December 2016
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about the Cover Desiree Warnack is our cover angler. Desiree was fishing the Laguna Madre last winter and used a Gambler soft plastic to fool this trophy flattie. Way to go, Desiree. Maybe Santa will bring you another this year!
Contents
December 2016 VOL 26 NO 8
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
10 Tunnel Vision 16 Wading Basics 22 The Tournament 28 A Look Back and a Look Ahead 32 Mangrove Musings
48 50 54 56 58 60 64 68 70 96 98 37
Steve Hillman Kevin Cochran Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard
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Let’s Ask The Pro Shallow Water Fishing TPWD Field Notes Fly Fishing Kayak Fishing Chronicles TSFMag Conservation News Fishy Facts Inshore | Nearshore | Jetties | Passes Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks... Boat Maintenance Tips Science & the Sea Holiday Gift Guide
WHAT OUR GUIDES
HAVE TO SAy
74 76 78 80 82 84 86
Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene The Buzz on Galveston Bay The View from Matagorda Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays Hooked up with Rowsey Wayne’s Port Mansfield Report South Padre Fishing Scene
Dickie Colburn Caleb Harp Bink Grimes Gary Gray David Rowsey Wayne Davis Ernest Cisneros
54
REGULARS
74
08 72 88 92 94
Editorial New Tackle & Gear Fishing Reports and Forecasts Catch of the Month Gulf Coast Kitchen
94 6 | December 2016
Jay Watkins Scott Null Robert Adami, Jr. Scott Sommerlatte Dave Roberts CCA Texas Stephanie Boyd Curtiss Cash Eric Ozolins Chris Mapp UT Marine Science Institute
Editor and Publisher Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918 National sales representative Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net regional sales representative Patti Elkins Patti@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Donna Boyd Donna@tsfmag.com Circulation Subscription – product sales Linda Curry Store@tsfmag.com Design & Layout Stephanie Boyd Artwork@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly. Subscription Rates: One Year (Free Emag with Hard Copy) Subscription $25.00 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 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
Closing The Year In Grand Fashion
I grow weary of folks saying, “Can you believe it’s December already…where did the year go?” Heck yeah it’s December, where have you been for eleven months? About to celebrate my sixtyfourth birthday, I agree time flies. But let’s not dwell on it lest I end up old before my time. The way I see things shaping up, continued incredibly mild weather and such, I cannot help but believe we are about to enjoy the best fishing December has ever delivered. Water temperatures along the upper and middle Texas coast are still hanging in the upper-70s. Even warmer down in the Laguna Madre. Tides are bulled up like we expect in early-October and trout and reds are gobbling everything they can get in their mouths. Beats all I’ve ever seen! We have had a few fronts but even the coolest mornings were still well up in the 50s. I didn’t even see snow on my hunting trip to northern Ontario in October. Being a dedicated waterfowler and trophy trout nut has me yearning for winter but I’m having the time of my life the way it is. Trying to predict what might lie ahead is impossible as I have never been here. I gave some thought to researching whether weather phenomena as we are currently enjoying might have prefaced years of record freezes along the coast, but the very thought of possibly losing a big part of the current fishery was too sad and I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Let us just pray that we will eventually have a normal winter – even if it arrives later than normal.
8 | December 2016
Startling news from over east, Mississippi’s Commission of Marine Resources (think TPWD-Coastal Fisheries) is proposing a closure on keeping speckled trout between January 1 and March 31. The proposal is aimed at correcting a slump they have been noting in spawning potential ratio and will apply only to 2017, although it could be repeated in 2018 if the desired uptick is not achieved. Catch and release angling would be permitted. Along with this closure, there is also a provision for raising the minimum length for specks from the current 13-inches to 15-inches. No mention was made to reducing the daily bag limit from the current 15 fish. The primary reason cited was the number of mature specks taken from rivers when temperatures plunge. In other words – CMR is looking to reserve large spawners from harvest when they are most vulnerable. Now with continuously shrinking habitat and increasing angling pressure everywhere, all Gulf Coast inshore fisheries must be managed carefully. This is a given. I am however quite surprised to see a threemonth closure being proposed in the first round of regulatory changes. I have said this many times; Texas anglers are blessed. While some may not always agree with TPWD, closed season has never been mentioned; at least I haven’t heard it. The closest we’ve come is a one month flounder gigging ban but the effect has been entirely positive and we can still take two per day on rod and reel. Merry Christmas!
STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN
M
edically speaking, tunnel vision is the loss of peripheral vision. Causes can range from glaucoma to alcohol consumption. Metaphorically, it’s one’s reluctance to consider alternatives. A good doctor isn’t needed for tunnel vision when it comes to fishing and I’m not one to judge someone’s drinking habits. However, I can offer advice for those seeking a remedy to onedimensional thinking on the water. There are multiple forms of tunnel vision. Keeping an open mind is the antidote for all of them. One Spot Wonder I witness it quite often – A couple of buddies had success fishing the same spot over and over so they continue to go back to the well every time they put their boat in the water. It’s easy to get lured into this trap because most of us aren’t willing to risk not catching. We’re presented with a dilemma, however, when conditions and/or patterns change and we haven’t explored other options. This often results in a sometimes lengthy stretch of swing-and-miss search missions. A better strategy would involve taking extra time on each fishing trip to venture off the beaten path while looking for useful signs – such as bait concentrations over mud-lined guts as water temperatures and tides fall after a strong cold front. Observant anglers will also look for small reefs and other structure when tides are very low so he can revisit those areas when water levels return to normal. Trout movements change this time of year, sometimes even weekly. This requires a more in depth analysis of areas that may have previously been unproductive. Running full throttle from Point A to Point B sometimes results in passing up areas with potential. Slow down and look around. Once you’ve arrived at your fishing spot it’s important to view it as more of an area than a spot. Always keep track of what’s happening 360 degrees around you. We often point out signs to clients by using clock references — “Guys, a small slick just popped at 1 O’clock” or “Hey, there’s a school of reds on the surface 75 yards away at about 3 O’clock.” The marsh drain you’re fixated on may have been a safe bet when the tide was eight inches higher and the water was five degrees warmer but that shell ridge that drops off into deep mud 100 yards from the shoreline is a higher percentage area with this lower tide and cooler water. And if you look closely there’s a muddy streak with flipping mullet along its deep edge. The guy with tunnel vision will get in a lot of casting practice on that marsh drain before becoming discouraged and finally leaving, motoring directly across the shell ridge holding fish where he should’ve been fishing in the first place. If only he had looked over his shoulder once in a while.
Learn how to identify any and every sign. Some anglers only know how to fish slicks and birds. Others only fish pier pilings and bridge columns. Subtle signs such as a heron perched along a grass line can lead you to pay dirt. I actually experienced this while wading tight to the bank in East Matagorda. Three white herons hopscotched along for over 100 yards as a pod of 8 or 10 reds blew shad up onto the bank. Not only was it an easy meal for those birds but it made for easy catching for us while throwing small topwaters. Sometimes it’s the little things that go unnoticed by most folks that lead us to fish. Fishing with your eyes trumps fishing with your GPS, most of the time. The Magic Lure Taking the time to “My favorite color soft plastic is Fire Tiger. I’ve peruse shorelines when the tide is low will pay caught more trout on it than any other color dividends in the future. especially down in Port Mansfield.” Heard more times than I can count, this is the epitome of tunnel vision. There are times when the bite is so good that color is irrelevant but this is the exception rather than the rule. Just because you had a career day one time on a particular color shouldn’t make it your “go-to” bait for the rest of your life. Furthermore, of course you’ve landed more fish on it than anything else when that’s the only damn thing you throw. Color choices should be based upon water clarity and available sunlight. Just because Fire Tiger worked for you in the gin-clear water of the Lower Laguna on a bright sunny day while chunking to grassy potholes doesn’t mean that it will produce similar results on an Mike O’Dell with a late fall triple overcast breezy day while fishing tail caught on a MirrOlure Lil John off-colored water over oyster shell site-casted underneath a floating water hyacinth in the middle of East Galveston Bay. Always being observant has its rewards!
12 | December 2016
in Galveston Bay. And you may want to consider switching over to a little heavier jighead while you’re at it. I’m thinking that a 1/16-ounce head isn’t going to get it done in 8 feet of water with a 15-knot wind. A very simple school of thought is to use darker colors such as Red Shad or Texas Roach in low-visibility water and under low-light conditions and then brighter colors like Limetreuse or Glow when the water is green or clear. Colors such as Chicken-On-A-Chain, Plum and Pumpkinseed work well when the water is average visibility. Your new “favorite color” should become the one that fits the current conditions in which you are fishing. Then there’s the guy who wants to catch Very first cast of the morning!
give us. If the barometric pressure is low leading up to a cold front and the surface is alive with activity, then by all means tie on a MirrOlure She Dog and get after it. Conversely, if we’re in high pressure postfront mode and bait is pushed near bottom, slow-rolling a soft plastic may work better. Trying too many different lures can also limit productivity. This is the extreme opposite of tunnel vision but it’s worth mentioning because I’ve seen this scenario play out many times. There are three guys fishing together and two of them are catching with regularity on soft plastic while the other is switching back and forth from some centipede-like segmented hardbait that looks like something from a science fiction movie, then to another lure that closely resembles a mutated two-headed frog that was mentioned on his favorite internet fishing site. “These trout ought to hit this…don’t ya think?” My answer, “Larry, we’re here to CATCH trout not scare the hell out of them. Now please put your mystery lures back in your suitcase of magic tricks and tie on a worm.” Unless Fisher-Price started making lures and you’re their field tester, it’s better to stick with what’s working.
Had we just been looking straight ahead on our way in we would’ve never seen the school of reds on the surface and Graham Rhodes would’ve had to wait another day to catch his personal best redfish!
everything on topwaters. I get it. I wish we could catch them on top every single day. I would be having even more fun than I already am. The fact is we can’t always catch fish the way we want to catch them. No different than Ben Roethlisberger can’t always throw a deep ball to Antonio Brown for a touchdown. Sometimes he has to take what the defense gives him and matriculate the ball down the field by making short passes and handing it off to running backs before eventually having a shot at the end zone. We have to take what the conditions
Pop-Pop-Fall…Not Always Lastly, working a lure the same way all the time is another form of tunnel vision. Trout and reds can be moody specimens. The same old lure presentation that you’ve been employing for years won’t always get the job done. Working a soft plastic with the traditional pop-popfall may not trick a post-front docile trout with her belly resting on the mud. A slow-rolled jig with an occasional twitch might be Moving from one trout area to the ticket in this case. Sometimes a trout will blow up on another we came across an opena topwater missing it several times before a connection is water school. Chris Sizemore made. Some fishermen are adamant that pausing the walkdidn’t mind a bit! Notice the slicks the-dog causes trout to commit while others say it’s better over his left shoulder. to keep it moving. I’ve seen both work, but don’t think for a minute that only one method works all the time. By slowing down and exploring new options you will become a more well-rounded angler with more alternatives. Being more observant of surroundings within the areas you’re fishing will result in a solid connection between you and the fish and it will bring out the best of your angling abilities. Hopefully you get the point other than just from “A” to “B.”
Contact
Steve Hillman
14 | December 2016
Steve Hillman is a full-time fishing guide on his home waters of Galveston Bay. Steve fishes the entire Galveston Bay Complex, wading and drifting for trout, redfish, and flounder using artificial lures. Phone 409-256-7937 Email captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com Web www.hillmanguideservice.com
STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN
Waders should always carry a hook-extracting device, to facilitate handling of fish intended for release, and to aid in handling other critters which inadvertently become impaled on the hooks!
I
n order to maximize results when wading, an angler must wear the proper clothing, carry functional tools, and utilize an intelligent plan. Some parts of the setup demand uniformity, while individual preferences profoundly affect other elements. Selecting and wearing the proper clothing provides the first step in designing an effective wading system. When wading in water warm enough to tolerate without waders, an angler still needs garments which provide protection from the sun and from potentially harmful creatures. The outfit starts with nylon shirts and pants designed specifically for fishing. The long-sleeved nylon shirt should have pockets on the front. A wet wader should always wear long pants for protection against abundant jellyfish, which usually provide a nuisance in warm water. Long, nylon wading pants provide adequate protection from the stinging tentacles; shorts and swimsuits do not. Wading anglers should also wear other items of clothing at all times. Atop a wader’s head should rest some type of hat. At the least, the cap should have a long brim on the front to help shield the eyes from the sun. Anglers walking around in the water should carry polarized sunglasses to provide further protection for the eyes. I wear my hat and carry my shades in my pocket even when entering the water at the crack of dawn, so I won’t have to return to the boat once I need them. I always plan for some catching when I start fishing and don’t want to set up a situation where I need to leave biting fish to get my shades or hat. This habit hints at a more wide-reaching rule--a wading angler should always carry all necessary equipment when walking away from the boat (or other vehicle, if entering the water from shore). The hat protects the head, the sunglasses shield the eyes, the shirt covers the upper torso and arms, the pants keep critters from stinging the legs, but perhaps more importantly, the boots and rayguards protect the feet and lower legs from potentially harmful encounters with stingrays. Ideally, a boot made of tough material worn in conjunction with shin-guards which extend eighteen inches or more up toward the knee provide a barrier which the spike on a ray’s tail cannot penetrate. Simms makes some excellent, ankle-high, stingray-proof boots, and ForEverlast makes the best stingray guards I’ve found. Other products exist which provide maximum protection against strikes from stingrays, too. All wading anglers should wear some type of stingray protection every time they enter the water. A few further comments on the critical clothing component protecting the feet--boots must fit comfortably not only in the shoe store, but also in the water. Even when wet wading, I always wear a boot at least one size larger than my normal shoe size, so the added pressure of the water won‘t squeeze my feet and toes uncomfortably. When worn over waders, boot size becomes even more of an issue. A boot at least two sizes larger than the normal shoe size works best when worn over waders. People looking to cut costs can purchase one pair of boots, two sizes larger than their foot, and wear them year-round. Wearing socks helps oversized boots stay on the foot when wading wet, and the big boots fit well over the waders when cooler weather dictates their use. The best waders don’t leak; they fit comfortably and loosely, and they allow the angler to carry some accessories in their pockets. Lightweight, breathable waders provide durability, flexibility and comfort. With the proper layers of clothing under them, they allow one to stay warm enough on even the coldest days. On the nippiest occasions, the wading angler will need more than a pair of waders to keep the chill from creeping in and ruining the fishing. In a cold-weather wader’s wardrobe, a properly designed jacket provides much needed protection from the wind and waves. The garment must repel water and blunt the chilling effects of the breeze. Anglers should wear it outside the waders, so waves blowing onto their backs and wind-driven rain can’t spill into the waders. I regularly see people make the mistake of heading out into cold weather wearing a jacket which won’t repel water, or tucking their jacket inside the waders, or both. A durable, waterproof Gore Tex jacket provides shelter from both water and wind admirably. The best have sleeves which cinch tight around the wrists with Velcro straps, spacious pockets on the TSFMAG.com | 17
front, and a hood which comfortably tightens around the neck and more than any other aspect of wadefishing, this decision relies purely chin. Such a jacket, worn outside the waders, keeps moisture on preferences. I carry my equipment using what I’d describe as a from seeping onto the sleeves of the undergarments. Openminimalist approach, meaning I’ve learned over time to eliminate all sleeved jackets which allow water in can cause discomfort, unnecessary objects. especially for those who manage to catch and handle large I wear a small belt for back support and place the sheath carrying numbers of fish. my pliers on it. A flexible lanyard tethers the pliers to the sheath. Staying warm means staying dry and preventing heat from Though high-quality stainless steel makes the Boga Grip amazingly escaping through the top of the head. Consequently, a hat plays corrosion resistant, I prefer to keep it out of the water as much as a critical role in dealing with the cold. I always wear my baseball possible, so I clip it to my fishing shirt or waders. My waders have large cap when fishing. In cool weather, it keeps me comfortable. But plastic clips perfect for holding the Boga, which clamps onto them when temperatures fall below about sixty degrees, I cover the ball and hangs in front of my torso unobtrusively. cap with a beanie. In the coldest weather, when cold winds brush The fishing shirts I wear have a small loop riding on the inside edge against the back of the neck, causing discomfort and potential of one of the front pockets. This loop won’t hold the Boga by itself, distraction, I raise the hood on my jacket and cinch it tight too. so I place a zip-tie through the loop to hold the device when I’m not A comfortable angler tends to have better focus and efficiency. wearing waders. A short length of nylon cord tethers the lip-gripping In order to maximize success when wading, one must develop a tool to a stringer float, to prevent it from sinking to the bottom if system for carrying the necessary fishing equipment at all times. dropped. On the end of the line protruding from the float, I place In addition to the most obvious need for a rod and reel, a wader a small, brass clip, which I use to attach the Boga to the belt when must carry an assortment of other items. Ethical considerations measuring the length of a fish, or as a way to retain a throat-hooked dictate carrying a hook-extracting device of some kind. fish without necessitating the use of a stringer. Intelligently designed pliers serve this function and one other. I I have not mentioned a stringer or other device for keeping fish as prefer aluminum pliers which will extract hooks and cut braided something I carry when wading. As a trophy-obsessed angler, I don’t line. Since I use a barrel swivel to attach the braided main line to want a stringer stretched out around me while I’m attempting to land the leader line, I carry a spare swivel when wading. a monster trout. I’ve seen far too many fish lost while anglers tried to I also tote a spool of leader line, medicated lip balm which carries an keep them from becoming tangled in a stringer. SPF rating of at least 15, a small rag for use in wiping my shades if they If I carry a stringer, I’ve learned to keep it coiled up and stored in a become wet, a camera, and a fifteen-pound Boga Grip. Additionally, I jacket pocket or on my belt until needed. I employ a slick stringer with bring along a small selection of extra lures with which to experiment if a sharp tip, and impale the tip into the float on my Boga Grip when I can’t catch fish on the one I tied on before leaving the boat. keeping fish, since I don’t wear a belt designed specifically for wading. I prefer a clear-plastic Plano tackle box (model 3500) for carrying All good wading belts have a built-in slot to hold a stringer spike. extra plugs like topwaters and twitchbaits. The box accommodates the Using the slot saves time and facilitates easy removal of the stringer if largest lures I use, and holds an ample selection, around eight or so. a shark or dolphin grabs the fish. Anglers must decide how they want A last word about systems for keeping fish. Some Thanks to Jason When wading in to carry all the stuff they need. Perhaps anglers prefer floating nets over stringers for this cold, wet weather, wearing a waterproof jacket with a hood helps keep one warm and dry.
