DECEMBER
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ABOUT THE COVER Sabine Lake has been giving up excellent flatties and this seems to be the year of the swimbait for catching them. Capt. Dickey Colburn says the marsh drains and adjacent flats, and also the dropoffs in channels and rivers have been prime areas. Dickey Colburn photo
DECEMBER 2013 VOL 23 NO 8
38
FEATURES Mike McBride kevin Cochran Billy Sandifer Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard
43 Holiday Gift Guide TSFMag Staff 56 Let’s Ask The Pro Jay Watkins 58 Shallow Water Fishing Scott Null 62 TPWD Field Notes Leslie Hartman & Zachary Olsen 64 Extreme kayak Fishing & Sharks... Eric Ozolins 70 Fly Fishing Scott Sommerlatte 72 Youth Fishing Marcos Garza 74 kayak Fishing Chronicles Cade Simpson 76 Fishy Facts Stephanie Boyd 106 Science & the Sea UT Marine Science Institute 108 Boat Maintenance Tips Chris Mapp
WHAT OUR GUIDES
102 6 | December 2013
Dickie Colburn Mickey Eastman Bink Grimes Gary Gray David Rowsey Capt. Tricia Ernest Cisneros
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Donna Boyd Donna@tsfmag.com
DESIGN & LAYOUT Stephanie Boyd Stephanie@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly. Subscription Rates: One Year (Free Emag with Hard Copy Subscription) $25.00, Two Year $45.00 E-MAG (electronic version) is available for $12.00 per year. Order on-line: WWW.TSFMAG.COM MAkE CHECkS PAYABLE TO: Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine Attn: Subscriptions P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 * Subscribers are responsible for submitting all address changes and renewals by the 10th of the prior month’s issue. Email store@tsfmag.com for all address changes or please call 361-785-3420 from 8am - 4:30pm. The U.S. Postal Service does not guarantee magazines will be forwarded. HOW TO CONTACT TSFMAG: PHONE: 361-785-3420 FAX: 361-785-2844 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, TX 77983 WEB: www.TSFMAG.com PHOTO GALLERY: photos@tsfmag.com
HAVE TO SAY
82 Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene 84 Mickey on Galveston 86 The View from Matagorda 88 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays 90 Hooked up with Rowsey 92 Capt. Tricia’s Port Mansfield Report 94 South Padre Fishing Scene
REGIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Patti Elkins Patti@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265
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DEPARTMENTS
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VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918 NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net
CONTENTS 10 Some Things Change, Some Never Will 16 Familiar Trends and an Altered Friend 22 Pride and Prejudice…in Fishing 28 Bodie’s Surprise – Part II 34 Dealer’s Choice 38 Winter Partyboats
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com
94
REGULARS 06 Editorial 80 New Tackle & Gear 96 Fishing Reports and Forecasts 100 Catch of the Month 102 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. Periodical class permit (USPS# 024353) paid at Victoria, TX 77901 and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983.
EDITORIAL
STRANGE HOW WE CHANGE
Evolve may be a better descriptive term for the point I will try to make here but, since it is still quite new to me, it feels strange. It wasn’t so long ago I measured the satisfaction I gained from fishing in the number of fish I could catch. As my knowledge and experience grew it seems I was ever-more keen to prove my mettle. Predicting where they’d be in various seasons and conditions, and then catching them, fueled an almost insatiable passion. Not that I had to always bring in a limit; the chrome had long before flaked off that aspect of it. To finally arrive at being one of those guys that could get it done when others struggled was my greatest ambition. Competitive to a fault, even though I turned ‘em loose; you can bet I sometimes rubbed it in, if not a bit too much. The intensity of my quest for knowledge and catching zeal in earlier years likely sprang from good-old-days stories. Tales of incredible bounty before this and that, from anglers I admired for their skills as well as maybe being a tad jealous of their experiences, these probably had more influence than I recognized at the time. I’m not sure when it began, probably before I realized, though slowly I began to notice a difference. Somehow the watching, helping and teaching others was becoming more gratifying than the act of actually doing it. A few casts for proof, a couple nice ones for dinner, and then delighting in seeing my companions reeling them in—perhaps akin to counting coup in battle rather than
8 | December 2013
slaying a worthy opponent. So what does this mean and where am I headed? One thing I know for certain is that I now rarely have a bad day on the water. I will admit that it draws some puzzled looks—explaining how entertaining it can be watching redfish bust shrimp out of flooded cordgrass rather than figuring a way to catch them. But it’s true. I honestly believe it’s as much fun to watch them “go all deer in the headlights” when I’ve sneaked within feet of their feeding. Another thing that’s pretty cool is learning to identify species I formerly labeled collectively as shorebirds. Funny how binoculars can have uses beyond searching for schools of bait and fish activity. Thank you, Billy Sandifer. Maybe I’m just finally slowing down but I’m definitely having a lot of fun. Sunrises and sunsets are more spectacular. The towering clouds of an approaching norther are more awe inspiring than simply taking advantage of the gorging attitude of the fish right before it hits. I believe I’m a better fisherman today than ever in my career, and though I may not fish as hard in the classic sense, I enjoy it even more. Turning sixty-one this month may not be as scary as I once thought. Merry Christmas, God Bless, and great fishing to all!
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STORY BY MIkE MCBRIDE
chucK uZZle, Or simPly “cuZ” tO us,
gently reminded me once that, “fishing makes us look at the horizon.” What a great word picture; no further explanation required. However, I have been rudely reminded recently that NOT fishing can also make us a bit glassy-eyed. I have been virtually cast onto dry land for better than a month now as my father suffered a rather severe stroke and there have simply been more important things to do. Reality checks can often be good things though, and since I’ve had some time to stare, I just thought I’d share a few things I may have seen out yonder in that vast, reflective distance. For me anyway, it’s delusional to even think I can write about fishing, unless I’ve been fishing. Quite uninspired and close to deadline, our editor offered some support. “Hey, I’m here to help,” said he. “You have written a lot, so why don’t you just go back and perhaps see how things you once thought important may have changed, and how other ideas might still apply.” That turned out to be a welcomed, perhaps even realistic assignment, until he just had to punctuate it with, “You ought to be able to knock that out pretty quick.” Well, alrighty then. I’m glad to see that I am not the only one who gets a bit delusional at times. But I did poke through some stuff that I had once typed enthusiastically, if even with three fingers, back as far as 1999. And sure enough, there’s a bunch of “stuff ” that could use a little revisiting. So here are some things that I think have changed in general, a few more that have changed for me personally, and then some other basic observations that will just probably never change. In general, the most obvious change is trying to accept how much our water world has shrunk over 15 years. New technology coupled with more people able to shake hands with
10 | December 2013
the banker man has left little out there to the imagination, or unmolested for that matter. In other words, it’s getting harder to fish anywhere along the coast without the roar of an outboard motor overwhelming the subtle clunk of a topwater. There basically are no secrets anymore. Opportunities all come with much higher price tags, and fish patterns are changing right alongside the up-tick in the participation curve. There is really no solution to this problem, save perhaps the sage advice of one Sam Caldwell, who during a tough day turned to me and said, “We just have to learn to manage our expectations a bit differently.” There’s another that needs no further explanation. Another general observation is how this sport has morphed from one of basic solitude to what sometimes appears a great clanging and banging commercial industry. I remember when a decent topwater was hard to find but now there are more out there than we will ever have time to fix a knot to. And those tiller-steer tin boats; hell, they got blasted into history by 300 ponies pushing top-drives emblazoned with bizarre graphics. Gone is the Norman Rockwellesque innocence. What did Caldwell say? In seeking refuge below the water line, there are definitely a few opinions I feel I have earned the right to, and some have evolved with exponentially more days of water time. We all know opinions are cheap and we all have to climb the leaning curve, and if mine doesn’t stay steep I guess I’ll just take up badminton. Some of my opinions ended up being absolutely silly. Such as believing soft plastics were only “numbers” lures. I used to call them rubber croakers. “Heck anybody can catch a fish on that.” And what about, “If you catch a big one on that worm it will be by pure luck.” I honestly used to think you didn’t really deserve a big
Fishing makes us look at the horizon.
TSFMAG.com | 11
Rubber Croaker! “What’s in your wallet?”
trout unless you threw topwaters, a 51 or 52 MirrOlure maybe, and then definitely a Corky after Wallace nailed the state record. Wrong-Wrong-Wrong! Sorry, that’s old thinking there, pal. I’ve since learned that the lowly soft plastic rattail is one of the most versatile tools we can use. “What’s in your wallet?” Another infantile assumption was that you needed a big bait for a big fish. Well, I eventually learned that an elephant WILL eat a peanut. And, many times, the old adage that “less can be more,” especially in delicate conditions, will bring big fish to hand when they may not otherwise be catchable. In my earlier years many of us thought we had to fish “low and slow” during the winter, and that topwaters were mostly unrealistic until that “magic 70° mark.” I have to wonder how many big fish we missed by probing low when we should have been pulling high. Now, as soon as the air becomes warmer than water, I am going to float my expectations every chance I get. We also thought we always needed to fish deep in colder water. Eleven full-time years in the Lower Laguna has taught me differently though, but for some reason many still think fishing shallow is just a regional thing. If I only would have known, how many times we stumbled across ridiculously big winter fish, ridiculously shallow and ridiculously cold, all the way from Sabine to Sergeant. I would have applied the concept earlier. No more explanation needed here either. Thoughts I’ve had to personally reboot are just too numerous for this format, but there seems to be equally as many concepts that will probably never change. (Some actually apply to fishing.) Facts can be stubborn things though, and certain universal rules shall never be breached, unless we want to acknowledge the definition of “delusional” one more time. One is that the words always and never should simply be culled from our fishing vocabulary. Especially when fishing with lures, when you think you actually know something, actually think again. There are no absolutes but, perhaps that’s what keeps us trying to find them. Without question, one thing that will never change is that some 12 | December 2013
folks will always catch more than others and some will always struggle, even side by side with the same lure. In staring at that baffling horizon I have to wonder whether that’s just natural selection at work. But hey, the fish need a chance too, but we can always help our own chances. Angler or fisherman? Yeah; discussion ended there also. Another constant seems to be that beyond stupid blind luck it’s all about knowing when to be where. Unfortunately, that’s reserved for the leaders, though the followers often reap the same benefits, just on another plane. What is that old maxim—maximum results for minimum efforts? While that definitely applies to we lazy humans (read potlickers), the same rule applies to fish as well; Nature being the thrifty girl she is. But, if we’ll try to remember that rule we’ll catch more and bigger more often. Indeed, that may be the one major key to understanding how to be a consistently accomplished angler. Or, we can just go-afishing instead. Just a couple more and we’re out of paper. As far as lures go in general, regardless of the myriad choices available today, certain basic Some days we just have to manage rules will always exist. Leonardo da our expectations. Vinci said, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” and that definitely applies at the end of our line. Besides the big first premise of getting on fish in the first place, when we find the right depth, size and speed for the moment, we can probably catch them on a habanero pepper. It’s all about presentation. Regardless of hype there is no
I will “float” my expectations every chance I get.
magic bait bullet. In my opinion, we mostly catch fish between our ears first or, we can be Bullwinkle the Wonder Moose and keep changing lures every five minutes, looking for that “maximum result for minimum effort” thing. The ultimate goal should be learning how to fish instead of trying to learn what we can buy to make it easier. One more. The For some reason lots of anglers premise of “never believe fishing shallow in cold leave fish to find fish” weather is only a Lower Coast thing. is sometimes actually attributed to Moses in about 1200BC. Wow, Some people will always 300 ponies back then catch more than others. might have been literal, but regardless, I think we catch big fish only when they let us catch them, so with that… well…, sometimes we can get lost in that horizon. If you know you are on good fish, chances are low that if they are not biting here, that they MIGHT be biting over there. What was that about being an angler? One thing we can always count on is change, both good and bad. In fishing, circumstances and situations will certainly change, and we can either change with them or…well…here comes that delusional word again. We just can’t put it in a little zip-lock pouch, but we can sure look at the horizon occasionally for a reality check. If we are not catching the fish we want to catch, there are two basic solutions. Either “manage expectations” or “become more creative.” I sure hope I can get back into the water soon so I can do some of both and I’m just dying for that subtle clunk…of a topwater.
Contact
Mike McBride
14 | December 2013
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
16 | December 2013
STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN
Predictably, autumn
season” with eager eyes and a hungry mind. The consistency of the trout fishing throughout this summer in my window screen and fall contributes positively to the anticipation I feel. Numbers of spin my thoughts forward, toward the year’s end. A cool edge sharpens trout in general and numbers of big fish have remained steadily high the breeze, transforming my desire to catch monster trout into a fever. throughout the hot period. Some years, during the latter parts of Historically, the last month of the year produces numerous photo summer and into autumn, lure chunkers catch bazillions of dinks, with opportunities for me and my clients. only a low percentage of keepers and scant few picture fish sprinkled Long ago, trophy hunters recognized the connection between in. This year, pristine ocean water flowed south and east into the Upper the winter holidays and the chance of catching the trout of a lifetime, Laguna Madre, covering the flats with clear water, spurring an upturn in while dreams of rutting bucks and circling bull sprigs distract others immediate results and offering the promise of prolonged productivity. from our favorite pursuit. Deer, duck and dove seasons present Trophy hunters should regularly experience stellar outings once hunters with opportunities to enjoy time in the fields, forests and water temperatures drop low enough to cause schools of big trout to marshes. Consequently, those of us who single-mindedly pursue one gather in predictable places. Both people and fish travel to familiar aquatic species find our waterways largely deserted. The freedom to locations while Christmas carols resound in the halls and bells ring move around and try various sweet spots within well-proven areas in the New Year. Savvy trout hunters have long known where to increases our odds of finding the schools we seek. go when looking for huddled up trout I enjoy spending time on December’s during the cold season. Some aspects of relatively uncrowded bays. I’ve kept Dr. Ron Killian with a long, fat trout caught on a Super Spook trophy fishing never change. detailed records on charters over the during a warm spell in December For me, one important thing did last six years, documenting outstanding of 2008. Some of the year’s best change this year. I worked long and hard average results per day of effort this topwater sessions typically occur to make improvements to my first book, month. The production of trout in the Christmas month. Tricking Texas Trout, so I can release it for measuring or exceeding twenty-seven sale as a second edition. Looking back inches and of those weighing seven over the text proved challenging and pounds or more rates nearly as high enlightening for me; I revised the piece as in other prime months like March to make it more interesting and more and April. We’ve caught some truly relevant to current times. memorable specimens during the first of Many of the concepts remain Jack Frost’s months. unchanged from the original text. Despite these statistics, my schedule Throughout the book, I altered the rarely fills out as much as I’d like, so readers wording slightly, replacing passive verbs who want to get in on the potentially with active ones in many places, to productive action should not hesitate to enhance immediacy and better facilitate call or send an email! I almost always have the creation of a mental picture in the days open as the year draws to a close. readers’ minds. Significantly, I modified While autumn gives way to winter, bright some concepts and added in new ones lights twinkle on the eaves, leaves change where appropriate, mostly to reflect colors, average daily temperatures decline, adaptations I’ve made to my beliefs and and my excitement level ironically rises. I operating principles during the eight years look forward to this coming “trophy trout
winds whistling
TSFMAG.com | 17
since I published the book originally. I now feel somewhat differently about some specific issues related to locating and catching trout, and have tweaked the book to reflect those beliefs. In order to help readers keep track of the changes, I used italics when adding in new concepts or significantly altering existing ones. In some sections, I injected more changes and new ideas than in others. I referenced my relatively new-found love for shorter, lighter fishing rods, documenting the names and styles of the models I use today. I also revisited my earlier claims about fishing lines and rigging methods, to reflect my current beliefs about the superiority braided lines show over the mono-filament ones we used previously. In the time since I first released the book, mono-filament has largely gone the way of the dinosaur, and rightly so, though I still place a short piece of mono leader immediately in front of my lure, for reasons detailed in the second edition. These days, I use some lures on a regular basis which I did not deploy during the time frame in which I originally wrote the book. I mentioned all these lures, detailing the reasons I’ve placed them in my quiver, giving credit to MirrOprops, MirrOminnows, Provokers and other plugs which have significantly improved my catch rates. Additionally, I discussed and described changes in my preferences for certain types
TEAM SALT LIFE Capt. JIMMY NELSON
18 | December 2013
of lures in specific situations. For instance, I acknowledged my declining preference for large topwaters. Early in my career, I caught more trout over five pounds on full-sized Super Spooks than on any other lures. Though I still prefer them at times and still catch big trout on them, I now recognize the superior performance of smaller plugs like the Spook Junior and Baby Skitterwalk, particularly when used in hot waters. Not only do diminutive lures like these produce more bites, they require far less energy to deploy, and facilitate the easier production of fast, erratic and enticing presentations. In addition to addressing modifications in my beliefs about lures, I refined and clarified my thoughts about other types of equipment too, including GPS technology and hydraulic anchoring systems, all with the goal of making the book better suit the needs of modern trout hunters. I’m hoping these revisions and additions will motivate readers to buy the second edition, even those who own a copy of the first. I remain proud of this evolving piece. The completion and release of Tricking Texas Trout The author with a 30 inch trout caught on a sinking started me down a productive pathway, Fat Boy in December of catapulting my creative energies. Feedback I 2009. December rates as received from readers about the ideas in the a top month for catching text played a big role in motivating me to trophy trout on Corkies. create other products related to the sport of
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20 | December 2013
love going back to things I once considered complete and revising them. Polishing pretty things can make them shine even brighter, provided the polishing hand doesn’t press down too heavily. With regard to written discourse, Ernest Hemingway probably said it best. A master of the use of direct and profound prose, he simply said, “Revision is the art of writing.” I completely agree, and I hope people who take the time to read the second edition of Tricking Texas Trout will find it thorough, informative and interesting. I enjoyed laboring to make it more clear, concise and revealing. The new book can be ordered electronically through both my websites, on the Captain Kev’s Products page of CaptainKevBlogs.com and near the bottom of the home page of FishBaffinBay.com. It will also be available for sale at several retail locations, including Fishing Tackle Unlimited, Roy’s Bait and Tackle, Rockport Tackle Town, Victoria Tackle Box and Marburger’s Sporting Goods.
