January 2017

January 2017

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about the Cover Clay Ebner caught and released this beautiful wintertime trophy near Port O’Connor while fishing with friend Beau Blackard. Clay’s career-best speck taped 30-inches and weighed 8 pounds. Congrats on a great fish and conservation kudos to Clay!

January 2017 VOL 26 NO 9

Contents FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

10 Doing It the Right Way for the Right Reasons 16 Shifting the Paradigm 22 Wives Just Don’t Understand 26 Sometimes All You Can Do is Laugh 30 Man Overboard!

36 40 44 48 50 54 58 62 64 92 94

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Steve Hillman Kevin Cochran Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard

Let’s Ask The Pro Shallow Water Fishing TPWD Field Notes Fly Fishing Kayak Fishing Chronicles TSFMag Conservation News Fishy Facts Inshore | Nearshore | Jetties | Passes Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

Boat Maintenance Tips Science & the Sea

WHAT OUR GUIDES

HAVE TO SAy

70 72 74 76 78 80 82

Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene The Buzz on Galveston Bay The View from Matagorda Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays Hooked up with Rowsey Wayne’s Port Mansfield Report South Padre Fishing Scene

Dickie Colburn Caleb Harp Bink Grimes Shellie Gray David Rowsey Wayne Davis Ernest Cisneros

64

REGULARS

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08 68 84 88 90

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

90 6 | January 2017

Jay Watkins Scott Null Paul Cason Scott Sommerlatte Dave Roberts CCA Texas Stephanie Boyd Joe Richard Eric Ozolins Chris Mapp UT Marine Science Institute

Editor and Publisher Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918 National sales representative Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net regional sales representative Patti Elkins Patti@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Donna Boyd Donna@tsfmag.com Circulation Subscription – product sales Linda Curry Store@tsfmag.com Design & Layout Stephanie Boyd Artwork@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly.

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Email store@tsfmag.com for all address changes or please call 361-785-3420 from 8am - 4:30pm. The U.S. Postal Service does not guarantee magazines will be forwarded. how to contact tsfmag: Phone: 361-785-3420 fax: 361-785-2844 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 Physical Address: 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, TX 77983 Web: www.TSFMAG.com photo gallery: photos@tsfmag.com Printed in the USA. Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published monthly by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, Texas 77983 l P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 © Copyright 1990 All rights reserved. Positively nothing in this publication may be reprinted or reproduced. *Views expressed by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine contributors do not necessarily express the views of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

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EDITORIAL

Happy New Year

I hear folks complaining of post-holiday depression and cabin fever during January but for the life of me I do not understand why. January is such a fabulous month to be outdoors. Yes, it is frequently chilly but the days genuinely cold enough to preclude having fun in the outdoors are few. Okay – I’ll spot you the days below 40⁰ with strong north wind not being the best for fishing, but they can be perfect for activities like waterfowl hunting, deer hunting, and boat shows.

Speaking of boat shows, there is no better time to get a deal on a new boat or repowering and upgrading electronics and other accessories on one you have loved for years. Major purchases not required to have a good time – these events are also great for meeting up with fishing friends, cruising the show and shopping for deals on tackle and related items. Capping the day at a nice restaurant puts icing on the cake. Heck, pack up the whole family.

Trophy trout enthusiasts wait all year for January. Targeting the second or third day after a strong norther is usually a solid plan. Tides will be generally much lower than normal which concentrates bait and gamefish in deeper guts on the flats and along major channels.

Having been way off their feed several days through the passage of the front and the high pressure that lingers a day or so, the warmer and calmer conditions that prevail until the next system arrives can be pure dynamite. Epic is often overused in describing fishing trips but certainly applicable to what frequently happens in January.

8 | January 2017

Trout are not the only draw in January. Redfish opportunity can also be outstanding. When the northers push nearly all the water from back lakes and marshes, reds have no choice but to vacate those shallow environs. Huge schools of slot- to oversized fish can be found cruising bay shorelines and feeding like wolves on anything they can swallow. I once cleaned a red that had eaten dozens of small shrimp, a blue crab the size of a golf ball, a four-inch hardhead, and a soft plastic…still on a jighead trailing several inches of monofilament. And I caught it on a gold spoon. How’s that for hungry?

For days when you simply cannot get outdoors, you might consider spending a few hours at the work bench cleaning and lubing reels, or tackling the mess that forever accumulates in your tackle boxes and boat storage compartments. I sat down one dreary winter day and attacked the bucket of topwaters and Corkys that sits in the corner of the garage where I hang my waders. I tend to procrastinate, which means the bucket had become almost full, a few lures at a time. A quick soak in toilet cleaner and a set of split rings and hooks had them shining like diamonds. Probably saved myself several hundred dollars at the tackle store.

However you decide to pass the time this month, make it a point to get your family involved. Visiting Sea Center Texas in Lake Jackson would be an excellent outing on a cold Saturday. It’s healthier than video games and kids really get a kick out of it.

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STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN

Steve Whitworth having a blast battling a 40-inch red!

S

itting in my homemade bow blind in South Texas I prayed for a buck of a lifetime to show himself. I had one on the game cam that would make any hunter proud to have on his wall. All my clothes, right down to my underwear, had been washed in scent-block detergent. I had gotten in plenty of practice back at the ranch house the day before so I had the confidence to make the shot. The wind was light from the north which was perfect for my set-up and I knew the yardage in every direction. If he was standing next to the short guajillo (gwa-he’yo) bush it would be a 15-yard shot. The mesquite with the broken limb across the clearing to my left would be a 32-yarder, but one I felt that I could make after hours of practice and years of bowhunting.

It was about 6:30 AM and still dark as I anxiously awaited that moment at first light when the birds start chirping and all of God’s South Texas creatures come to life. In the pre-dawn minutes, a small bobcat walked up and sat down directly in front of me at about five yards. Without the slightest notion of my presence he perused the area then slipped off into the brush. Over the next couple of hours, I watched nearly a dozen deer come and go. Some were majestic young bucks that made my heart race before realizing that none of them were “The One.” During Steve Whitworth caught lots of the next three hours, I watched everything nice trout on this day, but this from a family of javelina to a terrified giant red was icing on the cake! covey of blue quail hunkered down within three yards of my ground blind as a hawk

swooped overhead. The mature Bill Schaeffer buck I was after never came into was all smiles after catching view that morning. He could’ve his first trout in been behind me or anywhere a very long time! outside my field of vision for all I knew. Knowing that made the hunt that much more exhilarating.

When I returned to the ranch house my dad asked, “Well, how was it?” He perked with excitement when I told him that I’d had an awesome hunt.

“Really? What did you get?”

“Nothing,” I said. Then I walked him through every minute detail about my hunt and he agreed that it must have been pretty cool to witness.

I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing many great hunts and witnessing some amazing things whether an arrow flew or not. What little time I get to spend at the ranch is cherished now more than ever. My perception of a good hunt or a good day of fishing has changed in recent years.

Seeing others have success and enjoying themselves gives me more satisfaction than ever. Just like when I was sitting in the blind with my little girl last deer season and she got her first buck (a really nice 10 point). She and I hunted every day together for five days. It was the best hunt I’ve ever experienced and I never picked up a gun. Getting her first buck was really neat but the time we spent together in the blind is irreplaceable.

As I pondered ideas for this month’s article several topics passed through my mind. I could layout strategies for catching wintertime trout or cover boat maintenance for those who may not fish again until spring. While such information could prove useful to those who are just getting into the saltwater realm my heart led me in another direction.

Maybe it’s because of the holidays and I see so many folks struggling with finances, family issues or health issues. It Jason Haley with could also be the fact that a few of my close a somewhat rare Galveston Bay hybrid striper.

Ed Ringer was really hoping he’d catch a flounder for his wife. Mission accomplished!

friends have recently lost family members. Or maybe it’s simply because I’m getting older. I’m guessing it’s all the above. The bottom line is things that used to matter to me just don’t much anymore.

I look at how bent out of shape we seem to get on days when the fish don’t cooperate, then I think of what really matters. I know. I know. This thought process is somewhat cliché. Well, it may be, but it’s so very true. After all, it’s just fishing, right?

We catch literally thousands of trout each year on my boat, but some of them mean more than others. It’s not necessarily the fish that means more but rather the circumstances surrounding the entire experience.

The excitement on a kid’s face when he or she catches their first trout ever is very rewarding, especially when they did it all by themselves.

The fact that they listened, followed instructions and learned is very rewarding for me. What’s more special is the fact that their mom and dad were with them to make memories that will last forever.

I had a new client the other day who said he hadn’t caught a speckled trout in twenty years. He told me that it was already a great trip after catching the first trout of the morning. Watching him catch trout all morning long gave me a great deal of satisfaction yet These guys just he was happy with merely one. By couldn’t stand it the way, having a client like this on anymore. They just the boat is every guide’s dream. had to pull in front of us. Notice all of the open water for miles.

12 | January 2017

not the right way to do things. A little common courtesy on the water can go a long way. Try to learn on your own and enjoy your day on the water regardless of results. By taking a step back and realizing that it’s not only about you but those around, you’ll begin to enjoy our beloved sport of fishing even more. It’s time to head in a new direction, a concept that embraces more selflessness and less selfishness.

It’s time to fish the right way and for the right reasons.

Here’s wishing each and every one of you whatever brings you happiness in this New Year.

Steve Hillman

Contact

Joe Powers and his clients always When folks get on my boat show up with the right attitudes with that kind of attitude great and wouldn’t you know it they things seem to happen. always have fun and catch a lot Then there was the time I of fish. Funny how that works. took a father and son on their last fishing trip together before the father was called to a higher place. To this day that was the highlight of my fishing career. From young first-timers to war veterans to clients with terminal cancer, I’m extremely blessed to have played a role in putting smiles on many faces knowing that a few of them didn’t have much to smile about at the time.

So, where am I heading with all of this you might ask? I guess the message to all fishermen including myself is to relax and enjoy the days on the water you get to spend with friends and family. I see grown men lose their minds over speckled trout almost every day. I’m talking about the ones who motor right in on top of you or cut off your wade when they see bent rods. It’s hard for me to imagine a speckled trout or any other fish for that matter being worth a confrontation.

It’s a new year my fellow fishermen. Let’s get it kicked off on a positive note. Internet fishing and phone fishing are not the right ways to learn. Make your own fishing report instead of following them.

Selfishly cutting another boat off so you can get “your fish” is certainly

Steve Hillman is a full-time fishing guide on his home waters of Galveston Bay. Steve fishes the entire Galveston Bay Complex, wading and drifting for trout, redfish, and flounder using artificial lures.

Phone 409-256-7937 Email captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com Web www.hillmanguideservice.com

Coastal Bend Marine – Authorized Alumacraft Dealer – 361.983.4841 | Open Mon-Sat 7:30am - 5:30pm | coastalbendmarine.com Fax - 361-983-4676 | 1808 West Adams Ave. | Port O’Connor, Texas 77982

14 | January 2017

STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

V

arious types of fishing guides operate on Texas coastal waters. Some target limits of trout using live bait while others more broadly probe for multiple species with artificial lures, and a few specialize by tossing flies. A relatively small number place a priority on trophy fish. Generally, the culture of saltwater fishing guides rests on a single, foundational concept—the image of the guide as an expert who works for the client on a daily basis, with the goal of generating a plentiful and/or memorable catch.

In essence, the client views the guide as a contractor, similar to the way a person hailing a cab views its driver. Once hired, the guide promises to deliver the customer to a desired “destination.” When the guide makes good on the promise, the customer makes a payment, and the two then part ways. Viewed from this perspective, a guide and client interact quite casually. Using another analogy, they behave more like people participating in a one-night-stand than those cultivating a long-term relationship.

I offer these observations not to cheapen or diminish the nature of the guiding culture as I’ve come to know it; the market defines the cart in this case. Guides react to what they believe their customers want, and they try to deliver the goods. Many people who head to the coast from inland areas simply want their guides to put them on fish, show them a good time catching, and send them away with some fillets for later. I will make no pompous claim which attempts to minimize the mutual benefits inherent to such an arrangement.

But I have come to view my own life as a guide in a somewhat different light. For some time now, I’ve marketed myself through a specific kind of prism, one defined by a set of stated priorities. I prefer wading over fishing from a boat, I target fish by using artificial lures exclusively, and I place a priority on catching trophy-sized speckled trout. Folks who come to fish with me share these preferences; I know because I ask them questions to make sure they do.

In this way, I’m the same as all other saltwater fishing guides operating under the rifling flag adorned with a single star. I tell people what I want to accomplish, how I like to get things done, and they either choose to accept my ways, or they search for another guide whose priorities better match their own. I will continue to run charters focused on targeting trophy trout for as long as I can; they have been the backbone supporting my way of life for the last decade and a half.

Over recent years, I’ve pondered ways to enhance my business, to broaden my customer base, without compromising my values in unsavory ways. For one thing, I’ve come to utilize charters based on the accumulation of data as a meaningful way to achieve this goal.

I have and will continue to run trips with the express purpose of helping the customer gather valuable GPS data, essentially to give TSFMAG.com | 17

them a survey of the area we target, complete with track lines, anchor sites, navigational hazards and sweet spots.

Eventually, taking people out for the purpose of enhancing their knowledge of the anatomy of the bays helped me realize something profound about a possible way to generate a paradigm shift in the nature of the relationships I build with people who come aboard my boat. I have now come to see guiding in a different context, one which values process above product and which places the long-term relationship above the needs of the day.

Ironically, I have offered products for years which depend critically upon this philosophy.

Customers who join my Lucky 7 Club, for instance, receive weekly reports which describe the locations I visit, the methods I use and the type and size of fish I catch. Along with the reports, members of the club have a file with all my GPS data, so they can explore new spots safely and effectively. As In the last couple years, I’ve expanded the number of products I members, they agree to “stay out of my way” on a daily basis, and offer which rely on this same ideology. Most of the first ones I added know they can’t simply run around fishing the specific places I have focused on data or information. For instance, the Comprehensive used recently on my charters.

Aid to Fishing Baffin and the Upper Laguna Madre includes a GPS Like me, they know the value of the club lies in its ability to data card and the book Monster Maps and More. Together, these provide them a real-time template, which reveals the way I adjust documents provide precise locations where I’ve caught big trout to changing conditions and seasonal variables to target and catch throughout my home waters, along with advice on what time-frames fish. Ideally, this enhances and accelerates their learning curves and conditions favor fishing the various areas. significantly, eventually to a point where they don’t want or need Similarly, all the recent books I’ve written focus on a similar goal, my tutelage. The goal of the club is to create self-reliant anglers to provide the reader/customer useful information which will allow who don’t require guidance. In this way, my Lucky 7 Club fits into them to locate and catch more and bigger trout. However, a culture of guiding which places long-term Autumn fishing in the all these products lack the “guide as mentor in real-time” relationship over short-term gain.

Corpus Christi area component. They do not include charters which place the produced good numbers customers in direct contact with me while we spend time of solid trout like this trying to catch fish. I now offer two products which do include one for the captain and his customers. this element.

I designed the first of these specifically for anglers who own a boat, and who want a guide to help them focus on enhancing their skill sets in navigation, fish location, lure choice and presentation, through interaction with a guide both in their home waters and on mine. The Inshore Angler’s Personal Trainer product includes a GPS data card for my home waters, a list of coordinates for spots recommended in the trainee’s home waters, a Fishing Personality Profile completed by the angler and analyzed by me, and a Fishing Log Template, which the trainee uses to generate data gathered on all outings taken, so we can start and maintain a dialogue related to results and processes.

Most significantly, an IAPT plan includes charters taken on the home waters of the customer and on the Baffin/ULM complex. The trainee drives their boat and makes many of the basic decisions like where we fish and how long we stay at each location when we fish their home waters, and I act as an observer, trying to determine what strengths they have and identify mistakes they make, so we can discuss how they might quickly improve their angling acumen.

When we fish my home waters, the focus falls more on physical application skills like lure choice and presentation.

