m really looking forward to this one. My full clan has not had a reunion in a pretty good while so we decided that Thanksgiving would be as good an excuse as any. We’ll have kids and relatives from a half-dozen states and in addition to feasting, fishing and hunting there’ll likely also be some hotly contested horseshoe, domino and washer tossing contests. A brand new granddaughter being due the first of November will add lots of excitement and another reason to give thanks for all the bounty God has bestowed upon us.

As everybody gathers around their Thanksgiving table this month, I would like to encourage they take a few moments to remember our troops in their thoughts and prayers. There will be lots of Thanksgiving tables across Texas with empty chairs; chairs left vacant by brave young men and women who are serving in Iraq; and some left vacant by those who made the ultimate sacrifice on harsh battlefields in far-away deserts so that we could continue to enjoy the blessings of peace and freedom here at home.

With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us and Christmas coming next month, I think it would be a great idea to make a generous donation to one of the many charities that provide holiday meals and gifts to the children and loved ones of servicemen and women who will not be home to do it themselves this year. Unless you have a close friend or family member in the fulltime military or activated from reserve forces, you may not understand the hardship their families must endure during their absence. Enlisted pay is hardly more than minimum wage which is a far cry from the pay scale most of our troops left behind when the call came to deploy.

Please take the time to contact your local National Guard Armory or get on-line and investigate how you can donate to the various charitable organizations supporting this cause. I cannot think of a better way to thank a vet or a member of the armed forces currently serving than by making their family’s holidays a little merrier, and God will surely bless you for it.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers and fishing friends!

Texas Saltwater Fishing

November 2007

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Dear Editor, I am not very good at telling stories but several articles in your fine magazine about wade fishing at night takes me back almost 50 years.

In the spring of 1957 while at a small US Army air base just outside of Chicago I was released from active duty in Uncle Sam’s Army. Having had all the snow and ice I could stand in Korea and Chicago this Texas boy headed home as fast as I could.

Soon after I got back to Houston I hooked up with a college classmate from U of H. It was Andy Lacy. Shortly Andy and his dad Frank (the old man) introduced me to the art of wade fishing, chunking gold spoons and MirrOlures. Most of the time we would hit the surf down Galveston Island if it was calm and clear enough. If not we would wade the flats behind Bay Harbour where the old man had a cabin. Most of the time we wouldn’t go more than 3 or 4 hundred yards from the boat basin and catch plenty of trout and reds and sometimes a good flounder.

Mr. Lacy must have taken a liking to me because he would let me use his bay house. It could have been because I cut the grass and filled up the propane tank when needed.

It had to be in June or July 1960 because my wife was real pregnant with our soon to be son. The word got out that some of the old salts were catching some good trout at night on a lure called a Florida Shiner. Right away I beat it to Cut Rate Sporting Goods and bought one for almost five dollars. At that time Cut Rate was located in a ten by twenty building located on Park Place Blvd. We all used Cut Rate because that was the place to buy those new fangled red reels that every one had to have.

I asked and Mr. Lacy agreed to let me use his cabin for a few days and I was going to try that night wading.

I loaded up my wife, daughter and that little 15 foot Sea King boat and headed for West Bay. As I mentioned my wife was real pregnant and since there was no phone in the cabin I launched the boat and took the car back to the house in case she had some trouble. I walked back to the boat basin and putted out the channel and went about 50 yards over to a flat that we fished on a regular basis.

It was just beginning to get real dark when I slipped over the side into the water. After wading about 30 feet away from the boat I began casting and working that topwater Florida Shiner. About the third cast there was a tremendous splash and I had something on that was pulling drag. I got scared that it might be a shark so I back-waded to the boat and got in. Sure enough it was a big trout, but since it was so still with no wind all the big old mosquitoes started eating me like it was their last meal. I cranked up the boat and headed in as fast as I could. To this day I haven’t been wade fishing at night again. But I am willing to give it a try again if someone would be willing to go along and protect me since I am one of those old men you hear about.

G.B. Robertson, Port O’Connor TX Dear G.B. Robertson, Thank you for taking the time to share your story. Having made many night wades myself I had to chuckle at the mental image of a wade fisherman back-pedaling to the safety of the boat with a big trout struggling at the end of his line, way out in the darkness. Night wading

can be a hoot and very productive, but there are always the safety concerns, and our imagination does often play tricks. Again, thanks for sharing, I just went to eBay to learn what a Florida Shiner is. Maybe we can hook up for a night wade some day, I’m right down the road in Seadrift.

E. Johnson - Editor

Hello TSF Magazine, My name is Christopher Nunez. I am a Navy reservist from Houston serving my second tour in Iraq. I would like to thank everyone on your staff for the support you have given me personally. No matter what ugliness the day produced, I could always look forward to pulling a piece of home out of my bag and getting lost in the pages of the Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine. It was the biggest treat in the world when I received all the back issues that I had missed. Thank you!

I am here in Fallujah with about 25 other people from the Houston area. Everyone shared your magazines and couldn’t wait until the next issue arrived. I wanted to inform you that we are returning home at the end of September and there will be no more Gulf Coast Texans at this camp. We are definitely planning a fishing trip when we get back and we’ll let you know how we do.

Until then, Tight Lines to All! Christopher John Nunez

Dear Christopher, We cannot praise you and all the others enough for your brave service in that war torn region; sending the magazines was but a tiny token of our great appreciation and admiration. When you get back to Texas and get ready to wet a line please do give us a call, we’ll hook you up with the latest fishing reports. Godspeed – we’re praying for you!

Everett Johnson - Editor

Send your letters to: TSFMag, P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983

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November 2007

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here are certain aspects of male behavior that will probably never change. Macho and stupid are two of them. Television programs such as The Man Show, Man Cave, and Survivorman make some attempt to explain this. These traits exist in all of us to varying degrees and they go way back. All the way back to when we danced around fires, painted ourselves blue, and wore funnylooking bones in our noses.

This story has some relation to a man show, at least in the way that it might explain how my sons and I became messed up the way we are. This is about a man and two boys in the quest of great outdoor adventure, and things like this really do happen, even more perhaps than “domesticated” men may care to admit.

The year was 1994 I think; and I had an eleven and eight year old boy in tow ready for any kind of adventure dad could put them on.

We shared many inspiring times together; like sitting in bay water up to our necks during tremendous thunderstorms and casting only when it was “safe” between bolts of lightning; and the times we chased waterspouts because we had a fast boat and we could. This particular adventure was more than great and 10

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November 2007

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I take all responsibility and blame if any are due; however, I also want credit for teaching my boys to be “manly.”

At the time this took place we fished out of a pride and joy, garage-built boat. It was an eighteenfoot aluminum that in another life had been rigged out as some sort of Louisiana outlaw airboat.

Hours upon hours, hammering rivet after rivet, we transformed it into a sure enough fishing skiff using pirated uni-strut for deck supports, discarded street signs to cover the skeleton of a homemade console, and even dumpster-dived aluminum brackets to create a sturdy ten-inch setback for the motor. It was topped off with an aged but faithful seventy-horse Evinrude, a stump puller for its size and capable of pushing the little skiff to Miami Vice speeds… or at least we pretended as much. We called it the Gray Ghost, and it provided many an outdoor adventure, including a vacation to Florida that was more than a little Lampoon-like with me standing in for Chevy Chase.

Anyway, one Sunday morning, ditching church and sneaking the boys out of their mother’s watchful care at four in the morning, we struck out to our favorite place, across the bridge to paradise at the San Luis Pass K.O.A. campground. We launched and quickly frolicked on the outer bars, wading and catching some good trout plus a few drag chewing redfish on topwaters.

It started when the doldrums set in; no more breeze, no current, barely enough air to breathe, no more bites. “Come on Dad, take us out to the big pond, look how calm it is. Come on dad, let’s go!”

Having experienced some success on an earlier trip, we threw the cast net and loaded the boat with big menhaden, then set out for the great unknown with trout tackle and our “big rig” 6500 Ambassadeur on an Ugly Stick. We stopped and changed water every couple miles until we had an ice chest full of frisky bait any self-respecting potlicker would die for and we nearly did. But first to die was a blacktipped shark of a mature six-feet that we eventually dispatched with our trusty .40 caliber Glock, but not before an hour’s chase through other fishermen who screamed for cutting up their chum-lines. The day was made and I should have stopped right there; but we yielded instead to primordial sirens calling for blue paint.

With the shark boated, cheap binoculars peered intently for other opportunities. Like a shout from Magellan’s crow’s-nest, Brandon, my oldest called out, “Land Ho,” and we gunned the tiny boat toward the biggest weedline I’d ever seen. It looked like a great skinny island and was working alive with all manner of sea creatures. Schools upon schools of multi-colored juvenile somethings fell in behind the boat, and chicken dolphin were www.TSFMAG.com

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cutting it all up with their showmanship. There went a good-sized ling and suddenly a number of sharks cruised the sargassum; it was incredible and it inspired us.

“Hey guys, watch this,” Brandon squealed making a sight-cast connection with another sixfoot-class blacktip. The old Bantam 250 protested but gave up all its line in less than thirty seconds.

Some of the fun was throwing at tripletail lying in openings amid the clumped weeds. The go-to bait was a weedless seven-inch Bass Assassin and the fish ate them up. Leaving the weedline we found a cluster of pallets and Mexican flour sacks and the decapitated head of a giant baby doll floating with them. The old Blakemore Double Trouble proved irresistible to more dolphin and a sizeable ling that hovered beneath the flotsam. To the kids it was off-shore fishing in the little boat they helped build, real David and Goliath stuff, and it would only get better.

Binoculars guiding us, we continued seaward to weedline after weedline, oblivious to any danger Neptune might throw at us, or worse yet, unconcerned with whatever their mother thought we might be innocently doing. Mind you, there was absolutely zero wind and not even the hint of a swell, one of those days where the surface melds to the sky. On one of the distant and forbidden weedlines we were awed by hundreds of dolphin fish greyhounding like bait, some unknown sea monster upon them.

Miles further, elongated forms rose from the sea and we surmised them to be free-jumping sails. Occasional king mackerel shot straight up like possessed two-by-fours, fully twenty feet above our bare feet burning on the Home Depot carpet glued to the little skiff’s deck.

It was a rare display of nature and for that moment the boys and I were the only humans. Weedlines farther we hopped, each one fulfilling fantasies for the giddy lads safely in their father’s care. The last check on our hand-held GPS showed 28.6 miles southeast of the San Luis Pass Bridge… out to sea in what amounted to a jon boat made minimally seaworthy with make-up.

Every hold in the boat had been jettisoned of original cargo in lieu of fish taken aboard. We threw out and re-arranged everything to make room for the bloody bounty we were reaping. It was awesome and we sang the man song. Then the scenery started to change. A couple of oceanclass shrimp boats began powering by, some we thought were rude in their closeness, some we thought were cool because they tooted their horns.

High-fives we thought, presumably for the boys bowed up on the bow so far from shore in a little tin boat. Little did we know they were fleeing for November 2007

their lives. A stalled front in the middle of the state had picked up steam.

“Dad, wha-what in the heck is that?” Brandon stammered handing me the glasses.

Like something out of Poltergeist, a demonic wall of shrieking wind and slicing rain was blasting toward us. Mercury-calm water was rising instantly into three-foot chop. In another instant it rose to fives with kicker eights.

“Oh my God, this ain’t good. Get your slickers on and put your life vests over top… put the rods up. We’re gonna have to ride it out boys. Brandon, throw the drift anchor off the bow… DO IT NOW… HURRY!” Stumbling with the billowing sock, Brandon’s weight was too much on the bow. The crest of the first big one smacked hard and rushed over us, right down to the blood-spackled deck. Awash in a foot of water we pulled the plugs and sparked the little Evinrude, headfirst into the teeth of the tempest.

It was unthinkable but it was happening. The weather man had given no indication of this freak norther barreling through, but in a philosophical “wherever you go, there you are,” moment, we were now smack dab in the middle of where we were. Brandon took over navigation and grasping the little GPS with one hand and the console railing with the other. Blinding rain made each wave a predictable surprise. Tacking hard to meet the next swell, the bow would stall nearly vertical as we waited for the elevator drop into the abyss that followed. Down in the trough, all that could be seen were gray peaks on either side, and some of them were starting to break.

Patrick, the younger, had taken refuge

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between my feet and the console, hat pulled down in an imaginary state of protection.

We battled the peaks head-on for fully three and one half hours. With every timed push of the throttle we gained a few precious yards against what the next one would take away. We noticed a crack growing in the gunwale just forward of the bow sweep, probably from the hundreds of blows taken in the angry troughs.

The whole forward section of our Gray Ghost began flopping like a pancake, but the GPS said we were making headway, only six miles to salvation. An equal problem now was the fuel tank tapping hollow, six miles might as well have been sixty with the zigzag course we had to abide by. Finally the bridge came within sight, and inching ever closer, the sea began to subside.

As we roared through the bridge pilings, groups of displaced beach fishermen were reconnoitering their 12

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gear in the aftermath of the blast, staring at us like the idiots we were. Some were clapping at what they knew had to have been. Patrick finally pulled his hat up above his ears.

Back at the dock and then safely on the road, we refilled the tank for the next adventure. We were proud to say we had a gallon and a half left… you know, just in case. We heard that Jamaica Beach recorded gusts of sixty-five miles per hour, and that several boats had been breached and rescues made in Texas City. A freak early norther no doubt, and without question a close call of idiotic proportions.

“How was your day honey? Did y’all make it to Whataburger before that bad storm came through? Did you bring any fish home? ” “Yes dear,” I lied to my lovely, now ex-wife (go figure). “We had a great day. Everything’s fine and we brought home much food for the fire.”

November 2007

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arly autumn cold fronts have the refreshing capacity to soothe the heat-weary psyches of many coastal Texans. Dipping temperatures, crisp air and clear skies stir strong urges to head outdoors.

Collectively, we walk into the wild to enjoy various sporting endeavors.

As surely as the Longhorns will face off with the Sooners before screaming and faithful fans at the state fair, the marshes adjacent to Texas bays will drain, sending some of a year’s crop of shrimp, crabs and little fish into the waiting mouths of upper-crust predators like trout, redfish and flounder. Seagulls will be hovering on site, their excited squawks testifying to their need to fatten up before winter.

All living organisms seem transformed profoundly by the onset of autumn. Whitetail deer go into the “rut”, briefly altering their life habits in order to perpetuate their kind. Ducks and geese move on cue, riding the lead edges of the fronts onto our prairies, marshes, lakes and bays in an effort to avoid hard freezes in the northlands. To some outdoorsmen, the whistling of

teal wings over marshgrass in early autumn is a kind of a sentinel, whispering of greater changes to come.

These fronts, the alterations in climate and the associated mutations within the animal kingdom kindle the fires of our deepest instincts as hunters and gatherers. The urgency of autumn residing in our cores also stretches out to the horizon, rides the breeze and pulses beneath the dimpled surface of cooling water.

With the arrival of brisk winds, trout and redfish follow flood tides into backwaters to feast before winter; flounder crowd into guts near marsh entrances and along shallow shoreline reefs.

Gadwall lift gently off hidden lakes in the prairie pothole region and head south in loose, high flocks; men station themselves along fencerows to pluck passing doves from the sky as they return to water in twilight.

All living creatures are compelled to do certain things in order to survive. In the case of flounder migrating to the safe haven of the Gulf or redfish drumming in sandy currents outside the breakers adjacent to a coastal pass, the survival instinct is easy to read. In the case of humans seeking sport, it’s a more subtle thing.

As the dominant species, we mutate in autumn primarily for the sake of the preservation of our spirit and souls. Few of us subsist off our efforts in fishing, hunting and other sports, but many of us benefit greatly from the rejuvenating effects of the onset of fall and the sporting seasons it ushers in.

Ironically, the

hope and anticipation we feel are tempered by the knowledge that winter is on the way. The signs announcing the birth of autumn also hint that another year is one step closer to the grave.

Chill winds fan slow fires that turn the colors of the leaves and eventually dry them and drive them to the ground.

Close in the shadow of fall, the barren, brittle world of winter inevitably follows. Invigorating, yet subtle September alterations give way to dazzling, azure October skies, then the ominous clouds and cold November rains rush in; eventually December’s bracing, bold fronts send things into a final spin.

I caught this 27 incher in October, when the nip in the air makes both the fish and the fishermen more frisky.

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Autumn is to the year as evening is to the day. Just when the fish begin to bite better and the deer appear among the shadows at the edges of the fields, the light fades away. We get that brief, frantic flurry of activity in the waning light, then the dark of night descends.

Yet in that otherwise bleak night there burns a guiding light, especially for trophy trout hunters in south Texas. While the hoopla over pigskin rivalries, the macho hunts for Muy Grande and the shared camaraderie known by waterfowlers hiding in brushed blinds draw others away from the bays, we keep on plugging in quiet solitude. When other sporting seasons end and winter settles in, our high times are just beginning.

Many of our best and most predictable outings happen during the cold

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This article appeared in this magazine some time ago. I have made additions and improvements to it since then. Writing works that way for me; the things I create are enhanced over time through scrutiny and revision. As I age and change, so too does my work. Some things never change, like the sentiments that form the conceptual basis for this piece.

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Bright autumn skies like the ones in this picture make for pleasant days on relatively uncrowded bays.

By the end of fall, in December, when thick winter coats and hats are often required, we catch some of our biggest trout.

season. Trophy fish are easier to pattern and feed with reckless abandon when they can. The anticipation of memorable catches in Jack Frost’s months makes the fall ever more pleasant and poignant for us. Strangely, the bittersweet emotion brought on by the year’s end is counterbalanced by the thrill of the arrival of our truest trophy season.

As I type, the days are getting shorter, focused flocks smear dark streaks across the sky, the bull tide stands poised to take its bounty to the open

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sea, whitetail bucks meet and collide in a secluded sendero, bands march to honor the colors of their teams, and a select few focused anglers head onto the bays in search of giant speckled trout.

Those of us who join the quest feel an everincreasing sense of urgency. We race right by the working gulls and terns, past prolific flounder holes and redfish rodeos, only faintly aware of honking geese flying in formation over our heads as we make our way to the flats, rocks, reefs and drop offs, the haunts of the stars of our dreams.

The onset of winter drives us crazy with need.