Kevin Cochran Contact
lure fishing for speckled trout. Many readers commented about the character I created who speaks in the text repeatedly. The Phantom provides his thoughts and opinions about various topics related to the sport while he and the narrator share drinks in a smoke-filled tavern on North Padre Island. Over the years, many people have asked me to identify The Phantom, but I can’t do such a thing. An archetypal old salt, he has no proper name. A compilation of great anglers I’ve known and respected, a star in the game, he is neither real nor tangible. An imaginary character, he represents my alter ego and the ideal angler residing inside us all. Talking to people about The Phantom fascinates me; I love the way the character piques their curiosity and provides an entertaining element to the book. I remember how the idea to sprinkle in comments from the the old salt between the informative chapters provided me a structural plan on which to base the text. Incorporating The Phantom helped me organize and execute the book. For that reason, and because I wanted to take the entertaining components of Tricking Texas Trout to a higher level in the second edition, I added in new comments from the character and changed other aspects of his life and its end. In the original version of the book, I killed him off rather hastily, through the mere mention of a massive coronary attack. In the second edition, I’ve allowed him to develop some of his ideas more fully, and have treated his demise differently. I hope readers will enjoy my new vision of an old character and friend. I revere The Phantom; he takes on a life separate from me, even as he remains a part of me. One dimension of my work as an artist continues to amuse me. I
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
22 | December 2013
mOst lOng term readers Of
my articles are fully aware
of the fact that I am NOT a proponent of using live croaker for targeting speckled trout— but many probably miss the fact that it isn’t the use of this productive bait that I have a problem with. What I have a problem with is the “killing frenzy” mentality that seems to go handin-hand with using croakers. I believe that when live croakers are used in this manner it is destructive to the resource. As I’ve always said, it doesn’t matter if a dead trout was caught on a topwater, a croaker, or by the freckle-faced kid down the street with a cane pole and a piece of dead shrimp – that trout is just as dead. The answer is to practice conservation to ensure the continued sustainability of the fishery, not to hate the baits some people choose to use. Personally I enjoy throwing artificials so that is typically the manner in which I fish for most species. But if I want a mess of pompano you can bet I’m going to break out the fresh-dead shrimp and Fishbites. And, if the surf is full of finger mullet and redfish are the target species of the day, it’s far easier to break out the cast net and gather up live finger mullet than grind with artificials amidst tons of live baitfish all day. Now listen to these next words carefully- “Most people will catch more fish on bait than on artificials most days.” But, there are fishermen who’ll stand right beside you using lures while you use live bait and embarrass you severely. Likewise, there are days when you can’t buy a bump on lures while bait fisherman do well and, there are days fish won’t hit live or dead bait at all but will enthusiastically inhale topwaters or plastic. It’s all part of the game. The more elitist or purist we become the more difficult we make the game, and usually the fewer fish we’ll catch. Those who choose fly fishing only make it the most difficult of all; they know that, and they also know they probably won’t catch as many fish as everyone else, but THEY LIkE FLY FISHING, so that’s what they do. This is supposed to be about having fun; not about how many fish you catch. I strongly suggest to newcomers to the sport to try a wide variety of methods and don’t get trapped into any one method of fishing or type of tackle. If you want to learn to throw lures, that’s great, and it also gives you the opportunity to hone your all-important casting skills but – take along some dead shrimp and bottom leaders in case the lure fishing is unproductive. A fine mess of pompano and whiting will impress the wife much more than a sad tale of a lack of success. Set reasonable goals to start out with and as your skill level and knowledge increases you can expand your efforts to include more venues. Personally I can throw a fly rig, a bait caster, a spinning reel, and a large surf fishing reel with no level-wind, left or right handed or backwards. There is a time and place when each excels, (other than maybe throwing backwards.) I’m often asked about using sand crabs off the beach and ghost shrimp (mantas crabs) for bait. I don’t use either and the NPS has restrictions on using ghost shrimp during the winter months. These creatures are terribly overharvested on the Mustang Island beach and this presents problems for shorebirds as the ghost shrimp is a staple in their diet. I have always felt we should do as little as possible to disrupt the natural balance of the creatures whose home is the beach. If we can afford high-dollar 4WD vehicles and rods and reels, undoubtedly we can afford to buy a pound of shrimp. There is one very major exception to not gathering bait on the beach and that is finger mullet and other small finfish. There are times during October, November, and early December when there are untold hundreds of tons of finger mullet migrating through the surf and much of the time they can be caught in large numbers with a cast net. TPWD allows cast nets up to seven feet in radius. It seems most newcomers tend to go for one
TSFMAG.com | 23
Cinnamon Teal -Anas cyanopteraPresent in Texas coastal region October through March. Frequents lakes, marshes, estuaries and small ponds. Head, neck and under parts are bright cinnamon red in male during breeding plumage phase, females are mottled brown. Wing pattern similar to Blue-winged teal to which it is closely related. The Cinnamon Teal is arguably the most beautiful bird in North America. Most of us have never seen one up close but it’s a remarkable treat. You can usually find several during February, up close and personal, at the Port Aransas Bird Center.
Length: 16 inches Wingspan: 22 inches Weight: 14-16 ounces 24 | December 2013 Jimmy Jackson photo
extreme or the other and either purchase a seven foot net or a threefooter. Driving slowly along the beach and watching people throw cast nets is very entertaining, and if you do I guarantee some people’s techniques will have you laughing to the point of tears while others are so tragic you can’t help but feel sorry for them. Selling cast netted mullet, mud minnows and grass shrimp to bait stands made up part of my annual income for over thirty-five years and for a time it was my only means of support. I did it all with nets of four to four-and-a-half feet. There are tricks learned by years of trial and error that can make cast netting much less labor intensive and much more productive and I’ll share some of these with you as best as I can. I can teach just about anybody to throw a cast net effectively in less
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Keeping bait alive can be done various ways from simply keeping a few in a bucket of water and covering it with your cast net to complete aerated mobile bait tank systems using power from your truck battery.
26 | December 2013
every other or every third weight from the lead line. You’ll be amazed at how light the net will become and how easily it opens. Removing the weights is the tricky part and can be a bit of a chore. I use a hammer and cold chisel, two small pair of vice grips, and an anvil. I stand the weight to be removed on end, resting on the anvil. Then I cut through the weight (without cutting the lead line) with the chisel and hammer. After cutting a groove the length of the weight I use the vise grips on opposing sides of the weight and bend it apart and clear it from the lead line. Man I’m glad they opened the National Seashore back up. Happy Holidays to you and yours. Capt. Billy
Billy Sandifer
Contact
than ten minutes but attempting to do so with the written word alone may be more tedious. To begin with, there are several things one can do to new nets that will make using them a whole lot easier and productive. First things to do upon purchasing a new cast net is to do away with the small diameter tether cord and find some other use for it. Buy a piece of 5/8” rope forty feet long and secure the net to it. If you know how to splice, it is much better to splice the connection. If you connect it with a knot that knot is going to painfully hit you on the back of your hand during casts until you absolutely hate it. Cast nets are made of cotton, nylon and monofilament fibers. You absolutely want nothing but a monofilament cast net for saltwater use. The other nets absorb water which makes them heavier and therefore much harder to make the net open fully. Also - the white color is too visible; the baitfish will see the net coming in mid-air and run out from under it. And now for the best trick of all. Most folks will agree that the heavy weight of the cast net makes throwing it unpleasant and counterproductive as the weights won’t let the net open (spread) fully unless you invest great effort with each throw. Now this next modification is a bit tricky and tedious but is well worth the effort. New cast nets are designed with a certain amount of weights to allow the net to descend quickly in deep water. Much of our cast netting is done in water of four feet or shallower. WE DON’T NEED ALL THAT WEIGHT. Depending upon how heavily the net is weighted, I remove
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. Website www.billysandifer.com
On Monday afternoon
as Bodie was about to head home from the ranch, Mr. Connor drove up and asked Bodie if he had a minute to talk. Mr. Connor was looking at some land to lease down south quite a ways and wanted Bodie to drive down and check it out. “Drive it, check the water situation, the fences and the corrals, see how it would winter and see if you can get that old crook to come down a few bucks per acre would you Bodie?” Mr. Connor asked. “Not a problem, Boss. I’ll see to it.” Bodie said. “Follow me to the house then and I’ll give you the paperwork, phone numbers, some traveling money and where the land is located.” Mr. Connor told him. The next morning Bodie was heading south down Highway 77 for a four hour drive to the property that Mr. Connor wanted to lease. He stopped in Kingsville and said hello to some old friends and asked them if they knew anything about the pasture, but while one was familiar with the owner he had never actually seen the place. Bodie stopped in Raymondville for a bite to eat and called the land owner, set a time to meet at the gate and then following the directions given to him drove another hour to arrive there. Mr. Alvarez was a nice old gentleman. Bowlegged with a sweat-stained Stetson, and Bodie imagined the old man had spent a lot of time horseback. They drove the pasture with Mr. Alvarez’s foreman in a Jeep and Bodie liked what he was seeing. “We have moved all of our cattle to pastures closer to home and would like to lease this to my old friend Mr. Connor to hold his cattle during the winters,” said Mr. Alvarez. “The place looks just fine to me, good grass, the fences have been taken care of but, the price per acre seems a little steep to me.” Bodie said. Mr. Alvarez laughed and offered a reduced price, along with the hunting rights, and Bodie accepted on behalf of his employer. “Bueno!” said Mr. Alvarez. “Now you will follow us home to enjoy a Mexican dinner, spend the night, and then you can head home in the morning?” Mr. Alvarez offered in the form of a question. “That sure does sound good to me,” Bodie replied with a big smile, very much appreciating Mr. Alvarez’s South Texas hospitality. It was a long way to the Alvarez hacienda in the valley but, tired as he was, Bodie enjoyed seeing that part of the country. It’d been a long time since he had been down that way and he was amazed at how much it had changed. After being shown to his room and washing up, Bodie joined his hosts at the table and believed that he had never really had good Mexican food until then. Everything was amazing, and while having a cold beer on the porch, Mr. Alvarez offered to show Bodie around the orange groves and the onion farm before he left the next day. Bodie rose early as he always did and hoping for a hot cup of coffee he found
28 | December 2013
STORY BY Martin Strarup
TSFMAG.com | 29
30 | December 2013
instead his hosts already at the breakfast table folding eggs, chorizo, potatoes and refried beans into homemade tortillas. “Ahh you sleep late for a ranching man my friend; it’s almost five o’clock!” Mr. Alvarez said with a smile. Bodie sat down and enjoyed the homey good cooking and the conversation. He made everyone laugh when the foreman, Raul, made a comment to another man at the table in Spanish about Bodie’s height—Bodie interrupted and replied in perfect Spanish that his father and grandfather had been even taller. Mr. Alvarez got a big laugh out of that and told Bodie that his Spanish was very good. “Where did you learn the language Senior Bodie?” Raul asked. “I grew up in the Uvalde country. My family farmed spinach down near Crystal City and ran cattle, goats and sheep, and I think I learned Spanish about the same time that I learned to speak English.” Bodie said with a smile. The morning passed quickly and the Alvarez clan sent Bodie home with a truck load of oranges and sweet onions. Bodie called Mr. Connor on his cell phone to let him know that everything went well, the price of the pasture with the hunting rights, and that he had put their lock on the gate. He told him about the hospitality of the Alvarez family and Mr. Connor chuckled and said, “I would hope they treated you well…I’ve known Elpidio Alvarez for about 50 years and I would expect no less from him. Drive safe coming home and I’ll see you later,” Mr. Connor said before ending the call. All the way home Bodie noticed the nice new boats being towed towards the Laguna Madre and he decided that he was just going to have to find a nice used boat that would fit his budget and be happy with it. It was a long drive home. Pulling in just before dark, Bodie unloaded his things into his house, set aside some produce for his hands and Mr. Connor, and then decided to go to Haddon’s to see if the crew was there and give them some too. Pulling up Bodie thought that there were sure a lot of people there for a Wednesday night and walked into a full house. Someone popped one of those confetti poppers and everyone yelled HAPPY BIRTHDAY BODIE! Bodie was embarrassed as he had forgotten that it was his birthday. Tommy handed him a cold mug of beer and slapped him on the back, Eloisa gave him a really big kiss and then lit candles on a huge birthday cake. “Mr. Connor told us about what time you should be back and it worked out great!” Eloisa said. Bodie thanked everyone there, and was happy to see all of the firemen who had helped with the fire at his house. A large chicken-fried steak was set on the table and everyone sat down to eat. Bodie was happy because all of his friends where there and he felt better than he had in a while but, he wondered where Red was. The door opened and Bodie turned around to see Mr. Connor standing there with Captain Red. “Are we late?” Mr. Connor asked. “Right on time it would seem,” said Mrs. Crawford the Post Mistress. Red had this huge grin on his face and everyone just started heading out the door. Tommy grabbed Bodie by his thick bicep and hurried him along to the door as well. Outside, hooked up behind Mr. Connor’s truck was a brand TSFMAG.com | 31
32 | December 2013
and the boat, well it’s really big!” Bodie said through his tears with a huge smile. Everyone cheered and Tommy yelled that drinks were on the house and Eloisa yelled that, “No they were not,” but no one cared. Their friend was going to be back on the water and he was happy. And after all that Bodie had done for all of them over the years, it sure felt good for them to be able to help him. Be Safe.
