February 2023

Guts and Brains

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It’s February and we’re smack in the middle of trophy trout season, but I have a more serious topic to discuss – the winter storm of Christmas 2022. As you read through this issue you will find nearly all our writers mentioning it. How close did we get to another devastating fishkill, like happened in February 2021? I would say dangerously close.

During events such as these, I and several friends make careful observations of air and water temperatures in our home bays. We also make reconnaissance trips after the storms to survey damage. To say we came within a gnat’s whisker of a repeat of February 2021 would be no exaggeration. We were lucky, very lucky. Here in Seadrift, the air temperature plunged to 17°F in the morning hours of December 24, and remained below freezing almost forty-eight hours. The north wind was horrific. Depending where you took measurements, the water temperature declined more than 40 degrees. We saw skim ice along shorelines where the tide had vacated. Carancahua Bay had ice almost bank to bank. Luckily, a number of factors played key roles in preventing a

widespread fish-kill. First, the tides were running above average when the storm arrived. Second, the bay water temps were also running well above average for late-December. Third, the powerful north wind created a huge surge of water along the south shorelines and in the back lake areas of the barrier islands where many fish were staged. And finally, the air temperatures began to moderate in what could be called the nick of time.

The reason I mention all this is to emphasize how truly fragile our spotted seatrout fishery is, and why we need to continue our conservation efforts during the current state of its recovery from February, two years ago. The fishery is on the mend, no doubt about that, but it still has a long way to go. I have no ability to say how bad it could have been if a repeat had occurred, but devastation in an amount we’ve never seen was a possibility.

Mother Nature is said to cover all her bases and spotted seatrout are a very prolific and resilient species. They are also our most popular inshore game fish. I am very thankful everything played out the way it did, and I’m very hopeful that Texas anglers will practice even greater conservation as our fishery continues to recover. If you love fishing for speckled trout as much as I do, releasing all that we catch for another year or two ought not be that big a deal.

Fish dinners can wait, we have more serious business at hand!

It’s fishing for big fish on purpose, and who can put a price on that?

Fat Bottom

CORKYS

STORY BY MIKE McBRIDE

Editor’s Note: Steve Hillman has requested a brief pause in his writing assignment and we decided that in his place this month we would bring an absolute oldie but goodie from Mike McBride that originally appeared in our January 2011 issue. Mike gave us many great feature pieces over the years and his topic here is perhaps still as worthy and timely as any he penned. February is recognized as one the best of the colder months for trophy trout and there may be no better lure to have on the end of your line than Mr. Paul Brown’s Fat Boy!

Oh boy, here we go again, another “expert” article on that alreadybeaten-to-death chunk of magical plastic – the Corky Fat Boy. Even though many pluggers rely on this tool with fanatic allegiance, I have purposely avoided the topic for years. There’s just too many opinions already circulating. But alas, it may finally be due, and perhaps for a few very good reasons.

For one, it’s the perceived primetime to thump a big fish on one. But for an even bigger reason; there seems to be even more confusion now that they are suddenly available in nearly every sporting goods and coastal grocery. No, they are still not for everybody and likely never will be, and they sure weren’t for me in the beginning. However, if you might envision the average size of your catch getting bigger, and with some interactive fun mixed in, keep reading.

I was one of the latecomers compared to an earlier group of sports fans. Although the bait had been around in a tight circle of Galveston hardcores since about 1988, I think, (a salty bunch of which hung out at the old Pine Plaza Tackle in League City), I didn’t get hold of it till about ’90 or ’91. I absolutely hated it for about two years. I didn’t understand it and didn’t want to. It spun like a drunk on a dance floor, the hooks tangled in my line, or it basically just sat there like a lazy blob. How was I supposed to work the thing anyway? And if it has to be ridiculously slow, I’ll just do something else. “Just gimme a topwater and a 51 MirrOlure and y’all can have that stupid thing,” I thought.

One day Rowland Williams, one of the original Baytown guides and champion competition caster, who by the way had significant influence upon many of today’s higher-profile players, offered some very good and simple advice about how he had been decimating Hodges Reef with it. “Well,” he began, “I’m just wading and twitching it outside pods of mullet and the better fish keep picking it up.” That was enough to get me started but my old tournament partner Mark Holt got me going. (Truly, we do little of this stuff completely by ourselves

as no good fisherman is an island.)

In earlier years we fished almost exclusively at night. With jobs and kids you did what you had to do to live large, and nighttime was the right time when it came to self-confidenced balance. One night Mark was wading one sandbar and I was walking another, doing the standard deal of working topwaters under a shimmering moon. Despite a decent but slow bite for me, I kept hearing him splash around in the otherwise quiet distance. When we finally met back up, his string made mine look quite touristy. “When they started swirling my topwater I put that Corky on and just twitched it in the current. We need to get radios,” he deadpanned in perfect Holt-speak.

Yeah, we need radios alright, and tune them to the Corky frequency. That night started an obsession, especially after I soon started catching bigger fish on them early, late and often; but mostly because I started giving them a chance. Later I won a Galveston Troutmasters with one, and in almost every tournament I have won since a Corky has been responsible for at least one kicker fish if not all of them. When Mark and I won the Galveston Best-of-the-Best Plugger two years in a row, it was Corky time. I never looked back. If you are unfamiliar with this bait, perhaps you can look forward. Winter is here, when most folks assume that the Corky rules for big trout. (True, but perhaps we can visit about the warmer months later.) MirrOlure has it now and is doing a great job. Although it says Paul Brown’s Original on the package, they will always be Corkys to us. Several have tried to imitate but all have failed in one way or another. Either the wire is too soft, the sink rate is wrong, the rattles are too wimpy, or maybe it is just plain bad karma to copy other folk’s hard work. Whatever; accept no substitutes if you are serious about upping your game.

Understandably, many new folks are not sure which ones to grab or how to even start working one, except for that worn out “slow and slower” internet fishing site mantra. We can talk about the whole family of Corkys, what they do, what they are good for and when, but that would take up several chapters in a big book. (One day maybe!) For now, let’s just look at the Fat Boy; an effective and easy bait for anybody with a good stick, especially in water thigh-deep or less.

The beauty of this bait (and all other Corkys for that matter) is that it is a very interactive tool. That’s the key word, interactive. You not only have to stay on it to make it run true, but you also have the unique opportunity to tweak it to run where it needs to be for the moment. In other words, you become a “bend” expert, especially after a big redfish destroys your precise tweaking. Maybe someday they’ll offer an industrial strength model for reds.

Imagine ailerons on an airplane, just the slightest adjustment will make it do things – good and bad. Keep the spine perfectly straight for controlling it at a certain depth during shallow work, bend the tail down slightly for deeper applications, and banana it up just a bit to run slightly below the surface.

Asking the best way to fish a Corky is about the same as asking, “What’s the best way to have sex?” There are tons of expert advice available, widespread confusion, and about sixty-four thousand socalled correct ways to get it done. Bottom line is that you make it do

I never looked back.

They will always be Corkys to us.

what your quarry wants for the moment. But in keeping things simple, as Roland said; start with “walking the dog” beneath the surface at whatever depth and speed the fish will respond. I like a lot of pauses, but I hear I pause excessively on a lot of things.

The thing I like best about the Fat Boy is that it casts like it has wings and I can keep it at whatever depth I want. It’s side-to-side motion is easy to master and instead of jigging it up and down, I can either walk it just above the grass, just below the surface, and anywhere in-between.

It has been said that it’s not a fish-finding bait but, well…Ok, then. If you are where bigger fish should be, it will find them, promise. You have to have confidence in your area first, but that larger profile zigzagging with a big rattle is evidently hard to refuse. I feel like I’m fishing for big fish on purpose when I’m throwing one and confidence is everything.

A few tips: Tie a loop knot. Snaps, swivels and other gadgets serve only to upset balance and/or catch grass. Blowups can be easily transformed into hookups with a Fat Boy, (Tournament Fishing 101). Slide a tiny finishing nail into the nose along the underside of the wire for deeper work and when they want it low but fast. Restore damaged Corkys to near new condition by soaking in citric acid. Repair tears and tooth marks by dipping into a 50/50 mix of PVC pipe glue and MEK. Which color to throw? Gee whiz, pick one. Clear, glow and pearl for clear water, opaque and dark for dirty. Twitch and they will come.

True, there are times when solid trout will eat most anything presented at the right place and time, but the beauty of a Fat Boy is that you can often make them eat when they really don’t want to. A disposable lure for $8.00 a pop seems outrageous, but hey...what’s this really worth? It’s fishing for big fish on purpose, and who can put a price on that?

Just another Fat Boy fish...

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STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

Puzzle THE Pleasant

Folks dedicated exclusively to targeting big trout with artificial lures rank February right at the top of the list of best months. This statement rings true for several reasons. Mostly, weatherrelated norms elevate the potential for catching monster trout in the Valentine’s month, partly because of the way the average conditions affect anglers and partly because of the way they affect the life patterns of the trout. Up and down the Texas Coast, lure-chunkers can expect to catch more mature trout in February than normal, if they adjust their strategies and locations in response to the changing weather.

When brisk winds whistle and shrink the mercury in the glass during the second month on the calendar, areas adjacent to north shorelines of our bays offer the highest potential, because of the buffering effects the land masses provide against the chilling consequences of the cold winds. In places like Gladys Hole in the Lower Laguna Madre, Cathead and East Kleberg in Baffin Bay, White’s Point in Nueces Bay, Live Oak Bay in East Matagorda Bay and flats adjacent to Stewt’s and Sydney’s islands in Sabine Lake, water temperatures plummeting into the low-50s and high-40s create the perfect scenario for catching big trout once the weather turns a corner and begins to moderate.

Most anglers targeting big specks in the aforementioned places would do so by wading. Others, of course, prefer to fish from the deck of a boat, and could expect to do well in places like Compuerta Pass and the large flat associated with the Point of Rocks in Baffin Bay, also in the basins of both Laguna Madres, East Matagorda Bay, West Galveston Bay and Sabine Lake. When drifting and trying to catch big trout, anglers face a sometimes daunting task, related to finding a way to attract the attention of the big fish, and they more often catch smaller fish.

Anglers choosing to wade shallow areas adjacent to deeper water in places along protective north shorelines in Texas bays in February need to consider the specifics of the recent weather patterns when choosing the precise times and locations in which to make their efforts. In some places, notably in Baffin Bay and both Laguna Madres, the best flurry of action leading to the catching of really big trout often occurs soon after the harsh weather accompanying the passage of a strong cold front begins to moderate. In such a situation, anglers who have the opportunity to do so would want to time their outing to coincide with a reduction in the strength of the harsh north winds and an associated slight uptick in water temperatures.

Many people wait too long to make their way to places like these after Old Man Winter makes his presence known in the last full month of our coldest season. Compounding their mistake, many often assume the best bite won’t occur until the bright rays of the sun have a chance to heat up the water on the flats atop and near the crowns of shallow rock or oyster-studded sand bars. In fact, these events often happen after the big trout have already gorged themselves to recover from the effects of sitting dormant on the bottom for a while during the most negative hours following the onset of a chilling event.

So, savvy anglers intent on pulling big trout to hand after strong cold fronts in these kinds of places often arrive on scene to start their efforts while north winds still carry decent velocity. This necessitates a reaction from these anglers; fishing north winds of more than twelve to fourteen knots when air temperatures hover in the 50s and lower makes most people miserable. At the least, such a plan hampers the angler’s ability to operate at a maximal level. Anyone hoping to grind through the number of casts often required to achieve the desired goal with such conditions in play should always set up the effort so they can cast and wade with the wind on their backs.

While doing so, wearing a beanie and pulling the hood of the jacket over one’s head facilitates both the angler’s comfort level and ability to execute presentations, as does wearing the jacket over the waders, rather than tucked into them. When it’s cold, staying dry becomes a critical component in maintaining concentration and focus. Jackets tucked into waders offer scant protection against waves splashing over the waders’ “gunwales” and seeping through layers to contact the anglers’ skin, with destructively distracting effects.

