December 2022

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TPW COMMISSION STEPS UP TO CONSERVE OYSTERS

You may have noticed numerous articles recently discussing oysters in this magazine. If you haven’t, it is also likely you are not well informed of the important contributions oyster reefs make toward the health and productivity of Texas bays.

Oysters feed by straining nutrients from the water they live in. An adult oyster can filter 50 gallons of water each day; critical to the maintenance of water clarity, which helps seagrasses thrive, among other benefits.

Oysters provide habitat for larval and juvenile finfish, and a host of other recreationally and commercially important species – speckled trout, red drum, shrimp and crabs.

Oyster reefs hold bottom sediments in place by redirecting storm and tidal currents. Reefs also help prevent shoreline erosion.

So, while everybody is aware that oysters are an exceptional seafood delicacy, and who doesn’t enjoy them fried or on the half-shell, it also important to recognize that the supply is not endless.

Oysters once thrived in many places along the

Oysters, you see, are unique in that they make their own habitat, habitat that is also highly beneficial to a host of other species, not to mention all the other ecological services they contribute. As the fisheries on other coasts declined, and the demand for oysters continued to grow, Texas oysters became increasingly popular, and not just in Texas.

The Galveston Bay System historically provided more oysters than all Texas bays combined. But then came Hurricane Ike – 80% of Galveston’s reefs were buried in silt, and the reefs died. But the demand remained high.

So, the commercial harvesters moved south, to Matagorda, San Antonio, and the Aransas bays. But, it didn’t take long until these reefs were worked beyond a sustainable level. And that’s what all the articles we’ve been publishing were about.

Last year’s six month oyster season was curtailed after only a couple months in most bays due to lack of abundance, and only a few areas within Texas bays met TPWD’s abundance criteria for re-opening this year.

On November 3, 2022, after much study and consultation with leading marine scientists and the oyster industry, the TPW Commission took a bold step toward conserving Texas oysters by approving the permanent closure of oyster harvest in the Ayres-Mesquite-Carlos region of the Aransas Bay System.

While a bitter pill for the oyster industry and a disappointment to oyster lovers, it comes down to this – We either conserve what we still have or risk

Ashley Manuel was able to catch a nice trout on a limetreuse Bass Assassin while casting along a shell ledge near deep water.

Factors Influencing December Fishing

STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN

“S

o I guess you probably take off during the winter?” This is a question I get often from folks; many people associate good fishing with summertime. I’ve even heard some people declare “It’s fishing season!” upon the onset of warmer weather during late spring / early summer. In reality, I would say that winter fishing is better by a fair margin, not only for numbers but also for better quality. This seems especially true for early winter. I guess this is why December has become one of my favorite months to fish for trout in Galveston and East Matagorda Bays.

Some of my most memorable trips have been during this time of year. One such trip is when my good friend, Jake White, teamed up with me to fish the Specktacular Trout Tournament on the chilly morning of December 9, 2006. While there are many above average days that come to mind, this day on the water seems to stand out more than others, not only because I was fishing with a good buddy and it was during a tournament, but the big trout and redfish bite we experienced that day may never happen for us again. It was truly an epic day!

As astute anglers I believe we should always want to know the reasons for great catching days. Likewise, we need to also evaluate the factors that we think contributed to fishing trips that didn’t quite measure up to our standards. Understanding all of the moving parts that were involved in producing the end results is a major leap for any willing angler trying to reach the pinnacle of being an exceptional fisherman as opposed to just being average. It’s what separates those who just look at a calendar from those who are willing to match every piece of the jigsaw puzzle until each one snaps into place perfectly. So let’s walk through the influencing factors leading up to that exceptional day of fishing.

December water temperatures in Galveston Bay typically range from the mid50s to upwards of 62°. On December 9, 2006 the air temperature was 45° and the water temperature was 47°. We had a somewhat below average amount of rainfall for the first six months of that year and then July through October helped

us get back on track towards our normal average of about 51 inches annually (Galveston). October alone dumped almost 12 inches of rain on Galveston. November was very dry but the cold fronts started coming the first week and continued at least weekly throughout the entire month. Most of these fronts brought strong northwest winds which provided a good flushing of the estuaries with each passage. December started out the same with a big front to start the month, then another that pushed through on December 8. This particularly cold blast came one week after an arctic front had dropped air temperatures down into the low-30s and surface water temperatures down to the upper-30s. Excessive rainfall during the month of October that year helped accelerate the exodus of white shrimp and other forage species out of the rivers, marshes and back lakes. In addition, trout temporarily sought higher salinities in the lower reaches of Galveston Bay proper as well as West Galveston Bay. Not only did earlier than usual strong cold fronts continue to drop water temperatures but the heavy concentrations of predator fish and baitfish (and shrimp) that were already in place because of salinity changes became concentrated even more as water temperatures dropped. These stronger fronts brought high northwest winds causing tide levels to drop. This further concentrated fish into mud and shell guts near deep water.

Jake and I stuck the Power Pole where we could cast into a shallow gut that had carved its way through a small break in a reef through the years due to tide and wind driven current. This gut through which the current flowed was just less than 3 feet deep but got deeper

as it fanned across a shell flat that intersected with a deep area of about 7 feet lined with oysters and mud. The tide had gotten very low from the front the day before and now the wind had switched from northwest to northeast at about 15 mph, which meant the tide was screaming back in, adding yet another favorable element.

I’ve mentioned abrupt changes in water clarity or color streaks countless times through the years and how they can be exceptional focal points, especially during the colder months. Well, this was the

Tom Dixon was able to trick a few reds and trout while chunking Bass Assassins to active bait near a bayou mouth.

Matt Byrd and Brian Castille always have a great time regardless of what they’re catching. The weather cooperated on this particular day, and they caught lots of trout and giant reds.

One of many big trout that Jake White caught on that cold December morning 16 years ago!

epitome of the perfect color streak. The cobalt blue post-front sky allowed the mid-morning sun to beam down causing this muddy streak to absorb sunlight providing warmth and temporary refuge for nearby mullet. They weren’t necessarily flipping out of the water because of the extreme cold water temperature but we could see plenty of swirls in and along the well-defined edges of the streak. We alternated back and forth between MirrOlure Catch 2000s and Paul Brown Original Corkys. The wind and tide were opposite one another which is about the best set-up we could ask for because the fish were facing into the current and the wind was quartering at our backs. For more than an hour we caught trout to 27 inches and redfish to 30 inches by casting up-current and letting the tide bring our plugs along the transition from clear water to turbid water. Sometimes our baits would get violently slammed at the top of the gut in 2 1/2 feet of water while other times we’d get hammered at the end of the trough before it dropped off along the nearby deep 7 foot ledge. Between the trout and reds we caught over 70 fish with very few of the trout weighing less than 4 pounds. Most of the reds were in the upper slot range. We won 2nd place in the tourney and also were able to take home a healthy Calcutta pot. It was an incredible day of fishing created by a plethora of factors that culminated over weeks and months to ultimately come together to create the perfect storm.

As of the timing of this writing (late October) things seem to be shaping up quite differently compared to the events leading up to December of 2006. Our bay-wide salinities are above average as we haven’t had any substantial rainfall in our local watershed and river flows are way down. The Trinity River at the Lake Livingston Dam is

currently flowing at around 1,500 cubic feet per second. With only two months left before the end of the year Galveston is still almost 25 inches shy of achieving its annual average rainfall. We’ve only had a few weak fronts, so bay water surface temperatures are still ranging in the low to mid-70s. We’re actually still catching trout and redfish drifting open-bay reefs while chunking Bass Assassins. Crazy!

Of course a lot can (and probably will) change in the weeks to come but I’m inclined to believe we’re in store for a scenario more closely resembling our most recent drought years (2009-2014) where fish congregated not only near the mouths of rivers, bayous and tributaries, but even further upstream. As of now we haven’t experienced any mass exodus of shrimp or other forage species. One thing is for certain, though. We will get some big cold fronts moving forward. But, if the rains don’t come with them and we only experience water temperature decreases, then that likely means our fish will concentrate even more heavily in those upstream areas mentioned. If this scenario plays out we need to be careful not to lean on those areas too hard. Release as many as we can and don’t sore mouth the same pods of fish every day because we’re going to need them down the road.

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

STEVE HILLMAN

Phone 4 09-256-7937

Email captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com

Web w ww.hillmanguideservice.com

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.

John Williamson was able to get in on some late fall open water redfish action on a rare calm day.

The schools of giant reds provided Justin Catrett with some big pulls!

Patrick Kendrick with a solid speck he tricked recently while drifting live reefs.

PLAYING THE Optimism CARD

STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

Most of the time, an angler abandons a lure, presentation or location when the object, technique or place fails to produce desired results. Altering ineffective tactics and/or leaving an unproductive place makes perfectly logical sense, in most cases. And, when lures and tactics do produce well somewhere, staying put and repeating them seems obviously prudent.

A general life mantra readily applies here–if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. A more anglingspecific one also bears repeating–don’t leave fish to find fish. Anyone who’s spent more than a few days on the water has likely uttered both these truths. But, some truths carry more value than others, and only a few meet the ultimate threshold of absolutes.

In some cases, usually when narrowly defined priorities motivate the angler, fixing a thing that ain’t broke or leaving fish to find fish does make sense. As a guide focused on helping my customers catch the biggest trout of their lives on artificial lures, I can verify this. Early in my career, I recognized the positive potential inherent to changing things when they’re working, when I explored the utility of switching lures during a hot bite.

Then and now, the goal of catching bigger trout motivates this seemingly ironic decision. If plenty of undersized or even solid keeper trout readily bite a soft plastic or small topwater, switching to a larger lure sometimes dissuades the majority of fish within reach and increases the likelihood bigger ones will have an opportunity to strike.

So, the concept of “bigger bait, bigger fish” justifies switching lures when the bite-rate runs high but the size of fish runs small.

Conversely, wise anglers also recognize the necessity of remaining committed to lures, presentations and locations in conditions which cause the bite-rate to run extremely low. Usually during winter, with negative, cold weather in play, standing mostly still and repeatedly dragging a soft plastic slowly across the bottom often provides the only realistic chance of catching a fish. Doing so in a relatively small place with a proven track record of producing big trout in those specific conditions elevates the chances for success.

Frequently changing lures, tactics and locations in really tough conditions might make the angler feel empowered, but doing so often sabotages the chances for success, but switching things up when signals indicate epic potential can make a good thing great. I recall three instances from the past when I decided to leave a situation many would deem productive enough to justify staying put, and reaping the benefits of playing the optimism card.

Shortly after Valentine’s Day, in 2006, under a blanket of dense fog, four clients and I employed topwaters and slow-sinking twitch baits to catch several dozen trout tight to the shoreline of Texas’ most famous ranch as the light of day turned a black world gray. I’d chosen to start on the specific stretch after receiving an encouraging report from my old Troutmasters partner Ari Schwartz the previous evening. He did well during the early-morning wade too, working at first within earshot, later right with us. We shared plenty of laughs and relished the joy of the easy catching, but our biggest trout weighed “only” about six pounds.

Predictably, the bite began to wane when the sun climbed high enough to punch through the pea soup and allow bright shafts to penetrate the stupid-clear shallows. Once the clouds burned off for good, the bite slowed to a crawl, and we all went to the boats. I decided to make a move then, to another stretch of the same shoreline, one with a better layout for the impending bright conditions. Ari stayed put, saying he would give the place a little time to settle down, then make another wade.