I offer this product as a quarterly plan or a yearly plan, and 18 | January 2017

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Kevin Cochran

Contact

can customize it to fit the specific needs of the trainee, particularly by adjusting the location of the charters run in the client’s boat. If a trainee wants to learn about a new area, we can meet and fish there, January is among the best months to target trophy and if they want to fish my home waters in trout in the Baffin/ULM their boat, we can adjust the plan accordingly. system. Tommy Marik The IAPT plans work best when we tailor them caught this specimen while intelligently to meet the trainee’s needs, and fishing with the captain near the end of January, 2014. when the trainee fishes regularly without me and submits fishing logs for my perusal, so we can build a more complex and analytical relationship.

Partly, I created this feature article to introduce another, new product which attempts to shift the paradigm in the guide/client relationship toward a long-term mentorship rather than a temporary, hourly service. I call this new plan Captain Kev’s Angling Academy, because of its intense instructional focus. This plan targets anglers who don’t own boats (though boat owners can certainly sign up) but who want to fish regularly, with the aim of accelerating their learning curves and develop angling skills quickly.

Such a plan includes a Fishing Personality Profile like the one generated for use in an IAPT plan, and Fishing Logs which document results of all outings taken by the member.

It also includes nine charters taken on my home waters, all with no more than two Academy Members present.

I’ve priced the plan so it costs less than simply scheduling the same number of charters individually. I’ve made this work by setting aside days each month specifically for Academy outings, and allowing members to Captain Kev uses products like his Angling sign up for the days they want.

Academy to build lasting All these charters occur under the spotlight relationships with of teaching and learning, so they focus on customers, ideally to developing the knowledge and skills of the enhance their angling skills effectively. members, through interaction and mutual decision making. As part of this process, I and the member(s) discuss plans and decisions and customize the charters to meet their stated goals and priorities.

In addition to the interaction which happens in real time, while we fish, I expect all members to generate logs for the trips and send them to me via email, to spur an analytical discussion related to the decisions we make and the outcomes we experience. I also encourage them to create and submit logs of trips they make without me, for the purpose of further enhancing our focused conversations. All these processes fit into the vision of the fishing guide as a long-term mentor, one who maintains active relationships with clients over time, in attempt to enhance their knowledge and abilities.

For me, these multifaceted, mutually-interactive products play a role in the life I’d like to lead in the 21st Century. I will continue to serve folks who see a fishing guide through the well-established lens of a daily outing, but will also build relationships with clients who want something more permanent and lasting, who want to grow alongside a guide who takes their development seriously.

To learn more of the specific details related to these products, visit the Blogs page of CaptainKevBlogs.com and look for the names of the products in the titles of the blogs. Or better yet, call 361 688 3714 or email kevxlr8@mygrande.net so we can discuss them at length.

20 | January 2017

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

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

Trout Tracker Guide Service Phone Email Web

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

Capt. Chris Burger – F/V Defiant Long Island, New York www.eastendoutdoors.com

An American Original

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STORY BY MARTIN STRARUP

“I

’m having a garage sale,” my wife said. I haven’t slept much since she told me that. I can’t.

I have to wait until she’s asleep so I can slip into the living room and dig through the mountains of clothes, kitchen items, old lamps, shoes, purses, toys and furniture looking for anything valuable that belongs to me. Oh sure, she asked me what I wanted to sell and I gave her my standard, “Nothing.” But as much as I trust her, I know her all too well and I’m certain that garage sales are nothing more than a front for wives to get rid of the treasures that husbands collect over the years.

I remember one garage sale a few years back that she had on the opening day of deer season!

That’s almost criminal if you ask me. I was up late every night for a week going through her assorted sundry items looking for anything that might belong to me and I was so tired on opening day that I fell asleep in my deer stand. When I awoke there were deer everywhere and I just got a glimpse of a good buck slipping into the brush about 25 yards from where I sat, no doubt disturbed by my snoring.

Garage sales are evil things. It takes years to accumulate a good collection of “stuff” and then here comes your wife with a Sharpie and some little stick-on glow-in-the-dark price tags and life, as man knows it, changes.

For example there was the Lew’s Speed Stick that was missing three or four ceramic inserts from the line guides but was otherwise in good condition. My wife priced that rod at a dollar; yes that’s right, a dollar, in one of her garage sales about 25 years ago. I mean talk about criminal! I rescued the rod and locked it in my closet and it’s still there today, safe and sound but still missing the ceramic inserts, but hey, at least I still have it and I’ll get around to fixing it one of these days and sell it to one of my bass fishing friends for ten or fifteen bucks.

Or how about my antique hook collection I had meticulously collected? I took all of the old rusty hooks and even the nice hooks off of my Hump Lures so I could frame them about 20 years ago. I put those hooks and the hooks off of about 200 older Hump’s in a box in my office. She sold them!

Yep, you heard me right; she sold those old hooks for a couple of bucks! I can’t believe that anyone would sell such valuable old stuff like that.

Then there’s the trolling motor that I never saw again after one of her garage sales. It was missing TSFMAG.com | 23

create empty space in our closets and garages that will make things look, well, empty.

I was just informed that a three family garage sale is going to take place at my home very soon. I know the families and I feel sorry for the husbands as they have, or had, some pretty good stuff of their own.

I’ve ranted and I’ve raved, but to no avail. The garage sale will happen, there’s nothing I can do to stop it, (three women already told me so), and I’m going to be in a bow blind when the solemn conclave takes place.

If I knew what is going to be gone when I get home, I’d hide it, but there’s just too much to rescue.

Hey, at least I saved that Lew’s Speed Stick! That has to count for something.

Be safe!

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24 | January 2017

Martin Strarup

Contact

the prop and the plug was corroded, but it was almost an antique and it just mysteriously vanished. What about the two aluminum props that I had stashed? Both were for an old 40-horse Johnson and were in pretty decent shape with just a few oyster dings. Gone. Vanished. Lost forever to some garage sale vagabond.

Then there was my Coleman lantern parts box. I had parts from lanterns that went back to the 40s in that box. Old generators, pump assemblies, slightly burned silk mantels, fuel caps, you name it. She sold that to some guy at her last garage sale and a week later I see all of these rare lantern parts for sale on EBay. Made me want to cry.

What about my spare trailer wheels and tires? I had seven of them and now I’m down to only two. Oh, sure, some of the tires wouldn’t hold air and some had worn tread, some had a little rust, but where’d they go? They’re not at my house, that’s for sure.

I used to have a collection of stringers that would make most diehard wade fishermen weep. I’m talking about the good ones, 30 feet long and made of plastic-coated aircraft cable with nice floats… gone. Gone too are the dozens of shorter coated cable and nylon rope stringers. Wonder where they got off to?

Vanished along with the stringers are the dozens of old gill-net floats that I’d stashed in the same box and four or five stingray barbs in a pint mayonnaise jar. What about my tackle boxes that you couldn’t pick up because the latches were broken but made dandy “stuff” boxes? I mean, come on, this is some valuable stuff!

I’m telling you that garage sales are nothing less than a plot by women to relieve a man of some his worldly treasures and

Martin Strarup is a lifelong saltwater enthusiast and outdoorsman.

Martin is also a collector and dealer of vintage fishing tackle and lures, especially those made in Texas.

Email

Trouthunter@swbell.net

Sometimes all you can do is throw your hands up and laugh.

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

F

rom my perch on the poling platform I often have plenty of time to think while I push my little boat around the marsh. The standard stuff that goes through every fisherman’s mind usually dominates my thoughts. “Where are the fish?” “Should I change locations?” “Is this the right bait?” Nothing out of the ordinary, just everyday fishing thoughts that happen to come to mind.

Plenty of those moments routinely get interrupted by my fishing partner for that day and I snap back to reality. During one of my recent “brainstorming” moments I watched a client just absolutely beat himself up for not remembering to bring a particular piece of gear. The whole episode spawned a conversation between the two of us about our own misfortunes or “Murphy Moments” connected to fishing.

Much to the delight of my client for the day I had plenty to share.

I don’t care who you are or how experienced you are. If you have ever owned a boat you have likely forgotten your keys or lost them on the way to the launch at least once in your career. Many folks don’t consider how easy it is to have your keys blow out while trailering to the launch, if you leave them in the ignition.

I learned that lesson the hard way. Nothing makes you feel more foolish than committing a blunder like that in front of clients, trust me. Luckily, I was only five minutes from my house and was able to retrieve my spare set within minutes. So, it was basically a no harmno foul event.

I have however seen the really bad version unfold on an extended road trip 100 miles from home. The feeling of excitement one gets from the opportunity to fish a new body of water is quickly erased once everyone realizes there is no way to start the boat and no place to get a new key. Buzz kill does not begin to describe that ride home.

Speaking of forgetting things I have had clients forget all sorts of

gear. I’ve had them show up with no rods. I’ve had them show up with no reels. More than a couple of occasions they have also shown up without various pieces of wading gear up to and including waders, jackets, and most often boots. I can often accommodate folks because I keep several spare sets but it just doesn’t work out when you try to put someone who is 6-foot 3-inches in waders made for those of us who are somewhat vertically challenged.

As far as waders go I have had my own difficulties as of late and I have no one to blame but myself. On a recent duck hunt I picked up a pair of my Gulf Coast breathable waders that I wear for both fishing and hunting this time of year and stuffed them in my wader bag for a hunt the following day. In the dark I reached in the wader bag and pulled out my boots first and then grabbed my waders, or so I thought. I unrolled them only to discover that they had no neoprene booties attached! When I retired them from wading duty I had removed the booties to be used as raingear or while training dogs at the pond. There was nothing I could do but take my medicine, wear them, and make the best out of it.

Needless to say, my hunting partners were extremely amused at my misfortune and all I could do was laugh with them. Fortunately for me it was not very cold and I managed to make do. From that point on I have made it a habit to double check my gear. Lesson learned.

Another laughable moment that comes to mind happened at a gas station. A good friend, for whatever reason, accidentally put the gas nozzle in a rod holder on his center console and proceeded to fill up his boat. Yep, you guessed it, an eye-opening moment when the bilge pump kicked on and started pumping gas out the side of the boat. Because of the angle the boat was sitting while the gasoline was pumped in, fully 30 gallons had accumulated in the hull before the bilge pump was triggered and the mistake discovered.

TSFMAG.com | 27

Having 30 gallons of gasoline in the hull was bad enough, but the big “Oh Shit” moment came when we realized the bilge pump turning on could have produced an electrical spark and caused a massive explosion.

A well-stocked tackle Fortunately, nothing sparked and my friend was box with spare reels able to drain the gasoline with no damage. We can be a lifesaver if you still scratch our head and laugh at that one. forget some gear.

With this being the holiday season, I guess we could laugh at one more example that involves “giving.”

On a weekend trip to Matagorda Bay I had taken all the precautions necessary for the trip, trailer lights were in order, wheel bearings were greased, spare tire along with a good jack were packed, and it was all strapped down and road ready. Or so I thought. We made the drive with no stops until we hit Matagorda and stopped to put gas in the boat and grab a few snacks.

As I walked around the boat something didn’t seem right but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Finally, it hit me and all I could do was stand there and stare at the spot where my 21-foot Stiffy push pole was supposed be. Yes, somewhere along the way I had lost my push pole and some lucky individual had gotten a very nice Christmas present. I was sick about the whole deal but there was nothing I could do except put an ice bag on my feelings and go on about my business. You can rest assured I never leave my driveway without my new push pole being properly secured.

Now there are plenty of other crazy things that have happened to me while on the water or at least on the way to it, and I am sure there will be more. Each one has taught me a lesson and provided some sort of entertainment for those involved, even if belated. It’s easy to look back and laugh at all the mishaps because they trigger some great memories. It’s always been said, “If you can’t laugh at yourself then you may be Waders with booties still attached are more wound too tight.” desirable than those I have no problem laughing at myself and without for fishing.

I hope that some of my episodes will help keep you from your own mishaps.

Trailering your boat with keys in the ignition switch can be hazardous to getting your fishing day off to a good start!

Contact

Chuck Uzzle

28 | January 2017

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

Phone 409-697-6111 Email wakesanddrakes@yahoo.com Website wakesndrakes.com

M

any boat anglers never encounter this problem, but what if someone falls overboard? In 48 years of owning boats, I’d never seen this happen until last summer. Sure, we jumped over the side countless times while diving or snorkeling offshore, back in the day. Even swam to the jetties while anchored close by, so we could walk the rocks and throw spoons. Climbing back aboard was never a problem; when you’re 20 to 30 years old, you should be able to lever yourself back into a low-sided boat with little effort. We didn’t even own a dive ladder; they took up too much room in the small boats we used.

Even 15 years ago, Amy and I clambered back into our high-sided 25-foot Mako after a chilly November scuba dive. Just climbed right up the side of the motor after removing the heavy tank. Back on board and only a minute later, two striped tiger sharks arrived and began circling the boat like seven-foot ling. How cool was that? We gutted a few fish from the cooler and actually fed our well-mannered guests.

STORY BY JOE RICHARD

It’s hard to find someone who falls overboard in choppy seas.

Not sure if we could pull off that that stunt today. As the years go by, it plainly gets harder for most of us to climb back into a boat. The majority of us face more pounds and less upper body strength. And at least one bad shoulder.

Anyway this “man overboard” pigeon came home to roost early last summer, when a longtime family friend vanished overboard while we were in rough seas. I never heard her yell; I was at the helm, and four-foot whitecaps were hammering this little 20-foot center console boat from the two o’clock (starboard side) position. My friend, a well-seasoned angler who owned the boat, was sitting on the port side gunnel in the rear, trying to stay dry from blinding spray and some hard hits. I was soaked and half-blinded from buckets of seawater. A wave bigger than the rest curled and broke and the boat went airborne, tilting almost on its left side in the air, it was pretty shocking. Halfway back down, the boat mostly righted itself and we landed with a smack. Then the next wave hit four seconds later, and the next.

The single Mercury outboard was extremely loud, and I’d heard no complaints behind me, but after a few moments I twisted my neck left and right as far as it will go these days, but no passenger. So I throttled back down off plane, turned the boat and scanned my wake. There she was, 50 yards astern! Bobbing up and down in whitecaps, no flotation except for a pair of Croc shoes. Wearing a white t-shirt that was hard to see.

I turned the boat around and tried a rescue from just downwind, but the gusts snatched the boat away faster than she could swim. Then I remembered a Coast Guard exam answer from long ago: approach from upwind when making a rescue. Sure enough, the wind blew the boat right to her. I cut the ignition of course, and then it took some serious tugging to drag her over the transom, even though she was aided by standing on the motor’s Doel-Fin and a starboard trim tab that wasn’t working that day. And she was just able to reach the aluminum leaning post and pull. Fortunately, the transom wasn’t too high.

But wow. It would make for a more colorful story if I could say she’s tough as nails and mean as a snake, which helped keep her calm and afloat out there in 90 feet of water—only 20 minutes after a big hammerhead shark attacked one of our kingfish. However, she’s actually the nicest person ever. Pretty tough, though.

With her safely back onboard, both of us looking like drowned rats, we resumed our miserable run for the inlet, another 28 mile beating on a late afternoon. Wet as a car wash and too soaked for a cigarette. I kept spraying bottles of drinking water on my face, to wash 32 | January 2017

Here’s a Port Aransas boat unhooking from the rig in choppy seas. Looks like this gal on the boat has the best balance of anyone aboard, and so was designated for rig-hookup duty.

One advocate of self-inflating PFDs is Dale Fontenot from Vidor. He’s been wearing these things since they first came out. And yes, big trout bite when you wear them.

Fighting kingfish on a hot and sweaty summer day, wearing a self-inflating PFD. No problemo. Photo by Pete Churton.

BY

WWW.HOOKSPIT.COM

away salt from the sunglasses. One of the toughest trips in recent years, though we caught three big kings and some barracuda. It was June and the water was warm, thank goodness. Most modern boats today Happy angler during snapper have higher transoms for safety, plus they season, also wearing a self-inflating offer a built-in dive ladder. Somehow PFD. Photo by Pete Churton. these features were ignored on many boat models years ago.

Which later left me wondering: What if my passenger had been really big, with no upper body strength?