While staying dry and slowly moving and casting downwind, anglers targeting big trout in cold weather in the negative conditions associated with passing cold fronts do best most often by throwing either soft plastics or slow-sinking twitch baits. Unless I’ve experienced tremendous recent success using twitch baits, I start any day of winter fishing, especially in post-front conditions,

with cold air and water temperatures in play, throwing soft plastics rigged on either sixteenth or eighth-ounce jigheads, presenting them close to or right on the bottom. If and when the bites come often and easy enough, I switch up to slow-sinking twitch baits like Fat Boys and Catch 5s, hoping the act will enhance the odds of attracting the attention of the biggest fish within reach.

In such a situation, when the weather first turns the corner after bottoming out in response to a frontal passage, anglers should pay close attention to any bait activity around them, and cast toward all signs of predators on the prowl. In most cases, this means seeing

On a cold February day, Jeremy Rhodes caught his first trout ever on a Paul Brown Fat Boy, an eight-pounder which stretched the tape to twenty-nine inches.

Jerek Center understood the proper ways to cope with cold February weather, when wading. He covered the top of his head with layers and wore a waterproof jacket outside his waders.

mullet swirl and/or jump. In some of the best scenarios for catching monster trout in cold weather in February, scant signs of life present themselves, so the best anglers don’t ignore even meager signs of life.

Conversely, abundant signs of life and predatory activity often present themselves to anglers fishing the opposite kind of weather this month. After winds calm and begin blowing onshore during a warming trend, bait activity rises at a rate basically proportional to the expansion rate of the mercury in the tube. When this happens, wise anglers look for concentrations of bait, which they can see at distance, when choosing exactly where to fish.

Prime places in such situations include the shorelines of famous ranches on the west side of both Laguna Madres, the flats near the Land Cut, grassy humps in the Badlands and Alazan Bay, south shoreline coves in East Matagorda and West Galveston bays, and stretches of the south shoreline like Garrison Ridge in Sabine Lake. Anglers intent on targeting big trout in these locations on the Upper Coast often prefer late-afternoon outings, sometimes extending them into the dark hours, especially on days when strong incoming tides flood the shallows with rising, warm water in the gloaming.

Water temperatures in many of these situations range from the upper-50s to 70 degrees or more. Such values increase the potential for catching big trout on topwaters. Large plugs like Super Spooks, Skitter Walks and One Knockers often produce best. This partly results from the way these lures effectively mimic mullet and baby trout, the primary food sources of big specks during the transition from winter into spring. Topwaters don’t work equally well at all times, of course, so the most productive anglers keep plenty of slow-sinking twitch baits on hand and deploy them when the frequency of blowups runs low.

On February outings made to target giant trout, especially in the second half of the month, lures like Fat Boys, Catch 5s and Catch 2000s often produce better than all other offerings, if presented by people familiar with the fundamentals essential to maximizing their utility. This means, at a basic level, using rhythmic twitches of the rod tip while turning the reel handle slowly, so the heads of the lures will wobble from side to side enticingly under the water, with the same pattern known as walking the dog with topwaters. In water over about eighteen inches deep, Paul Brown’s original Fat Boys work great. In shallower water, floaters often work better, allowing for more stealthy presentations, and for retrieving the lures at a reasonably slow pace, without hanging the hooks in the grass or shell on the bottom.

As is the case with the cold weather scenario, the direction of the effort does affect its potential for productivity. But with light or moderate southeast winds in play during a warming trend, casting and retrieving lures sideways to the wind makes more sense than casting and retrieving them straight downwind. And, of course, turning and casting into the wind makes more sense in calmer, warmer weather. Even when warming weather and rising tides make the bait and trout more active and elevate the potential for catching fish on topwaters and slow-sinking twitch baits, urging strikes from the trout can remain difficult.

After big trout gorge this time of year, ingesting two or more fish in a short span of time, they become really difficult to catch for a while. In order to cope with this, any serious angler should remain ready to deploy soft plastics if the other lures don’t work well for extended periods of time. When fishing extremely shallow water with soft plastics, rigging the worms on super light jigheads makes perfect sense. Employing shank-weighted hooks and rigging them weedless can prove necessary in some places.

In both these types of situations, the timing of the effort plays a big role in determining the outcome. Paying close attention to tide charts and to the time of the rising and setting of the moon, also times when the moon is straight overhead or underfoot, helps anglers identify peak periods with the highest potential for catching. Down south, this might mean fishing early in the morning, despite the fact the weather and water remain cold after the passage of a front, to maximize the potential associated with a full moon hovering close to the horizon as it sets while the weather takes a positive turn. Up north, it might mean waiting until late-afternoon to head out, especially when a strong incoming tide floods the flats right about the time darkness falls and the moon begins to rise. Solving the pleasantly potent puzzle in February results in some of the best catching of the year, for anglers committed to catching picture-worthy trout without using live bait.

KEVIN COCHRAN

Kevin

Kevin’s

The Captain shows off a solid trout caught while wading the King Ranch Shoreline during warm weather late in February.

The 4 Horseman Rattling Cork has truly been a game changer; more forty-inch-plus reds on my boat the past year than the prior five combined.

“Lean On Me”

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

Right about now you can almost hear the piano music in the background, the intro to Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” classic hit. The lyrics: Lean on me, when you’re not strong, and I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on…are exactly what the redfish have been singing to me during the winter months for about as long as I can remember. It’s no secret that Sabine and Calcasieu can be feast or famine for those seeking speckled trout during winter due to unforeseen rains and heavy runoff. But just like a friend you can always count on, the redfish will always be there.

During the past five or so years the redfish have really been the savior of Sabine while the speckled trout have been on the rebound following successive gut punches delivered by Mother Nature over that time period. So many drastic weather events: excess freshwater runoff from tropical storms and extreme cold weather that dazed the trout population were but minor inconveniences to the heartier redfish. Like the classic Timex commercial, “they take a licking and keep on ticking.” For many anglers who rarely ever targeted these hard-pulling fish, they instantly became their best friend and the best show in town.

Every winter so many fishermen get their eyes opened to just how awesome these fish really are. In my opinion the redfish deserve much more respect than they are given and should be held in much higher regard. We all know that won’t happen because the speckled trout is the “glamour” species of the Texas coast…that is, until they can no longer be found. Once the conditions make it hard to find trout, it’s amazing how fast catching lowly redfish becomes the best option available.

I can vividly remember catching my first winter redfish like it happened only ten minutes ago. My good friend Chris Gunn and I would probe the Sabine River banks with nothing but chrome or gold Rat-L-Traps in some of the nastiest weather you can imagine. After hard cold fronts when the wind would blow all the water out of the marshes, we would find those redfish ganged up on the first decent piece of structure or around the deeper drains. Thousands of empty casts would easily be forgotten as soon as the first bone-jarring strike happened. In most cases once you found one redfish you would quickly find another, so the excitement level went from monotony to mayhem in mere minutes. That first solid hook-up and the feeling of how much power that fish possessed was eye opening, and that was all it took for me .

Now please don’t get me wrong, I love chasing big trout. In fact, I am insanely jealous of all those folks on the lower coast who are enjoying a great revival of sorts as better trout are becoming more and more common. The freezes really did a number to that population and it’s great to see the rebound that appears to be happening. In my part of the world I don’t have that luxury, so I have to play the hand I am dealt, which means switching targets and tactics. Regardless of the weather, runoff, and most any other variable, the redfish will remain constant and that’s exactly what makes them a favorite winter option.

I’m sure many of us have at one time or another cursed the redfish for ruining a good trout bite or tying your favorite Corky into a knot; we’ve all been there. In most cases the disdain for the redfish is due to the fact that we are seeking speckled trout. When we actually target redfish instead of running from them we begin to appreciate them in an entirely different light.

Easily the most exciting way to catch these fish is on some sort of topwater plug, of that there is simply no room for debate. The violence that is displayed by the redfish when eating a surface offering is like no other as they have to basically come out of the water to eat because of the location of their mouth in respect to their head. The best analogy I ever heard from someone on my boat was that the redfish look like “free Willy” breaking the surface and landing on top of the bait.

Coming in at a close second on the excitement scale has to be the rattling cork. I don’t care who you are or what level your skill might be, we all smile when we see a cork go under. Over the past year I have become a solid convert to the 4 Horsemen rattling corks, they have proven to me on many occasions that there is something about their particular sound that really attracts fish and entices them to bite. I caught more redfish longer than forty inches in 2022 while using these corks than I had in the prior five combined…so please forgive me if I’m a little biased. Using a rattling cork over shell or near depth changes along the marsh drains is another fantastic way to take advantage of wintertime redfish.

No mention of redfish at this time of the year would be complete for me without mentioning crankbaits. As stated earlier I am a big fan of

the Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap, that goes without saying because they just flat out catch fish. Other lures in this category would include blade-type baits like the Hoginar or the various shallow running squarebilled plugs such as Mann’s 1-Minus or Heddon Swimming Image. I’ll also throw in the shallow diving stickbaits like the Yo-Zuri 3D Fingerling. The aggressive strikes these baits provide when a redfish decides to eat one are enough to keep you coming back for more regardless of the weather.

For most Texas anglers the redfish will always take a backseat to the speckled trout, but it doesn’t have to be a distant second, maybe more like a 1A and 1B classification, if just given the chance. For those of us on Sabine we will gladly keep catching these second class citizens and be happy to have a target until things clean up in the spring and more options become available. Until that time, enjoy the pull from your next redfish and don’t wait so long until you decide to find them again.

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

Phone 409-697-6111

Email wakesndrakes@yahoo.com Website wakesndrakes.com

A properly fitted PFD with a whistle attached are necessary gear in all seasons, even more so during winter months.

The average redfish right now will stretch just about any scale.

Short pre-front windows can be magic when the bite turns suddenly from nothing to epic.

Author pulling on a redfish at long range.

Bay Tackle

STORY BY JOE RICHARD

Deciding which tackle to use for a fishing trip should not be taken lightly. Most charter captains prefer their clients use charter tackle, and for good reason. I’ve had clients bring aboard their own tackle, some of it quality and other times, not so much. They might bring a favorite rod, while others want to research my boat and tackle before making or buying their own. Recently I had a few kayakers on board, they wanted a bigger boat and were tired of the proverbial wet butt and a hungry gut.

They climbed aboard with an assortment of bay tackle that at first glance, might prove suitable for redfish and trout. However, we started off with lures that morning and their gear didn’t quite work out. Despite numerous taps and fish sightings, they struggled to hook mackerel, trout and even ladyfish. Several guys set their tackle down and tried my longer rods for tossing plugs. (Later that day, their short rods using bait and circle hooks did perform better on redfish and black drum).

During our second drift, I watched them more closely and was reminded of a scene in the movie Platoon, where Sergeant Elias goes through the rookie’s rucksack before the next patrol, digging out and tossing aside items that would hinder the job. Poop-can this and get rid of that, etc. Except Elias didn’t say poop. (Nor did anyone else in the movie.)

We were pitching spoons and the fish often followed their lures back to the boat without grabbing on. I noticed each guy was using a store-bought wire leader about eight inches long, with a sketchy snap swivel attached to each spoon. I let them know that trout really don’t like wire leaders. But then ate a bite of crow when a mackerel bit my spoon off; the 20-pound fluorocarbon leader looked like a razor hit it. I upgraded to 40-pound fluro, which is a more difficult chew for most mackerel, except for the big ones.

(A month later I learned a painful lesson when six big mackerel, at least five pounds each, flashed in clear water as they cut off six precious spoons. They bit through 40-pound fluro like it was wet pasta, the worst cutoff/ landed ratio of mackerel I’ve ever seen, going 0 for 6 that day against tournament-sized mackerel. And that many great dinners, too).

We kept casting. Their rods were short, some of them only six feet long, the shortest I’d seen in a while. Out there on the bay or surf, a rod should be a minimum of seven feet long. For such work I now prefer a carbon, medium-heavy action 8-foot spin rod; a sweep of that rod will really work an artificial or set the hook. My favorite is a Cabo rod that can be worked for hours without arm fatigue. The greater length makes for long casts and the spin reel never really backlashes. They’re a hassle when transporting, which is why most of my outfits are seven-footers. Soon enough, the guys were reaching for my longer rods.