MARTIN STRARUP
CONTACT
new 24’ Transport SVT boat on a new aluminum trailer. Bodie stared at the boat as everyone yelled HAPPY BIRTHDAY and Red handed him the keys. Bodie didn’t know what to say. What had all of these people, his friends, gone and done? “I hate to admit it Bodie but it was Tommy’s idea,” Red said. “He said that if we all got together that we could probably come up with enough cash to buy you a new boat and it not hurt our pocket books or break any of us; the whole town got in on the deal. Tommy called Donny to see how long it would take to build it and Donny said that he had one that was just rigged out and the buyer lost his funding and that he would sell it to us for you at cost.” “So all of us got together and pitched in what we could. Mr. Connor and Mr. Sellers contributed the bulk of it and Donny threw in one of those wide screen GPS units that are so easy to read. Me and Mr. Connor drove to Palacios and picked it up and were sure hoping we could get back in time.” Red added. “Mr. Sellers wanted to be here too Bodie but he had to fly to Hong kong or some other place in Japan.” Tommy said. “Hong kong’s in China you idiot.” Red said and Tommy just glared at him. “Thank you all!” Bodie said. Tears streamed down his weathertanned face and before everyone started blubbering, Red said, “Well get in the dang thing and see if it fits!” Bodie climbed up into the boat and sat at the helm. “Well, what do you think Bodie?” Mr. Connor asked. “I think that I have the most wonderful friends in the world…
Martin Strarup is a lifelong saltwater enthusiast and outdoorsman. Martin is also a collector and dealer of vintage fishing tackle and lures, especially those made in Texas. Email
Trouthunter@swbell.net
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STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE
34 | December 2013
In nearly every facet of life
it’s nice to have choices. Being able to decide between different things, and choose the one that appeals to you most, is definitely part of the American way. So - if you were looking for a time of the year that possibly offers up the most options, choices, and variety; it would be almost impossible to beat the fishing you can find on Sabine Lake during the closing weeks of November and early December. Here on the Texas coast, weather patterns can range from basking in summerlike warmth to the chill of winter within the stretch of a few days, and this means multiple feeding and migration patterns for the most popular game fish will be in play. Options can include just about any type of tackle or tactics you enjoy, and that makes it one of the best times of the year to be on the water. Now just like a casino in Las Vegas, where there are different games that require varying levels of skill and strategy, there are styles and methods of fishing that are also different. Let’s start with one of the most popular during seasonal bait migrations – chasing the birds. There are tons of folks who wait all year for the birds to really get cranked up and point the way to easy fishing excitement. Schooling trout and reds under flocks of gulls are a fall mainstay on every bay system and any angler who has spent time catching fish like this will tell you how much fun it can be. Soft plastics on jigs, with or without rattling-style corks, are pretty much the standard method while fishing under the birds, and for a couple of reasons. First reason that comes to mind is that you can cast them a country mile which keeps you far enough away from the action to avoid spooking the fish yet still within range. The single hook on the jig head also offers much easier hook removal, which means quicker follow up casts and more hook ups, and less chance of injury to fish when practicing catch and release. The single hook is also less prone to tangling in a dip net and also from snagging other anglers in the boat – If you know what I mean. As we move down the aisles of the late-fall fishing casino, away from the slot machines where the folks fishing under the birds congregate, you will find the table games, ones that require a little more skill. The blackjack table would be the next stop in the casino and fishing for flounder would be a comparable option for an angler to try his luck. Flounder fishing during late-November and early-December is often overlooked, due mainly to the pace of the game when compared to the run-and-gun excitement of hustling fish under the birds, plus the fact that the daily bag limit is temporarily reduced to two fish during the month of November here on TSFMAG.com | 35
36 | December 2013
population. Most Texas coastal anglers will fit into one of these groups and each will do so with a smile on their face. The opportunity to choose between so many options very rarely gets better than it will during the next several weeks. Another thing that will put a smile on most fishermen’s faces will be the fact that a good bit of the traffic on the water will subside as the Texas hunting seasons are running full steam this time of year. October is notable for its high traffic here on Sabine, given the pleasant weather along with the bird-fishing and early stages of the flounder run, but come late-November the chance to tag a Booner whitetail or fill the freezer with tasty backstraps is more than most can stand and their fishing gear goes in the closet until spring. Despite the sometimes challenging weather, fishing in the late-fall season can be just like a trip to the casino where you can strike it rich or go home wondering how you’re going to get the rent paid. The opportunities are there for the taking and the options keep you coming back for more. Personally, I’m a big fan of this season because it really showcases the diversity of my home waters of Sabine Lake. We have so many productive patterns to fish that you always have a shot at getting your string stretched. The true bonus will come if we can avoid major flooding from the Sabine and Neches Rivers as the salinity and clarity in the lake are just gorgeous as it gets right now. The forecast for some exceptional fishing looks very promising and that’s about as good as leaving the casino with money in your pocket.
Chuck Uzzle
Contact
the Texas side of Sabine Lake. It takes a well disciplined angler to turn their back on screeching gulls and stare at a shoreline or marsh drain instead. Anglers that master the art are often rewarded with the best quality flounder of the year though, and the big passes that lead from the bays to gulf will be the main targets of those wanting to cash in on the really big ones. The flounder that come from the marshes and shallow water will rarely compete in size with the ones taken out of deeper channels. Anglers concentrating on deep flats near even deeper channels will locate some impressive schools of big flounder this time of year. Live bait is always a best bet when targeting big flounder but scented soft plastics produce some good fish as well. If you really want to increase your odds of catching a truly big flounder then this the time to be on the water. Next stop on our little casino tour of the water is the poker table. Here is where strategy, reading your opponent accurately, and a little help from Lady Luck is the name of the game. At this poker table is where you’ll find inshore fishing’s version of the high rollers – trophy trout anglers. This season on Sabine and Calcasieu has long been synonymous with catching really big trout. The combination of available food, along with cold fronts and warming days, are an incredible combination that keep big fish hunters coming back for more every year. Reading the water and conditions is exactly like reading a hand in poker where certain situations dictate your strategy while other times you are forced to go against the grain in order to win the hand. Big trout hunters will most certainly be “all in” on days following cold fronts as some of the heaviest fish of the year will be caught when the weather moderates following a strong norther. The same 25” trout that weighed 4.5 to 5 pounds in the summer may balloon toward weights exceeding 6 pounds as their diet changes and metabolism begins to slow. Take this into consideration and you can imagine what a 28 or 29-incher has the potential of weighing. That’s the reason you see those guys spend hours upon hours waiting for that one big bite and the shot at a career fish. Now granted, these three patterns and styles of fishing are very broad but they also represent the majority of the inshore angling
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
STORY BY JOE RICHARD
i am nOt eXactly a
stranger to Gulf partyboats, with a number of
memorable voyages over the years, and in all seasons. Our winter trips saw solid snapper and Warsaw grouper action at the snapper rocks off Cameron, La. and also Sabine, Galveston and Freeport. (I also fished other ports and boats in warmer weather). Some of the boats are gone now, federal mismanagement of red snapper and/or the economy have shut down former party boat operations in Sabine and Port O’Connor, for instance. Fishing aboard these bigger, safer vessels in winter is a relatively cheap day spent offshore, typical 18-hour trips back in the day, a good deal. The weather is mild out there, even balmy some trips, as opposed to another episode of Deadliest Catch. With offshore Gulf fishing, how else can you meet lots of new shipmates on a long trip, and catch a pile of fish without the cost of owning a boat? (Or trailering it). Toss a big Igloo in the back of the car, and head for the docks. Adventure beckons and we often found it. One winter trip stands out: We watched the Superbowl on a black and white TV on the big boat during the ride back to port. I have no
38 | December 2013
idea how we got reception, but there we were, watching Miami versus Washington, an epic game. But the fishing that day also stood out. The night before we departed, there was a light snow and fish kill in Cameron harbor, trout floated by the hundreds under the dock. We’d driven in from Port Arthur—at the time we had no local partyboat at Sabine Pass. (Bluewater was recently retired and Big Momma was 11 years in the future). Anyway, we filled two Igloos full of fine trout, destined for cut bait…It was either use that, or frozen stinky purple California squid provided by the boat. It was a typical 18-hour trip, back then we always headed offshore at midnight and returned at 6 p.m. Fifty miles out next morning, our chunked trout fillets had a telling effect on snapper; they flew over the rail. Problem was, seas were still choppy after the cold front. I was confined at times to my bunk below decks, while the guys above whooped and hollered. Finally, fishing time was winding down just before lunch, seas were calming, and I eased upstairs. By then we knew the captain had a habit of hitting a few so-so spots, and then visiting his honeyhole on the Calcasieu Rock, for exactly a half-hour before heading in. (No need to fish out his spot in one trip). I just
Former Port O’Connor party boat Chip XI makes a snapper drift past a platform off Matagorda Island.
happened to arrive at my post near the bow, as the anchor dropped and the mate paid out rope. He wrapped it off and as it tightened, I lowered down the head of a 3-pound trout on the lowest of my five circle hooks, hastened with a pound of lead. “Swinging for the fence,” as they say in baseball. Soon enough, something ponderous bent my snapper rod to the reel, taking 80-pound line, and the fight was on. Soon enough a huge red shape showed below in blue water, then surfaced. The mate took a headshot with the gaff but accidentally lipgaffed it, a rarity on a vessel with high sides. Dragged aboard, it was a 25-pound red snapper, my biggest ever. The owner, Teeboy McCall, came down from his throne and offered to trade my entry fee for that snapper; he wanted to have it mounted in his office. I said okay, and my paltry dozen or so snapper were taken home. But not before we watched the hated Redskins get spanked by an unbeaten Miami team. Oh, it was sweet…while the Gulf slicked out on our ride home. My buddies all caught twice as many snapper that day, but had to pay their entry fee. And back then, that $30 dollars could buy enough gas to drive to Florida, plus a sack of burgers. Such is the stuff memorable trips are made of. And now that
I’m done reminiscing, what’s available on the boats this winter? Red snapper season is closed, but there are alternative fish species available for the big boats still docked in Galveston and Port Aransas. Winter tuna trips are available. One example is the newer Capt. John, a 75-foot catamaran with Williams Party Boats in Galveston. They offer 40 bunks and restricts their crew to that same number, during the long tuna trips lasting anywhere from 36 to 60 hours. Battling tuna at the deepwater rigs is a kick, and of course the boat stops along the way in somewhat shallower water for grouper and amberjack. Tuna school thickly around the deep rigs each winter. I know this for a fact, having jumped overboard one sunny day for underwater pictures in February, while the crew of Abra-ca-Dabra was fighting a wahoo. Below me 20 to 100 feet down in super-clear blue water, surrounding the platform, swam slowly thousands of tuna. They looked like minnows, but they were 20-pound blackfin tuna, which still have no bag limit. And much bigger yellowfin tuna are out there, too. Might make a good Christmas present, buying a gift certificate for one of those longer partyboat trips. Two Years Before the Mast, and all that. Warsaw grouper, the big boys weighing up to 300 pounds, move TSFMAG.com | 39
Deckhand gaffs and swings aboard a feisty amberjack.
inshore to spawn during winter. They’re commonly found in depths out to 900 feet or so, but 100 feet is often good enough during the colder months. This puts them within reach of all partyboats. If you’re serious about catching one, use a live bait. However, only one Warsaw is now allowed per vessel, so you’d better be first to land one, if you
Lady angler bowed up on a big amberjack or snapper…which is it?
40 | December 2013
This is the go-to lure for AJs today, the “heavy metal” stick jig made by several companies. That single hook is strong and built to last.
want to haul it home. There are many other species of grouper out there, however. Amberjack season is open this winter. If you want one, best bring a few heavy-metal jigs about a foot long (see picture). They’re built to sink fast, even in a current. Best tackle is a long stiff rod, eight feet,
Older photo showing catch of winter Warsaw grouper from Port Aransas.
TSFMAG.com | 41
which certainly stands above short partyboat tackle. The jig is worked with great sweeps of the rod, up and down, and a short rod does a poor job. The rod tip is yanked high overhead, and the jig allowed to settle. The fish typically hit while the jig is sinking. You have to react quickly and slam the hook. I suppose a no-stretch 80-pound braid line would work best, with no stretch and less drag in the current, though we managed with 40-pound mono line in the past. If you have the only long rod and metal jigs on a partyboat, you’ll likely win biggest fish in the pot, unless someone drags up a Warsaw grouper bigger than, say, 50 pounds. You might also make fast friends with several anglers around you, who may depend on you for their amberjack. Amberjack tend to school, are greedy and almost as good on the table as ling. Miss an AJ and it’s no big deal, there’s probably keeper Warsaw grouper, a hundred more down there. But you caught in January off really have to work that jig up and Freeport in 180 feet down, AJs seldom hit snapper bait. Best of water. This guy was keep a 30-pound AJ or bigger, if you’re using a live beeliner snapper for bait. allowed only one fish per day. I suppose the longer trips involving two calendar days still allow for double fish limits, however. Kingfish prowl Stetson Rock off Galveston during winter, if your party boat stops there. kingfish have to winter somewhere, they don’t all run the gauntlet into Mexico or South Florida in southern latitudes. On some winter trips at Stetson the kings averaged 25 pounds and were as energetic as summer; they wore us out. And hungrier; drag a 3-ounce white bucktail jig 20 yards behind the boat as it circles before
A newbie on the party boat hangs on for dear life, and uses the railing as leverage against a big fish.
42 | December 2013
anchoring, and watch what happens. There are other bonus species at Stetson, such as big African pompano. Mangrove snapper prefer warm weather, but they’re offshore during winter. One should remember that, when far enough offshore, the weather can be quite warm out there, while chill weather lingers on the coast. This leads me to deflating fish. Bring a deflator along, which is hypodermic steel of about 1/8 inch diameter, mounted on a wood handle. Any fish to be released should immediately have this steel (or even a clean, thin fillet knife inserted deep under a scale, where the fish’s pectoral fin folds down to the body. Unhook the fish first, because it may wiggle hard when the gas is removed. Never deflate the stomach of a fish protruding from its mouth—that causes peritonitis and can be fatal, according to biologists. Work fast, before the pressured gas harms the fish internally. What to Bring: • Sharp, sturdy fillet knife: Many people won’t have one, for cutting bait or gutting fish. • Small cutting board: Where else to cut bait? • Rough towel: keep those hands clean and dry. • Knit cap in winter: Pull it over your eyes to sleep, and they also stay on your head in the wind. • Jacket: It can get chilly offshore, too. • Small pillow: Catch up on sleep during the ride. • Sunglasses: Wear them on sunny days or to grab sleep when the lights are left on. • Ear plugs: Cuts the diesel engine noise and nearby chit-chat while you nap. • Favorite tackle: Long, stiff rod for casting and jigging up AJs and tuna. Short, thicker rod for going deep with bait. • Ice chest: They’ll probably make you leave it in the car, but you do have to haul those fish home. • Sleeping bag: If you can score a bunk or long empty seat on the boat, a mummy bag is mighty nice in winter. • Grab the stern: If available, arrive early and reserve a spot on the stern. All that bait in the water will attract fish from down-current, which is usually dead-astern.
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Example of “clump” shell we find scattered over softer bottom. The key is the height of these clumps and the contour it creates.