18 | December 2016
King for telling me about the usefulness of a brass clip attached to the end of a Boga Grip.
without nets, having lost only a few giant trout up close in my career. Of course, landing and handling some species of fish, particularly flounder, proves nearly impossible without a net. The invention of the Boga Grip reduced the severity of this problem, one I don’t worry much about at all. I’m a net hater, but others can certainly design a highly effective wading system which incorporates the use of a net. Any efficient system for carrying essential and optional tools includes personalized aspects. Every expert wader adopts and employs strategies built around the specific equipment they find most useful, after considering many alternatives, and also the type of fishing they like most and the priorities dictated by their preferences.
Attaching a brass clip onto the line holding the float of a Boga Grip facilitates a couple of functions, allowing for easier measurement of long fish, and allowing for use of the Boga Grip as a fish-retention device. A plastic zip-tie tethers the clip to the line, at the opposite end of the tool from its teeth.
duty. Shark-infested waters might require such a net for some. I don’t like nets like the dough-net, since I find stowing them on board the boat difficult and because they provide a hazard to landing trophy fish. Landing nets create the same problem. Carrying a landing net large enough to use on trophy trout normally means tethering it to a belt and leaving it floating around on the surface close to the angler, which sets up potential problems when large trout come close to hand. I will continue to fight and land my fish
Contact
Kevin Cochran
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
Coastal Bend Marine – Authorized Alumacraft Dealer – 361.983.4841 | Open Mon-Sat 7:30am - 5:30pm | coastalbendmarine.com Fax - 361-983-4676 | 1808 West Adams Ave. | Port O’Connor, Texas 77982
20 | December 2016
Tacos munched, we idled around the harbor awaiting official blast-off to get the tournament underway.
STORY BY MARTIN STRARUP
W
e had planned everything carefully. We missed nothing in our packing, and nothing in the prepping of the rods, reels, truck, boat motor and trailer. We were prepared! For years now we have fished an October invitational tournament down at Port Mansfield. The folks who organize and present this event are some of the best people on earth and our crew is fortunate to be invited to fish with them. The tournament is held on a Friday and the captain’s meeting and a nice meal on Thursday evening are a big part of the fun. Everyone who enters the tournament receives a goody bag of various fishing related items that includes a top of the line fishing shirt embroidered with our host’s logo. We arrived in Port just after lunch on Wednesday, unloaded the boat and moved it to our slip, then hurriedly unloaded the truck at the house. No time to spare, we had arranged to meet another crew in Harlingen at 2:15pm and follow brothers Danny and Jeff Neu to a dove field for some wingshooting near Brownsville. Dressed in camo and with shotguns, cold drinks and plenty of shells, we hit the road for Harlingen. Made it right on time.
We were hoping Keith had hooked a huge flounder but it didn’t take long to decide he was on a strong red.
Then it started raining. The front had arrived with light drizzle that decided to become a torrential downpour. We slowed to 30 on the highway just so we could see but, fortunately for us, the rain was moving away from the field we were supposed to be hunting and it had only gotten slightly wet. One of our crew was driving a two-wheel drive truck, I had my 4x4 and had shifted to high-range 4WD after seeing the dirt turn-rows that were being used as roads. He made it, but from my rearview mirror he was doing a lot of sideways, slipping and sliding. I had my doubts several times but he eventually pulled up to the designated parking area. The hunting was epic with so many birds flying, it was as my friend Keith described, “Almost like shooting birds in self-defense; they were all over us!” Harrison’s big After cleaning many limits of mourning doves and flounder coming whitewings, with some bonus collared birds and a to the net. few errant pigeons, we headed back to Port to get our fishing tackle rigged for pre-fishing the tournament the next morning. Of course, we all had to stay up a bit later than planned discussing that incredible dove hunt, the easy shots missed and the ones we were proud of, and also about where we were going to fish first in the morning. We paid for that late night the next morning, though. The light northeast wind was perfect and the air was cool as my sleepy group left the harbor at daylight. We found fish everywhere we went and were excited about the catching we would do for the tournament the following day. We caught some slot redfish at a few stops and they were in their usual places. All we needed to find were some flounder but, when we called it a day, we still hadn’t found a single flatfish. 24 | December 2016
Twenty-nine on the nose and a big
At the captain’s meeting we found old disappointment for friends, cold drinks and really good food, along our tournament crew. with the usual great conversation. We took care of the Calcutta bidding and enjoyed the cool evening. We stayed until we knew that we should leave, and then a while longer, finally saying, “See y’all later and good luck,” as we left the pavilion and headed back to the house. There was no late-night bull session, everyone hit their beds as we had a tournament to fish the next morning. We checked in at the pavilion early on Friday morning and received sack lunches for everyone on the boat along with fresh breakfast tacos, a case of bottled water and a couple bags of ice. Yes, our hosts know how to run a fishing tournament. We couldn’t leave the harbor until the time stated in the rules so we
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tournament results. My crew took second in the flounder pot and third in trout, so we didn’t do too badly. Had we caught a slot red we would have had enough combined weight for high overall, but that didn’t happen. Sterling, Robert and Keith headed back out Saturday morning and found the motherlode of heavy slot redfish...a day late. Ain’t that the way it always goes? The tournament is something we look forward to every year. The people who put this on and the companies who contribute are just top notch and we appreciate them and their friendship. I can’t wait until next year. Be safe.
Whether you’re fishing or just stopping at the sand bar to have some fun, adding a Power-Pole anchor to your pontoon boat adds reliable anchoring at the touch of a button.
26 | December 2016
Martin Strarup
Contact
munched tacos while idling around with the other boats that were doing the same. When the time was good to go we headed to where we had caught some good trout the evening before, and just as we got started, my son Sterling boxed a trout just over three pounds. Now that was a good start! We moved many times the next few hours but couldn’t improve on that trout and we hadn’t found any reds. We decided a move was in order and made a long run to a spot where we usually find flounder. We were not disappointed. On Harrison’s first wade he picked up a 22-inch flounder and Sterling came close with a 21-incher. I caught a flattie that I released as did Keith, and almost immediately thereafter he hung into something big. At first I thought it was a big flounder (I was hoping it was a really big flounder as the Calcutta flounder pot had been carried over from the previous year). But when the drag started screaming with his line leaving the reel at a rapid pace we both know it was a big red. “Let’s hope for a 27-7/8 I joked. Nope, it was 29” on the nose and back into the water it went. We caught one more red at that spot and it measured 19-inches. Oversize and undersize…Oh Well! We were unable to improve on Sterling’s trout or Harrison’s flounder and, for the life of all aboard, we couldn’t find the reds. I kept everybody fishing until time for making the weigh-in grew short and finally threw in the towel. We weighed our fish and we were happy with the weights, then put the boat in the slip and headed for a much-needed shower and nap. We headed back to the pavilion for dinner, door prizes and the
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
I
t was my habit years ago to load my pockets with about $4 in change every Thursday morning. That $4 was my link to the outdoor world and I religiously donated my spare change to get my weekly “fix” from the Houston Chronicle, Houston Post, Beaumont Enterprise, Port Arthur News, and Lake Charles American Press. With my papers gathered I would quickly sift through the “unimportant” world and state news sections and anything not sports related, immediately discarded as if the sheets were blank. I could not wait to read the latest columns from the likes of Joe Doggett, Doug Pike, Shannon Tompkins, or Ed Holder because they were as good as gospel in my opinion. Invariably, there would be stories of exploits in south Texas where speckled trout grew to the size of dinosaurs and whitetail deer rivalling anything walking on four hooves. Epic tales of topwater action from famous locales such as Baffin Bay and the Laguna Madre captivated my imagination and made me long for the opportunity to see and fish such a hidden part of the world. In those days, the fishing and hunting reports that were published in the daily papers would be regarded as ancient history by today’s standards. The time required for a report to be written, printed, and in the hands of the reader was often a week, sometimes longer. Occasionally the Texas fishing community would rumble behind the scenes when word would spread of an epic fish being caught and not reported – usually in attempt to hide the secret and prevent the rush of anglers that were sure to follow. Rumors and stories of biblical proportions would ensue and the curiosity would reach a fever pitch. Eventually someone,
usually an outdoor writer, would address the report and share it with the rest of the world, who could then focus on the next big fish event. One particular fishermen who was no stranger to these reports was Jim Wallace. By now I’m sure most everyone has been made aware that Jim passed away recently and he certainly left behind his share of big fish stories. Wallace was Texas saltwater royalty and his big trout exploits were widely known. Over the years his legend grew and the stories that circulated were always “certified” as truth, even if some were embellished with retelling. To be held in such high regard for so long by the Texas fishing community, Jim did a fantastic job of shying from the limelight. He could be found on just about any bay on any day, usually by himself, and with no flash or fanfare to draw attention. For several weeks during an incredible run on big trout in Sabine Lake in the early 2000s, I would see him heading out in the evening as I would be heading in from a day on the water. I met Wallace through Jim Leavelle and we fished together a few times, enough that how the world, and specifically the water he would greet and speak when we had chance to meet. We would Back in the day, Houston we fish, has become much smaller. Chronicle’s Thursday exchange a few words at the dock but I never told my clients who he outdoors section was The aura and mystery of big fish in was because I knew that as soon as word got out that Wallace was one of my prime sources newspapers has given way to technology digging around on Sabine it would attract unwanted crowds. for fishing information. and an information highway flowing at When Wallace broke the 21-year-old Texas state record for speckled virtually unlimited speed. More than a trout on February 6, 1996 in Baffin Bay with a 13-pound 11-ounce few folks have learned hard lessons after posting pictures and videos giant, he became a marked man. I can only imagine how crazy that for all the world to see. “Internet scouting” has burned many an situation would have been had it happened today with all the social unsuspecting angler as clues left behind media. I remember when the word started to circulate about Wallace’s in an innocent photo offer exact GPS The same as TSFMag big fish, the saltwater world in Texas went crazy and the number of today, its Gulf Coast coordinates if you know how to detect folks who took off for Baffin was just stupid. At least at that time it took Connections forerunner them. More and more anglers a few weeks. Try that today and you would likely see a was always a source Even a photo with no have begun paying closer flotilla on Baffin the next morning. saltwater anglers could background detail attention to the background rely upon. The author’s For as much as Jim Wallace will be forever associated can sometimes be son Hunter Uzzle was coded with location in their photos, some even with Baffin, others made their marks similarly on other ecstatic to share the information. Be careful alter landscapes to avoid bodies of water through those Thursday outdoor sections. front page. posting on social media. detection. As the world grows Nobody discussed Rockport without mentioning Chuck Scates. Melvin Talasek was Matagorda Bay personified. The Silver King boys, Plaag, Trimble, Skillern, and Bailey ruled the roost on Galveston. Jim Leavelle was another Galveston icon during that era. Mickey Eastman was the man on Trinity and likewise Lynn Smith at Port O’Connor. The list goes on. A look back at how they helped shape the fishing scene along the Texas coast always puts a smile on my face. In fact, I met Bink Grimes, one of my best friends, through one of those Thursday outdoors sections. Bink spearheaded putting reports together from up and down the coast for the Chronicle and I became a contributor for Sabine Lake. We talked fishing and hunting for well over a year before we ever met face to face and we have been friends ever since. Fast forward to today’s electronic, in your face-right now-instant gratification world and one can see 30 | December 2016
smaller it becomes increasingly imperative to Sunrise over the protect the location of an area you fish regularly Sabine marsh! or invested serious scouting effort to find. You can be absolutely certain that if you leave a clue to your whereabouts, someone will figure it out and you will have more “fishing buddies” than you ever dreamed. Trust me, I have seen people bragging on social media getting burned by their need for attention. Hilariously, with nobody to blame but themselves. Speaking of getting burned, Texas Parks and Wildlife monitors social media and often uses it when investigating and prosecuting cases. You would be surprised at how many game law violators are dumb enough to post videos and photographs of illegal actions on social media. Like comedian Bill Engvall says, “Here’s your sign!” Now please do not get the notion that I’m the old guy at the end of the block that screamed at all the kids for cutting the corner and walking on his lawn – simply because I want to turn the clock back to 1990. On the contrary, I appreciate the new technology and the instant feedback it gives to anyone who is willing to both post it and go look for it as well. The information is helpful to all fishermen and can be a great tool. The flipside of the argument is that you cannot broadcast your adventures and not expect to gain unwanted attention and more anglers competing for your water. Use the technology wisely and find a happy medium. When posting photos, take care to avoid showing landmarks or other obvious features that can be easily tracked or identified. A little bit of time taken to set up a photo can go a long way towards keeping a location from getting overrun by “internet scouters” or others trying to take the easy way out. Once you have your photo set up where the location isn’t given away, feel free to share it with world and be proud of your accomplishment.
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Contact
Chuck Uzzle 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 wakesanddrakes@yahoo.com Website wakesndrakes.com
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TSFMAG.com | 31
I
recently took a new interest in red mangrove trees, after Port O’Connor’s Capt. Curtiss Cash pointed out a healthy tree living out in the salt marsh. I’d been around these trees a great deal in more southern latitudes, fished or even snorkeled beneath them in places like Florida’s Everglades, the Yucatan and Belize, and have seen first-hand the host of marine wildlife living right among their submerged roots, including lobster, goliath grouper and countless mangrove snapper. But this mangrove in POC was the most northern tree I’d ever seen. Are these tropical trees spreading north? It would seem so. Red mangroves are expected to live right up to the 28th Parallel, which runs very close to Cedar Bayou on the Texas coast. And Daytona Beach in Florida. North of that line, red mangroves are rare and seldom seen. But they seem to be spreading with these warmer winters we’ve been having. And that may be a good thing, because these trees fight against coastal erosion and storm surge, while providing generous habitat for birds and marine life. Mangroves grow much taller than spartina (salt grass) and would certainly seem to provide more storm protection. Along with thousands of acres of more cold-tolerant black mangroves spreading up the Texas coast in the past 20 years, is this one of Nature’s ways of protecting the coast from rising sea levels? Back in early 1983, Texas experimented with planting red mangroves on our lower coast. They picked
STORY BY JOE RICHARD
A variety of wildlife utilizes red mangroves in the more southern latitudes. Here’s a bonefish caught near one tree’s root system. Mangrove snapper are quite fond of these trees.
two spots: One near South Padre’s water treatment plant, and then on the lower Rio Grande near Brownsville. The red mangrove propagules (floating seeds up to a foot long) were gathered from a distant Daytona Beach on the 28th Parallel; those seeds were thought to be the most cold-tolerant in the nation. The propagules were duly planted in Texas. But they couldn’t have picked a worse year for that project; many of us remember the historic, record-setting freeze that hammered the coast that December, wiping out every mangrove and millions of coastal fish. And then two bad freezes hit us in 1989. However, nothing really bad since then. It makes you wonder what might have happened, if the state had planted red mangroves in 1990—because we’ve now gone 26 years without another major freeze. (Knock on wood). Today, occasional red mangroves can even be found in Apalachicola on Florida’s Gulf Coast, at a latitude of 29.7! Which might be a record for the past few thousand years. That’s on Florida’s upper Gulf Coast, an area certainly more prone to cold fronts than middle Florida. But Florida just doesn’t have the reputation for cruel, blue northers like Texas is famous for. That kind of weather can be very hard on mangrove trees, especially the red. Anyway, if red mangroves ever become established along the IH-10 corridor and upper Gulf Coast, you will know major climate change has arrived. Scientists are only beginning to study this, but with Propagule seed from a red mangrove, warmer winters and rising seawater, there is open about to drop in speculation on what effect expanding mangrove the water near Port habitat will have on wildlife, when or if coastal marshes Aransas. Photo by change from spartina to mangrove trees. In Texas the Capt. Dean Thomas. black mangrove has expanded fast and I’m not sure what critters live back in those thickets, above or below the water. They certainly trap marine debris and probably harbor rattlesnakes ample cover. This same cover is now a plus for coastal duck hunters. and other critters. Black mangrove root systems seem too thick to The ducks, not so much. offer cover for fish, and anyway these trees prefer slightly higher and Capt. Dean Thomas of Slowride Guide Service has been monitoring drier ground than the red, which thrives in constant salt water. Texas red mangrove trees near Port Aransas “since 2009 or so.” biologists are also concerned about whooping cranes, that favor open “I’ve been watching them closely and taking pictures,” says Dean. coastline with a good view for predators, while wading around looking “There are 12 dozen red mangroves for sure, maybe 15. Some are for blue crabs; the last thing they need is coyotes attacking from sprouting above the black mangroves. Little baby red mangroves are popping up now, so they’re spreading. I’ve taken pictures of the propagules hanging from adult trees. They’re growing in beautiful places, little winding creeks. For now, they’re not in the kinds of places that would hold a bunch of fish. “State biologists came out to see these trees, and their conclusion was that a storm tide brought them in from somewhere else, and now they’ve spread. The biggest tree here is now eight feet tall, 10 feet in diameter, and loaded with seeds. I don’t see why the state would be against the spreading of these trees. They actually filter the water. There must be a hundred reasons to have them in Texas.” Dean, who often guides from a kayak, can be reached at (361) 758-0463 if the public would like to view and/or fish in the area where these trees are found. Young red mangroves are Serious benefits for having red mangroves now popping up within sight on the coast have been described as: of Port Aransas. Will they flourish, or be killed off by breeding habitat for wildlife; they are the a serious winter cold front? beginning of a complex food chain starting Photo by Capt. Dean Thomas. with their leaves dropping in the water; 34 | December 2016
they offer protection for maturing wildlife; they assimilate and filter pollutants from upland runoff; improve water quality; protect shorelines from erosion; and stabilize bottom sediment. They might have added, save lives. When the massive tsunami in Indonesia killed a quarter million people there and in neighboring countries, it’s been said that there were no deaths where healthy coastal mangrove forests still exist. Something to think about, next time we have a hurricane. Tony Amos runs the Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) at the U.T. Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, where he and volunteers rehabilitate marine turtles and birds. He’s often encountered red mangroves in the area. “I regard red mangroves in Texas as a natural extension of range, due to climate change,” says Amos. It’s an ongoing process. They’re certainly beneficial to wildlife. They bop along in the current, originating from Mexico or points further south, and wind up on Texas beaches. We’ve been finding occasional red mangrove seeds on the beaches here for years.” Jason Tunnell is president of the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation and also works at the UT Marine Science Institute. In 2012 a great many red “Our local red mangroves have been here at least mangrove seeds came ashore 10 years. Initially just a few, but they’re spreading. on Mustang Island, delivered We haven’t done any specific studies on them so by a hurricane down in far, there are too few of them. They seem to have Mexico. Photo by Jack Tunnell. their warm spots, where they survive Texas winters. Back in 2008 or so I was trying to stabilize shorelines around some bird rookery islands, and wanted to grow red mangroves. So I grew I grew them 2 ½ feet tall in a year. But couldn’t get a [required] permit 150 of them in tubs. I’d found them locally; we had a storm that came from Texas; they were worried about marine hitchhikers. Or if the reds up from Mexico, and had seeds did take off like black mangroves, it would create a problem. And then Here’s a red mangrove near everywhere on Mustang Island. So Port O’Connor, growing there is the issue with whoopers preferring spartina and wide-open among the more drab black country. But reds are such a cool plant. I’ve seen red mangroves in mangroves that have taken high-energy areas with wave action, but not black mangroves. And over so much salt marsh. reds stabilize the shoreline better.” So, why aren’t more red mangroves being planted by the state? “People are real leery on genetics, now days, compared to 1983.” Perhaps by using seeds from this now-growing population near Aransas, Tunnell can reapply for a state permit, planting around bird rookery islands. However, it sounds like red mangroves in Texas may be a delicate subject with TP&W. Red mangroves are valuable trees in many regions of the world. For more information on their importance to wildlife and coastlines, visit: mangroveactionproject.org
Joe Richard
Contact
Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arthur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast. He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida Sportsman’s book and assistant magazine editor. He began guiding out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, New Revelations. Available at Seafavorites.com
36 | December 2016
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Renee Watkins with upper-slot back lake redfish.
