April 2017

April 2017

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about the Cover What a surprise! Capt. Chris Shindledecker landed this 22-pound tripletail on a soft plastic lure, wading the Upper Laguna near Corpus Christi. Hard to believe this fish was in the bay so early in the season…in such shallow water.

Contents

April 2017 VOL 26 NO 12

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

10 An Honest Generational Assessment 18 A Cooperative Plan 26 Rudy Poindexter – Part 3 32 Why Ask Why? 40 New Jon Boat 46 Redfish Rumble

52 Let’s Ask The Pro 56 Shallow Water Fishing 60 TPWD Field Notes 66 Fly Fishing 68 Kayak Fishing Chronicles 72 TSFMag Conservation News 76 Fishy Facts 80 Inshore | Nearshore | Jetties | Passes 84 Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

112 Boat Maintenance Tips 114 Science & the Sea

Steve Hillman Kevin Cochran Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard Joe Doggett

46

WHAT OUR GUIDES

HAVE TO SAy

90 Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene 92 The Buzz on Galveston Bay 94 The View from Matagorda 96 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays 98 Hooked up with Rowsey 100 Wayne’s Port Mansfield Report 102 South Padre Fishing Scene

Dickie Colburn Caleb Harp Bink Grimes Gary Gray David Rowsey Wayne Davis Ernest Cisneros

56 REGULARS

96

08 Editorial 88 New Tackle & Gear 104 Fishing Reports and Forecasts 108 Catch of the Month 110 Gulf Coast Kitchen

106 6 | April 2017

Jay Watkins Scott Null Mark Fisher Scott Sommerlatte Dave Roberts CCA Texas Stephanie Boyd Joe Richard Eric Ozolins Chris Mapp UT Marine Science Institute

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

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

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EDITORIAL

April

on

It seems that each coastal region gets its time in the spotlight and right now it’s shining brightly on the Middle Coast. To be fair, the Upper and Lower coast are doing just fine but, by golly, the water from Sargent to Rockport is just flat on fire!

I recall the late-90s, shortly after Wallace’s state record Baffin trout in ’96, all eyes were on East Matagorda to produce the next one. Then a strong run over on Sabine Lake stole the show. The Lower Laguna went off like a bomb right after Hurricane Dolly in 2008 and sleepy Port Mansfield became a boomtown.

Last week, at the Houston Fishing Show, I interviewed scores of veteran anglers. Capt. Bink Grimes of Matagorda’s Sunrise Lodge was one of the most excited. Please don’t take this the wrong way,” he said.

“We love and respect our speckled trout. But right now five- to sevenpounders are “cheap” on East Matty. We’re picking up at least one or two and sometimes several per charter.”

Bay ecology is all about the timing of runoff and fresh inflows and, of course, weather plays a role. All the perfect salinity in the world won’t count if you get a fish-killing freeze. Let’s pray Mother Nature continues to smile; Middle Coast anglers deserve several great seasons after suffering years of drought and so-so fishing.

Having mentioned the Fishing Show, this was the forty-second produced by Dave Holder and Associates in downtown Houston and it was another dandy. Anglers came in droves and exhibitors enjoyed brisk business through the five-day event. It is always a great time for

8 | April 2017

Texas Bays

the TSFMag team, making new friends and visiting with old ones. One of the most incredible things to me is the number of young families.

Baby boomers are aging and some analysts would have us believe outdoor pastimes such as fishing and hunting will decline sharply as the boomers leave the scene. My take on that is that they evidently haven’t been to this show. There’s nothing more impressive than a stream of wide-eyed youngsters dragging parents from one display to the next, toting new rods and bags of other fishing goodies.

I have been mentioning the San Jacinto River Waste Pits in this column and just recently we learned of another waste disposal mess – thanks to whistleblower Dr. Kent Hood and Fox News-26 Houston.

As serious a threat as the San Jacinto Pits are in the upper portion of Galveston Bay, what Dr. Hood revealed to investigative reporters makes that EPA Superfund Site almost pale in comparison.

Just south of the Galveston Causeway, along the bank and within sight of the busy Intra-Coastal Waterway, lies a series of thirty-two unlined and uncapped “ponds” filled with millions of gallons of Dioxin-laden industrial sludge. Dioxin is a powerful carcinogen and the risk to humans and threat to Galveston Bay can only be guessed.

News is breaking daily and coastal anglers need to become informed.

Updates are available as they happen on CCA Texas and Galveston Bay Foundation websites.

Great fishing ahead…don’t forget the kids!

STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN

Bobby Brownfield served our great country in Vietnam and doesn’t take anything for granted, especially this 40-inch redfish (CPR.) Much respect for him and all of our military.

G

reat-grandpa T, Theodor Hillman, built 16-foot skiffs out of cypress planks and started his guide service on Dickinson Bayou around 1923. He would make cornmeal mush to throw into the water and then wait about 30-minutes and cast net shrimp that were feeding on the cornmeal. After catching bait they would row along the salt cedar-lined shorelines of the bayou, eventually arriving to destinations in nearby Moses Lake and Dickinson Bay. Cane poles were baited with shrimp or crab to catch trout, redfish, flounder and black drum. If he hooked a fish that was too much for the cane pole to handle he would fight it long as he could and then simply turn the pole loose and row over to it once the fish was tired.

He pieced an old boat together using parts of a Model-T Ford for its cabin. The 16-foot vessel powered by a 4-cylinder gasoline engine pulled a homemade shrimp net that was quite possibly the first to be fished in Dickinson Bayou’s bountiful waters. He made a live-bait cage out of redwood slats bridled on both ends with a hand crank and sold live shrimp for 25 cents a quart.

His boat, Grandpa’s Pride, was later placed atop Hillman’s Café which was opened in 1959 by two of Grandpa T’s three sons, B.B. and Sonny. Sadly, the café closed in 1983 after Hurricane Alicia.

The seafood market portion of the building, which is owned and operated by three of my cousins (granddaughters of Grandpa T), remains open today and is still going strong. The other portion of the old café is where the girls make nets for shrimpers.

Ingenuity and unsurpassed work ethic was engrained in Great-grandpa T’s generation and passed to the generations that followed, as making a living on the water cultivated its humble but deep roots along the shores of Dickinson Bayou. There was a sense of pride and accomplishment handed down with each generation throughout my family.

Almost ten decades later I find myself just as blessed to be making a decent living from the same waters as Great-grandpa T. I listen to stories of how family and friends pulled together back then to make ends meet and how they worked collectively to survive despite their differences.

Then I think about where we are now.

Those of us who have been fishing these waters for quite a long time tend to get frustrated and even a bit grumpy at the sight of so many fresh faces popping up on the fishing scene. Most of them seem to be in the 18- to 30-year-old age bracket. We jokingly call some of them “flatbillers” because they wear their caps with the bill stiff and straight as a board. I’ve always liked wearing a Regardless of what curved-billed ball cap not necessarily kind of fishing we did growing up, Dad always made sure we had fun! (Dad & I white bass fishing on Lake Livingston in 1978)

Grandpa T’s retired shrimp boat atop the café (circa 1979).

because it was in style but because it served a functional purpose by keeping the sun out of my eyes. Practicality has always taken precedence over fashion for me, much to my wife’s displeasure. We sometimes poke fun at their 70-mph boats, calling them rocket ships. It could be that I’m just a tad jealous because my Whaler will only hit about 43-mph once the landing gear is up. Their dual Power Poles cause us to roll our eyes but I’m sure they’re more practical than we realize, even though we’ll never admit it.

I suspect some of the rancor stems from the upbringing and personal experiences of those of us who fit into the Baby Boomer (1944-1964) or Generation X (1965-1981) groups. Like those before us, we began working at a very early age with stern guidance from our parents. We stumbled at times but learned as we travelled a hands-on journey to adulthood. I remember Mom and Dad paying me $2.00 per hour to fillet fish in their retail market when I was 12 years old. Despite how many child labor laws may have been broken, I managed to save enough money to put a 9.9 tiller steer Johnson on my 12-foot Sears Kingfisher. I worked full-time (sometimes multiple jobs) all the way through college.

We earned everything back then, including respect. We also had a great deal of respect for our parents and all who preceded them.

The only windows we knew had panes. The closest we came to having the internet in high school was MS DOS. Those We’ve made great Dot Matrix printers were pretty cool though! The only strides since my mouse I remember was the one we found dead on teenage years the floor in Mr. Brother’s shop class one morning. The when success was internet hit the scene while I was in college but faded measured by stringer quickly because it was just a tad before its time (see weight. (circa 1985 dot-com collapse). Within a couple of years the stronger Port Mansfield) of the internet bunch survived and eventually paved the road to a new way of digital life none of us could have ever imagined. This digital era would forever change the way we do almost everything - even fish!

Enter Millennials (1982-2000) According to staff at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, millennials make up the fastest growing portion of resident hunting and fishing license purchases in Texas with a 12% increase over the past 7 years. During this same time, participation by Baby Boomers has declined and Generation X has shown only a minimal increase. The

12 | April 2017

number of resident fishing licenses purchased by each group in 2016 was relatively close During summer I would with Baby Boomers purchasing the fewest fish almost every morning (261,540), then Generation Xers (371,588) before work at the fish and finally Millennials (394,825). According house. I still remember to the department, they expect Millennials to exactly where we caught dominate the scene over the next decade as these reds on that morning more become of age. in 1986. We worked slicks Despite the disconnect between older and using 3/4-ounce Johnson younger generations, I’ve learned to ease up Sprite spoons. The white a bit on the young guns, especially since I’ve boots (aka San Leon gotten to know some of them. After all, they’re Ropers) didn’t make much fishing, and having a passion for fishing is one of a fashion statement but of the healthiest activities I know. We’ve all were practical. preached “take a kid fishing” for as long as I can remember. Well, they’re no longer kids, so Participate in a balanced fisheries management plan (even if selfmaybe it’s time to quit passing judgement and embrace the fact that imposed) that addresses a sustainable biomass as well as quality. they got hooked just like we did and much of it was because of us.

Common ground - Set aside differences and realize that WE ARE ONE Those impressionable kids we took fishing at 12- or 13-years-old are as a fishing community. now in their 20s. Have we taught them the right way? What mistakes Cleaning table competition - The idea that a grown man or woman have we made? Have we made a difference? The examples we set in can indulge in a chest-beating contest over who caught more fish is not their early years helped mold them into what they are today. Despite only immature but shows a lack of confidence within themselves, not to some of the stereotypes, Millennials are a smart bunch as a whole, who mention a lack of integrity. are very willing to learn, have access to virtually unlimited information, Always show respect and good etiquette. and seem to care about conservation. They are also very competitive.

Stay quiet and you’ll be able to stay by yourself. In other words, Just look at who’s winning most fishing tournaments these days.

“Loose lips sink ships.”

All of this being said, here are some concepts for not only the Internet Fishing Experts – There are a lot of them. Don’t be gullible!

Millennials, but ALL generations Instead, use reliable sources and rely on your own experiences to form to consider: Luke Sampson displaying an educated opinion. Do your homework. uncanny flat bill skills by Escape the herd by leading by example while understanding that landing a 30-pound drum sometimes the right choices are the most unpopular. Don’t be a on light tackle! follower. It only displays weakness.

Learn the proper way to handle and release trout.

Realize that you don’t have to post photos in social media every time you catch something (unless, of course, you want company).

Remember to have fun!

It’s encouraging to see how many young anglers are practicing catch and release. This, along with the help of Mother Nature, should keep our fishery heading in the right direction for many years. This being said, there should never be guilt associated with keeping some fish to eat. Just don’t be wasteful. We must continue to educate with knowledge-based facts and incorporate common sense into our fishing practices. As Boomers and Xers, we have to make sure our good examples transcend to Millennials, because pretty soon they’ll be the ones mentoring Generation Z. By the way, that flat-billed cap thing is kind of growing on me.

Contact

Steve Hillman

14 | April 2017

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

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

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STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

O

n some occasions, differences in various attributes of lures of the same type can cause one to earn significantly more strikes than others. Determining the disparity in number of bites results from some aspect of the physical traits of the lure rather than from presentation style can prove difficult, but in my experience, one specific lure within the same group sometimes just works better than the rest.

I recently observed the phenomenon while fishing with a repeat customer and his wife. We jumped out of the boat in pre-dawn darkness, all with topwaters dangling from the ends of our lines. Significantly, each of us deployed a different plug. Shortly into the wade, my male customer caught and landed a decent trout, weighing more than four pounds. He also earned several noisy blow ups on his One Knocker Spook, missing the other fish.

I and the wife had no takers, though we threw lures similar in size to his. When he caught a second trout, I began to ask for specifics about his presentation. “I’m walking the dog real slow and deliberate, making a steady, wide, side to side movement. Pausing every now and then too, but the strikes are coming while the lure is moving.�

His wife and I noted the details of his description and began trying to imitate the style with our

lures, a She Dog and a Skitter Walk. We both had a couple weak blow ups in the next few minutes, but the husband caught another trout, which tackled his plug viciously. Since he had a second One Knocker in his box, he tied it on his wife’s line.

All the while, I did not really want to acknowledge the possibility that one type of topwater could produce such a different outcome, even with a similar presentation style, so I kept working to tweak the movement pattern with my Skitter Walk. I also tried deploying the same presentation with a full-sized Super Spook, without success.

Soon, however, the wife began getting regular blow ups. She wound up landing a twenty-five-inch specimen, next a twenty-three, then a twenty-eight incher which weighed seven pounds.

She upgraded her personalbest mark twice during the flurry, and caught a few other solid trout too, missing several more, when they sprayed foam into the sky while trying to inhale her floating plug.

The two One Knockers used by the couple that day did not bear identical coloration. Obviously, they shared the same size profile and produced similar rattling sounds and vibrations. I believe those factors accounted for Randy Slocum tricked this fat trout why the plugs produced on a Super Spook in knee-deep so much better than my water on a calm February morning. normally effective Skitter Walk and Super Spook.

Surely, I’ve seen Skitter Walks earn many strikes while other floating plugs wouldn’t, and I’ve witnessed how effectively a Super Spook Junior can make fish rise and strike when other topwaters don’t work at all.

Consequently, I don’t see the One Knocker as a Magic Bullet, one which will always perform better than similar plugs like it did on the day described.

For some reason or list of reasons, the plug did have the “right” attributes on that occasion, but one should not expect the same results in other places 20 | April 2017

at other times. Identifying which specific lure within a given family will perform best isn’t always easy, to say the least. Knowing this, I believe groups of two or more anglers could benefit from deploying a detailed plan of action during a day of fishing, to determine which lure of a chosen type best fits the needs of the moment.

Such a course of action would work best when implemented after careful forethought, collaboration and planning. For one thing, all anglers participating in the strategy would need to carry an identical or nearly identical set of lures along while wading, or aboard the boat, if fishing from the floating platform. Participants would also need to agree on which group of lures would likely work best at the start of the day, and which to try next if the original assumption does not produce as many bites as expected.

I work with welldeveloped ideas in mind about which lures to try first and which to use as backups, taking the season, time of day and other factors into account.

Anglers attempting to use this plan would need to do the same. Describing how the basic choices vary from season to season helps clarify what I mean.

In summer, when Using a soft plastic in the middle of starting a day of fishing in the day under a bright sun, Randy the morning, with typically Slocum made a good day great when light wind, I assume the he caught this handsome specimen. trout will take topwaters readily. If floating plugs don’t produce many strikes within a reasonable time-frame, I’ll likely switch straight over to soft plastics, but might try slow-sinking twitch baits as a second choice, if signs indicating the presence of actively feeding fish abound around me. In order to make the collaborative plan I envision work; two or three anglers would need to work from the same assumptions.

Before beginning to cast, each would select a different type of topwater to deploy, ideally ones with significantly diverse

size and noise-making attributes. For instance, one might choose a Super Spook Junior, while a second ties on a She Dog, the third a Skitter Walk. All of them would also leave the boat carrying the same lures used by the others, and would remain ready to change to the one which produces best, if such a scenario develops. If and when the anglers perceive the superior efficacy of one plug, focus should certainly shift to presentation.

In fact, anglers working this plan should stay focused on presentation style as a component throughout the process, ideally to eliminate it as the reason for variation in bite frequency. Certainly, once all members of the group switch to the same plug, they should attempt to identify the most productive presentation. This truth rings in other seasons, when lure selection strategies don’t mirror the summer plan.

Captain Kev with a In the moderate seasons, meaning spring and fall, I find fine trout caught in slow-sinking twitch baits more useful than ever. So, I often the clear waters of the Upper Laguna start each day off using one of them, switching “up” to Water near the end topwaters when the bite seems ridiculously easy and I see of February. ample signs of surface-feeding activity, and “down” to soft plastics when things look and feel stale around me, and framework of ideas, the pair should make an effort to select and bites don’t come frequently. Collaborating anglers working within the framework of the plan described here might embark on a fall or spring use lures with widely different attributes to increase the likelihood of gleaning meaningful lessons quickly. In the topwater group, for day’s journey with one using a sinking Paul Brown Fat Boy, a second instance, picking a Spook Junior and a She Dog would make sense, throwing a Catch 5 and a third, if involved, tossing a Maniac Mullet. while in the soft plastics realm, deploying a rat-tail and a paddletail to Of course, the other aspects of the plan don’t change—each angler test their radically different aspects should provide poignant results. should also carry the lures the other(s) use and remain ready to This course of action resembles others more commonly used by change if one shows superiority, and presentation style must remain coastal lure-chunkers, many of whom consciously select lures within a recognized component for imitation. These parts of the plan won’t different families to start the day, one throwing a topwater, the change regardless of the season or specific situation, like one in second a twitch bait and a third a soft plastic. But the plan I propose winter, when lure-choice plans evolve into a third design. here assumes all involved can agree on which family of lures should In cold water, starting the day off with a soft plastic makes more hold the optimal offering for the moment, and that systematic sense than any other strategy, assuming a somewhat negative experimentation might help identify it. feeding attitude among the fish, and also that a low and slow Some readers will likely note I have not mentioned color as a approach will earn more strikes than any other basic method. Ample significant component in this process. I don’t believe color carries the signs of life at or near the surface will encourage a shift “up” to slowsame level of importance as other parts of the equation; the type, size sinking twitch baits or even topwaters, if bites on soft plastics come and noise-making attributes of a lure along with presentation style easily. Anglers attempting to quickly identify which offering within almost always affect productivity more than color, in my experience. the wide-ranging group of soft plastics will optimize results could Folks who choose to focus more on color could certainly add the choose to alter one or more aspects of their choices, depending on component into the choices made while working this ham and egg the nature of the situation. plan, one tossing a dark rat-tail while the other tries a light paddletail, Two wading anglers might simply use a rat-tailed lure and a for instance. Adding in the element of color might enhance results, but paddletail, for instance. With a third participant in play, a smaller or simply choosing the exact same lure and altering the color within the larger version of one or the other might be added to the menu. Or, the group denies the truth of the foundational concept of this strategy. three might take a different path entirely, each tying on the same soft plastic, with one placing it on a sixteenth-ounce jighead, while the second places it on an eighth-ounce head, and the third uses a threesixteenths. Further, one might use a paddletail on the lightest jighead, while one throws a rat-tail on the mid-sized one and the third dangles Kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. Kevin either type of worm on the heaviest head under a popping cork. is a speckled trout fanatic and has created Since the soft plastic family of lures includes so many offerings, the several books and dvds on the subject. possibilities for building a plan of this kind also vary widely. The keys Kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus to using the specific plan described here involve each participant Christi Bay to the Land Cut. deploying a lure within the same family, but having some measurably Trout Tracker Guide Service different attributes, and the ability of all anglers to agree on the Phone 361-688-3714 basic strategies related to lure choices and working to make specific Email kevxlr8@mygrande.net Web www.FishBaffinBay.com changes in response to data gathered about strike frequency.

www.captainkevblogs.com If just two people enter into an agreement to fish within this

Contact

Kevin Cochran

22 | April 2017

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STORY BY MARTIN STRARUP

S

coop had a hard time sleeping and the morning dragged as he waited on a call from Bob Talbot to tell him what the cadaver dog had found at the old Poindexter place.

