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ABOUT THE COVER Dominique Vela’s first-ever wade fishing experience turned out quite notable. Not only for the beautiful upper-slot Lower Laguna redfish she landed – she did it with a topwater!

JULY 2021 VOL 31 NO 3

CONTENTS

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

8 14 20 24 30

34 36 42 48 52 56 58 64 85 86

Tricks for Tough Days Coping With Limiting Choices (Part 1) Seeing Is Believing Get Sporty on Kingfish Phone Apps and Fisheries

Steve Hillman Kevin Cochran Chuck Uzzle Joe Richard Quentin Hall

20

Texas Products for Texas Anglers Let’s Ask The Pro Shallow Water Fishing TPWD Field Notes Kayak Fishing Chronicles TSFMag Conservation News Fishy Facts Extreme Kayak Fishing & Sharks...

Science & the Sea Boat Repair & Maintenance

42 WHAT OUR GUIDES

HAVE TO SAY

68 70 72 74 76 78

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

72

4 | July 2021

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

REGULARS 6 Editorial 66 New Tackle & Gear 80 Fishing Reports and Forecasts 82 Catch of the Month 84 Gulf Coast Kitchen

84

Jay Watkins Scott Null Emma Clarkson Dave Roberts CCA Texas Stephanie Boyd Eric Ozolins UT Marine Science Institute Chris Mapp

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Everett Johnson Everett@tsfmag.com VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Johnson Pam@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-550-9918 NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Bart Manganiello Bartalm@optonline.net REGIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Patti Elkins Patti@tsfmag.com Office: 361-785-3420 Cell: 361-649-2265 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Donna Boyd Donna@tsfmag.com

R U O Y X -Skid n o A N MTake your id

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HOW TO CONTACT TSFMAG: PHONE: 361-785-3420 FAX: 361 792-4530 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 429, Seadrift, Texas 77983 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, TX 77983 WEB: www.TSFMAG.com PHOTO GALLERY: photos@tsfmag.com PRINTED IN THE USA. Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine (ISSN 1935-9586) is published monthly by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Inc., 58 Fisherman’s Lane, Seadrift, Texas 77983 l P. O. Box 429, Seadrift, TX 77983 © Copyright 1990 All rights reserved. Positively nothing in this publication may be reprinted or reproduced. *Views expressed by Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine contributors do not necessarily express the views of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine.

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EDITORIAL

SMARTPHONES HAVE A PLACE IN FISHING! During my fishing guide days I grew to despise customers bringing cell phones on my charters.

Smartphones hadn’t been invented yet; about the only useful purpose mobile devices served back then was calling for assistance in emergencies or mechanical breakdowns – if service was available.

I would get annoyed to no end when clients spent time talking on their phone instead of fishing. A lot has changed since then.

I participated in a Catch-Photo-Release tournament at Port Mansfield this past weekend that utilized the Fishing Chaos app and it worked flawlessly. Fish are photographed on a measuring stick with a “unique identifier” included in the View The Video photo – in our case a wrist band. Photos are Open Camera & hover transferred to the app for score keeping. The over QR Code. When link appears, tap to angler with the most inches is the winner. Fish are open in YouTube. released as soon as photos are made. How’s that TSFMag July for a game changer? Kudos to Getaway Lodge for Highlights hosting and contributing to fisheries conservation.

Smartphone Apps The iSnapper app is another fine example. I in Fishing could go on forever trying to explain the politics surrounding the Gulf red snapper fishery, suffice to say most anglers only really care to know when the season is open and how many they

can bring to the dock. Trying to understand the rest of it isn’t worth the heartburn. We can however play a key role in helping manage the fishery, and that’s where iSnapper comes into the equation.

Someday, hopefully soon, the management of Gulf red snapper will be handed over to the individual gulf states, but the path thus far has been rocky. The fly in the ointment has always been National Marine Fisheries Service’s allegations that recreational anglers are not accountable when it comes to reporting their landings. Which brings us to “buffered” harvest allocations, short seasons, and two fish bag limits. All while snapper are incredibly abundant (see Great Red Snapper Count).

I heartily encourage snapper anglers to download iSnapper to their Smartphones and report their landings as soon as cell service becomes available when returning to the dock. I see it as a “beat them at their own game” strategy. Honest reporting will always trump NMFS’s harvest estimates. And let’s be real, states only have so much manpower to conduct dockside creel surveys.

I also encourage the use of descending devices to reduce release mortality, which is another reason for short seasons. The Seaqualizer (seaqualizer.com) or similar is the answer. Florida now requires descending devices in their Atlantic red snapper fishery, that’s how effective they are. It’s as simple as keeping a rod rigged for descending fish to depths where they will survive and not die on the surface.

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Tricks

for Tough

Days

STORY BY STEVE HILLMAN

This is when you know it’s going to be a tough day!

W

e often talk about following signs to lead us to trout and redfish. The list of signs is lengthy and varies widely throughout the year. Finding color streaks is a common strategy during the cooler months. Fishing slicks is a great approach year-round but especially during the summer months. Working mud boils to catch schooling redfish and black drum is another tried and true method that can yield great results and tends to be more prevalent May through earlyNovember, as a general rule. It’s also not uncommon to catch a big trout, or several, mixed with the reds and black drum.

As professional saltwater fishing guides we log many hours on the bay. Because of this, we have learned how to read the water sometimes to the point where we can almost visualize what’s happening beneath the surface. Many days we’re very fortunate to be able to focus on the aforementioned color streaks, slicks or mud boils. Other days, birds, bait concentrations or riptides may point us in the right direction. These are scenarios that typically equate to easy fishing.

We tend to make it sound much easier than it sometimes is when we write our monthly articles. The fact of the matter is that it’s not always a gimme. The signs aren’t always there. There are many days when cliché phrases like “Find the bait…Find the fish” simply aren’t applicable. These are the tough days no one likes to talk about. So, let’s talk about them now.

Every summer we can get into a little funk due to numerous factors. I had a little stretch last year that tested my fortitude. On the way out that morning I just had a feeling it was going to be one of those tough latesummer days. It was dead calm; the water was hot and there was very little tide movement. I had a new crew on board so there was the bonus of having a little added pressure. We had experienced a waning bite the previous couple of days with the weaker tides on the backside of the full moon, so my thoughts were to start near the ship channel or Intracoastal Waterway. Either of those areas would provide artificial tides from ship and barge traffic, which is something we wouldn’t get if we chose to fish oyster reefs in the middle or near the back of the bay.

It was blowing too hard to fish near the channel so I chose a small stretch of shell near an opening that lead to the ICW. It was an area we typically wadefished but I was just trying to pull a rabbit out of my hat, given the circumstances. One small slick emerged on the deep edge of the little reef in about three feet of water. With the southeast wind I quietly trolled toward the shoreline in an effort to line up well behind the slick which was about 80 yards off the bank. It wasn’t the best approach shot in the world but it was the best I could do using a 22-foot Whaler. We were able to trick two decent trout and one accidental flounder on that drift then the fish scattered, as I feared they would. Drifting shallow water with

continuous hull slap is never a good plan unless you’re forced to do so. In this case it was because my clients didn’t wade.

We hopped around to various bayou drains and shoreline reefs basically just getting in a lot of casting practice until, by the grace of God, the wind began to subside. Our next stop found us perusing open water near ship channel spoil reefs looking for signs of life. I eased into an area where we had caught a few tide runner trout the week before. There was just enough ripple on the surface to see any slicks that may appear. Unfortunately, everything in the underwater world seemed to be asleep. I had a strong feeling the fish were there, so I decided to try something before moving on to the next spot. I cranked the big motor and slowly idled along the edges of the spoils. Sure enough, two small slicks emerged as the vibration from my outboard caused the trout to regurgitate. I doubled back but this time with the trolling motor. Once my crew started getting hook-ups I slipped the anchor over the side. Our bites seemed to come in waves as ships passed in a distance. Most folks don’t think of using their boat as a fish-finding tool but sometimes it works. That little trick sure saved my bacon that day!

Then sometimes on the nosign days we have to turn into largemouth bass fishermen and focus on structure and areas we think the fish should be for the given conditions (i.e. water temperature, time of year, time Scott McPherson with one of numerous trout Lori Halbert in from Colorado with the flounder he caught while casting to rocks and clusters of of day, etc.). Tossing soft plastics part of her Texas Slam on a tough no-sign day. oysters on a day when no other signs were visible. up against rock groins and other visible structure has become a fantastic bail-out tactic for me in recent years. As much as I take pride in letting the fish show me the way, they’re not always that generous. Galveston and other Texas bays are laden with various limestone breakwaters, granite rock groins and jetties which are covered with algae, barnacles and oysters. Piers and boat docks are also good targets. These types of structure all provide a buffet for predator fish.

Loud topwaters (i.e.

MirrOlure She Dogs, Heddon Super Spooks, Rapala Skitterwalks, etc.) in calm deep water can draw strikes when few other baits can. We experience Mike Axton with a solid CPR redfish! it every year. This somewhat

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unorthodox strategy of drawing agitation strikes has saved many trips for me. Trout will hold in cooler deep water over oyster reefs and mud near shell in 8- to 10-feet, especially near the ship channel during those hot late-summer days.

This isn’t a revelation here on Galveston Bay. As a matter of fact it’s pretty much common knowledge up and down our coastline. Years ago when I had the opportunity to fish the Lower Laguna Madre often we would catch lots of trout and reds while wading and drifting deeper spoils along the ICW. By the way, it doesn’t have to be early in the morning to get on a good topwater bite. Some of our best catches have occurred in the middle of the day.

Perseverance. Some call it stubbornness. You’ve got to want it bad enough to put in the time. We seem to live in a world of instant gratification. Unfortunately, I don’t have a dinner bell or a dog whistle that’ll work for trout. I mean, we’re already out here, so why not stay another hour or two to wait on a tide change, that will usually trigger a feed?

Did you come out here to fish or did you just want to go for a boat ride? If you prefer the latter you should’ve taken the Bolivar ferry. It’s free!

The traditional pop-pop-fall technique doesn’t always draw strikes. Slack-tide fish, or fish in a negative feeding pattern, usually need something special in the way of Dave DeAtkine with one of many trout he caught casting to structure while anchored. presentation to trigger a bite. Lures with generally higher technique. The vibration and sense of urgency created by a fleeing success rates in these scenarios are paddletail-style plastics (i.e. shad or whatever they think it is will get them to change their minds Saltwater Assassin Sea Shads, MirrOlure Marsh Minnows, etc.). The about not eating most of the time. best part is that they are highly effective with a straight retrieve There are several other tricks I didn’t mention this go-round but I only have so much paper and you only have so much time. At any rate, here’s hoping some of your tough days can turn into productive ones!

On a side note - I’m absolutely tickled to death to see more guides and recreational anglers along the Texas Coast practicing catch and release with our speckled trout. The mentality seems to be shifting more in the right direction. Thank God anglers are wising up because it will make things much better for everyone in the long run. See ya’ll next month!

View The Video

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

Tactics for Easy and Not-So-Easy Fishing Days

Dave DeAtkine with one of many trout he caught casting to structure while anchored.

12 | July 2021

CONTACT

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

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

TSFMAG.com | 13

Since the freeze, fishing for reds has been a bit more productive than fishing for trout in the Baffin/ULM system, as Jeremy Compton proved on a recent day spent fishing with Captain Kev.

Coping With LIMITING

Choices –Part 1– STORY BY KEVIN COCHRAN

A

s a fishing guide, I operate in some unusual ways. For one thing, I regularly fish with customers in their boats, with the express purpose of helping them improve their decision making and physical application skills. After doing this for years, I’ve identified two choices made by many boat owners which limit productivity in the most basic ways.

I became aware of the more obvious of these two decisions (and its consequences) while making my home in Hitchcock, along a canal in Bayou Vista, on the marsh side of Jones Lake. While I lived there from 1993 through 2001, many residents chose to construct boat houses along their bulkheads, so they could keep their skiffs ready for almost instant deployment on the water. At the time, the going rate for a covered boathouse ran about $10,000, so I couldn’t afford one.

About the time the roofers nailed down the last shingle on the first house, I began to believe people who had paid for the convenience of having a sling on the bulkhead should have spent their money on other things. I heard complaints about the hassles and high costs associated with purchasing fuel on the water. More importantly, I learned anglers who had chosen to hang their boats out back spent most of their time fishing within eyesight of the neighborhood. All boats have a finite range, dictated by the amount of fuel they carry, but more importantly, human nature prevents most captains from pushing their boats to the limit every time out.

Folks who embark from a canal which connects them directly to Highland Bayou and Jones Lake spend most of their time fishing in the shallow bodies of water close to home. Some venture across West Galveston Bay to fish its south shoreline, or around Virginia Point to fish Campbell’s Bayou, maybe on a wild hair head all the way down the ICW to check out San Luis Pass. Most spend virtually all their fishing time in Jones Lake, Green’s Lake, and the waters near Mecom’s and Green’s cuts. As long as the boat hangs out back, few will ever set foot or pull a drift in East or Trinity Bay again, at least not at the helms of their own hulls.

Limiting the location of the fishing efforts generally reduces the productivity of these anglers, compared with the potential they might realize if they remained mobile by keeping their boats on trailers. This truth stems from a basic fact about the optimal ways anglers select places in which to make their efforts. I place strong faith in a relatively simple concept related to fish location skills—the angler with the most extensive knowledge of the bodies of water will achieve the highest level of productivity. One of the keys to consistent productivity involves the captain’s ability to identify which parts of the local waterways offer

TSFMAG.com | 15

the best potential for catching as the seasons, weather and other environmental conditions change.

Consistency depends concurrently on both the angler’s ability to identify productive places and eliminate unproductive ones. People with more knowledge of the entire area make better choices than those with a less thorough grasp of the features of all the local waters.

Ideally, an angler chooses to fish most often in a place best suited to

the conditions when they run favorable, or the one least negatively affected by them when they run counter to our efforts.

In order to do so, captains must appreciate how wind and other aspects of the weather either elevate or diminish the potential in all local areas. When primo conditions prevail, captains can expect to catch fish wherever they choose, but when strongly negative conditions affect much of the area, small pockets in remote portions of the bays often offer much better potential than the main basins. In many cases, these nooks and crannies lie outside the range of captains who choose to dangle their boats on slings in the back yard.

This causes two related problems for anglers who lack the desire or ability to access all the far-flung parts of the bays in which they operate. They sometimes choose not to fish at all, knowing the weather has trashed the potential in all their familiar spots close to home. At other times, they stubbornly venture out anyway, hoping against the odds for an outcome they know won’t likely occur, winding up disappointed more often than not. Either way, these captains can’t possibly hope to achieve the same level of long-term productivity as those who trailer their boats away from the house to launch them in places where they can more easily access the parts of the bays offering the best potential in the constantly morphing situation.