Just as stressed snow geese return every year to the same parts of coastal prairies after their treacherous and epic journey from the arctic, restless trophy hunters arrive in proven winter hotspots, waiting for circumstances to align, watching for all the right signs in weather patterns, time and tides. We will be there, chunking, winding, hoping for the fish of a lifetime to take hold of our hearts and fully stretch our lines.

While we work and wait, the irony of autumn can be read both in the dying afternoon light and the growing gleam in our eyes!

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they are removed. This will help greatly during re-assembly.

Begin by loosening the thumbscrews on the side plate and pull it away from the reel body.

Remove the star drag by turning it counter clockwise. Take care- there is a washer on the inside of the star that will fall out… keep them together. You’ll find two washers on the shaft when you remove the star drag. These need to be placed back just as they are so be careful to place them on the towel the way they came off. Remove the spool tension knob and set it on the towel as well.

Editor’s Note: Reader requests have been so numerous that Martin and I have decided we’d recycle this one. So for all you guys that love the nuts and bolts end of caring for your gear – Here ya go!

Unlike a lot of anglers I’ve always enjoyed cleaning my reels. I will admit that until the Shimano Calcutta 200 came out, my reel cleaning was limited to Ambassadeur and Daiwa reels and I had heard horror stories about opening the Shimano baitcasters. Those stories were just that and after spending an hour at the Shimano booth during the Houston Fishing Show a few years ago I learned how easy it is to disassemble and clean these fantastic reels.

The first thing you’ll need is a clean place to work and I suggest you spread a white towel to place everything on. You’ll need pliers, Phillips and flat blade screwdrivers, Shimano Star Drag Grease, reel oil, reel grease and some Q-tips.

While you are disassembling the reel, place the pieces on the towel in the order

If you have line on the spool and plan to re-use it, a wrap of Scotch tape will keep it in place and makes the spool easier to put back in the frame.

Next you will want to remove the nut cover on the reel handle and remove the nut with your pliers. Remove the reel handle and spring washer and in correct order on the towel.

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Remove the two small screws that keep the side plate attached to the gear housing.

When you have finished removing the side plate screws you can pull the side plate off and have a look inside. Keep the gear housing level www.TSFMAG.com

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as there are two small springs that will fall out if you’re not careful.

In the picture above you can see the roller clutch bearing and the roller clutch tube still in the side plate. You should be able to pull the roller clutch tube out of the bearing with ease.

If it is rusted and will not slide easily you’ll need some new parts and may want to take your reel to a pro. Hopefully this isn’t the case so remove the tube and place it aside and then press against the roller bearing until it comes out of the side plate. When you have the roller bearing out, examine it to make sure that there is no rust or discoloration on the bearings.

Take a Q-tip and swab inside with light oil and roll the bearing around it. If no rust shows up on the Q-tip and the bearings rolls okay, you’re good to go. If it show rust or discoloration, replace it.

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The gear housing is simple enough. Note the condition of the gears, the drag washer and the appearance of the working parts in general. You will notice the two small springs that I mentioned before here circled in red; remove these and set them on your towel as they are easily lost.

After you have removed and examined the roller bearing you’ll want to test the outer spool bearing, the one that you exposed when you removed the spool tension knob. To do this, take a small Phillips head screwdriver and place against the hole in the middle of the bearing and turn it gently. It should turn smoothly. If there is any rolling resistance of roughness it will need to be removed and replaced. Remove the bearing retainer with a small flat-blade screwdriver. The retainer is a small clip ring and very springy so take care lest it wind up on the other side of the room.

When the retainer is removed the bearing will press out and you can examine to see if cleaning will save it or it needs replacing. Do the screwdriver spin-test again.

November 2007

Part two continued next month…

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November 2007

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Mike McClelland and his 18 lb. jack crevalle on 10 lb. test line from PINS surf.

throughout the month the reason becomes clear.

Unfortunately, knowing it does not give an angler the power to change it, but at least now you know why. This will most probably lead to some exceptional fishing days later in October and continuing into November. I am predicting lots of fish making up for lost time but the peak of the activity will be shorter in length.

Large amounts of sargassum have continued to impact the shoreline of PINS since my last writing. The short-lived and fast moving tropical There are certain unavoidable laws of nature disturbance that started down around Brownsville and impacted the upper Texas coast as Hurricane one learns concerning surf fishing if he Humberto seems to have thrown every single piece does it long enough. One of these laws is that of sargassum left in the Gulf at us and has made any time there is a tropical low-pressure system for some miserable conditions all around. I’m told in or near the Gulf of Mexico the catching suffers that 2007 will go down in the record books as the dramatically regardless of all other conditions. “year of record” for the amount of sargassum to September was far below average catch-wise impact our beaches since record keeping began and that would figure as we had one low-pressure back around 1980. Old timers say the worse year behind the other in the Gulf throughout the month. they could remember was 1968 when the pesky As of early October many species have still not hydroid remained knee deep for twelve straight started their seasonal migration. When one takes months. I can’t verify that as I was in Southeast the low-pressures into consideration and adds Asia pursuing a different target. the unusually warm weather that has continued I know most things in nature run in cycles and I keep hoping that the current annual Tom Dougherty increase in the presence of sargassum will of Tyler, TX. with a caught and dwindle but it sure hasn’t shown any sign of released 5-pound letting up whatsoever for the past five years. tarpon from the Each year is worse than the year before PINS surf on 19 and as a hunter/gather it is this trend that Sept., 07. troubles me. Short-term it is changing the way we do business in the surf zone and it has forced me to make some changes in my

charter services.

I’ve always offered several types of surf adventures and among these Al Jasper with a caught and are light tackle realeased oversized redfish fishing and shark on PINS surf trip. fishing trips.

Customers book a prime weekend for shark fishing and then here comes the sargassum. We reschedule the trip but the upshot is that I lose an irreplaceable weekend charter. Light tackle fishing might have been exceptional that day but shark fishing wasn’t possible. The worst of it comes when the rescheduled date is also awash with sargassum and we lose that one too. First thing you know I have lost as many as ten Saturdays trying to take that one party shark fishing and haven’t gotten it done yet, while at the same time those were ten irreplaceable and much in demand dates could have been used for trout fishing or angling for other species. Business-wise it doesn’t make a bit of sense and financially it is devastating. Especially when I have a very seaworthy 25’ Panga sitting in my yard.

So, a change in the way I conduct my charter business is necessary. Those wishing a shark fishing only charter are welcome, and we may end up running a traditional surf outing, but if we are plagued with sargassum we may end up in the gulf or bay doing our shark fishing from the Panga. If we can do neither I will continue to reschedule charters. I also want to announce that I will be offering gulf charters for sharks and other

Sea turtle being buried alive by sand on incoming tide. It was tangled in heavy monofilament, possibly from lost or abandoned longline fishing gear.

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Photo by Charlie Golla.

This alligator was photographed near the 6-mile of the PINS beach on Sept. 16, 2007 – a rare sighting!

species on the Panga throughout the winter months as well as bay charters whenever the weather permits.

The Fourth Annual Sharkathon was held on PINS on 8 and 9 September. A total of 370 anglers entered and the largest shark prize money was won by Shawncy Perez with an 83” bull shark. This is a catch and release only tournament and I dearly wish other tournaments would adopt this format. There was quite a bit of grumbling on internet message boards about trash left after the event and I want to clearly state here and now that they were false. I saw two minimally trashed camp sites following the event and have no way of knowing if they were in the event or not as it was a busy weekend on PINS. Far more trash was left the following weekend by your regular campers than during Sharkathon.

My one peeve with the Sharkathon event is the blatant blocking of the beach by a large percentage of their campsites. I have contacted organizers of the event concerning this problem and they are already working to alleviate this issue during upcoming events. The blockages are simply to make things more convenient for the contestants in these camps and it is at the loss and hardship of all other beach travelers. Although it seems to be becoming the norm among young shark fishers to block the beach it has never been acceptable; it’s wrong, and it’s disrespectful to others who have as much right to use the resource and travel there as shark fishers do. If this event is to continue to receive my support this matter must be dealt with. I commend Sharkathon organizers for once again donating $1,000 of the proceeds of the event to the “Park Watch” program designed to help stop violation of game laws, vandalism and other illegal activities. Unlike Sharkathon, there will soon occur a San Antonio-based tournament on PINS and this one has a long record of being totally without saving graces and I yearn for the day it is totally displaced by Sharkathon.

National Marine Fisheries Service has conducted several little-publicized public meetings concerning proposals to enact “zero take” of several shark species by sport fishers while commercial shark catch quotas will remain unaltered. What’s up with that? There appears to be no concern for the well-being of the resource whatsoever in these proposals and certainly no CAPT. BILLY SANDIFER concern for the general citizenry who pay their wages. Presumably their chief concern and desire are only to protect commercial fishing. We all are aware of the decline in shark numbers worldwide; but this is due to overharvest from commercial longline fishing, not sport fishers. If it’s time for sport fishers to accept a “zero take” limit then certainly it is past time for a moratorium on commercial shark fishing until the affected species have a chance to rebound.

Billy operates Padre Island Safaris.

Charlie Golla encountered a 4½-foot alligator His specialties are fishing for at the 6-mile of PINS on 9/16/07. He and I both sharks to specks in the Padre Island surf and bayfishing for trout contacted government agents and they captured and redfish from a poled skiff. the little guy on 9/20/07 and relocated him to a nice, deep, freshwater pond. First live gator I’ve ever heard of on PINS but down in “God’s Country” few things are really all that surprising.

After all; Life’s a Hoot!

Be Careful, Be Courteous, Be Kind.

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Contact Billy Sandifer Telephone 361-937-8446 Website www.billysandifer.com November 2007

A common sight on beach fronts nowadays but it has not always been so. In 1978 Texas’ entire brown pelican population was estimated at 50 birds due to effects of DDT in the food chain. Currently, following elimination of DDT usage as an agricultural pesticide, their numbers have rebounded and brown pelicans are no longer considered endangered.

Body length - 45” Wingspan - 80” Marine inhabitant, confined to North and South America. Makes spectacular dives for fish. Adult has white face and brown belly.

Juvenile has brown face and white belly. (Note pic.)

Feeds on shoaling fishes. Works hard for a living and is a trustworthy indicator of presence of baitfish.

In the fall surf, brown pelicans often indicate the presence of jack crevalle as they both prefer larger bait fish.

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The color on these redfish is enough to keep you coming back for more.

ention sightfishing and most folk’s thoughts leap instantly to redfish

Sightcasting to shallow water redfish in brackish marshes means being a target oriented angler. Notice all the points and ambush areas presented in this broken marsh.

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tailing in clear, shallow water; none of which conjures images of our upper coast. Sightfishing, we’re told, happens between Port O’Connor and Port Isabel and can only be done down there.

If you subscribe to this traditional thinking you could be in for a rude awakening. Or maybe you come from a different camp, maybe you have already discovered that the upper coast has sight-fishing too; and right now you are cringing because I’m about to give the secret away. Regardless which group you belong to, the next few paragraphs are offered to help you take greater advantage of this style of fishing. It is one of the most exciting methods I know that doesn’t involve dynamite. Let me warn you, though, once you start chasing fish like this it becomes highly addictive; so by all means proceed with caution.

Now the classic scenario for sightfishing is and always will be bright sand bottom with patches of grass. The grass lends contrast to the background and everything jumps right out at you.

These conditions do not exist in my world, the bottom is generally dark here and contrary to popular belief we do have clear water. The problem with the upper coast is that the predominantly dark bottom tricks people into believing the water is muddy. I always enjoy the reaction of first time

November 2007

clients when they throw a spinnerbait or spoon into that dark water and it remains plainly visible all the way back to the boat. It is amazing how that dark bottom changes the perception.

Now that I’ve gotten you past believing you cannot see fish in our water it’s time to go to work. Unlike our neighbors to the south, upper coast fishermen have to learn to read things a little differently in order to see their fish. Everybody loves seeing a big red standing on his head waving that blue-fringed tail as if to say, “over here.” Tailing fish are the top of the list for the sight-caster but they are not the only target. Knowledgeable sightcasters will take full advantage of fish that give away their position with just a slight ripple or push that changes the complexion of the surface. Being able to see these subtle signs is much easier from an elevated position like a casting or poling platform.

The elevated position reduces surface glare and the distortion that comes with light refraction. It’s always fun to put a new angler up on the platform for the first time and let them see just how much better the view can be, especially when you are looking at fish.

Speaking of looking at fish, quality polarized glasses are an absolute must for this game; you almost can’t do it without them. In the last couple of years I have fallen in love with Maui Jim glasses and I wouldn’t dream of climbing into the boat without them. Without good polarized glasses you can almost forget about seeing the fish and you can likely also count on having a nasty headache at the end of a day from staring into the constant glare.

Let’s talk a bit about lure selection, not just for this particular style of fishing, but this region in general. We throw surface baits the majority of the time we spend in the shallow marshes. We throw them for the simple fact that it’s just a whole lot more fun to see these fish come to the surface and kill a www.TSFMAG.com

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plug. Smaller offerings like the She Dog, Spook Jr, Skitterwalk Jr, or Spittin Image seem to do the best as they are the perfect size to imitate the shad and mullet that are so thick in these backwaters. The only drawback to these smaller plugs is that the really big redfish, fish in the 12 to 16 pound range, tend to take them deep and you really have to be careful during removal to avoid injuring the fish. Other baits that produce well are of course spoons and soft plastics in a variety of sizes and colors. Two of my favorites are the Bass Assassin Sea Shad and tube jig, both of which we rig weedless. Spinnerbaits in both safety pin and in-line versions are also great because they can be worked in many different ways to cover lots of water when you can’t see the fish. Now there is one more lure I’d like to mention and it probably provides the ultimate rush and most vicious strikes you can imagine, the Stanley Ribbit. This soft plastic frog rigged weightless and worked in nasty grass can draw heart-stopping strikes. If you have never seen a redfish come up through a mat of grass and destroy a plug you don’t know what you are missing, it’s incredible.

Requirements for fishing lines can vary as you travel the coast and this is where the upper coast folks may have an advantage over their south Texas neighbors. Back in these brackish marshes line size doesn’t seem to matter near as much as it does on those super-clear flats. I have been using Suffix braid in a variety of sizes with and without fluorocarbon leaders and it doesn’t seem to spook the fish. Monofilament in 10 to 12 pound test also works well provided you are not in really thick grass where a strong fish can pull off or even break off given half a chance. Fishing braided line gives you the ability to put more pressure on the fish and pull them out of the cover. Another good point to consider is post-release survival, especially in warm summertime water. Braid helps us to land the fish quickly and then make a good release whereas lighter mono-filament usually means a long drawnout fight. The long the fight will stress them to a far greater degree and reduce their chances to survive.

For these reasons I am sold on the braid for this type of fishing.

There is one more area that we must cover in order to make this journey complete and that’s casting accuracy. In many saltwater angling situations just getting the lure out there is enough, covering wide open spaces with many casts will get the job done. Our freshwater fishing brothers and sisters are much more target oriented than those of us who stay in saltwater and their development of casting accuracy shows this. Becoming an accurate caster is important in sight-fishing. Nothing is more frustrating than working the boat into position to get a shot at good redfish and having an errant cast spook the fish and blow the whole deal. Everyone in the boat feels the let down, including the caster and www.TSFMAG.com

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Careful attention must be paid when releasing these fish so they will be there for future generations.

the guide.

With practice at specific targets and known distances you can greatly increase your chances of success. When my son Hunter was 6 or 7 years old we would play a game in the yard.

Hunter would get on the poling platform and cast at me pretending to be the fish. I would walk slowly in front of him and he would have to cast in front of me — landing it far enough not to spook me but close enough to where the plug would still be in the strike zone. My neighbors got a big kick out of our little game, especially when I would stop and pick one foot up pretending to “tail.” Our little game has paid big dividends as Hunter has become a great caster and someone I always enjoy having on the bow of the boat.

I hope I have dispelled some of the myths about sight-fishing on the upper coast and I hope that sometime in the near future you get a chance to experience it for yourself. Far too few anglers from our part of the coast have ever gotten a chance to chase fish like this and experience the thrill that this style of fishing offers. Give it a shot because it’s well worth the effort.

Kamm Morgan with a beautiful slot redfish from a southwest Louisiana marsh.

Powerful runs and explosive strikes are trademarks that make the redfish such an exciting target.

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Ask your average Texas inshore angler if they have ever landed a tripletail and in most cases all you

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Capt. Bill Pustejovsky works a channel marker piling. Tripletail often float on their side just below the surface near structure like this.

and their voracious appetite can be their greatest undoing. Throw in the uncommon delectability of their flaky white flesh and you can understand Billy’s reluctance to talk.

Capt. James Shuler of Fin & Feather Guide Service lent credence to Billy’s comments, “before the regs went into effect I saw 120-quart coolers full of tripletail.”

James was describing his years as a field technician for Bill Balboa – TPWD Matagorda

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Photo by Pam Johnson

will get in reply is a puzzled look. Offshore anglers encounter tripletail as they work weedlines and production platforms but, again, few can lay claim to much knowledge or angling prowess. But to be fair, fishermen aren’t the only ones in the dark; fisheries biologists and resource managers can do little more than scratch their heads when talk turns to tripletail. Popularly held scientific opinion is just that; hard data regarding lifecyles, spawning habits, where they come from and where they go when they leave is almost nonexistent. One fact is obvious though; West Matagorda Bay is the summer home for lots of tripletail.

Up until a couple of months ago my personal knowledge of tripletail was limited to what I had read in my pocket-sized fish identification guide. My attempts to catch them had ended unsuccessfully for the simple reason that I didn’t have a clue. Enter veteran Matagorda fishing guide and my personal tripletail fishing mentor, Capt. Bill Pustejovsky.

Billy and others who cut their eye teeth in the Matagorda bays unraveled the secrets of tripletailing long before a lot of us knew where Matagorda was. When I first quizzed Billy about tripletail a couple summers ago I noticed a twinkle came to his eye but his response was a little dodgy and it threw me at first, “Tripletail, yeah we got ‘em here; what about ‘em, why you asking me about tripletail?”

Like I said, Billy is no Johnny-come-lately and I was about to learn that when it came to tripletail he was no blabbermouth either, “Look, the guys that know what they’re doing don’t go around crowing about it, OK. Catching them is actually pretty easy once you learn how; biggest problem is they are the best eating fish you ever put in a frying pan and we’ve got people that will wipe them out if you turn them on to it. The last thing we need are a bunch of magazine articles and more pressure on these fish.”