We were in a 24-foot Carolina Skiff with lots of room, so I let them keep casting during the first half of the day. Many guides won’t tolerate four people slinging lures at close range. Jigs maybe, but not spoons with treble hooks, much less plugs. I’ve fished with a number of guides and often, couldn’t find a single lure on their boats. Odds

are fairly good that someone in a crowd can get snagged, which can be a game-changer for the day, or maybe not. Everyone knows the nearest Doc-in-the-Box is far away, and the captain should be given a chance to snatch a hook out of someone, depending on where the hook is buried. My guys were careful with their backswings, though there were several near misses. One more reason to wear wraparound sunglasses.

Eventually, they switched to using three of my rods. One of the guys grew rather attached to an eight-foot spin outfit and he seemed to enjoy making long casts with little effort. That, and the serious curve

Jubilant friends who recovered a rod pulled overboard, plus the culprit.

Spin tackle with 12-pound line will throw spoons a long ways.

narrowed down their tackle, extraneous gear left behind in their bunks. Their preferences were clearly known by then, and we had an even better day with the fish.

As mentioned last month, the right fishing line is also crucial. I use 12-pound mono line for just about everything in inshore waters. Not soft line, but something hard like Ande or the more readily available Berkeley Big Game. My guests were using a mix of mono and braid lines. They weren’t sure about the braid, either 30- or maybe 50-pound line; they forgot. One guy had 20-pound neon green mono line, age unknown. One of their reels carrying braid was soon knocked out of action when it developed a permanent wind knot 25 yards from the lure. That was okay, we had extra rods on the boat. In fact “rod clutter” was something of a problem. Once anchored in calm water I laid a clump of rods in the motor well, sticking out over the water to save deck space. In addition, rods in the vertical racks on the center console were at risk of getting chopped in two from a serous side swing cast, so they were taken down out of harm’s way.

(A South Padre guide told me years ago that he had five graphite rods cut in half that way by a client who, back at the dock, forgot to pay for the damage and sped off in his car. A sheriff’s deputy caught him coasting down the far side of the bay bridge and brought the guy back to the marina to settle up on damages. Maybe they let him plea bargain…

Once home, I wouldn’t doubt those guys went tackle shopping. I hope so, anyway. It was evident that on a big expanse of water, a short rod with a pistol grip handle and baitcasting reel isn’t much better than the pushbutton Zebcos I felt fortunate to have back in the seventh grade.

that developed when he was “bowed up” with a good fish.

After plugging each morning, I often anchor on a spot that still requires long casts, as far as a one-ounce weight can fly using sevenfoot rods. The eight-footers delivered baits way out there, especially when the breeze was behind us.

Between all our tackle and their common sense, sea duty experience with kayaks, we racked up a collection of fish that day, including seatrout, redfish, black drum, Spanish mackerel and big ladyfish. Next day we headed back for more. Everyone by then had

JOE RICHARD

Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arthur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast. He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida Sportsman’s book and assistant magazine editor. He began guiding out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, New Revelations. Available at Seafavorites.com

Spin gear will also get the most out of battling redfish.

A pair of 12-pound spinners perfect for surf and wide-open bay action.

Joe

JAY WATKINS ASK THE PRO

DISCOVERING HOW TROUT RELATE TO WINTERTIME STRUCTURE

As I am sitting here putting this month’s article together the air temperature outside is 52° and the water temperatures in our local bays are holding around 58°. A much colder frontal system is forecast to arrive over the next few days that looks to be bringing the first freezing temperatures of the season to the middle and lower Texas coast. At this time it looks like the freezing temperatures will be restricted to only a few hours during the overnight hours so I am not overly concerned at this point. I love winter fishing and all that it brings except for the potential of below freezing temperatures. With fish stocks still on the rebound from the February 2021 freeze I pray we can get a break from prolonged sub-freezing temperatures this go-round.

Winter fishing continues to improve as water temperatures remain cold, concentrating both bait fish and game fish in common areas. I know anglers grow tired of hearing everyone talk about how critical it is for them to locate the food source but it goes without saying that locating wintertime fish is all about first locating their food source. I believe that trout and redfish alike seldom move very far from the food source that sustains them. For trout it is definitely mullet during the winter months. Yes, they will eat pinfish and any other small bait that might be available but mullet make up the majority of their diet.

Any visual signs of bait fish presence must be investigated. Ospreys are a favorite of mine on days when bait fish are not showing themselves. Brown Pelicans are

great locaters as well but the osprey will not only show us bait fish but if you watch and listen to them as they search they will show you fish that are too large for them to tackle. These can be fish you are trying to catch. I have a good understanding of how they react to schools of large fish as well as individual fish that are seen as too large to catch and then pull from the water. I will just say that it is very important to watch the osprey’s head and body language as they work the area. Where there are ospreys there is food for all.

I prefer concentrating on individual pieces of structure whether it be clumps of scattered shell, grass beds, or small potholes. Submerged tips of points jutting from shorelines that include various types of scattered bottom structure are also some of my favorites. I am not looking for big numbers of trout but focusing on areas where a few fish will stage. With this approach I feel that larger fish are more likely to be encountered. What I love about my winter clientele is that they understand this and are perfectly happy with leaving great fish to search for truly great fish. Acquiring such a clientele has taken an entire career and has not been an easy task.

There are many that think they want to try and fish for just a handful of bites but reality sets in after about three hours into the day when bites have not been encountered. I would be the first to admit that I can sense this frustration and many times suggest a wade where bites can be received, just to get their head game right. In the winter

This will be a familiar sight the next few months in Port Mansfield.

some of those days result in multiple bites from trout in the two to threepound range and that is usually enough to get everyone back on track.

I have zero problem not getting big fish bites because I am typically fishing every weekday that the weather allows during the winter months. For my single-day groups this is a harder path to take. I prefer to target trout that are set up in large areas of sand or sand-mud mix that has scattered grass beds of various sizes. With this type of structure trout will scatter and setup individually on their own small underwater island of grass. Find those small grass beds that are being watched by multiple fish and your odds of enticing one to eat are double.

The mere mindset that predators possess can often lead to strikes from fish that are normally very hard to trick. The competition for food is what drives them in this scenario. How many times have you reeled a good trout up to you, only to discover a larger trout in tow? If you have not seen this you are not paying attention!

Every winter I have at least one episode of a larger trout trying to eat a trout I have hooked, and the numbers of times I’ve seen trout following ones that I’ve hooked is too many to recall. I will say this, I am always looking and know the telltale signs that causes me to be aware that these occurrences are fixing to occur. Anytime a hooked trout pauses mid-fight on the surface – look out!

I have noticed on the Texas Custom Double D that I catch multiple fish quiet often. I see this on Custom Corkys as well but more frequently on the Double D. Red hooks maybe? For the record, I don’t want two large trout on the same bait at one time. They can never seem to make up their minds which way they want to run and end up trying to go in opposite directions, which usually ends poorly for me.

We see this type of aggression many times in areas where fish are staged on individual pieces of structure. My thinking is that once a fish is hooked, that fish comes in contact with other fish on separate pieces of similar structure. Instinct takes the upper hand and they cannot help but become engaged themselves, which can sometimes lead to a frenzy

of aggression. This is a good thing. Many times I have seen a seemingly dead flat suddenly turn on in the wake of a few good fish being hooked. If there is ever a reason for shutting down your wade when bites are received, this is one. Many of my best days on trophy-class trout have come when working these types of areas.

My second favorite type of winter bottom structure has to be scattered shell clumps. In the Rockport area much of our scattered shell clumps also have some type of grass or vegetation attached to them. This is doubly effective when it comes to holding fish. A few days back I had a day where scattered bait and a moonset minor allowed us to enjoy a tremendous bite. All the fish came on the Texas Custom Double D or the MirrOlure Lil John XL in red/gold glitter on a 1/16 ounce Texas Custom’s jig head. I don’t like a chartreuse tail if I can find the color I like without it. But if I feel I need chartreuse to attract a fish to the lure I don’t want it on the tail end. If indeed chartreuse is attracting the strike put it up near the brain center. Yes, they know where that is!

I saw another example of the singular structure pattern today. Weather was iffy at best but my guys were game so we headed out around 10:00am. Cold and wet were the conditions with 56° water temperatures. With a NW wind at 15mph I set up a wade along a windward ICW spoil bank, concentrating on small satellite potholes that make up around larger areas of more open sand and grass. We see this pattern a lot along the middle and lower Texas coast. I believe the larger trout seek out the smaller potholes, taking ownership of that piece of real-estate. By making long casts past these small potholes and then reeling quickly above the grass to the pothole’s edge, we were able to then dead-stick a Custom Corky Floater over the small pothole. If there was a trout or redfish in the pothole we got thumped immediately. Very nice 3- to 4.5-pound fish were caught during the early-to-mid afternoon.

The fish did not seem to be in the larger potholes at all, and it is super

They were definitely munching Custom Corkys during a pre-front feed.

Jay Ray rockin’ a Sexy Shad Custom Corky Soft-Dine.

important to be able to detect these types of very small but important details. I sometimes get really frustrated when I see anglers not paying attention to the small details on days when the small details are the keys to their success. After forty-two years one would think that I would be able to let it go but I can’t. No matter how much experience I have and no matter what the conditions for the day might be, I am still judged on the numbers of times the rod bends. If you think that is not the truth your wrong. You cannot learn and improve if you are not getting bites!

Another type of singular structure that we see are floating grass mats. The seagrass appears to be dead but it is not and due to the density of the mat, numerous kinds of small bait fish and crustaceans reside within the mat itself. Wind rolls the mat along the flats during periods of extremely windy conditions. They are literally moving reefs of grass. I absolutely love working them and have had great success from Rockport to Port Isabel working this pattern. The windward sides and windward points are responsible for most of the fish I catch around this type of structure.

No matter what the bay system, all have some areas with some singular types of bottom structure. From Port O’Connor south to Brownsville, waters are clear most of the time and this is especially true

View The Video

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

Attention to Little Things Can Make You a Better Angler

during the winter months when colder water temperatures cause the algae and plankton to fall out of the water column. Grass and shell are the most common types by far. Submerged grass beds and potholes are the easiest to see but shell is better found with one’s feet or some type of device to punch the bottom. An old Shakespeare Ugly Stick was a great one for me in my early years. Heck you could punch the bottom and fish with the same stick!

--------o--------

Freeze Update: I waited to submit this article until after the December 22-25, 2022 freeze. Still too early to see the full impact. It looks like we have had some losses but they are for now (anyway) isolated in nature. We saw water temperatures drop to 39° in some areas, which is dangerously low. At this point it does not appear that the losses are nearly what they were in February 2021. Truth be told we cannot afford to lose any and for certain we did not have as many to lose to start with. This is still a wait and see situation but I need to get this article to the boss man. 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

By Evan Pettis | Habitat Assessment Team Lead, Coastal Fisheries

FIELD NOTES

GRASS ISLAND REEF: A RESTORATION SHUCK-CCESS STORY

The eastern oyster is a culinary favorite that provides significant economic and cultural benefits to Texas’s coastal residents. As a unique keystone species, they also support coastal resiliency and the overall health of the bays and estuaries. A single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day, playing a critical role in nutrient cycling and maintaining water quality. Though they begin life as tiny, free-swimming larvae, they soon attach themselves to hard substrates (often other oyster shells) and become “oyster spat.” As they grow and recruit additional spat, they gradually form consolidated structures known as “oyster reefs,” which provide several ecological services by reducing wave energy, preventing erosion, and protecting other submerged and shoreline habitats. Moreover, these sprawling complex habitats provide critical foraging and nursery grounds for many commercially and recreationally important finfish and invertebrates.

Unfortunately, oyster populations have been declining globally for decades. Today, Texas’s oysters face ongoing threats of coastal development, destructive storm events, poor water quality, and heavy fishing pressure. One of the major factors limiting the sustainability of oysters in Texas bays is a lack of hard structure for larvae to settle on. One strategy Texas

Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) implements to deal with the shortage of suitable substrate is oyster reef restoration, through which degraded reefs are supplemented with “cultch material” (shell, rock, or concrete). Since 2009, TPWD has enhanced over 600 acres of oyster habitat through contracted cultch placement and routinely monitors those reefs to evaluate their success and inform future restoration efforts.