People can find ways to push back against the limitations inherently created by the choice to keep the boat in a hangar on the bulkhead. Some might choose to carry extra gas in plastic cans to increase the range of the boat, allowing them to make longer runs to access places farther from home. Many folks who stay in cabins in and around Baffin Bay and the Land Cut do this on a regular basis, so they can spend multiple days on the water.

Many folks find this practice tedious and abandon it soon after trying it.

Pouring gas from a heavy container into a funnel proves problematic at times, especially when the need arises while the boat bobs about on tall waves in strong winds. Extra gas cans take up space on the deck of the boat; dirty funnels create a mess in the hatches. Other choices might make more sense for more people.

One way to fight against the limitation of the scope of efforts caused by hanging the boat in the yard is to choose to put the Alton Morris poses with a big trout caught on a soft plastic boat on a trailer at the beginning of a busy tossed under a bright mid-day sun on a July outing with Kev. streak of fishing. When on vacation, or

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View The Video

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

A Limiting Choice

18 | July 2021

The captain posing with a pretty nice trout caught in the blazing heat of July a few years ago.

see fishing as more of a leisure activity than a sport or art. Certainly, limiting the scope of effort for the sake of comfort makes perfect sense to them.

But folks who perceive maximizing productivity as a critical component in the enjoyment of the sport can fight back against the limitation in the ways described above. The next step in the process, specifically for those who prefer wading over fishing from the boat, starts with recognizing how another choice limits the scope of effective efforts and adjusting methods to properly reduce its effects.

That issue will serve as the source of Part 2 in this series.

KEVIN COCHRAN CONTACT

when a stretch of benign weather approaches, even when reliable reports indicate prime potential in a distant part of the area, savvy anglers could do this to maximize productivity. Putting the boat on the trailer will allow them to temporarily remain mobile in their choices and expand the area they can reach. In most parts of the state, multiple boat ramps lie in relatively close range of all parts of the local waterways, and for people who want to fish Trinity Bay, launching in San Leon, Baytown or Anahuac makes more sense than launching in Bayou Vista.

Trailering the boat several times throughout the year also provides an indirect advantage over not doing so. Like bird dogs and pickup trucks, trailers need some work in order to stay in good shape. Left idle beside the house for too long, they develop problems related to lack of use. When used regularly and treated properly, trailers last longer and will likely stand ready for use when the need arises to take the outboard to the shop for maintenance or repairs. This fact alone justifies the idea of regularly putting the boat on the trailer and taking to the road to fish farther from the house.

Of course, some will point out the advantage of fishing a smaller area all or almost all the time. Anglers who stay in a limited part of the local waterways have a better chance to achieve more intimate knowledge of the place, especially how various conditions impact productivity in its different parts. Consequently, captains who choose to hang their boats in a slip should make every effort to learn all they can about every single nook and cranny of the waters within their easy reach.

In order to achieve this goal, these captains should do an honest assessment of the parts of the area where they have weak knowledge, and consciously seek to learn productive spots within them, in various conditions. This means heading to unfamiliar places with a purpose and a plan, and documenting results over time. Using Google Earth to gain a basic grasp of the metaphorical anatomy of the weak areas provides an excellent starting point.

Satellite images serve a more productive purpose in some places than others; the eyes in the sky see the bottom better in bodies of water which run clear more of the time. Clear water allows for better perception of structural and cover elements and the depth of the water, all of which help the angler make predictions about which spots provide the ripest potential. Old school fishing charts also provide clues which can help studious anglers make solid plans to enhance their knowledge of new areas. After using such resources to identify potentially productive spots, anglers should venture to them and put them to the test.

In this way, anglers who have chosen to limit the scope of their efforts by hanging the boat in a sling for convenience can offset the inherent loss of productivity somewhat. For many folks, the die has been cast; the boat hangs out back today, and it always will. I readily admit none of this matters much to some folks, specifically those who have scant interest in working harder to increase productivity. They

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 361-688-3714 Email kevincochran404@yahoo.com Web www.captainkevblogs.com

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The popularity of redfish has soared along Texas’ middle and lower coast since the February freeze.

Seeing

Believing is

STORY BY CHUCK UZZLE

M

ention “sight-fishing” and a few thoughts that immediately pop into your head are tails, clear water, and shallow. None of these conjure thoughts of Texas’ upper coast. Sight fishing is a lower coast activity, and can only be done down there. At least that’s what a lot of people believe.

Well, if you subscribe to that line of thinking you could have a rude awakening coming or, you are cringing because you have already figured out how good this style of fishing can be and you’re not terribly anxious to see the cat leaping out of the bag. Regardless which group you might represent, here’s hoping the next few paragraphs will help you take advantage of this incredible style of fishing. It is one of the most exciting methods I’ve ever witnessed that doesn’t involve dynamite. Let me warn you though, once you start chasing fish like this it becomes highly addictive. So, by all means, proceed with caution.

Now the classic scenario for the sight-fishing enthusiast is a white sand flat with patchy areas of grass that break up the background and, of course, clear water. These conditions do not exist in my world, the bottom is dark and the grass is thick. But, contrary to popular belief, we do have clear water.

The biggest myth about the upper coast is that the water never gets clear; this is not true by any stretch of the imagination. The problem with the upper coast is that we don’t have the background or contrast that shows how clear the water really is. On a white sand bottom it’s easy to see the difference as everything jumps out at you from a white background. Flip the colors around and things get a little more challenging. Your eyes have to be convinced that you are looking at a dark bottom and not muddy water. The first time I have a client throw a spinnerbait or a spoon in this kind of water it’s funny to see their reaction as they cannot believe the water is actually that clear.

TSFMAG.com | 21

So, now that you have gotten past the whole, “I can’t see into the water,” problem, it’s time to go to work. Unlike our neighbors to the south, the upper coast fishermen have to read a little more water in order to be able to see their fish. Everybody loves to see that big red stand on his head and wave his blue-fringed tail in the air, as if to say, “Over Here!” Tailing fish are the top of the list for the sight-caster but they are not the only target.

Knowledgeable sight-casters will take full advantage of fish that just give away their position with a slight ripple or push of water

that changes the surface just enough to pinpoint their location.

Being able to see these subtle signs is made much easier from an elevated position like a casting or poling platform. The elevated position allows one to see farther into the water by cutting glare and light refraction. It’s always fun to put a new angler up on the poling platform for the first time and let them see just how much better the view really is, especially when you are looking at fish.

Speaking of looking at fish, quality polarized glasses are an absolute must if you are going to be successful in sightcasting; you almost cannot do it without them.

I recently started using a new brand called Bajío, (pronounced bah-HEE-oh) which is a Spanish word for the shallows. So far I have been completely pleased with all aspects of the glasses, they are light and comfortable with ridiculously clear lenses and fantastic polarizing qualities. There are plenty of great brands on the market to choose from but the most important choice is to be sure and have them when you fish. Without a good set of polarized glasses you can almost forget about seeing the fish and you can count on having a nasty eye-fatigue headache at the end of the day Quality eyewear is essential in sight-fishing and my new BAJÍO glasses perform exceptionally well. from staring at the surface of the water. Polarized glasses are easily one of the most important pieces of equipment you can take along on a sightcasting trip.

Another crucial piece of equipment is lure selection, for not only this style of fishing, but this particular area as well.

The majority of the time I am back in the shallow marshes we throw topwater plugs and we throw them for the simple fact that it’s just a whole lot more fun to see these fish come to the surface and kill a plug. Smaller offerings like the She Pup, Spook Jr, Skitter Walk Jr, or Spit’n Image seem to work best because they are the perfect size and imitation of the shad and mullet that are so thick in these backwater lakes.

The dark bottom in Sabine marsh lakes can lead Assortment of small surface lures that anglers to believe the water is turbid and not The only drawback to these draw lots of redfish strikes in shallow water. worth fishing...a totally false assumption! smaller plugs is that the really

22 | July 2021

Ever seen a redfish with a bullseye instead of a dot on its tail?

View The Video

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

Downsizing Lures for More Strikes!

CHUCK UZZLE

CONTACT

big redfish, fish in the 12- to 16-pound range, tend to take the plug so deep that you really have to be careful removing it from their throat in order to avoid injuring them.

Now there is one more lure that probably provides the ultimate rush and most vicious strikes you can imagine, and that’s the Stanley Ribbit. This soft plastic frog rigged weightless and thrown into the nastiest grass can draw incredible strikes that are heartstoppers to say the least. If you have never seen a redfish come up through a mat of grass and destroy a plug, you don’t know what you are missing. It’s incredible!

On the subject of gear, we must also include fishing line and that is where the upper coast folks may have an advantage over their more southern neighbors. Back in these brackish marshes, line size doesn’t seem to matter as much as it does on super-clear flats where fish can see everything. I have been throwing Suffix braid in a variety of sizes, both with and without fluorocarbon leaders, and it doesn’t seem to spook the fish. Monofilament in 10to 12-pound test also works well, provided you are not fishing in really thick vegetation where a feisty red can pull off or even break off given half a chance. Fishing braided line tends to work best in the thicker areas by allowing you the ability to put more pressure on the fish and pull them out of the cover. The ability to land these fish quicker also helps out in the summer months because you can land the fish sooner and release it healthier, instead waiting for the fish to tire, causing extra stress and making it much more difficult to revive in the warmer water. For those reasons I am sold on the braid for this type of fishing.

There is one more area that we must cover in order to make this journey complete and that’s casting accuracy. For many saltwater anglers there isn’t much of a need to be super accurate with your casts; much of the time we are throwing into wide open areas just covering water. Our freshwater fishing brothers and sisters are much more target oriented than those of us who stay in saltwater.

Becoming an accurate caster is important because an errant cast can spook a fish in the blink of an eye. The ability to accurately present a lure or work a stretch of shoreline is paramount to becoming a successful sight-fisherman. Nothing is more frustrating than working the boat into position to get shot a good redfish and having a bad cast blow the whole deal. Everyone in the boat feels the letdown, including the caster and the guide on the poling platform.

Practicing your casting at known targets and distances can greatly increase your chances of success. When my son Hunter was six or seven years old we would play a game in the yard. Hunter would cast from the poling platform at me pretending to be a fish. I would walk slowly out in front of him and he would have to cast in front of me, far enough not to spook me, but close enough to where the plug would still be within the strike zone. My neighbors got a big kick out of our little game, especially when I would stop, lift one foot, pretending to be “tailing.” Our little game has paid big dividends as Hunter has become a great caster and someone I always enjoy having on the bow of the boat.

I hope I have dispelled some of the myths about sight-fishing on the upper coast, and I hope that sometime in the near future you get a chance to experience it for yourself. Too few anglers from our part of the coast have ever gotten a chance to chase fish like this and experience the thrill that this style of fishing offers. Give it a shot; I think you’ll agree it’s well worth the effort.

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

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

TSFMAG.com | 23

Author pulls a tired kingfish near the boat while using trout tackle.

Get Sporty

Kingfish on

STORY BY JOE RICHARD

H

ooking kingfish on lighter tackle is serious business, because an angler must show real finesse and footwork in order to win. Once hooked up, you can’t freeze up with these fish; the ticket to success is keeping calm and collected. A frantic thumb on a reel’s spool will only get you burned, literally. That thin line must be kept clear of the boat’s hull, rub rails and propellers. If you’re almost out of line on a runaway fish, the boat must be cranked up and goosed in the right direction without knocking people down. The fish must be followed slowly enough, where the angler can put line back on the reel.

After years of grinding away on heavy tackle, we now enjoy great action on lighter tackle.

Two summers ago we ventured offshore of Port O’Connor when the Gulf finally grew calm and the mid-day sun stopped any inshore action. We scooted out to the platforms, even though we only carried 12-pound spin tackle. That gear is what we call trout tackle, used for bay, jetty and surf trips when throwing artificials.

The first platform we stopped at was fairly thick with kingfish up to 25 pounds. We had no wire leader, because we were supposed to be inshore where kingfish can be rare. We did have a spool of tough 40-pound fluorocarbon leader, but that was getting chomped. We’d toss out spoons on long casts, count to 10 or more, let them flutter deep before starting the retrieve. Boom! Our 7-foot, medium/heavy spin rods were soon bent like bananas. In all, eight spoons were lost

that afternoon, but it was worth it.

The day qualified for “ice cream conditions” and there were kingfish everywhere. There was no current so the boat just sat there, hardly moving, a handy 25 yards from structure. Each king was a serious battle, taking us four or five times around the boat. Fortunately, we were in a center console boat, so following these fish wasn’t difficult if you wore decent footwear. (Forget the cowboy boots, flip-flops or going barefoot.) Some battles felt like 20 minutes or so, pressuring each fish to the limit of 12-pound line. For some reason, none of these kings ran for the horizon, but instead stayed deep, shaking their heads, like they couldn’t believe a 3/4 ounce gold spoon caused so much trouble. Each tired fish was tailed into the boat, unhooked and released. It was quite a day.

It was a textbook example of some of the fun you can have while using lighter tackle offshore, marking 40 years of pitching jigs and spoons out there, while producing great memories. One of the highlights being a 38-pound king that Amy caught with a baitcaster reel on 20-pound line, during a small Port Arthur tournament in 1981.

It was a fish powerful enough to take the 4-foot gaff away from me, though it remained in his side and was finally retrieved.

On other trips, we’ve slugged it out all day with kings using those great Ambassadeur 6500 reels and 20-pound line. One day we fished behind anchored shrimpboats with the late Capt. Howard Horton, and lost count of the kingfish dragged aboard, a real slugfest. Joe Doggett and Amy were on board and the three of us scrambled around the

(top) Kingfish are high jumpers, when they really want something.

(left) Amy Richard with a spoon-caught kingfish, released moments later.

deck, fighting schoolie kings of 14-18 pounds, the typical size found behind summer’s shrimpboats. It was more action and line ripping off the reels than an entire summer back in the bays.

Back to our recent adventures with spin tackle: There are some fine, expensive reels these days built with numerous ball bearings, impervious to saltwater, that make for silky-smooth drags when fighting kingfish. But there are inexpensive models, as well. That day two summers ago, we were both using modest Shimano Sienna 4000 FE reels that cost only $35 or so. They’re great for inshore fishing and will last a few years, if you take care of them. It turns out they will also handle kingfish, if mistakes are avoided. Problem is, new reels are hard to find this year. A friend who owns a tackle store related from a Shimano salesman recently, who told him all their reels are pre-sold for the remainder of this year. And apparently the 4000FE model we used are now several years old, recently replaced by the 4000FG model).