“Makes sense,” I said. “But I’m gonna roll the dice, hope for bigger fish. As good as that was, it feels like we can do better. Now I want a

stretch with big potholes a bit farther from the bank.” A couple miles to the south, we embarked on our next wade. Within minutes, we all started catching trout again. I caught at the fastest rate, probing every nook and cranny in a long set of belly-deep potholes breaking up the dark green bottom with a red shad Bass Assassin, pulling fat trout to hand over and over again. Closer to shore, throwing topwaters and twitch baits, my customers caught fewer, but bigger trout, within a few feet of the rotting strands of grass piled up along the bank. When the laughter subsided around noon, we’d managed to land over 50 trout measuring at least five pounds, with several stretching the tape to around 28 inches.

Though we failed to catch a monster, we did turn a fine start into an unforgettable day, by leaving one productive spot to try a mostly similar one with slightly different features. When I encountered Ari at the boat ramp, he reported grinding out a few more fish at the spot where we’d started the day, verifying the wisdom of leaving fish to find fish, at least on that specific day. During April of the next year, similar events unfolded, though the two spots in play shared fewer of the same basic attributes.

The day started with predictably fast and furious catching, on the flat adjacent to the ICW, at the northern end of the Land Cut, at Summer House. I and my clients had been catching and handling lots of trout there for the better part of a month, some meeting or exceeding the seven pound mark. In the week or so prior to the memorable day, the numbers of trout had remained as high as ever, but the percentage of big ones had started to decline.

Captain Kev says he has never known any angler better able to capitalize on optimism than his dear departed friend Jesse Arsola.

Jason King with the biggest trout caught on the December day referenced in the article.

When eleven o’clock came, and we’d already caught well over 100 trout, with none measuring more than 23 inches, I decided to pull the plug and try a new place. On the way to Yarbrough Flats, one of my clients mentioned he’d like to try a spoil bank lying adjacent to the ditch. Without any obviously superior, specific plan, I headed that way. We jumped out and started working north to south, casting our Paul Brown Lures into a steady southeast wind. At an east-facing point on the island, I watched two of my guys catch and measure a pair of big trout, then continue on around the bend.

“That was a mistake,” I told the two guys fishing closer to me. “They should’ve planted their feet longer, after catching those fish.” We walked over to the point and soon caught a couple more trout measuring between 26 and 28 inches. In the end, the five of us caught 15 trout over 25 inches, with several stretching over 28, casting upwind from the rocky spoil and working our twitch baits in from the depths toward the shallows. Those events verified the potential wisdom of playing the optimism card to improve a productive day, also the role luck sometimes plays when good evolves into great.

Serendipity played a less significant role in early-December of 2013, when my friend Jason King and I managed to catch a bunch of big trout around Cathead, at the tail end of a bitter cold snap. With water temperatures climbing in the low-50s, after dipping a few degrees lower, we started at the western tip of the bar, throwing soft plastics around rocks studding the sandy, grassy bottom, where we often find plenty of jumbo trout in such conditions. Predictably, we started catching, but at a fairly slow rate.

The size of the fish concerned me more than the bite-rate; the biggest we caught in the first hour and a half measured just 24 inches. With a brisk north wind still blowing, and scant signs of bait moving around us, I began to wonder if we hadn’t missed the mark when choosing the precise location to make our effort. About then, I caught a faint whiff of watermelon. When I turned to look for the source of the scent, I saw the sheen of two slicks spreading on the surface of the water covering the muddy flat between the rocky bar and the north shoreline of Baffin Bay.

“I’m going to circle around upwind of those slicks,” I told Jason, who nodded while admiring another solid trout he’d just brought to hand. Within minutes of making my way onto the flat, I began earning strikes on my soft plastic. Almost all the fish measured 20 inches or more, but none really met the standards we’d expect to achieve on a day with such ripe potential in a place so famous for producing wall-hanger specks in similar conditions. Once I reached a point on the flat where I could cast to the area from which the slicks originated, I replaced my soft plastic with a black/chartreuse Paul Brown Fat Boy, a lure I’ve always liked working through off-colored water under a thick canopy of clouds.

Almost immediately, I hooked and landed a trout measuring at least 26 inches. I summoned Jason, who soon joined me, and we spent the next two hours or so hooking, landing, measuring and admiring about 20 big trout, one of which stretched the tape to 29 inches.

We caught several others nearly as big. One thing kept the day from stepping across the epic threshold, at least for me―ten other big fish pulled off after I hooked and fought them long enough to perceive the considerable heft of their proportions.

That December day signaled the beginning of the best run of big trout catching I’ve ever experienced, lasting well into 2014. In all three of these cases, I and others reaped the benefits of making a move away from something good, motivated by a search for something great, employing a hopeful mindset. In the last case, we made a relatively short move, on foot, to another part of a spot we had chosen, knowing the prevailing conditions limited our choices significantly. In the first two cases, we made longer moves, using the boat, and changing the patterns and tactics in play more dramatically.

The desire to catch bigger trout motivated all three moves, as did a recognition of the high potential inherent to each of the days. Ironically, these examples verify the positive potential of leaving something good to find something better. Investing in these kinds of decisions doesn’t always work, but playing the optimism card with high expectations and clearly defined goals does sometimes pay handsome dividends.

KEVIN COCHRAN

A black/chartreuse Paul Brown FatBoy works well in cold, murky water under gray skies.

Lamar Lawson is all smiles after wearing down another oversized redfish that he called up with a 4 Horsemen rattling cork.

REDISCOVERING OLD METHODS that still work

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

Iread a quote recently that goes like this, “Without making mistakes, there won’t be lessons learned. Without getting hurt, there won’t be knowledge gained. The only way we grow is by learning from the past.”

I don’t care how you slice it, there is an awful lot of truth in those words and we all could greatly benefit from them if you think about it. Take for instance the world of fishing, we are so dead set on finding or creating new ways to catch fish that we often stray away from tried-and-true patterns that have been proven over time. As the quote states, the only way we grow is learning from the past, and we should remind ourselves from time to time to rediscover some of the older methods and take advantage of them when possible.

A few days ago I found myself with Capt. Johnny Cormier, going back over some of the old methods and patterns that we, for whatever reason, used religiously back in the day but have drifted away from. Many of these reminded us both of days spent on the water with our good friend Dickie Colburn, who, as hard as it is to believe, passed away a year ago. Talk about time flying by. Two of the older patterns that immediately came to mind were used almost religiously in late summer and fall, making long drifts with rattling corks and live shad or soft plastics (and live Carolina-rigged shad), along the breaks in the river and Intracoastal Canal. Not only were these methods incredibly productive, but also very enjoyable given to the laidback atmosphere and social nature of the approach.

For years we lived and died with the original Mansfield Mauler corks and a glow-colored Queen Cocahoe Minnow sweetened with a dab of Smelly Jelly or any of the then-popular spray-on scent attractants. We caught countless numbers of fish in Coffee Ground Cove, the Old Barrel Channel, and scattered shell around the mouth of the Neches River. For some reason it seems we had way more patience in those days and that it was OK to drift a couple hundred yards without a bite. That patience no doubt grew out of the knowledge that when we eventually found a bite or two there would be plenty.

The same could be said for the live bait program in the Sabine River. It was a given during drier years that you wouldn’t have to leave the protection of the sheltered water and you could catch everything you could imagine from specks to striped bass, all while burning less than ten bucks worth of gas. Over the years we have had some incredibly memorable trips sitting on anchor while probing deep structure with a Carolina rigged shad. At times the redfish would get so thick that our clients would ask to move on and search for another species such as flounder or

speckled trout. Another given during those times was the population of solid sand trout that would hang out in the same areas. It was a saltwater version of catching crappie off brush piles, just one fish after another, once you pinned them down.

I don’t really have an explanation as to why we got away from patterns like those mentioned above but I can say happily that I have begun to revisit them, and they still work. Take for instance drifting the rattling cork. Hardly a new concept, and certainly not the sexiest pattern out there, either. For years, when were weren’t on a Mansfield Mauler we used the old school unweighted bowling pin cork with the stick running through the middle of it. Below the cork we had a 1/2 or 3/4-ounce weight above a barrel swivel, with a three-foot leader tied to a kahle or circle hook. That setup was money and I’m convinced the chugging noise of that cork when jerked sharply was an absolute fish magnet. But, like everything else, methods evolve in an attempt to get better at what we do, and we now have many styles of rattling corks to choose from. My new favorites are those made by Four Horseman Tackle. They have simplified the rigging process so you get an extremely durable setup that produces a fantastic sound and helps catch fish.

On a recent trip over to Calcasieu we tangled with some big redfish, 20-pound class and larger, that were shadowing schools of small, speckled trout and sand trout. Those big redfish wanted nothing to do with our soft plastics until we tied them under three-inch 4 Horseman corks, which they immediately began to destroy. After landing several of the big bruisers and losing a couple of corks in the process, I swapped over to a couple of different styles and let my anglers use the Four Horseman models that we had left. I never got another bite while they

Some of the reds were absolute dinosaurs!

continued to catch fish. It’s hard to argue with results like that, especially seeing it happen firsthand while fishing side by side.

Our live bait program is still out there and I’m quite sure it will produce again during these drier than normal conditions. We are currently experiencing some quality fishing all the way from the jetties to the IH-10 bridge, several miles up the Sabine River. This fall has felt much more like normal than the last several years and that’s a very welcome change for the better.

Both Sabine and Calcasieu have shown signs of shaking off some less than favorable conditions that have plagued them both since 2017 in one way or another. As the overall numbers of fish increase I am hopeful that we will soon see more and more quality fish show up as well. Perhaps this winter we will start to see some of those highly coveted

big trout make an appearance. If you happen to be one of those lucky anglers who finds some of those big trout, please take good care of them and consider releasing them back, to not only spawn again but to also fight again another day. Our little lake is still fragile and anything we can do to help it recover goes a long way.

I hope each of you have a great holiday season and find a way to get on the water as much as possible. Please remember when you do go to bring a kid along and share the experience.

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These guys probably don’t need advice or catch reports, that boat can fish anywhere.

Guarding

STORY BY JOE RICHARD

Honeyholes

There has been recent discussion among anglers, asking if anyone ever shares hot fishing action, even going so far as to wave another boat onto a spot when the first boat is leaving, perhaps after limiting out. That seems a little rare, these days. During a lifetime of fishing,many of us have seen valued honeyholes exposed or made public with their inevitable decline. It’s enough to keep one tight-lipped for ten years after, isn’t it? Back at the cleaning table, strangers will admire your fish, before the inevitable question, “Where?” Without offering anything in return, keeping their own cards close to the vest, so to speak. Where, indeed...We all know there is a lot of water out there, with little or no fish.

Reflecting on my own habits, I talk to some anglers, usually those who paddle, because they’re not much threat. The fast offshore boats with triple engines? Not so much; with a range of a hundred miles, they don’t need my help. I also tend to stay vague around young sharp-eared fishing

guides, who can always use a new hotspot on the bay.

I’ve even shared a few spots with people, mostly kayakers who really earn their fish, where a couple of keepers can make a big difference in their day. On occasion, they’ve returned favors to me, even gave me a car ride back to my trailer eight miles away, after thick winter fog covered the coast. I returned the favor, gave ‘em a handful of plastic worms that worked, next day). When jetty fishing, boats mostly anchor up along a broad stretch of wall, fishing deep or pitching corks at the rocks, or cruise up and down with electric motors. A very public scene, it’s best to be friendly with that crowd, though it doesn’t always happen. One day, after my friend anchored at a favorite spot within 30 yards of another boat, the first boat cast and dropped a pyramid weight onto his boat, chipping gelcoat on the bow of that expensive Boston Whaler. My friend advised the fellow he would cut his line, if it happened again. (This was years ago, before everyone started packing heat.) The other guy rummaged around and came up with a Bowie knife, just like Curley (Jack Palance) was always showing in the movie City Slickers. But nothing more happened, that day inside the Port O’Connor jetties.