J AY WAT K I N S
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Back Lake
Patterns & Strategies
It’s been a very long time since I have been as excited about our winter fishing prospects in Rockport. I explained in earlier articles the combined effect that two years of abundant rainfall, the opening of Cedar Bayou, and the implementation of the five-trout limit has had on our fishery. Rainfall and water circulation are the two factors I credit the most but, there is no way that taking fewer fish could ever equate to actually having fewer. I want to focus on back lakes this month. The abundance of rain and prolonged low atmospheric pressure that accompanies it produced generally higher than normal tides through 2015 and thus far in 2016. Could flow through Cedar Bayou also be a factor? I cannot answer that but, for sure, there is more water movement in our back lakes than before flow through Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough was restored. Lower salinity in the lakes has spurred the growth of bottom grass and been a boon to shrimp and blue crab populations. All our gamefish eat crabs and shrimp, so I believe it safe to say that increases in these forage species attracts more gamefish to the backwaters. I see back lakes as small bays, fed by sloughs (also called creeks and drains) that provide water exchange with every tide. Baitfish and gamefish alike can enter and 48 | December 2016
exit the lakes with almost no energy expended, riding the tide. Some lakes have numerous sloughs; some have but one. The way I see it, the more sloughs the better the flow, and the better the flow the better the fishing. I am amazed how many blue crabs are in our back lakes right now, reminds me of twenty years ago. I remember dip-netting enough crabs for a family boil during a couple of drifts across Estes Flats. Today’s abundance is becoming similar. Entering a back lake is a topic deserving discussion. First - if somebody is already set up in the slough or at its mouth, pick another lake or pick another slough to enter. If there are poling skiffs, airboats or waders already in position in the lake, pick another lake. Second - if this is the only lake you know to be holding fish, you have some work to do. If the lake is large enough for multi-boat utilization, shut down far enough away to avoid disturbing the area too badly. Fish spook easily – especially in calm, clear, shallow water. They do however return to their normal activities if we are patient. I have been run over, poled over and blown over and I know for a fact that fish can still be caught if you’re patient, knowledgeable and handy with the stick. I simply don’t let it affect my day or my focus.
recognizable pattern, one I have tons of confidence in. Key here is to avoid pushing too close. The line the bait seems to favor may not be the same line the gamefish are holding along – proceed with caution. Bites are reasons to stop and explore. You will likely be rewarded with more. So, what happens when fish are present, busting baits and slicking, but offerings are seldom accepted? The good news is that the most important ingredient is present. Seeing fish and signs of feeding is always good stuff. Yesterday the topwater bite was great on the moonset minor but went suddenly dead thereafter. Multiple redfish and trout were seen running up behind my She Pup, only to turn suddenly away. My trusted 5” Shad Bass Assassins and even my harder-tailed MirrOlure 5” Provokers were getting the tails nipped off as fast as I cast them. The 3” Sea Shad Assassins fared no better. Gold and silver spoons seemed to be spooking the fish and I did not have my trusted black spoon. I remembered having redfish and trout years ago doing this same thing in a back lake north of Panther Point. The fish would rush the lure and suddenly turn away. I started jerking it away from them before they turned off and then quickly casting back, following up with a fast retrieve to draw the strike. So, yesterday, I instructed my guys to put the 5” Assassins and Provokers back on and crank fast with the rodtip pointed at the lure. Pause briefly, then quickly resume the fast crank. Bites from both trout and redfish came quickly and often. Sometimes I think we let them see too much. Make them react naturally and the eating becomes second nature. I have used this pattern the last few days in three different lakes with similar results. So, you ask, what happens when this pattern fails me? Well, I’ll look at the conditions and with the help of my clients we’ll figure the next pattern out. This is the fun part of fishing. May your fishing always be catching! -Guide Jay Watkins
C ontact
Pick areas to travel where seagrass is John not prevalent or water is deep enough to Massengale jump back up without churning bottom. with solid back Aerial photos reveal that people are trying lake trout. to abide by the sea grass protection laws. You can also troll or drift in or out. I have on many occasions exited my boat and pushed it past anchored boats fishing or waders to avoid disturbing them. Bottom line is this Enter and exit a back lake as quietly as you can and be respectful of others. Over the years I have waded every back lake and slough in the local bay system, although growing older I tend to shy from the softest bottoms. While the drought years were generally tough fishing in the lakes, the past two years with higher tides and lower salinity have restored them to my game plans. Through wading I have gained a truly good feel for slight depth changes and wind-developed shoreline guts. Slight depth changes deserve your greatest attention. Massengale during All marine creatures face threats of avian moonset minor with cold front approaching. predation, including gamefish. Thus, deeper sections provide greater safety, plus deeper sections make better travel-ways. Fish do not always follow shorelines, nor do the things they eat. I look for deeper areas within the lake as well as guts on windward shores. I love windward stuff but you can’t get too set on it. In lakes with deeper swags we often find more bait rafted in deeper water than in windward zones. When lake waters are clear; which is most often, trout and redfish will stage quietly under mullet waiting for one to make a mistake. This pattern absolutely works and some of my largest trout are found lying under pods or rafts of baitfish. You must pay careful attention to discover depth changes when wading – a few inches can make a big difference. Noticing the depth of waders accompanying you is also helpful. Especially important is defining the depths where your bites are being received, as well as theirs. I honestly prefer 4 to 5 anglers when working larger areas of backwater. The more numerous the anglers the more sources of information I can access. The work truly begins when a pattern is established. Back lake fish seem to be moving constantly but it’s not like they use the entire field of play. They relate to different depths of water at different times of day. This week with full moon, the fish where scattered on shallow, broken bottom along the shorelines of the lakes, no shoreline in particular more productive. As the sun climbed higher, bait and gamefish seemed to migrate to the deeper swags in the lake but they did not stay long. As midday wind increased, the fish along with the bait pushed to the windward shores. This is a more characteristic and
Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 20 years. Jay specializes in wading yearround for trout and redfish with artificial lures. Jay covers the Texas coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi Bay. Telephone Email Website
361-729-9596 Jay@jaywatkins.com www.jaywatkins.com
TSFMAG.com | 49
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
Gifts for anglers It’s that time of year again when the inevitable question arises, “What do you want for Christmas?” For me, it’s also followed up with, “…and your birthday?” Or maybe you’re the one facing the task of buying something for your fishing spouse, brother, boss, etc., and based on the appearance of their garage they already own everything in the tackle store. Never fear, true gear junkies never have it all. The fishing industry depends on us to “need” the newest, latest and greatest. How could we let them down? I figure some of you might be stumped so I’ll share a few things that just might end up on my wish list. A new waterproof case is high on my list. I tend to spend a good deal of time out on the water in all sorts of conditions toting several thousand dollars’ worth of
50 | December 2016
camera gear. Pelican cases have always been the standard in this category and I have several. I’ve wanted a larger case for a while so I could consolidate everything into one case, but I needed to hire a strong youngster to tote the dang thing around. They just came out with their new Pelican Air Series. It comes in six sizes with several options to customize the interior for whatever you want to keep safe. You might not need a suitcase size for a bunch of DSLR gear like I do, but I know there are a bunch of you out there starting to play around with drones as well as multiple GoPro cameras and all their assorted accessories. It’d be nice to have all that stuff in one case to grab and go. Speaking of GoPro and drones, have you seen the new Karma drone they’re coming out with? I’ve been
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wanting to give the whole drone thing a shot, but I’ve been holding off hoping the prices would come down a bit. Well, they pulled it off. A high quality, full feature drone for about half the price of the more popular and established models. They’ve also come out with the newest Hero 5 series with all sorts of new bells and whistles like 4k video, voice controls, stabilization and touch screen displays. If that Karma doesn’t end up under my tree I just might have to make a secret unauthorized purchase.
If you feel the need for a new reel, there were several introduced recently. 13 Fishing continues to impress me with how they’ve gained a foothold in a tough market category. Their newest baitcaster was design specifically with the Texas wader in mind. The Concept Tx Special Edition steps up their corrosion resistance with sealed bearings and Ocean Armor 2 saltwater protection. While their color might not appeal to everyone, I’ve heard nothing but good things about their reliability. They’ve also finally jumped into the spinning reel market with their Creed series. I’ve been waiting on this to happen. I’d love to put them to the test on my customer rods. They’re really lightweight, corrosion resistant and have a faster retrieve than other spinners. Daiwa has also updated their Coastal series baitcaster with increased corrosion resistance and added their T-Wing level
wind system which allows for more free line flow off the reel to increase casting distance.
52 | December 2016
I thought I had all the Costa sunglasses I’d ever need, but here they come with something new to pique my interest. They’ve improved their sunrise lens and added a mirror to cut even more glare. I’ve got the original sunrise lens and wear them on the early morning runs, in the fog and under really heavy cloud cover. They’re a yellow colored lens that give you the polarization you need while letting in more of the available light when you need it. I started wearing them after a close call on an early morning run. I was cruising along about 35 mph when a really large bug of some kind struck me right below my right eye. It left a bruise, but could have been much worse if it had been about a half inch higher. The sunrise lens gives me the protection without dimming the view. Ever had a dead battery? Me either…yeah right. There was a cool little product at this year’s ICAST that could be a real trip saver. It’s called the Weego 44. I’m not sure how they packed so much power into a little bitty package, but this pocket-sized gadget can jump
start your boat or truck with 200 amps. Oh, yeah, it’ll also charge your cell phone through a USB port or power up your 12v accessories. If that wasn’t enough, it is waterproof with a 500-lumen flashlight and an SOS strobe that’ll last 14 hours on a full charge. Sounds like a mighty handy piece of gear to have on the boat or even in the kayak. I need one of these. Another new item from ICAST that caught my eye was the Cobra garage door storage. If your garage looks like mine, you’re always looking for a way to add some more storage so that one day it’ll be organized. These folks decided to utilize the back side of your garage door panels with a simple clamp-on unit that turns that unused space into rod racks. My new barn will be getting a couple sets of these and I WILL get organized in 2017. Here’s something for your list that my wife got me last year. It’s a travel case from TFO and I’ve used the heck out of it. It has a section for your travel rods, several smaller divided areas for reels and other gear as well as numerous zipper pouches for the small stuff. On my Belize trip I carried three fly rods, two conventional rods,
reels for all of them, pliers, extra sunglasses, leaders, extra fly line, flies and a bunch of other essentials all in one piece of luggage. Way more organized than my garage.
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If all else fails, you can always make a list of your favorite lures and ask for a stockpile to get you through the year. At least you won’t get another tie.
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
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Figure 1. Global Blue Technologies shrimp farm near Rockport, Texas. (Photo credit-Global Blue Technologies)
B y R o b e r t Ad a m i , J r. | C o a s t a l Fi s h e r i e s D i v i s i o n
FIELD NOTES
Shrimp Culture in Texas:
Safety & Innovations The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Exotic Shrimp Inspection Program began in 1998 as interest grew regarding commercially cultured exotic shrimp for food fare. This program deals with the rules and regulations which allows exotic shrimp culture to be conducted in Texas. In order to authorize exotic shrimp culture in Texas, these rules and regulations had to be implemented by regulatory agencies such as: TPWD, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Texas Department of Agriculture. The associated rules and regulations are published in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 31, Part 2, Chapter 57, Subchapter A - Harmful or Potentially Harmful Fish, Shellfish, and Aquatic Plants. Exotic shrimp species are preferred over native shrimp by the industry because they have faster growth rates, are more disease resistant, and larval availability/supplies from commercial shrimp hatcheries are well established in Texas, Florida and Hawaii. Currently, TPWD allows only 2 species of exotic shrimp to be cultured in Texas, the Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and the Pacific blue shrimp (L. stylirostris). The Pacific white shrimp may be pond cultured anywhere on land. However, the Pacific blue shrimp may be cultured only on a case by case basis
54 | December 2016
and after extensive review, and then only outside of the TPWD designated exclusion zone. This exclusion zone encompasses the area adjacent to the Texas Gulf coast south of State Highway 21 and east of Interstate Highway 35, but excludes Brazos County. This exclusion zone was created to ensure exotic shrimp would not make it back to the coastal marine waters if there was an escape from an inland culture facility. To protect our native coastal resources, and the consumer’s safety, exotic shrimp culture must be conducted in the most environmentally friendly manner possible. To achieve this level of protection Texas does not allow the use of any chemicals or anti-biotics during any stage of shrimp culture, nor does it allow exotic shrimp to be cultured in open bays or offshore waters. Because of the public marine waters prohibition, all Texas shrimp farms utilize man-made ponds to culture the shrimp. With two exceptions all of these shrimp farms are located near the coast. The two exceptions are located west of Raymondville and west of San Antonio, and both pump brackish groundwater to rear their shrimp. By conducting routine shrimp health examinations during the production season the TPWD
Figure 3. Large shrimp grown in the indoor facility. (Photo credit-Robert Adami, Jr.)
pond must be equipped with three screens at the discharge area to contain the smallest size shrimp being cultured at the time. As shrimp grow in size, the screens cans be replaced with larger mesh screens to accommodate water exchange. High-density mariculture such as this can lead to fouling of pond water with suspended solids, and a general decrease in water quality. In the 1990s ponds were set up with flow through systems to keep the water fresh and clean. This flow through model has been replaced with recirculation systems to reduce discharges into public waters. To remove suspended solids and other impurities water can be cycled through a pond system via canals, or passed through a man-made wetland. The canals and wetlands help clean the water by allowing the suspended solids to settle out so the water Figure 2. Plastic lined shrimp culture can then be recirculated back into the ponds ponds inside the air-filled covered domes. or released back into the bays. Before effluent (Photo credit-Global Blue Technologies) water can be released into the bays, water quality standards imposed by TCEQ must be met. The shrimp farms must adhere to strict effluent discharge water quality standards to protect the natural environment. Each facility has its own standards and daily discharge amounts to follow. Another shrimp culture method, which is fairly new to Texas, is the use of total recirculation and zero discharge systems by some of the shrimp farms along the coast. One of the shrimp farms, Global Blue Technologies, which utilizes this zero discharge method is near Rockport, Texas. This facility boasts four long, air filled, plastic domes 1,155’ X 155’ (Figure 1). Each one of the domes houses eight, plastic lined ponds for raising shrimp with each pond measuring about 130’ X 130’ (Figure 2). These domes are rated to withstand gulf coast hurricanes but can also be deflated for less wind resistance during the storm. This particular facility is located near Port Bay, in the Aransas Bay system. Initially, this facility started production in Port Isabel in 2011 as a pilot project with operations going well enough to establish a commercial operation near Rockport in 2014. Since this facility is an indoor operation, it can produce shrimp year round, whereas the outdoor facilities are in production normally from late March to early November. By being an indoor, greenhouse type facility, it can culture a larger shrimp in a shorter amount of time due to the year-round warm temperatures inside the dome structures (Figure 3). Shrimp production for the last several years has been about 3,600 lbs. /acre across the board for all commercial shrimp farm operations in Texas. Since 1991, Texas shrimp farmers have produced approximately 106 million pounds of farm raised shrimp. However, this is a small amount in comparison to the 100s of millions of pounds imported into the United States annually.
inspection program ensures that exotic shrimp raised in Texas are healthy and disease free, and the environment is afforded the maximum protection allowed by current law. On most shrimp farms, shrimp are cultured in outdoor five-acre ponds which are filled with brackish groundwater or seawater from a local bay. To prevent escapement of an exotic species each outdoor
Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual, your local TPWD Law Enforcement office, or www. tpwd.state.tx.us for more information. TSFMAG.com | 55
S C O T T S O M M E R L AT T E
FLY FI S HIN G
Gear for Fly Fishermen Every year I try to dedicate this month’s column to gear and gadgets. Call it a Christmas shopping list of such. Many of these items might not fit under the tree but, plenty of them will so, it might not hurt to circle the items you might like to have and then lay the magazine around, open to this page of course, in strategic locations for potential gift givers to find. Sabine Skiff VS For years I dreamed of having an aluminum skiff that I could pole quietly into the wind. I approached several aluminum boat builders and was always told that it was either impossible or too time consuming to create the hull shape needed. A year ago, I was introduced to Brian Little who had done what I was told was next to impossible – he had designed and built an aluminum skiff that would pole into the wind quietly. I was very impressed with it but, it had a variable dead-rise hull that did not quite suit my needs. I asked him if he would be willing to alter his design to suit my needs. After a few months of collaboration the prototype Sabine Skiff VS was hooked up behind my truck and on it’s way to Florida in pursuit of snook and tarpon. And, it is doing a pretty damned good job of catching Texas redfish, I might add. With that being said, the production VS (Versatile Skiff ) is designed to suit the needs of not only the fly fisherman, but also the 56 | December 2016
duck hunter and even the bass fisherman who might be banging into stumps or rocks in an East Texas lake or Hill Country river. It is quiet to pole because of the hull shape and is light (150-200 lbs lighter than most production cored skiffs of the same size). The skiff is also efficient in that it can be operated with a 40 or 50 HP motor instead of the traditional 60 or 70 HP. Most importantly, it is affordable and durable. Seen in the photo above is the production version of the Sabine Skiff VS with a custom camo paint job. For more info visit www.sabineskiff.com or (281) 380-7304 Coastline Trailers I am just as picky about my boat trailers as I am my skiffs. Having gone through 12 boats in my 20-plus year career,
I have owned numerous brands of trailers and I can assure you, not only are Coastline Trailers some of the best towing trailers made, they are also, hands down, the best bang for the buck. In addition, Marty Strakos and his crew can build a customized trailer for any boat, new, used or home-built. www.coastlinetrailermfg.net or (361) 785-4073
Boat Buckles These things are the cat’s meow for safely tying down your skiff while trailering. You can be on and off the trailer ready to travel in seconds rather than minutes. They can be purchased at either www. coastlinetrailermfg.net or www.coastalbendmarine.com
Yeti Bottle and the Flip As fly fishermen, we like to keep things light, especially in smaller skiffs designed to go as shallow as possible. My new system for cutting weight, and yes, even the use of plastic bottles, revolves around a couple of newer products from Yeti – the 64 oz Rambler Bottle and the Yeti Hopper Flip. There is now no reason to weight your skiff down with a larger ice chest unless you need it as seating or as a makeshift platform. The Yeti bottles allow me to carry plenty of water for my sports and the Flip is more than sufficient for lunch for three people. Some of Yeti’s best products to date. www.yeti.com
Steering Stops Tired of seeing you engine walk from one side to the other while trailering? Try the TH Marine Steering Stops for your hydraulic steering system. Available at Coastal Bend Marine in POC www.coastalbendmarine.com Well that’s it for this year. Merry Christmas everyone! I raise my glass to each and every one of you hoping that your holiday season started off great with a wonderful Thanksgiving and that it will finish even better with a great Christmas and wonderful New Year.
