December 2012

Sp

ecial edition

WINTER SHARKING

ON PINS

Eric Ozolins on When and How.

ARE YOU READY? Trophy trout season is here!

Only $3.95 www.tsfmag.com December 2012

TIDE PREDICTIONS & SOLUNAR FEED TIMES INSIDE!

WE LIVE HUNTING AND FISHING W W W. F O R E V E R L A S T. C O M

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DECEMBER 2012 VOL 22 NO 8

ABOUT THE COVER Eric “Oz” Ozolins is our cover angler, posing with a beautiful wintertime sandbar shark he tagged and released on Padre Island National Seashore.

Legend holds that sharks live far offshore in winter. Oz says that while this is partly true, you can catch certain species if you understand conditions that produce and adapt accordingly.

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918

CONTENTS FEATURES 08 Economics of Fishing 14 Soaring Forward, Looking Back 20 Karma 24 A Mile in My Shoes 28 Bass vs Trout, Which is Best?

34 Reel Common Sense

Mike McBride Kevin Cochran Billy Sandifer Chuck Uzzle Joe Doggett Joe Richard

34

DEPARTMENTS 33 33 38 39 48 52 54 56 58 60 64 68 98

48

Science & the Sea UT Marine Science Institute Boat Maintenance Tips Chris Mapp Let’s Ask The Pro Jay Watkins Holiday Gift Guide Shallow Water Fishing Scott Null TPWD Field Notes Sara Douga Fly Fishing Scott Sommerlatte Youth Fishing Marcos Garza Texas Nearshore & Offshore Mike Jennings Kayak Fishing Chronicles Cade Simpson Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

Eric Ozolins Fishy Facts Stephanie Boyd Humor Wade Owens

WHAT OUR GUIDES Dickie Colburn Mickey Eastman Bink Grimes Gary Gray David Rowsey Capt. Tricia Ernest Cisneros

78

REGULARS

94

4 | December 2012

06 72 88 92 94

REGIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Patti Elkins Patti@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Donna Boyd Donna@tsfmag.com CIRCULATION SUBSCRIPTION – PRODUCT SALES Linda Curry Cir@tsfmag.com ADDRESS CHANGED? Email Store@tsfmag.com DESIGN & LAYOUT Stephanie Boyd stephanie@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly.

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HAVE TO SAY

74 Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene 76 Mickey on Galveston 78 The View from Matagorda 80 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays 82 Hooked up with Rowsey 84 Capt. Tricia’s Port Mansfield Report 86 South Padre Fishing Scene

NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net

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

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

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EDITORIAL PRETTY DARNED GOOD IN TEXAS! No two ways about it, 2012 has been a good year along the Texas coast. Thank the Lord we had no hurricanes. Our state’s economy is way ahead of the national average and coastal anglers are taking advantage. Coastal businesses are thriving. Texans should count their blessings.

Fishing will always have ups and downs and the weather doesn’t always cooperate, overall though, I think we had a pretty decent year.

The guys up at Sabine and Galveston Bays had a banner year with all the big-three fighting for the spotlight – trout, reds and flounder. Trout fishing on the middle coast improved over what we saw in the several years previous, our reds were steady and our flounder are plentiful and bigger by the season. I have no clue why the lower coast went into a slump during summer and mine isn’t the only head that got scratched bald trying to understand it. Coastal Fisheries says the fish are still there and November fishing reports are much improved. Theories for the sudden lull included too windy, too hot for too long, too much boat traffic, and some I cannot repeat. Whatever happened; I’m willing to bet the lower coast will have a jam-up year in 2013 with lots of big trout and plenty reds and flounder.

Practicing good conservation is the best basic plan for future success, but another primary key to our continued good coastal fishing is obviously the long-term weather patterns. Freshwater inflow is almost never a problem on the upper coast, except when too much.

The middle coast trout picture is still a little out of focus, due in part to

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the effect of prolonged drought. No doubt our 2013 success would be enhanced with a couple flushes between now and early spring. The inconvenience of “freshed out bays” lasts but a few weeks whereas a good flush works its magic for a year or more. During summer we worry sick over tropical storms; in winter we want it cold enough to kickoff the seasonal patterns but no deep freezes, please.

Even though highly influenced by weather; good fishing and all that goes into creating it, will never come as an accident. Our coast teems with fish because our fisheries are well managed. I get to fish in other Gulf states as well as a few places along the Atlantic coast. Nowhere do I see coastal economies thriving like ours and nowhere do I catch as many fish as in Texas.

I think we owe this to the excellent conservation efforts of CCA Texas and the management effort contributed by TPWD Coastal Fisheries.

Florida beats out Texas by a nose in recreational saltwater participation, but their miles of tidal coastline is 2.5 times greater than ours. So you’d think their inshore fisheries would be under less pressure and therefore offering consistently better fishing. Well, if it’s over there I haven’t found it, and it makes me think it’s all about the management plan.

Texans are blessed to have such great coastal fishing and we all need to do our part to make sure our kids and grandkids can say the same.

Your personal conservation effort will guarantee that it happens.

Merry Christmas – Let’s Go Fishing!

This is what I call making rod-n-reel sense of it all.

8 | December 2012

STORY BY MIKE MCBRIDE

Wow, how frustrating is this?

And unfortunately, how often does it seem to happen?

We finally get lucky on our precious fishing day and manage to hit the weather absolutely postcard perfect.

However, for some strange and cursing reason, we might as well be casting into the Dead Sea as we can’t seem to buy a bite no matter what we do.

It happens. It happens a lot, but reality says some of those “no bite” scenarios may not be so strange after all, especially once we understand a little concept in nature called “metabolic cost.”

Despite our human perception of what “awesome conditions” might be, nature might be thinking a bit differently.

Let’s look at perhaps why, and then perhaps at a few things we might want to do about it.

Granted, when the wind farms stand still along the coast it can indeed be an epic weather day – for golf anyway!

Favorable feeding conditions for fish don’t always align with favorable conditions on the tee box. A very basic survival rule in nature, which we termed “metabolic cost” is quite demanding and scientifically is very complex. In short, fish must balance the metabolic cost of hunting for prey against the metabolic gain of catching that prey. Reality says life is tough out there and predators don’t always catch their target. It costs precious energy when they try but don’t succeed, so as a result they use life strategies that conserve energy. All of nature tries to “economize” so just like we lazy humans; it’s that old least effort-maximum result principal. Basically, fish tend to actively feed only during conditions where they are more likely to be successful. Those great weather days often don’t encourage highly active feeds.

Once we fishermen understand more about favorable feeding conditions, we can also economize our own efforts for better results. To help make rod and reel sense of it all, let’s simply look at the economic relationship between speckled trout and one of their major food sources – mullet.

Comparing the two; let’s consider a tale of two tails. The shape of a fish’s tail reveals much about how it earns its right to survive. Each shape has its own advantage. A mullet’s tail for example, being forked, is built for speed, but not burst speed. It can sustain high speeds for much longer periods but is slower on the takeoff than other species.

Metaphorically, a mullet will usually kick a trout’s tail under our perceived awesome conditions.

On the other hand, that trout’s wide tail is specifically designed for explosive acceleration, so it looks for opportunity to overcome mullet with short accurate blasts of energy rather than having to run them down.

TSFMAG.com | 9

Just because an area might hold good fish doesn’t mean we will catch them when we want to; we often have to wait for everything to “develop.”

So what makes for that good opportunity? To be simplistic, it makes sense that clear, well-lit, calm, awesome day waters favor prey and, likewise, murky water favors predators. Let’s consider some of the obvious.

Strong current flow is an obvious advantage to trout, given their power to blast a mullet before it can reach escape speed in moving water. However, it also costs energy to maintain position in current.

So, little breaks and other deviations that cause a reduction in current velocity become low-cost areas to pounce from.

Sweet spots within sweet spots are what we are looking for. Reading the water for those highest percentage areas is Fishing 101. And with some understanding, casting to the most likely areas is critical for successful fishing. We don’t always have those opportunities on Chamber of Commerce days.

About reading the water; few areas require more interpretation than on large and seemingly featureless flats. As mentioned, good clarity (visibility) usually favors prey, so predators look for some sort of cover to blast from. Cover can be many things, so we’re looking for those specific little veins of opportunity. Color changes, depth changes even though small, rafts of bait, current lines, etc. It might be called graphic profiling.

Color changes make “Duh” sense as they are usually associated with wind or tide-driven water and reduced visibility. That’s often why we catch better fish after the wind or astronomical tide flow picks up creating a better feeding environment.

If we already know fish are there, we often have to just wait for areas to develop. The gentleman 10 | December 2012

fisherman who goes in early often goes in short.

Now, speaking of wind, one common myth says that it will blow bait to windward shorelines. Yes, another favorable feeding area is where large concentrations of bait are holding, and yes, windward areas often hold a lot. However, that is simply because plankton and other microorganisms are blown there, and then the rest of food chain simply follows. Wind doesn’t push bait there…it pulls it! However, just because an area might hold good numbers of both predator and prey doesn’t mean we will catch them when we want to. Again, we often have to wait

Despite human perceptions of what “awesome conditions” are, nature might be thinking a bit differently.

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Also interesting to me, after baffled for all of these years, is that according to studies, those “dink” juvenile trout have different metabolic rates so they are usually more active. That may explain why we often only catch those while we are waiting for the big bite. So, in looking for mature fish, we either find the best opportunities for the moment, some of which we have already discussed, or adjust to the laid-down, inactive stuff.

Those who catch more fish consistently have taken the time to learn to be versatile and adapt to changes in fish behavior. There is something elemental, even primordial, about fishing that draws us into nature’s realm; opportunities to understand the workings of nature with awe, adventure, and fascination to go with it.

It’s not the meat. Rather, it’s the meat of the matter. So next time on that great weather day, you can either go golfing or go catching. Keep working at it. Soon, the ability to see the best opportunities will become sixth sense!

MIKE MCBRIDE

CONTACT

for areas to fully develop, and it might take a tide drop or increased chop or turbidity to encourage that topwater explosion.

The bottom line to remember in all of this is that we need to concentrate our efforts where fish will concentrate theirs, but what about those great weather days where obvious areas don’t really exist?

A basic, common sense answer might lie with us not fishing where we are supposed to be during those times.

The obvious economic reality is that fish mostly wait in an inactive status until feeding chances become good for them. Believe it or not, digestion is one of the highest costs of energy, so if they have already fed hard it may be a while before they become interested again. In the meantime, they tend to lie up in several types of areas depending on the situation. Inactive fish frequently rest in classic areas; heavy cover, safe zones avoiding their own predators, comfort areas such as lower or higher in the thermocline, deeper structure but still near the refrigerator, or perhaps depressions and dumps associated with level changes. Although usually inactive, these fish can still be well caught if we understand the strike zone has gone from three feet to three inches, especially if there is a bunch of them and they will feed competitively.

It usually takes a fisherman to catch them however, as we often have to get right in their face to force a reaction.

Like throwing tails do you? Think again about those great weather days! Are we really where we are supposed to be – when we’re supposed to be there, and doing what we need to do?

So what does all of this really mean to us standing behind a frustrated rod and reel? On any given day we just need to interpret the conditions presented to us (and them) then adjust accordingly – especially for those larger fish we all want.

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

SKINNY WATER ADVENTURES Phone Email Web

956-746-6041 McTrout@Granderiver.net Skinnywateradventures.com/ Three_MudSkateers.wmv

In December, fishing through the gloaming and into the night is often the best way to up the odds of catching big speckled trout.

14 | December 2012

STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

The pathway to

angling excellence has no end.

As with all aspects of life, fishing success is measured in the quality of the journey, not through reaching a destination. Process is more important than product.

In order to move forward along the road, an angler must continually develop new skills and refine old concepts. The best fishermen are committed to growth at all times, always searching for new ideas and methods. They also know not to “throw out the baby with the bath water” so they don’t mindlessly try every trick or lure which becomes popular.

No one has enough time to do so, given the copious amounts of information, technology and equipment available today. For me, the evolutionary process involves thoughtful experimentation with new equipment and techniques, coupled with the periodic and systematic evaluation of recent observations, results and trends in my fishing experience.

Often, as a calendar year winds toward its inevitable end, I pause to reflect on the things I’ve seen and done during recent months.

This year is no different; I’m compelled to list some of the significant

lessons I learned and relearned out on the water, while earning a living and living the dream. Some of these lessons are relevant in specific situations; others carry more of a general significance.

Among the most important things I’ll take away from my efforts in 2012 is the need to be thorough in examining all parts of the waterways in which I fish. It’s maddeningly easy to get caught up in a “milk run”, returning to the same few spots regularly, whizzing past other potentially prime places repeatedly.

I experienced two productive runs of fishing this year in places I’d previously ignored. In one case, the catching was done along a stretch of shoreline I’d often thought looked good, but which had never produced well for me in the few times I tried it. This year, I made a determined effort to spend enough time to test the area thoroughly, and was well-rewarded for my persistence.

The other case involved fishing several isolated, rocky humps surrounded by deep water close to a pathway I often use when running from place to place. Despite the obviously positive attributes of these structures, I had not stopped to fish them in over a decade.

Once I brought the boat off plane, recognized the beauty of their subtleties, planted my feet and started casting, the catching came TSFMAG.com | 15

Sidney Shetley caught several memorable trout and flounder along a stretch of shoreline where Captain Kev discovered a new level of success in 2012.

early and easy. And it lasted for months!

The lesson gleaned from these events relates to the need to avoid “tunnel vision” when selecting spots to fish. Any angler who seriously wants to improve should study all resources related to the waterways carefully and completely, always on the lookout for new, productive places, particularly in stretches of water normally traversed at high speeds.

Similarly, anglers should constantly evaluate their plans for lure choice and presentation. People who fish regularly have an advantage over “weekend warriors” when it comes to picking the right lure for the moment. Often, we know what the fish were biting yesterday, so we’re better able to correctly determine a starting point in the search for the right lure.

Anglers who fish less frequently usually don’t have such awareness, so they must rely on sound sets of principles when formulating plans for lure choice and presentation. The plans should be followed sensibly and methodically, to avoid the tendency to “throw everything in the box at ‘em”. Nevertheless, new things should be added into the mix occasionally.

I discovered the effectiveness of sharply bending the tail down on the sinking version of Paul Brown’s Original Lures this year. Especially when winds are strong and the water clarity off, modifying an Original Corky this way helps the plug stay down in the water, rather than ride right up to the surface. The sharp turn in the body of the plug makes it impossible to “walk the dog”, but that’s okay. Using sharp, rhythmic twitches of the rodtip, it’s possible to make the Corky shake and spin forcefully, activating its rattle enticingly.

At this point, I really don’t care why bending the tail on the lure works so well in sloppy conditions; I just know it works! On several occasions during this past winter and spring, the adjustment significantly altered the number of bites we were getting, and resulted in the catch of some big fish too. In fact, I caught my 16 | December 2012

heaviest trout of the year on a strawberry/white Corky, with the tail bent to about a 75° angle.

Another lesson related to windy conditions revealed itself clearly; when fishing soft plastics, jighead size should be adjusted to match the conditions. Windier conditions (and stronger currents) dictate the need for heavier heads. Keeping the lure close to the bottom isn't possible with light jigheads when wind speeds ramp up over 15 knots.

Matching jighead size to wind speed is most critical when the fishing is done from the boat, but even when wading, ultra-light heads are sometimes useless in strong winds. Conversely, the same jigheads (sixteenth and eighth-ounce) produce much better when winds are calmer, especially if water temperatures are low.

Generally, I like to throw sixteenth-ounce heads when wading, but I sometimes move up to eighth-ounce or heavier ones when it's windy.

When fishing out of the boat, heavier heads are preferred in general, up to quarter-ounce and more when winds are really cranking.

During this past year, I was also reminded of another good way to cope with windy conditions and keep catching. During the hot months, when bright, blustery weather occurs most every day, a MirrOprop is a stupendously productive plug. For some reason, the slushing sounds and splashes generated by the flashing, rotating blades drive fish crazy when it's balmy, bright and breezy.

Most lure chunkers would rather catch fish on top than any other way. I catch plenty of trout on Super Spook Juniors on calm summer mornings, but I now believe MirrOprops generate more blow ups when hot winds are whistling, big waves are rolling, and sunlight is glinting off their whirring metal blades.

I created a short video documenting the sounds and appearance of these productive little slush baits, then posted the movie on a website I created and maintain at www.CaptainKevBlogs.com. Learning the basics of website design and maintenance was another of the important steps I took in my fishing journey this year. With the help

of Robert Richardson, who maintains my original website, I became proficient enough with the software to get the site up and running, and am now adding to it regularly. Blogging and adding videos and other content to the site aids in my quest to improve as an angler.

In essence, the need to maintain this evolving portion of the world wide web pushes me to generate new ideas and reflect on existing ones. The pursuit of angling excellence happens mostly on the water; it's also partly done in "the lab", which for me is my office, where I study, write, edit and create. I've long maintained my writing career has enhanced my fishing career, and vice versa. The existence of CaptainKevBlogs.com increases the complexity of the synergy between the two pursuits.

Visitors to the new website will likely discover another important aspect of my evolution in 2012. I developed a growing interest in birds during the last few months, mostly because I set out to document many of the best birding sites in the Corpus Christi area in 18 | December 2012

KEVIN COCHRAN CONTACT

Throughout the hot months, the author and his clients caught solid trout like this one around some rocky humps the captain had previously ignored, despite passing close to them numerous times.

a DVD. Working on the movie forced me to learn as much as I could about the avian species which appear on the screen.

A Guide To Birding Sites In And Around Corpus Christi Texas can be purchased by visiting the blogs page on CaptainKevBlogs.com, then clicking on the title. I hope the DVD encourages people to go birdwatching; I’ve found the activity to be refreshing and enlightening.

I wouldn’t describe myself as a “birder” yet, but the roots of a birding obsession have clearly been set.