How do you drag a 300-pound angler back in a boat, with or without the help of breaking whitecaps? Our only solutions would have been to tow the passenger 20 miles to breaking surf, or wait for Coast Guard assistance. On a day when the GPS was acting up, probably a loose wire from pounding waves. What if it had been winter, where low water temperatures are a serious threat? I’ve probably written about this before, but we once rescued an elderly guy off the inlet on a fast, outgoing tide. He probably weighed 240 or so. My four 30-year old passengers couldn’t pull him aboard into the 23-foot Mako, there was no way. Instead we hand-towed this guy a couple hundred yards back to shallow water. Swimmers are just too low in the water One day he jumped while a dozen miles offshore, and his buddies and helpers on the boat bent over like a jackknife, trying to lift a simply kept going for another mile, thought they’d put a scare in heavy load from below deck level. I did have a captain in the Florida him. And anyway the Gulf was flat and they could probably find him Keys tell me that, back in the early 1980s, local captains could bend pretty easy. When they did, he was greatly sobered, so to speak, and over and drag aboard a floating 42-pound bale of square grouper realized he didn’t really care to be adrift on the Gulf, treading water into the boat. But, as he recalled, “they were pretty motivated.” A wet with no land in sight. That was the day he stopped. angler is much heavier than 42 pounds. Six times heavier, when we I say buy those loved ones who spend time on the water a selftowed that guy in. inflating PFD. They’re comfortable in summer and take up no room Another problem: That outboard motor was very loud, I never heard her screech from only four feet away when she flew overboard. in the boat. With that extra storage space, you can leave the old life jackets at home and instead carry other useful items. These selfWhat if I hadn’t turned around for, say, five minutes? I’ve fished with inflatables are available in camo for duck hunters, but they’re not the hell-bent skippers, mostly in the SKA kingfish tournament circuit, best color tone for being spotted by rescuers. You don’t want to hide who didn’t look back for a half hour, sometimes when we were out there in the water, you want to be found. Red will do nicely. helpless on deck in the stern (he forgot the bean bag chairs), the Those of us who have been on the Gulf for a long time take it for boat crashing through five-foot seas at 60 mph, the worst boat ride granted we will never end up unexpectedly in the water, but last ever. Fly overboard on those days, and you were probably out of summer was a wake-up call. luck. None of us wore life jackets on those trips. Being rescued after going overboard depends entirely on being noticed...

The obvious solution is to wear a self-inflating life jacket. Either with a toggle to manually inflate, or automatic inflation, which is best if you’ve hit your head, or maybe had a stroke or heart attack before going overboard. I’ve worn these little vests on hot summer days and you don’t even notice them. Compared to the sweltering heat of a vest or regular life jacket, which can leave you sweating and Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Armiserable. The little self-inflator PFDs aren’t cheap, but neither is a thur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast. life. Even wade fishermen could use one of those CO2 self-inflators; He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida we seem to lose a few waders every year around the inlets, mostly Sportsman’s book and assistant around San Luis Pass. magazine editor. He began guiding People end up overboard for a variety of reasons. Many are out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His specialty is big kingfish, and his accidental, like a stroke or heart attack or even while answering the latest book is The Kingfish Bible, call of nature. Some jump overboard just for a laugh, even when New Revelations. Available at the boat is speeding along. One guy years ago kept doing just that, Seafavorites.com whether in the ICW, in the bays or offshore. His friends finally grew tired of circling back and dragging his soggy self back onboard.

Contact

Joe Richard

34 | January 2017

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winter patterns

We have finally received a few fronts with some punch and they are having a positive impact on fishing. Water temps are now in the low 60s, which has triggered bait to begin seeking deeper water. If you are as enthusiastic about trout as I am, this is possibly the best time of the year for patterning and catching them.

Here’s a frequently asked question. “So Jay, why do you continue to target trout shallow if cooler water sends them deep?”

The answer is slightly more complicated than I tend to make it sound but I am simplistic and boring by nature.

So here goes – the shallower the water the smaller the strike zone. Plus, we also have a phenomenon called daytime warming – shallow water warms quicker than deep water. You might also say I have developed a shallow water groove in the way I fish, and trout “fish” better in shallow water, too.

36 | January 2017

The only way to truly gain confidence in the shallow winter pattern is to start your day shallow and stay shallow. Too many times as a young guide I would start shallow, only to abandon the pattern when results were not instant. I was too quick to push offshore and get my clients on bites to ease the boredom. Through the years my clients have allowed for a more serious approach to winter fishing and we now spend our days searching for special fish, not numbers.

The first element of wintertime success for larger trout lies in remaining pinpoint informed of changing weather patterns. True, fish seem to turn on as a front approaches.

However, fish that are not present don’t do much feeding prior to the front. Sarcastic I know but undeniably true.

Nobody can wave a magic wand and make fish appear where there are none. However, in an area that is holding fish, you’d swear one had been waved the way it can come alive under the right set of conditions. I focus my attention on being in the right place at the proper time and many times John Blaha with solid CPR this is achieved by staying tuned into the winter trout. solunar feeding predictions.

Along with the solunar, I also monitor tides and water temperatures by the day and by the hour. Slight changes in tide levels and surface water temperatures can critically alter the day’s game plan.

Good game planners are like good coaches, they are able to adjust to their opponents. The best of the best in fishing, hunting and coaching all share this quality. I aspire to become the Bill Belichick of the fishing world.

Once in an area, I always reconfirm the location of bottom structure and the placement of the resident forage - mullet this time of year. I find that areas which consistently maintain a concentration of baitfish are also where I most consistently find bigger trout.

Quite often there are short windows in the day when I can catch some of these special fish. Big trout feed this way and the results can be so spectacular that you need to see it to believe it.

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38 | January 2017

Author fishing post-front moonset minor. Notice moon approaching horizon in background.

while the pelican worked right along with us, catching one here and there. No other pelicans joined the feed, and no other anglers. We had it all to ourselves.

This pattern will repeat often over the next few months. As water temperatures drop and baitfish become more scarce, the aggression and the size of the trout and reds found will increase. The very best trout I will catch will be during this time frame.

By the time this article hits the stores I will be in Port Mansfield. I look forward to the solitude this very special community provides. It is truly one of the last trophy trout meccas, which is the reason mine and Jay Ray’s clients are asked to practice catch and release. On occasion, we keep a few reds for the grill or a few small trout for ceviche. Other than that, the rest go back to the water. I ask that you do the same when you have plenty of fish in your freezer. Hey, the less you have at home the more reasons for a fishing trip and a few fresh fillets.

May your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins

C ontact

too close, burning over them or simply stomping around with them can produce a severe case of lockjaw from those very few very special creatures. Are they smart, as in intelligent? I don’t know. But they are incredibly wary and they are creatures of habit.

Disturb the pasture too much and they’ll shut right down. If you’re dead set on going to the area and staying the entire day, hoping to be present when they feed, you definitely need to know where the fish are positioned and position yourself on the outer edges.

NEVER penetrate the zone!

Slow is the key as you approach the area. It is very disturbing to me when guys push quickly forward through the zone when bites do not come instantly. Seldom will this work, so work slowly and diligently, the best trout fishermen do this the best.

During my approach, I am typically reading every sign I can identify. One of the most positive is mullet flipping frequently or short-hopping within a specific area. They do this out of instinct when predators are present, even when the predators are not feeding.

The osprey or brown pelican that continues to hover but does not necessarily dive into the water is another. You think maybe they are seeing fish that are too large for them grab? Could those be big trout or redfish? Ospreys, by the way, are my go-to avian species in the winter months for locating big trout in shallow water. Find an osprey and you’ve found mullet. Where you find mullet, you will likely also find trout.

Yesterday was a perfect example. Air temp was 48⁰ at sunrise and the surface water temp had fallen 5⁰ in the previous 24 hours.

This is significant to fish. We had a moonset minor prior to the noon hour. NE wind was almost 20 mph but the sky was clear, so warming was on the way. Tides had dropped overnight but were incoming until 11:00 am. The morning was setting up to be right, long about the time the surface warming was kicking in.

Several short wades in areas with limited baitfish activity produced a few bites but I assured my group that any thoughts of it not being a good day should be dashed. Heading to our third spot I noticed an osprey circling a piece of shoreline where the water change the wind had created pulled in closer to the shoreline drop-off. Dirty or sandy water from offshore that moves in and covers the preferred bottom structure is a pattern I seldom overlook. Positioning the boat about 100 yards from our target area, we slowly fished our way there. The osprey had been joined by a brown pelican. Neither hit the water but both continued to circle a very specific area of shoreline. Easing forward, we began to notice the reason for their curiosity as mullet flipped randomly, all within the zone of their hovering. The bait was not very active and the water depth was 2.5 to 3 feet. My belief is that as the mullet moved along the color change over submerged grass beds (that we could not see but I knew were there), trout situated on the structure were not eating but spooking them. Without any doubt, I believe that a predator’s presence alone is reason for baitfish to flee.

No science, just years of observation.

Arriving to the area of the mullet activity, light but definite bites started to come. Solid trout, nice ones to 4-pounds, along with redfish to 30-inches. Very slow grind over the next hour and fortyfive minutes produced 20 or so trout and 5 redfish within a very small area. As the level of aggression increased with the moonset, our avian friends became active as well. The osprey got hers on the second trip to the water and flew off to the nearest perch to dine

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

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

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Persistence!

Every morning I leave the dock I have a plan. Most days Plan A works out, others I might need to explore Plan B. The best days are when I can turn the engine off, start poling and never turn the key until it’s time to go in. Then there are days like today when I go through the whole damn alphabet and wear the starter out.

To be honest, I knew the plan was a crapshoot given the conditions. It was a bright full moon, dead calm after several days of high winds and almost no tide movement until later in the day. It’s also duck season, better known as airboat season when every shallow water redfish needs anxiety meds.

First stop was a grassy shoreline where I’d been finding some roaming schools. The recent wind had pushed tons of bait into this area and they had taken up residence in the flooded spartina grass. The firm bottom with plentiful seagrass had managed to hold clear enough for sightcasting. Right off the bat we were seeing reds and it looked like my doubts were wrong. That is, until we tried to feed them a fly. No dice. Fish after fish either snubbed the offering or fled the second presentation. It was hard to leave given the numbers of fish but, you can only beat 40 | January 2017

your head against the wall so many times before you must admit it just isn’t going to work.

The next spot I wanted to try was a series of small marshy back lakes where I’d found scattered singles recently. I knew the water would be a bit murkier due to all the wind so I wanted to give the sun a little time to get higher for better visibility. To kill a bit of time, we looked at the edges of some guts and drains leading to the lakes. Nope, no fish there.

On to the lakes. The fish were there, unfortunately the water was a lot more messed up than I had figured.

Tough to get a good shot when you can’t see the fish until they’re scooting from under the bow. We pressed on for a bit and got a handful of shots at suspicious swirls and wakes. One of those turned into a healthy eat, but the surprise of an actual bite on such a slow morning led to a slightly delayed hookset. Oh well, it at least inspired a little optimism. That bite probably kept us in there longer than it should have. Again, hard to leave fish to go find more fish but if the situation is such that you can’t catch them then it really doesn’t matter how many are in there.

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I went fishing with my brothers and wonderful husband the day after Thanksgiving. We went down to Freeport and fished about 8 miles off shore at the West Bank. I dropped my line in, and BAM – a hard hit! I could barely hold my rod up. I tried my best to reel it in, and boy was it brutal.

My adrenaline was going 100 miles an hour, especially when I saw what surfaced – a freaking huge bull red! (40 inches, as it turned out.) My brother and husband helped wrangle it. I can’t wait to go back and catch some more! ~ Michelle White 42 | January 2017

Maybe some of those spooked reds had found refuge in there. Bingo.

Feeding fish in the saltgrass. There weren’t many, but we at least broke the ice and got to grip-n-grin a few. The downside to that little plan was just that, it was little. Didn’t take long to work them over.

Well if those guys were eating maybe my thigh deep mud hole would work. This spot is off the beaten path and due to the muck bottom it stays dirty most of the time. The reds love this place, but unless they’re active and feeding you’d never know they’re in there.

Counting on some tailing fish I made the run. Three hundred yards of hard poling, no dice. Dammit.

We were way past quitting time but I was determined and he didn’t have to catch his flight until the next day. We had time for one more shot before the sun got too low to see fish. I had three hundred yards of poling back out to think about it. The first shoreline of the day had held the most fish. They hadn’t been super spooky, just not willing to eat. Now that the wind had picked up just enough to ripple the surface and we had seen feeding activity with some other fish, it might just work out better this time around.

I won’t lie and say we slayed ‘em, we didn’t. But what did happen was we finished the day getting legitimate shots at feeding fish and got to watch them eat a few flies. Success isn’t always measured in numbers, sometimes it is found in the satisfaction of sticking to it and figuring it out.

C ontact

might’ve mustered a decent tally while blind casting. That’s not what my guy signed on for so it was time to try something else.

On a hunch, I headed for a long shoreline that had been protected from the north wind. The bottom was hard sand with scattered grass. As I had hoped, the water was crystal clear. With the dead calm conditions and bright overhead sunlight, we could see fish at quite a distance. My customer can toss a fly further than average so my hope was we could get something in front of them before they got the idea we were there. The good news was there being some really big redfish scattered around the flat. The bad news was we couldn’t get anywhere near them. It got to the point we were joking that they could tell when we were looking at them.

Lucky for me, this is one of my more regular customers who truly does just enjoy time on the water. He’s fished his whole life and understands that there are days when it just isn’t working. He also appreciates how hard I was working to try and make it happen for him.

These fish really had me puzzled. They were obviously up on that flat feeding; we could see them chasing bait. But no matter how quietly I eased toward them they’d spook like we were popping caps at them.

The answer came buzzing along. An airboat riding ten feet off the shoreline. There was absolutely no reason for it. The open bay was slick as glass. He came all the way up to me from behind, swung out a way to go around and then went right back to the shoreline not a hundred yard past me sending redfish wakes in every direction. Somehow my customer sensed my unhappiness and suggested we take a break.

After I’d relaxed and cleared my mind of the things I’d like to say to the airboat driver, it was back to work. I’ve got some tiny lakes off this flat that go overlooked by most folks and aren’t on the airboat runway.

Capt. Scott Null is a devout shallow water fisherman offering guided adventues via kayak, poled skiff, and wading.

Telephone Email Website

281-450-2206 scott@tsfmag.com www.captainscottnull.com

Figure 1. Average number of Red Drum collected in gill nets per net-night of sampling effort (CPUE) at Calaveras Reservoir annually from 1999-2016. No Red Drum were collected in the 2014 gill net survey.

By Paul Cason | Hatcher y Manager Perr y R. Bass Marine Fisheries Research Center

FI E L D N O T E S

Fresh Red Drum!

It’s what’s for Dinner

Most coastal anglers are well aware of the thrilling fight and excellent table fare that a red drum provides, but did you know that this popular fish is not limited just to saltwater? That’s right, red drum (also known as redfish) are also found in several of Texas’ freshwater man-made reservoirs. This is made possible by stocking efforts coordinated by Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Inland Fisheries and Coastal Fisheries Divisions (TPWD). TPWD has stocked red drum into freshwater as early as the mid1950s, but concentrated and continuous efforts began in the early 1980s, when aquaculture techniques for red drum were refined.

Red drum are a unique fish in that they have a very wide tolerance to varying concentrations of salinity (amount of salt dissolved in water). The process by which a fish regulates internal salt concentrations is called osmoregulation. This is something red drum do very well. This adaptation is largely due to the life history of red drum. In the wild, red drum utilize different habitats during distinct life stages. Sexually mature adults, over 30-inches in length are typically found in the nearshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico where salinity remains consistently around 32 parts-per-thousand. Juveniles and sub-adults roam the bay where salinity is highly variable, from full strength seawater all the way to completely fresh at times. The fact that red drum can tolerate and even thrive in freshwater presented an opportunity for TPWD to undertake the task of developing a truly unique 44 | January 2017

sport fishery in freshwater reservoirs.

Not just any freshwater lake is suitable for red drum however. Certain water quality parameters are essential for red drum to be successful in making the biological transition from salt to freshwater. Adequate amounts of dissolved minerals such as calcium and proper chloride levels must be present for red drum to survive long term in freshwater. Low water temperatures during the winter months can also be problematic for the freshwater red drum, therefore artificial heat sources are required in the reservoirs. TPWD’s Inland Fisheries staff have identified several reservoirs that have appropriate water chemistry and function as cooling ponds for electric power plants, which provide the needed thermal refuge. Another consideration taken into account is a reservoir’s proximity to metropolitan areas, with the goal of maximizing anglers’ accessibility. Over the years, 29 freshwater locations have been stocked with red drum by TPWD. Most were stocked on a small-scale trial basis; however, substantial fingerling stocking efforts have been conducted to establish fisheries at Trading House, Fairfield, Calaveras, Victor Braunig, Colorado City, and Nasworthy reservoirs.