“Go on home, it’s after five,” Scoop’s boss advised.

“I’m waiting on a phone call, a very important phone call,” Scoop replied anxiously.

“Well, they can call you on your cell phone because I’m about to turn off the A/C and lights,” the boss replied in no uncertain terms.

Scoop stopped at a local café for dinner and tried calling Detective Talbot, but it went straight to voicemail the same as it had done all day.

Tommy, Bodie and Red were cleaning fish at Bodie’s dock from an afternoon wade trip.

“Well Red, that’s a lot better than the last time,” Bodie announced with a smile.

“Sure is,” Red agreed. “Nonstop action from the time we got out of the boat.”

“Nowhere near dead as Rudy Poindexter,” Bodie added with a chuckle.

Tommy ignored the two laughing and joking about that poor Ruby fellow. He thought it was just horrible, the two of them should be ashamed, talking like that about a dead boy.

“I’m going home,” Tommy announced.

“Aren’t you coming to Haddon’s for fried fish?” Bodie asked.

“No, I don’t want to go to Haddon’s tonight,” Tommy answered, and left with his bag of fillets.

“What’s up with Tommy?” Bodie asked Red. “Shoot. With him, who knows? Could be jock itch or his pondering why he even exists!” Red growled.

“Aw, take it easy on him Red, he’s your friend and you give him way too much grief,” Bodie chided.

Part 3 “I know. But if I start being nice to him it would be hard on my heart. And besides, he wouldn’t know what to do,” Red replied.

Red got a call just then from his wife and had to skip dinner at Haddon’s. Bodie locked up and went on by himself. “Cold beer, iced tea and fry these up nice and crispy,” Bodie said to Eloisa, handing her a bag of fillets.

“Where’s your crew?” Eloisa asked.

“Tommy had to go home and Ol’ Red’s wife wanted him at the house, if you can believe that,” Bodie laughed.

Eloisa laughed and turned in Bodie’s order, then drew a beer and placed it in front of him. “Do you want that iced tea now or with your fish?”

“It can wait,” Bodie replied. “I want to enjoy this cold beer first.”

Eloisa brought Bodie his food and asked if he had heard anything about a newspaper in a nearby town investigating the death of a boy years ago, in Houston.

“No, I haven’t heard anything. Why is that little once-a-week paper investigating anything that happened in Houston anyway?”

Bodie asked.

“All I know is that it happened a long time ago. Supposedly the kid was buried in the family’s back yard and he’d been eating Alpo,” Eloisa remarked offhandedly.

“Are you OK Bodie? You look like your food went down the wrong pipe or something,” Eloisa asked with concern.

“Eloisa, did you happen to hear the name of the kid?” Bodie quizzed her.

“Sure did – Poindexter – like the cartoon!” Eloisa giggled, returning to the kitchen.

Bodie got up and went outside to call Red. “Eloisa just told me that she heard the Ocean View paper was investigating the death of a boy years ago, buried in his family’s backyard, name of Poindexter.”

“What the world is that all about?” Red exclaimed.

TSFMAG.com | 27

28 | April 2017

the answers he wanted. With basically a blank check to work with, Todd Skelton – Private Investigator, wasted no time. Three days later he presented his findings to Tommy.

“What I discovered was that a Rudy Poindexter, age eleven, was run over by a school bus in 1957 and his body was cremated. His mother and father were killed in an automobile accident in 1965 and they too were cremated,” Skelton told Tommy.

“Do you know what happened to the ashes?” Tommy asked.

“I located a nephew of Mr. & Mrs. Poindexter and he told me that the ashes of all three were combined and scattered in the backyard of their family home.”

Tommy’s next call was to Houston attorney Fenton H. Croix. He laid out a plan for a project and asked if the attorney would take it. If so, how much might it cost him?

Tommy tried to avoid Red and Bodie for almost two weeks and was successful, having told Bodie that he had to go to Houston on personal business. Upon returning, Tommy called Bodie and Red and asked them to meet him at Haddon’s for lunch.

“We missed you, Tommy Boy,” Bodie greeted him.

“Speak for yourself, Bodie,” Red grumbled.

“Sorry that I was gone longer than I thought I would be, but I think you will both like what I have here,” Tommy beamed.

Tommy opened a big manila envelope and pulled out some artist renditions of a children’s playground. It was beautiful with all sorts of play equipment and multiple fountains. In the center stood a tall granite monument inscribed; In Loving Memory of Rudy Poindexter.

“It cost me a little money. I had to buy the lot from some folks planning to build a big house, and a bunch of permits and stuff like that from the city, but I got it all done,” Tommy said proudly.

Bodie was speechless. Red grumbled that Tommy had lost his mind.

“I mean really guys, what do you think,” Tommy asked excitedly.

“And you may be right, Red, but it’s only money. And now the kids in Rudy’s old neighborhood have a safe place to play and nobody will get run over by a school bus.”

“But Rudy Poindexter never existed, Tommy I made it up, it’s just a joke,” Red practically screamed.

“No! He was a real kid, Red. And because of you, he and his parents are no longer in unmarked graves. They have an entire park in their name as a memorial and, really, you’re the one responsible for all of this getting done,” Tommy gushed triumphantly.

Red turned to Bodie with a pleading look in his eyes but all Bodie could say was; “Eloisa, bring us a pitcher and three cold mugs please.”

Martin Strarup

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“I’m not sure, Red. But I have a feeling Tommy may have taken things into his own hands and is the driving force behind it,” Bodie sighed.

“You really have to let me kill him this time Bodie,” Red wheezed.

“He’s a nutcase.”

Bob Talbot called Scoop and told him they’d found three graves in the backyard of the old Poindexter home.

“Three graves?” Scoop asked incredulously. “I’m going to be famous. I might even land a network job!”

“Yup, three graves, of what would appear to be a goat and two dogs,” Talbot droned.

“But what about poor little Rudy Poindexter, you didn’t find his grave?” Scoop pleaded.

“I would imagine he’s buried with his folks somewhere, Scoop. And the only reason I’m not going to beat you within an inch of your life is because we got some praise for the dog and his handler from up the ladder.” Talbot blurted, and hung up.

“Oh man, Oh man. What am I going to tell the boss?” Scoop cried pitifully.

Bodie pulled up to Tommy’s house and was glad he was still up.

Tommy answered the knock and invited Bodie inside. “Whatcha doing out here this time o’ night, Bodie?”

“Tommy, have you any idea why a news reporter would be asking questions about Rudy Poindexter, that boy that Red and I were talking about the other day?”

“Bodie, I felt so sorry for that boy, what with me almost dying and stuff not long ago, I just felt horrible that a friend of Red’s from when they was kids might be lying in an unmarked grave with no family to mourn him and, well, I just had to do something!”

“Tommy, Red never had a friend named Rudy Poindexter. It was a joke he made up, just a name he pulled out of his hat. Whatever your reporter is digging up has nothing to do with us. Red didn’t know him, it was just a joke.”

“Well, I feel pretty stupid Bodie, but the way Red told that story, well, it just tugged at my heart and I just had to try to help!” Tommy whined.

“It’s a good thing, what you tried to do, Tommy. But nothing of the sort ever happened.”

Scoop called Tommy the next day and told him no human remains were discovered on the Poindexter property. Tommy in turn told Scoop the truth from Bodie, that it’d all been a joke.

“Do you mean I went off on a wild goose chase and none of this is true?” Snoop railed.

“Well no, not exactly. You said you spoke with Rudy Poindexter’s brother and that he was hit by a school bus and he wouldn’t tell you where he was buried. So, part of it’s true. Except maybe Rudy having to eat dogfood, I think Red made that up. But a boy was killed by a school bus and you confirmed it,” Tommy replied beggingly.

“Were you able to find out where the parents are buried?” Tommy asked.

“I did not and I don’t care. I’m done with this and I’m quitting my job before I’m fired. I’m going to work for my brother-in-law in Terlingua who owns a rattlesnake farm, RV park and taco stand down there,” Scoop exclaimed and slammed the phone down.

Tommy was still upset, even though Red’s story was only a joke.

He called a private investigator in San Antonio and gave him what information he had and asked that he spare no expense in getting

Martin Strarup is a lifelong saltwater enthusiast and outdoorsman.

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

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STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

I

came across an interesting quote from Anthony J. D’Angelo not long ago; “In your thirst for knowledge, be sure not to drown in all the information.” It sparked a thought and subsequent conversation with several other anglers.

Over a cold beverage on the tailgate, the redneck think tank, conversation ensued and all manner of observations about the great sport of fishing were debated, deliberated, cussed and discussed – all at the same time. The myriad of topics addressed ran the gamut from truly serious to just plain silly. As the group disposed each member left enlightened in some way and still curious in others. For me it was a reminder and an example of just how inquisitive fishermen tend to be.

One of the really cool things I enjoy about being a guide is the interaction with so many people from varying backgrounds and experience. It makes no difference if the folks on my boat are the most seasoned anglers or the newest of rookies, they all have great stories and most of all they have great questions.

Fishermen, as a whole, are generally wired to be problem solvers, seekers of answers to a great puzzle.

Sometimes I feel like the man who lives on top of the mountain that’s supposed to have all the answers for pilgrims seeking truth. Those pilgrims make the great trek to the top of the mountain with high expectations for technical answers that will unlock the great mysteries that plague them, only to find that the answers are much simpler than they could imagine.

Reflecting on years of interaction with customers, I started thinking about some of the questions I have been asked most frequently and the first that came to mind made me laugh. I don’t care who you are or where you are from, if you have spent any amount of time on the water the question of, “Why do mullet jump?” has surely been posed.

I cannot recall how many times I have been asked why mullet jump and I smile every time it comes up. Youngsters probably ask this most often but adults certainly ask their share as well. In most instances, I try to give a technically informed answer such as, “Mullet are filter feeders and they jump to dislodge parasites that attach to their gills while feeding.” Other such answers cite that, “Mullet jump to gulp air when dissolved oxygen content of the water is lower than normal.” And, “Mullet are believed to jump to loosen egg sacks before spawning.” I also remind the person who asked the question that nobody really knows except the mullet, all theories are speculation at best, except when they jump to avoid a predator. Perhaps the best answer I ever heard came from a young angler who said, “They jump because jumping is fun.” Probably some of the coolest logic I have ever heard.

As the size of marine electronic devices grows, so does the dependence on Another debate that rages in my boat centers around why them. Sometimes it seems the traditional skills of reading water conditions fish behave the way they do. I have listened to some very to locating forage and gamefish species is falling by the wayside. knowledgeable folks argue their points with partners and I tell folks on my boat if you can find food, structure, and some tide then turn to me like I’m the judge on People’s Court to render movement, start there and work your way to a full stringer. Keep your a decision. My standard answer on the subject comes from my good buddy, Doug Pike, who enlightened me one day while we were wading approach simple and quite often you will be rewarded for it.

Speaking of keeping things simple, I was driving through town a on Sabine. When asked about fish behavior, Pike summed it up by few days ago, and stopped next to a super sparkly, glittered-up bass saying, “Fish are worried about two things. What they are going to eat boat. While waiting for the light, I was checking the layout of the boat and what is going to eat them. Beyond that, not much else matters.” and just could not believe how crazy some folks have gotten with their All the intricate theories about how they live, why they do certain electronics. The console of this boat looked like you could land the things, and most anything else for that matter, is speculation at best. space shuttle, play Call of Duty, and write a research paper all at the Trying to come up with a detailed day to day “activity planner” for a same time. It was absolutely crazy! fish, in my opinion, does nothing but complicate a simple process.

34 | April 2017

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36 | April 2017

is worse than having sunscreen or insect repellant melt or gum up the ear or nose pieces on your glasses, it’s nasty and annoying. The clean frames and great glass combine for very functional eyewear that I enjoy wearing. I know I can certainly tell a difference when I fish, especially while sight-casting. If you get an opportunity to check them out, I believe you will find them to be a great product.

Spring fishing will be in full swing by the time this issue hits the newsstand or your mailbox and everyone will be doing their best to get rid of cabin fever. Take precautions against the high winds we will be facing and remember that the water will still be cold. A dry bag with spare clothes and jackets are great protection in the event of an unexpected dunking. PFDs are always a must, especially when kids are involved. Spring break and Easter weekend are always busy, so keep your cool at the launch ramp and out on the bays. Enjoy the water and share it responsibly.

Chuck Uzzle

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The screens on the driver’s console were at least 12 to 15 inches apiece, so large in fact I wondered how the steering wheel would turn. The front deck had another massive screen, nearly as large as the ones on the console. I thought it was the perfect size to kick, no way could you miss it. I have no idea how in the world anyone would have time to fish while monitoring the big screens and evidently searching for life in other solar systems. My goodness that was a sight. I realize there is a need for some of that but, how much is enough and when do you begin to fish? Where is the stopping point?

All the electronics in the world are worthless if you don’t possess the skills to interpret the information. Soon it just becomes paralysis by analysis where the angler no longer reads the conditions, given their dependence on “electronic crutches.” Take in all the variables, both electronic and natural, so you can fish in any situation.

As the spring season gains momentum increasing numbers of anglers will be on the water looking for a chance to shake off the winter cobwebs. The consistent breeze that will plague most bay systems during April will do a number on water clarity and visibility, so any advantage an angler can find is a great help. Quality eyewear is a must for any angler and often can be the difference between catching a fish and missing an opportunity. There are some fantastic companies out there that make great eyewear for every situation.

For several seasons now I have been wearing polarized glasses from Salt Life and I have been very happy with their performance and durability. The Zeiss lenses that Salt Life uses are as good as any on the market, possibly even better than advertised. I particularly like their light weight and absence of rubber on the frames. Nothing

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

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uying a new boat is always cause for celebration, at least for a time. Recent years have shown a huge trend and a dazzling display of bigger and faster and prettier boats on the bays. But somehow I’ve gone in the opposite direction. After decades of owning fiberglass boats up to a 25-foot Mako, I recently purchased a new 16-foot AlumaCraft jon boat in the customary olive drab paint. And then through Craigslist, sold off the old 15-foot Monarch, a jon boat that has seen countless adventures in 30 years. Even when we had fiberglass in the driveway, we always kept aluminum somewhere in the back yard.

Low maintenance and ready to go.

And now 49 years have come and gone of my running aluminum boats in saltwater, starting in 1968 in Sabine Lake with a Gibson 12-foot v-bottom. Most of my high school buddies had jon boats. And the same with college a few years later—those guys still have aluminum boats. Even at our age, they still trout fish in summer and duck hunt POC in winter. Bunch of old guys, survivors of countless cold fronts while running back routes to the Army base on Matagorda Island and camping there. I can’t conceive of a bad enough situation where these guys could get in trouble doing so, after making so many runs since 1977. I think that was the year we started camping there; it was run by the Feds then. We were the only campers and pintail ducks were plentiful.

We still hang out with these boats in Port O’Connor each summer, catching slot reds and some nice jetty trout, too.

STORY BY JOE RICHARD

Old Yellow at Pass Cavallo last summer. Rigged with four rod holders on the starboard side, so it could fire off a broadside of natural baits.

A new boat. But after 30 years it wasn’t easy parting with Old Yellow, the 15-foot Monarch that saw so many trips. I hand-painted it Parker paint’s “dead grass” in recent years while I was briefly stationed way up north where it snowed 24 times the first winter, and where big flocks of greenheads circled to land in the spread. By November there is no surviving green vegetation up there, so the yellow camo was perfect. Back down on the Texas coast each summer, that boat stood out with its odd coloring, but still kept catching fish. Even a couple of kingfish at the POC jetties, one of which ripped a This big tarpon in rod holder loose, though I saved the rod from going early November overboard and still caught the fish. easily towed the new jonboat for a half-mile.

November meat-run going on with the brand-new AlumaCraft.

Our kids were raised around johnboats.

Here, Ian Richard handles a keeper trout. In the background, the late Bill Wilson of Rockport with his own two sons. Our low-maintenance jonboat was parked near the Sabine jetty wall.

And now, a new boat with no more leaks. I don’t even have to pull the plug when we drive home from the ramp. No cleanup: there’s really no need to rinse an aluminum boat after a river or lake trip. At day’s end during saltwater trips, I back the boat into a local freshwater river, submerge the trailer and run the motor for five minutes. In this way my trailers have lasted a long time. The new boat has a new McClain trailer that tracks well on the highway, even the Interstate, and aluminum is so easy to move around from one state to another.

