August 2006 by Texas Salwater Fishing Magazine

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

We were wading a pristine

grassy flat along the south shoreline of a Port O’Connor backcountry lake the other day and it was spooky. The water held just enough color for the redfish to accept our lures, but not enough to hide the horde of stingrays that were also enjoying the richness of the place. At one point it looked as though the bottom was paved with a mixture of shoal grass and stingrays. I reminded the trio I was guiding to shuffle repeatedly. It’s easy to say, but the reality of tailing and cruising redfish in easy sightcasting distance can steal your concentration. I winced as one of the guys found a taker and delivered a very aggressive hookset, taking the almost automatic half-step back with his right foot to gain leverage. From reports of victims, that’s when it happens. I left them with instruction to meet me at the drop-off in front of the duck blind up ahead and turned to get the boat. Just as I entered knee deep water that was too muddy to see through, something whacked me in the left ankle. I still think it was a kamikaze horse mullet, but the thud was all it took to send me high-stepping out of there. A not so brilliant reaction, but at least I was wearing stingray boots. The grapevine says three wade anglers have suffered stingray hits in the past month here locally; none of them wore leg guards. All required medical attention. Now you tell me, how smart is it to wade bare-legged? At the risk of throwing a shameless plug, I’m going to encourage that if you have not already done so, invest in a pair of Foreverlast Ray-Guard Boots. They’ll cost you about $120 at your local tackle shop and they’ll likely last at least 120 days unless you have the reputation of being able to destroy an anvil. That’s $1.00 per day… cheap insurance. Yes they take some getting used to, and no they’re not as comfy as those “house shoe” Shimano booties, but they work. Next up is vibrio. We’ve got a lot of freshwater entering the bays and the water temps are way up there. Back during the big scare of summer ‘04, the scientists said warm water and low salinity create a perfect environment for this dreaded bacteria. Anybody planning to wade who suffers from immune system impairment should be in breathable waders… period. Ditto anybody with an open cut or wound on their legs or feet. All cuts or punctures should be sterilized with hydrogen peroxide or bleach and treated with antibiotic ointment. Seek medical attention immediately if any redness or swelling occurs. And finally, it is shark season… boy howdy is it shark season! Bink Grimes has an excellent feature in this issue to explain how some guides from Matagorda are dealing with this problem. Now keeping your catch away from these toothy critters is one thing, but please practice safety in other areas as well. Keep an eye for sharks at all times in your wade area, especially when landing a fish. Sharks are definitely attracted to fish thrashing on the surface. I’ve never heard of a wader being bitten here in Texas, but I’m not going to trust luck on this one, I like both of my hands and all my fingers.

We’ve got a new size! True, everything is supposed to be bigger in Texas, but our old size created headaches trying to fit retailer’s display racks. We’re still bigger than everybody else and the new size should remedy a host of historic woes. And we’ve signed up a new youth writer. Kyle Tomek is off to college and we thank him for all his hard work and excellent writing these past two years. Aaron Cisneros is taking over the youth scene (and also showing off a big snook on this month’s cover) and we’re excited. Check out his introductory piece in the Youth Fishing department. We’re looking forward to working with Aaron. Good fishing and practice good wade fishing safety!

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Trophy trout fishing in the first

half of 2006 was exceptional in the Baffin Bay/ Laguna Madre area. Wall-worthy fish were caught in numerous locales, from the King Ranch Shoreline to the Land Cut; a few old timers say that the fish in some areas were the biggest they’d seen in years. Lately, lure fishing has predictably slowed with the change in season to summer, but the catching remains better than average. As the long, hot, lazy days settle in, I’ve had time to reflect on the preceding month’s efforts and have been able to select my favorite day from many outstanding ones I’ve had so far this year. On other days I caught more and bigger fish. It wasn’t the number of fish or the size of one that makes this day stand out. What makes it special to me is mostly the way in which I caught the fish. That and the fact that my client, Gene Finley of Austin, also caught his lifetime best trout. Gene had booked two days in early May and had told me that his priority was to learn some things while we shared our time on the water. “I want you to talk me through what we’re doing. Why you pick a particular area, how to work the terrain when we’re in the water, what lures to throw and how to work them, when to change lures, stuff like that.” I promised him I’d do exactly that. “I can’t guarantee how big the fish will be, but I do guarantee that I’ll do everything I can to teach you something.” When the fish are biting, it’s easier to learn. It’s awfully hard for an angler to gain confidence in a new lure or technique if the fish are finicky. Feedback in the form of bites is the most critical factor allowing an angler to adjust and refine presentation techniques. Without that feedback, it’s impossible to judge whether one is doing things correctly. On the second of Gene’s trips, May 5th to be exact, the fish were in fact biting. We were throwing Skitterwalks and Super Spooks and getting blowups steadily, though not on every cast. The consistent but not overly easy bite allowed me to describe how we needed to proceed through the area I’d chosen, a sandy ridge in the Laguna Madre with a relatively steep, barren drop-off on one side and a gently sloping, pothole-filled grass flat on the other. By focusing on key parts of the flat, the deep drop, the edges of potholes, the grass fingers feathering into deeper water, we were able to keep our lures in the strike zone most of the time. This kind of terrain is what makes fishing the lagoon so much fun for people like me. When the water is in its naturally clear state, an angler can cast to a target on every cast. Target fishing is

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

more productive in general than blindly casting and hoping to hit a fishy spot. Our targets that morning were holding fish, and some of them were big. The blowups were aggressive, but most of the fish were not sticking on their first attempt to take the lure. I’d caught several two and three pound trout when I realized that coaxing multiple strikes would be critical to catching fish that day. The trout were attacking with enough force to create loud and foamy splashes, but I wasn’t hooking them until I teased them into coming back a second, third or even a fourth time. For me, there is no greater pleasure in fishing than in making a fish bite a topwater plug repeatedly. I fish first and foremost for the thrill of making fish strike, and making them do it more than once is even more exciting, especially when all the action can be seen. Some of the fish that day in May would come back on the same cast, but urging them to do so was not easy. I found it most effective to pause for just a second or two after the initial blowup, then to point the rodtip at the lure and shake it vigorously, making the plug jump side to side violently five or six times without moving it far from the spot where the first strike occurred. If the fish didn’t charge it again while doing that, I’d pause and repeat one or two more times, making rhythmic and sharp twitches with the rod to create lots of movement with the lure in close proximity to where I’d located the fish. If that failed, I’d reel the lure quickly in, cast just beyond the spot of the blowup and try the same technique, using raspy movements to create lots of water displacement without moving the lure quickly over the surface toward me. I knew from recent experience that if one big fish was found, it was likely not alone, and I’d told Gene this. “If you catch a big fish or even miss one, keep throwing in the same small area for as long as you can stand it. When you find one, you’ve probably found more than one.”

I proved that in the middle of the first wade, after I got one big fish to chew on my plug three times before hooking and losing it. The next cast into the spot produced another huge blowup, and I also made that fish come back for a second swipe before she lost interest. As Gene and his buddy made their way toward me, I cast again and had another fish blast off and miss my plug. I’d caught on by then and was in a sweet groove, seeing the splash, falling into a rhythm of hard twitches and pauses and watching the fish come back. This one did four times before I hooked her. She then gave us an aerial display and put up a fine fight before I won and weighed her. “Five and a half pounds,” I told Gene as he arrived at my side. Those others I missed seemed at least as big. We all began casting again to the area where I’d found the three fish, but did not immediately get blown up again. We did get plenty more blowups on that spot eventually and I caught more two and three pounders, a couple of fours and another over five. Gene and his friend, though, couldn’t seem to master watching their lures and reacting properly to call the fish back. With a persistent wind over 15 miles per hour and the accompanying chop, it was hard to keep track of the lure. As the bite slowed throughout the morning, the time lapse between blowups grew and it was even harder to constantly watch the plug out on the waves. Maintaining eye contact with the lure, however, was the only way to ensure that the proper reaction could be made in response to what was almost always a blowup and miss by the fish. When the bite slowed more and I could see Gene and his friend had lost most of their focus, I decided to make a short move to get some relief from the wind. “Let’s head over there,” I pointed to the east. “It will be calmer and easier to watch our August 2006

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

lures.” By then, I’d realized that in order to catch the fish that day, it was necessary to tease them into repeatedly striking a topwater, having tried several other types of lures and getting little or no results with them. The fish wanted it on top, but they weren’t striking in such a way that it was easy to catch them, and all the coaching I’d done thus far had not resulted in much productivity for the other men. When we moved, they’d caught only a few fish between them, though I’d caught over twenty. One of the fish I had found but had not been able to entice into a second strike appeared to be much bigger than any of the ones I’d caught. The blowup she made looked as big as a beach ball. I thought then that we might return to the site of that explosion before going in. As I headed to where I’d intended to fish, I noticed a grass contour that I’d never fished before and an idea popped into my head. “Gene,” I said, “You wanted to learn how to read water and find good spots. Well I’m about to show you. See that grass edge over there?” He nodded. “I’ve never fished that before, but you and I are going to explore it together.” We got out and walked the edge side by side, casting where I said the fish would be and proving that they were. When we’d gone perhaps seventy five or eighty yards down the edge and caught a handful of trout, I saw something even more promising ahead. “Do you see what I see?” I asked Gene. He squinted in the direction I‘d indicated, but I could tell that the question confused him. “Look how this edge ends and then there are potholes beyond, and they’re framed on three sides by shallow grass. It’s a dead end gut with breaking up grass on the bottom.” I knew then that I’d found a hot new spot and as we proceeded into it, we learned one more important thing. Having arrived at the neck of 14

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

the narrow funnel of potholes extending into the grassbed, Gene commented, “It’s getting soft over here Kev.” “Ain’t it beautiful?” I asked, and a puzzled look creased his face again. “Way up here in this pocket, it’s soft mud. It’s just perfect. I guarantee you I’ll catch big trout in here. Maybe not today, but I will some day.” We didn’t get a big one in there that day, but I had learned a new spot and he’d seen how I’d found it. It was getting bright and even windier by then, and thoughts of the big fish I’d missed returned again. As we climbed into the boat to move, I said, “We’re going back over there where we were earlier, but we’re going to stay on the outside this time, where the barren edge drops off into the deep water. It seems right now that it’s kind of hot with the wind blowing onto it. Not only that, but I missed that giant fish out there earlier.” While we idled up to the edge, I pointed out the terrain to them again and restated the plan. “We won’t get a lot of bites, but they’ll all be big.” Somehow, I just knew they would. As we started down the drop, I gave Gene the outside, knowing it gave the best angle for casting. With the wind and waves, it was a little sloppy out there, but I could tell he could manage. Ten or twelve casts out of the boat, I had a blowup and coached the fish into coming back. She was “only” a twenty three incher, but she verified for me what I already really know, that some big fish were out there in the waves off the edge. Gene soon came around behind me, showing a preference for the shallow water on top of the bar and wanting to cast at the potholes in the grass on the other side. “You’re giving me the outside?” I asked. “I hope you know what that means!” As we advanced down the bar with the waves slapping our backs, I managed to make three more fish strike, though the first two were stubborn and could not be called back again. They all looked big, though it’s always hard to tell in such turbulent waters. When I made the third fish come back for another bite, she stuck and turned out to be a six and a half pounder. Gene did the right thing then and waded back off the edge. “Cast at those grass beds you can barely see out there,” I told him. He did and while his friend took a picture of me with my fish, he got the blowup of his life, and it happened to be one of the few fish that stuck on the first bite. He and his trout struggled against each other there in the chop on the edge of the bar in the wind and Gene came out the winner. I was able then to capture an image of him with his 28 incher before he released her to live again. We finished that wade casting to the exact spot where I’d missed the monster earlier that morning, and I made one more observation that iced the

cake on a memorable day. “Look at the way this bar has a cut going through it right here,” I said. “Those grass beds reach out through the cut into the deep water as though they’re calling the fish into that flat where we were this morning.” Somehow, though I’d fished in the general area for several years, I’d failed to see something critical about the bottom contours that defined one of its best spots. It was as though I’d always seen the forest, but never the trees. So in the end, I’d done nearly all of the things I love most on my favorite day of fishing this year. I’d found myself in “the zone”, tricking many fish and a few big ones into blowing up my topwater repeatedly, satisfying fully my sporting urges. If the fish had been easier to fool, catching them would not have been so rewarding. I’d learned a new spot and reached an epiphany about an old and familiar one. I’d achieved a pointed state of confidence in which I simply knew where some big fish would be before I got into the water to meet them and had taught my customers as much as I could while helping one of them catch his lifetime best trout. I’d taken a picture of him proudly raising his captive, then watched as he slid her back into the water, where she disappeared into the depths. And when we returned to the dock, I didn’t have a single dead fish to clean!