In recent years, red drum stockings at Trading House, Nasworthy and Colorado City have been discontinued due to power plants being closed which caused water temperatures in the reservoirs to fall below tolerable levels of red drum during winter months. Stockings in Fairfield were discontinued due to fish kills associated with low

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dissolved oxygen levels. Fortunately, Calaveras and Victor Braunig Lakes continue to receive fingerlings annually. Lake Bryan was added to the stocking list in 2015.

The fingerlings bound for freshwater are reared at the Perry R. Bass Marine Fisheries Research Station near Palacios, Texas. Inland Fisheries Division provide staff to transport the fingerlings to designated reservoirs. Upon arrival, the fingerlings undergo a very crucial seawater to freshwater acclimation process that takes about four hours. During this acclimation process, seawater in the transport trailer is gradually diluted with freshwater from the lake, slowly reducing the salinity. Once the temperature and salinity in the trailer match the water parameters of the reservoir, the fingerlings are released. Red drum fingerlings are stocked into the three freshwater reservoirs at a rate of 200 fish per acre. State fishing regulations are the same for freshwater red drum as they are for their saltwater counterparts with a three-fish daily bag limit, and a 20-inch minimum length limit. The only exception is that there is no upper size limit in freshwater lakes.

This is because red drum are unable to successfully reproduce in freshwater, therefore there is no need to protect the

Anglers with a day’s catch of red drum from Calaveras Lake. Photo credit: Manuel Martinez with www.fishingwithmanny.com.

sexually mature adults from harvest.

If you spend much time fishing along the Texas coast you are most likely aware that our red drum populations are thriving. The same is true for red drum populations in Calaveras and Victor Braunig Lakes. Recent data from a 2015 Fisheries Management Report for Lake Calaveras indicate that red drum populations are doing quite well. Fish populations are assessed in Calaveras by conducting gill net and electrofishing surveys in randomly selected sampling sites. Gill net catch rates have been variable over the years, but have shown an overall increase in abundance since 2007 (Figure 1). As a result of the increasing abundance, red drum are now effectively tied with catfish as the most popular fish targeted by Calaveras anglers.

In the most recent creel survey at Calaveras, approximately 37% of anglers targeted red drum, up from 13% in 2000.

The popularity of this delicious sport fish among anglers, combined with its unusual ability to thrive in a wide range of habitats and salinities, make it the centerpiece of popular fisheries in both fresh and saltwater. The next time you hook into one, remember that the red drum is a fish that is great with or without salt!

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

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John Frazier from Simms doing his thing down at Turneffe Flats Lodge in Belize.

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

FLY FISHING

Tips for Fly Fishing

Adventure

Not to generalize too much, but conventional light-tackle anglers here in Texas seem to be homebodies – meaning they fish mostly somewhere along the Texas coast. Sure, some might venture beyond state lines occasionally but by comparison, fly anglers are evidently gypsies at heart.

Always champing at the bit for a new adventure, and adventure now days means travel, both far and near.

When most people think of traveling for fishing, it means breaking down the rods and packing them as compactly as possible to get past the TSA and avoiding the annoying extra baggage fees that airlines now impose. But, as the fly-fishing world becomes more inundated with do-it-yourselfers, travel has become as much domestic as international. Whether traveling across county or international lines, successful trips rely on good planning and preparation.

In regards to international travel, especially your first time, I highly recommend booking through a reputable sporting-travel agency such as Traveling Angler at Fishing Tackle Unlimited or Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Adventures.

Another great one is Tailwaters Fly Fishing Company.

The best way to approach one of these trips is to go on a hosted trip. The host can tell you what you need and what you do not which, incidentally, makes preparation much simpler. Although, I will tell you that, it is important to research the various hosts you might use. The same as any other service, not all hosts are created equal.

As for booking guides in other states, I will gladly tell you it is no different than choosing a host for an 48 | January 2017

international trip – do your homework.

Just because someone is a social media magnate, it does not guarantee they are a great guide. Some people can tolerate a lot of B.S. to catch a fish or two, others cannot.

Guides tend to pick and choose what they want their potential customers to see. They do not necessarily show you all the tears and heartache it might have taken to Nathan Kerr travels annually to the Everglades to battle tarpon.

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achieve the success of the one photo or video they posted to Facebook or other media. I can tell you with great certainty, I guide a lot of individuals who travel long distances to fish with me and, as a guide – I’m not for everyone.

I have my quirks as many others do. Sometimes you can research and eliminate certain guides, sometimes you just John posing with one of have to go for it. The important thing is to spend some time the more exotic residents looking around and asking questions. Guided fishing is not of the Turneffe Atol. cheap whether you go with a great, good, fair or crappy guide.

Add to that a plane ticket, rent car and hotel, and well…

Now let’s talk domestic travel. It comes in two forms. The day-tripper and the do-it-yourselfer. We’ll start with the day-tripper. Actually, there is not much to say about this type of fly angler other than he usually, not always, resides in one of the more urban areas in Texas and books a day or two at a time. If you are one of these people and are coming from the Houston area; plan around the traffic, stop by Prasek’s coming down US 59, and bring me some summer sausage and bread and butter pickles. And have your rods put together before I meet you at the dock. Sorry folks but, I could not help myself. Moving on….

As for the do-it-yourselfer, I would say, sell your boat and go on more guided fishing trips. In all seriousness, this is not about the do-it-yourselfer that fishes in Texas but rather the one that likes to pack up and head either east or north.

Notice I put east before north. The ones that head east, well they are my kind of people. You see, if you go east you are either going to Louisiana or Florida in search of something that is either big or pulls hard. If you’re are going north, well you are nothing more than a silly trout fisherman. LOL! Okay, I have had my fun. In reality though, the do-itA solidly built and well-maintained yourselfer faces the biggest challenges when it comes trailer is a must for do-it-yourselfers traveling long distances. to preparation. All they have is past experience to go on and that may not cover all the situations that might be encountered. This happens to be where I am most Brian Little, pioneer of the experienced. aluminum poling skiff, For more than twenty years I have traveled to both traveled from Texas to do battle with 60-pounds of Florida and Louisiana for extended stays and here is what I Everglades sawfish. have learned.

First and foremost, a solidly built and well-maintained boat trailer is a must. In addition, you need to have spare hubs, miscellaneous other trailer parts, and tools (especially an assortment of jacks) to get you back on the road should Mr. Murphy decide to rear his nasty little head. I also recommend being a member of the AAA roadside assistance program.

Also, your tackle is an integral part of your trip. Protect it at all costs. I have several Schedule-40 PVC rod tubes made up to transport my spare one-piece rods that will not fit in the rod tubes of my skiff.

Last but not least, if you are traveling to a somewhat remote area or on a tight budget, have some Yetis loaded with ice, food and water. Banking on finding a restaurant, grocery, or even a decent convenience store in a tiny coastal village might not be Scott Sommerlatte is a full time fly fishing and light tackle guide, freelance writer and photographer. as easy as you expect.

Well folks, those are some basics. Hope you had a great Christmas Telephone 979-415-4379 and a Happy New Year. More importantly, I hope you get to experience Email vssommerlatte@hotmail.com an adventure this year.

Website www.mangrovefly.com TSFMAG.com | 49

Why I love sight-casting marsh redfish; hook one and two follow.

DAV E R O B E R T S

K AYA K FISHING C HRONI C LES

New Year’s

Kayaking Resolutions Well another year has come and gone and I hope everyone had as much good fortune as I did. My year has been full of fish, traveling and learning a great amount about our sport of kayaking. A new year is upon us and like most people, we often try to plan our year and set certain goals. We look at it as a new chapter and strive towards these aspirations in hopes that we will achieve them. The typical New Year’s Resolutions that we hear are geared towards people’s plans of losing weight or going to the gym more frequently and eating better. These are all great intentions but they are not something that satisfies the mind of an angler!

Every resolution that I have for this year revolves around fishing in some way. Like all goals, some are more obtainable and realistic than others but if you don’t have something to aim toward, you will surely miss. I figured I would share some of my hopes and aspirations for the upcoming year. In turn, I hope that I can inspire you to make your own set of goals to fulfill. So here we go, these are my kayaking resolutions.

GET INVOLVED I believe that this is something that I personally need to work on and others should as well. I try to promote catch and release along with conservation as much as possible.

I also get angry when I see careless companies destroying our fisheries by polluting our waters. Rightfully so, because these are the things that I love and I want to help protect the environment for future generations. This is usually as far as I get though; I just get mad and talk about it and there is 50 | January 2017

no action taken going forward.

A buddy of mine, Eric Porter, lives in Austin and is worried about the regulations of our state fish, the Guadalupe bass. Currently there is not a size limit on the fish and as any conscientious angler should be, he is concerned about it. So instead of just talking about it, he has acted and has a petition going around for people to sign so he can present the issue to TPWD. He has already talked to other people in the field and is working to create a solution to protect the species.

A few months back I had Tony Keill call and say he was coming over to our area to fish. We met up and spent several hours together on the water. After getting back to the launch, before even loading his kayak, Tony walked around and picked up every piece of trash he could find.

He cleaned the entire launch area at a place he has never even been to.

These are both prime examples that everyone can make a difference in their community. It starts with something little and if we all combine our efforts it will turn into something great. So, I plan on trying to keep our area clean, getting to know some of the leaders of our local CCA chapter, and if there is an issue, write to TPWD or state congressional representative to express my concerns.

Don’t talk about it, be about it!

GO FISHING IN ANOTHER STATE OR THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF TEXAS I have come to realize that the Gulf Coast is immense and

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there are no two places alike. Along with the scenery changing, so do the fish and the culture of people that live in the area. By going to another state, it forces you to get out of your comfort zone and experience a completely different kind of fishing. The opposite side of Texas fits in that category; south of Corpus Christi reflects Florida and East of Galveston is close to Louisiana fishing.

If you keep heading east though, the fishing gets even better as you enter south Louisiana. That area is truly a Sportsman’s Paradise and every kayaker needs to experience it! Within a quick five-minute paddle to any particular marsh, you are ready to start sightcasting redfish; it is hard to beat. Florida is another area that holds great fishing but not an area that I have visited much.

This is a place I am going to try and fish more often this upcoming year. Traveling is always about experiencing new things and there is plenty of opportunities along the Gulf Coast.

TARGET A BUCKET LIST FISH I know every angler has this list engraved in their minds and you are always thinking about the fish that tops it. My personal list-topper is

a tarpon. I want a Texas tarpon out of my kayak. If I can accomplish this, my life will be fulfilled – for a while anyway. This past year I had a legitimate shot at one rolling in our surf and I cannot even explain how excited I was to even just see it. Another on my list is a billfish. I really am not too concerned which species, just so it’s a bill. I may have to get in a boat for this one but we will start from there. It’s time to start checking some fish off that list!

Kevin Walbrick with his personal best redfish – 40” and 24 lbs CPR on Hannas Reef in Galveston Bay.

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FISH A TOURNAMENT THAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU NORMALLY DO I am an inshore angler that loves to chase redfish in the shallows of the marsh. This is my comfort zone and plus it really is the greatest way to fish. I also like fishing tournaments because it challenges you as an angler; it also is a great way to visit other areas and meet people that share the same passion as you. I want to plan on fishing a few bass tournaments and I am considering doing a BTB tourney. I know enough about bass fishing to get me through but anything off-shore is pretty new to me. I suppose there is only one way to figure it out!

Overall I am excited for the new year and the opportunities that await. I am ready to experience new places, meet new people and catch a few new fish. These resolutions are what my sights are set on and I hope that I can reach these goals. I wish that everyone has a safe and productive year on the water with it being full of memories and fish.

Also, remember that you can make a difference for the future of fishing on the Gulf Coast. Pick up trash on and off the water, practice catch and release, and speak up when you see a conservation issue.

Tight lines and Happy New Year!

8-year-old Helena Solis with her catch! Fishing with her brother and dad at Port Mansfield.

52 | January 2017

Kayaking for bass on the Colorado River in Austin.

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.

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T SF M a g C o n s e r v at i o n N e w s

Advocacy and Education – Key Components to Conservation CCA Texas New Advocacy Director’s Position The mission and object of Coastal Conservation Association states: The purpose of CCA is to advise and educate the public on conservation of marine resources. The objective of CCA is to conserve, promote, and enhance the present and future availability of those coastal resources for the benefit and enjoyment of the general public. Advocacy, education and membership have been the cornerstones of CCA’s success since the day concerned fishermen first met to discuss the decline of redfish and speckled trout along the Texas coast. These early members and leaders educated themselves and other recreational fishermen in their quest to make sweeping changes to the laws governing these species and put in motion lasting changes to the benefit of the Texas coastal fisheries.

CCA Texas recently strengthened its advocacy and education efforts by hiring Shane Bonnot as the new CCA Texas Advocacy Director. Shane comes to CCA Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) where he served as Hatchery Manager at Sea Center Texas. Shane is a graduate of Texas A&M and has spent over 16 years working in both the aquaculture and fisheries arena in Virginia and the last 10 years in Texas.

“We are extremely excited to have Shane join our CCA team and he brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise to the organization,” commented Robby Byers, CCA Texas Executive Director. Byers continued, “Creating this new advocacy position will further strengthen the efforts of CCA Texas and bring a sharper focus to fishery and 54 | January 2017

coastal resource issues that concern CCA Texas members and recreational fishermen up and down the Texas coast.”

Shane hit the ground running in September and his presence was felt almost immediately. Shane has been attending fisheries management meetings, taken the lead role in CCA Texas’s push to encourage that the San Jacinto River Superfund Site is completely removed, is speaking to local chapters and is bringing new educational components to CCA Texas.

Beginning in the next issue of CCA Texas’s Currents newsletter, Shane will have an Advocacy section dedicated to fisheries and resource issues that CCA Texas is working on. This column will provide an excellent source of information for CCA Texas members and will share with them important information that they can use to educate their peers and community leaders when needed.

An exciting and entertaining new outreach tool is the Coastal Advocacy Adventures blog and podcast. Shane will sit down with CCA staff, members of other conservation organizations, guides, government agency representatives, recreational fishermen, chefs, and many others to provide not only important conversation about fishery and resource issues, but also fun and entertaining information as it relates to the recreational fishing community. The podcasts will be produced on a weekly to bi-weekly basis and will be available by searching Coastal Advocacy Adventures on your podcast player.

These podcasts will be featured in the CCA Texas blog, www.ccatexas.org/blog, as well as other information for

CCA Texas members and others. In an additional effort to educate our CCA Texas members, Shane will be attending CCA Texas chapter general membership meetings and speaking to local chapters, educating them on the current issues and what the local members can do to make a difference.

The success of CCA Texas is a direct result of the efforts of CCA Texas volunteers, supporters and members. Your actions and efforts are important in ensuring that Texas’s coastal resources are protected and enhanced for present and future generations. In the future, CCA Texas will use the Voter Voice tool more extensively through “Take Action” alerts. This is an important opportunity to send your input into governmental agencies and committees making decisions on important issues. Suggested language is attached to the alerts or you can modify and create your own. It is your opportunity to be a part of the process and it only takes a few moments of your time. Help CCA Texas make a difference!

CCA Texas Continues Support of TPWD Internship Program CCA Texas has a long history of supporting education in the marine science field through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) summer intern program and in recent years has also began supporting the TPWD Law Enforcement internships as well. 2016 marked the sixteenth year that CCA Texas has supported the TPWD Coastal Fisheries internship program, funding thirteen positions. At the last Executive Board meeting in November 2016, CCA Texas approved $97,500 to fund 15 intern positions within TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries Division for 2017.

These positions include eight fisheries management bay team positions along the Texas coast, three ecosystem resource positions, one genetic

56 | January 2017

research team position, one artificial reef program position, and one each hatchery technician positions at Sea Center Texas and CCA Marine Development Center. These intern positions provide valuable hands on training for students and an excellent opportunity for TPWD personnel to evaluate potential future employees.