Living as I do in a place known as The Birdiest City in North America, I’ve come to better appreciate the beauty of the many feathered creatures with whom I share a home. I can now identify a tall, white wading bird as a great egret, snowy egret or white-phase reddish egret, sometimes simply by watching the hunter’s gait. I recognize the shrill cry of the kiskadee and muse the mystery behind the green jay’s blue mask. Truly, I’m blessed with greater awareness of these colorful and fascinating sentinels, who enhance my appreciation of nature’s ancient cycles.

As I type these words, on the cusp of my 49th winter, I feel a kind of kinship with a migrating raptor.

Soaring effortlessly on high thermals, just beneath a layer of cumulus clouds, he glides south to escape the coming cold, in search of new places where he might make a living.

Mostly, he relies on well-proven tricks and tactics, but he’s capable of evolving in response to new challenges. Long years have dulled his eyes, but his talons remain sharp as ever, almost as keen as his predatory mind.

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

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

TROUT TRACKER GUIDE SERVICE Phone Email Web

361-688-3714 kevxlr8@mygrande.net www.FishBaffinBay.com www.captainkevblogs.com

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STORY BY BILLY SANDIFER

P d on nde a r t s hin Rare Clymene dolp

20 | December 2012

be INS

ach.

the phone rang

and as I looked at the caller ID I smiled when I saw it was Ms. Wanda Wilson.

I haven’t taken her fishing yet because the results of fishing lately have been poor catching. I figured she had the fever for a beach trip as bad as I did. On recent “fence riding” trips, I haven’t bothered to fish at all, that’s how slow it has been. This weekend’s arctic blast they keep talking about may actually come to pass and could finally kickoff our fine fall fishing about a month and a half behind schedule.

As I answered the phone, Ms. Wanda says, “Billy, I want you to come over and get this silver truck.”

I said, “OK Ms. Wanda, does it need repairs or do you want me to put it up for sale for you or what?”

I was stunned when she replied, “No, there’s nothing wrong with the truck and I don’t want or need to sell it. God keeps telling me to give it to you and I know beyond any doubt that Cliff would have wanted me to give it to you.”

An eerie silence followed as I was so shocked. For once in my life I had nothing to say. Then I told her she should sell the truck but she firmly insisted she wanted to give it to me. I told her that although God had told her to give me the truck he had not mentioned to me that I should take it, and then asked that she give me a few days to think about it and ask God if he wanted me to accept the truck. We agreed, and after four days I called her and said, “God wanted to know how Mr. Cliff was ever going to get down the beach if I didn’t take him in that silver truck.”

Next day, Jeff Wolda, the new guide on PINS, chauffeured

me down to Bishop and we picked up the truck.

Clean as a whistle; the 2003 Dodge Ram four wheel drive with 40,015 miles on it is any outdoorsman’s dream come true. And being that Mr. Cliff Wilson was the oldest and most consistent beach fisherman, the truck comes complete with a couple of “back in the day” add-ons that are absolutely to-diefor and unseen on today’s so-called state of the art vehicles.

A chuck wagon style kitchen cabinet that attaches to the side of the camper and a full-sized table that mounts into the rear receiver hitch. WHAT A HOOT! Although I will take this truck down the beach from time to time, my old blue Suburban will continue usage as my “riding fence” vehicle as it remains in good condition for the job. I can see the silver truck going on lots of walkabout for years to come.

Riding fence on PINS has been anything but boring or non-productive. We have discovered and reported to proper authorities an oil spill and an oiled bird, kept logs on the fall bird migrations, found and reported an illegal gill net containing a 6-foot shark to National Marine Fisheries Enforcement Agents, and rescued a stranded Clymene dolphin.

Jeff Wolda and David Sikes and I found it and reported it and stayed with it till others arrived.

For some reason NPS seems to be unimpressed with our efforts but by God I’m impressed with them and so are a lot of other good folks. A lot of good and recorded data is resulting from this program and I can see a very real and serious need for it. One great thing about this data is that it will be available

TSFMAG.com | 21

Shark of approximate 6.0 feet length, dead in gill net that washed ashore on PINS.

to any and all who might have use of it instead of inaccessible in some dusty archives somewhere.

We have not yet got the website finalized but it’s a work in progress and when completed data will be available.

Jeff Wolda seems to be doing well at his new position as the guide on PINS. They had their first jack crevalle on a fly this week.

Jeff has been regularly assisting in riding fence when he is not chartered. His contact number is 361-215-8400 and his web site is PI-Adventures.com.

The 2013 Big Shell Beach Cleanup is scheduled for Saturday 23 February and the Bassler Cleanup at Port Mansfield is scheduled for 16 PINS guide Jeff Wolda with Jeff Smith of Georgia – 23lb. jack crevalle sightcast on fly – CPR.

22 | December 2012

March 2013. For info concerning this cleanup call Katie Bassler at 979535-4593 or e-mail her at www.basslerenergyservices.com.

I want to share something with you that has been seared into my brain for almost half a century. It is the words of an old song by Lorne Greene, as I recall, that I learned while working as a cowboy in Montana in 1965.

“One day as I rode on the desert Dust clouds were whirling around As I stop to survey all the beauty that’s here A shadow sweeps out o’er the ground It’s an eagle while casting his splendor And he calls to his friends on the hill Stay close together and move not a feather Man walks among us. Be still. Be still.

Man walks among us. Be still.

Everything hides but I see them I’ve spotted an ol’ mother quail As I look close I see Looking right back at me The eyes of a young cottontail I see the coyote slinking in the brush And along the glade of the hill And the eagle screams down Stay close to the ground Man walks among us be still Man walks among us be still Twenty feet high in the side of a cactus I see the hole where the butcher bird stays If mortals could choose and if heaven should ask us Here is where I’d want to spend all of my days Soon all will be gone on the desert Cities will cover each hill Today will just be a fond memory Man walks among us be still, be still Man walks among us be still.”

Billy and Ms. Wanda with the “Silver Dodge.”

Red-tailed Hawk -Bueteo jamaicensisMost common large hawk in our area. Broad-winged and wide-tailed. There are various races and each looks slightly different. Typically white underneath with a series of short brown streaks that stand out. Upper part brown with a light colored V-pattern across the back when perched. Gets its name from prominent red tail feathers that are often very noticeable perched and in flight. Mature females average 25% larger than males.

Although it saddens me deeply, I know there will be some reading these words and wondering where I’m going with this, what has this got to do with fishing. But I ask; have you looked at your surroundings lately? Have you noticed any change in the climate? Have you noticed any change in the fisheries? Do you know and have you wondered why restaurants in San Antonio will not buy black drum from Baffin Bay because of their poor quality?

Well, you better take notice. We all better notice. Academics talk about being careful as to the footprint that we leave on planet Earth. Careful hell, our footprint is in miles of concrete and asphalt, wind turbines standing high and cutting anything that crosses their path in half, dammed and polluted rivers, and estuaries starved for freshwater inflow.

Think I’ll go to the ranch and talk to a cactus and listen to the sound of the coyote and the owl.

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

Contact

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

Phone 361-937-8446 Website www.billysandifer.com

Phto by Jimmy Jackson Weight-1.5 to 3.5 pounds Length-18 to 26 inches Wingspan-43 to 57 inches

TSFMAG.com | 23

Chuck and Leslie Uzzle showing off their boots!

24 | December 2012

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

Perhaps one of the

things i am most proud

of with my association to Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is the fact we have an editor who routinely pays “thanks” to the men and women of our military. During the month of November when we routinely look back at the things we are thankful for and start to try and count our blessings, we should certainly not forget the military personnel who protect our freedom. Often times we take things for granted, to be able to come Andy Dellgalado with an 11-pound Sabine Lake brute. and go as we please and do things people in other countries can only dream of.

A few months ago I walked in the living room at my house and found my wife reading Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell.

Many of you have read the book or heard the stories about Luttrell and his Seal Team and their tragic mission in Afghanistan, a very humbling account of how dedicated these soldiers are. When I asked my wife why she would read a book like that she told me she had run across a website called www.bootcampaign.com and was inspired to read the book. A group of women from Texas were so moved by the book that they decided to start a program to help service men and women when they returned home from military duty. Their program consists of selling combat boots to the public and using the proceeds to help fund various programs for these soldiers when they get back to

the States. The story of how the program got started and how it has spread is simply amazing and well worth checking out.

One of the really neat features on the website is a photo gallery of people including actors, politicians, sports celebrities, and everyday common folks wearing their boots to various events. People have run marathons in them, been married in them – you name it. What a fabulous tribute to someone they know in the military. After seeing all these photos I knew I wanted to do my part so I decided I would wear mine to fish in from time to time, I figured if those brave men and women could wear them all the time I could do my part as well.

I must admit I have never felt better about something as small as wearing a pair of boots in my life because there is nothing like participating with a purpose. When you read this article do yourself a favor and check out the website and give thanks to the folks who protect your freedom every day.

Now with the November chill in the air and December right around the corner a few things have certainly changed for most anglers. For many the thought of a fishing rod has been overshadowed by the need to pick up a gun or a bow and chase their favorite wild game. The percentage of fishermen who leave the bays to hunt is a welcome TSFMAG.com | 25

sight for the diehard anglers who inhabit the saltwater twelve months a year. September and October are typically the busiest and most high traffic months of the year; everyone is trying to take advantage of easy fishing and cooler temperatures so the bays around here get crowded in a hurry. November can test even the toughest anglers as more consistent Scott Putnam tricked this slot redfish with a She-Pup. cold fronts can whip a bay into a muddy chop overnight. The flipside to that is of course the days when the winds lay and the fish become nearly suicidal as they gorge on shrimp and anything else that won’t eat them first.

Several really solid patterns will emerge and tend to spread out what’s left of the angling crowd. Yes, there will still be those folks who will run and gun after schooling fish under the birds but that won’t be the only game in town.

The big trout hunters will start to show up on all the major Sabine flats looking to tangle with that one fish of their dreams. November and December are easily two of the best months all year to score a really big trout and you can bet there will be some caught that will be bona fide trophies, happens every year at this time for those who put in the hours and have the patience to do what

26 | December 2012

it takes in order to catch those big fish.

While the waders and trophy hunters are prowling the shallow flats there will be others who are anchored up in the deep water doing a number on the trout and redfish with both live bait and artificials.

The lack of significant run off from up north has left the Sabine River in pristine condition and that spells good things for those folks who want to save gas money and still catch some good fish. Live shad or mullet on Carolina rigs along with an assortment of swimbaits will put you in business and likely get your string stretched along most of the breaks in the river and ICW. The bonus fish will be some of the stripers that invariably show up as the weather gets colder and nastier. Be ready because those striped bass get big and will flat-out punish you on light tackle. I have taken stripers on fly gear that pushed 12 pounds and seen fish over 30 pounds caught on artificial and live bait. They are more than a handful, believe me.

Now with fewer anglers on the water and more patterns to choose from, it would stand to reason that this would certainly be something for fishermen to be thankful for. The overall size and

A mile in my shoes!

health of our marshes and estuaries is about as good as we have seen in some time and the fact that we have not had a major storm in quite some time has been a big factor for sure. The healthy marsh system that feeds Sabine Lake is the life blood of the bay and right now we are getting all passing grades. Unlike last year at this time when the big lakes to our north were so low we will have to deal with more run off this winter as both Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn will certainly release some water at times. As long as we don’t just get flooded up north and have a huge amount of water released both the rivers and the lake should keep great clarity and the fishing should remain consistent for quite a while. This pattern is one that I, along with many others, will look forward to fishing for weeks to come.

I certainly hope you all get a chance to enjoy some of the amazing fall and early winter fishing that we are set up for because it doesn’t happen like this all the time. Take advantage of the opportunity but remember to be responsible as well.

Chuck Uzzle

Contact

quantity of the fish in our part of the world is another thing to add to the “thankful” list as we have seen some really quality fish this fall. The

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

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

TSFMAG.com | 27

Most speckled trout are wild fish subject to the whims of winds, waves, and tides.

28 | December 2012

Any angler seriously considering the purchase of a Texas

All-Water Fishing License surely realizes that the top sport fish in freshwater is Micropterus salmoides, the largemouth bass, and the top fish in saltwater is Cynoscion nebulosus, the spotted seatrout.

OK, “bass” and “trout.” Or maybe “bigmouth” and “speck.”

By whatever names, the two fish are the traditional twin bill of light-tackle fishing in the Lone Star State. Measure by economic impact and overall participation, the reservoirs were built on bass and the tides were turned on trout.

Many similarities between the two species exist and, no small issue, the same basic tackle can be used on both. For anglers within a reasonable commute to the coast, it’s easy to be a fresh/salt Texas Two-Stepper.

But which is best - bass or trout?

Here are a few observations based on 50 years of chunking in lakes and bays: SIZE - The bass gets the nod for top-end potential, although in the real world on public water a 10 pounder of each species is a career fish and a five or six pounder is regarded as brag-sized.

But the largemouth bass (usually Texas/Florida strain) is the certified heavyweight. The Texas record is 18-plus, with five more fish topping 17. Conversely, the Texas record for spotted seatrout is acknowledged by TPWD as 15-6. The previous record was 13-11, besting two prior marks in the 13-plus category.

However, it is significant to note that all of the top six bass

STORY BY JOE DOGGETT were caught from a single venue - Lake Fork. And all were caught during the golden big-bass era between the late ‘80s and early ‘90. Monster bass production in Texas has tapered off, but fish topping 13 pounds (qualifying for the state’s ShareLunker hatchery program) remain legitimate.

It also should be conceded that bass can be reared in small private ponds and lakes saturated with forage and groomed to produce mega-fish. These jumbos behind locked gates are similar to giant whitetail bucks raised on high-fenced ranches.

I’m not calling foul, just making the case that speckled trout in open water have a reduced chance of achieving maximum growth/weight.

But, bottom line: The bass is bigger.

AVAILABILITY - Both bass and trout offer year-round angling opportunity - a huge plus for Texas. Fresh or salt, any given day potentially can yield an epic session.

But the bass again gets the nod. The obvious advantage of statewide abundance aside, the largemouth can survive, even flourish, amid unlikely environs. Forget about reservoirs and ponds, rivers and creeks - I’m talking about drainage ditches, reflection ponds, golf-course water hazards, stuff such as that.

I once caught a bass from a bathtub (true story).

Bass also are more tolerant than trout of water quality; a downright mud hole can yield bass for the opportunistic angler.

That’s why they invented the safety-pin spinnerbait.

Conversely, trout fishing suffers a major setback under sandy

TSFMAG.com | 29

chops. Not to mention a “chocolate brown” tide.

And wind direction is not the deal-killer in freshwater that it can be on the coast. A whipping southwest? No problema on a South Texas stock tank.

Bass are tougher against environmental upheavals. A “blue norther” dropping water readings into the high 40s for several days can trigger a massive fish kill along the coast. Bass in lakes just hug bottom and grump around until conditions moderate.

During my 35 years on the Outdoor Desk of the Houston Chronicle, I do not recall a single significant freeze kill of largemouth bass on the East Texas reservoirs. Nor, for that matter, any major die-offs attributable to summer heat.

The bass can adapt and is built to last.

TECHNIQUE - A big bass or trout on proper tackle is a major encounter, and the one-on-one contact when wading takes the game to its highest level. And, not to be lost in this debate, wading is a very Hooked specks often effective approach for large specks. jump but not as Bass certainly can be caught on consistently as bass. foot but the great majority of anglers work from boats. And, in truth, not many monster bass are hooked in less than three or four feet of water.

The so-called “Big Bass Belt” from 8 to 15 feet statistically yields the majority of double-digit fish. I’ve caught three 10-plus bass and all came from within that belt.

Conversely, the top-end trout are within reach of the shin- to waistdeep plugger or fly rodder; in fact, the solitary old sows prefer roaming the sand and grass flats as they search for large baitfish. I’ve caught two 10-plus specks and both came from less than

A good trout should be played on a long line across open water.

Wading brings out the best in bass but the method is seldom used.

waist-deep water.

Many anglers hold that topwater fishing is the king thrill, and the shallow sow trout play to this hand.

Most big bass are caught on or near bottom. But, having said that, it must be acknowledged that a revved-up bass can really blast a floater.

And many excellent topwater opportunities are available for solid bass in the two- to five-pound class along shorelines of lakes and ponds.

Even a one-pound bass can take a lusty whack at a jiving lure.

Pound-for-pound, the bass can detonate on top as well as any fish this side of a pavon (peacock “bass”) in the Amazon. Check out the maw - they don’t call it a “largemouth” for nothing. This is a fish that will snatch turtles, birds, snakes, rodents, anything short of a raccoon off the surface.

The surface action often is best early and late in the day (warm weather), the most pleasing times to be out chunking. Easing along a quiet shoreline and casting a topwater lure to defined targets such as “stickups” and rims of weed beds brings out the best in bass.

But the really big ones usually stay down while the 30inch specks are prowling across the bay flats. Score this one for the trout.

FIGHT - Both bass and trout are fine game fish, but significant differences in the fight exist.

The bass is powerful, short and chunky, but shortwinded. The fight even with a double-digit fish is a done deal within a few moments. Note I say “moments” not “minutes.”

30 | December 2012

Some of this has to do with the heavier line and tighter drag and stiffer rod used by the serious big-bass specialist. The heavy tackle helps set the hook in a thick, rubbery jaw and snub the fish from tangles of sub-surface cover. Bass are ambush-oriented predators and the big ones seldom are encountered in open water over clean bottom.

You’ve got to stiff-arm the fish right now or risk losing it when it bores into logs or brush or weeds. And a bass, like a snook, will do just that, dive for cover if you give it any opportunity. It’s a rookie mistake to allow a bass to swim at will amid potential tangles. You pour it on and hope everything holds.

But, even in the open, a decent bass tires quickly. Seldom is a bass capable of a sustained run of more than, say, 10 yards.