Fishing the oil rigs offshore, I never saw grumpiness from other boats, although our area had far less boat traffic than Galveston or Port Aransas. Often, we never saw another boat. However off Port O’Connor, when I hooked a summer-long, tournamentwinning kingfish, biggest of my life, it ran over a couple of lines from another boat at the far end of a platform. We cranked up and followed that big fish, but had to stop and cut the other boat’s wire, hooks and ribbonfish off my own line. Soon we were a couple of hundred yards away, finally gaffing the monster king. Returning and passing by the other boat, they inquired what we’d caught. “Biggest jack I’ve ever seen!” And they let it go at that.

In the past year I’ve had several spots burned, while catching crappie during the spring run on my favorite lake. When these fish move in shallow,

The billfish crowd are well-mannered, well-informed, and well-funded.

Jetty boats fish close together, the depth and fish-attracting structure seems to negate over-crowding.

Kayakers really earn their fish, moving around with muscle power. They can certainly use a tip or two.

we use jigs under a small bobber, casting far and working the bobber. When another small boat eases close by with electric motor, we generally banter back and forth. I tell them, “No fish here!” as I lift a big crappie aboard. Or, I may ask, “Are these big ones any good?” And they say, “Throw it over here.” That sort of talk. Great, on a sunny Spring day while fishing barefoot. However, that cove is only a half-acre in size and didn’t survive long; repeat trips later came up empty. If we’d said nothing that day, would it have been different next time? Maybe so.

On another lake trip, I was limiting out each afternoon, and feeling cocky, with an accumulated total of 196 fish that month. It was release the big ones full of eggs, and keep some 10-inchers for people fishing on shore near the boat ramp, often with kids. Give ‘em a pail of crappie for dinner. Anyway, one day this boat eased by, claimed the action was slow. They noticed I lifted two fish in the boat, so they turned back around and anchored 30 yards away. Tried fishing in the vegetation, but no bites. Meanwhile, I’m cranking in one fish after another, making long casts into open water. Advised these guys to try it. They proceeded to boat their limit of 100 crappie, if not more. I left, determined to keep my mouth shut in the future. That place, my favorite cove on the lake, has never been the same, just stray fish. That spot was burned by people wanting to fill the freezer or “feed the church,” as they used to say.

As for saltwater fishing, I have several honeyholes on a marshy shoreline where we sit and wait with multiple lines out. I call it “old fashioned Port Arthur fishing” and I suppose it really is, after watching modern Oberto redfish tournament clips in the same area on YouTube, for the world to see. (They pitched plastics all day at the jetties or way back in the marsh.) My current favorite spot, we guard closely. If a boat creeps up on us and we’re hooked up, we often freespool the hooked fish, either big trout and redfish, until the other guys leave. They’re always on the electric motor, so it doesn’t take long. On a slack line we sometimes lose our fish, but it’s worth it.

Protecting a spot often pays off, in the future. I recently took a boat-less neighbor there, and we quickly landed 18 reds; he’d never seen anything like it. Three days later, I eased back to the spot during a small, neighborhood tournament. The tide was just right, and in two hours and 40 minutes I landed 39 reds by myself. And four nice trout. The reds were almost all slot-size, but no tournament winners, although I did have second place red. However, the one trout I kept was 24 inches and first place. After being alone on the bay with all that action, it was nice to win first place.

So, it’s a tossup whether to reveal good fishing; every situation is different. It seems okay in places like the Gulf surf, piers or jetties where fish move around, maybe gone the next day when water

conditions change.

We learned to guard spots even in high school, when we were the first three guys to fish the North Levy in Sabine Lake. The only car out there during our junior year of high school, camping and fishing. No dating or beer, we were on redfish and flounder and the action was amazing. (A few gadwall and widgeon might have fallen out there, too.) When three other buddies from our fishing group showed up one day, spotting our car a mile away, they drove up and we wouldn’t hardly speak to them. Some of those guys are gone now, made their last casts, and it’s sad we didn’t share more. Friendships are more important than fish, in the long term.

CONTACT

JOE RICHARD

Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Ar thur, 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

Lots of visiting, on the weekend fishing piers.

JAY WATKINS ASK THE PRO

UNRAVELING THE POST-FRONT PUZZLE

I hope everybody is enjoying the cooler weather pattern that we have in place right now. Cold is coming and with it some changes in our approach and our gear, but maybe that is next month’s article. In this issue I am going to talk about fishing post-frontal periods versus the preferred pre-frontal periods. I am still very busy, so I fish at least 20 to 22 days a month, 12 months a year. This means that I fish more days with less than ideal conditions than when conditions are best for catching. To be very honest, and not to boast, but I have been busy just about my entire career, which means I have been forced to learn how to fish in tough conditions. Understand that tough does not always mean bad weather.

Some of the most beautiful days along the middle and lower Texas coast are not the best conditions for catching fish. These conditions are excellent times to be on the water fishing, no doubt, but many times they are just not ideal for catching fish. This becomes especially true if we have our efforts focused on the small percentage of trout that have reached trophy status. For me personally, weight trumps length. Mike McBride told me of a fish he caught not long ago that weighed more than 4-½ pounds, but only stretched the tape to 22 inches. What an absolute tank and a fish. If caught again in a few years it will definitely be approaching trophy class. I don’t know how I got off on that but let me return to my subject for this month’s piece.

When I was playing sports I had two coaches that

insisted on working on the fundamentals in which the team was lacking. To be honest, we lacked in most of them but we loved the game. I love this fishing game, and over the past dozen or so years have become a fishing coach to those wanting to learn. Many wish for tough days when booking me, hoping to see some magic that helps them produce when others struggle. There is no magic. Attention to detail is what helps us become better than average on tough days. If I had to describe the typical setup for a tough day, the fall and winter months would definitely stand out.

Many have experienced unbelievable periods during a pre-frontal period. This would be especially true when lucky enough to also have a major or minor solunar period occurring just prior to the front’s arrival. It’s all the good and magical things we have heard about – barometric pressure declining, just as cooler air temperatures arrive, and eventually cooler surface water temperatures. Make this on a Tuesday and not a weekend, and we are golden…right?

But what happens when the front has already pushed through, the clouds disappear, tides drop, water turns air-clear, and barometric pressure has risen through the roof? Lockjaw is what happens most of the time when we are chasing that small percentage of upper-class trout. Low tides will concentrate baitfish, so we at least have that going for us.

For many there is a mental block when fishing for

Classic frontal approach – high pressure will come right behind it.

trout in the conditions just mentioned.

If I had to make a guess I would say 75% of the field will eliminate themselves before the first cast. That leaves 25% of the anglers on any given day with a real advantage. I have said this many times but it is worth repeating. The head game is the most important part of your fishing game. You must remain confident and you must stay focused the entire day when faced with truly tough periods after fall and winter fronts.

High barometric pressure associated with most frontal passages is most often the reason given for a tough bite. I would agree that high barometric pressure can create tough feeds. Add to this a drastic drop in barometric pressure prior to the front and trout on an all-out gorge feed during that time, and it would stand to reason that we would experience a period of time when the trout did not want or need to eat. I personally don’t like prolonged periods of low tides for trout fishing. Short periods with a major drop will concentrate bait and trout alike, but I like to see it rising again a few days after the front.

With high pressure comes colder nights and calm winds. This produces exceptionally clear water in many bay systems, which will create some issues for many. As you can see, one could easily convince oneself that failure was to be expected.

I try to focus on the positive aspects of the day, looking for an advantage, believing instead that I can get trout to bite when they really don’t want to.

Clear water allows me to see all the structure that I know will be holding fish. I can also see the deeper guts , potholes, and drop-offs and other bottom features these areas hold. In the areas I fish the two most productive bottom structures are either submerged grassbeds or scattered clumps of oyster shell. Locating bait, whether active or not, is still the key to my daily success. Many times I will see large pods of mullet moving along the bottom as we idle into a targeted area. Mullet of any kind in any numbers are a huge player in your day. Finding the food source and staying put is often our best bet.

I look for areas where I know the fish have easy access to shallow feeding and warm-up zones, as well as deeper and darker depths that will provide

security in calm, clear conditions. I also pay very close attention to brown pelicans and the osprey during periods of tough fishing. These guys, especially the osprey, do not waist energy in areas where food is not available. I had a day last winter where I counted thirteen osprey, if my memory is correct, working a flat with me. Man, what a day, and what an experience it was to fish with these guys. I do believe that number is the highest I have ever seen in one area working baitfish.

So, we have located bait, found some bird activity, located the proper bottom structure, and varied water depths that hold similar bottom structure. Now it is time to start the search with actual casts to these areas. My wading box will always hold my favorite Custom Corky Fat Boy or Soft Dine, Texas Custom Double D, and MirrOlure Lil John and Lil John XL. I believe in clear-bodied lures for clear water, for the most part. My standard rigging includes thirty-six plus inches of clear 20-pound mono leader with sixteenth-ounce 2/0 screw-lock Texas Custom Jig Head. No swivel, no snaps or those twisty things, just tie direct with a small loop knot. Keep it simple and focus on presentation and attention to every movement of your lure.

Trout that are not needing or wanting to eat will pick up a lure if you put it on her nose. She might not intend to eat it – but remember, she has no hands, if she picks it up it’s in her mouth.

Last week our bite got ugly tough for a few days. And just so you know – ugly tough is tougher than double-tough. On many occasions a bite was just a slight click on the line. Any sudden upward movement of the rod resulted in slack line. This was true even when we reeled down quickly with as little rod movement as possible. I found that a quick and steady retrieve, allowing the rod tip to bend very slightly toward the fish, followed by a low sweeping hookset, yielded the best hook-up ratio. It’s a very quick response when done properly because I do it all in a single motion.

Every quality fish would immediately come to the surface in an effort to throw the lure. As frustrating as it was on several occasions, this response to the bite produced good numbers of

Tricked a nice one!

Hunter Odom downsized his lure on a high pressure day.

quality fish. On two particular days it did not and I guess that is why it is called fishing, not catching. I truly hate that saying because when I use it, it’s me admitting that I am not as good as I need to be.

I have a strong tendency to go to soft plastic when searching for areas holding fish. I will also be quicker to size down from an XL to a standard Lil John, or from a Fat Boy to a Soft Dine. My confidence in being able to make a soft plastic or slow sinking-suspending bait do exactly what a baitfish might do when it encounters a predator is very high. Many times, once I have received a bite or two, I will change to one of the other lures in my box to see whether one of them might also work. I instruct my guys every day to pick their most favorite lure and start with that. Baits that we have had good success with provide a high level confidence, which gives the angler more staying power in an area when the bite is slow. Sometimes the staying power is the key to working through a tough period and allowing a bite to develop around us.

With that said it is also important to move slowly in the area that you feel is holding the fish. Walk around larger areas of sand where small satellite grassbeds or grass humps are present. Walking through the area will drive wary fish out of casting range. I can’t tell you how many

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Letting the fish tell you what they want

times I have fished an area hard, covering all the structures in it while wading around its edges, only to return an hour later and find the area full of fish. Were they there all the time? Who knows. But I promise, if they are and you walk through it they won’t be there when you return.

I am also big on being able to make long, accurate casts when faced with fish that don’t want to be caught. Practicing both when on and off the water is the only true way to obtain the ability to cast greater distances accurately. Rods coupled with the proper reels have a ton to do with increasing casting distance, so invest in quality gear. My Custom 6’6” or 6’8” Henri rods paired with a 13-Fishing C2 or TX2 gets it done for me in the distance game.

So, I like it tough from time to time. It keeps us humble and it provides an opportunity to become better anglers. I always told my boys that failure builds character. Comically, both have had told me when we were struggling during tournaments that they had enough character already. It’s all good, and if we will look at our fishing in that way we will continue to enjoy our time on the water.