Regardless, it is the 4000-size spin reels made by different companies that are so multi-purpose, handling everything from bay trout to speedy kingfish.

When experimenting with lighter tackle, don’t forget that kings will also blast topwater plugs. When striking they will jump repeatedly, trying to catch that noisy plug. There is one caveat: hooking and fighting kings with a plug’s treble hooks is hard work, and removing such hooks from these fish is impractical, if you’re trying to release them quickly and safely. So, we removed the plug’s trebles out there, content to watch the surface boils and jumps. When a king latched on, he’d pull 20-30 yards of drag off the reel before turning the plug loose, 26 | July 2021

Another kingfish in the boat, grabbed by POC’s Capt. Curtiss Cash.

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Eternity RX10 Blanks

whereby another king would grab on and repeat the process. I think our record was four kingfish on one cast. Those hard plastic plugs got thoroughly chewed up, completely fuzzy with hundreds of bite marks in an hour. Each time this happened, we were anchored in calm weather at an offshore “snapper rock” off Galveston in about 90 feet of water. Tossing chum overboard helped get those kings worked up. (If we’d been better prepared, we might have earlier switched the treble hooks to single, barbless hooks.)

It occurs that the same noisy topwater plugs should be tried at the ends of the Port Aransas and South Padre jetties in summer, when the water is blue/green. With stouter spin gear: Longer rods with 25-pound line on the reels. That would require serious footwork in the rocks, while wearing protective pants and gloves.

For many years, most offshore captains simply used the durable Penn Senator 4/0 reel with 40- or 50-pound line, a heavy outfit that will cover a range of mistakes while fighting these fish. I’ve used lots of that same gear on my own charters, taking strangers out in the Gulf, where we caught plenty of fish. But truth be told, most of those kingfish were outmatched by the tackle, and it wasn’t all that sporty. Most people were impressed by how hard these kingfish hit and run and it was all they could do to hang on. For some, just turning the reel’s handle was a challenge. It was something many of them were unfamiliar with.

It takes a few trips offshore and experience, to build enough confidence to switch to lighter tackle on the open Gulf.

The new flagship series of Rainshadow rod blanks has arrived. Batson Enterprises is proud to bring you Eternity RX10, the finest fishing instruments we have ever produced for discriminating bass, walleye, and inshore anglers. TEAM Rainshadow Pro Staff tested these blanks, on the water, for over a year with zero failures. An unheard-of feat for a blank series built only with high performance, sensitivity, and weight reduction in mind.

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David Bullock with a feisty kingfish off Port Aransas.

JOE RICHARD

Joe Richard has fished the Gulf since 1967, starting out of Port Arthur, but his adventures have taken him up and down the entire coast.

He was the editor of Tide magazine for eight years, and later Florida Sportsman’s book and assistant magazine editor. He began guiding out of Port O’Connor in 1994. His specialty is big kingfish, and his latest book is The Kingfish Bible, New Revelations. Available at Seafavorites.com

CONTACT

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TSFMAG.com | 29

PHONE APPS

How Angler-Driven Technology

Jen Thomasson, Director of the Babes on the Bay fishing tournament. In response to this year’s freeze, Thomasson’s planning team has integrated phone app technology that allows for all fish caught during the tournament to be immediately released. This is the first year the tournament is catch and release only.

30 | July 2021

& FISHERIES

is Helping Our Sportfisheries

STORY BY QUENTIN HALL

M

ost of us anglers are technology nerds.

Between GPS, radar, sonar, auto-pilots, and a myriad of other electronic gadgetry, it is easy to spend more money on electronics than a boat itself. Advances in fishing technology have made consistently locating and accessing fish easier and safer for anglers across the globe. Technological advances have also created opportunities for live-release fishing tournaments, recreational fisheries data collection, and the opportunity for more informed management decisions.

To these ends, leaders from all facets of Texas’ marine recreational fisheries are using phone application (app) technology to develop wiser and more sustainable sportfishing practices.

Babes on the Bay Tournament For the last 21 years, the Babes on the Bay tournament has drawn hundreds of new female anglers into the marine sportfishing community. Jen Thomasson has been the Tournament Director for Babes on the Bay since 2018 and has kept the tournament going through the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, COVID-19 chaos, and the worst freeze to hit the Texas coast in over a century. Despite these challenges, Thomasson and her team have remained true to the tournament’s commitment to “instill an attitude of conservation” in participating anglers. In the wake of the recent freeze, Thomasson and her CCA-Texas Aransas Bay partners felt compelled to make this year a release-only event for the first time in the tournament’s history.

After an exhaustive search, the planning team settled on the “Fishing Chaos” phone app that has been used successfully by other Gulf coast tournaments in Alabama and Florida.

Thomasson explained, “The obvious benefit of using an app like Fishing Chaos is that anglers no longer need to retain fish and can release them within minutes. Anglers photograph fish per tournament rules and then upload the photo using the app. There are no submission limits as the app culls the fish by length and time submitted to create your four-fish ‘stringer’.” There were also multiple steps taken to ensure that reports are accurate and honest. Even more useful, the app allows tournament anglers to access their real-time standings within the tournament. According to Thomasson, “Overall, there is tremendous support for the app. It is something new to all our

lady anglers, but in the end, they understand why we chose this format.

The fishery must come first, especially after the recent freeze.”

The Babes on the Bay tournament stands as a testament to continuing our fishing traditions while also incorporating new technologies that promote wise stewardship of our marine sportfisheries. Thomasson and her team look forward to continued innovation, saying “[We] have been approached by two other large tournaments wanting to use the Fishing Chaos app. We are currently learning from our 2021 tournament to iron out details as we look forward to improving this technology for future events.” iSnapper Program The iSnapper program was created in 2011 as a way for charter forhire captains to self-report their effort and harvest data, particularly for Red Snapper. Tara Topping with the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation has coordinated the iSnapper program since 2014, refining the app to include private recreational anglers and “provide a fast and easy way of delivering key data to fisheries managers.”

This data has become so important that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) partnered with the iSnapper program in 2015.

Topping explained, “The iSnapper program has proven particularly useful since 2018 when Texas first received an exempted fishing permit allowing the state to manage its own federal Red Snapper season. iSnapper estimates are run alongside TPWD estimates on a biweekly basis to ensure the state does not exceed its quota, a key component of allowing state management of the federal Red Snapper season to continue in its present form.”

Topping continued, “One of the great things about revamping this app is being able to go out and actually talk with anglers. Most iSnapper users we encounter are happy with the app and understand its purpose. We call them our ‘citizen scientists’ because every trip they submit provides us with valuable data that we would not be able to collect ourselves. There are far more anglers than fisheries biologists!”

Boiled down, TPWD compares iSnapper’s data with its traditional recreational harvest estimates to ensure anglers are able to harvest as many fish as possible without exceeding the quota set by federal management agencies. If the quota is exceeded, anglers will see shorter future season lengths due to payback provisions wherein harvest overages are deducted from the following year’s quota. In TSFMAG.com | 31

the fisheries research and management realm, data rules supreme. Texas’ fisheries managers need iSnapper data to ensure that the federal season continues to be managed by TPWD and that overharvest penalties are not incurred. Every angler who wants increased access to the federal Red Snapper fishery in Texas should download iSnapper and get involved.

Download the app for free at: https://www.sportfishcenter. org/outreach/isnapper-app iSnapper video: https://www.facebook. com/877640132263013/videos/161254459342556 The Future of Fishing Apps Current challenges within our marine sportfisheries almost ensure the continued development of fishing app technology. This could not be more apparent than with the unreported effort in Texas’ recreational flounder gigging fishery. Management agencies across the Gulf of Mexico are faced with extreme challenges when trying to estimate nighttime recreational flounder gigging effort, especially

The iSnapper phone application helps ensure that the federal season continues to be managed

by TPWD and that overharvest penalties set by federal management agencies are not incurred.

since flounder populations are declining across the entire region.

Traditional angler-intercept creel survey methods used during the day cannot easily be applied at night for a multitude of reasons.

Given that gigging – a nighttime activity – is the predominant method for recreationally harvesting flounder within most of Texas, management agencies are looking for novel ways to account for this previously undocumented harvest. The iSnapper app is already capable of recording fish harvest (including flounder) at any time of day. Integrating this type of technology could prove to be the answer.

Each of us is exposed to an unbelievable amount of “noise” surrounding technological developments on a daily basis. There is always something newer, better, or more exciting. For our own sanity, most of us have learned to tune this noise out or simply dismiss it as a gimmick. However, it is important for anglers to understand how much app technology can improve the management and sustainability of Texas’ marine sportfisheries.

These apps are simple tools that allow tournament planners, tournament participants, and everyday anglers alike to ensure the future for our marine sportfisheries. Many serious anglers are interested in giving back to our living marine resources or participating as citizen scientists. Volunteering your fishing data through phone apps is a free and meaningful way to do just that.

As an active participant in the recreational nighttime flounder wadegigging fishery, I have personally observed high levels of legal yet unaccounted-for recreational flounder harvest. It is my personal belief that app reporting systems like iSnapper could provide management agencies with recreational harvest data that was previously unavailable.

32 | July 2021

Quentin Hall is a Research Specialist and Angler Engagement Coordinator for the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation at the Harte Research Institute. He turned his lifelong fishing and hunting habits into a career, receiving dual bachelor’s degrees in Animal Science and Fisheries Management from the University of Missouri and his M.S. in Marine Biology from Texas A&M. While Quentin’s research focuses on a variety of studies ranging from juvenile sportfish recruitment dynamics to adult sportfish movements, his real passion is connecting anglers with the science supporting their fisheries.

Your Catch Counts!

Report your Red

Snapper Landings

Get involved.

Help manage the red snapper fishery for future generations.

At the end of each day’s trip, parties that land red snapper are strongly encouraged to report their landings via a mobile app or online.

It’s fast, simple and easy!

load n w o D pp the a ! today

Download the free app at

www.iSnapper.org or report online at iSnapperonline.org Each submittal is important to the management of the red snapper fishery off Texas shores and beyond.

Anglers fishing from party boats are exempt as the captain reports for you.

FOR INFO ABOUT THE REPORTING PROGRAM Harte Research Institute iSnapper@sportfishresearch.org www.sportfishresearch.org

FOR INFO ON THE RED SNAPPER FISHERY TPWD Coastal Fisheries cfish@tpwd.texas.gov TSFMAG.com | 33 www.tpwd.texas.gov

J AY WAT K I N S

ASK THE PRO

REDFISH ON THE GRASS FLATS We are going to talk this month about a few critical aspects of fishing large expanses of grass flats. The February freeze and fish kill has me focusing more on redfish versus trout, although my stubborn nature leads me to spending a few hours each morning running shorelines and looking for signs that trout might be present. I try running as far offshore as possible of areas where we might expect the fish to be holding so we don’t spook them. My trout bite is currently very spotty but I am still seeing a good representation of age classes that survived.

Trout are still in small areas where current is providing easier access to feeding. Look to smaller areas of structure for the best results. I praise the efforts of all anglers practicing catch and release of the trout they are catching.

This effort will be rewarded in a quicker recovery of the fishery.

I have been spending most days wading large areas of grass and sand flats. Luckily I have a lot of this in my home waters to accommodate my groups of three to five anglers, where we can spread out in relatively the same water depth and same or similar bottom structure.

Equal water for all in the group can be a luxury we do not always have in wade fishing.

A big part of my day is evaluating client’s fishing

“

and wading skills and putting them in areas where they can catch fish and not struggle constantly with difficult bottom conditions. This is truly one of the most critical parts of my job, a part that typically goes unmentioned by me. The way I see it, my job is to put anglers in the best areas for their abilities and to get them safely to and from the fishing grounds.

Pretty simple.

Our shallow grass flats are home to all the gamefish species as well as countless other marine creatures. It is amazing what we will discover if we are paying attention as we wade. I saw a squid with a small shrimp in its grasp last week. My iPhone is waterproof, they tell me, but I aborted the underwater photo-op as quickly as I thought of it…just to be safe.

Our flats are year ‘round homes to both trout and reds although trout seem more likely to leave from time to time; reds being more predictable flats animals.

With higher than normal tides and seasonally strong winds the flats can be angler’s best option. Since Hurricane Harvey in 2017 much of our grass flats areas now have slightly improved bottoms. It’s still way softer than our outside shorelines on average but the storm’s tidal surge and strong winds did actually scour much of the sediment that caused them to be much tougher to wade years ago.

Bottom structure on the flats is predictable the

Such a great puzzle that fishing can provide if we are willing to put the pieces together.

36 | July 2021

”

TSFMAG.com | 37

majority of the time. We hear a lot about potholes, but not all potholes have sandy bottoms. Potholes are generally formed in areas where grass does not grow. Some have hard sand bottom others have softer bottom. It is a given that potholes absent of grass are more easily seen than potholes with bottoms covered in shorter-leafed grass, although all should be considered viable targets. Serious anglers try to discover where the bites are coming from and then focus their attention to those specific areas. It’s patterning in its most basic form.

You have to pay attention to every cast and the location of the lure in relation to bottom structure at all times. As we wade across the flat it is imperative that we pay attention to what we are seeing below the surface. See the tiny flickers and glints of gold and silver in the grass?

That’s pinfish flashing an “Eat Me” sign that predators key on. Where bait is plentiful you will also find trout and redfish, sooner or later.

What about all those small perch following your lure across the potholes; did you notice that? Trout and reds will position in grass on the edges of potholes for camouflage, which aides in creating better ambush points. Close attention to the location of your lure at all times will show you where your target areas should be. Knowing where the bites are coming should lead to searching for why. Why will lead to when, and when leads to how. Such a great puzzle that fishing can provide if we are willing to put the pieces together.

Wind can definitely be your friend when fishing grass flats. Strong winds create false tides in many areas, which equates to more water

in a given area than the tidal level itself would provide…thus the term false tides. The abundance of grass on these flats contributes greatly to improved water clarity. Water currents created by wind also forces fish to windward areas that can be found along edges of humps and small islands within the flat. These become great areas to focus our attention on.

Other areas of interest would be clumps of mangroves, sometimes on small natural islands on the flats and also along spoil island shorelines. The primary key to these areas are the sand rings that are most often positioned on the windward sides of the spoils. Wave action creates erosion that forms an area void of grass. I refer to these as fish highways. Smaller lures placed accurately along the edge, where the grass transitions to sand, can produce unbelievable results at times. I remember a day with Drew and Allyson Donaldson in South Bay. Allyson stood basically in one spot casting to one small area of sand, sticking fish after fish. Drew and I had the pleasure of watching and enjoying a really solid day of fishing.

