July 2013

Only $3.95 www.tsfmag.com July 2013

TIDE PREDICTIONS & SOLUNAR FEED TIMES INSIDE!

JUNE 2013 VOL 23 NO 1

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com

ABOUT THE COVER

CONTENTS

king mackerel move inshore every summer and the action can be found from piers and jetties to nearshore platforms.

Joe Richard photo

FEATURES

08 Running Skinny…Smarter 14 Invitation to a Seminar on Five...

20 Surf Fishing How-To: More Dangers...

26 New Waters 30 Blurring the Lines: Freshwater and...

34 State Water kingfish

4 0

Mike McBride kevin Cochran Billy Sandifer Martin Strarup Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard

2 0

40 Let’s Ask The Pro Jay Watkins 44 Shallow Water Fishing Scott Null 48 TPWD Field Notes Robert Adami, Jr 54 Fly Fishing Scott Sommerlatte 56 Youth Fishing Marcos Garza 58 Texas Nearshore & Offshore Mike Jennings 62 kayak Fishing Chronicles Cade Simpson 66 Extreme kayak Fishing & Sharks...

Eric Ozolins 70 Fishy Facts Stephanie Boyd 103 Science & the Sea UT Marine Science Institute 104 Boat Maintenance Tips Chris Mapp

WHAT OUR GUIDES HAVE TO SAY Dickie Colburn Mickey Eastman Bink Grimes Shellie Gray David Rowsey Capt. Tricia Ernest Cisneros

REGULARS

9 8 4 | July 2013

06 76 92 96 98

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

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 Cir@tsfmag.com ADDRESS CHANGED? Email Store@tsfmag.com

DEPARTMENTS

78 Dickie Colburn’s Sabine Scene 80 Mickey on Galveston 82 The View from Matagorda 84 Mid-Coast Bays with the Grays 86 Hooked up with Rowsey 88 Capt. Tricia’s Port Mansfield Report 90 South Padre Fishing Scene

VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918

8 2

DESIGN & LAYOUT Stephanie Boyd stephanie@tsfmag.com Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine is published monthly.

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Order on-line: WWW.TSFMAG.COM MAkE CHECkS PAYABLE TO: Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine Attn: Subscriptions P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 * Subscribers are responsible for submitting all address changes and renewals by the 10th of the prior month’s issue.

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HOW TO CONTACT TSFMAG: PHONE: 361-785-3420 FAX: 361-785-2844 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, TX 77983 WEB: www.TSFMAG.com PHOTO GALLERY: photos@tsfmag.com PRInTEd In THE uSA. Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published monthly by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, Texas 77983 l P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 © Copyright 1990 All rights reserved. Positively nothing in this publication may be reprinted or reproduced. *Views expressed by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine contributors do not necessarily express the views of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

Periodical class permit (USPS# 024353) paid at Victoria, TX 77901 and additional offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983.

EDITORIAL By the time this issue reaches you Father’s Day 2013 will be several weeks in the rearview, none-the-less, the tale I’m about to relate is precious to me and I hope it will be meaningful to you as well.

I had the exceptional fortune to be raised by a father who loved the outdoors and instilled the same in me, taking me fishing and hunting from the time I could barely walk and hold a willow stick with a piece of line and hook; and I began following him afield way before I could hold or swing a shotgun.

His passion led me to enjoy a lifelong pursuit of fishing and hunting that I passed to my own children, and now my grandchildren – I have been blessed with six, five lovely granddaughters and a grandson.

Tanner, second grandchild and only grandson, is as severely afflicted with fishing and hunting as I ever was at age ten; and he has grown to become quite the accomplished young angler. knowing that time passes all too quickly and selfishly yearning to wander through my memory and live vicariously through his zeal, I

6 | July 2013

GREATEST DAD’S DAY GIFT made a special request for Father’s Day - that he be allowed to spend several days with Pee Paw for some serious fishing fun.

We rose before daylight as anxious fishermen do, wolfed hearty breakfasts and packed lunches, launched our homemade skiff and spent three thrilling days chasing trout and redfish all across San Antonio Bay. Tanner was awed to see redfish scooting ahead of the boat in shallow water and thrilled to see schoolie trout terrorizing tiny shrimp pouring through a marsh slough toward the bay.

He landed his first trout on a surface lure, learning how the outgoing tide stacks the wonders of nature into tiny corners. The bay reefs we waded held willing trout and we fooled several for dinner.

The finest part for me was his enthusiasm.

Every time we stopped the boat he’d be out of that life vest reaching for a rod, wanting to know if he had the right lure tied on. I understood completely; fifty years is really not so long ago.

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8 | July 2013

STORY BY MIkE MCBRIDE

Few pUrsUits are More inspiring For Me

than cruising clear shallow flats searching for the mysterious. Must be that child-like exploratory nature in all of us and things can get quite intoxicating while running shallow. Unfortunately, an exploding saltwater fishing community thinks likewise. And now that the purple sage has bloomed, so have the boat ramps. A question for all users - How long can our precious flats survive this fascination? And for some of the less fortunate – How long can an outboard motor stand it? Let’s look at both, with a few common sense observations. In many respects they go hand in hand.

The crazy explosion of boats and boating hype these days has made it compelling for many to push their shallow-planing hulls to the bragging limits. Unfortunately though, many operators will learn the reality of such limits the hard way, and often take some of the environment, their fellow fishermen, and perhaps even their outboards with them. It’s amazing to see just how many don’t practice “clean boating,” which should be the primary responsibility coming with the privilege.

First off; does your boat really belong on those sensitive flats in the first place? It’s distressing to see how many are out there that don’t, and Google Earth is a handy place to view the indiscretions. In reality, most of those holes we stumble upon when wading aren’t natural. They are blown into the seafloor by props during shallow takeoffs and trenches made as boats struggle to get on plane. Many areas viewed from the air look like alien crop circles. It can only get worse if we don’t address it.

And if we don’t, some government agency surely might.

It should be obvious that the “long shaft” crowd has no business up shallow, but even if your hull supposedly does, most manufacturers publish best-case scenarios concerning draft and hole shots. In their

TSFMAG.com | 9

defense though, I highly suspect they rely on the buyer to have a bit of common sense and several optional factors will affect overall performance. An overloaded or poorly propped boat can make us destructive in more ways than one. We see it daily. What it boils down to is you wouldn’t take a Cadillac luxury sedan where a Jeep is built to go, so let’s first make sure your ride is worthy of the intended road.

Let’s say your new hull can actually run in the advertised “spit.” Great - but for how long?

Many don’t consider or perhaps even understand that an outboard’s lower unit generates a tremendous amount of heat and therefore requires cooling; which by design is accomplished via conduction (submerged), not convection (jacked so high that it receives mostly spray). With insufficient cooling the gearcase temp soars and the gear lube loses its ability to protect the moving parts.

Pretty soon you are down and grounded and nothing insures it quicker than prolonged runs across the flats with the jackplate as high as it will go. Cavitation plates can help and are mandatory on some hulls, but it is still wise to raise the motor only as high as necessary for the water depth at hand.

Another point to consider is that good water to the powerhead doesn’t necessarily mean good water to the prop. I’m sure you’ve heard that unmistakable staccato of outboard exhaust bellowing above water every time the bow hits a swell. Every time you hear that, it probably also means the prop is cavitating, coming unhooked for a fraction of a second. Prop blades are brittle and intolerant of continued flexing during cavitation, and there are few ways better for tearing up a set of

Ahh – the mysteries of shallow water!

10 | July 2013

Placing yourself in a scene like this is a privilege; and with it comes responsibility in stewardship to the resource you are enjoying.

drive gears. So, again I ask; Does your boat really belong there?

One big false-confidence factor comes from, “Hey, no worries I have a low-water pick-up!”

Well, anybody who would say that does not understand that lowwater pickup only works while underway and making way. Outboard water pumps are basically submersible pumps and their greatest ability is pushing water, not lifting it. What this means is that during a shallow water takeoff with the motor jacked high, the pump is very slow to prime. No flow and the hot horn say’s you are not going anywhere for a while.

Another huge consideration for staying out of trouble is not running skinnier than you can float. Some rigs are more vulnerable than others, but floating summer grass can easily plug your water intake and then you are calling for help way out on the flats. Now you’re really down. kinda like getting your 4–wheel drive stuck, who can come get you?

Let’s say you do find yourself getting into trouble, running shallower than you should. This can happen easily without specific local knowledge, poor visibility, changing tides, etc. One of the most common mistakes folks make when they start bumping bottom is hammering the throttle. Especially on a tunnel hull, the prop can only eat what it’s fed, so trying to speed up can easily ask for more water than is available. Do that, and you suck all the water out of the tunnel and then you’re down again! The correct move is to maintain engine speed and make a very gradual turn toward deeper water. A hard turn will cause the hull to lose lift and the lifeblood stream through the tunnel will stop.

The greatest infraction I see people making is trying to get a boat up in extremely shallow water. It’s not uncommon to see them slinging muddy rooster tails 40 feet for 40 minutes. Whether ignorance, low technique or high ego, poor form is damaging to everything sacred in the water. Again, showering down on the throttle or

Now this is what I’m talking about!

trying to dig out with shear horsepower will only worsen the situation and leave unsightly scars.

Here is where less is better, and even some V-hulls can get up quite shallow if done correctly.

The trick is to ease into it, get the boat moving slowly to feed water to the tunnel and gradually increase power. Spinning up can help but beware of churning the seagrass. Some boats want it left and others right, but in any case, weight distribution is critical to get the prop clear of the bottom. I actually get up shallower with more people onboard. A turn angle of about 45°, everybody up front and left, and an easy throttle increase will usually get me out of whatever stupid I’ve done. Trim tabs help as well to momentarily force the bow down during takeoff and proper propping is critical. If y’all aren’t propped for the purpose, call Louie Baumann at Baumann Marine Propellers. He can get you very close just over the phone.

What should be common sense is that if you can’t get up quickly and easily, simply drift-push-or idle to deeper water. However; and here we go again, it’s amazing to see people idling too hard and causing the boat to squat, digging a trench for half a mile. Worse is failing to move as much weight as possible to the bow. C’mon man!

Another word to the wise - always carry a spare prop. Pushing the hole-shot limit, especially on a hard bottom, can easily spin a hub and then, here we go again.

There is so much talk about dangerous crossing situations, rights of way, “storks” on consoles driving with their feet and no kill switch, avoiding drum lines, and giving fellow fishermen a wide berth – but what about the fish you’re spooking half out of their hide – and what about the seagrass?

What’s interesting to me is that over the millennia man has had access to some of these shallow areas for only a few decades. We can and will change things for better or worse but let’s try to Busted!...on Google Earth no less. C’mon man!

12 | July 2013

Todd Riedel with an eight pounder caught knee-deep; one of the “mysteries” from the shallows.

remember that we are Texans and we revere our heritage. Think of our precious flats like the El Camino Real, the “Royal Road” the pathway that made incredible things possible and life better for many. It would really suck to see historical markers on the flats one day, saying “Here is what use to be.”

Let’s be smart and take care of this royal road. It’s a privilege and a responsibility.

Contact

Mike McBride Mike McBride is a full time fishing guide based in Port Mansfield, TX, specializing in wadefishing with artificial lures.

Skinny Water Adventures Phone Email Web

956-746-6041 McTrout@Granderiver.net Skinnywateradventures.com/ Three_MudSkateers.wmv TSFMAG.com | 13

14 | July 2013

STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

Fishing for speckled

trout with artificial lures during the dog days of summer can be fun and exciting. Calm winds and hot water regularly combine to create the perfect conditions for consistent action on topwater lures.

Catching fish of any kind on floating plugs is a treat; watching specks rise to the bait and blow up balls of foam in the surf or around deep structures and spoil banks in the bay is a blast.

Much of the time, numerous small trout are encountered by lure chunkers during summer outings. Using lures to cull trophy trout out of the schools of dinks when the heat drives them deep is difficult. Long trout caught in water over 85° usually weigh less than they would in winter or spring. For these reasons, many trophy trout enthusiasts change the focus of their fishing efforts as the bright, searing days of summer blaze on.

I am more committed than most when it comes to maintaining focus on catching “bigger than average” trout throughout the warm period, but I am not as busy running charters as I am during the cooler half of the year. I could be busier, of course, if I chose to use live bait and cater to customers who need and want to fish that way. But I don’t make this “compromise”, since doing so takes much of the joy out of fishing for me.

Long ago, I recognized the importance of keeping the fun in fishing. The life of a fishing guide is a good one, provided the guide is able to make enough money to make a decent living without burning out and losing the love of fishing. I get to do what I love to do. As long as this statement rings true, I am happy in my chosen life.

What I enjoy most is trying to evolve as an angler, one who chases a specific kind of fish with infectious enthusiasm. I also like it when I’m able to help my customers become a little more skilled at the sport. In other words, I place an emphasis on process over product. I know if I work hard at catching big fish and try to tutor my clients when we’re on the water, the product will take care of itself over time.

Furthermore, most clients appreciate my sincere effort to control

what I can control, and will ideally leave with ideas which have the potential to transform their fishing lives significantly. These things have lasting value, and form the backbone of my guiding philosophy.

Accordingly, I pursue other fishing-related endeavors during the season that sizzles. I write books, make movies, and run seminars, in the interests of keeping my creative juices flowing and moving money into my bank account. This summer, I will be revising some old products and releasing some new ones. I’ll also be running several seminars in which I will attempt to clarify some of the most important angling principles I use on a daily basis.

In these meetings, I will discuss various detailed aspects of what I perceive to be the Five Most Important Fundamentals underlying the process of pursuing speckled trout with artificial lures in general, with an emphasis on how these principles differ slightly when the focus is on catching trophy fish.

The first fundamental is of paramount importance--the selection of a spot or area in which to fish. I’ll describe how I educated myself about the specific features of the bays in which I’ve made a living, documenting the best sources and resources available for use in gathering information about these things. I’ll include a discussion of how seasonal and climatic variables affect my choices, and will provide some specific spots and areas which have produced for me in the recent past and also some I frequented years ago, when I fished mostly on the Upper Texas Coast.

All consistently productive anglers accept the hard truth of what I call “Absolute Number 1”. Stated simply, it is: you cannot catch a fish that is not there. In other words, in order to catch fish, the effort must be made in a place where plenty of fish are present. Fish location skills are the most important ones which separate top anglers from the rest of the crowd.

Once a spot or area is chosen, a second important fundamental comes into play—choosing the optimal strategy or method for the moment and the proper pace of movement through the area. These decisions should be based on thoughtful consideration and analysis of the relevant variables. I find myself coaching my clients about this aspect of the fishing effort on a regular basis. As I’ve written and stated many times before, a significant percentage of people fall prey to a tendency to move through an area too fast when wading. Others choose to drift when they should wade. Still others stand still and fish when it makes no sense.

In these meetings, I’ll attempt to clarify my beliefs about these things in as much detail as possible. Certainly, there are times and places when faster movement is not only acceptable, it’s the best way to best take advantage of the situation. At other times, planting TSFMAG.com | 15

the feet and probing a small area thoroughly is wise and necessary.

Mostly, I place my faith in wading, but there are definitely times and places which dictate the need for fishing from the boat.

Whether wading or fishing from the boat, an angler must choose an appropriate lure in order to catch fish. In the Five Fundamentals Seminars, I’ll do a detailed analysis of how I choose lures on a daily basis, acknowledging the fact that anglers who are on the water more often (like fishing guides) have a distinct advantage in this process.

Often, we choose a lure based on “what they were biting yesterday”. In stable weather patterns, this is usually an easy way to get the best lure tied onto the end of the line.

In other situations, when the weather is regularly changing, or when productive patterns are sought out in new places, choosing the right lure for the moment involves the reliance on sound, established truths related to the season, weather patterns, water quality and other factors. Weekend warriors and other anglers who fish less frequently than the pros must learn to rely on these truths when choosing lures, if they hope to avoid the tendency to experiment randomly and run through too many unproductive choices every time out.

Of course, choosing the right lure does not guarantee one will catch fish. The right lure presented in an ineffective manner will not produce many strikes, if any. This fourth fundamental, the choice of a specific style or manner of presentation, is similar to lure choice because it’s easier for people who are on the water more frequently.

In the seminar, I’ll attempt to generate a list of ideas on which anglers can rely when deciding how to present the lures they send out on fish-catching forays.

It never ceases to amaze me how much impact subtle differences in the movement patterns of lures can have on the number of strikes generated. Many times, I and my customers are fishing the same exact plugs, but someone is getting far more strikes than every one else. While the “someone” is often me, this isn’t always the case. If another in the group starts getting more strikes than I am, I will always attempt to determine what specific aspect of the presentation seems to be triggering the fish.

Over time, in analyzing these things, I’ve developed certain beliefs about which

The combination of the choice of a specific spot and lure to fish contributed greatly to Rick Brill’s ability to catch his personal best trout on a day when bites were tough to generate.