J AY WAT k I N S
ASK THE PRO
THE RIGHT STRuCTuRE AND GEAR FOR
WINTER TROuT FISHING
Many of you look forward to wintertime fishing as much as I do. Recent rainfall and higher than normal tide conditions along the Middle and Lower Coast are giving me positive vibes for our winter prospects. Winter will bring some of the year’s best trout fishing for those willing to brave sometimes harsh elements. Yes, some of the excellent catches will be due to what we refer to as “seasonal bounty” but much of it will be driven by proven winter strategies. There will be tons of articles, blogs, tweets and Facebook posts giving you updated reports. Few however, will offer advice on how and why, much less revealing a location. I can honestly understand protecting small areas where fish congregate, after all, not all anglers are conscientious about releasing upper-end trout. To me though, the real truth lies in understanding what actually attracts and holds good numbers of top-end fish, being able to identify those facts, and putting them into play in your own area. Every My essential bay system contains preferred SIMM’S gear for winter structure and knowing winter fishing and Henri the preferred structure for the Custom Rods. system you’re fishing is HUGE! 56 | December 2013
Remember now this is only my observation, not based on science, simply records of my catches. For years I believed that locating bait was the singlemost important factor in locating winter trout. Older and wiser, I have come to realize that in my area the larger winter fish prefer areas with bottom structure that contains scattered “clump” shell amid scattered grass, slightly softer bottom, and a consistent supply of mullet. So I guess I have now come to trust that best results can be found where the combination of proper structure AND food are located. In our back bays we still see a few shad (menhaden) during winter and this is always a bonus to attracting and holding bigger fish. We only find the tall “clump” shell in areas where oystering is closed or where the water is too shallow for them to work. These clumps can be tough on our Corky inventory, so a good fluorocarbon leader of at least 20-lb test is in order. Now in previous articles you might have learned that I prefer monofilament leader most of the time as I believe its softer texture provides more action
C ontact
in the presentation. Fluorocarbon tends to be stiffer, more abrasion resistant, and therefore better in this application. Again – no science here, just what I think I’ve learned over the years. Many years ago Cliff Webb taught me how to fish a Corky over such structure and I believe they hold over this structure due largely to the uneven contour it creates. Fairly easy to see how a large dark shape could blend into an area of scattered clumps with dark seagrasses attached over a darker, mud-based bottom. Suspend and wait is the nature of larger trout so the slow sinking Corky is often irresistible to them. You already know how anal I can be about fixing little things that keep us from being successful. In the following paragraphs I will try to explain just how important our equipment choices have become. You can’t catch what you can’t feel or cast to, and you won’t stay and grind if you’re wet and cold. These are my keys to being able to play the winter game I have so grown to love. I cannot stress enough the importance of a rod and reel combination that allows you to cast far enough to reach areas without actually entering them. Stealth and working the fringes of structure are too often overlooked. Your rod needs to have a moderate- fast action to allow you to work the Corky without pulling or twitching out of the strike zone. Couple this with medium-light power and you have a really good tool for your Corky fishing. It is true that many of your strikes will come on the fall but I often see larger trout come completely out of the water on the rise of the lure. Trout acclimate to the cold and once this has taken place their feeding aggression is no different than any other time of the year. I use a 6’6” Phoenix K2(CS) rod with a moderate fast action and medium light power, custom-made by Henri Rods. The shorter 6’-6” length allows me to do everything I feel I need with every presentation and gain a higher percentage of strikes. The fact that they are custom built for me means that I have finally found the rod that fits me perfectly. I have equipped my Henri’s with the NEW Quantum EXO PT with 5.3:1 or the faster 7.3:1 gear ratios to suit my fishing. The marriage of these two creates the lightest and most sensitive rod-nreel combos on the market – in my opinion. I have been using them for over a year and have had outstanding performance from the duo. I need light weight to keep my arm from wearing out during long days at 55 years of age. The old wrist and elbow ache a little in the winter months with some of the heavier combinations that I used to throw. I have always had what I felt was the best available and I certainly feel that way about what I am using today. Wading the softer bottom with clump shell can be sporty. Taller oyster clumps can be the end to our waders if we don’t employ quality lace-up wading boots. I use two types of wading boots, both made by Simms Fishing Products. For many years their Flats Sneakers were my favorites but we had to buy a size larger than our actual shoe size to accommodate our G3 or G4 Simms Guide waders. Hey, my wife and daughter, Shayla, have tons of shoes, so I don’t feel bad about buying two or three pairs of wading boots a year. The new Simms OceanTek wading boots are awesome. I thought they were going to be heavy and bulky but I was wrong. If you’re a size 10, order a 10 and they’ll fit perfectly with waders. The extra height that high-top lace-up wading boots gives me allows me to work bottom that is less than favorable. I have good support on the uneven bottom and the higher sides on the boots provide a little more protection. You still need to be careful when wading the nasty stuff but the boots will certainly divert a certain amount of danger from the sharp shell. The most important thing to me anymore, during my winter trout fishing, is staying comfortable. It does not matter if you have the best area and the best equipment, if you can’t keep warm and dry you’re done. When I was younger I thought I was tough. As I aged I realized I was mostly just stupid, so today I make it a point to have what I think is the best under and outerwear that money can buy. I have Simms everything and the reason is simple, it works and it lasts, and if it doesn’t they take care of it. My New Simms G4Z Pro-Guide waders were a pretty easy decision for me when it comes to purchasing cold water fishing gear. Costly? Yes. But worth every dollar. I hope this article helps put you on some better trout this winter. I also hope that learning what works best for me provides insight for improving your own game. Oh, just in case you’re wondering…I choose my sponsors, they don’t choose me! May your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 20 years. Jay specializes in wading year-round for trout and redfish with artificial lures. Jay covers the Texas coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi Bay. Telephone
361-729-9596 | Email
Jay@jaywatkins.com | Website
www.jaywatkins.com TSFMAG.com | 57
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
Angler’s Journey “I have never cared about setting world records, or filling my boat with fish, or, for that matter, even catching fish. I go for the experience of spending six hours in the arms of the ocean, never thinking of a single thing except chasing fish.” -Jimmy Buffet Couldn’t have said it any better myself. What I love about the shallow water sightcasting game is the hunt. It’s about patrolling the marsh from high atop my poling platform and trying to figure out what the redfish are doing on this particular day at this moment. It’s about putting the pieces of the puzzle together; the season, the wind, the tide, the time of day and their food source. It’s about soaking it all in and coming up with answers. It isn’t about catching as many fish as possible by whatever means necessary. It isn’t about trying to catch that perfect twenty-seven and three-quarter inch, ninepound tournament red. It isn’t about trying to fill my freezer with enough fish to last into the next millennium. It is about taking a moment to size up the fish’s attitude. It is about deciding whether he’s aggressively 58 | December 2013
attacking anything that moves, looking for a quick snack or just chilling. It is about planning the approach and setting up for the shot without alerting the target. It is about executing the perfect cast and watching as the red is fooled into eating the fake. Sometimes it is about landing the fish, sometimes that doesn’t even matter. Sometimes it is about watching the fish swim safely away to fight another day and sometimes it is about satisfying the hunter instinct by making a meal of my prey. I fully understand that my way isn’t the only way to enjoy time on the water, but it is where I have arrived after many years of fishing. I was once the kid trying to catch every fish in the bay. Later I was the young man trying to string the biggest to feed my growing ego and prove I belonged among the salts I admired. Then along came the tournament phase where I had to judge my skills against the rest of the crowd. I wouldn’t change anything about the course of that journey. I’ve had fun with every step and I certainly don’t begrudge anyone following their own path, so long as they do so ethically and within the legal boundaries. Now as I enter the month leading to a half century on this spinning rock I no longer have the desire to compare myself to others. I no longer feel the need to catch the most or the biggest. More and more often I’m finding that just capturing a good photo of a feeding redfish is reward enough. I only want to fully enjoy what I do and make sure my future grandkids have the opportunities to experience the cool places and sights I’ve seen. I want them to see a shower of
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TSFMAG.com | 59
earlier this year
I wrote an article about a trip we took to fish the marshes of Louisiana last January. The story detailed a four day sightcasting adventure like none I’d ever experienced. Over there, the big mature bull reds move into the shallow marshes throughout the winter. It is not uncommon to see reds well over thirty pounds in water so shallow it barely covers their backs. After writing that story many of my regular customers started asking if I would consider guiding them to some of these beasts. I like to keep my customers happy, so I’ve decided to give it a go. I have rented a house in Grand Isle for the months of January and February. Trips will be for one or two anglers aboard my poling skiff using fly or light tackle. If you’re interested please shoot me an email and we’ll discuss the details.
60 | December 2013
C O N TA C T
baby shrimp shooting out of the water as a herd of reds plows down a shoreline. I want them to watch as a solitary redfish roots a crab out of the mud. I want them to grin as a reddish egret dances like a fool through the shallows with it’s wings spread while chasing tiny baitfish in circles. Most of all I want them to realize that getting out there and seeing these things for themselves instead of looking it up on the internet is possible...and pretty dang cool.
Capt. Scott Null is a devout shallow water fisherman offering guided adventues via kayak, poled skiff, and wading. Telephone Email Website
281-450-2206 scott@tsfmag.com www.captainscottnull.com
By Coastal Fisheries Natural Resource Specialists Leslie D. Har tman (Palacios, Matagorda Bay) Z a c h a r y T. O l s e n ( C o r p u s C h r i s t i , u p p e r L a g u n a M a d r e )
FIELD NOTES
Lionfish Stalking Our Bays?
Invasive species are a growing global concern in the Gulf of Mexico and the lionfish is rapidly on its way to becoming the name in invasive species issues. When a non-native species gets into new waters, the challenge becomes predicting if that species will actually become invasive and cause harm to the ecology, the economy or to human health in the system. Invasive species can compete directly for food, habitat, mating rights or they can alter the new habitat so that the natives cannot thrive. Economic damage occurs when the invasive causes a decline in an economically valuable native species or through the costs associated with controlling the invasion. In the case of lionfish, the ecological damage is easy to assess and the economic impact is not far behind. Lionfish (Pterois volitans and Pterois miles) are a beautiful aquarium fish with colorful long, flowing fins. Native to the Indo West Pacific, this fish has become an aquarium “must have�. It’s believed that invasive lionfish, first encountered off the Atlantic coast of Florida, were the result of well-meaning aquarium owners that could no longer take care of their fish and chose to free them to give them a chance to survive. Unfortunately, the unintended and known consequences of these releases are becoming apparent. 62 | December 2013
Photo credit: Mary Grace Grieves
Life Story Lionfish may be able to live for decades and can reproduce year round, approximately every four days. Each spawn results in a gelatinous mass of 12,000 – 15,000 eggs which float on the surface of the water and are thus easily dispersed. By floating on the surface, the mass is protected from predators that typically forage lower in the water column. The larval stage of lionfish lasts approximately 25 days and maturity is reached at 5 – 6 inches in under a year. They can reach up to 19 inches in our waters, a significant increase over the maximum size in their native range. Lionfish can thrive in any habitat, in water temperatures ranging from 50 – 95˚F and have been found at depths from 1 inch to 1,000 feet. Lionfish don’t mind crowding and can be found in densities over 200 adults per acre. They are protected from predation by venomous spines. The venom is not considered life threatening to humans but is similar to a severe wasp sting. Hot water can easily denature the venom. While lionfish are quite tasty, few, if any, native Texas predators have managed to work around the venomous spines to consume them; they actively avoid them instead. Lionfish, however, have no issues eating native species. Lionfish are ambush carnivores that can consume up to 70 different species of fish and invertebrates. They can eat prey half their size and some have consumed so much prey that scientists have found large stores of fat within the fish. In densely populated areas, lionfish have reduced the fish prey populations by up to 90%. Lionfish have been known to hide out at reef cleaning stations, “neutral” areas where any fish species can wait in line to have cleaning shrimp pick off parasites, and both shrimp and fish are temporarily safe from predation. Lionfish may consume the cleaner shrimps and waiting fishes. Lionfish in Texas Since their initial introduction into south Florida waters, lionfish have been moving across the eastern and northern Gulf of Mexico, up the east coast, and into the Caribbean Sea. Scientists believe one of the ways that invasive lionfish spread is via large oceanic currents such as the Gulf Stream. In 2011, they were first confirmed in federal waters adjacent to the Texas coastline, with the number of reports increasing each year. Lionfish are largely reported by recreational SCUBA divers or research organizations studying natural or artificial reef structures at depth ranging from 20-175 feet. A majority of lionfish encounters have occurred at popular dive locations such as the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, the Texas Clipper (a scuttled WWII vessel that sits approximately 19 miles offshore of South Padre Island), and various oil and gas rigs. Since 2011, there have been 67 reported lionfish sightings in waters adjacent to the Texas coast. In July 2013, the first confirmed Texas nearshore account of this species was caught by an angler at Packery Channel Jetties in Corpus Christi. The Aquarium at Rockport Harbor currently has on display a second lionfish collected from Packery Channel. What can you do? Due to the increased sightings and captures, we ask that local divers and anglers help us monitor the spread of lionfish by reporting all sightings to your local Texas Parks and Wildlife Department office or the TPWD office listed below. If you catch a lionfish, do not return it alive to the water. Lionfish are edible, however be careful not to get stuck by one of the venomous spines. It is clear that lionfish have the potential to significantly impact our coastal ecosystem and it is incredibly important that we are pro-active in controlling their spread. TPWD and its allies continue to work towards assessing this threat in order to assure the future health of our coastal waters and the rich fisheries they contain. Report a lionfish sighting: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department—Leslie Hartman (361-972-6253)
Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or www. tpwd.state.tx.us for more information. 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
Ten Years of Magic Over the past decade I have been blessed with several monumental catches and, along with those, I have felt honored to grace numerous magazine covers, being written-up in them in them, and various other media. This has become my life and I would not trade it for anything. I can attribute one very exceptional catch for the initial publicity and boost to notoriety. It is hard to imagine that an event like such could have an everlasting effect on an individual. On December 7, 2003 - a single fish would change the path and direction my life would ultimately take. Where I am today is a result of a remarkable and perhaps magical surf encounter. We are at the tenth anniversary of the catch that to this day undoubtedly remains one of my all-time favorites. The year 2003 was a wild one for me. Time management was spent between college (A&M – Corpus Christi), fishing, working, and ditching classes for even more fishing. Despite all, I was thriving with a worthy college GPA. In early fall instead of going back for another semester for respectable education, I was offered an oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to journey out of the country and live and work in the Caribbean. This was a choice I do not regret for my days of hard construction work allowed me to spend my free time on the reefs free diving, fishing, and enjoying the night life. Chasing ‘cuda and 64 | December 2013
tarpon within the mangroves of the Cayman Islands were a little different than tossing lures for trout here, it was an incomparable blast. In Texas I had flounder gigging, there I had behemoth spiny lobster hunts. This truly was an incredible time in my life. Several months later due to politics and contractor issues within the foreign government, me and a couple close fishing buddies, who today remain some of my best friends, were sent home until things resumed. We essentially had a two week break back in the states and the Padre surf was completely on my mind. There were new fishing techniques I wanted to test. In the Caribbean there were countless lemon and Caribbean reef sharks that prowled the night. There were evenings when we practically hand-fed 8-10’ sharks off the iron shore only to have them dump several hundred yards of line before cutting us off on the drop-off on the opposing side of the reef. We went out on countless nights adjusting our methods until we were finally successful. In the Caribbean, we had to adapt to hazards and obstacles while pursing sharks. I was hoping to utilize some of those secrets off our beaches as well. I wasn’t home for more than a couple days when good friend and fishing buddy, Scott Nelson, gave me a ring. Scott is a youthful maritime lawyer and is one of the most
intelligent individuals I know. A cold front just blew through and the beach was shaping up to offer us a great fishing window. It took little convincing for Scott to get me interested in what would later become an epic trip. I had been dying the months I was gone to get a chance to run shark baits back out from the National Seashore. With a slight nip in the air, I went from snorkeling in 80° water to zipping up in a wetsuit to kayak with water temps now in the 60s. Despite recently living in a tropical paradise, there is just something about our coast that grabs ahold and labels itself home. I was overexcited about the fact that I am finally shark fishing again, on my turf. We get down the beach and set up camp. There is virtually no one else camping on the park other than another good shark buddy of mine, Chris Sessions. Billy Sandifer was also down day-tripping it, taking advantage of the ideal conditions. The atmosphere seemed different. The land and water appeared desolate yet overpowering during this pristine day. Scott and I deployed several large shark baits. In the early afternoon we finally started to see some action. I hook up and land a 6-1/2’ sandbar shark. These critters are cool-water sharks, mainly residents during the winter along our coast and can max out at over 7’ in length and, at times, showing tremendous girth. Even if this was all that we caught, it would be a successful trip. Little did we know the next fish to pick up a bait would change our lives. Roughly 3:00pm I was in the truck fixing one of larger shark reels. I heard the clicker go off on one of my 12/0’s and I ran out. At first the line slacked up and I feared I had been cut off. After reeling in all the slack, the line got tight and the fish started peeling drag. Awesome – fish on! Then, looking out several hundred yards, we see complete total chaos and thrashing on the surface. We are on to a good fish! This was a “big boy” shark and we were still not sure what to think. Perhaps it was just a mammoth slob of a sandbar—what else could it possibly be? I continued to fight the fish and walked down the barren beach to catch up. After a fair amount of time the shark started swimming straight in. Still not sure what to think, we played it like any ordinary shark. After a half hour and finally getting the shark over the second sandbar, Scott had the tail-rope in his hands and his game face on. The lunar cycle of the full moon had the tides up as it was, and at that time it was peaking high. Inching the shark closer and closer, anxiety was setting in. We still did not know what species we were dealing with but we were certain it was very solid. With the rod still strapped to the harness, I walked out on the first bar for leverage and to assist Scott if need be. We finally saw the TSFMAG.com | 65
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leader and as the semi-clean swells broke on the first bar, we got our first glimpse of the shark. At first we saw the head-on profile in the breaking wave and notice a really solid girth. The shark then turned and swam along the sandbar and we both gasped. The identity of this mystery monster is then evident—a mako! We maneuvered and walked with it until Scott was able to get the tail-rope on. When he did it went into an aquatic rodeo that nearly ripped his arms out of the sockets. I laid the rod down and ran over to help Scott secure the fish. Another 60 seconds of one-onone battle with nature; we finally have the beast landed. Lying on the sand before us displaying a mischievous grin is a shortfin mako – an impressive pelagic species, rare to the shallows. The healthy female shark tapes out at 9’6” and a weight estimate of 400-500lbs. Despite just admiring the specimen, we worked fast to tag and photo the fish in order to get the release procedure under way. Scott and I strained to get this majestic fish back into the surf. With the aid of the high tide and a few large waves being pushed up on the beach, we got the fish in knee deep water and turned. Without much hesitation, the mako began swimming into the current. We watched as this incredible fish swam on the surface with its erect dorsal exposed until she literally faded far out into sea.