Let me put it another way - I’ve never seen it happen.

Conversely, the trout often is played on a long line in open water. Specks are clean fighters, rarely digging for cover. And, in truth, “hard” cover is a fluke along the typical bayshore.

The open arena allows the angler to use lighter tackle and a looser drag. Frankly, it’s another rookie mistake to clamp down and attempt to horse a big speck too close, too fast.

The fight is a prolonged drama as the fish takes line against moderate drag pressure.

A good trout often hangs near the surface, with the line stretching high across the water.

The fish may make a determined circle, often showing in dramatic boils and wallows. Thrashing head-shakes are common.

This is nerve-wracking business because each time you know - Just absolutely, positively know! - the lure will fly free. Incidentally, the trout does have a solid jaw hinge, and a 30 incher stuck with a quality hook in the corner of the maw is going

Speckle trout, like largemouth bass, can be aggressive surface feeders.

This 10-1/2 pound bass, like most big ones, struck a bottombumping lure off a dropoff.

nowhere unless you ham-hand the tackle.

But you don’t always know about hook placement. But you do know that the thin membrane framing the jaw tears easily. This is not what you want to think about if you see the plug clinging by a single hook to the pulled skin of the upper lip as a career fish explodes in a vicious roddipping, line-stretching thrash.

This propensity of big trout to toss lightly set hooks explains why hard-core pluggers are prematurely graying or balding.

Or both.

Not all great game fish jump (bonefish and redfish being good examples), but leaps add major excitement to the encounter. Both bass and trout are capable of dramatic fullbody jumps, but the bass is the most consistent leaper.

Even bass hooked in deep water usually make several headshaking jumps - maybe one way out there after initial contact, then one or two in close. Frankly, the bass that does not jump at least once is the exception.

The speck that jumps is the exception. Most roll and lather but the full-body leaps are not typical. It is my observation that the trout most-apt to leap is hooked deep in the throat. These fish often jump high and wide several times.

But the bass is the big jumper and you would think the opposite, based on the shadowhugging nature of the bass.

Let’s cut to the chase - or reach for the net. Jumps or no jumps, I believe the overall experience of the fight goes to the neversure-deal of playing a good trout across open water. For better or worse, you have the time to savor the stress.

AESTHETICS - This is a vague but valid measure.

First, appearance. The largemouth bass is a good-looking TSFMAG.com | 31

fish in a thuggish sort of way, with heavy jaws, thick belly, and bristling fins. The green back, bold lateral line and silver belly are striking.

The spotted seatrout is more streamlined and graceful, similar in profile to the cold-water trout and salmon. A big one has undeniable elegance. The hues of silver and lavender and the profusion of black spots are gorgeous on a green tide.

As they say, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” This is a subjective call, but on my card the trout wins.

Of course, Bill Dance or Ray Scott may see it differently.

The trout also wins on wildness.

Marine hatchery efforts aside, the next quality speck you catch almost certainly will be a wild fish, born on the whims of wind and tide.

There’s a lot to be said for this if you look beyond the immediate gratification of a bent rod. Wildness is increasingly hard to find.

This is not to totally trash the bass. But all Texas/Florida-strain largemouths stem from hatchery

32 | December 2012

A large trout such as Doggett’s 9 pounder is slim and graceful, a beautiful fish.

stocks. Scattered wild bass remain, not the least of which are the diminutive Guadalupe bass native to Hill County streams, but the overall fishery is built and sustained by hatcheries.

That’s fine - but it’s not as fine as a wild resource. Trout move with the natural forces of nature. Most bass thrive because of dams. Giant reservoir or small pond - same deal. A man-made barrier provides the habitat.

Texas is fortunate to have great year-round fishing for bass and trout. One carries well to the other, and with minor tweaks the same equipment can be used. The openminded angler would do well to enjoy both. Each, under the right circumstances, can provide an excellent fishing experience.

But, bass or trout, which is best?

My vote goes to the trout. The speck has an aura that the bass cannot equal. The big trout is our spotted grail, the best we’ve got.

t Chris Mapp’s Boa s Maintenance Tip

Keeping up With your Boat’s accessories As an Authorized Service Center for Johnson Outdoors – Minn Kota Trolling Motors, Talon Shallow Water Anchor System, and Cannon Downrigger Products – we see all kinds of accessory issues.

Trolling motors that are brought in for repair and service; whether 12v, 24v or 36v, seem to have a common denominator among the whole group of them. The compliant or problem is usually expressed as running intermittently or the trolling motor speeds are slower than usual. Also common is the unit not responding to the remote control.

Battery configuration, connections and using the correct charger/ maintainer are all factors for correct operation.

1). Voltage dropping below specification will affect remotes, speed and duration of use.

Science and the Sea

TM

Dad Does the Dirty Work While seahorses certainly are a unique-looking fish, that’s hardly their most unusual trait. Seahorses and their relatives, pipefishes, are the only family of fish in which the males become pregnant and give birth.

The process begins with males seeking out the largest females, who provide the largest size and greatest number of eggs. The pair swim together, “hold tails” and “dance” for several mornings. Then, an 8-hour courtship dance leads to the actual mating.

2). Connections - loose, dirty or corroded - at the batteries or at the plug, will all produce intermittent operation, lower speeds, and can cause voltage spikes that could fail the circuit board in the head unit.

3). A failed or shorted battery in a bank of batteries can make it appear that all the batteries are failed. To discover the true source of the problem, each should be inspected independently.

4). The correct size wire based on the length of cable from the batteries to the plug will also determine the life and effectiveness of your trolling motor. Eight gauge cable is preferred.

5). Wet cell batteries have an expected service life of about 24 to 30 months.

6). Use deep-cycle batteries for all trolling motors due to the slow release of energy and the slow recharge rate. Gel cell batteries can be very effective and have great durability but, they do cost more.

7). Make sure the charger selected is for gel cell or wet cell and that it is on the correct setting. Leaving a charger or maintainer plugged in 24/7 for long periods and unattended should be avoided.

8). The last and most important reason for failure is that the trolling motor is mounted incorrectly or the head is subjected to severe bouncing and jarring from waves while underway. A quick-detach mount is the best defense here, allowing the trolling motor to be removed and carried on an additional mount located in the rear of the boat for a smother ride. With the pull of a pin it can be moved back to the bow. At minimum, (if the trolling motor is to be left on the bow bracket), a sturdy strap secured to the deck and wrapped around the shaft near the control head can eliminate a lot of potential damage.

Have a great winter fishing season!

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

A pregnant male seahorse in Cozumel, Mexico. Credit: Steve Herrick Nose to nose, the seahorses spin around each other while the male puffs up a pouch on his belly. The female then uses a tube, called an ovipositor, to insert a half dozen to over a thousand eggs in his pouch.

The male fertilizes them, and then his pouch — like a placenta — circulates blood to the embryos to provide them nutrients, oxygen, and the appropriate salt concentration for development.

Birth happens much the same way it does in many animal species: dad breathes faster, becomes paler and has contractions which culminate in releasing fully formed tiny seahorses. But then dad’s job is done — there is no cuddling or child rearing. Only about 5 in 1000 of the tiny seahorses will reach adulthood because extreme temperatures, ocean currents and predators all work against them.

But there is no rest for the weary. Mom returns to visit and, often, dad is pregnant again the next day. Most seahorses are monogamous each breeding season, and multiple pregnancies ensure better survival rates.

Scientists aren’t entirely sure why the males give birth, though some suspect it’s to spread out the energy required for reproduction, giving females time to prepare more eggs during the male’s pregnancy. But one thing is clear — these guys really do the dirty work in reproduction!

The University of Texas

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

TSFMAG.com | 33

In stark contrast to today’s fairly expensive tournament tackle for kings, were the bigger Ambassadeurs like the red 7000 we started with and won tournaments.

This cheaper 7000C model was also used, and here is rapidly getting spooled by an autumn jackfish.

34 | December 2012

D CHAR I R E JO Y BY R O T S

With the holiday

season approaching like a

runaway train, a great many fishing reels will be pondered over as gift ideas. In a few locally-owned tackle stores, you can still get reel advice from patient salesmen with knowledge of coastal fishing. That’s rare in the big box chain stores, where technical fishing questions, these days, are mostly met with blank stares. That’s why many fishing reels are returned after Christmas, exchanged for something more practical.

Or worse, they’re used for years where they shouldn’t be. Some of it Mickey Mouse tackle, wrongly used where big fish prowl.

I can offer a few truths on fishing reels that might save money, or even anguish over a broken line on the water.

For instance, a push-button spin reel has no place at the jetties or offshore, but does have applications for younger anglers on low piers or seawalls. Many of my initial, desperate battles with redfish in Sabine Lake, as a teenager, happened with a Zebco 404, and I usually prevailed.

And the bigger level-winds like the Penn 309 we lugged onto the partyboats, with a worm gear that spreads line evenly, will actually cast a little ways and isn’t too bad for bottom fishing. However, they’re terrible for fast fish—such as kings, tarpon and anything else that can light a fire under its tail. For that you need a reel without the worm gear like the sturdy Penn 4/0, the goto favorite reel among offshore charterboat captains. For more consistent work with speedy gamesters, consider upgrading to lever-drag reels instead of older star-drag

models. The Shimano TLD-15, 20 and 25 came out in the late 1980s, have caught many world records, and are still found in the stores.

And in my tackle room, for that matter.

For the serious inshore coastal fishermen, there are too many reel options to count. Forty years and a lifetime ago when times were more simple, you fished with the venerable red reel in Texas waters, and maybe saw a few spin outfits like the Mitchell 300—mostly in far South Texas where the wind howled and long casts, sometimes upwind, were required. Further up the coast, spin gear was regarded with suspicion.

Which to use?

I was trained young while visiting Modern, high-tech, high line a great uncle in South Florida, and capacity reel designed for sporty my relatives there carried both spin action on fast kingfish. These and baitcasters; whatever was close reels now run about $250 bucks. at hand. During the course of the day you picked up one model (Ambassador 5000-A) or the other (Mitchell 300).

To this day, my right-hand is trained for a baitcaster reel, and my left for spin. Switching is incredibly awkward.

Thirty years came and went, and then someone give me a mint-condition pair of Ambassadeur 5500 and 6000 reels, both left-handed, and I couldn’t do a thing with them.

I suspect you have to train anglers fairly young, to make them ambidextrous with reels. The earlier an angler begins reeling, the more efficient they become—economy of motion later in life, if you will. There TSFMAG.com | 35

No-nonsense Ambassadeur reel in the background, after horsing this brutish trout away from barnaclecovered Gulf platform legs.

Medium spin tackle armed with 20 to 30 pound line offers a sporty fight for big drum, bull redfish, sharks and perhaps tarpon up to 80 pounds.

is lots of awkward reeling going on in public places like the piers, mostly by people fairly new to the sport. As opposed to sun-darkened pier rats, who catch most of the bigger fish. Today, anyone using spin gear with a hand preference simply unscrews the handle and sticks it on his favorite side. Hand motion with spin is certainly wider and looser, compared with a baitcaster reel, but it has to be ingrained to become efficient.

Baitcasting gear is far more accurate when casting around small targets, like trees in a lake. We fell right into that, so to speak, growing up on Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend lakes when they were covered in thick trees, and we each had our red reel with a few lures.

Accuracy was everything, back in the brush. And the ability to horse a hooked fish from behind a tree, or 20 feet down while doodlesocking in an ironwood tree. Today Texas reservoirs are pretty much inland seas without timber, unless they flood into the shorelines, so perhaps spin gear has more application there. If you travel to Brazil or Venezuela for peacock bass, or Honduras for snook, casting around flooded trees with accuracy is paramount. For those venues, leave spin gear at home.

As for accuracy, I’m not sure if a casting competition has ever been won with spin gear, when smallish targets such as floating hula-hoops are targeted at close or medium range. I’ve been lucky enough to win that contest with borrowed baitcasting gear at a state writer’s conference, though some will claim (not without accuracy) that the competition may have been light. Another time at a national conference, I won the long distance competition with borrowed spin

Angler wading for autumn trout and reds with backup baitcaster and spin outfit. One outfit holds a live bait, the other a plug.

36 | December 2012

gear. You had to fling a bare jighead out beyond 100 feet and land it in an alley as narrow as a bowling lane. Whip it out there, like the target was a white hole on the Laguna Madre, and way upwind. Yankees all around me whispered and scratched their heads.

Enough on esoterics. Let’s break reel advice down to regions and venues, for simplification.

Surf fishing is wide-open, without obstructions. For waders, that means lighter line will suffice, insuring more enjoyable battles. It’s been said that while wading in fine surroundings, one good trout or redfish is worth three from a boat, and I believe it. In the surf, stick with 12-pound line on either baitcast or spin tackle, but remember that the fish may be 40 yards away, usually upwind. Since I can hardly pick a backlash from today’s small, modern baitcaster reels, I stick with spin.

It is, after all, hard to wear dry cheater glasses, waist-deep in the surf.

Braid line? Forget it; I don’t need those inscrutable tangles. You can count on your reel getting soaked; you need durability and the ability to take it apart and clean it. Avoid sanding the reel, too.

For anglers parked on the beach, you need distance, and that means long rods and big spin reels, for the most part. The pros who air-deliver baits (whether tiny pompano baits or mullet heads for bull redfish) use big-capacity spin reels with rods of 12 feet or longer. They know the action may be 200 feet offshore. Their spin reels are kept above salt and sand in hollow PVC “spikes,” hammered thoroughly into the sand.

Jetty fishing from a boat is drier, but those granite rocks are crusty with barnacles and even scattered oysters. That means using

Here’s a right-handed angler who uses spin and baitcaster during the same wade.

Wading back to the boat with a brace of spin tackle during winter.

Low tide in winter. This angler has left a brace of spin outfits in the boat, exploring a nearby creek.

Wading out, leaving a brace of spin outfits on the boat.

Some are armed with braid line, others with monofilament.

heavier line; if a redfish or sheepshead brushes a rock, a hard line may survive. An errant cast onto the rocks won’t come up limp, either. Since we anchored close or walked the rocks, we didn’t have to cast far, so we always used baitcaster reels with tough 20-pound Ande line. In calm conditions a jetty rat friend of mine would try spin tackle on occasion, but it never really caught on. One touch by a mackerel or rock, and another precious spoon or plug was gone.

Our red reels were easily taken apart and cleaned of salt, and lasted through one hard summer after another. If a sow trout grabbed on, that 20-pound line was solid insurance. If a big jackfish attacked, there was at least a small chance you would get the lure back, a half-hour later if you followed with the boat.

Bay fishing is wide-open and again, 12-pound line should suffice.

Except for occasional jackfish, anything big enough to strip a reel in the bay would be rare. In rocky Baffin Bay with the state’s biggest trout, 15-pound line would be more advisable, especially if that trout of a lifetime comes calling. In the bays, stick with what you know best, whether baitcast or spin. Keep in mind that the further south you fish, the more wind you can expect. And the Texas coast is a windy

place. I’ve had enough backlash-picking for a lifetime, and would stick with spin gear. Even during a long wade on a protected, comfortable shoreline, I now have little patience for picking out a rat’s nest—and I’ve picked out some big ones.

Platform fishing offshore means sticking with baitcaster reels. Gulf rig pilings are more thickly coated with marine growth than any jetty rock, and there are powerful species of fish here that are quick to dive into structure—notably snapper, ling and tripletail. Hook one near a rig leg, and you’ve got to get mean with him, and right now. Spin gear won’t cut the mustard. If you want to cast for mackerel away from the platform, that’s okay, since they never run through structure. But for general casting around rig pilings, baitcaster reels prevail. If you’re adventurous enough to climb a platform and fight fish, don’t even think about using standard spin gear, its almost useless. Unless you’ve got a bigger spin reel filled with 65-pound Suffix braid line, like I did last summer. You can get mean with that stuff, fighting 26-inch redfish in tight confines, lifting them 12 feet to the deck above.

Inlet fishing with current requires slightly heavier tackle.

Anchored in the boat or fishing from the rocks, in typical depths of 15 to 30 feet, a sizeable fish here maybe three or four feet long will run you ragged with trout tackle. Bump up to 30- to 40-pound line and you’re all over these fish, mostly bull redfish, big black drum, jacks, blacktip sharks, and the occasional tarpon. With a baitcaster reel, you can get fairly mean with this class of line, even if a current is running. With spin gear, however, it becomes a chore. In October we ran into a dozen black drum weighing 25 to 30-pounds, and had some fun with 25-pound spin tackle, and even the trout spin rods. However, on the last trip the current was noticeably stronger, and it became a chore lasting too long, even with the bigger rods.

Angler armed to the teeth with three Mr. Drum turned sideways out there, using the current to his spin outfits while wading. Perhaps advantage. After a while it was like: dammit, come here you, he doesn’t care to tie knots while in the water. A spin outfit will deliver a you’re supposed to be in the boat by now… plug or bait way out there, even into You can match your tackle correctly, until Nature throws a a wind, without fear of a backlash. joker on the table.

TSFMAG.com | 37

Danielle Wilson filleting her fish.

Good with the knife and the rod.

J AY WAT K I N S

ASK THE PRO

Managing conditions

& fishing time

Weather has been all over the place the past thirty days.

Most of my days on the water have seen winds gusting to over 25mph and have been from either the SE or NE. No really significant cold yet but as I sit here and write we have a stronger frontal system headed into the Texas Panhandle. In this issue I’d like to talk to you about time and wind management. Sounds way more complicated than it actually is but it is something many never consider.

Everyone that has ever read the fine articles in Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine by all of us so-called pros are aware of how much attention we pay to the solunar tables. In bays such as Baffin, the actual tide movement can be so minimal that most disregard it entirely. Instead, they plan their days according to major and minor feeding periods and the wind – which in this bay provides the only real current. In my home waters of the Aransas Bay System I formulate tidal currents, wind direction and velocity, and also the major and minor feeding periods.