For example, TPWD recently restored 34 acres on the Grass Island Reef complex in Aransas Bay during the summer of 2020. This site was identified as an ideal location for restoration based on a thorough evaluation of available ecological and environmental data sets, prerestoration bathymetric (depth) surveys, and input from local resource managers and other stakeholders. Grass Island Reef presented a unique challenge for restoration in that water depths at the site ranged from 4 to 9 ft, necessitating multiple cultch deployment strategies to avoid creating a navigational hazard. Because of this, the final site design included a mix of continuous, 3-inch layers of cultch (“flats”) placed in shallower areas and arrays of cultch piles (“mounds”), 2-ft in height in deeper areas. This layout (Fig. 1) provided an opportunity to assess different restoration approaches based on reef context and compare the efficiency and

Fig 3. Market-sized oysters collected at the Grass Island Reef restoration site just nine months after cultch placement.

resiliency of alternative cultch deployment strategies.

Reef health at Grass Island was monitored using the same methods as TPWD’s longstanding, coast-wide Oyster Monitoring Program. Standardized oyster dredges were towed at 3 mph for 30 seconds, and the catch for each sample (including live and dead oysters of all sizes) was counted and measured. Sampling was conducted at the site immediately prior to cultch placement (“prerestoration”) to establish baseline conditions and then twice per year after placement to track the reef’s progress. A nearby, unrestored (“reference”) section of Scotch Tom Reef was also concurrently monitored to evaluate restoration success and account for broadscale environmental changes in Aransas Bay.

Monitoring results indicate that the Grass Island restoration effort was an immediate success by producing more adult and sub-adult oysters (Fig. 2). Within just eight months of construction, TPWD detected significant spat recruitment and the catch rate for adult oysters increased to over 14.5 times greater than pre-restoration rates. In fact, many of the oysters that settled on the cultch had already grown to market size (3”) by the time of TPWD’s first postconstruction sampling (Fig. 3). Due to persistently good recruitment and growth, the restoration reef continued to produce increasingly more oysters and even outperformed the natural reference reef through spring of the following year. While both cultch deployment strategies were successful at enhancing oyster habitat, preliminary data suggest that placement as mounds results in higher oyster abundances within the footprint of the restored bay bottom.

TPWD’s monitoring data demonstrate that multiple restoration strategies can be employed successfully to fit localized environmental conditions. Supplementing degraded reefs with thin,

flat layers maximizes the spatial extent that can be enhanced with a limited amount of cultch and is suitable for shallower sites that could otherwise become a hazard to navigation. Cultch mounds, on the other hand, cover less area with the same amount of material but may provide better habitat for oyster recruitment and growth when water depths allow. The additional vertical relief that mounds provide may also be more resilient to storm events, reef subsidence, sedimentation, and low-oxygen conditions along the seafloor. Moreover, there is evidence that the ‘complexity’ of reefs built using mounds provides greater benefits to recreationally and commercially important finfish and their prey. TPWD plans to continue monitoring this site periodically to further assess its long-term progress and to evaluate how costs scale with oyster production for both deployment strategies. The lessons learned from TPWD’s success at Grass Island Reef are instrumental in planning future restorations and adaptively managing Texas’s oyster resources for the benefit of current and future generations.

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

Fig 1. Site map of the Grass Island Reef restoration overlayed on post-construction sidescan sonar imagery. Cultch was placed in the “flats” configuration in the areas demarcated in red. Cultch was placed as “mounds” in the areas demarcated in blue.

Fig 2. Average count of live adult oysters (>25 mm) per oyster dredge sample, organized by experimental treatment. Samples were collected prior to restoration construction (summer 2020) and biannually after restoration construction (spring 2021, fall 2021, spring 2022).

ROBERTS SHALLOW WATER FISHING

CHASING WINTERTIME GIANTS

Winter days can prove difficult when it comes to fishing and weather conditions. Cold fronts with bitter north winds tend to make things even more challenging. However it does set the stage for a few opportunities that only come around during these months. One of these happens to occur in neighboring waters just to the east and when timed just right, can make for some incredible sight-casting possibilities.

Down in southern Louisiana, the Mississippi River Delta provides some of the best fishing you will ever find; it truly is a world-class fishery. As far as redfish, you can catch them year-round there and in pretty much any weather condition. Once the cold weather kicks in though, the big bull reds that tend to stay offshore decide to come into the shallows of the marsh. When conditions align you have an opportunity to spend a full day of sight-casting to giant redfish.

I have been making the trip to southern Louisiana for quite a few years but have only been going during winter for about the past

DAVE

three. I have learned a lot about the fishery during the colder months and there is still plenty more that area can teach me. When it comes to catching wintertime redfish, I would say sight-casting is the most rewarding way to do it. But when your goal is to catch a 40-inch-plus red, things can become a lot more interesting in a hurry. I will never forget my first sighting of one of these giants; I actually dismissed it as a log until it moved.

When it comes to catching them, most any presentation will work. They are big fish and usually won’t pass up a meal. Our favorite method by far is fly fishing and one thing I learned very quickly was to avoid flashy fly patterns. While they can be generally eager to eat, they will also tend to turn away from anything too gaudy or flashy at the last second. Learning this, I usually stick to more natural colors such as light-brown shrimp patterns and white streamers. As far as your tackle selection I would advise an eight-weight rod, or even a nine or ten-weight. For tippet I recommend at least 20-pound fluorocarbon. You must remember that we are dealing with some really big and strong fish here.

If by chance you are not an accomplished fly angler, don’t worry. Flies aren’t the only things they will eat. I will typically have two other rods rigged and ready – one with a larger swimbait and the other with a Z-Man Chatterbait. I believe the flutter and vibration produced by the Chatterbait will awaken a redfish and entice them to eat more often than just about any lure you can offer on a cold day. Every now and then when you have a perfect weather day and the fish are in aggressive feeding mode I will tie on a topwater, strictly for the fun factor. There is nothing quite like watching the surface bulge created by a giant redfish chasing down a topwater and then crushing it.

One of the key factors in catching these fish is finding clearer water. Even though clarity can be highly weather dependent, some areas hold it better than others. I have come to find that the closer you get to the gulf, the better the chances of finding clearer water, especially on an incoming tide. Weather permitting, the barrier islands are a really great place to start. The bigger fish like to get in the first gut on the beachfront and slowly cruise along in search of an easy meal. If you can’t make it all the way out to the beachfront,

View The Video Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube. 100’s of Redfish after Tidal Dump

the marsh areas that lie closest will almost always harbor decent clarity and plenty of big fish.

A buddy from West Texas accompanied me on one of my first trips, and although he is an avid fly angler he had never done anything saltwater related. The first day’s weather was perfect; the kind dreams are made of. We headed immediately for the beachfront in hope of finding a few fish crawling the first gut. It didn’t take long to find a few and fortunately, one of them was a willing participant. It didn’t quite make the famed 40-inch mark but still a respectable mid-30s specimen, and a dang good one by any measure for your first. That was the only fish we could get to eat due to a cold front having blown through the day prior but my buddy got to see firsthand why we headed down there. We probably saw well over fifty fish that day and we both knew it was going to be a fun weekend. It took two more days before he hit the coveted 40” mark but he finally got it done. Needless to say, every winter since, I pick him up at the New Orleans airport and we head south for several days.

Since my earliest wintertime excursions to southern Louisiana, several more friends have become interested and joined as regular participants, which helps in gathering fishing intel and improves fishing success for the whole group. The real fun though comes when we meet up after a long day on the water. The camaraderie over a few cold beers and several dozen fresh oysters gathered while on the water makes the stories of giants landed (and missed) all the more special.

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

VOLUNTEERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Writing about volunteer conservation efforts has been an ongoing endeavor for me since I began writing articles for Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine many years ago. It’s a constant reminder that volunteers hold a special place in the conservation of our coastal resources. As a lifelong resident of the Texas coast, volunteer and employee of Coastal Conservation Association Texas (CCA Texas) for the past 32 years, I have always been struck by the incredible beauty and diversity of the natural resources that surround us. From the sandy beaches and waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the sprawling wetlands and marshes of the inland bays

that are home to an array of wildlife and habitat, the Texas Gulf Coast is truly a special place.

However, as with any natural ecosystem, the Texas Gulf Coast is constantly facing challenges and threats that can put its beauty and biodiversity at risk. From the impacts of pollution and development to the effects of general recreational use and commercial fishing, the health of the Gulf Coast is something that requires our ongoing attention and care.

CCA Texas remains one organization that is doing important work to protect and conserve the Texas Gulf Coast. Founded in 1977, CCA is a non-profit

Any group of volunteers can make a difference with a dedicated and educated effort to make change.

Local chapter banquets are the grassroots energy for the success of CCA Texas.

organization that is dedicated to conserving the natural resources of the Gulf Coast, with a particular focus on sound science-based fisheries management and coastal habitat. CCA Texas is set apart from other organizations by a strong volunteer-driven committee system that works with staff to help ensure healthy coastal resources for future generations.

Through a variety of programs and initiatives, CCA works to protect and enhance the coastal and marine environments of the Texas coast. This includes efforts to promote sustainable fishing practices, restore damaged habitats, and advocate for policies and regulations that support the conservation of marine resources.

One way that you can get involved and help support the work of CCA is by volunteering your time and resources. Whether you have a few hours to spare each week, or you’re looking for a more long-term commitment, there are many ways to get involved and make a difference.

CCA Texas currently has fifty-nine local chapters across the state. These chapters are the local connection and grassroots energy of the organization. Each chapter hosts an annual fundraising and membership banquet. The funds raised and membership generated at these events are vital in CCA Texas’s advocacy and habitat restoration and creation efforts. Local chapters are an excellent opportunity to volunteer your time and energy to make a difference in the conservation of Texas’s coastal resources.

Other volunteer opportunities you might consider joining include one of the many local beach cleanups, crab trap cleanups, or habitat restoration projects that CCA Texas and other organizations support and execute. These programs give volunteers the opportunity to get hands-on experience conserving and protecting the Texas coast, while also learning about the importance of these ecosystems and the challenges they face. Be sure to mark your calendar for

two major upcoming events: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) 21st Annual Crab Trap Cleanup will take place February 17 through 26, 2023 with the main facilitated volunteer event on February, 18, 2023 . Also, Friends of Padre will host the 28th Annual Billy Sandifer Big Shell Beach Cleanup on February 25, 2023 . CCA Texas is proud to continue its support of both these very important events. Prime examples of events where volunteers make a huge difference.

Another way to volunteer is to get involved in CCA Texas’s many conservation efforts. This might include things like participating in research and monitoring projects, advocating for policies and regulations that support the conservation of marine resources through public comment when afforded the opportunity, or helping educate the general public about the importance of conserving our coastal resources through sharing the efforts and mission of CCA Texas and being the example for conservation through your personal actions.

One of the most recent and significant efforts of volunteers across the state was the efforts to see the Mesquite Bay Complex closed to oyster harvest from Carlos reef to the Second Chain of Islands in Ayers Bay. This effort would not have been possible without a dedicated and educated effort by volunteers from across the state. The Aransas Bay Chapter, located in Rockport, was a driving force in this effort from the early stages to the end. A core group of volunteers from this group held numerous meetings with local community members and recreational fishermen, visited with and shared observations with the local TPWD Coastal Fisheries team, traveled and commented to the TPWD Commission in Austin numerous times, and simply stayed engaged and never gave up in the effort to help make change for a more sustainable resource. These volunteer efforts made a difference, a difference that will help ensure the protection for these important oyster reefs in Texas for years to come. An effort that has been repeated through the years in many instances. With a vision, an educated group, and a tenacious effort, what many think is unattainable is possible. The Aransas Bay Chapter was honored by the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation and was awarded the 2022 Conservation and Environmental Stewardship Award for non-profits for CBBF.

Volunteering with CCA isn’t just about hard work and getting your hands dirty. It can also be a great opportunity to learn new skills and meet new people. And by working alongside others who are also passionate about conserving Texas coastal resources, you too can make new connections and friendships that will last a lifetime. One of the greatest satisfactions of being involved with CCA Texas for me personally is the long list of friendships and opportunities to work with dedicated conservationists from across the state, and I think I can speak the same for all the Assistant Directors at CCA Texas that work with local volunteers. CCA Texas volunteers are second to none and you are the energy of the organization.