Water levels can sometimes influence where game and baitfish might stage on a flat, but I do not subscribe strictly to the theory that higher water levels will always push the fish higher. In fact, I believe it can be quite the opposite most of the time. To me, it’s more about bottom structure than water level, and structure does not move with the tides. If we remain true to targeting areas of structure, our production should remain consistent no matter how the water level might fluctuate. I actually feel that redfish become more aggressive when the water levels are higher.

It is a fact that fish will most always position themselves to face and feed into whatever current is available – tide generated as well as 38 | July 2021

TSFMAG.com | 39

View The Video

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

Points and Passes Concentrate Current… and Game Fish!

40 | July 2021

John, Lil John XL, Bass Assassins, Texas Customs Double D. The Custom Corky’s Soft Dine can also be very effective, given its longer casting capability, smaller profile, and slow sinking action. My box will also have a favorite topwater or two. I prefer rigging my plastics on Texas Custom’s 2/0 – 1/16 ounce jigheads.

In the soft plastic department, we need tough baits that can withstand the abuse that pesky tail-nipping piggy perch and pinfish can dish out. In my book, any lure missing any portion of the tail is worthless. I prefer lures without brightly colored tails, in color patterns that match the wind and light conditions. Whenever I feel I need the added enticement of chartreuse to attract more bites I will opt for a chartreuse jighead rather than a chartreuse tail. My thinking is that if the chartreuse is attracting the fish’s attention, I would prefer it on the head and not the tip of the tail. Call it part of my mental game.

Hope this month’s article and short video will help you catch a few more fish.

May your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins

C O N TA C T

wind-driven. I therefore prefer to place my casts at angles to the wind rather than directly downwind. Casting straight downwind means the lure will more often be approaching the fish from behind, whereas the crosswind cast has the chance to intercept more areas of structure, and enter the fish’s vision at a more natural and favorable angle. I refer to this as allowing the wind to bend the cast.

When fish are moving and feeding into a current they will sometimes be reluctant to alter their course to grab your lure. I learned this many years ago while sight-casting. Bending the cast brings your lure across and in front of the line they are moving on. The simple turn of the head can provide a take; which is another cool name for a bite. Little effort from the fish is required and the basic line it is traveling is not altered in the process. This technique works equally well for wading or drifting. The boys and I used it religiously in redfish tournaments that did not allow wading and won a couple of boats. It can be especially effective while drifting on windy days and fish are scattered across large areas of grass flats.

My lure selection for fishing grass flats consists of the MirrOlure Lil

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

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

TSFMAG.com | 41

How It All Began

...and

Farewell STORY BY SCOTT NULL

Way back in the early-2000’s I was a part-time fishing guide with a full-time job in the Houston Police Department’s Homicide Division.

I was running my very first poling skiff and paddling kayaks in tournaments from Texas to Florida. One day while hanging out at Fishing Tackle Unlimited I ran into Everett Johnson who was delivering a stack of his Gulf Coast Connections magazine. Yes, this magazine was known by a different name back then. It also had a completely different look as it was newsprint pages with a slick cover, more of a tabloid than a magazine. I read that thing cover to cover every month.

We got to chatting about fishing and kayaking, as always. Kayak fishing was still fairly new at the time and we were all working on figuring it out. I was known for standing up in my old Wilderness Systems Ride so that I could sight-cast as I moved through the marsh

44 | July 2021

or drifted a grass flat. Everett was also into kayak fishing and more a fan of staying low and employing the low-profile stealth approach.

A few minutes into our conversation he came up with an idea.

He asked if I would like to write an article explaining my reasons and techniques for standing, and then he would write a follow-up piece to describe his side. I was thrilled at the opportunity to write for my favorite magazine. Being published alongside guides I had followed for years was way cool. I went home and knocked it out that evening.

Apparently it was of acceptable quality as he called and asked if I’d like to handle the monthly kayak fishing column. I jumped on it like a redfish on a kicking shrimp. In those early years I had a whole lot to say and often would have a couple of articles written and waiting to submit. Maybe it was just the relief of writing something

TSFMAG.com | 45

“

Knowing that I touched on something that made you write an email or hunt me down at a fishing show or expo made it all worthwhile.

”

C O N TA C T

other than police reports on murder cases.

Things changed over the years.

I retired from the PD and started guiding more. As time went on I began using my poling skiff far more than the kayaks. I had also begun to run out of things to say about kayaks and kayak fishing. We had a talk about it and he presented the idea of creating a monthly column about my greatest passion in fishing – sight-casting. I was on fire with learning to spot and stalk my targets before actually making the cast, and teaching what I’d learned to others. That freed me up to write about skiff fishing while continuing to throw in some kayak stuff from time to time. I was rejuvenated.

Today I feel like Forrest Gump at the end of his run, “I’m kinda tired. I think I’ll go home now.”

Thank you to Everett and Pam for putting together such a great

46 | July 2021

Capt Scott Null guides in the Port O’Connor area specializing in throwing artificials and flies to everything from redfish to tarpon. He is also co-host of the very popular Bite Me A Saltwater Fishing Podcast.

Telephone Email Website

281-450-2206 captscottnull@gmail.com www.captainscottnull.com

platform and always supporting me. Thank you to the magazine staff for making us all look good with the professional layout and feel of this publication. And, most of all, a hearty thanks to the loyal readers. Without you guys there wouldn’t be a reason to write. I’ve received so many nice compliments over the years and knowing that I touched on something that made you write an email or hunt me down at a fishing show or expo made it all worthwhile.

I’m certainly not going away. I’m still guiding and I’ll continue on with Bite Me, A Saltwater Fishing Podcast. And if Everett will have me, I might drop in with a guest article from time to time when the inspiration hits. If you see me at a boat ramp, fishing show, or anywhere out and about, please know you will always be welcome to say hello.

Again, thank you all. It’s been a great ride!

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Oyster farming is coming to Texas!

B y E m m a C l a r k s o n | H a b i t a t a n d A s s e s s m e n t Te a m

FIELD NOTES

OYSTER FARMING COMES TO TEXAS Oysters in Texas It’s humbling to see how a small bivalve that fits in the palm of your hand has a disproportionately large influence on the culture, community, economy, and ecological resilience of our coast. Oysters are engrained in Texas culinary culture; there are festivals in their honor, and they make an appearance at coastal backyard barbeques, either baked, fried, or on the half shell. In the bays, these bivalves band together to create complex reefs teeming with life that provide shelter and food for the fish that Texas anglers love to chase. This living habitat supports not only recreational angling, but also the largest wild oyster fishery in the Gulf of Mexico; over 3.5 million pounds of meat was harvested in 2019 from public and private reefs in Texas, with an ex-vessel value of over $33 million. Some consider Texas the “last frontier” of wild oyster harvest as our oyster fishery is the last in the Gulf of Mexico to be supported almost entirely by wild natural reefs (only ~10% of oyster landings come from private reefs), but our wild oyster frontier is about to be settled by a new industry – oyster farming is coming to Texas!

This past year, Texas became the last state in the Gulf of Mexico to develop a Cultivated Oyster Mariculture (COM) industry. This legislative effort is anticipated to vitalize the coastal economy by creating business opportunities for both oyster farmers and restaurants. Because oyster 48 | July 2021

farmers have more control over oysters in cages than those on a wild reef, farmed oysters are often considered “boutique” for the half-shell market due to their carefullycultivated taste, shape, size and appearance…and they’re sustainable! There is no way to know for certain if oyster farms will reduce harvest pressure on wild reefs or simply supplement it (that all depends on the demand), but either way, there will now be more options for Texas oyster lovers.

Designing the Texas Cultivated Oyster Mariculture Program Luckily, being the last state to develop an oyster mariculture industry meant that Texas could lean on the lessons learned by the other coastal states. We started by looking at what had already been successful (or not) across the country. Texas is also unique in many ways, which has required deviating from the status quo to create our own unique program. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) worked with a task force comprised of local industry members, academics, and conservation groups to design a program that is informed by the best available science as well as public input.

There was a lot to figure out in just one year, from minutia such as creating the necessary paperwork trail of forms, to major considerations such as ensuring natural resources like habitats and nesting birds will not be

TSFMAG.com | 49

negatively impacted by the addition of farms. Protecting the genetics of our unique wild Texas oysters was also a priority, as Texas is the only state in the Gulf of Mexico that is home to two genetic populations of oysters, one of which has evolved to survive in the unique highsalinity environments of our southern estuaries. Importation of oysters has never been allowed in Texas, but in the absence of Texas oyster hatcheries, TPWD had to create new protocols for safely importing oyster seed to new oyster farmers. We also considered issues such as marine debris, and a portion of the fees generated from this program will be dedicated to cleaning up abandoned or lost gear.

Unfortunately, one year was not quite enough time to streamline the permitting process. As it stands now, applicants must coordinate with up to six state and federal agencies to obtain all of the permits necessary for an oyster farm. But this will not be a permanent challenge – TPWD has already begun creating an online permit application portal that should be live by the end of 2021. TPWD staff are also more than happy to walk applicants through the permitting process so it can be a little less daunting.

So, you want to start an oyster farm…

If you’re interested in starting your own oyster farm, the first step is to schedule a meeting with a TPWD biologist who will not only help guide you through the permitting process and program rules, but also help you review the farm site with a Spatial Planning Tool to avoid conflicts that may trigger the rejection of the site.

Picking a site for an oyster farm can be one of the most critical steps of the process. The location of the farm can be the difference between success and failure; the water quality, salinity, temperature, and flow at the site can influence not only how quickly oysters grow, but if they even survive at all. Sites should also avoid conflict with wadefishing, navigation, oil and gas infrastructure, and private property (especially since all of these competing users will have an opportunity to provide public comment on each proposed farm). You will also have to complete a natural resources survey to ensure your site will have no negative impact to sensitive habitats, such as seagrasses, wild oysters, wetlands, and bird rookeries. While our bays may appear to be large expanses of open water with unending potential for oyster farms, the usable area is rapidly reduced when you look at all these considerations.

50 | July 2021

To the benefit of potential farmers, Texas Sea Grant has recently hired an Oyster Aquaculture Specialist who can provide tips for successful site selection as well as best practices for oyster farm operation. They can help guide you through technical questions, such as what type of gear to purchase, how many oysters to stock for your targeted production, and how and where oysters should be grown for a targeted taste and appearance. Sea Grant also provides training opportunities to see firsthand how the gear is operated so you know exactly what to expect on your oyster farm.

Once you have selected a site, completed the natural resource survey, and developed an operations plan, the permitting process begins! It is anticipated that acquiring all permits required by all state and federal agencies may take up to six months.

Texas Oyster Farming Today At the time of this article, we have had two official applications (one 8-acre farm in Copano Bay and one 10-acre farm in East Galveston Bay), with about eight more “coming soon”. We expect these oysters to make an appearance in restaurants within a year. No one knows for sure how many people will apply for oyster farms in Texas, but the interest has been steadily growing. States with more established programs, such as Virginia and North Carolina, saw exponential growth over time from under 10 farms in the first few years to over 40 farms within a decade.

Only time will tell how this industry will grow in Texas, but given our Texas-sized passion for oysters, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a Texassized oyster mariculture industry.

Check our website for more information about the program, including public meetings and proposed farms near you.

For questions about TPWD’s Oyster Mariculture Program, email oyster. mariculture@tpwd.texas.gov For questions about farm operations, contact Mario Marquez (SeaGrant) at mmarquez42@exchange.tamu.edu

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

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A nice 27-incher! Highlighting the ruler graduations with permanent marker makes it easier to determine length of fish in photos.

DAV E R O B E R T S

K AYA K F I S H I N G C H R O N I C L E S

CATCH/PHOTO/RELEASE Everything in our world is constantly changing and fishing is no exception. Often times it is advancements on fishing gear and techniques, maps to help anglers find new spots, navigational technology, and the list continues. One aspect of the sport that has seen very little change since the beginning is tournament fishing.

However, within the last few years we have seen a trend in tournament formats that does not require a traditional weigh-in.

We started to see this change with professional bass anglers after they realized how much stress is put on a fish after being caught. Between spending all day in a live-well, getting dragged around in a bag to the scales, and then being released in foreign waters, there was a significant mortality rate. So someone had the idea of changing that by having anglers with their own certified scale weighing their fish and releasing them immediately.

Thus the beginning of Major League Fishing.

On the saltwater side of things we have been slow to

accept this change, but this year we are going to see it and I believe it is going to stick around. In light of the recent freeze, we are recognizing that we need to take as little as possible from our resources and give them a chance to bounce back. This year along the Texas coast we are starting to see several tournaments switch to the Catch/Photo/Release format. Now this is nothing new to kayakers, but to the rest of the fishing community, it is a revelation.

The current CPR format originated with kayak bass anglers; keeping five bass on a stringer is impractical.

So, the next best thing was to determine winners by the length of their five longest fish – whoever has the most inches wins.

Since then, saltwater anglers have adopted the practice and have several different types of tournaments across the coast.

With the rising popularity of CPR tournaments, there has been a demand for a platform to make the process of hosting one of these tournaments easier.

There are several apps

the end “ofAtthe day,

the angler with the most inches wins.

52 | July 2021

”

P O R T

L A V A C A

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currently available that cater to every aspect that can be imagined when it comes to hosting an event.

You can choose species, number of fish to be measured, individual or team event, etc.

View The Video

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

Measuring and Photographing Fish in Catch-Photo-Release Tournament 54 | July 2021

C O N TA C T

HOW IT WORKS Let’s say that TSFMag is hosting a CPR tournament and the format is the three longest trout. An angler can then download the appropriate app and sign up for the event.

The night before, the tournament director will release a unique Trough shape of measuring identifier code that has to be in the device contributes to photo of the fish. This is to ensure accurate measurement. No that the fish was caught within the tail pinching necessary! specified hours. Once you get the identifier and you catch a trout, it is then time to make your photo.

Note the “unique identifier” is included in You place it on a measuring board, photo submissions. These are issued in a facing left with the belly of the fish fashion that helps insure fish were caught and photos made during specified fishing hours. towards the angler; note that every measuring board must have a 90 degree lip. Once the fish is settled on the board, make sure that the nose is against the lip of the board. Once there, place the unique identifier in a spot that is visible, stretch the fish to max length and take a photo. Be sure to take several!

Once you have a good photo, open the app and submit your fish.

It’s that easy! Another great thing about the app is if you happen to upgrade by catching a larger fish, you can go back and cull your catch. Then after your submission, the judges will examine it and, if accepted, it is applied toward your total score. At the end of the day, the angler with the most inches going to be a great event. wins the tournament. The rules will vary with every tournament but With this new format coming into play, I know that it will do nothing that is gist of it. but help our fisheries; especially for larger, multi-species tournaments.