This new boat may be a lucky one: On it’s first trip in early November, a late season tarpon of 100 pounds or so suddenly bent over a spin rod and took to the air, completely catching us off guard. My buddy sat their stunned, but I grabbed the anchor out of shoreline grass, jumped in the boat, cranked the motor and hit the throttle quicker than a cat can lick his ass. By then there was only 20 yards of line left on the reel. We caught up with the tarpon, which jumped seven times in magnificent fashion, and then towed the boat a half-mile straight offshore. We were under-gunned with only 25-pound line on a sailfish rod, but the red circle hook rigged with only four feet of 50-pound leader hung on.

The fight went on and on, and a boat approached from far away, they’d seen the tarpon jumping. They followed with their electric motor and both guys filmed with their I-phones and we were heroes, just for one day. But the angler with me was out of practice, possibly a rookie using spin tackle, and had wound on the reel incessantly before I cautioned him to stop. By then he’d kinked the line badly.

Which finally broke after I’d climbed on the bow and caressed the taut leader four times, knowing better than to grab it. Dow! The angler fell backwards onto a newly painted beige deck board that Amy and I had just cut and triple-painted a week before; he lay there and said it still smelled of fresh paint.

42 | April 2017

Well, they say if you leader a tarpon it can be considered caught, but I wanted better pictures than were taken when it rolled on the surface gulping air.

A week later, Amy and I made a meat run in the new jon boat.

Slinging gold spoons, we landed 17 Spanish mackerel, eight trout and an assortment of other fish. Those autumn mackerel were big and the freezer was packed for winter. We’ve eaten a lot of fish species in our 30-plus years, but far more baked mackerel than anything else.

Those first two trips with the new boat were serious confirmation that an inexpensive boat can put you far Miss Amy in the beyond the crowds, and onto quality fish. new AlumaCraft in New boats have to be tweaked, of November.

We hit a course. Bought cheap from a stack of feeding frenzy of big aluminum boats at a dealership (just Spanish mackerel the way I like it), we cut the deck boards and stocked up for and added dock and anchor cleats, five the winter. rod holders and three boat seats. And

44 | April 2017

landed from a jon boat weighed at least 40 pounds. We’ve tied to and climbed a number of Gulf platforms with these boats, mostly years past when we were more agile but also two summers ago. And we‘ve made what seems like a thousand jetty trips—surely less, though maybe not. From Sabine Pass to South Padre. We trailered two different jon boats to Key West back in the early 1970s when we didn’t have a bigger boat available. Back in the days of Jimmy Buffet, hitting the same three bars at night, when staying in Key West was very inexpensive. Never did see Jimmy; maybe he was on tour. With those light boats we spearfished the reefs and once, camped out at Boca Grande Key, about 15 miles to the west within sight of the Marquesas. Not bad for a 9 ½ Johnson motor on a tin boat.

Almost anyone can afford this kind of fishing action, though Key West is long past redemption. We are looking at staying in the Upper Keys this summer, if we can find a good deal on a B&B. I would still get a kick out of running a jon boat in blue water along the outer reef there, where you can see 60 feet down.

Joe Richard

Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arthur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast.

He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida Sportsman’s book and assistant magazine editor. He began guiding out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, New Revelations. Available at Seafavorites.com

Contact

installed the motor. The new trailer was coated with GPS spray anywhere that looked like it might rust. Added a tongue jack. Adjusted the carpeted boards and winch to fit the boat. Tried to waterproof the tail lights.

Everything works, anyway. The rod holders scattered around the boat are strong enough for a tarpon’s strike.

The floorboards are stout, and prevent any wear from heavy foot traffic. Yes, a welded Sea Ark heavy gauge aluminum boat would have been better, but we were determined to stay within our budget, and this boat will probably outlast me anyway. (Maybe.) So, this year I’ll be waiting for big tarpon, and will use Shimano 20 reels with 50-pound line, tough enough to handle even a state record tarpon. I’d like to see the boat towed for a couple of miles, even five, if we have enough daylight. My threshold for fishing excitement may be a little higher than most.

Long fights with tarpon after dark can get tricky, which I’ve seen a few times from bigger boats. We also hooked a huge tarpon in daylight from a 14-foot jon boat that put the fear in Shannon Tompkins and me, it was like the old man and the sea. We were never so glad as when his 50-pound line broke with that tarpon in the air, towering over us. We clearly had no business with that fish, while we were anchored in Pass Cavallo with a swift outgoing tide.

Anyway, got to love these aluminum boats. Light enough to be trailered behind a car on the Interstate, capable of roaming the Gulf Coast from South Padre all the way to Key West, which I’ve already done. The Yamaha motor gets up to six miles a gallon, so this is a very economical venture. Compare that against heavier fiberglass, bigger outboard(s), a big fuel tank, lower fuel mileage and a much bigger tow package.

Over the years, I’ve forgotten about countless trips in jonboats, but clearly remember those where kingfish were landed. Our biggest ling

Old Yellow before it was painted yellow, we’re wading ashore after fishing off an inlet.

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Under bright sky, sight-casting opportunities for big redfish are excellent during prime cool-water months in bays and coves near Venice.

STORY BY JOE DOGGETT

A

l Keller’s flats skiff slowed and stopped about 100 yards from our boat.

We were in one of the shallow marsh coves amid the seemingly endless latticework of bays and canals of the Mississippi Delta near Venice.

The stick-figure guide grabbed the push pole and climbed onto the rear platform while Joe Turano and Phil Davis readied their fly rods. Keller dipped the long pole and leaned forward, then the water behind the skiff exploded. The upwind noise carried cleanly across the flat water.

“No way!” shouted Turano. “A big redfish just grabbed the foot of the push pole!”

Ed Cappel and I looked at each other. Our guide, Travis Huckeba, smiled. “It’s happened before. The big reds in this murky water must think the lifting foot is a blue crab flushing from the bottom.”

“Well, whatever they think, that’s a hell of an impressive way to start a fishing trip,” I said.

The opportunistic Turano flicked a short cast to the side of Keller’s skiff and promptly hooked the 25-pound red. Fifteen minutes later he held the gleaming fish for a quick catch-and-release photo.

That bizarre beginning to our three-day trip last December underscored the remarkable shallow-water fishing for bull reds in the Louisiana marsh. Frankly, I’m amazed that more Texas anglers do not take advantage of this uncrowded opportunity. From major markets such as Houston and Dallas, the trip is no more hassle than, say, a long weekend to South Padre Island.

This is no knock against the excellent sight casting potential in South Texas – but the Delta marsh is the real deal for mondo-giant reds. As most Laguna Madre devotees would agree, the shallow reds along the Texas coast typically are immature fish in the two- to eight-pound class.

Any double-digit fish earns bragging right.

In the Delta marsh during the prime cool-water bull red season of October through March, a 12 or 15 pounder is considered small; most run between 20 and 25, and fish topping 30 or 35 are not unusual.

Certified brutes topping 40 are landed.

Using a 9-weight fly rod and a floating line and a large streamer to target these coppery “floaters” in three feet of water truly is an extraordinary angling experience. And, of course, pluggers do well on jig/cork combos and topwaters. The casting and spinning tackle especially is effective on cloudy days when blind-casting expands the potential.

This fishing is no fluke. It happens day after day. Well, this is assuming conditions cooperate. The venue can be fickle. For example, heavy Mississippi River runoffs can temporarily screw things up. So can a vicious cold front or a howling Gulf wind.

And, at best, the water clarity in the bays and coves is a bit froggy. But you don’t need alcohol-clear visibility to spot a bold 35- to 45-inch fish cruising along a waist-deep shoreline. Or, for that matter, a school of them pushing water like a mini tidal wave.

The upside to the typically murky water is that the big reds aren’t spooky. Also, they tend to be aggressive strikers and you can get away with a straight 30- or 40-pound mono or fluoro leader. Regardless of rigging, it’s a king thrill to see the white mouth open and the gill plates flare as an XXXL red grabs the streamer and turns with a heaving swirl.

The downside is that chances amid the limited sub-surface visibility often are close. Fish just materialize. The fly casters stationed on the bow must be prepared for a fast lob or roll, maybe within 20 or 25 feet. For this reason, over-lining the rod one size, or rigging with one of the specialized redfish lines (with a short compact belly) is a wise quick-draw tactic.

Cappel, Davis, Turano and I flew 55 minutes on Southwest from Houston to New Orleans, then rented a vehicle and drove two hours to Venice. Other Delta venues include Hopedale, Houma, and so on, but Venice sits close to the mouth, well suited to intercept bull reds moving in from the Gulf.

We headquartered on a barge run by Bart Haddard of Southern Way Charters. The barge is moored in a protected canal, and the guide boats meet clients at the rail. The floating lodge offers comfortable double rooms, an aft deck for cigar/rum traffic, and excellent Cajun meals – a fine counterpoint to the fishing experience.

After the redfish attacked Keller’s skiff, our two boats separated, each working a long saltgrass shoreline. Cappel and I agreed on 30-minute 48 | April 2017

Dorsal fin of a Louisiana red frames Doggett’s grin as he prepares to release the 30-pounder caught on 9-weight fly rod.

Ed Cappel shows “small” 18-pound redfish. Prime season in Louisiana marsh is October through March.

Ed Cappel works a big redfish close that he caught while sight-casting in Louisiana marsh.

shifts on the casting platform and I insisted he take the first watch – no doubt because I am a nice guy, but mainly because the 8 a.m. sun angle was poor and I was confident he would be wasting his time.

With five minutes remaining on Cappel’s clock, Huckeba spotted a fish. Cappel made a good cast and promptly hooked up. The red weighed 21 pounds on the guide’s Boga Grip scale. I eyed the glowing slab and grudgingly congratulated Cappel.

“Kinda small,” shrugged Huckeba, slipping the bull back into the water.

Wow, I thought, this is serious stuff!

About 15 minutes into my shift we spied six or eight big wakes cutting and slicing amid scattering mullet. I cranked off a double haul and dropped the yellowand-green bead-eyed streamer out in front of a redfish rumble. Rarely have I felt so confident of great things over a fly rod.

The streamer settled and the water boiled and I tightened with a smart strip strike. World-class reds scattered left and right while my line fussed and fretted in a tight circle.

Maybe he’s so big he doesn’t know he hooked yet, I thought, giving the rod a stiff sideways pull.

A big sheepshead surfaced. It was a dandy, maybe five or six pounds, but not exactly what I had in mind. Several minutes later it flustered to hand, flashing flat sides, dark stripes and yellow buck teeth.

“Does this count?” I said, eyeing the glum fish.

“Of course it counts,” Cappel said. “My turn. No, just kidding – keep fishing.”

Fifteen minutes later I landed and released a 20-pound redfish. It was the largest I’ve caught by any sight-casting method in several years. To repeat, shots at solid double-digit fish in Texas bays are the exception.

Huckeba leaned on the push pole. “Well, now that you guys are warmed up, maybe we can find a few good ones.”

And we did. Cappel and I each landed and released four redfish. My largest – best-ever on a fly – scaled 30 pounds. We caught two lesser fish, “only” 17 or 18 pounders, but figured our eight-fish average was close to 25 pounds.

Oddly, we each lost a big fish. I say “oddly” because bull reds with thick rubbery jaws tend to stay stuck once they turn against a sharp 2/0 or 3/0 streamer hook.

Mine was a stud that took 50 or 60 yards of backing and angled around a saltgrass clump in the middle of the cove. Huckeba poled after the line and I came tight again. The fish was wallowing close, maybe 20 feet away, when it came unpinned. I slumped over the slack.

“North of 30?”

“Yeah, maybe,” confirmed the guide.

The other boat did about the same. Turano, a veteran of the Delta fishing, rated the day “a little better than average.” His career best, caught on a previous trip, was a 35 pounder, so maybe he’s a bit casual about the whole drill.

The next day, by prearrangement, we switched guides. Not that it made any difference. Keller and Huckeba both are on the A-List; they 50 | April 2017

As storm clouds gather, guide Al Keller ends trip with a long thin bull caught by sight-casting in a marsh cove near Venice. fish Louisiana during the bull red season, then migrate to Florida for tarpon. They know the marsh and have excellent “fish eyes.”

Also, both are hard-working and even-tempered – in other words, nobody barked at me when I stepped on my shooting coils or my fly smacked a startled fish on the tail.

We were racing the unsympathetic weather forecasters. A hard norther was predicted to sweep through southern Louisiana that night, and we agreed to cut the three-day trip short and bail for the airport by mid-afternoon. Building cloud cover and gusting wind confirmed the wisdom of the retreat.

Cappel and I again caught four big reds apiece and he topped the session with a 29 pounder. I landed a long, thin fish that, with decent girth, surely would have topped 30. It scaled 28 but had a head like a pony keg.

Turano and Davis also had several fish in the upper 20-pound class.

Davis earned extra style points by catching a big one on a popping bug.

As we drove away, I reflected on the lack of flats-type fishing traffic.

The Mississippi Delta is vast and if other anglers were swarming after the shallow reds we never saw it.

I might have spotted four or five other poling skiffs during our two days of fishing. And this is not a hush-hush deal; I’m not “French frying” some secret spot. Probably half of the saltwater fishing shows on cable television have featured the bull reds in the Louisiana marsh. But, for whatever reasons, the fishing pressure seems to be light.

The world of angling is filled with great opportunities and you cannot do it all. But, if you plan ahead for next fall/winter, this is an easy one for any Texan keen to put a fly or plug over seriously big redfish. Hey, when they grab your push pole, you know you’re in productive water.

Catch it right or only semi-right, and you’ll think as I did: Why did it take me so freaking long to get onboard this program?

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Dustin Angerstien hoists his personal-best speck – CPR.

J AY WAT K I N S

A S K THE PRO

Getting into the

swing of spring

Spring is upon us and it’s time to talk about the transition occurring in our fishery. But before getting into it I want to say that in my winter home of Port Mansfield, with only a few exceptions the past two months, we experienced more days of 80⁰ or above than we did 70⁰ or below. Probably due to abnormally warm weather, I have already seen egg development in trout.

Water temperature is not the only stimulus that triggers spawning but definitely one of the majors.

Knowing this gets me to thinking more toward windward shorelines and spoils where hard sand and scattered grass beds exist. Personally, I have more confidence when fishing shallow for springtime trout when I have prevailing SE wind pushing into or along a shoreline.

Wind drives bait to shorelines and adds a sandy color to the water, and these factors will concentrate normally scattered game fish. If I have said it once I have said it a million times, “Wind is our friend.” Another related comment I offer frequently, “Fish care far less about water clarity than fishermen.”

Every day I see anglers running past very good 52 | April 2017

bottom structure that is holding fish, simply because they have zero confidence in their ability to catch fish on lures in anything except “pretty” water. This is one of the biggest misconceptions I see in fishing today, despite the endless stream of reports and articles to the contrary. Remember this: The prettiest water is quite often the least productive.

Spring’s approach will be interrupted by a few lateseason fronts. Some could be severe and drop water temperatures while pushing the tides out, which will call for adjustments to game plans for a day or two. Adjusting to changing conditions during transitional periods makes it very difficult to catch fish. I find myself teaching people to go back to the basics when in doubt. Find the prominent structure for the season, submerged grass for me most of the time, add a food source, and then connect the dots. Connectors are slicks, tidal movement, and pelican feeding activity. With the opening of Cedar Bayou, tidal movements are more predictable and more ambush points or zones have been created. This will play huge in our springtime game planning.

I tend to gravitate toward outside beaches of barrier

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54 | April 2017

Lisa Laskowski with a very solid early spring trout – CPR.

without the tail the action of these lures is much diminished. If you feel you need the attraction of chartreuse, try instead a 1/16-ounce chartreuse jig head.

Should I feel the conditions call for the attraction of chartreuse, I use Bass Assassin’s Magic Grass and Fried Chicken in both clear and dirty water. Sometimes this is what they want, and I certainly believe in giving them what they want. But carry a good supply and change often when the piggies come calling. I’ll also be throwing Soft-Dines and Soft-Dine XL, Custom Corky Gold Series, and MirrOdine XL. The trout we entice to eat these are typically the ones we are looking for.

If you’re having trouble getting trout and redfish to take topwaters over shallow grass in back lake areas, the Soft-Dine or MirrOdine might be the ticket. Don’t be afraid to work these lures with rapid retrieves and aggressive rod tip action. A pause in cadence at unpredictable intervals can routinely produce aggressive strikes.

Spring 2017 promises to be one of the best in many years, if the weather patterns continue to cooperate. I hope to see many of you on the water somewhere along the Middle to Lower Coast.

May your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins

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islands where I focus almost totally on areas of submerged grass that make up the parallel guts common along these beaches and also along spoil islands. Add to these areas a strong presence of finger mullet or menhaden and I am good for the day. Of course, water color sanding up from the wind helps immensely but, there I go again, talking about fishing dirty water.

I believe trout, especially really good ones, setup in these types of areas and allow the conditions coupled with the solunar effect to allow them to feed with as little effort as possible. These are also prime spawning areas, which is about to get underway. Spawning can concentrate that 5% of the trout population that so many are searching for.

I continue to see the best trout in the same areas year after year during the transition into the spring season. This tells us that the areas have similar bottom characteristics and repeatedly favorable water conditions. Water conditions change with changes in weather patterns. An abundance of rain or the lack of can change these longtime patterns for a period, so savvy anglers need to be wellversed in what’s been occurring weather wise. Bass anglers monitor lake levels and water releases from reservoirs to predict where fish will stage and feed. We should take a lesson.

We will be seeing increasing numbers of menhaden and, for me, this species is one of the greatest keys to locating and staying on the bay’s best springtime trout. There are lots of ways to locate menhaden; birds, especially pelicans being some of the easiest.

Menhaden tend to hold slightly deeper than finger mullet, making working shoreline drop-offs more productive than the skinny stuff.

Due to personal height restrictions, I don’t like to fish deep. But, like it or not, over the past two years, I have seen an increase in the numbers of larger trout that we are catching in the deeper water.

My take is that the abundance of rain and the opening of the bayou have combined to create more favorable water quality and water movement along our barrier islands. Water movement concentrates bait, making ambushing them much easier for gamefish to catch.

Trout like it easy, by the way.

On the flipside, during the same two years, I have also noticed more trout and much larger trout in the back lakes. Again, I mainly credit the abundance of rainfall and increased flow through Cedar Bayou.

Prolonged periods of unseasonably high tides and two years with the 5-fish limit no doubt also contributed. Years three and four will tell us more about the impact the new limit has had on the fishery.