What I try to do is plan my day to where I have my clients in the right place at the absolute right times.

On many occasions I may start the day in an area that I know is holding good numbers but also know that 38 | December 2012

the increasing wind and its direction will give me only a few hours there. I honestly might be forced to fish more protected areas later in the day that hold fewer fish but this does not mean the day is shot. Locating a few bites in these areas and then working through the next predicted solunar feeding time while “managing” wind-driven currents can make all the difference.

Regular clients and readers have heard me spout my belief that “the wind is your friend.” This remains true up to a certain point. However, when wind velocity reaches 30mph the fun factor can drop dramatically. Yesterday we had winds almost that strong and my planning had me and my clients on a large semi-protected flat. Tides were higher than normal and bait more scattered than the previous several days. Our fishing has been pretty good if you’re willing to put the time in and allow the wind to help you. I figured the fish would be scattered but felt there were enough fish on the flat to generate an early bite that would for sure get our day started in a positive manner. No doubt that a few nice fish on that first wade can set the tone for the rest of the outing. We had a solunar major that started around 7:00am and ended around 9:00. By the time the major was over the winds Continued on page 51...

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

S H A L L O W W AT E R F I S H I N G

“YOU SIGHT-CAST

IN GALVESTON?”

“Why yes I do. As a matter of fact, I make a decent living at it.”

While my fishing brethren further south along our coast have much clearer water and plenty of reds, I’d have to put our upper coast redfish population up against any of the other areas. The majority of our water isn’t nearly as pretty as Port O’Connor, Aransas Pass, or the Laguna Madre. What it lacks in clarity it makes up for in richness. Much of what many people complain about as “dirty” water is actually a base of nutrients for the forage our reds grow fat on.

My history of sight-casting to reds started out in the gin clear waters around Port Mansfield twenty-four years ago. My wife and I took my old duck hunting jon boat down there for a week with no clue what we were doing.

That old boat had an 85-horse Johnson equipped with a jet drive lower unit. I knew it was all shallow water in that area and figured this was the perfect set up to go exploring. About two miles into the trip I learned that turtle grass and jet drives don’t go together.

48 | December 2012

The engine was overheated and the intake was stuffed full of grass. I pulled off to the side of the ICW and lifted the motor. My wife sat patiently as I dug into the intake with some needle nose pliers. Not being in the best of moods I summarily dismissed her comment, “I think there are some tailing reds over there.” Neither of us had ever seen tailing redfish in person and I seriously doubted there would be any along some spoil bank. I was wrong.

Sure enough there was a whole pile of waving tails just yards from where we happened to break down. At that time my wife didn’t wade - period. So I pushed the boat as close as possible, still not quite close enough. At her urging I waded closer and tossed a broken back Rebel in front of the marauding crew. It no sooner hit the water than a red crushed it. The fish and I were equally hooked.

Thus began my lifetime obsession with hunting skinny water redfish. At first we ventured to Port Mansfield as often as possible, but eventually the eight hour drive got to be too much. It was much easier to get to Port O’Connor or Rockport for a long weekend and so we spent a good many years exploring and enjoying these places.

Being able to watch them go about their daily business on the acres of shallow grass flats taught me a lot about the habits of these reds.

Somewhere along the way the thought occurred to me that redfish are redfish no matter what zip-code they reside in. I decided

TSFMAG.com | 49

50 | December 2012

action of a fleeing shrimp.

During winter and early spring when shrimp are scarce you’ll often see reds bust the shoreline once and then seemingly disappear for a few minutes before doing it again several yards further down. These guys are usually feeding on mullet or other small baitfish. This activity used to drive me crazy as I’d ease up to the location only to spook the red several feet off the shoreline. I finally just sat and watched them work. What I found is that they’ll cruise along just off the shoreline herding the bait tight to the grass before striking. Once they eat they’ll fall off the shore and just sit for a short time before resuming their patrol. Soft plastics and mullet imitation plugs are my go-to for these fish. If water clarity doesn’t allow you to spot these cruising fish, start watching the baitfish. If they start bunching up and getting tight to the grass there’s a good chance a red is pushing them. Toss the lure into the mix and draw a reaction strike.

If you find redfish gently nosing into the grass, poking around oysters or just aimlessly wandering an open mud flat; chances are good they’re looking for crabs. If that’s the case then I’ll toss a dark colored Buggs jig in their path and wiggle it to make some mud puffs like a crab digging in. These are fun fish because they go from nonchalant to viciously crushing the jig in a flash.

Love that.

These are specific situations you may find from time to time when working the marsh. Most days they aren’t that picky and will eat most any well presented lure or fly, but if you find them being difficult remember these tips and see if you can unlock a good bite. But most of all, don’t ever let those southern guys tell you there’s no sight-casting on the upper coast.

C ontact

to go looking for some skinny water reds in my own backyard. The Galveston/ Freeport area is blessed with thousands of acres of marsh. I had spent a good deal of my youth prowling around these places in search of ducks so I had a pretty good base to work from.

I’d like to say that it came easily, but it was quite a journey. These reds still ate shrimp, crabs and mullet. They still prowled around in water so shallow their eyeballs would show above the waterline.

And quite often they’d tip up to wag their tails above the surface just like those spoil bank reds I first saw so many years ago.

They were generally acting the same, but were a lot more difficult to pattern.

Slowly but surely the puzzle pieces started falling into place and it became easier to predict when and where I could find them going about their business.

While they have their similarities to their southern kin, our upper coast marsh reds definitely do things different. The grass flats reds of the middle and lower coast are scattered all over the place. Their food sources use the expansive grass beds for cover sending the reds searching.

Simply drifting across open flats produces enough shots to justify the effort.

Marsh redfish tend to hug the shorelines when feeding. The reason is pretty simple, that’s where the food is. The ponds, lakes and bayous in a marsh generally have mud bottoms with very little structure. The shrimp, crabs and baitfish use the flooded cord grass edges as cover. The exception would be scattered oyster reefs and piles found in some areas. These are excellent areas to find reds tailing as they search the crevices for a meal.

Being consistently successful finding reds in the marsh is often a matter of searching them out. Prowling through the marsh via kayak or poled skiff are my preferred methods. I can cover a lot of water and figure out what they’re doing on that particular day. By observing how they’re feeding, you can often figure out what they’re feeding on.

Reds that are consistently crashing into the grass as they work down a shoreline are most likely feasting on shrimp. Take a poke at the grass with your paddle or push pole and see if you can spook some shrimp. If that’s the case then you’ll have a good idea what flies or lures to throw. Often times when redfish are keying on shrimp they’ll ignore anything that doesn’t closely match the size or

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Renee Watkins with personal best flounder.

trout, but so many times they are. I believe the key to catching them was the visual I had drawn for the guys and then their patience to stand in there with me and chunk. Come to think about it, I guess they were kinda stuck there with me. Oh well, it worked. And like so many before them over my long career, they learned a priceless lesson in planning a fishing day according to the conditions – putting yourself in the right place at the best time, and fishing the truly downright dirty stuff.

So, after you have read all the articles in this month’s issue, tear out the Solunar Table, then go on-line and print the tide tables for the area you plan to fish and watch the weather forecast. Simple planning can place you in the optimum place to fish at the most opportune time.

May your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins

C ontact

...continued from page 38. would be considerably higher and water changes would be forming. An early afternoon moon rise minor from 1:00pm to 2:00 had to be considered even though tides would be minimal at best. The kicker was the wind. SE wind drives water around windward points, over shallow troughs in reefs, and through small drains that feed backwater marsh. Locate the right one and its game-on despite less than favorable water conditions.

By the noon hour we had scratched out a few nice trout and a red here and there but I could tell the feed had turned off. Bait was still plentiful and an occasional pelican would hit the water along the shallow water change that the high winds had created. In shallow water fisheries; water changes created by wind and or current that form along or over bottom structure has time and time again proven to be a productive pattern for me. Of course I am not lacking in the confidence department when it comes to fishing downright dirty water. Predatory species are just more aggressive in the dirty stuff. They react to the movement and then decide whether or not it is something they want. After a 45 minute period of not a single bite, I suggested a move to the windward side of the bay and a reef pass that for many seasons has produced for me under these conditions. I mentioned that if they had never really fished shallow water being moved by strong wind with zero clarity I owed it to them as serious learners to show them how it works.

After a rough ride across the bay we arrived at the area to discover a handful of pelicans idling in the pass. I call it idling because that is what it is; they just alternate strokes with their large webbed feet, positioning themselves in the pass as the water rolls on. Amazing bird the pelican, isn’t it. Soon they were joined by a few royal terns, noisy birds, but when silent you can bet it is not happening. As I led the group towards the area where I knew but could not see the gut through the reef, I tried to explain how the wind was driving the water through and what formations in the reef were causing the fish to be where they were going to be.

Over the years I have been able to observe these passes or guts through reefs and sandbars on days when tides are low and winds light. We seldom catch fish here under such calm conditions but it is still a great learning experience to able to observe the guts and structure and how the water will flow when the wind is pumping. I’ll say it again, the mental pictures we gain when fishing on calm clear days can pay big dividends when the conditions get right.

Mike McBride and I have opportunities when I am in Port Mansfield to reflect on these types of scenarios and would both agree that too few serious anglers fish the right stuff on the right day. I’ve seen McBride standing on a windward shoreline in ankle deep muck casting to a very small gut along a windward shoreline. Big trout, really big ones, will nose right up to the edge of the gut waiting for a mullet to be pushed windward by waves and into her waiting jaws.

It’s the best stuff we have when we have the confidence to hang in there and wait them out.

Back to the day I was describing earlier; we caught about ten nice trout and a few redfish in about an hour or less. These were not big

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

361-729-9596 Jay@jaywatkins.com www.jaywatkins.com TSFMAG.com | 51

Figure 3. Yearly Rainfall at Jack Brooks Regional Airport, Jefferson County, Texas.

By Sara Douga | CCA Summer Intern | Port Arthur Marine Lab

FIELD NOTES

Sabine: The Salinity Medley The Sabine Lake ecosystem, located in southeast Texas, Río de Sabinas. Sabine Lake supports a large amount is quite unique on the Texas coast due to the existence of surrounding habitat that consists of 34,002 acres of of its saltwater and freshwater influences (Figure 1). marshland, 238,951acres of coastal wetlands, and has a This ecosystem includes the Neches and Sabine rivers, drainage area of 24,710,538 acres. Sabine Lake is shared Sabine Lake and adjacent marshes, Sabine-Neches Canal between Louisiana and Texas, and is regarded as part of and Port Arthur Canal, and Sabine Pass which connects the system to the Gulf Figure 1. Texas’ Major Coastal Ecosystems. of Mexico (Figure 2). Fluctuating tides, coming in from the Gulf, bring in higher salinities, while freshwater flows into the system from the Sabine and Neches Rivers. Such changing hydrological conditions makes this ecosystem extremely dynamic while providing suitable habitat for both saltwater and freshwater organisms.

One of the largest ecosystems in the state, Sabine Lake encompasses approximately 240,000 acres of marsh habitat that surrounds a 100 square-mile lake. Sabine is among eight estuarine ecosystems in Texas, but is the only system that includes swamp habitats.

In fact, the name ‘Sabine’ comes from the Spanish word Sabinas meaning cypress, in reference to the extensive growth of cypress trees along the lower Sabine River, which the Spanish called 52 | December 2012

the Chenier Coastal Plain Ecosystem.

Sabine Lake receives the largest amount of freshwater inflow on the Texas coast, usually about 13.0 million acre-feet per year (Figure 3). The lake requires approximately 9.6 million acre-feet of freshwater a year in order to maintain its unique habitat that is suitable for the vast amount of organisms that call the area home. The Sabine Lake system receives the highest precipitation in Texas, averaging about 60 inches per year and experiences little evaporation, only about 44 inches per year.

The salinity in the lake is heavily influenced by the tides. The tide ranges from an estimated 3.3 feet to 1.0 foot for offshore from Sabine Pass, and 1.3 feet to 0.7 feet for the Beaumont and Orange areas. This variance is largely due to the lake’s shallower flow. The offshore tide loses about half of its amplitude at Mesquite Point, and a little over half again at the Rainbow Bridge. Overall, the average salinity of the lake is about 11 parts per thousand (ppt).

Aside from natural flows, the Sabine system is also heavily influenced by human activity. The Intracoastal Waterway, dug in the 1930s, bisects the system and channels large amounts of saltwater through the area.

Man-made levees also redirect the natural flow of water.

During an internship with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Fisheries Division, I was able to see the fruits of such a dynamic ecosystem. Sabine’s fluctuating salinity truly creates a medley of flora and fauna, and this was made evident in many samples collected during the past summer months. While collecting bag

seine samples on June 4, 2012, a largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), a freshwater species, measuring 2.75 inches was collected in the same bag seine sample that also caught a Scovell’s Pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli), an estuarine species, measuring 3.3 inches, and a crevalle jack (Caranx hippos), a marine species, that measured 1.6 inches.

Other, more common species such as Atlantic croaker (Microponias undulatus), pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), and sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius) were also collected in this particular bag seine.

The water in which these samples were collected had a temperature of 28.9°C, a dissolved oxygen content of 5.6 parts per million (ppm), and a salinity of 2.8 ppt.

On May 30, 2012, Figure 2. Sabine Lake ecosystem. a bighead searobin (Prionotus tribulus) measuring out to a whopping 11.5 inches was collected in Keith Lake in a gill net. This species is usually found in shallow Gulf waters. This bighead searobin was collected in water with a temperature of 31.0°C, a dissolved oxygen content of 6.4 ppm, and a salinity of 10.5 ppt. Similarly, on June 12, 2012, a 3.7 inch Gulf stone crab (Menippe adina), typically an offshore species, was collected inshore with a gill net. The hydrological conditions consisted of a temperature of 31.0°C, a dissolved oxygen content of 5.1 ppm, and a salinity of 22.0 ppm.

Aside from a diversity of wildlife found in Sabine, there is also a wide range of aquatic vegetation. Incoming tides carry in large amounts of sargassum (Sargassum fluitans and Sargassum natans) during the summer months. Also considerable amounts of invasive Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and Sylvinia (Silvinia minima) were noticed in the Sabine Lake area shortly after a substantial rainfall in June 2012.

The Sabine Lake system provides a habitat suitable for a multitude of flora and fauna. Its distinctive layout and locale enable this estuarine ecosystem to be very productive and incredibly dynamic.

The influxes of saltwater and freshwater truly bring out the uniqueness of this medley of a system.

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

TSFMAG.com | 53

Field testing the new NRX Pro 1.

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

F LY F I S H I N G

ONE PIECE Whether sitting down with friends remembering the good ol’ days or collecting objects that help remind me of special moments in my life, I have a fondness for all things nostalgic. Anyway, not too long ago I had the opportunity to file away another item into my collection of memories and do something that I found to be quite remarkable. After 8 years of hard use- I retired a fly rod. Mind you, this was not just a rod that I have used, it was a rod that I have put in hundreds of peoples hands over the years and it pretty much remained in my skiff since the day it arrived in the mail. You might ask why this is such a significant event and the answer would be that, after thousands upon thousands of casts and after catching what I estimate to be well over a couple thousand fish- the rod has never broke or lost a guide and will still throw a fly line better than I will ever be able to make it. The rod I am talking about is an 8 wt. G Loomis Crosscurrent Pro 1.

This rod is such a magnificent piece of equipment that I am thinking it might even need to be given a name. I was thinking about calling her Betsy but I think that name was taken by Davy Crockett when he spoke of his rifle. All jokes aside I will get to the point 54 | December 2012

and that is- What is so special about this rod that it warrants the consideration of a name? Well, outside of the fact that it has been abused by countless fish and by anglers with skill levels that range from fly fishing legends all the way to those who try to hold the tip of the rod to cast- the rod is still a delicate, precision tool that performs flawlessly. I believe that the secret to this rod’s long life lies in the fact that it is of one-piece construction.

After years of visiting the Florida Keys, G Loomis’ chief rod designer Steve Rajeff started noticing a trend and that was that most of the guides had started gluing together the ferrules of their fly rods, essentially creating one-piece rods. The premise was, since they rarely took their rods apart, why not just make them solid, which in turn reduced the breakage that was usually associated with the loosening of ferrules through use. Rajeff took the idea back to the factory and it was well received by his design team and the Loomis Pro Staff so, in 2001, the Crosscurrent Pro 1 was brought to market.

Mind you, the concept of a one-piece fly rod was not new. Fifteen or so years earlier, Fisher Rods had

survived the torture test. But the NRX is lighter.”

I asked him what he meant by “torture test” and he explained that when they deadlifted weight vertically that the tip of the rod could actually pass below the handle of the rod before breakage would occur. I am thinking that if I ever saw one of my customers do that, even to one of their own rods, I might have to smack them with the push-pole. All joking aside- it is apparent after having fished the rod, it is ridiculously tough.

I have now been fishing one-piece rods almost exclusively (with the exception of travel) for 8-9 years. I truly believe that they are in fact more forgiving not only in a fight, but also when casting, assuming that a person chooses a fly line that not only compliments their style but also ability. And, having cast them all and having fished with 3 of the 4 models available, I have to say the NRX, in my opinion, is by far the best of the best. However, if I had to choose between all of them based on performance and value- the original Crosscurrent Pro 1 will blow the rest away.

So… if you are looking for something to ask for Christmas, you might consider asking for a one-piece fly rod. I would be surprised if you were disappointed.

Wishing you and those that you love and cherish the Merriest Christmas and the Happiest of Holidays and of course… stuff like that!

C ontact

built fiberglass fly rods that were one-piece but it was Loomis who built the first out of high-performance graphite. A design of which, makes an extremely light-weight rod that casts insanely well and is, to say the least, indestructible under normal circumstances. I mean if my high-sticking customers (not all of them) cannot break one, they cannot be broken, outside of stepping on it or closing the car door on it. I guess what I am trying to say is that they are a very durable rod and wise investment for the Texas fly fisherman who spends most of his time in his own skiff. It goes without saying though, if you are a traveling angler, you need to look at only fourpiece rods.