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

“Shark Attack: Escaping a Great White” on the Discovery Channel intrigued me as I was flipping through the channels, especially since the Astros had the night off. The first segment of the show told of a guy who went snorkeling to catch a few more lobsters for a family meal. The re-enactment displayed a guy entering the waters from the shore while hundreds of seals were swimming and beached in the background. The guy got his lobsters, but as he was swimming back to shore a white shark circled then severed his leg. My first thought was, “why is this guy entering the waters where whites are known to roam?” Furthermore, “why is this guy entering waters inhabited by a colony of seals where white sharks are known to roam?” Then I pondered a question to myself: “why do you enter waters daily where bull sharks are known to roam?” The scenario is strikingly similar in the waters I frequent, except for the absence of seals. However, I guess if you really look at it, you could substitute 16

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

the large concentrations of speckled trout and the mass of mullet and menhaden that lead the trout to a particular shallow flat, as the Gulf coastal equivalent of a seal leading sharks to feeding grounds. I hope you don’t think I really believe that. You see how hyperbole has kept many anglers in the boat this summer? Since “Shark Week” is scheduled for July 30–Aug. 4 on the Discovery Channel, I thought I would address the issue before Steven Spielberg decides to set up on location in Matagorda. And, since I did author a book on wadefishing, I thought I would set the record straight on the sharks before book sales sag. I do not have plans to write “Boatfish Texas;” however, if the shark banter continues, I may not have a choice. Ask the top five wadefishing charter captains in Matagorda the same question, and you will get the same answer: “yes, we have seen more sharks this year compared to past years.” Indeed, sharks are becoming a real nuisance to

waders in West Matagorda Bay. Mind you, I am not referring to encounters like Dr. Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) faced in the cage with Jaws; rather, struggles have come with fish on stringers and in Do-Nets. That’s right, Do-Nets. For years waders have used Do-Nets, the floating Styrofoam ring enclosed by a net, as a deterrent to hungry sharks while wading passes, the beachfront and other waters within a few miles of the Gulf of Mexico. Not anymore. As late as three summers ago, Capt. Tommy Countz was the first to report a shark eating his DoNet full of speckled trout. This after several of his traditional cord-type stringers had been severed. To counter the attacks, he took a burlap sack and wove it around the Do-Net so the sharks could not see his catch. It worked for about a summer; then the sharks wised-up and began crushing the updated contraptions. Capt. Lynn Smith of Port O’Connor who frequents the same waters took a white plastic bag from the feed store, often used to hold deer August 2006

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

corn or fertilizer, and tried it, attaching it around the net to fool the sharks. Again, it worked for about a summer, then the sharks wised-up. Which brings us to 2006. As early as late April, Countz and Capt. Mark Talasek reported sharks stealing fish on stringers and Do-Nets on the grass beds in West Bay. Traditionally, April is the time to find trout and reds chasing glass minnows. Sharks do not normally enter the cautious side of the brain for the West Matagorda Bay wader until maybe Memorial Day. By mid-May 2006, if you had a stringer or net full of trout, your catch was going to get eaten. That bet was safer than any in Las Vegas. Tired of losing precious fillets to gray linebackers, enterprising charter captains once again improvised. Countz took a plastic tub-like container with a lid and fixed a float around the top. Talasek took a five-gallon bucket, drilled holes in it, attached a water weenie (long floating pool toys) near the top to make it float, then snapped a bait-bucket lid on top. Smith ordered an inflatable Coleman cooler float online from Target that supports a 100-quart cooler and drags it behind him. Capt. Lee Warmke took a laundry basket, attached the same pool toy float, then lined the inside with a mesh laundry bag. Here is the good part: they all work. I went with Talasek’s idea since he gave me one to use one day in early June after my Do-Net and 10 trout had been chewed into tiny pieces. The next day I made buckets of my own. Forty wading days later, I have not had any problems. I do admit, I have had a few six-foot black tips circling my bucket, and one did nip at the bottom of the bucket before realizing it was hard plastic, but no more lost fish. From my shark encounters this summer, and I 18

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

have had about a dozen, the specie of choice was the black tip. I know, I have heard it, too — bull sharks. And, I don’t doubt there have been some bull sharks and well as hammerheads on the flats; however, from the stories I have heard at the dock, most waders are calling the majority of the sharks they encounter as bull sharks. Though bull sharks are undeniably out there, my belief, until proof otherwise, is most of the sharks are black tips or sand sharks. Bull sharks are third on the list of sharks most prone to attack humans, behind the white and tiger shark. Bulls can adapt to freshwater and have been caught in many rivers. One was reported, but not confirmed, near the Lake Livingston Dam. Bull sharks have bad eyesight, which is often credited for many “mistake” attacks on swimmers. In Texas, the few shark attacks on humans that have occurred on the beach in past years have been believed to be bull sharks. No human attacks have been reported in the bays. The shark mantra has kept many would-be waders in the boat. I have seen it first-hand on popular wading spots in West Matagorda Bay. One locale I frequent had 15 boats on it one Saturday morning in June, and not one wader. Until, of course, I idled my boat in, dropped the anchor and bailed over the gunnels. Two years earlier, the same spot, with 15 boats on it, would have had 25 waders. Look at it this way: the sharks are a good problem to have. You wouldn’t have a problem with sharks if you didn’t have a bay full of fish. Laugh at me if you will, but I am one of those “jar is half-full” type of guys. So there is your Matagorda shark story. No man-eating attacks, no limbs lost. Contrary to exaggeration, it is safe to go into the water. August 2006

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Okay, I get to brag a little bit.

I’ve been silent on the internet message boards that I frequent, I haven’t sent pictures around, I’ve been tight-lipped… and you KNOW how hard that is for me. Two years ago on Father’s Day weekend I caught my first 30-inch trout after having fished for her for forty years. She had taken a soft plastic lure down into her gills and was almost dead when she was landed. She wasn’t a heavy fish at just over eight-pounds; and wouldn’t make the board in the STAR Tournament. It would have been nice to watch her swim away but she wasn’t going to make it. Instead she furnished us with a nice dinner that evening and gave me a memory I’ll cherish forever. I haven’t caught another. Been close, very close, but I haven’t caught another 30-inch trout since that day and who can say if I ever will? It won’t be because I’m not trying, I can tell you that much. I live for that feeling; that thrill when you know, just know, that it’s a monster trout that is testing your skills at the other end of the monofilament. I live for all of the thoughts that rush through your mind during the fight. You know what I’m talking about. “Did I retie my leader after that 26-inch redfish?” “What part of her jaw the hook is in, will the hook wallow a big hole in soft tissue and let her pull loose?” There is nothing quite like a big trout to send so many questions through my brain and make me second-guess my every move. My son Sterling can now brag that he’s experienced all of the above. Two years and eight days after I caught mine he caught his and thankfully I was there to witness it. The fishing had been pretty tough for us all week with extremely low tides and zero wind in the mornings to help move the water. It didn’t start blowing until after lunch and the winds would pick up to the upper 20’s and how l until long after I had gone to sleep, and then just quit. We’d wake up every morning to dew covered grass and not a breath of wind. Oh we were catching fish, but not the numbers we were accustomed to catching. It was almost a repeat of the trip we’d made a couple of weeks earlier. We were getting all the redfish we wanted, and while catching them on topwaters is always a hoot, they were not the trout we came for. Many a time did I hear, “the trout aren’t here, let’s go off-shore and catch some big fish.” But we didn’t go; we’d had some good blow-ups and there’s always that chance that some big girl was going to get hungry.

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Wednesday we ran in the weak pre-dawn light to one of our favorite wading spots, and as had been the pattern, the bait was everywhere but this time a lot of it was nervous. With our expectations running a bit higher we slid from the JH into the cool water and spread out; casting while working our way towards the shoreline. I had a huge strike on a chartreuse/ white Skitterwalk but knew in a moment that it was a red. It pulled drag like a jackfish angling away to my right while bait flew from its path. By 10:00am we knew that we’d done all the damage there that we were going to and we headed back to the house. We got lucky when we got back to the boat slip — while we were filleting our catch one of the local manatees came to visit us and beg for some fresh water. We obliged the homely creature and let it drink until it was full then it vanished into the murky water of the harbor. By the way, that’s Captain Stark’s Shallow Sport the water is running out of… the Manatee thanks you Captain. The wind was up pretty good and we almost stayed in that evening but my friend Captain Wayne Stark had suggested a spot for us to hit that had yielded some nice trout and yeah, you guessed it… more redfish, for him earlier in the day. We decided to take his advice and hit that area first. We headed to the spot the good Captain suggested, but the tide had fallen since Wayne had fished there and I didn’t feel comfortable taking the 24’ JH Performance boat into the area we had never navigated. We headed instead to an old favorite drifting area. We put out two drift socks to slow us down enough to work our lures and for two hours it was pretty slow going. Then we started picking up a trout here and there out of the sand pockets. Sterling had switched to a Norton Sand Eel Jr. in his favorite color Tequila Gold and on his first cast with that lure, his fishing life changed. At 6:40pm on June 28th, 2006 the fish nailed the lure when it landed at the edge of a small sand pocket in about three feet of water. I saw him set the hook and watched the way his Laguna Texas Wader bowed over and I could hear the drag as line peeled out of his Shimano 50mg. I was about to ask him if it was another redfish when the big trout came to the top and shook her head for all to see as she tried to dislodge the hook. “Big Trout!” I heard myself say out loud and I stowed my rod in a rod holder behind the leaning post so I could ready the net. The fish wasn’t coming to the boat without another run so for a

moment or two more it was going to be a fight between Sterling and the fish to see who would win. I watched Sterling as he played the fish and if he was worried I couldn’t see it in his face. Heck, I was probably more worried than he was as I had been in this situation so many times only to watch the fish swim away before being landed. The trout slid into the net and Sterling snatched her with the Boga Grip, the hook fell from her bottom jaw and into the net. Our eyes met and I can only feel that the look

August 2006

I saw must have been the same look I had two years earlier. A quick measurement and pictures and Sterling slipped the fish over the side. Moving her back and forth in the water, she flipped her tail as he released the Boga. Sterling’s first 30-inch trout swam away. She was a skinny fish weighing only 6.75 pounds on the Boga Grip. After showing the pictures to friends I heard the same thing I did when I caught my 30-incher… “Let somebody smaller hold the fish for the camera next time, you guys are too big.” We just laugh. Congratulations Sterling on a milestone in your trout fishing career. I hope you catch many more and I hope you never lose the enthusiasm, and appreciation for our sport you have now. I was almost 47years old when I landed my first 30-inch trout and you accomplished that same feat when you were 20. I have no doubt that you’ll get your trout with double-digit weight and move to the right side of the ledger before too much longer. Be Safe!

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

It was a text book bluebird day

without a cloud in the sky, light winds and calm, crystal clear surf that was more reminiscent of a bonefish flat than the Padre Island surf. The combination of summer heat, very little water movement and an abundance of bait can be very tough conditions for good catches, but I have learned to use them to my advantage and always look forward to these conditions each year. The nature of the chase itself changes as does the type and size of artificial lures used and upon occasion we may even have to resort to live bait for short periods, but the scene is far too beautiful not to enjoy. The sky is often an unusual deep blue color that is not present during other times of the year, and combined with the thrill of being able to see everything so clearly in the gin clear water the entire experience often becomes surreal. It is like standing in the middle of the most beautiful picture you ever saw and knowing at the same time that you are also a part of that picture and that you were intended to be there. Not an intruder, but simply another of Creation’s Children in that place where it was intended to be. The feeling is as precious and irreplaceable as it is fleeting and I savor it to the point of letting it consume me. As much as I dearly love the setting at this time of year, the fishing throughout the month of June starting on the 8th was tediously slow day after day. The two species most conspicuously in short supply were the two that I depend on most; shark and speckled trout. Daily I reminded myself that fish come and go from one area to another and that sooner or later we would be blessed with an abundance and some other area would come up short but until that happened it sure made for some tough days. At 2:20 p.m., far down the island on a minimally productive day, we are northbound when one of my customers exclaims, “Look, there’s a shark.” I turn to look, expecting to see a generic 5’ blacktipped shark nearshore and am stunned to be greeted by the sight of 3’ of black striped tiger shark tail protruding from the edge of the one foot deep water of the nearshore bar. A 9-plus foot slender tiger is searching the shallow water for something, and then we observe a 10-pound juvenile blacktipped shark very near the bank doing warp speed evasive maneuvers. Caught completely off guard I was getting my camera out of its case when I snapped and said, “My God, why take its picture, let’s catch it and then take its picture.” I

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

got the Daiwa 50 reel filled with Power Pro from the rod rack and readied the long leader and large circle hook attached to it. Earlier in the day we had caught a 3 pound jack crevalle and I had retained it for shark bait. I baited the circle hook with the jack and made my way out into the surf until I was close enough to cast to the tiger, which was now slowly cruising southward down the first gut, still in plain sight. It was a feat to cast a bait that large on the surf rod but I did a fair job and it landed 10 feet from the tiger. I knew I was really pushing the limits attempting to land this fish on the tackle at hand but felt we had a chance. If we succeeded it certainly would make for a battle to be remembered. I left the reel in free spool after pre-setting the drag and watched as the tiger immediately turned and made a full circle close by the bait. It then straightened back out and went a few yards but then began a slow right turn and headed straight back to the jack lying on the bottom. It made a tight, slow circle around the bait, stopped momentarily, and then began to slowly swim straight offshore. I watched the reel anxiously, awaiting the slow and steady flow of line being taken from it as the fish moved offshore with the bait. I watched, and I watched and the fish got farther and farther away and then I realized that the fish had been all over and around that bait and made no effort to eat it. I was more amazed than disappointed and as I cranked the bait in I told the customers, “now that is the greatest example of when the fish ain’t biting they ain’t biting” that you will ever see in your life.” The rest of the trip we couldn’t quit talking about that tiger and I’m sure all three of us will see it over and over in our minds for some time to come. What a Hoot!

picked up more trash on PINS than any one other person in history. THANK YOU CRAIG! Now for the downside of that trash. We have had no tropical entities yet to push trash up on the beaches of PINS. Shrimping season hasn’t started yet so there is no shrimper’s trash. The Turtle Patrollers first mentioned to me months ago their concern about the large amount of visitors trash being left on the beach. They know it is visitor’s trash because they see camps in a location and then when the visitors depart the trash is there. The Patrollers bag it up and it is taken to dumpsters. Then more visitors camp and then there is more trash present. Pretty hard to duck that one! My guess is that gulf shrimping is going to be minimal this year due to the high price of fuel and the low cost of farm raised shrimp. As trash from other sources is reduced, it makes the PINS visitor trash stick out like a sore thumb… and this could turn out to be one of the negatives that will some day get us thrown off the beach. When the patrollers told me how much visitor trash they were finding, I began to take particular notice of camps and trash and have done so for the past two months. They are correct and what I really don’t understand is the type camps leaving their trash. For the most part we see this happening in large and very elaborate camps, and in many of these camps we are seeing lots of high dollar equipment. Beach users of this caliber and income level should certainly know better. This needs to stop now, before it stops us all. Be Careful, Be Courteous, Be Kind.

Kemp’s ridley turtle nesting season ends July 15, although some green and loggerheads may nest later. All previous records for nests have been broken this season. Thus far 97 ridley, 2 loggerhead, and 1 green turtle nests have been found. The record prior to this season was last year’s 51 nests. There have been 61 nests found on PINS compared to 28 last year. I personally anticipate that we will see a steady increase in the number of nests annually in the future. A side note concerning the Turtle Tech Patrollers. Each of them is required to pick up one full bag of beach trash per day as they make their forays during turtle nesting season. This gives them a chance to get a break off those four wheelers and makes a real difference on the amount of trash on the beach. They gather trash from one end of PINS to the other and not just in the Big Shell as we do in the annual beach cleanup. It is making a dramatic difference in the amount of trash currently on the beach. My sincerest thanks go to all of them for a job well done. Patroller Craig Cowan deserves special mention and a lot more recognition than I can give him in this article. Craig has been around for several nesting seasons and patrols during the off season as well; and Bubba, that man is mad at that trash. Craig has probably August 2006

I guess it was about

leaned deeper as the drag screeched. I got the

wouldn’t quit playing. If you’re a Hank Jr. fan you’ve no

back the other way, Sandra’s fly rod was bending in

doubt heard it a thousand times… “Family Tradition.”

graceful arcs.

mid-morning when it popped into my head and

I was wading with an eight year old and a ten year

impression they’d done this before. Up ahead I could see Ruben had a fish on, and

Now when a guide is asked to run a family trip with

old. The best crouch that my mid-fifties bones would

kids this age, my thoughts tend along the lines of cast

tolerate was being offered in the attempt to reduce my

nets, bait buckets, rod holders stabbed in the bank, or

silhouette. Marcos and Daniel didn’t have to worry,

maybe anchoring on a reef. I was impressed with this

the water that was mid-thigh to me lapped at their shirt

Garza bunch.

pockets. They were poised, eyes peeled raw for tails and fins near the bank, a DOA shrimp and a paddletail minnow dangling ready.