A few more words on back lakes, I believe fishing is generally good because traffic is light back there and the grass is abundant. But not all back lakes have suitable bottom for wading and you certainly need the right boat to get there. Assuming you do and you’re able to wade softer bottom, there are great opportunities waiting for trout and, of course, redfish. Remember to be respectful of others that might already be using the water when you arrive. Don’t crowd and don’t burn the area they are fishing. ALL boats and ALL anglers have the same rights.

I will be throwing lots of 5” Shad Bass Assassins in clear-silver colors in the clear springtime water. Cajun Croaker and Bone Diamond are two of my go-to baits. Days with overcast skies or slightly sanded water would be hard for me to not have plum, root beer, or June Bug in my line up.

Notice that I did not mention chartreuse tails on my go-to baits.

Piggy perch are notorious for nipping brightly-colored tails and

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

361-729-9596 Jay@jaywatkins.com www.jaywatkins.com

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Randi paddling the Everglades.

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

SH A LLOW W ATER FISHIN G

It’s all about the pull!

The days are getting longer and the weather is headed be to have someone thinking fondly of things you did for for summer. It’s time to turn off the X-Box and get those them long after you’re gone? You have that opportunity kiddos outside. Take a kid fishing is more than just a all around you. Whether your own kids, nieces, nephews, slogan, it is an important thing to do for many reasons. grandkids or just the youngster next door; I’m certain Most of us who have developed a lifelong addiction to there is a potential young angler just waiting to wet a line. fishing started out as youngsters fishing with a parent, My baby girls aren’t so little anymore. In fact, the grandparent or possibly another family member. I was youngest has presented me with a couple of grand lucky and had all the above. babies. The oldest is already One of mine and Erin’s Some took me fishing because showing signs of being an favorite memories from they enjoyed it themselves while outdoors girl. Both my girls love her teen years. A deadothers were simply kind enough to to hunt, fish and spend time slick surf full of trout. indulge my passion. outdoors. Over the years some Some of my fondest memories of the best conversations I’ve are of riding dirt roads of central had with them have been while Texas with my Grandpa after he we were on the water, sitting in got off from a long day of work. a deer blind, or just riding in the He worked cattle for several area truck on the way to some great ranchers and had access to their adventure. The best way to get places. We’d pull up to a stock to know what’s going on in their tank and he’d settle into a lawn young heads is to take them away chair while I fished…and fished… from the everyday mayhem and and fished. I never thought about relax a while. it then, but looking back, I now Relax is the key word. Don’t realize he really didn’t care about put too much emphasis on the fishing. He simply cared about me. catch. We all enjoy pursuing the Grandpa left us many years ago, glamor species, the bigger the but those memories are as fresh as better. But for a kid starting out yesterday. How awesome would it it’s all about the pull. Who among 56 | April 2017

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us doesn’t fondly recall watching a red Randi’s interest Erin and white bobber sliding sideways and in fishing led to with an submerging? Or perhaps it was the participating in Everglades tap-tap-tap transmitted up the line as marsh restoration grouper. some unknown fish showed interest in projects. the dead shrimp impaled on the hook.

It didn’t matter if it was a piggy perch or hardhead, it was all about the pull.

I’ve found that kayak fishing is a great way to get the youngsters involved.

Little ones easily fit in the tankwell, while older kids can join you in a tandem or even paddle their own kayak. I can’t put age ranges on what is best for your kids, but mine were quite capable of paddling on their own by the time they were twelve. The initial outings might be best sampled without fishing gear and in protected water. Let them get a feel for paddling and just being out on will end a trip in a hurry. While I can easily go the water. Spend some time paddling all day on a protein bar and a couple bottles a marsh or creek. Make it about seeing of water, I knew my girls couldn’t. what’s out there and not so much of a As for the fishing; keep it simple. Like paddling lesson. I’ve found that paddling I stated earlier, kids just want something sort of comes natural to most kids. A few tugging on their line. Find a place with some pointers on how to make the kayak go decent water movement, park it and drop a One of my forward and turn should suffice in the dead shrimp on the bottom. Something will fondest beginning. Keep in mind that while the come along and eat it. Use small hooks and memories things we see every day on the water just enough weight to hold the bait on the of fishing become mundane for us, poking at bottom. Keep the gear simple too, but do with Randi. crabs or watching a heron stalk minnows yourself and them a favor, don’t go cheap. might be just the thing to flip the switch The Snoopy rigs are cute but, from personal on a lifetime in the outdoors for your kid. experience, don’t fall for it. Nothing spoils Safety comes first. Get them into a the mood of the trip like a balky reel that properly fitting and comfortable PFD. quits working after a couple hours of salt If they aren’t comfortable around the exposure. There are several good quality water it might be a good idea to get closed-face reels available. Pony up and get them in a pool while wearing the PFD them something that will last. There are also to show them how well it works. Also, some decent quality kids rods on the market let them play around on the kayak to that will work just fine for most anything see just how stable they really are. You they’re likely to hook up with. Once I realized might even put the kayak in the pool. A lightweight kid will just my girls were hooked I took a couple good quality popping rods, cut about have to jump in the water on purpose in a typical sit-on-top them to a shorter length and installed smaller handles. One other style. Anything you can do to lessen their anxiety will make it easier tip I’ll pass along from personal experience is to have them practice for them to enjoy their time on the water. casting. I made a game of it with buckets in the yard. Having them You know your child better than anyone else. Base your trip on that familiar with the gear and mechanics of casting prior to the first trip knowledge. Don’t make big plans for an extended day if you think made things go a lot smoother. they can’t handle it. Whether paddling, boating or just a bank fishing Data shows that the demographic of fishermen is slowly aging. The trip, several short fun excursions are worth far more than one long and future of the sport depends on recruitment of young anglers. It’s time potentially boring session. As they get older and show interest, you for all of us to step up and…Take a Kid Fishing. can increase the duration. All of this might sound like common sense, but I’ve seen far too many gung-ho parents push their kiddos too far Capt. Scott Null is a devout shallow water fisherman offering and end up taking all the fun out of it. What constitutes a good day for guided adventues via kayak, poled skiff, and wading. an avid fisherman probably isn’t going to be the same for a youngster.

Telephone 281-450-2206 Pre-trip planning is just as important as the actual trip. Make sure Email scott@tsfmag.com they have the proper clothing, footwear and sunscreen. Also, pack Website www.captainscottnull.com plenty of drinks and snacks. An uncomfortable, thirsty or hungry kid 58 | April 2017

Figure 1: Life history of brown shrimp, Farfantepenaeus aztecus. a) Shrimp eggs b) Nauplius larva c) Protozoea d) Mysis e) Postlarva f ) Juvenile shrimp g) Adolescent shrimp h) Adult shrimp

B y D r. M a r k Fi s h e r, S c i e n c e D i r e c t o r | C o a s t a l Fi s h e r i e s D i v i s i o n

FIEL D NOTES

Brown Shrimp Life History and Management in Texas Brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus) have an annual life cycle and are found in both estuarine and offshore habitats, depending on life stage (Figure 1). Their maximum life span is about 18 months, but few live past 12 months.

Adults occur offshore in water depths up to 110 meters (one meter equals 39.4 inches). Spawning can occur year-round but off Texas, peak activity occurs SeptemberNovember and April-May. Eggs hatch within 24 hours as a nauplius, followed by protozoeal, mysis and postlarval stages. Postlarvae migrate into the estuaries from February to April with incoming tides and develop into juveniles around 25 mm length (one inch equals 25.4mm) and settle in shallow, vegetated or soft muddy areas. Growth is rapid, up to 1 mm/day. Juveniles move into the open bay at 55-60 mm length as subadults then migrate into the Gulf from May to August, coinciding with ebb tides and full moons.

The Coastal Fisheries Division of Texas Parks and Wildlife conducts a fishery-independent resource monitoring 60 | April 2017

program that utilizes a stratified random sampling design to assess changes in the abundance and size of shrimp and organisms, their spatial and temporal distribution, species composition of the community and selected environmental parameters known to influence their distribution and abundance. The program utilizes different sampling gears to target different species and life stages— shrimp are sampled with bag seines (1977-present), bay trawls (1982-present) and Gulf trawls (1986-present). Bag seines are pulled along shorelines and target juveniles; bay trawls are towed in the open bay and target subadults, and Gulf trawls are employed in the nearshore Gulf within 15 nautical miles of each of the five major Gulf passes (Sabine, Galveston, Matagorda, Aransas and Brazos Santiago) offshore to the edge of the Texas Territorial Sea and target adults.

Sampling occurs year-round, with 20 bag seine samples/month/bay (2,160/year coastwide), 20 bay

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trawls/month/bay (except 10/month in Sabine, East Matagorda, and the upper and lower Laguna Madre; 1,680/ year coastwide), and 16 Gulf trawls/month/Gulf area (960/ year coastwide). Half of the monthly samples for all three gears are taken in the first half of the month (1st-15th), and the remaining half are taken in the second half of the month to ensure an even temporal distribution.

Bag seine catch rates are an indicator of juvenile brown shrimp abundance. Juveniles are encountered almost yearround, but mostly from April-November with peak abundance in May and a secondary peak in September-October (Figure 2).

These peaks in juvenile abundance correspond with the spring and fall spawning activity off Texas. Bag seine-caught shrimp range from 40-75 mm in length.

Bay trawl catch rates are an indicator of subadult abundance in the open bays. Subadults are also encountered almost yearround, but mostly from April-November with peak abundance in May and a secondary peak in September-November (Figure 3). Bag seine catch rates are a good predictor of trawl catches, with bag seines leading trawls by 1-2 biweekly periods. Bay trawl-caught brown shrimp range from 60-105 mm in length.

The Texas spring bay shrimp season is open from May 15-July 15.

Gulf trawl catch rates are an indicator of subadult and adult brown shrimp that have emigrated from the bays and are migrating into deeper offshore water. They are most abundant from May-July with a peak in June (Figure 4). Gulf trawl-caught brown shrimp typically range from 85-115 mm in length. Bay trawl catches are a good predictor of Gulf trawl catches, with bay trawls leading by 1-2 biweekly periods. The Gulf brown shrimp season typically opens on July 15.

The annual Texas closure of the Gulf shrimp season serves to protect small brown shrimp from fishing until they reach a larger, more valuable size and to minimize waste from discards of small shrimp during the Gulf harvest. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, Chapter 77, Section 77.061(a)(1), 77.065, and 77.067 mandates a closure of the Texas Territorial Sea beginning 30 minutes after sunset on 15 May to 30 minutes after sunset on 15 July; however, these dates can be altered by the Executive Director using sound biological data.

The Gulf closure date is determined from April bag seine catch rates, mean lengths, and dates of maximum ebb tides as a predictor of peak migration. April bag seine catch rates and lengths are used to predict peak abundance and when mean length will reach the target length of 90 mm.

The Gulf opening date is determined from June bag seine catch rates, June bay trawl catch rates and lengths, June Gulf trawl catch rates and lengths, and periods of maximum ebb tides. Growth calculated from June bay and Gulf trawl data is used to predict when shrimp will reach their target size of 112 mm, and to predict peak abundance. Maximum ebb tides are also used to predict major migration periods. Bag seine catch rates are an indication of any late recruits still residing in the bays that will be emigrating later in the season.

These measures, along with other management actions, have ensured the protection of the brown shrimp resource in Texas coastal waters.

Next month Dr. Darin Topping takes a look at some red snapper data.

62 | April 2017

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

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

How’s this for a selfie…putting the old 8-footer to work!

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

F LY F I S HI N G

Short Sticks If I’ve learned one thing as an angler and guide over the past twenty-five years – no one rod, reel and line combo can do it all. Now at this point, one might argue that I’m stating the obvious. However, size and species of fish not withstanding, I’m talking about fishing for the same species of fish in the same size range, and still needing more than one combination. So, with that said, I’m going to dive into the concept of using a much shorter rod and when it might be appropriate.

Now before I get into the use of shorter rods, I would like to touch briefly on the concept of using a longer rod and when it might be advantageous. Mind you, I do not personally own any rods longer than 9-feet but I know numerous individuals that own 9-1/2 and 10-foot rods and use them with great success at the jetties and while fishing the surf. The extra length allows you to keep the line higher above the breaking waves of the surf and the rocks at the jetties. And, while I have never witnessed it, I have heard talk of people using spey rods in the surf and on the jetties for making longer casts to marauding schools of jacks and redfish. It all seems like a great concept to me and I can see the advantages of it however, not liking to fish from shore, there’s really no reason for me to get into the long rod thing. However, I do fully take advantage of shorter rods while fishing from my skiff.

About 15 years ago, at the recommendation of Flip Pallot, I started fishing G Loomis rods exclusively. Flip gave me few rods to get started and in no time, I was in contact with Loomis and placing my first order. While perusing the catalog, I stumbled across one of their 9-weight 8-footers 66 | April 2017

and thought to myself; that would be a great rod for fishing the Everglades, throwing in and around dense cover. This particular rod was part of the G Loomis Cross Current series that sold for considerably less than the CC GLX series. Knowing I didn’t have a trip to the ‘glades planned anytime soon, and that I wouldn’t be needing the rod for quite some time, I had to make a decision. But being the impulse buyer that I am, it and numerous other flyrods showed up to my doorstep a few days later.

Thinking that I bought the rod solely for snook fishing, I did not pull it out of the tube until the following spring when I arrived in Florida. After using the rod for the entirety of my snook fishing throughout the week, I was amazed at not only how much easier it was to make accurate casts in tight spaces but, also how well it cast, especially at shorter distances. In addition, the leverage of the shorter rod proved invaluable when fighting fish in and around heavy cover. We even managed to land a couple of tarpon in the 50-pound range on this rod.

Upon my return to Texas, I began using the 8-footer on a regular basis for both myself and my customers and it quickly became, and remains, one of my favorite rods of all time. Especially when fishing in areas with poor visibility when the shots come quickly and very close to the boat. But alas...all good things must come to an end.

I do not remember exactly when but, a few years down the road I heard that Loomis had discontinued the production of one of my favorite rods. Knowing how much I loved this rod, I was smart and purchased a back-up. But that was not enough so I took to the phone,

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calling fly shops all over the country, and managed to locate and purchase two more. The great thing is that I am still fishing with my original 8-footer and have not had to use any of my back-ups.

Several years later I had the pleasure of fishing with G Loomis chief rod designer, Steve Rajeff, and I expressed my displeasure with them discontinuing one of my favorite rods and begged him to reintroduce the Cross Current 8 foot, 9-weight. In short, it wasn’t happening.

Then one day I got a call from Steve, again several years later, and he said that he had some prototypes for me to try. I was thrilled when I opened the tubes to find several 7’-6” rods in various sizes. I was quick to slap reels on them and head down to the dock.

Now, because I believe in being 100% honest...I didn’t really like these rods at first, and was quick to call him with my opinions. He then told me that he was hoping to talk to me before I went out and tried them, to explain that the rods were designed to cast aggressively tapered fly lines. He then proceeded to give me some suggestions of what lines that he liked on the rods but also explained that I would have to experiment with different weight lines as well as different tapers. Fortunately, I have quite the selection of fly lines and was able to find numerous lines that cast quite nicely on the different weight rods that I had to try out.

Since then, these rods known as G Loomis Pro 4X SS (short sticks) have proven themselves to be quite useful. By using the aggressively tapered lines and sometimes over-lining them, these rods allow us to drive casts into tight pockets both along the mangrove shorelines of South Florida and underneath docks while night fishing the Texas coast. They also come in handy on cloudy days throwing large flies to both Texas and Louisiana redfish. Another place they work well is in situations where you might find yourself fighting a fish vertically in deeper water. I have also had great success in teaching newcomers to the sport of saltwater fly-fishing how to “shoot” line of short and heavy taper with these rods.

One final thought in regards to the Short Sticks. While they are a very useful tool to be added to your arsenal, these rods do not offer much in the way of finesse. In my opinion, at least until I discover otherwise, these rods are for situations that demand aggressive fishing techniques.

Anyway, I hope I have given you something to consider in your quest to catch more fish. Until next month…be good!

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

Telephone Email Website

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

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DAV E R O B E R T S

K AYA K F I S HI N G CHRO N IC L E S

Tournament Time Well I believe it is safe to say that the little winter we had is over. I am trying to recall an instance in the past few months where I was truly cold and cannot come up with a time. For the most part, my trophy trout season was not near as productive as I was hoping for but not the worst I have experienced. I am still clinging to the spring bite in hopes to find some solid trout, but my internal switch is about to be completely pointing to redfish. Thanks to the warmer weather, the redfish action in the marsh has started early and has made for some fat fish and fun trips.

Along with the fishing heating up with the arrival of spring, fishing tournaments and tournament series are beginning to kick off along the coast. Tournament season has begun and I could not be more excited for the upcoming year. These challenges are a great way for an angler to test their skill and luck against other serious anglers in the community.

Fortunately for kayakers on the Texas coast, there are plenty of options for all levels of competition; from amateurs to experts, first timers to old salts, there is a tournament somewhere for you. My favorite tournament series to fish in Texas is the Lone Star Kayak Series. This is where I started tournament kayak fishing and ever since my first one four years ago, I have been hooked. I remember showing up to the scales with a whopping 8.44 lbs. and was proud as could be of those two fish!

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At the time, Chad Lyden was the only person I knew there but the rest of the crowd was easy to meet and get along with. The fact about this tournament series is that everyone has a decent chance of going home with a prize and a little money while the camaraderie between the anglers is still there.

Also on my end of Texas, the Upper Coast Kayak Anglers put on a stretch of smaller tournaments that are slightly skewed from the typical day tournament.

The tournaments range from weighing in one single slot red with the heaviest weight winning, a kiddie pole tournament, Sabine vs H-Town Showdown and the SETX Shootout, which is a 2-day team event. The different styles of tournaments always make for an interesting and fun day on the water and at the weigh-in.

One of my favorite aspects about the kayak tournaments that are held in this area is they are always trying to give back. A small portion of your entry fee is always donated to the SETX chapter of Heroes on the Water; after a full year of tournaments, the money adds up quick and helps put veterans on the water. At the SETX Shootout last year, we raised enough money to present H.O.W. a check for $5000, and that alone was worth every bit of effort I put into supporting it.