While the popularity of one-piece rods has been building for the last ten years, other manufactures such as Hardy and Lamiglass have recently jumped on the bandwagon and begun to market their own versions of the one-piecer. I have cast both of these rods and have to say that they are exceptional and I have landed a couple of tarpon between 70 and 90 pounds on the Hardy. It is tough but, in my opinion, not as forgiving in the cast as the Crosscurrent Pro 1.

Recently, G Loomis decided step it up a notch and introduced the new NRX Pro 1 at this year’s ICAST show. Using the Nano Silica Resin technology developed by 3M that was used in their awardwinning NRX rods introduced a couple of years earlier, Rajeff and his team developed a one-piece rod that was even lighter than the Crosscurrent Pro 1 that started the current one-piece revolution.

One of my customers and good friend, Jake Battle, and I had the opportunity to put an 8 wt NRX Pro 1 to the test recently on some upper-slot fall redfish and we were both very surprised at the “heat” we could put on these fish utilizing the backbone of the NRX technology combined with the one-piece construction.

After this trip I gave Rajeff a call and asked him point blank- is the NRX stronger than the Crosscurrent Pro 1. His reply, “They both

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

Telephone Email Website

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

TSFMAG.com | 55

My brother Daniel, my mom and my dad.

MARCOS GARZA

YO U T H F I S H I N G

FAMILY FUN In my family, fishing and hunting are very important to us. It isn’t just the fact that we like to do these thing, but it also brings us together. The outdoors is a great place for the family because everyone can get involved and hooked at any age. To me, fishing and hunting with family helps create strong bonds. These family trips make great memories and stories. I think that being in the great outdoors with your family is the greatest thing on earth.

This is why I love to fish and hunt, because it’s a sort of family tradition.

Every other year, my mom’s side of the family comes down to Port Mansfield to visit us for Thanksgiving or Christmas. This is when I have the most fun because my grandma and uncles and aunts like to fish. So whenever they come down we always make it a point to designate one to two days for a family fishing trip. This trip is the most fun that I have all year because with family, the trash talking begins early. This trip is about pride and to see who can catch the biggest fish by the end of the day, 56 | December 2012

sometimes anyways.

When the fishing begins, it gets quiet, for about 15 minutes. With family we can never stay quiet all through the day, we are all hollering and screaming stuff like ”I got a big one!” or “That’s a little fish, let me show you how to catch the big ones.” While being “focused” on being “Angler of the Year”, we pretty much just joke around and have a good time.

We probably head out at about 8 o’clock or so when we do this family fishing trip. Although I would like to be on the water earlier, it doesn’t bother me that we leave late because its family. We get to our spot and I’m usually the first one in the water. I want to get ahead of everybody else. Like they say “The early bird gets the worm,” - right?

Well I like to think that anyways because every year it’s the same thing, I always catch the small fish. For me it’s actually like the story of the tortoise and the hare where I’m the rabbit.

Our group of family members that attend our little

My uncle Claudio Hinojosa with a nice holiday red.

family fishing trip consists of my parents, my brother Daniel, my uncle Andrew, my uncle Michael, my uncle Claudio, my uncle Cleo, my grandmother Isabel, and me. This group of people causes some very hilarious incidents on the water. We haven’t even left the harbor

and we are already laughing at somebody or something. I have a lot of great memories and stories from fishing with my family and all of them are very funny.

Around 4 years ago, we went out one morning not expecting anything that happened that day. We were backing out of the corner boat slip where it is tight quarters and my dad was getting used to driving his new boat. My mom was on the bow about to push off of the pylon from the next row of boat slips when my dad threw the throttle into reverse to keep from hitting the pylon. My mom flew forward grabbing with her cat-like instinct onto the cement pylon. The funny part was I don’t think her feet ever touched the water.

Once we got past this event, we left the harbor and sped off to our spot. The sun was up high, the water was clear and we were spread out pretty good. We waded a pretty good ways before any of us caught a fish. We walked up on a school of reds and soon everybody was hooked up on every cast. My grandma, who is now an avid angler, was even catching and releasing redfish. And out all of these redfish, my uncle Cleo cast into the middle of the school and starts to holler “I got a big one!” He gets the fish in with a struggle and to everybody’s surprise, it a big mullet. This was so funny and unusual that we had to take a picture.

Things like these help make great memories and stories. This is why I look forward to the holidays every year. I love to be with my family because you never know how much longer you have with them. I am glad to have a family like I do because we can bond and get together and fish. I would like to wish everybody happy holidays and be safe.

TSFMAG.com | 57

MIKE JENNINGS

TEXAS NEARSHORE & OFFSHORE

PANDORA'S BOX Red snapper is arguably one of the most popular sport fish in the Gulf of Mexico. If you speak to a room filled with avid offshore anglers about the current state of affairs in this fishery, you will get as many opinions as there are people in the room. If you are so brave; be forewarned and prepared for the worst. There will be those that just shake their heads in disgust and not have a single favorable word to offer. Some will point fingers at various groups of fishermen as the cause for all our woes. If you listen long enough you will even find business owners who blame their current financial woes on this one fishery alone.

You will find a few that will talk about the health of the fishery and brag about the abundance of large fish that they have caught over the last few years. Others will have multiple conspiracy theories about how the government is out to take away our ability to go fishing. Then you will find those that have basically given up on the fishery all together due to the lack of days available to fish for them.

Last but definitely not least you will get those that are so passionate about red snapper that their anger overcomes all reason and the conversation goes downhill rapidly.

I have personally done just that. I have spoken to and in front of a room full of disgusted and sometimes angry 58 | December 2012

fishermen on more than one occasion. To me, regardless of the varying opinions about red snapper management or lack thereof, a few things stand out that seem almost universally subscribed no matter your side of any disagreement.

Red snapper have definitely made a huge comeback in recent years. This comeback has been measured not only in abundance but also in the average size of snapper being caught. I personally have seen both. I fished 41 days of the 2012 red snapper season, losing the few remaining days to weather. The abundance of snapper on small structure that once held very few fish is unbelievable. Much of the bottom that I have historically caught vermillion snapper over is now holding red snapper in numbers that make it difficult to catch anything else.

As for the size increase – I began keeping records on my boat in 2006 and have continued to the present. Our red snapper averaged just over 5 pounds when I started and our 2012 average was an incredible 13 pounds. That my friends is a whopping increase in anybody’s book, especially when you consider that I really haven’t changed tactics in tackle, method, or locations fished.

Increased abundance in fish and larger average

size seem to be the two things that everyone from the most novice fisherman to most educated academic can agree upon. Sadly, that is as far as that agreement is going to go. I have no problem understanding that if you cut the limit in half and the season from six months to less than fifty days, the reduction in pressure over a few years will allow the fishery to recover very rapidly.

The disagreement and often most heated discussion comes when you start to talk about where we go from here. As you delve into the overall management of a fishery, the issues are not simple.

As a matter of fact they are extremely complex, even involving contradictory laws and some unreasonable or unobtainable regulations set by congress in the management of red snapper that were so recently deemed overfished.

As we open the Pandora’s Box that we call fisheries management and take just one simple issue, like setting dates for a fishing season, we soon discover that a one-size-fits-all approach may work well for the recovery of a fishery, but it may never work for the fishermen and our fishing communities, regardless of how many fish we have out there.

What I mean by this is that each of us sees this fishery from the perspective of our own limited experience confined to fishing from our home ports. Often times we lose perspective of just how big the Gulf really is and how much this fishery changes from place to place. We know when we would like to go fishing or when it is the best time to fish in our part of the Gulf, but we may not have a clue how that matches up with what is best for the angler in Alabama or Florida.

Other aspects that add to the difficulty of something that seems so simple in a narrow view are seasonal weather patterns, accessibility to the fishery, overlapping with other seasons that offer opportunity for additional species, etc. Even strong and weak periods of tourism that is vital to so many of our coastal businesses must all be taken into consideration. Soon we discover that what you and I think would be the best time of year to fish just doesn’t work for those six hundred miles away.

This all starts one to thinking, and after much head scratching, you hear things such as managing this fishery by state, region, or even by user group. You hear catch shares and tag systems being debated with angry lines being drawn in the sand. The thoughts are wide ranging, but one thing appears painfully clear – there is no one-size-fits-all fix to it.

Let’s look at the initiative made by the city of Destin, Florida. Destin filed in 2012 for what is called an Exempted Fishing Permit, (EFP). Very simply put, this EFP requested a specified poundage of red snapper to be set aside for the Destin Rodeo. The Rodeo is a fall tournament that has historically been held in late October. This tournament draws late season tourism that the city and its businesses rely on for a significant portion of their annual income. The tournament proposed to set up a tagging system to account for the fish and a lottery system to divvy out the allocation. To add to the appeal and take advantage of a rare opportunity, there would be a degree of scientific sampling performed as the fish were all landed the day of the tournament. The Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council approved the EFP and to my knowledge set into motion the firstever program of this kind in the Gulf.

Continued on page 63...

TSFMAG.com | 59

CADE SIMPSON

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

Sodium-Free Kayak Fishing I am sitting here at the computer on a Monday, back to the daily grind of the real world, after a great weekend in the deer woods. As I line out the week’s schedule I begin brainstorming ideas for my next TSFMag article.

However, something keeps happening. My thoughts keep transitioning back to my weekend at the deer camp. I said in last month’s issue I could write an article or two or ten for that matter on my love of deer hunting. For this month I thought to myself, “How perfect would it be to write about the fishing I do at the deer camp!”

My deer lease is my happy place. Tucked along a rural county road in East Texas, lies about 400 acres of land that I hold very closely to my heart. The camp house setup is picture perfect, a 70 year old wooden cabin with a stone fireplace and an open porch looking over a pond. I have spent many hours on that porch looking out over that pond, and many hours in the pirogue catching bass and bream. Conveniently just five miles or so down the road I have a fishing membership on a much larger piece of land which includes about 40 ponds. In this write-up I will touch on paddle fishing and my fondness of both places.

Fishing at the deer lease pond is very simple but quite fulfilling. The pond is maybe three-quarters of an acre when it’s full and no more than a few feet deep. A pirogue lies on the bank near the cabin and we have a broken old 60 | December 2012

paddle to scoot around with. I usually throw a plastic lizard or a Zoom Fluke, but the hungry bass will eat just about anything. Lately I have been bringing my fly rod out and giving that a go. I only have the 8wt setup mentioned in last month’s article, a bit oversized for the pond fish, but I make do. Still a novice at working a fly, I have been practicing with a small popper fly. I have managed a number of strikes but have only landed a couple of fish, even at that, I’m gaining skills I can take to the coast. During deer season, I usually paddle around for 30 minutes or so between the morning and afternoon hunts. I even go to the camp during the off season, just to get away from the world.

Paddling around the pond catching a few bass on a calm spring morning or even during the summer provides a moment of serenity like none other.

It is interesting to me how much fun I have fishing in the deer camp pond. I mean with all the coastal waters and big fresh water lakes and rivers available, I get just as big a thrill catching a 10 inch bass from a dinky little pond. There is something special about that place that is hard for me to explain, though I imagine many of you readers are nodding your heads right now, knowing exactly what I'm talking about. I’d bet most of you have a passion for the outdoors much like I do, otherwise you probably wouldn’t be reading this magazine.

TSFMAG.com | 61

62 | December 2012

in nature and the quality interactions of the activity. I think back to the days when my dad would take me fishing as a youngster. My obsession with fishing and the outdoors today all started in a little pond in the woods.

Coming Up… I am pondering (pun intended) a couple of new goals for my coastal adventures in the coming months, a trophy trout from the yak and a cast-nblast trip or two. I have never landed a trout over about four pounds. I have always primarily sought reds and caught trout as a consolation prize. My research on winter trophy trout tactics has already begun. I will put what knowledge I gain to the test in my search for a true trophy.

Also, with duck season in full swing, I am planning some kayak duck hunting.

Until next time; have fun, be safe, and bring a friend.

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Down the road, at the fishing camp, lies a completely different beast of a fishing opportunity. Fishing at the deer lease is more for relaxation. Fishing at the fishing lease is relaxing but also more sporting. With dozens of ponds at my fingertips, pond hopping never gets old. Ponds range in size from what are just barely puddles up to seventeen acres. During the summer I make weekend trips up there and hit as many ponds as I can.

Every pond has a different personality and look to it. Some ponds are chuck-full with crappie, others with catfish, and most have a nice population of bass.

A few of the ponds have jon boats on the banks ready to be launched. I remain true to the paddle boats and bring a couple of small kayaks. The kayaks are perfect for easing around the ponds and working the banks and other structure. I have posted a couple of simple videos to Youtube of my bass fishing (and saltwater). Search “Casting with Cade” and you should be able to find them.

The memories made at these places will last forever. From the stories told, to the wisdom handed down, to the quiet moments just sitting on the porch or in the pirogue or kayak enjoying the serenity of the outdoors, all make my heart feel complete. The photos of fish caught by smiling outdoorsman are testament to the blessing we have

Telephone Email

936-776-7028 Cademan11@sbcglobal.net

Find me on Facebook to follow along in my outdoor adventures

For the first time ever, anglers and the local community were able to work with the council to utilize this fishery in a way that benefitted the recreational fishermen. As one of the charter captains I spoke with after the tournament said, “It made our day and our tournament, to be able to add a few nice snapper to our box.”

Is this the magic fix for the entire Gulf of Mexico? Of course not. But it does offer an interesting approach to one method of allowing anglers to take advantage of this recovering fishery.

No matter what you or I think; red snapper should be managed whether we agree or agree to disagree on any other issues. It has become clear to me that what we are doing right now is exactly what we have been doing for over twenty years in our approach to how we manage red snapper and…it is also clear that it hasn’t worked for the fishermen thus far.

Forgive the cliché; but maybe its time we begin thinking outside Pandora’s Box.

C O N TA C T

...continued from page 59.

Captain Mike Jennings is a professional charter captain with more than 25 years offshore experience. Mike is the owner/operator of Cowboy Charters in Freeport TX and is known locally for running further and fishing harder for his clients.

Telephone Email Website

979-864-9439 texassportfishing@gmail.com www.cowboycharters.com

TSFMAG.com | 63

E X T R E M E K AYA K F I S H I N G & S H A R K S F R O M T H E S A N D

ERIC OZOLINS

WINTER SHARKING PREVIEW It is no secret that many shark species dominate our shallow gulf waters during the scorching hot months – months which seem so endless to us coastal residents.

And when the temperatures do begin to drop, it has long been thought that the arrival of winter means a several month break for the inshore sharks of our temperate waters. This has been a fisherman’s myth since the 1950’s.

As with most myths, it was based more on belief than fact. Much of the general public and angling community were content in the idea that sharks leave the cooler waters, in particular the winter surf zone, preferring warmer habitat.

Until the advent of kayaks for bait deployment, and add a few years – very few people fished for sharks during the chilly season. Even 64 | December 2012

until recent, there wasn’t much to go on other than the casually passed myth. So what is the actual verdict of this toothy matter? Do we indeed have a resident winter shark fishery at our local beaches?

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Being the apex predators they are, sharks roam the waters on their life-long mission of seeking prey. As long as there is an ample supply of food within an area, they will be lurking unannounced.

So in short, the answer to the question is yes, we have sharks cruising the shallows year-around.

Conditions along the Texas coast rarely get cool enough to completely push out all the sharks.

Come December, the water temps begin to cool rapidly. This change does indeed drive many shark species away. In south Texas, the hammerheads have already migrated with the tarpon and the abundant bull and blacktip sharks begin to move out as well. The larger of the breed, the tiger sharks, also begin to disappear with the colder water. Depending on the conditions, some of these sharks may stick around longer than others though the vast majority of these species do move out of the shallows.

Now there is a quiet disclaimer regarding our winter sharks. While it is true many of them hit the road, the arrival of the cold water actually greets another species – Carcharhinus plumbeus, the sandbar shark. During December when the bull sharks move out, the sandbars begin moving in. Sandbars are an incredible shark species. They are fairly large (upwards of 7 ½’ and over 200lbs) and possess a very aggressive attitude. They are the large bulky versions of blacktips on steroids.

One of their distinguishing features is their massively broad dorsal fin. Sandbars have a particular taste and enter our waters to feed on pompano, whiting, and black drum. Shark enthusiasts duking it out in the cooler conditions will certainly not be disappointed when hooking into this

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species. Sandbar sharks are the dominant wintertime shark species in our waters and will often arrive in schools to feed and mate.

Even today not a whole lot is known about this particular shark other than they are a highly-migratory species. Some specimens have been known to travel between the gulf and up along the east coast to New England during the course of the year. I have also tagged sandbar sharks in south Texas only to have them recaptured during the same time-frame the following year(s) in nearly the same general area. While moderately known to the scientific community compared to other species, these sharks are found all around the world from Australia to Africa and throughout much of the Atlantic. Unfortunately they have been impacted like all the shark species by illegal finning activity. It is important to note that this shark species (while abundant in the winter) is now protected in Texas and may not be harvested.

Over the 10 years since the discovery of our solid sandbar fishery, more anglers are braving the cold for their chance to encounter one of these awesome sharks.

Fishing for sandbar sharks is quite similar to your traditional sharking. Despite their size, they will often be a sucker for a whole whiting or fresh pompano. The key is to have a low-profile presentation

66 | December 2012

with a single circle hook in a small/medium sized bait. I have had them hit any hour of the day, and also had several breach, high in the air, like your traditional blacktip. On several occasions I’ve had multiple hookups on these energetic sharks. Out of all the shark species I’ve caught from the surf, I would consider these one of the most dangerous to handle when they hit the sand. They have a large mouth with impressively large teeth to boot! You must exercise great

C ontact

caution when handling and releasing sandbar sharks. Several years ago I targeted this species for their fun factor. In the course of about a year, I caught and released 18 sandbars, with several over 7’ long. They are truly a fun shark to catch, especially if you are bored out of your mind with blacktips.