May your fishing always be catching! – Guide, Jay Watkins

CONTACT

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

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By Annica Lyssy | Upper Laguna Madre Intern, Coastal Fisheries Division

FIELD NOTES

THE SCIENCE BEHIND OUR REGULATIONS

Coming in as a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) intern, I thought I had a decent understanding of what the experience was going to entail. I never knew that I would walk away from the internship with a completely new interpretation of our bay systems and how we maintain the ecosystems along our coast. The Coastal Fisheries Division is responsible for keeping our fisheries healthy. To do this, the Division collects data using different gear types, which is then analyzed and shared to monitor how healthy our bay systems are and if regulations need to be adjusted or instated.

To monitor our fisheries, TPWD has created a system using a combination of three main gear types to collect fisheries data. These gear types are used to collect fish in each life-stage from juvenile to adult (Fig. 1). The gears used for data collection include bag seines for juvenile fish, bay trawls for subadults, and gill nets for adult size fish. In general, each bay system is assigned 20 bag seines and 10 trawls a month and have two ten-week seasons for gill nets. The same general sampling routine, including the collection of water quality data, has been in place for over 40 years so that TPWD can track patterns in the fisheries over time.

Juvenile fish can help predict what the future of our bay ecosystems will look like, and bag seines play a key role when it comes to monitoring recruitment. Bag seines are conducted by dragging the net perpendicular to the shoreline 40 feet out and 50

feet along a given shoreline site. This gear provides TPWD with data on juvenile sportfish, forage fish and any other small-bodied invertebrates swimming along the shoreline (Fig. 2). Bag seine samples can provide data on how successful recruitment is for sportfish such as Spotted Seatrout and Red Drum and for forage species like Pinfish and Mullet. In conjunction with bag seines, habitat data is collected at the sites to look at the association between the species of fish caught and the shoreline vegetation.

Looking at the different life stages of a fish can provide data not just on survival, but also on environmental changes or community composition. To track these occurrences and the development of fish, TPWD collects data at the subadult stage with bay trawls. Bay trawls are conducted by dragging a trawl net for ten minutes in a large circle (Figure 3). Prior to trawling, hydrological measurements like salinity and temperature are taken and depth is recorded throughout. Bay trawls are different than other gears

Figure 1. Lengths of Black Drum caught in bag seines (juveniles), bay trawls (sub adults), and gill nets (adults) from the Upper Laguna Madre 2015 – 2020.

Figure 2. Juvenile Spotted Seatrout from a bag seine sample.

Figure 3. Deploying a bay trawl.

because they are done in open water. Often, the fish that are caught during trawls are different species that are not present in bag seines and gill nets. These organisms consist of crustaceans like Blue Crabs and benthic species such as Atlantic Croaker and shrimp.

Anglers are most often interested in large sportfish. Coastal Fisheries teams use gill nets to collect data on adult fish in coastal bay systems. Gill nets are stretched 600 feet out from a given shoreline site and consist of four sections of mesh that varies in size from three to six inches. For these samples, teams collect hydrological data, counts and measurements of the fish, and the density and species of vegetation. TPWD gets vital data from gill nets that can be used to determine bag and size limit regulations for anglers. Gill net data are compared throughout the years to determine patterns in abundance. For example, in the Upper Laguna Madre, Red Drum numbers have increased since the 1980s while Southern Flounder populations have decreased (Fig 4).

To get fisheries-dependent data, the Coastal Fisheries Division conducts creel surveys. These surveys consist of a series of questions for anglers that are coming off the water. This fisherydependent data gives TPWD information about what fish are being harvested from different areas in specific bay systems. Estimates of fishing activity are useful because they help TPWD understand how much fishing pressure certain species are experiencing and how that pressure has changed over time. For example, since the freeze in February 2021, the number of Spotted Seatrout harvested has been below average. However, more anglers seem to be targeting Red Drum instead of Spotted Seatrout since the number of Red Drum harvested in 2021 was slightly above average.

Figure 4. Gill net catch rates of Red Drum (Increasing) and Southern Flounder (Decreasing) from the Upper Laguna Madre.

Ultimately, the data that is collected from these three main gear types and creel surveys provides TPWD with the tools to gauge how healthy our coastal ecosystems are and if regulations need to be altered or instated. As we build our database and learn more about our coastal ecosystems, TPWD will be able to maintain and strengthen our bays for many generations to come.

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

ROBERTS SHALLOW WATER FISHING

WINTERTIME SHEEPSHEAD

One of the greatest things I love about fishing during the colder months is that most people don’t even consider going out. It is almost as if they believe fish hibernate or they all migrate to the Gulf. Granted, some fish do move out to warmer, deeper water but there are plenty that remain in our bays and marshes. It could also be argued that fishing during winter is better than any time of the year. One of the species that falls into this category is the Sheepshead.

Here on the Gulf Coast, the Sheepshead has several nicknames such as the convict fish, toothy bream, and my personal favorite, the Texas Permit. Every one of these names is a perfect description of not only how it looks but how it acts as well. If you have never seen one up close, you will quickly notice that their most predominant feature is their teeth. The front teeth are shaped much like our own and, looking further into the mouth, are a pallet of molars used for crushing. This is because their diet consists mostly of barnacles and other mollusks that grow on oysters, rocks, and pilings. Being a predatory

species they are also quick to take an easy meal of shrimp or various species of small crabs.

The fun thing about these fish is that they can be targeted year-round and just about anywhere in our coastal waters. I find myself paying more attention to them during the winter months because water clarity makes spotting them much easier. When possible, sight casting is always my go-to method, but there are other ways that are productive as well.

When it comes to areas to target, old pilings in ship channels are a great start, and for a few reasons. One of them is because they have been in the water for years and have plenty of barnacles for the sheepshead to munch on. The other is the access to deeper water during the colder months. This provides safety from predators and potential freezes that may occur. As far as catching them, I like to use a Carolina rig with 1/8 oz. bullet weight and size 2 or 4 straight shank hook. As far as bait goes, a piece of dead shrimp is hard to beat. If you would like to take things a step further, you could take a lesson from

DAVE

our Florida brethren and use fiddler crabs. I have never seen anyone in Texas use them but Florida anglers swear by them. I’ve been in bait shops during winter and seen horse troughs with hundreds of fiddlers. The shop owners say they sell out quickly…so they must work.

Another great area to target are piles of rocks and riprap, and also along jetty walls. I prefer jetty rocks because they typically are mostly flat-sided, which makes a perfect surface for landing a lure without getting hung up. The jetties also provide plenty of clean water coming in from the Gulf, which makes sight casting an option. My favorite lure to throw in these conditions is a Buggs jig.

Due to the flat surface of a jetty rock, the diamond shaped head of the jig keeps the lure in place and upright so it won’t get snagged on the rock surface. Another favorite lure is a small black and purple crankbait. As you reel it past a feeding fish, it bounces off the rocks, won’t get hung, and can be slowed to get their attention. I have thrown other color crankbaits at them but they have never shown much interest. I wish I could tell you why but there is something about that black and purple lure that they can’t stand!

While the methods described can all be very effective, my personal favorite for targeting sheepshead is with fly tackle. If you have ever heard them called Texas Permit or Poor Man’s Permit, you will quickly understand the reference. In my own opinion, fly fishing for sheepshead elevates them to perhaps the hardest inshore fish to catch on our part of the Gulf Coast. They have incredible eyesight; they are

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Tying my favorite Sheephead Fly

naturally very spooky, and can be just plain picky when it comes to eating a fly. However, this is what makes them a worthy target.

Figuring out a fly pattern they will react to can be a time consuming task, and little did I know, was half the battle. The other half was figuring out how to present and retrieve the fly to convince one to eat. On the way to figuring it out, I realized how unique and odd it was; completely different from any other fish I have targeted and observed in detail.

The trick is to make a good cast, bring it in front of the fish, and once you have its attention – STOP. Give it a second or two, barely move it an inch or so, stop again and just leave it. The fish will have its nose right on it and hopefully pick it up. This can sometimes happen fairly quickly and other times it might take ten seconds or more. Like I said, it’s odd!

Another thing that often gets overlooked is the table quality of these fish. They are a little more difficult to fillet than other species but are completely worth the effort. I would put them up against any other inshore fish on the dinner plate.

Wintertime is here and the colder days have settled in by now. If you do decide to get out on the water, be sure to pay close attention to the weather and use good judgement in deciding when to go. Even in winter there are plenty of great weather days that provide a great chance to get out and target a challenging species.

CONTACT

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

JOHN BLAHA

TSFMAG CONSERVATION NEWS

TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE COMMISSION TAKES BOLD STEPS TO CONSERVE OYSTER REEFS IN CARLOS, MESQUITE & AYRES BAYS

Thursday, November 3, 2022, was an important and landmark day for the natural resources of Texas’s coastal waters. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (Commission) adopted the proposed changes to the statewide oyster fishery proclamation, which included the closure of oyster reef areas in Ayres, Mesquite and Carlos Bays (three bays), and the temporary closure of restoration areas in Galveston Bay and San Antonio Bay.

“We applaud the Commission for their unanimous decision to protect and conserve the three bays from oyster harvest,” said Shane Bonnot, CCA Texas Advocacy Director. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) executive leadership and coastal fisheries staff are to be commended for recognizing the need to conserve these ecologically valuable oyster reefs, and it is refreshing to witness science and policy work in tandem to ensure a vibrant fishery for present and future generations.”

The three bays are characterized by a diverse network of intertidal and deep oyster reefs, expansive seagrass beds and fringing salt marsh, all of which provide critical nursery habitat for numerous aquatic species. In addition to the ecosystem services provided by these reefs, the positive role oyster reefs play in this habitat mosaic cannot be overstated and the proximity of Cedar Bayou to this area, serving as migration and recruitment corridor, further justified the reason for this closure.

“Establishing networks of protected oyster reefs isn’t a new concept,” said Pat Murray, President of CCA. “We see this as a common management tool in other states to help

recruit oyster spat in adjacent areas while optimizing the habitat value within the closed area. Furthermore, what we find is that protecting areas from destructive harvest practices is a more cost-effective option when compared to the cost of restoring a degraded reef.”

The public and non-governmental organization response to this proposal during the rule-making process was historic. A total of 8,732 comments were submitted to TPWD, with 80% being in favor, 17% against and 3% neutral. Twenty-three non-governmental organizations also submitted letters of support, running the gamut from the Sierra Club to the Safari Club. “Make no mistake, closing those three bays and the restoration areas is a huge deal,” stated Rocky Chase, Chairman of CCA Texas Government Affairs. “CCA Texas and numerous conservation-minded organizations staunchly supported this proposal, and we are pleased that the commission decided to do what is best for the long-term sustainability of the oyster fishery.”

Just the week prior to the TPWD Commission meeting, TPWD announced the opening of the Texas commercial and recreational oyster season to begin on November 1, with many shellfish harvest areas closed to oyster fishing. As mentioned in their October 27 press release, TPWD code allows for the emergency closure of an area to oyster harvest when it can be shown there is evidence of being overworked. These closings are based on samples collected by TPWD showing low catch rates of legal-sized, harvestable oysters. Of the 29 shellfish harvest areas along the Texas coast, 20 were closed at the start of the oyster season.

Beginning the oyster season with limited number

CCA TexAs Press releAse November 4, 2022

Twenty-two Coastal Bend residents made the trek together to Austin to provide public comment in support of the proposal to close the Mesquite Bay complex to oyster harvest. This group along with 30 plus more conservationist made a difference in supporting the proposal. Photo by David Sikes.

of areas opening is an attempt by TPWD to strike a balance between the economic demands of the fishery and the ecological needs of the bay systems.

“We recognize the economic impact of these closures on local families and businesses that depend on oyster harvests,” said Robin Riechers, director of Coastal Fisheries for TPWD.  “As we continue to work with the oyster industry, we want to balance conservation and restoration needs with those of the commercial fishery. These compromises bring some biological risk for shellfish populations, so we will be diligent in our oyster population monitoring.”