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He too was as ecstatic and could not have been more proud that we released that fish alive. His thoughts were that this was a turning point in shark conservation. In the days that followed, the internet blew up with the news. At the time, that was the second and largest of only two makos to have ever been caught from the surf. Soon after it seemed like whenever I was down the beach, EVERYONE knew who I was. It was an awkward feeling but the recognition due to something that was achieved in a good manner is something one can live and deal with. The years following this event put a different mindset in my head. I felt in order to live up to what I had done; I had to continually try to top it. In essence, all the large tiger sharks and other great species I have landed over the past decade were due to motivation from this one mako catch. Truth be told, if I hadn’t caught that fish there would be a very likely chance my life would have resumed island hopping in the Caribbean. However, because of this one mako catch, I developed an unquenchable thirst for our coastal waters and the sharks that inhabit it.
C O N TA C T
To this day, this remains the only mako tagged and released from the Texas surf, with only two other specimens caught from our beaches on record. After that catch, we just stood in awe talking to each other with a blind look on our faces saying things like, “Did that just really happen?” The next day when we ventured off the beach we ran into Sandifer and discretely shared the news with him by showing a photo on the digital camera.
For the past decade Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been promoting shark catch and release and assisting various shark research programs. Eric offers guided shark fishing on Padre Island National Seashore. Also renowned for extreme kayak big game fishing, Eric runs Kayak Wars; one of the largest kayak fishing tournaments in the world. Email Websites
oz@oceanepics.com extremecoast.com | oceanepics.com | kayakwars.com
Spares of certain essential items; rod, reel, line and fishing eyewear, should always be part of the fly angler’s onthe-water kit.
S C O T T S O M M E R L AT T E
F LY F I S H I N G
Tips for the Fly Fisherman Over the last couple of weeks I have been taking note of all of the things that happen and do not happen on my skiff. By that I mean, I have noticed all of the little things that have hindered my anglers’ abilities to take full advantage of the opportunities presented during a day on the water. After discussing these shortcomings with my peers from within the “fly-guiding” community, I decided to compile, with their help, some tips. So, here is some information that will hopefully help you all achieve greater success while on the water. In regards to casting and fishing It is the general consensus amongst the people that I spoke to that the anglers who step foot onto their skiffs do not spend enough time practicing. Well, if you read this column often, you have probably have heard me say this four or five times over the last couple of years so, rather than just saying it this time, I thought I would give you some specific things to work on. First, I will recommend that you practice casting while sitting in a chair. This will teach you to cast with your arms rather than your body. The benefit of doing this exercise is that it will prevent you from rocking the boat while casting, resulting in fewer spooked fish. 70 | December 2013
Next on the list is to allow your back-cast to completely unfurl behind you. Many bad casts are a result of not letting the fly line straighten behind before beginning the forward stroke. The result is a cast that either crashes in a heap in front of you or, if you are lucky enough to be able to get fly in front of a fish, a cast that lands with so much slack that you have to strip in half the line before the fly ever moves. Another important aspect of practicing is do not just practice the cast but also the retrieve. Just last week I witnessed at least two dozen missed fish because, despite the fact that the angler successfully delivered the fly to the fish, they fumbled with the line before beginning the retrieve. The result – a fish staring at a fly sitting motionless on the bottom that eventually spooked. By practicing the action of completing the cast and immediately beginning the retrieve, you will be able to create muscle memory that will allow you to react without fumbling when the moment of truth comes. Lastly, do not manipulate the fly with your rod and do not, I repeat DO NOT, attempt a trout set. It is important to keep your rod tip pointed at the fish so that when the fish eats, you can set the hook with a
someone sit on a pair and loose a lens. Granted, most guides will have extras of everything that you might need but, not all of you fish with a guide on every trip. Last but not least, carry a waterproof box or dry bag to insure that things like wallets, phones and keys stay dry. I once had a guy have to call a tow truck because his key to his car got wet in a rainstorm. Ah, the joys and wonders of technology…. There are of course many other little tips that I could give you from backing off the drags of your reels to throwing your used flies in the ice chest and drying them at the end of the day but I will stop there. Actually, I will give you one last tip- Do not drink while you drive. You are liable to hit a bump and spill the whole thing. I’m joking of course. With that being said, I will make a politically incorrect statement and wish you all a Merry Christmas and of course… stuff like that!
C O N TA C T
strip. If the line does not come tight on the first strip, keep stripping. Once the line comes tight, then raise the rod with the power of the butt section. Remember, fly rods are not made to set the hook by lifting the rod. Sure, that might be the way you learned to do it in Colorado while fishing nymphs below a bobber but that has little application in the salt. In regards to gearProbably one of the biggest mistakes I see from people hoping to sightcast to a fish with a fly rod is the clothing that they choose to wear. It is important to remember that if you can see a fish, that fish can see you. With this in mind, imagine that when a fish looks through the surface of the water it sees blue skies and white clouds but then, wait, what else? Some bozo wearing a bright red shirt, UT orange or Aggie maroon? Bright colors, including black, should be avoided. Blues, greens, grays, khakis and whites are the way to go. Remember, getting close to the fish is the name of the game when sightcasting. Another, good piece of advise that I heard more than once was to carry spares of everything that is important to your success. For example, if you only have one rod and reel and either fails or breaks, well, your fly-fishing adventure is over. This also goes for fly lines. I have seen numerous fly lines shredded on oyster shell or barnacles on mangroves over the years. It is no different than breaking a rod because one is useless without the other. Do not forget an extra pair of sunglasses as well. Nothing can ruin a day of sight-fishing more that to loose your glasses while the boat is running or to have
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 | 71
MARCOS GARZA
YO U T H F I S H I N G
Off-Duty It was about 11:45 on a Sunday a few weeks back that my dad’s friend called looking to see if I was available to go fishing. It being a Sunday and all, of course I was available to go fishing. It would only be for a few hours but, fishing is still fishing. I got geared up and met my dad’s friend, Capt. Raul Garza, at his house. I loaded up my gear on the boat and we launched. Our trip was a time for both of us to relax and fish for fun. It was a quick getaway from being at school and at work. We were “off-duty” you could say. Our run was short. We got to our spot and Roy (Raul) set the boat up to drift. I rigged my rod with a lagunaflauge Kelly Wiggler ball-tail shad. I casted to a pothole that was about 30 yards ahead of me and hit my target. I worked my lure back to the boat without a hit. Of course it was only the first cast. After a few casts, I finally got a hit. I had my lure almost to the boat and then, to my surprise, a hardhead came up and ate my lure. I knelt down, unhooked it, and then let it 72 | December 2013
go. Disappointed that it wasn’t a trout, I cast back out to see if I could trick one into taking my lure. Roy, who was at the bow, was getting a lot of hits and then he finally stuck one. After Roy caught a trout, we both started catching trout. We were both catching little trout, but it was just so nice to be out fishing that it didn’t matter what we were catching. Roy was using a plum and chartreuse Kelly Wiggler and I was using my lucky lagunaflauge. Soon, we drifted out of the fish and we tried to get back into them again on a few more drifts, but couldn’t manage to get the boat into the right position because the wind was shifting. So we decided to leave the potholes and hit another spot that Roy likes to fish. We got out and waded this time. Roy got on the Intracoastal and I was up shallow. We were looking to see if the wind was pushing the big trout onto the dropoff of the flat into the Intracoastal. We walked and walked, without any luck. Then finally I got one hit casting up shallow. That
was the only hit that either of us had while fishing this area. We jumped back on the boat and took off towards our next spot. We were fishing a submerged spoil island this time. Roy got on one side of the island and I got on the other. The water was almost up to my chest. We waded anyways. Roy had a few hits as soon as we
jumped off the boat. Then he started catching a few while I was struggling to keep my reel out of the water. We waded for about 30 minutes or so, and I still hadn’t had a hit but I still kept on fishing. The water was getting deeper and deeper, and then soon I was walking on my toes. Finally I had a hit and I set the hook. I fought the little trout and got it to me. I was in water so deep that the trout could’ve almost tail-slapped me. Roy had started to get into deeper water as well so we both agreed that it was time to move again. On our last wade, we walked along the Intracoastal near some spoil islands. We walked out past the marker for the channel. We could both feel the tide moving out. The water was pulling out from under us and out towards the gulf. We had a few hits here and after about 15 minutes, I caught a small trout. Boats of all sizes were passing by us. And some of them came a little too close for comfort. Roy decided that it was best that we end our day where we started. We set up to drift. The wind was close to 30 mph, I would say. We were drifting pretty fast, but that didn’t stop us from finding some fish in the area. We checked the time and I realized that I had to be at work soon, so we called it a day. It was nice to hang out with Roy and fish a little. It was very relaxing and fun. I hope everybody has a great and relaxing holiday. Be safe on the water and good luck catching that big one.
TSFMAG.com | 73
CADE SIMPSON
KAYAK F I S H I N G C HR O N I C L E S
A few “first-evers” A yak carrier build; first-ever marsh red from a yak story, and giant bull reds off the beach of Surfside… I got a new truck a couple of months ago. Until then I was using my trusty old Jeep to haul the yaks around. I had crossbars on the roof of the Jeep and would strap the yaks to the top. With the truck and the wish to not have to lift kayaks over my head anymore, I took to the drawing board and came up with a design to build my own bed extender for transporting the kayaks in the bed of the truck. Using 2-inch square steel tubing I ended up with a rack that extends my bed a full six feet, with the tailgate down. I have a shortbed pickup and a toolbox in it. However, with the tailgate down I have a tad bit over 12ft of “base”. My long kayak being about 15.5ft, the rack gives it good support. I trimmed a swimming pool noodle to create a saddle of sorts for extra support. I also used the rack to haul some lumber sixteen feet in length a couple of weeks ago – handy. Two months ago Cliff brought an old fishing buddy of his along on a kayak trip we had planned. Todd had never kayaked before but 74 | December 2013
Todd is unaware that I had Cliff send me the photo of him and his fish so Todd if you are reading this, congrats. On the topic of first ever reds I also want to give congratulations to my Buccee Nugget eating cousin Will, his cousin Brenton, and Will’s soon to be brother in law, Matt. I was able to join them on a nearshore trip out of Surfside a few weeks back. We had a good guide who put those three young men on all the bull reds they could handle. It was a great day with family and friends. That’s what it is all about in the end. Reader Questions
C ontact
handled the day quite well. Fishing was a bit slow for all three of us on that trip but it was a pleasant day and it is always nice to be out on the water. Just last week Cliff got Todd back out in the marsh in the kayaks and Todd was able to land his first-ever kayak marsh redfish.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I truly appreciate those who shoot me an email with kayaking questions or just to say “Hi.” I recently received a great email from Jose in Round Rock, TX. He tells me that he and his buddies have really gotten into fishing the gulf in the past year or so and they plan to commit themselves even further in the coming year and they intend to make kayak fishing their priority. Jose had a couple of questions as it relates to kayak fishing. They are as follows: Q: What would you recommend to three guys who live in central Texas and want to start kayak fishing? A: Jose, I think kayak fishing is a great idea for you and your buddies. Kayak fishing is very manageable in that you don’t need boat storage or an extra garage to house your boat, not to mention the lower maintenance costs. Its relaxing, good exercise, and you really become in-tune with nature. Q: Also, what is your opinion of our choice? In particular, the brand of kayak, the size, and probably the most important, the trolling motor option. A: I will be honest Jose; I am a bit of a purist when it comes to kayaks. I prefer kayaks that don’t have trolling motors. Paddling to and from is part of the work/fun. With a trolling motor on a kayak you can’t draft nearly as deep either. Good brands would be ones such as Ocean, Hobie, Jackson, and Wilderness Systems. The Hobie’s are interesting in that they do have a foot-propel option but it can be removed when you go shallow. I like longer kayaks. My main kayak is 16ft long. It is stable, comfortable, speedy, and tracks straight. Get a rudder on your kayak, single best add-on you can have. A close second is a good seat. Good luck on your fishing endeavors.
Telephone Email
936-776-7028 Cademan11@sbcglobal.net
Find me on Facebook to follow along in my outdoor adventures TSFMAG.com | 75
The thinstripe hermit. Photo by Alan Cressler.