16 | July 2013

Murky water, bright skies and cold springtime temperatures led Tim Zbylot to rightly consider a pink, sinking Paul Brown’s Fat Boy as a proper lure for the moment on the late-April day when he caught and released this chunky trout.

presentations work best in specific seasons and weather conditions.

Though these truths are not absolutes, they are sound and solid, and should be relied upon in the absence of other information on which to base choices.

While experimenting thoughtfully with presentation styles, an angler needs to maintain an awareness of the fifth fundamental, which I call the “level of commitment” to the spot or area. I am probably asked about this part of my fishing formula more than any other, except, ironically, lure color, on which I place a low level of emphasis. Many people in the fishing community yearn for more knowledge about “when to stay and when to move”. “How do you know how long to fish a spot before you give up on it?” they ask.

Attempting to come up with the right answer to this question has caused me to

Pete krol caught this long, seven pound trout on a soft plastic lure out of the boat on a day when fishing the depths of the swag seemed like the only way to coax a bite from a big trout.

affected by what I see around me.

The aim of all this discussion will be to arm the seminar’s attendees with useful information on which they can base their fishing decisions, with the goal of wasting less time, money and energy, and of course, catching more and bigger fish! I will still be out on the water many early mornings this summer, trying to beat the heat and catch some fish. The good ol’ summertime is indeed fine for someone with a life like mine.

It’s also a great time to stay inside in cool spaces to contemplate, analyze and learn new things. I hope to run seminars on the Five Fundamentals in at least two or three cities on Saturdays in August and September. All readers who have an interest in attending one of these meetings can get more information on my website at www.

CaptainkevBlogs.com, by emailing me at kevxlr8@mygrande.net or, perhaps better yet, by calling me at 361-688-3714.

think about the concept more deeply than I would have if I hadn’t been asked so often. I have generated a list of real principles on which I make the decision, and will share these in the seminar. Of course, I acknowledge that I sometimes operate from what seems like “instinct” when making this choice, but I also know this is an illusion. The level of commitment I have to a spot or area at a given time comes from learned behavior, is generated from a set of related histories and is

18 | July 2013

CONTACT

kEVIN COCHRAN

kevin Cochran is a full-time fishing guide at Corpus Christi (Padre Island), TX. kevin is a speckled trout fanatic and has created several books and dvds on the subject. kevin’s home waters stretch from Corpus Christi Bay to the Land Cut.

TROUT TRACkER GUIDE SERVICE Phone Email Web

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

STORY BY Billy Sandifer

20 | July 2013

For 40-odd years i stoMped aroUnd

barefoot in the surf and bays like a stormtrooper totally ignoring stingrays, broken beer bottles, and innumerable other unforeseen harmful entities – and remained unscathed. Oh, I encountered plenty of stingrays. It was common for me to feel their slick backs and wings slide out from under my feet as I touched them most days, and on many occasions several encounters during the same day. BUT I NEVER GOT HIT BY ONE. Then everyone began to endorse sliding your feet to avoid being struck by a stingray and I began to slide my feet as suggested. I got hit twice in three years – plus one in the thumb.

Years ago a fella remarked, “Billy, you are good and I am lucky. I’d rather be lucky than good any day.” So in my case I guess being very lucky sure paid off better for me with the stingrays than following accepted guidelines did.

I have a hunch about this situation. In his ecosystem a ray is not an apex predator. In their world filled with sharks, they are dinner. From watching underwater footage on TV, a shark doesn’t sneak up on a ray, he hits him like a linebacker. Thusly something approaching a stingray boldly would naturally frighten him and he moves on while something approaching him subtly might cause him to stand his ground and could lead to a wade fisherman getting stuck.

Each time I got hit it was early in the morning on a charter and I went on and worked the rest of the day and never once went to see a doctor. I did everything wrong and only suffered minor scars and a bit of nerve damage.

From my understanding Mike McBride reacted in a much more appropriate manner when he got hit, seeking

medical attention, yet he had serious problems requiring surgery and a lengthy recuperation.

There’s no guarantee on being or remaining lucky so immediate and proper medical attention is definitely going to be in order if I’m ever stuck again. I’m going to do a lot of trout fishing in waist deep guts this summer and am going to invest in full boots/leggings for stingrays so I can concentrate on doing a good job of fishing instead of worrying. A word to the wise here – the wade gut is made up of a series of potholes that are the result of perpendicular channels cut through the sandbar. These form where the sandbars have been cut deeply to allow

Unwilling to learn the hard way whether my historic good luck with stingray wounds might have run out; full protection boots with leg guards are now part of my surf wading gear.

Sudden strong thunderstorms, occasionally with waterspouts, can be common during summer along the PINS beach.

TSFMAG.com | 21

water movement to and from the wade gut, back toward the second gut. The deepest part of the gut will be directly in front of such a rip. The water will be flowing directly offshore at these locations and it is commonplace to see two or three large stingrays laying on the bottom of these potholes waiting for crabs and other morsels to be swept to them.

I have always honestly felt that the dangers of sharks were too self-explanatory to have to address it, but sure enough someone will convince me otherwise from time to time. Take the fly fisherman who tells me he watched a bull shark of six-plus feet swim directly up to him and head-butt him off his feet – asking whether he should have been more concerned. And then there was the customer who asked, “How close should I let the sharks come Billy.” Of course I replied something on the order of, “not too close.” And then suddenly Beds of coquina clams near the water’s edge often indicate whiting, redfish, sheepshead and other bottom feeders are in good supply nearby.

he blurted, “Is four feet too close?” Or the kind man standing next to me on the outside bar who sounded concerned and asked, “Billy, should Joe be letting those two big bull sharks swim down the wade gut between him and the beach?”

Trust me when I say these are all true and each and every one a genuine hoot, but each time I remember these occurrences I realize how the outcome could have been entirely different and a genuine tragedy without the good luck we were enjoying. So, the answer is simple: At the first sign of a shark in the water, regardless of how far away it is - EVERYBODY GET OUT OF THE POOL! He’s already ran all the good fish off anyway.

There are many species of fish that frequent the hundreds of miles of the Texas surf and the surest way I know of getting disappointed is to have unrealistic expectations of immediate large catches of just your one or two preferred target species. It’s simple enough; what you are going to catch is whatever species is present and biting, and there are many days when you’ll catch numerous unwanted species for each target fish caught.

The newcomer must ask himself some very real questions about his long term goals and when you’re starting out is the time to ask. Is your surf fishing to be a family pursuit complete with overnight camping or serious grinding it out along miles of beachfront for that fish of your dreams? Camping and fishing in one location will lead to fewer quality fish caught but with family groups it’s Spinning rod and reel properly often a necessary evil. If the entire protected and stowed in front family is just starting out surf fishing bumper rod rack for beach transport. the family camp scenario is often

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Eurasian collared dove Steptopelia decaocto- Larger than the mourning dove. Adults have distinctive black half-collar, hence the name. Plumage is grey-buff to pinkishgrey overall. One of the greatest colonizers in the bird world over the last century. Native to Asia and Europe, introduced to the Bahamas in the 1970s and spread to Florida by 1982.

Population is greatest in Gulf coast region but have spread northward to Great Lakes and even Alaska, also westward to California. Non-migratory and breeds throughout year in more temperate zones, close to human habitation. Currently classified invasive in the U.S. but sure are good eating.

Photo Credit: Jimmy Jackson

perfect as they have the opportunity to learn together to diversify and increase their skill levels.

To me it’s real simple. Fishin’ is supposed to be fun and if it ain’t fun it ain’t fishin’ and you need to revise your game plan. Start with small species and tackle and work your way up the food chain. One of the first things one has to do is STOP LOOkING AND START SEEING. Small baitfish scurrying at the water’s edge tells the observant angler that predator fish are in close and have ran them shallow in self-defense.

Large beds of coquina claims visible at the water’s edge indicates high potential for whiting, redfish, black drum and other bottom feeders being in the immediate area. There are few times when there is more laughter than when we stop to catch dancing skipjacks on light tackle and speck rigs. In addition to being a lot of fun to catch, the skipjacks likewise provide an excellent teaching tool on how to fight fish on light gear. Bending down the barbs on your hooks will greatly improve the skipjack’s survival rate. Moving up to medium-sized species the jack crevalle fills in this gap. Averaging around twenty-two pounds they can be sightcasted with lures or flies and are as game a fish as one could ever hope to encounter.

When starting out trying your hand at surf fishing, keep both your camping and fishing gear at a minimum. Stick with the basics. As I’ve always said, “What works best on the beach is the fewest moving parts possible.” I have no idea how many artificial lures I own. I do know that I could probably pick six on any given day and end up landing everything caught that day on just those. The remaining thousands I have only hit the water one day per decade. Trick is figuring out which of those thousands they’ll hit on a given day during that decade. I’m horrible about trying thirty-plus lures a day; determined to find that magic lure they’ll hit, while I know good and well I’d do better to stick with a handful of tried and true producers and fishing them well.

I strongly recommend having only two rod and reel outfits per person to start out with. One light tackle spinning rig for throwing lures and small weights, and also a medium-sized rig filled with 30 pound test on a longer rod to throw heavier lures and bottom leaders.

Buy pullover reel covers and use them religiously. If you have a vehicle rod rack, use bungee cords to hold the rods and reels in place. If you don’t have a vehicle rod rack, wrap towels around the reels and where the rods hit your truck’s bed and wrap copper wire around them so they don’t bounce off each other. If the rods are bouncing off each other you will lose guide inserts regularly. Leaning rod and reels up against the truck will result in them being blown or falling over and you’ll end up with a reel full of sand. If reels are dunked under water or dropped in the sand, they should be rinsed immediately with fresh water.

Next month we are going to have a look at prepping a vehicle for beach travel and the necessary items you should carry.

Length: 12 ½” Wingspan: 19” Weight: 7.5 oz

24 | July 2013

CONTACT

BILLY SANDIFER Retired after 20+ years of guiding anglers in the Padre surf, Billy Sandifer (“Padre of Padre Island” to friends & admirers) is devoted to conserving the natural wonders of N. Padre Island & teaching all who will heed his lessons to enjoy the beauty of the Padre Island National Seashore responsibly.

Phone Website

361-937-8446 www.billysandifer.com

26 | July 2013

STORY BY MARTIN STRARUP

i was a More than a little apprehensiVe

when my friend keith who lives in Alvin asked us to come down and stay with him for the weekend and fish West Galveston Bay. The closest I’d been to West Bay in the last 40 years was when we when we visited our friend Rebecca at her family’s home at Sea Isle and drove across the San Luis Pass toll bridge on our way home.

All kinds of questions flashed through my mind. What kind of bottom will I be wading there; how close to San Luis Pass would we be fishing, where will we unload my boat?

Of course I was just being silly as I love to fish new places but having heard all the stories about how crowded it is up there, etc., I had my doubts and as usual, I was wrong.

We made the drive to Alvin; actually keith lives between Liverpool and Alvin in the country, on Friday evening and made it safe and sound to keith’s house. We met his wife and daughter then unloaded our bags and fishing gear. After visiting a bit we drove over to Lute’s Marina and entered a tournament they were hosting the next day and then headed

into Alvin to kelly’s Restaurant for supper.

If you have never eaten at one of kelly’s Restaurants you’re missing out. Everything from the service to the quality of food is great but the portions – Oh wow – the portions will knock you out. Reading the menu I saw that breakfast was served all day so I ordered kelly’s Grand Slam Breakfast…don’t do that… unless you can eat a lot more than I can, or just want to have plenty left over for the next day’s meal.

The Grand Slam has a huge chicken-fried steak with country gravy, about a pound of homemade hash browns, three large eggs and biscuits or Texas toast. The picture should show you what I’m talking about. I managed to eat the eggs and about a third of the steak, maybe a quarter pound of hash browns and I was done. But I took some really good chicken-fried steak in a to-go box when we left.

Bloated and full to bursting we made it back to keith’s house and rigged up our gear for our morning trip and headed to bed at a decent hour.

Morning found us in the bayou at Lute’s waiting on a little daylight but a friend of ours, Gary koehl was joining us in his

TSFMAG.com | 27

28 | July 2013

MARTIN STRARUP

CONTACT

boat and he said to follow him, so off we went. Navigating new waters in pre-dawn light isn’t one of my favorite things to do but Gary had the water lit up and knew where we were heading. With the wind pumping a steady 15 MPH I wasn’t feeling too confident and when you don’t have a clue as to where you are other than what the GPS is showing it’s a strange feeling to say the least.

Threading the channel in Chocolate Bayou wasn’t bad and navigating the buoys to get to the ICW through Chocolate Bay wasn’t bad either. But getting in behind Bird Island was a different matter all together. There is a winding and sometimes narrow channel that you have to follow closely or you’ll find yourself up on sand and we did run aground once but managed to get back on track to where we were going. We made it to where keith said to drop anchor just when there was enough light that you could see the landscape fairly well.

There was an incoming tide that to me was moving at a pretty good clip but to the two local guys it was moving slow. The current would make your wading pants flutter as it pushed the water around your legs but the bottom was hard packed sand and my back and my knees were happy. With the anchor set and double checked we followed keith and Gary to where they were going to school us on how they do things in their backyard.

We learned really fast to stay up on the shallow sand as the guts that we were casting to got really deep, really fast. We fished for an hour or so with no one hooking up and moved a ways across an out of the water sand flat. On that side of the sand flat the channel didn’t just drop off into deep water as it did where we had been fishing. It had a subtle slope that got deeper as you waded into it. It was here that we would find some decent fish. keith lost a really nice trout right in front of him and I hooked up but lost a head shaker when it spit the lure. keith strung a fat 17 incher then I lost one that was about 23 when I was trying to put him on my stringer. It was a rookie mistake but I blame the fouled up stringer for my losing that fish and I’m sticking with that story.

Sterling caught a nice flounder and Gary had three flounder, a 20

incher and a couple of smaller ones on his stringer that would end up winning second place in Lute’s tournament. Good job Gary. My friend Robert and I zeroed for the morning but I blame the current and the wind. I should have brought some 3/8 ounce lead heads with me because my 1/8 ounce jigs just didn’t work for me; heck they and the bait they were threaded into were almost floating. Those are the best excuses that I have at the moment.

By the way, please excuse the iPhone pictures taken from the boat. My camera did it to me again only this time it wasn’t the memory card but the fully charged battery that died overnight. Now I have a new memory card AND a new battery.

We were back at the boat for a snack when Sterling noticed a slick pop behind Gary’s boat so he grabbed a rod, hopped out of the boat and waded that way. A few minutes later he comes back carrying a 19 inch trout. He hadn’t taken anything with him but his rod and reel and was all smiles because we had told him something like, “Good luck, let us know how chasing that slick works out for you.” Famous last words, huh?

We made a couple more stops in places foreign to me but the winds had everything messed up and no fish took us up on the lures we cast to them so we headed in.

A quick weigh in at Lute’s then to keith’s for a change of clothes and we went back to Lute’s to get the tournament results. Like I said, Gary took second place flounder so we were happy for him but no one else did any good; heck Robert and I had nothing in the box so we were pretty quiet.

We went to Gary’s for supper at his home on Chocolate Bayou and, much too early after eating a good steak and baked potato, the long day was wearing us down and we headed back to keith’s for a good night’s sleep.

I want to go back. I like the area, I want to learn that end of the Galveston Bay System better and we all enjoyed the company and the hospitality of Gary, keith and his family.

Fishing new bay systems is always exciting and while I didn’t bring any fillets home I have some really good memories of a wonderful day on the bay with my son and our friends.

Be Safe.

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

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

30 | July 2013

In today’s highly

specialized world of tackle and

gear it seems like there is a bait for every possible situation. Lures have become so refined that the consumer cannot possibly ever catch up unless they have a pocket full of cash and camp out at the local tackle shop. Advertisements hail the latest and greatest most fish-catching lures ever seen by man on every page in the magazines and pop-up ads by the dozens on your favorite fishing website. These ads have a lot of truth behind them; new technology comes along every day as lure manufacturers strive to create the ultimate bait.

I cannot tell you how many times folks on my boat ask - What’s your favorite bait? What’s your go-to bait? If you could fish with only one bait what would it be? And there are or any number of other queries that probe one’s fondness for a particular size, style and brand of offering. The conversation tends to run its course after a few minutes and then invariably it turns into a session of reminiscing baits popular in the past. Endless war stories of big fish caught on the Jumpin’ Minnow, Queen Cocahoe, or Jointed Rapala – Oh, the good old days.

Now it’s one thing to have to worry about saltwater tackle and it’s quite another to worry about freshwater tackle, and then there’s worrying about both at the same time. Anglers on the upper coast of Texas are both blessed and cursed with this situation by having fresh and salt water so close in proximity to one another. Fishermen who frequent Sabine Lake really have more choices to deal with, thanks to the brackish water that surrounds this coastal hot spot. In an effort to share a little knowledge, that hopefully will allow you to catch more fish, this is what I have found.

Over the years many anglers have been searching for a bait that produces well in both environments and the one that has certainly proven its worth is the tube jig. For many years the tube jig has been a consistent producer for freshwater anglers, particularly in clear water venues where tournament fishermen like to finesse these baits. Tube jigs have been Carolina rigged, Texas rigged, flipped, and pitched for largemouth and smallmouth bass all over the country.