Prior to TPWD’s implementation of tripletail regulations in September 2006 that declared them gamefish and set a daily bag limit of three, it was Katy-bar-the-door in some fishing circles when word got ‘round that the ‘tails were back. It turns out that the tripletail’s affinity for hanging on structure

Bay Ecosystem Leader. James also spent considerable time catching tripletail on rod and reel as part of TPWD’s tripletail tagging program. So, like Billy, he knows what he’s talking about.

So why then this article if two of my buddies have cautioned me about publicizing West Matty’s mystery fish? Well, it goes like this. Tripletail are gamefish now and the old ways are no longer legal, the three fish bag

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“It’s my turn!”

limit put an end to the abuse. Plus, I want to let you in on a really neat story.

It is no secret that Texas anglers are the beneficiaries of the greatest success story in the conservation of coastal resources.

Through the combined effort of Texas A&M and University of Texas research scientists, TPWD, CCA Texas and some very generous Texas corporations, our bays have been stocked with more than a half billion redfish and trout fingerlings over the past 23 years, a magnificent shot in the arm for Mother Nature.

And today, UTMSI (University of Texas Marine Science Institute) are looking at tripletail!

At the invitation of Dr. Lee Fuiman and Dr. Joan Holt I made a couple of visits this summer to the University of Texas Marine Science Institute at Port Aransas. Jeff Kaiser took me on a tour of the facilities where I spied a tank that held a lone tripletail. Jeff explained he had caught the fish in the Aransas Channel and went on to say their team had a keen interest in setting up a study program. The ultimate goal would be to spawn tripletail in captivity, something nobody has ever accomplished, and hopefully also define hatching and rearing protocol to support stocking programs. So now I had a twinkle in my eye!

Jeff went on to explain that getting the program started would obviously require more

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than one fish, but where and how could they get them? I volunteered to help and naturally my first call went to Capt. Bill.

Billy got on it like a trout on a Top Dog. “We’ll have to get right to it, though,” he shot back, “we’ve already missed the peak, they head back to the gulf as soon it starts to cool off.”

We laid some hasty plans for Jeff and Barrett Fines to meet us at Port O’Connor.

They were to bring a transport tank and oxygen system for the ride back to Port Aransas.

We’d all get in my boat with Capt. Bill as guide and we’d get the research team some tripletail… easy! Well almost.

Like Billy cautioned on the phone, late September was a little late.

I should also mention that the day’s forecast included an 80% chance of thunderstorms, and the livewell

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on my boat was never designed to carry a 20pound tripletail. We went for it all the same.

Billy had us pull up to the first channel marker piling we came to on the ICW a few miles east of Port O’Connor. Billy baited up with a live shrimp on a long leader under a popping cork and jumped up on the bow. “Idle me up to about 100 feet from it on the upwind side and try to hold it steady in reverse.”

Sounds easy, I thought, but the wind and current had other ideas.

Eventually I found the knack of handling

(Source: TPWD)

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Photo by Tracey Johnson

Photo by Jeff Kaiser

Our tripletail seem to be enjoying their new home at UTMSI.

Jeff and yours truly look on as Barrett makes one last check on the oxygen level.

screamed and Billy screamed louder, “Back me up, we gotta get him away from there!”

A couple minutes later Barrett snapped the Boga Grip on Billy’s fish and hoisted it aboard – all 18 pounds of it. We quickly set about getting the fish into the livewell and then did the obligatory high-fives. We had our first study fish!

I aimed the boat back downwind for a second attempt as Billy baited up but it wasn’t to be, Pam had already claimed the bow. “It’s my turn,” she blurted as the cork took flight. Her shot was slightly wide but Billy coached her to pull it over Tripletail have a marked affinity a few feet and then start letting out for hanging on structure. line. Bingo – we had our second fish on. Nobody had to remind me; I was already at full reverse. This one the boat; yet pilings and buoys later our only pulled the Boga to the 15 mark takers were pinfish, sheepshead and gafftop. and we were beyond giddy.

Eventually we worked toward a set of small With lightning flashing and the sea wooden gas production platforms for a mounting we beat a retreat to the TPWD change of scenery and hopefully better luck. dock at Port O’Connor. Jeff and Barrett got Capt. Bill was persistent, but with storms the fish transferred to their tank and took off brewing on all sides and the water growing for the lab. All we needed was another day rougher, my faith was fading. and another dozen fish to set up the study.

Billy fired the cork at the platform and Hopefully we’ll get them before they all head fed some slack letting it drift between the to their winter haunts in the Gulf of Mexico. pilings. Instantly the cork took a dive and he Anyone wishing to learn more about reared back in a Bill Dance hookset. The reel UTMSI’s tripletail project, or perhaps some

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of our readers would like to participate in tripletail captures to help enlarge the study population, Jeff Kaiser can be reached via email at JKaiser@UTMSI.utexas.edu.

Here are some tripletail facts from Bill Balboa: Tripletail, in captivity, can grow up to • 14-inches per year • Matagorda Bay is the only Texas estuary with a directed fishery for the species. We are not sure why but we do know they appear in the late spring and leave during the fall following the first cool weather. Additionally, TPW fishery independent data indicate higher numbers of tripletail in Matagorda Bay than other Texas estuaries.

• TPW data indicate nearshore Gulf off Sabine and Galveston produce significant numbers of tripletail during the summer months.

• Tripletail are thought to spawn from April through September, offshore in water depths of >70 meters.

• Texas was the third state to implement regulatory action in order to help protect the population (Alabama and Florida preceded us). Mississippi is in the process of implementing bag and size restrictions.

• Males mature at about 12-inches and females mature at about 17-inches.

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I know that some of you already hate me and have not even finished reading the first sentence. The title of this month’s article stirs deep emotions in many saltwater anglers. But before we lace up the boxing gloves, let me get a few facts about me straight.

I own a Majek Illusion, commonly known as a burn boat, the absolute best performing shallow water boat I have ever owned. The materials and workmanship in this boat are classic MAJEK, and it goes without saying that the Majek name stands for quality before and after the sale. I use the boat’s shallow planing capability to find fish for myself, my clients, and for locating the right fish for tournament situations. I do not run over other fishermen or run areas that I know are already holding fish.

I respect others rights while on the water even though I get run over and cut off more times than anyone reading this might imagine. I had two guys drop an anchor so close to me in a slough the other day that I had to step over it to get back to my boat! What goes around comes around and typically it increases its speed as it makes its way back to us. I know there are more than a few of you out there that have had bad encounters with vessels capable of burning as well as those simply designed to get us from point A to point B. We need to define BURNING before we go further. My definition of burning is: Running slow enough, shallow enough, in calm enough, clear enough, water to see baitfish, gamefish and bottom structure — without destruction of seagrasses, and all of this from an elevated position on the boat.

One can burn shallow water with many types of boats and many different styles of elevation. I see top-drives on shallow tunnel hulls and step ladders fastened with tie downs in deeper V-bottomed hulls. All are extremely effective when the right pair of eyes are peering into the water. For years guides and non-guides using airboats have simply run until they spotted 34

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the fish in the back lakes or along shorelines from the higher than normal vantage point. The method is as popular today as it was 20 years ago and still brings out the worst in us when we feel such a boat has ruined our day. The fact is an airboat disturbs us way more than it disturbs seagrasses or gamefish. Some do not believe this but it is true.

If burning totally spooked the fish to the point of not being able to catch them it would not have grown so popular. This is not to say

would allow us to continue the tactic. I never saw a ticket written or ever heard mention of the word harassment from law enforcement. In those days the local wardens would sit outside the boats and check your fish as you exited the circled wagons. I was in the middle of many such rodeos or sat off to the side with my people waiting for the school to slip out of the circle so we could troll motor or pole towards them casting spoons and Cocahoe Minnows.

I know the past is boring so lets cut to

that in shallow lakes the presence of a large boat running on plane can not and will not spook fish, it does. This is especially true when the fish have little deep water to move to for security. Add a deep gut or drop-off and the fish will run to it and then return shortly, ready to eat in many cases. Methods that prevent anglers from catching fish find themselves on a dusty back shelf in the proven saltwater fishing tactics library.

The 2007 TPWD digest includes an addition to a FISH HARASSMENT law already on the books. This new part of the law addresses the harassment of gamefish with ANY TYPE VESSEL, the original language was aimed more specifically at AIR BOATS and was probably more applicable to rallying of migratory birds.

The key here is in defining what constitutes HARASSMENT and how does it differ from the legitimate PURSUIT of gamefish with the intention of catching them. This subject came to my attention during the 2007 redfish tournament season that Jay Ray and I recently completed.

To be perfectly honest I was unaware of any law that prohibited fishermen from locating fish and then catching them with the aid of a boat. In all my experience I have never heard of anyone being ticketed

the truth about this burning issue. After the recent FLW Redfish Tournament in Rockport the subject of harassment came up on lots of e-mails and message boards on the internet.

I do not visit the message boards myself but do have tons of e-mails forwarded to me that have attached messages. After a few days of looking at these I was compelled to contact local and Austin-based TP&W law enforcement concerning the NEW addition to the law.

My question to them was simple… What is harassment and what will you give me a ticket for. The way I look at it, I can afford to lose a tournament but, I cannot afford to be disqualified from an event due to failing a polygraph! I was told that the definition of harassment is very broad and writing tickets was not something they planned on doing.

Numerous wardens stated that proving harassment would be almost impossible. I then asked if it was illegal or considered to be

for harassment of gamefish. Years ago during the noted “redfish rodeo” days in California Hole where 30-plus boats would surround large schools of redfish; I often wondered how long the TPW guys November 2007

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If you think just anyone with a shallow draft boat can effectively burn, locate, and then catch these fish you are mistaken. harassment for me to locate and then cast toward and catch redfish out of schools. Not against the law, they said. How about getting back up and running until I found them again and once again casting and catching? Still not against the law, was the answer.

It is not ILLEGAL to PURSUE gamefish with the intent to catch them. Pursuing is not a form of harassment; if it was illegal the airboat guys would have been shut down many years ago.

Running a school with a trolling motor may seem less aggressive but fish will flee from trolling motor noise, so it this a form harassment?

From my conversations with the officials it appears that through lack of clear definition, the harassment issue is something that is going to be difficult to enforce. With this said, it brings us to what I feel is the REAL problem, and that is general fishing ethic. Is it ethically responsible of us to locate and catch fish in this manner? Well, I am personally undecided.

The main reason I say this is that I do not see the pursuit of fish in the manner I’ve described to be harming or depleting the numbers of fish any more than our normal fishing pressure. If you think just anyone with a shallow draft boat can effectively burn, locate, and then catch these fish you are mistaken. It is only a small percentage of anglers that have ALL of the skill necessary to effectively and consistently make burning pay.

Let’s get back to the ethics issue. Let me set the stage as to where I think we are in our small fishing world. We are all standing in a circle, looking down into a pit. Stones lay at our feet and the subject of burning lies below us.

Some have already picked up stones and juggle them nervously in their hands. Others look for courage from those around them and some just don’t feel right about the whole thing but could become followers. Remember this setting; we will return to it.

If running a boat designed to go shallow and therefore give us a visual advantage while searching for fish to ultimately catch is unethical, then we might want to take a closer 36

Texas Saltwater Fishing

look at some of the tactics we use to take other forms of game. I doubt anyone of us wants to hunt ducks without a spread of decoys.

What about placing dove decoys in that dead mesquite tree? Are we are planting food plots, feeding protein and laying down corn just for the wellness of the deer, hogs and turkey with no intent of harvesting these animals? Do we implement tall blinds, hydraulic lifts and 4x4 trucks with top-drives to give us a better vantage point? What about a squealing rabbit call when varmint hunting? What about bird dogs; without pointers would we be as effective at locating and taking quail? When the birds flush and the dogs seek out the singles is this not some form of harassment? What about chumming, would gamefish come within easy casting distance without it?

Are you seeing what I am talking about here? How about some less conspicuous forms of unfair advantage. Do you use your GPS to mark safe paths, anchor locations, and place fish icons to pinpoint sweet spots so you can go back to the EXACT spot where that school of big trout are holding in severely cold temperatures? What about calling your buddies that are on fish and asking them where to go; would you be able to get on them without their help?

Ever watched somebody catch fish and then tried to beat him to that same location the next day by leaving the dock before daylight? What about using the cell phone to see if others in your network are catching fish in other locales?

I hope you see where I am going. I am guilty of some of the above mentioned examples and I do not feel that it is unfair nor do I feel it is a form of harassment.

Is there a solution? I think so, and I think each one of us holds the key. It’s called caring about your fellow fishermen and it is treating them with the respect you would like to be treated with. If a kayak is in your favorite lake, don’t run over him to get to where you want to be. Yes you have just as much right to the water November 2007

but he is already there. The way I see it, if you are in the lake first in your shallow draft boat, the kayaker should extend the same courtesy to you.

Don’t burn shorelines with wade fishermen on them; run offshore until you are well out of their way. If we locate a school of fish and the methods we are using are impeding someone else’s chances of catching fish, stop it, legal or not, it not right. It’s simple; treat others in the same manner you would prefer to be treated.

All that I have mentioned in this article is my personal opinion and is meant to help us look at this issue in a different light. And even with all this being said, I still have mixed emotions.

In closing, if you’ve never been guilty of using any method that some might see as unfair advantage or possibly a form of harassment, then grab you a nice smooth round one and chunk away. As for me, I think I feel a whole lot better after having looked at myself in a truly honest light. I hate negative talk and controversy, it divides us and makes us easy marks for those wishing to shut us down. Ill feelings can fester like a sore. And left untreated, the result can be devastating.

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37

“Why is fishing so important to you?” I have been asked that question many times over the years, often under duress, and I have yet to adequately answer it. Maybe it’s a spiritual thing, or DNA, or just a passion for the outdoors that drives me to fish. All I know is that fishing is an undeniable part of who I am. And although my love for it has caused me to make a few unwise choices over the years, fishing has always brought me great joy and great memories. It refreshes my spirit, clears my mind, and reinforces my love for my family, friends, and wild places.

One trip recently was especially memorable.

I was fishing with my buddy Jon Fisher from San Antonio. Jon and I have been fly fishing together for years. He’s a good angler, he’s patient, and he has a great sense of humor. Perhaps that’s why Jon puts up with most of my wild ideas and notions about how to catch fish on flies.

On the first day of this particular trip the flats were a mess so we headed out toward bigger water. We located a steep sandbar where a strong tidal rip created a wedged-shaped area of chop. After anchoring the boat, we began to cast into the rip, letting our lines swing with the current and sink into the abyss. On the third cast, I felt my fly line pull defiantly tight and nearly straight down. I set the hook into a heavy moving object and my rod bent deeply.

It was promising news at the end of a tough day. The fish swam in a solid deliberate manner, slowly circling the boat and working the current to his advantage. It felt like a broad-shouldered creature, clearly not a speck or skipjack, but at the same time not quite feisty enough to be a redfish.

After a brief tug-of-war I lifted the fish toward the surface. A dark body and long tentacles became visible. “What the….

Ha!… It’s a gafftop,” I said. I clumsily lifted him and the slime-covered leader into the boat and reached for my pliers. “Hey that’s a nice gafftop you got yourself there Case,” Jon said with a smirk. “Quit messing with me and grab the camera Jon,” I said.

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Texas Saltwater Fishing

Jon reluctantly retrieved his line and snapped a few shots with one of my cameras. I tossed the thumping gafftop back overboard and tried to deslime my leader. We caught several more gafftops as the last bits of evening light played out.

The following morning we were back out at the channel and it was alive with signs of life.

Broad swaths of birds were diving, and the water flicked and splashed with baitfish and predator activity. We positioned the boat upwind of a flock of feeding birds and began to drift into the action. Jon hooked up with a strong fish right on cue. Seconds later we identified it as a big skipjack as it jumped high in the air. Jon’s fish plunged under the boat and he put pressure on it. As he lifted the fish from the depths, his line bounced in a strange manner. Something didn’t seem quite right. From the front deck of the boat, I looked back down the side and into the deep green water. A huge grey object caught my eye as it materialized from below.

Never a dull moment.

Great memories.

November 2007

Jon Fisher fighting a redfish from a large suspended school.

As it drew closer, we could both see the creature was a massive bottlenose dolphin rising up towards the boat in a sideways position.

The dolphin burst to the surface and to our amazement laid there on its side with its huge body nestled up against the gunnels of the boat.

It was a magnificent animal with slick skin and polished teeth that gleamed in the morning sunlight. Carefully balanced across the dolphin’s open bill was Jon’s skipjack. The skipjack had not one scratch on it. It was as though the dolphin was delivering the fish straight to us and I swear he looked happy to do so.

Jon and I stood there speechless. The horrified skipjack made a desperate attempt to escape but the dolphin just twitched and kept him balanced across its nose. On his second attempt the skipjack got lucky and flopped off the dolphin’s nose, ripped out Jon’s slack line and threw the hook in the process. The dolphin took a disappointed look at us and then dove below the boat.

“What is wrong with you?” Jon said. “Where’s your damn camera? I stopped what I was doing last night to take shots of your gafftop and then you miss a shot of THAT?” I didn’t know what to say, except that the dolphin must have hypnotized me or something.

Just then the dolphin reappeared on the other side of the boat and stuck his head up over the edge. Adding insult to injury, he looked at us both and then leaned back and sank belly-up into the green depths. It was a surreal experience.

Jon was pretty quiet up in the front of the boat, so after a few minutes I decided it might be a good idea to take a spin. I fired up the motor and headed down to a corner along the channel where several pelicans were drifting over a large dark patch of floating weeds. We anchored the boat a short distance from the pelicans and began to cast. “So… you still pissed about that whole no-camera deal with the dolphin there Jon?” I asked, hoping to break the ice with a little www.TSFMAG.com

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A nice oversized red.

There has never been a time when there was more

Back to the water.

humor. “Pretty much,” he said. More silence followed. But the silence broke moments later when we discovered the dark spot below the pelicans wasn’t a pad of drifting weeds, it was a giant school of redfish.