So if you’re looking for a way to make a difference in your community and give back to Texas’s coastal resources, consider volunteering with the Coastal Conservation Association Texas. You’ll be making a positive impact on Texas’s coastal resources, and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re doing your part to protect this special place for future generations.

CCA Texas Aransas Bay Chapter volunteers received the 2022 Conservation and Environmental Stewardship Award for Non-Profits from the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation for their efforts to help ensure the health and sustainability of oyster reefs in the Mesquite Bay System.

FISHY

FACTS

HUMPBACK WHALE

“We sent whalesong into interstellar space because the creatures that sing these songs are superlative beings that fill us with awe, terror, and affection. We have hunted them for thousands of years and scratched them into our mythologies and iconography. Their bones frame the archways of medieval castles. They’re so compelling that we imagine aliens might find them interesting — or perhaps understand their otherworldly, ethereal song.”

~ Nick Pyenson, Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth’s Most Awesome Creatures

Humpback whales are members of the Balaenopteridae family, the largest group of baleen whales which diverged from other baleen whales in the late Miocene, some 6-10 million years ago. Also known as rorquals (from the Norwegian word røyrkval), members of this family are slender and streamlined with a dorsal fin situated about two-thirds of the way back, and most have narrow, elongated flippers. A few other rorquals are the blue whale, fin whale, sei whale, and minke whale. Most members of family Balaenopteridae have a series of longitudinal folds of skin running from below the mouth back to the navel. These folds allow the mouth to expand considerably when gulping huge mouthfuls of water (or sediment, in the case of the gray whale). The humpback

whale gets its common name from the distinctive hump on its back. It’s scientific name, Megaptera novaeangliae, refers to its wing-like pectoral fins and the location where European whalers first encountered them, New England.

Adult female humpbacks can reach over 55 feet in length and weigh up to 40 metric tons. Males are typically a bit smaller. Calves are born around 15 feet long and weigh about 1,500 pounds. Their backs are primarily black and undersides have various amounts of black and white. Whales in the Southern Hemisphere tend to have more white markings, particularly on their flanks and bellies, than those in the Northern Hemisphere. Flippers can also vary from all white, to black on top with white on bottom and are each around one-third of the body length. The short dorsal fin varies in size from nearly non-existent to somewhat long and curved. Tail flukes can be up to 18 feet wide. They are serrated along the trailing edge, and pointed at the tips. The fluke’s pigmentation patterns, size, and/or prominent scars are unique to each animal. They are distinctive enough to identify individuals. The mouth is lined with baleen plates, which can number up to 800. Forward of the blowhole on both the upper and lower jaw, as well as along the leading edge of the flippers, are rounded bumps, called tubercles – the outermost components of a sensory system we don’t know much

STEPHANIE BOYD

Bubble net feeding. Photo by Murray Foubister. CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

about. They range in diameter from 2-4 inches and are just under 3 inches tall. At the center of each tubercle is a funnel-shaped pit, and usually in the center of this pit is a single hair (some tubercles may have no hair, and some up to two). The tubercles are rich in nerves, each having an estimated 150-350 nerve endings, suggesting a rich sensory perception of the whale’s surroundings.

Humpbacks live in all oceans around the world. They hang out in disorganized pods and can travel the globe within their lifetime. Humpbacks make some of the longest migrations of any whale, traveling thousands of miles each year. In the North Pacific, some humpback whales make a 3,000-mile trip in as few as twenty-eight days. They migrate between colder, more-productive feeding grounds and warm, shallow waters for calving. The prey of humpback whales are microscopic compared to their own gigantic bodies. They gulp huge mouthfuls of seawater and plankton, tiny crustaceans like krill and other small schooling fish. Using their baleen plates, they then strain out the water. An adult humpback whale can consume nearly 3000 pounds of plankton each day. They use several techniques to help them herd and disorient prey, including bubbles, sounds, the seafloor, and even their pectoral fins. One specific feeding method, called bubble net feeding, involves using curtains of air bubbles to condense prey. A group of whales swim in a shrinking circle while blowing air from their blowholes, capturing the prey above them in a cylinder of bubbles. Once the fish are corralled, they are pushed toward the surface and devoured in several massively efficient gulps. Different groups of humpback whales use other bubble structures in similar ways; there appears to be some regional specialization in bubble-feeding behaviors among populations. In the southern hemisphere, humpbacks have been recorded foraging in large compact gatherings numbering up to 200 individuals. They are the only baleen whales known to utilize bubble-net feeding. They feed only during certain months of the year prior to calving season. Adult humpbacks are so large that only a few other creatures, including orcas and the great white shark, are known to attempt to feed on them. Humpbacks often wear scars of these battles.

Male humpbacks produce complex songs during the winter breeding season, ranging in frequency from 4-100 hertz (Hz), with harmonics reaching up to 24 kHz or more. (The widely accepted range of human hearing is 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (20 kHz), though many adults top out at 14-15 kHz. 20-80 Hz is our true low end. In fact, the bottom half of that range (20-40 Hz) is felt more than heard. The upper half (40-

80 Hz) is where the lowest note of the four-string bass comes into play. 80-160 Hz is commonly considered the bass range. The guitar enters the spectrum here. 10 kHz is very shrill, and there’s plenty of YouTube videos for that experience). Humpback vocals can travel several miles. Males typically sing for 4-33 minutes, depending on the region, though some have been recorded vocalizing for as long as seven hours. The whale repeats itself while hanging motionless in the water, head down. The function of these songs has been debated, but they may have multiple purposes, including attracting females, asserting dominance, and locating other whales. Songs can evolve over time as a result of contact between whales. One whale hears another, and incorporates part of that song into his own, which he then spreads to the next whale. Apparently, all males sing the same basic song, with minor changes. Humpbacks do make an assortment of other vocalizations besides singing – including snorts, grumbles, “thwops,” cries, shrieks, and barks – to communicate between individuals and groups. They are very active at the surface, performing behaviors such as breaching, tail slapping, and flipper slapping. These may be forms of play and communication and/or for removing parasites, or even possibly for regulating their body temperature. The species is a slower swimmer than other rorquals, cruising at 5-10 mph. Though when threatened, they might speed up to 17 mph.

Humpback whales can live 100 years. They reach sexual maturity somewhere between 4 and 10 years, around 41 feet in length. They are a promiscuous species, with both sexes having multiple partners. Males will frequently trail both lone females and cow–calf pairs. These are known as escorts, and the male that is closest to the female is known as the principal escort. He’s in charge of fighting off other suitors. The other trailing males, called secondary escorts, follow further behind and get to just watch the conflicts like a reality TV show. Calves are born after an 11- to 12-month gestation period and measure about 13 to 16 feet in length. They suckle for up to a year but can eat adult food in six months. Females produce a single calf every 2 to 3 years on average.

Before a final moratorium imposed on commercial whaling by the International Whaling Commission in 1985, all populations of humpback whales were greatly reduced, most by more than 95 percent. Humpbacks were hunted as early as the late 16th century. They were often the first species to be harvested in an area due to their distribution near coastlines during calving season. The United States listed all humpback whales as endangered under the Endangered Species Conservation Act in 1970. Before then, North Atlantic populations dropped to as low as 700 individuals. NOAA Fisheries worked worldwide to identify and apply protections for humpback whales – with happy results. Megaptera novaeangliae was most recently assessed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2018, and as a whole, was classified as Least Concern, though some populations are still considered depleted, and as such remain protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Some threats still exist. The impacts of climate change on whales are as yet unknown, but it is considered one of the largest threats facing high latitude regions where many humpback whales forage. The timing and distribution of sea ice coverage is changing dramatically. Any resulting changes in prey distribution could lead to changes in foraging behavior, nutritional stress, and diminished

Photo by Antarctica Bound. CC BY-ND 2.0 license.

reproduction for humpback whales. Additionally, changing water temperature and currents could impact the timing of environmental cues important for navigation and migration. Other threats include vessel strikes, entanglement by fishing gear, human-caused noise and traffic disturbance, and coastal habitat destruction. Like other cetaceans, humpbacks can be injured by excessive noise. In the 19th century, two humpback whales were found dead near a site of repeated oceanic subbottom blasting, with injuries and fractures in their ears.

Because humpback whales are often found close to shore and are often active, jumping out of the water and slapping the surface with their pectoral fins or tails, they tend to be popular whale watching attractions. There are several areas in the United States where they are the central attraction for the whale watching industry. Humpback whales are uncommon visitors to the Gulf of Mexico, with only 19 sightings between 1966 and 2015 – so consider yourself doubly lucky if you catch a glimpse.

Where I learned about humpback whales, and you can too!

World Register of Marine Species www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137092#notes

NOAA Fisheries www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/humpback-whale

Whale & Dolphin Conservation us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/species-guide/humpback-whale/

American Oceans www.americanoceans.org/species/humpback-whale/

IUCN Red List www.iucnredlist.org/species/13006/50362794

National Library of Medicine www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5884691/

ResearchGate

www.researchgate.net/publication/269519644_Short_Note_Tubercles_What_ Sense_Is_There www.researchgate.net/publication/293325880_Humpback_whale_ Megaptera_novaeangliae_occurrence_in_the_Gulf_of_Mexico

Sonic Bids

blog.sonicbids.com/understanding-frequencies-how-to-describe-what-yourehearing-to-your-sound-tech

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humpback_whale //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorqual

View The Video

Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube. Two Beautiful Humpback Whales Dance | BBC Earth

DOMINATE THE INSHORE REALM

roysbaitandtackle.com

ERIC OZOLINS EXTREME KAYAK FISHING & SHARKS FROM THE SAND

MR. TURBO SIDE-EYES

The majestic scalloped hammerhead shark once frequented the Texas coast in great numbers. While not a mythical monster like its larger cousin, the great hammerhead, the scalloped hammer still earns ample respect among shark anglers. It is by no description an ordinary creature.

Scalloped hammers ( Sphyrna lewini) are by far the most common hammerheads in all the world’s oceans. They reach a maximum length of about nine feet, but reasonably large specimens occur abundantly. This species is known to congregate in schools of hundreds of individuals, and while they are relatively harmless singly, such a concentration of toothy critters can appear impressively menacing. Like other temperate and tropical waters around the globe, the Gulf of Mexico supports a healthy population of scalloped hammerheads. During parts of the year, they run through the shallows fronting our beaches, feeding on an array of baitfish.

The close of winter ushers in an exciting time for those of us who love to fish the beachfront. Along the shores of Padre Island, migrating scalloped hammers pass with the warming winds of spring. A historical almanac of shark fishing would say we should begin to see them begin to roll through our surf waters during the

Under water photo of scalloped hammerhead with dart tag during successful release.

Electronic tracking device being attached to dorsal fin of scalloped hammerhead prior to release.

last week of March.

But, this prediction is based on the weather patterns of the previous year. Recently, Texas weather has been anything but consistent. Consequently, we’ve seen the scalloped hammers arrive both late and early over the past decade or so. While the exact timing of their arrival has become difficult to predict, one thing remains certain—they will appear at some time during spring. They might linger in decent numbers for two solid months, or be present and active for just a few days.

The late Captain Billy Sandifer enlightened me about the timing of the arrival of this species. He said if the water’s too rough to kayak baits, but still looks clean and green, the scalloped hammers will be feeding close to shore. My old friend and mentor emphasized the importance of ALWAYS having a cast-out shark-rod ready for action; in spring, such a rig proves useful for targeting scalloped hammerheads. I have a collection of vintage Polaroids from Sandifer dating back about thirty years, when he regularly put his clients on these springtime specialties.

I’ve essentially modeled my spring guiding tactics after my mentor. In some years past, I haven’t landed a single scalloped hammer; in others, I’ve landed multiple specimens on the same day. Among the sharks we target, this one ranks among the most unpredictable, adding to the prestige and mystique of landing one from the beach.

Like all hammerheads, these sharks have small mouths compared to the size of their bodies. The big eyes of hammers stick far out on both sides of their heads. Essentially, these predators’ flat, wide skulls serve as rudders, allowing them to make sharp turns. The giant great hammerheads use their impressive headgear to pin large stingrays on the bottom before eating them.