“This entire internship allowed me to apply the knowledge and skills I learned in school and I was able to hone those abilities in a way that will be useful to my future career,” commented 2016 Intern Courtney Wallis.

Courtney commented further, “I appreciate CCA’s sponsorship more than I can articulate. I was feeling discouraged about my future plans before this summer began, but now I have a much more distinct path of where I am headed; all thanks to Coastal Conservation Association Texas.”

CCA Texas and TPWD continue to grow their partnership and together make a difference in the management of Texas’s coastal fisheries and resources. This partnership extends to other like organizations, academics and governmental agencies through programs such as the TPWD Internship program. Many of these students have gone on to secure jobs with TPWD and marine science positions with other organizations at many different levels. These internships and the CCA Texas graduate program scholarships at Texas A&M and University of Texas are providing much needed assistance to the future marine biologists and scientists in Texas. CCA Texas is committed to continuing its support of these programs and looks forward to the success of these students.

Advocacy and education are important parts of the CCA model and CCA Texas looks forward to growing these components in 2017 and to build upon the success of years past.

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American Oystercatcher The American oystercatcher, Haematopus palliatus, is a large pied shorebird, easily identified by its long, straight, bright-red bill. Its yellow iris, distinct red eye ring, and long, pale-pink legs sharply contrast the deep-black head, brown and black backside, and white belly, making for a strikingly handsome visage. Adult plumage does not vary from female to male, though females tend to be larger than males (but there is considerable overlap in size; therefore, sexes are generally indistinguishable by sight in the field). Interestingly, their eye color darkens over time, which helps researchers age the birds. Adult oystercatchers average 18 inches in height with a 32-inch wingspan, characterized by a narrow white stripe, which can be seen in flight. This flashy bird was once known as the “sea pie,” but it was renamed in 1731 when naturalist Mark Catesby observed the bird eating oysters. The genus name Haematopus is Greek for blood foot, and refers to the oystercatcher’s pink legs. Palliatus is Latin for cloaked, and refers to the black “cloak” of feathers on its head.

There are no fossil records for this species. However, there are a few early records of importance from the North American Land Mammal Age, 4.5 to 5.2 million years ago, including Haematopus sulcatus, the oldest fossil species of oystercatcher, found in the Bone Valley Formation in Florida. Two races of the American oystercatcher are 58 | January 2017

recognized, and breed in, North America: the eastern race and the western race. The eastern race, Haematopus palliatus palliatus, is found along the Atlantic Coast from Massachusetts to southern Florida, along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Mexico, in the Caribbean, and locally in Central America. The western race, Haematopus palliatus razari, is found from Baja California south to Argentina and Chile in South America. North of Baja California, the black oystercatcher takes over. The eastern race has been studied extensively across its range, during winter and breeding season, but the western race is poorly known.

Also, the western race may hybridize with the black oystercatcher where their populations overlap.

True to its name, the American oystercatcher specializes in feeding on, almost exclusively, bivalves, such as oysters, clams, limpets, and mussels. Consequently, this species is completely restricted to marine habitats, bound by its prey specialization. If it must, it will also prey on other marine invertebrates, such as sea urchins, starfish, crabs, and worms. They typically forage during the day in shallow water, searching for food by sight. They walk across oyster reefs, clam flats, or other shellfish beds, and when they encounter one whose shell is partially open, they jab their bill into the shell and sever the bivalve’s adductor muscle (the strong muscle that clamps the

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shell shut). Seems like easy pickins, but this technique is not without risk. Oystercatchers sometimes drown when a tightly rooted mussel snaps shut on the bill and holds the bird in place until the tide comes in. Though this danger doesn’t seem to discourage the sneak attack method, they also use the safer, but slightly more time consuming method of carrying loose shellfish out of the water and hammering to break them open.

American oystercatchers have a distinctive piping call, which is especially evident during the breeding season.

Courting birds tend to walk together and make a single piping note. Next comes a dance of sorts: bending over, extending and lowering the neck, and running side by side while calling. Eventually, the dance becomes an aerial performance, with the pair flying in tight formation around their territory. Individuals have been observed to choose the same mate for several consecutive years, and it is possible many mate for life. In areas with high populations, some may form trios, with one male and two females attending a single nest.

Nests are a shallow depression scraped out of the sand. Adults may make five or more of these before choosing a winner and lining it with shells, pebbles, and bits of debris to disguise the eggs.

Oystercatchers commonly nest on dunes, dredge spoil islands, marsh islands, mudflats, etc. Suitable nest sites can be in short supply sometimes, especially when gulls hoard all the best digs, forcing oystercatchers to nest very close to the high-tide line. A breeding pair produces one to four buffy gray, speckled eggs. During the incubation period of 24-28 days, the pair is highly territorial and will fiercely defend the nest site. To mark their territory, an adult stands with its neck arched and bill pointed downwards, while emitting a series of (more) piping notes. They typically return to the same breeding territory, if not the same nest site, every year.

Although oystercatcher eggs are well camouflaged, they are still targeted by raccoons, coyotes, skunks, gulls, crows, rats, and foxes. If a clutch is destroyed, the pair usually lays a replacement clutch within two weeks, and can cycle through four or five restarts in a season if needed. Newly hatched chicks are active and coordinated and can run within hours of hatching, but it takes up to 60 days for their beaks to become strong enough to pry open bivalves. They achieve flight much sooner, about 35 days, so the parents have to feed their chicks well after fledging. Juvenile oystercatchers have varying degrees of dusty orange to gray on the bill and a speckled brown head and back to camouflage against the pebbly beaches. They frequently dive to escape predators (adults rarely so). They propel themselves underwater using wings and are able to dive several feet deep and can swim underwater for at least 11 yards. They reach reproductive 60 | January 2017

maturity at 3-4 years of age and can live over 10 years in the wild. Fun fact: a flock of oystercatchers is called a “parcel.�

Although the American oystercatcher is now a relatively common shorebird, it was once highly threatened and rare. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, American oystercatchers were hunted for their conspicuous plumage and their eggs were collected for food. These threats were exacerbated by a rapidly increasing encroachment in coastal areas. However, following the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918, which afforded the species protection from these threats, its population started to recover. Today, the most significant threat is habitat loss. Coastal developments increasingly reduce the amount of nesting and foraging habitat and often negatively affect nearby habitats through pollution and sedimentation. In addition, since this species (along with many others) occupies low-lying coastal areas for nesting, foraging, and roosting, it is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by global climate change. One benefit of human activity has been the appearance of islands made from dredging spoils. These are often isolated from mammalian predators and fairly high above the water, creating safe nesting habitat.

Though the IUCN Red List classifies this species as being of Least Concern, the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan lists American oystercatchers as a species of High Concern, citing a small overall population (about 11,000 individuals) and widespread habitat loss.

In 2015, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory began a citizen science project (coordinated by Dr. Susan Heath, a GCBO avian conservation biologist) with Audubon Texas monitoring nesting oystercatchers on the Texas coast. Volunteers monitor their pair(s) at least once a week. Reported/ collected data includes adult pairings, nest success or failure, and other information. Texas oystercatchers are banded with two identical maroon color bands with a two-digit code in white, above the leg joint, and a single metal band on the lower right leg. More information on these types of programs is available on the Audubon TERN website.

To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of years, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.� ~ Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring

Where I learned about American oystercatchers, and you can too!

American Oystercatcher Working Group amoywg.org/american-oystercatcher/ American Oystercatcher Tracking Project oystercatchertracking.org/about-oystercatchers/ Audubon: Guide to North American Birds www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-oystercatcher

Audubon: Citizen Science tx.audubon.org/conservation/tern-citizen-science Gulf Coast Bird Observatory www.gcbo.org/avian-research-and-monitoring/american-oystercatcher-study/ Texas Parks & Wildlife tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/oystercatcher/

American Bird Conservancy abcbirds.org/bird/american-oystercatcher/ All About Birds /www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Oystercatcher/lifehistory Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/imperiled/profiles/birds/american-oystercatcher/ Georgia Department of Natural Resources www.georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/uploads/wildlife/nongame/pdf/ accounts/birds/haematopus_palliatus.pdf USGS www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i2860id.html US Fish & Wildlife Service www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/pdf/management/focal-species/ AmericanOystercatcher.pdf IUCN Red List www.iucnredlist.org/details/22693644/0 ARKive www.arkive.org/american-oystercatcher/haematopus-palliatus/ WhatBird identify.whatbird.com/obj/1013/overview/American_Oystercatcher.aspx

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A couple of snowbirds rack up their catch of sheepshead at the Port Aransas jetty.

JOE RICHARD

INSHORE | NE A RSHORE | J E T T IES | P A SSES

January Jetties Jetty action on a mixed bag of sheepshead, black drum and redfish is pretty much a sure thing during winter, with a couple of caveats. Location and weather conditions are deciding factors.

Back in my Port Arthur days after hunting season, we had little to do on winter weekends with our small boats, except fish the jetties. We’d anchor, climb up on the rock wall with a 68-quart Igloo, and fill it mostly with sheepshead. Just strolled along and flipped lead jig heads tipped with shrimp, out about 10 feet. Ease that jig through the rocks until a sheepshead picked it up. Only about one-third of our strikes connected, thanks to the sheepshead’s rock-hard mouth, but it didn’t matter; we still loaded the box. Didn’t even need ice, just dumped chilly Gulf water on the fish. Sometimes we had redfish and black drum, too.

By good fortune we lived near one of the three Texas jetties that are isolated from foot traffic, where a boat is required to reach these spots. A number of free boat ramps were located along the ship channel. Even in foggy weather we could launch and motor slowly along the line of rocks without losing sight of solid structure. There were five free boat ramps available in Sabine’s ship channel, and two more a mile north at the Pleasure Island bridge. It was jonboat heaven for saltwater fishing, quite the opposite from Galveston’s current situation.

The other two Texas jetties isolated from walk-in 62 | January 2017

fishermen, and less fishing pressure, are on Matagorda Bay and then down at Mansfield on Padre Island.

Matagorda Ship Channel jetty can only be reached by boat or airplane. Mansfield’s East Cut jetty by boat or a really long car drive on the beach, something like 60 miles.

All other jetties are hit daily by walk-in anglers, if the weather is tolerable.

Another factor is winter’s weather, because you don’t want to be out there when a black norther rolls in. Lives have been lost when winter fishermen dallied too long and a north wind caught them trying to cross open bay back to safety. Today’s boats are bigger with more horsepower, so this hasn’t been as much a factor in recent years. With the jonboat crowd, however, winter fishing on the bays is still touch and go. You don’t want to launch and make a long boat run.

Here are a few basics and cautions to our winter jetty fishing: If you walk the rocks, wear fishing gloves. If you fall, your hands take most of the impact—if you’re fast enough to break your fall with them. Protective clothing and good shoes are a must. This is mobile fishing, so wear some kind of bait container on your belt. You obviously need shrimp or fiddler crabs, unless you’re targeting redfish, where frozen mullet can be fished deep.

When guiding on the Matagorda Ship Channel jetties each winter, I preferred anchoring in 20 feet of water.

Two anglers lug their load of fish back to the car. It’s a long walk and the rocks are slippery after rain.

A happy young Ian Richard with jetty sheepshead during winter. Okay, maybe he would have been happier back home playing with Lego toys…

C ontact

That depth seemed to hold more fish. We fished straight down to avoid snagging, and I favored the two-ounce drop weights that would zip a bait down quickly. And could often be pulled loose when they did snag.

Egg sinkers were useless. We’d bait up a #2 J-hook with a live shrimp and send it down.

We caught a few reds and tons of sheepshead, keeping those that were four pounds or heavier. Smaller sheeps were released.

If I had a dime for every time I’ve dropped and retrieved anchors at the jetties, I could buy a ranch. I learned not to use an anchor chain, because they’re impossible to retrieve when caught in a crack down there. Just find a used Danforth anchor and take your chances. Bring a spare, so you can keep fishing somewhere else. During summer, I used to snorkel the jetties and found so many anchors, I’d leave them up on the jetties for others. After taking my pick, of course. Some still had price tags on them…

Winter means mostly bait fishing, because fish are more sluggish and often down deeper. You will obviously need shrimp, to appeal to a wider variety of fish. Live shrimp is best, but I’ve found that decent frozen shrimp isn’t bad. Back in the day we used to spot small, lone shrimpboats trawling nearby, and we’d brazenly stop them and ask to buy a pound or two of shrimp. Often they were small rock shrimp, which sheepshead are quite fond of.

Okay, so you want to try some of this winter fishing. Which day?

First, find a tide chart and pick a day with high tide around mid-day.

Then, hope for good weather. The best is a light southerly wind, even short-sleeve weather, probably with fog in the morning. Warm, green Gulf water helps. That’s a day the fish will be feeding.

The slowest action would be during a sunny, high-pressure day, with a north wind cranking and a muddy, outgoing tide full of cold bay water.

Lots of potential out there, for an organized sport like Jacksonville’s huge sheepshead tournament held each February for the past 20 years or so. I used to support the idea of such a tournament in Texas, but drastic weather changes here can wipe out a tournament day scheduled months before. Port O’Connor with its huge sheepshead population seemed like a logical place, but reaching the jetties across huge Matagorda Bay can be dicey, even life-threatening during a norther. Galveston harbor and jetties would be great, except Galveston Yacht Basin’s boat ramp is now reserved for those who will pay a $1,500 membership. (No thanks). Anyway the last thing they want is a bunch of scruffy johnboats showing up. The remaining few ramps on Galveston’s horizon are across big water.

Anyway, I’m quite fond of jetty fishing. It’s a high-energy environment that makes the back bays seem almost comatose, by comparison. The sights and smells of marine growth on rocks, the constant slosh and flow, and knowing that so many fish are concentrated in all that rocky structure—it all has quite an appeal.

It’s a great escape from daily chores and TV and constant news and Internet and texting and all that.

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

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Much to the disappointment of the author, this incredible specimen of a shortfin mako wrapped in the leader during the fight, barely able to budge when dragged to the beach.

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

ERI C O Z OLINS

History Repeats During 2016, I was honored to experience and participate in three very phenomenal shark landings.

The first came on an early-summer surf charter on Padre Island with a client scoring one of the largest bull sharks brought to a Texas beach in recent memory.

At 9-foot 3-inches, this behemoth taped three inches longer than the current state record and was tagged and released. Both the landing and the conservation message conveyed stand as milestones in the evolution of modern-day land-based shark fishing.

Roughly a month later, on a personal shark expedition, I landed the largest shark of my life. A greater hammerhead that measured exactly thirteen feet. And while unfortunately unable to accomplish a successful release and hoping to keep it under wraps, it ended up spreading like wildfire on social media. I will share the full story soon in another TSFM article.

And finally, the landing of an exceptional shortfin mako, the species originally responsible for enabling me to gain the notoriety I have earned and enjoy in sport fishing.

Land-based shark fishing is a beautiful thing. The mystery of unknown species you might end up battling is what drives shark fishermen. On rare occasions, something special and divine happens to dispute even the best science and logic. Mako sharks reign atop the list. Makos are one of the ocean’s top apex predators and, in sportfishing terms, their leaping acrobatics and shear strength dominate about any species you can hook in to.

In Hemingway’s classic, The Old Man and the Sea, 64 | January 2017

Santiago fended off a large mako from devouring his massive marlin. Categorized as pelagic, the mako shark lives strictly in the open ocean. Whether traveling the gulfstream or open water currents, pelagic fish live a lonely life and exist by feeding opportunistically. It is no wonder then, that this species is very rarely encountered in the shallows, particularly the sandy inshore waters of the Texas coast.

On February 20, 1999, shark fishing history was made as Mark Davidson and the late Brian McDevitt landed a 9-foot 2-inch shortfin mako from the South Texas surf. This was the first recorded land-based landing of this species west of the Mississippi and it opened the eyes of not only the angling community but also the scientific community as to what was truly possible in our waters.

Then on December 7th, 2003, my moment in the spotlight came. As ironic as it may seem, I had premonitions for a week prior to that catch. Scott Nelson helped me tag and release the 9-foot 6-inch specimen - a first for land-based shark tagging.