Of course, there are plenty of other tournaments going on around the coast that are fun to fish. The Saltwater Survival Series is another fun event where

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70 | April 2017

throughout the year. No matter what event it is, the folks at weigh-in are still as easy to talk to as they were at my first kayak tournament.

Good luck and stay safe – I’ll see you at the scales.

C ontact

all anglers are given the same five lures the morning of the tournament and are required to use only those five. Very cool concept and kind of lends to a level playing field. The Galveston Redfish Series just announced they would be promoting a kayak series and I believe I am going to try and fish a few of those as well. Another very notable fishing event is Ride the Bull in Grand Isle, La. This is the world’s largest kayak tournament and if you have never been, then you have to go!

This is a tournament like no other and is an incredible experience.

Preparing for the events is relatively simple for me. It just takes a trip to Fishing Tackle Unlimited and filling a basket with lures, fishing line and everything else that meets the eye. My tackle list mostly consists of Gulp shrimp, popping corks, Johnson gold spoons, and KWigglers. For the most part I try to keep my lure selection to basics and not over complicate my selection. This is one of the few times a year where I decide to restring my reels. My personal preference is Suffix Performance Braid – 30 lb-test. The other random things that I need are a good battery for my livewell aerator, a teeter totter scale, a sturdy net, and stringers that are in good shape. Stringers are cheap and readily accessible, there is no reason whatsoever to be carrying a redfish around on a frayed stringer with the possibility of it breaking and losing that fish.

Tournament fishing can be fun, rewarding, to some degree expensive, and exhausting with a whole lot of hard work. Some anglers would rather go at their own pace and enjoy being outdoors while others are drawn in from miles away and enjoy striving to make the top of the leaderboard. These scenarios provide a challenge and a gamble of finding two perfect redfish. I personally am a fan of the challenge and it comes with the feeling of anxiousness and uncertainty when seeing a good fish in the shallows for the first time. It is also very exciting when you swipe the tail of a heavy red across the Check-it Stik. Always a relief when it falls within the slot, and oh so disappointing when it measures just a tad too long. Twenty-seven and seven-eighths and eight pounds is just about perfect!

I am truly excited for the events I have placed on my calendar this season. Since January my calendar has been littered with tournaments here in Texas all the way to Florida. In reality, though, my favorite part of tournament fishing is the excitement and camaraderie of the weigh-ins. This is when the hard work is done and it is time to relax and visit with fellow anglers. It is always fun catching up with the crowd you only get to see a handful of times

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

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

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Story by Kim Ogonosky

T S F Mag C o nse r v a t i o n N ews

CCA Texas & BCT TO INVEST $530,000 TOWARDS HABITAT IN 2017 Partnership with Several Conservation Groups will Benefit over $4 Million in Coastal Habitat Coastal Conservation Association Texas (CCA Texas) and Building Conservation Trust (BCT), the national habitat program of CCA, have committed to an investment of $530,000 towards marine habitat work along the Texas coast. Through several dedicated partnerships, this will equate to $4.28 million in coastal habitat.

“It has been exciting to watch the natural partnership between CCA Texas and BCT grow,” said John Blaha, director of CCA Texas’s habitat program, Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT). “We are accomplishing so much in 2017 by working together, and this relationship will continue to produce great work.”

BCT and CCA Texas are providing $70,000 in funding towards the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program Egery Island Project. The funds for the $1.2 million permitted project will enable up to seven acres of marsh to be planted off of Copano Bay. Since inception, CCA Texas and BCT have supported the Rio Grande Valley Reef (RGV Reef ) just north of the

Brownsville Jetties. This project is led by the Friends of RGV Reef and will cover 1,650 acres, making it the largest permitted nearshore site in Texas. BCT and CCA Texas have previously invested $200,000 into the RGV Reef, and have contributed an additional $55,000 in 2017.

The Harte Research Institute (HRI), a longtime partner of CCA Texas and BCT, is conducting two scientific studies this year that the pair is supporting. The first is a study on the Port O’Connor “Keeping it Wild” Reef, which will provide an opportunity to substantially advance the science of artificial reef creation and show the value of this type of restoration work. The second is an Oyster Restoration Site Locator and Identification Mapping study, which will create a restoration tool for identifying suitable sites for restoration efforts. CCA Texas and BCT have invested $50,000 and $120,000 in these studies, respectively, in 2017.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is also no stranger to the CCA Texas/BCT partnership. This year,

Smaller projects, such as placement of break-wall structure and grass plantings will continue all along the Texas coast. Cooperative relationships between CCA, HTFT, BCT, Galveston Bay Foundation, TPWD and others, help these habitat creation and enhancement projects become reality.

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TPWD will be receiving an $85,000 investment from them that will be put towards a grass planting event at Bird Island Cove. BCT and CCA Texas have provided previous support to the Bird Island Cove Marsh Restoration project, which will directly benefit approximately 114 acres of existing coastal wetlands in the Bird Island Cove area.

In 2017, Galveston Bay Foundation is receiving $150,000 from CCA Texas and BCT towards the Moses Lake Shoreline Protection project, which will provide shoreline erosion protection for 1.3 miles

Oyster reef restoration in Texas bays has been yielding very positive results.

Creation of nearshore reefs is a large part of the work CCA, BCT and other groups have been focusing on to improve habitat and opportunity for Texas anglers.

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of shoreline and restore up to 10 acres of intertidal marsh complex within Moses Lake.

“The projects receiving our investments in 2017 reflect BCT and CCA Texas’s shared mission, cover a diversity of marine conservation goals and are spread along the state coast,” said Sean Stone, executive director of BCT. “They will restore degraded habitats, create new habitats, advance the science of habitat restoration and conservation, and educate coastal communities on the value of conservation.”

Through a highly successful matching funds program, BCT has garnered over $9 million towards more than 37 coastal projects in the United States. In 2016, CCA Texas provided funds of $1.8 million to BCT, which they are leveraging to bring in more funds. The Building Conservation Trust has a target of investing over $3.5 million towards Texas marine habitat projects by the year 2021, equating to $10 million in projects with similar partner organizations.

“CCA Texas and BCT are providing support to projects all along the Texas Gulf Coast,” said Robby Byers, executive director of CCA Texas. “We are proud to partner with all of these like-minded marine conservation organizations, continue to build upon valuable relationships and be a part of the important habitat work they do.”

2017 Banquet Season in Full Swing The 2017 Banquet Season is in full swing and off to a fast start. Be sure to check the CCA calendar for events in your area and we look forward to seeing our members at events throughout the year.

Please see the list below of up upcoming banquets across Texas during April.

Greater Sugarland Thursday, April 6th Stafford Centre

Central Houston Thursday, April 27th Bayou City Event Center

Northeast Houston Saturday, April 8th Humble Civic Center Arena

Redfish Bay Saturday, April 29th Port Aransas Civic Center

Dallas Thursday, April 20th Frontier Flight Museum

Houston Homebuilders Thursday, April 6th TBD

Brenham Thursday, April 27th Silver Wings Ballroom

Tri-County Thursday, April 20th Atascosa County Show Barn

Prairie Thursday, April 6th Cat Spring Hall

Rio Grande Valley Thursday, April 27th Boggus Ford Events Center

Fort Bend Thursday, April 20th Fort Bend County Fairgrounds

Mid-Coast Friday, April 28th Victoria Community Center

Bay Area Friday, April 21st Bay Area Community Center

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STEPHANIE BOYD

F I S H Y F A CT S

Sea Anemones Sea anemones are a group of predatory marine animals, somewhat resembling fleshy flowers. These ornately colored creatures are named after the terrestrial anemone flower and are close relatives of coral and jellyfish.

There are more than 1,000 sea anemone species found throughout the world’s oceans. Some have adapted to live in cold water at depths more than 32,000 feet, but most species prefer warmer tropical waters. They run the full spectrum of colors and can be as small as half an inch or as large as six feet across.

A sea anemone is a (generally) sessile polyp with a column shaped body (ending in the familiar flowery oral disc) and either a pedal disk (that affixes the anemone to the substrate) or a modified bulb-like base (used by burrowing anemones to anchor in soft substrate). The oral disc, which operates as both the mouth and the anus, is surrounded by tens to hundreds of tentacles, all armed with cnidocytes, stinging cells which are both offensive and defensive in nature and give the phylum Cnidaria its name. Each cnidocyte contains nematocysts, and each nematocyst contains a coiled venom-filled tubule. When prey, predator, or competitor encounters the tentacles, hundreds of these nematocysts fire their barbed tubules like harpoons. This gives the anemone its characteristic sticky feeling. The venom is a mix of toxins that paralyze the victim. If the victim is prey, this lets the anemone safely transport it to the mouth. The venom is deadly to prey species of fish and crustaceans, but most anemones are harmless to humans. In southern Italy and southwestern Spain, one anemone species is even consumed as a delicacy. Apparently, they are similar in appearance and texture to croquettes (a small breadcrumbed fried food roll), but have an intense seafood taste. A few highly toxic species have caused severe injuries and are potentially lethal to humans, but they’re not in our stomping grounds.

A primitive nervous system, without centralization, coordinates all actions. No specialized sense organs are present. Unlike the closely related corals, anemones do not have a hard skeleton. Instead, muscles surrounding a fluid-filled cavity (the coelenteron) maintain the anemone’s relative shape. This is known as a hydrostatic skeleton. By closing its mouth, the anemone can keep the coelenteron at a constant volume, making it more rigid. To move around, muscles found in the endoderm (the inner layer of the body “wall,” as opposed to the ectoderm, the outer layer) are used to contract and bend the column in various directions. Longitudinal muscles, which run 76 | April 2017

perpendicular to the base, contract the column vertically.

Circular muscles, which run around the column parallel to the base, expand or contract the diameter of the column.

To achieve these movements, these muscles basically squeeze water to different parts of the column, which subsequently extend and become more rigid. And that’s how you use a hydrostatic skeleton! *Fun Fact: sea anemones detect passing creatures with vibration-sensitive hair cells. We use similar hair cells in our inner ears to detect sound. Unlike humans, who are often stuck with hearing loss after damage to the hairs in our ears, anemones can repair their hair cells using certain proteins. However, new findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, suggest that we might one day be able to co-opt these proteins to restore hearing loss in people, too.

Carnivorous and opportunistic, sea anemones are silent slow-motion predators that will devour any small animal. They accept zooplankton, mussels, fish, crabs and other small crustaceans, marine larvae, worms, and any other “meat” careless enough to stray within reach of their deadly tentacles. The tentacles are triggered by the slightest touch, instantly firing the venom-laded harpoon.

The tubule remains attached to the tentacle, so the prey is slowly reeled in. The anemone’s digestive enzymes are so strong that they can digest the flesh of a small animal in 15 minutes. Afterwards, it spits out any non-digestible parts, such as bone and shell. Though they have no visible sense organs, anemones can distinguish between food and debris. If you drop a piece of paper onto its tentacles, a sea anemone will grasp but then discard it.

With their stinging tentacles, anemones would seem like an unlikely meal choice. However, there are several potential predators that either aren’t affected by the venom or have developed sneaky feeding strategies to cope with the dangerous tentacles. Snails and slugs typically slide up and take chunks out of the anemone.

Larger anemones can detach and float away, but smaller ones are usually out of luck. A sea star can wrap itself around the anemone and deploy its stomach, but some luck must be involved because anemones also eat sea stars. Many fish species munch on anemone tentacles, including the butterfly fish and the mosshead sculpin.

These fish feed by nipping off the tentacles, rather than eating the anemone whole. The loggerhead sea turtle also counts the anemone among its extensive list of prey, and they do eat them whole.

Some anemones form symbiotic alliances with other

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organisms to prevent predation. The most famous of these alliances is probably the clownfish and its various anemone hosts. Clownfish are covered by a mucus layer that makes them immune to anemone stings. The fish both receive protection and dole it out, chasing away butterfly fish and other nuisances.

The anemone gets the added bonus of food scraps from the clownfish’s meals. Some anemones, like their coral cousins, host green algae. In exchange for providing safe harbor and exposure to sunlight, the anemone receives oxygen and sugar, byproducts of the algae’s photosynthesis. Still other anemones attach themselves to hermit crab shells. The hermits receive protection and camouflage; the anemones receive a traveling lifestyle, hopefully with more feeding opportunities.

Most anemones don’t actually need a hermit crab for the traveling lifestyle. Though they seem to prefer to stay “planted” in one place, many species have the ability to move. At the bottom of the anemone’s columnar body is an adhesive, muscular foot, which they can use to slide along the sea floor. They can also simply detach and float away, or even “swim” by flexing their bodies.

A few species don’t attach themselves at all and instead float upside down in the water with the help of a gas chamber in the foot. For the majority that do tend to stick in one place, having the option of moving becomes extremely handy if the environment becomes unlivable. Intertidal species are capable of retaining sufficient water to endure exposure to air and sun during low tide, but during times of drought, when even the high tide recedes, the ability to move house is the difference between life and death, and those organisms that are truly sessile, such as oysters and barnacles, are doomed. Some species of anemones move for another purpose: war. These anemones live in large “armies” near each other. “Scouts” look for new land to claim, and if one army gets too close to another, “warriors” will slap the offending invaders with special club-like tentacles that leave patches of stinging cells stuck to the enemy. Territorial fights often result in serious injury and even death to those on the front lines.

Unlike other cnidarians, anemones lack the free-swimming medusal stage of their lifecycle; they are exclusively polypoid. A fertilized egg develops into a planula that develops directly into another polyp.

Anemone species vary in their reproductive abilities. Some have separate sexes; others are hermaphrodites (possessing both male and female reproductive organs); some can switch between the two. In sexual reproduction, males (or hermaphrodites) release sperm and females (or hermaphrodites) release eggs into the water column, and fertilization occurs. (They eject the sperm and eggs through the mouth/anus.) Some species can reproduce asexually, a useful trait when you’re stuck on a crab who’s indifferent to your love life.

They have three types of asexual reproduction at their disposal. First, budding: a new anemone develops from an outgrowth, or “bud”; the clone remains attached as it grows, separating from the parent when it is mature. Second, pedal laceration: a ring of flesh breaks off (from the foot) and fragments, each fragment becoming a new individual. Third, lateral fission: the anemone seems to crawl in two opposite directions at once and slowly tears itself in half lengthwise (don’t try this at home!); each half becomes a new whole. Each of these three methods results in genetically identical copies.

Texas waters host a few anemone species, including the warty anemone, the tricolor anemone, and the onion anemone. The warty anemone, Bunodosoma cavernata, is a very common anemone and is 78 | April 2017

A clownfish keeping watch in it's anemone partner.

easily recognized by its warty appearance. Color is usually brownish or tannish with vertical rows of pale, dusky, or blue bumps on the column. Tentacles are numerous, short, and sometimes marked with red stripes near mouth or with white bumps at the base. It can be found in Port Aransas and Galveston (and maybe other areas along the coast and in the Gulf ), attached to jetties or buried in the sand on the beach at low tide. It is occasionally found on the backs of hermit crab shells. Average measurements: 3.5 inches in height and 2 inches in diameter of the oral disk (mouth).

The tricolor anemone, Calliactis tricolor, varies in color but will always have dark spots around the base. Usually beige/dark brown with beige streaks; dark orange and red streaks; or purple. Tentacles are short, usually whitish, but may be dark orange or pink. Mouth is tricolored, usually with a darker outer ring and orange or pinkish center. It is often found on hermit crabs or the calico box crab.

Averages 2 inches in disk width. Releases orange stringy filaments from both the mouth and dark pores at the base when disturbed.

The onion anemone, Paranthus rapiformis, is distinguished by its “cocktail onion” shape with longitudinal stripes. Usually burrows in the sediment with tentacles above the surface of the sediment. Medium size anemone, extending, on average, up to 13.75 inches. Color is pink to cream or reddish-brown to greenish-gray, with light longitudinal stripes. Tentacles are colorless to light brown and translucent. When the mouth is closed, the body is round, resembling a cocktail onion.

However, the body can elongate, sometimes looking more worm-like.

Though sea anemones are not endangered, they are susceptible to overexploitation and habitat destruction due to their long lifespans (up to 50 years), slower relative growth rates, and lower reproductive rates than their resident fish, which can also be adversely affected.

Pollution, over-collection, trampling, and other human activities can negatively affect anemones. So, tread lightly when you’re in their neighborhoods!

Where I learned about anemones, and you can too!

Texas Marine Species txmarspecies.tamug.edu/invertdetails.cfm?scinameID=Bunodosoma%20 cavernatum txmarspecies.tamug.edu/invertdetails.cfm?scinameID=Calliactis%20tricolor

txmarspecies.tamug.edu/invertdetails.cfm?scinameID=Paranthus%20 rapiformis

Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia ibis.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/IntroductiontoSeaAnemones.html

Texas Parks & Wildlife tpwd.texas.gov/fishing/sea-center-texas/flora-fauna-guide/jetties/jetty-life/ sea-anemone

Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_anemone

World Register of Marine Species www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=283411 A Functional Biology of Sea Anemones

By J. Malcom Schick ‪Beachcomber’s Guide to Gulf Coast Marine Life‬

By Susan B. Rothschild National Geographic animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/sea-anemone/ National Wildlife Federation www.nwf.org/Kids/Ranger-Rick/Animals/Fish/Sea-Anemones.aspx

BioExpedition www.bioexpedition.com/sea-anemone/ Soft Schools www.softschools.com/facts/animals/sea_anemone_facts/2334/ Pets animals.mom.me/kinds-animals-eat-sea-anemones-5794.html Marine Life Photography www.marinelifephotography.com/marine/cnidaria/anemones.htm Popular Science www.popsci.com/sea-anemone-proteins-might-help-reverse-hearing-loss

Audubon Nature Institute audubonnatureinstitute.org/meet-the-animals-aquarium/741-sea-anemone

Daily Mail www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3722702/Hearing-damage-restoredsea-anemones.html

Kansas University Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum www.nhm.ku.edu/tol/glossary/intro.html

Dove Med www.dovemed.com/sea-anemone-sting-first-aid/

Seattle Aquarium www.seattleaquarium.org/sea-anemone

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Capt. Curtiss Cash tossing back a throwback ling off Port O’Connor. This is fine weather for running a bay boat in state waters offshore.