Flush Ties So as far am concerned, the Flush Tie sold by NewWater Boatworks is one of the greatest marine products ever. My Sabine Skiff is the second in which I have incorporated this product. Simpler in design and much less expensive than a pop-up cleat, the Flush Tie provides a place to secure lines and helps provide a snag-free deck for the fly angler. Available at www.newwaterboatworks.com
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Howler Bros./Sanborn Canoe Co. SUP paddle If you are into the stand-up-paddle board scene and like the finer things in life, you should visit the Howler Bros. website and look into their HB branded SUP paddle made by Sanborn Canoe Co. A classy, yet finely crafted and functional piece of equipment to add to your arsenal. www.howlerbros.com or www.sanborncanoe.com
Scott Sommerlatte is a full time fly fishing and light tackle guide, freelance writer and photographer. Telephone Email Website
979-415-4379 vssommerlatte@hotmail.com www.mangrovefly.com TSFMAG.com | 57
DAV E R O B E R T S
K AYA K FI S HIN G C HRONI C LE S
JUST HAVE FUN! Fishing has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. I have been fortunate to spend countless hours and days on the water and have enjoyed a lifetime of fun. Through the years I have acquired several tricks of the trade, met great people from all across the country, and learned a lot about myself. Needless to say, this wild and sometimes unpredictable road I have been on has been nothing short of incredible. Lately I have been reflecting on my years of kayak fishing and how I have bettered myself as a person and angler. I have always dreamed of being able to quit my day job and be able to fish, write and do photography full time. That said, I have always worried if that day was to come, fishing might then become a job and not a “just for fun� hobby. Because this is why we do it in the first place, right? Here recently, the Upper Coast Kayak Anglers were hosting a tournament on Sabine Lake. The format was to be a two-day team kayak redfish event with the heaviest combined two-day stringer weight deciding the winning team. It was a benefit for Heroes 58 | December 2016
on the Water and a unique format, so I was not going to miss this tournament. I called my brother and asked if he wanted to team with me and without hesitation, he was in. Team BROfessionals was signed up and prepared to give the two-day tournament a whirl. As the date drew near I began pre-fishing several places
That is when I realized I was about to go fishing for the wrong reason and that I was taking the whole thing way too seriously. It is not about being the best angler or catching the most fish, it is about having fun! Because this is why we do it right? The next morning, I went to a hole that I have not hit in several months but I knew it could hold good fish at this time of year. I had already made my mind up that if my fish did not measure 27” I was not going to put them on a stringer…”Big Bag” was my last chance at winning some money but I was going to do it my way. I went in the mindset of having fun first and, if it happens, so be it. I had put a lid on lofty expectations. As I came across a flat that morning I noticed a tail pop up and for the first time in a while, my adrenaline kicked in! My heart was pounding as I inched closer into casting distance. This was the feeling I had been missing and it was refreshing to get it back. I threw a gold spoon just on the other side of the fish and dragged it across, seeing a huge swirl. This is when I realized that three reds were chasing my spoon and the wake they were pushing was something to behold. As I reeled faster, the wake bulged even greater and one of them stepped out of line to eat it. I set the hook and the fun began! I went on enjoying well over thirty reds landed that day, about a third of them tailing in grass and the rest pushing impressive wakes in the shallow water before grabbing my spoon. A superb day of fishing, and I never put a single fish on the stringer. At the Sunday weigh-in, I got to have conversations with several of my local kayak buddies and some out-of-towners that were gracious and dedicated enough to break away from their families to come fish the tournament and support a great cause. There were ridiculous stringers brought in, which always makes for an interesting tournament. With everybody’s help we contributed a check for $5,000 to Heroes on the Water, all of it raised through the event. Between seeing familiar faces and some new ones, being able to spend a day fishing with my brother, seeing so many solid fish coming to the scales, and raising a significant amount of money for a great organization; it was all worth it. This is what it’s all about. Go fishing and have fun.
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that I considered to hold high potential, testing the water, so to speak. These spots proved not nearly as productive as I was hoping but it was okay as Blaze was pre-fishing too. He called me when he got off the water and had good news. He had found some fish piled up on a stretch of shoreline and we were certain this was where we were going to fish both days of the tournament. The only shake up of it was that there was a cold front coming in on Friday prior to the weekend of the tournament. Going over all the details, we figured it probably would not affect our fish and we were all in. As the sun came up we were in position waiting for our reds to show up. To keep a long and rather frustrating story short, they never did. I can only assume the temperature drop and rise of atmospheric pressure pushed them to deeper water. On the bright side, Blaze caught a solid 22.5” flounder to fulfill our side pot bet and we were fairly confident we could receive a check out of that. Lo and behold though, Jason Vandiver caught a flounder that topped my brother’s by two inches and well over a pound. It was without a doubt among the top three biggest flounder I have ever seen and deserves recognition. Across the board teams brought great fish to the scales…except Team BROfessionals. Naturally, that we were nearly the only team without redfish to weigh did not sit well with me and I was legitimately upset. I was not mad at the fish, nor my brother, or the spot we decided on, but mostly with myself. Not really sure why but I gave myself a hard time about it. Let me reiterate this. I spent an entire day fishing with my brother on one of the finest weather days that Texas could ever give us and when I got off the water I was mad. After the first day weigh-in we all went to our traditional after-fishing dinner at BWW and had a recap of our day. We swapped stories about the prior day of fishing and tomorrow’s plans. After talking to Dustin Lee at the table and expressing my feelings about the day and what my plans were for the next day to win the “Big Bag” side-pot, I was eager to shoot for the stars and do nothing short of that. Almost instantly I regretted my arrogance and confided to him that this was no way to be. Dustin replied, “Dave, just go out there tomorrow and have fun.”
Dave Roberts is an avid kayak-fishing enthusiast fishing primarily the inshore Upper Coast region with occasional adventures to surf and nearshore Gulf of Mexico. Email: TexasKayakChronicles@yahoo.com Website: www.TexasKayakChronicles.com
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Story by John Blaha | Photos by Lisa Laskowski
T S FM a g C o n s e r v a t i o n N e ws
2016 in Review It’s hard to believe but 2016 is coming to a close and it has been another successful year for CCA Texas. Success stories are across the board for chapter banquets, chapter involvement and habitat projects. The accomplishments of CCA Texas are the direct result of the efforts of dedicated volunteers and support from local communities. CCA Texas staff and leadership would like to thank each and every one of you for your time and efforts. Habitat News: Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow, CCA Texas’s habitat program, continues to build relationships and be a part of habitat restoration and creation along the Texas Gulf coast. 2016 saw the completion of previously funded projects, the ongoing efforts of others and newly funded projects. CCA Texas made a major commitment to the Building Conservation Trust (BCT), CCA National’s habitat program, by contributing $1.5 million to the program. These dollars will be used as matching funds for BCT to go out and raise money for habitat restoration work across all CCA state chapters. Most importantly, 60 | December 2016
BCT expects to match the $1.5 million three times through its capital campaign, which will result in $4.5 million dollars back into habitat restoration and creation in Texas. Through the efforts of CCA Texas and BCT, dollars are not only being raised in Texas, but they stay in Texas and are being tripled by the efforts of BCT. This partnership will only strengthen and help to ensure the coastal resources of Texas for present and future generations.
Nearshore Reefing: Rio Grande Valley Reef - Through a great partnership between CCA Texas, BCT, Friends of Rio Grande Valley Reef (FRGVR) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the new Rio Grande Valley Reef will see the first materials deployed by the time this publication reaches the newsstands. With a little help from Mother Nature and some calm seas, the new reef site will have an old shrimp boat and a tug boat sitting on the bottom. FRGVR has worked diligently to see this effort through along with the support of the TPWD Artificial Reefing program. The community’s recreational fishermen are excited to see this first step. Shortly after, and planned for by the end of the year, CCA Texas, BCT and FRGVR will be deploying low-relief materials in the form of limestone rock and cinder block clusters that will provide critical habitat for young red snapper, bait fish and other Gulf species. RGV Reef is a great example of local community volunteers, CCA Texas, BCT and governmental agencies coming together to create much needed habitat. Port O’Connor “Keeping it Wild” Reef – Through the partnership of CCA Texas, BCT and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF), 500 reef pyramids will be deployed in the new Port O’Connor reefing site. This initial reefing area will be called the “Keeping it Wild” reef and is part of the TPWF Keeping it Wild initiative of habitat creation across the state. CCA Texas and BCT have contributed $600,000 to the effort along with another $400,000 from the TPWF. The pyramids are currently under construction and are expected to be deployed in the first quarter of 2017. In addition to the contribution for reefing materials, CCA Texas also contributed $100,000 for the permitting effort of the new site. Sabine Pass HI20 Reef – TPWD recently received all necessary permitting for the new Sabine Pass HI20 Reef. This initial reefing effort for this site is planned for the 1st half of 2017 and will include large granite blocks and reefing pyramids. CCA Texas has committed $100,000 for this effort.
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Galveston Big Man Reef - TPWD recently received all necessary permitting for the new Galveston Big Man reef. This initial reefing effort for this site is planned for the first half of 2017 and will include reefing pyramids. CCA Texas has committed $100,000 for this effort. Matagorda and Freeport/Vancouver Reef – TPWD is currently in the process of reefing the new Matagorda site and the existing Freeport/Vancouver site. TPWD was able to secure necessary funds from early RESTORE dollars to completely reef out the Matagorda site with 1,600 reefing pyramids. In addition, another 800 reefing pyramids will be deployed in the existing Freeport/Vancouver site. Marsh and Oyster Restoration: Dickinson Bayou – After several years of design and construction, and permitting efforts with budget constraints, this project was completed in August 2016. The project led by TPWD created 10 acres of living shoreline and protects an additional 17.7 acres from further deterioration. This project has shown immediate results with the elimination of fish kills in the area and a marsh habitat that is already flourishing. CCA Texas contributed $75,000 to this project. Bird Island Cove (West Galveston Bay) – Bird Island Cove marsh restoration is a project originally completed in February 2015. CCA Texas staff and volunteers from TPWD, NRG and United States Agriculture Department recently participated in a grass planting effort that included 2,500 sprigs of marsh grass. This effort was supported by BCT, Restore America’s Estuaries and CITGO. More grass plantings are scheduled for the near future that will help finish planting out this project and protect the area’s marshes. CCA Texas has contributed $50,000 to this project to date. St. Charles Bay Oyster Restoration – CCA Texas and BCT are partnering with Harte Research Institute to create over 2,000 linear feet of oyster reef to protect eroding shoreline and to establish new
habitat. This effort will also include marsh grass planting and provide community outreach to students in the Corpus Christi area by not only having them help with the grass planting and oyster cultch placement, but it will also include a component where the students will be a part of the design process as well. In addition to CCA Texas, BCT and HRI, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has committed $250,000 to the project that will help support student involvement, and the Developing the Next Generation of Conservationists Program. CCA Texas has contributed $75,000 to this project to date. CCA Texas and BCT are committed to the continuing efforts to restore and create lost marsh and oyster reefs along the Texas coast. Other CCA Texas Business: CCA Texas has had a strong year. While some events have been down due to the economy in local communities, others have set records for fundraising. Attendance has been very good at all events and many
chapters have set attendance records as well. Our volunteers continue to be the back bone of the organization and the support of individuals, companies and local communities is never lost. In September of 2016, CCA Texas announced the hiring of Shane Bonnot as the new Advocacy Director for the organization. This new position is an exciting move and will have Shane attending council and state meetings on behalf of CCA Texas, meeting with local chapters and updating them on the advocacy and other efforts of CCA Texas. In addition, Shane will be working with new outreach tools to reach more of the CCA Texas membership. Shane will also be providing leadership to the CCA Texas Governmental Affairs Committee and working closely with CCA Texas lobbyists in Austin as well as CCA’s National lobbyists in Washington for Gulf issues that affect the state of Texas. Welcome aboard Shane. We look forward to having you on board. In closing, THANK YOU once again to all of the CCA Texas volunteers, sponsors, supporters, banquet attendees and members. CCA Texas’s success is a direct result of a strong membership and the belief in the leadership and efforts of the organization by our members. 2017 will mark CCA Texas’s 40th year in existence. Without the vision of the original members, Texas’s coastal resources and fisheries would not be what they are today. We encourage you to be involved in your local chapters and to take an active role. If you have questions and wish to get involved, please contact CCA Texas at (713) 626-4222 and ask for the Assistant Director in charge of your local community chapter. From the staff and leadership of CCA Texas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope your holiday season is filled with plenty of outdoor opportunities on the water and in the woods.
ROY’S Bait and Tackle Outfitters
361-992-2960
7613 SPID Corpus Christi, TX 78412
Simply put, Aldebaran redefines the lightweight, compact low profile baitcasting reel category. Weighing in at a mere 4.7 ounces, Aldebaran delivers unmatched smoothness and precision with our S3D, SVS Infinity and new SilentTune technologies. While Aldebaran is light in weight, it is by no means a lightweight when it comes to durability in the most demanding fishing environments. This reel is equipped with our X-SHIP gearing system and is housed in an electro-coated magnesium frame. Aldebaran excels at fishing jerkbaits, light crankbaits and a variety of finesse baits.
Introducing Shimano’s latest in comfortable and light weight footwear - the Shimano Evair Marine/Fishing shoes. The Evair are an ‘open’ style shoe, meaning they’re quick drying and allow your feet to breathe even in the hottest day time conditions. A non slip sole gives the wearer added confidence when navigating slippery decks.
www.roysbait-tackle.com
The new Stradic FK utilizes Shimano’s latest technology while drawing on ways of the past. Hagane cold forged drive gear combined with X-Ship provides a smooth, powerful and durable reel. The sleek G-Free body provides a better weight balance to reduce fatigue. Every part has been designed to improve the anglers experience on the water.
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For the avid fisherman and tournament bass angler the new Metanium baitcasting reels are LOW PROFILE all about lightweight versatile performance. Weighing in at 6-ounces (6.2 oz for XG model), Shimano offers three gear ratios to have the optimum retrieve speed to fish jigs & worms, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, and the XG for flipping or punching.