STEPHANIE BOYD
F I S HY F A C T S
Texas Hermits If you enjoy beaches during the twilight hours, you’ve probably seen, at some point, little herds of snails walking across the sand. Wait – walking snails? That can’t be right... What you’ve actually stumbled across is nature’s shell recycler, the hermit crab. Hermit crabs belong to the subphylum Crustacea along with shrimps, lobsters, crayfish, etc. Members of this group are primarily aquatic, mostly marine, and share three defining features: 1) five pairs of non-leg appendages (two pair of antennae, one pair of mandibles, and two pair of accessory feeding appendages); 2) segmented bodies covered by a tough, protective, semi-transparent substance (chitin); and 3) biramous appendages (divided into two parts). These are the basics. A systematic rundown of Crustacea would be large and complex, so allow me to skirt around a full discussion of that just now. Then hermit crabs get filtered down through the class Malacostraca (home to three-fourths of all described crustaceans), the superorder Eucarida (containing many of the larger malacostracans), the order Decapoda (“ten feet”), and finally landing in the infraorder Anomura (soft 76 | December 2013
lower bodies enclosed in discarded shells, for the most part). While hermits do have the requisite ten legs (as members of Decapoda), only six generally show. These front six are the walking/eating/blocking legs. The four back legs that appear to be missing have evolved into grippers that hold the crab inside the shell. Their hold is so strong that you would tear the crab in half before you could extract it. The front pair of legs ends in claws, or pinchers. The left front pincher is larger and used primarily for defense. When the hermit retreats inside its shell, it uses this pincher to seal off the shell’s opening. The right front pincher is smaller and used mostly for eating. Despite the name, hermit crabs are not true crabs. Rather, they are an intermediate form, having a soft, shrimp-like, spirally curved, naturally flexible abdomen, quite unlike the hard, calcified abdomens seen in related crustaceans. The tip of this vulnerable tail is adapted to clasp strongly onto the inner axis of snail shells (double the gripping power!). Shell-bearing hermits are a very successful group, consisting of over 700 species. They are dependent upon a shell resource which they cannot manufacture and which they usually cannot obtain from the manufacturer
on demand. In areas where quality shells are scarce, shell fighting may commence, and while snail shells are highly favored, clam shells or bits of driftwood have been used in a pinch. Even pieces of bamboo or coconut shell can suffice. A few species forego the mobile home option and inhabit sessile structures left by polychaete worms, corals, sponges, etc. Most species are aquatic and live in varying depths of salt water, though tropical areas host some terrestrial species (but even those need access to water for reproduction). Marine crabs breathe, like fish, through gills. Land hermits have a modified gill mechanism that absorbs oxygen from the humidity in the air. Hermit crabs begin life as eggs. Adult males find females by the scents females give off when they are ready to mate. After the male finds a mate, he might stroke and tap his partner’s claws with his own claws. In some species, the male will take hold of the female’s shell and carry her around for a while before mating. Females carry their eggs on the left side of their bodies, inside the shell, and may have a thousand at a time. The eggs hatch as microscopic larvae called zoeae. Through molting, they’ll progress through a couple of larval stages before emerging as juveniles that actually resemble hermit crabs, albeit miniature ones. From the moment two hermit crabs mate to the time a juvenile claims its first shell, about four months pass. Homeownership comes a lot quicker for a hermit crab than it does for us. In the pet trade, hermit crabs are often regarded as “throw away pets” that only live a few months, but some species can live longer than thirty years and many often reach ten. Primarily scavengers, hermits will eat anything organic from fish feces to seaweeds and everything in between. They are opportunistic
though, and larger crabs are not against a bit of fishing. Their small size makes them popular on the menus of natural predators around the world, including sharks, fish, cuttlefish, squid, octopuses, and even other hermits. To combat this wide array of predators, some species pick up hitchhikers, such as sea anemones or slipper shells. Some hitchhikers are useful mostly for camouflage. Members of the Pagurus genus are frequently found in shells encrusted with colonies of hydroids (tiny stinging jellies, best described as hundreds of inverted jellyfish; it is the polyp stage of a particular organism’s life cycle). These colonies apparently don’t harm Pagurus, either because Pagurus inhibits the firing of the nematocysts or because it is immune to the sting. Either way, no one else is going to tangle with that shell, and when the hermit crab changes shells, it will often take its hitchhikers with it. Traveling with a hermit crab has certain advantages; the shell is usually kept free of sediment and is well aerated, and food is generally plentiful. Of course there are also disadvantages; the shell may be abandoned by the crab (which is bad news if you’re permanently attached!), or handled roughly, or carried into unfavorable environments, such as up onto the beach where many hitchhikers aren’t built to survive. Plus, even uninhabited shells are subject to attack. Empty shell attack (mistaken predation) is common among crabs on rocky shores. Hermit crabs have been using second-hand shells since the Jurassic. Originally, ammonite shells were prime real estate, but when ammonites took a downward spiral, early hermits were forced to adapt. Gastropod shells were plentiful, spiraled, and created considerably less resistance when dragged across the sea floor; hermit
TSFMAG.com | 77
crabs had found their new manufacturer. From that time onwards, hermits exponentially extended the ecological lifespan of empty, spirally coiled shells, thereby dramatically increasing the amount of shelled prey. This abundance led to a new class of predators specializing in shell penetration, which in turn, prompted a marked increase among gastropods in shell sturdiness. To describe these particular chains of evolutionary adaptations, the term “Mesozoic marine revolution” has been proposed. But back to the present. In general, and despite their namesake, hermit crabs are social creatures. In the wild, they might be found in colonies of a hundred or more. Of course, most social animals get together for protection or to mate or hunt; hermit crabs socialize to steal each other’s houses. Hermits are always on the lookout for bigger and better shells. Living in a borrowed shell has its advantages: hermits are freed from expending the biological energy of growing and maintaining their own hard carapace, though this does limit the crabs to habitats with good housing markets. When upgrades are scarce, hermits do fight and occasionally oust their neighbors, and typically it’s just a couple of crabs duking it out. However, sometimes a shell switching situation occurs that benefits a whole hermitage. Sometimes, if a hermit crab discovers a shell that is too large, it might not abandon the shell immediately. Instead, it waits around for another crab try on the new shell. If the second crab doesn’t fit into the new shell either, it hangs around, too. When three or more crabs congregate, they quickly attract several others eager to trade up. They typically form a conga line, largest to smallest, each holding on to the crab in front of it, and once a hermit of just the right size for the new shell shows up and moves in, everyone in line scrambles into the shell of the crab in front of it. This group trade up is called a synchronous vacancy chain. If you ever listened to two hermits fighting over a shell, you would realize they actually make noise! Not just shells scraping on sand, or some other auditory byproduct, but actual sound from inside. Now, inside what? Scientists aren’t quite sure. The noise, referred to as stridulations, sounds like a cross between a cricket chirping, a frog croaking, and rusty door hinge. It’s unclear exactly how they’re making this sound. Some think there are two hard plates inside the crab that rub together. Some think it’s the crab’s body rubbing against the inside of its shell. If you held a stridulating crab, you would be able to
The long-armed hermit. Photo by Eric Heupel.
feel the vibrations. Regardless of how it’s made, it’s almost always a sign of aggravation. There are several hermit crab species in Texas waters, but the three most common in the bays are Pagurus longicarpus (the long-armed hermit crab), Pagurus pollicaris (the thumb-clawed hermit crab), and Clibanarius vittatus (the thinstripe hermit crab). The latter is most abundant, especially during the summer in intertidal zones. In winter, it migrates into the shallow sub-tidal zone and buries itself in the mud. Both species of Pagurus are more common nearshore during the winter, when they apparently move into shallow water to breed. C. vittatus is easily recognizable by a dark green or brown body with conspicuous gray or white stripes, most noticeable on the legs. The long-armed hermit has longer and more slender claws than does the thumb-clawed hermit crab, whose short, flat claws are ideal for plugging the aperture of its shell when bothered. Body color in both is highly variable, ranging from off-white to greenish-gray to brown. These three species inhabit the bay shores and frequently encounter one another. A fourth common species, Isocheles wurdemanni (the surf hermit), lives sub-tidally along more exposed beaches, where it is nearly isolated from the other species. It is a small hermit, also distinguished by short, stubby claws. Currently, none of our Texas hermits are considered threatened. In general, marine hermits are pretty well off, though imports for the aquarium trade are significant. If you visit tide pools where hermit crabs are abundant, leave the empty shells; taking them drives up the rent.
Where I learned about hermit crabs, and you can, too! Beachcomber’s Guide to Gulf Coast Marine Life: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida By Susan B. Rothschild Population Consequences of Shell Utilization by Hermit Crabs By Nick Fotheringham Marine Crabs of Texas txmarspecies.tamug.edu/crablist.cfm Social Context of Shell Acquisition in Coenobita clypeatus Hermit Crabs By Randi D. Rotjan, Jeffrey R. Chabot, and Sara M. Lewis, Harvard University Hermit Crabs Gather to Evict Neighbors www.futurity.org/hermit-crabs-gather-to-evict-neighbors/ The Oldest In Situ Hermit Crab from the Lower Cretaceous of Speeton, UK By Rene H.B. Fraaije Hermit Crab animal.discovery.com/marine-life/hermit-crab-info.htm Hermit Crabs library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01006/hermitcrabs.htm Hermit Crabs, Use in the Marine Aquarium Hobby www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/arthropoda/crabs/hermitcrabs.htm Pagurus longicarpus www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Pagurus_longicarpus.htm Pagurus pollicaris txmarspecies.tamug.edu/invertdetails.cfm?scinameID=Pagurus%20 pollicaris Clibanarius vittatus www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Cliban_vittat.htm Isocheles wurdemanni txmarspecies.tamug.edu/invertdetails.cfm?scinameID=Isocheles%20 wurdemanni
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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
82 | December 2013
In my office lies a pile of fishing logs that I still refer to, but they have been of very little value this entire year. Over the years I have short-circuited “catching slumps” by referencing those logs for similar conditions and how the fish responded. Nothing about 2013, however, has been text book on Sabine Lake. We have enjoyed a little cooler weather recently but temperature isn’t usually the fuse that ignites our fall fishing. It doesn’t explode until a few days of blistering north wind have whistled through the marshes on the east side and sucked them down to mud. As of this writing the water is still up in the Roseau cane and the anticipated user-friendly bite has been sketchy at best! This is not to say that the catching has not been a little easier due to the assistance of the gulls, but even that bite has not been dependable. If you can locate a school or
two of 15-20” trout you are fortunate - sand trout, small specks and gafftop have provided most of the action. We occasionally run into slot reds but not like we will once they are flushed out of the marshes. Even with the aid of past logs I am reluctant to predict across the next two months, but my best advice is to plan on working for your The river is fish rather than relying on giving up some the gulls. If a blue norther big flounder! purges the marshes and significantly lowers the surface temperature I will go back to checking out the gulls and fishing deep breaks in the river, but we might not see that happen for a while. Over the past few weeks I have caught fewer but much better trout, drifting or wading the shallow flats with longer tails and mullet imitation lures – Corky, Maniac Mullet and Catch V. Pearl-chartreuse and Day Glow have been most
Good things happen when the wind lies down!
productive; pink is deadlier in off-colored water. I think I understand why longer tails work better this time of the year than the four inch Sea Shad or Flats Minnow, but I have no idea why on any given day a straight-tail works better than a paddle-tail or vice versa. Choice of color is easier to understand, but I always try both styles before giving up on an area that has been good to me. Recently, I have done much better swimming an Assassin Die Dapper, (paddle-tail), rigged on a 1/8 ounce head. The lighter head fished with either style of tail keeps the lure in the strike zone longer due to the slower fall. The larger trout are already transitioning to a mullet diet and for us that equates to spending more time in very shallow water. Thus far, the bite on the flats adjacent the ICW has not been as consistent as the flats on the Louisiana shoreline. That water takes more effort to effectively wade, but what’s a little knee deep mud when surrounded by big trout? Small drains and points are areas we will homestead right on into the winter months. We are also relying more and more on swimbaits as they will attract not only trout and reds but flounder as well. It is extremely easy to fish at any depth and requires little more than chunking and reeling. Color doesn’t seem as important as size. There are days when they’ll hit a 4-inch Usual Suspect better than a 3-inch. The biggest mistake you can make on Sabine this month, outside of not fishing, is thinking it’s too early for suspending baits - Corky and Maniac Mullet. If you just can’t develop confidence in either, give the Catch V and MirrOdine XL a shot. Fishing a topwater is another viable option; I don’t know that there is a wrong time of the year to tie one on. A lot of dedicated locals still bitch and moan about the two flounder limit in November, but they are tickled with the improved average size. We have struggled a little with the trout and reds, but we are consistently catching four to five pound flounder. Whether in the lake or the river, Gulp and three-inch swimbaits have been effective. Hopefully the more predictable and easier fishing will kickoff before you even read this, but if it doesn’t I will not be overly disappointed. I much prefer the satisfaction gained from putting together a solid pattern over competing for the nearest flock of gulls, but either way I consider it a blessing just to be on the water. Take the kids fishing! TSFMAG.com | 83
mICKEY Eastman
mICKEY On Galveston
Galveston
Mickey Eastman is a full-time fishing guide out of Baytown, TX. Mickey has over 30 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
84 | December 2013
Trout fishing remains very good throughout Trinity and East Galveston Bays with plenty of bird action in five to eight feet of water. Following the last couple of cool snaps the shrimp started dumping out of the marshes and bayous. Bird action started in the northern ends of the bays as always, and will continue to spread steadily southward as they move with the currents toward the Gulf. Shoreline trout wading action is still rather spotty at best; much cooler air and water temperatures are needed to really kick this off and get the big trout to commit to the flats for the winter run. Wading for redfish has been better than trout—fair to good I’d say, along northern shallow flats near grassbeds and drains. Spoons, soft plastics, and topwaters have been doing the job in about two feet of water or less. Trout fishing has remained more consistent in deeper water which is somewhat uncharacteristic for this time of year. They have been with the baitfish, which consists mainly of large shad and mid-sized mullet, until just recently when the shrimp began pouring in and they started ganging up on those. It
seems the majority of the finfish bait has been staying deep later into the fall season than we normally see, and that scatters the trout. Slick action has slowed down quite a bit. Given the pattern we’ve had to work with, I’ve been concentrating on hard spots and shell, always keying on bait presence to find consistent feeding activity. Most productive depths have been six to eight feet. An occasional slick or two is an encouraging sign to make me stick with a pattern and an area until they really light off for a positive bite. Swimbaits and mullet-style paddletails have been doing the best job to locate the trout, although shrimptails like the Kelley Wigglers in plum and smoke have been pretty good at this too, if you fish them at a slower than normal pace. I’ve been staying with these swimbaits and paddletails when the fish are suspended at middle depths as moderate speed, steady retrieve is easy for the customers to get the hang of it and keeps the lure in the strike zone. Once we get them going, we have been switching to your Tidal Surge Split Tail Mullet and similar baits. Quarter ounce heads have been the
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ticket in the depth of water we’ve been fishing. These schools of bigger trout seem lately to have been on an everyother-day type feeding pattern. I’ll light them off one day and struggle the next, the third day often puts us right back on them. But that’s just big trout fishing and the way it plays out is up to them and not us. These bigger trout are always hard to figure, some days the bite has been real light, like you feel a little weight on your rod tip, and they’re there! That’s where a really good stick and braided line come into play for me. It’s amazing these big trout are taking the bait so light at times but with the right equipment one can make it happen and don’t miss nearly as many strikes. We’ve been catching and losing quite a few fish in the 25 to 29 inch class and that sure makes the day when a customer can have a shot at a fish like that and end up catching one, or even seeing one get off at the boat. That’s what I fish for and it’s all good this time of the year, a chance for a big one and decent numbers of solid to big fish sure beats a box of pencil trout in my book any day. The bays are in great shape and the flounder continue to fall out and head south, life is good in the outdoors right now. Living the dream my friends, I wish everyone a wonderful Holiday Season and good health. -Capt. Mick
3925 FM 359
Jim Tyler with a solid Trinity Bay speck. Several per day of this size has been common the past several weeks.
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BInK GRImEs
thE VIEW fRom Matagorda
Matagorda
Bink Grimes is a full-time fishing and hunting guide, freelance writer and photographer, and owner of Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay.
Telephone 979-241-1705 Email binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net website www.binkgrimesoutdoors.com
86 | December 2013
Cold water, north winds, gray clouds and low tides are pictures of past Texas Decembers. Notice I said past winters. Remember when December was cold? Not too much anymore. Nevertheless, many anglers have hunting on the brain and have winterized their boats and tackle, tucking rods in the corner of the closet and locking boats in storage until the first buds of spring. However, for those able to jet in a moment or make a mad dash to the bay between cold fronts, December can be just as productive as its autumn predecessors. It all hinges on the weather. As late as fall arrived in November this year, December might turn out to be our normal November. I can remember a few Decembers where birds still worked along the east end of East Matagorda Bay. By late mid to late December,
most of the white shrimp crop have left the bays and speckled trout adapt their diet to finfish. That’s when slow-sinking mullet imitation plugs like Catch 5s, Catch 2000s, MirrOlure 51Ms, 52Ms, Tidal Surge’s Maniac Mullet and Corkys go to work. If you see a mullet flipping, fish it. If the water is cold, the mullet become less active like the fish, so
work your baits slow and methodical. Locales receiving the most tidal flow often hold the majority of schools - that means reefs and mud flats adjacent to the Intracoastal in East Bay. Brown Cedar Flats, Chinquapin Reefs, Bird Island, Half-Moon Reef and the Log are all proven winter spots holding healthy specks. Drifting is also an option, especially with the height of the low-tide winter solstice occurring in December. East Bay is often 2-3 feet below normal in December, depending how hard the north wind blows. Raymond Shoals, Boiler Bayou, Pipeline Reef and Cleveland Reef hold good fish during the winter; and, when tides are extremely low, shoreline redfish move off the flats to these reefs in the middle of the bay. When the wind really blows, never discount the Colorado River. Low tides in West Bay drain the delta at the mouth of the Diversion Channel and funnel all fish to the deep channel. Anglers drift across the channel with Chicken on a Chain, plum, morning glory and glow plastics. Nighttime is even
better under lighted piers as fish seek the warm solace of the deep river. I began fishing Bass Assassins Lit’l Tapper last winter and enjoyed solid results with the jerk/swim bait. For some reason fish seem to hold on to it, even on those finicky days when the only thing you feel is a trout’s mouth closing on the bait. We will still be running cast and blast trips for ducks/geese in the morning and drifting for trout and redfish in the afternoons. If you are looking for a gift for your outdoorsman, think about a certificate for a guided hunting or fishing trip. If not, take ‘em fishing yourself. We have some of the best oysters in Texas. A gallon of Buddy Treybig’s Matagorda Bay oysters would be a great appetizer for all those Christmas parties you will be attending this month. Thanks to all the readers of this great publication. I appreciate all the kind words and comments I receive. It is a blessing to fish Matagorda and the great state of Texas. Merry Christmas!