Sabine River anglers have been catching striped bass on these lures during the winter for quite some time. Not surprisingly, this array of

Redfish in thick vegetation are tailor made for a tube jig.

Inserting cotton or foam into the body of the tube jig.

TSFMAG.com | 31

nearly any vegetation found in the marshes and back lakes. The weight on the shank helps get the bait down through the grass to feeding redfish that may be oblivious to other offerings that remain suspended overhead. Being able to not only cast the bait a good distance, have it swim weedless, and still be subtle enough to drop on the nose of a redfish without spooking it is a tough combination to beat in my opinion. Also add in the fact that you can keep fish attractants on your lure longer with the aid of foam or cotton inserted into the body of the tube and you can see why this bait performs so well.

For many anglers who rarely venture away from the saltwater, the thought of using the tube jig may sound farfetched and a little off-base but it’s far from that.

Who would have thought years ago that spinner baits would be made for saltwater and that redfish and trout

Rigging a tube jig and placing foam or cotton inside the cavity to hold attractant.

32 | July 2013

Top to bottom: Leadhead jig with hook exposed; weedless on an offset hook; weedless on a Florida-style hook.

would eat a frog? Adapting a lure to fit your environment is always exciting because of the new opportunities that are created from the experience. Every angler is looking for an edge and more often than not that edge comes from something simple, something as simple as a stroll down the freshwater aisle at your local tackle shop. Give it a shot next time you go shopping, you may be the one who is telling others about a new way to catch fish next time rather than listening to someone else do the same thing.

Chuck Uzzle

Contact

presentations produces plenty of redfish and largemouth as well. The resemblance between the tube jig and a crawfish or shrimp is as undeniable as the results they provide.

Now we all know the merits of the tube jig in freshwater, what most folks don’t know is how good this bait performs in saltwater. During one particular outing in the vast marshes around Sabine while searching for redfish, I became a tube jig convert. My clients were having a terrible time trying to get the redfish to eat. No matter what they tried the redfish would not cooperate. In an attempt to solve the puzzle I rigged a 3” tube jig weedless on a spinning rod and began to absolutely crush the redfish. The subtle presentation of the tube was entirely more than the redfish could stand, even fish that had been spooked would pick up the tube as they swam off. After that eye opening trip I rarely ever venture out without a supply of these versatile lures.

Tube jigs come in two basic types, hollow body and solid body and each one catches fish. I personally prefer the hollow body style because I can rig it more ways than the solid body. The hollow body tube works great, especially when you stuff the cavity with foam or cotton and soak that with fish attractant.

One of the first guides I ever saw fishing this bait was TSFMag’s Dickie Colburn. Dickie took his extensive knowledge of freshwater fishing and applied it to saltwater where he quickly adapted his tube fishing techniques. While fishing light line with tube jigs, Colburn basically rewrote the book on flounder fishing in the Sabine area, and he was using this technique long before other so-called experts ever had a clue.

There are endless ways to rig the tube jig and that is certainly one of the reasons it’s such a great bait. It can be rigged with a standard jig head leaving the hook exposed, Texas rigged with a slip sinker, weedless on an offset hook, on spinner baits to offer a bulkier profile, on Florida-style hooks that have weight molded around the shank, or even weedless-weightless for super subtle presentations to spooky fish.

My personal favorite method for rigging the tube is weedless on a Florida-style hook. Rigged in this fashion it is perfect for negotiating

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

Phone 409-697-6111 Email cuzzle@gt.rr.com Website www.chucksguideservice.net

STORY BY JOE RICHARD

Boat-Bashing whitecaps

of early summer finally settle down in July, at some point, and that’s when you see bay boats popping up everywhere on the Gulf, hoping to discover where the big kings bite. Suddenly everyone is searching for clean water, plenty of elbow room, and a shot at speedy gamesters that can empty a reel quicker than cats run from a water hose.

Most of these boats stay within sight of land, fishing around state water platforms, navigation buoys, and “color changes” where two currents meet. Some bay boats prowl even farther offshore, trusting weather forecasting and other modern amenities, especially radar, whether coastal or onboard. Then you have the kayak crowd off Padre 34 | July 2013

Island, the only fishing craft allowed to launch from the beach there.

Make no mistake, big kings are out there, often within sight of land.

I know of two STAR tournament kingfish that were caught within sight of land, though barely so, since Texas has a low shoreline that pretty much disappears at 10 miles or so.

I was raised on the far upper Texas coast, where “trout green” water at the jetties was a blessing, but kingfish were scarce as white buffalo.

Fifteen summers on the Sabine jetties, and we never saw a kingfish.

Shannon Tompkins did see a huge one skyrocket there, a spectacle for that area. We had a wealth of platforms offshore within sight of there, more than anywhere else, but kings were just rare until 20 miles out.

A classic, old-fashioned platform built in the early 1960s in state waters, off Sabine Pass. This one has been called the “Mother 12-mile rig” for three generations, and still stands.

We had to travel south towards Galveston and beyond, to find more consistent water clarity within sight of land. I’ve seen them jumping inside the jetties at POC, Port Aransas and Port Isabel, and personally caught them besides the rocks at POC and Port Mansfield.

There are certainly no guarantees on kingfish in state waters.

Clear water may dominate off Padre Island, but the rest of the coast is subject to the fickle whims of current and tide, not to mention a dreaded SW wind. And bad water holds few kingfish. Your chances here are somewhat slim, compared to a typical 30-mile run offshore to the shrimpboat fleet. Yet, easing offshore within sight of land, in good summer weather, and with a keen eye for clear, green water, offers a

fine chance of fast action on a light budget.

For this reason, it’s wise to carry a couple of mid-level sticks in the boat, even if bay or jetty fishing is first choice in the morning. If the Gulf calms at mid-day, the beachfront is murky with slow action, and a distant blue/green line beckons, I’m an old hand at coaxing the crew a little ways offshore. No one is more familiar with this than my assistant, Miss Amy. And our boys, who found themselves bobbing around out there with full diapers. Confronted with gamefish far too big for youngsters.

Back to tackle: You can slug it out with smaller bait-casting gear, but a pair of outfits armed with 25- to 40-pound line is bad medicine TSFMAG.com | 35

Sharp teeth on kingfish means you really need to carry along a small spool of wire leader, when venturing offshore.

on kingfish and even cobia. Many of us over the years have bolted offshore at mid-day armed only with trout tackle, and had our rears handed to us, so to speak, by greedy ling, jacks, big kingfish, even a school of tarpon. And returned with nothing to show for it except wildeyed tales. So, keeping a couple of big spinners or bait-casters with sturdier line on board is good insurance, because there’s no way to predict how a day will turn out on the Gulf coast.

Every year, kings are caught as close as the rock jetties from Port O’Connor on south. That’s a novelty for many anglers, who are accustomed to the long, jarring runs further offshore. I’ve seen big kings, probably tournament winners, skyrocket on schooling Spanish mackerel off the jetties, and of course along the “color changes” where two currents collide. The best way to explore either option for kings would be to toss a colorful dive plug in the wake, and also perhaps a Texas-made Russelure. Kings are pretty spread out when not around platforms or shrimpboats, so combing the area at five knots with deep divers seems the best way to go.

A couple of summers ago we did just that, trolling back and forth, up and down a color change near POC’s south jetty. It was a little bumpy, we were in a bay boat, and a guest flung himself at the gunnel, hugging it tightly. He claimed an old football injury make his shoulder hurt so bad he was sick, but when we pulled just inside the jetties, his pain seemed to vanish. He didn’t last long out there, but at least we’d caught a double-header of 14-pound kings, only 100 yards from Hang on! Dale Fontenot of Vidor works on a kingfish, while his boat drifts past a platform.

36 | July 2013

Bruce Churton, visiting Beaumont for a week of fishing, pauses with a hefty kingfish, before releasing it. Kings of this size should be released because of mercury warnings, especially when consumed by younger anglers.

granite. That day at least, we’d timed good weather and an incoming tide, where blue/green water was right there. It should be noted we’d trolled the color change from Pass Cavallo to the jetties, only hitting kingfish near rocky structure. If we’d run the bay and popped outside, this dude would have lasted an hour longer. Maybe we’d have limited out by then. Something to consider, next time.

Shrimpboats return off the Texas coast in July, so spotting these big boats anchored out there for the day should be a magnet for small boats seeking big hookups. Again, you can get sporty and simply pull up to these rusty craft and use lighter gear, or go with something more suitable for filling the icechest. After all, you can only fight and land so many fish on 12-pound trout tackle. We generally troll deep-diving, lipped plugs around the shrimpboats. Or use the old ways, which is pulling up to a tire-lined, shrimpboat’s stern and dropping jigs deep.

Or rubber eels, for that matter.

One tip: Be sure to check the shrimpboats first, that left their running lights on. Even at mid-day, when no crew members are visible.

There’s a good chance they sorted and dumped their catch right there that morning, and there may yet be gamefish prowling below or downcurrent. In this wide-open scenario, you can toss frozen baits and let them sink deep, and use fairly modest tackle, such as baitcasters with 20-pound line. One memorable trip years ago off Galveston, patiently drifting behind anchored shrimpboats, we had Amy and Joe Doggett on board. Our entire crew used nothing but Ambassadeur 6500 reels Bay boats gang up on an old state-water platform off Port O’Connor. It’s a common, mid-summer scenario. These guys want their kingfish.

TSFMAG.com | 37

that day, fighting many kings without quite getting spooled. With that tackle Anglers in a Ranger boat celebrate their kingfish you have to “know your stuff,” however, on a hot and glassy day. using a smooth drag and a practiced thumb that didn’t get scorched. It was like fighting bull redfish that had a belly full of Red Bull.

Scoring fresh bait is a real plus here, and our captain that day, Capt. Howard Horton, managed to score a bucket of fresh cull. Old, frozen bait will draw strikes, but fresh stuff from a shrimpboat works like a charm. If you can castnet fresh mullet or menhaden, that works as well. When working the shrimpboats offshore, always carry a pack of cigarettes or a six-pack of brew; shrimpers respond well to both of these attractive lures.

For that, they’ll often trade a five-gallon bucket of fresh cull. Of course, it helps if you carry an empty bucket on your boat. If you run out of bait, shake out a couple of dive plugs back in the wake, and start trolling around these anchored shrimpboat “structures.” keep in mind that, earlier this year, a Russelure from the Lone Star State reportedly won an SkA kingfish tournament back east. It was a 49-pounder, leaving many seasoned captains, live-

bait artists every one, in a state of shock.

There was much soul-searching and navel-gazing, after that event.

Fishing within sight of the beach is by no means the same as a serious offshore trip 20-50 miles out, where kingfish are the norm and water clarity is seldom an issue. But if the wind quits and clear water can be seen in the distance, and you’re sitting at the jetties or giving up on running the beach, by all means give it a shot offshore. Big critters lurk out there in the shadowy depths, and they certainly offer more excitement than a typical day on the bay. (One tip: if you see boats working rolling tarpon out there, don’t run up on them and fire off spoons with 12-pound line, because you have no chance. And you’re only spooking the tarpon).

On another note, remember to carry a gaff on the boat; that bay landing net won’t cut it when a big Gulf predator slams into a hook. Four-foot kingfish and trout nets don’t mix. However, since a bay boat’s gunnels are low, it’s much easier to tail and land a kingfish, than from any other boat design. Grab his tail, and hang on!

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·

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38 | July 2013

®

• Smallest Diameter Blank • Custom shaped grips • Fuji K Style Frames • Fuji Alconite Rings • Actions to fish Waxwing with PowerPro • Custom Skeletonized Aluminum Reel Seat

Here’s Jon, 78 years young and still quite an angler. I love the old hat. Some things should never change.

J AY WAT K I N S

ASK THE PRO

An Important Reading Lesson How did I learn to read water? That’s a question that has been posed literally hundreds of times throughout my career. Answers have varied due to me continuing to learn.

This is the type of question that leads to more questions and knowing the answer to as many as possible will give you a jumpstart on reading the waters of the bay systems you fish most often. When I’m teaching I always ask first; “How familiar are you with the water you are fishing?” It definitely pays to be familiar with the lay of the land.

For example - The best deer hunters have great knowledge of the land they are hunting. They are keenly aware of every topographic feature, seasonal feeding and bedding areas, and also the travel zones the deer use to and from. Fishing it is the same. You have to really know the predominant structure types and locations, and also how the fish use them.

Are there points that create coves to provide protection in adverse conditions? Which structures in your area produce almost year round and are there any 40 | July 2013

that fish use under specific conditions or seasonally?

What are the primary food sources and how do seasonal patterns affect their availability? Are tidal currents controlling factors in feeding behavior or does wind-generated current have greater influence in your bay? What impact does fishing pressure have on your chosen system?

That’s a bunch a questions and to answer most them I will of course refer to my home waters as my knowledge base. Note that one can use the same overlay when fishing other bay systems you might not be as familiar with.

On my home water I have become totally familiar with just about every piece of structure she has to offer.

Submerged seagrass beds predominate in the southern reaches of Aransas Bay while in the northern part and continuing into neighboring Mesquite and San Antonio it is more oyster reefs. No doubt the diversity of habitat is one of the greatest attractions the Rockport area has to offer. Along with the multitude of bottom structure types, we also have backwater estuaries with their

A solid 27-plus caught in shallow cove on clear Top Dog Jr., perfect topwater morning!

connecting sloughs and drains, deep water reefs, and tons of shoreline laden with seagrass and sandy potholes.

Rockport also has San Jose and Matagorda barrier islands providing miles of natural protection from sustained SE wind. Water clarity is very good most of the time along both and structure is usually highly visible, which enables us to develop clear images of how the fish utilize it to travel and also to feed, and this is where we can really learn to read the water.

We can plainly see where deep water meets shallow sand along the dropoff and real time spent in the area can hone these visuals to greater understanding of fish behavior – a good pair of Costa glasses helps. During periods of low tide or with calm-clear conditions you can familiarize yourself with the structure and how water depths affect the way fish use it. After you see it a few times it gets etched into your memory bank and making a few memorable catches makes the recall easier, almost instinctive. I totally believe and depend on this instinctive thing in my day to day fishing. I often make the comment, “This looks right guys, let’s give it a try,” even though I am not sure exactly what we will find. I get it right quite often though.

If you’re just beginning to learn to read water you need to be more concerned with the simple and more obvious things first. Grass appears as darker spots beneath the water. Shell looks black both underneath and above water, sand is white, where grass meets sand the bottom goes from darker to lighter. If the surface is nearly slick with wind running 20-plus or with birds standing in your path; it’s shallow. The rougher the surface, the deeper the water tends to be. Go slow and observe, and you’ll learn. Your mind is taking pictures the entire time so make notes to yourself that help recall the photos.

TSFMAG.com | 41

Another part of reading water is learning to use an overlay. What I mean here is to take the visual you see of the proper structure for the season and your bay system, and let Mother Nature provide the overlay. Is a food source present? What direction are the winds coming from and what if any tidal movement is present – based on the direction of the water movement. What about telltale items like a slick or a few brown pelicans working a distinct line? Where, if present, does dirtier water move in to cover up your structure? Now lay this knowledge over the previously read water and you have the real time picture you need to record in that mental photo album.

Finally, let’s add some fishing pressure. No better example out there than Rockport’s Traylor and Mud Islands. I don’t think I have ever had anyone on the boat that does not know about these two areas.

Both have all the necessary ingredients for fabulous fishing. There is consistent grass and sand structure with a scattering of oyster shell along the shorelines, and good water movement from both tide and wind. Seasonal migrations of mullet, menhaden and glass minnows, not to mention shrimp and blue crabs, are natural draws to game fish.

These islands have everything and with everything comes pressure, from around mid-April through December you’ll find lots of anglers working this area.

This is where, when fishing pressure is at its peak, I employ a strategy I call, “Stake out an area and create a quiet zone, then you run them to me.”

Does it work? You bet! Throw in our increasing dolphin population always on the hunt for a trout dinner and their incessant pushing of trout out of water deep enough for them to work in – all of a sudden

C O N TA C T

the shallow water around these islands can become highly populated with better than average fish.

I use this strategy on a daily basis and have seen it work from Bill Day Reef at Port O’Connor all the way to Gladys Hole on the south end of the Land Cut. In tournament play, Jay Ray and I would often position ourselves in areas where we believed boat traffic would continually move the bigger, unseen predators to our self-created safe zone. Didn’t work every time but definitely worked more times than not.

So learning to read water is a big thing and a must if your wanting to expand your fishing knowledge. Take those mental pictures and then work on recalling them. Once recalled, build an overlay for the area you’ve chosen and see how it plays out. On weekends, create a safe zone, and let the unknowing run them to you. Oh the sights you’ll see as you patiently wait for your shots.

And just so you know, you can’t fix stupid; so keep your comments and hand gestures to a minimum.