In contrast, the heads of dainty bonnethead sharks (another hammerhead species) allow them to maneuver quickly and deftly to catch small baitfish and crustaceans, like shrimp. The intermediatesized scalloped hammerheads can pick up and eat stingrays the size of a dinner plate, but they don’t have the mass and power to

prey on monster roughtail and southern stingrays. At times, they feed exclusively on fish. Large whiting and pompano are favored meals for this swift species, but they also attack schools of migrating sheepshead to quell their appetites.

These aggressive predators move extremely shallow when chasing their prey. Anglers hoping to catch a scalloped hammerhead can take a couple different routes. The first step is to procure a whole fresh whiting or sheepshead, then rig it on a 20/0 circle hook. Casting the bait into the first gut works at times, if it’s deep enough, but a more alluring strategy is to kayak the baits into the deeper second gut.

One thing to note when targeting these sharks, especially with

Mature scalloped hammerhead ready for release.

Another scalloped hammerhead just prior to being released.

whiting, is that blacktip and sandbar sharks savor these baits too. Sometimes, days and weeks of weeding through members of the other species pass before a scalloped hammer bites. When one does, the ensuing fight provides excitement and lasting memories.

I find these speed demons mystical and unique among hammerheads; Sandifer described them as pleasantly spiritual. It’s just so intriguing to gaze into the eye of a scalloped hammer; it feels as if they’re looking straight into your soul. Thankfully, unlike their bigger cousins, these hardy hammers regularly survive catch and release.

Pound for pound, Mr. Turbo Side-eyes ranks among the hardest fighting sharks we catch from the beach. Anyone who lands one should use time wisely when celebrating, taking measurements and photographs, and get the shark back into the water as soon as possible, to ensure the most successful survival rate after release. Over recent years, numbers of these sharks in Texas waters seems to have declined, making every encounter with one more special, and elevating the need for handling them responsibly.

I feel fortunate to have caught my share of these ultra-cool sharks over the years, and I now try to help others experience the joy of battling one of these majestic creatures during my charters. Anyone interested in chasing this side-eyed unicorn should come with me for a potentially epic journey. Imagine embarking on an adventure on the South Texas coast. The season is spring, the air pristine and clear, comfortably brisk. Bright sunlight slowly warms the morning.

All feels perfect in the world.The finesse of nature’s raw beauty fills the senses.

The wind shifting back and forth from north to south has allowed the water to clear. When the time comes to deploy baits in the aquamarine waves, they are deployed by wading; a whiting is lobbed into the distant gut from the shallows fronting the sand.For a while, a mesmerizing Zen-like state occupies the mind and spirit

Suddenly, all else is forgotten, as line begins to peel off the reel so fast it threatens to create smoke. The clicker screams like a racing Harley Davidson when the battle of all battles begins. After a long and contentious fight, a beast comes reluctantly to the beach, and we see the ominous and intriguing face of Mr. Turbo Side-eyes, the scalloped hammerhead.

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

Nick Mayer Art

Texas Redfish Phone Cases by Nick Mayer Art

Available for all iPhone & Samsung phone models through the iPhone 14 & S22. Printed on a super tough impact-resistant plastic case. The rubber liner and inside plate supports wireless charging. Show your Texas Redfish style on and off the water. From $43.00.

Texas Redfish Signed Prints by Nick Mayer Art

Vibrant, colorful art from hand-painted watercolors printed on museum-quality watercolor paper using acid-free framing materials are hand-signed and numbered by the artist. Limited editions of 250 prints in four sizes from $89.00.

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Okuma Ceymar HD Spinning Reels

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Grundens Charter Gore-Tex® Jacket

Every angler has been caught off guard with unexpected changes in weather and the new GORE-TEX PACLITE® PLUS Charter Jacket offers the perfect solution. The Charter is the most breathable jacket we’ve ever built and combined with the GORE-TEX® GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY™ promise, you’ll be prepared to experience nature in its most honest moments. Utilizing a 2-layer unlined construction, we’ve created a thin, lightweight, highly packable jacket that features an interior surface finish specifically designed to resist the toughest contaminants including oil and gas.

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El Pescador 25’ Patron

A phrase you’ll likely hear when talking to someone that’s taken a test ride on the all new 25’ El Pescador Patron is that it checks all the boxes! You will also likely hear these words when describing this brand-new design from El Pescador... FAST –SMOOTH – DRY-RIDING! If you’re in the market for an amazing custom boat from a respected Texas builder, schedule a testride and come on down to experience the all-new 25’ Patron. Sold exclusively at Rockport Marine 361-729-7820 www.RockportMarineInc.com

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NEW! ForEverlast Combo Pack

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Matagorda

THE VIEW FROM Matagorda

I say it every year – I’m glad February is the shortest month of the year. I’m just not a fan.

February finally gives me a bit of a break from the past eleven months of daylight to dark. It’s a chance to catch a breather from duck season and to do business taxes. I fish a little and fix a lot that was broken during the previous year.

Few anglers consider a topwater in February, but on those days with rising temperatures on the back side of cold front, a plug has proved deadly for years.

Calmer days allow anglers a chance at the reefs in the middle of East Matagorda Bay. Bass Assassins, Corkys, Soft Dines, Down South Lures and five-inch Bass Assassin Sea Shad are all great for bigger specks.

Telephone 979-241-1705

Email binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net Website matagordasunriselodge.com

Sorry I am not brimming with optimism; February is just February in my book. The good news is you can catch some of the largest trout of your life in Matagorda in February. Pick your days.

Blusters blowing 2025 knots are not what I call conducive fishing conditions, however, 10-15 knots, which is the average wind speed this time of year, gives anglers at least a fighting chance.

Tides fall so low you can’t get into the back lakes. But, you don’t have to, because those fish in the back lakes are pouring out with the water. We make a living in the winter waiting for redfish in the mouths of those lakes and bayous.

Mid-bay reefs in East Matagorda Bay are not always “trout green,” but that is not a reason to write off drifting deep shell and mud. When water clarity is stained, it helps to go with something infused with scent under a popping cork.

Redfish action happens most often in West Bay. Most of the time you are dealing with low tides, so work the deep guts next to flats. Don’t be afraid to make a few casts in that shindeep water on that flat next to the gut – those redfish like to warm in the shallows with lots of sunshine.

Don’t be surprised if temperatures reach the 70s this month. When winds switch to a southeasterly flow, water rises about a foot, covers up the reefs, and the redfish and trout show on the shell. All those north shoreline reefs in West Bay are players. Though February is not my favorite month, it beats sitting in an easy chair and answering questions with your accountant.

Please continue to take care of our fish in Matagorda and all of Texas. Though reports are mixed after the Christmas freeze, it appears most of the Texas coast was spared from another fish kill.

We are rebounding in Matagorda from the Freeze of 2021. Catches are better, speckled trout sizes are better and more importantly, attitudes toward more of a conservative nature are becoming the norm. The days of throwing a bunch of dead fish on a table for a social media post are hopefully coming to an end. Please keep giving back more than you take. It is cool to catch and release.

We will be at the Houston Fishing Show in the George R. Brown, March 1-5. Come by and see us in the Sunrise Lodge booth.

February Tactics for Matagorda Trout and Redfish

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

View The Video Open Camera and hover over QR Code. When link appears at top of screen tap to open in YouTube.

CAPT. GARY GRAY

Port O'Connor Seadrift

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

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

Mother Nature spared us a major fish kill during the Christmas 2022 freeze. A few fish were lost in isolated areas but overall we were very lucky. I encountered only one dead trout in a pond less than a foot deep, too shallow to protect it from the cold. It could have been much worse and I have some theories on that. Perhaps the biggest reason was that we had extremely high tides when the storm arrived and it remained so until after the front passed. This provided an opportunity for fish to exit shallow back lakes. And if they stayed they had greater water depth to protect them.

Two other factors likely also played a role. One is that the water temps were running higher than average before the front. Meaning that it would take longer to cool the water to a level that would be lethal to bait and game fish.

Another is that this was a dry front. If it had included freezing rain it would have cooled the water more rapidly, possibly causing a major fish kill. But enough of the freeze scare...

February fishing patterns should remain a lot like January has been and I will be spending the majority of my time in the back lakes of Matagorda Island. I like the back lakes this time of year for a number of reasons. The muddy bottoms allow water to warm quicker due to the darker color when the sun does decide to show itself. This warmer water attracts baitfish such as mullet, which is one of the major food sources for the trout and reds that spend their winters there. The back lakes of Matagorda Island also offer some protection from the hard north winds associated with cold fronts. During extreme cold snaps you could drift or troll-motor deep areas such as the Victoria Barge Canal and the Army Hole, and working the drop-offs. Another plus for the Victoria Barge Canal is found in the tall banks that afford protection from north wind. A word of caution for the hordes of fishermen that fish the many plant docks; these areas are listed among the temporary closures that TPWD enforces when the temperatures turn really cold.

I like fishing the many reefs of San Antonio Bay whenever the weather allows this time of year. Before beginning a wade on a reef you need to make sure that you have bait in the area. During colder periods when the water temp dips into the high-40s and low-50s there will be very few if any signs of bait presence on the surface. When this occurs look for swirls, ripples, flashes or any other kind of sign that there is bait present. Birds often become key indicators. Pelicans in the area, even if only resting on the surface along the reef, can provide clues that bait is present. Once you have established you have bait in the area you will need to wade the reef very slowly and fish the drop-offs to deeper water. The trout are usually hanging where the shell meets the mud. Cuts through the

reef are another feature to concentrate on. Perhaps the most important factor, and I always mention it when talking about reef fishing, is to make sure that you and your buddies stop and plant your feet as soon as you get a strike or get a fish on. If everyone holds that line you should be able to stand in one spot and keep catching until the fish sense something is wrong and move off. When this happens; start fan casting and moving down the reef slowly until you start catching again.

During winter you need to match your lure to the water temperatures. Meaning that if you have had near freezing temps and overcast skies for a few days, you need to stick to something you can fish really slow. Corkys can be very effective and I also like the Double D and Custom Corky floaters this time of year.

During warmer periods between fronts I like the Saltwater Assassin 4’’ Sea Shad in Purple Chicken and Magic Grass. Stick with the slower retrieves as fish may still be less than aggressive in their feeding. I always say if you’re not hanging up occasionally on shell you’re probably working your lure too fast.

Yes, we dodged a bullet, but we are in no way back to normal. Full recovery to the fishery we enjoyed prior to the February 2021 freeze could take another four to five years, barring any other setbacks.

Fish hard, fish smart!

Scott, Dave, Ryan, and Shad found a wintertime flounder hole!

Bill McMurry getting in on some cold weather reef fishing.

and the

Science Sea

Father Gobies Know Best

Many species of egg-laying animals decide when it’s time for their offspring to leave the nest, but a little fish known as the neon goby takes that a step further. They decide when their young will even hatch from their eggs. Leaving their eggs is a precarious time for any animal because the new hatchlings are at their most vulnerable. Typically, the timing of hatching depends on the embryo or on external environmental cues, such as temperature. But for neon gobies, fathers seem to know the best time to introduce their little ones to the world.

A male neon goby tending eggs in its nest in a laboratory. He prepares his offspring for the world by regulating the timing of hatch. When the time comes, he will pick them up in his mouth and expel them from the nest. Credit: John Majoris.

When male gobies decide it’s time for their young to hatch, they remove the eggs from the nest with their mouth, swim to the opening of the sponge where they live, and then spit them out at the sponge’s entrance. It’s not clear how the males know the conditions are right for hatching, but in a laboratory experiment, all the male gobies chose to spit out their eggs from their home sponge at sunrise on the seventh day of embryonic development.

Waiting for dad to make the call appears to benefit the young gobies’ chances of survival. The gobies who hatch when dad spits them out tend to be larger and more developed — and therefore better equipped to find food, avoid predators and navigate the seas — than gobies that hatch on their own. In fact, neon gobies tend to be underdeveloped and hatch up to 50% earlier when their parents aren’t around. The behavior demonstrates one of the various ways that some reef fish can increase their offspring’s chances of survival from their first day of life.