JOE RICHARD

I N S HOR E | N E A R S HOR E | J E TTI E S | P A S S E S

April Ling When April finally arrives I always think of ling arriving off the Texas coast. As a teenager, our local hero Ed Holder with the Port Arthur News once came in with 16 sizeable ling in April, and we young anglers never forgot it. His weren’t “maybe legal fish” by today’s standards; all weighed from 30 to 60 pounds. You see, early-season ling are big and hungry. I don’t pretend to know where they come from, but it’s like they’ve never seen a hook before. Back in the day, the schools of early-season ling we saw offshore would really bust up our tackle.

These days, I see most of my ling out of Port O’Connor, usually fishing with Capt. Curtiss Cash, who has an instinct for finding these fish. That area has a lot of potential for ling with buoys offshore, a color change right off the beach, shrimpboats anchored within sight of land, and platforms in state waters that always seem to sit in water clear enough to spot ling. That’s where two summers ago we had a Go-Pro video moment when we had about 15 ling on the surface, milling around two of their cousins whom we’d hooked up. Those ling got excited and the water fairly boiled at point-blank range.

Even an orangutan with a cane pole rig would have been instantly hooked up.

80 | April 2017

Big ling lurk out there, not very far offshore and big enough to win tournaments. Last year Curtiss was cruising a color change and thought he spotted a bull shark cruising along. Upon closer inspection, it proved to be a ponderous ling of a hundred pounds or more, amazing to see. Unfortunately it dove from sight and didn’t return. But that’s what I like about POC, the fish come in close.

Back in Port Arthur, we normally have to pass miles of murky water before hitting greener water (much less blue water) for ling. But, that area has more ling than anywhere off the Texas coast—I’m convinced of that.

In that area we generally see a ling or two on virtually all of our summer trips. You can’t really expect that, further down the Texas coast. However, ling can show up anywhere off a Texas beach.

Port Aransas has seen some fine ling action in recent years, both at the jetty and state water platforms. At the jetties, boats anchor near the end on an incoming tide when the water is clear. I’m not sure what they were using for bait, but I watched them from the rocks and didn’t see any corks or balloons. Local Aransas kayaker Glenn Madden has racked up a steady toll of ling from

TSFMAG.com | 81

82 | April 2017

Dale Fontenot of Vidor checks out his big ling caught off Port Arthur/Sabine two summers ago. Photo by Pete Churton.

Author at left and Bruce Churton wrestle with an eelcaught ling off Port O’Connor.

Photo by Pete Churton.

pass near the boat to check us out. My buddy was an experienced gaffer and stuck it near the pectoral fin, a fatal hit, the easiest gaffing of a big ling I’ve ever seen. It required two of us to lift it into the boat, however. If he’d merely poked and alarmed the ling, the fight could have lasted another hour. When it’s gaff time with these fish, you have to make it count.

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his kayak, after launching on the beach south of the jetties. I’ve seen YouTubes of him subduing ling while his feet in waders are hanging in the water off his kayak. That’s a serious sport many of us aren’t cut out for, but a fine example of how an inexpensive (in this case, plastic) boat can put you on quality fish.

He knows that throwing jigs around the platforms is the most deadly method for finding ling. A one-ounce jig in state waters will find the bottom quickly enough, and working it back to the boat covers the water column.

Keep in mind that ling can be found anywhere from the bottom to the surface—they’re not always on top and easily spotted. And they might be circling the platform, 30 yards away, but within casting distance. Madden also slow-trolls ribbonfish, the perfect bait to drag behind a slow kayak. Freshcaught ribbons are premium baits, and they’re hand-caught at night around lit commercial docks near Aransas. (I caught a bunch of ribbons myself two summers ago after stopping at Moses Lake, a known ribbonfish hangout attached to Galveston Bay. We threw gold spoons and in an hour had maybe 15 ribbons laid gently on an ice bag, silver and shiny as new dimes, ready to go offshore. For making bait runs like that, a small jonboat works just fine).

Another top ling bait I’ve been impressed with is the 12-inch plastic eel. They’re probably not tough enough to handle a trophy ling on heavy tackle, but great for casting and enticing ling up to 30 or even 40 pounds. The plastic on these eels is very delicate around triggerfish, however. Let an eel sink too deep, and triggers will take numerous bites out of them. I’ve had a few eels chewed up that way, but also caught bonito, jack crevalle, a kingfish and numerous ling with them. There are no triggerfish around anchored shrimpboats, so try the eels there. Not sure why offshore fish like eels so much, but they slurp them down like spaghetti.

One thing to remember: Finding ling is generally a run-and-gun affair. Sitting in one or two spots all day just doesn’t work well with this fish. On the other hand if you visit a dozen spots, you’re far more likely to see them. Wearing quality polarized glasses helps immensely, as well. This was an issue with my biggest ling ever, weighing 80 pounds on marina scales. I couldn’t quite see this circling pod of ling late in the evening, but my buddy, (who collected fine sunglasses like fishing rods) was able to point out right where I should cast at the right moment. That fight could have lasted until past dark but the huge ling, like most, made one close

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

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The Fantastic Life I Live My life is a continuing journey of adventure, sometimes leading down paths that are visible only when traveled.

For more than a decade I have earned notoriety in many ways, and quite often parents say their children look up to me for leadership and accomplishments in the outdoors.

These alone are some of the most heartfelt and amazing compliments one can receive and I have been extremely humbled by every positive affirmation and comment received. Yet, I wonder why people tell me these things. I am just doing my own thing, living my own life and not seeking attention, though I do get a thrill sharing my experiences with those of like passion. Other times, the thrill is amplified when it involves reaching the hearts of the less fortunate that do not have the opportunity to live an adventurous life. The bottom line is I honestly try to live my life as a grand and endless adventure.

84 | April 2017

I have traveled to some great places and have met some incredible people on my journeys. Yet everything ultimately leads back to what I call home - Padre Island.

Growing up in Austin, I loved the city and venues it had to offer. However, my outdoors nature kept calling me to the coast. I eventually moved to south Texas in 2002 to attend Texas A&M Corpus Christi. During my college experience, I had a slight distraction which resulted in my residence in the Cayman Islands for a period. This was a truly magical experience. I often promote the chance to experience living out of the country in one’s young adult life.

When I returned stateside I lived a semi-relaxed life. In doing so, I embarked on many unorthodox shortcuts to get me where I am. I have never been timid to live just Melinda Cedillo barely getting by financially. I was with a monster on the water doing what I love surf-caught and that’s what matter most. jack crevalle.

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86 | April 2017

them on fish.

I was told that I would never enjoy my job since I would be letting other people, “catch my fish.” Quite unexpectedly, this became my greatest source of fulfillment.

I have taken a wide variety of clients thus far, parents with young children, grandparents and great grandparents, celebrities, and professional sports figures. Regardless of who it is, the feeling you get when seeing an individual catch not only the biggest fish of their life, but a raw apex predator the way we get to safely and professionally interact with it, is absolutely priceless.

I’ve had 8-year-old kids who landed six-foot sharks and the joy their smiles bring me defy description. These are the moments when I absolutely love my job.

Fortunately, I have considerable talent for what I do. I enjoy studying continuously to better understand the ecosystem and I observe all I can to understand why fish do what they do and when they do it. Perhaps this (along with undying passion) is what Sandifer saw in me.

Shark fishing is the joy of my life.

Anyone can catch 15” trout until their arms fall off, but how many have caught a fish on rod and reel greater than 10-feet in length? This is my way of life and my constant adventure. Whether putting a kid on a 700-pound shark or a father-son excursion chasing jack crevalle, every trip is a new and great adventure.

My repeat clientele is staggering and proof that you can profoundly change someone’s life to the point they want to relive it as often as possible. This is what brings me back to the sand day after day.

It never gets old or boring despite the sometimes wicked conditions we must endure. I enjoy every minute of every adventure and am happy to share it with others. This is my life, the fantastic life I live.

For more information on shark research and surf fishing charters please visit: oceanepics.com

C ontact

others were sometimes forced to pay the price for my way of life. But karma Reid Nicolau with has come full circle. When I turned 30 a sandbar shark.

I realized it was time to grow up and become more responsible. While I still considered myself a big kid, parts of me were maturing. With this transition, I also decided to become a better person.

Not that I was highly disrespectful of others or delinquent in a criminal way, I just wasn’t always as considerate of others as I could have been. I prioritized the continuance of my lifestyle greater than displaying appreciation for the help people were providing.

Today, I live by a code of kindness and honesty. Whether professional, friendship, or relationship - I wake up every day trying to be the best person I can be in every moral category. No one in this world is perfect, I am living proof. Yet a person can better themselves through the way they treat and respect others. So, with this being said, my true adulthood really began only recently.

As with many young people, I was at a loss for what I really wanted to do with my life. I have worked since becoming legally old enough and have held respectable jobs with the state and the technology field, in which I excelled. Unfortunately, despite how well I performed and how much I accomplished, I was not happy until I was outdoors or on the water. And it grew worse by the day. When I moved to Corpus my perspective began to change. And just until recently I had the opportunity to grow up and do something that I love, something I felt fitting. I had the opportunity to become a big game fishing guide in a unique fashion only a handful have ever attempted in Texas.

I had been inspired for some time by Rosie and friends the great Billy Sandifer as he was slowly having a great day in nudging me into taking over the shark the Padre Island surf. side of his surf fishing and guiding. Ever since I met him Sandifer has been a mentor and someone I greatly admire. So, when he kept pushing me, realizing I possessed an undeniable passion for shark fishing, it meant something special.

In the fall of 2013 I began sharing my surf fishing adventures with others through my charter service.

As with any new job I was quite nervous, especially the first trips.

I wasn’t worried about the fishing aspect, we did quite well landing and releasing sharks. I was concerned about my professionalism, how I would handle the unexpected things that always crop up on a trip. It did not take long though, after a few charters it seemed to come natural – interacting and educating the clients, and getting

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

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TSFMAG.com | 89

Dickie Colburn

DICKIE COLBURN’S Sabine Scene

Sabine

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

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

90 | April 2017

No winter to speak of, no flooding, clearer and saltier improved. The patterns seemingly change every water than we have seen in a long time, and accepting day, but there is usually a bite to be had for the more the fact that the wind is going to howl more often than persistent angler. The fishermen that struggle the most not are all factors that continue to contribute to a more are those that randomly pick a time of day to fish and consistent trout bite on Sabine Lake. expect the fish to cooperate with their schedule.

This could change before this magazine even Taking advantage of tide changes is critical but, reaches your mail box, but I think that excessive rains more importantly, I make it a point to never be riding are the only thing that can mess us up at this point. around looking for fish during a major or a minor The number one reason that more local River as hot as the folks are currently catching more trout is lake for big reds. that they are now gritting their teeth and dealing with the wind rather than simply staying home and complaining about it.

The use of drift socks, burying the Talon when needed and wading rather than drift fishing on the windiest of days are tactics that help diminish the inconvenience of fishing in white caps.

The revelation is that with decent water conditions the fish are there all along, but we usually aren’t!

While we are yet to find eye-popping numbers of really big trout, the numbers of 17 to 21-inch fish has drastically

solunar feeding period. Our bite is good enough that simply staying put in an area that you have confidence in during these periods will usually pay big dividends.

Even though we are catching fewer magnum trout, it is still too early to pack away the Corkys and suspending hard baits like the Catch 5, MirrOdine XL and smaller Catch 2000.The smaller trout like them as much as their moms. Because patterns seemingly change by the hour, we usually start the day making long The making of a casts with plastics under a cork, swimbaits special memory on and 5-inch tails rigged on jig heads hoping a rainy morning! to locate the fish a little quicker. Once we find them, we bury the Talon and go back to the suspending baits.

Because of a prevailing southeast wind and the fact that all the marsh drains are on the east side of the lake, those flats have been the clearest and most protected. Even when the trout bite is slow on these flats, the redfish are usually there and ready to crash the party.

If you prefer to catch reds anyway, fish a GULP jerk bait under a cork, a Usual Suspect Swimbait or a Chatterbait from the bank out to 3 to 4 feet of water. When you catch or miss that first one, hold tight as they hunt in packs.

We have had better luck with the Chatterbait by removing the skirt and fishing it with a four-inch Sea Shad body only.

Regardless of water clarity, we have seldom found a need to fish any other color than Chicken on a Chain. That goes for Bass Assassin’s new Salty Snack as well. While it was designed to compete with the Corky Devil during the colder months, it now looks as though it is going to be a year-round bait.

Unlike past years, our fall flounder bite was good, but not great.

Thus far, however, the spring bite is off to a sensational start. While it is far from being the most reliable technique, we have already caught more flounder in the 16 to 20-inch class drifting the flats with suspending baits than I can ever recall.

I haven’t talked with many folks that have been targeting them in deeper water or around the drains with live bait and GULP, but as a rule they remain tight-lipped hoping to reduce the pressure on their honey holes.

Flounder veterans that prefer to fish the deeper ship channel are quick to point out how rapidly one boat can turn into an armada south of the Causeway!

The Game Reserve is now open and back in play which greatly expands the playing field for flounder enthusiasts. Don’t forget…You need a Louisiana license to fish the Reserve or inside any cut on that side of the lake.

There’s a youngster eagerly awaiting your invitation to go fishing!

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Capt. Caleb Harp

The Buzz on Galveston Bay

Galveston

Capt. Caleb Harp has fished the Galveston Bay System since childhood and, now a charter captain and fishing guide, he uses his knowledge to enable clients to enjoy the excellent fishing the area offers. His specialty is the yeararound pursuit for trophy trout and redfish with artificial lures

Telephone 281-753-3378 Website harpsguideservice.com

92 | April 2017

Working our way through the spring transition is what April fishing is all about. March can be so frustrating.

The fish haven’t been eating very predictably, and when they do, they may not feed for long. On warmer days, we’ve seen slick after slick running from a point or shell pad structure but bites were hard to come by. They’re there, for sure, and feeding. But getting them to eat a lure hasn’t always been easy. The closer we get to April, the more energetic and reliable the bite will become.

This comes as the result of rising water temperatures and diminished wind that will allow us to target prime structure and shorelines.

Winds have been inconsistent, pretty much the norm this time of year. The “washing machine effect” of sustained southerly flows followed by equally strong west, north east, back to east, then south again can make things challenging for finding fish in water of fishable clarity. The water doesn’t have to be gorgeous to catch fish. Actually, I’m not much a fan of clear water.

Water that’s emerald green, like in the Bahamas, is pretty to look at but you’ll need some color streaks or a bit of turbidity to put them in a comfortable feeding mode and willing to take a lure.

Never get discouraged by dirty water. The last two

years, with the floods coming into the bays and the fresh water stack-ups, we did very well when the trim tabs were barely visible. In dirty water conditions, I like to throw a lure with a distinct break in the color scheme, for example; Texas Roach with a chartreuse tail, Morning Glory with a chartreuse tail, or a Plum with white tail. I believe fish can see the break between two bold colors better than one solid color.

April brings the first spawning activity of the year and fish seem to be unusually willing to feed aggressively, Thomas Francis with an oversized redfish drifting shallow shell with a MirrOlure She Dog.

as though Mother Nature tells them to feed-up in preparation. And before the spawning becomes protracted, the extra weight of all those eggs they’re carrying affords the chance to land some true heavyweight specks. Old timers like to say spawning trout are like pregnant women – moody and downright mean at times, but always ready to eat. Throwing a big topwater during spawning periods is known for producing some exceptional specimens.

West Galveston Bay West Bay fish are in late-spring pattern already with the warmer than normal water temperatures. Fishing hard sand flats with a lot of shell has been the most productive. Wade fishermen have had good success throwing topwaters whenever there are plenty signs of mullet activity. Rat-tail soft plastics like the MirrOlure Provoker on Bass Assassin Pro Elite 1/16-ounce jigheads have also been steady producers. Redfish have been abundant over thick shell adjacent to deep water and over shallow grass flats on warmer days. As the water temperature rises in April, expect better catches to come from the San Luis Pass area, especially during strong tide exchanges.

East Galveston Bay East Bay has been inconsistent in general but trout remain plentiful around marsh drains. If timed right, you can have a memorable catch around

these drains on outgoing tides throwing small soft plastics, but the heavy ones we expect have been relatively few. Redfish are thick in back lakes and in areas with soft mud-shell bottoms toward the back of the bay.

As April approaches, sandier flats will heat up for wade fisherman and become more consistent with topwaters. Don’t be afraid to stop off on a slick or two out deep, over the numerous oyster reefs that comprise the bay floor of so many areas. Late-April can be fantastic drift fishing over these reefs with MirrOlure Lil Johns on 1/8-ounce jigs.

Trinity Bay Trinity Bay isn’t what it once was, prior to the massive flooding the past two summers, but there are still fish to be caught.

Wade fishing The top end of the bay is currently rather fresh shorelines in April can be as good as it from local rains. I wouldn’t expect too much of a gets in the Galveston change, anticipating the arrival of April’s famous bay system. showers. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that we don’t pop another raging flood this year. I don’t think we can afford it. The east shoreline can become suddenly productive anytime a sustained east wind comes along and cleans it up. I wouldn’t bank too much on seeing the consistency of the pre-flood years until conditions stabilize, maybe during May. The incredible harvest of speckled trout during the stack-ups the floods created will require a few years to overcome – my opinion. It’ll bounce back, but it’s going to take a while.

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Bink Grimes

The View from Matagorda

Matagorda

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

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

Our winter fishing was great this year. It really wasn’t winter. When February and March have more days in the 80s than it does in the 50s, spring gets ahead of schedule. That’s what has happened. That’s why I am so optimistic for April.

The weather will dictate which bay we fish in April.

Light winds and green tides are conducive for finding heavy trout over deep shell in East Bay. Southerly winds and an incoming afternoon tide coincides with fishing the shoals of glass minnows in West Bay. As tides bloat, back lakes will come to life with redfish and trout as well. Drifters working shell with live shrimp should find lots of redfish; and, large, solitary trout normally are found in the same vicinity.

Crab Lake, Oyster Lake

and Lake Austin are prime spots in Matagorda. These locales offer wind protection when spring breezes bluster stronger than 20 knots.

Long drifts are often the ticket for covering large amounts of water; and, a live shrimp under a popping

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94 | April 2017

to

Island.

cork temps both trout and redfish. Seldom does a piece of shell in West Bay not yield a fish on an April tide.

Shell Island’s maze of reefs hold specks, reds and eating-size black drum. It’s tough to fish jigs on the shell without losing a dozen or more, so tie on your favorite cork to keep the bait suspended.