Now that we have discussed the sandbar sharks, are there any other species present in the winter? The answer is yes to that as well.

The pesky Atlantic sharpnose are not bothered by the cool water at all. While maxing out at 4’, they pose very little sport value though, and on occasion some people do harvest them for food. The smaller bonnethead sharks (up to 3-4’, part of the hammerhead family) are also found in the cooler waters at times, though like the sharpnose, have virtually no sporting value. But there is hope for something more exotic. If the conditions are absolutely perfect and the proper bait source is present, there is an extremely small window for the mako shark. The mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) is a pelagic species and any encounter inshore is simply baffling. These are the quickest of the sharks and some of the fastest swimming fish in all the world’s oceans.

They obtain unfathomable sizes, up to 1,000lbs, and are notorious for leaping many feet in the air when hooked.

It is another myth that the cooler the water, the better your chances at inshore makos. This is completely false. Makos are extremely particular with their inshore water temps. Offshore they can be abundant all winter long, however inshore, you only really stand a chance if the water is clear/green and between 65-70 degrees. The one true factor with this species is their uncanny desire for jack crevalle.

If there are jackfish inshore or just offshore during this period, then there lies a better chance that a mako could be present. There have been three publicly documented catches of shortfin mako from the Texas surf. I have caught and released one myself, and was present for another. All specimens have been between 9-10’ and within the “conditions” previously mentioned. They are considered the Holy Grail of sharks when caught from the surf due to their rarity and iconic finesse. A mako is a true gem.

Fortunately winter is not the last chapter of the shark fishing saga from the beach, in reality it is a new beginning. If the upper coast is slow or the water is below 60 degrees, a road trip to a south Texas beach could prove fruitful. One of the great aspects of shark fishing is you never know what you may hook into, and this is also greatly expressed in winter sharking. You may have your shot at winning the Super Bowl with an epic 400lb mako of your own, or resort to doing battle with a fierce 200lb sandbar shark. At any rate, be very careful when handling any shark species on the beach. Wearing a PFD when deploying baits and a wetsuit is highly recommended for winter months. Shark fishing is all about enjoyment within the elements and the interaction with the different aspects of nature. Having fun and being safe while putting in the relentless effort often leads to the rewards at the end of the challenge.

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

Email Websites

Oz@extremecoast.com extremecoast.com kayakwars.com TSFMAG.com | 67

Egg collection bin.

Spawning tank.

STEPHANIE BOYD

F I S H Y FA C T S

CCA MARINE DEVELOPMENT CENTER The CCA Marine Development Center (MDC) in Corpus Christi is the mother hatchery of Texas’s marine stock enhancement program. Built in 1982, it was the first fullscale production hatchery for red drum, which was the first marine fish species in Texas to be stocked in mass quantities. They have since expanded to include spotted seatrout in 1992 and, just four years ago, southern flounder. Let’s take a walk through, and I’ll show you what makes this hatchery tick.

Spawning Rooms Here’s where the magic happens, complete with mood lighting and adjustable thermostat (for turning up the heat). There are ten spawning rooms; seven of them have four spawning tanks and three of them have two tanks. Each tank holds 3200 gallons of water from the Upper Laguna Madre. Tank water is exchanged twice a week.

Most of the spawning rooms are reserved for redfish. A warm water species, redfish require the water temperature to be almost 80°F for spawning. Temperature is checked and manually 68 | December 2012

adjusted three times a day by staff. Lights inside each tank simulate daylight and are controlled by computer.

Due to the controlled environment, redfish in these tanks have a 150-day spawning cycle, half the time of redfish in the wild. This guarantees two spawns per year, one on March 15th, and another on October 15th. Redfish in the A look inside one of the trout spawning tanks.

Control room for spawning rooms.

wild spawn once a year – in the fall. There are five redfish per tank: 2 males and 3 females. They are fed three percent of their body weight three times a week. Through trial and error, hatchery staff have discovered that these are the conditions that induce redfish to spawn.

All brood fish are tagged upon entry and exchanged with wild stock every four to five years, to preserve genetic diversity. Redfish spawn at night, typically around 9 or 10pm, amidst a resonance of passionate drumming (or at least, very LOUD drumming). Eggs float to the top, are sucked into collection bins, and are collected from the bins every morning by staff. The eggs are briefly put in graduated cylinders to measure amounts. One milliliter equals about 1000 redfish eggs, or 1700 trout eggs, or 1700 flounder eggs.

Redfish and trout have similar spawning processes, both being of the drum family. The biggest difference is that there are ten trout per tank: five males, five females. Flounder, on the other hand, are still a big mystery. They’re a cold water species, to start. There are typically 50-60 flounder per tank, and while, optimally, there would be two males for every female, there is an unfortunate shortage of males. Hatchery researchers still haven’t quite found the right mix of conditions for natural spawning in flounder. For now, hormone injections take the place of magic.

incubator tank can easily hold Rotifer slushy. half a million fry. For reds and trout, the incubation tanks are open. For flounder, the system has to be enclosed, so the IR gets turned upside down for flounder season (aka winter).

The drum eggs hatch in 18-24 hours, and the newly hatched fry live for three days in the IR, feeding off their yolk sac. They grow about a millimeter a day.

Flounder eggs take 3-5 days to hatch, and the larva spend a much longer time in the IR. After their yolk sac days, the young flounder are fed a rotifer slushy that looks suspiciously like a college cafeteria green drink.

Grow Out Ponds After their stint in the IR, the larval drum and flounder are stocked into grow out ponds (segregated, of course; no interspecies mixing; the flounder spawn later anyway). There are 34 grow out ponds on site: 14 one-acre ponds, 10 two-acre ponds, and 10 half-acre ponds.

A one-acre pond takes one and a half days to fill, and ponds take 7-10 days of fertilization before they are ready for stocking. (You can see how all the cogs have to be turning at the right time for this to come together.) Fry are stocked in the ponds at a density of 400,000 fry per acre of pond. Sometimes, the water from the Upper Laguna is more saline than desired. The spawning and incubation tanks can have fresh water added from two on-site reservoirs, but for the ponds, there’s no such luck.

Incubation Room Eggs are transferred from the collection bins in the spawning rooms to very small (comparatively) tanks in the incubation room (IR). Each

Filling a grow out pond; the sock on the faucet filters out any would-be dangers to the incoming fry.

Incubation room.

Fingerling drum are harvested for release when they reach 35-40 mm, which takes roughly 30-40 days, depending on temperature.

Harvests occur Wednesday through Friday at midnight. No, not because the hatchery is staffed with vampires. Nighttime harvests are cooler (temperature-wise), the fish can’t see in the dark, and there’s no bird predation at night. Ponds are drained into kettles, and fish are harvested by the bucketful from the kettles. Buckets are pre-weighed with just water and post-weighed with the fish. The weight difference is all fish, baby.

TSFMAG.com | 69

Pond paddle used to oxygenate the grow out ponds at night.

OFF

From egg to fingerling, there’s a 10-40 percent release rate for drum, on average. Fifteen million redfish and eight million seatrout fingerlings are released annually. The current flounder goal is 50,000 (3,823 were released last year).

Fingerlings are released all along the Texas coast. There are two wild genetic stocks of redfish, the upper coast and the lower coast, with San Antonio Bay being the midpoint. The MDC handles the lower coast stock. Trout and flounder stocks are bay-specific, so whatever bay the brood stock comes from, that’s where the fingerlings have to be released. If something disrupts production at the MDC (construction, hurricane, alien attack, etc), the fish can be shipped to and raised at either of the other two marine hatcheries (Sea Center or Perry R. Bass), and vice versa. Release sites for the specific stock don’t change though. Even if lower coast reds are

The travel tank for fingerling release.

ON

raised at an upper coast hatchery, they are still released on the lower coast.

Harvest kettle.

PERSONAL HISTORY OF THE MDC The MDC sits on the edge of the largest King Ranch in Texas; it was initially intended to be a buffer between the public and the ranch.

Thanks to this, even though it’s right on the edge of a big city, it seems like it’s out in no man’s land. This gives the sixteen staff members extra time with nature. Deer are a given, lots of them, pretty much all the time. During fawn season, the does can be seen, not infrequently, chasing off coyotes and a bobcat or two. Hogs aren’t usually a surprise, though one was, when he was found ear deep in the alfalfa stash one morning (used to fertilize the ponds). Even a mountain lion is seen occasionally. Once, a mama mountain lion was seen with her cubs. The man doing the seeing was unfortunately between mama and said cubs. A hasty retreat into the truck was required…

This job really requires a respect, if not a love, of wildlife.

Besides stock enhancement, the MDC also conducts scientific research and is active in public outreach. There are two kid fishing ponds stocked with big, native fish. (Ospreys love these ponds, too.) Many kids have caught their first fish in those ponds. There is a small visitor’s center, and people are always welcome to come for a tour (by appointment). It’s all much more impressive in person, so I recommend you drop in if you’re in the area.

SOURCES Rodney Gamez, NRS - Facility Manager, CCA Marine Development Center Michael Robertson, Fish & Wildlife Technician III, CCA/AEP Marine Development Center

70 | December 2012

TSFMAG.com | 71

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Power-Pole moves into deep water.

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Release depth of 1/3 to 1/2 of captured depth is recommended and SeaQualizer is pressure activated for releasing fish at 50, 100, and 150 feet.

Once the fish is brought to the surface, the angler will attach the SeaQualizer to the fish’s jaw and send it back down. When the tool reaches the depth it is set for, the pressure of the water will open the device and the fish can swim away unharmed.

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TSFMAG.com | 73

diCkie ColBurn

diCkie ColBurn’s Sabine Scene

Sabine

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

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

The gull activity is finally grinding to a halt and a little sanity has mercifully returned on the open lake. It is also a much quieter place thanks not only to fewer frustrated anglers racing from flock to flock, but significantly colder boat rides as well.

When flag starching winds aren’t a factor, the bite has been so diversified this past month that no single pattern has been over pressured. The deep water bite in the ICW and the rivers kicked off earlier than usual and the shallow flats behind the islands and along the east side of the lake are giving up some very solid trout as well.

Most of the local fishermen dedicated to hunting only big trout were concerned going into November that the massive number of redfish would once again dominate the bite on the shallow flats, but that hasn’t been the case thus far.

The redfish are indeed there most days, but the trout bite has held up as well on fish from 3 to 6 pounds. Couple that with what has been another excellent run on flounder and about all we can ask for is more time to fish.

If a shot at a big trout is your

justification for shivering in your waders, I would start my search this month wading or drifting the flats on the east side of the lake. Because we have been unable to nail down any “can’t miss” spots thus far, we have done better drifting and fan casting until someone sticks a good trout before poling down or starting a wade.

When the wind hasn’t stirred things up, the water clarity on these marsh lined flats is even better than

The reds are doing their thing in the open lake as well.

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74 | December 2012

BOATS MOTORS TRAILERS SALES SERVICE PARTS & ACCESSORIES

last year. The largest schools of finger A nice trout that beat the mullet are holding up at the mouth of redfish to a crankbait. the drains and around submerged root balls 25 to 50 yards off the shoreline. An afternoon incoming tide is preferred and the bite usually improves right on into the early night.

When they won’t eat a She Dog or Spook, we can usually get it done with a suspending bait fished on a slow retrieve.

Corkys, Maniac Mullets and the bulkier Catch V are all excellent choices. When the trout are ganged up in the submerged root balls we have done better swimming both the Die Dapper and Trout Killer on a 1/16 ounce head. It has been extremely hard, however, to keep the reds off the tails!

The flats on the north end of the lake are undoubtedly producing better numbers and a better morning bite, but the size of the fish hasn’t been as impressive. All three major islands, Stewts, Sidney and Rabbit are holding excellent concentrations of 18 to 22 inch trout. Recently, regardless of tide direction, the most consistent bite is taking place in 4 to 5 feet of water rather than tighter to the islands.

Don’t ever put your topwaters away, but we have done much better fishing the slightly deeper bite with a MirrOdine XL, Corky Fat Boy and slow sinking Maniac Mullet. When the shallower bite is on fire,

don’t overlook Coffee Ground Cove or the north end of Old River Cove.

There is not much need to discuss the redfish bite right now. If there is enough water to float your boat there are redfish nearby. Everything in the box will work. The only thing you may not have tried is fishing a shallow running crankbait along the banks of the bayous and river.

The redfish will just crush them as will an occasional flounder and sow trout stalking finger mullet. River 2 Sea’s Cranky M and Bomber’s Model 4A both work really well for this shallow water cranking. This is a different but very productive pattern that is not only enjoyable, but can save your grits on the windiest of days!

I prefer to fish this crankbait program with mono rather than braid as it is much more forgiving when setting the hook. That little bit of stretch also helps prevent jerking the lure away from the fish too quickly. A loop knot is also far more effective when tied with mono and I always remove the split rings that are stock issue on most crankbaits.

I hope that you can spend some holiday time on the water this month with family and friends and that you do more catching than fishing!

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TSFMAG.com | 75

miCkeY eastman

miCkeY On Galveston

Galveston

Mickey Eastman is a full-time fishing guide out of Baytown, TX. Mickey has 26 years guiding experience on the Galveston area bays and is the founder of Gulf Coast Troutmasters, the largest speckled trout tournament series of all time

Telephone 281-383-2032

76 | December 2012

Fall has finally showed up and the shrimp are leaving the marsh. Bird action went wild on Monday the 29th of October throughout the upper reaches of Trinity and East Galveston bays and continues to get better. Most of the shrimp under the diving gulls are small but the fish don’t care. Water temps dropped almost 20° on that cold front last weekend, and while this can put the bite in a temporary tailspin, I think it actually might have made it better this time.

The trout kind of flipflopped from small males on the shorelines and females out deep. The bird fish are mostly small males and females and the shoreline fish are more mature fish, up to occasional seven pounders. This particular pattern should hold through the

Christmas holidays with moon phases and tides dictating shallow feeding habits.

Water conditions are good and salty throughout the entire bay system and upstream.

There’s still a lot of fish up the Trinity and San Jacinto rivers and all the bayous. Look for most of the reefs to start holding good numbers of trout and redfish whenever most of the shrimp leave and the water temperatures remain in the upper 50s and low 60s.

Down in West Bay; look for birds to start working on the lower-end between Sea Isle and San Luis Pass as water temperatures continue to fall.

Once the shrimp crop falls from Bastrop and Chocolate Bayous and reaches the bays, fishing will keep improving. On warming trends behind fronts,

work the shallow grass flats and potholes along the north shore between Cow Bayou and Greens Cut. Later in December when it becomes colder, drifting all the shell in the upper bay around Confederate Reef, North Deer Island, Meacom’s Cut, and along the old Intracoastal will payoff. Concentrate on “streaky” water when currents are strong during tide changes.

Lower Galveston Bay is providing decent flounder and redfish action – reports from Texas City Dike, Pelican Island, Seawolf Park, Bolivar, Galveston Channel, and the jetties have been good when conditions are right. As it gets colder look for deeper areas like Moses Lake and Dickinson Bayou to payoff, especially behind cold northers.

November and December are traditionally months to start throwing a wider variety of lures. I prefer soft plastics like the Tidal Surge Split Tail Mullet and the MirrOlure Lil John. My topwaters this time of year consist of Super Spooks in windy conditions and Spook Jr, Top Dog Jr, and Badonk-A-Donks in calmer conditions. All-around suspending and slowsinking baits are the Maniac Mullet, Corky Original, and the 51MR MirrOlure. These are

what I use day in and day out.

Ahead of frontal systems, in windy conditions, the southern shores of the Galveston complex are prime areas for solid trout where bait is prevalent and water conditions favorable. Decent tidal flow near drains will help, and current along points and towheads will get them feeding. After a frontal passage, deeper patterns for bird action and drifting the reefs are both surefire methods for catching good numbers of fish.

Larger specks will come from shallow areas on north and northeast shorelines as the tides return after northers and the afternoon sun does its magic – look for rafts of mullet. Work these areas over thoroughly from shallow to deep with various lures and presentations until you establish a pattern and then stick with it. Once you have an established pattern, you can slow everything down and concentrate on the bigger bite.

Remember that timing is everything so be patient; the fish will cooperate sooner or later.

Play the winds and the tides that are dealt to you and success will follow.

TSFMAG.com | 77

Bink Grimes

the VieW from Matagorda

Matagorda

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

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

78 | December 2012

If December is anything like fishing we experienced in October and November, I really don’t know what to expect. I was not disappointed in our fall fishing, it was just different. Mild temperatures and lack of birds working consistently kept us in a solid summer pattern.

That is not to say that fishing success was subpar - we caught plenty of fish - really, more redfish were caught in East Matagorda Bay than I can remember.

So maybe December will take on the identity of November, who knows. Things change every year.

Regardless, my first stop will be over deep shell for healthy specks, wind permitting. That’s the key - wind - and how much cold air blows from the north. Too much of it and East Bay becomes pretty much a mud hole, too little of it and the bay becomes so clear you can read a newspaper on the bottom.

With deer and waterfowl season in full force, fewer boats will be on the bay. I like to make long drifts with Chicken-on-a-Chain Bass Assassins, gently working the jig over towheads and broken clumps of shell. Often the bite is subtle, especially if water temperatures dip in the 50s or low 60s, so braided line helps feel the slightest tick of a fish

opening and closing its mouth on the bait.

Waders will begin to search for large trout on the east end of the bay over soft mud. Corkys and MirrOlures are the normal offerings, but if afternoon temps reach the 60s, never discount your favorite

topwater. Don’t be surprised if bruiser-sized redfish crash the party as well.