Jon hopped in the front of the boat and punched a cast at the approaching school. Seconds later he was hooked up with a big redfish and believe me… I was snapping photos. After a lengthy fight, Jon boated the fish. It was just shy of 30 inches — his biggest redfish on fly tackle. Jon released the red and organized his line with shaky fingers.

The huge school circled around us and he fired cast at them, hooking up immediately with another large red. Countless redfish enveloped the boat as Jon fought the fish. It was an amazing site. Jon landed and released his red and we traded positions on the boat.

By then, the school had stretched out in a long winding purple trail backlit by deep green water. I shot a cast toward the right side of the trail and one of the reds casually peeled off and grabbed my Clouser. When I set the hook he streaked off toward open water. What a great feeling to be standing on the deck of the boat with your line singing off the reel and into the depths. I eventually got the red to the boat and after several photos we released him back to the channel.

The school had vanished, but that was alright. For nearly 30 minutes they had been all around us. Jon and I knew it couldn’t get much better than that. It had been a strange day on the water. It was a day I will never forget, and yet another answer to the question of why I love to fish.

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widespread interest in saltwater fly fishing.

And fortunately, quality tackle has never been more affordable and qualified instruction more available. Many of the saltwater fly fishing pioneers, self-taught anglers who learned by doing, are still with us today. A handful of these individuals have become talented teachers, sharing their knowledge through books, articles, and lectures.

Of these teaching anglers, there are two types I find especially influential. The first are the innovators- anglers like Ken Abrames, Bob Popovics, and Carl Richards. These folks take an artistic or creative approach to fly tying and fly fishing. They compel us to try new things and teach us to rethink the way we see the natural world. The second group is the scholars. The scholars have devoted their lives to learning everything they can about fly fishing and the fish they pursue. They spend untold hours on the water experimenting, learning, and refining, and they develop an encyclopedic knowledge of their subjects. They are master observers and teachers. Lefty Kreh, Ed Mitchell, and Chico Fernandez fit this category, as does East Coast angler Lou Tabory.

Tabory has spent his life trying to unravel the mysteries of fly fishing. He is best known for his skills at catching large stripers on fly tackle, but his passion for angling has led him around the world. Tabory has written countless articles on saltwater fly fishing and has authored a number of books on the subject.

Tabory’s Inshore Fly Fishing is perhaps his most comprehensive work.

In Tabory’s own words, the focus of Inshore Fly Fishing, “…is how to read and fish different waters — from moving water through the many types of fishing locations inshore waters hold.” Nearly the entire first half of Inshore Fly Fishing is devoted to this topic. Tabory discusses the physical aspects of different water types (what makes them what they are), shows how they can be located and identified, and then provides explanations on how and why fish position themselves around these features to travel and feed. Nearly every conceivable form of current, structure, and water body type are covered in this section.

The second half of the book is devoted to tackle and techniques. Tabory describes in detail the tackle, rigging, flies, and knots that work best for different fly fishing situations. He also covers fish fighting techniques and several unconventional topics like chumming and night fishing.

Inshore Fly Fishing is a great book. It is thorough, well written, and the detailed line drawings and photographs do a good job of illustrating the topics.

Like Lefty Kreh’s Fly Fishing in Salt Water, and Ed Mitchell’s Fly Rodding the Coast, Lou Tabory’s Inshore Fly Fishing will stand the test of time.

Inshore Fly Fishing 312 pp. The Lyons Press $19.95

November 2007

By Lou Tabory ISBN: 1-55821-158-6 Texas Saltwater Fishing

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6

7

8

As anglers, we are often drawn to the salt because of the tenacity of the fish that live there. Saltwater fish are sheathed in muscles that propel them over great distances and their mouths are racked with teeth that can grip, crush, or slice large prey species. But in spite of these formidable assets, saltwater fish often target relatively small prey. One would think the return offered by a small meal would not be worth the energy invested, but it often is.

This can be witnessed on the flats, where redfish chase down and devour juvenile shrimp and baitfish fry, or at night under lights when trout slip up from the shadows and ambush small flickering fish and crustaceans that have themselves come to feed on plankton and other tiny organisms. But perhaps the most stunning example is in the late summer and early fall when millions of matchsticksized anchovies ball up and drift down the beach. From a distance these tea-colored schools of anchovies resemble small oil spills or patches of dirty water. Predators locate and stalk these schools, often blasting through them at high speeds with mouths wide open, filtering out handfuls of calorie-rich anchovies. When the fish target small prey, it pays to have a selection of small flies on hand.

One really neat fly that can be tied in very small sizes is the Ice Dub Baitfish. The body of this fly is made from Hairline’s Ice Dub material. Hairline’s Ice Dub is a very finely shredded mylar. It’s available in all sorts of pearlescent and metallic shades, and it works great as a flash material for small patterns. Ice Dub can be dubbed (as the name suggests), mixed with other materials, or just tied straight to the hook shank. Only a small amount is needed to impart an iridescent glow to flies.

The Ice Dub baitfish is formed by tying on a very slim craft fur tail and then dubbing a small amount of Ice Dub material onto the hook shank. The Ice Dub fibers are then picked out with a strip of Velcro and shaded with permanent markers. A set of bold 3-D eyes finish the fly. The net result is a scant baitfish pattern that absolutely comes to life when submerged. It’s a durable fly and very easy to cast. I have found slow twitching retrieves work best, bringing out the pattern’s fluid action and iridescent shine.

Ice Dub Baitfish patterns will work well on the flats when predators are targeting small baitfish, and they are great flies for casting under lights. Ice Dub Baitfish are also terrific flies for stripers and white bass if you ever make it inland. The pattern can be tied to match nearly any small minnow. I prefer to tie them in solid silver, grey/pearl, and maple/pearl (shown). Small versions are typically tied on #4 to #8 hooks.

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Texas Saltwater Fishing

4

9

5

10

Hook: Mustad 34007 #4 to #8 Thread: Clear nylon mono Eyes: Stick on 3-D eyes (glued on) Tail: Sparse craft fur fibers Body: Ice Dub flash material Shading: Permanent markers

small bead of Loctite gel superglue to the

Glue: Loctite Gel Superglue

top of hook shank. 5. Carefully palmer (wind) the thread forward, maintaining firm tension as you go. 6. When you reach the eye of the hook, tie off the thread.

1. Attach several craft fur fibers at rear

7. Use a small patch of Velcro to pick out

of hook shank. 2. Pull out a small clump

the Pearl Ice Dubbing fibers on all sides

of Pearl Ice Dub fibers and spread them

of the hook shank. 8. The fibers should

out across your fingertips. 3. Dub (spin)

have a smooth gentle taper. 9. Secure

the fibers around the bare thread until

plastic 3-D eyes with gel superglue.

they tighten and even out over approx.

10. Shade the back of the fly with a

3 inches of thread length. 4. Apply a

permanent marker (optional). Done.

November 2007

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41

Approaching the large metal building a glimmer of light peeked between its front doors calling us to come and see what lurked inside. As the door slid open we were instantly blinded by bright afternoon sun streaming through open doors on the other end. Squinting, a human form could be seen hunched over a large black object, studying intently and rubbing, as if feeling for a pulse. The figure rose and approached and soon I could make out a man in jeans and t-shirt wearing a protective mask and covered in a mixture of sweat and dust. He extended his hand and greeted us, “Hi, I’m Johnny.”

It was January 2006. Reid Westmoreland, my tournament partner, and I were in Corpus Christi at Majek Boat Works and we had come to see a new project Jimmy and Johnny Majek were working on. The large black object Johnny was hunched over was the plug that would produce a new hull mold for what some were already touting to be a perfect redfish tournament boat.

Now unless you understand fiberglass boat building, the term “plug” probably deserves explanation. A plug usually begins as a 100% handcrafted object and is in fact a boat of sorts. Most builders rig the plug as a working prototype with engine and controls to conduct sea trials and further develop and fine tune the planing and handling characteristics of their creations. The inside of a plug is left rough and unfinished, the outside however serves as the object the final mold is formed around.

Meticulous care is therefore given to removing every flaw, no matter how tiny, by either filling or blending. This requires hundreds of hours of tedious hand labor with epoxy compounds, rasps, sandpaper and other contouring tools.

Johnny Majek is as much an artist as he is a boat builder, and it was the artist’s touch he was applying when we opened the door.

Jimmy explained that this project was not in their production shop, but, “down in Area 51,” to keep prying eyes from spying the new design 42

Texas Saltwater Fishing

and the process that has made Majek Boats so successful.

The brothers affectionately refer to it as Skunkworks 22 after the secret Majek Xtreme at Kemah Redfish Cup. Good for longer runs and engineering facility rougher water like Galveston Bay. Jim Franklin and Brian Fornea. that produced the famous F-111 stealth fighter. We spent the Xtreme in Kemah, next hour discussing Texas. Brandon Jenewein, Reid the new hull as Westmoreland.

Jimmy and Johnny explained what each detail was designed to deliver.

The plug had already been in the water several times for a series of secret water trials and the brothers were anxious to explain the process by which numerous features had been adjusted and tweaked to deliver the precise level of performance Redfish line in Clearwater Florida, Charlie and Jack they were seeking.

Barton, Team TTF. The 25 Redfish line incorporated Reid and I, who both work changes that were then incorporated into the Illusion. at a nuclear power plant, were appreciative of the amount of thought and our tournament adventures. engineering that went into it. It was obvious Now as January approaches, people will be that this new Majek creation was a compilation anticipating upcoming boat shows and some of many years of shop and on-the-water will be considering a new boat for the 2008 experience blended with a true desire to build a season. Different styles of boats have their own boat that would excel in its class. strengths and each can be selected to not only Later in 2006, the new boat emerged from provide tournament transportation, but can be Majek’s Area 51 and was christened the Illusion. leveraged to provide a competitive advantage The Illusion is 22’6” long and quickly became as well. the top seller in the impressive Majek lineup.

One inevitable question that comes up for This year, we got our wish and Kresta’s Boats those looking to purchase a boat for fishing in and Motors (www.krestasboats.com) rigged Texas is, “Should I get a tunnel hull?” I have our new Illusion with an Evinrude 200HO for personally anguished over this question, using November 2007

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Majek Xtreme in Clearwater Florida, Keith Rainwater and Sam Acure, Team TTF.

Redfish line, Flat bottom with tunnel, the King of shallow water fishing.

Xtreme in Clearwater, Florida, Keith Rainwater and Sam Acure.

spreadsheets and pro/con worklists to arrive at a decision. There is no easy answer, but a good way to look at the differences and advantages of different types of boats is to discuss the differences between the various models in the Majek lineup.

The Majek Redfish Line reigns as the champion of skinny water with many in this industry. A flat bottom boat will almost always provide the shallowest draft of any other design boat hull. Due to the large area and the water it displaces, a flat bottom design will float shallower than any vee or cat-type hull.

The Redfish Line has a large flat bottom with a tunnel that allows it to be operated with the outboard raised into the tunnel, well above the bottom of the boat. The tunnel feeds an incredible plume of water to the outboard’s prop and cooling water intakes. Properly equipped, and in the hands of a skilled operator, the Majek Redfish Line is capable of jumping very shallow and planing in mere inches.

The Majek Xtreme is a v-hull design and drafts deeper than the Redfish, however, on the upside, it is a much faster hull and provides a markedly smoother ride in choppy or rough waters. The Xtreme was born during the rapid growth of speckled trout tournaments here in Texas where fast and safe transport along with 44

Texas Saltwater Fishing

increased range for wade fishermen has always been a key ingredient in winning.

The Majek Illusion is actually somewhat of a compromise between the Redfish and the Xtreme. While its basic architecture is modified flat and uses the proven tunnel design of the Redfish, it uses softer chines in the development between the bottom and sides of the hull. There is also a slight step outside the tunnel that forms a rail of sorts to prevent sliding when turning. Overall, the wider stance of the Illusion keeps its static and running draft to within a whisker of the fully-flat bottomed Redfish. The step and chine design work in unison to provide more lift, greater speed and turning capability, similar to the Xtreme.

So which boat is best? Think about how you fish and where you fish most of the time. For Reid and me its all about redfish tournaments.

Most of my personal boating and tournament experience has been gained in v-hull boats and we have done well in them, but I must say that moving from the Xtreme to the Illusion has opened a lot of water and this plays nicely into the requirement to stay in the boat in so many of the redfish-style events. There is no question that the Illusion’s shallower shallow planing and drifting capabilities have allowed us to access areas redfish frequent a large part of the time November 2007

and our 2007 tourney record bears this out.

Perhaps the single greatest reason we chose the Illusion over the Redfish was the increased cruising speed it offered without the handicap of significantly deeper draft.

We also decided to concentrate on learning smaller and shallower areas closer to the various host marinas our tournaments would utilize rather than making long runs to waters we already knew as we did with our Xtreme.

This strategy often lends to increased fishing time between take-off and weigh-in and therefore deserves consideration in your overall tournament planning.

For someone that fishes primarily on the upper Texas coast and its larger bays, or perhaps competes more regularly in trout tournaments, the Xtreme could be more suited to your style of fishing. Someone on the lower coast may elect to have the shallow draft of the Redfish Line due to always fishing skinny. One thing is for sure, as boat buying season approaches; spend some time on the water in the type boat you intend to purchase.

A boat is a big investment and you should be happy with your purchase. The right boat can make you more competitive or be a hindrance, so take your time and do the research.

If you ever see me on the water and want a test ride, just ask. I am not going to say that a Majek is the brand for everyone, but if you look at tournament finishes in Texas, the Majek brand is frequently seen at the top of the leaderboard. You be the judge.

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November 2007

Texas Saltwater Fishing

45

Many of us spend a lot of time on other outdoor activities this time of year. It

new equipment, maybe even selling this boat and getting a bigger or better one.

Some of the things you might want to think

is hunting season and deer, duck, quail, dove,

of are items like putting fuel stabilizer in your

turkey and other game start taking priority

boat’s gas tank to prevent it from breaking

over fishing for many of us. Cold fronts are

down and causing engine problems. It’s also a

coming through on a regular basis and the

good idea to keep your fuel tanks full to prevent

temperatures are falling. This change in season

condensation from forming on the exposed

doesn’t mean bluewater gamefish have left the

metal due to the extreme temperature changes.

area, but the rougher weather becomes a huge

Make sure any aluminum, chrome or stainless

factor in your ability to run to deep water off

on the boat is thoroughly cleaned, polished and

our coast. If you can get out, the fishing can be

waxed to keep it from pitting. Block heaters,

very good. Plenty of blue marlin and tuna have

glow rods and de-humidifiers can help keep

been caught during November, so the fishing’s

electronics, engines and other compartments

not over… yet. It’s a lot more comfortable for

on your boat, dry and mildew free. Outboard

the crew, with much milder temperatures than

and inboard engines alike should be started

the summer’s heat. For many of us it’s a great

and brought up to operating

time of year. If the weather is right, go fishing.

temperature on a regular basis.

If the wind is blowing, go hunting. Now that’s

Make sure battery switches are off

the kind of choices we like to make! However,

on non-essential systems to prevent

as we move into the winter, the chances for

your batteries from being drained

running very far off our coast diminish. It’s

unnecessarily. A marine-grade

a good time to think about boat and tackle

battery charger is the best way to

maintenance, repairs, re-rigging, re-powering,

extend the life of your batteries and

Keep your aluminum shining!

When the wind blows, take the kids hunting!

When November ’s weather window is too short to head out to bluewater, think about a bay trip instead; fall is a great time to catch lunker trout.

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Texas

Saltwater Fishing

November 2007

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November 2007

Texas Saltwater Fishing

47

Keep your tackle rigged and ready.

There’s still time to go fishing.

keep them charged and ready to go. If you have

jetties, this rock can produce some big tuna

a trailerable boat, don’t neglect your trailer.

pushing 200 lbs. If you don’t want to drag your

Keep your bearings greased and repack them

boat to Venice, there are plenty of great charter

when necessary. Check your lights, license,

boats to put you on the fish out of Cypress

pads, running boards, winch, etc… We see a lot

Cove Marina or Venice Marina. Food, lodging,

of people just put their stuff up and forget about

dockage and other services are available, but

it until spring. Take the time to service your

it’s a good idea to book ahead of time.

equipment and it will last longer, cost less and

Another thing to look for this time of year

take less time to get ready when it is time to go

is a great deal on tackle, especially big game

fishing. It will also benefit you when it comes

stuff. There’s a good chance you can pick up

time to sell it.

some gear left over from the summer season

Speaking of fishing – there are few things

at a discount from your local tackle shop. Make

to look forward to. Big wahoo congregate on

sure your spouse knows this when Christmas

the deeper rocks when the water temperature

rolls around! Take this time to restock the tackle

drops, so keep an eye on the weather and get

box and pick up a new lure or two. It’s also a

out there when you can. It’s usually only a one

good time to get rods re-wrapped and reels

day weather window, but the wahoo fishing

cleaned before the summer rush.

can be fantastic with 50-plus pound fish the

If you have any questions or need more

norm. The bigger ones will be pushing the

information about any of these topics, give us a

100 lb. mark. Multiple strikes on these big fish

call at Byrd & Cochrane or come by and see

are common and worth making the long run

us at Tops-N-Towers and we will be glad to

for in winter. When the water cools down and

help you. Our Fox Yacht Sales office can also

the wind stops blowing, grab some ballyhoo,

help you find a boat or sell yours. We specialize

Islanders, Wahoo Hunters and jet heads, then

in sportfishing boats and motor yachts. Come

head for the rocks near the Flower Gardens.

by and get a great deal on your next boat. For

Tired of sitting in a deer blind? After the

more information call our office at 281-291-

first of the year, the “Lump” season will be in

0656 or check out our website at www.byrd-

full swing off the mouth of the Mississippi. Get

cochrane.com or www.foxyachtsales.com.

your boat to Venice, Louisiana for this winter yellowfin tuna bite. Only 17 miles from the 48

Texas Saltwater Fishing

November 2007

Born in Galveston, graduate of Texas A&M, Capt. John grew up fishing and diving the Gulf of Mexico. A professional captain for over 25 years, he runs a 46’ sportfishing boat out of Freeport, Texas. Capt.

John is also partners with Bobby in Byrd & Cochrane, specializing in yacht brokerage and sportfishing consulting. For more information go to www.byrd-cochrane.com or contact John at captjohn@ foxyachtsales.com.