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Photo credit: FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
STEPHANIE BOYD
FI S HY FA C T S
Sawfish
Carpenter sharks, sawfish, prehistoric slashers… These iconic fish are easily recognized, even by those who have never seen one. They belong to a group of fish called elasmobranchs, whose skeletons are made of cartilage. Even though they are sometimes called sharks, sawfish are, in fact, rays with a distinctly intermediate, shark-like body form, similar to guitarfish. Well, somewhat similar. There’s just a minor difference in the nose area. Sawfish get their name from their “saws” – long, flat snouts edged in teeth. That’s the appearance anyway, but those teeth aren’t actually teeth. Like sharks, sawfish are covered in tiny dermal denticles, giving their skin a sandpaper texture, and the teeth on their saw are large modified denticles. Still, the difference between the business end of a denticle or tooth is all the same to most. Sawfishes are some of the largest living rays, commonly reaching 16 feet in length. Some may even reach up to 25 feet. They are giants of the inshore waters, preferring the shallow, muddy, coastal waters of tropical seas, estuaries, and river systems throughout the world. Early sawfish arose around 100 million years ago, but ancestors of the modern sawfish, family Pristidae, didn’t arrive until some 56 to 62 million years ago. With a giant hedge trimmer for a nose, you would think the sawfish wouldn’t have to worry about someone showing up in the same costume, 64 | December 2016
but amazingly enough, the sawfish’s snout is not unique. A second group of fish, sawsharks, has a similarly bladed snout. They are true sharks, with gill slits on the side of their body (as opposed to rays, who have gill slits on the underside). They are completely unrelated taxonomically, a spectacular example of convergent evolution – the process where “different species turn up for life’s party accidentally wearing the same clothes.” And as if their similar noses weren’t enough to confuse, taxonomists had a ball with their names. Sawfish belong to the order Pristiformes and the family Pristidae. Sawsharks belong to the order Pristiophoriformes and the family Pristiophoridae. I suppose it’s not that unexpected; pristis means “saw” in ancient Greek. Despite this fun wordplay, you’ll probably never mix them up in real life. Sawsharks live in very deep water and are very small in comparison. They also have a nose ring (two sensory barbels hanging from the middle of the saw). Sawfishes are nocturnal, spending much of the day in the muddy floor. At night, they slowly cruise the shallows, using their sensitive nose to find buried prey. Let’s talk about that nose! The rostrum, often referred to as the “saw,” is a cartilaginous extension of the skull used for both feeding and defense. Unlike shark teeth, saw teeth don’t fall out and grow back. The number of rostral
teeth is fixed before birth. But if the sawfish chips a tooth while on the defensive or if its teeth just wear down, it’s no big deal. The teeth grow continuously throughout the fish’s life. The rostrum is covered with sensitive pores that can detect movements or electric fields of passing prey. The pores are mostly concentrated on the topside of the saw, enabling the sawfish to stalk prey above the rostrum. This extra sense is especially handy in murky, dark waters. When either dinner or danger is detected, the sawfish strikes with surprisingly fast lateral swipes that can split smaller fish in two and at least pierce most other flesh it comes in contact with. Despite its large size and fearsome nose, the sawfish is usually placid and has few predators as an adult. Crocodiles, large sharks, and dolphins all prey on juvenile sawfish, though. Sawfish are primarily piscivorous, but won’t turn down shrimp, crabs, and other bottom-dwelling invertebrates that they happen to glide over. Little is known about the reproductive habits of sawfish. They reach sexual maturity around 10 years old, and are estimated to mate once every two years, with an average litter of eight pups. Sawfish are ovoviviparous, meaning that fertilization occurs inside the female and young sawfish grow in eggs contained within the mother. After the embryos are fully developed, the mother sawfish gives live birth. Newborn sawfish are somewhat malleable at birth, with the saw covered by a thin membrane, to prevent injury to the mother. However, this leaves the pups defenseless until the rostrum hardens. If they escape predation as juveniles, they can live up to 50 years. Their extremely low reproductive rate makes these animals especially slow to recover from population loss. There are seven living species in the world, and all are critically endangered due to overfishing, entanglement in fishing gear, and habitat destruction. Their long, toothed rostrums become very easily entangled in fishing line and nets, and because adults can grow very large and are potentially dangerous, many incidentally captured sawfish are killed before they are removed from fishing gear, even if the fishermen have no interest in keeping them. Because they are such an impressive catch, many more were kept as trophies. They continue to be hunted in other parts of the world for their rostrum, fins, liver oil, and for use as medicine, even though international trade is banned. Juvenile sawfish use shallow habitats with a lot of vegetation, such as mangrove forests, as important nursery areas. Loss of these nursery habitats for conversion to beachfront development contributes to the decline. After decades of incidental capture and habitat destruction, sawfish populations worldwide are severely depleted, some down to 5 percent or less of their original population. Because of their critically endangered status, one population of smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata, off the coast of Florida were regularly monitored from 2004 to 2011 by the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Stony Brook University - NY. The broad census consisted of tissue samples from 190 sawfish that were caught and released. Genetics were tested to see how the sawfish in Florida are coping with things like global warming and ocean acidification. The team’s other objective was to scan the DNA samples for signs of inbreeding because when sexual partners become scarce, animals sometimes resort to mating with siblings. A computer program named STORM decoded gene sequences to calculate the percentage of internal relatedness between all the fish that generously donated tissue samples. A reading near 0 percent means both parents come from different families. A reading between 25 to 66 | December 2016
50 percent means the parents are half or full siblings, respectively. Among those 290 sawfish were 7 females with readings from 84 to 100 percent, suggesting that they were conceived by facultative parthenogenesis — the ability of a sexually reproducing species to sometimes produce offspring asexually. This is a different process from the obligate asexuality seen in some frogs, salamanders, fish, and lizards, which results in an exact clone of the mother. Like in many other creatures, sawfish cells carry out a specialized form of cell division, called meiosis, which produces reproductive cells, each of which possesses half the material needed to make offspring. In the “sensational seven,” pairs of reproductive cells likely fused, resulting in highly inbred offspring. However, these offspring are not clones of the mother. Reproductive cells are not perfectly identical to each other, and neither are the resulting parthenogens. Humans and other mammals can’t reproduce asexually due to a failsafe system, called genomic imprinting, that only allows an egg to develop into an embryo if it has received both male and female input. It remains to be seen whether or not parthenogenesis will ultimately have a positive or negative effect on the smalltooth sawfish species. It does allow females to continue the species when males are scarce, but it isn’t an ideal long-term solution. Parthenogenic offspring will always be female, so it skews the sex ratio, and there would never be sexual reproduction after the males died out. Plus, parthenogens live with reduced genetic diversity, leaving them more vulnerable to changing environmental conditions. Historically, the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata, and the largetooth sawfish, Pristis perotteti, prowled throughout the shallow, coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The smalltooth sawfish, which used to range from New York to Texas, is now found only off the lower peninsula of Florida, with its most important habitat extending from Charlotte Harbor, on the southwestern Gulf coast of Florida, through the Ten Thousand Islands area of the Everglades into Florida Bay and the Keys. The largetooth sawfish, which was most common in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, has not been seen in the Gulf since the 1960s. In the Western Atlantic, the largetooth sawfish can now only be regularly encountered in the Amazon River basin, the Rio Colorado-Rio San Juan area in Nicaragua, and possibly some remote areas of French Guiana, Suriname, and Guyana. The smalltooth sawfish was listed as an endangered species in 2003. Conservationists hope conditions will become favorable for both sawfish species to eventually stage a comeback in Gulf waters, but because of their relatively slow growth rate, late onset of sexual maturity, and low fecundity, it takes longer for sawfish to rebound than many other fish species. Florida provides educational resources for fisherman to safely release sawfish that are mistakenly caught, and the dual effect of marine protected areas and bans on entangling fishing gear have helped to slow the decline of sawfish. Some reports even claim the population is beginning to stabilize. “Our recovery plan covers 100 years, which should give a pretty good indication of how much trouble the animal is in.” ~George Burgess, ichthyologist and sawfish expert at the University of Florida in Gainesville Until sawfish do make their way back to Texas, go find an old salt and ask him to tell you tales of the saw-toothed sea monster they used to catch in the good ol’ days!
Where I learned about sawfish, and you can too! World Register of Marine Species www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105750 www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105849 - largetooth www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105848 - smalltooh U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=E0A9 NOAA Fisheries www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/smalltooth-sawfish.html IUCN Red List www.iucnredlist.org/details/18175/0 www.iucnredlist.org/details/18584848/0 National Geographic news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/06/110616-sawfish-snout-sixthsense-animals-environment-science/ kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/sawfish/#SMALLTOOTH%20 SAWFISH%201.jpg Florida Museum of Natural History www.flmnh.ufl.edu/index.php/fish/discover/sawfish/basics/ www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/discover/sawfish/biology/ Fish Base www.fishbase.org/summary/FamilySummary.php?ID=16
Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(15)00431-5?_returnURL=h ttp%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS096098221500 4315%3Fshowall%3Dtrue KLRU - PBS www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/virgin-birth-sawfish/ Live Science www.livescience.com/51032-sawfish-have-virgin-births.html National Aquarium www.aqua.org/explore/animals/largetooth-sawfish Biodiversity Warriors biodiversitywarriors.wikispaces.com/Smalltooth+Sawfish Discover Science blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/03/05/how-the-sawfishwields-its-saw-like-a-swordsman/#.V75CioUyFeh Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawfish en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalltooth_sawfish - smalltooth en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sawfish - largetooth Sea Pics seapics.com/feature-subject/fish/sawfish-pictures-001.html Experiment experiment.com/u/EsWtsA
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Bull red and oversized drum were plentiful on fresh cracked blue crab. In October, some trips yielded more than four dozen to the boat on a good flowing tide.
CURTISS CASH
IN S HORE | NEAR S HORE | J E T T IE S | P A S S E S
TERMINAL TACKLE - PART Two A leader at the end of your line can make or break a day on the water, literally – depending how well it performs. Not all leader designs are equal when composition and application are taken into consideration. Components that are too heavy or light for the intended species can jeopardize your success. Many off-the-shelf leaders are built too bulky. It is rare that nylon-coated steel cable festooned with heavy crimps, large snaps and multiple drops are needed. The excessive weight of this rigging may actually tip off your quarry that something is amiss. I’ve found that using a minimal amount of hardware is the best approach. COMPONENTS: Swivels- Years ago I quit using snap swivels unless I’m attaching an inline sliding weight other than egg-style. Snap swivels tend to snag bottom debris, cause tangles at the line-to-leader connection and – they occasionally come un-snapped! I typically use a less-expensive brass swivel to attach leaders to main line, with the added benefit that they help manage line twist and I prefer the crane swivel over the barrel swivel. The crane swivel 68 | December 2016
This endangered scalloped hammerhead was caught recently while targeting bull reds. Through the month of October many shark species were caught greater hammerhead, bonnet head, fine tooth, dusky, blacktip, spinner and Atlantic sharpnose. Good to see some of these species making a fresh showing.
has a better strength to size ratio with less tendency of the main line/leader connection becoming tangled on the swivel. There are also more expensive stainless steel mini swivels, which are generally 2-3 times stronger than brass of comparable sizes. I prefer black swivels over chrome as the color camouflages well in the water and reduces the chance of a fish eating the swivel. Regardless of the make or style of swivel, I typically use swivels rated stronger than the leader material: -20lb/test leader = #10 swivel -30 and 40lb/test leader = #7 swivel -60 and 80lb/test leader = #5 or #3 swivel -100 and 130lb/test leader = #1 swivel Leader Material- Nylon monofilament by far is the best choice for twisting up your own leaders. There are many manufacturers of leader-specific line but for my use Ande Premium or Berkley Big Game clear mono both work great. I purchase the 1/4-pound spools and store them in neoprene drink koozies to minimize tangles and to protect the line from sunlight. Knots- It is a good idea to become proficient at tying several knots for building leaders. The knots I use most often are Improved Clinch, Uni-Knot, Double-Uni, Albright Special, Dropper Loop, Offshore Swivel Knot, No-Slip Loop and Surgeon’s End Loop. I attach all swivels and circle hooks with either Improved Clinch or Uni-Knot. One of my modifications is to run the leader through the swivel/hook eye twice before starting the knots and adjusting the number of wraps around the line during knot construction based on lb/test rating: 20lb = 6 wraps, 30lb = 5 wraps, 60lb = 4 wraps, 80 and 100lb = 3 wraps and 130lb = 2 wraps. I use a 3-wrap No-Slip Loop on most other hook styles to maximize
Displayed are Suspending Rig and Bait Stopper Rig.
bait action and simplify the tying process. Search the internet for knot tying instructions, www. netknots.com has great animated presentations that are very simple to follow. LEADERS: Fish Finder Rig- Very popular for many fishing situations, it is one of the easiest to rig and use. This rig can be used to keep a bait on or near bottom as well as suspending your bait in the water column when light sinkers are added. Fashioned by tying a swivel to a length of leader material with hook attached. A freerunning weight of choice is added between the rod tip This is the sequence for and leader swivel, similar to tying the Dropper Loop Rig. Carolina Rig. When fished with a slack line, this rig allows the fish to take the bait while feeling the least resistance. The sliding weight holds the bait at or near bottom depending on the length of leader from swivel to hook. A small plastic bead threaded onto the line between the sinker and the swivel helps deter knot abrasion. A short 6 to12-inch leader trace keeps the bait tight to the bottom with precise placement. Whereas an 18-inch or greater length allows the bait more mobility. I use a short length often while fishing around hard snags like jetty rocks, wrecks or gulf platforms. Longer leader lengths are more likely to grab the snags, especially with a strong current flow. This short rig also keeps the bait nearest bottom when targeting black drum, redfish or flounder. I prefer a longer trace of leader when fishing live bait away from hard structure. Especially effective in sand pockets and grassy areas, longer leaders present live baits above bottom. This increases the bait’s distress signal output and within in view of passing gamefish. Bait Stopper Rig- This rig is similar to the Fish Finder but keeps the attached siding weight closer to the bait. The Bait Stopper is typically tied to be about three feet in overall length and aids in assisting the hookset as the fish pulls away. This is very beneficial when using circle hooks on large redfish and black drum. Deep hooking is less likely as the sinker stops and slides the hook toward the fish’s mouth. This rig incorporates a 12-inch straight leader with swivel opposite the hook, another 24 inches of leader material is tied between the first swivel and another up the line. The sliding weight is added to this stretch of leader, egg weights are popular as well as pyramid or bank sinkers on a slide. Continued on page 97... TSFMAG.com | 69
My GoPro recorded the action as I began to close on the float attached to the leader.
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
ERI C O Z OLIN S
Surviving the Odds: Part 2 Last month I shared a tale of the risk associated with the extreme sport of shark fishing. Catch and release land-based shark fishing is not for the weak of heart and certainly not for the weak-minded. Accidents unfortunately can and do happen. The way we prepare ourselves to deal with them, mentally and physically, makes a huge difference in the outcome. Over the years I have had several accidents and a much greater number of very close calls. Everything from large makos to feisty sandbar sharks and large stingrays in the shallows, I thought I had seen and survived it all. Then one day my lucky streak almost ran out. I was on my ninth life and literally hanging by a thread. It happened in August 2015, a year that had been giving us phenomenal surf The mess I was fishing, until a very destructive working through, hurriedly trying to red tide invaded the PINS surf untangle the leader. in the fall, but that’s another story. For the first time in many years we escaped the scourge of sargassum. Typically, we would be bombarded with layers of this menacing weed for several months of the year. However, with no seaweed came the ability to fish shark baits hundreds of yards off the beach without issue and the catches were astounding to 70 | December 2016
say the least. Countless hammerheads and monster bull sharks we hadn’t seen in quite some time. Tiger sharks also came in respectable numbers during that summer. I was on the beach every possible chance, whether chartered or for myself, not knowing how long the incredible window would last. During the second week of August 2015, a buddy and I decided to make an overnight big-shark trip. Conditions were eerily as near perfect as you could hope. Normally this time of year the daytime shark feeding is minimal but the monsters come in close to feed at night. The tiger shark is my species and I was hoping for a big one. To put things in perspective, many dedicated shark anglers with years of experience have yet to land
one. I have been fortunate to make double-digit landings, each as exhilarating as the first.. As expected on our fateful trip, the daytime activity was slow until right before sunset when we landed and released a pair of blacktips. As darkness approached I swapped out the baits for larger “big shark” offerings. My common big shark setups include a longline float and
Pure chaos! Thank God it lasted only a few seconds.
Braided fishing line can cut through flesh and bone!
tether clipped to the shark leader. There are two main reasons I do this. One is to keep track of your baits and spacing to keep lines organized. The other is so that in the event we get cut off we can find and retrieve our gear. All four big baits deployed that evening had floats attached. The calm conditions continued and the infamous PINS bugs came out to feast. We prepared dinner and crashed early. During the latenight hours one of the lines went slack – cut off. This happens due to turtles, sharks, Game changer for sure. I suspected the shark at the end of the line and other large fish swimming into the might be big – but a dusky line. This could also be caused from the shark of ten feet and possibly line rubbing on shell-covered sandbars all 200-something pounds? night. It is unfortunate but common in surf shark fishing. The rest of the night passed without incident. I rose around 0600 and began checking the status of things. The other lines remained untouched, too calm perhaps. The gulf resembled a glassed-over lake providing a perfect reflection of the sky. With daylight increasing I climbed up on the platform hoping to spot the float I had attached to my missing leader. Surveying the original location with binoculars and finding nothing, I began making broader sweeps with the glasses and spotted it a half-mile offshore – and it was moving! The sun was on the verge of breaking the horizon and I knew I had to act fast to save the tackle. More importantly, I wanted to save the shark from possibly drowning, dragging all that gear. Grabbing a knife, pliers, and GoPro camera I leapt into the kayak to chase the float. My biggest mistake, which I vow to never make again, was failing to awaken and notify my buddy that I was heading offshore to chase a shark. Having chased many on broke-off gear prior and without incident, I evidently allowed myself to lull into a state of false security. I knew what I was doing, I knew how to conduct and protect myself – so I thought. I set a fast paddling pace trying to keep up with the float. Without a ripple on the water, the sun by now on the horizon was blinding me. Regardless, I continued. Paddling frantically about 15 minutes I began closing on the cruising fish. Slowing to keep pace with the float, I pondered my plan. My intention was to grab the leader and work the shark close to the kayak. At this point I wanted basically to reclaim my shark leader and float, and in the likely event that this was a large shark, I would simply unshackle the single drop Continued on page 98... TSFMAG.com | 71
NEW
TACKLE & GEAR
Star Tron Marine Winter Fuel Management Fuel in boats going into winter storage needs to be stabilized. However, in order to ensure peak performance in the spring, you need to do much more than just stabilize the fuel. In addition to preventing gum and debris formation, fuel must also be protected against moisture and octane loss. Ethanolblended gasoline is especially susceptible to degradation because ethanol (alcohol) and gasoline cannot form a chemical bond. Within 30-45 days of blending, E10 begins to deteriorate, forming gums that cause engines to run rough or become difficult to start. Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment stabilizes fuel for up to two years.