During November of 2004, Stuart Richardson landed the largest of the first three Texas land-based makos.

Stuart’s fish went 10-foot 1-inch and ended up wrapping up in the leader during the fight. Large sharks will often wrap up and roll in the leaders as they breach the surface during the fight. This mako unfortunately was unable to be revived and released despite valiant efforts.

The mako scene would then go quiet for nearly a dozen years until March of 2016 when Brad Tabor

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C ontact

would put Jessica Repa on a beautiful specimen Large sharks will sometimes roll back just under 9-feet. They succeeded in tagging and on the leader and become entangled.

Makos, with their acrobatic tendencies, releasing the fish. are more vulnerable than other species.

A couple of weeks later, while fishing 18 miles from where Brad and Jessica’s mako was landed, I assisted Dwade Hickey land his monster. We were fishing together in spaced out camps running big-baits for early-season tigers. Dwade had a large shark pick up his bait and after a solid fight, Scott Nelson and I were in the water expecting to leader a big tiger.

Our eyes grew wide when we noticed it was not a tiger but a large and ghostly mako. Dwade’s fish was a 10-foot 6-inch female, with tremendous mating scars. This was an old shark and we could only imagine the battles it must have lived through. We succeeded in placing a satellite tag on this specimen for the Center for Sportfish Science and Research. into the fight I was able to flag Dwade and he came quickly to survey Its whereabouts could be tracked through the Ocearch shark research the chaos. The fish was still smoking line when he arrived and my legs website and mobile app. History was made again as it was the first were trembling. I was in the fight of my life! land-based mako to receive a tag of the kind. The event was also the The mako continued to break the surface with great explosions first time in Texas history that two land-based makos would be landed every few minutes. Completely awed by the performance, all I could in the same year. But it wasn’t over. On April 5th, Dwade would assist do was remain calm and conserve my strength, waiting for the shark me as history would repeat itself – again. to turn. After what seemed eternity and with nearly a mile of line out Since the landing of my first beach mako, I somehow always knew I was finally able to get it turned. Not wanting to allow it to recover I would land more. Consider it premonition. My original mako was strength, I cranked as hard and fast as I could. a result of newly acquired knowledge and experimental techniques When the fish approached the third sandbar, it made a stand and gained from living down in the Caribbean, of all places. In addition, turned for another offshore run. In doing so, it thrashed violently on surf makos are very precise for the conditions in which they are the surface, pectoral fins windmilling wildly, and becoming wrapped present. Water temperature, clarity, and bait sources must ALL be in the leader. Dwade went out in the kayak to free another line it had exact for any chance at a mako from the beach. Over time, I have also wrapped into, to allow me to winch it shallow enough to apply narrowed these variables as much as possible, and this past spring all the tail rope. Sadly, having been wrapped in the leader proved too those factors aligned perfectly. much, and that magnificent fish barely twitched as we dragged her We all knew full well that we might go many years before seeing another mako, as occurred during the mako drought that followed the to the sand. Like Stuart’s fish, this shark unfortunately did not survive for the release. third-ever beach landing. However, our mako window for 2016 was While greatly disappointed in being unable to release her with a reaching into April, far longer than expected. And while not exactly satellite tag, I spent several reverent minutes to just admire, study and targeting a mako, I knew there was a chance they were still around as appreciate it. Pure apex predator perfection by every aspect of design. a fellow angler recently claimed to lose one a couple days earlier. This trip for me was more about big sharks in general, and thus I decided to Everything about it was pristine sleekness and power. The tape said 10foot 10-inches and we estimated 700 pounds or more for my second run uncommonly large baits for monster tigers. Makos, while having a surf mako. The largest of six documented Texas surf landings to date. large appetite, aren’t designed to inhale a huge chunk of meat with a Fishermen gather certain feelings about their greatest catches single bite like a tiger...that is unless it is a mega-mako! and the first minutes of fighting that incredible mako overshadow all Fishing solo in my camp, with Dwade spaced a couple hundred my previous experiences. The line melting from the huge 80W reel yards down the beach in his own camp, my adrenaline factor was and the huge initial surface explosion will be forever etched in my about to explode. Preparing another large bait in early afternoon, my memory. That’s what I mean when I say the mystery of the unknown is attention was drawn to my 80W reel starting to click. I knew it had to what drives shark fishermen. I pray there will be more. be a good fish to pick up a whole jack crevalle.

I hopped up on the platform and got harnessed in. The fish was taking line at a slow but steady pace until suddenly, like a switch, it For the past decade Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been promoting shark took off. On heavy drag, the line was blistering off uncontrollably. catch and release and assisting various shark research programs. Eric offers guided shark fishing on Padre Island National Seashore. Also My heart pounded faster and faster. Scanning the surface offshore, renowned for extreme kayak big game fishing, Eric runs Kayak Wars; at roughly 700 yards, there came a massive eruption. As though one of the largest kayak fishing tournaments in the world. an automobile had been dropped from the sky, a huge splash was generated in all directions. In my mind, only one fish could do that, Email oz@oceanepics.com extremecoast.com | oceanepics.com | Websites and I knew right there I was fighting a mako. And not just any mako,

kayakwars.com but a mako capable of swallowing a 20-pound bait. A few minutes 66 | January 2017

TSFMAG.com | 67

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Dickie Colburn

DICKIE COLBURN’S Sabine Scene

Sabine

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

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

70 | January 2017

The current water conditions could not be much better, but catching quality trout could not be much tougher. After enduring non-stop rain most of 2015, we finally caught a break in mid-December that lasted through February of 2016.Traditional patterns once again worked well enough and we started to see the return of some six- to eight-pound trout.

Then came the epic Toledo Bend release that flooded everything along the river south of the dam and combined with even more local rain, the trout bite was virtually washed out. From a guiding standpoint, many weathered the worst by joining the daily crowds in Lighthouse Cove south of the Causeway competing for small trout and slot reds. To say the least, the Louisiana launch was far more crowded than the Texas launch every day.

Thus far, after only a handful of modest fronts and unusually high tides, the water in the marshes is still high and full of shrimp and the fish are keeping them company. This is typically the time of year when even the weekend warrior has grown tired of chasing flock after flock of gulls feeding over keeper

trout, but that has not been the case to date. That bite is strictly dependent on the shrimp and they have no reason to exit the marshes None of this, however, totally explains the absence of big trout. This is normally the time of the year to get it done on Sabine, but a picture of a seven-pound trout now goes viral on Facebook. A number of disappointed croaker fishermen were the first to report fewer big trout this past summer.

Long casts with a Usual Suspect worked for Barham Lewis.

Most of my clients have no desire to target big trout only, but they still catch their fair share because we drift water that produces those kinds of fish. Most of my time spent wading is done when scouting alone or with patient friends and that is when I have caught the majority of my big fish. In the past two years, however, my “7-pound and over” scorecard reads 11, 6 and 0 thus far in 2016!

My fishing skills have undoubtedly diminished, but hours logged on the lake alone should produce more big fish than that. The reliable jigging bite in deep water in the river that has produced not only huge numbers of solid keepers, but many trout over seven pounds as well, has been nonexistent.

So, here we are…Corky Fat Boy in hand and no immediate solution in sight. The saving grace is that we can still catch some of the best flounder that we have caught in years and, if you are in the right place at the right time, you can catch reds until you grow tired of casting.

When you find the redfish schooling, there is virtually nothing in your box they will not hit. For that reason alone, I would tie on something that I can easily cast a long way.

Staying out of the middle of the school is the key to catching more than one fish.

Right now, I much prefer to work the

shoreline with a 3-inch Usual Suspect or Gulp Swimming Mullet rigged on a one-eighth ounce head. Those two baits will not only dupe big flounder, but redfish and an occasional trout as well. More often than not, you will see the reds idling along the shoreline in small groups.

Egrets and herons hop-scurrying along the water’s edge are usually riding herd on redfish as well.

While it currently seems to be little more than wishful thinking, I hope that by the time you read this, folks are No redfish like Sara’s once again bragging about the improved first red in Utah! trout bite on Sabine Lake. I would like to be the one that first figures out the big trout, but I would be equally happy with consistent limits of 16 to 20 inch fish. While our larger trout may or may not join the party, I really expect the “numbers” bite to improve as soon as Mother Nature forces the shrimp out of the marshes.

Before you swear off Sabine Lake based on one less-than-encouraging report, remember that someone catches fish somewhere on the lake almost every day. I will continue to leave the house every morning with a five-inch Assassin, Usual Suspect and a Fat Boy tied on, intent on being one of them!

Breaking news: Seniors appreciate an invitation to go fishing as much as the kids!

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Capt. Caleb Harp

The Buzz on Galveston Bay

Galveston

Capt. Caleb Harp has fished the Galveston Bay System since childhood and, now a charter captain and fishing guide, he uses his knowledge to enable clients to enjoy the excellent fishing the area offers. His specialty is the yeararound pursuit for trophy trout and redfish with artificial lures

Telephone 281-753-3378 Website harpsguideservice.com

January can definitely be considered winter. As shell or notice any drop-offs or ledges on your depthmuch as we wanted to call December winter, we finder, take the time to study and memorize them by were wearing flip-flops and shorts way too often for triangulating landmarks on shorelines. Walking around it to truly qualify. Being one of the coldest months on low tides can add many new spots to your play of the year, expect a variety of curveballs in January. book. Even though fishing on extremely low tides isn’t Atmospheric pressure through normally too successful, you the roof, slower metabolism, can sometimes find spots that low tides and ripping wind but, you never knew existed. if you can time it right there can I’ve often bailed out of the be some great catches made! boat, without even bringing Don’t let the unstable a rod and reel, after a hard weather patterns discourage norther, and just started you too much; the trick is walking around areas that to plan your fishing days are usually too deep to wade between the fronts. But then on a normal tide. This helps again, the conditions don’t you know exactly what you’re always have to be perfect to casting over in that certain go enjoy a day on the water gut or drop-off whenever the and have a great time! water comes back in. Always be Don’t get frustrated careful navigating in super-low Second recovery day whenever you don’t necessarily tide conditions. following front, water “get ‘em” but use it instead as As the low winter tides pull muddied by ripping north a learning opportunity. Each out the water, they also pull the wind can produce solid trout. time you walk over a piece of fish. Most fish go into survival

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mode when a front hits, and won’t feed aggressively again until the barometer begins to fall and the water starts to come back. If you must fish on a super low tide, focus towards areas of deep-water getaway such as canals, channels, a deep bayou or river. Fish will automatically stack up in these places while the flats are being sucked dry. Once the water returns on the flat, the bait will follow with it. When bait activity can be seen the predatory fish that we target are there right behind them and you should be too with rod and reel in hand.

West Bay West Galveston has been fairly consistent in delivering good numbers of trout for waders working coves on the south shoreline, Confederate Reef and others.

Plum soft plastics with a chartreuse tail, like the MirrOlure Provoker, have been most consistent after the topwater bite dies off. Soft-Dine’s have provided better quality trout on colder days. Traditionally, Corky-type lures with their slow-sink capability are hard to beat when the water temperature plummets. Colder water temps slow their feeding habits and the slow-roll retrieve really shines.

Areas like Offat’s Bayou, Lake Madeline and the Old ICW can be good “deep water getaways” during January’s cold spells.

Heavy Upper Galveston speck for author working drop-offs in January.

East Bay East Bay has been productive for wading and drifting alike. Drifting the back of the bay in three foot depths over heavy mud/shell, looking for visible signs of mullet, is a great way to start. Wading bayou drains and oyster towheads along muddy shorelines has been productive for better quality trout on Corky Fat Boys and MirrOlures. Warmer days have given way to great topwater bites on Top-Dogs when it’s calm and She-Dogs when it’s a little choppier.

Upper Galveston Bay The Upper Galveston Bay region off the San Jacinto River can be some of the best fishing in January because of all the channels, guts and deep water that allow the fish to hide during cold spells. The area includes nasty mud that retains warmth and has a lot of oyster-filled flats. Drifting adjacent to these dropoffs can be great but wade fishing has proved to be more successful, allowing you to slow down and cover everything more thoroughly. Corky baits such as the Fat Boy and Soft-Dine can be great but I’ve had some of my best catches up there on Originals and Devils. You can bend the tail down on a Corky Original for whenever the current is ripping and it will act almost as a crankbait and will get down a lot faster. The Devil can be worked much slower and gets down faster and sometimes that’s all they want!

Be safe and good luck!

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Bink Grimes

The View from Matagorda

Matagorda

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

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

Cold water, north winds, gray clouds and low tides are pictures of January. By now, many anglers have winterized their boats and tackle, tucking it in the corner of the closet and locking it away in storage until the first buds of spring.

Good for you, but January can be just as productive as its autumn predecessors. It is all weather-dependent. If the weather allows you to fish – fish. If not – hunt. That has become the plight of many outdoorsmen; and, because of the hunting option, the bays are often quiet from the lack of boats.

The lack of boat traffic allows you to work whatever shoreline you want without worry.

Muddy bottoms on the south shoreline of East Bay are an obvious player since mud is a few degrees warmer in the winter.

Corkys are premiere winter baits, but topwaters get the nod on those warm, clear afternoons.

By January, shrimp have left the bays and speckled trout adapt their diet to finfish.

That’s when slow-sinking mullet imitating

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Age Group Division: Youth Division: Ages 12 and under Junior Division: Ages 13-18 (Junior anglers age 18 must be attending grade school at time of event)

Artificial Division: Competing for $2,500 Open Bait Division: Competing for $500 We will pay the top 5 anglers in each division as follows: 50%, 20%, 15%, 10% and 5%

Dates and Locations:

Dec. 4, 2016 - Harborwalk Marina, Hitchcock TX Jan. 22, 2017 - Jackie’s Brick House, Kemah, TX Feb. 12, 2017 - Marker 37 Marina, Corpus Christi, TX March 5, 2017 - Marker 37 Marina, Corpus Christi, TX

$10 Entry for Open Bait Division $25 Entry for Artificial Bait Division Open Bait (live, dead, prepared bait, or artificial,) and Artificial Bait (artificial lures only) This will be an individual effort tournament.

Multiple Anglers may fish from the same boat.

Age Group Division: Youth Division: Ages 12 and under Junior Division: Ages 13-18 (Junior anglers age 18 must be attending grade school at time of event)

Artificial Division: Competing for $2,500 Open Bait Division: Competing for $500 We will pay the top 5 anglers in each division as follows: 50%, 20%, 15%, 10% and 5%

Dates and Locations:

April 9, 2017 - Marker 37 Marina, Corpus Christi, TX April 23, 2017 - Harborwalk Marina, Hitchcock TX May 28, 2017 - Marker 37 Marina, Corpus Christi, TX June 11, 2017 - Jackie’s Brick House, Kemah, TX July 23, 2017 - Marker 37 Marina, Corpus Christi, TX August 13, 2017 - Harborwalk Marina, Hitchcock TX

plugs like Soft-Dines, MirrOlure 51Ms, 52Ms and Corkys go to work.

Flipping mullet are tell-tale signs that specks could be in the area; however, even though you don’t see active baitfish, that doesn’t mean the fish are not there. Work baits ultra-slow since cold weather turns fish in to methodical creatures.

Locales receiving the most tidal flow often hold the majority of schools – that means reefs and mud flats adjacent to the Intracoastal in East Matagorda Bay. Brown Cedar Flats, Chinquapin Reefs, Bird Island, Half Moon Reef and the Log are all proven winter spots holding healthy specks.

Drifting is also an option, especially with low-tide winter water levels. East Bay is often 2-3 feet below normal in January, depending how hard the north wind blows. Raymond Shoals, Boiler Bayou, Pipeline Reef and Cleveland Reef hold good fish during the winter; and, when tides are extremely low, shoreline redfish move off the flats to these reefs in the middle of the bay.

When the wind really blows, never discount the Colorado River. Trout congregate in the deep, warm waters of the Colorado and if we remain in a dry spell the entire river all the way to Bay City has potential.

Low tides in West Bay drain the delta at the mouth of the Diversion Channel and funnel all fish to the deep channel. Anglers drift across the channel with plum, black or glow soft plastics or troll with heavy-headed jigs. Many boaters Power Pole down along the dropoff and fish Gulps for trout and redfish; and, live-baiters toss Carolina-rigged mullet or fresh table shrimp for redfish. Again, never discount a topwater. Heavy trout hold on the edges of the bank and will bang a plug when the sun warms the shallows.