A native Texan, Bobby Byrd began fishing at the young age of eight, when he was a deck hand on his Dad’s boat. He fished with his father in the Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas and Mexico for many years of his life. In 1995, Bobby combined his love of the water and boating into a business when he opened Tops-N-Towers, a custom aluminum fabrication business in Seabrook, Texas. For more information you can contact Bobby at www.topsntowers.com.

Contact Byrd & Cochrane 281-291-0656 Tops-N-Towers 281-474-4000 Website www.byrd-cochrane.com www.topsntowers.com www.foxyachtsales.com www.stingercustomlures.com www.TSFMAG.com

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The 2007 CCA Ford-Texas State Bank-Tilson Homes State of Texas Angler’s Rodeo ended on Labor Day at 5:00pm. It has been another great year for CCA Texas and STAR, thanks to our fine sponsors and to the many volunteers for their hard work and dedication to enhancing our marine resources.

STAR experienced record numbers with over 44,000 participating and 12,000 NEW members joining. The leader board stayed active down to the wire with new and impressive catches grabbing the lead in the final days.

As always, the Texas Ford Dealers Tagged Redfish Division highlighted the event and saw the lady anglers taking over the division. And of course, there were still those unfortunate anglers who forgot or neglected to sign up this year and it cost 6 “unlucky” anglers dearly… to the tune of about $50,000!

That brings our total reported tagged redfish catches to 9 for this year’s event.

Of the 115 prizes we will give away this year, a total of 24 top prizes were awarded at the CCA Texas State BBQ and STAR Awards Ceremony on Oct. 4th at the Edwin Hornberger Conference Center in Houston. These are the lucky winners in each division: Columbia Sportswear StarKids Scholarship Flounder Division – Columbia Sportswear will provide a young angler between the ages of six and ten with a college scholarship totaling $50,000 for catching the largest flounder. This year’s winner is Sam Wittman, age 7, of Houston - 3 lbs., 14 ozs.

Houston Community Newspapers StarKids Scholarship Sheepshead Division – The Houston Community Newspapers StarKid Scholarship Sheepshead Division will provide a young angler between the ages of six and ten with a college scholarship totaling $50,000 catching the largest sheepshead. This year’s winner is Ben Ibarra, age 7, of Baytown 8 lbs., 14 ozs.

StarKids Scholarship Gafftop Division – The StarKids Scholarship Gafftop Division will provide a young angler between the ages of six and ten with a college scholarship totaling $50,000 for catching the largest gafftop.

This year’s winner is Jarren Mahon, age 8, of Hamshire (Winnie area) 7 lbs., 6 ozs.

Academy Sports and Outdoors StarTeens Scholarship Trout Division - In its sixth year, the Academy Sports and Outdoors StarTeens Scholarship Trout Division was open to all New Tide/STAR members ages 11-17. These fisher-teens with the largest speckled trout in each region – upper, middle and lower coast – will be awarded a $20,000 college scholarship: Upper Coast: Britney Halewyn, age 17, of Alvin 7 lbs., 3 ozs.

Middle Coast: Travis Corporon, age 17, of Palacios 7 lbs., 9 ozs.

Lower Coast: Nicholas Joiner, age 17, of Robstown 8 lbs., 3 ozs.

Time Warner Cable StarTeens Inshore Scholarship Division – The Time Warner Cable StarTeens Scholarship Inshore Division was open to all New Tide/STAR members ages 11-17. These fisher-teens with the largest flounder, gafftop and sheepshead will be awarded a $20,000 college scholarship: Flounder: Cory Gagliano, age 11 of Portland 6 lbs. 5 ozs.

Sheepshead: Michael Lee, age 12, of Sugar Land 8 lbs. 3 ozs.

Gafftop: Lance Knox, age 11 of Rosenberg 7 lbs. 11 ozs.

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Awarding these ten scholarships is truly the highlight of the year for STAR and makes a serious statement toward getting kids on the water.

We couldn’t be happier for these kids and their families. The kids are really what the tournament is all about. They are the future generation that will keep the vitality of our precious marine resource going for years to come.

This brings our total awarded scholarships to $3,185,000, a milestone for CCA Texas/STAR as we cross the $3 million dollar mark!

Texas Ford Dealers Tagged Redfish Division – We have three confirmed winners in the ever-popular Texas Ford Dealers Redfish. The following winners will be presented with a fully-loaded 2007 Ford F-150 “Texas Edition” Super Cab truck and 22’ Blue Wave 220 Super Tunnel boat, 150hp Mercury outboard motor and a Magnum galvanized trailer.

Deborah Alston of Crystal Beach Orlando Perez of La Porte Karen Whittenberg of Port Mansfield Trout Division – These registered anglers brought in the largest trout for Upper Coast, Middle Coast and Lower Coast will each receive a Shoalwater 22’ Legend Boat, 150hp Mercury and McClain trailer: Upper Coast Kegan Campbell, of Conroe 8 lbs. 8 ozs.

Middle Coast Norman Frankum, of Sweeny 9 lbs. 0 ozs.

Lower Coast Bryan Tucker II of Corpus Christi 8 lbs. 14 ozs.

Offshore Division - In the Offshore Division, the following anglers who hooked the biggest kingfish, dorado and ling (cobia) will each be awarded with a 21’ Contender Open Fish with a 150hp Mercury outboard plus a McClain trailer: Kingfish: Rodney McWhorter of Angleton 55 lbs., 9 ozs.

Dorado: Alan Latham of Rockport 46 lbs., 10 ozs.

Ling (Cobia): Chris Jacobs of Sweeny 75 lbs. 3 ozs.

Inshore Division - These Inshore Division winners will take home a 18’ Scout 180 Bay center console rigged with a 90hp Mercury outboard and McClain trailer for hooking the largest flounder, gafftop and sheepshead: Flounder: Jason Waldrup of La Marque 7 lbs. 14 ozs.

Sheepshead: Ramon Zapata of Baytown 10 lbs. 14 ozs.

Gafftop: Michael Darder of Beaumont 8 lbs. 1 oz.

Special Drawings - On the night of the STAR Awards, the drawings will be held for the New Tide Scholarship and Member Bonus Drawings.

These winners along with the Early Bird Drawing winners will be listed in the next issue of CURRENTS. Major sponsors for the 18th annual CCA Texas/STAR Tournament include: Ford, Texas State Bank, Tilson Home Corporation, Texas Ford Dealers, Mercury Marine, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Columbia Sportswear, Napa Auto Parts, Houston Community Newspaper Group, Time Warner Cable, Whataburger, Nestle Pure Life, Forestar Real Estate Group, NRG Energy, Blue Wave Boats, Shoalwater Boats, Contender Boats, Scout

Continued on page 55…

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18th State of Texas Angler’s Rodeo Comes to a Close …Continued from page 52

Boats, Texas Fish & Game Magazine, Texas Marine, Texas Oilman’s Charity Fishing Tournament, Magnum Trailers, McClain Trailers and Mt. Houston Marine.

We appreciate your support of our sponsors because they make the STAR Tournament possible. Please keep them in mind when making your purchasing decisions.

Immense thanks to our official STAR Weigh Station friends that do such a tremendous job for us each year: Bridge City Bait in Orange; Stingaree Marina on Crystal Beach; Marburger’s Sporting Goods in Seabrook; Anita’s Bait, Tackle & Seafood on the Texas City Dike; GYB Marina Bait & Tackle in Galveston; Scotty’s Seafood & Bait in Galveston; Bayview Marina in Galveston; Gulf Coast Marina in Freeport; Sargent Beach Bait & Tackle in Bay City; Russell’s Bait & Tackle in Matagorda; Fuzzy’s 1 Stop in Palacios; Indianola Fishing Marina in Indianola; The Fishing Center in Port O’Connor; Seaworthy Marine Supply in Fulton/ Rockport; Hampton’s Landing in Aransas Pass; Woody’s Sports Center in Port Aransas; Roy’s Bait & Tackle in Corpus Christi; Harbor Bait & Tackle in Port Mansfield; Jim’s Pier on South Padre Island.

Please keep them in mind when planning your next trip on the water and thank them for their participation.

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Field Notes

If you’ve ever had a great day fishing it’s a good bet that one

becoming abundant in the

of your fish may have spent part of its youth in

spring and fall and interspersed

a seagrass bed. Seagrass meadows provide

patches of turtle grass (Thalassia

necessary nursery areas for many important fish

testudinum) along the south

species. They are very productive habitats which

shore. The presence of Thalassia

provide food and shelter for juvenile fish species,

in Christmas Bay is significant

crabs, and shrimp, so the loss of these habitats

since the nearest known

create significant concern among several

population is 150 miles south

resource agencies.

in Aransas Bay near Rockport.

Unfortunately, by the late 1970’s, seagrass in

widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima)

To compare the present status

the Galveston Bay complex had almost entirely

of seagrass in Christmas and

disappeared due to dredge-and-fill activities,

Drum Bay with the previous

boat traffic, subsidence, erosion, storms, and

study, new aerial photographs

Widgeon grass.

wastewater discharges. Since Christmas Bay is one of the most productive and least disturbed minor bays within the Galveston Bay complex , it became a priority conservation site for state resource management programs. By 1988 Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) and the General Land Office designated Christmas Bay an official State Coastal Preserve and State Scientific Area. However, in 1989 an extensive plant survey estimated that only 700 acres of submerged aquatic vegetation still existed in Galveston Bay, with approximately 386 acres in Christmas Bay and the remainder along Trinity Bay. In 1998 TPWD conducted a mapping project to determine the status of seagrass in Drum and Christmas Bay using aerial photography and geographic information system (GIS) software. At that time, seagrass in Christmas and Drum Bay covered approximately 424 acres and that Christmas Bay contains four of the five seagrass species found in

Map of Christmas Bay and Drum Bay.

Texas. Most often found are mixed shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) and clover grass (Halophila englemanni) beds, with 56

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Core sampler.

and methodology were used to eliminate bias.

from the 424 acres in the 1998 and the 386

The photographs were groundtruthed

acres in 1989. Seagrass still primarily consisted

(i.e., seagrass signatures in the aerial photos

of mixed beds of shoalgrass and clovergrass,

were compared to their actual physical location)

with shoalgrass being the most abundant.

and compared with the older maps and aerial photographs.

There was no significant change in species distribution between 1999 and 2006 based

Groundtruthing consisted of locating the

on groundtruthing points despite the fact that

92 GPS points used in the previous study

turtlegrass had almost doubled in acreage

and taking three 4-inch core samples at each

and no widgeongrass was found in 2006.

were taken in December 2005 and compared

site to determine seagrass species present.

Widgeongrass is often seasonal, typically being

with the 1998 photographs. The same aerial

Seagrass classification at each site was

abundant in the spring, moderate in fall, but

photographer from 1998,the same flight plan

determined by examining which core samples

rather scarce in summer and its growth has

contained the most species of seagrass; for

been shown to be positively correlated with cool

example if two of the three core samples were

spring temperatures and not with low salinities.

bare and the third contained shoalgrass, that

Seagrass groundtruthing at those sites which

site was classified as shoalgrass. The aerial

previously contained widgeongrass, occurred

photographs were then compared to GIS maps

in November and the widgeongrass may have

from 1998 to evaluate seagrass population

already begun seasonal senescence.

Core sample with seagrass.

Seagrass meadows provide necessary nursery areas for many important fish species.

trends in Christmas Bay over the past six years;

Seagrass in Christmas and Drum Bay

including measuring changes in acreage,

also appears to be healthy. Fragmentation of

patchiness, and whether a shift in distribution

seagrass beds may be considered an initial

and species composition has occurred.

stage in seagrass decline and seagrass

Seagrass acreage within Christmas

patches are usually subject to impacts from

and Drum Bay appears to have continued

fetch or mechanical disturbance which could

to increase slightly, with the exception of

lead to their complete loss in a bay system.

widgeongrass. The aerial photos from 2005

Fragmentation of the mixed shoalgrass and

show a total acreage for Christmas and Drum

clovergrass beds was not observed from the

Bay of 436.6 acres, which is a slight increase

2005 aerial photographs nor was a loss of seagrass. This suggests that seagrass still retains some relative protection in Christmas Bay from the “human” factors described in 1998 (including the absence of dredging, waterfront development, and point source and non-

Turtle grass leaves are up to 14 inches long and 1 cm wide with a rounded leaf tip and the base of the leaves are usually covered with fibrous remains of old leaves.

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point source discharges into the bays) and that juvenile fish will have a safe place to grow for years to come.

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Lighthouse Lales and Aransas Channel.

Where’s your favorite place to kayak fish? That’s a question I get all the time and it’s really tough for me to answer as I enjoy all kinds of fishing and exploring new water holds a special place in my heart. There’s something very satisfying about going into a totally new area and unlocking the secrets. As a result of my wanderlust I’ve been privileged to paddle and fish in some great water all over the country. Favorite place??? Hell, I can’t hardly narrow it down to under a dozen.

Everglades City, the Chandeleur Islands, Miguel Bay near Tampa, the Ottawa River in Canada, Mexiquita Flats outside Port Isabel, the Cullen House, East Flats near Port Aransas, Brown and Root Flats, the entire south shoreline marsh of East Matagorda, Shoalwater, Power Lake, Powderhorn, and then there are all the places around the Galveston Bay complex… see what I mean? I’ve got some fond memories in each of those areas and could easily make a case to justify any of them as my top spot.

As much fun as it is to poke around in unknown regions, there is also something to be said for fishing an area you know like the back of your hand. Consistently predicting when and where the fish will be on your favorite body of water can be equally as rewarding. I get that.

But to me, a number one favorite place needs to offer more than just great fishing. It needs to be an area that is simply a joy to paddle even if I strikeout in the fish-catching department.

So, when I get pinned down by someone who is really persistent, I have to go with the Lighthouse Lakes.

Launching off of Highway 361 and heading into the Lakes gives me the best of everything. I can stick to the flats I am most familiar with and have a great chance of locating tailing reds. I can head off to the big lake drifting the deeper grass beds for consistent trout action. Or if I’m feeling adventurous I can paddle into the little creeks and disappear into the maze of mangroves exploring some of the hidden treasures that seldom see an angler. There aren’t many places around that offer so much diversity with such easy public access.

I still recall my first experience in Lighthouse Lakes. My dad and I had been fishing the Brown & Root Flats along the south side of 361 and although I had been frequenting the Aransas Pass area for years in a power boat, this was my first kayak trip. I knew of the Lakes, but the wide open B&R Flats was much less intimidating.

At some point we got adventurous and paddled under the bridge and into the outer edge of the Lakes. We eased into a small creek that opened to a shallow oyster-studded pond and paused to figure our options and have a snack. While we were sitting there I heard a commotion in the far corner of the pond. It was a huge redfish, obviously above the slot, and he was thrashing the shoreline like a hog in a wallow. Within moments he was prowling toward us with his back out of the water looking for his next victim.

Dad graciously gave me the nod to go after him.

I mentioned the oysters, but I forgot to say this place had a goo bottom that swallowed my legs with every step. So off I went like a bull plowing through a swamp. Somehow this red didn’t figure out he was being stalked. He was either the dumbest red in the bay or he was just so bold he didn’t care. Either way I managed to get within casting range and plopped a topwater a few feet in front of him. Not the best cast, but it didn’t matter. The red threw a huge wake as he rushed to crush the lure. After a few moments of surging power it was over. The oysters had conspired to aid in his escape. Dad was amused and I was permanently hooked on fishing this place.

Since that encounter I’ve been back too many times to count and each trip is special in its own way. There have been days when the tailing reds were so numerous I never got out of earshot of the highway. There have also been times when the fishing wasn’t so great, but the trip was counted as a complete success anyway.

How can you paddle across gin clear water through a forest of mangroves in the company of reddish egrets, blue herons, and roseatte spoonbills without smiling at your good fortune?

Some of my most relaxing trips have been spent paddling far back into the trees with no particular destination in mind.

The Lighthouse Lakes gets its name from the Lydia Ann Lighthouse located on North Harbor Island and visible from anywhere within

Benny Landrum fishing the mangroves.

The author with a Lighthouse Lakes red.

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the lakes. It is an expansive estuary of bayous, shallow lakes, and black mangroves. The bottom ranges from hard sand to nasty mud interspersed with grass beds and oyster reefs.

The area is roughly a triangle within the Redfish Bay complex bounded by Highway 361, the Lydia Ann Channel, and Corpus Christi Bayou.

In 1999 the area became the first designated paddling trail on the Texas coast. TPWD Director Dr. Larry McKinney and TPWD biologist Dr. Bill Harvey collaborated to push the project through to completion. The popularity and success of this first project led to an ongoing program establishing a series of trails all along the coast.

The Lighthouse Lakes Trails consists of three main loops of varying lengths. The trails are marked with numbered sign posts. Maps are available showing the trail routes as well as the locations of the sign posts. The marker numbers correspond to GPS coordinates provided at the bottom of the map.

There are several put-in points along Highway 361, but the two most popular are located near the Crabman Marina and within the Lighthouse Lakes Trail Park. From the intersection of Hwy 35 and 361 in Aransas Pass, the Crabman is approximately four miles down on the left. The park entrance is approximately one mile further down 361. A small brown highway sign directs you to the park entrance.

There is ample parking with easy access to the water at both locations. The Crabman charges a nominal fee for launching and parking.

The South Bay Loop is approximately 6.7 miles in length. The starting point is marker 59 directly across the Aransas Channel (also known as the Shrimpboat Channel) from the Crabman.

This trail skirts the outer edge of South Bay and takes you into the upper edges of the Lakes.

Much of the trail is through fairly open water with few windbreaks. It is preferable to take this route on calm days. The terrain is mostly grass flats with scattered sandy potholes. I’ve had good success finding small pods of reds tailing along the mangrove edges and spotting singles cruising

Lydia Ann Lighthouse.

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the open flats. The trail takes you past a group of islands along the edge of Corpus Christi Bayou.

Poke around the edges of these islands and you’ll likely find a few reds hanging around the oyster beds that are scattered throughout the area.

The Cutters Loop is approximately 5 miles long. It takes you on a short tour through the center of the Lakes. The starting point is at marker 60 directly across the channel from the park entrance. It is a good choice on windy days as it is protected by the mangroves. The ponds and lakes along this route are great places to search for pods of tailing reds. Being the shortest and most centrally located trail, it tends to get quite a bit of use on weekends. If you are hoping to find tails you might want to try this trip on a weekday.