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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
November fishing in the San Antonio Bay area has been above par for me and my clients and I’m looking forward to December. We have been able to take advantage of some very aggressive trout bites wading the many mid-bay reefs for which SAB is famous. Great weather days between the cold fronts have allowed us to take advantage of excellent water conditions and smooth bays. There are some key things to remember when you are reef hopping this time of year. Oyster season is in full swing so besides dodging other fishermen and being careful not to encroach on their wading area, you will need to give the oystermen some room too – or perhaps I should say give yourself some room from them. Most of the commercial fishermen nowadays try not to disturb
the fishermen – at least not like they once did. I suggest treating them the way you would want to be treated and hope they oblige. What I am trying to say is if you see an oyster boat working a small reef; don’t expect them to stay on one end. They will probably be working the length of it so it is best to move on to another. In between the cold fronts we will usually get some slick calm mornings as the wind switches from the north to south. It’s during these really calm mornings that I have been using a MirrOlure 10MR which is a floating twitch-bait with props on front and also the rear. The 10MR is easy to cast and really makes a lot of fish catching commotion. What really makes this bait good for me is that because of the size of the lure and the smaller hooks, I believe you get a better hookup ratio than
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88 | December 2013
BOATS MOTORS TRAILERS SALES SERVICE PARTS & ACCESSORIES
you get with a normal topwater. The colors I have been using are the CFPR which is chartreuse back, pearl belly, silver scales and also the #18 which has green back, white belly, and silver sides. What we are trying to mimic here is finger mullet and small shad and these two colors match that really well. The way we have been fishing the 10MR is to make short quick jerks so that the props really shred the water, then let it set a second and rip it some more. Every day is different for fishing and I’m sure there’s more than one way to catch a fish with it. Besides my everyday go-to lure, the 5” Bass Assassin in Hot Chicken and Slammin Chicken colors rigged on a 1/16 ounce jighead, we have also been throwing Corky Fat Boys in the 11 and 49 color patterns when working the reefs. When leaving your boat for a wade on the reefs please do not depend on your Power Pole as the sole means of anchoring. Always use your regular anchor, (remember those?) or a Stake Out Stick (that I live by) to back up your Power Pole. You never know when a boat or barge wake or possibly a sudden wind switch could dislodge your Power Pole and let your boat drift off. I am still picking waders up on reefs and shorelines that have put their faith in their Power Poles alone. Another tool that makes my job easier day in day out is my selection of fishing rods. I am lucky to be able to use any rod I would like but I choose Waterloo! Jimmy and Carson at Waterloo Rod Company have given me the tools to do whatever or throw whatever I want on any given day. I normally carry two rods on any given day, the 6’6” Ultra Mag and the 6’7”HP Lite, for the last ten or so years I have been using the shorter rods (insert short rod joke here) and they seem to fit the bill perfectly. Back to Waterloo; when I first met with Jimmy at his shop he asked which rod I liked and I mentioned the above two. He then asked, “you want this handle or this handle, or maybe this one?” I had to tell him wait a minute; I’m not used to having all these options. After the handle dilemma he then asked which eyes I wanted on my rods. To make a long story not any longer, Waterloo has made my job easier by giving me a rod fitted to me; lighter and more sensitive than any of the other rod companies have to offer. Thank you Jimmy and Carson! Fish hard, fish smart!
TSFMAG.com | 89
DaVID RoWsEY
hooKED uP WIth Rowsey
Merry Christmas to all of my extended fishing family. I wish I could afford all of my friends a new set of Simms waders, a Waterloo rod, and Quantum EXO under the tree this year, but my good wishes will have to suffice. Unless of course, you leave this article Upper strategically placed, with a circle around it, for the Laguna/ “boss” to notice. Baffin December really kicks off my busy season. As much as I have enjoyed a little time off to play with shotguns and compound bows, the time to get dead serious about big trout is upon us. The winter seems David Rowsey has 20 years to be rolling in, and has, so far, proven to be cooler experience in the Laguna/Baffin than the last two years. That’s a good thing! region; trophy trout with artificial Late October and early November found us in lures is his specialty. David has a waders and having to layer up in the mornings. great passion for conservation Although we were still transitioning into our real and encourages catch and release of trophy fish. winter, we had some stud catches. A few memorable trips were granted to me and clients with some Telephone hefty trout exceeding eight pounds. One particular 361-960-0340 trip rewarded us with three over seven pounds and website www.DavidRowsey.com two over eight pounds. For this area and this time Email of year, that is pretty dang strong. Hell, what am I david.rowsey@yahoo.com thinking, that is strong anytime. Those kind of days
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90 | December 2013
are special anytime they happen, but we have come to expect them in December through May, not so much in October and early November. I’m optimistic that it is an early indicator of a great year of catching giant trout. I have been watching large migrations of mullet head to the beach front for some time now. The food supply for our game fish is dwindling down as it always does this time of year. Each day that we choose to clean a few trout, I always use the time to dissect their stomachs and see what they are eating. The short answer is everything, with a big emphasis on pinfish and perch. As the mullet supply declines large trout will seek out those pesky little tail biters as their mainstay diet here in the Laguna and Baffin. To keep up with their eating pattern, my pattern is shifting from the hard sand areas, where mullet once roamed, to wade-able flats that have an abundance of grass – places the perch call home. These feeding areas can be found throughout Baffin, although more sparse, and the entire Laguna Madre. The Laguna is a virtually covered with grass flats out to depths of five feet or more. It can become
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The Shimano Curado bait caster reel has been a leader in the field for over ten years now and is set to continue its winning ways. The iconic green Curado with it’s superior drag and casting ability has made it a favorite amongst kiwi anglers chasing large snapper, blue cod, kahawai, and kingfish with lures.
The MirrOlure Fat Boy is a perfect perch imitation to coax solid trout when you know they are relating to grass.
mind boggling at times for the untrained eye as so much of it looks the same. What you need to focus on is what looks different! In this case it is strips of sand (potholes) in a sea of grass. These areas are like fast food restaurants for hungry trout. They go in and setup for a easy meal, only to pull away and come back later for something off of the dollar menu. I cannot even begin to count the times that I have squatted on some line of sand in the grass and caught very little, only to come back later in the day and have something epic happen from the same spot. What I am about to tell you is something my client’s hear all of the time. It’s not only pertinent to what we are discussing now, but year round. “Big trout are just like us, they do not feed 24/7. Usually they are going to have a one big meal for the day, and the rest of the time will be filled with snack sessions and lounging around.” My staunch belief in this theory is what brings me back to an area that I may not have caught them in earlier during the day, only to (usually), find success on a second try. To sum it up in mathematical terms, big grass flat divided by sand holes equals fast food for trout. Two old favorite lures will be my top picks for these scenarios. The 5” Bass Assassin rigged on a short shank 1/16 oz jig head is my go-to for finding the fish. The MirrOlure Fat Boy (Corky) is usually the closer when we have established that there are some giants present. The new Soft-Dine by MirrOlure will also be getting some play time this year as it is just a perfect imitation of the perch that these large trout are focusing on. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you. Remember the buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey
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CaPt. tRICIa
tRICIa’s Mansfield Report Port Mansfield-Lower Laguna fishing continues to be fantastic. The long-needed rain finally came and has livened up all things, big and small. Trout are abundant and a few trophy-class fish have shown in places that made sense for the conditions. We have been seeing signs for months now, indicating good potential for Port another “big-trout” winter season. Mansfield We do not always know the reasons why, but both reds and trout are already showing good weights earlier than normal, especially the trout. Most any outing with good water clarity revealed numbers of large fish still Capt. Tricia’s Skinny Water cruising the shallows and shorelines. Days with little to Adventures operates out of light progression of wind leaves the Laguna wide open Port Mansfield, specializing in in the north as well as the southern regions, and just wadefishing with artificial lures. about everywhere in between. We’ve been starting our days in pretty much standard fashion for this time of year – high sand and Telephone 956-642-7298 spotty grassbeds early, then slowly moving to heavier Email grass and potholes right about thigh deep. Good shell@granderiver.net starting points have differed during pre-front and postwebsite www.SkinnyWaterAdventures.com front conditions, and these events present a whole new game plan, which we will be experiencing more and more as the fronts become more frequent. As December rolls along, shorelines near sloughs
and back-bay areas will be our daily targets. Shallow and slightly soft bottoms should pay off consistently on the not-so-cold of blows. When we say shallow it can mean anywhere from knee to waist deep and, during colder blows, deeper “feeder” guts near the shallows are definitely worth a look. We trust December will live up to recent history and bring us fairly mild winter conditions, low tides, and plenty of fish stack-ups. Hopefully, the combination of currently abundant forage and the advent of winter’s “gorging season” will keep the trout heavy and trophy-worthy. Redfish are
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92 | December 2013
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always game for me, and they too should be pulling our lines tight in December. The theory that all the big reds leave the bay in the winter must come from those who don’t fish in the winter. It is not at all uncommon to find pods and even small schools that will average thirty inches and a few as long as thirty-two. It’s game-on when one of these bruisers crashes a topwater! As wide open as the Laguna is now, our lure choices are too. I often stick to my favorites...Kelly Wigglers’ Ball-Tail Shad and Paddletails, and of course my beloved Skitter Walks but, I will also use MirrOlure’s Corky Fat Boys and their brand new Soft Dine that I am really taking a liking to. MirrOlure also has some new scented soft plastics that will be in my
winter arsenal. Why not? It’s very easy to get stuck with what you know, yet winter is a good time to learn new methods for multiple reasons – very little floating grass, excellent clarity, and when it gets colder we’ll see a big reduction in mullet and other baitfish which usually means hungrier predators. The combination of these can really help speed the learning process, especially the suspending baits and floating plugs. And while you can’t beat the versatile soft plastic rattails and paddletails most of the time, you simply cannot discount the efficiency of the aforementioned plugs in learned hands. Again, the outlook for December looks very promising. We have already been catching some heavyweights, and many of our clients typically catch their personal best late-December through April. But don’t wait; if a trophy fish is your goal you should think about the whole month of December as prime time – it’s already good! You can bet I will be out there everyday the weather will let me. May you all have a blessed Christmas and New Year! Tricia’s Tips -Expect early morning and late afternoon fog the next few months. Caution is advised. -Extra clothes and blanket in boat at all times. Hypothermia happens quickly. -Winter bays can find you out there with very few other boaters. Fully charged cell phone and VHF can turn a bad day around faster. -Check those waders before you go, no other option except being cold and wet once you’re out there.
TSFMAG.com | 93
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
Well here we are, another fishing year about to be in the books and I am very excited to have the winter season upon us. From now until spring I will be bundled in Simms waders, underwear, layers and outerwear. I will begin each day with great expectations of finding exceptional trout. Late fall was not easy for us although the extra hours spent grinding paid nice dividends. It brings to mind a phone call I got from a potential client a few years ago. It went something like this; “Captain, I would like to book a trip with you but, can you guarantee me fish?” My standard reply to questions of this sort is always; “Sir, if I put you on the fish, will you guarantee me you can get them to bite, and if they do can you catch them?” He paused for a second and then said, “I see your point.” I have learned from years on the water that you can be right on top of fish, but you cannot dictate when, where, and how they will feed. We can only guess from experience and hope we make the right choices. Cold fronts will play a very large role in the
predictions we make during the coming months as they become more frequent and faster moving. Even fronts that pass as suddenly as they arrive still have an effect on the feeding patterns of fish. Their metabolism and movement patterns will slow down with cooler temperatures. Deeper water will be a temporary refuge but, we never know how long temporary will be. The day following a front reaching the coast is usually very slow and they will begin to feed sometime during
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the second day. Having said this, I have also seen them with lockjaw until the third day. December is a month for more casual starts, no need to hurry to the launch ramp. Take your time and let the sun penetrate the shallows to allow the fish to occupy the shallow grass flats and enter their feeding mode. As I mentioned above, this time of the year the chilly conditions will quite often have fish staged in deeper water, but when they get up shallow to feed, they will eat unlike any other time of year. Yes, their reaction strike or willingness to chase might be a bit slower, but they will eat just about anything you throw at them, especially when bad weather has put them off their feed for a few days. Early and cooler mornings, you probably want to start along dropoffs, deeper flats, or areas near the ICW. Watch and listen for fleeing baitfish or swirls, sure signs a predator is on the prowl. Bird activity is helpful. Take note of the water depths they’re working; that’s where you need to be. Pay particular attention to the osprey, he is the best fisherman on the water. Mud boils will tell you fish are present and often also means they are holding near bottom, so slow your presentation. Bait is usually scarce in winter, but bait is bait. I don’t care if it’s horse mullet, finger
mullet, or small pinfish. And they’re not always visible at the surface; quality eyewear helps you observe what is going on down lower where trout and reds are feeding. December will bring some of the lowest tides of the year so caution is advised. There will be fewer boats on the water and help might be scarce if you run aground. When targeting big trout, don’t rule out skinny flats during warming periods but do expect them to be extremely wary in ultraskinny water. Smaller topwaters like the Zara Puppy can be the ticket, especially when it is calm. Kelley Wigglers in natural colors and flomingo on 1/8 jigs can also be very effective here. MirrOlure’s Paul Brown Original Floating Fat Boy is another excellent lure for trophy fish in calm-clear skinny conditions. Our redfish remained mostly scattered through fall but as the water temps drop into the 60s I am fairly confident we will begin to see winter schools forming, this is a normal pattern. Reds adapt readily to winter water temperatures and they get heavy for length. Already we are seeing their shoulders widen and their bellies sagging. If reds are in your game plan, the lures I have recommended for trout along with the Ken’s best-ever; 6-inch Flapp’n Shad rigged weedless will work a whopping on these brutes just as well. 25-incher. Come get you some! Happy Holidays!
TSFMAG.com | 95
FISHING REPORTS
ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica
AND
Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary poe - Big Lake guide Service - 337.598.3268 December is usually a great month for us. With stronger cold fronts, most of the big trout action is on the north end of Calcasieu. Shallow sand flats produce lots of fish from mid-day into the afternoon. This gives water temperatures plenty of time to rise. When you’re fishing for trophy trout in our estuary, look for a strong presence of baitfish. I wouldn’t necessarily stop on a flat if I see a mullet jump. I like to take ten to fifteen minutes in the boat to study the surface activity before I decide to take the plunge. Loons are also a tell-tale sign that baitfish are present. If I see half a dozen loons on a flat, I immediately fish in their direction at a fast pace. Once I get amongst them I will slow down and fish methodically in that area. If they move, I move with them. We mainly stick to Paul Brown’s Fat Boys, Storm Jointed Thundersticks, and Redfins. These three baits usually produce the majority of our good trout in December. If big trout aren’t your thing, look to Turners Bay on outgoing tides. This area is our top producer in December. Trinity Bay - East Bay - galveston Bay | James plaag Silver king adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James was headed in early on the day we talked. “We caught 52 legal trout before 9 am this morning,” he said. “Birds were working all over the place. The key to catching the bigger fish was to keep the lure moving fast near the surface of the water, just reeling it in like you were
ready to make another cast. If you let it sink down and jigged it, the fish were smaller, and there were more sand trout. This bird activity will continue on and off through about Thanksgiving, and it will be easy to catch limits of small trout. Then, we’ll start wading and catching some bigger fish on a regular basis. In fact, we were catching lots of 24 to 25 inch fish while we were working slicks before the bird action heated up. In December, it will be a shoreline thing, though. We’ll throw topwaters when we can. I’ve been using white Top Dogs a lot, because I can see them better, but the color don’t really matter. Soft plastics and 51 MirrOlures will produce bites more consistently. It’s set up good. This rain was just what we needed.” Jimmy west - Bolivar guide Service - 409.996.3054 Birds were working all over East Bay when Jim gave this report. “We’re whackin’ the small specks and big sand trout this morning. All the rain freshened up the back of the bay, and there’s a line out here between the freshwater and salty water. Birds are squealing and diving everywhere. Today, you can throw any kind or color of soft plastic you want. It doesn’t even matter. These fish are feeding like crazy now that the shrimp have been flushed out of the marsh. Before the rain, I had a couple of days with a good topwater bite. One day, we caught a bunch of trout between three and five pounds on Spooks, with one about 7 pounds. Wading action like that should be good in December, if we don’t get too much more rain. I will also be hunting ducks and doves
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as the year winds to a close. It will be good. We had a great opening weekend of duck season. There are plenty of birds in the area. And I’ve got a bunch of doves on my properties too. It won’t matter if it’s wet or not, we’ll have plenty to shoot at.” West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Randall mentions he has seen some pretty strange things on the water lately, including the crash of the Galveston Gal, a vintage airplane. He wanted to send out his thoughts and prayers to the families lost in the mishap. Thanks to you, Randall, for doing what you could at the scene. As far as the fishing goes, he says several variables have made it tougher than normal lately. “We’ve got a high tide, which has sent the redfish up into the grass and kind of scattered the trout. And we’ve got some fresh water flowing in the river, which is delaying the start of the cold weather patterns there somewhat. There’s also been a strong onshore flow most of the time, which has the water pretty muddied up. Flounder fishing has been the best bet on some days, and we’re catching them pretty good. Best bite for them has been on salty chicken Sand Eels. I expect the tide levels to fall once we get a few more strong fronts. That should start the shrimp moving toward the Gulf and kick off the action under working flocks of seagulls.” Matagorda | Tommy Countz Bay Guide Service - 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037 Tommy hopes birds will still be working in East Matagorda in December. If so, catching trout will be easier. If they aren’t, other tactics will be necessary. “If the birds are working, you just go out in the middle and find ‘em. If not, we usually find our trout in deeper parts of East Bay with shell on the bottom, like areas around the big reefs in the west
end or places like Cleveland Reef. We usually use bright soft plastics like limetreuse and hot pink on heavier jigheads to keep the lures in contact with the oysters on the bottom. We also throw 51MirrOlures while drifting the shell quite a bit. If it’s calm, we’ll start looking around the mouths of the drains on the shoreline for evidence of big trout. Some of the biggest trout I’ve caught in Matagorda bit in December in the bayous when it was foggy. Action can be good in West Bay for reds on low tides, and in the Colorado River as well, if the water’s salty. Fishing in the river can save the day when it gets too windy to work the main bay areas.” Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 I have been trying to think of a word to describe our redfish catches as of late, and I finally came up with a good one--phenomenal! With our fall rains we have a shrimp hatch that has reds schooling like I ain’t seen in many years. Tres Palacios Bay, Turtle Bay, Caranchua Bay all have been loaded with reds running shorelines herding shrimp. We have some mornings where we just pole down and wait for them to come to us. It doesn’t matter much what you throw, just put it in front of them and hold on! We have been catching some decent trout under the birds, throwing root beer/chartreuse paddletails, but you have to cull through the little ones to get a decent bag. Bonus fish for us this fall have been the abundant flounder; we have caught several over twenty inches while chasing the schooling reds. In December, we change our focus to wading areas with a mix of mud and shell on shorelines holding mullet. Paul Brown Lures and suspending baits make up our box in the colder months, and we fish where bait is present to help locate the fish.