If you can’t get out during the day, find a pier with lights or take your own in a boat and toss a glow soft plastic. Normally, the colder the weather, the better the bite at night.

Duck action continues to impress. More rice on the prairie and a good hatch of young geese has made a difference in decoying action for specks and snows. Duck season runs through the end of the month so we will be hunting the mornings. Expect good goose and sandhill crane weather on the backside of a cold front when the weather warms and fog forms.

Follow our catches on Instagram @matagordasunriselodge.

TSFMAG.com | 75

Capt. Shellie Gray

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

Port O'Connor Seadrift

Captain Shellie Gray was born in Port Lavaca and has been guiding in the Seadrift/Port O’Connor area full time for the past 14 years. Shellie specializes in wading for trout and redfish year round with artificial lures.

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

76 | January 2017

Yep, here we are blessed with another New Year. We had phenomenal fishing in 2016 and I am hoping 2017 will be as good.

Our weather has been unusually mild weather so far this winter but I expect that’ll change during January.

It seems only diehards think of fishing in January but there are advantages compared to warmer months. The colder water temperatures will have redfish and trout seeking warmer water.

Unless it’s down near freezing, the muddy bottomed back lakes are good places to target.

Mud is dark and absorbs solar energy better than lighter-colored sand, which means the lakes on average are warmer than

many other places.

Will these muddier bottoms be equivalent to a warm bath? Nope. They will only be a few degrees warmer than sandy shorelines but, a few degrees to fish is probably about like us having a jacket or no jacket on a chilly day.

You know what else is interesting? Finfish species that redfish and trout dine on during the warmer months, like shad and perch, spend the winter in deeper water far from the flats, forcing trout and reds to exist almost entirely on mullet.

What does that mean Snagging a few for anglers? Two things: of these on our Find the mullet, find the charters is a nice bonus. trout and reds. And, with less forage available trout

When the wading gets sticky, don’t hesitate to use your Power Pole to work an area over.

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and reds become more willing to take our lures.

Since my right knee ACL reconstruction last year, I try to avoid wading muddy bottom and my winter strategies now focus more on drifting instead. Colder water means less algae, which means the water tends to be clearer than in summer. Grass is also much reduced, so color streaks created by wind become the only “structure” in many areas. Mullet hide in these streaks and predators slink in and lie in wait for an easy dinner.

Fish can no doubt still see their prey in murky water but sight might not be the keenest of their senses. Biologists say they “feel” equally well, sensing even minute vibrations in the water through nerve endings in the lateral line, somewhat intertwined with their hearing. And, of course, they can also smell.

Because of their ability to detect vibrations, fishing with lures that produce vibrations is a no-brainer. No, I’m not saying to rush out and purchase one of those battery-powered vibrating gimmicks. Most everybody has some type of paddle-tail plastic in their tackle box. Bass Assassins makes many excellent styles and types, my preference for murky conditions is the 3-1/2” Die Dapper in Mama’s Chicken or Slammin Chicken. These baits have good paddletail action and they have the added bonus of being scented.

Typically, with the cooler water, fish can become a little less willing to rise in the water column to take a lure, so working your bait slower near bottom will usually get you more bites. Be thorough as well. If you are drifting through an area that looks to have potential or maybe you have had a few bites, don’t hesitate to lower your Power Pole to stop your drift. Then continue to make casts in all directions before you proceed forward.

On the few days that we get extreme low temperatures, don’t be surprised to find that many of our fish will migrate from shallow back lakes to the nearest deep water in search of protection from the cold. By deep water, I’m talking about 6- to 10-feet, or deeper in channels or sloughs.

In this scenario, you will need to allow your offering to sink to the bottom and then run a slowtwitch retrieve.

During cold snaps when the water gets down around say 50- to 55-degrees, you will probably find the fish picking up the bait very gingerly – not the solid thump of warmer days. Days like this are when braided line greatly outshines monofilament. I will not go into detail on the subject of braid vs. mono because I believe they both have their pros and cons. But when the fish tend to strike lightly in colder weather, braid enables you to “feel” more than monofilament and that could mean the difference between catching and going home emptyhanded.

I’m not much on New Year’s resolutions because I feel your success and happiness lies within you no matter what time of year it is. I do believe that fishing is good therapy and good for your soul. If you make resolutions, resolve to get out there and fish more. I’ve heard it said that fishing adds years to your life and life to your years. Enough said.

Happy New Year!

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TSFMAG.com | 77

david rowsey

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

Upper Laguna/ Baffin

David Rowsey has 20 years experience in the Laguna/ Baffin region; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty.

David has a great passion for conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish.

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

Well, here we go again. The start of a new year or, as I see it, the beginning of another big trout season.

Personally, I am glad to put the past season in the rearview and get on with the new. The charter business and fishing was great, but life threw our family a couple of sliders this year (as many of you know) and I am as ready as can be to say adios to 2016.

Hunting season coincides with my slow charter time of year, so I have had my lungs full of clean air from the West Texas mountains, cedar of the Hill Country, and sweet dew of early morning South Texas brush. I’ve been jammed up on the water since the beginning of December, and the salt air has been good for the soul. A traveling vagabond or gypsy for a month or so but with the extracurricular coming to an end, my full focus is back on trout.

As observant outdoorsmen are aware, it seems we are headed into another warm winter season. My aging joints don’t mind so much, but big trout patterns do. 2016 gave us the same scenario in addition to

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exceptionally high winter tides. We seem to be headed into that same pattern for 2017; however, that can all change in a moment’s notice. There is just no way to predict what Mother Nature will give us, so,

Getting it done in early January.

So blessed to have great fishermen/ clients that “get it.”

The new Concept TX from 13 Fishing has been a stellar performer for me thus far.

The owner of Diamond J, James Rosalis, was a partner in Circle J Enterprises at the time our office and son’s home were built by Circle J. Workmanship and attention to detail were both excellent!

– Everett Johnson, Editor/Publisher, Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine

for now, I’m going with what recent history has told us.

Last winter found us in high water, and doing things outside of our normal winter patterns, where low tides normally prevail, and this threw a bit of a wrench into the system. Taking that into account, and with at least one guy on every charter vertically challenged, you’re better off near the shoreline.

Fishing shorelines has always been productive, regardless of the time of year. We found it to be even more so during the high-water spells. Many areas along the bank have shallow white sand that is barely covered by a ripple of water, or exposed completely. During these high tides, there may be as much as a foot of water in these formerly uninhabitable zones. These spots were big producers on the warmer days after fronts, and the vertically challenged clients seemed to love them as much as the trout, up skinny crashing whatever bait was available.

The potholes that fell off into deeper water were/are equally as productive, and even more so during cold trends. We used these same patterns on the spoil islands throughout the Laguna, areas of Yarbrough, and the south shoreline of Baffin. Short of the tide falling out and “burning” boat drivers staying off the shorelines, this is a pattern that will work well all season for you – so long as the water level remains high.

Lure choices are important when fishing this pattern. I know how much everyone loves to “bomb” an area with topwaters, but, most likely, not your best choice. This water is not only shallow it is very clear, in most cases. A subtle approach and natural-colored Bass Assassin are a staple for this kind of fishing. The lightest jig head you can cast is ideal. I prefer the Bass Assassin Pro Elite Series in 1/16 ounce. If the shorelines or spoils get to the point where the water is clouded up, by all means let the wide wobble of a MirrOlure Fat Boy or a topwater do their magic. There will be plenty of opportunities to utilize all these methods, just pick the best one for the conditions.

As all of you surely know, the world of fishing and fishing products is forever evolving. I am proud to represent some of the best in the business; Mercury Outboards, Haynie Boats, Simms, Waterloo Rods, Maui Jim, Bass Assassin, MirrOlure, etc. I am what you would consider to be a very loyal representative of the products I believe in and have field tested for years. I will not back any product unless I am completely satisfied with it.

Saying that, I have made the decision to use and endorse 13 Fishing’s Concept reels. These reels are all that we ask for as fishermen, and especially wade fishermen. Small, light, incredible drag systems, and long casting. 13 Fishing is the new kid on the block, but they are swinging for the fences right out of the gate. Do yourself a favor, go look at one and hold it in your hand. You can thank me later. www.13fishing.com.

Remember the buffalo! -Capt. David Rowsey

TSFMAG.com | 79

Wayne Davis

WAYNE’S Mansfield Report

Port Mansfield

Captain Wayne Davis has been fishing the Lower Laguna-Port Mansfield for over 20 years. He specializes in wade fishing with lures.

Telephone 210-287-3877 Email captwayne@kwigglers.com

80 | January 2017

Slowly navigating the Port Mansfield harbor on my Shallow Sport Classic, I asked Capt. Ernest Cisneros the most important question of the day, “Spot X or Spot Y?” He grinned, leaned over, and stuck his finger in the water. “Let’s go to X.” We all chuckled and off we went.

Anticipation was high, you see. Ernest and I had been on really solid trout for a couple of weeks, and we had the A-Team onboard. And after all the banter they were expecting big trout.

Ernest and I were a tad apprehensive, though. Five days earlier we had water temps at 80⁰ and the big trout were aggressive. The reason we were nervous was because our first strong cold front had dropped the water temp 15 degrees. I had fished two days prior and struggled. Plenty of “keeper-size” but no big ones.

While the water temp had risen a few degrees, and stabilized under a low ceiling of dark clouds, the forecast called for rain all day. More apprehension. Light rain could spell big trout opportunity. Too much rain

could chase us back to port. No matter, everyone onboard was wrapped head to toe in Simms’s finest.

Running in drizzle, I stopped about 150 yards from our spot, laying out the game plan carefully for a slow

Double hook-up produced two heavy-fives for two lovely lady anglers!

Warm and dry in Simms gear, we stayed in the water all day in drizzling rain. Would have been a shame to have to leave fish like this!

and quiet wade to the structure ahead. We all piled out and lined up. Within minutes we were hooking up and it was only the beginning. We stayed in the water for eight hours with only a few short breaks for snacks and drinks. This was the trip we all hope for or read about.

Fortunately, the wind never bothered us although it rained all day. And the big fish ate all day.

No doubt finally adjusting to the passage of the front and drop in water temperature. The day netted a dozen or more trout over five pounds and even more redfish, with a bonus flattie.

I never cranked my Yamaha 250 SHO until we were ready to head in. We stayed in the zone more than six hours, catching steadily. During a sandwich break, a member of the group commented, “Maybe we should repeat that wade.” I replied, “We’re still in ‘em. I say we keep moving forward.” So, forward we went, until everyone had had enough.

We decided to call it quits late afternoon and had a smooth boat ride back to Port with all anticipating a good hot meal at a local restaurant. Everyone was grinning and some even complaining about how tired their legs were from wading all day, with no “boat ride” break.

The next day had us back on the mark and another epic day on the big trout. The action started off hot and at one point two casts produced two trout totaling nearly twelve pounds.

Lovely lady anglers, to boot. Throughout those two epic days we experienced a couple brief periods of topwater action. Ball Tails Shads in Mansfield Margarita and Bone Diamond on 1/8 jigs fooled the rest.

Heading deeper into winter, as water temps settle into the low-60s and high-50s, finding steady trout action will require a slower retrieve with lighter jigs. I experienced this recently when the water temp dropped 15 degrees in two days. The fish were on the bottom and were not aggressive at all. I slowly bounced a Ball Tail Shad under their noses and the bite was barely a tap on the line. Deeper guts and potholes along deep channels are always good bets when the northers blow the tides out.

As the water warms following a cold snap, the fish will become more aggressive. Late of the second day and, definitely by the third, fishing should improve significantly and you may find some topwater action.

In closing I want to remind folks to release those fish that simply just need to be released. I urge clients to release trout over 20 inches and any fish that looks to have good genetics. A trout over 25 inches almost always has a great chance at swimming away if caught on my boat.

Quick reminder – make sure all your gear is in good working order, not just your rods and reels. I cannot stress enough the importance of fishing dry and warm rather than wet and cold.

We all may have been the wet and cold guy in the group at one point in our fishing career and if you were, you hopefully won’t be again. See your Simms dealer for the most reliable wet and cold weather gear available.

Stay safe and be courteous on the water.

TSFMAG.com | 81

Capt. Ernest cisneros

SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene A rr oyo C olorado t o Port I sabel

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

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

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

Another year has zoomed by. Seems the older I get the it was nice to fish areas that are normally too shallow. faster time passes. Looking back at 2016, I can say many Wading that hard eastside sand will definitely spoil you. great memories were made and numerous career-best Now, with the tides diminishing, we will be adjusting fish were landed by my clients. Best of all, lots of fish game plans, but so far the fish have been moving to were released to fight another day. areas we expected to find them. Key areas for January If I had to single out only will be drops-offs, locations with one day as the greatest fishing plentiful bait, bird activity and experience this past year, it generally softer bottoms during would be with Jeremy Rhodes cooler weather. and his girlfriend Christian Our trout situation is currently landing twenty-four snook – booming. If we go by what has most of them over the coveted been occurring the last three 30-inch mark. It was a day we weeks I would say we are in for an will all remember for a very outstanding winter trout season long time. with lots of heavy fish coming to I am look forward to what hand. Already we are catching 2017 will bring. If the last two multiple trout per charter in the months are any indication 5- to 6.5-pound class. They are not I would say we are in for a yet at their heaviest weight, but treat. High tides that prevailed they could easily add a pound or several months are finally more gorging on mullet as they beginning to drop, and while do this time of year.

Bruce Zenor displays one of many the fish were scattered at times The most important element in good fish he caught on a recent trip. during that high tide period finding heavyweight winter trout

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82 | January 2017

lies in finding concentrations of mullet. On colder days with cloud cover, we cannot always see the bait at the surface. That’s when we rely on birds to point the way. Brown pelicans huddled in a tight group or diving regularly in a particular area is a very strong indicator. Swirls made by large fish feeding below the surface are another good indicator. During colder periods, look for trout close to the ICW where greater depth yields more stable water temps. The sun breaking the cloud cover in lateafternoon can really trigger a feed on flats adjacent to deep water.

From experience, I’ve noticed the third day after a truly cold snap usually gives us a strong bite. Head for potholes on the edge of the ICW and old oil field cuts. Slow-retrieved KWiggler Ball Tail Shads in plum-

Joe Meyer field testing tackle under perfect conditions, excellent weather and the fish cooperated nicely.

chartreuse and bone diamond will produce strikes as the warming trend emerges. Other effective baits for this pattern are the MirrOlure Paul Brown Fat Boys, Originals, and Devils.

Just recently we got a pleasant surprise fishing a drain where water was dumping off a flat. Having never fished this area before we didn’t know quite what to expect. However, having targeted flounder successfully under the same conditions we thought it worth a try. Long story short, we found redfish stacked beyond our imagination and the action was almost nonstop for an hour and a half. That experience reminded me of the importance of thinking outside the box and always paying careful attention to the conditions at hand.

Redfish have been plentiful for us this past month and colder weather will concentrate them even more. This time of the year I look for mud puffs while running on plane to give away the location of redfish. When spooked, they kick up a cloud of mud. The more mud puffs the bigger the concentration. But remember, seeing them is only part of catching them. You are targeting fish in cold water and this usually requires a slow bottom-bumping presentation.

In closing I would like to encourage anybody shopping for a new reel to keep an eye out for the new Concept TX Limited Edition baitcaster from 13 Fishing. I just received my first sample and I’m excited to use it and give you an update in my next article. I will say this; it was designed for the extreme saltwater angler. On another note, Empty Stringers Catch and Release Program is gathering lots of momentum. Visit Empty Stringers Catch and Release Program on Facebook and feel free to post your releases.

Best fishing to you in the new year.

TSFMAG.com | 83

FISHING REPORTS

Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 January can be an excellent month. Cold fronts can offer big problems for getting out on the water, but the days between fronts often offer great fishing. Redfish will be plentiful at the weirs as well as on the banks adjacent to them. Low water conditions pull fish further off the banks. I usually position my boat as close to the bank as possible and cast out away from the bank, as well as parallel to the bank off the bow. Look for slicks, mud-boils, and any kind of surface activity. Gulp! baits work well, but in extreme cold try tipping your bait with dead shrimp.