It is important to note that last year’s oyster season was cut short because a general lack of market-size oysters available for harvest and the forecast for this year appears to be much of the same.

“If TPWD strictly adhered to the metrics they historically follow to reopen a harvest area after a closure, TX-1 (East Galveston Bay) would be the only productive shellfish harvest area available for the industry to prosecute,” stated Robby Byers, CCA Texas Executive Director. “The department is

potentially sacrificing oyster density and future availability of oysters, as most of the areas opened have not yet rebounded from previous years’ harvest. Not to mention the structural integrity and vertical height of reefs within some of these areas will be greatly minimized by oyster dredges. We are concerned that those reefs – particularly East Matagorda Bay (TX12) – will be subjected to commercial harvest before they meet the department’s own guidelines for sustainability. We are thrilled the Commission voted to conserve Ayres, Mesquite and Carlos Bay reefs but worried about over harvest in these other bay systems.”

CCA Texas has encouraged TPWD to continue coordination of restoration and regulations workgroups that were created after the March 2022 Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting. Along with our conservation partners, we know there are opportunities to collectively investigate management alternatives that will improve sustainability of the fishery and provide future opportunities for oyster fishing.

TPWD Commissioners voted unanimously to close the Mesquite Bay Complex from Carlos Reef to the 2nd Chain to oyster harvest permanently. This bold move forward sets the path forward to ensure a sustainable resource for future generations.

STEPHANIE BOYD FISHY FACTS

GULF STONE CRAB

The species of stone crab local to the Texas coast is the Gulf stone crab, Menippe adina. It is very closely related to the Florida stone crab, Menippe mercenaria, but smaller, and with some color differences. The Gulf stone crab has a dark brownish red carapace, compared to the tan or gray color of the Florida stone crab, and it doesn’t have bands or stripes around its legs like the Florida stone crab. Hybridization occurs where the ranges of the two species overlap off the northwest coast of Florida. The Gulf stone’s carapace is 3 to 3.5 inches long and about 4 inches wide. A large crab claw can weigh up to half a pound. They have large, asymmetrical pincers with black tips. Females have a larger carapace, but males usually have larger claws. The larger of the two claws is called the crusher claw. The smaller claw is the pincer claw. If the crusher claw is on the right side of the crab’s body, the crab is considered “right-handed.” On the left side, it’s “left-handed.” A fully-developed crusher claw is strong enough to crush shellfish such as oysters and clams. So, they’ll leave a human finger badly bruised, if not broken, and once they’ve got a hold of your finger, it’s hard to convince them to let go.

The geographic range of the Gulf stone extends from the panhandle of Florida around the Gulf of Mexico and south past the southern tip of Texas. These crabs live in a variety of habitats from the bottom of bays, rock jetties, and oyster reefs to sandy/muddy bottoms and seagrass beds where they burrow in the mud for shelter, cold weather refuge, and molting. They range from shallow shorelines to offshore depths up to 200 feet, seeming to prefer slightly higher salinities than blue crabs, from full strength sea water at 35 parts per thousand (ppt) down to 10 ppt. During cold months, they move into deeper

channels and passes. Females tend to outnumber males, particularly in deeper waters.

Stone crabs are opportunistic carnivores, but specialize in oysters, scallops, conch, clams, and a variety of crustaceans. They will also occasionally eat carrion. It has been estimated that they consume an average of 219 oysters per year, outpacing even the oyster drill, a species of small predatory sea snail. There are actually few predators the crab has to worry about. The size and power of their claws, as well as their hardened exoskeleton, are very dissuading factors. Plus, they’re also known to use their claws to gash and pinch a predator’s gastrointestinal lining. But some still take the risk, including grouper, sea turtles, cobia, octopi, and of course, humans (not that it’s much of a risk for us).

Mating takes place in the fall while the female is in the soft-shell stage, just after molting. A male will begin “guarding” a female before she molts and will continue to do so until her shell hardens. Males can often be found cradling the female during her vulnerable, soft state. It is only during this time that the male can deposit his sperm in the female’s seminal receptacles (sacs that store the sperm for future use). The female will use the sperm during the following spring and summer spawning season to fertilize her eggs. Females may spawn several times between March and September, with peak spawning occurring from May through July. A female deposits her fertilized eggs on the “hairs” under her belly apron in a large mass called a sponge. Sponges range in color from bright orange to rusty, red-brown and brown-grey based on developmental stage of the larvae. The number of eggs a female produces is relative to body size. Small females produce tens of thousands of eggs

Gulf Stone Crab, Galveston, by Natakuzmina.

per sponge. Very large females can produce hundreds of thousands of eggs per sponge. A single female can produce four to six egg sponges per spawning season. Hatching occurs in 7-18 days, depending on water temperature. After hatching, the larvae go through several stages in a little over a month before they resemble adults. During most of this time, they are planktonic, or freefloating, and feed on zooplankton. Growth is fairly slow. Some females are mature enough to spawn by one year old, but many take a little longer. Males live about seven years; females about eight.

Stone crabs began to attract attention in the 1980s, when more of them began appearing in blue crab traps in coastal lakes and bays. Their large, meaty claws and lobster-like flavor quickly grew in popularity. While stone crabs are harvested in other states, the Florida stone crab fishery provides the majority of stone crab landings in the United States. Because their claws can be regenerated, most states require that only one claw be removed and the crab be returned to the water. This makes the stone crab fishery more sustainable in that the whole animal is not harvested. If claws are separated properly, the crabs are more likely to survive and regrow the claw over several molts. Juvenile crabs molt two or more times per year, and are able to regenerate a lost appendage in just a few months. Adult crabs, however, typically only molt once a year – females in the fall and males in the winter – so it takes a full year for an adult crab to regenerate a lost appendage and approximately three years for a regenerated claw to grow to 95% of its original size. Large crabs of both sexes most likely never fully regenerate claws due to their relatively old age. The regrowth is also greatly influenced by how responsibly fishermen remove the claws.

A stone crab can only regenerate a claw if the diaphragm at the body/claw joint is left intact. The diaphragm functions as a seal to close the wound and stop the bleeding. If the claw is separated incorrectly and muscle tissue is pulled from the body (indicating a forced break), the crab will bleed to death. A study to estimate stone crab mortality after de-clawing in Florida during the 2011-2012 fishing season noted that an average of 31% of the claws observed by FWC samplers in commercial fish houses statewide showed evidence of these forced breaks. Additionally, the researchers found that 12.8% of crabs died when no claws were removed, 2359% died when one claw was removed properly, and 46-82% died when two claws were removed properly. The number of claws removed, how the claw was broken, and the water temperature at time of release were all significant factors contributing to potential mortality. Stone crabs have not been evaluated by the IUCN Red List, but the uncommon nature of this particular fishery certainly gives the species a leg (or claw) up on survival.

Where I learned about stone crabs, and you can too!

TPWD tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/stonecrab/

Texas Marine Species txmarspecies.tamug.edu/invertdetails.cfm?scinameID=Menippe%20adina

Louisiana Fisheries www.seagrantfish.lsu.edu/resources/factsheets/lastonecrabs.htm

Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission myfwc.com/research/saltwater/crustaceans/stone-crabs/about/ myfwc.com/research/saltwater/crustaceans/stone-crabs/publications/

World Register of Marine Species www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=422069

Audubon Nature Institute www.audubongulf.org/projects/florida/florida-stone-crab/fl-sc-species-info/ iNaturalist www.inaturalist.org/taxa/260593-Menippe-adina

AZ Animals a-z-animals.com/animals/stone-crab/#single-animal-text

ERIC OZOLINS

EXTREME

KAYAK

FISHING & SHARKS FROM THE SAND

WINTER BLISS

One truth cannot be denied—Texas weather is unpredictable. From year to year, things change dramatically, often without discernible, consistent patterns. For the last few years, Texans have experienced short, almost non-existent spring and fall seasons. Basically, the weather just jumps back and forth between the coldest season and the hottest one, without much moderate weather between.

The lack of mild weather has disrupted traditional migrations and patterns in the surf. While history would suggest we should have some stellar fishing in October and November, things in recent years seem to get delayed by warmer than normal weather. Sometimes these lingering Indian summers can keep the fish in holding patterns. During a sluggish start to fall, the action for anglers is normally fair at best. Surf anglers can go stir crazy, just waiting for the seasonal fronts to arrive.

While these delays do cause anglers frustration, a silver lining adorns the dark cloud of this coastal curse; we’re usually compensated with something excellent in the end. When we finally get a truly cold blast, and rapidly dropping water temperatures spark the migrations, chaos of epic proportions often follows. This can be a great treat for beach fishermen, and this year’s weather seems to set up this scenario again.

Among the great variety of fish we’re fortunate to have in our waters, quite a few thrive during the triggering cold-weather events. From the smallest baitfish to the largest sharks, all kinds of creatures become active while brisk winds whistle. Predators are motivated to feed on the massive amounts of prey making their coastal treks. Here in the South Texas surf of Padre Island, most anglers target the same few species during these opportune times.

One impressive brute of a fish storms the beaches in December, ambushing mullet—the jack crevalle. Jackfish are undoubtedly at or near the top of the list of poundfor-pound strongest fighting fish in the inshore ocean waters. Built for power and speed, they can chase down nearly any forage species found in the shallows. Anglers relish seeing them cruising the waves in fighter-jet formations, seeking their prey. When this happens, these powerful fish will crash into large topwaters, spoons and hefty swimbaits with extreme force. Sight-casting specimens exceeding thirty pounds can be a welcome reward for anglers who may have waited months for just such an opportunity.

Folks who wish to take a more relaxed approach to catching jacks toss live, medium-sized mullet into the waves and wait for bites. Jackfish cannot resist

Hard fighting for their size and famous as table fare, Florida pompano are popular among surf anglers during December.

devouring the mullet. While the jacks are not suitable for table fare, they appeal to shark fishermen, who use their bloody flesh for bait. These days, more and more people are practicing catch and release with the big jacks, targeting them for sport and commemorating their catches with photos.

The iconic red drum also ranks high on the list of species sought for sport in the Texas surf during the Christmas month. During this time of year, with just the right conditions, mayhem can break out for anglers targeting redfish. While some reds fall into the keeper slot, the rule of thumb in the surf is the cooler the water gets, the larger the reds will

run, on average. Early-December is definitely one of the peak times for catching oversized reds in the Texas surf.

The best thing about this early-winter run is the high percentage chance it presents for catching a trophy redfish. Many anglers pay big bucks to hire guides to take them fishing in the bays to catch reds. On most of these charters, the fish caught measure in the slot; anglers aren’t nearly as likely to encounter giants in the bays as they are in the surf. The adult reds are not legal to keep without tagging, and generally aren’t considered worth eating, but they provide great thrills to kids looking to land their first really big fish. This can stimulate wide smiles for the both youngsters and their parents. Cut mullet or whiting will produce plenty of strikes from the bronze bullies. Live mullet will also work well, but they’re more likely to attract mackerel, jacks, and bluefish.

December also brings great numbers of perhaps the tastiest fish into our nearshore waters—the Florida pompano. People flock to the Texas coast from all over the country to take advantage of the winter pompano bite. Similar to the jacks, pompano are like miniature versions of the famous permit. Their silver/yellow/green skin is smooth as silk, and their cooked flesh looks like white porcelain. Commercially, these fish fetch astronomical prices, for good reason. While pompano average somewhere between two and three pounds, they can run twice that size. Even a four-pound pompano can put up a fight nearly on par with a small jack.

When these pompano are running in the clear surf after a strong cold front, they are often present in staggering numbers, providing ample opportunity to stock up the freezer. We all need to remember to harvest responsibly and keep only what we can utilize. The easiest way to target pomps is simply to deploy a double-drop rig with 3/0 circle hooks baited with shrimp and/or Fish-bites. My leader preference is the catchsharks.com POMP-Master leader.