May your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins Jay Watkins has been a full-time fishing guide at Rockport, TX, for more than 20 years. Jay specializes in wading 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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2910 Hwy 35 South

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Rockport, TX 78382

Tail barred with marker, fibers smoothed back and ready to fish.

C A P T. S COT T N U L L

S H A L L O W W AT E R F I S H I NG

Introducing “Redfish Crack” “So, what are we throwing today Captain, Redfish Crack?”

“Yep!” When you find something that works, stick with it.

And over the last couple years I’ve found a fly that seems to work just about every day and I wish I would have kept count of the fish that came over the gunnel with a “Crack” fly pinned to their lips. There have been many.

I was slow to become addicted to Crack but now I can’t get on the water without it. It all began a few years back when Fishing Tackle Unlimited’s fly fishing manager, Andy Packmore, mentioned a fly that reds never refused.

I’d heard that line many times and dismissed it. I already had my favorites. Still, any time successful fishing trips came up, Andy would invariably comment that they were eating the good old Redfish Crack. I’d ask what the heck it was and he’d just Materials. grin and say it was a little something he’d come up with. I never pressed him on it because, like I said, I had my boxes full of things that worked.

Then I hit a slump, a really bad slump. Couldn’t hit a fastball, curve or change-up kind of slump. My confidence flies were failing at a miserable clip. After a particularly rough day I stopped by FTU and once again Andy bragged on his damn magic fly. I finally swallowed my pride and begged for the recipe.

Knowing Andy’s background as a freshwater trout guy I figured this was going to be some intricate pattern 44 | July 2013

with more steps and materials than I’d prefer to mess with, but I was desperate. Andy went to his truck and brought back his cache of Crack. Huh? I was completely unimpressed. It was pretty basic and didn’t really look like it imitated anything in particular. Then he explained how to tie one. It was entirely too simple – No way this could be the fly he’d been bragging on. Perhaps Andy was just doing a little misdirection to keep me from the real deal, but hey, he had a whole box full of the darn things.

When you’re in a slump you do what you have to, so I bought the materials and headed to the tying desk. I tied several in a matter of a few minutes and sat staring at them, still unimpressed. The following day I headed out to do a little scouting for some upcoming trips. I

Craft fur tail and bead chain eyes.

EP streamer brush tied in.

EP brush palmered forward and using the bodkin to pick out the over-wrapped fibers.

All picked out and looking like a mess.

tied on a Redfish Crack and tossed it in the water to see what it would do.

To my surprise the ugly little thing came to life. It still didn’t really imitate anything in particular, but it had that good edible buggy look about it.

I started poling and hunting. The first redfish was headed away, likely having already sensed the skiff. It was a low-percentage chance, but I tossed the fly in front of him anyway. And he ate it. Cool. I took a photo with the Crack hanging from his lip and sent it to Andy. His response, “I told you.”

Nearly every other red that morning followed suit. If I landed the fly even close to where it was supposed to be they ate it. I can’t honestly say whether it was the fly or just the mood of the reds on that day, but whatever it was I had my best tally in quite some time. I was sold.

Perhaps I’ve fallen into the old fisherman’s trap. “The only thing they’re eating is (fill in the blank).” Ya know if that’s all you’re throwing then that’s the only thing they’ll appear to be eating, right? I really don’t care though. The fish I tend to chase are visible and you can generally get a sense of how they feel about a particular fly or lure based on their reaction. Seldom has the reaction been negative.

So what makes it work? I’ve spent a good deal of time looking at this fly in the water and thinking about it. I’d have to say it has all the necessary attributes. The large head pushes water so it can be felt even in off-color water or when the cast is a little off target. The head and banded tail provide contrast making it more visible. The tail moves and breathes with the slightest twitch. The dang thing just looks like something that needs to be eaten.

It’s also versatile; dare I say somewhat like the revered Clouser? I look at it as more of a style of fly than any particular strict recipe. While my favorite version uses the colors depicted in the photos on the stepby-step, I’ve used most every color combination you can think of. Typically I tie it on a size-4 size hook, but my box has them from size-8 all the way up to a 1/0 tarpon style hook for the those

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Hook - #4 Mustad 34007 Thread - olive or dark brown Eyes - beadchain, small lead dumbell or none, depending on the situation Head - reddish olive Enrico Puglisi (EP) streamer brush with legs Tail - tan extra select craft fur over-wrapped with orange cactus chenille 1 -Attach the eyes (if you choose to use them). Wrap the thread to the bend of the hook.

2 - Attach a small bunch of craft fur and touch it with a thin glue or head cement over the thread.

3 - Two or three wraps of medium cactus chenille over the thread

46 | July 2013

holding the craft fur.

4 - Tie in a 3” section of the EP brush just in front of the chenille and work the thread back to the eyes. Wrap the brush towards the eyes.

With each wrap pull the fibers back to keep from binding them with the next wrap. Don’t fret too much about it as you’ll fix any bound up fibers in a minute. Secure the end of the brush which should end up tight to the eyes or the eye of the hook.

5 - Whip finish and coat with head cement.

6 - Use a bodkin to pick out the bound EP brush fibers.

7 - Use a dark brown permanent marker to bar the tail.

EP has a wide variety of dubbed brushes from one half inch wide up to five inches. I’ve used them all to create various sized Crack flies.

All you need to do is change the hook size to make it proportional to the brush used and overall size of the fly. Another option is to use EP fibers for the tail on larger flies since the craft fur will be a bit too short. The EP fibers don’t move as seductively as craft fur, but they’ll work if you need a longer tail.

Give ‘em a try if you dare, but be aware that Redfish Crack is highly addictive and may cause you to shun all your other flies.

C O N TA C T

big bull reds in the Louisiana marsh. It can be tied unweighted, with beadchain eyes or lead, depending on your situation.

While it was originally intended for targeting redfish, I’ve caught plenty of trout, flounder, black drum and even the wary sheepshead on them. I even took a small sparsely tied version to Belize last year and picked off a couple bonefish. The permit wouldn’t eat them, but they wouldn’t eat anything.

All of that is great, but perhaps my favorite thing is the simplicity and ease of cooking up a batch. Being a guide I go through a good many flies and when the fishing gets hot I don’t always have a lot of time to sit at the vise. Once I have the materials out and everything set up it’s easy to knock out a dozen in thirty minutes.

If you’ve read this far I assume you’re sold, so here’s the basic recipe I use for redfish in my favorite colors. It’s a little different than Andy’s original and I’m sure you’ll come up with some of your own variances.

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

Telephone Email Website

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

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A young water spinach plant with about a three inch arrowhead shaped leaf.

B y R o b e r t Ad a m i , J r.

Natural Resources Specialist V | Corpus Christi

FIELd nOTES

WATER SPInAcH:

dOES IT POSE A THREAT TO TEXAS WATERWAYS? Water Spinach (Ipomoea aquatic) is a popular green vegetable enjoyed by the Texas Asian American community. The plant is native to south and central China and is considered an exotic species to the Texas environment. Water spinach has many common names such as akankong, aquatic morning glory, ong choi, Chinese water spinach, water convolvulus, and swamp morning glory. This plant is an herbaceous trailing vine with milky sap and 1-6 inch arrowhead shaped leaves (Figure 1). When the plant flowers the petals are usually a white or a pinkish lilac color. Almost all parts of the water spinach plant are edible, but shoot tips and leaves of young plants are said to be the most preferred. Currently, the majority of water spinach cultivation occurs in a small rural community near Rosharon Texas. As the popularity of this food/vegetable grows, state regulators are expecting there to be more interest in farming this plant.

Water spinach is considered by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to be an aquatic nuisance species and is therefore highly regulated. The plant has 48 | July 2013

been on the “Harmful or Potentially Harmful Exotic Fish, Shellfish and Aquatic Plants” list since 1990. Texas law (Parks and Wildlife Code §66.007) states that “no person may import, possess, sell, or place into waters of the state exotic harmful or potentially harmful fish, shellfish, or aquatic plants except as authorized by rule or permit issued by the department.”

In 2003, TPWD Game Wardens and Biologists teamed up with U.S. Department of Agriculture staff to confiscate

Water spinach is grown in covered green houses with non-vegetated ten foot barriers.

The majority of the green houses in Rosharon are about 30 feet wide by 75 feet long.

illegally grown water spinach and focused initial efforts in the Houston area. At that time, no citations were issued to the growers, but warnings were given and the legal status of water spinach and the legal requirements to commercially growing it were reviewed. As a result of these efforts TPWD personnel made recommendations to the TPWD Commission to: 1) leave water spinach on the list of aquatic plants without modification; 2) allow use of the species with some kind of permit and/or stipulations; or 3) removing water spinach from the list of harmful or potentially harmful species. At this time, water spinach can only be cultivated by permitted farmers in enclosed, secured green houses that maintain a non-vegetated ten foot barrier around the perimeter of the green houses (Figure 2).

Since water spinach has been grown and sold for at least two decades prior to the 2003 law enforcement action with no record of escapement or impact to native Texas habitats, many growers, sellers and consumers have questioned the need to regulate the plant. In 2005, TPWD initiated surveys to confirm the presence or absence of water spinach outside of controlled green house environments and determined that the plant had not been reported to occur outside of permitted areas. At that time, TPWD had established that the possession of water spinach was to be limited to personal consumption. Additional “risk analysis� studies examining the cultivation practices and the sale of the water spinach in Texas have been ongoing. In 2009, TPWD concluded that water spinach was a low-risk species that could be cultivated and sold but the plant should still be regulated. There are concerns about water spinach becoming established in Texas waterways. The state of Florida has had to deal with water spinach escapement issues that have negatively impacted waterways and wetlands.

The cost of the water spinach grower’s state permit is $263 per year, and is valid from date of issuance to December 31st of that year. Annual facility inspections are required and regulatory standards are: 1) maintain plants in a covered green house; 2) maintain a nonvegetated ten foot barrier around the facility year round; 3) plants cannot have flowers growing at any time; 4) maintain sales and delivery records. Once a facility passes inspection, they can then sell their water spinach crops to another permitted facility or to a retail vendor.

Retail vendors typically sell water spinach at a price of $2/lb.

Currently, there are 64 permitted water spinach growers in Texas with the majority in the Rosharon area. According to state regulations, water spinach can only be farmed inside green houses. Average sized green houses are about 30 feet wide by 75 feet in length (Figure 3).

The water spinach is generally harvested in small sections of the green house on a rotational basis during the year.

To date, there have been no incidents or reports of water spinach having been detected in the native habitats of Texas. Water spinach can easily be propagated from seeds and plant fragments, and concerns about this plant becoming a threat to waterways and ecosystems are real. Through resource conservation efforts, regulatory enforcement, and careful cultivation practices we are committed to wisely managing the use of water spinach in Texas.

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

50 | July 2013

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

F LY F I S H I N G

Better Fly Tying

Through Ingenuity One of things I love most about fly fishing is the creativity that can be linked to so many aspects of it. One of the more creative facets that almost everyone in the sport takes part in is the tying of flies. For many, nothing can be more exciting than catching a fish on a fly tied with your own hands. And, while some might argue that tying their own is too difficult or too time consuming, I will take the exact opposite position and say with great certainty that – thanks to the ingenuity of a few individuals, tying your own flies has never been simpler.

While I am a big fan of tying with natural materials I find myself more and more turning to synthetics or at least incorporating them into my patterns. One of my favorite tying materials these days is actually a combination of a synthetic and natural fibers called a Foxy Brush.

Over a decade ago, a gentleman by the name of Enrico Puglisi took the fly fishing industry by storm when he introduced a product called EP Fiber. This material is a synthetic hair that does not absorb water and that can be, with practice, used to create some of the most lifelike baitfish and shrimp imitations to be found anywhere.

52 | July 2013

One of the things that makes EP Fibers so great is that, unlike natural materials, it is consistently the same. This can be very important in regard to tying certain patterns.

But he did not stop there and few years back introduced what I consider to be one of the greatest contributions to saltwater fly tying- the EP Dubbing Brush.

The EP Dubbing Brush is basically a perfectly prespun brush made up of synthetic fibers that allow the novice fly tier to create baitfish and shrimp patterns in only minutes. One of my favorite flies is something that I call a simple shrimp. It is nothing more than a craft fur tail tied in at the bend of the hook with some plastic or bead-chain eyes tied in about halfway up the shank with a dubbing brush wound from the tail forward, around the eyes and up to the eye where it is cut and secured. After that, take a sharpie marker and bar the tail and viola – an awesome little shrimp imitation. The whole process takes about two minutes.

But again, I still like to utilize natural materials for various reasons ranging from the lifelike movement all the way to their ability to trap air and float a little higher in the

54 | July 2013

Tack Free and Hydro. The Tack Free is great for building heads up a little at a time and the Hydro is great as a finishing coat after using the Thick or Thin goo to build a more substantial head. The Hydro is also the ultimate thread sealer for any other fly that does not require a built up head. I will recommend that if you decide to give CCG a try, opt for the more powerful of the two UV curing lights they offer. It certainly makes a huge difference in the total cure time of the goo.

Anyway, after all of that above, I thought I would share with you one of my favorite flies in which I have utilized both natural and synthetic materials and have incorporated some of the materials mentioned.

This pattern is great for blind-casting deeper water for large trout or for jackfish. The fly is quite simple so I will not insult you with the step-bystep photos however, I will give you a quick rundown of the procedure.

First, tie in some bucktail at the bend of the hook and then a liberal helping of ostrich hurl. Next, tie in and palmer (wind) a 5” EP brush about halfway up the shank of the hook and secure, then comb out the brush. From there, secure some CCG dumbbell eyes and palmer a Foxy Brush forward and secure and comb out. From there seal your finished head with some Hydro and bam! You have yourself a great mullet imitation and it didn’t take more than two or three minutes.

Be good and stuff like that.

C ontact

water column. This is where my friend Mr. P took it to a whole new level by incorporating one of my absolute most favorite naturals, arctic fox, and combined it with EP fibers to create the Foxy Brush. A material that, when combined with a few other natural materials, makes some of the sexiest flies I have ever seen.

But Mr. P is not the only one out there making the fly tying fools’ lives easier. Just last year one of my customers and a damn fine fly tier, Jake Battle, stepped onto my skiff for a day of fishing and he had a very sexy fly attached to his leader that instantly caught my attention.

After inspecting it closely I noticed that the big eyes on the fly were not glued or set with epoxy like they normally would be; they were tied on. An inquiring mind had to know more and he informed me that the eyes that he used were made by a company called Clear Cure Goo. So, after calling my boys at the fly shop and having been informed that they did not carry them, it was off to the internet. Upon visiting CCG’s website I learned that these folks were doing so much more than just the eyes on Jake’s fly that caught my attention.

In addition to the dumbbell eyes, CCG was making an extensive line of stick on eyes in a variety of colors and sizes and an epoxy type ‘goo’ that was made for building up the heads of flies that is cured by the rays of an ultraviolet flashlight. Having tried other UV cured materials in the past and being far from impressed, I was skeptical. But alas, I am a sucker for good marketing and had to give it a try.

All in and all done, I have to say that CCG has finally created or discovered a UV-cured substance that, unlike it’s predecessors, actually cures. It is truly worth having at the fly tying bench, especially for the tier who sits down and ties flies one or two at a time. CCG offers several versions or consistencies of their “goo” and my favorites by far are the

Scott Sommerlatte is a full time fly fishing and light tackle guide, freelance writer and photographer.

Telephone Email Website

979-415-4379 vssommerlatte@hotmail.com www.scottsommerlatte.com

MARCOS GARZA

Y OUT H F I S H I N G

The Worst Day Ever Have you ever just had a day on the water when nothing goes your way? I have these days every once and a while and when I do, there is absolutely nothing good about them. Even the little things become frustrating and so annoying that I just want to go home and go back to bed and try to forget about them. But I don’t give up, I just keep on going until the end of the day. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s fishing for you.

Recently I fished the Big Dawg Status tournament out of Port Mansfield. I was fishing with some friends of my parents, Bernie and Erika Carpio. It was definitely not my best day. I was in charge of getting the three trout that we needed so I was left wading by myself with no extra leader material, line, or rods. My team dropped me off over

by Port South and I waded for a long ways. I’ve caught some nice fish here before but I’ve usually had to work to find them. When I got dropped off, there was mullet jumping all over the place and other bait was running too. I walked and walked but didn’t even have a single hit. It was unbelievable because there was so much bait 56 | July 2013

moving around. I was skeptical about finding any fish here because I just hadn’t had any luck.

I was about to just give up after about an hour but then I hooked up. I had finally caught a fish, and now I had hope of maybe catching some more. I cast 360° around in the same spot just to see if there was another trout with the one I just caught. I was willing to try anything to catch another trout. I waded up shallow and I waded deep, but I still found no other fish.

I waded up probably another mile before I got another hit. It was so unexpected that I got a little startled for a second but after I realized it was another fish I was ecstatic, that was until I got it up right next to me. It was smaller than 15” and that was definitely not going to help my team win the tourney. I kept on moving to blow past the small fish and hopefully find some trout of a decent size (this never happened throughout the entire day).