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Treat your fuel with Star Tron for winter layup and your boat will be ready to go in the spring. www.StarTron.com or call (800) 327-8583
H2O Xpress Softee - NEW Soft Suspending Bait & Softee Jr. - Super Shallow Fishability - Durable TPE Construction - 4X strong VMC Stainless Treble Hooks - Exclusively at Academy Sports + Outdoors New from H2O Xpress, comes the best designed and most durable soft suspending baits on the market – Softee and Softee Jr.! The primary material, TPE, differs from common PVC in that it floats while PVC sinks. Softee and Softee Jr. can be fished in as little as 7-inches of water! TPE is extremely resistant to cuts and abrasions, yet soft so that fish hold on. Full wire through-harness and 4X strong VMC stainless trebles complete the strength and quality of these baits. Available in eight proven colors, including Natural Mullet and Natural Croaker. Retail: $4.99 www.Academy.com 72 | December 2016
products
Tsunami Citadel Combos Cover all your fishing needs with one series of pre-mounted combos! The Citadel series comes pre-spooled with premium mono and offers options that cover inshore, nearshore, pier, and surf. The Citadel reel features two ball bearings and light weight graphite body and rotor while the spool is machined, double-anodized aluminum. MSRP: $24.99-$44.99
Tsunami Barrier Combos Whether in the surf or stalking redfish on the flats, the Tsunami Barrier combos are designed to take the harshest punishment that saltwater gamefish can dish out. Barrier combos feature light-weight graphite reinforced reel body and rotor and heavyduty anodized aluminum bail wire. Four shielded stainless steel bearings provide smooth operation. MSRP: $49.99-$69.99 www.BiminiBayOutfitters.com
PlashLights – Warm White LED After several years of trials, we have perfected a Warm White LED Fishing Light Bar. Our new 3rd Generation Fishing Light uses a clear LEXAN lens with a new style scene reflector for more efficient output. With quality always being at the forefront for PlashLights, we still use CREE® XHP LEDs and now have a DuPont coating on our aluminum housing to ensure durability. Also available with cast aluminum or stainless steel feet for multiple mounting options. As always, we offer a Lifetime Warranty on our products. www. PlashLights.com
Wet Sounds WS-MC1 Wet Sounds Marine Media Center – Marine grade multi-channel, multi-zone, radio head unit. Two units sold together, the MC-MD (Main Display) and MC-BB (Black Box). Customizable to store your favorite sources and audio pre-sets. Installation is quick and simple – no holes to cut! Comes packed with AM/FM, Weather Band, Bluetooth, USB, Pandora, Aux and our accessory RGB lighting controller connection thru our CAN Buss network.
Wet Sounds REVO Series The newest innovation in marine speakers – REVO Series. Comes in 6.5” and 8” models loaded with industry leading features. Each speaker comes with RGB LED tweeter glow kit for thousands of color options and eight grill options to match the look and feel of your boat. www.WetSounds.com
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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
74 | December 2016
I cannot tell you how many fishermen I have recently youngster, save Robert who was convinced his huge heard say, “I am glad to put 2016 behind me…it was a drum was a new world record, ever mentioned really tough year of fishing!” keeping a single fish. I truly hate cell phones but the It may have been a tough year of “catching” but after ability to snap a quick photo sufficiently documented forty-five years of guiding and over sixty-five years of each catch to their satisfaction and saved lots of fish fishing, I can still say that I can never recall a tough year in the process. of “fishing.” The opportunity to fish is a blessing and We enjoyed just enough celebratory fish fries to one of the few things in life that you can choose to do whet their desire for occasionally saving a few fish or not to do. No one makes you go fishing! in the future, but their awareness of the need for Because my own “catching” was in fact more This red was just difficult this past year for several reasons, I a little too long. canceled a ridiculous number of trips, but there was a silver lining despite fewer paydays. I used those open dates to take lots of kids fishing and every trip renewed my own passion for the sport. From the time I picked them up in the pre-dawn darkness until the last cast, the magical look in their eyes confirmed my belief that there is far more to fishing than simply catching. We had a day or two when we never got the first bite, but they still eagerly lobbied for the next invitation. I also found it interesting that not one
conservation and appreciation of the resource bodes well for the future of fishing. I have fewer days on the water ahead of me than behind me, but 2016 will always be special! Not a great deal has changed other than the fact that we are now enjoying far more days of user-friendly weather. The salinity is once again out the roof on Sabine and despite a little more wind than we need, most of the lake is exceptionally clear. The big trout bite has yet to materialize but we are now catching much better numbers of solid keeper trout from Blue Buck Point to East Pass. While the gulls are usually the most active early and late, especially on an outgoing tide, we still designate those time slots for searching
for larger trout on the shoreline or shallow flats. Topwaters like the She Dog, Spook and Skitter Walk are all good choices and we will be throwing Fat Boys and MirrOdine XLs as well. Dayglow and pink are two good colors to start with in the mullet imitations. The texture of the bottom isn’t nearly as critical for us as locating small schools of nervous baitfish. If you are not wading, a Talon or Power Pole is a must for more efficiently working these shallow fish. Keep the noise in the boat to a minimum. As the day progresses we will fish a little deeper water with five inch tails rigged on 1/8-ounce heads or shorter tails fished under a TKO cork. Both the five-inch Assassin Texas Shad and the Die Dapper are easily fished from top to bottom while the cork rig is deadly on suspended fish. The Vudu Shrimp gets a lot of playing time fished under the cork, but I also do well with the 4-inch Sea Shad and Lil John. The most versatile lure in the box for me is the Usual Suspect. Most days the color is not as important as the length. If I am not hustling flounder exclusively, I prefer the four-inch version in silver shiner, morning glory or space guppy. A slow retrieve with very little twitching seems to be the ticket most of the time. Here on Sabine Lake, the coveted flounder run invariably kicks off a little later than anticipated and this year has been no different. The ship channel, south of the Causeway, will get the most attention as the fish tend to pile up on the shell breaks next to deeper water but I still prefer fishing the main lake and bayous. A Gulp Swimming Mullet is the surest bet, but we also do well with the 3-inch Usual Suspect and the smaller Chicken Boy plastics. Take the kids fishing!
Solid slot red caught under birds.
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Capt. Caleb Harp
The Buzz on Galveston Bay
Galveston
Capt. Caleb Harp has fished the Galveston Bay System since childhood and, now a charter captain and fishing guide, he uses his knowledge to enable clients to enjoy the excellent fishing the area offers. His specialty is the yeararound pursuit for trophy trout and redfish with artificial lures
Telephone 281-753-3378 Website harpsguideservice.com
76 | December 2016
As we approach December, we need to remember that will help you triangulate the position on your next that we live in Texas. Some mornings might be cold wade. Small areas of shell surrounded by soft mud are but we likely will not see anything down near freezing magnets for big trout in winter and you sure don’t want until January. Until the water temperature gets below to discover the spot again by accident when conditions 55⁰ and stays there, key word is stays, fish will bounce are prime for catching a trophy fish. between fall and winter patterns. Currently the water Fishing mud flats adjacent to big drop-offs near temperature is still in the upper-70s to low-80s and we channels is where you definitely need to be when it are catching trout in eight feet of water. Fall pattern for gets really cold. Nature programs the fish to stage sure. Everybody is antsy to layer along these ledges, sliding down up and don Simms waders but into the warmer channel depths that is still a good way off unless when blue northers blow all the something very unusual occurs. water off the mud flats, and then When the water temperature sliding back up to the edge of finally drops to around 55⁰, larger the flat as temperatures begin to trout here in the Galveston Complex moderate and tides return after the become much easier to pattern. front passes. It’s all about survival They will begin to show preference and Mother Nature writes and for drop-offs and ledges where enforces the rules. soft mud meets heavy shell. Shell The first sign of bait activity is always something you need to creeping back up the slope toward key on, regardless of the season. the shallows is the surest sign that Anytime you are wading and something great is about to happen. Angry trout with A come upon a crunchy spot, look Don’t expect to suddenly see rafts MirrOlure XL in her mouth. toward the bank for landmarks of mullet flickering at the surface, it
doesn’t work like that during norther recovery. Subtle subsurface flashes and maybe a swirl or two as the bait rises near the surface are likely the only signals you will receive…but that’s really all you need. High atmospheric pressure is normal for at least the first day following a strong front and this usually results in the fish having lockjaw. Fish and other wildlife seem to sense that a front is coming and they prepare themselves to lay up for a while by feeding very aggressively right before it hits. Pre-front is always a good feeding time, just don’t press the envelope and get caught in the nasty north wind. A good post-front rule to go by is “two days after.” When you look outside and there are no clouds, you might as well stay home because the atmospheric pressure is through the roof. Generally, by the second day, the pressure will have begun to decline and the fish’s bellies are growling. West Galveston Bay West Bay has been good lately for wade fishermen throwing topwaters and Corkys in the south shoreline coves. Redfish have been abundant in the marshes and around the ICW. As it gets colder, the coves with muddier bottom and the famous Confederate Reef (and other mid-bay oyster reefs) should produce the most consistent stringers.
bottom structure. Look for mullet on a shoreline and hop out and wade them down, keying on shell and mud. Corky Fat Boys and Soft-Dine XLs are usually very effective back there. Trinity Bay Trinity is brimming with small trout. We are beginning to find a few decent fish, probably just now finding their way back home after the spring floods chased them way down south. Hopefully we will see a size improvement as it gets colder but for right now it has been a fifteen to eighteen-inch game among the keeper-size fish we are finding. The entire back of Trinity Bay, also referred to as Jack’s Pocket, can be superb wade fishing in front of the countless bayou drains and guts that run up there. Redfish have been plentiful in ankle deep water throwing weedless-rigged MirrOlure Marsh Minnows. Fishing should improve as fronts become colder and more numerous. Jeremy Dyer with an East Bay giant on a Corky Fat Boy last December.
East Galveston Bay East Bay has been quite a bit slower than we expect this time of year but decent numbers of smaller trout have been prevalent in the drains on the south shoreline. Activity in the back of the bay should improve with each successive cold front. Trout especially should take up residence on the vast acreages of clam beds and oyster reefs that predominate the
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TSFMAG.com | 77
Bink Grimes
The View from Matagorda
Matagorda
Bink Grimes is a full-time fishing and hunting guide, freelance writer and photographer, and owner of Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay.
Telephone 979-241-1705 Email binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net Website matagordasunriselodge.com
What a blessing it has been to fish Matagorda in 2016. The power of freshwater is real – we have enjoyed some of the best fishing in over a decade due to the rains of 2015-16. Our fall fishing has been like the “good ol’ days” with birds working in East and West bays and the Diversion Channel. The shell in Matagorda is full of fish and our trout really began to eat lures a lot better beginning in October and that pattern only improves in December. MirrOlure Soft-Dines, topwaters, Bass Assassins, Down South Lures and Lil’ Johns are our go-tos. I can remember a few Decembers where birds still worked along the east end of East Matagorda Bay and I believe that will be the case this year as well. However, by late mid-to-late December most of the white shrimp crop
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have left the bays and speckled trout adapt their diet to finfish. That’s when slow-sinking mullet imitation plugs like Corkys go to work. If you see a mullet flipping, fish it. If the water is cold, the
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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 lowtide 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. We will still be running cast and blast trips for ducks/geese in the morning and drifting for trout and redfish in the afternoons. Around this time of year, I normally write a Christmas gifts column in various publications to help spouses buy for their angler. So here are a few ideas: -A new reel is always good; the new Lew’s are great. Let your budget dictate. -A light, sensitive piece of graphite to compliment the reel is even better; I use a Waterloo Ultra Mag, but the HP Lite and Salinity models are great choices as well. -A pile of soft plastics stuffed in a stocking with fluorocarbon leader material and dozens of new jigheads is a thought, not to mention a load of Skitter Walks, Super Spooks, Top Dogs, Corkys and MirrOlures. -A pair of breathable waders, boots, wading net or even a gift certificate for a guided fishing trip would look good under the tree. I’ll probably tear open a pile of Johnny’s Sport Shop gift certificates like I do every year. It still puts a smile on my face. Merry Christmas!
TSFMAG.com | 79
Capt. Gary Gray
MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays
Port O'Connor Seadrift
Captain Gary Gray is a full time guide born and raised in Seadrift. He has been guiding in the Seadrift/ Port O’Connor area for 28 years. Gary specializes in wading for trout and redfish year round with artificial lures.
Telephone 361-785-6708 Email bayrats@tisd.net Website www.bayrat.com
80 | December 2016
Currently, our water temperatures are hovering near 80⁰ and this time last year we were seeing mid-60s to an occasional high of 70. This tells me that Mother Nature is running close to a month behind and November’s conditions and patterns are likely to continue well into December. Here are some snippets of recent November charters to provide some idea of what might lie ahead. We were fishing the group Shellie and I call the Oklahoma Boys. They make a long trek to fish saltwater once a year in November and are notable for their determination, optimism and willingness to follow instructions, especially when fishing an area slowly and thoroughly. Shellie and I feel privileged that they choose to fish with us year after year. They showed up right on time and we got their gear aboard the Shallow Sports and idled from the dock in pre-dawn darkness. Fifteen miles down the bay I slowed to idle speed well off the bank in five-feet of water, scanning toward shore for mullet schools I’d been targeting. The weather was pleasant and the guys were happy that we did not need waders – first time in six years! Finally seeing a mullet jump near the bank, I said, “That’s all we need to see guys. Let’s go!”
We covered the game plan while Shellie did the same about 400 yards away. We have been starting waist-deep and wading toward shore until we start getting bites. At this point we hold the line, barely inching forward. In addition to mullet, we have also been keying on slicks during solunar feed periods, which by the way, have been spot-on. I make a cellphone photo of the solunar table in this magazine so that I always have it with me. We were throwing 4” Bass Assassin Sea Shad paddletails in mama’s chicken and copperhead, although color didn’t seem to matter as much as the Robert Mooneyham (Oklahoma Boy) with 41-inch bull red - 4” Bass Assassin Sea Shad!
retrieve. We tried straight-tail 5” Saltwater Shads but the strikes on paddletails were more numerous. When the action slowed or the mullet moved off, we loaded up and motored along until another bait school could be located. We had our all-time best day with the Oklahoma Boys, both boats finding limits of reds and trout, with a few bonus flounder. We fished them the next two days with continued excellent results. Two things really stood out all three days – relocating as necessary to stay on mullet schools and anglers remaining focused and following game plan to the letter. The next trip was with Joel and Chantal Piefer who are interested in buying a Shallow Sport X3 and booking with guides who run them to gain knowledge. They use guides frequently and fully understand following game plans, which is good because we were on the same stretch of shoreline as with the Oklahoma Boys. Again, the pattern required a slow-thorough approach, and like I always tell clients, “If you hear yourself moving through the water you are wading too fast.” This trip began the same as the previous days – see the bait and fish toward it. We started getting bites. Catch a red, catch a trout, and catch another red. As we continued along I heard Chantal exclaim, “Oh Crap!” Well, something like that… I looked her way, not knowing what to expect, just as she shouted, “Alligator!”
Instantly I recognized a large head surface within a rod’s length beside her. Since my X3 was drifting closely behind us (using Power Pole remote), I managed to jump in and reach her very quickly. She stood perfectly motionless, unsure where the gator had gone when it submerged again. I picked her and Joel both up and we made another wade about a mile further down the shoreline, catching a couple more reds, a trout and a flounder. Soon though, our nerves gave out and even a small mullet splash sent chills up our spines. We ran south to the Matagorda Island shoreline, again searching for mullet schools or pelicans working. What we found were pelicans working a drain with wind-driven current turning the water murky. A perfect ambush scenario for our speckled friends to hustle an easy meal. After working the area thoroughly and catching a few fish, Chantal hooked into a really solid one that became her new career-best trout. A fat twenty-six-and-a-half-inch specimen. Hurrying to the boat to grab my camera, Joel began flashing the “we’re done” sign so I used the Minn-Kota to ease over to them. Photos were made and that beautiful fish swam away. I plan to continue employing this same strategy heading into December unless we receive a series of northers that drop the water Chantal Piefer’s temperature significantly and change the career-best trout in feeding patterns. San Antonio Bay. Fish hard, fish smart!
TSFMAG.com | 81
david rowsey
HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey
Upper Laguna/ Baffin
David Rowsey has 20 years experience in the Laguna/ Baffin region; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty. David has a great passion for conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish.
Telephone 361-960-0340 Website www.DavidRowsey.com Email david.rowsey@yahoo.com
Merry Christmas to all from Baffin Bay. Hopefully this finds you on the backside of a Thanksgiving food hangover, with a clear mind, and a daunting passion for more of God’s wonderful creations. As Texans, we are so blessed when it comes to outdoor opportunities winter brings us. As I sit down to write this article, I’m thinking about a big trout I put a client on yesterday and the excitement it created for both of us. With a day off I’m getting an early jump on keeping the editor happy, so I can get packed for a week long quail hunting trip that is about to come to fruition (one of many on the books). A big bowl of bent rods, lots of bird hunting, spiced with some deer, and a side of Mississippi hardwoods is a great recipe for a full belly of life. There is just no better time to be a Texas
outdoorsman. From the bottom of my heart, I hope all of you get to enjoy it as I am so blessed to do. Things are looking very promising from the wading side of the water. As all the hunting seasons have kicked off, I have been spending as much time in the December can be epic. This big trout loved the wobble of a white/chartreuse back Fat Boy. One of many on this day.
“We contracted the construction of the TSFMag office building with Farrell Jackson. Jackson also built my son’s bay house here in Seadrift. We were completely satisfied with both projects…a professional and trustworthy contractor.” ~ Everett Johnson Editor/Publisher, Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine
361-576-3825 Office | 361-576-3828 Fax 36 Hunters Circle, Victoria, TX 77905
Barndominiums • Metal Buildings • Boat and Mini Storage • Metal Frame Homes • Commercial Buildings 82 | December 2016
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water as I have the field. You never really know what cards you will be dealt during the Fall fishing this far south, but I’m glad to say that we have already had some big catches and some legit giants fighting at the other end of the line. High tides have not always made it easy to fish some of my favorite areas, but we have adjusted our plan of attack and been rewarded greatly. Every front that pushes through brings us a little bit closer to the perfect storm of sustained water temperatures, lower water levels, and congregations of big trout. Most of you know of the water conditions Baffin has been plagued with, on and off, over the years. Fortunately, this is not one of those years. Water quality throughout the bay system is just short of amazing. The clear waters have widened my eyes to catch a picture of the bottom structure I have not seen in a while. There is bay floor diversity in areas that have been matted with either grass too tall or giant mats of dead grass for many seasons. From the Upper Laguna to far reaches into Baffin, that scenario continually plays out. The big upside to so many potholes and bottom diversity is that it gives fish and fishermen so many places to hunt…them for food, and us for them. With the popularity of winter fishing continually growing, more places to spread out is a big bonus to obtain a bit of privacy on a long wade. It’s not so cold that every lure action has to be slowed down to a crawl, so fishing all lure types is a go right now. As water temperatures start to decline, the presence of bait and how it is acting will dictate what lure will work best for the situation at hand. If you do not have a water temperature gauge on your boat, you need to get one. Even if it’s a handheld version you can carry in your waders. A couple of degrees difference from warm to cold can, and will, make the difference between catching and casting. Some areas of Baffin and the Laguna can have as much as 4-6 degrees difference during the same hour of the day. That may not mean much to us as we are so warm and comfy in our Simms gear, but to a thinned-skin trout it is the difference between actively feeding or sulking on the bottom. Quoting my buddy Jay Watkins, “Fish smarter, not harder.” In closing, everything looks right to be a banner winter season for hunting big trout. With that being said, the word spreads fast via social media, and winter days that use to have no one on the water will now have plenty jockeying for position…chasing Facebook reports more than fish. Regardless what has led any of us to the water, there is no excuse for not being courteous and respectful to others on the bay that are established in a area. Burning shorelines, idling through waders, and anchoring up just downwind is all in BAD FORM. Let’s all try to not be that guy everyone is cussing at the end of the day. Remember the buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey
Hayley Blanchard - West Matagorda Bay 35.5” personal best red drum!