I know this may be a new and somewhat foreign concept and it is This will ensure that anglers can still have a friendly competition and going to take some time to get used to it, but I believe we are going be able to help conservation by releasing their fish. It may be new but I to start seeing more tournaments like this. I know that Babes on promise it is just as exciting as any other tournament. If you happen to the Bay adopted this format this year and CCA Texas did as well for have a CPR tourney in your area, be sure to sign up, have fun, and help any of their sanctioned tournaments. I have been helping my local sustain our fishery! chapter organize one here on our end of the coast and I believe it is Dave Roberts is an avid kayak-fishing enthusiast fishing primarily the inshore Upper Coast region with occasional adventures to surf and nearshore Gulf of Mexico.

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CCA Texas and local chapter events have moved to Catch-PhotoRelease formatted events to lessen the impact to Texas coastal fisheries.

The losses from the February 2021 freeze were significant and we must all do our part to ensure a quick recovery through actions of our own. Photo by Jen Thomasson.

By John Blaha

T S F M A G C O N S E R VAT I O N N E W S

CCA TEXAS & VOLUNTEERS

MOVE FORWARD

In the last 18 months, CCA Texas, members, supporters, and sponsors have faced many uncertainties and challenges. In the “can do” spirit, 2021 began with guarded optimism that the year was going to be better than 2020 and our daily lives would begin to return to normal. Then came the February freeze. CCA Texas and

the STAR Tournament Committee moved immediately and announced major changes to the tournament format that would leave no impact on already freeze-stricken coastal fisheries. The Babes on the Bay – All Women’s Fishing Tournament, hosted by the Aransas Bay CCA Chapter, followed suit and announced the tournament

CCA Texas and Building Conservation Trust have committed over $8.3 million to habitat creation and restoration. CCA Texas is committed to the continued support of these efforts. Photo by John Blaha.

56 | July 2021

As demand for oysters continues to grow, CCA Texas is committed to continuing to improve oyster management practices for a heathy oyster fishery. Oysters are the building block of a healthy ecosystem and must be taken care of appropriately.” Photo by John Blaha.

would move to a Catch-Photo-Release format, and spotted sea trout would be removed from the tournament. State and local chapter leadership recognized changes had to be made in the best interest of the fishery, and changes were made.

As time moved along and needs were accessed, CCA Texas Executive and State Boards made the commitment to assist Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) hatchery programs as needed. Through an electronic vote, CCA Texas’ Board of Directors approved $152,000 to aid the Sea Center Texas Hatchery in Lake Jackson, TPWD – CCA Marine Development Center (CCA MDC) in Flour Bluff, Texas to ramp up their production of juvenile speckled trout and redfish. With these funds, TPWD biologists at Sea Center Texas were able to purchase and install liner replacements for three rearing ponds, allowing them to immediately increase fingerling production as some of the ponds were entirely out of commission and the remainder required frequent repair. Additionally, CCA Texas funding allowed for the replacement of four vital heat exchangers for the speckled trout brood tank systems at the CCA MDC to ensure proper temperature control and allow staff to increase the spawning period and maximize egg production of speckled trout broodstock. CCA Texas is proud to maintain its longtime commitment to TPWD hatcheries, and will remain committed for future needs of the hatcheries as we all work together to ensure healthy coastal fisheries.

As we passed through the month of May, CCA Texas and local chapters have held 27 banquets and the Babes on the Bay – All Women’s Fishing Tournament. With caution and guarded optimism, local chapters began holding banquets following all the necessary and required guidelines of the CDC and the local communities. The early banquets of February and March set the tone for what is shaping up to be a very successful year. Volunteers and community supporters have been eager to return to local community events, and support has been stronger than ever. CCA Texas is blessed to have the support of a strong volunteer network and communities that support the organization. We are looking forward to a strong second half of 2021 that includes some of the state’s largest events in Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and El Campo. The stage has been set for success as the local chapters are working diligently and communities are ready to take part in ensuring Texas’s coastal resources are healthy for present and future generations. Be sure to visit the CCA Texas calendar of banquet events at www.ccatexas.org.

Advocacy and Habitat efforts continue to remain strong all along the coast. CCA Texas’s habitat initiative, Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT), and CCA National habitat program, Building Conservation Trust (BCT), have now provided over $8.3 million in funding to habitat projects here on the Texas coast. These efforts would not be possible without the partnerships forged with TPWD, Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF), Coastal Bend Bay and Estuaries Program (CBBEP), Harte Research Institute (HRI), Friends of RGV Reefs, Friends of Sabine Reefs, and many other like organizations and corporate partners. Habitat restoration and creation takes a joint effort by many and CCA Texas and BCT are proud to be a part of these continuing efforts. CCA Texas Governmental Affairs Committee and Advocacy Director, Shane Bonnot, continue to stay busy following legislative efforts that may affect coastal fisheries management.

After a busy oyster season and the introduction of oyster mariculture in Texas, CCA Texas will continue to monitor and work with coastal fisheries to ensure this important habitat is managed to the best practices as possible. Oysters are a building block to a healthy ecosystem, and we must continue to work on the management of this important resource.

If you have not registered yourself and family for STAR be sure to do so now. There are lots of great prizes up for grabs including boats, trucks, and scholarships. Do not take a chance on missing out. As I write this article, I was notified of two catches made over the Memorial Day weekend by anglers that were not registered.

Both fish were released and swam away, and memories were made of what could have been. Do not miss out! Get registered today online, at registration stations, or simply call the CCA Texas office at (713) 626-4222. The 2021 STAR is all Catch-Clip-Release, so be sure to read all the rules and visit the STAR Tournament online at www. startournament.org for all the details.

Have a great summer and we look forward to seeing you at local chapter events!

View The Video

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

CCA Texas STAR Tagged Redfish – Tag Removal and Release

TSFMAG.com | 57

Photo by Eugene Angoluk (aka Thirdman) from Pexels.

STEPHANIE BOYD

F I S H Y FA C T S

GRASS CARP The grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella, is one of the largest members of the minnow family, regularly reaching between 65 to 80 pounds and 4 feet in length.

The rod-and-reel record in Texas stands at 53.5 pounds, 49 inches (2006). The current IGFA All Tackle Record is just over 87 pounds. Their coloration is olivaceous to silvery with white bellies, lacking the golden hue of the common carp, and they have a round, torpedo-shaped body. The mullet-shaped head, terminal mouth without barbels, and coarse dark edged scales are distinctive identifying features of the grass carp. They also sport a scaleless head, short dorsal fin, large, dark tail, and are one of only two minnow species with spines in their fins (the other is the common carp). The genus and species names describe, quite literally, the grassy’s distinct comblike pharyngeal teeth.

Also known as white amur, grass carp are native to the Amur River system in China and Eastern Siberia, but have been cultured nearly worldwide, both for food and as a measure for aquatic weed control. Though they primarily inhabit fresh water, the species shows a high tolerance for salinity and has been known to survive for several days in water up to three times as salty as sea water. Grassies are found widely scattered in the Canadian, Red, Sabine, Trinity, and Rio Grande basins, and they are known to reproduce in the Trinity 58 | July 2021

River-Galveston Bay area. They are capable of extensive migrations in open systems, but generally only travel during spawning season.

Newly hatched grass carp feed on benthic invertebrates and zooplankton but switch almost entirely to an herbivorous diet by the time they’re three inches in length. In the absence of aquatic vegetation, grass carp have been reported to consume organic detritus, insects, small fish, earthworms, and other invertebrates. They use their pharyngeal teeth to grind vegetation, preferring a diet of submerged plants with soft leaves. Their feeding habits have made them highly desirable as vegetation control agents, as they are capable of consuming three times their body weight per day in plant material.

Spawning typically occurs in the spring when water temperatures reach above 59°F. Once an appropriate water temperature is reached, spawning seems to be initiated after a sudden rise in water level, usually after heavy rains. Spawning areas usually have high water velocity and turbid water, such as at the confluence of rivers or below dams, as the eggs are semi-pelagic and must remain suspended during the 20- to 30-hour incubation period. Thus, successful reproduction requires long stretches of warm, flowing water and suitable backwater habitats for larval development. In the Trinity River, spawning occurs from April to July. Females

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produce, on average, 1 million eggs per year, which they release by the hundreds of thousands in broadcast spawning events. During these events, males generally outnumber females by about 2 to 1. Grassies typically swim into the strongest current, where courting/chasing occurs. Males butt their heads against the belly of a female, stimulating the simultaneous release of eggs and milt. Young grass carp grow rapidly, reaching over 2 pounds in the first year, and growing 4.5-6.5 pounds per year in temperate climates (10 pounds/year in tropical climates). Age at sexual maturity ranges widely, from 2-10 years (19-34 inches), and is largely a function of water temperature and diet, with males generally maturing a bit earlier than females. Their lifespan is about 5-11 years in the wild, though one specimen found in North Dakota was over 33 years.

Grass carp culture began in the southern part of China, Photo by Peter Halasz. along the Yangtze and Pearl Rivers. Common carp was Licensed by CC BY-SA 3.0. actually the preferred species for culture, but during the Tang Dynasty (618-904 A.D.), the family name of normal set of two. The aquatic weed control capabilities of the the emperor happened to be pronounced the same (in Chinese) non-reproductive triploid grass carp appeared to be essentially as “common carp,” so the killing and sale of common carp was the same as the naturally reproducing diploid carp. Triploid grass outlawed. Grass carp were one of the chosen substitutes – along carp are functionally sterile. Females have greatly reduced ovaries. with silver carp, bighead, and black carp – as their fertilized eggs Triploid males still produce sperm, but they produce very low were easily harvested from the rivers. Since then, the fish has been viable numbers – only about 60 viable spermatids for every billion introduced to more than 40 other countries. Global production of cells. Even artificial insemination into normal eggs from diploid farmed grass carp topped 3 million tons in 1999. females produced no viable larvae. The odds of triploid grass carp In 1963, through a joint action between the United Nations Food & successfully reproducing is only even possible in populations where Agriculture Organization, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and Auburn triploid males can spawn with diploid females, and it’s still very low.

University, grass carp were brought into the US to evaluate their use Though some might argue that “life, uh, finds a way…” as a biological control for aquatic vegetation. The original fish were In 1985, the USFWS established a triploid grass carp ploidy housed at two facilities: the USFWS Fish Farming Experiment Station inspection program. Because creation of triploidy stock is less than in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and Auburn University, Alabama. Both stocks 100% effective, all the fish in each batch need to be individually reached sexual maturity, and spawned, in 1966. Some of the offspring tested for ploidy determination, and the diploid fish removed. The from the Stuttgart station escaped, possibly by passing through effectiveness of triploidy is, therefore, dependent upon the quality screens on rearing troughs. and integrity of the inspection and certification processes that The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC) first stocked Lake screen the fish.

Greenlee, a topographically isolated lake, in 1969. Feral grass carp Grass carp are stocked to alter “undesirable” habitats by consuming were collected in the White River (Arkansas) in 1970, and in the Illinois nuisance aquatic vegetation, but in some ecosystems, they can portion of the Mississippi River in 1971. Age determination indicated negatively impact aquatic plants and invertebrate foods that provide the fish were from the 1966 year class, escapees from the USFWS beneficial habitat for desired species. For example, in Lake Conroe facility in Stuttgart. Also in 1971, the AGFC stocked Lake Conway, the (Texas), stocking of this species and the resultant loss of vegetation first reservoir open to a stream system. By 1972, grass carp had been altered the invertebrate and fish communities. Grassies are explosive introduced into 40 states. By 1974, grass carp began to appear more breeders and insatiable feeders, often out-competing indigenous frequently in the Mississippi River, along with the rivers of Alabama, species. In addition, they only digest about half of the plant material Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. they consume each day. The rest is expelled into the water as waste, By the late 1970s, there was growing concern over the grass which can lead to an increase in nutrients with subsequent algal carp’s potential to reproduce in river systems in the US, and many blooms, which in turn can lower the water clarity and dissolved states banned the importation of diploid (fertile) grass carp. oxygen content. Currently, only triploid grass carp are legal for use in Private hatcheries began developing hybrid, sterile, and monoTexas, and a permit is required to obtain them. An angler who retains sex stocks in an attempt to create environmentally safe grass carp. a grass carp caught in public water must immediately remove the One experiment produced a hybridization with the common carp intestines, except in waters where a valid Triploid Grass Carp Permit is (Cyprinus carpio), but the resulting hybrids were still fertile. In in effect. In those waters, any grass carp caught must be immediately 1983, a private fish hatchery in Arkansas produced the first triploid returned to the water unharmed. (sterile) grass carp on a commercially viable scale. Fertilized eggs The herbivorous feeding habits of this species make it challenging are shocked with hot or cold water, or with pressure, causing them to catch, but they do tend to cruise high in the water column, making to retain an extra set of chromosomes – hence the term “triploid” them easy targets with a bow. While grassies might be reluctant carp, because they have three sets of chromosomes instead of the 60 | July 2021

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21-SPI-0260-Texas Saltwater Fishing].indd 1

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to bite, once hooked, they’re reported to be a strong fish that puts up a tenacious fight and are known to jump. Once landed, they’re supposedly easy to clean, yield a large amount of usable flesh, and are excellent table fare – steamed, pan-fried, broiled, or baked.

Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ctenopharyngodon_idella/ classification/#Ctenopharyngodon_idella

Where I learned about grass carp, and you can too!

IGFA igfa.org/game-fish-database/?search_type=SpeciesID&search_term_1=108

TPWD tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/gcarp/ tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/action/staterecords.php?env=FW&age_ group=all&list=0 Texas Marine Species txmarspecies.tamug.edu/fishdetails.cfm?scinameID=Ctenopharyngodon%20 idella Texas Invasives www.texasinvasives.org/animal_database/detail.php?symbol=13 Fishes of Texas www.fishesoftexas.org/taxa/ctenopharyngodon-idella USFWS www.fws.gov/fisheries/ans/erss/highrisk/ERSS-Ctenopharyngodon-idella-final.pdf USGS nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=514 Fish Base www.fishbase.se/summary/Ctenopharyngodon-idella.html

62 | July 2021

Asian Carp Working Group www.anstaskforce.gov/Documents/Carps_Management_Plan.pdf Minnesota Department of Natural Resources www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticanimals/grasscarp/index.html California Department of Fish & Wildlife nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=86497&inline Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Ctenopharyngodon_idellus/en Southeastern Pond Management sepond.com/fish-stocking/grass-carp

View The Video

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

Kansas Wildlife & Parks uses triploid grass carp to manage vegetation in state hatchery ponds.