Trout will feed on the warmer days and often don’t eat during extreme temperature swings. Turner’s Bay, West Cove, and Joe’s Cove are traditionally good big trout areas. Muddy, soft bottom with scattered shell often produces good trout, especially on flats adjacent to marsh cuts and bayous. Steady outgoing tides produce best on these flats. Any of the Paul Brown Lures are our top choices in January. Good luck and hope to see you all fishing soon.

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James likes the fishing in the Galveston area, especially if the weather is not too cold. “If we have really cold weather this month, most of our best catching will be done out of the boat. Typically, we look for areas

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with some color in the water and some flipping mullet to target trout and redfish in the open basins of the bays. Normally, the mud streaks and areas with some color to the water hold more fish than the really clear areas. Warmer weather will make the wading a better option, especially if the fronts arrive three or four days apart, and we get a flow of southeast wind between them. The onshore flows tends to send water back into the bays, after it’s blown out by the strong NW winds of the fronts. When the tide and temperatures rise, some of the big trout will move into shallow areas along the shorelines. When that happens, we normally catch some really nice fish using twitch baits like the old 51MirrOlures and Catch 2000s and Catch 5s, even occasionally on topwaters.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 When weather allows, fishing has been excellent in the Galveston area lately, Jim reports. “It’s that time of year. You have to catch the weather window right and be ready to go. We don’t catch fish as consistently this time of year, but the good days are some of the best of the year. This is also the time of year when we start running more afternoon trips. Often, when the weather is cold, the fish bite best right before dark and into the first hour or so of night. This is especially true when the tide is coming in at that time. Here lately, we’ve been catching fish out of the boat by drifting and using the trolling motor to keep the boat positioned so we can cast at the right parts of the bayous and sloughs. Mostly, we’re

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84 | January 2017

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catching what I’d call regular-sized trout and redfish. No real big ones, but numbers are good. And we often do wind up catching some big trout in the middle of winter when we’re able to wade area shorelines between fronts. Of course, we will be duck hunting too, when the weather’s nasty, and on the weekends.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 The bays around San Luis Pass are full of bait and fish lately, Randall reports. “Our shrimp migration has been delayed somewhat by all the warm weather we had, right up to Thanksgiving. We do have birds working sporadically, but the steady action hasn’t kicked off like it can when the weather is cooler and the fronts stronger. Normally, the shrimp will basically be out of the bays in January, though, and we have to start looking for schools of mullet to locate our fish. Then, the best catching occurs in relatively deep, open areas of the bay, in water at least four or five feet deep, sometimes a bit deeper, over a muddy bottom with some scattered shell. Lately, we’ve been catching a few fish in areas like that, throwing mostly Norton Bull Minnows in the roach color, and Norton Sand Eel Juniors in chicken on a chain, and working them low and slow, close to the bottom. We are catching a few fish on topwaters on the better days too, throwing mostly the One Knocker Spook in pink with silver sides. This action should continue through the winter.”

Matagorda | Tommy Countz Bay Guide Service - 979.863.7553 cell 281.450.4037 Numerous options provide rich opportunity for anglers fishing the Matagorda area in January, according to Tommy. “We should have a bunch of things working in January. The river will produce a bunch of fish

if it stays salty and we get some cold weather. We have plenty of trout and redfish in there right now, and cold weather tends to stack ‘em up even more.

When fishing the river, we like to throw lures along the drop-offs when the fish are most active, and drag them along the bottom in the middle when they are more finicky. Out in the west end of East Matagorda, we catch plenty of trout in January, including some big ones, while drifting areas around the main reefs with a muddy bottom and scattered shell, by throwing soft plastics and keeping them in close contact with the bottom. This works best when tides and temperatures are fairly low. If we get warmer weather and higher tides, wading the shorelines in East Bay with twitch-baits and topwaters will produce some monster trout at times too.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 Fishing has been great in our local bays and rivers. Trout have been biting over shell in three to five feet of water and under birds in Tres Palacios Bay. We have been using the new VuDu Eels in cajun pepper and silver flake and they have been eating the heck out of them. Our fish have ranged mostly from 16-19 inches with a few up to 23. The redfish bite remains strong as we are still seeing a bunch of reds pushing shrimp down the shorelines and podding up in back lakes. VuDu Shrimp in natural has worked best for the feeding reds. Flounder have been thick. Though we can only keep two a day, we have had some monsters up to five pounds out in front of area drains, ditches and marshes. January should continue with great fishing, with target areas to focus on shallow flats close to deep water. Flats around the river mouth and are good choices this time of year

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as is the north shoreline of Tres Palacios Bay. The new turning basin and the deep holes in the harbor are other great locales to hit when we get some cold weather.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 Lynn will be targeting the big trout during the month of January. “We’ll be really going after the big girls this month. We’ll be throwing a lot of Paul Brown Lures and MirrOlure SoftDines, the slow-sinking ones. Also soft plastics when the bite is toughest. We will, of course, be spending most of our time fishing areas where we find concentrations of bait fish, mullet primarily. We will focus on shallow areas with mostly mud on the bottom, sometimes a mix of shell and mud. Often, we find our fish in guts which feed into the shallow backwater areas, and they bite best when the tide is pulling out of the shallows into deeper water, after the sun has warmed up the water all afternoon. This is why we normally fish from late-morning into the late-afternoon this time of year, to let the flats heat up under the sun. All of the sloughs and drains leading into the backwater lakes have tremendous potential to produce big trout in January for folks who focus their efforts in the right places and at the right times, so that’s what we’ll be doing.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Cast and Blast season continues throughout January, so Blake is plenty busy hunting and fishing. “We generally hunt ducks in the back country early, then fish our way out after the shooting ends. Normally, we target redfish while in the back lakes, keying on deeper areas in the guts and sloughs. Often, we are able to sight-cast some of the fish in the clear water. The chartreuse split-tail Gulp! works best then. When targeting trout, we find the catching better along muddy, grassy shorelines in the vicinity of where the guts lead out of the marshes into the main bays.

When the sun heats up the dark grass beds, we usually catch some pretty big trout around them in the middle of the day and into the afternoons.

On the best days, we throw Super Spooks with chrome on them. But more of the time, we find the catching better on slow-sinking twitch baits and on soft plastics like Norton Sand Eels rigged on light jigheads. This month provides excellent variety and lots of fun out on the Coastal Bend bays.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 Deer hunting season is still on during January, so, it’s very quiet on the water. Hunting for the trophy trout of a lifetime can be challenging, but locating one is not out of the question. In our favor is the great water clarity in many parts of our Laguna Madre. The colder water temperatures will drive the trout into deeper water during the evenings but as the sun warms up the shallow waters the fish will come up as well. I think wading is the best approach during this month, but I’ve seen many trout over thirty inches caught fishing from a boat as well. I like to rig natural colored Bass Assassin Die Dappers or Berkley Ripple Mullet on clear, sunny days and darker colors like morning glory/chartreuse or chicken on a chain on cloudy days. I’ll be looking for areas with mullet swirling or flipping on the surface in water depths of about three feet or less. The key to success during this month is to retrieve the lures slowly and fish with braided lines because the bites will feel like a very light tap that will be undetectable with monofilament lines.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 Joe says the key to catching fish in January in the Corpus Christi area is staying in tune with how the weather affects the fish. “Between fronts, when the weather heats up a little, our fish often move to the shallows adjacent to the shorelines. On days when they do that, we often catch plenty by sight-casting or blind-casting around silty potholes in the grass.

Normally, we find that some cloud cover helps the bite, since the water is 86 | January 2017

often so clear. Dark, natural-colored soft plastics work well to entice bites from fish which can see the lures so well. On colder days, or when bright sunlight makes the fish spooky and nearly impossible to catch in the shallows, it pays to fish the edges of the intracoastal waterway and guts feeding out of it into the shallow, grassy areas of the bays. When working this pattern, it’s important to use the trolling motor to keep the boat positioned so that it’s possible to cast right along the edge of the deeper water, where the grass beds lie close to the drop-off, and to adjust the size of jighead to match the conditions.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins The pompano showed up at the start of winter as predicted. With the current water conditions, anglers can expect phenomenal days on longcasted shrimp and Fishbites. There is no bag limit on pompano, but please be responsible and respect the fishery. Depending on water clarity, we may see some massive trout in the winter surf. Trout have been available in so-so numbers for several weeks. Slow-sinking and suspending baits could prove effective. Redfish of all sizes will be available, heading into the New Year usually means fewer bull reds. Live, whole dead, and cut mullet will be the ticket. It is not uncommon to see 40 pound and larger black drum in the winter surf. Sharks will be present so long as the water is semigreen and warmer than 60⁰F. Large sandbar sharks will take about any bait, but are a sucker for a large, whole whiting. Expect large blacktips and medium-sized bull sharks in warm water. Low winter tides usually make for excellent driving conditions. Best fishing is usually second and third day following a hard front.

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 I probably sound like a broken record but, I am again happy to report that fishing has been very good over the past month. Mid-sized trout have been aggressive on topwaters; bone-pattern One Knockers and chartreuse head-white body Spook Jrs have been consistent producers. Fish we have cleaned lately have been eating mullet and piggies, one had an eight-inch trout in it. K-Wiggler Ball Tail Shads on a 1/8 heads have also been good; Mansfield Margarita and Bone Diamond are my go-to colors. Redfish are still running the flats north of East Cut, expect them shallow early and then progressively deeper as the day continues. Small tops and paddletails are usually great choices, ditto ol’ faithful gold weedless spoon. Target calm days following fronts and expect some bird activity along the ICW. You will normally see this from Community Bar all the way up to the Land Cut. Don’t give up if at first all you find are small trout. Move on to the next group of birds and you might find solid keepers. It’s a lot of fun either way.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 Lately, fishing has had some high points and some low ones. Depending mostly on boat traffic, we’ve had some great days, with limits of reds and trout, and really nice sized flounder. When the traffic is high like it was around the holidays, it can be hard to get anything to bite, especially with no wind. On the tidal flats of the L LM, wind is a major factor. Freddy says, “You got to have wind in order to sneak your boat up on fish in shallow water, and even just a little breeze will greatly improve the distance on your cast, allowing you to attract a hit from a predator that isn’t already moving away from the boat. Wind also stirs oxygen into the water, which makes fish more aggressive.” We’re having great success throwing FP3 corks with a sixteen-inch leader and eighth-ounce jighead with a Berkley Gulp! Live shrimp in new penny and pearl white, sometimes switching to a nuclear chicken for trout. Planning around the holidays can improve your chances, but sometimes it’s just all about the experience! No more open bay dredge disposal!

©JASON ARNOLD

IF WE SAVE THE SEAGRASS,

WE SAVE THE FISH. Seagrass is critical to good fishing. Marine organisms depend on it for survival—for food, shelter, and oxygen. But boat propellers are destroying Texas seagrass, which is seriously impacting saltwater fishing in the coastal shallows. When boaters do not lift their propeller in shallow water, the prop cuts and uproots the seagrass beds—leaving long barren trenches or “scars” that may take years to heal ... if ever.

Stop Prop Scarring – Lift, Drift, Pole, Troll

It is ILLEGAL in Texas to uproot seagrass with a propeller.

Avoid damaging seagrass – lift your prop!

When in shallow waters, lift your motor and drift, pole, or troll through it. After all, there’s nothing like a redfish on light tackle in shallow water. Let’s keep it that way!

For more information visit:

www.tpwd.texas.gov/seagrass

PROP SCARS

Eli Esquivel Packery - barracuda

Leo Chairez 30” first trophy trout!

Edgar Ceron Laguna Madre - 25” speckled trout

Mike Gavlik Rockport - 24” trout

Luis Guzman South Padre Island - 34” jack

Julie Hinojosa William Martin Freeport - 24” redfish 29” first trophy trout! CPR 88 | January 2017

Kara Rockport - 15” first trout! CPR

Richard Remschel Magnolia - 41” 22 lb personal best red!

Nicole Guzman Arroyo City - 24” redfish

Joe Lee Matagorda - 9 lb trout CPR

Mike Murry Upper Laguna Madre - 32” 10 lb trout

David Luna Gabriel Rocha Julia Vargas 42” 30 lb personal best red! CPR Aransas Pass - first trout! CPR 33” 8.5 lb personal best! CPR

TSFMag

Catch of the Month &

Silverstar Fishing Jewelry

Photo Contest Sponsored by

Debi Screnci San Luis Pass - 42” jack CPR

Evie Nolen Galveston - Texas Slam red!

Julian Quintero Galveston - 21.5” flounder

Since the November 2015 issue, Silverstar Fishing Jewelry has been sponsoring a monthly photo contest.

Winners receive a beautiful 1-inch diameter customdesigned sterling silver pendant that looks great worn on a neck-chain.

Contest Rules Jesse Sabia San Antonio Bay - 47” 35 lb cobia

Joe Lopez Packery - barracuda

1. Only current magazine subscribers, their dependents, and members of household are eligible to win.

2. One winner each month selected by TSFMag for photo quality and content.

3. Single-fish photos only, please. We do not publish multiple-fish images or stringer shots. Photos are judged for display of sporting ethics and conservation.

4. Send entries to photos@tsfmag.com **Photo entries must be submitted electronically— prints cannot be accepted. All images submitted to Catch of the Month become property of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

JANUARY WINNER Roy Polasek East Matagorda Bay - 29.75” trout

Caitlin Pearce Matagorda - 28.75” 8 lb personal best trout!

Richard Von Minden Rockport - 22” Spanish mackerel

Josh Petru 25” trout

Luke Lovoi

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Pam Johnson

Gulf Coast

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

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

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2 cups flaked, smoked fish

If smoked fish is not available, pan sauté plain fresh fillets with no seasoning or breading. After cooking, chop fish to fine consistency and set aside.

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Combine cheese, lemon juice, onion, horseradish, liquid smoke, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir in cooked fish and mix thoroughly. Chill mixture for several hours. Shape fish mixture into log shape and roll in chopped pecans. Serve as hors d’oeuvre with assorted crackers.

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Chris Mapp, owner of Coastal Bend Marine.

Evinrude, Suzuki, Yamaha, Mercury, Honda, BlueWave, SilverWave, Shallow Stalker Boats, Coastline Trailers, Minnkota & Motor Guide Trolling Motors.

Great Service, Parts & Sales “What can we do for you?”

Engine history and diagnostics software enables technicians to pinpoint operating problems and discover trends before they become problems.

Happy New Year! Would you like to go the entire year of 2017 with zero breakdowns or missed time on the water due to mechanical or electrical failure? This can be a reality; let me share with you how we can help you accomplish it.

Did you know 99% of all breakdowns are preventable? Today’s engines are built with the greatest precision and durability in mind by the manufacturers including powerheads, gearcases, electrical components, lubricants and accessories – including propellers. Though these are all more durable than ever before, there are still

factors we must take into consideration to prevent disappointing and annoying downtime.

The most obvious and overlooked – the internal combustion engine, two or four stroke, is basically a self-consuming product. Every stroke of the engine borrows against its longevity due to friction and the heat of combustion.

The second factor or element is salt. When we say salt, as in seawater, what we are describing is a combination of dissolved minerals that combine to form corrosive compounds. There is nothing I can think of that salt cannot destroy when left unchecked.

The third is another element you have no control over and this is sunlight. Though we love being in it, UV rays can destroy many of the materials our boats are made from; fiberglass, plastics, rubber, and even gelcoat.

The fourth, and another uncontrollable element, is what we run in.

Sand, mud, oyster shell and a mixture of all three. Our water on the Coastal Bend is not Lake Tahoe – always blue and deep.

The good news is we have the expert knowledge to prevent and maintain electrical and mechanical issues as well as products to keep the engine clean and well lubricated. Proper preventive maintenance can keep the sand, silt and salt exposure to a minimum or remove it altogether. There are also great products available today to shield against the effects of UV light.

The annual service visit to a well-trained service center is the first step to identifying and preventing issues before they develop into expensive downtime events. Our technicians are factory-trained in Evinrude, Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, Mercury, MinnKota and Motor Guide products.

Have a great New Year and get your boat in for service early. Thank you for your business.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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