Zak Krolczyk Galveston jetties - bull red TSFMAG.com | 83
Wayne Davis
WAYNE’S Mansfield Report
Port Mansfield
Captain Wayne Davis has been fishing the Lower Laguna-Port Mansfield for over 20 years. He specializes in wade fishing with lures.
Telephone 210-287-3877 Email captwayne@kwigglers.com
Greetings from Port Mansfield! As of this writing the first couple of fronts have drifted through and winter will soon be dropping our water temperatures. Evidence of the change is everywhere, notably in the large flocks of waterfowl that have been piling into the Laguna Madre. Any day now a true cold snap will head our way and the big trout enthusiasts welcome the dropping temperatures with open arms. Many, including me, have already pulled their Simms waders, undergarments, gloves and jacket from the closet and inspected everything carefully to make sure it is in good order. I am thankful to have such gear and remember vividly landing monster trout last winter, all the while warm and comfortable against the blustery conditions. Speaking of dropping water temperatures, we should take a closer look at our beloved Lower Laguna. This bay complex is a shallow system compared to other bays. Water levels currently remain high and we are using this to our advantage. With water temps running in the upper-70s to low 80s the fish are comfortable, staging mostly on flats with bottoms that are easy to wade. At least until strong northers push large volumes of water out of the bays.
Capt. Wayne shows off a sleek 28. In another month or two she could easily be a full pound heavier.
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$10 Entry for Open Bait Division $25 Entry for Artificial Bait Division Open Bait (live, dead, prepared bait, or artificial,) and Artificial Bait (artificial lures only) This will be an individual effort tournament. Multiple Anglers may fish from the same boat. WIL BRING TWO TROUT 15" TO 25" ANGLERS WILL (ONE MAY BE OVER 25") TO THE SCALE
Age Group Division: Youth Division: Ages 12 and under Junior Division: Ages 13-18 (Junior anglers age 18 must be attending grade school at time of event)
Artificial Division: Competing for $2,500 Open Bait Division: Competing for $500 We will pay the top 5 anglers in each division as follows: 50%, 20%, 15%, 10% and 5%
Dates and Locations:
Dec. 4, 2016 - Harborwalk Marina, Hitchcock TX Jan. 22, 2017 - Jackie’s Brick House, Kemah, TX Feb. 12, 2017 - Marker 37 Marina, Corpus Christi, TX March 5, 2017 - Marker 37 Marina, Corpus Christi, TX
$10 Entry for Open Bait Division $25 Entry for Artificial Bait Division Open Bait (live, dead, prepared bait, or artificial,) and Artificial Bait (artificial lures only) This will be an individual effort tournament. Multiple Anglers may fish from the same boat.
Age Group Division: Youth Division: Ages 12 and under Junior Division: Ages 13-18 (Junior anglers age 18 must be attending grade school at time of event)
Artificial Division: Competing for $2,500 Open Bait Division: Competing for $500 We will pay the top 5 anglers in each division as follows: 50%, 20%, 15%, 10% and 5%
Dates and Locations:
April 9, 2017 - Marker 37 Marina, Corpus Christi, TX April 23, 2017 - Harborwalk Marina, Hitchcock TX May 28, 2017 - Marker 37 Marina, Corpus Christi, TX June 11, 2017 - Jackie’s Brick House, Kemah, TX July 23, 2017 - Marker 37 Marina, Corpus Christi, TX August 13, 2017 - Harborwalk Marina, Hitchcock TX
Jake was very pleased with this gorgeous 29.75-inch beauty that ate a Ball Tail Shad.
The owner of Diamond J, James Rosalis, was a partner in Circle J Enterprises at the time our office and son’s home were built by Circle J. Workmanship and attention to detail were both excellent! – Everett Johnson, Editor/Publisher, Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine
I have a theory on high water as it relates to boggy and hard bottoms. When the water level is high it is simply easier to wade in a boggy area rather than when the water is low. I believe this because of two things. One - the wader is more buoyant. Two - the high water adds weight and therefore compresses the soft bottom, making it more wadable. Now, this is just my opinion, I have no scientific proof supporting my theory, but it seems to make sense if you think about it. And for hard bottom areas, these are mostly sand and remain hard-packed no matter the water level. Just enjoy them and don’t ask questions. Recent trips have been awesome, with less fishing and boating pressure on the water we have fished all day with the nearest boat still a half-mile away. We are still getting out early, before sunrise, and settling into our spot as the sun rises – what a beautiful sight. Topwaters work great one day and the next day the fish want plastics; still have not quite figured this one out yet but I’m trying. On occasion, we have had to deal with 25-30 mph northerly gusts but with the high water levels the clarity is holding rather well. Heading into December we should see the water fall out of our bays (though it should have already happened). However, rest assured it will happen and when it does the fish will fall off the flats and stage in depressions, drains and areas close to deeper channels. The bait will also be concentrated in these areas as well. If we have a true norther that rapidly drops temperatures, expect a sluggish bite, but as the water warms the fish will feed again within a day or two. Severe cold snaps may take three days. In general, I believe December is shaping up to be a great fishing month. Trout will be feeding very aggressively between fronts and packing on weight we wish they would carry in summer. You will notice this predominantly in larger specimens but even mid-size trout will be sporting greater girth and thicker shoulders. I always say that winter-fat trout are shaped like footballs. As for baits, I will always have a topwater tied on at least one rod, a One Knocker or Rattling Spook. About all it takes is for me to see a mullet jump or flee in a manner inconsistent with normal “joy” jumping. If the topwater doesn’t produce I am throwing plastics and you can bet it will be a 4-inch paddle tail or a Ball Tail Shad. The color depends on the clarity of water but as of recent Olive Red Metal Flake/Chartreuse Tail and Honey Gold/Chartreuse have been steady producers. The hot Ball Tails have been Bone Diamond, Mansfield Margarita, Sand and Natural Two-Tone/Chartreuse. We are using these baits on 1/16 or 1/8 jigheads depending on the depth of water and wind. In closing I want to express how important it is to release those bigger trout. Any who are friends with me on Facebook see how often we release those big fish. Clients typically do not post or follow-up on social media of the actual release, they may only comment on the catch. But let me tell you, they love the thrill and accomplishment of the release, too. Be safe out there and courteous to your fellow anglers. TSFMAG.com | 85
Capt. Ernest cisneros
SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene A rr oyo C olorado t o Port I sabel
A Brownsville-area native, Capt. Ernest Cisneros fishes the Lower Laguna Madre from Port Mansfield to Port Isabel. Ernest specializes in wading and poled skiff adventures for snook, trout, and redfish.
Cell 956-266-6454 Website www.tightlinescharters.com
Looking back on the past eleven months, I must say One of the ladies called to me that it felt like that 2016 has been very good on the Lower Laguna. something was wrapped around her ankle and We enjoyed excellent trout fishing with many something heavy was on top of her foot. Thinking she career-best catches, including an 11-pounder for yours was wrapped in a ball of fishing line and grass, I yelled truly. Snook rebounded notably after several slow back, “Lift your foot and kick it off.” She was okay at first years. My summer snook charters began with multiple but soon said something was pricking her foot with 30-plus and longer per charter in the early weeks, and every step. I checked it out and to my surprise she had total numbers landed beat the three previous years combined. Flounder action continues to be outstanding. Redfish pulled a disappearing act from mid-summer until early-fall but they came back like gangbusters. A word of caution for wading anglers – stingrays are thicker than I can recall. I fished three ladies recently, two of whom had no prior wading experience. I handed each of them ForEverlast Ray Guard Shields and took extra care with Lucky for Letty Scheiber, she was the inexperienced ladies to explain wearing ForEverlast Ray Guard Shields. The strike was deflected shuffling their feet. The day started and the barb ended up tangled slow but picked up mid-morning and harmlessly in the fabric of her sock. everybody was catching fish.
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86 | December 2016
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Didn’t take long for Letty Scheiber and Celina Martinez to forget about stingrays and land these redfish.
a stingray barb stuck in her sock. Luckily the Ray Guards deflected the hit and prevented the barb from penetrating. When the shock wore off she was back in the water catching fish. Redfish have been taking topwaters aggressively, throughout the day on many charters. Water temps have been running 71 to 80⁰ which likely contributes to aggressive feeding. Presently, good numbers of reds can be found on sand-grass bottom east of the ICW and on inundated grass flats and shorelines of the west side. Grass lines and potholes have been and should continue to hold redfish through December. They may retreat to nearby deeper water following a norther but should return to normal haunts shortly thereafter. A variety of lures have been working; Spook Jr., Bagley spoons, and K-Wiggler Ball Tail Shad in plum-chartreuse and bone diamond. Seems we are catching trout everywhere we wade. Already we are catching big trout and we haven’t even entered what I call “big trout” season. Trout have been very plentiful for several years and of course we find lots of short ones. Lots of fishermen crow about releasing big trout but I want to remind everybody that small fish deserve the same careful handling as they are the future of the fishery. Heading into December, I do not expect to see a major change in trout patterns, except for possibly a few days when a strong norther reaches the coast. Even at that, I expect recovery to normal patterns will occur with 48 hours or less. Gearing up for larger trout toward the end of the month, our go-to baits will be the faithful K-Wiggler Ball Tails, MirrOlure’s Paul Brown Original and Fat Boy and, of course, topwaters any day that conditions suggest they might work. You’re not going to believe the irony of this next bit. I took a day off following the ladies’ trip for an on-the-water fishing-and-photo shoot. This article was half-written and already I had mentioned the stingray incident. Well, I ended up lending out my Ray Guards and guess what…a stingray nailed me. I’m doing fine and recovery has been speedy but the memory of the pain when that ray left its barb in my foot will stay with me forever. Wear your ForEverlast Ray Guard Shields! On a better note, the catch and release program I offer has been named Empty Stringers and I am very pleased to have Capt. Wayne Davis jumping onboard. Wayne and I share the belief that it is time to give back to the Laguna Madre for the future of the fishery. In a nutshell, participating in Empty Stringers means releasing all fish caught on a charter. At the end of the day you will select one of three gifts for each angler onboard. Along with the gift, you will register for a free full-day charter for two anglers, winner to be drawn at the Houston Fishing Show in March. Winner will also receive two FTU rods, two pairs of Costa sunglasses and K-Wiggler lures for your trip. Since introducing Empty Stringers ten months ago, I am pleased to announce that we have released 739 fish that would have ordinarily gone to the fillet table. My sincere thanks to the clients who have participated and the sponsors who make it possible – Fishing Tackle Unlimited, Shallow Sport Boats, Simms, Costa del Mar and K-Wiggler. TSFMAG.com | 87
FISHING REPORTS
Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 Since the rains have stopped and we haven’t had a trace for the past 40 days, the water conditions are near perfect for targeting big trout on the flats. With water temperatures falling, all the algae should dissipate and leave us with gin-clear water and high salinity. Larger trout will be found holding on flats near the Calcasieu Ship Channel, in Turner’s Bay area, at Commissary Point and Long Point. There will still be plenty of school trout and reds around under birds if you’re looking for lots of action and some to take home for dinner. Reds should be schooled up in December and tailing in the marshes adjacent to the lake. They can also be found lurking along the edges of the lake and at the weirs. If you like to fly-fish for reds, now is the time to get out there. They are easily spotted tailing in our many miles of marshes. Flounder will still be around as well. They will be found at the mouths of bayous and in the channel. December is a favorite month of mine since the boat traffic on the lake is slow and the fishing is excellent. Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James says the fishing in Galveston area bays has been decent lately, with a variety of patterns working, and it should improve in December. “We’ve had a decent topwater bite at times, mostly on pink SheDogs
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88 | December 2016
ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica
AND
and similar bright ones. They have been working best mostly early in the mornings. On some days, when the water is pretty clear, the bite on 51 and 52M MirrOlures has been decent too. We are making kind of a simple presentation, basically just reeling them in slowly and not doing much with the rod tip. Soft plastics have been working better for the most part though, especially when we’re seeing fresh slicks popping and need to throw right at a specific spot. Most of our fishing on recent trips has been done out of the boat, but I’ll be looking to wade more of the time come December. My favorite time of year for catching all kinds of fish, trout, big trout, redfish, flounder....is from the middle of November to the middle of December. Once we get some cooler weather and the tide dumps out, we’ll see what we get!” Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 “We’ve got wall to wall birds working over much of East Bay on some days lately,” Jim says. “We’re catching lots of small trout, even up to 100 or more on the easiest days, but the percentage of keepers is kinda low. On some days, we’re getting limits of trout fairly easily, but on other days, we are culling through lots of dinks for a few keepers. We have small trout in other places too, like in the marshes, bayous and drains. A few holding on area shorelines, but really no sign of the bigger trout. The redfish thing has been a bit easier. You can catch limits pretty easy, if you are willing to chase them around the marshes. In there, we’re
catching best on topwaters, but in the bayous and drains and under the birds, soft plastics are working better. All of this should change with the colder weather. It will be ‘Katy bar the door’ by December. I’ll be taking advantage of the fishing about half the time by then, and spending the other half of my time hunkered down in the blinds, hunting ducks. It’s that time of year again.” West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Randall says high tides and marginal water clarity have him targeting redfish with live shrimp and cut bait on many recent outings. “We try to take advantage of the scent of live or cut bait when the water gets offcolor like this. We’re catching decent numbers of redfish by using such tactics, not wading much, with these high tides. When we are targeting trout, we’ve been throwing Norton Sand Eels in trick or treat color pattern, rigged on quarter-ounce heads. The best topwater action, and it has been pretty good at times, has been on the chrome/orange/blue Skitterwalk. Mostly, we’ve been anticipating the onset of the shrimp migration, but we’ve seen just a trickle so far. By the time this report hits the shelves, though, we will likely have had a strong front, or several. Once the cold north winds start coming with regularity, the water in the marshes will drain out, and we’ll have an autumn feast happening before our eyes. Trout and reds will gather in schools to hunt the migrating shrimp, and the gulls will hover over the scene.” Matagorda | Charlie Paradoski Bay Guide Service - 713.725.2401 Charlie predicts a strong run of catching once the weather cools down a bit, which can easily happen in December, and often does. “Both our bays are full of fish right now, and the Colorado River is too. We are catching
lots of fish on recent trips, mostly trout in the pound and a half to three pound range. The tides are really high, so we’re catching best either by wading tight to the shorelines, of fishing out of the boat. Both topwaters and soft plastics have been working well at times, depending on the weather and the how hungry the fish are. Once we get some stronger fronts, the tide levels and water temps will move downward, pushing fish into more predictable places. In particular, I mean the bigger trout. Most every day, I and other people are catching trout over thirty inches, but we aren’t seeing schools of fish that size, because they are scattered out. Once the fronts hit, the big fish will show up in numbers in some places, and the shrimp will be forced from the marshes and back lakes, creating a good numbers bite under birds.” Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 We are still fishing summer-like patterns with these warmer temperatures and not really in full-scale fall mode yet. Winter patterns may be delayed as well, if things don’t change. Fishing has still been fantastic this fall, with schooling reds, trout under birds, and flounder in drains. Redfish numbers continue to amaze me, as we are still hammering them on area shorelines where we find them pushing shrimp. VuDu shrimp in natural color and Egret Cajun pepper Bayou Chubs have been hot. Trout have been thick in East/South Bay under birds with Egret Mambo Mullets in pearl/chartreuse accounting for best bites. December is one of the best months for big trout in the Palacios area, when and if it gets colder. The harbor holds some deep holes with some flats on it that produce some good fish, along with the flats around the mouth of the Tres Palacios River. Cajun Pepper Mambo Mullets along with Paul Brown FatBoys are hard for the big gals to
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turn down. As always in the winter time, find the bait and moving tide and fish will be close by. Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 Lynn hopes to be fully switched over to a winter-like pattern by December. “Right now, we’ve been catching more redfish than trout, when we’re fishing area shorelines. The trout are hanging out on the shell reefs lately, close to the deep water, coming up on the shell when they’re hungry. This will continue to be the pattern if it’s warm in December, but if it’s cold like usual, we’ll try different tactics. Normally, at the end of the year, I like to fish flats with lots of grass and soft, dark, muddy bottom close to drop offs adjacent to deep water. We’ll target the bigger trout in places like those, throwing slow-sinking plugs like Paul Brown Lures and other MirrOlure products like the Catch 2000s, Catch 5s, SoftDines and MirrOdines, working them low and slow. Soft plastics produce more bites at times, but the big trout seem to like lures which look like little fish better. Often, we don’t leave the dock at daylight, waiting for the sun to get higher and warm the flats. We’ll leave the dock at 9 or 10 o’clock most days, and fish the warmth of the afternoon.” Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Blake will still be running cast and blast outings in December. “We had an easy limit of ducks today. Dove hunting has also been good. The pea fields are getting right just now, so that should make for good hunting. Both those seasons should be really productive. When fishing, I’ll be targeting redfish in some of the deeper troughs in the back lakes, and of course fishing around the mouths of drains leading from the lakes into the main bays. We’ll be wading the shorelines at times, during milder weather spells. I like to target both trout and redfish with topwaters
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when the weather is right, but will also use Norton Sand Eels in dark colors with chartreuse tails on just about every outing. In the colder weather, I like to switch over to throwing the chartreuse Gulp! splittail shads, which work great to get the attention of redfish in those conditions. Overall, I expect productve and fun outings to continue right through to the end of the year. We have lots of fish and birds around right now, and the prospects look great.” Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 Except for duck hunters, it’s quiet on the Laguna during December. So far, the weather has been pretty mild, and the fish have not gone into the deeper water yet. The trout are still in about three to four feet of water early in the mornings, but they have been moving up into shallower water by late morning hours. When feeding, they are very aggressive trying to fatten themselves for the colder part of the winter. I’m targeting areas with dark grass and potholes with gravel and sand bottoms. I will start with chartreuse dog, salt & pepper silver phantom/chartreuse or plum/chartreuse Bass Assassin Die Dappers rigged on eighth-ounce Assassin Screw Lock jigheads early, then switch to a sixteenth-ounce as the day warms the water and the trout move into the shallows. If there is brown tide where I’m fishing, I’ll attach the lures to a Bass Assassin Kwik Kork. The chartreuse, shrimp-flavored Fish Bites will continue to produce reds, black drum and some trout on flats with clear water less than twelve inches deep on sunny days. Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 December outings on the Upper Laguna Madre and in Corpus Christi Bay often place anglers in a quiet place, far from the crowds of summer. “December can be a great month for fishing the Corpus Christi area,” Joe says. “Deer, duck and dove seasons pull lots of people away from the
water for a while, and things get quiet. When small numbers of people hit the water, and the water holds good clarity, sight-casting opportunities become more frequent. Typically, in winter, we are able to sight-cast for trout and redfish in water less than knee-deep during warming trends between fronts, when the sun comes out. On the colder days, with heavy cloud cover, we catch more fish by targeting the ledges lying along the ICW and channels leading from it out into the shallower flats. When fishing that pattern, adjusting jighead size to match the current and wind speeds is key. With high wind and current, heavier jigheads allow for maintaining contact with the edge of the channel. Less wind and current make make lighter jigheads work better.” P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins Wacky surf conditions continue as Indian Summer lingers. Water temps are running above normal, delaying migrations. Good news is we will likely see a run of jackfish in early December. Oversized redfish should also be abundant early month with mullet present. Using live or dead mullet could result in a variety of species: red drum, jack crevalle, shark, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel. Having barely avoided the red tide curse, expect good pompano action starting this month. Pompano are easy on Fishbites and fresh-peeled shrimp. Keeper and oversized black drum and whiting should also be present. Million-dollar question is whether it will stay warm enough for the fish to hang around until year’s end. Winter trout fishing may be prime on calm/clear days around structure and suckouts. Sharks will be available - blacktip, bull, and sandbar, and will bite mullet not longer than 12 inches. Target second and third days after fronts. Northers can cause water to rise, and beach driving will improve as the tides recede. Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 This month will be all about fishing between fronts. Pay careful attention to weather developments if you decide to go the day of the front. Last thing you want is to get caught out there. Things can get real nasty real quick down here on the Lower Laguna. A couple of days before or a couple days afterward is your best bet. Look for bait moving. Everybody knows about birds wheeling and diving, but birds resting on the shoreline or sitting on the water are also good signs. Bait gets very sluggish in cold water, so keep your eyes peeled for even the slightest signs. Post-front, with low water level, you will want to target areas alongside deeper guts and channels, since that’s where the fish weather the storm. Old oilfield cuts and ICW spoils are both excellent. Quite often a cold-water bite will be barely a tap, or maybe the line begins to feel slightly heavy. Set the hook! On warmer and calmer days, you might get them on top, but Paul Brown Devil, FatBoy or K-Wiggler Ball Tail are better all-around bets. Once you find the depth and speed…stick with it! Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 The coming winter months will hopefully bring relief from summer-like, sunny days with unseasonably high temperatures. We continue to catch occasional flounder, and although reds have been spotty, we’ve managed to limit almost every trip, throwing FP3 corks with Berkley Gulp! Live threeinch shrimp on a sixteenth-ounce Hogie spring-lock jighead under a thirtypound Cajun Red monofilament leader. Freddy says. “When using braided line to get a good hard pop on your FP3, it’s best to use a leader above the cork as well as below. This will provide some stretch between the line and the swivel to keep the braid from tangling around the top of the rig. There are several knots that will almost seamlessly join braid and mono.” The water levels have been very high even when the tide is out, making it more difficult to drive the beach to the Mansfield Cut to get in on the large school of spawning reds. This is a great time of year for surf fishing, especially with the mild weather so far this fall. Stop open bay dredge disposal!