When water temperatures finally drop significantly, many species actively invade our surf waters, some more highly prized than others. During this timeframe there is something on the beachfront to thrill almost everyone, from targeting trophy reds to seeking giant sharks feeding on large jack crevalle to harvesting tasty trout and pomps. Ideally, the calm days falling two or three days after the passage of a cold front provide the optimal conditions for catching. Then, the pristine inshore waters fronting the beach can become a kind of piscatorial war zone.

Additionally, human traffic on the beaches usually runs light around the holidays, creating ironic tranquility on the sand. These things combine to make this one of my favorite times of the year for fishing the surf, and my charter clients can usually get in on a trip with as little as two weeks’ notice. Given the wide variety of options and so many ways to have fun, I’m willing to schedule charters with avid anglers and also families who have less angling experience, tailoring the outing to fit their needs.

CONTACT

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 is the owner of Catch Sharks Tackle Company.

Email oz@oceanepics.com Websites oceanepics.com | catchsharks.com

As Kevin Eager will readily attest, jack cravelle can be a blast on light tackle.

A beast of a bull red from the PINS early-winter surf for author, Oz.

Redfish are not the only member of the drum family available in the December surf. Just ask Ron Ulseth!

Starbrite

Winter Storage Fuel Treatment

Here’s a brand-new product hitting stores just in time for seasonal or winter storage, and a HUGE addition to our Star Tron lineup of fuel treatments: Star Tron Stabilizer+. For years, we find customers using Star Tron all season long, but then resort to a traditional stabilizer for long- or winter storage. Instead of mixing “cocktails” or trying to calculate the proper dosage of two different chemistries, we’ve taken all the guesswork out of it. www.Starbrite.com

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BKK-LONEDIABLO

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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

THE VIEW FROM Matagorda

Our fall weather has been very mild to say the least. As I write this, my airconditioner has been running almost continuously for three days with highs reaching near 90° as duck season approaches. With that being said, December is all about water temps. If it stays in the 70s, expect the higher tides pattern to continue. If cold fronts push temps lower, expect low tides and a winter fishing pattern to follow. Whatever pattern the weather throws our way, December is always a great month in Matagorda. The shell in Matagorda has been and is still full of fish. We normally work on solid 2- to 4-pound trout with Bass Assassins, Lil’ Johns and Down South Lures while drifting, and there are usually redfish everywhere.

We can expect winter solstice tides around Christmastime to pull fish from the shorelines and dump them in deeper water. Large schools of trout hang near drop-offs scattered with mud and shell. When the tides are this low, redfish congregate in the holes and guts. We run shallow-draft boats and work the back lakes as they drain.

The edges of the Intracoastal Waterway can be just as productive with a piece of mullet or crab. We like working the edges of the Intracoastal with a trolling motor and tossing along the drop. It has paid off for most of the year, especially on those windy days when the bay is blown out.

We have had drought conditions almost all year, which means the tides have pushed up the Colorado River, making it green and salty. The river and Diversion Channel are great spots to “bass fish” the banks with topwaters and soft plastics for redfish and trout.

Many of our December mornings will consist of waterfowl hunting and then fishing in the afternoons. More gadwalls, wigeons and pintails will show in bags this month as passing cold fronts bring us successive waves of migrants. Our afternoon fishing sessions will normally be drifting affairs, with soft plastics over deep shell or along the river banks.

As Christmas draws closer every year I receive frequent emails inquiring of gift ideas for outdoors men and women. I always say to call you favorite guide and purchase a gift certificate for a hunt or fishing charter to be taken in the coming year. It’s a great gift; and, the anticipation of the trip and the conversations that go with the planning are often just as enjoyable as the trip itself.

Get out with the family and do something together. Put your phone down and look people in the eye and talk to them, but more importantly, listen. It is the best way I know to demonstrate kindness.

America remains a great place to live. Don’t allow a select few to divide us. Don’t allow a select few to push their agendas on us. Right is still right and wrong is still wrong.

Stand for the flag and thank a peace officer for the job they do, putting their life on the line every day as they protect and serve. Let’s stop all the nonsense. Make a concerted effort to be the best people we can be.

Please continue to take care of our fishery. Release more than you take. Give back to the bays instead of always taking. Our fishery will rebound if we give it a fighting chance. Thank the Lord for blessing us with our bays and marshes that give us pleasure and provide so many memories. And while you’re at it, thank the Lord for giving us another day in America.

Let’s just all be better people and our world will follow suit. Merry Christmas!

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Matagorda’s December Playbill: FISH-WATERFOWL-FUN

Captain Gary Gray is a full time guide, born and raised in Seadrift. He has been guiding the Seadrift/Port O’Connor region since 1986. Gary specializes in year ‘round wade fishing for speckled trout and redfish with artificial lures.

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

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

The temperature outside is hanging in the mid-80s, a world of difference from yesterday. We are in that time of the year when fall and winter fight over what season it is.

We recently had a large group of wade fishermen from Oklahoma that fished three days with us – thirteen anglers on three boats. The first two days called for south wind at 15 to 20 with higher gusts. A front was predicted to arrive around 0300 the final morning.

Well, the front arrived right on time with 50 mph wind. But by the time we met our group the wind had diminished to around 15 mph. We guessed it would build back up into the high-20s around mid-morning.

We headed to the same protected back lake we had been fishing, hoping the water would still be fishable, and that the schools of redfish we had been working would still be there. As it turned out the wind had gotten up so much that we couldn’t keep our Saltwater Assassins in the strike zone long enough or effectively enough to entice strikes, casting into the north wind. Okay, so the next dilemma was whether to leave an area that has been producing quality fish, or do you change the way you are fishing the area?

One of our boats opted to look for fish in other areas. Me, being stubborn, and knowing the areas where you might find quality water along with quality fish, were growing fewer by the minute.

I was picking up my waders and relocating them as the other boat departed. I positioned two guys with instruction to work slowly toward the south shoreline of the lake we were in. I placed the other two some distance away with the same instruction. I split the distance, positioning myself midway between them. Parking my Shallow Sport X3 and getting out to wade, I noticed pelicans working a color change near the south shoreline. Money! I thought to myself. Within a few minutes two of the guys were doubled-up and I had hooked a solid trout. The action only got better as the wind continued to build.

My group ended up landing twenty-five slot reds, a half-dozen flounder, and four trout – all from an area the size of a living room. All on Magic Grass 4” Sea Shads. The boat that left struggled to find nine slot reds and a flounder.

Fishing back lakes of Matagorda Island during winter requires using all your senses. I tell my clients to treat it like hunting, even

though you normally cannot see your quarry. I would say luck was definitely a factor on the day described, although if we hadn’t believed the fish would still be in the area we may have left with the other boat.

When water temperatures dip low enough baitfish become harder to spot on the surface. I rely heavily on birds at these times – pelicans, terns, gulls, ospreys, even shorebirds along the banks. Birds can see subtle flashes and swirls beneath the surface that we cannot. Learn to trust them!

My wintertime lure selection varies somewhat. I will still have my tried and true Bass Assassins 4” Sea Shad and 5” Saltwater Shad handy, along with my MirrOdine XLs and original slow-sink Corkys. Colors vary from day to day with water conditions. If you want to get really technical, give Jimmy Burns at Waterloo Pro Shop a call. He stocks the full line of Custom Corky colors.

Another huge factor in wintertime fishing is rod selection. You’re probably thinking; here comes another rod lecture, but trust me, you cannot catch what you can’t feel.

Our Oklahoma guys are prime examples. When they started with us fourteen years ago they were hardcore bass anglers and brought all their best bass rods. Great tackle for that type of fishing – not so much for shallow water wade fishing. The actions were completely wrong for the Bass Assassins we were throwing and the way we were presenting them. One by one I introduced them to my Waterloo HP Lites and they loved them. Long story short, they all now show up with their own Waterloos ordered on-line.

Last thing I want to mention is braided line. You need it –period! Yes, there is a learning curve and braid definitely has some peculiarities. But I will tell you that I have caught fish using braid that I would have never caught using monofilament. Braid allows you to feel even the tiniest tick when a cold-water trout picks up your lure.

Fish hard, fish smart!

CAPT. GARY GRAY

Port O'Connor Seadrift

Dusty Wendt landing a topwater red.

Laguna/ Baffin

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

I would like to say 2022 flew by but being laid up with shoulder rehab made it seem especially slow this year. I guess I now know what to expect for the other side next summer. That being said 2022 was a very good fishing season and I am looking forward to all those fat fish we released this year to be a couple pounds bigger and even more theatrical at the end of our Seaguar Smackdown braided line in 2023.

David Rowsey has 30 years in Baffin and Upper Laguna Madre; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty. David has a great passion for conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish.

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

December floods my brain with so many wonderful memories of special catches, days with clients, getting caught in fronts, and old Saint Nick keeping me on his list. Reminiscing of years gone by, I am reminded of two days in a row between Christmas and New Year when my ten best trout hovered around 85 pounds (all released).

boat, enough common sense to not burn shorelines, and enough ethic not to pull in right downwind of a guy already making a wade.

Now that we are fully established in the first quarter of the trophy season, the waters have cooled down and some healthy trout are starting to come together. It’s time to start thinking like a fish. Besides big trout, another thing I love to hunt, since childhood, is arrowheads, or any other Native American artifacts.

Not bragging, but I’m pretty good at sizing up a piece of land and establishing the most likely areas that have the best potential to produce. Friends have asked me how I figure it out and I say, “It’s simple. Think like a band of Indians. What do they need to survive? Food, shelter, water, and a high vantage point to spot enemies.”

Example; a south facing bluff that protects you during north wind, a creek within a relatively short distance, and a mix of game in the area. Trout seek out those similar things in their watery world and when they find them they will live there…until the food runs out, they feel threatened, or are killed!

@captdavidrowsey

Then there was a trip to the Cedar Bayou surf where Alex Lyerly and I were wet wading in December during an unprecedented warm trend, catching as many solid trout as any man could want in a day. On another trip to Cedar Bayou, but much colder, five of us put a beatdown on big trout with 51M MirrOlures. I got filled up with water and thought I would die of hypothermia that day.

And then there was the five day span I spent alone at my cabin, the first year I acquired it, in some cold December weather. Fishing was off the chain. I bet I didn’t see three boats in five days, and I was casting before the sun came up and getting back to my island in the dark every evening. I love replaying those days in my head, and could go on for days sharing stories about Decembers past.

December starts my fiscal year, so to speak. This is the time that my charter days are filled months in advance with complete focus on trophies through May. Things have changed a lot over the years, with more folks developing a passion for chasing trophy trout, but it is still relatively less crowded in the big scheme of things, or at least compared to February.

Honestly, there truly is enough water to accommodate all, but where many fall short is basic water sense, courtesy, and etiquette. That’s another story for another day but, in the meantime, let’s all just act like we have enough maturity to be running a

It’s our job to find them, catch (and release) them, and then move along to their next big encampment. Saying that, the “move along” part can sometimes be a little harder, ‘cause we all know that trout can be as elusive as an Apache. Y’all just don’t be going at them like Custer on the Cheyenne and it should all work out better for you than it did him.

In closing, I just want to say that times are truly changing before our eyes, and not so much in a positive light. Fishing should be a way for us all to get away from it and cleanse our souls while enjoying what God has given us through stretched lines, beautiful sunrises, and friends to enjoy it all with. Let’s all be aware of others and, if need be, educate on the water versus retaliate. I’ve been practicing for some time now and can honestly say the end result is way more productive.

Remember the buffalo!

-Capt David Rowsey

Upper

Parker Holt kicking off another winter season the right way – MirrOlure SoftDine – Released!