So how did this young family get so wrapped up

rigging. On his days off from FTU, Ruben is busy on the water with his “Snookdude’s Kayak Fishing

in fishing? It turns out Ruben began his fishing career at the

A hundred feet ahead a boil formed and baitfish

in Houston and also the manager of kayak sales and

tender age of five, accompanying his grandfather on

Charters.” Ruben and I had paddled together several times

skittered wildly, seconds later what looked like an inch-

trips to the Mansfield Jetties, South Padre Jetties and

before he brought Sandra and the kids but I wasn’t

long shrimp two-stepped to safety and then a distinct

the Queen Isabella Pier. Recalling early days, Ruben

sure how he got started. “I first started out kayaking in

wake bulged up. I was in mid-gesture to tell them

said, “Fishing with my grandfather was not always for

1997 with Jimbo Meador and Rob Dillinger. They both

we needed a lure in there when I was reminded of

pleasure. There were many times we went in order to

paddled the old “Rides” from Wilderness Systems.

young guns and youthful reflexes. Two lures streaked

put food on the table. I had to use artificial, even back

We used to get boards and put them across the kayak

forward and both casts were on the money. My right

then. I got too bored with bait and needed something

so we could stand up and pole and get a better view

arm fell back without completing the point as Daniel

to do so artificial worked out best.”

on everything.”

leaned back for leverage against the redfish that was straining for freedom. Was I fishing with a couple kids or a pair of

Fly-fishing became one of his interests when he

And for the rest of the crew… “Sandra’s first kayak

spent some time in North Carolina. “When I was about

was one without a rudder and a cheap paddle. After

14 I went to visit my mother and step-father and they

fishing in it for the second day she hated me and the

seasoned sightcast veterans? Watching Daniel handle

took me to the Appalachian Mountains and introduced

kayak. I started feeling bad for being so cheap so I

the red gave me a pretty good clue. Any remaining

me to fly fishing. So from then on I would take my fly

bought her a nice kayak with a rudder and a carbon

doubt evaporated as Marcos slid silently ‘round our

rod with me when we went to the pier. My grandfather

fiber paddle and took her fishing again. She told me

flank, mindful of the direction his brother’s fish had

eventually got the money up to buy an old Bluewave

I should have bought this stuff in the first place and

turned, undaunted that his lure hadn’t been thumped.

boat and we would take that out drift fishing.”

maybe she would have enjoyed it more.”

In one fluid motion

Curious as to how Sandra became so smitten, we

“The boys have their own kayaks. We bought

he was gathering

again asked Ruben for some background. “I started

them Tarpon 100’s and AT carbon paddles. They

empty line, shuffling

taking her fishing when we lived in Arlington to Ray

handled them just fine from the beginning. They really

cautiously, eyes glued

Roberts Lake for white bass. The only problem was

get around well in those boats.”

ahead; he looked more

that even as a beginner she was outfishing me! We

like a gunslinger than

left Arlington to go back to South Padre Island to run

back memories of my own early years; my mom and

a ten year old. Daniel

a fly shop. We were there for about a year and a half.

dad took us fishing and hunting every chance they

Seeing Ruben and Sandra with their boys brought

That is where Sandra picked it up. We had the

had. I’ve always said that a family that enjoys the

pleasure of making friends and fishing with Eric

outdoors together and parents that teach kids a love

Glass and Jim Stewart. They were like family.

and appreciation of the Natural World will enjoy many

My sons even call them Uncle! We enjoyed their

blessing together. I just can’t wait to see the caliber of

company as well as what we learned from them.”

fishermen Marcos and Daniel will grow up to become.

Describing his sons, Ruben said, “Both

If kayaking and sight casting with lures and fly

boys love to fish but Marcos is more into it. He

fishing are on your list of fun things to do, give Ruben

caught his first fish on a homemade fly rod when

a call at 832-385-1431 or visit his guide service

he was about four. He could not really cast but

website at www.snookdudekayakfishingcharters.com

he knew everything about reeling! Daniel, the

Make sure you get him to tell the story about Sandra

young one, has always seemed more interested

outfishing him!

in golf than fishing. But that was before we went with Capt. EJ. I think he got hooked pretty good on that trip and now they’re both really into it. They both want to know when we’re going back down to fish with him again.” Fishing is not just a weekend thing with the Garzas. Ruben is the buyer for trolling motors and kayaks at Fishing Tackle Unlimited August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

most important feature of a fly tying vice is its ability to maintain a lockjaw grip on the hook. Poor quality vices will frustrate a tyer because they will not maintain a steadfast grip and always seem to fail at the worst moment. A good quality vice will firmly hold a hook even under extreme stress.

Renzetti Traveler and love it, but all of the vices mentioned above have hook-crushing power and will last for many years and through thousands of flies.

I have been tying flies for a long time. Maybe too long, because it’s easy for me to forget that not everyone who fly-fishes also ties their own flies. Each month I get a barrage of lively phone calls and e-mails from fly anglers with empty boxes — “Hey Casey… where can I buy some of those so-and-so flies.” I am always happy to get these calls and try to help any way I can. For most fly inquiries, I refer anglers to fly shops like Fishing Tackle Unlimited, Gruene Outfitters, or Sportsman’s Finest, where they can talk to a knowledgeable salesperson, look at different flies, and get their hands in the bins. Sometimes though, folks say, “I want to learn to tie that fly pattern myself… you know… It would be cool to catch a fish on a fly I made. What tools do I need to get started. Or… do I need a kit?”

I usually advise folks to purchase individual tools rather than an entire kit. This is because a kit often contains extra tools and doo-dads that are not really required to tie salt water flies. And, often times the tools in a kit are plagued by marginal quality. Rather than spend money on tools you don’t need, I think it is better to handpick a few essential quality tools that will last for many years. They are: 1) vice, 2) scissors, and, 3) bobbin. The vice holds the hook, the bobbin holds the thread, and the scissors make precise cuts to materials. Those are the ONLY tools you need to tie nearly any saltwater fly. Let’s look at each tool individually. The Vice A fly tying vice is a precision tool with slender jaws designed to clamp and solidly hold a hook while materials are tied to the shank. It is the fundamental tool for fly tying and is potentially the most expensive tool a tyer will purchase. The single

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

There are two types of vices — a C-clamp style vice that mounts to the edge of a table, and a pedestal-style vice with a heavy flat base that sits on top of a table or flat surface. Either style performs equally well, although the pedestal vices can be used in a slightly broader range of places (in vehicles, on boats, etc…) because they rest on a flat surface and don’t need to be clamped to an “edge.” Both of these styles of vices can usually be disassembled and transported easily. Perhaps the most significant advance in vice design over the past 20 years was the introduction of the “Rotary” vice. The jaws of a rotary vice are mounted on a shaft that floats on bushings or bearings. This allows the fly tyer to rotate the hook 360 degrees without removing it from the jaws of the vice. The rotary feature facilitates accurate spiral wrapping (palmering) of materials along the hook shank, makes it easier to inspect top bottom and sides of the fly, and aids in applying epoxies and cements to flies. Although they cost more than fixed shaft vices, I feel rotary vices are worth every penny. There are hundreds of vices to choose from — some good… some not so good. I have had good luck with vices manufactured by Peak, Renzetti, and Dyna King. These companies all make quality rotary vices in both pedestal and C-clamp models. They are priced from 140 dollars up. I own a pedestal

Scissors Fly tying requires scissors that can make precise cuts and hold up to a variety of hostile materials. Good quality scissors are important because accurate cuts in materials and tying threads result in a good clean-finished fly that rides correctly in the water and is not encumbered by unnecessary bulk.

There are many different styles of scissors available (flat, curved, short, long). Overall, I like the versatility of a pair of flat scissors with a short body, large finger holes, and serrated blades. Serrated blades work wonders on very fine materials that always seem to escape the jaws of smooth-bladed scissors. Dr. Slick is my favorite brand of scissors. A pair of Dr. Slick’s costs around 20 dollars and will last for years. Bobbin The bobbin is a tool designed to hold and accurately distribute thread. Slender legs on the bobbin anchor and squeeze the thread spool and apply tension to the thread as it is distributed through a slender polished tube at the upper end of the bobbin. The tube makes it possible to accurately wrap thread around the hook shank and over tying materials. There are many bobbins available and some, frankly, August 2006

are over-engineered. A good quality bobbin is a simple tool. It should firmly hold a spool of thread, be comfortable in the palm of your hand, and have a highly polished tube that NEVER nicks or cuts the tying thread. It also should not allow the spool of thread to pop loose unexpectedly — that’s it. I have several different bobbins. Some have steel tubes and brass fittings, others are made with ceramic tubes and have rubber fittings, and some even have adjustable tensioning mechanisms built in. I prefer the simple reliability of the steel/brass bobbins. Another thing I like about them is that they can be modified (bent) to fit nearly any size spool of thread. These are good-quality bobbins and cost around 12 dollars each. These three tools are the only tools you need to get started tying salt water flies. If you’re willing to give fly tying a try, I encourage you to do so. Get out and ask questions, talk to others who are doing it, and find out everything you can. You can even attend a tying class like those offered by Fishing Tackle Unlimited and other tackle shops, or attend a tying event like the annual Fly Festival in Houston to learn more. Fly tying is a great pastime. It will substantially enrich your angling experience and your appreciation for the sport of fly fishing. And yes… it’s COOL to catch a fish on a fly “you made.”

The Seaducer is a pattern as old as saltwater fly fishing itself. Fly fishing pioneer Homer Rhodes is credited with developing the Seaducer, and over the years it has been used to catch everything from tarpon to largemouth bass. Along the Texas Coast the Seaducer really shines on days with light winds, when reds are a bit spooky or picky and a quiet tantalizing fly presentation is required. A non-weighted fly, the Seaducer lands silently and its webby elongated design causes it to pulse and ripple on a slow retrieve. It is a remarkably easy fly to tie, even for beginners, and is surprisingly durable. There are many different “versions” of this pattern and some even incorporate epoxy and prismatic eyes. But, the original recipe is still my favorite — simple, lightweight, and effective. Good colors include red/white, red/ yellow, pink/white, and olive.

Angler/photographer C. Boyd Pfeiffer has had an extensive career in outdoor writing, authoring over 20 books and hundreds of fishing articles over the years. What I like most about Pfeiffer’s work is that it is nearly always educational. His latest book, Complete Photo Guide to Fly Tying is a “book of tips” that covers everything from maintaining tying tools to making shrimp antennae. Each tip is accompanied by a full-color photograph and nearly all of the techniques described are geared toward warm water or salt water patterns. When I pulled a copy of this book off the shelf at the bookstore I burned up about 30 minutes thumbing through the pages, reading the tips and thinking, “…now that’s a good idea.” Whether you are a beginner or an experienced fly tyer I think you will enjoy C. Boyd Pfeiffer’s, Complete Photo Guide to Fly Tying. It is available at Border’s bookstores and online at Amazon. August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Ok, you drafted or started drafting

a resume (June 2005 GCC article) and are ready to head further down the path of obtaining a sponsorship. You have been fishing several tournaments and actually caught the largest gaspergoo in your last tournament, won $75 and a trophy. Now is the time to strike while you are on a hot streak and begin to collect all that free product and cash. What reason would any company in their right mind not sponsor you? Well to begin with, that company may already have a pro staff, may not even know about gaspergoo or fishing, may not have any money budgeted for this type of endeavor and on and on. The bottom line is you are heading down a path that is not a cake walk. Most companies are not sitting around with money in their coffers for sponsorship. The good news is that anglers are getting sponsors and with some effort, research and nose to the grindstone work, you too can get some! Once a resume or proposal is formed, one should start thinking about how much or what to pursue in sponsorship requests. The easiest way to determine what to ask for is by determining what you need. A detailed expense budget is something that must be developed. Determine the cost of participating in the tournaments you plan to fish. Include entry fees, gas costs to get to and from the venue, boat gas for the tournament and prefishing, lodging, meals and other expenses that may be associated with sponsorship, such as tournament jerseys, decals or boat wraps. Calculating the total cost to participate in tournaments will produce a number which can be used to

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

formulate a proposal for potential sponsors. Everyone and every sponsor is different, but in general, when starting out, a sponsor is not going to invest a lot of money in an unknown entity. That is ok, because part of sponsorship and the most common way to start is to start small, show what you can do and work your way into larger sponsorship. Initial sponsorships can range from discounted product and free product to a cash salary and incentives with the latter being a rarity. Deciding on tournament costs and what tournaments and promotions you will participate in is the beginning to helping you decide what value a sponsor will receive if he sponsors you. Your sponsorship value or what to ask a sponsor for is the most difficult question to answer. You will have to decide what your time is worth and what you are willing to do for a sponsorship. Initially your requested value may be low, but through trial and error you will determine the fair market value for your services. Normally sponsors fall into two major categories, those associated with the fishing industry (endemic) and those not associated (nonendemic) with fishing. In general, companies that are already in the fishing industry are easier to work with because they speak the lingo and know the sponsorship routine. The problem with endemic companies is that they get hundreds of sponsorship requests and most have a pro staff. Your job is to get the sponsor to notice your proposal, look at it and take note. Companies outside the fishing industry have more resources, but may not understand what you are proposing and will be harder to approach. Either way, endemic or non-endemic, whichever you pursue, each has its pluses and minuses. You will just have to test the waters and decide if one or both is for you. My personal preference is to start small and get a few successes and experience before you swing for the fences. So what is the next step? Make a list of potential companies that you would like to contact. One approach is to look at the tackle and equipment you have right now. Obviously you believe in its quality and value or you would not be using it. These companies can be the start of the list of

potential sponsors. Sponsoring a product you do not believe in or use will show through and you will not be sincere in your endorsement. What type of boat and motor do you run? Another great place to start is your boat dealer. Most boat companies and motor companies have a pro staff. Normally the pro staff is selected through the recommendation of the local dealer. Having a good relationship and helping out your local dealer is a great first step to sponsorship. Dealers need help towing boats, setting up for shows and doing promotions and that is where you can help offer your services. Definitely keep dealers on the list. You can look at larger companies, but it depends on the level of sponsorship you are seeking. As you go outside the fishing industry, you will have to explain what the sponsorship is and what professional fishing is about. If you are ready August 2006

to pursue this, it would be good to hit a mix of large and small companies. Contacting local or regional representatives of large companies maybe easier versus going to the national headquarters. You will learn something every time you approach a company, even if they reject your offer, you will learn one thing that can help next time. Maybe the proposal needs changing or you need to say something different. It is much like fishing, if they don’t bite, you have to try a different technique and keep grinding, but if you stick with it, you will get a bite. Once you have a list and a budget, start to narrow and target potential sponsors. Decide what level commitment to pursue with each sponsor. Again start small with an opportunity to prove yourself and don’t underestimate the value of a product sponsorship. Approach sponsors with your request of what you want, but the bottom line is you need to lay out specifically what you can do and how you will help the sponsor. You have to show the sponsor what he is going to get in return for his money and how it will improve his sales (Key point: HOW WILL YOU HELP THE SPONSOR’S SALES?) No longer are the days of “give me a bunch of lures and I will wear your patch on my shirt” around. Show