After another hour I caught another dink trout. I was ready to explode because of how many backlashes I had gotten in just three hours. My day was just getting worse by the

minute. Finally Bernie and Erika came to pick me up. I told them my bad news and they told me their bad news.

We moved to a spot that my dad suggested we try out because he had caught some reds here about a week earlier. Bernie and I jumped

out and started wading. We walked for a while and again nothing.

After what seemed like forever, I caught another dink trout and so did Bernie. Erika had no luck drifting beside us either. We picked up and headed to another spot and it was the same, nothing. It was time for weigh-in and we had no fish, talk about a rough day.

Do you know the saying “A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work”? Of course you do, everybody knows that saying. Well sometimes, that saying is not too truthful. Sometimes I would rather just give up and go home but I don’t. I’m not a quitter and I don’t give up easily, especially when it comes to fishing. I try to tell myself that it’s time to give up because there are no fish but I keep going anyways. I love fishing so much that I would rather have a horrible day on the water than go do something else. As long as I’m on the water with friends, having a good time, and not sitting in school, I’m good. It doesn’t matter what happens out there.

I just want to have fun and be relaxed.

I hope you all have a safe summer and remember that even if the fishing is tough, you’re still not at school or work.

For the first time in history; the popular amberjack will be off-limits this July for Gulf offshore anglers.

MIKE JENNINGS

teXaS NearSHore & oFFSHore

tarGetING

aLterNatIve SNaPPer For the first time in history we find ourselves in the month of July with no ability to keep either red snapper or amberjack. These are two of the fish so many of us enjoy targeting and account for great action on a lot of my summertime charters. There is currently so much going on with red snapper that we can hardly keep up with the changing seasons and regulations. Just a month ago the Charter Fisherman’s Association, a Gulfbased group, in conjunction with the states of Texas and Louisiana, won a federal lawsuit that resulted in the abolishment of a rule that was to cost Texas, Louisiana and Florida anglers a large portion of their season. Then the red snapper allocation was increased by almost one third, throwing this year’s season into a lot of uncertainty.

This whole subject of federal “mismanagement” of our great natural resources is almost enough to make you just want to throw your hands up and walk away.

But not so fast. Even though we would probably most all agree that we should still be fishing for red snapper and amberjack in the month of July; there are other snapper out there that fit just as nicely on the grill or next to those French fries.

58 | July 2013

I am referring to the vermillion snapper, AKA beeliner, and the gray snapper, AKA mangrove. And while I’m not much on your typical how-to type article; I thought for this one issue I would offer a few thoughts, tips and tactics. I regularly target both of these “alternative snapper” with a lot of success on my charters.

I think it would shock most avid offshore anglers to learn just how often they are right above these two fun and delectable species and never know it. The beeliner likes the exact same structure type as the red snapper; they just like it a little deeper. In many cases they prefer smaller structure that will not attract large numbers of red snapper, which is very handy when the red snapper season is closed. Think of spots you have that lie in depths greater than 170 feet, especially the ones you tend to avoid when targeting red snapper because they just don’t seem to hold the larger fish we’re always searching for in any decent numbers. Keep in mind as you pull over these spots that if you’re not using a bottom machine with at least 1KW capability you may very well never see the beeliners. I sometimes struggle to see them in the mud with a full 2KW machine at times.

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Trust your structure and check it with baits.

Once you decide to give it a try, forget the subtle approach that you would use for larger and warier red snapper. Put all that completely out of your mind. Downsize your terminal tackle and plan to start deep, at or near bottom. I will usually go to double or even triple hook dropper gear or other rigs, with no larger than a 5/0 circle

C ontact

The colorful rock hind is a welcome by-catch when we target beeliners, great eating too!

hook. The standard rig will have the weight on the bottom and hooks suspended above.

With large boats, say like party boat size, with lots of baits in the water, it is common to draw beeliners high in the water column as the baits are being reeled up. On smaller Beeliners – the popular vessels with only a few baits down at a time, name for vermillion it becomes more difficult to draw them off snapper – will become one of the alternative bottom , especially if amberjacks and sharks targets for bottom are present. There have been many days fishing when the season that we caught 20 beeliner per angler limits closes for red snapper. and every one of them come off the bottom hook with the weight lying in the mud.

Beeliners don’t care about presentation or size of weight. I typically use a 5 to 6 ounce weight and will go larger if the current forces me.

Bait selection is another issue that just really doesn’t matter all that much. Squid is an excellent choice as are small strips of Boston or tinker mackerel. Make your baits small; I usually cut the average squid into sections about an inch wide.

Once you’ve determined that you’re above the fish, it’s all about getting baits down as quickly as possible. And once your there, letting them eat. Now that “letting them eat” comment is the one that I see causing the largest problem for the average client angler.

The bite is usually a series of short quick taps with an eventual hard bite. The key is letting them work on the bait until they basically hook themselves. I can’t stress that point enough or tell you how many veteran red snapper anglers I have seen struggle with hooking beeliners . When teaching people how to fish for them I probably find this one issue to be the most frustrating; often to the point of their losing baits for multiple drops before they ever actually feel the bite for the first time.

The vermillion snapper is as good a table fare as red snapper in my opinion and better than a lot of other fish out there. They are also under-fished by recreational anglers. The vermillion snapper is regulated as a 4 million pound fishery and we have never caught much over 1 million pounds in a year. So the next time you get a chance, let’s run those landing numbers up and enjoy a fishery that has been greatly underutilized to date. All it takes is a slightly different approach and a little more patience. I promise it will take only a few successful trips and your skill at catching them will quickly get to the point of making the beeliner a regular part of your daily bag.

Oh – I almost forgot. What about the mangroves you ask? Well I’ll have to tackle that one next time. They’re not going anywhere.

60 | July 2013

Captain Mike Jennings is a professional charter captain with more than 25 years offshore experience. Mike is the owner/operator of Cowboy Charters in Freeport TX and is known locally for running further and fishing harder for his clients.

Telephone Email Website

979-864-9439 texassportfishing@gmail.com www.cowboycharters.com

My fishing buddy Cliff with a nice red.

CADE SIMPSON

K aYa K F I S H I N G C H r o N I C L e S

tHe tIDeS Have returNeD My friend Rick Spillman said something the other day I thought was quotable. It was his response to the age old question … “When is the best time to fish?” His response was given without hesitation … “When you can.” I like that answer.

For all of us weekend warriors it isn’t exactly easy to just pick up and go fishing on some random day when the weather forecast, tides and solunar tables are all aligned. We take what we can get and make the best of it. At the end of the day though, it’s not really so bad if you stop and consider another age old saying … “A bad day fishing is better than a good day in the office.” I like that one too.

That brings me to the topic of this past month of fishing for me. After a Saturday devoted to work stuff, my buddy Fred and I had Sunday plans to head for the coast with our kayaks. Morale was high leading up to the trip as fishing had been great in this particular spot for the previous several weeks. The two of us launched just before sunrise and made our way to the promised land (water).

It didn’t take long after entering the first skinny area to realize we weren’t going to be able to fish the general marsh we intended because the water was too shallow.

62 | July 2013

Yes, kayaks can definitely go skinny, but this was too skinny, even for the yaks. Stubbornly I mucked through the half inch of water and six inches of mud, dragging my kayak, hoping to find deeper water holding fish. As one highlight amid my misery, I noticed the familiar sign of a pod of reds coming up a small channel. I have a personal goal of videoing fish and fishing action this year to collaborate a cool video, so I grabbed the HD video camera rather than my rod.

For the next few minutes I recorded this group of fish working its way up that little ditch, which wasn’t but maybe more than five inches deep, as they approached the all-but-drained flat I’d been dragging around in. The fish even knew it was too skinny and they turned back before they completely beached themselves. At this point the fishing adventure for Fred and I all but ended for that day. Travel time and other obligations prevented us from efficiently relocating to a different spot, so we loaded up and hit the road for home.

Fast forward two weeks and Cliff and I made a return trip to the same spot. Immediately after launching I knew the tides were good for us this time. Sure enough, we made it anywhere and everywhere we wanted to go.

The water was the perfect depth to be able to traverse

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64 | July 2013

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Reader, Bill Lewis, sent this photo of a dandy trout he caught recently in his kayak.

the marsh while being shallow enough to expose backs and tails of feeding redfish. I didn’t actually catch a fish that day with Cliff as I spent a lot of time behind the camera, but I did get to watch him and shoot some nice video, along with some still images of a number of reds working the shorelines and just crushing shrimp and baitfish.

I look forward to the next time I can fish and whatever else Mother Nature has for me to enjoy.

FROM A READER:

C ontact

This past month Mr. Bill Lewis wrote, asking a couple of kayak questions.

He first asked “What is the black line attached to the side of your kayak?” and he also asked “Do you ever use an anchor to remain stationary while fishing from the kayak?”

To your first question, Bill, the line around the bow of the kayak is, from what I understand, somewhat of an Ocean Kayak trademark. It’s practical purpose however is to aid in returning your kayak upright if it were to turtle (flip over), the rope gives you something to grab onto easily.

Now for your second question, I rarely use an anchor. I have a three pound anchor that I have carried with me in the surf but I rarely visit the surf. In the shallow water of the marshes I enjoy most, a Stake-out Stik is my go-to anchoring device.

For the rest of you readers, I couldn’t help but ask Bill if he was ever questioned about being THE Bill Lewis, as in the creator of the RatL-Trap. He responded back that indeed he has been asked that, and though he didn’t create the Rat-L-Trap, to his kids he is THE Bill Lewis.

Great response, Bill. Thanks again for your questions and photos. Keep following along and good luck on the water.

Readers, please don’t forget, if you have any kayaking questions shoot me an email. Also, include a picture or two of you fishing or showing off your catch in the kayak.

Telephone Email

936-776-7028 Cademan11@sbcglobal.net

Find me on Facebook to follow along in my outdoor adventures TSFMAG.com | 65

Self-portrait! That’s me hiding behind the snapper; enjoying a fun day beyond the breakers in my Hobie Pro-Angler.

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

erIC oZoLINS

KaYaK PurSuIt oF

reD SNaPPer

As a youngster, my early offshore days entailed jumping aboard a party boat out of Port Aransas to seek lunker snapper and furious king mackerel - much like many outdoors recreation families do to this day. Nearly a decade ago I landed my very first red snapper from the kayak. This popular reef fish has been a personal favorite throughout my angling career - if for no other reason than the incredible table fare they offer. Along with the tasty fillets, they are quite predictable around certain structure and always a lot of fun to catch.

It is no secret that the recent federal red snapper regulations have infuriated nearly all who love to hunt and harvest these critters. While the laws do seem unbalanced against sport anglers (which in reality is an understatement as regards the current federal water snapper season), the law is the law and must be obeyed. Fortunately though, Texas does not adopt the federal regulations for our state waters (inshore 9 nautical miles). All ecosystems in the Gulf are not created equal and TPWD This is what a school of snapper looks like on have rightfully noticed that we the fish-finder. have a substantial and stable red 66 | July 2013

snapper fishery. The result of which has been that anglers in state waters are allowed a year-around season with a bag limit of four fish. This means that despite a closed federal season, you may still fish for red snapper as long as they reside within state waters.

Where does the realm of red snapper and kayak fishing merge? As I grew older and began to seriously explore the world of kayak fishing, my time was greatly expanded “beyond the breakers.” King mackerel were a common target and provided unrivalled thrills with their bait smashing attitude and hard fighting ability.

Their attraction lured me further offshore where I soon learned about the oil platforms and standpipes and these unique structures brought me into a new world of kayak fishing opportunity. When I caught my first snapper from the kayak many years ago, my initial thought was, “Wow - And I didn’t have to pay to fish from a charter boat!”

I marveled at the thought that I am really catching red snapper from the kayak. From that day on I looked at things from a different perspective noticing many

When snapper are located near major structure they are usually numerous.

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potential possibilities from aboard the small plastic battleship.

As the years went by I worked exhaustively to perfect (as much as possible) my version of the art of snapper fishing from the kayak. There were some very interesting factors which came to light and other times nothing seemed to make sense. I noticed that the presence of a school of snapper may be in a different location at varying times, on varying days. I would get frustrated when I couldn’t find the school knowing I had laid into them just a couple days prior. At certain offshore platforms the snapper would at times gather as far as 200 feet away from the rig. Finding them would become a tedious process of scanning the bottom with the fish-finder. Their movements and location would also depend on the strength and direction of the current and tides. However, when you did locate the fish, it was ultimately game on!

The most widely practiced method for catching snapper, regardless of location or vessel, is to simply drop a weighted line with cut or live bait. Snapper are not usually picky eaters so if they are around, the action should be almost instant and consistent.

The largest hindrance to snapper fishing is the ever so pesky triggerfish (which the feds have also somehow deemed threatened in our waters). It is important to note that sharks also love snapper, and if the action mysteriously shuts off for no apparent reason it is usually due to the arrival of sharks.

When things come together and the bite is on, then the fun really kicks into high gear! The benefit of shallow water snapper fishing from the kayak is your freedom and ability to release undesirable snapper at will, which means you can hold off for your eventual sow. While it usually is no problem to obtain a limit, most “keeper” nearshore red snapper only run 15-25 inches. In regards to the Kayak Wars tournament, I actually release the vast majority of my snapper, back into the water unharmed.

There are countless locations within our nearshore waters, many secret and others not, where you can find healthy populations of red snapper and other reef fish. Structure of any size makes all the difference in the world and where there is structure, there are plentiful fish to be found. Unfortunately the government’s recent “Idle Iron” project has been A standpipe (wellhead without a platform), can sometimes offer as much angling opportunity on a rampage removing these delicate habitats. This as the larger platforms – and usually without poses a challenge for many offshore kayak fishermen other boats vying for a piece of the action. who wish to target fish such as snapper. The only

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68 | July 2013

anyway. Your own personal kayak selection is highly important.

Over the years I have discovered that the most optimal setup for offshore kayak fishing is with any pedal-drive system. This creates a near hands-free capability which means you can be on the move or maintain your position in a current AND fish simultaneously.

This is ideal when bottom fishing for snapper and other reef fish.

Kayak fishing is all about freedom and discovering the ability to explore and create your own adventure. When the realization that one can actually catch highly-prized food fish (red snapper) from a simple kayak comes to light, the possibilities become endless. Angling enthusiasts, whether they catch and release or responsibly harvest, do thoroughly enjoy this species. From a kayaking point of view, there is a great sense of achievement when you land a sow snapper from your own kayak knowing people pay captains and charters high dollar fees to do the same.

While it is not for everyone, those who put in the effort and plan a strategic and safe trip will often be rewarded. Remember, safety should always come first especially when beyond the breakers. If you think and act smart, karma will eventually follow.

C ontact

advice I can offer is to explore A solid red the rigs before they are gone for snapper taken good. While new platforms may on the kayak. randomly pop up, the already established structures will not last forever. There is some good news though – red snapper are a very prolific species and despite the removal of rigs or devastation of red tide, the inshore specimens repeatedly bounce back in great numbers and find suitable habitat somewhere. And they are not restricted solely to oil platforms, any wreck or rock structure will always and forever house populations of snapper. A good fish-finder on the kayak will be your best friend.

Kayak fishing offshore is often a tiring pursuit, and usually the closest rigs on our coast are a mile or two out. Being in the best physical condition possible helps contribute to your safety on the water. Many people tie up to a platform when they get out there which is fine. However, if you are getting battered by the waves during this, then the seas usually are too big to be deemed safe for a kayaker

For the past decade, Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been a key figure promoting catch and release with sharks and assisting various shark-research programs. Oz is renowned in the kayaking world for extreme biggame fishing and runs Kayak Wars – one of the largest kayak fishing tournaments in the world.

Email Websites

Oz@extremecoast.com extremecoast.com kayakwars.com

The Hits just keep on comin’.

Come and experience The Saltwater Fishing Capital of the World.® bring your own boat or use one of our many charter services. With countless flounder and redfish running the shorelines, and the waters teeming with speckled trout, the excitement never ends. It will be your chance to land the big one that didn’t get away!

Offshore, inland (marsh or bay) and fly fishing, all available with experienced guides

1-800-688-2732 • LaSaltwaterFishingCapital.com

Tournament: July 25th-28th Awards: July 28th Registration begins July 25th @ the Chamber of Commerce Pavilion.

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Please call 956-944-2354 or visit www.portmansfieldchamber.org for pre-registration or more info.

We invite you to come participate in the 39th Annual Port Mansfield Fishing Tournament!

TSFMAG.com | 69

A brown pelican in Texas City.

Photo by Kyle McCreary.

STEPHANIE BOYD

F I S H Y Fa C t S

PeLICaNS A wonderful bird is the pelican, His bill will hold more than his belican, He can take in his beak Enough food for a week But I’m damned if I see how the helican! ~ Dixon Lanier Merritt

Pelicans are probably the most recognizable of all coastal birds. Their unique bills and behaviors have immortalized them in everything from Shakespearian lore and medieval heraldry to Christian symbolism and Indian legend. Of course, what does immortality mean to a bird that’s been around, nearly unchanged, for thirty million years?