The third trail is the Redfish Loop. It is 6.8 miles in length and takes you deep into the Lakes. The trail begins at marker 1. The launch point is a bit further down 361 from the park.

There is also a cool little side trip you can take off of this trail called the Electric Lake Loop. It is a 1.25 mile detour that takes you into a cool little lake that sometimes holds reds on higher tides.

This trail also leads through the two largest lakes in the system. I like to make a few drifts through these lakes for mixed bag of trout and reds. One of the largest schools of tailing reds I’ve ever seen was in the middle of the large lake adjacent to the lighthouse. You are likely to find tailing pods at any point along this trail so keep your eyes open.

Keep in mind that these trails are not etched in stone. All three of the main trails overlap and can be combined or shortened easily. When I first started exploring the area I used the sign posts to keep my bearings, but I seldom followed the trails. Half the fun was trying to go into new places that few people frequented. I’d usually head off into the bushes along the one of the bayous and then pop out into a pond. Eventually I’d run into a marker somewhere that would let me know where I was on the map. I would imagine it was pretty easy to get turned around in there before the trails were put in, but these days navigating the area is fairly easy when using one of the aerial maps. But if you’re the type who gets lost easily you might want to bring along a GPS and plug in the coordinates of the trail markers.

Or you could hire a guide.

One of the most popular

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kayak guides on the Texas coast spends many of his days roaming through the mangrove maze directing kayakers to the best fishing areas. Dean “Slowride” Thomas (slowrideguide.com) has been guiding on these waters for several years and can really shorten the learning curve for those wanting to learn the ins and outs of the Lakes. A relative newcomer to the kayak guide business is Jason Brou (www.tripleboutdoors. com/brewskieshome.htm). I haven’t yet had the chance to fish with Jason, but I’ve heard from reliable sources that he knows his way around the Lighthouse Lakes and can put you on some fish.

As with any location, there are certain hazards you need to be aware of. The Aransas Channel runs parallel to highway 361 and you must cross it in order to access the trails. The channel is a major highway for powerboats and you need to be cautious in timing your crossing.

This is also a major waterway leading directly out through the Aransas jetties. Strong winds and/or currents can make for rough trip across the channel. Wear your PFD and be prepared to paddle hard. I’ve seen more than one person turtle in the channel due to wind, waves or boat wakes. Once you get inside the trails you are generally away from power boats. The two larger lakes get a few shallow draft boats in them from time to time, but the smaller satellite ponds seldom see fiberglass. Airboats are a different story. The duck hunting in the area can be fantastic and you’ll note there are many duck blinds scattered throughout the trails.

Throughout the duck season the hunters use airboats to access these blinds. Luckily airboats sound somewhat like a 747 landing in the marsh so they can’t really catch you off guard. Should you hear one coming your way you might want to hold your paddle high and wave it to let them know you are there. You may also want to give a wide berth to any of the duck blinds surrounded by decoys.

Be safe out there and take good care of my favorite place to paddle.

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In my opinion, people often overlook one of the most important aspects of fishing. Sure the catch is important but so is the place in which it is caught so — this month I thought I would share with you a collection of photos from all of the places that I have visited. By doing this, I hope to give you some ideas for capturing the memories of all the places that you will visit in pursuit of the catch of lifetime‌ Sense of Place This is one of my favorite pictures that I ever took. This is a scene I look at daily and since the Welder Ranch borders the place that I have played and worked for over two decades, well let us just say that seeing that sign reminds me of how lucky I am.

Sense of Place Well you have heard me say how much I like the Bahia La Tortuga lodge down in Mexico. Well, this picture that a buddy snapped of me napping there, takes me back to the place where I fell asleep listening to lapping of the Pacific Ocean and dreaming of leaping billfish.

Sense of Place Another thing that I love about fishing the Pacific is running the rocks in a panga and tossing flies to whatever might bite. I snapped this shot of Tim Borski casting to the rocks making sure I captured the form and majesty of the mountains.

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Sense of Place This pic is of the Mosquito Lagoon Fish Camp located along the ICW in Oak Hill, Florida. It was nice waking up to the sunrise reflecting off of the Lagoon and the silhouette of my buddy’s boat heading down the ditch to pick me up for a day of redfishing.

Sense of Place I have always liked the shell bars that make up a small part of the Chandeleur Islands. This pic reminds me of the great days fishing that I have had there.

Sense of Place This image was taken at the Montauk Yacht Club in New York. The flags flying at the marina remind me of the great nautical history of the area.

Sense of Place As for this pic, there is no better way to capture the sense of place when you are out in the Atlantic a hundred miles than to photograph an angler struggling against 200 lbs tuna. A struggle that lasted well over three hours I might add.

Sense of Place Now for my most favorite place in this world to visit — Tarpon Bay. Looking at images from this place always excites me. Here you can see me casting a mangrove shoreline for rolling tarpon; something I hope to do again and again throughout the rest of my life.

As you can see in all of the pictures, I try to capture some element that tells me exactly where I am, whether it is a sign or some element (mangroves, flags, mountains, etc.) that takes me back.

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I want to encourage all youngsters from toddlers to teenagers to get excited about fishing. Fishing has

a computer or video game could not show or

wonder where these creatures could be hiding.

teach me in real life.

It is not a rare occurrence to see a herd of

Today’s world for teenagers like me brings

nalgai, does, or even a buck on the small hills of

been around forever and, yes it has become

many obstacles and pressures that we face

the refuge coming out of the Arroyo Colorado.

somewhat complicated with today’s technology.

everyday. One big way that helps me combat

I have seen nalgai, coyotes, deer, and even a

Whatever happened with the cane pole days

those pressures and clears my mind of all

rattlesnake crossing the same river. Jumping

sitting at the dike or the jetties passing time

things is to stick my two feet on some muddy or

in the water just as the sun is rising above the

and hearing fish stories from the past? Today’s

shell bottom whether it is north of Port Mansfield

horizon and hearing a pack of howling coyotes

fish world is full of new and expensive stuff

or way south in South Bay. Just enjoying the

on the move is a notable experience. You

that makes it easier for us. My 50Mg rigged

beautiful sunrises and the magnificent sunsets

certainly can’t experience these things sitting on

with a Laguna Wader is what my dad’s Garcia

that so few get to see is rewarding enough

a couch at home.

spinning reel and two piece rod use to be when

for me. Just recently I visited our local zoo; it

I remember when I was very young and

he was my age. When I get to be an adult,

had been years since my last visit. As I took

my dad was teaching me how to fish. It was

who knows what new things will be out there.

a tour of the place, I began to think about and

throwing artificials with a Zebco push button

Despite the more complicated fishing gets,

appreciate my visits to the Laguna Madre where

from the very beginning. I recall the days when

fishing can be whatever you desire it to be. I

the wildlife was free to move at will. As I fish

my dad was really tough on me while teaching

will be the first one to say that catching big fish

now, I am finding myself more aware of my

me the sport. To most, giving up would have

is nice but I have evolved through time and

surroundings. Call it growing up, being more

been the easy way out, but for me it just made

education from those in the fishing world that

responsible, or education getting through my

me strive to get better. I am not saying that

preach the protection of our resources. It use to

brain. I now see things that I used to overlook.

was right, but I took the lectures and the stern

be that catching fish was the only thing on my

That bird standing on the waters edge now has

teachings to make me a more accomplished

mind, but as I became more independent on

colors that I never saw before; the egg sitting

fisherman. Don’t tell my dad, but now I think

the water I started to see that fishing was not

softly on top of a weed bed on the edge of the

he tries to mimic me. All kidding aside, you

only about catching but the whole experience

marsh now means a new life will soon occur.

of being out with nature, seeing how nature

The deer and nalgai tracks on

works and experiencing the things that

a muddy flat make me

Lending a helping hand to a sea turtle can be gratifying.

It wasn’t even Easter when I found this egg.

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A proud young angler shows his catch.

Exploring new areas is always an adventure.

possibly have an adult whether it be your dad,

other loved one. There is no money in the world

loved one, or view nature’s zoo. Perhaps you all

grandfather, uncle, or an adult female that is

that can bring the satisfaction of a father and

ready do these things, and as you are reading

willing to take some time to teach you how to

son spending time on the water. Talking and

this article, you know exactly what I am talking

fish and educate you on the precious resource

joking with my dad has helped built a strong

about. For those of you that haven’t quite yet

that has many wonderful experiences to offer.

bond between us, catching or no catching.

gotten hooked on fishing, the best time to start is

Fishing can teach us many life applications

while you are young and teachable. Start talking

and discipline that is so hard to find these days.

to the adults in your life that love the sport

I can surely tell you that fishing is a good way to spend time and bond with your dad or

I see and hear it all the time at my high

of fishing. Talk them into taking you out and

school from kids that have no one to

teach you a life long sport that will bring many

teach them or spend time with them.

wonderful memories.

Having a passion for a sport such as

In writing for TSFM, my goal is to write my

fishing can keep you busy and out

experiences in hoping that I can encourage

of trouble.

more young people like myself to experience

Whether it is fishing from a pier, a

the passion and fulfillment that fishing can

boat, or wading, the adrenaline rush

bring. The opportunity to write for the magazine

that comes when a fish is at the end

has brought me many wonderful memories

of your line is absolutely awesome.

and experiences with my dad and friends.

When I am out there, I often think of

Experiences that I hope to carry on and

how many of my friends never have

share with anyone that is willing to listen. I

the privilege to experience what I

feel honored to hold such a responsibility in

see frequently. Most kids my age

representing the young generation that read

see paved roads and curbs, I see

TSFM, and I thank Mr. Everett Johnson and

shorelines and water. I consider myself

staff for the opportunity to write for such a great

very fortunate and blessed. You too

magazine. I love the sport and hope my passion

can experience the adrenaline rush

for the resource is passed on.

of reeling in a fish, the bonding with a 70

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November 2007

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BAUMANN MARINE PROPELLARS 713.926.6908 After a full spring and summer of hard ďŹ shing, maintenance on your propeller is as important as your motor and trailer. General wear from sand and saltwater can remove metal quicker than you think; keeping it in shape saves fuel and improves LOUIE BAUMANN boat performance.

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This prop is due for repair; the cup (in shadow on left) disappears toward the tip and significant erosion has occurred on the leading edge (right).

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Texas Saltwater Fishing

November 2007

Choose from five sizes and weights, with 1 oz. and smaller featuring a red Siwash hook and a red treble hook so you know your catch isn’t going anywhere but in the livewell.

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75

SABINE

Dickie Colburn

Dickie Colburn is a full time guide out of Orange, Texas. Dickie has 35 years experience guiding on Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes.

“I hope we don’t lose our electricity too long… that storm turned into

a little hurricane after you went to bed.” That was my wife’s ho-hum explanation for our lawn furniture levitating in a driving rain in the predawn darkness. How can a hurricane Contact Colburn’s Sabine sneak up on you at 3:30 in the Connection morning with today’s technology Telephone While it was obvious that Rita’s 409-883-0723 wrath desensitized even my wife, for Website those directly in Humberto’s path, the www.sabineconnection.com damage was not insignificant. We lived on generators again for a few days, but most of our area experienced little damage as there are very few trees remaining that Rita missed.

The good news for Sabine Lake fishermen is that less than a week after the storm, the fishing improved significantly all over the lake. We spent an entire summer and early September huddled in the south end of the lake due to the phenomenal amount of rain this year. The mega-dose of saltwater and lighter winds ignited a better bite overnight.

Every pattern has been late this year due to the weather and there is no reason not to believe Greg Sweeny worked the reeds for this slot red. that this month will offer more of the same. We may not get any cold weather until December at this rate, but the fishing has improved daily and it should only get better.

The annual madness under the gulls in the open lake may or may not be in full swing by the end of the month as the shrimp are still holding up in the bayous and marshes. Two or three strong blows out of the north, however, could change all of that very quickly.

Assuming that both the trout and redfish are still on a fish diet this month, we will continue to target small schools of shad and mullet on the flats as well as slicks in the middle of the lake. The average trout stalking these baitfish has been in the three-pound class with seven-pound fish not uncommon.

Gene Kellum with a sure enough good flounder that ate a Texas Roach Sea Shad.

Cooler water temperatures will keep them in the shallows a little longer each day, but the best shot at an extended bite is moving out into the open lake and working water at depths of 6-8 feet. Any shell that you find in the deeper water will hold fish all day long.

Unlike fishing for school trout, we do much better on longer plastics rigged on one-eighth or quarter ounce heads fished on a very quick retrieve in that top column of water. Both the five-inch Assassin Shad and the Tidal Surge Split Tail in glow-chartreuse, pumpkin-chartreuse, and bone diamond are at the top of my list, depending on water clarity.

We also do very well working this same pattern with Top Dog Jr.’s, She Dogs, and the larger Spook when the water is choppy. A new color rules every year, but we depend on black, bone, and chrome patterns for most of our fishing. In the event that you discover that you are in the middle of redfish as well when fishing deeper water, tie on a Trap or Hoginar to seal the deal.

A large percentage of my clientele is split as to what they want to fish for this time of year. While it is extremely hard to turn my back on big trout, I also love working the shoreline drains and bayous for flounder and redfish on light tackle.

I have done an about face in my approach to flounder fishing this year and it has resulted in much larger average fish. For thirty-six years my number one choice was a glow or chartreuse curly tail grub rigged on a horse head jig and tipped with a piece of shrimp. That combination is as good today as it was “way back” when, but it produces many undersized fish as well.

Sean Court with nice trout caught on Assassin in 2 feet of water.

While practicing for a redfish tournament this year, we caught some magnum flounder with a quarter ounce spinnerbait made by Strike King. We are still throwing it and the big flounder are still eating it as are slot redfish holding in the same areas. The two best colors for us have been LSU and electric chicken.

Another productive choice for the larger flatfish has been a 4-inch Sea Shad rigged on a quarter ounce head and sprayed with Bang garlic scent.

The same colors have been equally effective in the Sea Shad in addition to Texas Roach.

If keeping limits is the reason you choose to fish, please do not abuse the fish you choose to release!

Let’s start off with East Bay: The birds are continuing to work steadily over lots of smaller specks and sand trout. Here it is the first week of October and the water is still warm at about 85 degrees; I guess that’s just part of living in Texas. At least the fish know it is fall, even though the water temperature has not given them the signal they seem to be getting into their fall habits. What I like to call the counterclockwise flow has begun. Heading into October and continuing through November we expect the trout to move along the shorelines of East Bay and the Ship Channel up into Trinity Bay. This flow pattern leads the schools to the bigger reefs and the upper reaches of the smaller back bays where they traditionally spend the winter in warmer water. Again the bird fishing is easy and you can find some keepers, but mainly small. There are also some trout along the shorelines and the shallow flats, especially in areas like Black’s Cove and Rollover Pass. You’re going to find a lot of pencils back there, but there definitely some good keeper fish too. Good baits have been MirrOlures and soft plastics. The bigger fish seem to be hanging around the north shoreline and there good numbers of reds in there too. We have had some good flounder showing up. The wade fisherman who are getting out really early or late in the evening seem to be doing quite well. The quarter ounce gold spoons are working really well for the reds and flounder right now. Fishing over mid-bay shell has also been productive with the keys being shad schools and slicks. If you are fishing out of the boat in those mid-bay areas with deeper water the 3/4-oz gold spoons have been good along with the MirrOlures and soft plastics that I mentioned earlier. In general, getting away form the birds

and working the shad and slicks will get you into better fish. Working the tide lines over that mid-bay shell and any mud boils in the area will also pay off.

Trinity Bay: We have had bird action over the river mouth and Anahuac Pocket.

There are a lot of juvenile trout around 17” in there. The soft plastics are working well, the color does not matter. There is some good red fish action going on at the north end of the bay. If you catch the water clear up by the bayou mouths, good slot reds are making their way through.

We are catching them on gold spoons and some topwaters and plastics.

The bigger schools of reds seem to be scattered along the shorelines on the flats. Some have been coming out deep in about 8-10 feet of water.

We have been finding those under mud boils and pods of shad. Wade fishing is still a little spotty. But with the water temperatures dropping these fish are going to hit the shorelines where the softer bottom and scattered shell is. The scattered clam shell over the soft mud will be real good in November. You can also look to the west shoreline along the reefs to producing good numbers of mature fish. You can catch them on MirrOlures and soft plastics. You will find that around Thanksgiving time these reefs will really pay off because the fish will really stack up on them. The birds will continue to work and naturally the bird trout will be a lot bigger as the water gets cooler. We have a lot of little fish moving back in after all the freshwater floods all year, and you will see the farther north you go the smaller the trout will get. It is just a natural movement we get every year. Everything is looking good. We are catching good numbers. I have had a lot of limits here lately on trout.

West Bay: You will see a lot of birds working on Karankawa Reef down towards San Louis Pass and by Mud Cut and Chocolate Bay. Most of those fish are large sand trout, small specks and a few reds. You will hit a few schools with redfish under them. As it gets colder you will see all those fish moving back to the mid-bay shell along the north end around North and South Deer Island and Greens Cut. The fish will start to concentrate on all that shell through out the winter.

Wrap Up: Fishing is good. It is not a 10 but I would surely rank it a very high 8 pushing 9 in many places. We are not catching the big trout right now which is normal because it is just not cold enough. Once we start getting that water temperature down into the low 70’s and high 60’s, we will start popping some really good fish. There is a lot of action happening right now. This is the time for upper and eastern end of the Galveston system!

Happy Thanksgiving — Good luck and good fishing to everyone!

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If I had to pick a personal favorite month for fishing the Matagorda area November would definitely be in the running. The weather is pleasant, the water conditions are generally favorable, we find fewer boats on the water, and we find plenty of opportunity in both East and West Bays. We see lots of bait moving out of the marshes in November, mainly shrimp, and bird activity adds to the list of indicators we can use to maximize our fishing opportunities.

My favored fishing methods for November in East Bay have always included wading the marsh drains on the south shoreline and also wading the various reefs along the north shore. As I mentioned, bird activity will be a real key issue this month. There will be flocks of gulls and terns out in the middle of the bay dive-bombing bait that gets pushed to the surface by schools of hungry trout and redfish and this is great fun for people who enjoy drifting or

John Michael Rucka with the nice Matagorda redfish.

using their trolling motors to get in on the action. There are also Ron Albarado with a 26” trout prime opportunities for shoreline from East Matagorda. waders in November but the signals are usually more subtle.