August 2006

why you are a good investment for the company and show what makes you stand out among the other thousands of fishermen requesting the same thing. A simple example would be fishing a tournament series next year that will cost $1000 per tournament in expenses. There are a total of 5 tournaments, for a total of $5000. Add in tournament jerseys and custom decals for the boat and you need a total of $6000 for the year. You could approach a single large company with a $6000 sponsorship proposal or approach 6 smaller companies with $1000 proposals. For the sponsorship, you provide the company with their logo on your jersey and boat. In addition you will provide them with xx amount of fishing trips, xx amount of time at their shop doing promotions and helping with their business. Again, determine what your time is worth. In addition, you may decide to approach several smaller companies with product sponsorships for items you need during the year (tackle, lodging, etc.), but remember, product does not pay expenses. Making a budget and list of sponsors is a key initial step in the sponsorship journey. This will help in deciding what is actually needed in terms

of support and who can be targeted for support. The goal of this step is to have a list of potential sponsors and have determined what you are going to propose to each potential sponsor. Do not discount time put in developing a good proposal; it will pay off in the long run. Next we will talk about how to find the right person in the company you have targeted and how to approach that person. Sponsorship can be a long path, but if you stick with it, the work put in up front will pay off in the long run.

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Over the past six months I have had an increasing number of anglers on the boat that have inquired about the use of scents on their artificial baits. The use of natural spray or scent is something that is not new to fishing. While it is relatively new to the saltwater world, our bass fishing counterparts have incorporated the use of scents with their fishing for many years. I guess the real question is; does it really work? My answer a few years ago would have been that it definitely does not hurt, but to see a noticeable difference was not yet clear to me. Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to use some of the newest products on the market and I can tell you without a doubt that they do work. In fact, at times, they have been the difference between catching and not catching. If you have the opportunity to actually see the fish you are trying to catch as we do along the Middle and Lower Texas Coast, you have the ability to see the fish react to the bait. On numerous occasions this season I have found fish that were not attracted to my offerings, but switching to a scented lure had the fish eating the bait aggressively. To be honest, I have had the bait sitting dead on the bottom of a pothole and had both trout and redfish swim up to the bait and pick it up. That is testimony that scent plays a major role in a fish’s attraction to lures and to either eat or not eat what you have put in front of them.

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

When fish are fired up and taking anything that moves; scent may not be of great need. But let the tides slack and winds lay, and all of sudden you have extremely difficult fish to catch. These in my opinion are the best times to employ the use of baits with built in scent or employ the use of a spray on scent. I feel confident is stating that scent never hurts, it may work better at some times than others, but it is never a negative thing. Scent works in two fold fashion. First — scent enables the fish to locate the bait. Second — it helps the fish associate the bait with something it likes to eat. Many times I have been walking toward the concession stand at a ball game not terribly hungry, suddenly I smell a hot dog and then go buy two of them. Scent also makes the fish hold onto the bait longer once the lure is taken. This simply gives us more time to react and a better chance of hooking the fish. At times one or two bites can be the difference in a great day and total wash. Scent can also mask human scent; which is neither natural nor attractive to most fish. Please remember, there are many times when it does not seem to matter. We are not talking about those times; we are talking about times when for many reasons the fish are not feeding at all. During the Dog Days of July and August, fishing can be tougher due to excessive water temperatures, lower than normal tides and fishing pressure. Do not ever think that 40 or 50 boats running down the shoreline each morning for about two hours does not signal the fish of our presence. All of these added distractions may require added ingredients to make our normal lure offerings attractive to the fish. In these articles I try not to do too much story telling, you know stick to the meat and potatoes stuff. I do however have a short story that might shed some light on just how effective some of the new scented baits can be. Back in May I was wading a shallow flat along the Mud Island shoreline, it was around mid-day and I was casting to tailing redfish. The water was clearer than clear and there was not much wind.

The redfish were finicky but catchable with the proper lure presentation. I had caught three or four nice fish when out of the corner of my eye I picked up the dark shadow of good fish. When it materialized, it was a trout of about 25 inches. Those of you that are familiar with clear water trout know that most of the time they are hard to catch. This is especially true when the fish are shallow and when you are within less than 10 feet of the fish. I quickly reeled the lure in from a previous cast and flipped the bait out in a pothole in front of the fish. As the fish moved into the pothole you could immediately see from her body language and posture that she had picked up the scent. Biologists say if takes only a few seconds for a fish to pick up the scent of its prey in the water, I believe it now after watching this fish. I wanted so badly to twitch the lure and draw the strike, but even more, I wanted to know if the fish would go to the bait without movement. This, to me would indicate that scent had drawn the fish to the bait and not movement. The fish swam over, nosed down, arched her back and sucked the lure off the bottom — unbelievable! I got to see the whole thing; and after landing the 5-plus pound fish, still I had doubts that it had happened as I saw it. Fish have a tremendous sense of smell, much better than we give them credit for having. I have had redfish and trout, swim into a pothole, locate the bait and eat if off the bottom while I watched August 2006

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

and added NO movement to the lure at all. It is obvious to me that it makes sense to use scent. Since this incident, I have had many such opportunities with both trout and redfish and most of the time the result is a bent rod. The only real down side to the scented baits on the market today is their strong smell and oily coatings; the fish love them both, but the wife might take offense to the smell in your cloths and in her house. Your lures should never be left in your shirt pocket at the end of the day and placed in the dirty cloths hamper or in the back seat of HER Tahoe. In 95-degree plus temperatures, the smell can be unbearable the next morning. Never bite your fingernails after threading the lure onto your jig head; the taste is not very appetizing. My dogs find them tasty but it sure brings a new meaning to the word doggie breath. Scent works; it is something new to many saltwater anglers and requires us to slow down even more when presenting a lure, but bottom line is they work. Like it or not the scented baits are

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

here to stay and I know that I for one will employ their use when things get tough. The companies whose scented baits I have used are Berkley, Mr. Twister — Exude, and Bass Assassin. Berkley’s new Gulp Series Shrimp and Shad and Bass Assassin’s new Shrimp Cocktail have been extremely effective for me this season — both on the tournament trail and in my everyday guide business. Berkley and Exude were the first lures I used with built-in scents and I used them first just to see what all the fuss was about. My initial usage of the baits was in targeting finicky red fish, you know the fish you see but anything you throw is met with a quick thrust from the tail, thus spooking everything in its path. Recently Bass Assassin came out with their new Shrimp Cocktail soft plastic shrimp that actually has fish oils and fish pieces mixed into the soft plastic itself. Bass Assassin owns B.A.N.G. as well, a spray on scent that comes in a variety of natural scents such as shrimp, garlic and

menhaden. Menhaden and shrimp are my favorites. I have found myself spraying B.A.N.G. into ziploc bags with shrimp tails, sea shads and other non-scented shad type baits. I have even started spraying the bucktails on my spoons and spinner baits along with a quick squirt on a topwater or a Cork lure when the conditions dictate. I look for most soft plastic manufactures to start adding scented bait to their historic offerings. I just received a box from Bass Assassin today that had some of my favorite 5 inch and 4 inch Assassins and Sea Shad Assassins impregnated with the new B.A.N.G. scent. The one thing I am certain of is that scented baits have found a place in my arsenal of fishing lures.

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Editor’s Note: For those who have followed along, we created a Youth Fishing department almost

It seems like only

yesterday when I first stared at my own face in Gulf Coast Connections magazine. It was a pretty awesome and overwhelming experience. I was the first GCC youth writer and it felt as if I was already a celebrity of the salt. However, now that I have graduated from high school and turned 18, I no longer qualify as the youth writer for GCC. I must say though, it’s been so much fun, I wouldn’t care if I stayed 17 or 18 my entire life. I feel like being the youth writer for GCC, and all the notoriety it brought, is the main reason I feel this way; it really set me apart from every other teenaged angler on the Gulf coast. I want to take time to say “Thanks” to all my readers and especially to all those who e-mailed or called and told me how much they enjoyed my articles — I really appreciate it. I hope I was able to entertain the youth and perhaps some of the elders as well. If I gave a tip or two that helped a day of fishing become more productive, even better! I really want to thank Pam and Everett along with the rest of the crew at GCC, they are really a class act and amazing people to work with. I really enjoyed the good times on the water Mr. Everett. I always think back to when I e-mailed you offering a few stories from a youth writer; I really didn’t expect that GCC, the most respected magazine on the Texas coast, would accept the offer and put me on the writing team. I thank you for giving me the chance and I hope I made progress and lived up to what you wanted in a youth writer. Bink Grimes — Thank You! I had your journalism class for two years and seeing the success you continue to achieve as a writer and outdoorsman fueled my desire to put my own pen to paper. I will be more than satisfied if I ever become half of what you are. Thanks for the editing help, fishing tips, and writing tips as well! I also want to thank my family. Their magazine purchases alone may be one of the reasons GCC has blown up with popularity. Every month every member of my big family runs to the local gas stations and buys about four or five copies. Thanks for the support! I thank my parents as well. I remember all of the times they tried to tell me I couldn’t go fishing. I would always respond with, “I need material for my articles!” Somehow it always worked. Thanks to my buddies and fishing partners; all of those days on the water together really helped my writing. If I didn’t have one or two of y’all onboard each time, I wouldn’t have had enough gas money for some of those trips! Laguna Graphite Rods, thanks for taking me under your wing and giving me such an amazing tool to work with. Texas Tackle Factory has also been very kind and helpful. Their strong soft plastics draw lots of bites and last through many sets of sharp trout fangs, I can assure you of that. Those durable TTK-II’s made my fishing exciting and helped keep the cost down too. Even though I feel kind of sad to be leaving the position of youth writer, I’m happy to let you know that I won’t be going too far, at least not right away. After talking with Mr. Everett the other day, I’m beginning to look at this as a stepping stone on my way to an even greater writing and fishing career. As soon as I get settled at college, I will begin contributing guest pieces to GCC just to keep you all informed of my continuing fishing adventures. Who knows, maybe I’ll have my own outdoors show someday and I’ll be on TV chunking lures with anglers all up and down the Texas coast. That would be my greatest dream — maybe, just maybe, it will come true. 32

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

two years ago and Kyle Tomek faithfully performed the writing chores. Well, we’re turning the page so to speak, Kyle is off to college in a few weeks and it is time to pass the pen (or should we say fishing rod?) We are most pleased to announce that young Mr. Aaron Cisneros will be taking over where Kyle left off. At the age of fourteen, Aaron is already a hardboiled salt as you’ll be learning as you peruse his coming writings.

My name is Aaron Cisneros. I am a fourteen year old with a passion for fishing unlike most teenagers who would prefer going to the mall or playing X-Box all day. Not me, I would rather be fishing with my dad, Capt. Ernest Cisneros. I enjoy fishing with him because we get to spend time together and share countless great moments. I feel very fortunate to spend as much time as I do fishing with my dad. I encourage more fathers to do the same and take their kids out fishing. My dad and others have taught me that fishing is not all about catching, but it’s about what God has placed for us to enjoy and take care of. In addition, fishing with my dad has allowed me to learn how to stalk redfish, catch trout, flounder, and target the elusive Texas snook. My dad started me out early. I was four years old when he would place me in an inner tube with a canvas mat and a rope tied to the tube and his waist. As he towed me around, I would cast my Zebco 202 with a hookless plastic lure. I remember a few times floating off as the rope would become untied from his waist, and my dad would not even realize it because he was so focused in his fishing. The funny thing was that it always seemed to be my fault according to my dad. At the age of six my dad began teaching me how to wade fish. I still remember wading, catching, and stringing my first fish at that age. I know that was a proud moment for us. I have been fishing with artificial baits for ten years now and love the adrenaline rush when I see a group of tailing reds or hear snook popping bait early in the morning. Not only has fishing with my dad allowed me to fish the waters from Port Isabel to Baffin Bay but also allowed me to meet many pro fishermen and interesting people. Recently, my dad has been taking me on his guided fishing trips and has taught me how to provide a successful and enjoyable fishing trip for clients. I am currently sponsored by Laguna Rods and am thankful for their confidence in me. Most of all, I thank God for all that he has done and what he has allowed to occur in my life. I treasure everything my dad has taught me because one day I want to become an educator and fishing guide just like him.

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

The blue water is in and the bite is on! Big game fishing off Texas is red hot! As we head into the prime part of our summer fishing there are several things we have noticed. The sea surface temperature is above normal for this time of year. This is most likely due to the mild winter we had.