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

WAYNE’S Mansfield Report

Wow, how time flies. It’s hard to believe we are closing out 2022. You may have heard me refer to this time of year as “Nocember,” that’s because the last two months of the year are a blur and soon a distant memory. Years past, during early winter months, the flats were almost void of angling effort. However, fishing for trophy trout has become nearly as popular as looking for a Boone and Crocket buck these days; and surprisingly, some are able to fit both into their holiday schedules. Sure, it’s a little quieter on the water nowadays but not like twenty years ago. Seeing this unfold only reinforces the drive of so many for the outdoors.

As I see our fishery, I would say it is in rather attractive shape considering what it has been through, and I’m eager to see what the next couple of months yield, trout wise. As noted previously I’m betting we see a few heavyweights this season, and you can be assured I will be out there prodding and probing every slight depth change and twitching my soft plastics through every pothole I can see.

The water has cooled and the fish have responded as expected. I often receive calls asking the best time to catch a big trout, and after fishing the LLM many years, I find myself saying that December can be excellent. I have had some of my best days on the water in December, and after scanning a few brain cells, I come up with this statement. “December usually establishes that wintry weather is here to stay for a while and fish know that. Fish do not have the luxury of hibernating like a bear, so they gorge at every opportunity in order to make it through until the next cold snap, and then they repeat the process all over again. Big mullet, pinfish, and anything else they can swallow (and hopefully your lure) will be the staple diet for trout looking to survive what the next cold front may bring. While the heaviest trout of the year are known to come as they enter spawning season in late March and early April, when they are still winter-fat and full of roe that definitely boosts their weight; I will add that December can also be darn good!

Our water levels should start to fall and stabilize somewhat once we get through the first couple of “flushings” when it will be time to start probing those areas noted above. I will start to downsize jigheads to 3/32 and even 1/16-ounce, depending on water temperature and depth. As far as lures are concerned, I will be working the Wig-A-Los and Willow Tails mostly from now until spring. Some days I will mix in a few

Ball Tails and Paddle Tails, but mostly I will be sticking with the larger profile plastics. Topwaters will remain in my wade box, simply because they can be very productive on warming days or stretches of days when the water temperature is steadily holding in the mid-60s to low-70s. Mansfield Knockers in the new Ruby Tuesday color should be great during this early winter period.

I would like to invite everyone out to Fishing Tackle Unlimited’s Gulf Freeway store on Saturday, December 10 for their annual Shallow Water Expo. The program will include a list seminars and I am hearing there will be some impressive deals to take advantage of – Simms apparel, rods and reels, soft plastics and hard baits, everything in between. It is pretty much and all-day event and from what I am seeing in the plans with vendor booths, music, and food trucks on site. Put it on your calendar, you will not want to miss it. Be sure to check social media for more details as we get closer to that date.

As far as my marathon Amazon peacock bass adventure went…it was one for the books, to say the least. Stay tuned for a special Traveling Angler segment coming soon in this magazine.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas as we all look forward to what 2023 has to offer. I am always excited to make one more cast in hopes of breaking a previous personal best record, and if you are fishing with me, I am hoping the same for you.

Remember - Fresh Is Always Better Than Frozen!

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Costa Del Mar’s New José Pro Sunglasses

WAYNE DAVIS

John Duncan was delighted to land this impressive flounder.

Michelle Lucio brings another hefty Lower Laguna redfish to hand.

STAY SHALLOW OR GO DEEP?

They’re out there, just under the surface. I know it.

I can hear the redfish calling from the flats. Further out, there’s a Marlin with my name on it. Tarpon await by the jetties. And here I am, a rod in hand and perfect weather overhead. It’s going to be a good weekend indeed.

That’s as hard as it gets.

sopadre.com

Arroyo Colorado to Port Isabel

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

SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene

Closing out 2022, I want to thank all my sponsors, clients, and friends in the industry who have made an impact and helped me follow and continue my passion. Thank you Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine for believing in me twelve years ago, even when I didn’t. Being in the fishing industry and guiding more than twenty years has put me in contact with many good people all over the globe. My passion has taken and continues to take me to many places worldwide. Living my dream has been an incredible experience.

As I write, our tides remain high but that will change later in the month. The current high water has scattered fish, especially the reds. They’ve had plenty of places to hide with so much water available and lately it’s been a struggle to find suitable concentrations. A couple of redfish per trip has been the average. There have been trips when we found them stacked but those days have been few. Not to worry, though, as soon as the tides drop the redfish will show up in stronger numbers in many locations. This month, between fronts, our bays can become very clear and calm, which makes spotting their wakes across the flats much easier.

Getting on a solid bite has been all about timing the past couple of months as the weather has not affected feeding patterns. However, as the cold fronts become more numerous and the water temperatures dip, a typical feeding pattern becomes more of an “eat when you can” program. These fish will take advantage of fair weather and gorge before the next front arrives. Redfish will roam the skinny flats to feed during warmer periods and quickly head to deeper water as they sense temperatures plummeting and north winds increasing.

What will we be using? Plastic baits will continue to be at the top of our list, but a quarter-ounce jighead becomes more effective as fish tend to be generally lower in the water column during winter months. December is generally an excellent month for targeting reds; let’s hope the pattern holds.

The trout outlook is starting to line up similarly. Still, not near what it was before the freeze, but looking much better than expected. The

larger trout have been sporadic and more spread out than in years past. The bigger ones are still out there but not in big numbers like we are used to seeing. Some parts of our bay are holding solid trout but not gigantic ones just yet.

So, is it going to be a good year for trophy trout? I believe it will. With the current regulations in place and many people practicing catch and release, we will see the benefits this winter trout season. As of recently, the trout bite has been consistent. Lots of little ones, but a limit of trout is easily attainable. Many of my clients have voluntarily released all their trout, which is cool and reassuring to see.

During the coming warming periods, look for trout to be staging in potholes as they warm up and prepare to ambush baitfish that come within reach. I have seen over the winter months that larger trout tend to school in greater numbers. December is usually when this pattern becomes more evident.

The edges of the ICW and adjacent flats will hold plenty of trout this month. With the tide dropping, grass flats with the greatest number of potholes will be magnets for bigger trout. But, speaking from experience, I will also say they tend to be harder to catch in shallow water. Later in winter, the water temperature will dip low enough to put trout in muddy areas or deeper water, but December doesn’t usually get cold enough to push most fish off the shallow flats. Keep this in mind, it could happen sporadically but not consistently this month. Again, soft plastic baits will be our top choice, but our wade boxes will also contain Paul Brown Corkys for slower presentations when necessary.

Floating and suspended grass continues to be a problem, given that windier-than-normal weather conditions uprooted so much of it earlier this year. It has been so bad on occasion that we have been forced to leave productive areas, something we do not normally encounter this late in fall. Let’s all hope the north winds will push it all to the banks soon.

December can be a great fishing month. Boat traffic is light, fish are hungry, and they tend to congregate. The weather can change with little notice, though. Be prepared with extra warm clothing. Filing a float plan with a trusted friend is always a good idea.

Merry Christmas to all, and thanks for being a faithful reader.

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Water Temperature Key to Wintertime Fishing Success

Ryan Trotti fooled this winter red on a topwater.

Science Sea and the

Ambushed by Blue Crabs

For years, scientists have believed that low tide provided fiddler crabs with a refuge from predatory blue crabs because the fiddlers could crawl around on the mud, out of the water where the danger lurked. But, new observations at a Virginia salt marsh suggest that blue crabs have a few surprises up their claws when it comes to hunting for dinner during low tide. Researchers watched as blue crabs hid out in shallow mud pits filled with sea water and waited, not for the tide to return, but for fiddler crabs to inch their way closer to the edge of the pit.

A blue crab holding an ambushed fiddler crab.

Credit: David Johnson, Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

When one fiddler crab ventured close enough, the blue crab lurched out of the water, grabbed it and began chowing down on its meal. Another blue crab ventured out of its pit and slowly stalked a fiddler crab before snatching it and rushing back to its pit. The scientists noticed leftover fiddler crab claws outside several water-filled mud pits, “like the discarded bones of villagers outside a dragon’s lair,” wrote the scientist.

What makes these observations so extraordinary is that blue crabs typically live, breathe and hunt underwater. Scientists have long believed that these and other swimming crabs almost exclusively feed when they are completely submerged. While blue crabs have been seen to dash from the water a short distance across land to grab a fiddler crab, that behavior was different from these ambushes far away from the water’s edge. The blue crabs dig the pits themselves or use other crabs’ pits when convenient. They successfully grab fiddler crabs about a third of the time, but sometimes try to steal prey from other crabs. By remaining still, camouflaged by mud in the pit, they also escape the notice of seabirds, their own predators.

FISHING REPORTS AND FORECASTS from Big Lake to Boca Chica

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag

Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242

James says the lingering hot, dry weather has improved the potential for catching in the upper portions of the Galveston Bay complex this fall. “Lately, we’ve been catching best in the northern end of Trinity. When the whole bay is salty, the fish move as far north as they can, anticipating the big fronts pushing all the bait out of the bayous, marshes and rivers, I guess. We have had some luck fishing in East Bay on the really good weather days. The fish over there are hanging around close to deep water too. We don’t have many birds working yet, and I’m just now starting to catch a few trout with shrimp in their bellies, but the shrimp migration should start up any day now, and it might carry over into December this year. In some years, after a warm fall, the fishing under birds can be great in December. Other than that, I’ll be keying on areas close to the mouths of bayous and drains as the year winds down. Normally, the catching is best on soft plastics and slow-sinking twitch baits this time of year. As always, moving water is a must. Late-afternoon hours often hold the best potential.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054

Jim expects to be doing several different fun things in December. “I will be running some duck hunts, some hog hunts and some deer hunts. On some of those days, it will be a cast and blast thing. Fishing has been good lately. The backs of both Trinity and East bays have plenty of fish. The reds are pretty thick in the lakes lately. We’ve had some big bull tides. We’re catching some trout in there with ‘em too. You can catch ‘em pretty much however you want. Topwater bite has been excellent. But you miss a bunch of fish, because the trout are running somewhat small, so they don’t stick real good sometimes. The action should improve in other places by the time we get to December. It’s a great month to wade some of the shorelines in the backs of the bays once the tide dumps out and the water cools down. Then, we catch some of the bigger trout wading in the late-afternoon hours, even staying out into the early parts of the night. Bite is usually best on twitch baits and soft plastics once that pattern develops. But we do have good topwater days late in the year too.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays

Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service

979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323

Randall expects to be fishing in open water out in West Galveston Bay quite a bit in December. “Usually, by Thanksgiving, we have had enough strong cold fronts to push most of the fish out into the middle portions of the bay. When this happens, the fishing is usually best out of the boat. We key on areas with muddy streaks in the water, where we see rafts of mullet. Most of the time, we also find some terns, pelicans and cormorants in the area. When fishing this pattern, we use soft plastics like Norton Sand Eels mostly, rigging them on jigheads with enough weight to keep the lures pretty close to the bottom. Though this is the standard pattern in the early parts of winter, we also catch some quality trout and reds wading this time of year too, when the weather warms up some. Most of the best bite during the warm spells is around shell reefs. We catch most of our fish close to reefs, over a muddy bottom with scattered shell. Soft plastics on light heads work well for this plan, but slow-sinking twitch baits and topwaters draw the attention of the big trout better.”