Sometimes it will only be a handful of gulls hovering a few feet above the surface at the mouth of a marsh drain or over a nearby reef but pay attention as those few birds can be sending a big message. The best fishing in the marsh drains almost always occurs on the falling tide as the shrimp are entering the main bay from the backcountry.

Most of my time will be spent in East Matagorda Bay but depending the water conditions and the crowd I will likely head over to West Bay

as well. The birds will likely be working this bay system also but it has been my experience that the fish they cover in West Bay tend to be a bit smaller. Wading the south shoreline of West bay is another option, here again, the bait will be the key and you’ll want to keep a good eye for Carolyn Smircic had a great time mullet schools advancing catching redfish with Capt. Bill. with the incoming tide.

West Bay’s south shoreline is famous for its redfishing and the trout can really stack up in late fall as well.

The tidal lakes that border West Matagorda Bay are always good producers in November and the best of these lie along the Intracoastal Canal. Crab Lake and Oyster Lake can be real hotspots at this time of year. Oyster Lake is often home to lots of bird activity with trout and redfish action available. This lake is not known as a producer of large trout but school fish of generally keeper size to 16 and 17 inches are common. Of course there will always be a lot of undersize trout in there so please use great care when handling them as these are tomorrow’s trophies and every bit as important as the ones we’re keeping today. The redfish are known to roam these lakes in good numbers during the fall season and limits of slot fish are common along with a few oversized reds to boot.

Over in East Bay off the Intracoastal Canal you’ll need to check out Boggy Lake and Austin Lake for redfish activity. Here again there should be noticeable bird activity in Austin Lake with some redfish reaching oversized length and plenty fun on light tackle.

Don’t forget about the Colorado River. The river is one of bonus opportunities here in Matagorda and always worth a quick check whenever a hard blowing norther forces a retreat from the bays. Right now the river is beginning to look a lot better than it has in past weeks and my prediction is that the fish will move up the river if we don’t get any more hard rains.

Bass Assassin has announced the introduction of their 4” Sea Shad in the 10W40 color pattern and I’m excited as this little paddletail bait is a great shrimp imitator and that 10W40 color has shrimp written all over it. Bass Assassin has also announced another new color for the 4” Sea Shad and they are calling this one the Chicken on a Chain. This pattern has “glow” on the belly with red glitter back and a chartreuse tail. This Chicken on a Chain bait should be a real winner this fall.

Keep your eyes, ears, and nose tuned in while you’re out there on the water. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy your turkey dinner.

Maybe we’ll bump into each other one of these days – ‘til then stay safe and God Bless.

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81

It’s hard to believe that November

accommodate

is already upon us. I enjoy this

prefer to wade

anglers who

time of year immensely for many

along with a few

reasons. The first reason is the

who would rather

lack of boat traffic as many anglers

not leave the

have exchanged there fishing

boat. While I am

rods for shotguns and rifles while

willing to do what

others have retired their gear to

is necessary to

stay on top of what is happening in

assist my clients

football. Another reason I enjoy the

I know from

fall season is the cooler weather

experience that

and the water temperatures have

with this type of

dropped making for better fishing.

Many anglers are under the

trip some anglers will always get

impression that fishing is only good

the short end of

during the warmer months and boy

the stick.

they couldn’t be more wrong. I know some people are leery of colder

Steve Epps

Stev-ann Horton proudly showing off her first ever speckled trout.

had originally

weather, but if you think about it, we don’t typically get the nasty stuff until

scheduled his trip at the beginning of this year in January for him and his

January and February. This leaves November and December open to

wife’s anniversary, but due to the weather not cooperating we were forced

some fantastic fishing.

to reschedule. It wasn’t until September that I heard back from Steve and As the water temperature

in January was geared towards me teaching Steve’s wife, Cookie, how to

drops many of

wade fish using artificials. Steve was hoping my patience and knowledge

the small bait

would encourage Cookie to become more versatile in her angling methods.

species migrate

This trip, Steve was bringing Cookie, his son, Zach, and Zach’s girlfriend,

to deeper waters.

Stev-ann, for two days of fishing. Steve and Zach are avid artificial anglers

This decline in a

and prefer to be in the water, but Stev-ann had never been fishing and was

normally abundant

not anxious to get in the water. It was decided that the guys would wade

food source

while the girls stayed aboard to fish with bait.

doesn’t allow predatory fish to

Stev-ann Horton, Zach, Steve and Cookie Epps spent some quality family time together catching redfish.

the game plan had changed somewhat. Our trip that was scheduled back

This presents a dilemma for me as their guide. When wade fishing, before I get out of the boat, I like to pass out my favorite lures, discuss

be as picky and

why I chose the lures I did and then give a little insight to the area we are

are more easily

fishing and how to fish it. Once in the water I continue to give tips while

encouraged

fishing along side my clients and answer any questions they may have. I

to gobble up

will work the area over thoroughly before deciding to move on to the next

whatever you

spot. This can take as little as 45 minutes or up to 3 hours depending on

have to offer. If

the size of the area I hope to cover, how productive the fishing is, and

using bait is more

other anglers that may also be fishing there. When I fish with clients in the

to your liking

boat I may not stay in an area for more than 30 minutes depending on the

then you will be

conditions and, once again, how the fish are cooperating.

thrilled to know that pesky bait stealers like hardheads and gafftops will be moving off to deeper waters as well.

I had the pleasure of fishing with the Epps family in September and this trip would throw me a curve ball. From time to time I am asked if I can

I decided that the guys would have to go it alone since they had more experience and I would stay on board with the girls. I dropped the guys off on a shoreline that was productive the day before after giving them some lures and discussing the area. Zach has not had much luck with topwaters

in the past and was reluctant to use them. I handed him a Top Dog Jr. and told him in order to see results he would have to leave it tied on for more than a few casts and he agreed to do so.

I opted to take the girls to a nearby lake to fish for reds. I chose to anchor the boat so I could teach Stev-ann how to cast. For bait I brought along some live shrimp, Cookie’s favorite, along with some cut mullet. I chose to use the

under a 4” Alameda Rattling cork.

The area I chose proved to be the spot and we had a blast catching fish on almost every cast. Not only were we catching trout and redfish, but also many other varieties. Cookie has seen all the different species before, but for Stev-ann this was a first and she loved it.

I decided the next day we would concentrate our efforts for redfish since

mullet first, fishing it on the bottom. When I fish with mullet, whether it is cut

Stev-ann wasn’t successful landing a keeper the first day. We once again

or live finger mullet, I rig it on a 5/0 Mustad Ultra Point Wide Gap attached

dropped Steve and Zach off to fish and went to a small pond nearby. Stev-

to approximately 12 inches of 30lb leader with a 3/4 to 1 oz lead slip weight

ann started the day with a big bang; boy was this girl on fire! She landed her

above a #6 Berkley swivel. The heavy weight allows you to cast further away

first limit of redfish within an hour. Cookie wasn’t having as much luck with

from the boat which is important when anchoring up. On a calm day any

two big ones getting away and only one keeper in the box.

noise from the boat is amplified so the further away your bait is from the boat

Once again we had to leave biting fish to go check on the guys. Fortunately

the better your odds are of hooking up. Also, when using cut mullet, make

for us the reds where still hungry when we returned with the Steve and Zach.

sure to cut it in large chunks to help deter hardheads from taking the bait.

Cookie finally put her game face on and quickly caught two more reds. We

After about an hour of fishing Stev-ann was now casting without my assistance and feeling more confident with her angling abilities. We decided

let the guys have some fun catching too before we decided to call it a day.

You can see now why it is a tough decision for me to make when trying

it was time to check on the guys and see if they had been successful. Steve

to accommodate two different types of anglers on the same trip. If I had

was the first to come to the boat and had little to show for his efforts. He

decided to wade with the guys we may have been able to hit a few more

reported he caught several small trout, but not many keepers. Zach left the

areas and been more successful. On the other hand, if I had done that, the

topwater tied to his line, caught some nice trout and broke off a good redfish.

girls would have surely come up short. Lucky for me I had a great group of

After a little lunch we dropped the guys off again. I took the girls to a small cove that had some scattered oyster reefs so that Cookie could use her favorite bait, shrimp. I prefer to fish live shrimp hooked to a #6 treble hook

people that were just happy to be out on the water no matter who was doing the catching.

To re-cap the past month or so, fishing in the lower Laguna Madre has been very consistent… consistently good or consistently tough! One day you’re on ‘em and the next day you’d swear that there wasn’t a big fish within fifty miles. Such is nature though, and the daily challenge is what makes fishing the worthwhile pastime it is. When things went our way, tangling with our world famous brute-shouldered redfish was no less than awesome. Who can’t get excited watching schools numbering in the hundreds aggressively work their way towards you? There were several savored moments when the entire water column would vibrate with their drumming, and we would shake too waiting for them to get within casting range.

A common mistake when adrenaline is high is blasting into or casting directly into these schools. As tempting as it is, this is not usually the best option. Often, the first hook-up will scatter the entire school and your partners will get a fleeting shot at best. Approach quietly and try to stay with them as long as possible. One way is to ease in and pick off

single fish from the edges. A simple plastic tail works fine here, as does a spoon, but at times topwaters can cause a mad rush of whitewater as they compete with each other. As these fish bunch up more consistently, and they will through November, they can offer some of the most thrilling, drag chattering experiences the Laguna is famous for. I love big trout as much as anybody but big redfish have been much more realistic targets lately, so go with the best nature has to offer for the moment and enjoy every bit of it.

During September the overall water level rose more than one foot. That is big considering our average depth is only two and one half feet and the rise in water level gave both bait and predators a lot of water to use. The winds during the later part of the month and into early October basically went slack until late afternoons. Without appreciable current from the Gulf, we rely on wind to move water and when it doesn’t move, all life becomes sluggish, including many scorched fishermen. What we found however, and it makes sense, is that during many of those dead calm days some good fish were consistently found holding in shallow, heavy grass. In theory, the oxygen content would be higher there because of the grass.

A little 1/8th oz. weedless gold spoon, and even small topwaters, saved several days in otherwise tough conditions. You wouldn’t even see these fish as they were buried deep in the grass, but going on faith is also a lot of what fishing with lures is about. No matter what the conditions are, the fish are somewhere. If the signs are good, believe they are there, and get in there and catch them!

Another dilemma we encountered was that the water went off-color in many areas. Cries of brown tide were common.

However, the water, at least here, was not brown but more of a soupy green. There have been no reports of true brown tide from TP&W, and what allegedly occurred was estuarine eutrophication, basically caused from a heavy nutrient. Heavy rainfall, combined with high temperatures and low winds, evidently encouraged other types of nuisance algal blooms besides brown tide. There is a lot of information about this on the internet if anyone is interested. As of this writing patches still exist, but it not as widespread and there is plenty of clear water available.

Back to days without even a breath of air until late afternoon.

There were smaller slot redfish on the sand early which provided a lot of sightcasting fun, but aside from finding some good fish buried in heavy shallow grass, the biggest bruisers were often out deeper in waist to shirt pocket water. We found many of them cruising just beneath the surface during those windless periods. If your presentation was too low you missed them all. The Mann’s Baby Minus One worked very well in this situation as it stays less than a foot deep. So did little 1/8th oz. spoons and some topwaters, even during the hottest part of the day.

The time-honored 1/8 ounce weedless spoon and Mann’s Baby 1-Minus have been racking up lots of redfish lately.

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To re-cap the past month or so, fishing in the lower Laguna Madre has been very consistent… consistently good or consistently tough! One day you’re on ‘em and the next day you’d swear that there wasn’t a big fish within fifty miles. Such is nature though, and the daily challenge is what makes fishing the worthwhile pastime it is. When things went our way, tangling with our world famous brute-shouldered redfish was no less than awesome. Who can’t get excited watching schools numbering in the hundreds aggressively work their way towards you? There were several savored moments when the entire water column would vibrate with their drumming, and we would shake too waiting for them to get within casting range.

A common mistake when adrenaline is high is blasting into or casting directly into these schools. As tempting as it is, this is not usually the best option. Often, the first hook-up will scatter the entire school and your partners will get a fleeting shot at best. Approach quietly and try to stay with them as long as possible. One way is to ease in and pick off

single fish from the edges. A simple plastic tail works fine here, as does a spoon, but at times topwaters can cause a mad rush of whitewater as they compete with each other. As these fish bunch up more consistently, and they will through November, they can offer some of the most thrilling, drag chattering experiences the Laguna is famous for. I love big trout as much as anybody but big redfish have been much more realistic targets lately, so go with the best nature has to offer for the moment and enjoy every bit of it.

During September the overall water level rose more than one foot. That is big considering our average depth is only two and one half feet and the rise in water level gave both bait and predators a lot of water to use. The winds during the later part of the month and into early October basically went slack until late afternoons. Without appreciable current from the Gulf, we rely on wind to move water and when it doesn’t move, all life becomes sluggish, including many scorched fishermen. What we found however, and it makes sense, is that during many of those dead calm days some good fish were consistently found holding in shallow, heavy grass. In theory, the oxygen content would be higher there because of the grass.

A little 1/8th oz. weedless gold spoon, and even small topwaters, saved several days in otherwise tough conditions. You wouldn’t even see these fish as they were buried deep in the grass, but going on faith is also a lot of what fishing with lures is about. No matter what the conditions are, the fish are somewhere. If the signs are good, believe they are there, and get in there and catch them!

Another dilemma we encountered was that the water went off-color in many areas. Cries of brown tide were common.

However, the water, at least here, was not brown but more of a soupy green. There have been no reports of true brown tide from TP&W, and what allegedly occurred was estuarine eutrophication, basically caused from a heavy nutrient. Heavy rainfall, combined with high temperatures and low winds, evidently encouraged other types of nuisance algal blooms besides brown tide. There is a lot of information about this on the internet if anyone is interested. As of this writing patches still exist, but it not as widespread and there is plenty of clear water available.

Back to days without even a breath of air until late afternoon.

There were smaller slot redfish on the sand early which provided a lot of sightcasting fun, but aside from finding some good fish buried in heavy shallow grass, the biggest bruisers were often out deeper in waist to shirt pocket water. We found many of them cruising just beneath the surface during those windless periods. If your presentation was too low you missed them all. The Mann’s Baby Minus One worked very well in this situation as it stays less than a foot deep. So did little 1/8th oz. spoons and some topwaters, even during the hottest part of the day.

The time-honored 1/8 ounce weedless spoon and Mann’s Baby 1-Minus have been racking up lots of redfish lately.

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Go with the best nature has to offer for the moment and enjoy every bit of it!

The bull tides of fall should be peaking about the time this issue hits the rack, and will continue slowly falling into the first part of February. When the levels first start to recede, we will see a mass exodus of shrimp leaving the back sloughs and marshes, and both trout and reds will be eagerly waiting to intercept them. We will be there too, watching for low birds hovering over pods of tailing reds and throwing Corkies along the current-swept drops. It will be also be time for bigger topwaters, and the highest anticipation will be wondering what sort of beast will slam the next cast.

Last year we started catching our magnum sized trout in mid-November, so no need to wait until the mythical months of January and February to hunt for your personal best. Lower tides, cooler water, and revolving winds will make those little tidal dumps much more special. Fish will be more concentrated, much easier to pattern, fatter, and just plain meaner as the year works toward it’s close. Your standard techniques will apply, but the biggest factor in success will be getting into the water to do what you dream of. You’re dreaming of it right now, so am I, and I can’t wait to stuff my new Simms waders full of Corkies. The challenge will be there, will you?

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November marks the time to breakout the waders. Hopefully they will still fit and also have bit of room for a couple extra pounds because the holidays are not far off. It’s probably a good idea to check ahead of time and not get a surprise on that first chilly morning.

The passing of cold fronts will bring north winds that can churn up the bay water so we’ll all be looking for protected places to fish. I like the leeward shoreline of the spoil islands along the ICW and some of the back bays also remain relatively clear during these hard blows. Water clarity is always of great concern but locating baitfish ranks right up there with it. It always pays to note how close to the bank the bait is holding and whether the wind is blowing it toward any particular spot or structure that might also be a natural gamefish attractor.

. ays a blast g reds is alw in h tc ca d n friend a me with a Spending ti

In November and December I find myself spending a lot of time on the east side of the ICW. The water clarity is generally better here and there are lots of deep potholes where wind-driven schools of baitfish find refuge. Other favorable conditions include highly oxygenated water which always seems to spark lots of feeding activity. The fish are aggressive and 88

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fight hard in these conditions. In the spring, summer, and early fall I don’t pay much attention to diving pelicans, but starting in November and on into winter the presence of feeding pelicans is a good thing.

Jim proudly displays his big catch of the day.

November is also the time of year when we need to pay closer attention to the weather forecast; we will begin to see cloudy days during northerners, and with the passing of fronts we’ll see blue bird skies and occasional feathery cirrus clouds. Our days are shorter and getting out early is not nearly as important as other seasons. Take an easier start and allow for some warmth to creep into the cool bay waters. The baitfish will tend to get more active as the water temperature rises in the afternoon. As the bait becomes more active and migrates to the flats the gamefish too will be on the prowl.

As mentioned above, an early morning start is not critical. With reduced boat traffic there is less chance somebody will beat you to your spot, especially if you’re tightlipped about your honey hole. Don’t rule out topwaters, as a matter of fact that is what we will start with most days. As always the weather, water level, bait availability, and water temperature will dictate where we will start. For the most part the fish will continue to be in the same places they were in the early fall. They will migrate to slightly deeper water as cold fronts blast through and then return to feed on the shallow flats and pothole riddled areas. Be vigilant and learn to use the birds to show you the location of the bait. Keep in mind that small channels or guts become favored routes in and out of shallow flats as temperatures rise or fall.

This has certainly been a strange year up and down the coast and we’ve had our share down here in the lower Laguna Madre. Early fall was tough for consistent catching. The conditions were right many days and the fish were there; however, many times they flat out refused what we were throwing. We worked through some full day grinds and our best catches seemed to come later in the afternoon when the tides moved best.