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Copious amounts of Sargassum weed can reach Texas beaches during certain weather and current patterns.

ERIC OZOLINS

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

SARGASSUM SARCASM

The Texas coast endures all sorts of hardships—flooded rivers send dirty freshwater down the beaches, storm tides crash into the dunes, and red tides bloom. These represent just a few of the many expected disasters. Another has been virtually absent from our beachfront waters for nearly a decade, though it regularly provided a menacing presence in the past. This nemesis, a living organism, attracts other forms of life, but anglers generally despise it.

To get an idea of the effects this enemy of the surf exerts on anglers, imagine conducting a normal surf fishing adventure. As a first step, anglers deploy baits, some large, some small, either using kayaks or by casting. In this puzzling, frustrating scenario, lines become wiped sideways with the current within minutes. Soon, the culprit reveals itself—seaweed, specifically Sargassum weed.

Sargassum is a genus made up of several species of macro algae seaweeds. First described by Portuguese sailors who navigated the Atlantic, in a relatively calm, warm area now known as the Sargasso Sea, Sargassum weeds occur in temperate and tropical oceans across the globe. Numerous free-floating forms of the genus, with gas filled bladders on their branches, thrive in tropical oceans. Offshore of the Texas coast, clumps of Sargassum weed organize on the surface into mat-like structures, which act as oases in the surrounding aquatic desert, often attracting great numbers of both prey species and the predators that consume them, like mahi 64 | July 2021

mahi, wahoo and sailfish.

These weed lines help anglers fishing the waters offshore of our state, and that’s a positive thing. On the negative side, large amounts of all things plankton and trash in the Gulf of Mexico wind up washing onto Texas beaches. Winds and currents do what they will, sending most floating things onshore somewhere.

Sometimes, this means we see large invasions of Sargassum along the coast.

Most of the weeds we see on our beaches likely originate in the Sargasso Sea, before currents bring them into the Gulf. During recent years, fate has pushed more Sargassum into the Caribbean Sea than the Gulf. I was in Puerto Rico three years ago and saw an epic amount of seaweed storming their beaches. It was not something I expected in a tropical oasis. Puerto Rico, The Dominican Republic and other island republics also suffered through the onslaught, though we did not.

But this nuisance weed is nothing new to coastal anglers in Texas. We’ve seen it before, and will likely see it again.

In the surf, Sargassum weed is public enemy number one for anglers, making it nearly impossible to fish long rods.

Clumps of the weed float in the currents driven by steady southeast winds in late-spring and summer.

Once a clump becomes wrapped on a tight fishing line, winds and currents create a bow in the line. If much weed is present, more and more clumps quickly stack up, and their heft pulls the weight on the end of the line

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Surf Rod Holder – Quick and Easy Setup Technique

Days of old; scenes like this used to be quite normal.

Kangaroo rat foraging in Sargassum on the beach.

Oz measuring and preparing to release a blacktip shark amid Sargassum weed stacked on the beach.

C O N TA C T

free, starting a process which washes the bait down the beach. In great enough abundance, Sargassum weed can render miles upon miles of beach 100% unfishable. This frustrates shark fishermen like me.

Many people new to the sport of shark fishing or surf fishing in general don’t have experience with mass amounts of this plaguing weed washing in like we had ten to twenty years ago. Back then, for many weeks in the spring, coping with a Sargassum invasion was the norm. Weeds piled up on the beach in mats two or three feet deep, In some places creating “walls” over four feet tall.

These mats and walls create more than a hazard for drivers, they begin to rot and stink. While it decomposes under the warm sun and gives off noxious fumes, grains of sand begin to cover the layer of weeds, creating a hazardous form of a sink hole, which can swallow passing vehicles. Many trucks and jeeps have been lost in these pits.

Luckily, for the better part of the past decade, we’ve been spared from seeing these hideous scenes. In some recent years, we received nearly zero weed, and anglers could fish free of frustration and keep baits out with confidence. In others, a light dusting of weeds washed in, which allowed us to keep fishing, with line maintenance.

Despite all its detriments, a major biomass of Sargassum does offer benefits when present in our waters. First, it offers structure and refuge for fry and small species of fish, creating a unique floating habitat that introduces species to new locations. Inside clumps of the weed, an array of crabs, shrimp, triggerfish, juvenile mahi mahi, and even juvenile billfish reside.

Because so many small creatures call these floating havens home, they also attract larger predators to hunt around the structures. When a congregation of Sargassum moves close to the beach, it can bring pelagic predators with it. Some of the few cobia I’ve seen caught from the beach were landed during heavy Sargassum invasions. I’m sure other exotic and unexpected species make their way toward the beach while following the weeds.

Currently we’ve been reintroduced to a fair amount of Sargassum, for the first time in years. If it remains present, some anglers will probably become frustrated and angry enough to sell their gear. Often, though, several days of consistent south and southeast winds will push all the weeds in. Weather patterns typically free things up down south first, moving the weeds farther up the coast during summer.

Patience is key when fishing around Sargassum, sometimes requiring traveling twenty or thirty miles to get away from ultra thick concentrations and find fishable water. Remaining persistent and keeping the spirits high despite the seemingly apocalyptic conditions helps, as does acknowledging the importance of this normal occurrence in nature, one full of benefits to the marine ecosystem.

Light amounts of weed can prove great for trout fishing in the surf.

When it comes to shark fishing, some incredible specimens have been caught during peak Sargassum events. The fish will be there; patient, determined anglers who best cope with the conditions stand the best chance of catching them.

For the past decade Eric ‘Oz’ Ozolins has been promoting shark catch and release and assisting various shark research programs. Eric offers guided shark fishing on Padre Island National Seashore. Also renowned for extreme kayak big game fishing, Eric is the owner of Catch Sharks Tackle Company.

Email Websites

oz@oceanepics.com oceanepics.com | catchsharks.com TSFMAG.com | 65

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66 | July 2021

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DICKIE COLBURN

DICKIE COLBURN’S Sabine Scene

It hasn’t rained in the last twelve hours and that is noteworthy, considering that it has poured somewhere in the immediate area thirteen of the last fifteen days. The trout in Sabine Lake are already forced to cope with more S ab i n e fresh water than they can comfortably handle and unfortunately, there is more on the way!

Rayburn is nine feet high and finally Dickie Colburn is a full had to start releasing water this week. time guide out of Orange, Toledo Bend only compounds the Texas. Dickie has 37 years problem as they have been running experience guiding on Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes. both generators 24/7 with eleven flood gates open for a solid week. Long story Telephone short, it will not take another “named 409-883-0723 storm” for us to be underwater again.

Website Another six- to ten-inch rain squatting www.sabineconnection.com on the north end of Sabine will leave a lot of area anglers filling sand bags and cursing insurance agents.

With a number of boat ramps still unusable as of today, I would have bet that the trout bite would once again be non-existent, but

It’s been...Fish in the rain or stay home!

68 | July 2021

that has not been the case. As expected, we have struggled on the north end, but folks fishing the south end are still finding a few trout herding shrimp.

On a positive note, let’s assume that we survive the glut of fresh water exiting the impoundments and don’t get saddled with another major storm in the process. Should that happen, we may very well salvage a fisherman-friendly summer as our trout population has been steadily improving.

Once the tide changes are strong enough to not only flush out more fresh water, but pump more saltwater and shrimp into the main lake as well, good things will happen. For the first time in the past few years we were again catching solid trout all over the lake, but until things dry out, I would start my day somewhere between Blue Buck Point and the jetties.

The stretch of deeper water from the Causeway to the end of the jetties will recover the fastest, but it will also absorb most of the fishing pressure. Depending on wind direction, either side of the jetties can be lights out and the pressure is usually much lighter than it is in the channel. You don’t have to be a resident angler to figure out the proven spots on the ship channel, but you do have to get there early.

Shrimp are easily the main course right now, but once the shad pod up again, expect to find more schooling reds and trout in open water on the south end of the lake. Any flock of terns or gulls that won’t abandon a small stretch of water merits a cast or two.

In the past, the bite directly in front of the bayous has been the first indication that the north end is recovering.

Color change is a dead giveaway and for that reason alone, outgoing tides are invariably the most productive. Everything from crabs to finger mullet exit the marsh through the narrow openings and the predators are usually waiting.

While the numbers have been improving much faster than size, the lion’s share of our more successful anglers have gone “old school” in their approach and I look for that to continue.

More trout fishermen are now fishing smaller plastics under a cork or swimming them on one-eighth ounce heads.

While you may sacrifice a little distance with the lighter lures, do not think for one second that a hungry slot red will turn its back on the shorter tail. Excluding the venerable Hoginar, I have caught as many redfish on a 4-inch Sea Shad or Lil John as any other lure in my box.

You still may dupe a bragging size trout on occasion fishing the smaller stuff, but targeting bragging size trout with larger lures is a completely different game. Smaller baits attract smaller trout, but its catching that keeps you coming back.

Don’t forget that catch and release works on small trout as well and I guarantee the kids will vote for more catching.

If you are not above utilizing this approach, you might also consider drifting a live finger mullet or shad under a popping cork. A four foot leader with the weight immediately below the cork is the ticket. It is not unusual to see the strike on the surface well before the cork dips beneath the surface.

The bonus to fishing this technique is how many kids enjoy catching the bait as much as they do catching and releasing fish!

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BINK GRIMES

THE VIEW FROM Matagorda

We pray for light north winds in July that drop temperatures a bit and flatten the surf. The attractive aspect of Matagorda is the miles of beach available to anyone with a 4x4 or a boat.

Whenever we can get in the surf we go.

M ata go r d a It’s important to try and fish the surf the first day it greens and flattens.

It’s been my observation that trout get tougher to catch by the third day Bink Grimes is a full-time fishing of a green surf. Predators like sharks, and hunting guide, freelance mackerel, huge redfish, and tarpon writer and photographer, and find the clear shallows and try to find owner of Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay. an easy meal. Yes, all of these fish eat speckled trout. We prefer they eat all those shad, pogies, mullet, and Telephone 979-241-1705 shrimp roaming the first Email gut, but often specks get binkgrimes@sbcglobal.net caught in the fury.

Website Since July is synonymous matagordasunriselodge.com with westerly wind on our part of the coast, water clarity can become an issue. If we can find streaky water – off-colored water with hints of green streaks – we feel like we can find fish to catch.

West winds push dry, blistering air off the Mexican desert and give us arid days while sucking water out of the bays and draining tides from the shorelines. With tides low and water temperatures feeling like bath water, a change in fishing tactics is in order.

Though winds do dip below 10 knots this time of year, weak tides often do not allow bays to clear, especially when water temperatures are in the upper-80s and tides are two feet below normal. When the water gets around

85 degrees it takes the bay a little longer to clear. That’s nothing new for July – we deal with it every year.

Those low tides congregate fish in guts. All those redfish that have been hanging out tight to the shorelines in June, school in the middle of East Bay during July. Often we catch more reds than trout while drifting 4-5 feet of water. If you happen to see a slick you better fish it.

While wading, I like to be somewhere around the pass or jetty.

Tides are going to be strongest around the pass. I like to work the grass beds within sight of Port O’Connor. Fish there love a Super Spook Jr. or She Pup and plastics like Bass Assassins, Down South Lures, and MirrOlure Soft Dines.

The question concerning our trout stocks since the freeze remains the hot topic among anglers seeking charter information. I have had some great days wading and drifting for trout since April. The neat thing is we have released hundreds of trout back to the bays. I am

grateful for a customer base who cherish our estuaries and want to do everything they can to be good stewards of our waters.

Attitudes are changing and hopefully more will get on board with the “keep only a few if you must and release the rest.”

Jesus fed 5000 with a few loaves and two small fish – it shouldn’t take much more to feed you. Please take care of our natural resources. Pick up your trash, be good neighbors, treat others with respect, and let’s all be good Americans.

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Lots going on in Matagorda during July 70 | July 2021

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CAPT. SHELLIE GRAY

MID-COAST BAYS With the Grays

May and June gave us plentiful rainfall along the middle coast. All bays benefit from local runoff and river inflows to help balance salinity and it certainly looks as though the rains came just in time, given that winter and early-spring Port O'Connor were uncharacteristically dry. The entire Seadrift ecosystem thrives when salinity runs in the moderate range and this is especially important this year, following the Captain Shellie Gray was born February freeze. in Port Lavaca and has been Calmer winds in July open lots of guiding in the Seadrift/Port doors for coastal anglers. We are now O’Connor area full time for the past 18 years. Shellie specializes able to pick and choose areas to fish without worry of nasty, gusting winds in wading for trout and redfish year round with artificial lures. that can make boating unsafe and churn the water to muddy foam. Not only do the winds tend to be calm but the Telephone direction will be primarily southeast. The 361-785-6708 possibility of a summer storm would Email bayrats@tisd.net probably be the only exception, and Website even then for a relatively short time. www.bayrat.com Shoreline bottom composition in Facebook West Matagorda, Espiritu Santo and San @captsgaryandshelliegray Antonio bays is mostly hard sand with patches of grass and deeper guts that are great for wade-fishing. San Antonio Bay also has some of the best producing mid-bay oyster reefs.

Fish will migrate to mid-bay reefs this time of year seeking not only a good food source but also deeper, cooler water. Summer breezes help keep the water in these less-protected areas more aerated.

As of late, wading deep or anchoring on dropoffs adjacent to deeper water have been the key to catching. I am not a huge fan of wading more than waist deep but that seems to be what it takes to get into a solid bite lately. Holding steady when you find a decent bite is imperative to staying in the fish. I watch too many anglers unknowingly walk forward as they reel in a fish. After catching a few the angler has inadvertently

wandered into the area where he first found them and the bite shuts down. This can be a real headache if it happens on a day when it took hours to find steady action…only to lose it shortly thereafter.

Surf fishing has really turned on in the Port O’Connor area but it is not uncommon to have to travel a good distance east or west of Pass Cavallo to find a good bite. Keying on feeding birds, active bait, and pelicans – diving or just sitting on the sand – can point the way. Speckled trout can be found feeding between the first and second guts with redfish hanging out in the first gut next to the shoreline. Soft plastics and topwaters have both been effective and I definitely recommend a short length of 20-pound leader to guard against aggressive, toothy critters you are likely to encounter out there.

If you are wading the surf I recommend a long stringer such as ForEverlast’s 15-foot G2 Pro Stringer. Do not tie it to yourself or your belt…just in case a shark decides to grab it. A better method is to slip the spike into the sheath on your wade belt so it can pop free easily in an emergency. And don’t even think of wading the surf without protective footwear. There are lots of stingrays in the surf and I personally never leave my boat without my ForEverlast Ray Guard Wading Boots. Tall neoprene wading socks help prevent chafing of ankles and calves. If the “full boot” is not your preference, ForEverlast also makes Ray Guard Shields that fit over any wading bootie.