In evolution, change is the name of the game. Those organisms that seem to have reached a stagnant point in their development are sometimes seen as occupying a lowly branch on the evolutionary tree. Creatures such as the duck-billed platypus, alligator gar, and lungfish – often referred to as “living fossils” by documentary narrators – supposedly owe their existence to the inheritance of a “protected station,” an ecological niche in which they were the biggest, baddest, and only competitors.

As evidenced by a fossil found in southern France 70 | July 2013

in 2010, pelicans would seem to be another group left behind by evolution. The beaks, bills, and other keratinous structures of birds are rarely preserved, but this particular fossil showed a mostly in-tact bill that was proportionally larger than modern pelicans. That difference aside, its other characteristics can all be found today somewhere in the existing pelican species.

Why pelican anatomy should have remained unchanged for so long is unclear. Perhaps their main prey have not changed appreciably, or maybe there’s only so many ways you can build a functional pelican.

In any case, once they adapted to a particular role that has been available over wide areas of the globe for thirty million years, there was no reason to continue changing.

In 1858, Darwin proposed that “species inhabiting a very large area, and therefore existing in large numbers, and which have been subjected to the severest competition with many other forms, will have arrived through natural selection at a higher stage of perfection than the inhabitants of a small area.” That being the case, it would seem inappropriate to label this group of birds as vestiges of a more diverse group, the other lines “having been beaten out and exterminated by more improved forms” (another Darwinism). I would classify their survival as alike with the crocodilians, a long-lived and

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successful lineage.

Linnaeus first formally described the genus Pelecanus in 1758. The name is derived from the ancient Greek word pelekys, meaning ax. The distinguishing characteristics Linnaeus applied to this group were a straight bill hooked at the tip, linear nostrils, a bare face, and fully webbed feet. This early definition included just a few additional non-pelican birds…

Although they appear clumsy on land, pelicans are strong swimmers and powerful fliers, sometimes traveling nearly 100 miles (one way) to feeding areas. They are mainly piscivorous, but won’t turn their bills up at amphibians, turtles, crustaceans, and even occasionally, other birds. Most pelicans fish in cooperative groups by swimming in a “U” shape and driving the fish into shallow waters by beating their wings on the surface. Then they just scoot through and scoop ‘em up. A couple of species, our own brown pelican included, actually dive for fish, though they’re not averse to snagging the unwary mullet if it swims right under them. Contrary to urban legend, pelicans do not store food in their pouch; it’s just used for catching (though they will carry food back to their chicks in it).

Adult pelicans rely primarily on visual communication. There’s some occasional grunting when at the colony, but they’re generally silent elsewhere. Pelicans are gregarious and nest colonially.

Though you might think this would be a quiet suburb since the adults don’t verbalize much, the chicks more than make up for their parents’ silence. Mated pairs are monogamous for the season.

Newly hatched chicks are fed by regurgitation. At about a week old, they can stick their heads into their parent’s pouch and feed themselves.

There is an often-recounted myth of the pious pelican who pierces her breast with her bill to feed the blood to her chicks when there is no other food available, her blood even having the power to bring the chicks back to life. This self-sacrifice became a Christian symbol with mentions in hymns and texts, such as Dante’s reference to Jesus as “nostro pelicano.” This image of the mother pelican wounding herself also became popular in medieval heraldry, though the pelican often looked rather eagle-like in the renderings. Ironically, the earlier Greco-Roman, Indian, and Egyptian myths tell that the mother (or father, in some cases) first kills her chicks when they start to rebel, and then, moved by piety or regret, revives them with her blood. I wonder if those who adopted the family-friendly version knew the more grim, original story. In reality, the pelican will press its bill onto the chest to fully empty its pouch for the chicks, and some species have a red throat during breeding season...

There are eight species of pelicans around the world, living on every continent except Antarctica. We have the eastern brown pelican year-round and the American white pelican in the winter (there are a few small colonies of the American white that stay on the Gulf coast year-round, but the majority go up north for breeding). eastern Brown Pelican This is the smallest of the eight pelicans, weighing up to ten pounds, with a wingspan up to about 7.5 feet. Males are typically larger than females. It is one of only two pelican species without predominantly white plumage. Their pouch can hold up to three gallons of water, which is three times more than the stomach can hold. To feed, brown pelicans soar 30-60 feet in the air, singling out fish near the surface of the water. When they have a target; they dive. To ensure the dive is non-lethal, the bird is equipped with air sacs just beneath the skin, kind of like your car’s air bags.

The brown pelican also tucks its head and rotates its body to the left just before impact, probably to cushion the trachea and esophagus, which are found on the right side of the neck. They prey primarily on menhaden, mullet, and anchovy, but they’re not above pilfering leftovers from fisherman, or even stealing outright from other birds. Gulls will often steal a pelican’s catch right out of his pouch, even perching on the pelican’s head to wait for an opportunity. Karma.

Brown pelicans were listed as endangered in 1970 and nearly disappeared from Texas altogether.

DDT pollution in the 1950s and 1960s contaminated the food web. While it didn’t kill pelicans outright, it led to thin eggshells. Pelicans brood by more or less standing on their eggs. A ten-pound bird standing on eggs with thin shells = crushed eggs. Luckily, brown pelicans have a fairly long life span, about thirty years, so when DDT was banned in 1972, the birds still had time to save the species. They recovered enough to be delisted in 2009 and continue to make a steady comeback. american White Pelican American white pelicans are found throughout North America. They breed in inland, prairie regions

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of the US and Canada and head south for the winter. There are a few small, year-round populations along the Gulf. This is a large, white species of pelican, up to twenty pounds with a wingspan of up to about 9.5 feet.

The American white will eat three to four pounds of fish per day by gliding over the water surface, scooping up daydreaming fish (and straining the excess water out before swallowing). Though both parents take an active role in rearing their young, these pelicans typically successfully raise just one of the two eggs they lay. They are easily disturbed from nests, readily abandoning their young if threatened (other birds apparently don’t bother them, but anything that walks constitutes a threat).

While there are no known adverse effects of American white pelicans on humans, they have been persecuted in the past because of the misperception that they were eating commercially harvested fish (they mostly eat small fish with no commercial value). Starting in the 1880s, American whites were clubbed and shot, their eggs and young deliberately destroyed, and their feeding and nesting habitat lost to industry. Even in the 21st century, there have been attempts to reduce pelican numbers through systematic culling (not in Texas, fortunately).

Though they can be a real nuisance at cleaning tables, pelicans in Texas seem to be in fairly good standing with their human neighbors, on the whole, though they’re exploited mercilessly (and effectively) by the tourism industry. It’s appropriate. They are, certainly, an icon of the coast.

Where I learned about pelicans, and you can, too!

TPWD: Eastern Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/bpelican/ US Fish & Wildlife Service: Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile. action?spcode=B02L The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Brown Pelican http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican/lifehistory Animal Diversity Web: Brown Pelican http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Pelecanus_ occidentalis/ Animal Diversity Web: American White Pelican http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Pelecanus_ erythrorhynchos/ Nature Works: American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/whitepelican.htm Birds.com: American White Pelican http://www.birds.com/species/a-b/american-white-pelican/ National Geographic http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/pelican/ The Ecphorizer: The Case of the Pious Pelican http://www.ecphorizer.com/EPS/site_page.php?page=902&issue=56 Wired Science: The Pelican’s Beak http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/09/the-pelicans-beaksuccess-and-evolutionary-stasis/ 74 | July 2013

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TSFMAG.com | 77

DICKIE ColBuRn

DICKIE ColBuRn’s Sabine Scene

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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

78 | July 2013

It started with eight inches of rain. The flats bordering the ICW were immediately flushed with freshwater and clarity took a temporary hit. Much to the delight of the folks that had been cashing in on the phenomenal big trout bite, however, the bite rebounded quickly and we thought we were home free.

Two days later Mother Nature decided that four months of howling wind weren’t enough and she vented for nearly the entire month of May. Many of the most productive flats were blown out daily and the more determined fishermen were forced into overcrowded patches of semi-protected water on the Louisiana side.

There has been, however, sneak peeks at a potentially great summer as every time the wind has backed off to a manageable level someone catches another big trout and the birds work a little. It took an eight pound-plus trout to win the annual S.A.L.T. Club Memorial Day tournament and they fought wind all weekend. The day before STAR kicked off a 9.4 pound trout made the local scales!

At this point I can only assume the wind will eventually give us a break and the playing field will expand soon. If and when that happens, the gull activity will attract the largest crowds, but that is not the way to

catch the largest of our trout in July and August.

Depending how deep the trout set up shop, plan on wading early and drifting the deeper flats during the hotter hours of the day. I don’t know that I have ever

A nice trout caught in spite of the wind!

fished a Corky Fat Boy or Maniac Mullet this late in the year, but the big trout are going to have to quit eating them before I put them away.

We will start virtually every morning with The rain didn't slow the trout a She Dog or Spook and let the fish dictate bite. C & R which topwater they prefer. Black-chartreuse and clown are very dependable. When they blow up but don’t eat, offer the same fish a Die Dapper on a 1/8 ounce Shiney Hiney head. You will probably have to dig that combination out of the back of their mouth!

When the fish slide off into deeper water the same lures are still in play but we seem to find more fish with the longer rat-tailed Assassin or a swimbait. Unlike the spring and early fall, I do much better with the slightly larger four inch H & H Usual Suspect for both trout and redfish. Space guppy, glowchartreuse and opening night have been exceptionally hot depending water clarity.

This will mark our first summer fishing with the Vudu shrimp under a cork and while it has already proven itself, it is going to be devastating on trout schooling under the gulls. Perhaps its most important attribute is its toughness as no one likes replacing plastics when the trout are doing their thing!

Due mostly to the exceptionally high water, the best redfish action is still in the backwater marsh on the Louisiana side and along the jetties.

Look for the huge schools of summer to start prowling the open lake as

soon as the shad exit the bayous.

The flounder catching has been above average and part of the reason is that many frustrated trout fishermen have targeted them as an alternative to dealing with the chopped up open lake. The size of the flounder has been the calling card and the numbers aren’t bad either.

GULP in any shape or form will work, but we have done well enough fishing four inch Sea Shads and Flats Minnows on 1/4 ounce heads.

We have also done well on both flounder and redfish with a 3.5 inch Wedgetail rigged on a 1/4 ounce single blade spinner bait.

If you have your La. license I would recommend the bayous leading into the Game Reserve for the most consistent bite, but you can also do well on main points and the small drains. When the tide is in look for the fish to hold tight to the cane roots and when it is out, look for them 15 to 20 feet in front.

Until recently, I had only fished Laguna’s custom rods, but they came out with a Liquid Series rod this year for about half the price and aside from not being quite as pretty or personal, I can’t tell enough difference to merit the extra money. The actions are the same as the customs with no sacrifice in weight and balance, and we haven’t broken the first rod thus far.

Sign the kids up for STAR and any cast on every trip has the potential to earn you a pile of college money!

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mICKEY Eastman

mICKEY On Galveston First week of June and those crazy late-season fronts have finally given way to consistent southerly flows – ain’t it about time. Up until just a few days ago wade fishing was the norm, given that we had to seek protection Galveston from May’s near nonstop wind.

Shorelines are holding solid trout but are harder to catch than they were a few weeks ago, due mostly to the way they travel Mickey Eastman is a full-time fishing guide out of Baytown, TX. during peak spawning periods Mickey has over 30 years guiding and also the recent shrimp experience on the Galveston movements pulling them toward area bays and is the founder deeper structure. I tell everybody of Gulf Coast Troutmasters, that any angler willing to get the largest speckled trout wet and grind with a variety of tournament series of all time. baits – Top Dogs, Spooks, Maniac Mullets, Corkys, and a variety of telephone 281-383-2032 MirrOlures – is going to find the bite. You may not find nonstop action every day but the reward

80 | July 2013

Mickey Jr. with a nice Trinity Bay speck he fooled with a topwater.

is their considerable size. We are still seeing and hearing reports of decent numbers of shoreline trout in the 5-6 pound class with a few pushing up toward 8 pounds.

With the wind down and open bay water clearing, it’s pretty much a no-brainer to head for shell reefs and other structure in six to eight feet with soft plastics.

In other open bay action, the shad have really begun showing up and are currently spreading all over East and Trinity Bays – another no-brainer. Anytime you find shad balls cruising in open water you can bet the trout are going to be close by. Topwaters are the ticket when you see shad becoming really active and that frantic greyhound thing they do is a dead giveaway that trout will take surface baits.

Jeremy Bane jumped atop the CCA STAR Upper Coast Speckled Trout leader board with this exceptional 8lb-13oz specimen – wading East Bay with pink MirrOlure. Congrats Jeremy; I hope it holds up for you!

Bird action is beginning to pay off under terns and seagulls when they’re over shrimp. The bird bite over shad balls is inconsistent. You can tell when they’re over shrimp by the way they swarm tightly together, hovering right at the surface, and doing lots of squawking.

When you get close to all this activity you should be able to see shrimp skipping and a blowup here and there; you’ll know in a few seconds they’re working shrimp.

This time of year with predominantly light SE wind is what we live for on the Galveston Bay Complex. It just opens up all kinds of opportunity for every type of angling from chasing birds, drifting reefs, jetty fishing, fishing dumps and pads along the Ship Channel, wading the surf, and even the pier fishing ratchets up a couple of notches.

With water temperatures stable in the high-seventies to lower-eighties, the summer pattern blossoms, and the variety of angling options makes planning a successful trip about as easy as it gets.

Timing can be critical though. Even as good as it can be this time of year they’re still not going to just jump in the boat for you at every stop. If you know you’re on fish and having a tough time getting them going, be patient and give it some time, they will eventually turn on.

Quite often we find that strong bites are tide related and the peak of the feeding activity will be on the tail end of the tidal current whether it’s outgoing or incoming.

Four tide days bring generally weaker flows and I have found it best to focus on the lower end of the Complex; East Bay, West Bay, Campbell Bay, near passes, and reefs along the lower Ship Channel, etc. Now on your two tide days I like to fish the upper regions of the complex because the tides flow longer and, given the distance from the passes, it takes a while for their impact to become a factor in the feeding equation. The single outgoing tide is like magic for Trinity and further upstream because the prolonged effect of current drawing water down into the main bay will pull a lot of bait and quite often it brings cooler water to the structure where bait will hold and fish will feed.

So far, with calmer bay waters and green tides, the bite has been good and should continue to improve as the summer pattern develops.

Water conditions are good throughout the Galveston Bay System and speckled trout are plentiful. The CCA STAR Tournament is off to a great start and some nice fish have been weighed in. Don’t forget to get signed up; your next cast could win you an incredible prize.

Good luck, be courteous, practice safe boating, and fish hard!

-Capt. Mickey TSFMAG.com | 81

BInK GRImEs

thE VIEW fRom Matagorda

Matagorda

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

telephone 979-241-1705 email binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net Website www.binkgrimesoutdoors.com

82 | July 2013

I am not going to talk about the July heat - let everyone else bellyache about it. What I will say is; even though the sun will be blistering some days, the fish will still bite.

We get a little earlier start in the morning this month and try to be back at the dock before mercury readings hit the century mark. We catch fish both in the boat and wading. Most of our drifting trips will be in East Bay. This bay continues to produce solid trout right through summer. In May my boat released fifteen trout over six pounds while drifting, including a beautiful thirty-incher. There are few estuaries that rival East Bay’s propensity to give up big trout year round out of the boat (only Calcasieu and Sabine come to mind).

July is notorious for slicking off flat, allowing the bay, jetty and surf equal fanfare. With great weather and endless possibilities, it is a tough early-morning choice to decide which direction to head.

When wading, we throw small Super Spooks and She Pups on the incoming tide and expect a crash.

Later in the morning we ease to deeper water and toss Chicken on a Chain Bass Assassin Sea Shad and Lil’ Tappers. When drifting, Gulp! and live shrimp

under a popping cork continues to give up heavy trout; and redfish can be found in large schools over the same shell.

Good News: The sharks are back! West Matagorda Bay has grown to be a shark-magnet. One thing lots of anglers overlook – when the gray linebackers are absent, so are the fish. Sharks are a trustworthy barometer of how many fish are on any given sand and grass flat.

Most seasoned waders know that using the traditional 15-25 feet of nylon cord with a float attached for a stringer is asking for trouble in West Bay. We use them fall, winter and spring, or until the first signs of sharks appear, then break out the five-gallon buckets.

Buckets are cumbersome, take up extra room in a boat and actually pull and tug on waders when fishing the surf or around a pass. Cord-style stringers are much lighter, easier and more maneuverable; nevertheless, if you wade West Bay from now until October and plan on catching fish and putting them on a stringer, plan to shake hands with a shark.

Speckled trout are there because gobs of mullet, shad and small minnows infest the shorelines. Sharks are there because speckled trout are there.