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port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay guide Service - 361.983.4434 Lynn says he will be wading on flats with shallow water adjacent to deeper water most of the time this month. “We’ll focus on muddy areas with a mix of shell and grass on the bottom. Some of the places we like to fish are right next to channel edges and guts. We’ll throw dark colored Down South Lures like ones in plum, red shad and pumpkinseed. Normally, we won’t leave the dock until about ten o’clock or so. I like to let the sun get up some, so the fish will come out of the deep water and head for the flats with the muddy bottoms. On some days, the best bite doesn’t occur until the late afternoon, while the sun starts to set and gets close to the horizon. Of course, we will try to stay close to as much bait as we can. In December, it isn’t usually necessary to see a bunch of mullet on the flat, but we certainly want to see some. If the weather is warmer and the bait is active right around the surface, we will try our topwaters. But on most days, the soft plastics are the best lures in the cold months.” rockport | Blake Muirhead gator Trout guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Blake will be in the midst of cast and blast season in December, and he expects both activities to be productive. “We had some good rains and strong fronts lately, and both the duck hunting and fishing are set up well for the winter. We’ve had an above average year of trout fishing. It tailed off a bit at the end of summer, but is picking back up again. I’ll be hunting the marshes in Aransas and St. Charles Bays this month, and fishing my way out of the back lakes once the shooting is over. Fishing for redfish is often good in the marsh lakes, and in the deep drains and holes leading into them. For trout, I prefer to fish in main bay areas close to the entrances to the lakes, where the bottom
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is soft and grassy. I’ll be throwing my typical lures at the fish, meaning topwaters like Super Spooks when I see lots of mullet activity on the surface, and Norton Sand Eels and other soft plastics when I don’t. Lately, I’ve been doing really well with a chartreuse split-tail Gulp! and a new penny Gulp! shrimp.” upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 Except for the noise from the duck hunters’ shotguns, it is very quiet out on the water during December. The trout will begin to slow down a bit because of the cooler water temperatures, but not quite like they will during the months of January and February. Wadefishing will likely be more successful when fishing for trout, and natural colored Bass Assassins is what I will be using during December. I will be fishing with Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like pumpkinseed/chartreuse and salt & pepper silver phantom/chartreuse in clear water and chartreuse dog or morning glory/chartreuse in murky water rigged on eighth ounce Spring Lock jigheads. The Die Dappers are scented with “Bang” and I think this will be very helpful this winter. I will continue to use the Assassin Kwik Corks rigged with Assassin Blurps about 12 inches below the corks, targeting trout in three to four feet of water when wading and along the edges of deeper channels. Redfish and black drum will continue to go after shrimp flavored “Fish Bites”. Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 With clear water remaining in place around the JFK, Joe expects to be fishing close to home much of the time as the year comes to a close. “Normally, some time around Thanksgiving, we get a bunch of shrimp moving up the ICW, and birds start working over the ditch for a few miles south of the JFK. When that happens, it’s usually easy to catch limits of eating sized trout by staying in the deep water and throwing toward the edges of the channel. Of course, watching where the birds
are diving and where the shrimp are jumping helps during periods of peak activity. When the action slows down, it pays to make casts at the drop-off and work the lure down the ledge. Matching jighead size to the conditions is important. Lighter heads work best when winds speeds are low, and heavier ones work much better when the wind is blowing harder and swifter currents are flowing. If the channel isn’t producing, or when there’s too much boat traffic in there, the edges of Beacroft’s and Emmord’s Holes become a better bet.” padre Island National Seashore Billy Sandifer - padre Island Safaris - 361.937.8446 This entire calendar year has been so totally out of sequence that I hate to attempt to guess what fishing will be like in advance. All I can do is tell you what the normal is, but realize that nothing has been normal this year. December used to be the peak of pompano season and I anticipate there will still be pompano available when conditions allow, as well as slot and oversized redfish, whiting, black drum and sheepshead. Cut mullet for the reds and fresh-dead peeled shrimp and Fishbites for the rest. The best conditions will be the second day after cold frontal passage. Sargassum has continued to impact the beach through late October so we’ll just have to see if it continues. Beware of northeast and due east winds as they will push the water high on the beach and often muddy the water. Several shark species may be present and most will be caught on kayaked baits. There is the possibility of speckled trout on 51M MirrOlures but they have been missing the past few winters. Good Fishin’ -Capt. Billy port Mansfield | ruben garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 getaway adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 With more frequent fronts and ducks arriving you can tell winter is near. While many hang up their rods for guns, they’re overlooking
some of the best fishing. December is one of my favorite months; with cooler air and water temps I feel the fish get a little more active. I generally start off the mornings with topwaters or Paul Brown Fat Boys working potholes on the grassy flats. As the day progresses I will either move to the sand on the east and chunk spoons or I continue my hunt for trout on the spoil dumps just off the Intracoastal Waterway. Fishing the spoils, I generally rely on soft plastic lures with 1/8 oz jig heads. If they are really deep, off the edge of the spoil, I will change to a 1/4 ounce jig. Also, if the conditions are good in the morning, the spoils can produce big trout as well as oversized reds. The edges of the East Cut often hold lots of flounder. Hope the information helps. Until next time - Tight lines and calm seas! Lower Laguna Madre - South padre - port Isabel Janie and Fred petty – www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 We’re looking forward to the winter months, when hunting season keeps many boaters occupied elsewhere. We find that fishing picks up when boat traffic slows down. We’ve been catching plenty of redfish, but limits of trout have been harder to come by. We’re having luck throwing Cajun Thunder round corks with twelve inch leaders tied to a jighead with a Berkley Gulp! three inch shrimp in pearl white or new penny. When the temperature begins to fall, we will move to deeper potholes, looking for pockets of warmer water. Fishing slower will help when the fish are cold and a little sluggish. Freddy says, “Keeping ahead of the game by being prepared at the dock can keep the boat ramp functioning at a comfortable pace for everyone. Get on the water safely and watch out for waders and kayaks when running.” The holiday season is a great time to enjoy the bountiful resources that the Rio Grande Valley has to offer, whether you’re on land or sea. Let’s all help to stop open bay dredge disposal.
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Ashley de la Fuente LLM - 15.5” first fish!
David Camacho, Jr Freeport - 30” bull red
Diane Daniel Rollover Pass - 27” redfish
Randy Kidd PINS - 42” 25lb cobia 100 | December 2013
Beau Blackard POC - trout
Thomas Danna Port Aransas - 28” 7.4lb trout
Kendall Koster POC - first redfish!
Clark Coneby Corpus Christi - red
Paul Bernal San Antonio Bay - jack
Harris Hall Baffin Bay - trout
Nikki Kutach St. Charles Bay - first redfish!
Tina Atteberry Rockport - trout
Lukas Jackson Lighthouse Lakes - 22” redfish
Joe Molina Arroyo City - 27” first red on lure!
Kathy Mattaliano Sabine Lake - 27” redfish
KW Pritchett South Padre - 26” trout
Jaime Quiroga Peyton’s Bay - 30” red
Hunter Stunz Corpus Bay - slot red, CPR!
Eric Sepulveda Ava Rask Laguna Madre - 25” trout Freeport Beach - blacktip shark
Mike Caudill Magnolia - 65lb ling
Austin Pritchett South Padre - 4lb flounder
Esteban Mendez Port Lavaca - trout
Adalaide Counce POC - 150+lb first tarpon! CPR
Trey Wadlington Walker White Austin Woodward Galveston Bay - slot redfish Laguna Madre - 31” trout CPR! Sabine Lake - 28” first redfish!
Ashley Zornes Eagle Point - black drum
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 TSFMAG.com | 101
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
Crab Stuffed Chicken Breasts 12 chicken breast halves, skinned and deboned ½ cup finely chopped onion ½ cup finely chopped celery ¼ cup finely chopped green pepper ¼ cup butter, melted Place chicken breast on waxed paper. Flatten to ¼ inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. I was able to find thin sliced breast fillets at HEB that were about ¼ inch thick. Sauté onion, celery and green pepper in ¼ cup butter in a large skillet. Remove from heat. Add crabmeat, stuffing mix, egg, seasonings and ¼ cup butter; mix well. Spread about ¼ cup crabmeat mixture on each chicken breast, roll up jellyroll fashion, pressing edges to seal. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Dip each chicken roll in reaming 1/2 cup melted butter and dredge in corn flakes crumbs. Place seam side down in a greased 13x9x2 baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown. 102 | December 2013
½ pound lump crab meat 2 cups seasoned stuffing mix 1 egg, beaten ¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic salt ¼ teaspoon garden seasoning ¾ cup butter, melted and divided 2 cups corn flakes crumbs
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Swimming in Harmony for Safety and Belonging The thought of “synchronized swimming” may call to mind the Olympic event or perhaps white-capped women in old Hollywood musicals. But there’s another mammal that uses synchronized swimming — and it’s not just to show off. Long-finned pilot whales synchronize their swimming when they sense danger. Researchers made this discovery when comparing two populations of pilot whales, one in the Strait of Gibraltar off the Spanish coast and one near Cape Breton on Canada’s east coast.
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Pilot whales use synchronized swimming when they sense danger. Credit: Renaud de Stephanis Each time the researchers visited a pod of pilot whales, the cetaceans at first swam close to each other, often surfacing and diving close together. But after some time, when other boats (including whale watching boats) were nearby, the pilot whales shifted into more tightly synchronized movements: two whales swam in the same direction, about a body width apart, surfaced together, breathed about a second apart and then dove together. But there were differences between pods. When the researchers compared one social group to another, either within the same waters or across the Atlantic, the synchronization differed depending on the size and social closeness of the group and the environment. The researchers suspect that synchronized swimming signals a threat and it may help the whales stay close to one another as they escape. But pilot whales tend to be socially close-knit, and the synchronized behavior may also reinforce their social connections. Pilot whales aren’t the only marine mammals that use synchronized swimming. Spinner dolphins, killer whales and sperm whales also do it, but biologists are only beginning to understand the reasons.
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CHRIS MAPP
B O aT M a I N T E N a N C E T I p S Taking a small break from boat and outboard maintenance brings up a subject that is equally important, and knowing the proper protocol associated with it is also vital. During the day, most often on a Chris Mapp, owner weekend, I receive a call at the store Coastal Bend Marine. from a customer or fisherman that has Yamaha, Evinrude, Suzuki, found themselves in a bad way. Run Mercury, Honda, BlueWave, SilverWave, Haynie, El Pescador aground, broken down, or in general disabled, (That’s normal). Service, Parts and Sales. For calls other than emergencies we refer everyone to TowBoat US here in Port O’Connor. The call that is the most concerning to me is the disabled boater that is in danger, perceived danger, or imminent danger to life and or property. We ask for their location and all relevant information but sometimes it is very hard to hear due to wind or rain or just poor cell phone coverage. If we get disconnected we will call U.S. Coast Guard Station Port O’Connor to report the incident and give all information possible. The problem comes when the individual either cannot call back or elects not to call back if they find their situation resolved or someone comes along to help. When a friend or company is called to report a problem and when
communications are lost, every effort is made to find and help the caller based on the information that has been received. The problem is the Coast Guard, upon receiving a call from us or anyone making such a report starts a chain of events that is very expensive in manpower and money; in the form of boats, personnel and/or aircraft that are used to resolve the situation. The bottom line is this; if you make the call and help arrives or you resolve your own situation, always take the time to call back and advise your friend or whoever was called to let them know the problem has been solved. Resources are a terrible thing to waste and if you take the time to ask for help, please take the time to let folks know you are OK. TowBoat US Port O’Connor: 361-218-2936 – Robbie Sanders (1800-888-4869) US Coast Guard Port O’Connor – Search and Rescue: 361-983-2616 or 361-983-2617 A VHF radio is often your best chance to hail another boater or contact the Coast Guard directly on Channel 16. There is protocol for this type situation and it is great to know and use it when things go wrong. Have a safe winter on the water! Chris Mapp Coastal Bend Marine | port O’Connor Tx coastalbendmarine.com | 361.983.4841
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galveston tides & Solunar Table Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine December 2013
The BEST Choice‌ Any Place, Anytime!
To find a location near you, please visit us at www.speedystop.com
Tidal Corrections Location Calcasieu Pass, La. Sabine Bank Lighthouse Sabine Pass (jetty) Sabine Pass Mesquite Point Galveston Bay (S. jetty) Port Bolivar Texas City, Turning Basin Eagle Point Clear Lake Morgans Point Round Point, Trinity Bay Point Barrow, Trinity Bay Gilchrist, East Bay Jamaica Beach, Trinity Bay Christmas Point Galveston Pleasure Pier San Luis Pass Freeport Harbor
High -2:14 -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14 +0:33 +3:54 +6:05 +10:21 +10:39 +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -0:09 -0:44
Low -1:24 -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06 +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15 +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:38 +2:33 +2:31 -0:09
For other locations, i.e. Port O’Connor, Port Aransas, Corpus Christi and Port Isabel please refer to the charts displayed below.
Please note that the tides listed in this table are for the Galveston Channel. The Tidal Corrections can be applied to the areas affected by the Galveston tide.
Minor Feeding Periods are in green, coinciding with the moon on the horizon, and the last from 1.0 to 1.5 hrs after the moon rise or before moon set. Major Feeding Periods are in orange, about 1.0 to 1.5 hrs either side of the moon directly overhead or underfoot. Many variables encourage active feeding current flow (whether wind or tidal driven), changes in water temp & weather, moon phases, etc. Combine as many as possible for a better chance at an exceptional day. Find concentrations of bait set up during a good time frame, and enjoy the results.
Te x a s S a l t w a t e r F i s h i n g M a g a z i n e l
w w w. t e x a s s a l t w a t e r f i s h i n g m a g a z i n e . c o m