Upper Laguna/ Baffin

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

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

We are solid into the 2023 trophy trout season and have already had our first big scare with the Christmas freeze. We dodged that bullet, mostly, with only minimal losses. But like a broken record, the losses that did occur were largely in relation to barge traffic in the ICW. In these modern times of technology, communication advances, etc.; it’s hard to believe the caretakers and users of the inshore bays and waterways have not been able to gain greater control when gamefish populations are so vulnerable. Does anyone else believe that common sense will become an antique soon?

plus pounders are coming to hand. My boat has experienced a couple of weeks where we had a seven-plus trout landed and released each day. For this day and time, that it is pretty dang special, and I feel damn honored to have them.

I certainly wish we could count on that big bite daily, like in years past, but the whole coast is a different fishery now than it was ten years ago, considering the freeze and fishing pressure in general. The truth is most folks may not even recognize the difference, and catching a handful of fish may now qualify as a “smoked them” kind of a day. For myself and many others, we now have new expectations, to say the least.

The million dollar question from every client prior to arriving would have to be; What are they biting on? Well, it’s not shrimp or croaker, so bring something that imitates a mullet. No lure on the end of my Waterloo gets more play than the straight tail 5” Bass Assassin. I’ve been blessed to catch seven double-digit trout in my life and four of them came on that very lure. Call me crazy but I’m sticking with the sure thing that I know gets big bites from trout, versus the latest “Gucci plastics” we see so often on social media. MirrOlure Fat Boy, MirrOdine XL, and Catch 2000 are also huge confidence lures this time of year. Remember the Buffalo! -Capt David Rowsey

Stephen Hicks with a big ol’ long one on his first trip out; the 5” Bass Assassin did the trick on a windy day. CPR!

@captdavidrowsey

The fabled month of February is upon us. Is there any other month that drives so much anticipation in the trophy trout world? There is no doubt that February is a great month to focus on trophies, but is it really better than any other winter month? My take on that is this: February gets a lot more attention because fishermen are relieved of other obligations (if that’s what you want to call them) such as hunting, holidays, sports, etc. February seems to be when everything else has run its course and everyone converges on the bay for sport and entertainment in the form of trout fishing. So, with that being said, more big fish are naturally going to be caught. It’s basically a numbers game. Greater participation produces more big fish, and in this age of social media more people hear about it.

I’m not knocking February as a trophy month, because it definitely is. What I’m saying is there are perhaps as many boats on the water this month as in June. In addition to more everyday fishermen being out there, it is also the month when trout tournaments begin in earnest, and all that comes with it…especially the shoreline burning. My best advice would be get out early, get established in a good area that you know has the right stuff in it, and make a day of it. Enjoy your time and the grind. It will pay off!

We are almost two years since the February 2021 freeze and I am often asked about the condition of the fishery and what I am seeing daily on the water. So far it has been a bit of a wild ride from the immediate aftermath to where we are today. Following the freeze, the rest of the year was pretty damn dismal, but we found a way to make some days out of them. An influx of fish moved into the Laguna from Corpus Christi Bay and the surf in late ‘21 and we ended up having better 2022 winter and spring seasons than I ever expected…Thank the Good Lord. Basically, what seems to have played out was that as the water temps climbed, that big push of fish evidently began to return to the waters from which they originated (educated guess).

2023 has thus far shown a little more normalcy, but it is far from being what I call, right. The big positive this year is far more solid five-

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

First and foremost, as you all know we had a very close call December 23-26 with regards to our fishery here in Port Mansfield as we faced unseasonably frigid temperatures for several days. We did lose some baitfish and a few gamefish, but overall the fishery fared well. To me, this was an acute reminder how fragile our ecosystem is. And what a perfect segway into my original article; let’s get started…

Boy, what a difference a couple years can make. Just two years ago I was convinced I’d be hard pressed to ever catch another trophy trout. Since I wasn’t living in Port Mansfield in the 1980s, I cannot relate what happened in February 2021 to the devastating freezes of that decade.

And without social media back then, how might one have immediately known the extent of the devastation?

Not to mention that I was barely a teenager at the time; hence, my lack of recollection and knowledge. However, as I surveyed the carnage two years ago I couldn’t fathom how the fishery could ever be good again. I also wondered why I wasn’t catching more six to eightpound trout, given the number I saw lying dead along the sandy banks of the Lower Laguna.

Thanks to good folks at the Coastal Resource Advisory Committee, Harte Research Institute, and TPWD the fishery made a phenomenal recovery through the emergency management strategies that were enacted.

Still pondering how we could ever see good trout fishing again I had no choice but to listen to the experts. I recall Dr. Greg Stunz telling me, “Mother Nature is resilient, and we have a robust fishery, these emergency regulations will help a lot.”

Well, two short years later here we are, catching

solid trout with occasional heavyweights showing up. While we do have somewhat a void of upper-class (27-30 inch) fish, the critical brood stock class seems healthy. A strong showing of two- to four-pounders with a decent spattering of fives is very promising. I wonder every day on the water, where did the fish we are catching come from? Let’s dig in…

In my opinion, based on observations and brainstorming with friends at Harte, a great number of fish that were holding south of Port Mansfield made their way to deeper waters near South Padre. We also know that a great number of trout found refuge in the Brownsville Ship Channel. Now, I can prove fish were traveling south because you may recall I found a dead trout that I had tagged before the freeze. She had traveled a number of miles south from where I tagged her, but not far enough to reach a deepwater refuge. By far the greatest number of dead trout were found north of Port Mansfield, and another big group around the Arroyo. However, the further south we surveyed the fewer we found.

It would therefore be reasonable to theorize that the surviving class made it south, whether to the deeper waters of SPI or the Ship Channel. It is also likely that some survived in various deepwater locales elsewhere in the northern parts of the Lower Laguna. When the storm passed and temperatures returned to normal, surviving baitfish and trout began to make their way back north. What other explanation could possibly explain the recovery? Two years is a long time to be able to reflect, take notes, and more importantly, observe what’s happening in our waters down here in the LLM.

Let’s take it a step further and work some simple math together. It’s been exactly 24 months since the freeze. Trout can grow one inch per month up to about 14 inches. From that point onward trout growth slows, and we only have about 10 months to work with to get us to current times. So, is it possible that a trout can grow from 14 inches to 21-25 inches in just 10 months? Not likely.

The upper-class fish we are currently enjoying survived the freeze but the chunky 15- to17-inchers were most likely recruited post-freeze. So, Dr. Stunz nailed it. Mother Nature is resilient and our ecosystem is very healthy. We as anglers need to keep our eye on the ball. Just because we have a flurry of good trout fishing doesn’t mean we can or should go back to prefreeze mentality as a fishing society. As I teach anglers and openly discuss mindsets on the water and in seminars, I always close my conversation or presentation with this statement. “It’s a lot easier to keep up than to play catch up.” Think about it…

Remember, fresh is better than frozen.

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Rigging the KWiggler’s Ball Tail Shad

WAYNE DAVIS

Richard Sanchez and Capt. Wayne enjoying an excellent day on the water.

Erin Fuge scored big on her first-ever wade fishing trip. CPR!

SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene

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

We were very lucky during the Christmas winter storm as air temperatures dipped to near-freezing or below in South Texas for several days. Luckily we had been experiencing colder than average temperatures in the days prior, so when the blast came a great number of fish were already staged in or near deeper water. The first day I ran the flats right after the storm, water temperatures ranged from 46° to 50°. I saw zero fish on the flats and very little bait. I saw one dead redfish and several dozen mullet lying dead on bottom and a few floating. What I did see on the flats two days later, after the weather had warmed considerably, were numerous schools of redfish heading back toward their regular winter haunts. I also noticed schools of trout, some big ones, big enough to get any trout enthusiast excited.

Arroyo Colorado to Port Isabel

Our redfish were in good numbers before the storm and I expect they will continue to be in great shape going forward. Limits were easily attainable just a few days into the warming period and I took that as a very positive sign. I would however like to encourage anglers to continue practicing good conservation; just because they’re stacked and hitting anything you throw is no justification for double-dipping on the limit.

February is the coldest month of the year on the Lower Laguna and the redfish will likely be migrating back and forth from shallow to deeper water with the passage of additional fronts. For this reason, shallow grass flats adjacent to deeper water can often be some of the most productive areas to fish. Mullet are the primary food source during winter, so it goes without saying that locating concentrations of mullet

can be one of the best ways to find redfish. Other tell-tale signs can be mud-puffs, the small murky spots in otherwise clear water made by redfish as they bolt when startled. Even if you do not see bait or redfish, seeing multiple mud-puffs over a short distance is a good reason to stop and investigate.

February’s colder temperatures often has redfish hugging bottom, so don’t expect much topwater action, except perhaps during prolonged warming spells. Soft plastics will be more productive and slower retrieves near bottom usually draw the most strikes. Here lately the Z-Man StreakZ lures in the 3.75-inch pearl color has been working well for us. These baits have great darting action on slow retrieves that has attracted all the Big Three Species – snook, trout, and redfish. Made of ELAZTECH, they are ten times tougher than traditional plastics, yet the soft texture causes the fish to hold on longer for better hooksets.

The size of the schools and the individual trout I have seen since the Christmas storm gives me high hopes for February. Just a few days after the big storm I saw trout swimming and sunning in the shallows that ranged from several pounds all the way up to true trophy class; some appeared as large as eight and maybe even nine pounds. The abundance of smaller trout we have been seeing and catching is also very encouraging as they are the future of the fishery.

When targeting trout, keep in mind that water temperature is ultra-critical during winter, and just a few degrees can make a huge difference in their willingness to feed. I have learned over the years the ideal temperatures to find trout feeding actively would be in the mid-60 degrees up into the 70-degrees range. But we’re talking February, so we must adjust our tactics and techniques accordingly to match the cooler water temperature and mood of the fish. Patience is the key, and fishing deeper and slower near bottom is sometimes the only way to get them to eat.

I have an announcement: My son, Capt. Aaron Cisneros, and I recently joined the Z-Man Fishing Products team. Z-Man is based in Charleston, S.C. and has maintained a large presence in freshwater fishing for many years, especially within the professional bass fishing community, and also growing rapidly in the saltwater market. Z-Man’s products include a wide variety of soft plastic baits, and all the hooks, jigheads, etc., that go along with them. Aaron and I look forward to helping promote Z-Man here in the Texas saltwater market through our social media platforms and YouTube channels; and later down the line, contributing to their product designs for Texas anglers. Best of luck in your efforts to land a new personal-best trout this month!

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Using Tide, Solunar, and Weather Data to Plan Your Fishing Day

Lee was very happy to land this beautiful wintertime snook.

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 mentioned some good catching on trips prior to giving this report. “We have been catchin’ ‘em pretty good wading since the weather warmed back up after the cold snap. We’re mostly hitting areas with scattered shell on the bottom close to some of the main reefs. Fishing has been pretty good in Upper West Bay and Lower Galveston Bay on this pattern. Best bite has been on the hard baits when we’re wading. We’re catching good on the old school MirrOlures in classic colors like chartreuse/gold, also on sinking Leles. On some days, the Paul Brown Lures are working great, too. Over in East Bay, the fishing is best up in the marshes. There’s lots of trout over there, mostly small ones, but it’s usually possible to catch a limit of eating-sized fish on soft plastics with a little effort. One of the best lately has been a Bass Assassin Sea Shad in a color called Laguna shrimp. I’ve also been catching well on the new Artemis Shad, which is a full-sized swim bait. All of the fish, the trout, the reds and the flounder, love that thing, and it’s really easy to use. It works great when reeled straight in.”

Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054

Jim has had a great season hunting ducks, but that action will wind down at the end of January, and he’ll be back to fishing regularly. “We’ve had some decent fishing lately, when the weather’s not too cold. The fish are plentiful up in the bayous and marshes. The recent heavy rains have sent quite a bit of freshwater into the back of East Bay, but the fish appear to have hunkered down. People wading the shorelines back there are catching pretty good, trout up to about five pounds, by working lures right close to the bottom. Wading is generally the way to go in February. The fish are usually pretty shallow this time of year, and it’s a great time to catch some of the biggest trout in the bay. All the shorelines in East Bay have potential, depending on the wind direction, and Trinity Bay is holding up good right now, too. There’s not much freshwater rolling down the river, so there’s plenty of places in the north end of the bay to wade. After fronts, the fishing is best in the holes and drains, but the action picks back up in the shallows once the water warms back up.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays

Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service

979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323

Catching fish around San Luis Pass in February means looking for bait, mostly mullet, Randall says. “Since we have so few shrimp in the bay this time of year, the search for mullet is the key to finding the trout and redfish. Normally, we’re looking for them in open areas of the main bay, in water ranging from about four to maybe seven feet deep. The search can be somewhat time-consuming. Finding a few mullet isn’t necessarily enough; a concentration is a much better indicator of the presence of predators. So, once we find a decent concentration of bait and succeed in earning a few strikes, we are persistent in the area, doing what we can to pin down the precise locations of the schools of trout and reds. When fishing these areas out of the boat, we throw Norton Sand Eels mostly, rigging them on three-eighths or quarterounce jigheads. Of course, wading is a better option during warm spells. When wading, we like to fish in places close to reefs, with a mix of mud, grass and scattered shell on the bottom, throwing Paul Brown

Corkys and other slow-sinking twitch baits, and topwaters, when the bait is most active at the surface.”

Matagorda | Tommy Countz Guide Service

Tommy Countz - 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037

Tommy mentions a long list of potentially productive options for catching trout and redfish in the Matagorda area in February. “We like to drift the area around Raymond Shoal if we’re fishing out of the boat for trout. Over there, we look for muddy streaks in the water, if the overall condition of the water is clear. And, we use relatively heavy jigheads, either three-eighths or quarter-ounce, rigged with soft plastics like Norton Sand Shads in colors like tequila gold or electric chicken, depending on the water quality. Of course, the wading is great in East Bay for big trout at times, too. Folks who do best at that generally focus on the late-afternoon hours and work places with a muddy bottom. They mostly throw slow-sinking twitch baits and topwaters. It can be slow, without lots of action, but the potential for the trout of a lifetime is definitely real. And, the fishing for redfish is great in West Matagorda Bay this time of year. It can be good anytime, but the best conditions of all involve a really low tide, which stacks the fish in the guts and drains in places like Cottons and Greens bayous, on the south shoreline.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam

www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204

Winter fishing has been good in the Palacios area and we appear to have dodged the bullet on a big fish kill in the cold weather event which happened near the end of 2022. The three local rivers continue to produce best in cold weather. DSL soft plastics in magic grass and blue moon rigged on three-eighths ounce heads have worked best in the depths of the rivers, worked low and slow, bumping the bottom. When the weather warms, the redfish move way up into the marshes in big numbers, feeding on crabs and grass shrimp. We’ve been catching plenty on pumpkin-chartreuse Lil’ Johns and Johnson gold spoons. With high tides, the guts on the south shoreline of West Matagorda fill up with both trout and reds, primarily in places close to the mouths of bayous. Action is best in that area in the afternoon, with a falling tide. February should provide excellent action as water temperatures climb. We catch best in the second half of winter on shallow, muddy flats close to deep water, with some scattered oyster shell on them, like those near the front of the harbor, and at the mouths of the local rivers.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith

Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833

Lynn expects to be chasing some of the big trout in the Port O’Connor area come February. “I like to fish in places with some shell scattered about on a muddy bottom this time of year. The best areas are on flats with shallow water lying close to a channel or some other kind of drop-off into deeper water. The big trout like to come out of the depths and look for a meal in the shallows during the warm hours of the afternoon this time of year. So, we don’t leave the dock early most days. We like to take off late in the morning and fish through the afternoon. The back-lakes in the area offer great potential for a shot at a big trout

and of course, plenty of redfish. The bite on slow-sinking twitch baits is usually good this month. During the warm spells, the topwaters work great too. If the weather’s warm, we want to see a lot of bait in the areas we’re fishing, but on the colder days, with gloomy, gray skies, finding even a few mullet in the right kinds of places can lead to some really good catching.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead

Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894

Blake will be fishing much more of the time, once duck seasons ends and February arrives. “The fishing in the Coastal Bend is great this time of year. We’ve got lots of shallow areas close to deep water, and good tide movements in lots of places. By the end of duck season I normally have a good grasp on the location of plenty of schools of both trout and reds. We like to fish shorelines adjacent to guts and drains leading into the backwater areas quite a bit this time of year. If the tide is high, and coming in, the fishing is often good inside the shallow back-lakes and coves. If it’s low and/or going out, the bite is often best on the main bay shorelines near where the cut funnels water in and out of the shallows. We throw topwaters some of the time during February, if the weather’s warm and we see lots of mullet jumping, but Norton Sand Eels in dark colors with bright tails work better more of the time. We usually catch a nice variety of fish this month, plenty of slot reds and eating-sized trout, also some of the biggest trout of the year.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut

Robert Zapata | rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160

With the cold water temperatures typical of February, it pays to keep the breathable waders in good shape. It is also a good idea to wear ForEverLast Ray Guards, as the best fishing for big trout is usually done by wading, and stingrays will be present in places where trout are found. During the long nights, water temperatures decline and drive the fish into deeper water, but they move back into shallower water once the sun rises in the sky and heats up the day. The trout move slowly this time of year, and people hoping to catch them by wading should move slowly too, while exercising as much stealth as possible while working through the water. I target trout this time of year in potholes and along grassy edges. I like to work my lure from the grass into the sandy areas, to attract the attention of trout lurking there to attack their prey. The action can also be good along drop offs at the edges of some of the channels leading into the intracoastal waterway. Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like salt&pepper/chartreuse, chicken on a chain or trickster rigged on eighth-ounce or quarterounce jigheads work best.

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

February ranks right at the top of best months to target trophy trout in the Corpus Christi area, Joe says. “Some big trout come out of Baffin Bay and the ULM this time of year. Other parts of the area produce monster trout too, notably Nueces Bay. We seem to have escaped a bad fish kill during the cold snap that hit right before the turn of the year, so we’re set up for some excellent action come February. Best fishing for big trout in these parts in February often occurs on warm days between fronts. Some of the best catching will be in shallow water close to grass mats and drains on the King and Kenedy ranch shorelines. The fishing is also good out of the boat in parts of the Badlands, on the flats near the Point of Rocks and at Cathead and East Kleberg, around the main rock formations. Soft plastics rigged on light jigheads work well when wading, but folks fishing out of the boat do better using slightly heavier heads, three-eighths ounce or heavier. In clear water, natural colors work best. If the water’s murky, dark colors with bright tails show up better.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins 361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com

We’ve had mostly clear, clean water throughout most of the winter along the Texas beachfront, despite the rapid rising and falling of the water temperatures. Pompano have been around in good numbers, biting best in ice cream conditions. They will readily bite fresh shrimp or Fish-Bites when the weather calms. The cooler parts of the weather pattern in late-winter will elevate the potential for catching both black and red drum from the beach, including slot-size fish and oversize. Black drum will take the same baits as the pompano, while the reds prefer shrimp and cut mullet. On the calm days, catching monster surf specks is possible. Slow-sinking MirrOlures and other twitch baits worked at a slow pace produce best. Trout sometimes stack up in blow-out holes around the sand bars, also near the bases of the jetties jutting out from the sand. In the heart of winter, sandbar sharks are the only big sharks to target. They reach a maximum length just over seven feet. We do have plenty of Atlantic sharpnose and bonnethead sharks, too. All the sharks prefer water temps over 60° and any cold snap usually ends the action with them for a while.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza

Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge - 956.944.4000 This is the season when fronts regularly pass over the coast switching the winds and dropping the temperatures. The best catching usually occurs either the day before or the second day after the passage of a front. If winds fall light, the action is usually good along area shorelines and around some of the spoil islands. Topwater action is limited this time of year, but when it’s on, a Ruby Tuesday Mansfield Knocker is a great plug to throw. The KWigglers Wig-A-Lo in flomingo, bone diamond, lagunaflauge and pollo loco rigged on eighth-ounce heads work better most of the time. Up north, the area around Gladys Hole produces great catching this time of year. On the east side, the flats around Jones Cut and Dubb’s Island hold plenty of fish. Most of the trout hang out in the relatively deep potholes over that way. This is also true around the East Bay. Down south, West Bay and Peyton’s Bay are hotspots. The Pipeline and the Saucer also attract lots of fish and anglers. Most of the catching in these areas in February occurs in some of the deepest potholes. Sometimes the sight of a single mullet flipping can lead to the mother lode.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941

Winter fishing in the Lower Laguna Madre has rebounded nicely since the cold weather event at the end of 2022. We’re finding our trout mostly in about two to three feet of water covering a grassy bottom with plenty of sandy potholes. Small topwaters are drawing lots of strikes when bait is active close to the surface. The bone Spook Jr is predictably working best. The Z-Man StreakZ in space guppy color rigged on an eighth-ounce Trout Eye jighead is also producing lots of fish. With these, a slow retrieve which keeps the lure close to the bottom is best. Redfish continue to come to hand in good numbers, with the best bite coming during hours when a strong tide comes in. For the reds, we’re fishing shallow flats with a muddy bottom close to deeper water. Z-Man StreakZ in smokey shad color have worked best to trick the reds. All these fish drop off into deeper water if and when cold weather sends water temperatures plummeting. So, keeping track of recent weather trends is important, including watching the tide charts. The trout bite well in the afternoon, with the tide flowing out of shallow areas into the Lagoon, at times.

Jonathon Dziedzic Galveston Bay - 40”black drum

McKayla Gossett Upper Laguna Madre - personal best trout

Kathy Faldyn Shoalwater Flats - 27.5” redfish CPR

Julia Jurecka

Sargent - 41” redfish

Rylan Hamilton Port Aransas - 43” bull red CPR

Claire Starcke

Aransas Bay - 30” personal best red! CPR

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Include short description of your catch with name, date, bay system, etc.

Jackson Johannessen

Lydia Ann Channel - 17” trout

Maxwell Edwards Texas Slam! CPR

Kingston & Brooklyn Faldyn

Shoal Water Flats - redfish & black drum CPR

Harrison Lee Matagorda Bay - trout CPR

Landon Waits Aransas Bay - 26” personal best redfish!

Logan Bourgeois Copano Bay - redfish

Derrick Lovin - Matagorda Beach 8’4” personal best scalloped hammerhead! CPR

Vivienne Simmons Portland - first redfish!

CHRIS MAPP REPAIR & MAINTENANCE

THE PROFESSIONAL ANNUAL SERVICE –WHAT TO EXPECT

Chris Mapp, owner of Coastal Bend Marine and Flats Cat Boat Company. Great Service, Parts & Sales.

“What can we do for you?”

Annual service for an outboard motor in recreational use is generally based on an average rate of 100 engine hours per calendar year or, every other year for outboards with 50 or fewer hours annual operation. What is included in a professional annual service and how much should it cost?

Here’s an example for a Suzuki 150hp through 200 hp, in-line four cylinder, single engine boat, 25 feet length and under: Spark and compression test, full visual inspection, replace spark plugs, engine operation history report, change engine oil and filter, replace engine thermostats, service engine powerhead external anodes, low-speed filter, high-speed filter, service lower unit water pump, drain and refill lower unit lube and drain plug gaskets, replace lower unit anode(s), pull prop to check for fishing line wrapped on shaft, lube prop shaft and all engine fittings. Remove vapor separator tank to clean and inspect grommets and internal filter.

In addition to the motor, the following is performed on the boat

itself: Test and inspect batteries for condition and age, flip all control switches and check for function, replace fuel/water separator filter. Boat trailer receives full visual inspection, running lights are tested, check tire condition and inflation..

Upon completion of all the above the boat receives an in-water test run, the engine is flushed and the boat is washed.

Average total cost is $1,400 – includes parts $475, and labor $750. This is based 6.0 hours (average) at $125/hour. Taxes and shop supplies not included.

We developed these service guidelines based on 25 years of manufacturer’s specs and the realities of saltwater use. Anything less than described above is not a complete annual service.

Wishing all a safe and prosperous 2023!

Chris Mapp

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

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