Most recorded shark bites are mistakes, so take precautions. Keep your catch in a bucket, or if you must use a stringer, make sure it is at least 25 feet away from you.

Though I will not admit it to my wife, I have been brushed by a shark a couple of times – it’s an eerie feeling to put it mildly. Still, I have a better chance of being in an automobile accident on the way to the boat ramp than a shark attack. Those odds still don’t make her feel any better.

That’s not to discourage wading – I will be doing plenty of it this month and, I still like receiving a royalty check from the wadefishing book I wrote 10 years ago. So keep on wading and reading.

TSFMAG.com | 83

CaPt. shEllIE GRaY

mID-Coast BaYs With the Grays

Port O'Connor Seadrift

Captain Gary and Captain Shellie Gray fish year-round for trout and redfish in the Port O’Connor/ Seadrift area. Gary started his Bay Rat Guide Service 20 years ago.

The Grays specialize in wade and drift fishing with artificial lures.

Gary and Shellie also team up to fish many tournaments.

telephone 361-785-6708 email Gary@BayRat.com Website www.bayratguideservice.com

84 | July 2013

The wind kept us tattered and ragged most days oyster reefs. As I mentioned, targeting the dropoffs this spring and many of our days were spent seeking in any of these waters will be key. I usually start my protection in our shallowest back lakes chasing redfish. day very early fishing knee deep water and slowly Now you will never hear me complain of catching working my way out to the drop offs till I am about redfish because they will always be my #1 favorite chest deep. species to fight, but I am so ready to see some new real On days when there isn’t a breath of breeze to estate and get into fishing some deeper water. be felt, my boat will be heading to the surf to take It can be tough catching in the middle of summer advantage of some of the best trout action to be with the extremely hot weather and little to no wind most days. Fish seem to get lazy in the heat and Mark Schmitt with a picky in their feeding. It is a good beauty of a redfish. idea to get an extremely early start or maybe decide to fish later into the evening when the sun is gone and the coming darkness promises relief from the heat of the day.

Now that it is so much warmer I will be spending most my days fishing dropoffs and guts on the sandy shorelines of Matagorda, Ayers and Espiritu Santo Bays. San Antonio Bay will also offer up some awesome fishing on the numerous

found. When fishing the surf you must still fish smart. Look for bait, slicks and birds. Redfish generally are in the first gut right at beach.

The trout start in the first gut early in the morning and move out deeper to the second and third guts later in the day.

Besides fishing the cooler waters of the surf or dropoffs, there are some other important factors to keep in mind. Paying attention to your surroundings can pay off big time. Watch for baitfish leaping out of the water. If you see any mullet, shad, shrimp or glass minnows running and jumping like someone just lit a fire under them, make sure to cast in the direction from where they are fleeing. This may be your only clue to a feeding fish nearby so make sure to fish that area thoroughly. Sometimes as redfish feed close to the grass lines you

Jason Wheatley with his personal best trout at 26 inches. Kudos for releasing this beauty to fight another day!

may also notice the grass blades moving as they rummage around for small crabs and shrimp. Their tails may even break the surface for a second, but if you are not scanning carefully you may miss it.

Using your sense of hearing can also benefit you greatly when the fishing is slow. While fishing in an area you should make yourself feel at one with nature. Listen for smacks on the water’s surface or thrashing as fish try to catch their prey. Even if you think it is only mullet making all that racket, make sure to fish it thoroughly before you move on.

As of late, Bass Assassin’s 4 inch Sea Shad in the Slammin Chicken, Hot Chicken or the Sugar & Spice have been our go to baits.

Remember to work your lure slower allowing it to sink close to the bottom before retrieving it back up to the surface, almost like the yo-yo effect. Scented baits are also a good choice and can be most beneficial when fish start to get hesitant as the water heats up during the middle of the day.

If you are an angler that prefers to use natural bait then shrimp and croakers can be used in these areas as well. But as everyone knows fish that are less desirable like gafftop and hardheads can become a real nuisance with live bait. Always carry a good pair of pliers or hook-outs to aid in removing the hooks from these fish since it is very easy to get impaled by their bony fins.

Another nuisance that is out in full force is the stinging jellyfish. I have seen more jellies this year than I care to mention. More than a few anglers not wearing long wading pants have been coming to the dock with painful welts. Shorts may be fashionable but long pants are definitely better protection from these painful critters.

TSFMAG.com | 85

DaVID RoWsEY

hooKED uP WIth Rowsey

“The wind is your friend!” Have you ever heard that?

Well, it couldn’t be more true than in Baffin and the Upper Laguna. Although dead-calm days are far and few between down here, they typically make for Upper miserable fishing and are good only for comfortable boat rides. Calm days have not been the issue of Laguna/ late. In fact it has been cranking from the south for Baffin longer than I can remember. The crazy thing is that I am overjoyed by the gusts reaching to 35 mph some days. Y’all probably wonder why I would want to fish in it. Truth is that I do not like fishing in it, but that David Rowsey has 20 years beautiful green water streaming up through the Land experience in the Laguna/Baffin Cut is exactly what we need in Baffin and the Upper region; trophy trout with artificial lures is his specialty. David has a Laguna to dilute the brown tide, and nothing could please me more. great passion for conservation and encourages catch and After spending the majority of my springtime release of trophy fish. fishing in the clear waters of the Upper Laguna, the brown tide has now taken over the area, and telephone pushed all the way north into Corpus Christi Bay. The 361-960-0340 JFK Causeway (elevated only over the ICW and the Website www.DavidRowsey.com narrow shallow section near the mainland) serves as email a dam to prevent it from pushing on through, where david.rowsey@yahoo.com tidal exchange from the Port Aransas jetties could

help suck it out or dilute it, and possibly kill it. After spending all spring running on a tank of gas per full week of charters, I am now using a tank a day to reach clear waters further to the south of Baffin. The good news is that the fish, like me, seem to be in better spirits in the clean water and are willing to take a lure without hesitation.

“Ain’t nothin’ better than riding a fine horse through a new country.” That line was spoken by ex-Ranger Captain Gus McCrae in one of my all-time favorite movies, Lonesome Dove. That is pretty much how I feel on my fine horse, 24 HO Haynie, as my eye scans across trout green flats full of potholes. When you spend as many days on the water as I do you can easily take things for granted, i.e. water quality, until they are taken away from you. That is the effect the brown tide has had on me and all the other sports that have a love affair with Baffin. To see some green moving back in, although limited, it kind of reminds me of getting your best girl back after some thug stole her away. We are not quite ready to move in together, but we are at least making eyes at each other.

I have had numerous trips of late that produced

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Allen Williams and I wearing big smiles – joyous over simultaneous hookups in the same pothole. Accidently slapping Allen across the mouth with the tail of an 8-pounder while staging the pic was pretty funny…expletives deleted!

some grand trout in pretty water. Seeing the structure and having bait present is the whole deal if you are a serious artificial lure guy or gal. In one case my friend and client (see photo) and I cast into the same pothole within ten seconds of each other and snagged a 7.0 and an 8.25 pound trout. This was just after Allen had caught 5 and 6 pound trout on some other sand holes earlier that morning.

Yesterday I had my clients in a new area full of bait and many potholes. The payoff was big with them catching five trout over 28 inches, but none over 30. I just stood back and took pictures, enjoying the moment with each of them.

It was a great day that none of us will forget and a pattern that will be repeated throughout the summer. If you want to be a part of it, shoot me a text or a phone call and we will make it happen.

MirrOlure just sent me some new topwater lures soon to hit the market. They are called Pro Dog, and they are cool! Some of the best paint jobs you have ever seen, and a rattle that is somewhere between a She Dog and the original Top Dog. You topwater grinders that refuse to ever make a lure change, and you know who you are, are going to love them. I’m catching on a variety of lures right now.

Pro Dog, Fat Boys, and the 5” Bass Assassins have all been great producers for me recently, but when it gets slow you need to go low! The 5” Bass Assassin is hard to beat when you need to grind out big trout on a slow feed period.

Remember the buffalo. –Capt. David Rowsey

TSFMAG.com | 87

CaPt. tRICIa

tRICIa’s Mansfield Report Another month has zoomed past and all things are good in Port Mansfield, including the fishing. It has been rather sporting for artificial wade fishing enthusiasts; some days working much harder than others for quantity – yet quality fish have been my target throughout June and we have not been Port disappointed most days. Deep summer patterns are Mansfield in full swing and we certainly have had to adjust our tactics a little bit, but not too much.

Refreshing cool mornings in the shallows can still work on less-trafficked weekdays, especially on the Capt. Tricia’s Skinny Water north and southeast flats. We like to start with Adventures operates out of small topwaters, simply to take advantage of the Port Mansfield, specializing in excitement that accompanies gigantic explosions wadefishing with artificial lures. in ankle to knee deep water...really nothing much better than that! As the bite wanes in the shallows we systematically drift toward the first telephone 956-642-7298 drop and switch to plastics worked over waist email deep grass patches, and sand pockets where the shell@granderiver.net grass coverage is more constant. We sometimes Website www.SkinnyWaterAdventures.com begin our days in similar depths along our beloved west shoreline but even weekday traffic dictates the quieter east side of the bay most of the time.

Weekend traffic has been almost ridiculous this past

88 | July 2013

month, bordering on scary at times.

I am very happy to report the Laguna’s water quality could not be any better as of this writing. I have written several times previously that the big seagrass die-off following the mid-summer floods of 2010 created near-constant water clarity issues, and while the grass is far from fully recovered, the calmer wind patterns of late have certainly yielded much better clarity on average and let’s just pray that it continues. Being able to see and point out structure to clients sure helps to improve the bite ratio and also

Kelsey with a beautiful Lower Laguna trout…does it get any better?

their understanding of the lessons we present. Nothing like being able to see what you’re doing!

We are still catching great trout up to eight pounds and quite a few in the four to six pound range, however, I’m afraid the days of the heavy weights are about done for the season as spawning activity is at full tilt and the longer and harder they do it the skinnier they’ll be on the Boga. We are finding fish on all types of structure, from early morning sand with scattered grass to spoil banks and larger grass breaks and bars. A good assortment of lures has made it fun, smaller tops in the mornings and mid-size to even larger (when they’re aggressive) as the day progresses. Soft plastic paddletails and Kelley Wiggler Ball Tail Shads are still my top choice day in and day out. We will be field testing some new “glittery” colors from Kelley soon and I cannot wait to get my hands on them.

Inside every diehard angler there is a certain amount of lure

Gavin Corbett nailed this red with a gold spoon.

junky but it is a real mistake to turn our backs on the tried and true numbers that have produced over the years. One of these is the good old 1/4 ounce weedless gold spoon. Redfish love them – so as they say – don’t leave home without ‘em! Line twist can be a problem though, especially if your retrieve is fast enough to cause the spoon to twirl part of the time. So if your spoon does come not factoryrigged with a split ring and barrel swivel attached, you’ll do well to add these unless you want a horribly twisted line.

While on the subject of rigging, I’m amazed at the number of fairly accomplished anglers that have not yet learned to tie a loop knot on their lures or a uni-to-uni joining knot to attach a leader. There are some excellent websites that feature animated tutorials and they’re only a couple of clicks from your fingertips – even on a Smartphone.

Sit down for a few minutes before your next trip and master these simple knots if you haven’t already; you’ll be glad you did.

Here’s a few newsy tidbits I’d like to include before I close: -Floating grass is becoming an issue – topwaters are working best with single hooks.

-The Lower Laguna is crowded – practice your best on-the-water etiquette and safety.

-The marina on the north side of the Mansfield harbor is selling gasoline but they ran out last weekend, and the Exxon on TX 186 at the edge of town still has no fuel.

-Hopeful STAR anglers should invest in a good digital scale. There’s already a 10lb-2oz trout leading the Lower Coast and 5th place is currently 8lb-6oz. Please practice Catch-Photo-Release if your fish won’t make the board.

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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

We have experienced some extraordinary weather recently—whoever heard of northers in May and early-June? The late-arriving fronts caused upper-level low pressure disturbances that created horrific south wind, which in turn made for very challenging fishing conditions. Throw in several not-so-favorable tide days, weekend tournament traffic, the normal Memorial Day crowd, and we definitely had to work for our fish.

Thank goodness the wind is now more manageable and we are enjoying a larger playing field.

I blame strong south wind for scattering our redfish, although if I can say something positive, the wind pushed the tide up and we enjoyed tailing and waking action in backwater areas away from crowds that would have been otherwise dry or nearly so. The trout bite has been fairly consistent and I rate it generally decent to really good some days.

Surprisingly, the flounder bite has been minimal. A few are being caught along the edges of channels but nowhere near what we expect this time of the year.

While the late northers caused cooler water temperatures for several weeks it didn’t take long to recover. Due to longer and recently hotter days the shallow flats are already reaching the mid-to-high 80s

and we still have plenty of hot days to go—probably hit the 90s soon.

What does that mean for fishing? During the hottest hours of the day the trout will tend to go deeper, Working a Kelley Wiggler into waist deep potholes produced this nice trout for Randy.

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90 | July 2013

hugging bottom. They will become sluggish and unwilling to chase or work hard for their food. Early morning and late evening will be your best bets to get on a good bite. During these warm periods I like to work plastics such as a Kelley Wiggler Ball Tail Shad near bottom just off the ICW or deeper grass flats with lots of sand pockets as they will be lying low waiting for the easiest meals and the water to cool before feeding. While exactly opposite of winter I find the hot summer trout bite similar to winter in many ways. Picking your fishing areas based upon water temperature will be critical in the coming weeks.

I mentioned earlier that redfish have been scattered on windier days. Just recently the wind laid down and it was like someone opened the floodgates and let the redfish into our bays. We found them schooled in places they had not been seen in a long time. Do keep in mind when it’s extremely calm, redfish will become spooky of any slight unnatural movement or noise. Lucky for us, we can easily spot their wakes and see their tails on calm days and this really helps. Good baits for skittish reds are the Zara Puppy and also the 1/8 ounce weedless gold spoon. Smaller plastics will work too, as long they don’t make an alarming splash.

The tides will become generally lower later in July and we should begin to see these fish gathering around deeper holes on the flats and in the guts leading to deeper water.

Trout continue to be caught steadily

around spoils along the ICW. A key to getting on a good trout bite is to set up in an area with good tidal flow early in the morning or late in the evening. Slicks are the best indicator that you are in the right spot. Always remember, the smaller and fresher the slick the better indicator it will be. I like to concentrate my efforts in sandy off-colored green water during the summer months. Surface feeding will be prevalent early in the morning and late evening and I find the Spook Jr with Gamakatsu’s 1/0 live bait hooks very effective. This single hook setup also helps keep the plug working in floating grass.

If that doesn’t produce I switch quickly to 1/8 oz Kelley Wiggler jigs and Ball Tail Shads in either Plum/Chart or Flo Mingo. I mentioned slicks, active bait is the other primary key to a good summertime trout bite. With neither present, I’ll usually keep moving. Expect lots of undersized trout and please handle them James Sanchez also with care as they are tomorrow’s trophies. landed a very nice trout on a Kelley I want to mention the new Mercury Pro Wiggler Ball Tail Shad.

XS outboard I’ve been running for a couple of months now. I continue to be extremely pleased with its performance and especially the fuel economy – using about 33% less fuel per trip. I also want to thank Baumann Propellers for setting me up with a great prop that gets me up skinny and provides very good top end performance.

July will be hot; drink lots of Gatorade, fish early and late, and always fish with passion!

TSFMAG.com | 91

FISHING REPORTS

Lake Calcasieu Louisiana Jeff and Mary Poe - Big Lake Guide Service - 337.598.3268 July is an extremely flexible month. Water temperatures will be on the rise and so will our catch totals. The weather is stable, and fishing is great from the north end of the estuary all the way to the Gulf. Trout will be on the move from their shallower springtime homes to their deeper, cooler summer homes. The jetties, surf, and shallow offshore rigs will produce the majority of our fish. Most of the time, trout will not congregate in water over 35 feet deep. Keep this in mind when searching for fish offshore. Reefs toward the middle of the lake in 7-8 feet of water are great places to try. Also, reefs along the drop off in the ship channel will produce mass amounts of fish. Flats lying close to the ship channel offer great opportunities at early morning topwater bites. If the flat is directly adjacent to the channel, do not be afraid to fling your topwater into extremely shallow water during the heat of the day. Every year this technique produces a few trout close at the 30 inch mark. trinity Bay - east Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James says the fishing is highly dependent on the wind speeds this summer. “When it's calm, it's rock 'em sock 'em anywhere you go.

When it's windy, it's tough. All the bays, East Bay, Lower Galveston, doesn't matter. Find some shell in five or six feet of water, and it's on.

92 | July 2013

ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

Surf is on fire, especially down by the Pass. We're working slicks and shell pads, and the tide doesn't matter, as long as it is not running too hard. We've got a great topwater bite in this deep water on the good days when it's calm. We're also throwing Bass Assassins in chartreuse and limetreuse and catching plenty of four and a half to six pound trout. It's some of the best trout fishing I've seen in a long time. Live bait fishermen are catching 'em every day; the lure guys need lighter winds to really do good. We'll keep catching this way, fishing out of the boat and throwing our lures around deep structures all summer. We're also looking forward to the start of tarpon season in the near future.