If fishing the surf isn’t your thing, look to the mid-bay reefs in San Antonio Bay. We have made some very respectable catches out there in recent weeks. It often requires some “reef hopping” to find steady action but I can assure you it is worth the hunt. Always take a few minutes to verify bait presence before deciding to fish any of the multitude of reefs out there. Birds wheeling and diving are another great clue but not always a guarantee you’ll be stepping into steady action from fat specks.

In our neck of the woods, gulls and terns working right over the reefs are usually reliable. Farther away from the reef can often mean smaller trout, ladyfish, and gafftop.

I don’t think I have to remind you that July is one of our hottest months of the year, so getting a very early start in the morning can make a huge difference between catching or just going fishing!

Marina Marshall doing what she does best - catching and releasing big fish.

Jeff Marshall tricked this flounder with a Bass Assassin 4-inch Sea Shad.

72 | July 2021

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Weedless Rigging: Bass Assassin Sea Shad

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DAVID ROWSEY

HOOKED UP WITH Rowsey

Well, looks like we have settled into summer here in South Texas. It’s hot, humid, and the winds are backing off from the high, gusty stuff of May and early-June. Already noting some tropical activity in the gulf, who knows what to expect from Mother Nature? Between Upper Covid in 2020 and the Freeze of 2021, I’m Laguna/ just rolling with the punches.

Baffin I fought being on social media until the bitter end, but have now been a part of it almost three years. It has some unique benefits, although more negative David Rowsey has over 25 years aspects, in my opinion. I once heard a in Baffin and Upper Laguna quote that went something like, “If you Madre; trophy trout with ever want to learn a man’s true character, artificial lures is his specialty. spend a day on a boat fishing with him.”

David has a great passion for Being that I get to do just that on a daily conservation and encourages catch and release of trophy fish. basis, I find it to be danged accurate. In my case, I would say 98% of my clientele Telephone are top notch folks, the other 2% are 361-960-0340 noted and will not be welcomed back.

Website The percentages vary, but social www.DavidRowsey.com Email media gives you a front row seat into david.rowsey@yahoo.com the minds and traits of many fishermen (mostly guides), what they stand for, @captdavidrowsey and more importantly, what they do not. Since croaker season has started, social media is blowing up with kill photos of trout and quotable quotes such as, “Kill ‘em all” and “String them through the eyeballs.” It turns my stomach and that of many true sportsmen, having to share the Laguna’s bounty with such selfish dumbasses.

Speaking with a couple of longtime fishing guides the other day, we agreed that the word guide has almost become an embarrassment.

There are some stand-up and admirable captains on the Texas coast, but that population has become very watered down by the “Me first” crowd who have no vision for the fishery. Their primary objective is instant gratification and “likes” on social media. But what should we have expected, when you are guaranteed a captain’s license as long as you have a credit card.

As hard as most seem to be working to insure a bright future for our fishery, many that are doing their part now, which I admire greatly, are saying they will keep more trout in 2022. Well, let’s talk about that.

The same trout we are releasing in the Upper Laguna and Baffin Bay this year, are the same trout that will be there next year. The only difference being that they have been given a chance to spawn. The 2022 population will be these same fish, plus the 2021-year class of fingerlings.

There will not be a miraculous uptick in keeper-size fish next year. In fact, it’s probably going to take three years before these fingerlings reach solid keeper size. And, that with no further shenanigans from Mother Nature in the interim. So, that being said, if we want a solid trout fishery in the future, we have to continue doing our part now and for a few more years.

We have to educate our clients, our kids, and the many guides who, unfortunately, don’t seem to give a crap. Tell them you want to release 74 | July 2021

your trout. Hell, you’re the one paying for a FULL day…not being back at the dock by 9:30 simply because you got a limit. Fish for the sport, the joy of being outdoors in such a beautiful place, and quality time spent with friends. We are no longer in a position to be able to kill at will and think there will be no consequences for greedy actions.

Although our trout bite is still predictably tough, I am finding my best patterns on windswept points of spoil islands and sandbars. All species seem to be located on them as of now. Windward shorelines are my next best bet, as long as the tides remain higher than average.

Once the tides recede, hopefully soon, I will concentrate more and more on deep but wadeable rock piles throughout Baffin. There is no real science to it; find the rocks with good bait activity and work the edges of the formations. Casting amid and over them will only add up to a bunch of snags and broken lines.

Bass Assassins with a lot of white and flash will be my go-to lures for grinding out the trout bite. The MirrOlure She Dog is my top choice for early morning wades, and also a great all-around fish finder. Midday sight-casting on the flats will see the Double D by Texas Custom Lures in the most natural colors I can find. Think shallow, clear water.

Remember the buffalo! -Capt. David Rowsey

Calvin Joy enjoying some solid redfish action. CPR!

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Upper Laguna/Baffin Post-Freeze Mullet Abundance – A Great Sign!

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WAYNE DAVIS

WAYNE’S Mansfield Report

Greetings from Port Mansfield. At the present time we are dealing with high tides and tons of rain. I have dealt with high water levels in years past and when I see it like this I venture Port just a little bit further inland, (yes, in Mansfield my boat, of course). It is really cool to cruise slowly on plane in crystal-clear water in pastures where cow and nilgai tracks are holding small pinfish and Captain Wayne Davis has mullet. I am not quite sure how many been fishing the Lower more acres of fishable water we might Laguna-Port Mansfield for gain if it rises another foot or more, over 20 years. He specializes but I would bet many. I am not the in wade fishing with lures. biggest fan of extreme high water but as I have previously stated, I use it to Telephone 210-287-3877 my advantage best I can. One of the Email advantages of high water is that it will captwayne@kwigglers.com eventually drop, and when it does you better not miss out. You see, all those “scattered” fish in the salt flats will be leaving and you can bet I will be sitting at the mouth of a drain or cove capitalizing on the moment. Be sure to check the accompanying video to see how we take advantage.

In general, our water is OK, but with an unusual tint that I associate with freshwater runoff. We are also seeing a lot of what locals call Easter grass – filamentous algae. Slimy, bright green in color, in strands and sometimes in mats. It is impossible to get a soft plastic lure through the stuff. Topwaters become the practical choice in areas where it is thickest and these have been producing well for us.

Redfish have taken center stage since the freeze and I expect this will continue for the foreseeable future. Trout fishing is slow across the board. Some say two years, while others say three to five before it gets back to normal. I can go three to four trips without a single trout and the next might give us two or three. Most of my anglers understand the importance of CPR during these times, which is totally cool, and I am glad to see it. Others, want to keep a few reds for dinner, which is also OK in my book. I have cleaned thirteen fish all year – twelve reds

and one gut-hooked trout.

We have been dealing with some big rains but these have not dampened our spirits or our efforts. Lightening is a whole other problem, though, and we layoff for safety’s sake. Numerous days have put my AFTCO Anhydrous rain jacket through some rigorous workouts.

I have owned two and I can say they will keep you dry. We recently held a media event with some of the KWigglers Pro Team Women Anglers and the wind and rain showed up right on cue. They battled both like the pros they are and still caught good numbers of fish in adverse conditions. I am super proud to be associated with them.

On that note – Captain Ernest Cisneros, myself, and KWigglers Brand Ambassador, Erica Rae Hirsch, will be holding a women’s only fish camp this fall at Port Mansfield. This is a three-day program and not just a fishing trip. Yes, there will be fishing, but we will be covering so much more. Feel free to give me a call for more information on this exclusive educational opportunity. You can also find updates on Facebook – Texas Women Anglers.

Getting into July, we can expect elevated water temps and seasonally lower tides. I will shift my mostly knee-deep game to thigh-deep along ledges, points, and edges of grass lines. This pattern should hold through summer with plenty of redfish, and some flounder, as well. Area baitshrimpers are reporting numerous small flounder in their nets, which could foretell good flounder action ahead this fall and winter. Our bay is in recovery mode, trout-wise, and along with the influx of fresh water we are seeing shrimp, croaker, pinfish, mullet, and other forage species while wading. This, coupled with the recent dredging of the East Cut could be a catalyst for boosting the recovery. Good stewardship will also help.

The 46th Annual Port Mansfield Fishing Tournament will be held July 15-18, 2021. The trout category has been removed from the bay division and it is being conducted in a blackjack format with incentives for live weighin. So, gather a team and bring the family for a funfilled weekend. For more information contact www. portmansfieldchamber.com Until next time, stay safe Jeff Hall with a nice redfish that took a topwater. out there!

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KWigglers Women’s Pro Team Anglers toughed it out in rainy weather until lightening sent us scurrying back to Port.

76 | July 2021

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CAPT. ERNEST CISNEROS

SOUTH PADRE Fishing Scene

July marks the middle of summer and lots of folks will be hitting the water.

Winds tend to be light, so light that we will sometimes pray for a breeze Arr o y o to cool things down a little. Lower C ol o ra d o Laguna tides are very high right now t o Po rt in mid-June but will drop to some I sa bel of the lowest levels of the year next month. And while tides fall the water temps will soar.

A Brownsville-area native, Getting an early start to your fishing Capt. Ernest Cisneros fishes the Lower Laguna Madre from day can be very important. I sometimes Port Mansfield to Port Isabel. recommend splitting the charter day; Ernest specializes in wading a few hours in early morning and then and poled skiff adventures for a few more in late-afternoon. Extra snook, trout, and redfish. caution is advised when navigating due to the low tide levels we will be dealing Cell 956-266-6454 with in late-July.

Website Two important tips for July fishing www.tightlinescharters.com – Treat midday heat the same as wintertime cold. Fish will tend to move to deeper water for temperature relief, so work your lures low and slow to entice them to bite. Also of great importance is moon phase. Fishing during full moon periods can be especially challenging, even more so in the several days following the big moon. There are many theories about this and I’m not saying you cannot catch fish because there are always exceptions. What I find most effective though is fishing the late-afternoon and evening hours following the full moon.

Currently, our success with redfish seems to be turning toward a hit or miss situation and I expect it could get tougher as tides recede and the water continues to warm.

Patterning them becomes difficult as they are in smaller groups inhabiting smaller areas of our bays. The eastside sand flats are an exception if you can be there before the sun gets high and they become spooky, but here again they tend to be somewhat scattered.

We are still focusing on sandy potholes along shorelines and spoil islands when the tide is high and some schooling is being seen as incoming tides push into back lakes. Naturally, the reds are following the bait that is moving with the tide. When the tide is receding we find them in and around marsh and back lake drains. As for lures; Kwiggler Ball Tails are great for probing potholes and weedless Willow Tails are a favorite whenever the reds are holding in shallow, grassy areas and also whenever floating grass becomes troublesome. And, it goes almost without saying – keep a weedless gold spoon in your wade box.

I wish I could say that trout fishing in the Lower Laguna is everything we hoped it would be but that is just not the case. The most consistent catches have been coming from deeper water and, by far, the greatest numbers are being caught by fishermen using 78 | July 2021

live bait. You can find lots of fish with lures under birds but nearly all are undersize.

The best strategies lately have been working slicks and deepjigging the edges of the ICW and other channels with KWigglers Ball Tails. Fishing on moving tides has been best, incoming or outgoing doesn’t seem to matter, just so it’s moving. Try 1/4-ounce jigs and cast out deep, then hop the lure methodically back up along the dropoff. This method has been giving us a few decent trout and an occasional flounder or two.

We wait all year for snook to make their way into our shallow bays.

I was very concerned how the snook might fare during the February freeze but thus far I would say we are off to a decent start with my clients having already landed several trophy specimens. Wading for trophy snook is never easy and we sometimes fish all day with only one or two bites. But, believe me when I say it is all worth it when a trophy linesider smashes a topwater and begins its acrobatic routine.

If you want to target snook, look to the days with strongest tides and concentrate on the solunar majors and minors.

Flounder are not especially plentiful this summer but if you put in some time working guts, the edges of potholes along the spoils, and the dropoff on the ICW, there’s a good chance of landing one or a couple, or maybe more. Keeping your lure in contact with the bottom as much as possible will always produce best, and smaller plastics will usually draw the most strikes – especially paddletails.

If the fishing gets as hot as July’s weather we’ll all be in for a big treat. But in the meantime, think winter in the summer for effective lure presentations. Keep an eye on the weather, July thunderstorms seem to pop out of nowhere.

Best fishing!

Keith Letsos’ persistence paid off with this thirtythree inch South Texas snook. CPR!

Matt Neaher with a nice flounder; working soft plastic lure slowly on bottom.

View The Video

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Redfish love KWigglers Ball Tail Shad – 12 pounder CPR!

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FISHING REPORTS

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242 James reports steady catching in parts of West Galveston Bay lately.

“We’ve got plenty of trout over here for people who are willing to wade. When we get lots of freshwater in the upper parts of the bay system, West Bay usually becomes more consistent. The firm bottom and all the points and pockets, and even the grass beds, allow the water to hold its clarity better than it does on the other side of the channel when the wind is blowing south or southeast almost all the time. We’ve been catching pretty good on the best days on small topwaters for a pretty good portion of the mornings, until the sun gets pretty high. Once the clouds break and the sun is shining steady, soft plastics like the Assassin Sea Shads work better. This is typical for the hot summer months. We do have good numbers of fish in the deeper water in Lower Galveston Bay too, hanging around structures. People who know how to set up on the structures and present lures and baits to the fish the right ways, depending on the current, can catch plenty out there, if winds are reasonably light.”

Jimmy West - Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054 Jim had been experiencing fast and easy catching on the days he was able to fish leading up to giving this report. “All the freshwater coming down the rivers has the fish squeezed into relatively small spaces where the water is a little saltier, so the catching is good when we are able to get at ‘em. We need light winds over here to be able to catch ‘em out in the middle though. Any wind at all just makes a muddy mess out of that freshwater layer. If winds are light, we’ve been able to drift around and catch limits by the middle of the morning. Wading has been better on the windier days, and the fish are somewhat bigger on average, but we need pretty high tides to make that work on a consistent basis. On the last full moon, we fished late at night a couple times and caught some really nice trout on top in the dark. It was really fun. Reminded me of the old days. With more rain today and yesterday in the watersheds of the rivers, I expect more freshwater is coming. That will likely keep thing pretty much the same for a while.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays Randall Groves - Groves Guide Service 979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323 Randall fishes an area which provides plenty of good opportunities during the summer months. “We’re watching for the clean green water to move into the surf zone. We usually have some great days catching trout in the surf and on the flats just inside the pass when the green water first comes in. An incoming tide during the morning hours usually helps the bite, as long as it isn’t too strong. Too much current muddies up the flats behind the pass pretty bad. With the green water and incoming tides, shrimp and other critters move into the bays, and the trout take advantage. When we see lots of brown shrimp, the birds usually start working, and we throw Norton Sand Eels in colors like cayenne gold for best results. When the ribbonfish are showing, we do better throwing brighter colors, like glow and chartreuse. This month is a great time to make some quick jumps offshore too. Catching king mackerel and snapper on lures in the clear waters of the Gulf is a real hoot. We look forward to trips like that this time of year. Should be able to make a few in the near future.”