The weather in June was the best that many people can remember. Seas were flat for a full two weeks! June is a month that can be very inconsistent and many times the wind can blow much of the time. This year, however, is an exception and we like it! Plenty of boats have been able to fish and the fishing has been outstanding. If you have never done it, this is your chance to get out there and get a taste of big game fishing, Texas style! Another phenomenon occurring this year is an unusual amount of sailfish being caught earlier than normal. There are plenty of sails caught during our summers, but this year seems to be different with many sails showing up in June. Usually, later on in the summer is the best time to target sails, but this year they are here right now. Last week we had a small sail trying to eat a big live bait we put out for a marlin. He chased it all around and finally jumped out of the water with the bait in his mouth, but it was just too big for him! Sails love small live baits, so you might keep a few ready in your live well. Ballyhoo is also the bait of choice

hang out on weed lines and attack the baitfish that

when trolling for sails. You can catch them

congregate there. There was a blue marlin caught

on a lure, but bait is much more productive.

this summer on a weed line inshore of Claypile, so

Many boats are reporting catches, so get

spend some time trolling when you find a good one.

out there and troll your ballyhoos. If you

Speaking of seaweed — in case you haven’t been to

can’t make it all the way to deep water, find

the beach or offshore lately — the seaweed is, well,

a weed line and troll down it. Sails love to

ridiculous. That’s the only word we can think of to describe it. It’s everywhere! There seems no end to it. Other years we have had a lot of weed, but this may be the most we have ever seen. When it is formed up in a line, that’s OK, but when it is three feet apart for as far as the eye can see it is a more than a little discouraging. Anyway, it’s here to stay, so we just have to deal with it. We are planning a special seaweed article for next month!

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Back to fishing! Sails are not the only fish we

of fun and excitement to the competition. We have

are seeing a lot of. If there is any other fish trying

pioneered the concept of a video release format

to compete for top billing it’s the wahoo. Wahoo are

with points awarded for blue marlin, white marlin

being caught everywhere, so don’t pass up those

and sailfish. The Port Aransas weigh-in and awards

buoys in 30-50 fathoms without trying for these

allows fishermen easier access to the nearby rocks

great eating game fish. We are catching plenty

and rigs that this area is famous for. The tournament

of these speedsters at Cerveza, Tequila Rig and

has grown every year and this year should be no

the rigs just inshore of there. Try skirted ballyhoo

exception. We hope you will join us this year as we

or Yozuri marauder type plugs to nab these fast

honor our old friends, catch some great fish and

swimming fillets.

celebrate our big game fishing heritage. For more info see www.txlegends.com.

Blue Marlin and swordfish are not to be pushed aside here either. Lots of blues are showing up all along the coast from Freeport to Port Aransas, with many large fish seen. Brett Holden on the “Booby Trap” has been working hard this summer and at the time of this writing has already caught 7 swordfish and even more blue marlin. He has also caught an unusual number of sails for this early in the summer. His largest blue was a 464 lb. and was leading the Texas Big Blue Tournament until it was surpassed by Ed Bass on the “Akela”. Ed’s 502 lb. blue took over the top spot for now, but the summer is young and there are many tournaments coming up. The Texas Big Blue Tournament is held all summer long and ends Labor Day weekend. The Houston Big Game Club held its annual tournament out of Galveston, with 23 boats catching 14 blue marlin, 2 white marlin, 4 sailfish and 1 swordfish. Out of Port Aransas, the Deep Sea Round-up had over 40 billfish caught during the first week of July. So our summer is off to a great start. We want to invite everyone to come join us this month for the Texas Legends Billfish Tournament in Port Aransas on August 10th-13th. The response to our move from Freeport to Port Aransas has been overwhelming and we are looking forward to a great event. This year we have added a special “Outboards Only” boat pool, which should add a lot 36

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

The number of fishing licenses

in the state of Texas has grown at an astounding

rate over the last ten years. A very large portion of these licensees are saltwater fishermen as evident by the every increasingly crowded boat ramps along the coast and the number of people on the water. Years ago, it was not uncommon to fish a full day and only see two or three boats the entire day. Now you are most likely to have two or three or more boats launching or loading at the boat ramp every time you show up. In our fast paced world as we know it today, a few simple little gestures and acts can help make the day for you and those around you much more pleasurable. 1. Upon arriving at the boat ramp, stop at the staging area and prepare you boat for launch. Load all of your items you intend to take on your trip and then proceed to the ramp and launch your boat. This makes for a relaxed launch and keeps the flow of boats moving in and out of the ramp during peak launching and loading periods. 2. Park your vehicle in designated areas (no double parking) and tie your boat in designated areas out of the way of other boats launching and loading. 3. Observe all “no wake” signs in harbor areas. Remember, you are responsible for your wake damage to both property and other individual’s boats. 4. Respect your fellow fishermen; those anchored, drifting and wading. Give yourself and others room. Everyone’s idea of sufficient room is different, but a good rule of thumb is about 200 yards. There is enough water and places to fish

for everyone. If “your” area already has people fishing in it, look for other areas of the same structure, chances are, fish are on the same structure throughout an entire bay system. 5. Avoid running shorelines. Run in deeper water to avoid disturbing the shoreline and potential fishing areas for your fellow fishermen. The shoreline you needlessly burn may be the fishing destination of your best buddy in a few minutes. 6. Take what you bring to the bay and leave no trash and if you see some take it with you. It is everyone’s responsibility to take care of there own trash and do the right thing by picking up some that was left behind by unknowing offender or one who simply doesn’t care. 7. Respect the resource; be aware of your surroundings. If you are in shallow grass flats then idle, pole or drift to deeper areas where you can easily bring your boat on plane without destroying the bottom. The distance to a deeper pot hole or channel is usually only a short distance. Save the grass for forage and game and allow nature to expand and give us more opportunity for enjoyment in the future. 8. Handle your catch respectfully. Release it as gently as possible and retain only what you need. Be proactive in your retention. 9. Participate in TPWD creel surveys at the ramp. Your input is a part of coastal fisheries management and is valued by TPWD. The questions are simple and you will not be required to give up that “secret spot”. 10. As you end your day at the ramp, leave the facilities cleaner than you found them. Discard of your carcasses and trash in the designated areas and clean the facilities like they were your own. These simple little rules will make the day much more enjoyable for you and those around you. If your day starts off on the wrong foot at the ramp, chances are the rest of the day is not going to be a pleasant experience. Have patience and respect for your fellow fishermen and that patience and respect is generally returned. And above all, show respect to the resource. To guarantee the same opportunities for future generations to come, we must continue to be active stewards on a daily basis.

For more information about CCA Texas, be sure to visit www. ccatexas.org.

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Being in a service business constitutes many things. The most important is working with the customer and getting their needs and wants taken care to the best of your abilities. But what are you supposed to do when a customer wants something that you know will be wrong for their application? That is a really tough situation to be in and we are in it all the time because of too much information. In today’s world of the internet and the World Wide Web at a click of a button, boat owners can access as much information as they want. Be it they go to manufactures web sites, fishing and boating forums, or just chat sites with like boat owners. They can find about anything they need and if they can’t find what they want, someone close at hand is sure to have “been there and done that.” This includes everything from what size motor is best for what size boat, what type of fuel to use, where’s the best place to put your gear, to what prop is best for this boat. Is all this information correct? NO WAY! Now, unfortunately, many new boat owners, or

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

even old boat owners who have purchased boats they are unfamiliar with, rely on someone else to tell them the rights and the wrongs and the do’s and don’ts. And then there are the ones that go out and experiment on their own and think that is as good as it is suppose to be. Be honest with yourself, your first new boat, you ran it because you thought whoever you bought it from had set it up correctly. But as you became more informed, you realized this isn’t always the case. Hopefully, as we talk about propellers, you will not only become informed but you get the RIGHT information. Many customers talk to us and one of the first comments they offer is, “I don’t know if this is the right prop for my boat.” Well if they were properly informed, they could find that out with a little testing on their own. Some may have heard a buddy of theirs say, “this is wrong or you need to do that because it’s the only way.” Or what about the guy who reads too much on the internet? These are probably the toughest things a propeller shop has to deal with; and that’s where we have to work really hard to correctly teach and inform the boat owner about their questions. Since the introduction of jack plates on tunnel boats, myths continue to run rampant because of bad information passed from generation to generation. One myth is that you have to run a 4 blade prop on a shallow water boat. Another myth, the one we will try and educate you on today is, where to run the jack plate and trim while getting on plane and while cruising. We like to send our customers on a 30 minute or so test session on JP (jack plate) heights and trim settings because it does a number of

things. It tells exactly how high on the JP you can get the boat on plane without slippage. It gives you the best settings to run your cruise speeds. And it gives us wide open throttle rpm’s and slippage rates of the propeller. As well as opening the boat owner’s eyes to the point of saying, “I didn’t know my boat would do that”. Very simply, you want to start with the motor all the way down on the JP and trimmed all the way under in a negative position. From a dead stop you want to get the boat on plane and START TRIMMING ONLY. If you have a trim gauge, you want 3 settings to get rpm and speed readings. You already know that as you start to trim the motor out, the rpm’s will begin to increase and the speed changes. What you want to do is at WOT (wide open throttle) mark down the rpm’s and speed for each marked setting. After you go through all 3 marked trim angles at 0 lift on the jack plate, and writing the speeds and rpm’s down, you shut back down and do it all over again at 1” up on the JP. You repeat this same process for every inch of lift on the JP. Now look back at the speed and rpm settings you have written down and look for the fastest speed. Along with the corresponding rpm, you have your maximum rpm’s. As you look over your findings, you will see that the rpm’s will raise but the speeds begin to fall off and slow down at the higher settings. At whatever setting you achieved your top speed (Example: 4” up on JP and ¼ trim) this should be your optimum cruise settings to get most efficiency. This test also dictates to your propeller shop if the propeller needs any additional cupping or if you need to change pitch or even diameters to reduce slippage. And finally, it determines just how high on the JP you can get the boat on plane with no slippage. Another thing, while attempting hole shot tests, don’t think you have to give full throttle from a dead stop. Remember that a tunnel must have water flowing through it to work; and from a dead stop the propeller will suck all the water out of a tunnel and void it. No water, no movement. Remember, this should be done with any new propeller you put on your boat due to each prop having different characteristics and will run differently. The information you gain firsthand is better than anything you read or get from someone else. So as long as you get the right information, it isn’t a bad thing. Be safe on the water.

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

“How many grains of sand

do you think are in your hand?” asked Greg Flores with Cross Trail Outfitters? Lane and I looked bewildered as the campfire threw dancing shadows and flickering light upon everything. The mood was fine tuned by the rhythmic sound of surf in the background. The question posed by Greg was part of a discussion about God, the creation, and how all of those things fit together. We prayed for a safe trip, good fishing, and settled in somewhere north of the High Banks on Padre Island National Seashore. Cross Trail Outfitters is a hunting and fishing club based in San Antonio www.teamcto.org. The club provides an outlet for boys between 7 and 20 with “the hunting and fishing gene.” The group focuses on individual character development; which is close to my heart. Our crew consisted of Greg (A Cross Trail “Outfitter”), Lane Kennedy (14), Joseph Jividen (15) and yours truly. I was along as Vice President of live bait acquisition, fish cleaning, and backlash management. Taking people into the outdoors is a personal calling that is very, very, satisfying. This trip was about the boys. Out of habit I started the group fishing dead end closeouts in three to five foot surf. Finger mullet were available at your leisure. NE winds continued as they had been for the last few days. The closeouts and dead ends were blown out — that’s a tad extreme — let’s just say they weren’t closed. Three to five foot seas and NE winds push a lot of water up on the beach. The water has to go somewhere upon impact with the island. Think of those loathsome days when your wife dupes you into using a paint tray and roller. After 17 hours and the 10,784th time you’ve put the roller in the “deep” end of the paint tray and pushed into the shallow end, you notice paint is pushed ahead of the roller, in effect up hill, finally escaping around the roller down the sides of the paint tray creating paint current. Keep that image for a second (the one about

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

paint current, not 17 hours of painting). View the NE wind as the roller, the gulf as the deep end and the beachfront as the shallow end. The water is pushed up, goes sideways until it hits a closeout (the land functioning as the edge of the pan) and then forces its way out to sea in a circular pattern. Viola! A rip current is created. These rips exist in some form or fashion every day in the surf. Continuous NE winds make them a standard feature — until the wind changes. One thing is for sure; fish — especially trout, redfish, sharks and jack cravelle — take advantage of rip currents. The rip cuts the first and sometimes the second bar. Rip currents create a highway for fish in deeper guts to travel inshore and whack out some chow. Given the conditions, I started looking for a closeout with a wide rip. Fishing four guys, we need some room to move around. At the 32-mile post I found the wade gut narrow, deep and green, bowing near shore, swirling a tad with a 10 yard wide dark green rip through the first bar headed out to sea. I told the boys to start throwing their mullet around the rip and keep moving. Ten minutes into the experiment Joseph hooks a 22” red right in front of us — he threw short and just went with it. Everyone started keeping their baits within 10 feet of the “green line” where the beach met the wade gut. Wanting to ponder a tad, I walked down the beach. I noticed the mullet avoiding the rip

currents. The heavy current is a pain to navigate and the deep water hides predators putting their lives at risk. So for safety they were riding the current against the beach, avoiding the main rip and slowly heading south. The redfish, like a fat man waiting on a pizza delivery, responded by setting up right on the beach. Logical beasts! Looking for the next honey hole I had the guys fish a couple of small rips — to keep ‘em honest. It was hit and miss, “onesy-twosey” kind of fishing. We eased up on a big rip at the 41. Same deal, slot reds 15 feet away; we caught 8 more. The boys were having a great time with light spinning gear. Action slowed a tad so we moved south, ate lunch somewhere, and stopped at another rip way down PINS. “Guys, its 4:25 we’re leaving at 5:00 sharp!” We bailed out and flipped the baits right on the edge of the wade gut. It is non-stop. Twenty-three reds later I bother to look at my watch, 5:30, and who really cared!! The final count for the day: 46 redfish, a trout and a Spanish mackerel.

That being said the best part of the day was seeing Joseph and Lane smile every time they set the hook and landed a fish. Even on a 46 redfish day the boys displayed and learned patience, conservation (we only kept 9) and a respect for the outdoors that cannot be experienced anywhere else. I promise, those lessons bleed over into other aspects of their life and that is where you can have a major impact. It is not about the fish. We all know life cannot be measured with a scale or tape measure. So, take a kid fishing, only keep what you can eat, and I’ll see you on the rip.