I fished with a group that comes down every year to fish and shoot birds. We went to a spot that had been producing some very nice reds on topwaters. The early hours were calm, hot and muggy. The bait was all around us and at a distance we could see something busting them up. We headed toward it and the feeding activity was different than I was accustomed to seeing. The bait was jumping franticly like I had never seen before and there were very large wakes streaking behind these

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Lynda’s topwater red came early in the morning.

Way to go Lynda!

Joey took advantage of tailing reds with his long rod.

frightened mullet. We worked our topwaters feverishly hoping for a brute red to detonate out of nowhere as our bait danced on the water. On one of my luckiest casts ever, I received a huge explosion on my Super Spook Jr. The fish peeled out line as if the drag was no match for its strength. I set

the hook and out jumped this big fish at least four feet into the air. It continued to jump again and again. Each time it hit the water a large amount of line was stripped. I saw that it was a tarpon but I could not believe it was in this area.

After eight acrobatic leaps my first tarpon came into my grasp. I estimate its weight to be 25 to 30 lbs and close to 4-feet long. Frequently I get to see clients with a case of the adrenaline shakes but it had been a while since I had experienced it. Shortly after landing the magnificent fish, Capt. Mike McBride took some awesome photos and we released it unharmed.

This fish was way out of its normal range. In a million years I would have never thought a tarpon would inhabit a knee deep lagoon. Later that day my client, Jim Straton, would land his personal best trout and a tarpon. What a day that turned out to be and like I told you, it has been a strange year.

November’s fishing is a warm-up for what is to come. If fighting hungry and bulky redfish is your game or catching trophy trout with a no-tight-lip-attitude is your preference, then November is the time to be on the water. Don’t let the weather stop you from experiencing a good fall and early winter bite. Happy Fishing!

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November is a great month to fish Big Lake. Speckled trout will be plentiful from the south end all the way to the saltwater barrier north of I-10. Keying on birds will still be the easiest way to locate schooling fish. When fishing a group of birds, make sure to cut your engine at least 200 yards from the school. Then use the wind, tide and trolling motor to close the remaining distance. Try to stay with the fish after the birds break up by paying close attention to the fish at all times. Keep eyes trained on the water, looking for surfacing fish and shrimp skittering across the top. The best lures to use under birds are glow, chartreuse, smoke and avocado beetles and stingray grubs on 1/4 ounce heads. The larger trout will be showing up by late month, mostly over oyster reefs in two to six feet of water. The north end of the lake (Turners Bay) to West Cove will all be holding big fish. Be on the lookout for slicks and high concentrations of mullet. Jointed Thundersticks, Catch 2000’s, Corkies and Corky Devils are all good choices for the larger trout.

“It’s lock and load over here right now,” James said recently. “We are catching limits of trout almost every trip, and we’re not going back to the same places to get ‘em either. Fishing is good in Trinity and East Bays right now, and I’ve also had some action in the far end of West Bay and on Sabine too. Of course, there are some birds working, and the crowds seem focused on that, but we are catching as many fish and a better average size by keying on slicks, reefs and small towheads in open water. It’s not like the heat of summer. When we find slicks lately, we often catch fish for two or three hundred yards. There are still some gafftops mixed in with the trout and of course sometimes nice reds too. Best lures lately are the Bass Assassins, but Top Dogs and the old standby 51M Mirrolures are working better to cull some of the bigger trout out of the schools. Wading and drifting have both been productive, but mostly I’ve been staying in the boat because it helps me avoid the crowd and remain mobile. It’s more of a signs than a spots thing.”

Jimmy is in the midst of one of his favorites times of year. “We’ve got excellent dove hunting and fishing right now, and duck season is right around the corner.

Duck hunting should be good in a variety of areas this year with all the water from the heavy rains.” As for the fishing, it’s been hot in East and Trinity Bays. “People are catching them all over East Bay and on the east shore of Trinity. Most of the trout are still hanging out on the reefs in water too deep for wading, though we are starting to see a short-lived early bite on some stretches of the shoreline. By November, we should be able to catch all we want, and some big trout too, wading most or all day. As for now, we are still throwing the topwaters and the worms from the boat, doesn’t seem to matter which ones or what colors. Finding the fish is key.

With all the working birds and slicks popping on the reefs, it’s pretty easy to do. And I will say this, the marsh is full of redfish, not too many trout yet, but they should show up with the cooler water temperatures as we get closer to Thanksgiving.”

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Though the tide has been high in the San Luis Pass area as in much of the rest of the state lately, fishing is productive, especially for redfish, Randall reports.

“Redfish have been saving the day for us a lot. They are easier to locate and catch since they are bunched up in shallow marshy areas with all this high tide. The trout have been a little more scarce, or at least harder to catch, probably due to the high water temperatures.” But at the Bayou Landing Lodge on Bastrop Bayou, they look forward to the cooler temperatures of fall with high expectations. “Once the fronts start the tide dropping and the bait moving toward the pass, we will have some outstanding action under the birds for our trout. We’ll be using topwaters mostly by then, hoping to cull the bigger fish out of the schools with the bulkier plugs. Lately, though, the red magic Sand Eel has been the lure of choice. It will, of course, work under the birds too.” Flounder, redfish and trout are all known to crowd the area around San Luis Pass in November while the bait migrates through.

Don says the trout fishing has been steady if not spectacular in East Bay lately.

“I’ve had trout up to 27 1/2 inches recently, mostly on live shrimp, but we’ve had some decent days on lures too. Limits have been hard to come by, but the average size is good. Fishing grass beds has been the most consistent way to find the trout, though the reefs are holding fish too. Topwaters have tricked a few fish, but the worm has been better. When the piggy perch and needlefish get bad about biting tails off, I’ve been switching to Power Baits in strawberry and white. Had one day on which I caught some nice trout on those after the trash fish had bitten the tails off my regular Bass Assassins one time too many.” Redfish action is hot in backwater areas with the high tides. “All of the back lakes in West Bay have hordes of reds.

They are a little easier to catch than the trout. November should be better. When the tide finally drops behind some of the fronts, the bird action will pick up. The action isn’t too good under the gulls lately, but cooler weather will help.”

Fall has arrived and so has the hot redfish action. We have been on huge schools in area bays and back lakes and most of the bronze beauties have been in the upper end of the slot. The best bait by far for these reds has been the Berkley Gulp Shrimp in pearl white, rigged on 1/16 ounce heads. We have been matching what the fish are feeding on; there is a ton of shrimp in the bays right now. The trout bite has been slower in the transition from summer to fall. We have been finding a few under the birds in East Bay and along the Tres Palacios River, but many of the flocks are indicating undersized, not keeper fish. Floundering continues to be pretty consistent with the high tides; on most nights we average about six per person.

The big trout should start showing up this month with the cooler weather. The Oliver Point and Palacios Point shorelines should produce some quality fish. Corky Fatboys in pearl/black and dayglow will work to get these fish to eat. Redfish will continue to roam area shorelines as long as the shrimp stay in the bay.

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The fishing has progressively improved in the Laguna Madre during the past few weeks. The water clarity has improved, particularly in the northern end, while in the southern end around Baffin Bay the water continues to be more murky. Frequent light winds have made it easier to locate the schools of redfish making their way north toward outlets to the Gulf of Mexico. I have been finding mixed schools of redfish and black drum with speckled trout hanging around the perimeters of the schools. My trolling motor has been getting some good work outs while fishing these schools. I find that I can catch more fish by approaching the schools quietly from at least eighty yards away with my trolling motor, and not drifting through the schools at all. These fish have been in three to five feet of water and I’ve been rigging good penny and pearl five inch Saltwater Shad Bass Assassin Blurps and three inch new penny and natural colored Berkley Gulp Shrimp on sixteenth ounce heads. Half ounce gold weedless spoons have also been working.

Fishing has been steadier for redfish than trout lately in Port O’Connor. “We are dealing with some persistent very high tides, and it seems to have the trout scattered out some. Those fishing deeper waters with live bait are faring better, but the lure fishing is a bit slower. All that should change in November, with cooler water temperatures and lower tides. We’ll still be fishing grass flats with sandy potholes, and focusing a bit more on the shell reefs too. As it gets colder, shell and mud will eventually replace sand and grass as the favored environment for the fish. I’ve been having the best luck lately on Gulp shrimp in pearl white. Next month, the topwaters and Corkies should become more consistent.” One thing the high tide has done, Lynn says, is to allow the big schools of redfish plenty of room to roam on the flats.

“The schools of reds are ganged up close to the passes. It’s not hard to catch a bunch if you look for them shallow enough. Some herds are mostly undersized fish, but it’s possible to work through them for limits on most days.”

Joe predicts that November’s fishing will depend on how much effect the weather has on the monster tide now standing in the Laguna Madre. “We really won’t be able to accurately predict the how, when and where for November until we see what happens with this tide and the water clarity. Right now, the water in the upper stretches of the lagoon are pretty much clear. If it stays that way after the tide drops to a normal level, we will be able to catch fish on the King Ranch Shoreline, the spoils and in Emmord’s and Beacroft’s. If the brown tide moves north with the falling tide, it will force us to change tactics. Usually, in November, I like to stay in the northern end of the system. I spend a lot of time on the flats north of the JFK Causeway and even run up to Shamrock and East Flats. The redfish will still be around and more of the quality trout will be shallow too. I’ll be throwing some weedless half ounce Johnson spoons and of course my Bass Assassins. Basically, my plan is to stay in the clearest and shallowest water I can find.”

November is one of Blake’s favorite months, since it brings the start of duck season, and the cooler weather perks up the fishing, creating potential for more regular catches of trophy trout. “This has been a wet year, so there is a lot of water on inland prairies, but we should still see excellent duck hunting in our marshes.

All the freshwater is good for the growth of grass in the marsh lakes, so the ducks will have plenty to dabble for.” He plans to run as many cast and blast outings as he can, shooting first, then working the marsh for reds before coming out to grassy shorelines in search of large speckled trout while wadefishing. “We catch some of our biggest trout of the year in November, my fishing logs tell me. I like shorelines with a mix of sand, mud and grass. Topwaters are, of course, my favorite thing to throw at them, but I’ll always have a pocket full of Sand Eels at the ready in case their biting mood is not as good. We’ll still have some trout and redfish on mid-bay reefs too, but with all the other options, I might not get to those fish!”

The monster tides have invaded the Lower Laguna at the time of this report. “If it gets much higher, I won’t be able to get my boat back on the sling!” Bruce says. He reports that some areas around Port Mansfield have been affected by brown tide, but that all the rain has helped improve the overall water quality in the region. “I’m seeing more blue crabs than I have in years, and the backwater areas are holding tons of shrimp and other bait fish. Fishing has been consistent for redfish, with a noticeable abundance of fish in the mid thirty inch class. They are blasting off on our topwaters while we are trying to catch trout at times. We are averaging one or two big trout a week, but they are hard to pattern. November should be much better.

The trout should begin to move off the deep grass edges and onto the shallower shelves, and locating them in the potholes will be easier. The redfish will be hanging on the sugar sand next to shore early, then moving deeper as the morning warms.

We’ll put the Corkies back into play more and more of the time.”

This November on PINS will likely be productive for those who time their excursions to occur between passing fronts. Watch out for the persistent high tides, as they can make driving treacherous on the soft sand close to the dunes. A wide variety of species should be available for anglers able to make it down the beach at the right time. Pompano and whiting are plentiful in the cooling waters and will bite Fishbites and peeled dead shrimp. Best bet is to rig those on small hooks. Both slot and bull redfish will probably be around in good numbers, especially if the warm weather pattern holds. Some large Spanish mackerel prowl the surf this month, as do scattered schools of Atlantic bluefish. Jack Crevalle should still be running, as the hot weather of late has their run temporarily delayed. For action on those brutes, cruise down the beach until surface action and diving birds are spotted, then throw topwaters and large spoons into the melee and be ready for a real fight.

Large sharks can be spotted cruising and caught by sight casting at times.

We’ve been hitting the Long Bar at first light, taking advantage of a steady supply of trout and the occasional tournament winning redfish (9.2 pounds), like the one weighed in by Laura Dye in the ladies Redfish Rodeo held recently on South Padre Island. Working the series of bars along the intracoastal that were once exposed spoil banks but have now been drowned and covered over with grass pays off, especially when tides aren’t moving as much as we’d like in the back reaches of the bay system. The Mansfield Mauler trailing a Gulp shrimp has proven the most successful on both of our target species. The close proximity to the intracoastal creates a habitat perfect for trout with deep water close to the shallow banks. They can be drifted over on high tide or waded when the boat won’t quite make it across.

Freddy says, “The extra high tides are allowing us to limit on trout and reds, making for happy customers and captains.” We’re always excited this time of the year... fewer boats should make the upcoming winter fishing fantastic!

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Wes Hudson of Shallow Sport Boats lands his first snook while fishing the Laguna Madre.

Expecting Mom, Stephanie Garcia lands a nice set of reds on her first trip out.

Michael Fulcher caught and released this red while fishing in Little Bay, Rockport.

Joe Dougherty of La Porte, caught and released this 41� drum while fishing Terrace Pier.

Billie Kocian proudly shows off one of her tournament reds caught while fishing the IFA in Port Aransas.

Stacey Kubena of San Antonio snagged this red while out fishing PINS.

Phil Perry proudly displays his red caught while fishing the Redfish Cup.

Left: Kristopeher Law lands this 35 lb. black drum while fishing in Indianola.

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Steven Morales & Ruben Pena show off a pair of trout that they landed in Baffin Bay. Michael Neal and family caught and released this drum while fishing in POC.

Luke Cantu of San Antonio displays his 31” king landed while fishing with his father in Port Aransas.

Weston Watson grins from ear to ear while he shows off his trout.

Keila Grable landed this beautiful trout while out fishing Baffin Bay with Capt Kevin Cochran.

Kale Cator snagged this 25” red while drift fishing the flats in Port Mansfield on his birthday. Way to go!

Baylor Moore tricked this 5# trout while out fishing in Baffin.

Melody Saldivar tricked this 27” trout while fishing Laguna Madre near Pita Island.

(Left) Amanda Bedgood landed this 25” 6.5# trout while out fishing the surf near Pass Cavallo.

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Mosca Boats................................................................61 361-985-2851

Mt. Houston Marine......................................................67 281-447-7689

Rockport Marine...........................................................15 361-729-7820

Ron Hoover RV & Marine Center.....................................1 800-545-8818

Sea Vee Boats.............................................................33 281-220-2400

Shallow Sport Boats.....................................................24 956-233-9489

Shoalwater Boats.......................................................100 361-983-4134

Suzuki........................................................................... 3 800-247-4704

Texas Marine............................................................... 77 409-898-7632

Trans Fiberglass Boat.................................................. 54 361-972-6629

800-829-1772

Braid Products...............................................................55 661-266-9791

Cove Harbor Marina and Drystack................................25 361-790-5438

Espandre......................................................................41 281-543-1230

EZ Drainer................................................................... 85 281-224-9766

Gulf Coast Trolling Motors............................................ 55 281-481-6832

Jet Dock.....................................................................100 361-972-2122

JL Marine - Power Pole................................................ 67 888-442-4900

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800-826-2628

David’s Tackle Box.......................................................85 281-342-9669

Fishing Tackle Unlimited.............................. Cover, 45, 53 281-481-6838

Gander Mountain......................................................... 51 800-282-5993

Paddlecast.................................................................. 69 713-674-0461

Roy’s Bait & Tackle........................................................ 9 361-992-2960

Tackle Box...................................................................85 361-575-8700

Victoria All Sports...................................................... 73 361-575-0655

Real Estate Bay Harbour................................................................ 20 979-863-7724

ReFund Realty Services...............................................19 866-598-FUND (866-598-3863)

Foreverlast...................................................................41

The Sanctuary............................................................. 50

888-943-3622 361-798-1530

Gamma Technologies...................................................79 800-437-2971

H&H Fishing Rods........................................................15 713-875-7827

Laguna Rods............................................................... 35 281-931-1601

Luresafety....................................................................59 713-203-2829

Maui Jim...................................................................... 73 888-628-4546

Mud Hole.....................................................................85

888-552-0785

Tournaments Texas Parks & Wildlife..................................................24 361-939-8745

Miscellaneous 98.7 Texas Mix.............................................................85 361-573-7223

Aventura Jewelry..........................................................45 713-932-0002

Coastal Kayak Angler...................................................73

866-790-RODS (7637)

Norton Lures................................................................25 361-790-5329

Okuma........................................................................ 83 800-466-5862

Penn.......................................................... Solunar Chart 215-229-9415

Quantum................................................................ 77, 87 800-588-9030

Rapala........................................................................ 61 800-874-4451

Rods by Pepper............................................................79 409-737-1136 361-575-4751

Birdsall Marine Design................................................. 65

281-334-7583

Boater’s World............................................................. 21

South Padre Island Golf Club........................................43

Texas Tackle Factory...............................................Cover

Boat Accessories

800-BassPro (800-227-7776)

Blue Water Ships Stores...............................................19

Fish Slick.....................................................................85

888-797-9805

Lone Star Yacht Sales....................................................5

Bass Pro Outdoor World...............................................49

Tru-Tungsten................................................................47 724-349-2260

Twin City Optical.......................................................... 79 281-342-1610

Wade Aid Enterprises...................................................65 888-923-3243

Wade Easy...................................................................14 325-234-4420

Waterloo Rods............................................................. 81 361-573-0300

Woodee Rods USA...................................................... 57 281-723-4154

Fishing retail locations

Eichorn Gonzales & Miller........................................... 59 361-573-0647

Fisherman’s Network....................................................77 512-363-9032

Frishman Gallery..........................................................87 512-458-6658

Graphics By Design..................................................... 89 361-785-4282

Gulf Coast Kayak Adventures.......................................65 979-922-1580

Hillman’s Seafood........................................................ 94 281-339-2897

Lisa Motley Art.............................................................79 361-649-3462

Lonestar Outdoor News............................................. 65 866-361-2276

McLean Insurance........................................................47 866-402-4203

Mission Wall Systems................................................ 35 888-572-0097

Saltwater Fishing Clinics.............................................. 79 361-563-1160

Specialty Shutter Systems............................................45 866-579-6433

Speedy Stop.............................................. Solunar Chart 361-582-5100

The Galveston Fishing Pier...........................................78 409-744-2273

Academy..................................................................... 63 888-922-2336

November 2007

Texas Saltwater Fishing

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Texas Saltwater Fishing

November 2007

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