The warming trend should wake up the jetties for trout and redfish.

Large black drum and sheepshead have been roaming the rocks for the past month, throw in a thermometer inching closer to 70⁰ and trout, Spanish mackerel and jack crevalle become players.

We break out the topwaters in April. The myth that surface plugs only work in shallow water is just that, a myth. My largest speck of all time, a 31-incher, was fooled on a chartreuse-headed, black-bodied, prototype MirrOlure Top Dog in seven feet of water out of a boat at high noon. Topwater plugs only work when you throw them.

I have caught some heartpounders on the edge of East

Matagorda Bay on an incoming tide. Those big trout stage in the deep water just waiting for a swollen tide and rafts of mullet to pour over adjacent mud flats littered with shell.

Longer days and swelling incoming tides prompt glass minnows (bay anchovies) to move on grassy shorelines anytime. Look for gaggles of diving brown pelicans to point the way. Glass minnows are actually just bay anchovies - little white and silver flashes that swim in herds and like to be swarmed by hundreds of brown pelicans, trout and redfish.

When the fish go off and gorge on the big balls of minnows it can get really silly. I have had redfish swim between my legs blowing minnows out of the water.

Afternoon incoming tides over sand and grass is usually the best time. It’s a great time to get a good night’s sleep, eat a good breakfast, then hit the dock about noon and fish till dark.

Red shad, plum, Chicken-on-a-Chain and glow Bass Assassins, Down South Lures or Lil’ Johns should do the trick. MirrOlure SoftDines, She Pups and Super Spook Jrs. are also good choices.

Follow our catches daily on Instagram @ matagordasunriselodge.

®

TSFMAG.com | 95

Capt. Gary Gray

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

Port O'Connor Seadrift

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

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

Since the first of the year, fishing along the middle coast the Gulf of Mexico. The tidal connection through Cedar reminds me of the good old days. Well – minus the boat Bayou also assists the mixing of fresh water flood waters traffic and inconsiderate boat operators, but that’s a to mix with higher salinity Gulf water. Without Cedar whole other story!

Bayou, the only tidal connection was via the ICW to Pass In my mind, there are a lot of factors contributing Cavallo and Aransas Pass. to the bounty we are enjoying. For one we are getting A third major factor is 5-trout limit that was enacted plenty of rain locally and further up the Guadalupe and in September 2014. I’m not sure the exact impact on our Colorado basins that feed vital fresh water and nutrients fishery, but think about it – how could taking fewer add that our bay systems need to thrive. If you don’t think up to having fewer? fresh water makes a difference, think back to the It had to be done. So many fishermen nowadays middle of summer during the drought years. Everybody are driven by social media. Never did word of fishing thought we were out of fish.

Tripled up, We could catch trout during the drought in the working a San Antonio Bay area but the majority had retreated school of back into the upper reaches of the bay near the mouth of lake redfish! the Guadalupe River. In the Seadrift area, that meant Guadalupe Bay, Hynes Bay, Mission Bay and the Victoria Barge Canal. Areas not normally fished by the average fishermen in the heat of summer.

Another major factor is the opening of Cedar Bayou, which enabled our local bays such as San Antonio, Mesquite and Ayers to receive stronger tidal exchanges.

The opening of Cedar Bayou also provides a handy spawning corridor for species that spawn in

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success spread so rapidly, and the proof was on the cleaning tables.

Growing interest in C&R probably helped some, but without changing the limit the greater majority would still be keeping ten. Guides beating their chests on Facebook and message forums might have snagged a few charters, but TONS of fishermen who do not hire guides also got the message. So much for my rant on social media and justification of the 5-fish limit.

To wrap it up, fishing has been exceptional and these are the factors I believe have contributed to the rebound. Now let’s talk about what’s happening on the water.

The majority of our effort and catching has been in the back lakes off Espiritu Santo and San Antonio bays. Back lake water temps have been hovering in the 63⁰- to 65⁰ range on overcast Russell days and 69⁰- to 76⁰ on sunny days. These are White, husky very comfortable water temperatures for trout backcountry and redfish and their forage species. slot red.

Within the lakes, we have been targeting windward shorelines, whether the wind is north or south. We are concentrating on schools of mullet holding tight to the shorelines.

My staple lure has been mainly the Bass Assassin 4” Sea Shad 1/16-ounce Assassin jigheads. Bottom grass has not been a problem yet but it’s coming.

We have been drifting with artificials on quite a few trips and doing extremely well, limiting on trout and reds on multiple

occasions. Granted this takes some grinding and lots of casting, but hey, if it was too easy it would also be boring.

Main bay shorelines are slowly transitioning into normal springtime patterns and I expect the spring migrations of shad and glass minnows to arrive by the time this magazine reaches newsstands.

When fishing these migrating bait schools, look for irregularities in the shoreline configuration and bottom structure. Points, scattered clump shell or a reef, even a slough leading to a back lake.

Once a school of bait is located, work into casting range or a position to intercept them. Avoid walking right into them or they will either change direction or move beyond casting range.

I normally throw MirrOlure’s MirrOdine XL or the 5” Saltwater Assassin on a 1/16-ounce Assassin jighead. Cast ahead of the school and behind. Effective presentations will include erratic movement by twitching the rod convulsively – anything different than what it's doing to attract game fish to strike. In other words, stand out from the crowd.

If you really want to get your blood pumping, toss a She Dog in front or behind the school and see what might happen. Some of my best topwater days have fishing schools of migrating bait in April!

There will be many opportunities for all skill levels of angling during April. Get out there and see which is right for you.

Fish hard, fish smart!

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www.daiwa.com/us TSFMAG.com | 97

david rowsey

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

Upper Laguna/ Baffin

David Rowsey has over 25 years in Baffin and Upper Laguna Madre; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty.

David has a great passion for conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish.

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

Trophy trout season is flying by. I keep peeping around the corner to see if winter will show up but I just don’t believe we’re ever going to see it. I cannot remember a winter or early-spring season so consistently warm.

Temperatures hitting 90⁰ were common in February and early-March, and the big trout seemed to just give us the proverbial finger as we tried to “will” them into shorelines and other patterns that always produced from December through March. If there is an upside to the non-traditional weather, it would have to be that we were forced to change our own patterns to hunt these big trout down. Unconventional became the new convention and has ultimately made us all better and smarter fishermen. If you are unwilling to evolve when change occurs, you will, most likely, be left behind.

Three of the last four years, April has been the big producer for big trout here on Baffin and the Upper Laguna. Mother Nature will be doing some of her fanciest work as she sets the table with the buffet of migrating baitfish and gulf-green water that is about to arrive. There will be so much going on in so many locations that it will be hard to focus on a general pattern, constantly speculating what might be happening on the other side of the fence.

General rule: The biggest push of gulf water will occur nearest the full moon that falls at the end of April or beginning of May. This year, that moon will occur on May 10. Native Americans called it the “milk” moon or “corn planting” moon. We prefer to call it the “spring tide.” Prior to the biggest influx of water arriving through the gulf passes near this moon, expect water movement to begin well ahead of that, from about mid-April on.

The significance of this water transfer into the bay is monumental. It will deliver cleaner, more-oxygenated water into our bay systems that is much needed due to our general lack of tidal influence in Baffin and the Upper Laguna. As that wave enters and blankets all corners, a migration of baitfish comes with it. As the food chain evolves, you can bet that large predatory gamefish will be right on their tails. The beauty of this time of year is that trout are not only big and eggladen, but they are plentiful as well. April is, hands down, a top month for getting your rod bent, and a chance for a legit monster.

Much of my personal and charter fishing will be conducted on flats that have deeper water nearby.

Areas such as the Meadows, Yarbrough, and the vast

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98 | April 2017

south shoreline of Baffin will be key areas of focus. These flats offer miles of productive water, and all can be equally productive given one key ingredient – bait presence. I cannot stress enough how vital it is to have an ample bait supply in the are you choose to stick the Power-Pole. I always enter areas that “feel fishy” on the trolling motor.

Not only is it stealthy, it gives me the time to observe surface activity, or lack thereof. If it does not “feel right” I move along. I would much rather burn five minutes in observation than making a nonproductive hour-long wade.

Part of the spring tide bait influx will include shad (menhaden.) Trout will be gorging on this oily fish, and making lots of slicks. Obviously, this is a great way to locate trout quickly. Just remember, the smaller the slick the closer you are to the fish. Probing slicks the size of a house is a total waste of time. Find the best structure upwind of the slick, and go for it. Again, it’s pretty easy when you see platter-size slicks. Almost a nobrainer decision as to where your next cast should land.

When it comes to choosing lures, I say match the hatch. The MirrOdine and floating Fat Boy are my top choices for singling out the largest trout available in an area. Of course, the 5” Bass Assassin is my number one grind-and-find lure.

In closing, I have resisted being a part of social media since its inception. With strong urging from my wife, clients and friends, I am now on Facebook. Please join me; like, share and follow @ captdavidrowsey. This is where I will post days available due to cancellations, along with reports, videos, etc. My May through July datebook is now open. Text me ASAP as they will not last long.

Remember the buffalo! -Capt. David Rowsey

Ian Beliveaux shows off a gorgeous eight-poundclass speck lured with 5” Bone Diamond Bass Assassin. Released to become a ten-pounder!

REEL IT IN

with the Texas Insider Fishing Report Attention anglers — The Texas Insider Fishing Report debuts this April. Hosted by fishing legend Captain Rick Murphy, Brie Gabrielle and Dave Ferrell, this 60-minute show provides weekly fishing updates from some of Texas’ most respected captains.

Each show features six regions across Texas. These three-to-four-minute inshore and offshore fishing reports are particularly useful airing before the weekend.

In addition to what’s biting, reel in fishing tips, tackle, product updates and much more!

Join us weekly to get the most out of your fishing!

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TIFRTV TSFMAG.com | 99

Wayne Davis

WAYNE’S Mansfield Report

Port Mansfield

Captain Wayne Davis has been fishing the Lower Laguna-Port Mansfield for over 20 years. He specializes in wade fishing with lures.

Telephone 210-287-3877 Email captwayne@kwigglers.com

Howdy folks, hope everyone had a great spring break. As of this writing, winter slid through south Texas like a hot knife through butter. Weather has remained unseasonably mild, relatively speaking, and now we are looking at spring and next is summer. This winter, or lack thereof, was a surprise but we work with Mother Nature as best we can.

I have been fortunate to have some of the best clients and just flat out good people fishing with me recently.

Most all trips shared a similar theme – chasing big trout and catch-photo-release. Don’t misunderstand; we kept fish, and sometimes limits, but all our trout over 23-inches have been released unharmed. And without guilt in keeping a few

A big earlyspring flounder for Capt. Wayne.

for dinner, we enjoyed hearty meals of smaller fish after a hard day of targeting trophies.

Our tides have risen some since my last column, the lows didn’t last long as hoped.

During the low tide period that we experienced I had opportunity to wade an area that consistently produces big trout, (mentioned in my last article.) I found myself also having opportunity to set the hook on a big one but, for only several seconds. She came unbuttoned, but not before the group wading with me got a good look. She broke the surface and left a monster wake to remind me who was boss and then vanished into the depths of the Mother Lagoon.

Excitement turned to sadness – but we’ve all been there.

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Peter’s shallow water sightcasted 27-incher – CPR!

I am seeing quite a few good fish on the flats as we glide along in my 24-foot Shallow Sport Classic. However, those fish may not be present on the same flat the next day. Any slight temperature drop will draw them off the flat back to deeper water where they will stage until the next rise in temperature. When those big trout are staged in clear, shallow water I have had clients sight-casting to specimens running 27- to 30-inches. Fish of this class are wary and wise, so you need to pick your lure carefully and present it precisely. If not, they will just turn away and slowly fade out of reach, another legitimate shot unlikely. On a recent trip, we had four shots at trophy fish; results being two hookups – one was fought briefly before coming unbuttoned and a 27-incher CPR landing (see photo.) The other two fish we had shots at refused the offering, but hey, that’s sight-fishing!

Since we are on the topic of sight-fishing trophy trout in clear water, if I had to choose only one lure it would be a relatively clear soft plastic with a little metal flake, such as the KWigglers “Sand.” This bait practically vanishes in the water, nearly invisible to our eyes. However, the fish see this bait and evidently see it quite well. Additionally, being very neutral in coloration, it rarely spooks them when presented accurately within the strike zone. Many of my clients have seen this firsthand. An “unnaturally-colored bait” or anything “too bold” seems to turn them off immediately. Remember – the clearer the water the clearer the bait needs to be – in my opinion.

As the water clarity turns just shy of clear, such as chalky or trout green, you might try lures such as Mansfield Margarita, Plum-Chartreuse, Bone Diamond and Laguna Pearl. When the water gets churned up with breezy spring wind, consider a 4-inch paddle tail in Electric GrapeChartreuse, Pumpkinseed-Chartreuse and Olive Red Metal Flake-Chartreuse. These colors present well when clarity diminishes and the thump of the tail helps produce strikes. If you want a larger profile bait that has been a proven big trout number, check out the Willow Tail Shad; it has been working well up and down the Texas coast. As we move into late-spring and earlysummer you can expect the topwater bite to become more aggressive. I typically prefer the Heddon One Knockers as they seem to be just the right size and have an irresistible sound.

Having just wrapped the 42nd Annual Houston Fishing Show, it my pleasure and honor to have met and visited with every one of you. Being part of several outstanding companies, TSFMag and Fishing Tackle Unlimited, to mention two, made me feel privileged and blessed to say the least.

I had the opportunity to talk fishing with some of the best fisherman on the Texas coast and hopefully I contributed something and made the time you spent with us worthwhile.

Until next time - Catch a Lot, Release Many, and Let Those Big Ones Swim Free!

TSFMAG.com | 101

Capt. Ernest cisneros

SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene A rr oyo C olorado t o Port I sabel

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

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

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

102 | April 2017

When I think of April, I think of change. With the mild winter, and everything changing so fast, spring-like weather in February and all, I am wary of trying to predict what the fishing patterns might be in a few days let alone a few weeks. Believe it or not we have actually been able to target redfish under birds on several occasions already.

One thing I am 100% sure of though, April can be the absolute best month of the year for heavyweight trout.

Still winter-fat and now filling with developing eggs, if you rate trout by weight more than length, April should be your favorite month.

The possibility of heavy fish aside, April is not my favorite fishing month. When I was a kid I loved kites and you need lots of wind for kites. In my neighborhood, April was the best kite-flying month. That might tell you why it is not my favorite month to fish. Too many days we find ourselves taking what we can get and not fishing where we need to be.

Enough doom and gloom. What can we do to deal with the wind? First you need to concentrate on leeward AND windward shorelines. Windward at daybreak and then leeward when the wind comes up. Next you need to look for baitfish and be observant of wind-generated

currents along shorelines and spoils. Third, even if early starts are not your favorite, you need to headed out at first safe light to beat the wind. Finally, consider using paddletail soft baits for the tail vibration that attracts fish in poor clarity conditions. K-Wigglers’ new Willow Tail Shad is a good one. Ditto noisy, high-pitched topwaters.

Lately, redfish have been available along the sand-

Bobby Bauber displays a healthy 7-pounder – CPR!

Bryan Hash became a member of the 30-inch Club with this 30-1/4 beauty.

grass transition on the Eastside. We have also found them loafing in Westside potholes. A striking pattern in finding them has been mud trails left behind as they scatter when spooked. Many have had tiny shrimp in their stomachs. It goes to show you how mild our winter was. A more consistent topwater bite has developed but plastics are still the steadiest producers.

With minimal boat traffic in the shallow back bays, redfish can be found calmly prowling the shorelines recently inundated by higher tides. Nervous or scattering baitfish have been good clues.

Beginning in April we will see increased bird activity in the evenings. Keen-eyed gulls hover above pods and schools of reds as they feed, rarely missing a shrimp that breaks the surface. Small topwaters really come into their own when this develops. Â Trophy trout season is certainly not over; however, the winter part of it was a bit disappointing.

The numbers of seven and eight-pounders were far fewer than years past. Our best fish this year were a little over seven. Larger fish have shown sporadically on the flats but never consistently.

Colder, low tide days were best, but as soon as the weather warmed they scattered to the point of not being targetable. I have no reason to doubt they are still here, we just needed more cold weather to concentrate them.

Trout spawning kicks off in earnest during April and peaks around new and full moon phases with the stronger tides. For clients willing to put in overtime, the adventures will begin at dawn and end at dusk to better our chances. Spawning females feed aggressively and topwater baits work well. If you find them only willing to blow up on larger plugs, never overlook smaller offerings such as the Zara Puppy, especially in calm conditions. You can bet I will be throwing that new K-Wiggler Willow Tail hoping for that thump, hookset and head-shaking that follows.

With the early warmup, some anglers have already shed their Simms waders. This typically does not happen until the second or third week of April, but as I have been saying, everything seems to be advanced about three to four weeks this spring. As we enter the spring and summer seasons, our fishing apparel changes. I suggest a visit to Fishing Tackle Unlimited and check out their Simms and AFTCO collections. I must say that being comfortable all day on the water makes you fish longer and harder.

Lastly, I’m excited because Fishing Tackle Unlimited’s new rod will finally be available this month. If your preferences run like mine, a fast and sensitive tip section that blends into a high backbone to muscle strong fish, I believe you will like this one. And a bonus feature, the new FTU rod is made in the USA. I trust your April fishing quests will all be successful and filled with great adventure.

TSFMAG.com | 103

FISHING REPORTS

ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 April is a great month. Strong southerly winds generally prevail this month, so leeward banks on the south shoreline of Calcasieu, in places like West Cove, Joe's Cove, and Blacklake will be the places to be.

Barring a major rain event, Prien Lake and Lake Charles will also hold plenty of fish. Big trout will be lurking over shallow oyster reefs, in one to four feet of water. Slow-sinking lures like Paul Brown FatBoys, Devils, Originals, MirrOlure Softdines and SoftdineXLs will be excellent choices.

Topwaters such as Super Spooks, TopDogs, SheDogs, and Skitterwalks work well on warm days, when water temperatures reach into the mid seventies. Redfish will be plentiful at the Cameron Jetties as well as in the middle of the lake, where they can be located under working birds.