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TSFMAG.com | 91
Jonathan King Galveston - 43” 45 lb amberjack
Hilary Reyes - Copano Bay Bridge 40 lb personal best fish!
Andrew Sohrt Matagorda shoreline
Ann Smith Bobby Martin Bastrop Bay - 24” first keeper red Galveston - 25” speckled trout
Jason Willert black drum CPR 92 | December 2016
Benito Perez, Sr. 23” trout
Gonzalo (Gonz) Cantu Christmas Bay - 23” redfish
Alicia Little - 6 lb trout Baffin Classic Fishing Tournament
Vicki Burges Chocolate Bayou - personal best!
Ethan Myers 54.75” redfish
Angie Embrey Surfside Jetty - first fish!
Karisa Fuller Galveston Bay - 28” redfish
Scott Blanchard Aransas Pass - 27.5” red drum
Nicci Haggerty Matagorda - 40” 28.75 lb jack crevalle
TSFMag
Catch of the Month &
Silverstar Fishing Jewelry
Photo Contest Sponsored by
Ivan L. Flecha Laguna Madre - 38” 25 lb black drum
Nick Emmert Seadrift - 26” redfish
Since the November 2015 issue, Silverstar Fishing Jewelry has been sponsoring a monthly photo contest. Winners receive a beautiful 1-inch diameter customdesigned sterling silver pendant that looks great worn on a neck-chain. Contest Rules Dominick Pugh Freeport - 25” redfish
Ashley Martindale Rockport - 24” speckled trout
1. Only current magazine subscribers, their dependents, and members of household are eligible to win. 2. One winner each month selected by TSFMag for photo quality and content. 3. Single-fish photos only, please. We do not publish multiple-fish images or stringer shots. Photos are judged for display of sporting ethics and conservation. 4. Send entries to photos@tsfmag.com **Photo entries must be submitted electronically— prints cannot be accepted. All images submitted to Catch of the Month become property of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.
DECEMBER WINNER
Cesar Pulido Pleasure Island - 41” personal best redfish!
Josh Smith Bastrop Bay - 23” redfish
Johnny Walbrick 28” 9+lb personal best speck! CPR
David Cadena 22” personal best trout!
Lisa & Hannah Majzlik
24” personal best sheepshead! TSFMAG.com | 93
Pam Johnson
Gulf Coast
Got ideas, hints or recipes you’d like to share? Email them to pam@tsfmag.com or send by fax: 361-785-2844
Blue Crab Casserole
I want to thank June Westling of Port O’Connor for sharing this wonderful recipe.
INGREDIENTS
PREPARATION
1 lb. fresh lump blue crab meat
1. Spray two-quart baking dish with canola oil and set aside.
2 Tbsp. olive oil 1/2 cup each chopped fine - onion, celery, bell peppers, green onion 1 egg 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2. In sauce pan, heat olive oil add onion, celery, bell pepper and green onion. Sauté until lightly tender. 3. In a large bowl combine lemon juice, Old Bay, lemon pepper, bread crumbs,
2 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning 1 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs 1 tsp. fresh minced garlic 1 tsp black pepper 1/4 cup melted butter Topping - 1 cup Panko crumbs
94 | December 2016
For smaller crab cakes, try baking in a muffin pan!
garlic, melted butter and pepper. Add sauté vegetables and mix. Gently fold in lump blue crab. 4. Place in baking dish and pat down. Sprinkle with Panko crumbs, spray top with cooking spray and bake at 350⁰ for 25 mins. Broil for a few minutes or until lightly brown. Enjoy!
©JASON ARNOLD
IF WE SAVE THE SEAGRASS,
WE SAVE THE FISH. Seagrass is critical to good fishing. Marine organisms depend on it for survival—for food, shelter, and oxygen. But boat propellers are destroying Texas seagrass, which is seriously impacting saltwater fishing in the coastal shallows. When boaters do not lift their propeller in shallow water, the prop cuts and uproots the seagrass beds—leaving long barren trenches or “scars” that may take years to heal ... if ever.
Stop Prop Scarring – Lift, Drift, Pole, Troll
It is ILLEGAL in Texas to uproot seagrass with a propeller. Avoid damaging seagrass – lift your prop! When in shallow waters, lift your motor and drift, pole, or troll through it. After all, there’s nothing like a redfish on light tackle in shallow water. Let’s keep it that way!
For more information visit:
www.tpwd.texas.gov/seagrass
PROP SCARS
CHRIS MAPP
B OAT MAIN T ENAN C E T I P S
Avoiding a potentially dangerous trap What happens when you raise a 600-pound outboard engine six inches on a jackplate at 50-plus miles per hour…in open water with wind and plenty of chop? The answer is alarming. Outboard engines are becoming more powerful with the introduction of every new model and boat builders are equally creative in delivering hull designs to run faster, shallower, and jump on plane quicker. There is however a potentially serious price to pay as these marvels of engineering become increasingly prevalent in bay boats. Let us help you avoid this costly and potentially dangerous trap. Outboard manufacturers have been working overtime to give the boating public more horsepower and greater versatility. The problem arises when outboard engine weight and horsepower, combined with sleeker and more efficient hulls, are operated to levels that place excessive stress on transom and jackplate fasteners, and sometimes even upper motor mounts. Chris Mapp, owner of Coastal Bend Marine. Evinrude, Suzuki, Yamaha, Mercury, Honda, BlueWave, SilverWave, Shallow Stalker Boats, Coastline Trailers, Minnkota & Motor Guide Trolling Motors. Great Service, Parts & Sales “What can we do for you?”
The costly and potentially dangerous trap of transom bolt failure can be avoided through better boating and trailering practices. Running the jackplate lower at high speeds in deep, choppy water is one way. Trailering with the jackplate lowered or with a transom saver device is another.
96 | December 2016
The transom mounting hardware in high-horsepower applications should be only as specified by the engine and boat builders – no exceptions! We recommend fine-thread bolts of minimum half-inch diameter, compliant with manufacturer’s specs. Transom plate washers are also a must as they spread loads across a greater surface area to increase the integrity of engine installation. Wood is no longer common in transom construction but modern composite layups, like wood, can be crushed and dangerously weakened should over-torqueing of transom bolts occur. Always follow manufacturers instruction carefully…and use a torque wrench. Better still, take it to your dealer. Keeping track of transom and jackplate mounting hardware, to detect any loose connections (bolt stretch is one of the primary causes), is recommended every 100 operating hours as part of your annual service and routine maintenance plan. Visual inspection every time you clean the boat is also recommended. Many boat owners may be unaware but transom damage and transom fastener failure can also occur on the highway. Always lower your jackplate when preparing to trailer your boat. When the engine is raised on the jackplate, normal bump-in-the-road stresses are amplified significantly. An even better plan is to invest in a transom saver device. Another consequence of high-horsepower—higher-speed operation in choppy water conditions that we have noticed lately is the degradation and eventual failure of traditional T-Top mounting hardware. This problem is accelerated as LED light bars and other accessories are attached high upon the T-Top. Visual inspection of T-Top mounting hardware during boat cleaning is highly recommended. We recommend consulting your boat dealer or T-Top manufacturer before adding light bars and other accessories. Have a safe winter boating season and Happy Holidays! Chris Mapp Coastal Bend Marine | Port O’Connor, TX 361-983-4841 | CoastalBendMarine.com
An egg-shaped sinker is threaded onto the line, while other styles can be attached via snap swivel slide. A slide can be made onto the leader with plastic beads on either side. The beads offer some protection to the knots on either end and keeps the slide from traveling past these stops. Personally, I like to limit the terminal gear expense and bulk by using a Double Uni-Knot when connecting the 12 and 24-inch leader lengths together. Single Drop Rig- This rig is designed to be fished vertically with minimal tangles and very effective when dropping around hard structure such as jetty rocks, wrecks or gulf platforms. By dropping this leader straight down without casting there is less chance of becoming snagged. Casted rigs often have slack line trailing due to the increased angle that aids in snagging hard structure. Inshore I typically use 30 and 40-lb mono and for offshore 60 and 80-lb work well. I start the leader by tying an 8-inch dropper loop in the leader with tags, the tag ends approximately 24-inches on each side of the loop. On one of the tag ends I attach an appropriate crane swivel and the other a bank sinker. The sinker is heavy enough to hold bottom according to depth and current speed. Once the leader knots are snugged tightly, the hook is attached to the dropper loop via an Offshore Swivel Knot. This loop stands away from the main leader which is great for bait presentation and reduces tangles. The knot on the hook pulls down tight and assists in forming a doublelined stand-off for increased abrasion resistance in structure and from toothy fishes. Suspending Rig- I came up with this rig this summer out of
necessity. Many times, while fishing offshore platforms and jetties, cobia would be seen cruising the structure, making one pass under the boat and never returning. Usually, there was not a bait in the water at 6 to 8-foot below the surface to get their attention, so they were never hooked. At first I tried a couple of different heavy leadhead jig hooks, broke one and straightened the other on hookup. I made this rig with a #3 crane swivel on one end of 60-lb mono and a loop knot 48 inches away on the other. On the loop knot I placed a Mustad O’Shaughnessy 9174 6/O hook with 3/4-ounce egg sinker below. I could keep a live croaker dangled below my hull on a slow-action fiberglass rod with 30-lb mono main line from a rod holder. While dropping for red snapper, cobia hit this rig on their first pass under the boat and we caught several that we did not see cruising. I hope these leader rigs and explanation of how I fish them helps put fish in your boat. Being on the water many days allows me the chance to fine tune presentations and experiment until satisfaction is achieved. I learn something new, good or bad, each time I leave the dock. Merry Christmas to you and yours! -Curtiss.
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Capt. Curtiss Cash offers charters in the Port O’Connor area; specializing in fishing the bays, passes, jetties, surf and nearshore waters. Species targeted include speckled trout, redfish, flounder, tripletail, black drum, bull reds, sharks, snapper, kingfish, ling and tarpon, when seasonally available. Phone
361-564-7032
texas saltwater fishing holes matagorda to corpus M ATA G O R D A B AY Speckled Trout / Redfish
USCG Licensed Captain Stan Sloan
832.693.4292 www.fishfcc.com
• Bay Fishing, Offshore, Floundering, Waterfowl, Dove • Night Fishing off Lighted Pier • Right On The Water • Lodging with/without Meals www.matagordasunriselodge.com 979-241-1705 TSFMAG.com | 97
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and let it keep the hook. The shark would survive and I would get most of my gear back. Things were going smoothly as I pulled up the leader and removed the large surf weight. I then collected and untangled a great amount of line so as not to get wrapped up when I released the hook drop. The line had been cut roughly one hundred yards or more from the leader. Much of the line was in a ball with some wrapped around the leader. The rest of the line was trailing behind. Aboard the kayak I cut through dozens of knots and tangles in the 200-lb spectra braid, freeing the mess. Unknown to me, my actions during the next 15 seconds would dictate whether I would live or die. The large shark surfaced as I was handling the tangled line. No tiger, I was facing a massive and rare dusky shark around the 10-foot mark and several hundred pounds. Continuing to cut line, the shark dove back down, probably in attempt to escape. With the leader in the hand I was using to cut the line, my other hand held the tangled mess already collected. As the shark started swimming off at an alarming speed, I had to drop the leader/float to give it slack. When doing that, I still had line wrapped around my hand which I was trying to dump as well. As the shark sped off, the braided line compressed and cinched tightly around my fingers. The line was tightening dangerously as I managed to free myself finger by finger. The last few wraps on my pinky could not be freed. The shark was now swimming hard, dragging me in the kayak, by my finger. With the kayak bobbing violently all I could think about was laying back as flat as possible to avoid being pulled overboard. After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few seconds, I hear a loud pop as the kayak lunged for the last time. Gaining composure, I looked at my hand and the line had completely cut the end of my finger off, through bone and all. By nothing short of a miracle, I had escaped death. Had I been wearing gloves the line would not have cut through and I would have surely been pulled over and drowned. Had I not laid flat on the kayak and held on with every ounce of desire to live, I would have been pulled over and drowned. I took a quick last look at the float disappearing offshore, and despite a part of me that wanted to continue the chase I knew I needed immediate medical attention. I worked my way inshore and finally hit the beach. I wrapped my hand as I related the harrowing tale to my buddy. We organized gear and packed up quickly. The surgeon recommended removing my finger at the knuckle but I opted out in hope of a natural healing. Fortunate to say I have healed quite well. I became the luckiest person in the world that day and because of it I think twice about getting in the kayak for any reason. Always put safety first, you never know when it may be your last chance!
Science and the
Sea
A Contagious Cancer for Clams Cancer isn’t generally contagious, but the leukemia ravaging some soft shell clam populations on the East Coast has broken that rule. Scientists recently discovered that the cancer cells killing soft shell clams in New York, Maine and Canada’s Prince Edward Island are all clones of one another.
Soft shell clams about to be checked for the presence of cancer cells. Credit: Michael J. Metzger In these three areas, the tumors have a nearly identical set of genes, but the genetic makeup of the tumors doesn’t match the genes of the clams themselves. This discovery means that the cancerous cells did not develop on their own within each sick clam. Instead, the tumor cells infecting one clam at one location spread to all the others. Until now, scientists didn’t know what caused this cancer, and they still don’t know how the first clam developed it or how it travels through the water and infects other clams. One possibility is that it happens as clams filter water when they feed. Previously, the only two types of cancer known to be contagious were a sexually transmitted cancer in dogs and a face cancer in Tasmanian devils that is passed along with a bite. Each of these, though, requires direct contact, and soft shell clams don’t typically come into contact with one another. Now, the study’s researchers suspect infectious cancer among animals is more common than originally thought. This finding has only raised more questions. Are other cancers contagious through sea water? How far can the cancer cells travel? Can this specific leukemia infect other types of clams or mollusks? This may be a scary finding, but the upside is that finding answers to cancer in clams may lead to breakthroughs for treating human cancer as well.
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
98 | December 2016
oz@oceanepics.com extremecoast.com | oceanepics.com | kayakwars.com
TM
www.ScienceAndTheSea.org © The University of Texas Marine Science Institute
texas saltwater fishing holes
TROUT REDFISH FLOUNDER
Wade & Drifting the Back Bays & Surf
Capt. Lynn Smith’s Back Bay Guide Service Port O’Connor Area
Call 361.983.4434 (cell 361.935.6833) Email lynn@tisd.net (tswf.com/lynnsmith)
corpus to port isabel
Galveston
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TSFMAG.com | 99
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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 coincide 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 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
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