August 2006

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Fishing Emergency Attention Fishermen, The town of Port Mansfield and the Lower Laguna Madre are facing a very serious problem that may affect you directly as a fisherman and conservationist. The Port Mansfield Channel is on the verge of sanding completely shut. This could have a very large impact on the quality of the sportfishing in the Lower Laguna Madre. No one knows for certain the full environmental impact losing this channel could bring, but everybody agrees it will not be good. Your help is needed to get the attention of our legislators. Please clip the accompanying letter, sign it and mail it to us here at the Chamber. We will present them to the legislators who can put a plan in motion to save this important channel. Please do not wait, clip the letter right now, fill in all the required information and mail it today. Mail to: Port Mansfield Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 75 Port Mansfield, Texas 78598 Detach here

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Field Notes In the Gulf of Mexico,

two hundred miles off the Texas coast, drifts an oasis of life amid a desert of open Ocean. A mat of sargassum holding hundreds of thousands of animals, many specialized to blend in with the plant, has within its intertwined food web, a small, voracious specimen showing little of the potential it has to become a giant. This early version of the grander (>1,000 lb) blue marlin it can become will swim through thousands of miles of ocean in its lifetime. It will also swim through a myriad of political jurisdictions, some with virtually no restrictions on fishing activity for its kind. This tiny player in the ocean ecosystem is one of many young fish in the billfish family Istiophoridae that grow to become apex or top predators. As with their terrestrial counterparts, apex predators are less prolific than the relatively abundant prey species they pursue. The characteristics that make billfishes reproduce at lower rates also cause them to be intolerant of potentially high mortality levels from non-natural sources. For example, bycatch in commercial pelagic longlining activities inadvertently often includes several species of billfish. In fact, the latest stock assessment for this group shows that blue marlin and white marlin are

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

overfished throughout their range in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. This range includes offshore waters of many coastal states and several countries and makes the role of international fishery management extremely important. The governing body that sets the levels of billfish harvest, both directed and incidental, is the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The United States is a member of ICCAT and negotiates with other countries in determining harvest levels. Such negotiations can only be successful if good scientific information is available to support good decision making. The species of billfishes in the Gulf of Mexico (blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish and longbill spearfish) support an exciting sport fishery. Anglers spend an enormous amount of effort, time and money to experience the thrilling fight of one of the largest and most intensely energetic fish in existence. Yet, as popular as these fishes are, there is very little that is known about their life history â&#x20AC;&#x201D; where they reproduce, how many eggs are produced, how many larvae survive to adulthood, if variations of stocks exist within their range, how old they get and how fast they grow. This basic information is needed to allow proper fishery management measures to be made domestically and internationally and to enable sustainability throughout its range. To help answer some of these questions, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is currently conducting research on all billfish species found in the western Gulf of Mexico through a grant from the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission. The project asks for the cooperation and assistance of recreational anglers to collect data in the form of finclips for genetic analysis. In addition, if a fish is retained,

the anglers are asked to allow the collection of additional samples to determine age, growth and reproductive information. If you, as an angler, pursue billfish and would like to participate in the TPWD project, please call: 1)upper coast - Britt Bumgardner at 361-972-5483, 2)middle coast - Page Campbell at 361-729-2328 or 3)lower coast - Randy Blankinship at 956-3504490 for more information. More information on the management of billfish species is available from the National Marine Fisheries Service at http://www. nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/ or 301-713-2347. More research, such as the TPWD project and other projects conducted throughout the range of billfish species, will enable fishery managers both domestically and internationally to improve the health of billfish stocks. In so doing, it will help ensure that voracious baby blue marlin will continue to play their role in the ocean ecosystem and become spectacular top predators.

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Well it wasn’t the FLW Redfish Tour

and there weren’t thousands of dollars on the line, but the recent Specktacular Kayak Tournament was filled with competitors eager to prove their redfish catching prowess. Sal Bautista has been running a first class tournament series in the Galveston area for several years. Kayakers were always welcome to enter the Specktacular tournaments and fish against the power-boaters, but this is the first year he’s added a separate division just for kayakers. As the name suggests, the tournaments have always been centered on speckled trout. When Sal started kicking around the idea of adding kayaks he came to a few of us in the kayak fishing community and asked what format we’d like to have. I was quite pleased when the consensus settled on a two-man format with the heaviest stringer of two slot reds taking the top prize. In my opinion, redfish are the perfect target for the kayaker. They can be found in places that are

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

too muddy to wade and too shallow for most boats. They’re also fond of the farthest reaches of the marsh allowing the paddling angler to duck out of the high winds and still catch fish. And there’s no better way to sneak up on a feeding redfish in eight inches of water than the super quiet kayak. The trash talking and planning started weeks in advance as everyone jockeyed to garner the best partner they could find. Since my normal tournament partner was busy elsewhere, I found myself an upgrade. Just kidding Dean... well, maybe. As with all the tournaments these days, the kayak fishing message boards were full of misinformation on who was catching what and where. All in fun, of course. My new partner for this tourney is a youngster with a serious drive and dedication that is hard to find. The boy studies everything from tides, to the moon phases, to aerial satellite photos, and beyond. And from the looks of his tackle box he isn’t afraid to experiment with lures either. I like his drive and ambition. Jason is a fairly recent convert to saltwater. He comes from the bass fishing side of our sport, but I don’t hold that against him. I think deep down he was just a misguided salty angler all along. I’m not really sure when this happened, but

somewhere along the way I’ve become one of the old guys in the group. I take a look around at these kayaking get-togethers and there seems to be more guys closer to my daughters’ ages than mine. It’s nice to know that there’s another generation coming along behind us guys who are getting a bit grey around the edges. I get tickled at some of these youngsters though. They remind me a little bit of a good Labrador retriever pup. They’re eager as hell, but just need a bit of training and experience. Now before these guys gang up and toss me off the pier at the next gathering, let me explain myself a bit. Have you ever taken a stick and pretended to throw it for your pup while you really just put it behind your back? Nearly every time he’ll run off chasing nothing. You get a good chuckle while he bounces all over the place looking for that stick you “threw”. Now try that with your old hunting dog. Chances are he’ll just sit there and look at you like you’re an idiot for thinking he’d fall for that old trick. Fishing reports and the latest greatest lures are much the same. The young and eager are looking for any tip or advantage and will often go on a wild goose chase at the slightest hint of a hot fishing spot or can’t miss lure. The old salts just sit back and let the pack run by, and then they slip off to their tried and true areas and patterns. I guess I fall somewhere in between. Hard as I try not to, I’ll still catch myself charging off after that damn phantom stick every once in a while. But more often these days I find that if I’ll just look back in my past fishing journals for similar conditions at the given time of year I’ve got a much better shot at figuring out where to chunk my lures. That’s about the only good thing I can say about this growing older thing… experience is the greatest teacher of all. And speaking of so-called “hot spots”, I’m more inclined to look at patterns than specific spots. I know that if the reds in one part of the bay are feeding on grass shrimp up against the flooded saltgrass, then chances are good that if I go to the other side of the bay I can find some more fish doing the exact same thing in the same kinds of areas.

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Most fishermen would do well to think more about the patterns than the exact GPS coordinates of where their buddy caught a limit yesterday. Next time somebody withholds information about where they caught that nice stringer; simply ask them how they caught them. Ask about whether the fish were up in the grass or out on a mud flat. Did they hit topwaters or a DOA shrimp? And best of all, find out if they checked the stomachs while they were cleaning the fish. These queries are much more likely to be answered truthfully than if you ask for that closely guarded “hot spot” and the answers can lead you to your own fish. Back to the tournament. Looking back at the weeks leading up to the tourney, I’m sure Jason was a bit concerned about my apparent lack of interest for our fishing prospects. While he was 52

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

out there pounding the waters, I was tied up with obligations to work and family. It’s not that I wasn’t fishing; I just wasn’t fishing within the boundaries of our tournament. Now there’s nothing wrong with pre-fishing. In fact, I would normally get in at least a couple days during the week leading up to the big day, but it just wasn’t in the cards for this event. I had to rely on Jason and my past experiences. Jason was catching plenty of fish, they just weren’t tournament winners. Tournament results have shown that the heaviest reds are usually the ones that are feeding on baitfish versus shrimp or crabs. We needed heavy fish. The FLW had just left town and the majority of the top finishers had been dredging the deep waters of the jetties. Others had targeted small reefs out in the open bay with great success.

These heavy reds were likely feeding on baitfish. However, given the wind predictions and our little plastic boats, these ideas were out. The next best thing was a small brackish marsh that I’ve known to be full of baby shad this time of year. Looking back nearly a year to the date, I recalled having seen huge schools of these baby shad getting blasted by reds in that marsh. It looked good on paper, but I sure hated to gamble on it without testing the theory. I assured Jason that I had something in mind and I’d give it a try before the tourney. He was going to try out a couple other spots. As usual, Mother Nature stepped in to disrupt the plan with a couple days of thunderstorms. Now we hadn’t been able to verify or eliminate any of our top candidates. At ten o’clock the evening before the tourney we still hadn’t nailed it down. I was almost certain my little marsh would work, but it sure was nerve racking to go ahead and call it. The biggest drawback to kayak fishing in a tournament situation is your lack of mobility. If you pick a dog you’re likely stuck with it. The weather forecast helped to make this spot seem more sensible. The winds weren’t right for one of our options, the fresh water from the heavy rains had wiped out another one, and the threat of late morning thunderstorms further narrowed our options. I could tell Jason wasn’t totally sold on the idea, but we finally decided to throw the dice and see what happened. Accessing the marsh required us to paddle across a short stretch of open waters. The wind wasn’t ripping, but it wasn’t exactly calm either. It was enough to make us glad we weren’t fishing any of our open water areas. Once into the relative calm of the marsh we settled in to start fishing. Within ten casts I had a serious blow-up on my topwater, but the red managed to miss the hooks. It never ceases to amaze me how a fish can take such a violent swing at a lure and not get at least one of the six dangling hooks in him. But let that same lure swing within two feet of me and I’m hooked. August 2006

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

The tide was falling out of the marsh so we moved to a bayou drain and started dropping soft plastics into the current. The fish were there alright, but flounder weren’t on the tournament menu. After several flatties fell victim to the jigs, the current ceased and so did the bite. After a short snack break we noticed that the tide had already reversed and was now starting to flow back in through the bayou. It was time to go deeper into the marsh in search of reds. I still don’t think Jason was sold on this place. Once in the back lakes we each chose a shoreline and went to work. Within a few minutes I found what I was looking for, a huge school of baby shad. They weren’t getting hammered, but they were obviously nervous. The whole school was bunched up tight and swimming right on the surface taking the occasional hit from a couple of terns. When hovering birds don’t put a school of bait down you know there’s something bigger on their minds lurking nearby. A long cast to the outer edge of the baitfish resulted in a huge boil. The topwater disappeared, and I paused waiting to feel the weight. Nothing. Damn, another swing and miss, but the topwater wasn’t floating back to the top either. While taking up the slack I found myself connected to a fish headed straight at me. Apparently she realized it about the same time and the fight was on. Sweet! We went round and round for a couple minutes before I finally got a good look. I went from hoping it was a big one to hoping it wasn’t too big! If this girl wasn’t too big she was going to be the perfect tournament fish. I laid her on the tape and held my breath. Fat, sassy, and a half inch shy of twentyeight. It doesn’t get much better than that. I held her up high for Jason to take a look and prove to him that this old guy’s fishing hole was paying off. Jason had pulled out a couple of undersized fish so things were looking pretty good. Jason was catching fish on one of those new redfish spinner baits that are all the rage on the redfish circuit. That made sense, given the fish were feeding on those shiny silver shad. One more solid fish should put us in the money. After a brief rendezvous to discuss what was working and what wasn’t, we separated again to hit opposite shorelines. I was sticking with my topwater and getting some half-hearted strikes until I found another smaller school of shad at the mouth of a satellite lake. This time the reds weren’t quite keepers. In fact those two rats combined probably weighed less than the big girl on the stringer. 54

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

As I cast to a nearby point, I noticed Jason rounding a corner heading in my direction. From the way he was paddling along towards me I figured he had had enough of this place and was ready to try something else. A couple twitches and the topwater disappeared. I knew it wasn’t as big as the other red, but it was taking drag and definitely felt like a keeper. Jason held up a good distance away and let me get a handle on things. Once she was in the net I had to laugh. Not only was she a keeper, but she had seven spots. There was a separate category in the tourney for the redfish with the most spots. The funny part was that I had sponsored the prize for this category with an Adventure Technologies paddle. I was sitting there wondering what I’d do if I won my own prize when Jason paddled up. I held her up and said, “Looks like we’re in the money and I’ve got to figure out what to do with that paddle.” Jason replied, “Don’t worry about it.” And then he lifted his stringer with a nice eight-spotted, twenty-five inch beauty!!! Too cool. Here it was ten o’clock and we were sitting on close to twelve pounds of redfish. We spent the rest of the morning trying to upgrade, but it just wasn’t happening. Jason landed a couple nice flounder and another slot red that was just shy of the eight-spot. My efforts resulted in one more fish, an oversized red between twentynine and thirty inches. With a long drive back to the weigh in we decided to call it quits early and head in. It would really be a bad thing to have the winning fish and show up a few minutes late. The winds had really picked up and paddle back to the truck was tough, but you couldn’t wipe the smiles off either of us. The moral of this story? Keep a good fishing journal, ask the right questions, and trust those grey hairs. Oh and by the way, not only did we have a great day on the water, we were lucky enough to win the tournament and Jason won the paddle too! For more information on the Specktacular tournaments check out www.specktourney.com.

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Before I get started this month I want to take the time to thank all of you for reading my stuff. The last two columns that I have written for GCC have kept my phone ringing and my email jammed up with questions and comments. I somewhat expected to hear quite a bit (both positive and negative) about the June column on tournaments, thinking I had ruffled a few feathers out there. What I got instead, was about fifty emails and phone calls from individuals who supported my views and agreed that tournament fishing should be regulated and that anglers fishing in the tournaments should be held to a higher standard. Interestingly enough, not one nasty-gram came my way. The second piece (July issue) was about clothing for fishermen. I received queries too numerous to count about the face masks that I commented on and that was pictured. Many anglers wanted to know where they could purchase one of these face masks. The answer is — I get mine from www.burfish. com and the product is called a H.A.D. Other masks marketed by Simms and Mangrove can be found at Fishing Tackle Unlimited in the fly fishing department or can be found at Orvis Houston.

Once again, it is a pretty darn good feeling knowing that many of you are finding what I write helpful and I thank you.