Once we get into August, our focus will shift over to the silver kings.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 Jim reports excellent fishing in his area, especially when winds and crowds are light. “Both East and Trinity Bays are full of fish and when the wind's not too bad, it's pretty easy catching for the most part.

Weekend crowds have gotten bad, so it's better to get out during the week if possible. All of our best catching has been out in the middle.

The reefs are stacked with solid trout. We're seeing a lot of five pound trout, with a few bigger ones, up to about 27 1/2 inches. Best bite is on soft plastics. We're throwing the Tidal Surge lures with the split tails in whites and chartreuse. They are working great when the bite is hot.

The MirrOlure soft plastics are working a bit better when the tides and bite slow somewhat. Seems the natural colors like bond diamond and

opening night will still produce some bites when the fish are kind of finicky. As long as the wind doesn't blow too much, we should keep catching like this right on through the summer. Guys in the surf are doing well too on the days when they can get at 'em.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 With plenty of brown shrimp swimming around in the water, the fishing has been good in Randall's area on soft plastics lately. “We're catching 'em pretty good most of the time on Norton Sand Eels in red magic and cayenne gold. Those colors seem to mimic the brown shrimp nicely. When we're catching on topwaters, we're using plain nickel Super Spooks. The color is basically silver; it's like the blue/ chrome one without the blue. We have been having our best luck on topwaters when we're in the surf. Had a great run out there last week before the tropical storm sent the big breakers crashing onto the beach. We will be trying to stay out there as much as possible throughout the next couple of months.” He also mentions he's just completed construction of a double boat slip on Chocolate Bayou. I've got two kinds of JH Performance boats hanging back there. Anyone interested in purchasing a JH can come for a test drive if they call me and set up a time that will work for both of us.”

Matagorda | Charlie Paradoski Bay Guide Service - 713.725.2401 Charlie has been catching plenty of trout, mostly in East Matagorda Bay. “We're drifting around the deep reefs in East Bay on most days, catching limits a lot and we're seeing some quality trout on most trips, up to 28 inches or so. Our best bite has been on Gulp! lures under popping corks. Some of the guys are using live shrimp, but the Gulp!

products seem to work just as good or even better. We've had southeast winds much of the time, which helps the water clarity hold up in the middle of East Bay. As long as the winds keep blowing out of the east some, instead of due south or southwest, fishing should be good. Our trout just don't seem to want to be on the shorelines for the most part, so it's mostly a drifting thing, even in West Bay. Many summers, the shoreline coves of West Bay will produce plenty of trout for lure fishermen who want to wade, but that pattern has been kind of slow lately. Of course, whenever we get the chance, we'll be heading to the surf in July. When we can get out there onto the beachfront this time of year, we usually catch plenty of trout on topwaters, and good ones at that.”

Palacios | Capt. aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 Fishing has been dang good even in all this wind. Water temps have been above 70 for awhile, and we have tons of bait in the bays. Redfish have been all over topwaters on shorelines with scattered grass and sandy pockets. When the wind has been blowing we have caught them on old-school SheDogs in clown and chartreuse/pearl. On calm days, we have been throwing small ShePups in black/gold/orange and Spook Juniors in bone flash. The best trout bite so far has been on live shrimp rigged two feet under popping corks. We have been focused on scattered shell pads and deep shell reefs. Tripletail have been hit or miss with the winds; if it is less than 15 knots, it has been good, over that and it makes it tough to fish for them. Live shrimp rigged deep under a cork has been best bait.. The surf should be on fire when we get some calming winds, with all the bait in the bays the beachfront

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has to be loaded. When wading in West Matagorda, make sure to wear long pants and have a shark proof bucket for fish.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 Predictably, Lynn plans on hitting the surf as much as possible in July.

The Port O'Connor area has some of the best surf fishing in the state when calm winds allow the green water to move all the way up to the beach. “We'll be hitting the surf whenever we can. Out there, we like to stay shallow and throw topwaters in the first gut and around the first bar. Of course, on some days, we can't get out to the beachfront, so we'll be fishing in the bays. When we're fishing in the bays, we'll be keying on sandy pockets within the grass beds along area shorelines.

July is a great topwater month, so we'll be throwing Super Spook Juniors and other floating plugs a lot. One of the keys is to stay pretty close to drop offs adjacent to deep water, since the fish like to use the depths to cool off during the day. As the day heats up, we'll throw soft plastics more than topwaters. Overall, the summer fishing is shaping up nicely. We're just heading into our prime time here in the Coastal Bend.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Blake has been catching a bunch of trout lately, and says the fishing in the Rockport area is really improved over recent years. “We seem to have an unusual abundance of solid keeper trout in the eighteen to twenty four inch range. It's been steady for the most part. I'm wading around main bay points and keying on deeper grass beds on some trips, fishing shell reefs on others. Fishing is good all over the area, from San Antonio to Aransas and Corpus Bays. We're having our best luck on soft plastics like Norton Sand Eels. Have had some decent days with topwaters, but the worms and Gulp! lures and of course live

94 | July 2013

croakers are working better. I have had such good luck in the bays, so I haven't ventured out into the surf yet, but the reports I'm getting from the guys who have are good. We'll keep working the deeper waters along the shorelines a bunch in July, and will probably head to the surf with our topwaters and MirrOlures a few times too. Action should be steady with the fish spread so nicely throughout the area.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 The weatherman’s forecast for July is, it’s going to be heating up. My fishing forecast for July is, it’s going to be heating up as well. The air temperatures will be hot but so will the fishing. Even though brown tide is covering much of the water in the Upper Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay, there are some scattered areas with good, semi-clear water.

The better water is usually two feet deep or less, but this where I’m finding most of the fish that my clients are catching. I’ll be fishing along shallow grass lines and shorelines with a mix of sand and grass.

Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like chartreuse dog and sand trout, or Berkley Gulp! Ripple Mullet in the color, morning glory/chartreuse tail rigged on sixteenth ounce Assassin Spring-Lock jigheads will be good lures to fish with. The winds should be down, compared to what we’ve had to deal with lately, and the MirrOlure SheDogs in natural colors will also be very effective in the early morning. Sight-casting in ultra shallow water with Fish Bites will also be good.

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.937.5961 In the blazing heat of July, fishing the edges of deep structures is a good way to catch trout and redfish in the Upper Laguna Madre, Joe says. “It's possible to catch a few fish shallow, even by sight-casting them at times, but steadier action is to be had by staying around the edges of deeper water. Lately, clear water comes in through the Packery Channel and the flats and channels near the bridge look

pretty for a while, then brown tide comes through and changes everything. When the water is clear, and it's possible to see all the edges, the fishing is better. I like to key on sandy spots near the drop off of the ICW or channels which intersect it. It's also productive to fish the deepest grass beds along the edge of Beacroft's and Emmord's Holes. Using jigheads of at least a quarter ounce is often necessary to keep soft plastics in contact with either the edges or near the grass in the depths. We do have some clear water down south too, and the fishing around the mouth of the Land Cut has been good, especially around deep rocks.”

Padre Island National Seashore Billy Sandifer - Padre Island Safaris - 361.937.8446 While there is no denying that July is hot weather wise it can be hot fishing wise as well. Wind and tide tend to be moderate in July and the beach tends to be more angler friendly than in the earlier months.

Water color tends to be clear and July is one of our better months for sight-casting trout, redfish and other species. Since the loss of our winter surf trout fishery, July is our best trout month and good specks will be caught on various lures and live bait. Topwaters can be productive and July is actually the beginning of successful fly fishing in the surf. Spanish and king mackerel, tarpon, Atlantic bluefish, occasional jack crevalle, sharks and numerous species of bottom fish are present. July also marks the time of year when the use of wire leaders is often necessary due to an abundance of toothy critters in the surf. Most shark catches will be made on kayaked baits at night.

Turtle nesting season continues and visitor usage is high so be patient and considerate. Good Fishin’ -Cap’n Billy Port Mansfield | terry Neal www.terrynealcharters.com – 956.944.2559 Summer is here and the temperatures are HOT; the fishing is warming

up too! We have gotten so used to nonstop wind that when it doesn't blow we complain because it gets so darn hot. Remember to drink plenty water or sports drinks to avoid suffering heat stroke. Wear sunscreen and protective clothing. The jetty fishing is really on right now – lots of big reds showing up along with a few tarpon; kings and ling are possible as well. The water quality is the best I've seen in a long time. On calm days you can easily split time between trout and reds in the bay and then snapper and kings a few miles out from the jetty. This is a great time of year for large schools of reds on the flats, hugging potholes and edges of grass beds. Warmer weather sends trout deeper, along the drop to the ICW and East Cut. Remember to only keep what you will eat and release the rest. Enjoy fishing and show respect to others, one day you may need their help.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Janie and Fred Petty – www.fishingwithpettys.com – 956.943.2747 We’ve just begun a new weather pattern that is changing our outlook for the next couple of months. This forecast includes tailing reds and monster trout. Mornings are calm, and that means clearer water, allowing us to pole up to small pods of redfish that are broadcasting their intentions by waiving their tails above the glassy surface. These are classic summer conditions for the LLM, and we’ve been taking advantage with limits of red drum and some small trout. The larger trout we see hanging in deeper, cooler water, especially as the sun rises and the wind begins to stir. Freddy says, “Don’t burn banks and keep noise to a minimum; you’ll be rewarded with action that you normally only get to witness on TV.” We’re throwing Cajun Thunder round corks with a 12” leader and a Norton lock three ought quarter ounce hook loaded with a three inch Berkley Gulp! shrimp. This setup is working in shallow and on the deeper drop offs. Later in the day, jigging a grass line with just the Gulp can pay off in oversize redfish!

Help stop open bay dredge disposal.

TSFMAG.com | 95

David Killian Surfside - first sheepshead!

Reagan Gray Rockport - 30” redfish CPR

Donna Phillips Seadrift - 30” redfish CPR

Leilani Amaya South Padre - first sheepshead!

96 | July 2013

David Guajardo III Port Mansfield - 29” trout

Shawn Chaney Lake Calcasieu - 26.5” 6lb trout CPR

Joe Cavazos Port Mansfield - 32.75” trout

Brook Copano Bay Pier - first spotted sea trout!

Blake Legge Galveston - 40” redfish

Blain Garcia Baffin Bay - first trout! CPR

Ray Cancino Aransas Pass - 30” 7.5lb trout

Chalise Freitag Baffin Bay - 26” first speck!

Jack Labay Port O’Connor - redfish

Kevin Pacheco & Orlando Reyna Lower Laguna - 28” trout

Lauren Moss Jones Lake - 31” redfish

Collin Stephens Matagorda - redfish-8 spotter!

Pat Rockport - spotted sea trout

Michael Wong Galveston jetty - 32" red

Julien Vela trout

Wayne Moore Sabine Lake - 23.5” speck Luke & Grandfather Homero Barrera McDonald Copano Bay Pier - 49” black drum Port Mansfield - 25.5” flounder

Iliasis Muniz South Padre - 6’ bull shark

Please do not write on the back of photos.

Email photos with a description of your Catch of the Month to: Photos@tsfmag.com

Addie Labay Port O’Connor - 24” trout

Devin Leister Port O’Connor - 29.5” first red!

Mail photos to: TSFMag P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 TSFMAG.com | 97

Pam Johnson

Gulf Coast Kitchen

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

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

Michelada con Camarones

( Spicy Beer Cocktail with Shrimp) 16 medium to large shrimp - peeled and deveined Coat shrimp with melted butter, season lightly with salt and pepper, then dip tips in chili powder.

Place on skewers for grilling - four shrimp each – grill at medium heat until turning pink and cooked through.

Italian Shrimp Appetizer 30-40 medium large shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 stick real butter 1 lemon, thinly sliced 1 pkg dried Italian seasoning Line a shallow baking dish with aluminum foil.

Melt butter in microwave and pour into foil lined pan.

Layer lemon slices on top of melted butter.

Place shrimp on lemon slices and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Bake in 350° oven for 15 minutes.

Four servings.

98 | July 2013

2 1/4 cups Clamato juice 1/2 cup lime juice, plus 2 oz extra for mug rims 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 1 clove garlic 1/2 serrano pepper, stemmed 4 lager beers chili powder, for dusting glass rims and shrimp Pour 2 oz lime juice on one plate and sprinkle chili powder on another. Lightly touch rims of four 16 oz beer mugs in lime juice first, then chili powder. In blender - purée Clamato juice, lime juice, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt, garlic, and serrano chili in a blender. Divide among frosted mugs, and fill with ice; top each with a lager beer. Place skewers of grilled shrimp across top of each mug and serve.

Four servings.

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Science and the Sea

TM

Real Wood for Real Life

Juggling Five Jobs from Behind It’s no secret that most animals release waste through their backsides, but some use that exit for more than releasing leftover food. Sea cucumbers use their rear end for at least five different functions – including breathing.

A deck should be a place, to relax and enjoy, do a little fishing or just watch the sunset, unless you have a deck that looks like this!

Sea cucumber rear ends perform many functions. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms, a group that includes sea urchins and starfish, but sea cucumbers’ tube-like bodies look quite different.

Inside their bodies are long respiratory trees, similar to human lungs, that come together just inside the anus. Muscles near the anus pump water in and out of the sea cucumber’s body to the respiratory trees.

Some sea cucumber species pull in up to four cups of water every hour.

The respiratory trees remove oxygen from the water, which is then distributed using hemoglobin, the same oxygen-carrying protein found in many other animals but in no other echinoderms.

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But the sea cucumber’s anus does much more than “breathe.” It also releases sperm and eggs for reproduction and offers the sea cucumber an interesting defense mechanism. When threatened, sea cucumbers shoot long, sticky threads out their anus that trap the potential predator. Some species take this ejection a step further: they eviscerate themselves, expelling their respiratory tree and digestive organs. But it’s no big loss for the sea cucumber. Just as starfish can regrow their rays, sea cucumbers can regrow their internal organs.

Recent research reveals that sea cucumbers may also extract nutrients from the water pumped through their anus. But the theory that sea cucumbers can “eat” through their anus is still new and needs more research. Either way, sea cucumbers’ rear ends are already doing five times the work of our own.

The University of Texas

Marine Science Institute www.ScienceAndTheSea.org © The University of Texas Marine Science Institute

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TSFMAG.com | 103

CHRIS MAPP

B o at M a I N t e N a N C e t I P S

NO END TO ETHANOL PROBLEMS

We see more maintenance and reliability issues for fishermen and recreational boaters arising from ethanol-blend gasoline than any other source. Older and newer engines alike are affected by alcohol and alcohol-related byproducts created in fuel as it ages, and the longer it sits the worse it gets.

Nearly every fuel and combustion system component – filters, fuel lines, fuel cells, primer bulbs, fuel pumps, vapor separator tanks, pistons, piston rings, carburetor fuel bowls and fuel injectors – are subjected directly and/or indirectly to the adverse effects of ethanol in gasoline.

Fuel quality and shelf life is the lowest it has ever been and it could get worse. Currently – most gasoline contains about 10% ethanol and plans to raise the standard to 15% are being considered. I would venture to say that gasoline containing 10% ethanol is costing the average boater about 33% more to maintain their boats than fuel blends sold only a few years ago.

A simple example: Alcohol destroys fuel lines and the price of fuel line has risen nearly 400% in recent years. Better quality 3/8 line is up to almost $7.00/foot and, though vitally important, fuel line is a minor component, cost-wise.

And another: When the present supply of clear plastic 40-gallon fuel cells that sold for about $350 for years is exhausted, only a newer and

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104 | July 2013

more ethanol-compatible replacement will be available…to the tune of about $1600. The new tanks will be multi-layered plastic (to keep fuel molecules from seeping into the atmosphere).

These are but two examples of where things are headed. I firmly believe technology should evolve and move forward, but only technology that provides true benefit should be forced on the boating public.

Environmental stewardship is the responsibility of all outdoor enthusiasts. Mandating higher cost of ownership and operation based purely on theory is not responsible, and it is time we talked to our state representatives about ethanol-free access for recreational equipment.

The federal level will no doubt be more complicated but it is time to at least begin the conversation. http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/find-your-representative/ This is a great website for learning who your representatives are and how to contact them directly. My personal email is cmapp@ reagan.com and any suggestions on getting this dialog started would be helpful for all of us.

Use your fuel additives; every tank, every time.

Have a safe and fun summer boating season.

Chris Mapp Coastal Bend Marine – Port o’Connor, tX coastalbendmarine.com – 361 983 4841

l

l

GALVESTON TIDES & SOLUNAR TABLE Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine JULY 2013

The BEST Choice‌ Any Place, Anytime!

To find a location near you, please visit us at www.speedystop.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Te x a s S a l t w a t e r F i s h i n g M a g a z i n e l

w w w. t e x a s s a l t w a t e r f i s h i n g m a g a z i n e . c o m