Matagorda | Bay Guide Service

Tommy Countz- 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037 Tommy mentions three main options for catching fish in the Matagorda area in December, each dependent on the weather. “When we have mild weather and light southeast winds, fishing out of the boat for trout in the middle portions of East Matagorda Bay can be great. We might have a few birds still working, but mainly, we key on muddy streaks in the water, and places where lots of mullet are jumping. When fishing this way, we throw soft plastics mostly, rigging them on jigheads heavy enough to allow us to maintain contact with the bottom. After a strong front passes through, and north winds are howling, the best bet is to head into the protected waters of the Colorado River. In there, we like to keep the boat in the deep parts and throw toward the edges, again mostly with soft plastics. Once the winds settle down some, we usually have low tides. That situation makes for great fishing in the coves and drains along the south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay. The low tides concentrate the reds in the guts, where we target them with spoons, soft plastics on light heads, twitch baits and topwaters, at times.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204

The cooler temperatures we’ve had lately have kicked off some of the best fishing of the year. The reds have been thick in the local rivers, and on some of the bay shorelines, where they’re chasing shrimp. In the rivers, we’ve been targeting them with live shrimp about three feet under popping corks, throwing around ditches, downed trees and rocks. When fishing bay shorelines, we’ve been throwing pearl and pumpkinseed/chartreuse colored paddletails for best results. Trout fishing has picked up some, with a better percentage of fish falling in the keeper slot. We’re catching most of them on shorelines with lots of oysters on the bottom. White/chartreuse Gulp! shrimp rigged under popping corks have worked best for the trout. Fishing at night on the local piers has also been good, with lots of thirteen and fourteen-inch sand trout coming to hand. They’re biting spec rigs in glow and pink. Sheepshead have shown up in the harbor in good numbers, around old pier poles and sunken sailboats. Fresh pieces of dead shrimp rigged on small J-hooks work best for folks who want to catch and eat some of these tasty fish. As with all winter months, smart anglers start with a search for bait activity.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith

Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434

Lynn expects to spend most or all of the month of December targeting big trout in the Port O’Connor area. “This is my favorite time of the year to go after the big trout. We like to start the day late. Most of the time, we don’t even leave the dock until the middle of the morning. This is to let the sun heat up the flats a bit. Our best pattern for catching big trout around here involves finding some thick grass beds on shallow flats lying close to deep water. Once the sun heats up the grass beds and the surrounding muddy bottom, the big trout will move out of the depths and look for food around the grass beds. Most of the best areas have some scattered shell in the mud on the bottom near the grass beds. When we get some decent tide movement in the afternoon hours, under a bright

sun, the potential for catching a big trout goes up significantly. On some of the warmest days, we do well on topwaters, but more of the time, we get more bites on slow-sinking twitch baits, like Paul Brown’s Original Lure, which is my favorite.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead

Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894

Blake loves the Christmas month mostly because it’s smack in the middle of cast and blast season. “This is a great month to start off the morning hunkered down in a brushed blind with a shotgun, calling at the ducks. We usually have a good variety of ducks in the Rockport area this time of year. Once the shooting stops in the middle of the morning, we pack up the hunting gear and grab the rods and reels. The fishing for both redfish and trout in the backwater areas where we hunt ducks is usually good in December. If the tide is high, the fish will scatter out and roam around some, so we key on bait to locate them, assuming we don’t see them while we’re moving around in the air boat. The bite can be good on topwaters during the warm spells, with higher tides. When cold fronts come through and drop the tide levels and water temperatures, the fish usually retreat into the holes and guts in the marsh, and we target them in those places. Sometimes, the fishing is better on shorelines adjacent to the drains which connect the marshes to the main bays, especially when we’re targeting trout specifically.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut

Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160

In December, with the hunting seasons in full swing, the crowds on the water fall to some of the lowest levels all year. This makes for fun, quiet times for folks who venture out into the bays this month. With cooler water temperatures, the fish start slowing down some, but not as much as they do in the two months that follow. The fish tend to retreat into depths of at least five feet during the long, cold nights this time of year. While the sun rises, the shallows warm up, and the fish usually move toward the shorelines and the tops of the sand bars during the middle of the day, where it’s easier to catch them by wading. This time of year, I like to throw Bass Assassin Sea Shads in colors like magic grass, opening night, salt & pepper/chartreuse and chicken on a chain rigged on sixteenth-ounce Spring-lock jigheads. These natural looking soft plastics draw the attention of both trout and reds. Best retrieve is usually pretty slow, maintaining regular contact with the bottom. If lots of floating or suspended grass becomes a problem, rigging the same soft plastics about fifteen inches under an Assassin Kwik Cork usually allows for coping well.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230

During the Christmas month, the fishing for trout and reds is often best out of the boat, Joe says. “We should have plenty of fish in the intracoastal waterway and in guts leading off the main ditch. When targeting fish in places like that, maintaining control of the boat and rigging soft plastics on jigheads of the proper size are critical. Most of the time, the best drill is to keep the boat out in the middle portions of a channel then throw toward the edge. On the warmest days, the fish often lurk right on top of the shallow sand bars lying beside the ditches. In colder weather, they usually retreat to deeper water, sometimes biting best at the bottom close to the face of the drop off. In relatively calm weather, with light currents running, jigheads as light as eighth-ounce will work, especially if the fish are on top of the bars. Stronger winds and currents dictate the use of heavier jigheads, up to a quarter-ounce or slightly more. Other areas which produce good catches of trout and reds this month include Emmord’s and Beacroft’s holes and the outer edges of the rock bars fronting the Kenedy Shoreline.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins 361-877-3583 | Oceanepics.com

Both red and black drum will be present in good numbers in the Texas surf in December. The oversized reds feed on mullet, whiting and blue crabs. Black drum feed mostly on crustaceans. On calm days, when the water runs clear, action with Florida pompano is usually excellent. Making long casts with dead shrimp or Fish-bites on 3/0 circle hooks provides the best chance at snagging some of these delicious fish. Catching trout in the surf this month is certainly hit or miss, but in some years, the action is incredible. The trout bite best on calmer days, when the water’s clear. In the calmest conditions, slow-sinking twitch baits worked slowly work best. If the weather’s warm, especially early in the month, expect a run of jackfish in the surf. They will take a variety of lures, and of course, live mullet. Big sandbar sharks should also be present. They’ll take baits like whiting, sheepshead and small rays. Atlantic sharpnose sharks will be most abundant; they make fine table fare. Other possibilities include Spanish mackerel, bluefish and even tarpon. The macks and tarpon will readily take live mullet. All three species will bite lures like silver spoons and jigs.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza

Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000

This time of year, when the water cools off enough to motivate almost all of us to wear waders, the search for bait activity changes somewhat. During the cold season, the bait isn’t as active, so anglers don’t have to look for massive rafts of bait; seeing just a few signs of life can be good enough. Even a few mullet milling around and/or flipping at the surface should not be ignored. When drifting, the best bet is to keep the boat moving over the deeper potholes. Down south, areas like the Saucer and the Pipeline are good places to start. Up north, the deepest potholes close to the break around the Weather Station, Wagner’s Bar, Jones Cut and the Game Warden’s Shack produce well. When winds allow, wading the west shoreline north of town is always a good choice. Coming off strong north winds, the gut in the middle of Glady’s Hole can be the best thing around. Sometimes, finding the fish takes patience, as they move up and down the edge in schools. Topwaters work well at times in December, but slow-sinking twitch baits are a better bet, as are soft plastics in natural colors like Flomingo, Bone Diamond, Pollo Loco and Lagunaflauge.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com – 956-639-1941

We have had good fishing in the Lower Laguna Madre lately, catching decent numbers of trout in three to four feet of water, mostly over a bottom of mixed sand and grass. Out in the deeper water, where the bottom has no grass, folks in their boats are catching a fair number of eighteen to twenty-inch trout mixed in with lots of dinks. KWiggler Mansfield Margarita Ball-tails rigged on quarter-ounce screw-lock heads have worked best for us when we’re targeting the trout. Fishing for reds has also been steady, despite the bull tides, and should improve once the tide falls out for good. We’ve been catching most of our reds on shallow flats tight to shorelines, where the transition from grass to sand on the bottom creates a seam, or edge. Finding schools of mullet is the key to finding the reds. Early in the mornings, Spook Juniors in bone have worked great. Later in the days, KWiggler Balltails in plum/chartreuse rigged on eighth-ounce heads produce more strikes. Once the water cools down, we’ll focus more on shallow flats with deep water close by, looking for fish to move into the shallows to warm up in the sun.

Brooklyn Faldyn Shoalwater Flats - redfish

Korbin Martinez Rockport - 41” black drum

José Ángel - Boca Chica jetties 38.5” black drum

Gavin

trout!

Conner Causey Laguna Madre - flounder CPR

Nina Garrett 27” personal best Spanish mackerel!

Paolo Bernar Corpus Christi - 25” redfish

Julian Quintero Galveston - 22” speckled trout

Taylor Torres Galveston West Bay - trout

Photo Gallery Guidelines

First come – first published! Photos are judged on artistic merit and sporting ethic displayed. No stringer, cleaning table, or hanging board images allowed. Digital images only. Adjust camera to high or best quality. All images become property of TSFMag.

Email to: Photos@TSFMag.com Include short description of your catch with name, date, bay system, etc.

Sarah Port Lavaca Bay - 26” first red!

Kingston Faldyn Shoalwater Flats - two trout CPR

Camden Perez Galveston - 29” speckled trout

Kiias Martinez Aransas Bay - 34” black drum

Jason Stanley 23” flounder

Eric Castillo & friend

San José Island - jack crevalle & bull red

Scott Harris Rockport - 26” black drum

Jake Miller Copano Bay - 42” ~40 lb black drum

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

Email them to pam@tsfmag.com or send by fax: 361 792-4530

Gulf Coast

Redfish and Crab Stew

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds firm fish fillets (redfish, black drum, snapper, cut into one-inch cubes)

1 cup fresh crab meat

½ cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil – (divided)

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1-½ cups)

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

1-½ cups fresh chopped tomato OR one can (14-ounce) crushed tomatoes with their juices

2 teaspoons tomato paste, optional

1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice

½ cup dry white wine

Pinch dried oregano

Pinch dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or more to taste

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

PREPARATION

Heat olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed stockpot over medium heat. Lightly flour fish pieces and add to heated olive oil. Fry fish for 3 to 4 minutes lightly browning both sides. Remove fish and set aside.

In same pot add the remaining olive oil and heat. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add parsley and stir for 2 minutes. Add tomato and tomato paste, and gently cook for 10 more minutes or so.

Add clam juice and dry white wine. Add seasonings – salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, and Tabasco. Stir well to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Add fish and crab and stir gently. Bring to a simmer then remove from heat.

Great served with crusty bread!

Yields – 4 Servings

Note: Frying the fish instead of adding raw will keep the fish in large pieces and adds a nice texter to the stew.

Chris Mapp, owner of Coastal Bend Marine and Flats Cat Boat Company. Great Service, Parts & Sales. “What can we do for you?”

As a service provider for Minnkota and Power-Pole products, we see a variety of technical issues with both brands. If at any time the Minnkota Raptor or the Power-Pole may not deploy or stow properly, each product has its own nuances regarding technology meeting mechanical requirements when used repeatedly in the saltwater environment.

Heat, salt, and lack of maintenance contribute to most failures, especially when the hydraulic units are installed in compartments prone to high moisture that never completely dry out during storage. Mounting the units under the console provides better air circulation and, if a problem might occur, a quick look at the top of the unit can provide valuable troubleshooting information.

One of the best little-known facts is the Minnkota Raptor has bypass valves mounted on the side of the pump that require the turn of a wrench to manually raise the anchor. The Power-Pole does not have mechanical valves, and

many folks cut the lines to raise the spike manually.

The Power-Pole does, however, have built-in bypass valves allowing the operator to push, (with major force), to manually retract. If sufficient manual force cannot be applied, loosening the in-line ferrule connection with pliers or wrench works best. Not to worry over spilled fluids, they are biodegradable, and hoses can be replaced.

Once in the upright position we recommend tying for the journey home.

Have a great winter season, Chris Mapp

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

The Minnkota Raptor (left) and PowerPole (right) are both great products…but with their own nuances as regards hydraulic systems.