One day, this past month, I was guiding an angler and we decided to mix things up a bit by heading out into the gulf. The gulf was calm and, much to our delight, there were terns working over Spanish mackerel and false albacore everywhere you looked. We set up a drift on the largest group of birds and before long we were hooked up with a screaming Spanish. As the morning progressed, we hooked, landed and lost so many of the mackerel it would be impossible to try to count but we could not get an albie on. The angler made what seemed like a thousand casts, landing the fly right under the birds more times than not, and still no takers. “Try a two-handed retrieve,” I told him while mimicking putting the rod under my arm and stripping the line with two hands. He gave it a try and two casts later was getting his knuckles busted by a nice six pound 58

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

fish. “I picked up that little trick over on the east coast a few years back,” I explained. After landing the fish we started talking about the east coast trip that I had taken and all that I had learned and brought back to Texas with me. This led to a further discussion of my travels and how I believe that the benefits of traveling to fish outweigh the price. There are lots of advantages to traveling to new destinations to fish. The most obvious reason to travel to fish is just for the adventure. We are all guilty of seeing a place on TV or reading about a new fishing lodge in August 2006

some third world country and wanting to get there as soon as possible. Heck, I do not know about you but I can spend hours daydreaming about a giant peacock bass destroying a topwater plug. It is a simple truth — human nature alone dictates that we seek out adventure and the desire runs much deeper in the average angler. Another advantage to traveling is just getting away from the rat race. Most places that anglers want to travel to have no phones, no pagers and no internet. Granted, with the way technology is today, this only the case if you want it to be. Usually, to get away from it all, anglers need to travel out of country to some very remote areas. On my last four or five domestic trips (Florida and East Coast) I had a lap-top in tow and stayed quite a bit more in touch than I cared to be. Of course when I head out the door to go fishing, no matter where I am, I have a box or two full of camera gear and I have work to do, but every now and then I do manage to ‘just say no’ and have some fun. It is a rare occasion, but when it happens, I come back to Texas a very

happy person. I suggest leaving all but the cell phone at home and keeping it turned off unless absolutely necessary. While adventure and relaxation are very beneficial, the most important thing that I bring back from every trip is what I learn about new techniques and tackle. I have got news for all of you — many of us (I used to fall into this category too) believe that we wrote the book on shallow water fishing and that just is not the case (we may have written the book on tearing up the flats with tunnel-hull boats, but not shallow water fishing). Nor is it the case that techniques developed in other regions or

countries will not work here in Texas. For those willing to keep an open mind, a lot can be learned from anglers and guides from other areas. The information that can be picked up here and there is invaluable and you never know when you can apply a technique that you learned elsewhere to save the day here on your home waters. To me, the changes in the tackle I use, the lures and flies that I choose and the way I fish have all changed over the years. I contribute most of these changes to getting away from Texas and experiencing all that the world of fishing has to offer. I believe that these experiences have made me a more versatile and well rounded angler and I believe that it will help you too. So, I suggest this — save your pennies and take a trip. There is so much out there to experience and learn.

For those interested in traveling it is important to do your research. One of the best sources of information on angling destinations is to contact Andy Packmore at Fishing Tackle Unlimited.

Texas boys head to Florida. August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

In many of the summers

past I spent countless hours along the miles of untouched water and wilderness that make up the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. The redfish, ducks, alligators, and all sorts of resident critters that live in this gorgeous place have provided me with many fond memories. I have shared time in my boat with countless friends who had no idea how beautiful this place really was. My son Hunter has grown so attached to the place that he rarely wants to venture away from its wild borders, I can’t say as I blame him because I truly love that place. It is with great sadness that I recently got a reliable assessment on how bad this area has really been affected. I was truly hurt and deeply moved when I got firsthand accounts of the current status of “my marsh.” Since Rita came calling last year some of the absolutely finest water in

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

the world is gone and it may never if ever be the same again, at least while any of us are still around. The Sabine National Wildlife Refuge has been all but irreversibly changed thanks to debris deposited from hurricane Rita. Nearly a year after Rita raked the Gulf coast and turned most all the lives of those who live here upside down we still feel the impact, especially the sportsmen. The Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, which stretches from Sabine to Calcasieu and all points in between, has been reduced to an off-limits wasteland with a future clearly left in doubt. According to a report from the Environment News Service, there are some 1400 barrels of toxic liquid and gases strewn all about the marsh, that’s anywhere from 115,000 to 350,00 gallons of everything from oil to propane among others. Four containers of chlorine gas have been found and there are at least 6 to 10 more containers still out there among the debris. The chlorine gas containers are especially high priority due to the health concerns they pose to anyone who may be exposed. These containers along with propane tanks, furniture, 18-wheeler trucks, fuel tanks, and every other conceivable piece of trash and building material are all part of a 6-mile long pile of debris that has left State and Federal officials wondering “where and how do we start cleaning up this mess.” There is no doubt the clean up will be incredibly expensive and extremely difficult to undertake thanks in part to the remote nature of the area. I spoke with Houston Chronicle outdoor writer Shannon Tompkins about the whole Refuge mess and he had some very interesting observations. Tompkins just spent 3 days with the Sabine Refuge officials flying over the area in a floatplane and occasionally landing in some of the most remote areas of the Refuge. “The amount of debris is staggering,” said Tompkins, “you can’t comprehend it fully until you see it from the air”. According to Tompkins there is a very definite line between the Calcasieu area and the Sabine, the Calcasieu real estate looks dismal to say the least. Due to the safety factors associated with the clean up, the whole Sabine Refuge system has been closed and it’s not known when the Refuge will re-open. For sportsmen in our area it seems like the closing is overkill, the marshes on Sabine look the same as they always have and in some instances they look better. For safety reasons though, the Refuge officials decided to close the entire system until they can verify that the area is safe for use again. Until that time when the Refuge opens again, all we can hope for is that the clean up will be a success and that the impact on the area will be minimal.

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Pretty much a do-over

for the past two months, it is really good up here. June could not have been any better. I only missed 3 days of fishing because of that one stretch of rain we had that flushed out all of the marshes. It has been incredible. Trinity Bay I would have to say that Trinity Bay has been the most consistent in catching your limits everyday and catching some good-sized ones too. All the Trinity Bay area and ship channel are just paying off like clock work everyday, with winds permitting. We have had a lot of calm days. We just got through with about 3 full days of rain which I am sure everyone else on the coast did as well. It is still just as consistent as you want it to be. We are working mid-bay shell reefs, shell reefs along the ship channel, working the slicks, bait lines and tide lines. Just wherever there is good drop off of structure and tidal movement. It is paying off big.

The redfish, all the 22–24 inch class, I call them the cookie cutters, they are just thick as flies over shallow shore line with shell over them in about 1-2 feet of water. There are just hundreds of them in there. If you are able to wade and work the shore line it is paying off big with gold spoons, top waters and soft plastics. As far as the trout action goes they are staying deep. Most of them are in about 4-6 feet of water with some out in 8 feet. The better ones are holding in that 4-6 foot range. I had twenty–three days in the month of June that I was able to limit out. We are fishing with some old school stuff like Kelley Wiggler shrimp tails; Cocahoe Minnows and ¼ oz jig heads. We had several days where we caught 20 trout or better in the 23” class. One day we had 32 fish over 23” with everyone keeping their one fish over 25”. And I think we threw 11 back that were over 25”. They were caught on soft plastics. It is just real good. The water is holding nice with all the rain we had. It is mixing in because the bays are so salty. Water conditions are good and so is the fishing. On a scale of 1-10 I would have to give Trinity a 10. The best part about it is that it is staying consistent. You can get your limits of fish even on a slow day when you have poor tidal movement. You can still catch 25–40 fish. East Bay Same thing is happening over there in East Bay. I have not spent much time over there, but when I do go it is just as good. We have been working all the mid-bay reefs. The water over there is holding but the clarity is not quite as clear or good as Trinity. But it is still fishable. All of the guides are catching pretty easy limits also. Look for July to be the same thing. Something that has been helping us is all these rains and cloud cover days. It is keeping the temperature at 82 degrees. That is staying quite cool for this time of year. Once that water temperature starts reaching the 90-degree mark look for the deeper structure in Trinity Bay and the wells through Sun Lease and Exxon wells in Trinity to start paying off in late July and all of August. Right now you can just pick any area to fish because the fish are everywhere. Both shorelines and all along the reefs down both sides and down through the middle are just holding a lot of fish. We are having a banner year, just like last year. I thought last year was the best summer but I have to change that because this year definitely is. I don’t know what else to say other than its just good fishing. We are starting to see a few tarpon in the Trinity Bay. We jumped on them out in a school of trout. We kept seeing the trout moving quite a bit. We have had a lot of shark and tarpon. We have all kinds of fish in the upper reaches of the bays. But along the beachfront they are starting to catch some tarpon. They are jumping 3-4 a day. This is a heck of a year…..I hope it lasts. It’s too good to be true. We keep getting these rains but it’s not hurting anything. The local run off gets out of here quick. That’s all for now….hope your fishing has been good too!

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Well, June ended with a bang over here in both of our Matagorda Bays and it was awesome! Unfortunately, the initial days of July brought us rain and more rain. Not many fishermen chose to head out in all that mess between the thunderstorms, but the diehards who did muster the courage to go managed to do fairly well. With the magnifying glass set on August I’m still thinking I’ll be spending most of my time in East Matagorda Bay. Given that August is always our hottest month and brings the highest water temperatures, I’ll be concentrating my efforts fishing deeper water, drifting over scattered shell, or wading some of the deeper reefs. On my forays to and fro across East Bay I’ll be running all over looking for jumping shrimp, mullet, and working any slicks we can find. Good areas to check out if you’re thinking about East Matagorda Bay are the north shoreline on the Chinquapin Reefs (if fishable due to south winds), the Lump, Half-moon Reef, reefs back behind Bird Island, Catchall, Oyster Farm, Eidelbach Flats, Cain Cove, all of Three Beacon reefs, Long Reef, Raymond’s Reefs, and Boiler Bayou to name a few. The main things to look for are bait and fish slicks. For those choosing West Matagorda Bay, it’s my guess that all the wells should still be producing. Areas from the Pipeline, Oilfield Cut, Greens, and

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Cottons all the way down to Airport Flats are good areas to check out on the south shoreline. The sharks are still carousing there but from what I hear not so bad as previously. Don’t forsake your stingray protection because I understand they are a nuisance in West Bay right now. I’m in my Ray-Guard boots from Foreverlast Products every day and let me tell you the peace of mind helps me concentrate on my fishing. Keep your eyes peeled on the surf or the various surf cams on the internet because when it gets right you need to be there. It’s worth your wait and a real blast to boot. If you’ve never enjoyed a really good surf day, now is your chance. Bait selections to carry along in my wade box will changing slightly from the lures I’ve mentioned in previous articles. Right now the fish seem to have a sweet tooth for gold. Anything with gold on it should fly. The 7M Mirrolure in the G color and the She Dog in the GCRCH color are good top water choices. Try your Bass Assassins in Roach, Space Guppy, Goldfish, and Bone Diamond. Throw in Bass Assassin’s new Shrimp Cocktail in the “Drunk Monkey” and “Redfish” flavors. These will be my go to baits and if all else fails and things slow down I will definitely pull out the trusty old 1/4 ounce gold spoon and rig it up. It wouldn’t be the first time it saved my bacon with a bunch of big redfish. Remember to do your homework before setting out and check that surf because the weather can sneak up on you real quick out there. Hopefully this information will give you a little insight so that your fishing days are more productive and fun. Have a great summer of fishing and be careful! Until next time, God Bless!

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

July fishing for me was about

as good as you could ask for with most of my days spent in the surf. It didn’t seem to matter if you stayed in the boat throwing bait or wading the guts with topwaters we just couldn’t keep the surf run trout from banging away at whatever we offered. The surf even offered up trophies to a few customers of mine, one being a long time customer, Kris Krause of Blue Bell Creameries. I had talked to Kris a few days before the trip and told him we were on some very good trout in the surf and to make sure he entered the CCA STAR Tournament before getting here. Well to make a long story short, Kris had gotten sick before the trip and was going to send his clients our way without him. At the last minute he made the drive down from Houston to meet the rest of his group of seven guys. We didn’t head straight to the surf because Kris didn’t want us to make the long run down the beach if he was just going to get sick again so we started out the day fishing a sand flat just in from Pass Cavallo, quickly putting 16 trout in the cooler. Then just like someone had flipped a switch, the bite turned off around 9:00 AM. All the early morning action helped Kris forget about his woozy feeling from the night before. I made a quick call to my compadre Ron Elkins to check on the surf conditions knowing if anybody was out there he would be. Ron is probably the best surf fisherman in our area… No, he IS the man when it comes to fishing the surf! After speaking to Ron and getting the green light we headed out to the deeper blue water. When we were passing Elkins’ boat on the way to our location he was frantically waving at us and pointing to the shore meaning stop here and fish! When I slowed down to anchor I noticed Ron and another guy in the boat were hooked up. The other guy landed his fish and then we watched Ron fight his fish from side to side of the boat. I told my guys “it must be a red or a shark; he’s taking too long for it to be a trout.” When Ron netted the fish we could tell it was a huge trout. My guys were tripping over each other trying to get rigged up. They watched as Ron released the speckled beauty back into the green surf waters and started fishing again… I mean catching again. 66

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

The guys in my boat had a little wager going for the largest trout of the day. At this time Kris was in the lead with a speck that measured around 19 inches; however, that was about to change. One of the other Blue Bell boys hooked up with a rather large specimen somewhere around the 25inch range. What made this fish really special was it was his largest trout ever and the first time he had fished the surf. He really loved it! There was a lot of smack talking going on by now. Something like “pay up now” and “I’ll go ahead and take that money!” It didn’t seem like it was 3 minutes later Kris hooked up with a large trout too. The longer he fought her, the more nervous he got, fidgeting with his drag and making all kinds of moves trying to keep his line away from the Power Pole and the massive 250 HP Evinrude motor. Finally the fish gave up and came to the net. It was a very nice fish reaching 27 inches easy. After unhooking the big girl Kris gave me the okay to release her seeing as how he had already caught one that big with me a couple of years ago. Kris, amazed and still shaking, cast back out and was quickly hooked up with another large speckled specimen. He fought this one just as cautiously as the first going this way and that around the Shoalwater. After a few minutes we all got a glimpse of what he was hooked up with. It was an even larger trout than the one he had just released! I could tell Kris was anxious and I reminded him to take his time, we will get her to the boat. After what seemed like eternity to Kris we netted all 28 inches of her. Kris plopped down on the cooler exhausted from the mental strain of worrying about her getting off. I took the fish up to the bow for a quick measurement on the Check It stick… it was over 28 inches! It’s then that I turned to Kris and asked the words he was already thinking. “Did you enter the STAR tournament?” There was a short silence and the look on Kris’s face told me that no answer was needed. I asked him if he even wanted me to weigh her fearing that would only hurt him more since the leader for the middle coast was 8.2lbs. We took a few snap shots for the taxidermist and decided to call it a day. Even though Kris had caught his personal best trout that day and had won the mini-tournament amongst the others, he still could not stop thinking how much sweeter it would have been if only he had entered the STAR tournament! Before wrapping it up I would like to give a big “Thank You” to Ed Wiatt for creating our new tournament shirts for Shoalwater Boats. Ed started in the promotional advertising business in 1997 working for Images Promotional Products and has now formed a company called Limit 3-Texas Outdoor Gear. Columbia Sportswear allowed his company to be the official distributor of their fine products in Port O’Connor and along the Coastal Bend area. The shirts and hats you see at Speedy Stop in POC are an example of his work. He sells both wholesale and retail to businesses, tournaments and individuals and can help you design your own logo. Ed is currently working on a website to attract potential customers and can be reached at 1-888-462-4479 ext. 100. Keep an eye out for www.CoastalGear. com to be launched sometime in the fall — or sooner! Fish hard, fish smart! August 2006