80 | July 2021

ORECASTS F from Big Lake to Boca Chica

AND

Matagorda | Bay Guide Service Charlie Paradoski – 713.725.2401 When July and its hot days arrive, Charlie usually finds himself playing a game with the wind when he’s fishing. “When winds are light and the surf gets good and green, we wind up on the beach side of the island, throwing topwaters and MirrOlures in the surf.

When the wind blows harder, we come back onto the bay side and worked the sandy, grassy coves on the south shorelines, especially in places like Cotton’s and Green’s. Lately, winds have been stronger than usual, so we haven’t had much of a chance to fish the surf, but that should change in the coming weeks. We are seeing good numbers of trout coming through the jetties in West Matagorda and moving down the shoreline, so the catching’s been pretty good down that way lately. Once the wind settles down, drifting around in the deeper parts of East Matagorda, especially in the west end, should become more productive. Fishermen with more skill can catch plenty on soft plastics rigged on relatively heavy heads and bumped off the bottom most days. Those with less skill and motivation to work for bites will do better with live shrimp.”

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204 “We had about eighteen inches of rain recently, the rivers reached flood stages twice, and the fish have been moved around quite a bit. At times, the salty water is pretty far from town. Most of the fish we normally catch in and close to town have moved out into West Matagorda Bay, where we’re finding them around deeper shell pads and reefs. The reefs about six to nine miles out in the bay are loaded with both trout and redfish. We’re catching them best on live shrimp, either free-lined or dangled about four feet under popping corks. We’re seeing good numbers of trout for the first time since the freeze, and we’re releasing as many as possible. A bonus from all the freshwater comes from the fact it has pushed plenty of eating-sized black drum onto shallow reefs around town. Catching them on fresh dead shrimp a couple feet under popping corks over shell has been pretty steady. I look for action to pick up once the salty water moves closer to town, and we see more shrimp, mullet and shad. Tripletails should start coming into the bays, and the surf should be good on north winds.”

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith Back Bay Guide Service - 361.983.4434 Lynn is hoping to take advantage of fishing the surf as much as possible in July. “Normally, we get the first really good run of catching trout in the surf soon after the 4th of July. We’ve been catching some solid trout in the bays already, in places close to the pass, mostly.

When we are able to get into the surf, we like to start off shallow throwing topwaters close to the beach, and move out a little deeper as the sun gets higher, switching over to sinking lures eventually, on most days. When we’re fishing flats and shorelines in the bays, in places close to the pass, the drill is much the same. We catch a lot of trout this time of year on topwaters early in the mornings, and do better on soft plastics later in the day. Staying around good concentrations of bait, mostly big rafts of mullet, is a key, as is fishing where the water’s moving. During summer, incoming tides during the morning hours tend to produce the easiest catching. We’ll start fishing

some of the rocky spoils close to the channel as the weather gets really hot. Moving water is a must for catching on those humps.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894 Fishing for redfish continues steady for Blake lately, and the trout fishing shows improvement too, especially in places close to the Gulf.

“I like to fish the surf as much as possible in the summer. It’s about as fun as fishing gets for most people. When winds are light, we usually find plenty of trout in the shallow guts close to the beach early in the mornings this time of year. Catching them on shiny topwaters is normally pretty easy when that pattern plays out. We are also finding some schools of trout moving into the bays through the jetties and showing up on flats close to the channels, in places like Super Flats and the outside beach of Traylor Island. The fishing down the entire length of St. Joe Island should be decent all summer. Best bet when wading any of those areas for trout is to key on potholes which break up the grass on the bottom. We’re still finding plenty of reds in the shallow areas too. That should remain the case throughout the summer. Higher tides keep plenty of fish in the backwater areas, and we have had lots of high tides lately. Overall, it’s been really good.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay - Land Cut Robert Zapata – rz1528@grandecom.net - 361.563.1160 The month of July usually sizzles, both the weather and the catching.

The catching has been great lately, since the weather warmed up to summer-like temperatures, and we had lots of rain. In the Upper Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay, which tend toward hypersalinity, rain is almost always a good thing, bringing salinity levels into the normal range and creating clear water. Early in the mornings, the trout and reds have been in about eighteen inches of water, along grassy shorelines with potholes scattered around. They generally stay up there until the middle of the morning. Catching them on natural colored SheDogs has been pretty easy, as long as we don’t find too much floating grass in the area. Bass Assassin Die Dappers in colors like chicken on a chain, plum/chartreuse and salt and pepper/chartreuse rigged on sixteenth-ounce Spring-lock jigheads work better if it’s too grassy for trebles, and when the topwater bite slows down. Live shrimp under popping corks have worked well lately too, thrown into water about two feet deep, along grass lines, in potholes and along drop-offs. Once the day heats up the water some, the action gets better out deeper.”

Corpus Christi | Joe Mendez – www.sightcast1.com - 361.877.1230 In July, Joe likes to spend most of his time targeting trout in deeper holes like Emmord’s and Beacroft’s, and around major rock formations in Baffin close to depths of about nine feet. But he still chases redfish in shallower water, especially early in the mornings. “We still have plenty of reds to target in the shallows early in the mornings. On calm days we usually find them while we’re cruising slowly along, on flats with a mix of sand and grass on the bottom, and the schools move and push big wakes. Then, we’re able to troll around and intercept them, so we can cast right into the schools. Normally, we throw paddle-tails and spoons when working this drill. Fishing for redfish has been great lately, and we’re catching a few really nice trout mixed in with ‘em on some days. Overall, fishing for trout is still slower than normal. In this heat, people wanting to catch trout, especially after 9 or 10 in the morning, into the middle of the day, will do best by staying in the boat and throwing at deep grass edges and rocks. Many times, the fish relate closely to features like those.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins 361-877-3583 | Oceanepics.com In July, hot weather, calm winds and clear water can be expected

in the Texas surf. These things make trout fishing along the beachfront productive, especially early in the mornings and late in the afternoons. Tossing topwaters among these vigorous surf trout can be a real blast. Focusing on spots where deeper water comes close to shore or the bars have cuts passing through them works best. Spoons and swim-baits work well to catch the trout too, as do live mullet.

Using mullet will result in more by-catch, of course.

Other species present this time of year are king mackerel and tarpon. Both can be caught on relatively light gear, and both put up quite a fight. We should also see our first evidence of dusky anchovy activity this month.

If so, we’ll likely see jackfish move in with them. Spanish mackerel love eating the anchovies too, and they are both tasty and sporty on light tackle. At night, expect big tigers and hammerheads to move in. Both eat the large southern and rough-tail stingrays that spawn in the shallows this time of year. If targeting large sharks, deploy large baits. An adult tiger might eat an entire 100-pound ray!

Port Mansfield | Ruben Garza Snookdudecharters.com – 832.385.1431 Getaway Adventures Lodge – 956.944.4000 Things have been looking better recently here in Port Mansfield. The trout fishing has improved somewhat, since dipping to a low point after the freeze. Occasionally, word comes in of someone catching trout on shallow flats, but we’re finding most of them in water too deep for wading, or barely accessible to waders. Areas well away from the west shoreline, and off the drop on the east side have been producing best. As always, the catching is best in places where plenty of mullet are jumping and/or pelicans are diving. The deep water lying close to the humps on the west side is also a good place to target trout these days. Fishing for reds continues outstanding.

They’ve been found mostly in water about eighteen to thirty inches deep on the east side, in places like the Northeast Pocket and around Jones Cut. On the west side, the shoreline in Glady’s Hole all the way south to the mouth of Long Island Slough has produced some good catches of reds recently. The Saucer area has been somewhat productive, especially in places where small pods of mullet are seen moving on the surface or jumping.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com – 956-639-1941 Fishing has been fair overall lately in the Lower Laguna Madre.

Summer patterns are well underway, and we’ve found our best trout bite during early morning or late evening hours. Water about four or five feet deep is holding more trout than the shallower water. We’re throwing KWiggler Ball-tails in plum/chartreuse, rigging them on quarter-ounce jigheads, so we can work them low and slow near the bottom. The redfish bite has remained steady lately. We’re catching plenty while working the shallows on windward shorelines. Fourinch KWiggler paddle-tails have worked well on most days. We’ve been retrieving them fast over shallow grass beds to get most of our strikes. This pattern of swimming paddle-tails fast over grass is a reliable way to catch reds all summer. I expect the trout to remain deep now that it’s hot and likely to get hotter, so the best places to target them will be along drop-offs separating the shallows from deeper basins, and along the edges of the channels. Trout always feed best when the water’s moving, either driven by the tide cycles or strong winds, or both. Areas around the East Cut usually have the most reliable moving water.

TSFMAG.com | 81

MaKayla Pittman Trinity Bay - first flounder!

Joseph Righter Galveston Bay - 36” personal best red!

Jessica Riemer Matagorda (offshore) - 44” mahi mahi 82 | July 2021

Crystal Brice Galveston - personal best fish!

Holly Stueve Espiritu Santo Bay - 32” redfish

Trey Tijerina Arroyo City - 24” redfish

Jay Gonzales High Island - 30” redfish

Phillip Rodriguez Jamaica Beach - 21.5” sheepshead

Tina Gordon Matagorda Bay - 28.5” trout

Judson Brown Magnolia Beach - 26.5” personal best red!

Elias Ham Galveston - first speckled trout!

Isabella Tijerina Arroyo City - 21” redfish

Bryan Churan Carancahua Bay - 21” flounder

Kim Imhoff Matagorda (offshore) - 44” mahi mahi

Photo Gallery Guidelines First come – first published!

Photos are judged on artistic merit and sporting ethic displayed. No stringer, cleaning table, or hanging board images allowed.

Digital images only. Adjust camera to high or best quality. All images become property of TSFMag. Email to: Photos@TSFMag.com Include short description of your catch with name, date, bay system, etc.

Juan Espada East Bay - 5’ 4” alligator gar

Destiny Olson Keller’s Bay - 24” flounder TSFMAG.com | 83

PAM JOHNSON

Gulf Coast

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

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

Chris Smisek’s Crispy Almond Baked Fish You might know Chris Smisek by his nickname; Capt. Camo. Chris is a lifelong angler, longtime conservationist, and supporter of CCA TX. Here’s a hearty TSFMag “Thank You” for sharing this excellent recipe.

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

Fish fillets: (red snapper-speckled troutredfish-drum-flounder-etc.) – Skin-on, scales removed

Place fillets on baking sheet coated lightly with olive oil cooking spray, skin side down, cover with crushed potato chips; any brand of chips will do.

Crushed potato chips – any brand will do, but not flavored

Sprinkle with low-salt seasoning – potato chips have plenty salt.

Low-salt seasoning – potato chips have plenty salt Shredded cheese – I like Havarti Almond slices

Place your favorite cheese on top of chips. I like shredded Havarti.

Cover liberally with almond slices.

Place in oven preheated to 350°F and bake 10-12 minutes or until fillets are flaky.

Switch oven to broil and continue cooking until almond slices begin to brown.

ENJOY!

84 | July 2021

Science and the

Sea

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All in the Family You’ve probably heard that birds of a feather flock together. It turns out the same may be true for reef fish called emerald coral gobies. These fish live in small groups that include a single breeding pair and a host of subordinates who are ready to step in and take over as the male or female breeder if one of them dies. Scientists have learned from past research that these non-breeding subordinate gobies stick around in each group because being together offers them safety. The remaining question was why the larger breeders were willing to share space and resources with the hangers-on.

SUBSCRIPTION

Emerald coral gobies can return to their “home” reefs. Credit: Christian Gloor / Flickr CC BY 2.0 Genetic analysis of 73 gobies from 16 groups in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea revealed the likely reason—family loyalty. Biologists discovered that gobies in each group were more related to one another than to gobies in other groups on the same reef. Further, gobies at the same reef were more related to one another than to gobies at other reefs.

This might sound unsurprising at first—except that gobies, like many reef fish, don’t spend their early lives on a reef at all, much less the reef where their parents live. Instead, goby larvae ride the currents of the open ocean for several weeks, where they’re less likely to be targets of hungry predators. Previous research has suggested goby larvae can choose the currents they ride so they can return to their “home” reef.

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Putting all these findings from different studies together, scientists are getting a fuller picture of the lives of these reef fish. It seems their larvae return to the reef they came from, find a group of kin, and stay with them for safety, even if it means sharing food and other resources.

Emerald coral gobies keep it all in the family.

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S P O N S O R E D B Y C O A S TA L B E N D M A R I N E

C H R I S M A P P ’ S R E PA I R & M A I N T E N A N C E

A CLOSER LOOK AT THRU-HULL FITTINGS Plastic components have their place on boats, motors and trailers, and there are also places where plastic should never be used. Applications Chris Mapp, owner of such as fuel vents, live-well intakes, Coastal Bend Marine and and live-well drains made of plastic Flats Cat Boat Company. are cost-effective and can give many Great Service, Parts & Sales. years of service.

“What can we do for you?”

Plastic thru-hull fittings should never be used below waterline for any reason and many boat owners are unaware of their presence because the buyer has the expectation that the Don’t be fooled; this is actually a plastic manufacturer is using quality components. thru-hull fitting with That is what we would like to believe, yet some a shiny finish. manufacturers are so cost-conscious that they use the cheapest materials in all applications.

Take a moment to inspect every fitting on your boat and look for any below-waterline intakes or discharge fittings that might be made of plastic. Change any that are plastic to bronze, and install a cut-off valve between the fitting and hose, preferably using doubled clamps.

86 | July 2021

Buyer beware; the attached photo of a thru-hull fitting appears to be chrome-plated metal but is actually plastic, removed from the bottom of a popular name-brand hull. The second photo is a Flats Cat hull where only high-quality bronze fittings are used.

The simplest things can cause the most trouble and a little investigation is a good practice.

Have a safe and fun summer!

Chris Mapp Coastal Bend Marine – Port O’Connor, TX coastalbendmarine.com – 361-983-4841 Flats Cat uses only bronze fittings below the waterline.

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