If the wind blows and temperatures dip, the Colorado River is always a safe haven from the wind; and, the colder the better for the deep depths of the winding river. Most anglers work the edges with topwaters, while jiggers throw along the dropoff from 5-8 feet of water. When it is really cold, we set out multiple rods and float down the middle of the river and allow soft plastics to delicately work the bottom in depths of 20 feet of water. It is not the fastest fishing, but a better alternative than sitting in a recliner or fighting stiff north winds on the bay.

Around this time of year I normally write a Christmas gifts column in various publications to help spouses buy for their angler.

So here are a few ideas: A new reel is always good, anything by Shimano is great. Let your budget dictate.

A light, sensitive piece of graphite to compliment the reel is even better; I use a Waterloo HP Lite, but the Slam Mag and Salinity models are great choices as well.

A pile of soft plastics stuffed in a stocking with fluorocarbon leader material and dozens of new jig heads is a thought, not to mention a load of Skitter Walks, Super Spooks, Top Dogs, Corkys and MirrOlures.

A pair of breathable waders, boots, wading net or even a gift certificate for a guided fishing trip would look good under the tree.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Thank the Lord for His blessings.

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TSFMAG.com | 79

CaPt. GarY GraY

mid-Coast BaYs With the Grays

Port O'Connor Seadrift

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

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

Gary and Shellie also team up to fish many tournaments.

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

80 | December 2012

Redfish, Redfish, Redfish! Our redfish action in the doesn’t seem like the passing frontal systems have Seadrift-Port O’Connor area has been nothing short much effect on them, at least not as much of an of phenomenal and the bronze bruisers have saved impact on their behavior as the speckled trout we find many a fishing trip for this guide. in the same areas.

Many people think of the redfish as a staple catch This means that if I have a group of guys wanting in their daily bag, but being normally known as a to still go out during the second day of a blowing trout guy along my part of the coast I steer more cold front and the water is torn up from the floor up; towards the reefs and shorelines of San Antonio and we can head to the protected backwaters located on Matagorda Bays to chase my speckled friends instead Matagorda Island off any of the major bays in this area of trudging through the backwater mud holes for the and still be able to target productive feeding from the line strippers of the marsh. bronze beauties.

Don’t get me wrong during a normal day of fishing we will still catch reds but I seem to find myself starting to target these guys on a My Shallow Sport is versatile enough to more regular basis during this time of the year double as a snapper boat on calm days. when the weather is up and down with new frontal systems muddying up my more normal haunts of the open bay. Even more important I find my customers wanting to target the redfish more and more. It seems over the years I had neglected the redfish and my regular clientele now wanted to chase the reds for their aggressive feeding habits and ferocious battles that will ensue.

The great thing about the redfish is that it

When drifting the backwaters for Sports is a testimonial in itself and as I have Allison Craig, happy with one of redfish I really don’t stick to one certain told every manufacturer that I have dealt the many redfish she caught. type of lure as they are not generally with, “if I am satisfied with their boat and bashful in what they will take. We their service to their boats and customers I will throw MirrOlure She Dogs, Bass will stay in them” and I have guided out of Assassin’s Die Dapper rigged weedless; more brands than most people could ever Mann’s Waker and Baby Waker will also imagine. Here is a small list of boat brands get plenty of playing time. Don’t forget I have used in my guiding career thus far: about ol’ faithful – weedless spoons.

Boston Whaler, Mako, Sea Dart, Blue Wave, A lot of the newer customers I have Flatlander, Majek, Explorer, Shoalwater Cat been acquiring are slowly getting into and I have never been in a more stable, wading or they just don’t think there is usable and more finished boat than my any reason to “leave a perfectly good Shallow Sports. When I get ready to sell boat.” Not a problem! Coastline Marine of my boat at the end of each year there is Seabrook has given me the ultimate boat usually a list of buyers waiting for it. for that or just about any other challenge If you are interested in test driving a involving bay fishing. My 24’ Shallow Shallow Sport I am at Charlie’s Bait Camp Sport (Sport Model) can handle my most every day of the week or we can clientele plus me for a day of fishing the arrange a meeting time that suits you. My backwaters either drifting or wading the Sport 24’ is rigged with a 225 Yamaha SHO backcountry. four stroke and I have installed the TRP I am now fishing out of my third lower unit. Cole and Chad at Coastline are Shallow Sport acquired from Coastline perfectionists when it comes to rigging Marine of Seabrook and as anyone that knows me very well will tell these boats and I have had zero issues with anything on the craft. you, I love going to my office every day, meaning my Shallow Sport.

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As 2012 comes to an end, I can only hope that 2013 brings more to the proverbial plate than this year did. I am often asked, “How’d your year go Captain?”

I think most all guides get that question, but some may embellish the truth in fear of losing business. I’m Upper not that guide. If I were to give 2012 an overall grade, it would have to be “fair.” It was a warm winter and Laguna/ spring, and it failed to deliver trout into traditional Baffin patterns that I and others rely on. I do not mind working hard every day, but the fish stayed scattered and it was not easy to put together days of multiple fish over, say, 27 inches. Don’t get me wrong, we caught a David Rowsey has 20 years lot of good fish, set some personal bests, won a couple experience in the Laguna/Baffin region; trophy trout with artificial of tournaments, but none of it came easy. As I get lures is his specialty. David has a older, a little “easy” in life is greatly appreciated.

January through March brought us some much great passion for conservation and encourages catch and needed rain to get us over the drought hump, but release of trophy fish. with all that water runoff through farm country came the brown tide in mid-March. I will go on the Telephone record and say that the failure to find out the cause 361-960-0340 of brown tide, and do something about it, should be Website www.DavidRowsey.com an embarrassment of epic proportions to the state Email of Texas and all of those entities that have a hand david.rowsey@yahoo.com in the coastal environment’s well-being. With no

significant water exchange from the gulf into Baffin Bay, whatever runs down the few, very small, tributaries has a negative impact on Baffin Bay. Every bay system is unique, and should be managed according to its particular needs to survive what we as humans throw at it. Baffin is remote, and does not have the ability to flush itself as every other bay on the Texas Gulf coast does. Myself and many others are convinced that the brown tide is not a natural phenomena as some in the scientific community claim; rather, the combination of any number of pollutants (agriculture/ farming products, city drains, failed septic or sewer systems, etc.) that end up in Baffin and have no way to be flushed out, leaving a stock pile of undesirables to encourage the brown tide.

The following paragraph is from http://serc.carleton. edu/microbelife/topics/deadzone/index.html, and it discusses the cause and effect of the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Although on a smaller scale, myself and many concerned sportsman are convinced that the same is happening in Baffin Bay and creating the brown tide.

“The dead zone is caused by nutrient enrichment from the Mississippi River, particularly nitrogen

and phosphorous. Watersheds within the Mississippi River Basin drain much of the United States, from Montana to Pennsylvania and extending southward along the Mississippi River. Most of the nitrogen input comes from major farming states in the Mississippi River Valley, including Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Nitrogen and phosphorous enter the river through upstream runoff of fertilizers, soil erosion, animal wastes, and sewage. In a natural system, these nutrients aren’t significant factors in algae growth because they are depleted in the soil by plants. However, with anthropogenically increased nitrogen and phosphorus input, algae growth is no longer limited.

Consequently, algal blooms develop, the food chain is altered, and dissolved oxygen in the area is depleted. The size of the dead zone Who said you can't fluctuates seasonally, as it is exacerbated by be tough and pretty? farming practices. It is also affected by weather events such as flooding and hurricanes.”

Source: http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/deadzone/ index.html Sound familiar?

The up-side: December and leading into the new year is the

beginning of the race for me. This will be the month that all cylinders will start firing on the hunt for large trout. The bottom line is that we need the water temperature to start sustaining itself near the 60° mark and hold that line for a couple of weeks to get them really going.

Regardless of the brown tide, we are still going to catch some great fish in Baffin. I have spent many years marking every known rock in the bay (still missing a few), and have walked every flat, gut, swag, and dropoff in the bay system.

Our feet will tell us where the grass is and the mud will tell us where it was. My boat is going to get them, and I am looking forward to sharing the water with you.

2013 will sport one major change for me regarding the equipment I choose to utilize. I am very proud to announce that I will be part of Team Quantum, and will have the new Quantum EXO line of reels mounted to my trusty Waterloo rods. These reels are so smooth and light, with an unmatched drag system, and just plain sexy to look at. I have been using one for the past month now and cannot believe how much of a workhorse this reel is. The other big bonus to the EXO is the cost. Great product, great value, and highly recommended.

Remember the Buffalo! -Capt. David Rowsey

TSFMAG.com | 83

triCia’s Mansfield Report CaPt. triCia

Most folks who frequent Port Mansfield lament that often asked what months are favorites to fish in the my last few reports have not quite been the raving Lower Laguna. Although many surprises and amazing ones of the past. This year’s endless summer had all opportunities exist all year, the easy answer for me of us mysteriously singing the blues at times, yet is basically anytime we need to put waders on… between those slow periods some downright great realistically, that’s fully six months out of most years. catches were still managed…especially for those Fishing is simply much more predictable when we are savvy enough to ferret out new patterns and tactics. able to work with water level and temperature swings Port However, it’s apparent that something had changed associated with northers. Cooler waters also tend to Mansfield and changed rapidly. How could we go from extreme have fish staged within easier wading range more opportunity one year to basically scratching the next? often, and the past two fronts have done exactly that.

Understanding that all of nature goes through Gratefully, a pre-Halloween norther quickly cycles, the question here is why, and why now? Could dropped the water temperatures on the flats from the Capt. Tricia’s Skinny Water it have been a change in forage, an abnormally warm low-80s to high-50s. The fish responded accordingly Adventures operates out of winter, sea grass alterations Port Mansfield, specializing in Exciting new colors from wadefishing with artificial lures. finally catching up, or perhaps Kelley Wigglers. increasingly effective pressure?

Again, who knows, but what we Telephone do know is that things are finally 956-642-7298 getting back to normal and we Email are again starting to sing songs of shell@granderiver.net Website praises instead. I am excited! www.SkinnyWaterAdventures.com Happy to report that as of this writing fall is here and winter patterns will certainly be in full swing by this reading. We are

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and new moves were obviously triggered. Redfish we haven’t been seeing finally bunched up head to head, bigger trout pulled up shallow and flounder started their annual move towards the passes.

Another positive, aside from increased larger catches, is that an abundance of juvenile trout speak well of the future.

The overall water quality is also inspiring, and it seems that many grassy areas denuded by the freshwater flood of 2010 are strongly on the rebound. Interesting is that most of the lost grass beds were turtle grass and these are now being replaced by the more common shoal grass, which is more beneficial as far as retrieving a slow-rolled lure is concerned. It looks like all is leaning strongly towards the positive along the southern Laguna front, and once again we will soon own This is the kind of stuff we are looking forward to in December.

the most premier fishery along the coast.

As far as catching itself goes, aside from sporadically tremendous topwater bites, plastic tails on 1/8 ounce jigs have been consistent as usual. Two particular baits I am excited about are new patterns from Kelly Wigglers. We have been field testing a currently unnamed scheme, electric blue on top with a chartreuse bottom (no tail dip), and let me tell you it has been getting absolutely hammered in darker water. Another new color we want to call “Lagunaflage” is deadly in clearer environments. It’s basically similar to motor oil on top, which totally changes it’s appearance under different lighting, and with a translucent sparkled bottom called “sand.” It just looks like something that needs to be eaten and doesn’t seem to spook fish in our many sensitive, clear-shallow situations.

To summarize my predictions for December, many things are again pointing towards some larger-than-life sessions. We are seeing a marked increase in larger trout using the shallows and redfish are finally showing up in the skinny as well. The chase should be easier with predictable pre- and post-norther tactics routinely coming into play. We know the fish are there as we are seeing them, so it will become a matter of being “there” when it’s time. Traditional areas to consider are those flooded by southerly wind before a front, deeper depressions immediately after, and warming/bait-filled areas during norther recoveries.

It’s the holiday season and spirits generally run high, but I can’t wait for some high-spirited adventures on the water as well. We all have our own visions of what a great trip is, but as for me, big trout and reds blasting lures up shallow make for a fine image of what life is all about. Did I mention I was excited?

TSFMAG.com | 85

CaPt. ernest Cisneros

south Padre Fishing Scene

A rr oyo C olorado t o Port I sabel

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

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

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

I wish I could be fishing today instead of writing. This is my favorite season to fish and already we have received enough cold weather to make a noticeable and positive impact on our fishery – the Lower Laguna is turning on!

During or right after a frontal passage, the bite has been phenomenal, so good in fact that it makes me forget the struggles we endured during late summer.

As soon as the water temperatures began to decline we began to see redfish invading the flats. It’s no secret that redfish were hard to find in summer and early fall, but I am happy to report our success on reds has taken a welcome turn.

The trout bite through late summer had us hoping that our fishery was still world class. Now with the onset of true late fall weather and water conditions, the trout bite has vastly improved. The most noticeable difference is the size and weight of the trout we are presently catching. By no means are we hooking up on giants yet, but I’m confident we will see them as soon as the winter pattern emerges. We’ve had a few pushing the six and seven pound marks and limits of solid keepers are once again

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common in traditional locations.

On a recent day, my clients admitted later during our trip that they feared catching would be a bust, especially since a norther had just ripped through. It turned out to be by far their best day on the water and the trip certainly exceeded my expectations. We didn’t do anything magical, during the cooler morning hours we worked the edges of spoil banks, flats near the ICW, and areas near deeper depressions. It turned out we caught fish in every spot we visited.

Redfish are back – hungry and hard fighting, as Lee Ludwig found out.

The reason my clients were skeptical was the forecast of north wind, chilly temps, and Carlos Villarreal overcast skies. Based on my knowledge of caught this 7-1/4 post-front fishing I went out on a limb and pounder in less than said “Be ready for plenty of opportunities and favorable conditions. a shot at a big one.”

During winter I keep a close eye on weather studying three weather web sites.

I’ll also make a call to a local meteorologist before deciding whether to fish or cancel, and also where to try. My guys are not as experienced and were simply going on “what we heard.”

I quickly responded that, “Air temperature 55° to 63°, water temp low to mid-60s, north wind 10 to 12 mph, overcast and light drizzle, sounded about perfect!”

We can’t pre-order our fishing weather, but I am quick to welcome opportunities as I described above. Some of my best winter catches have come when most fishermen would rather stay home and watch fishing shows. To me it means we can hit all my hot spots with no competition.

Diving birds or the just the presence of birds in an area becomes of great importance in winter. I also pay close attention to the dolphin activity. Aquatic birds and dolphins do not fish for fun, they do it to survive, and they can teach you to be a better fisherman if you will follow their signals.

During winter, fish tend to congregate over deeper, softer bottoms - literally stacked on really cold days. Tides will be lower in December, especially following northers and during new and full moon. If you’ve done your homework you know of deep holes, drop-offs, or edges of channels where fish find refuge during cold periods.

I usually take a later start and head straight to deeper spots with soft bottom or muddy waist-deep soft-bottom flats close to deep water. As the day warms I follow the fish back toward shallower places. You will notice the bait doing the same.

Your retrieve will have to be slowed down to get the bait in their face and this is where a baitcast reel, in my opinion, has a distinct advantage over a spinning reel. Having used spinning gear for many years I have found a baitcaster far superior and naturally more applicable to finesse presentations – plus you have the reel cradled in your hand and that increases your ability to feel those sensitive taps we get so often this time of year. Whether your preference is spinning or baitcast tackle, don’t catch yourself watching too many fishing shows this winter. Instead, participate in some world-class fishing that our Lower Laguna Madre has to offer.

TSFMAG.com | 87

FISHING REPORTS

Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 December fishing on Calcasieu should be great. We are starting to catch some really nice trout throughout the estuary. West Cove and Joe's Cove are starting to produce some numbers of five to seven pound fish. We've caught nothing huge yet, but they're on the way.

By December, we will find most of our big trout on flats and on reefs in less than four feet of water. On colder days, fish them slowly with Corkies and MirrOdines. On warmer days, when the sun is high, try topwaters in shin deep water worked very slowly. Also try floating Corkies. Redfish will be plentiful on the east bank and at the weirs.

Look for slicks along the bank, and this will show you where the reds are. Keep in mind that it could be trout, so be very cautious and quiet when approaching. Redfish love Gulp! lures, and they usually produce well, but if it's extremely cold, try cut mullet or dead shrimp to entice a bite from the lethargic fish.

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 November was starting off with a bang when James gave this report.

“We're crushin' 'em, just crushin' 'em. Have had limits of trout every time for the last 9 or 10 trips. Lots of quality fish coming in too, in the 25 to 27 inch class. Not many over 7 pounds, but plenty of 5 and 6 pounders. We are wading more now, and we've caught some fish that

88 | December 2012

ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

way, but we've been catching most of the bigger trout in water that's barely too deep to wade. Just trolling along in depths of about 4 feet. Best bite lately has been on 10W40 Bass Assassin Sea Shads and also the purple/chartreuse color. I've been catching fish on a white/ silver Top Dog Junior on days when the topwater bite is good. We've also been on some big schools of reds, mostly oversized fish, up to 44 inches. Right now, there are multiple patterns producing, everything from wading up shallow to fishing deep water in the middle. If this is any indication of what we can expect in December, it should be awesome. Wading is usually great towards the end of the year.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 “Hunt when the weather's bad, fish when it's good. This is the rule I live by in December,” Jim says. “Actually, once the water cools off, the clarity tends to stay a little better, even if it's kind of windy. So, there are a few more days when the fishing is worth the effort. We've been doing real well lately when wading. It's a typical fall pattern, The upper parts of Trinity, Upper Galveston and East Bays are all full of fish.

Some of the trout are big. I had a reliable report of a trout close to 30 inches caught on the north shoreline of East Bay just the other day.