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Three things that come into

play when attempting to catch summertime trout are bait, structure and oxygen level in the water. Our oxygen level in the Laguna Madre varies. In the summer it gets low. The main reason is lack of wind and circulation. Most of our water flow is wind-driven from south to north. The Laguna Madre is a micro tidal system; that means we don’t have a lot of flow from the tide movement. Sometimes I’ll find the mullet with their mouths out of the water sucking for air. It will look like a goldfish pond. If the bait fish can’t breathe, then the trout certainly don’t have enough oxygen to chase and catch the bait fish. During the calm summer I’ll see a lot of this. The opening of Packery Channel has certainly helped. I’m seeing better water circulation from Bird Island Basin north along the King Ranch shoreline. If we have a hard blowing wind the night before, the wave action will improve the oxygen level to the flats. Most of the summer our nights are calm, that’s when structure comes into play. So, I’ll look for a grass drop-off next to a channel or shallow grass beds with deeper water near. Trout like to lie still and hide. Then, with one quick burst, they attack the prey. Rather than spending a long time chasing it down, they are an ambush predator. Trout prefer any kind of structure, uneven bottom, set of rocks, or grass beds. Once they are in the right spot they will move very little. So, it’s important for you to move slowly and quietly. One of the best signs I’m looking for is mullet. The right size is six to ten inches. If they are bunched up it’s better than when they are strung out in lines. Pay attention to which side of the bunch has the most flipping movement. That will be the area to target. A perfect example of these three keys coming into play was a couple of weeks ago. I was fishing with Richard Chapman and his guests. Richard had the winning bid for my donated trip through the

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Heart of the Hills Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association of Texas. The wind had blown hard the night before. We met early and headed south down the Intracoastal Waterway. These guys were all wade fishermen and had their gear ready to go. We started out wading up shallow throwing topwater lures; Top Dog Jr in black and silver. We caught a few trout in the 24” to 27” range and quite a few reds, 24” to 28” in length. At about 1 or 2 o’clock we moved a few miles south. We changed lures to a Bass Assassin, pumpkinseed chartreuse, 4” sea shad, with a 1/16 oz. lead head. I find that big trout will often take a small bait if they’re already full. This late in the day they’ve probably already eaten at least one mullet and ready for a little desert. As I eased toward the shoreline with the trolling motor, I noticed a dip in the shoreline, as we got closer I could see some mullet balled up. They looked to be the right size. So we quietly waded up the shoreline and got in front of the direction that they were moving. As we approached the bottom was getting very uneven; enough to cause us to stumble. So I said, “Let’s just stop here, this uneven bottom is perfect for a big trout to hide.” We stood there for two to three hours and caught four trout, all of them were big. My big fish in the picture was a 30” plus. After the photo it was released. It’s really nice when everything comes together like that. We’re seeing redfish everywhere in the skinny flats. In many cases, where you see the movement of fish, they are not redfish; they are drum with a few reds mixed in. So, try to focus on the tails, make sure you’re looking at reds rather than drum. The first thing I do after spotting the redfish is to move very slowly, they are wary. Look for the orange tail. Never make a sloshing sound. Don’t move until you can tell which way she is facing. Then gently drop the lure in front, try to have a quiet entrance into the water. Don’t wear white clothing. These fish have been chased by white pelicans and white egrets most of their life. Here’s a picture of Sandy Saxe with a multi spotted red fish; one of many multi-spotted reds that I’ve been seeing. I’m excited about the end of summer. I’m looking forward to catching a “Texas Grand Slam.” I made up the rules here, my Grand Slam means catching a trout, a snook and a tarpon in the same day. With the calm wind and clear ocean water it’s possible. I’ll be out there trying. Trout fishing in the summer using lures is the most challenging. With the heat and lack of wind it makes it difficult. In the long run though, it will make you a better fisherman. So, don’t whine, just grind.

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

All remains well down south

in the sparkling waters of the Lower Laguna Madre. The water quality is just about as nice as it gets, the entire system is full of diverse forage, and the excitement level is high with fish crashing all types of lures. Despite those unexplainable days when nothing happens no matter how hard you try; when it happens, it happens big. If history is any indicator, August should even be even better. We’re counting on awesome. As far as fishing this past July, the log will reflect low water levels and big concentrations of gamefish in small holes. Depressions, drop-offs, and deeper sandy potholes produced some of our best catches near mid-day as fish would “pull down” from their grassy morning haunts into deeper holes to escape summer heat. A consistent pattern was waiting until most of the boats left and then slipping back in behind them. We would routinely line four to eight men up and walk together slowly until we “hit.” When we did, we moved even slower, and a low retrieve with tails resulted in several days of world-class red fishing. The bite was often very subtle so good equipment and a sensitive hand did best. The most productive baits were paddle tails, and we’re excited about a 3-incher we’ve been using lately by Brown Lures, especially the one in amber with a chartreuse tail. Floating grass was of course a problem during June but there are ways to work around it. Yes, we curse that dreaded surface obstruction, but that is one reason why we have fish so we must learn to deal with it. Again, a paddle tail works well in this environment. It can be controlled easily within narrow columns of clean water between the floating grass up top and the still growing bottom. Let it sink below the floating stuff, keep it just off of the bottom, and you’re good. Topwaters need to be worked with much

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

more side to side motion as opposed to forward movement, which effectively turns your plug into a rake. Single hooks help and still provide a good hooking ratio, and as a bonus, make for a safer day. What we can look forward to in August are returning water levels. Projected trends by the Division of Nearshore Research on the internet at site address (http://lighthouse.tamucc.edu/ TCOON/HomePage) show a slow but steady increase starting about the second week. This site is a valuable tool for those information hounds among you. Increased water levels will put more pods of tailing redfish on the shorelines and more opportunity to enjoy the sacred pastime of sightcasting on the clear sand. Heavier trout seem to become more common as well, and last year, a big surprise was some large trout tailing with the reds during the last two weeks of August. In fact, we have already seen some of that happening. Just yesterday we were fishing a shallow shelf near the Intracoastal and saw several until an ill-trained boater plowed through both them and us. Some of the fish appeared quite large, and if it’s any indication, Capt. Mike McBride did release a trout that I dare say strapped thirty-two inches a bit later off of the next level drop. Look for more of this as we move towards September. Afternoons in August can be testy for those who like to avoid thunderstorms in boats. Those cool, clear mornings can turn angry in a hurry so watch the horizon carefully. Thunder far aloft in the sky can spawn thunder and lightning at lower altitudes very quickly. We can expect to see more explosive topwater action this month. Trout seem to get very angry towards the latter part of the month and we will start throwing more of the larger baits. Do not, however, discount the adrenaline rush some of the bigger reds offer in shallow water. They can and will crash any surface bait as hard as any animal out there. As we move through the month we will see larger groups of reds marauding the flats and competing for food. It will not be uncommon to see several fighting over a topwater and displace enough water to get anyone with a pulse excited. Despite the standard early wades, a mid afternoon drift with good sun can reveal large pods of these brutes swimming just below the surface. Some will be seen from quite a distance by the amount of water they push, and if approached gently, we can enjoy action with them for quite some time. Unfortunately, some boats have a bad habit of crashing into these fish like torpedoes and scattering them, which ruins it for everybody else not to mention harassing the school. Let’s all try to respect these fish and enjoy what they have to offer in their natural swimming mode… not fleeing for their life. In short, it’s all good and it all looks like it will only get better. All of the right elements are in place for a great end of summer, so we’re looking forward to seeing some of y’all here. Enjoy your time on the water and leave a few for the next guy. August can indeed be awesome! August 2006

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

I recently had the honor

and wonderful opportunity to fish with Mr. Marvin Peyton, one of the earliest

pioneers of shallow water fishing in our area. I went through my typical routine of getting ready for a fishing trip that morning as I have done hundreds of times, but this time I was so eager and excited that I walked out of the bathroom in my underwear thinking I was ready to go. I soon realized that I had forgotten to get dressed. I chuckled at myself and dressed faster than a fashion runway model. This is a story long overdue about a man that led the way for many of us. Mr. Peyton is one of the early thinkers and front-runners in designing a shallow water boat called the Peyton Scooter that is well-known for its shallow water capabilities. Mr. Peyton, as he is known to many fishermen in the Arroyo area, currently resides in San Benito, TX and is 88 years old and still going strong. His passion for fishing is still burning like that of a teenage boy. He’s in great shape and his eyesight is that of an eagle; just ask all the redfish he’s caught by sightcast over the years. He began fishing the Lower Laguna Madre back in 1953 with his first boat, a flat bottom Yellow Jacket, powered by a 6-hp wizard purchased at Montgomery Wards. Soon after the Yellow Jacket, and with the financial support of a former boss, Mr. Peyton built his

tunnel design and near weightless hulls are the main components that enable his scooters to jump on plane in four to five inches of water with no problems. Historically, none of his scooters have been built with steering; to turn the scooter you must lean in the direction you desire to go. Their stability is hard to beat for a scooter type design. He recently allowed Cougar Marine out of San Benito to begin building them again, but this time they will have modifications to meet his exact manufacturing standards. One of those modifications will be a steering wheel, no more leaning to the left or right. His tunnel design and ultra light hull made it possible to venture into places people only dreamt of going back in the late 50’s and early 60’s. One of those places is what we all know and recognize on most local area fishing maps as “Peyton’s Bay.” The story goes back to the early 60’s when Mr. Peyton used to fish commercially in the lagoon behind his cabin. People would drive by and ask, “Who’s that back there?” The response would be, “Oh, that’s Mr. Peyton.” He was the only one that could get back there with his shallow running scooter. After many years of observing this man back there, the bay became known as Peyton’s Bay to all the locals. Today, it is still called Peyton’s Bay. It is a sanctuary to many fish and sea creatures as well as home to many schools of redfish throughout the year.

first scooter in 1954. It was built out of Styrofoam and special glue that dried like fiberglass. The scooter was 9 feet long, 51 inches wide, and weighed only 90 pounds with no center console. That project soon led to other designs and the building of a few scooters. Since 1967, he has built fourteen Peyton Scooters in total, and they are out there running today. From experience in being on several of his scooters, I can honestly say that his scooters are unmatched when it comes to shallow water performance. His original 72

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Not only is Mr. Peyton a good fisherman with many past accomplishments in winning tournaments from Port Mansfield to Arroyo City, but he is also an inventor of many gadgets that make fishing more convenient for him. His present scooter has more gadgets than a James Bond government-issued sports car. He does his sightcasting from a seven foot homemade tower that has two buttons located on each side near the foot platform. These buttons move his jack plate As we got to our desired spot and climbed up on his seven foot tower, we had some great conversations and many opportunities to sightcast at redfish. Mr. Peyton mentioned that Peyton’s Bay used to be the home of many big sow trout, but he believes the fishing pressure and the silting in of the lagoon both caused the decline of the population of sow trout in the area. Two points he mentioned about this area that I found very interesting were that it used to be deeper than its present state, and it had a sandy bottom with little or no vegetation present. He also mentioned that redfish were abundant and easy to catch. While both of us were on the tower drifting, I was taken by absolute surprise. I have to be honest and say I didn’t expect Mr. Peyton’s eyesight to be as good as it is. He could see those redfish at a far away distance, I would like to think that I have good vision when it comes to sightcasting, but this 88 year old man took me to school and ate my lunch. Before I could get a cast, his line was already in the water. You could say he caught all the fish that day. After fishing with Mr. Peyton I have much more respect in his sightcasting abilities and rate him with the best of the best, including his son Danny.

August 2006

up or down, so that when he catches a fish and wants to stop the boat from drifting it causes the skeg to hit bottom. On the tower near the hand rail he has a string that causes the anchor to drop in the water without ever coming down from the tower. Located on the back of his outboard is a stainless steel rudder that can be maneuvered to control the direction of his drift from the top of his tower. Also included is a trolling motor to chase down those redfish. His storage box is kept clean and well organized. He has clothes pins to hold his drink koozies and small pouches for a cell phone or other electronic devices. You could say Mr. Peyton has thought of just about everything. As our trip was coming to a conclusion, I had nothing but admiration for a man that paved the way for us. What a privilege it was for me to spend a day with someone with such knowledge of the bay. I not only gained a bit of history and a better understanding of our waters, but most importantly, I feel I have gained a fishing friend for life. Let us not forget the legacy that men like Mr. Peyton have built for us. Mr. Peyton, may God grant you many more years to pursue your passion of sightcasting to fish. Thanks for taking your time in sharing your legacy. You are a truly a South Texas fishing legend in my eyes.

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Serves: 8 Ingredients 1 cup chili sauce 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice 1 ½ tsps. white horseradish, creamy style ¼ tsp. hot red pepper sauce 2 lbs. large cooked and peeled shrimp Preparation Time: 15 minutes Serves: 8-10 Ingredients 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 can chipotle chilies in adobo 1 can of water – use can from chipotle chilies 1 large garlic clove ½ cup cilantro 1 lime juice only 1 ½ teaspoons salt 1 stick unsalted butter ¼ cup dry red wine 2 lb medium shrimp (peeled) Instructions Chop in food processor: Worcestershire sauce, chipotle chilies, water, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in wine, and add mixture from processor. Remove from heat. Toss shrimp in sauce and place on baking dish. Bake until shrimp are just cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

Instructions Combine all ingredients, except shrimp, in a bowl. Mix until well blended. Serve with shrimp.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients 1 lb shrimp 2 tbls butter 1 pkg dry Italian salad dressing 1 8-oz pkg vermicelli noodles Instructions Cook noodles according to directions. In skillet melt butter, add dry salad dressing & shrimp, sauté until shrimp are pink, add noodles stir and serve.

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006

Gulf Coast Connections Texas Saltwater Fishing

August 2006