We really enjoy this time of year, because trout are normally chunky and at any moment you've got the opportunity to catch the fish of a lifetime.

Hope you all are well and to see you out fishing soon.

leading into the time of this report, according to James. “We have been catching plenty lately. We are doing best by wading. And we're having a good bite late in the afternoons, even into the early evening hours. This can be typical for late-winter and early-spring around here.

Best catching has been on Bass Assassin rat-tailed soft plastics rigged on H&H Flutter jigheads. But, we're also having a decent bite at times on Catch 5s and other slow-sinking twitch baits and our topwater bite is pretty steady too, outstanding at times. Just yesterday, I had a client catch a twenty seven inch trout on a pink/chrome SheDog. These types of patterns and lures and strategies should remain much the same throughout April. I will want to be wading most of the time, throwing topwaters and twitch baits while I see good evidence of activity around me, and using Bass Assassins a lot too. One thing I see happening early is the presence of slicks. We are seeing plenty already, and using them to figure out specifically where to target our fish. This becomes more reliable in mid-spring.”

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 Fishing around the Galveston Bay system had been good on days

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 Jim says fishing has been pretty good for numbers, but a little off for catching big trout. “We are catching limits of trout most of the

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time, with lots of solid fish, but not too many really big ones. We have been catching a few five pounders, but those shouldn't be the biggest ones.

Fishing for redfish is pretty good too, on a lot of days. In April, we usually catch a decent number of big trout. Wading along shallow shorelines with topwaters this time of year is the way to go. We also catch pretty good on sinking twitch baits like Paul Brown Lures and 51M MirrOlures, and of course, soft plastics work best some of the time. Mostly, catching fish is about locating the fish, especially in the Galveston Bay system. So, we'll stay shallow when wading, looking for big schools of mullet mixed with other, smaller bait fish, in places close to marsh drains and the passes leading into the Gulf. Those places generally hold the best numbers of big trout this time of year. On some days, we wind up back in the marshes, where redfish and big trout sometimes gather together.”

The owner of Diamond J, James Rosalis, was a partner in Circle J Enterprises at the time our office and son’s home were built by Circle J. Workmanship and attention to detail were both excellent!

– Everett Johnson, Editor/Publisher, Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Fishing is good and catching easy on the days with nice weather, according to Randall, but something of a struggle when the weather plays rougher. “It's been up and down like a roller coaster. On the good days, it's easy, like yesterday, when we brought in five reds and a dozen trout in a four-hour outing. Our fish are all throwing up small glass minnows when we catch them, so we're looking for diving terns and other birds to locate the schools of bait fish. This works best late in the afternoon, which is typical for this time of year. Best lure lately has been the chicken on a chain Norton Bull Minnow. In April, we normally see an increase in the number of trout and redfish on flats close to the pass, since so much more bait begins to rush into the bay. When that happens, we usually experience good catching on topwaters like white Skitterwalks, and also on red magic Sand Eels and the same Bull Minnows we're using now.” Randall says he'd also like to send a “thank you” out to Sport Marine, after taking delivery on his new JH Performance boat.

Matagorda | Charlie Paradoski Bay Guide Service - 713.725.2401 April is one of the best months of the year to fish the Matagorda area, according to Charlie. “April fishing can be really good or marginal, depending on the weather. We usually get a bunch of glass minnows moving into both bays early in the month. I have not seen evidence of them yet, but we have above-average water temperatures, so I expect them to arrive soon. Fishing along protected shorelines in both East and West Bays normally produces some big trout this month, and the redfish school up reliably in the coves too. If winds are light, we have good drift-fishing opportunities in East Bay as well. Birds have already started working sporadically, and the action under them should become steadier and steadier as more shrimp show up and water temperatures rise even higher. We don't target working birds all that much, but when they are working, we tend to catch fish pretty easily in areas close to the action. As of right now, the water in the Colorado River is also holding lots of fish, and the surf can produce well in April too.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 Spring-like conditions and tons of bait in the estuaries have made for some great fishing in our local bays. We have been catching solid trout up to eighteen inches, while drifting over shell in about three to four feet of water, throwing Vudu shrimp under corks and also live shrimp. Tidal movement has been the key to our trout fishing; as long as the water is moving, the fish have been eating good. Redfish continue to school along area shorelines, chasing shad and shrimp. Most of our fish have been in the lower end of the slot, and gold quarter-ounce weedless spoons have accounted for best bites. Flounder have made their way back to our bays earlier than normal, and lots of area bayous, creeks, and drains have been holding good fish up to eighteen inches on live mud minnows. April should be an awesome month because of all bait in the bays. If water temperature continues to rise, I expect our glass minnow run to be one of the best in recent years.

Look for diving pelicans and gulls to find the migrating shoals.

TSFMAG.com | 105

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 In April, spring conditions will make Lynn change things up a bit from the late-winter patterns he had been working prior to the time of this report. “We will be fishing areas with a lot of shell on the bottom, both inside and outside of the shallow lakes. I like to fish stretches along area shorelines which are close to drains leading from the open-bays into the backwater areas.

Mainly, we will be targeting the bigger sow trout, but also redfish at times. Main-bay shorelines tend to work best on outgoing tides, while incoming tides produce best in the backwater areas. The trout prefer places with sand and grass lying close to shell on main-bay shorelines, but we will be targeting redfish in the back-lakes too. In the lakes, we try to locate the fish by searching for lots of rafted and jumping bait fish. During the middle of spring, topwaters like Spook Juniors and others work really well on most days, especially early in the mornings.

We also do well with slow-sinking twitch baits like Paul Brown Lures and MirrOdines and the Catch-series lures.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 In April, Blake expects to do quite a bit of fishing by wading on sandy flats pretty close to the Aransas Ship Channel, where shad and menhaden begin to pour into the bays from the Gulf. “I'll be fishing for trout mostly, throwing small topwaters like Super Spook Juniors, keying on the schools of migrating bait fish when we can see them.

Flats in both Aransas and Corpus Christi Bays often produce well when

106 | April 2017

this pattern is the focus. We also have plenty of fish on the shell reefs out in the middle of the bays this time of year. Days with relatively calm winds will allow us to fish those some. We do throw topwaters out there as well, but the Norton Sand Eels in dark colors with chartreuse tails work well too around the oysters. And, we'll catch a better mix of trout and redfish. Another thing that's likely to produce well this time of year is the area around Cedar Bayou. When winds are light and the surf is green, we'll fish for trout along the beachfront.

When winds are too strong, the fishing is better in the bayou or on the adjacent flats in Mesquite Bay.” Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 April is a great month to go after the next state record trout because according to Texas Parks and Wildlife gill net surveys, this is when the average weight of the trout is the heaviest. They will be loaded with roe prior to spawning and this increases their weight. Look for signs of fish in the shallows like swirling, flipping or jumping mullet, fish slicks or working sea gulls in water depths of two feet or less.

The fish will be easily spooked, so approach the area quietly with a trolling motor or by drifting in from at least a hundred yards away.

This is great time to fish with your favorite topwater lure, and I like the TopDog Juniors and SheDogs in natural colors. Retrieve them at different speeds until you start getting hits or blow ups. If you start getting blow ups but no hook ups, switch to a soft plastic like the Bass Assassin Saltwater Shads or Die Dappers in colors like plum/ chartreuse, sand trout or chartreuse dog. Sight-casting in shallow

water with shrimp-flavored Fish Bites rigged on a sixteenth-ounce jigheads will produce both red and black drum.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 In the days prior to giving this report, the tide levels in the Upper Laguna Madre rose quickly, back to values well above normal. “Now that the tide has gushed back in, we've got clear ocean water all over the Lagoon between Marker 37 and Baffin. The ultra-clear water makes it easier to sight-cast, of course. Lately, we've been catching limits of black drum by locating the schools and throwing right at them. This will continue to be easy with the high tides. We should also see some really big trout and redfish and have consistent shots at them while we are targeting the drum. One thing the high tides do is displace some of the fish well into areas normally too shallow for fishing. In places like Night Hawk Bay and the Meadows, the fish will sometimes venture well up onto the shallowest parts of the sand bars when conditions are like this in spring. So, a shallow-running boat is necessary to go looking for them. Over on the west side of the Lagoon, fish will tend to prefer areas right on the bank when the bull tides stand so high.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins April is difficult to predict; so many variables can affect surf conditions.

Abnormally warm weather has things progressing ahead of schedule.

Jack crevalle showed up in February. Various types of vegetation began washing ashore as well. If the wind gives us a break and water clarity is favorable, I expect excellent jackfish, redfish and Spanish mackerel action. Blacktip sharks will be abundant, with scalloped hammerheads and bulls making appearances. Bigger bull sharks will begin following schools of slot reds. Caution is advised when wading, due to abundant shark activity. Spanish mackerel and possibly little tunny will be chasing small foraged species and will take small spoons and flies. The trout bite will be inconsistent, but considering we are ahead of schedule, we could see it become steady towards the end of the month. Topwaters can be effective for trout, but plug-stealing jackfish like them too. April’s tides are quite high and rise to extremes when the barometer is low. Check local weather forecast before venturing down-island!

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 Usually, during April, I begin along the west shoreline or ICW spoils for a mix of trout and reds, often starting off the morning with a bonecolored One Knocker, bone/silver Spook Junior or Skitterwalk, either pearl or orange/clear. As the morning progresses and surface action fades, I switch to K-Wiggler Ball Tail Shads. The new K-Wiggler Willow Tail is another great choice. Soft plastic color choices trend toward plum/ chartreuse, Mansfield margarita, and red shad on eighth-ounce screwlock jigheads. Steady redfish action can be found on the east side flats, tossing quarter-ounce weedless spoons. The gold one has been reliable for many years, but we have also been finding success with colors such as chartreuse and white. Weedless spoons in these colors are not always easy to find, so grab a double handful when you locate them in stores. While targeting reds on shallow flats, do not be surprised to find occasional large trout mixed with them. The trout of a lifetime could appear as a dark log-shaped object amongst several reds.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty | www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 You can tell the season is changing when you begin to encounter so many different species on the end of the line. Recently, a rare, smooth butterfly ray took a Gulp under the FP3, while the other boat snagged a cow-nosed ray about the same time. Although these rays are not completely uncommon, the fact they are feeding in the super shallow water is. Freddy says,” Two months ago, the only bites we were getting on cut ballyhoo were reds. Now, you can count the seconds from the time you cast until a hardhead attacks! But, once the water warms and tides are higher, it’s a whole new world, with new players on the flats of the LLM. Time to switch to FP3 exclusively.” We’re catching reds, trout and flounder in shallow potholes on Berkley Gulp! Live threeinch shrimp in pearl and new penny on eighteen-inch leaders and a quarter-ounce spring-lock jighead under a chartreuse FP3. We will keep pushing farther north as the water levels rise and work holes that have been unavailable all winter. Let’s stop open bay dredge disposal!

TSFMAG.com | 107

Kylie & mom first keeper trout!

Gilibaldo Benavides Rattlesnake Bay - 29” red

Tammy Demars Sabine - 26” 7.5 lb flounder

Alec Castillo Port Lavaca - 28” 10.5 lb redfish

Micah Hallmark Sabine - first trout!

108 | April 2017

Cameron Hill West Bay - first trout!

Gage Goebel Ingleside - first trout!

Adrian Garcia Baffin Bay - trophy trout

Cheynne Migl & Natalyn Wheeler first bay trip & first keepers!

Marquis Kuykendall POC - 24” trout

Foster Heitzman Matagorda - 27” speckled trout

Allison Blundell Baffin Bay - 27” trout

David Burk Port Aransas - 34” bull red

Ryan Machos Port Aransas - redfish

Gibby Lambert Aransas Bay - 26.5” redfish

Mark Mireles Antigua - 51” 47 lb wahoo

Nick Miura Trinity Bay - tarpon CPR

Robert Ochoa Baffin Bay - trophy trout

Glenn Morrow West Galveston Bay - redfish

Santiago Vela canal near Copano Bay - black drum

Jake Bruce Port Mansfield - first trout!

Tonya Morrow Galveston - first redfish

Hector G. Port Mansfield - kingfish

Please do not write on the back of photos.

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

Tara & Anthony Sabine Pass - 54” bull red

Jennifer Zeplin Port Lavaca - 43 lb black drum CPR

Mail photos to: TSFMag P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 TSFMAG.com | 109

Pam Johnson

Gulf Coast

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

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

Seafood Supreme

From the kitchen of Patti Elkins – A hearty and delicious seafood casserole that is sure to please your family and dinner guests.

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

4 tablespoons butter 1/2 large onion, chopped fine 1 stalk celery, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 1/2 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp flour 1 cup half and half 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tsp cooking sherry 1/4 teaspoon white pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1-1/2 Tbsp chicken soup base (paste preferred) 1/2 pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese (4 ounces), cubed 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped 1/2-pound lump crab meat 1 pound shrimp, peeled-deveined-cooked 1-1/2 cup cooked rice 1 cup grated Jarlsberg cheese

Melt butter and sauté vegetables 2 minutes. Do not overcook.

Add flour and stir to thicken 1 minute. Add half & half slowly, then Worcestershire, lemon and sherry. Season with white pepper, cayenne and soup base.

Add cream cheese, stir until melted into sauce. Set aside.

110 | April 2017

Butter a deep casserole dish.

Layer rice on bottom and arrange shrimp and crabmeat evenly over top. Layer with fresh spinach, then evenly pour creamy mixture over spinach.

Top with Jarlsberg cheese. Place casserole on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven 45 minutes at 400⁰, until cheese is melted and beginning to brown around edges.

Serves 4- to 5-adults. Lobster, scallops or other seafood can be added or substituted.

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TSFMAG.com | 111

CHRIS MAPP

B O AT M A I N T E N A N C E TI P S

Yamaha Outboard Service:

Lessons and Tips

As a Yamaha package dealer for more than 10 years, selling and servicing the product, our technicians have exceptional opportunity to understand how these outboards are used in the construction industry, commercial crabbing and oystering and, of course, recreational fishing and pleasure boating.

Across this broad spectrum of usage, we see running time of fewer than 100 hours to more than 800 hours per year on these engines. Part of our internal recordkeeping, we have made notes over the years as to key items to focus upon and inspect during the service visit, sometimes even beyond factory recommendations.

The engines we are going to discuss will be four-stroke models as this is where the lineup of Yamaha is today, from portable to highhorsepower. Yamaha also produces the twin-prop TRP lower unit gearcases, and though not offered as original equipment on new engines, we adapt many of these to the F150 up to the VF250 models with great success for ultra-shallow water operation. Installing a TRP (Twin Rotating Prop) gearcase on one of the models listed above to power a flats boat is akin to the capability of four-wheel-drive versus two-wheel-drive on land.

Changing oil seems like a basic task yet when the oil is drained from the gearcase or crankcase it can tell a story through its color, density and consistency – all of which can be critical in understanding the performance aspects of the engine. Oils have become increasingly better over the years and we primarily recommend Yamalube 10w30 for the crankcase in our climate. There are applications where the Yamaha full-synthetic lubes should be used based on model and conditions although the 10w30 is the most common for our customer’s needs. We carry two stroke and four stroke oils in bulk at Chris Mapp, owner of Coastal Bend Marine.

Evinrude, Suzuki, Yamaha, Mercury, Honda, BlueWave, SilverWave, Shallow Stalker Boats, Coastline Trailers, Minnkota & Motor Guide Trolling Motors.

Great Service, Parts & Sales “What can we do for you?”

112 | April 2017

our shop and a gallon of the Yamalube 2M for two-stroke models is $20.00 including tax, in your container.

Spark plugs on Yamaha’s are changed on the average of every 100 hours of operation in our shop, and when looking at a four-stroke spark plug, other than wear it is very hard to read too much. This is why they are changed every 100 hours. Yamaha spark plugs are affordable and prolonged low-rpm operation will generally work a spark plug harder than normal running.

Water pumps are serviced every year at 100 hours on bay boats; 200 hours is the norm for offshore rigs; bay boats that typically do not accumulate service time in these ranges are replaced at two year intervals. Very easy to tell who flushes adequately and who does not when pumps are examined during changing. Ditto when the thermostats are pulled for inspection.

Fuel filters are changed every 100 hours at our shop and we inspect the high-speed pump area, VST (Vapor Separator Tank) for debris in the filter at the base of the fuel pump and inspect or replace the pump grommet at the top of the pump.

The average annual service done effectively and correctly entails much more than is listed here with the full-service price currently running around $850.00 plus tax, but can vary based on parts requirements.

Service your four-stroke Yamaha regularly and it will last you a lifetime. We have seen as many as 6000 hours logged on commercial units. At an average usage of 100 hours per year for the recreational angler…this is truly a lifetime!

Have a great spring season!

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

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A “Magical” Discovery The naming of a new genus and species of crab goes to show that the magic of J.K. Rowling can inspire more than just children, and sometimes an “outsider” has more to contribute than it first appears. Just as Harry Potter seemed an unlikely boy to become a great wizard, Harry Conley was perhaps an unlikely explorer to discover several new and rare crabs. One of those crabs now has a name honoring both Conley and two important characters in Rowling’s stories. That name is Harryplex severus. The scientists who named it wanted to credit its founder and his seemingly “magical” ability to find new species.

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Harryplex severus is named after its discoverer Harry Conley, and two of J.K. Rowling’s characters- Harry Potter and Severus Snape.

Credit: Jose C.E. Mendoza, Peter K.L. Ng, ZooKeys, Jan. 23, 2017 Conley died almost two decades ago, but he was a “soft-spoken exMarine with a steely determination and a heart of gold,” said a scientist who knew him. He often spent his days digging for shells in the rubble beds of Guam in the western Pacific. Sometimes digging as deep as 90 feet, Conley’s perseverance paid off when he found various unusual crabs. After his death, scientists studying his collection learned a great deal about the crab populations around Guam and the Mariana Islands.

Harryplex severus is the newest discovery from the collection, a tiny pale crab Conley collected at low tide about 3-6 feet deep in the rubble.

Researchers placed the crab in the family Christmaplacidae based on its top shell, sternum, eyes, legs, claws and penis. But the crab’s head, thorax, abdomen and appendages were different enough to justify a new genus. On top of adding to scientific knowledge, the tale of Harryplex severus shows it doesn’t require a scientist to discover some of the ocean’s secrets.

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114 | April 2017

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For Information Call 361-563-1160

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

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