It bit a Corky right at dusk. Fishing is predictably better late in the afternoon and into the evening this time of year. I will often adjust my charter times to take advantage of the good late bite, leaving the dock around eleven or so in the morning and fishing into the early part of

the night. The birds are working already, and that should continue too. There are plenty of school trout under the flocks, and some herds of reds too. Speaking of birds, we've got plenty of ducks, and that brings me back around to my rule. I'll be hunkered down in a blind calling ducks when the weather's nasty.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Fishing had been excellent for redfish in the days prior to Randall submitting this report. “We've got lots of reds right now, and they're easy to catch. They're shallow and we're seeing them before we cast to them much of the time. I believe you could catch some with a cane pole at times! Just yesterday, I saw and caught a fish that wasn't more than 10 feet off the bow of the boat. It was fun to watch it strike. The trout fishing is starting to pick up too, and it should only get better as it gets colder. We do best in the upcoming months when the cold weather makes the patterns more predictable. Strong fronts will push the shrimp out of the marsh; we're already seeing some signs of that. Moving shrimp means working birds. We'll target our trout in a little deeper water if it's cold, meaning waist-deep or so. Normally, toward the end of December, we'll start fishing the open-water areas in depths of 5 to 10 feet, focusing on areas with shell scattered on a muddy bottom.”

Matagorda | Tommy Countz Bay Guide Service - 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037 As always, the Matagorda area offers plenty of options for fishing in the month of December. “Mostly, our fishing is weather-dependent this time of year. Normally, in the first couple of weeks of December, we'll have working birds and we'll target the flocks. That's already under way. Later in the month, when we're fishing in East Bay,

we'll make long drifts in the middle, looking for muddy streaks in the water and throwing heavier jigheads to tickle the shell on the bottom. Bright colors work best out there. If it's colder and windier, we'll fish the river more often. I think we might be on the verge of one of the best years in there in a long time. We're already catching some quality trout up north of town. When fishing that pattern, we'll use MirrOlures and soft plastics in bright colors, normally on threeeighth ounce jigheads. Controlling the boat with a trolling motor and keeping it away from the ledges is a key to catching. Another great option is working the coves in West Bay for reds when the tide is really low after a front.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 Fishing has remained consistent in our local bays for all species of fish. We have been catching lots of fish by drifting over shell with live shrimp or Gulp! products rigged about two feet under popping corks. Redfish from twenty to twenty four inches, black drum from sixteen to twenty inches, flounder from sixteen to eighteen inches, and some good-sized sand trout up to sixteen inches have been filling our boxes. December will have us focusing on shorelines with lots of mud and shell and targeting schools of mullet. The number one key to wintertime fishing in my opinion is finding bait; when you find mullet jumping, stop and fish around them, and you will likely catch some good fish. Some of my favorite lures for wintertime fishing are suspending baits such as Paul Brown Fat Boys and MirrOlure Catch 2000s. Slowly pulling these lures over scattered shell and waiting for the tell-tale “thump" is one of my favorite ways to fish.

TSFMAG.com | 89

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith - Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 Fishing between the fronts this month, Lynn prefers to leave the dock later and stay out into the afternoon hours. “We'll be wading flats with a lot of muddy areas, focusing on spots with some scattered shell on the bottom. Normally, we won't leave the dock until 10 o'clock or so. I like to let the heat of the day warm the flats up a little before we head out. We'll be throwing a lot of slow-sinking twitch baits like Paul Brown's Original Lures. They work well when slowly wobbled through the soft potholes. If the bite is slower, we'll use dark soft plastics mostly. My favorite colors are red shad and pumpkinseed/chartreuse.

We rig them on light jigheads this time of year, since we're usually wading and fishing somewhat shallow. Our target will be big trout, but we will also expect to catch some reds while we are fishing these patterns. As always in winter, we'll fish areas which are close to dropoffs. The trout seem to want to be close to the safety of the deeper water when it's cold.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Cast and blast season will be in full swing throughout December, and Blake will be busy using both the shotguns and the rods and reels.

“I'll be hunting ducks in the mornings, mostly in the back lakes fairly close to town in Rockport. We'll fish our way out when the shooting stops. Sometimes, the fishing is good in the deeper parts of the lakes, especially for reds. If it's colder, some of the holes in the bayous produce well. Normally, I like to fish areas with a soft bottom this time of year, but if it's warmer than usual, I will still target areas with a lot of sand and grass. Mostly, we'll throw Norton Sand Eels in pumpkinseed/ chartreuse and plum/chartreuse. I'll also spend some time throwing topwaters in knee-deep water during the warmer periods. Overall,

90 | December 2012

it looks promising on all fronts. The trout fishing has been steady all year, and this is usually one of the best months for the big fish. And we are starting to see plenty of ducks now that we've had a couple of significant cold fronts.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 Looking at my fishing logs for the last couple of years for the month of December, I see that the weather here was not seasonably cold, windy and rainy. The weather was actually mild, except for a few short periods of cold temperatures. During those cold snaps, the water temperatures did get pretty cold, but only for a few days. If the weather is the same again this year, the trout will prefer depths of three to four feet with soft bottoms and/or dark, grassy bottoms with adjacent shallow areas which have a mixture of sand and gravel.

When the fish are in this deeper water, I like to use the eighth-ounce Spring Lock jigheads rigged with morning glory/chartreuse Bass Assassin Die Dappers or Berkley Gulp Ripple Mullets. If the bait fish move up in shallow water, the trout will follow, and I will switch to bone diamond or pumpkinseed/chartreuse Bass Assassins and sixteenth-ounce jigheads. My logs also show there will probably be many reds and black drum on shallow, sandy flats wanting to eat the shrimp or crab-flavored Fish Bites being offered.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 Joe says his fishing efforts, preferences and strategies will largely depend on the weather in December. “If it's a cold one, I'll be staying around the edges of the channels, targeting redfish, trout and flounder with soft plastics cast along the main drop offs and ledges.

The main channel of the ICW will produce fine, as will many of the shallower ones which intersect it, like those on both sides of the JFK Causeway. Remember to match the jighead size to the conditions,

using lighter heads when winds aren't blowing as hard, and heavier ones when it's windy. If the weather is warmer, I'll be working shallower water on the flats adjacent to deep holes like Emmord's and Beacroft's, hoping to locate drum, trout and redfish. Normally, we will be able to see the fish if they move into the shallows, since the water is clear much of the time. If so, catching them on soft plastics reeled steadily in front of their noses is usually possible. Catching them on flies is not too difficult some of the time.”

Padre Island National Seashore Billy Sandifer - Padre Island Safaris - 361.937.8446 December is the month of the Florida pompano along the PINS beaches. Pink or green “Fishbites” combined with a thumbnail-sized piece of fresh dead shrimp will produce the best catches. Pompano are delicious and the most expensive food fish in North America and are usually grilled or baked in aluminum foil. Big whiting and slot and oversized redfish will also be in very good supply along with lesser numbers of black drum and sheepshead. Sharks are hit and miss during the winter months; with various species available when they are present. Each year is different concerning their presence and it can’t be second guessed. There might be a trophy trout or two but be ready for a long day grinding it out with 51 and 52 MirrOlures of various colors.

Speed limit is 25 mph. Beach driving is not dependable and will change often. DO NOT go down-island if you know there is a cold front due or in progress. Fish the calm periods between cold fronts. Happy Holidays!

Port Mansfield | Terry Neal www.terrynealcharters.com – 956.944.2559 It’s easy to get discouraged when late summer fishing reports are all gloom and doom; but I say it’s Mother Nature protecting the fishery.

It’s a natural cycle. The pressure is now much reduced and the fishing is better by the day. We are getting beautiful mornings with almost

no wind. Of course we need a little breeze to put a ripple on the water. (Never satisfied.) Late-fall and winter will give us great fishing – but you have to catch the northers right. South Texas usually has mild winter weather and the fish will drop off to deeper water as the water temps begin to cool, then back up on the flats as it warms up.

Target them where the flats drop away to waist-deep. Wader season is here. Check for leaks before you go and also that no critter has made a home in there. December and January are great for cast-n-blast, bring a shotgun and bag ducks in the morning and catch fish in the afternoon. It’s all about fun and making memories. Keep what you will eat; release the rest.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty – www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 This is the time of year we love to fish…the bay is practically empty of boat traffic, compared to other months. It’s like getting a Christmas present from all the deer hunters who are in blinds instead of out on the water. This is also the season when schools of big reds have just spawned and are hanging out close to the passes. Trout are putting on their winter weight and trophy catches are possible when conditions are right. Freddy says, “Catching fish on artificial lures is exciting and requires a certain level of skill. When casting in shallow water, it’s important to get it out there away from the boat, because fish can see you. They also have a lateral line on the side of their body that’s like sonar, so they can feel the boat approaching and will move around it.” We use light spinning reels with Power Pro fifteenpound test braided line, on a seven foot medium-action rod to pop Berkley Gulp! shrimp under Cajun Thunder corks. United, we can stop open bay dredge disposal.

TSFMAG.com | 91

Pat Adams, Ava Adams, & Izzy Delgado redfish Jody Duckett ling

Layth McGee Galveston Jetties - croaker

Daniel Gutierrez III King Ranch - 38” bull red

Capt. Robert Liebert Trinity Bay - trout Brenda & Kira Dunn Kema - 20” flounder

Glen Janow Matagorda - 25” redfish

Paul Benagas Galveston Bay - trout 92 | December 2012

Alex Gutierrez Portland Back Bay - 28” red

Gaby Baumgartner Rockport - 25” first red!

Krystle Farrow 30” red CPR

Amy Osina Mitchell’s Cut - 42” red

Rookie’s First 25” Red (SPI) Ana Broadwater

Grant Saxton 22” trout

Michael Eriksson & Grandfather Texas City - 40+ lb black drum CPR

Victoria & Mark Harmon E Matagorda - flounder & trout

Carmen Murilo Laguna Madre - 27” red

Ryan Thull Bryan Beach - 24” trout & red

Tristen South Bay - 28.5” first red!

Guadalupe Navarro oversize red

Tyler Kerr Port Mansfield - 28” red

Oscar Lerma, Jr. Port Mansfield - 23” trout

Trinity Kerr Port Mansfield - 29.5” trout Ryan Swindell Cameron, LA - 26” 8lb flounder

Sidney Shetley Sabine Pass - 50” red

Please do not write on the back of photos.

Email photos with a description of your Catch of the Month to: Photos@tsfmag.com Mail photos to: TSFMag P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983

Shayne Wollam Palacios - first red on lure!

Bellaire Angler Trio Walker Whitney, Spencer Scheps, & Brennan Hoffman

TSFMAG.com | 93

Pam Johnson

Gulf Coast Kitchen

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

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

Hurricane Hoop's Smoked Fish Dip This recipe was contributed by Jim Hooper of Hurricane Junction Bar & Grille Maple & 15th Streets, Port O’Connor, TX | 361-983-4249 | hooper@hjpoc.com | www.hjpoc.com

2 pounds smoked fish (smoke at least 5-6 hours) *See below for Smoking Instructions 8 oz. minced onion 5 oz. pickles (diced) 1 Tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 cup mustard 1 cup mayo 1 Tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

How To Smoke A Fish

94 | December 2012

Snapper or redfish work best.

You will need a BBQ pit with a lid.

Place about 10 charcoal bricks to one side. Add pecan chips w/o bark and light.

Place seasoned fish filets with skin on opposite side of grill.

Keep the heat low at 150-160 and smoke 4 to 5 hours.

The fish needs to be firm but not overcooked.

Undercooked fish would be mushy.

Cool the fish.

Scrape the meat from the skin, making sure to cut out the bloodline.

Shred and mix with dip ingredients.

Chill for at least one hour before serving.

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GalVeston ON THE WATER

Saltwater Fishing Clinics WITH

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TSFMAG.com | 95

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Capt. Joey Farah Baffin Bay – Laguna Madre Trophy Hunting Speckled Trout & Redfish 361-442-8145 Jfarah72@yahoo.com Follow me on facebook!

TROUT REDFISH FLOUNDER

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

Wade & Drifting the Back Bays & Surf

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

CorPus to Port isaBel

florida Capt.Mike Wilbur’s

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Sharkman Surf Fishing South Padre ISland

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96 | December 2012

Visit Boca Chica Beach Shelling and Birding tours available facebook.com/david.woods.5561

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Classifieds

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ffin Trips Now Booking Ba January-April

Rayshell Threadgill WINNER

of the

MONTH!

TSFMAG.com | 97

The Worst Launch, STORY BY WADE OWENS

We’ve all seen, done, or heard about a lot of goofy mishaps when it comes to being a boat owner. But rarely do so many weird things happen in a single outing. Some might call it the perfect storm, I think if we’re referencing movie titles, A Weekend at Bernies’ might be more appropriate. Regretfully, this is all true.

Get the call mid-week saying we’re launching the homemade skiff this weekend. This is something I cannot miss. Visions of super redneck vessels fill my head. Lawn chair seats, recycled horseshoe oar locks, banjos playing in the background, teeth numbering almost in the double digits, etc. Although I know that real plans were procured (from the interwebs) and videos watched (on youtube), I also know the captain of this vessel. He’s very handy, but also, oh I dunno…. shall we say, thrifty. He made a 10 hour one way trip to pick up a specific tiller steer motor, just to save a few bucks. He claimed weight savings and etc, but we all know for a fact if he doesn’t feel he’s sticking it to the seller, he’s not involved in the deal. So I negotiate my hall pass (much like the draft, I traded my first round weekend to the wife for multiple girl’s nights out) and head towards saltwater.

Get to the boat barn and there she is. I’m struck by the color. It’s

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Ever

a common color for my buddy, but to me it looks like something that might have come out of the topside of one of my kids with a stomach bug. I learn the boat is made from debris from a construction site down the street from his house. Leftover PVC pipe, scrap wood, bad decisions, and an enormous amount of faith in the nautical laws of water displacement. Not really, but that’s what I got out of it.

After several long hours being over-served at the local watering hole that evening, decide that we need to check and see if it floats before anything else. It’s suggested we throw it in a local development’s member’s only pool. I was in favor. Law abiders amongst us felt that was not in our collective best interests, particularly given our present sobriety levels. So launch the tub at the ramp. Surprisingly (to me) it didn’t sink. Hurray’s from the crowd (by crowd, I mean the couple truckloads of our crew) that went to watch the launch in the hopes it would at least take on water, if not sink immediately. Kinda like NASCAR, you watch hoping to see the big one. Someone starts a famous speech “It’s easy to grin, when your ship has come in, and you’ve got the stock market beat…” as a cold dude is tossed to the Capt for “christening”.

Now let me say this, trying to bust open an aluminum can on a wooden boat is not as easy as it sounds. My bro tentatively taps the can on the front deck. This was met with immediate disapproval from the horde. Most every insult you can think of is instantly flung his direction. 47% of the populace would have decried “bullying” and had all of us crucified in front of the media. As if in retort, Capt goes to town beating the front of his new boat with a beer can like a child flipping out over not being able to get into his tinker toys. I’ve seen monkeys in Cozumel trying to get into coconuts have more grace than what I’m witnessing at the launch ramp. Finally the can splits and pours its sacred liquid on the boat. More cheers (less jeers) from the crowd. I don’t think it was named ‘the flying wasp’ but that would have been appropriate.

Head back to the house and sleep off the first round of success.

Next morning we go to rigging between handfuls of advil and ‘hair of the dog’. Get the motor mounted and gas can in. Capt is trash talking like a pro baller. And rightfully so after proving us all wrong about his boat becoming an anchor or not. But now, we’re going for its first real test; power.

Drop the boat in again and we all watch as the Capt fires up the motor and putts out of the basin. Reminders of “put a couple extra twists on those mounts and wear your kill switch” are treated like a Greg Davis play call to Colt or Vince; totally ignored. Now things get a little weird. He bumps the throttle and actually gets on plane!

Murmurs of approval from the horde. After a few successful passes barely on plane, the Capt twists the handle all the way open and goes to make his first real turn. Straight into the wake of a passing barge.

I’m not sure exactly what happened, but the boat lurches hard left and starts hemorrhaging stuff overboard. The Captain. The milk crate

he was sitting on. The First Mate. Empty Keystone tall boys. The Capt’s ego. All went into the ship channel and sank. Without a driver, the motor (with its kill switch clipped to itself ) started going lock to lock.

Violent switchbacks like a drunk pointer on blue quail till the motor popped off, ran as if on a frozen rope 2 feet out of the water, screaming as only an out of the water outboard at WOT can, then sank and ran for what seemed like another 5 minutes on the bottom. 5500 rpms, 30 feet under water will not only defy the laws of the combustion motor, but produce a helluva lot of bubbles. I’m not sure how long we stood there in silent shock and stunned disbelief as “did that really just happen?” settles in over the crowd.

Capt and First Mate climb back onto the skiff. Keep in mind this is early March so its like 9 degrees outside with the wind chill. From our distant vantage point, Capt looked like a cat that just got thrown off the dock. Soaking wet and so mad about his brand new 25 horse sitting on the bottom of the channel he doesn’t realize he’s freezing to death. Not good. Couple of salty rednecks cleaning black drum on the table go pick up my boys and drag them back.

Eventually they got the now motorless (but floating!) skiff back to the docks and loaded on the trailer. Captain almost immediately looks for a phone to make the calls “let’s go ahead and get this over with, they might as well hear this from me”. First Mate somewhat unconsciously hands him his phone (as you do). They both watch as water runs out of his iphone like some Saturday morning cartoon. “that’s not gonna work bro” someone is heard to say. “…and that, honey, is exactly why I need a little more money from the savings account so we can buy something safe for the coast. Like maybe an airboat”

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Fleece-lined hand warmer pockets with waterproof zipper Dura-Proof technology gives you three layers of protection, creating a waterproof and breathable system to keep you dry and comfortable.

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galveston tides & Solunar Table Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine December 2012

The BEST Choice‌ Any Place, Anytime!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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